Happy Little Pouch Hop: My Two Pouches

I was so happy to be asked to participate in the Happy Little Pouch Hop! It kicked off this past Monday (November 26th), and there will be two weeks of pouch inspiration, pattern reviews and tutorials from some happy pouch bloggers! There is a Flickr group too so that you can join in the fun, and there will be prizes that will be awarded each weekend of the blog hop.

Here are our Happy Little Pouch Blog Hoppers!

Monday 11/26: Emily from Mommy's Naptime and Elaine from Dashasel Sews

Tuesday, 11/27: Courtney from Mon Petit Lyons and Lucy from Charm About You

Wednesday, 11/28: Hollie from Undercover Crafter and Katie from Katie's Korner

Thursday, 11/29: Lindsay from Lindsay Sews and Michelle from I Like Orange

Friday, 11/30: Sara from Sew Sweetness, Cindy from Adventures of the Singing Quilter, and Jennifer from Ellison Lane Quilts

Monday, 12/3: Holly from Bijou Lovely and Heidi from Fabric Mutt

Tuedsay, 12/4: Elizabeth from Don't Call Me Bets and Emily from Mle BB

Wednesday, 12/5: Shruti from 13 Woodhouse Road and Liz from Dandelion Daydreams

Thursday, 12/6: Beth from Plum and June and Kaelin from The Plaid Scottie

Friday, 12/7: Emily from Mommy's Naptime and Elaine from Dashasel Sews

and of course, 

YOU!!!

Please join us in the fun and share your pouchy makes in the Flickr group!

So, I decided to be super-motivated and make two different pouches for my blog post. The first one that I made was the Noodlehead Gathered Clutch. I have seen this pouch many, many times on the internet, so I was happy to finally have made it! I had a small scrap of Rashida Coleman-Hale's 'Washi Tape' that was just big enough to make a pouch, so I decided that this was the project. I also used Laurie Wisbrun 'Modern Whimsy' fabric for the band on the front.

Image from www.noodle-head.com

This pattern is really great, and it comes with tons of optional modifications to make it a stylish pouch, like inner dividers for your credit cards, a removable strap, and a different zipper method. Since I am using mine as a little make-up bag for inside of my purse, I opted to go without the extras.

The Gathered Clutch is beginner-friendly and a great pattern to make if you want to add a bit of zing to your zippered pouch. I didn't make any modifications to the pattern as I constructed it. There are tons of photos to help you along, and even though all the pieces are rectangular cuts, there are conveniently pattern pieces located at the end in case you don't feel like doing any measuring.

The second project that I made was the Henrietta Zip Pouch from Molly Blossom. This is a cute zippered pouch with a big bow detail on the front. I thought my daughter might like it, so I chose some fun Hello Kitty scraps that I had left over from another project.

Image from Molly Blossom on Etsy

Again, the instructions are very detailed and there are illustrations to accompany all of the major steps. I think that a confident beginner could tackle this one. This is a bit bigger than the Noodlehead Gathered Clutch, it's more standard pencil-pouch sized, if that makes sense. The bow is a nice touch, and there are also zipper tabs at each end of the zipper, which gives it a nice professional finish. I did not make any modifications to this pattern either, and I think my daughter will really love the pouch...my kids are constantly writing and making little drawings, so it's something personal that she can put her pens in.

Thanks for joining me on this stop of the Happy Little Pouch Hop, and I hope you will check out all the entries in the Flickr group!

Tula Pink Sew Along Winners!

This post is part of the Tula Pink Sew Along!

For full schedule of guest post quilt pattern reviews, discounts, and prizes, click here!

Well, we all got to see some amazing things made up in Tula Pink fabrics and quilt patterns come through the Flickr Group! The contest officially ended on November 12th, but feel free to continue to add your finished projects to the group in case there is still quilting to be done. ;-)

I am so happy to announce that Tula herself has chosen her favorite projects in the 1st-3rd categories! Thank you thank you Tula, for giving us your amazing talent and putting beautiful fabrics and patterns in our hands!

