I Miss My Sewing Machine

It's been a week since I last sat down to sew anything!  Well, not totally.  I did repair a few of my dog's toys that he pulled the stuffing out of. Poor Mr. Duck & Woobie! So, no new projects to share with you in this post.

Despite the lack of stitching, I did get some more Mini Bundles & Fat Quarters cut up for my shop.  These are a couple of my favorite combinations:


Pink Grapefruit.



Sun Shower.  Because we all need some sunshine after this long winter.

The new additions will be popping up gradually over the course of the week.  I am so inspired by all the color & have so many projects in mind for the new prints & themes!  How about you?

Snippets & Scraps

Are you a scrap hoarder?  Do you save even the teensiest bits of fabric goodness because you just can't bear to toss them into the abyss of the trash can?  Well, this post is for you!

I am a confessed scrap hoarder.  I have bins, pyrex dishes, & overflowing wire baskets of fabric bits & pieces.  Some people think it's a disorder, but I call it thrifty ;)  So to help weed out my overabundance, I am offering up some new goodies in my shop:

A little peek up close.

Vintage sheet scrap packs for your hoarding pleasure!

Ok, well they are way too pretty to hoard!  I can think of a ton of little projects for these vintage pieces - buttons, patchworks, bunting, Blythe dresses, flower pins, or coin purses maybe?  All the scraps are a nice size (3.5" wide is the smallest) & are taken from a variety of different prints.  Perfect to get those creative juices flowing!

And for those who want a selection of bigger cuts, I have come up with these:

A selection of fat eighths...

all tied up into a Vintage Sheet Mini Bundle!

If you want variety without investing in fat quarter cuts, my Mini Bundles are perfect.  They offer a selection of four prints that equal one half yard total.  What a great way to sample some of the vintage sheet prints in my store!

To continue on our topic of scraps, here is my newest (and tiniest) addition to my Fig Tree precuts:

An itty bitty Buttercup mini charm pack.

Adorable!  I placed it against a regular charm pack so you can get an idea of size.  The lovely Joanna of Fig Tree fame treated me to this speck of yumminess.  Thank you again Joanna!  I can't bear to use it - it's just too cute :)  By the way, if you want to see some real eye candy, check out Joanna's newest line that will be available in May.  Scrumptious!

Just One Star

Today I am quilting for a really important project.  I whipped up my block for Moda's Just One Star Project:

In case you aren't familiar with this project, Moda is organizing a challenge to piece, quilt & bind 100 quilts in 100 days.  The quilts will be based on Polly Minick & Laurie Simpson's Flag of Valor pattern.  Moda is asking quilters to donate "Just One Star" to the effort (pattern & information can be found here).

Flag of Valor Quilt.

The finished quilts will be presented to US service members & veterans through the efforts of the Semper Fi Fund. The deadline for blocks is May 1, 2011 in order to meet their quilt deadline on Flag Day - June 14, 2011.

Whether you're a beginner or an accomplished quilter, the blocks are super easy & go together very quickly.  It's also a great project to weed out some of your red & blue fabric scraps & sew them into a beautiful donation. Sounds like fun, right? I encourage you to be a star & participate in Just One Star!

 

The Man's Quilt

Making a man's quilt is all about switching gears.  It can't be pink, it's anything but fussy, and most of all it's made to be utilitarian:


Tractors, barns & hunting scenes - yes it's flannel!

 The man quilt was designed for my dad, who is a lover of anything flannel.  I had a stash of flannel scraps leftover from my various pajama bottom projects & thought this would be the perfect way to use them up.  So I cut up the leftover flannel into 4.5" squares & created this square patchwork quilt.

The finished quilt is approximately 48" x 48" square.

To make this simple & more manly I did a basic grid for the quilting.  The only difficult part was moving this through the machine.  I used a large piece of flocked dotted cotton on the back, and the raised bumps acted like little non-slip grippers.  So you can imagine the amount of exercise I got trying to feed this through! 

Flocked dots & some leftover pieces of blue & green solids on the back.

I didn't get a picture of the quilt with the binding.  The weather was just perfect after the snowfall & I wanted to get pictures while the snow was still untouched.  So you will have to imagine it with it's Kona white binding.  It makes it look really crisp. 

On a funny note, while I was making the quilt I noticed something weird about the John Deere flannel print that has the red barns.  It's a winter scene, but for some reason the trees have leaves!?!  What's up with that? Even weirder is that I made 2 pairs of pajama pants & one quilt before noticing that ;) 

The Winner Is...

The winner of my fat quarter bundle giveaway is Rachel! 

rachel said...

I LOVE the fat quarters she has chosen to give away and all her other lovely vintage sheet selections!

March 2, 2011 5:15 PM



Congratulations Rachel!  Please be sure to contact Jen at the Vintage Sheet Blog to claim your prize!

Thank you to everyone who participated & for all of your kind comments!

A Reminder

My giveaway for the Vintage Sheet Blog's anniversary celebration will be closing tonight at 12am PST.  If you haven't already entered, sign up for your chance to win!

Also, I will be extending my free fat quarter celebration deal an extra day, through to March 8 at 12am EST. If you missed it, purchases (canadian & US orders only) of $10 or more from my Shop or Etsy Store before shipping, will receive a free vintage sheet fat quarter!  Simply mention "VSB Celebration" in the comment section at checkout & I will hand pick your free fat quarter from my selection of vintage sheets.

Good luck everyone & check back tomorrow for the giveaway winner!

Dancing Dishes

Maybe your kitchen dishes don't dance, but in my kitchen they do!

Run little bowl, run!

Ok, maybe they aren't all dancing, but these little dishes sure know how to take the chore out of dishwashing.  Who wouldn't love to dry dishes with towels sporting these kitschy creatures?

I love to collect vintage transfers.  An embroidered transfer is a cherry on top of a vintage towel, potholder, or apron.  It's that added sprinkle of vintage goodness. You can find vintage transfers in a broad range of subject matter, anything from florals, to kewpie dolls, even charming little animals doing various domestic chores.  And yes, even dancing dishes & odd anthropomorphic fruits & veggies (cute, but can be a little creepy). 

I like to collect the original transfers, unused & in their original envelope.  It can be difficult to find these since they were made of paper & deteriorate easily.  Most were cut up & ironed, so if you can find an uncut transfer in it's original envelope, that's a great find.  A few companies (like Aunt Martha's) reproduced their original designs, which made the old patterns easily accessible.  These are perfect if you want that vintage look without sourcing the original transfers.

Puppy love. Vintage transfers from the 30's & 40's.

I encourage you to pull out your iron & embroidery hoop for your next vintage project & try a transfer.  The next thing you know, the dish may run away with the spoon :)

It's Giveaway Day!

Who doesn't love some vintage sheet goodness?  Jennifer at the Vintage Sheet Blog is celebrating her one year anniversary & I thought it may be nice to participate with a giveaway:

A yummy FQ bundle of vintage sheets.

I am offering this pretty vintage sheet fat quarter bundle to one lucky follower.  That's five fat quarters of vintage lovelies!

I am also offering a special treat for customers at my shop & Etsy store until next Sunday!  To enter the giveaway & see all the details, sign up on my sidebar to become a follower of this blog & then head over here.  Good luck to everyone!