I got a little side-tracked.....

So I was supposed to be cleaning up my sewing room.

I have Minions staying with me the next few weeks

and they need a place to sleep.

As it is now,

I step over fabric to get to what I need.

Not really ideal for little visitors.

In my own defense,

I came across this project while I was cleaning.....

That counts right?

I can't believe that I started this

WAY back in Feb 2013.

You can read all about it HERE

To make a long story short,

I finally finished this adorable pin cushion kit

that was put together for me 

by Natalie Jo of Picadilli Days.

She also has a really fun etsy shop.

Isn't she gorgeous!!!

She is way too beautiful to stick pins into.

She will be kept in a curio cabinet 

with glass doors to protect her.

It took me most of the day to finish her up.

I'm only sorry it took me this long to do it.

Can you believe how cute these pins are that Natalie Jo 

sells in her etsy shop?

She made 3 of them for me 

to match my sweet little pin cushion :)

Well I'd better get back to cleaning......*ugh*

I'm feelin' Blue.....

Isn't this "Flow Blue" fabric  designed by Michelle Palmer

for Red Rooster fabrics just gorgeous???

I feel so blessed to be able to do what I love.

The bonus has been 

that through my love for sewing

I have met some incredibly talented women.

Michelle is one of those talented women for sure!

If you read my blog regularly, you've seen her 

hand drawn pen & ink artwork.

You can check out her etsy shop HERE.

She asked me if I would make her a bag 

made from her new fabric line.

Of course I said YES!!!

It's like opening a new box of crayons

when I get to play with new fabrics.

She sent this amazingly delicate hand stitched lace.

Gorgeous right?

And the little birds on this print are just adorable :)

It's hard to pick a favorite from this line.

I love them all!

If you love it like I do,

check with your local quilt shop.

Happy Sewing!

Gingham Apron Sew Along part 1

So I joined the Gingham Apron Sew Along 

(see the button on the right hand side of the blog for more info)

and I finally picked my fabrics today.

I was originally thinking red and yellow gingham,

but this rooster fabric changed my mind for me :)

So red and black it is!

And I HAD TO add jumbo red ric rack, right?

I'll post more pics when it's done.

I haven't sewn an apron for myself in years.

Should be fun!

Flower Power :)

It's finished! It's finished!

This darling little quilt for my sweet Minion Sofie :)

Who is that handsome guy hiding behind my quiltie?

My hubby is the bestest!

OK....

back to the quilt.

I had the quilt top finished for quite some time

and then I finally got around to sending it out for quilting.

I mailed it off to Donna's Lavender Nest.

Didn't she do an AMAZING job? 

I love the way she quilted flowers that mimic the flowers

of the orange boarder and backing fabric.

This is the first quilt that I've sent out to be machine quilted

and it won't be my last.

Her service is excellent and Donna is a dream to work with!

Here is a photo of the backing fabric. 

I made a matching pillow case as well :) 

I stopped by my son's house last night 

and Sofie thanked me again for her new quilt.

I love my Minions!!!

Owl Needlebook Tutorial

Back in July of 2014

I was invited to be a part 

of the Creative Troupe for C&T Publishing.

They publish wonderful craft and quilting books.

It's a really fun opportunity for me

 to get to play with new products

before they are released to the general public.

The hard part has been keeping it all very quiet all this time.

I'm not very good at keeping secrets  :)

Today I received the email that said

we can finally show off our projects!

I recieved a roll of Kraft -tex in chocolate brown.

(you can find it here)

What is Kraft-tex you ask?

It feels like construction paper 

and it is actually made of paper,

but after you wash it something amazing happens.

Yes, I said wash it.....in the washing machine.

It takes on the characteristics of leather.

The more you wash it, the more "leather-like" it becomes.

I washed mine and dried it in the dryer 4 times.

It's sturdy and easy to work with.

You can sew it and cut it and paint on it.

The possibilities are endless!

It's just plain awesomesauce.

You can find my Owl Needlebook as

well as the other fun projects submitted on Pinterest.

https://www.pinterest.com/ctpublishing/krafttextm/

You can also print the tutorial for my Owl Needlebook

 by clicking on the green print bar 

on the lefthand side of the page.

Happy Crafting!!!

Back to the beginning......

Some of you might know this,

but when I started blogging,

I was joining every apron swap I could find.

I met some life long friends that are now 

a big part of my daily life :)

Although I don't swap aprons anymore

I decided to join the Apronista's Apron Sew Along!

Connecting with old friends from "the old days"

of swapping will be so much fun.

This time the apron stays with me.

This is the pattern I have chosen.

No fabrics picked out just yet.

This deserves a special fabric shopping day all it's own!

I'll keep you updated as it goes along.

Hop on over to the Apronista's website and join the fun!!!

It's Shark Week!!!

My sweet Caleb turned 9 years old on the 22nd.

It's so crazy how fast children grow.

Amazing that I don't seem to age at all....HA!

He's been asking me forever....FOREVER

for a shark.

I stumbled across McCalls M7103 a few weeks before his brithday

and I knew I had to make it for him;

(His dad, my son, isn't all that excited about a huge shark in 

their small home, but hey, that's what Nana's are all about...right?)

Just look at that face!

Now his big brother Elijah wants a Hammer head shark......

I can already see my son's face when I show up with that "little" beauty :)

Even my hubby got in on the fun!

Now I need to finish up Sofie's quilt this week

and I'll show you pics of how adorable the quilting turned out.

Have a lovely week!!!