Thank you also to all the lovely sponsors for the event...I have left their links below, and hope that you will visit them if you are in need of fabric/thread/quilting/books!

Drum roll please!!!

1st Prize * 6 yards of Tula Pink fabric courtesy of Free Spirit Fabrics * Sizzix Big Shot Machine and the Dresden Plate Die and Hexagon Die (check out the review here!) * 12-pack of large spools of Aurifil Thread (colors chosen to coordinate with 'The Birds and the Bees') * $50 gift certificate toward a long-arm service at Prairie Moon Quilts (check out the menu of services!) * Signed copy of 'Quilts from the House of Tula Pink'

1st Prize Winner - http://lovetocolormyworld.blogspot.com/ (Ellie Q)

2nd Prize * Simplicity Bias Tape Maker and ten EZ Quilt Rulers * 12-pack of large spools of Aurifil Thread (colors chosen to coordinate with 'The Birds and the Bees') * 3 Tula Pink quilt patterns * Sewing Book Bundle: Quilts from the House of Tula Pink, A Bag for All Reasons by Lisa Lam, Simply Serging by Charlene Phillips & Freehand Machine Embroidery by Poppy Treffry

2nd prize winner - http://solarthreads.blogspot.com/ (Solar Threads)

3rd Prize * $50 gift certificate to Fat Quarter Shop * 12-pack of large spools of Aurifil Thread (colors chosen to coordinate with 'The Birds and the Bees') * 'Quilts from the House of Tula Pink' book * $20 gift certificate to the Martha Pullen Shop

3rd Prize Winner - http://www.shape-moth.blogspot.de/ (ShapeMoth)

Randomly Chosen Winner 1 winner will be chosen at random out of all those who have entered! * Bernina swag bag with fun sewing accessories * Polka dot bundle from Westwood Acres on Etsy
#143 Rio

Thank you to all of YOU for sewing along! It has been so inspiring for me to see each project as it came into the group! I am constantly amazed at all the creativity there is in the online sewing community! You all deserve a huge pat on the back!!

I hope you had a great time! I have another fun Tula quilt along scheduled in about, meh, five months...I can't spill any details, but I can assure you it is going to be MIND BLOWING!!

Tula Pink Salt Water Quilt and a Book Review + Giveaway!

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is #87 Bea Garcia.

I am really excited to share this quilt (top) with you today! It was made using the new Tula Pink line called 'Salt Water', which is due out in a week or two! These fabrics are available in aqua, coral, and seaweed colorways. I decided to use the aqua and seaweed for my quilt, and the background fabric is Kona Aqua. I used Aurifil Thread to piece the top.



I made this quilt as a Christmas gift for my brother and his wife. I was telling someone the other day that I usually only make about 1 handmade Christmas gift per year, as I'm (slightly) terrified of making things to give to other people. Hyper-critical I guess. Anyway, I've decided to quilt it with straight line quilting off all the seams, which I think will look really cool on the back with the diamonds and hexagons.

The quilt pattern that I used is from the book Jelly Roll Dreams by Pam and Nicky Lintott. The book is a compilation of quilts made using (duh) jelly rolls, as designed by a group of talented quilters.

The book starts with easy quilts and moves forward to more advanced ones. All of the patterns are made first by the original designer, and then again in different fabrics, so that you can see a second version.

The quilt pattern that I made was called 'Dripping with Diamonds', and the pattern was written by Joanna of Shape Moth. It's a really great pattern, so beautiful! You may notice that I left off the outer border on my quilt...I just didn't have enough fabric for that, although I do think that it looks really awesome! For my quilt, I used 20 strips from my jelly roll, and then I needed 20 more strips, so I used yardage from 4 additional Salt Water pieces (small bit short, but enough to make the quilt without the border).

My quilt finished up at approximately 50", so it's a great size for a lap quilt.

