Saturday Finish: Flower Sugar Shams

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite things to do was to take the JCPenney catalog and decorate a house with the furnishings and bedding and such.

Y'all, I made lists. Little pre-Excel spreadsheets that listed the page number, item number, COST. It all went on my list. One of my favorite little past-times.

So I have a thing for matchy-matchy bedding sets. And I've been wanting to use my Flower Sugar Economy block quilt on my bed, but I didn't have pillow shams to go with it. For shame!

Until now! I finally got these quilted up. They were just some leftover squares from the quilt project. And we all know my girls don't need any more doll quilts. So I get some patchwork shams!

At the last minute, I decided to add that bit of lace before I bound them, and I'm so happy I did. Just adds another level of pretty for me.

Checking these girls off my 2QFAL list. I've got a couple more to show you later today.

Thursday Finish: Simple Life Dottie Quilt #1

Do you ever just spaz out when it comes to making sure the backing for your quilt is the right size before you start quilting the thing?

I guess you wouldn't have this problem if you're quilting at home and you have to baste it. You'd figure it out pretty quickly.

But on the long-arm, you can't tell until you get to the end and you realize that your backing isn't big enough. You thought you did the math right, but you're childhood math teachers would be sorely disappointed.

So you unzip the quilt (LOVE the zippers!), bring it home and scour the internet for more of your backing fabric. Then you piece on another strip to give you the length you need.

But she's all done now!

I used wool batting on this one, and I know I'll use it again. So fun to quilt on! And I love how these fussy cut squares:

I loved fussy cutting these pictures and framing them! @tashanoel1

A photo posted by Jennie (@porchswingquilts) on Jul 3, 2015 at 7:00am PDT

I'm not sure where this quilt will go. My mom would say my daughters have enough quilts (and she'd be right), but it's just so pretty and girly.

The stats, if you're interested:
Pattern: Dottie by Cluck Cluck Sew
Fabric: The Simple Life by Tasha Noel for Riley Blake

Checking this one off my 2QFAL list as well.

Wednesday Finish: Elephant Wall Hanging, er, Bucket Bag!

Warning: pattern rant ahead.

I get it. Printing patterns to include in books can be expensive. But, for the love of Pete, please don't print on both sides of the paper for a large pattern. So I'm going to have to figure out how to make a copy of one side in order to cut it all out and tape it together.

Ain't nobody got time for that. Or at least I didn't. So I decided to make one of these Bucket Basket Totes with some cute pink elephants I had around. Actually, I made two!

Checking this one off the 2QFAL list and sending her off to Australia!

Fabric Tuesday: Zebra Pillow

Another gift for my animal swap partner: a zebra pillow cover!

I used this tutorial from Sew Fresh Quilts to make the zebra, and I quilted it on the longarm yesterday.

I'm pretty happy with the result, and I hope she loves it. Just my elephant project to go now. Wish me luck!

Checking them off the 2QFAL list.

Monday Finish: MID Mini Pillow

Do you ever have that project, big or small, that just needs one more thing to finish it? But you don't finish it for, like, ever?

That would be this little pillow. Silly me! It just needed the binding!

I made it to test out my Make It Do Mini pattern. I was gifted a Color Theory mini charm pack, which was perfect for this little project.

I finally got the binding on this weekend and she's happily joined the billion other pillows on my daughter's bed.

Checking her off the 2QFAL list.

Sunday Finish: 80s Sew Together Bag

I'm enjoying the swap-culture on Instagram, for the most part, and I really had a great time making this Sew Together Bag for my partner. She said she specifically wanted one, and it worked out beautifully.

I chose bright colors for the inside of the bag because, well, everything about the 80s was pretty loud. And I'm totally crushing on that purple heart fabric. Did you doodle big puffy hearts on your folders too?

I've got one more little project to include with this - a Beastie Boys mug rug. I'm really excited about that part of it!

The stats (what I know!):
Pattern: Sew Together Bag
Outside fabric: Geekly Chic Cassettes by Amy Adams for Riley Blake (but you can also get it on Spoonflower)
Inside fabric: assorted stuff
Zippers: ZipIt on Etsy (she even has a listing for the Sew Together bundle - an 18-inch zipper and 3 9-inch zippers, all in a range of colors! I don't even bother going to Joann's for zippers anymore.)
Cassette Charm Zipper Pull: JulepTulip on Etsy

Checking this girl off the 2QFAL list.

Saturday Finish: Giraffe Open Wide Pouch

I'm doing a favorite animals swap, and I have to ship everything out next week. I love waiting until the last minute to get things done, don't you? :)

My partner wanted elephants, zebras, and giraffes. I found this adorable giraffe fabric and I thought it would be fun to make a little open wide pouch with it.

