One of my 2016 goals was to release one paid pattern a month. That hasn't been going exactly as planned since it's already March, but better late than never! My solar system patterns are consistently my most popular - both the rectangle version and circle version. I wanted to make more science cross stitch patterns and so I stitched up this cross section of the earth's core. I love how it turned out and hopefully you do too! You can get your own version over in my Etsy shop! There are more free patterns to download here. If you stitch up one of my ... Read More
A Scrappy Quilted Tote Gift
After I gave my sister the book shelf tote bag for Christmas my mom mentioned wanting a tote bag of her own for her birthday. I wanted to try out a new pattern though so I started looking through Pinterest and came across this scrappy quilted tote pattern from A Bright Corner. The pattern is a variation of Jedi Craft Girl's quilted tote bag tutorial but with a patchwork panel instead of one large piece. Jedi Craft Girl's zipper pouch tutorial is my favorite, so I was excited to try another one of her projects. This tote bag is fantastic for using scraps but the ... Read More
Dream Big Blog Hop – A Hexie Pencil Case
I love English paper piecing and foundation paper piecing for a lot of the same reasons. The both allow you to make really precise shapes without needing to do precision cutting or measuring. Susi from Tiny Toffee Designs has combined the two by making these amazingly adorable little foundation paper pieces that are meant to be turned into 1" EPP hexies. This pencil pattern is part of the Dream Big series. As soon as I saw the pencil I knew I needed to make a rainbow of them. I made the pencil case about 8" wide and 3.5" tall, it perfectly fits pencils. ... Read More
February TSNEM Highlights and March Link-Up
I have been so excited with how many people have been participating in TSNEM - Try Something New Every Month. If you haven't joined the Facebook group yet, make sure you do. There's a lot of great projects happening over there! You can check out last month's link up and highlights here, and there is the March link up at the bottom of this post. Get the full list of TSNEM themes here. February Highlights I was in awe when I saw this decoupage bunny from Dawn at Purple Hues and Me. I thought for sure she put fabric over a store bought form and when I saw she ... Read More
Paper Pieced Monogram Mini Quilts
A few years ago I went through a big monogram phase. It's been awhile since I've made any, but when I saw the Geometric Uppercase Alphabet Pattern (affiliate link) from Quiet Play, I had to grab it. Evie's favorite colors are pink and purple so they were a natural choice. I made these entirely with pieces from my scrap bin. The pattern is really easy and quick and I love how it turned out. Mira's favorite color is blue, but I did throw in some aqua too. Diagonal straight line quilting is my favorite. I mark the first line right down the middle ... Read More
Pattern Testing – Hexie Bunny Pattern
Michael Ann released a new paper piecing quilt pattern and I was lucky enough to test the pattern. I previously have made her mini raspberry kiss blocks for a pouch I made. The pattern is absolutely adorable and perfect for spring. I just did one block and turned it into a mug rug, but the pattern has instructions on turning it into a super cute mini quilt. I love the little hexie tail, there's so many options for it! You can get your own copy of the pattern here*, (affiliate link) and this weekend it's 25% off! And make sure to check out ... Read More
No Scrap Left Behind – Finished Small Project
For the first No Scrap Left Behind Challenge, the theme was to make any Small Project. Last year on Instagram I committed to a "Pay It Forward" movement. Someone sent me a handmade gift and I had to find 5 people to send something to who would also keep the cycle going. I've used the nanaCompany needle book tutorial before and it's a really good tutorial and allows you to customize it. I made a panel of tiny patchwork as the basis for the needle book. When I made my patchwork tutorial, I used 1.5" squares to start off with, resulting in 1" ... Read More
1000 Crane Quilt – Where I’m At
It's been a long time since I've updated about the 1000 Crane Quilt. I've slowly been working on it, but it definitely has slowed down a lot. I feel like I made such good progress in the first few months, but then with Christmas gift making and my increased machine sewing, I just haven't been making very many of these. I counted them up and was pretty discouraged to see that since my last update in August, I've only finished 22 hexagons. (Please note: affiliate links are indicated by an asterisk*.) I do have more finished embroideries than that, but I ... Read More