Patchwork Coasters

My favorite of all glorious 30 days' worth of Handmade Holidays tutorials at Sew Mama Sew was November 12th's For the Table. I'm so into the linen-and-patchwork look that's showing up everywhere lately, and Foofanangle's tutorial was perfect for the linen yardage and Summer in the City charm squares I'd been saving.

 

Buy Handmade

I've been so busy working on Christmas gifts that I decided to treat myself to a bag by one of my favorite designers, Oh Fransson! I fell in love with this bag as soon as I read about it on Elizabeth's blog and was delighted to find it on Etsy. The mailman didn't disappoint...it's even lovelier in person! I have most of these fabrics in my stash and took a (tiny) while to justify the purchase, but this is the year to do it.

Smile, darn you!

I've had this project in mind for years but didn't sit down to make it until I needed a baby gift last week. The transfer wasn't perfect...maybe I didn't iron quite long enough? Anyway I'm partial to pugs so was pleased with this gift for a tiny girl named Eleanor. The caption below the puppy says "Smile, darn you, Smile!" (And how can you not?)

Bird Towels

I was excited to try one of the projects in Amy Butler's sewing book but was perplexed by the directions for these towels. I ended up changing the width, placement of loop, and application technique. Once I worked it out, it was a breeze. I did a bath towel and this hand towel for a friend's bird-themed blue bathroom, and I've stocked up on clearance towels from The Company Store with more in mind as Christmas gifts.

Table Runner

I started this project in January, thinking it would be a quickie. Not so, but worth the wait. Most of the fabrics are Amy Butler, with a few others thrown in here and there. Machine appliqued and hand quilted. Pattern is "Little Charmers" by Anka's Treasures.

 

Sew: A needle pulling thread

It was the last day of summer vacation and we were looking for something special to do. To my delight, Olivia was enthusiastic when I suggested that I teach her to sew. And what a talented seamstress she turned out to be! Patience, creativity, and dexterity with the needle. (Yes, she poked herself a couple of times, but she didn't even demand a Band-Aid.) I was so proud I could barely sit still. She drew a little heart and outlined it in red thread. I'm tempted to frame it.

 

Pencil Roll

I posted this on Pink Chalk Studio's Crafty Friends Gallery a while back. It's based on Kathy Mack's instructions for her Whiplash entry.

It was one of my favorite projects of the summer. And, it was a hit! My 7-year-old niece, who can be hard to impress, was delighted with it.

Ah, those little gnomes. I'm seeing them everywhere lately.

Free Fabric!

Woo-hoo! I just heard from Kristin of Sew, Mama, Sew! that I won a yard of fabric from the Free Fabric Friday contest. The timing couldn't be better. Jeff and I "agreed" over the weekend that my recent fabric binge was just a little bit out of control, so I wouldn't buy any more fabric for a while. He can't exactly complain about free fabric, now can he?

I've been obsessing all morning over Oh, Frannson's foldover bag, similar to the one in Amy Karol's "Bend the Rules Sewing." Must finish work early today and make one.

In the meantime, here's my latest WIP. Need to embroider a bird-related message in the center.

Onesies

Embellished onesies are my latest baby sewing obsession. This was for my niece. I used a pattern from Angry Chicken's mailorder on foundation piecing (shrank it just a bit) and found the perfect little mouse to fit in the center square. I made some dark-blue bandana-print bloomers to go with it, but they turned out a little too large!

Purl Frog

I had to participate in the Purl Frog experience. This one was for my 1-year-old niece, so I sewed felt eyes on instead of the frog-like buttons on the Purl example.

Nan's Rose

As a huge fan of the craft blogging community, it’s high time to join the fun. I have lots of ideas for this blog and many loves...sewing, quilting, baking, crafts...but I'll start with a tribute to my late grandmother, Nan. The first rose of the season from her bushes. The scent is divine.