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?

A Forgotten Project Finshed

Remember this quilt? Well, here's the finished product. I love the way it turned out. I don't quite know if it's a table runner, or a wall-hanging, or something else entirely, but I had a great time experimenting!

Fat Quarter Frenzy Project

Each month at the store, we have a new project using fat quarters. Customers choose their own fat quarters to complete the project. It's been gaining popularity each month. I think this month's project turned out really cute, if I do say so myself. It's a patchwork notebook cover that I adapted for fat quarters from a pattern on the Craft Apple blog.

Recipe for Friendship Quilt

Here is a quilt I made with Mary Englebreit's Recipe For Friendship line. Very bright and cheery. I hope to make another with her new line, Baskets of Flowers, that is coming out in February--it's more pinks than reds--then each of my girls can have one.

Aprons Abound

Aprons have been really popular lately--we sell a lot of patterns and fabric for aprons of all kinds. I hadn't tried my hand at making one until this past week, when I decided to make one as a gift for a friend. In the pattern book, it said once you sew one, you will be hooked. I know several people who have made one, then another, then another.......While it was an okay project, I have to admit it is a little too close to sewing clothes for me--I'll probably stick to quilts, thanks. But it did turn out kind of pretty:

And I know (because someone very nice made me one) that it's fun to have a pretty apron to wear when you are slaving away in the kitchen. So, if you love making aprons, don't let my lack of enthusiasm dampen your desire to sew them--we'll keep the fun fabric and patterns stocked and ready to feed your addiction!

Recipe for Friendship

Sew, I actually HAVE been sewing a lot lately, but never posting--running a store takes a lot of time and energy. Being a Mom takes even more. Between the tw0, by the time I have a chance to sit at the computer I am usually in a half-asleep state that doesn't allow me to complete a coherent sentence on the computer. Also, though I continue to carry my camera to and from the store daily, I never get it out to snap pictures of all the fun projects we've got going. Someday soon....



In the meantime, last week Morgan asked me to make matching skirts for her and her little friend who just moved. The friend was coming back for a visit and Morgan wanted to give her "something to remember me by." I told her to think of something, and the next day, she said, "Mom, I've got an idea. You could make us matching skirts--you have those really cute skirt patterns down at the store." My first instinct was to groan inwardly and think of how little time I have, and how MUCH time this project would take. My second instinct was to remember how Morgan observed the other day that I make all kinds of things for the shop, and nothing for them. My final thought was that this was something that would make her very happy in a moment when she has been feeling kind of sad (it's hard when a good friend moves away). So I opted to spend my day off (and into the night) sewing skirts. Of course, I couldn't make just two--I had to make three, because Madison couldn't be left out. I used some fabric from Mary Englebreit's Recipe for Friendship (I've also made a quilt out of this--so bright and cheery--I'll post a picture soon). I thought I could do the three in an hour or so, but no luck. However, the next day, there were three very happy little girls wearing skirts that look like this:

I didn't end up using a pattern. It seemed easier just to cut and sew without trying to do anything fancy. I think it turned out pretty well--and the girls are happy. All except for the fact that I didn't take them all shopping to buy matching shirts--you can't have it all, girls!

Just Sew is Now Open!

And things are going well. Be sure to check out pictures of the shop here.

Spellbound

Here's a top I just finished making as a sample for the quilt shop--it's made from Maywood Studio's Spellbound fabric. I love it! The pattern had a few issues, but once I got those fixed, it went together very nicely.

Love This Girl

Look at the fabulous dress form I found for the quilt shop--I think she'll be great with a hip bag slung over her shoulder or an apron around her waist. I'm so excited!

Excitement is Building!

Here is a sneak peak at some fun samples that my amazing friend Natilie has been making for the quilt shop. I am so excited for everything to be falling into place. I think it will be great fun. And the fabric I have been receiving is amazing. Can't wait to share it with everyone!

Natilie--you have outdone yourself! I can just see a little Halloween Witch LOVING the trick or treat bag! And the onesie gown is too cute for words, and the Pajama Pants--I want a pair!

Onesie Gowns

Here is my first attempt at copying some baby gowns made from onesies that I saw in a magazine. They were quick and easy, but I'm worried they will fit more like straight-jackets than gowns---especially the stripey one. I'll report later, after they've been used once or twice by the recipient.

Randomness

I have had a charm pack of Moda's Flutterby line sitting in my cupboard for several weeks now. In the spirit of one of my new idols, Crazy Mom Quilts, I decided to do something out of the ordinary for me--utter randomness! Honestly--I didn't even look through the fabrics at all, except to split them up and arrange them for this photo:



After the photo, I separated the charm pack into six piles (again, didn't even look at them individually), and cut three 1 1/2" strips from each square. I then cut 2 inches off each 1 1/2" x 5" strip.



To perpetuate the random theme, I jumbled both piles up,



and chain-sewed the pieces back together several times--trying not to even think about color combinations except to make sure that two like colors never touched each other (can this still be counted as random)? It was fun to discover the fabrics as I went along--sort of my own little mystery quilt, I guess. I had intended for this to be a table runner, but I think it is evolving into a small quilt. Here is what I have so far:



I've been playing a lot with the arrangement. I'm going to put them on a brown background--we'll see how the finished product ends up looking--a mystery all around. Sometimes it's fun to just create without a lot of thought. I've been doing a lot of heavy duty brainwork lately (Click here to find out why) and it was lovely just to relax and sew!

What do you think???