Sampler Quilt Along

Michelle over at Quilting Gallery is doing a beginner's quilt along where you make a sampler.  Each week a square is revealed so it's a mystery as to what will come next.  I stumbled on it during week 4 of the quilt along and even though I think I am slightly past the beginner stage, I really like the idea of making a sampler.  I could use up my black, white and gray collection and put the finished quilt on my sewing room wall or use it on my day bed. Make sense to have a sampler hanging around a sewing room, I think. So I gathered up my stack of blacks and whites and started making the squares. This is going to be fun.


Sampler Quilt Along, a photo by SunshineSews on Flickr.

Booster Seat Cushion

This is the booster seat cushion that was recently featured on SewCanShe's blog.  Maggie from over at Smashed Peas and Carrots created this tutorial.  She used tablecloths that she picked up cheap and cut them up.  I went to JoAnn's and bought 24 inches of vinyl coated fabric - I think it was oilcloth, I didn't really care, I just thought it was cute and would work for this project.  As soon as I completed it, I tossed it on the floor next to my granddaughter.  She was instantly drawn to its shiny-ness then when she touched it she liked the gushy-ness.  It is a hit!

Love the UPS Man

This came by UPS yesterday.  I am going to make Sweetwater's Zig Zag quilt using their Reunion fabric line.  And I know how unoriginal that is, but I just love the quilt on the pattern cover.  I did get get a little variation on the backing and the binding so it will look a little different but I adore the bunting fabric and I have a thing for printed numbers, letters, and words on fabric.  (I am trying desperately to hold back from buying Lu Summers' line.) 

I also had to buy the fat quarter collection of Charlie Brown Christmas prints, not sure what I will do with it yet but everything CB is a must for me.  And I got a Designer's Choice collection while I was at it called 10 Little Things.  Something for children in bright fabrics is always fun to make.

The ironic thing is that I really need to stop sewing for a while.  My sewing table is basically finished except it needs to be urethaned.  With better weather to open windows around here, it is time I get it done. And after all, I will be better off when it's finished; it's the last thing to do in my new sewing room.

I love a good sale.  The Fat Quarter Shop offered gift certificates for 20% off for Mothers' Day.  So I sent myself one then ordered enough to get the free shipping and paid for it with my gift certificate.  It felt a little like double dipping on a deal but a deal is a deal.

Fabric Basket

I made this basket from a tutorial from Pink Penguin.  It's a really small basket (9" x 6"), and I wish I would have used different fabric for the bottom.  The cute little students don't show like I wanted them to.  If it were bigger, I would have made sure the kids were visible when the basket is standing up. I will give it another whirl in a larger size. I think this would make a cute teacher gift.

PatternFile Application Review

I found this app for my iPad called Pattern File. It seemed pretty cool. It's exactly as the name implies; it's a place to enter all your pattern numbers and the Pattern File database contains a photo of that pattern and all the yardage necessary (the same as the back of a pattern).  So I went to the website and set up a free account.  The account is free for 10 days, after that the price is $14.99 for the app and $4.00 per month fee.  Realistically, I cannot see spending that kind of money for a filing system when I can, although time-consuming, build my own using Access. At least with 10 days I can quickly give it a whirl. 

So on a Saturday night while watching the HBO movie of the week, I opened the program and started entering my patterns. Some of my patterns are very old but still useful so I will keep them for many more years. Surprisingly, the first number I entered was found in the database as a vitage pattern.  This is cool, it has the pattern envelope front and back just like what I was holding in my hand. So I started entering away. 

My excitement quickly waned when I realized that the stack of patterns that were found in the database was much smaller than the ones it couldn't find. So to give an accurate review, here are photos of my patterns.

These were found in Pattern File.

These were NOT found in Pattern File.

I would not recommend this software - too expensive and not useful without having all my patterns available.

I wonder if they will ever load these in their database.

A Blogger Giveaway - I won!

I love the sewing/quilting blogger world. It provides so much inspiration and ideas that sometimes it's all a little overwhelming.  Besides getting ideas for new quilt patterns or crafts, it's a great resource for buying fabrics and supplies as well.  My favorite added bonus is the giveaways.  I keep putting my comments on all those blogger sites in the hopes that maybe someday I will win something they are giving away.  Even though I don't expect to win, I am a little snobbish - I only enter contests where the item is somethings I really would use.

As it turns out, today is the day! I won an Aurifil thread sampler from Katy over at ImAGingerMonkey.  It was part of a giveaway from Katy's posting on the Zakka Style Sew Along.  Katy highly recommends the book and I had already ordered it before she offered up the items.  I sincerely thank her and all those blogger sewists for all they do to keep sewing and quilting alive and interesting.

Patchwork Travel Neck Pillow

I recently came across a bag full of scraps left over from a breast cancer fundraiser quilt I made a few years back.  The pretty pinks were nice even though I've grown very tired of the whole pink ribbon thing.  (I mean no disrespect to survivors and I donate to the American Cancer Society regularly.)  Anyway, there was leftover pink fleece and lots of little squares of fabrics.

I remembered coming across a patchwork neck pillow that used little 3-inch squares of a variety of prints and it seemed like this fabric would fit the bill.  I could use the fleece on the back and the pink ribbon squares on front.  After sorting the fabrics, cutting down the scraps and laying it out, I realized I could make a few of these. So this one will be the prototype for what might be something I could present to my church quilt group for future consideration or maybe even sell a few at my next craft fair.

So here it is, from the SewCanShe tutorial of the day...

That's my girl!

Chloe loves to stay very close to her mother.  Even when her mother is sewing.  She is familiar with the needle going up and down and that when you turn the wheel on the side of the machine, that she can manually make the needle move.  I am so glad she is comfortable with sitting in front of the machine, it's a great start.  I look forward to her sewing with me someday.