I got the cute zipper pull from JulepTulip on Etsy. One of my favorite shops these days.

I hope she likes it! Now to finish her zebra pillows and elephant wall hanging before next Wednesday!

Checking this pouch off the 2QFAL list.

Friday Finish: Unicorn Open Wide Pouches

Okay, I freely admit that I had absolutely no one in mind when I made these. I had the unicorn fabric. I found some coordinating fabrics and the rest is history.

 

And, surprise, surprise, my polka dot princess claimed the blue one. And I claimed the pink one. For what purpose, I'm not sure (me, not the PDP - she's got hers full of books and treasures already).

I made it using the largest version of Noodlehead's tutorial. I bought my little unicorn zipper pull from JulepTulip on Etsy. She has such a great selection, and she ships things out super fast!

Have a happy Friday! I'll be back with more finishes tomorrow! Oh, and checking these girls off the 2QFAL list!

Pillows and Pin Bowls

These pillows have been done for forever, but I just hadn't gotten around to photographing them. Silly me!

Just a couple of orphan blocks lying around. And you can never have too many pillows, right? Got to at least try that spiral quilting (needs some work). And I get to check them off the 2QFAL list!

On another note, I wanted to introduce you to my two new pin bowl friends.

Pistachio and Cherry:

Don't tell Pistachio, but Cherry is my favorite. And I'm just now realizing that these are Christmas colors. Sigh. I LOVE Christmas!

I got pistachio as a gift from a friend. I wanted two (actually, I want ten!), but these were pretty hard to come by. But then I found a new source for them. Same product. Identical workmanship. And available for more than five minutes at the crack of dawn a few days a year! I think I'm going to get yellow and aqua to round out the collection.

So go here if you want a pin bowl yourself. They even take pre-orders and ship internationally.

Edited to add:
I guess I don't have a problem with someone seeing a successful, but limited product, and capitalizing on it. The maker of the "original" pin bowls had a great idea, but her product is only available in random fits and starts and it got very frustrating if you missed that tiny window of opportunity. If someone else is offering the same product (and you can't trademark/copyright a polka dot) with a different approach to supply/demand, I say, "Yay!"

From a fabric buyer's perspective, I don't want to have to set my alarm to buy a certain fabric before it sells out.

But I'm interested. Your thoughts?

Friday Finish: Needlebooks

I signed up for a needlebook swap, but I wanted to make something a little different than just a teeny little needlebook with felt pages. Not that they aren't adorable. I just wanted something, well, more.

I discovered this pattern by Aneela Hoey. Lucky me, she was having a sale too! I thought it was darling and perfect for what I wanted to make. And here she is. Actually, I made two. One for me!

After a little partner stalking, I decided on some Geometric Bliss for her and I love how it turned out.

This one is actually mine, but hers is identical. I especially love that little tulip pocket and the text fabric on the front. I made sure "Tuesday" was front and center. It's my lucky day. I got married on a Tuesday!

And then I wanted to make two more as gifts for some good friends. So here they are:

Checking these off the 2QFAL list. And I got mine shipped off just in time. Hope it gets there by Monday!

Friday Finish: Auntie's Kitty Quilt

This quilt was commissioned back in January. I delivered it to my aunt at the end of last month, and she gave it to her childhood bestie in California right away.

Not going to lie. This was a tough quilt. But fun, and I love how it turned out.

Backed in a pretty charcoal Minky, and quilted all over with loops, hearts and flowers. I also hand-embroidered a label for her.

Checking this one off the 2QFAL list. 

A finish: Oh Cherry Oh Make It Do Pillow

If you're interested, my Sew Mama Sew Giveaway is here. It's a good one. I promise.

Not a big finish, but a good one.

This was my first test block, back when I was designing my Make It Do quilt. I made it using a charm pack, and I sort of love it. My daughter has claimed it, but I'm okay with that.

She finishes at 18 inches square, and she's happily residing on the eldest child's bed. Well, when baby girl isn't stealing her. After all, there's polka dots!

Crossing this one off the 2QFAL list and moving on to the next project.

Fabric Tuesday: Cotton and Steel Sew Together Bag

If you're interested, my Sew Mama Sew Giveaway is here. It's a good one. I promise.

I'm really enjoying the whole Instagram swap world. I received this gorgeous Open Wide Pouch for that swap:

I love it! Absolutely perfect! My daughter has claimed the pretty paper, but I'm hiding the rest. Thank you so much @designsbyjamie I was hoping this one was for me! #openwidepouchswap #megansmaniacs

A photo posted by Jennie (@porchswingquilts) on Apr 22, 2015 at 4:08pm PDT

And here is my latest for my partner in the Sew Together Bag Swap.