This pattern is not for a beginner. Because the strips are sewn together at an angle, there is only a small amount of room for error with the size of the strips and what you have to do. I did often have to turn to my seam ripper, but that of course was user error. The instructions were really great and accompanied by some really helpful illustrations.

It was easier for me, while constructing, that once I found a good place for sewing on the strips, I recorded the measurement (for example, how high up I needed to place the strip against the triangle, etc.) and for every strip after that, I made a mark on the strip so I could sew them all exactly the same.

Here are a couple of other quilts that I loved from the book...the one above is called 'Pac-Mania' and the one below is called 'Sense of Direction'.

I would actually really like to make the Sense of Direction quilt soon too...it looks really great! Who knows, maybe I will use my Lucky Penny bundle for that!

So, all-in-all, this is a great book to have if you like the convenience of using a jelly roll in a quilted project! I do recommend it, and if you have a couple of quilts under your belt, I highly recommend the 'Dripping with Diamonds' quilt pattern from it!!

So...you're read this far down my post! Yay! My friends at Martha Pullen have generously sponsored a copy of the book for one of my lucky readers! If you'd like to enter to win Jelly Roll Dreams by Pam and Nicky Lintott, please click on the link below to take you to the entry page! You have until Friday, November 30th at 7pm CT to enter!

Click Here to Enter the Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY and Tutorial: Hot Mess Casserole Carrier

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is #195 Carolyn.

Today, I'm really excited to share my tutorial for the 'Hot Mess Casserole Carrier'! It was part of the '12 Days of Christmas' series on the Free Spirit blog. Jump over to the Free Spirit blog to get the tutorial! You can also download it via a pdf file here.

This free pattern is to make a structured zippered bag that will hold a 13" x 9" baking dish. The bag is also made with Pellon Insul-Fleece, so it is insulated to keep your baked goods nice and hot during travel! I have some great ceramic 13" x 9" baking dishes, and this definitely fits the bill!

Also, Free Spirit has generously provided a Tula Pink 'Salt Water' jelly roll to give away to one of my lucky readers! 'Salt Water' is due out in shops next month, and you can pre-order it here (among other places)!! The jelly roll contains 30 strips, and is perfect for your next project!

You have until Friday, November 30th at 7pm CT to enter!

Click Here to Enter the Giveaway!

Laura's Rebecca Dress

This post is part of the Sis Boom Rebecca Dress Sew Along! For complete details, click here!

Today's Rebecca Dress post is from Laura of Quokka Quilts. I was lucky enough to be asked to particpate in her Travellin' Pic-Stitch Blog Hop. Laura is from Australia, and after Sewing Summit in October, she spent 3 weeks travelling the United States before heading back home, and this hop was inspired by documenting her adventures!

Sara at Sew Sweetness is a terrible influence. I have to tell you right now: she's a dress-enabler. After they typewriter dress and the snazzy little number she pulled out at Sewing Summit, she has established herself as THE person to talk to if you're vaguely considering making a dress. It was a very vague thought, and I just kinda mentioned it while chatting to Sara at Sewing Summit, but she got so excited I was convinced I was going to make THE BEST DRESS YOU HAVE EVER SEEN before the conversation was over. It was kinda like when you have three or four shots of tequila and then become totally convinced that you are Karaoke Queen of the World AND you can totally beat those guys over there on the pool table. The ones pocketing every ball. Sara - quite simply - is sewing-tequila. If you don't want to get drunk, stay away from her blog. You have been warned. The feeling does wear off, and since Sewing Summit, the Saraholic fuzz had worn off and I was once again soberly certain that dress making and I had done our dash. (I used to make a few things in highschool, but haven't done much garment sewing since). Then I dropped by Sara's blog and saw this.

48 hours later. I had a new dress.  As I said, sewing-tequila. My name is Laura and I'm a sewaholic.

