Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Valentine's Day Table Runner & Hotpads

Would this be perfect for February, or what!?

I finally finished it.... began 2 years ago, and never quite got the binding finished.

This one's big, it meaures 24.5 x 56 inches, and has been washed & dried for that lovely crinkly texture.

Each of those little squares was a 2 1/2 inchs block.


Back is covered in delicious strawberries, and binding coordinates perfectly with both sides.  Binding has been hand-sewn to the back, so has a very pretty finish even when flipped over.

There are 4 matching hotpads.  Each hotpad is about 7.25 inches square. Hotpads have a layer of Insul-Bright and a layer of cotton batting, so will keep the heat from coming through. Very helpful to keep you from getting burnt, also protects your table.

Backs of hotpads; 3 have same fabric as the binding, one has a red heart surrounded by white.
See the set here for $55.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Personalized Guest Towels

I was recently asked to make a set of Guest-Towels for a special order.
What a great idea, they turned out so fun!

Now when she has Guests, they can easily remember whose is whose!


This project requires contstant twisting and turning, which is a bit tedious and time-consuming.

But then you open it up and trim the threads.... it was so worth it!

I use ultra-plush bath towels, and very large (30in. x 58in).
This set is available in my etsy store, for $28/set, made-to-order (in your color preference).  Other wording also available.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Tiny Purse for Girls

This tiny little purse, was so much fun to sew today!

It measures 6.5" across, and 7" tall.  Handle adds another 7" to height.

Somehow, making tiny things is so much more fun.
See it here for $10.

Now back to what I should have been sewing. ;)

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Lavender and Green

This sweet purse is definitely very feminine.
Gotta love all those ruffles...
And the flower....
So Girly!




This was my project for today, now it's time to snuggle a little boy that is growing up way too fast.





Monday, January 21, 2013

Hand-picked Jelly Roll

I just love these fabrics so much, almost can't get enough of them!  Today I added a Jelly Roll to my etsy store, which is an assortment of 2 1/2 inch precut strips.  Each strip is the entire width of the fabric.
There are 11 different prints, including some Kona cotton in white; 4 strips of each print.

The main prints are from a line called "Now we're going places", designed by Monica Lee for Timeless Treasures.

Pre-cut fabrics make your quilting/sewing project much faster.  All the fabrics are already picked and sliced for you.


Thanks for stopping by, hope your week got off to a good start!

Sunday, January 20, 2013

That will cost "How Much"?!

While browsing for fun quilt ideas today, I came across this post.  I'm sharing it for those of you who also love to sew or quilt, it's very well stated!

Spring Skirt for Breanna

Yesterday (and today!) the weather was absolutely gorgeous, and it feels like spring.  After living in Alaska for over 7 years, the feeling of Spring in January is wonderful!

I made this sweet little skirt for Breanna, and she looked adorable in it today.


I love those little bicycles!

Surely the good weather won't stay forever, but while it lasts I am dreaming of what to plant in the garden this year.  That's another wonderful possibility after so many summers in Alaska, where I could hardly get zucchini to grow! :)

Today we are enjoying a very relaxing time together, playing Blokus, eating homemade caramel corn, and just plain laziness.  It's so nice to do that once in awhile!

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Andy's Meeting Bag

I sewed up this fun little tote today for Andy to use as a meeting bag.

Giraffes, Monkeys, Lions, Tigers, and Elephants.


He was quite impressed!

He started preschool today, and I'm still not sure how I feel about that.  He had so much fun and is anxious to go back tomorrow, but he didn't seem to miss me at all!

I never thought it a million years that I'd send a child to preschool, and certainly not at just 3 1/2 years old.  With the big kids gone at school every day, though, he thought he needed to go to school too.

It was nice to have so much freetime today, but it was oh so nice to have them all come home again too.
I'm starting to feel old. ;)

Aqua and Lemon Wristlet Purse

This sweet wristlet purse matches the Aqua Lemon Designer Purse

Front is embellished with 3 buttons.

Measures 7 3/4 x 9 3/4 inches, and handle is 5 1/2 inches long.

Has a snap-style closure on top, similar to the old snap-bracelets.  This helps keep your things secure, while allowing ease of access.
There is also a handy pocket on the interior.

Back and front both have lots of ruffles.

 Available here for $20.
Thanks for looking!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Facebook

Calicos In Bloom is now on Facebook!

Like us HERE.

Keep updated on new items and giveaways.

Fat Quarter Bundles, a Purse, and a Skirt

Oooh, I could just dream with this fabric for a long time!

I made up some 10-count Fat Quarter Bundles today.
A Fat Quarter is equivalent for 1/4 yard, but in a more useful shape.  Each measures 18 x 22 inches.