She's a Cotton and Steel fan, so that's what I used. Oh, and she likes animals too, so I found this cute little fox (or kitty?) zipper charm.

Shipped off with some super yummy salted caramel goodies, and the cutest little mason jar filled with Wonder Clips.

So come on over the Instagram and find some swaps to join.

Oh, checking this one off the 2QFAL list.

Friday Finish: Some Throw Pillows

I've got a couple of quilts almost finished, but I thought I'd just finish these up real quick before I left town.

Now, if I haven't mentioned it, this little girly of mine has a thing for polka dots. LOVES them. All colors, although pink is definitely her color of choice. Still, all polka dots are welcome.

I quilted these a while back when I had some extra backing/batting space on the long arm. Since I knew they'd be pillows, it didn't much matter what the backing was.

And now my girly has two pink polka dot churn dash pillows. All from leftover blocks from my I Love Lucy churn dash quilt.

Checking these two off the 2QFAL list!

Super Tote #2

As promised, my daughter's Super Tote.

She likes owls. A lot. Especially barn owls. She's very upset that they aren't making more of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole movies. Yeah, she loves owls.

And now she can carry dozens of books in her new bag. Because who are we kidding? She might almost be twelve, but she's so not interested in lip gloss and such, so I know it's going to haul books and sketch pads. And this momma couldn't be happier about that!

Checking it off the 2QFAL list.

Fabric Tuesday: My Supertote!

Is it Supertote or Super Tote? Not that it matters to me, but I do know others care about these things.

Anywho, I finished up my Super Tote (I like this way better) and wanted to show y'all. Just in time for my trip to Seattle, but not in time for the tulip festival. Darn early spring!

I used some Geometric Bliss, plus black linen and this awesome text print called 8 Days a Week.

This bag is huge. Like, I can carry everything, and then some, inside. Which is fine for this mom. I like being able to fit a whole doodle pad, my tablet, snacks, wallet, keys, you name it! It's great. No, it's super!

Checking this girl off the 2QFAL list. And I'll show you my daughter's Super Tote tomorrow.

Friday Finish Part 2: Open Wide Pouches

I entered the dark world of Instagram Swaps. Seriously, friends, these are so much fun. I'm putting together a post on how to be a good swapper, because I've got some ideas on making life easier for your partner.

This was my first swap I signed up for, and I learned a lot. Lesson one: give your partner a good idea of a color palette you like. Not one color. One color says nothing. If I told you I loved yellow, that wouldn't really be enough, would it? If I told you I loved Pam Kitty Morning fabrics, you'd have a much better idea of the kind of yellow I love.

My partner likes navy. That's all I got. So this is what I made:

Usually, you fill it up with fun little trinkets and treats. Treats, especially, from what I gather. But my swap partner is dieting, so candy is out. So she gets two pouches instead of one, to make up for the missing treats.

I wanted some cute zipper pulls, and I discovered that my partner has a vintage Singer, so I added these to the bags. Aren't they the cutest? I get them from this little shop on Etsy called Julep Tulip. I've ordered quite a few from her lately, and they are the best!

One pouch has a few extras: a mini charm pack, some notecards, and a box of pins. Oh, and some of the other fabrics that came with the ones I ordered. Just to play with. 

So, what do you think? Is this mail you'd like to receive? And are you a swap addict? Confession time: I'm signed up for 8 more this year. So far. One of which is a Harry Potter Mini, and an 80s/90s swap that is going to be so much fun.

Checking this off my 2QFAL list. One down, a billion to go!

2QFAL: April - May - June Plans

I was feeling a little discouraged last week. Not very motivated. I sat down to write this post and made a discovery.

I finished 18 WIPs last quarter. Granted, some were small, but still!

Motivation has returned, and I'm ready to tackle a new, long list.

The focus this quarter is going to change. Not as many quilt finishes, but a whole lot of other stuff.

Let's get to the list:

Quilt finishes:

Kitty quilt for my aunt

MID Mini - quilt it

Flower Mini - finish piecing and quilt it

Taffy Mini - finish piecing and quilt it

Simple Life Dottie #1

Simple Life Dottie #2

Non-quilting finishes:

Eloise Wallet

Temple Bag

Super tote #1 (for me!)

Super Tote #2 (for my daughter)

80s Sew Together Bag

Navy Open Wide Pouch

Cotton and Steel Sew Together Bag

Elephant Ticker Tape Wall Hanging

Needlebook

Zebra pillow cover

Giraffe Open Wide Pouch

Paris Bag

Red Flower Pillow


Flower Sugar Pillow Shams and Cases

Sew Cherry Pillow Shams and Cases

Wonder Woman Purse

MID Cherry Pillow

Polka Dot Churn Dash Pillows

X Plus Pillows