Goldfish For Henry

Who didn't have goldfish as pets when growing up?  In our house, my mom wouldn't allow us to have a dog - but we did have fish.  Though not as exciting as a dog, it was fun to go to the pet store & leave with fish-filled plastic bags while thinking of fish names.

Maybe that's why this fabric resonates with me:

Again, another delightful Heather Ross fabric - Goldfish in Bags.  They are even named.  But one name stood out to me - Henry.

To make a very long story short, a neighbour (with a house full of cute little girls) just gave birth to a long-awaited boy.  She had mentioned that it was a tradition for her babies to have a bib with their name on it, but she wasn't able to find one with the expected baby's name.  He was going to be named Henry.

I hadn't thought about this fabric, but while reorganizing my fabric stash I noticed one of the fish named Henry.  I knew I had to use this fabric for Henry, and I came up with this design:

A cheerful bib in blue.

The back is lined in yellow terrycloth to make it extra soft & absorbent.

Instead of snaps or velcro, I opted for this pretty, watery aqua button & sewed 2 buttonholes to make it adjustable as baby Henry gets bigger.

Cute fishies in mini hexies - on the dot background they have a bubble feel.

Now, it just needs to be wrapped up with love.  Henry, you are sure to be a bundle of cuteness in your new goldfish bib!

Have a sweet Thursday!

What Fairytales Are Made Of

I had stashed away a bit of my birthday money for a special purchase. I had teetered on spending all my money on Lecien's Antique Flower in Pastel & Flower Sugar fabrics (which I can't get enough of), but I stopped after these magnificent stacks of flowery goodness:

Antique Flower in Pastel - so hard to find, so these go into my personal stash.

Flower Sugar, equally hard to find & another addition to the personal stash.  Next on the "to buy" list: newly released Flower Sugar II before it becomes OOP & HTF!

So, what was I waiting for? Well, I was waiting for my fairytale fabric. I was waiting to be graced by Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel & the Owl & the Pussycat all courtesy of the lovely Heather Ross:

Sleeping Beauty under lily of the valley - how pretty is that?

Rapunzel - you can't see it in the picture, but on the ground below the tower, there is a scattering of bobby pins that fell from her hair :)

A classic romance - the Owl & the Pussycat

Three lovely fabrics from Heather Ross' Far  Far Away Chapter 2.  Instead of the double gauze she used in her first Far Far Away line, these fabrics are a cotton linen blend. 

As you all know, I love pink; but when I saw the aqua colorway, I had to have it. Apparently so did everyone else.  One of my favorite online fabric stores, Hawthorne Threads sold out in just a few hours, so I purchased mine from Pink Chalk Fabrics.  If you love this fabric as much as I do, get yours now before you have to wait until late summer for another shipment!

Have a sweet Wednesday!

Hexagon Quilting

I have been admiring the latest trend in blogland - piecing together hexagons.  I am fascinated by using small scraps of fabric & turning them into a cute, colorful collage.  So from the moment I saw this technique, I knew I wanted to incorporate it into my work.  Not only is it a great scrapbusting project, but it also is a perfect way to showcase some of my favorite prints in my fabric stash (especially Heather Ross' prints).

By reading a few tutorials, I noticed that many people would make their hexagon templates from paper.  I am not big on paper piecing in general, or cutting out large amounts of finicky shapes. Then, I came across these beauties:

Neatnik - I store my hexi templates in a jelly jar.

The teflon shapes are reusable, and they can be pressed with an iron.  They are quite slippery, so it can be a bit of a challenge at first to baste the fabric around them, but once you do a few it becomes easier.   I chose polka dots and a Heather Ross gnome for my first project:

How cute are gnomes & polka dots?

I love to hand stitch, and this has become a favorite new technique.  Now I want to try out mini hexies - which are about half the size of these.  So cute!

Have a wonderful weekend!

See You at the Park

Pink Fawn designs will be at Windsor's Art in the Park at Willistead Park in Walkerville this upcoming weekend!  Bring your friends & family, check out the local artists & most of all, stop by the tent to say hi!