The six main prints are by Monica Lee, from a line called Now We're Going Places!
Also mixed in, are coordinating prints from Stella, Michael Miller, and Free Spirit.
Bundle includes 10 different FQ's, and there are currently 4 available in my etsy shop for $22 each.
They are high-quality quilting fabrics, adding up to only $8.88/yard!  (here)

I also finished up this fun purse today.

The inside has 3 roomy pockets, and a magnetic-snap closure.

Quilted and lined with batting.

The flower decoration on the front of the purse is removable (safety pin), for washing.

This photo gives you an idea on the size. 

Measures approximately 13 inches tall x 17 inches wide, and is 18 inches tall including handles.
$45 here

I actually finished up this fun little denim skirt a few months ago, but finally got photos to post.
I took a jeanskirt, undid the hem, and added a navy gingham ruffle and belt.

Back

Side

Adjustable waist.

Old Navy brand, Girls size 8.
$24 here

That's all for now, thanks for looking!


Monday, January 14, 2013

Black & White Apron

Here's what I accomplished today, besides cleaning and making some home-made caramel corn.
Just a hint: DON'T make things like this before lunch, it was delicious!
Luckily it was intended as thank-you gifts for the neighbors who took care of the cat and chicken while we were gone.... got it out of the house quickly!

Mary's apron.

I'll get your scraps in the mail tomorrow, Amy, enjoy!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Getting Organized

Hello again, back from a HUGE trip across the country!  We drove 8,137 miles in the past 3 weeks, and it was incredible.  The three little travelers did great, in fact, better than I expected!  The trip was great for all of us, and now I'm excited to get things back into order so I can SEW!

For a long time I kept my scraps sorted by color, in bins, because I didn't want to cut them into a size that might not have been what I needed for a specific pattern.  There were so many scraps, however, that sorting through them was fun- yet never produced much for ideas.

So I finally bit the bullet and cut into them.  And now I'm so glad I did!  It took roughly 30-35 hours total, but I love the results.  For that past few months, I've been able to search for colors within the sizes, and it's so much more fun!  If you have any sort of stash or scraps, it's helpful to get them sorted in a way that you can find them when you need them.

The 2 1/2 inch strip bin is the fullest:

There aren't nearly as many 2 inch strips:

 I used about half of them up making scrappy potholders to give to people we visited or stayed with:
(the hand-stitching part of the binding I saved for in the car)

5 inch & 4 inch squares:

The only bin I haven't gotten to yet, is the neutrals.  They still need cut up, but I haven't taken the time yet.

I almost got rid of the 1 1/2 inch strips, they just seemed to tiny to bother with (especially considering the abundance of larger scraps!)

But I just couldn't do it, and now I'm so glad!  They are what I'm using for this quilt:

For pieces that are not small enough for the scrap category (FQ's or larger), I have them folded in uniform sizes.  Have been doing this for a long time, and it just seems to work well.  Looks pretty too, and makes them easier to find.

For Fat Quarters, I fold them in half with the furthest edges matching up.



Next fold in half with the furthest edges matching up again.

Next fold in half from side-to-side, and you are done.

They stack neatly together, and finding the color you want is simple.

For even larger pieces, or uncut pieces; I fold them around a rotary ruler.

Keep flipping the ruler until all fabric is together, and slide the ruler out.

Fold the piece in half end-to-end, and you are done.

This is a very quick, yet accurate folding technique, and it looks so nice when you are done!
These are my new fabrics from an INCREDIBLE! store in Minneapolis, called S.R.Harris.  My sister introduced me when we were on our trip, and I spent way too much time in there!  But I could have spent all day, so that's not so bad?  They have high quality fabric at 1/2 price- it was so much fun!

For flannel fabric (or anything that is bulky or you have lots of), simply slide the ruler out and omit the folding-in-half step.  They make a nice stack this way too, and depending on your shelf size- you could do this with all your fabrics.


My fabric wall:

You can use any width of ruler when folding fabric, but it's best to stick with one size.  Or use different sizes to differentiate between types of fabric, size of pieces, etc.  I have always used the 8 1/2 inch wide ruler for folding, but found that my new 1/2 yard and 1 yard pieces worked better on the 6 1/2 inch wide ruler.
    It worked so well, I decided to fold all my quilt-shop fabrics into the smaller size also, to quickly and easily tell them apart.

I decided to have a give-away of scraps, would anyone be interested in a pile of 2 1/2 squares, and another of 3 inch squares?  Leave a comment, and let me know what you would like to do with them.  I didn't count the 2 1/2 inch pile, but the 3 inch pile has 49 squares.  All squares are coordinating aqua and lime scraps.
Breanna will draw a winner on Saturday, have a great rest of the week!