That is me in the left hand photo and my much shorter twin on the right. She also has a bigger butt than me. (Ok, ok, I still have a lot to learn about photoshop.) The fabric is Gallery Fiori by Karen Tusinski/Lilla Rogers Studio for P&B textiles. I love red, blue and poppies, so I had to have it. It has been sitting in my stash waiting for the right project. My first thought after downloading the Rebecca pattern from the SisBoom website was ARGGHGH. There are 417 pages! Rest easy, there's a lovely little guide which tells you which pages to print for which size. And there's a brilliant section called 'Frankenpatterning' - how to put different bits together, like Frankenstein. If you don't fit into the one size category, there's an explanation of how to modify the pattern to accommodate the different sizes that make up your shape. For example, I measured at a just under size 10 top and size 12 bottom. I absolutely hate the idea of mocking up a pattern in calico. 1) I'm far too impatient. 2) it's a waste of good calico. 3) if I completely screw up, I was probably going to use my good fabric in little bits for patchwork anyway, so not much to lose by going for it in good fabric. I am not always good at following instructions (see item 1 above) but these are GOOD instructions. And I was good for once. Although I measured, I did have to do further modifications because my back scoops in at the waist more than normal so I'm more of a 10-8-12 according to this pattern. Luckily my neighbour was around to do some pinning for me. The design modification I decided to make was adding a border of red at the bottom about 4" wide and doing some decorative top-stitching.

I also modified the bottom back slightly so that I have an overlapping slit at the base. It give me a little more room to move while retaining my modesty!

The instructions for inserting zips are great too, but I still need practice. Darn it, I'm going to have to make another one!

It's not quite a wrinkled as it looks here. I did have to wear it to work today as I COULDN'T WAIT TO SHOW IT OFF!!! The only thing I'm not happy about is the waist. But that is nothing that a few weeks of dieting and gym won't fix. Which is plenty of time to make another Rebecca dress! Can I do it by 20 December, which is when the linky party is? Make the dress that is... dieting may have to wait until after Christmas!

The Fabric Enabler: Black Friday Sales

Popping in real quick to let you know about some Black Friday sales! Who's got some money burning a whole in their pocket?!

Sketch Bundles at Pink Castle Fabrics

Pink Castle Fabrics 

A ton of stuff on sale (sale prices already marked, no coupon needed!):

25% off Kokka (including new Stamped and Ruby Star Sparkle!)

25% off Liberty

25% off Yuwa

25% off all Precuts and Bundles (including new lines like In My Room and Notting Hill)

10% off notions (including Aurifil, and the new Paper Piecing Kits I put together) 

10% off patterns (lots of new ones in the shop, including Washi Dress and Green Bee)

10% off color cards

Also, there are Gift Certificates and Gift Memberships for Stash Stack Club (you can buy multiple months)

Skye Reve Fabrics

20% off everything plus 2 FREE fat quarters with every $50.00 spent. Use the code CYBERMONDAY. Sale runs from Friday through Monday.

Stash Modern Fabric

• 15% off all bundles in the shop!  This includes preorders for Architextures from Carolyn Friedlander and Salt Water from Tula Pink due late November and December respectively.
• Entire sale section $5/yard
• 20% off all Kokka fabric
• Special Black Friday listings - think $8/yard for any print in the shop with the exception of Kokka. This includes the arrival of shop gift certificates just in time for the holiday season. 
• As always, free shipping on orders over $50 in the US with comparable discounts internationally. 

Fabric Tree

Buy 4 yards of any fabric(s) and get 1 yard free! Just tell them your choice in "Note to Seller" at checkout! ALSO, use coupon code BlackFriday12 for 10% off ANY purchase! 

Fat Quarter Shop

Friday only, use code JINGLE for 25% off your order.

Westwood Acres

All 'factory pre-cuts' are approx. 50% off the suggested retail prices. No way!!!! Can you believe that?!?

I Don't Do Dishes
Tula Pink Salt Water pre-orders are only $7.65 per yard. Joel Dewberry Notting Hill is 10% off (no coupon needed), and all orders over $60 ship free with coupon code HEYTHANKS. Pearl Bracelets just in too! Free shipping not valid on Salt Water.

