Three Cheers for Zippered Tote!

I’ve wanted to make a red, white, and blue purse for awhile and finished this just in time for Memorial Day! The original pattern was Charm Party Tote, a tote that was open at the top.

However, I wanted this to function more as a purse, so I added a zipper.

The bag has fusible fleece on the interior and exterior, and features some light quilting. I am going to experiment with using different combinations of fusible fleecing for the lining to see if I can find one that makes this less bulky. The outside uses 24 charm squares, and then I used the leftover squares to make the pockets.

Jo’s Little Houses

Here’s a fun little quilt made entirely of Jo Morton fabric and a pattern from “Little Quilts: All Through the House.” I’ve been wanting to make a house quilt for awhile, and this one is prefect because it didn’t take anytime at all! All the houses are pieced together with 2″ inch strips, so it is a great stash buster. I grouped my scraps by color so the houses would be more distinct. When this is quilted, I am going to applique “Welcome” on it with wool and hang it my my front foyer.

Little Houses Quilt — Little House Quilt

I think it would have been cute to make all the houses red and blue. The green is nice, but they blend into my grass strip a bit.

90th Birthday!

Not much time to sew for the past few days. I went to Atlanta to celebrate my Grandmother’s 90th birthday! She is still going strong and even treated the whole family to dinner on her birthday. It’s hard to imagine how much change she’s witnessed in her 90 years. When she was born, cars were pretty rare and of course no TV or internet. How did they get by without internet back then??

My grandma sewed most of my clothes when I was younger and even attempted to teach me a few times. However, it never really stuck with me until I start sewing when I was pregnant. She made me the most beautiful party dresses for dances, and very dapper suits for my brother. I was lucky enough to get her old treadle sewing machine when she upgraded to an electric sewing machine a few years ago. She doesn’t sew as much anymore, but she does crochet and knit like crazy. I think everyone she’s ever known has received a crocheted afghan from her – we have three!

Happy Birthday Grandma!!

1 Charm Pack + 1 Yard Fabric

Here is this year’s spring bag – made with one charm pack and one yard of fabric! This is a really cute pattern called the Borsa Bag. You have to sew the squares together in a specific grid pattern, and then you start sewing the seams to turn it into a 3 dimensional bag. You really had to put your thinking cap on to get it put together correctly – I had to wait until my son went to bed so I could totally concentrate on it.

The pattern is cool, because you can use any size squares – 5″ charm squares make a nice sized handbag, while 8″ squares would make a nice roomy tote. I used the left over charm squares to make a little zip topped bag, it still needs some tweaking. However, once I get it just right I will write up as a pattern and post it for you :).

Yummy Professional Tote

I gained some weight while working on this Professional Tote. Don’t the donuts look yummy? Seriously, I had to go to Dunkin Donuts to get a strawberry glazed donut after I finished this.

I am made this delicious looking tote for Arlene – she picked out the fabric and thought it would make the perfect bag for her trip to California. She had taken a professional tote class from me last fall and wasn’t too keen on making up another tote, but she really loved the fabric. She asked me to make it for her, and I was more than happy to!

Tomato Needlekeep

Here’s a cute little needlekeep that goes with all the tomato pin cushions I made. Sharon at Liberty Rose strikes again with another fun class! This is hand-stitched out of wool, and only took a couple hours. I added the small tomato pin cushion on the end – I always like to add my own thing to a project :). This is small enough to throw in your purse, along with a few skeins of floss and an embroidery project.

Happy Mother’s Day!!

Happy mother’s day to all the mom’s out there. Someone sent this email to me and it was so funny I wanted to share it! Enjoy and have a great day.

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?

1. She’s the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.

2. Mostly to clean the house.

3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?

1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.

2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.

3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?

1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.

2. They had to get their start from men’s bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?

1. We’re related.

2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people’s mom like me.

What kind of a little girl was your mom?

1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.

2. I don’t know because I wasn’t there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.

3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

1. His last name.

2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?

3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?

1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.

2. She got too old to do anything else with him.

3. My grandma says that mom didn’t have her thinking cap on.

Who’s the boss at your house?

1. Mom doesn’t want to be boss, but she has to because dad’s such a goof ball.

2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.

3. I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What’s the difference between moms and dads?

1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just to go work at work.

2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.

3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power ’cause that’s who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.

4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?

1. Mothers don’t do spare time.

2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?

1. On the inside she’s already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.

2. Diet. You know, her hair. I’d diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?

1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I’d get rid of that.

2. I’d make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me.

3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Aloha – Hawaiian Shirt

I decided to try something different. I was at Jo-Ann Fabrics last week and saw their Hawaiian print fabric on sale for 50% off. In a fit of inspiration (or insanity) I thought it would be a great idea to make matching Hawaiian shirts for my son and husband. I’ve haven’t done much garment sewing and was second guessing this decision after I got home with all the fabric and the pattern. I started with my son’s shirt – I figured since it was much smaller that if I made mistakes it wouldn’t be as big a deal to fix them. The shirt was finished over the course of two days and I am very pleased with the results!

I used a Simplicity pattern and followed the directions exactly, even when I didn’t quite understand what I was doing. I had some issues with the collar, but when I just followed the directions instead of trying to overthink it, it turned out exactly as it should. The buttonholes were a snap since my machine has an automatic buttonhole maker. The great thing is, you can input a buttonhole size and it will then create as many buttonholes as needed that exact same size. Now I just have to make my husband’s!

Congratulations to Plain and Simple Quilt Shop!

Plain and Simple Quilt Shop is one of the 10 shops featured in the latest issue of Quilt Sampler magazine! Congratulations to Sharon and the girls of Plain and Simple for making such a fun and inviting place to shop!

Sharon Reilly, Owner, Plain and Simple Quilt Shop

I found Plain and Simple about 3 years ago and have been going at least once a week since then. This store has a great selection of fabric and tons of patterns for quilts, bags, dolls, and other primitive and americana items. Not to mention they have a great wool selection and tons of wool applique patterns. My fabric stash would be significantly smaller if the shop weren’t so close to my house!

This is a well -deserved recognition, and I figure the shop will get more crowded since the secret is out. Stop by if you have a chance.