Sleeping Porch Pillow

I recently had the pleasure of working with Heather Ross's latest line, Sleeping Porch.  This line is cotton lawn, something I haven't had very much experience working with.  Lucky me, it was a dream to sew up.  It sews as easily as quilting cotton and is oh so incredibly soft.  

I started a quilt with this bundle, but the quilt is on hold while I decide how to back it.  The scraps were begging to be sewn up into a pillow in the meantime though.  I used 3.5 inch squares surrounded by 2 inch strips (unfinished measurements).  

The strawberry fabric in the last picture is not part of this line, but is a (hoarded, cough cough) print from her Briar Rose line.  It matches this line perfectly though and so I used a little strip to back the pillow.  

I finished up this pillow and sent it to a friend on the other coast where I am sure it is being enjoyed.  Yay for quilty gifts and for turning scraps into something beautiful. 

First Blush Blog Tour (and a Giveaway!)

Today is my stop on the First Blush Blog Tour.  First Blush by Ruby Red Designs will be in stores next month.  These fabrics have a summery and vintage-sheet vibe.  I really needed another project bag for my hand-sewing projects and I thought these prints would be perfect for a quick and cheerful project. 

I kept the design simple and used only a few different prints from the line.  On the outside, I used wide strips of some of the blue and green prints.  

I used two of the yellow prints to line the interior, and a light blue floral to add a pocket for storing smaller objects inside the roomy pouch.  I quilted diagonal lines using aurifil thread. 

This was an extremely satisfying make: cheerful fabrics, relatively quick, and an oh-so-useful finished project.  If you're on my Christmas gift list, chances are you'll be getting one of these bags.

Now for a giveaway.  Windham Fabrics is generously giving away a full fat quarter bundle  of First Blush, and a small box of coordinating Aurifil thread!  Just leave a comment on this post by midnight on October 27th and I'll randomly choose a winner on October 28th. 

For more chances to win, visit each stop of the blog hop: 

October 10 – Made by Chrissie D
October 11 – Sinta at Pink Pincushion
October 12 –  Fat Quarter Shop
October 13- Windham/Two Blondes and a Sewing Machine
October 14- Jennie at Clover and Violet
October 15- Aurifil- Erin Sampson
October 16- Tina Egner
October 17 – Pretty By Hand
October 18 – Allison Harris
October 19 – Erin Cox
October 20 – Angie Wilson Gnome Angel
October 21 – Debbie at happy little cottage
October 22 – Heidi Staples
October 23 – Leanne Elliott
October 24- Greg Jones Grey Dogwood Studio
October 25- Wendy Sheppard Ivory Spring
October 26 – Creative Reveries (you are here!)
October 27 – Lisa Ruble

Good luck and happy quilting!

Alison Glass Kaleidoscope Pillow

I have a large box full of half-finished or barely-even-started projects that I am determined to empty out in one way or another.  I started this block 75 weeks ago according to Instagram.  This month I finished it, turned it into a pillow, and gave it to a good friend for her birthday.  Now it sits happily on her couch instead of in a dark box somewhere. Yay for finishing stuff!

Pattern: Spring Kaleidoscope Paper Piecing Pattern by Charise Creates for Sew Mama Sew
Fabrics: Alison Glass prints with assorted low volumes

October

Happy Fall.  After what seemed like a summer that would never end, the weather finally cooled down and there's that familiar crispness in the air stirring all kinds of warm memories of sweater and cider season.  The leaves seemed to turn colors overnight.  I think we were all ready for the season to change. 

Pictured are Halloween projects I made last year.  The first two were gifts for Amber (simplelovemade on Instagram) at last year's Swapaholics Retreat.  The last pillow is one I made for myself using some of Dinara Mirtalipova's lovely Mischief Night fabric collection.  I used a smaller scale of my favorite quilt block, the rocky mountain puzzle block.  I still have scraps leftover from this project and am itching to make another pillow before the time it's no longer acceptable to put Halloween decorations out arrives. When exactly is that?  Halloween itself?  Oh wish me luck.