Teacup Potholders

A set of potholders made from the scraps of the apron. They were a Mother's Day gift for my mom to go with the apron.

Retro Apron with Custom Bias Tape

Bias tape tutorials seem to be popping up everywhere. Or maybe I've just become aware of them. I was particularly inspired by the one on Made. I knew when I found the retro looking floral print on sale along with the coordinating rick-rack striped fabric they would make a great apron. I love bias binding made from striped fabrics. Of course, in my magic studio (if you can find it) I happened to have the bias tape making gadget. I did not buy it. Like most things in there it magically appeared. Anyway the long and short of it is that I needed a birthday present for my mother. This here is the result.

Ladybug Brooch and Gift Bag

My oldest daughter really like ladybugs. I thought a ladybug brooch would make a great Valentine's Day present for her. I went through four different patterns before I decided on the second pattern I had designed. The black fabric seemed to have a mind of its own. It definitely stretched some. Oh well, next time I rework the pattern I will have to deal with that. I also made a small gift bag to put it in. My youngest daughter commented that the weeds in the backyard made a great backdrop for the photo. Nice to know they're good for something.

Oh Christmas Trees!

Alas, our Christmas tree is not up yet. This inspired my to create a whole forest of miniature fabric trees. Not quite the same thing, but very fun, nonetheless. Some of these are for gifts and others will be for sale on in my Artfire shop.

Exciting things have been happening here. I got a new computer. I went from a pc to a mac. So, if there are any mistakes in this post, it's the computer's fault. I'm still figuring out where everything is.

Puffy Magic Purse

November is birthday month at my house. My daughters were born exactly 3 years apart minus three days. It is always fun to make them something for their birthdays. My oldest has been using a very sad looking small tote bag as a purse. So I thought she might like a new purse. I got the inspiration from this tutorial. The denim is heavy enough that it doesn't need interfacing.
If you're wondering why it is magic. . . I've used a metal tape measure for the top closure. Very simple actually. You make a casing, leaving an opening to put the tape measure in. Stitch the casing vertically where the side seam is. This keeps each piece of the tape measure on its side of the bag. Cut 2 pieces of the tape measure about 1" less than one side of the casing. You can use regular scissors for this. Though I don't recommend using your good sewing shears. Round the ends and cover with a piece of masking tape. Thread each piece into the casing. Sew opening closed and stitch the other side of the casing vertically on the side seam. If you use a dollar store tape measure, double it.
This is a close up of the hardware. I've used split rings to attach the straps and D rings to make the strap adjustable. If you're wondering why split rings. I have a lot of them. They seem to have magically appeared in my studio, as most of my supplies do.

In the Doghouse

If doghouses were this cute, it might not be such a bad place to be. Of course, this particular doghouse is a bit on the wee side. Scotty, who is made from a wool blend felt, is only one and a half inches long and fits perfectly inside.

Momiji Doll Birthday Greetings

Momiji dolls were a recent discovery for me. I'm not sure why it took so long to find out about them. They are small and cute. Just the kind of thing I adore. Of course, when I did discover them I just had to make my own version. I'm still tweaking with the pattern a bit. But I did make this one as a birthday present for a close friend who recently discovered zakka. I made a special coordinating gift bag.
And as you can see, she can hold a secret message. A friend of mine commented it would be a great way for little girls to pass notes to one another at school. My oldest daughter, who is a teacher, wasn't so sure about that.

Patchwork Bag Pattern

It's a free pattern for a small patchwork bag. My birthday's coming up and I've decided to share one of my favorite patterns with you as a gift. This pattern was one of a line of patterns I had produced several years ago . It's been updated a bit. Hope you enjoy making it as much as I do. It is one of my favorites to make as a reusable gift bag. I've also made them using just the lining pattern piece and reducing the size a bit as goody bags for birthday parties. They can be reversible. The finished bag is about 4x4 inches.

You can get the free bag pattern here. Please use this pattern for your personal use and enjoyment only.

Birthday Bling

It's that time of the year again-birthday time. Many of my friends have their birthday's either in late August or September. Of course mine is in September. This brooch is the first of several gifts I'm making. It's embroidered with an assortment of beads. I also made the small matchbox to give it in. Then I made a very small (3/4" x 3/4") birthday card to go with the present. And it actually did not get lost in my purse before I gave it to her. Good things can come in small packages.

Oooh Baby. . . It's a Quilt

The latest quilt, a baby quilt, made as a gift. It is kind of scrappy. I went through my stash and used everything that coordinated with the sashing. There was a bit of frustration with the backing fabric. It was 1" too small for the quilt. I measured 6 times hoping each time that some how it would change. Not a chance. So there is a row of the left over rectangles in the center of the backing. I really liked this block and may make another quilt with different fabrics.

And the Winner is. . .

Yes again, it was me. Let me explain. A couple of weekends ago was the Central Coast Quilt Shop Tour. Many of the shops had challenges or contests. Quilt'n Cousins theme was Surf's Up. So the challenge for that shop was decorated flip-flops. So here are my decorated flip-flops. They won as well as the pair my daughter decorated. Of course we were the only two entries. Still though, we each won a very nice gift certificate to one of my favorite quilt stores.

The flip-flops have ribbon glued on to the straps. The medallions are based on one of my popular brooch designs. They are made from fabric covered with sequins and beads. Anyway I thought they dressed up plain black flip-flops rather nicely.

And the winner is. . .

You're going wait a sec, the May giveaway day is over. Yes it is. But this weekend was the Central Coast Quilt Shop Tour. And I won :) one of the daily gift baskets from Betty's Fabric. It was a tote bag stuffed with lots of quilting related goodies. That bag was heavy let me tell you. The contents are pictured below.
Lots and lots of fabric, books, patterns and notions. There was even a package of bamboo batting. I've been wanting to try this since I heard about it a few months ago. So I'm off to sort all that fabric out and find projects to use it up on. More about the tour on the next post. Hint: another prize.

First Gift of the Year

The first gift of the year was this set of towels. It was a birthday present for a very good friend. I bought a set of plain towels. For me this is like a blank canvas, lots of possibilities. I embellished them with a charm pack, some lace and ribbon. My friend liked them very much.