Bits and Pieces is Moving!

I've decided to simplify my life and combine this blog with my family blog which can be found at http://theabcs.wordpress.com. Come on over and see what's going on!

Santa's Treasure Sack Finished

I got all the bells sewn on to Santa's Treasure Sack. Still loving it!

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

So, it's been a while! I noticed the last post was about the project I taught LAST FRIDAY--and was posted FIVE MONTHS AGO! I've completed a myriad of projects since then, but thought I'd share a few that are in the works right now....

This is going to be an advent calendar...if I can figure out how to make the trees into pockets and get them sewn onto a white background. It worked in my head, but is a little trickier in reality.

I'm also working on Santa's Treasure Sack:

I just have to add some jingle bells and voila! Done! MUCH BIGGER than I remembered it being when I saw the sample at Quilt Market. But I love it! (I just have no idea what to do with it).

Travel Ironing Mat

I put this travel ironing mat together as a make and take that we are going to be teaching at the Utah Valley Quilt Guild quilt retreat at Aspen Grove in November--I'm really excited about it. I've seen these before, but they roll up--which seemed hard to transport to me. This one is the size of a fat quarter, but folds up to fit into your bag easily. It's got reflective material on the back and Insul-Brite in the middle. I'm excited to start using it. Why haven't I made one of these before?

More Bags

With the help of my good friend Natilie, I've got two more fun bags (OK--Natilie did more than just help--she made the ENTIRE Buttercup Bag. Thanks Natilie!)

First, the Schlep Bag:



Got the idea from a friend, found the free pattern online. It was confusing, but once we got it figured out, it turned out pretty cool. I've got a link to the patterns and some tips here.

Second, the Buttercup Bag:



I LOVE this bag!! It is small and cute, and I am in love with the fabric. It is called "Wonderland" by MoMo, who designs for Moda Fabrics. I'm in mourning that we didn't get this in our store (the salesman must not have shown it to me--I can't imagine that I would have passed it up!) I had to buy it elsewhere. Ssh!! Don't tell anyone!

You can find the pattern here.

Loving the messenger bag and apron I made a couple of weeks ago...

Challenge Quilt

Here are the partial results of a Challenge that is going on over at Just Sew...It's taking much longer than I expected, but I am loving the results. What do you think? I'd like it to be about 4x the size it is so far--may take a few decades, but I'll keep plugging along.

Is This Really Buggy Barn??

Linda and I recently finished this quilt as a gift:

It's a Buggy Barn pattern, and it's different than their usual style of stacking, cutting, shuffling, etc. It's a traditionally pieced quilt, and we made a LOT of half-square triangles for this one. It was hard to find the motivation to finish it, but the end result was gratifying. It was hard to give this one up!!!

Are These Cute Or What???

Natilie recently discovered a fun new website from Moda. It’s the Moda Bakeshop, and they have all sorts of fun projects that use layer cakes, charm packs, sweet rolls, etc. My favorites right now are the Pennie Pockets. We’ve got some hanging in the store, and I’m in the process of making several. They are quick, easy, and so cute! They make up in about 30 minutes (less if you do it assembly-line style) and are great filled with your favorite treats. Who wouldn't want to find one of these hanging on their door for Valentine's day?