Fabrics You Love

Joel Dewberry Notting Hill pre-orders are $7.60 per yard.

The Quilted Castle
20% off on Monday using code: cyberweek.

Martingale Publishing

Thursday through Monday (shop early on Thursday for all my blog readers!), everything at Martingale Publishing is 50% off! Just spend $30 to get free shipping!!

Contemporary Cloth

Through Tuesday, all orders are 20% off with coupon code: sale. Also, there is free shipping and 50% off international shipping!

Fabric Shack

10% off everything in the shop (lots of Kona!). 

Sew Mama Sew

15% off everything using coupon code: 15MAMABIZSALE

Knotted Threads
20% off everything in the shop on Black Friday/Cyber Monday.

The Intrepid Thread
Black Friday sale starts at Midnight Eastern US time and ends at Midnight Eastern US time Friday 11/23 use coupon code BFRIDAY20 for 20% off everything in your cart. Cyber Monday sale starts Midnight Eastern US time and ends at Midnight Eastern US time 11/26 use coupon Code CYMONDAY20 for 20% off everything in your cart.

The Needle Shop
Saturday only, from 10am to 6pm CT, get 20% off using coupon code MOVING.

Quilt Home
Through Tuesday at 11pm PST, use coupon code QHTHANKU20 to get 20% off your order of $50 or more, or coupon code QHTHANKU30 to get 30% off your order of $100 or more. Remember that Quilt Home has free shipping over $50!

Fabric Mart
25% off everything on the site (no coupon code needed).

I Heart Tula Pink
Free Salt Water hexie kit with any quilt kit or custom quilt backing purchase.

Colette Patterns
Friday only, get 30% off all patterns. No coupon code needed.

Craftsy
All classes are $19.99 or less (even classes that are normally $49.99!!). Markdowns already taken.

Green Fairy Quilts
All jelly rolls $24.50 and all fat quarter bundles 40% off.

Dry Goods Design
Spend $40, save 40% on all fabrics (excludes bundles). Use coupon code HOLIDAY40, now through December 1st. As always, free shipping on orders over $35.

Did I miss anything? Let me know and I'll add it to the list! :-)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Check back here on Monday for my free tutorial for this insulated casserole carrier! It holds a 13" x 5" baking dish, and it makes the perfect hostess gift for the holidays!

Lucky Penny is Here!

I don't often buy fabric bundles. I just don't. But something about 'Lucky Penny' by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics took my hand and said "you need this!". I bought my bundle from Stash Modern Fabrics and it just came in the mail about an hour ago...I love it!! I already arranged it in sort of a prism order, although at this point I'm not quite sure what I'm going to make with it...any ideas?? :-)

Here's a dress I made last week with one of the main prints; this is called 'Mural in Night'. And the fabric is just awesome. I love the charcoal gray!!

Happy Land Rebecca Dress

This post is part of the Sis Boom Rebecca Dress Sew Along! For complete details, click here!

Monique from Monique's Stitches is not only the biggest Sis Boom fan that I know, but she also has a hugely popular Etsy Shop where she creates quilts and custom bedding. Click on over and see what a master she is at fabric selection!! Today she is sharing her Happy Land Rebecca!

Thank you, Sara, for letting me guest blog! I will still say that I am a beginner clothing sewer even though I have quite a few clothing patterns under my belt. I honestly think my brain doesn't think inside out and backwards & that's really what a clothing sewer does. Sara is gifted at that & I love that she encourages others to just go for it! 

I knew I wanted to make the Rebecca dress when I first saw it. This is for sure my style! I wear a cardigan all the time and my hot pink one will look great with this style. I told Sara I'd like to join so that I could get this dress done in time for Thanksgiving. Nothing like a deadline to get a project finished!  I chose Eloise in brown from Jennifer Paganelli's Happy Land line. Overall, the instructions were super clear as usual with lots of pictures, which helps me a lot. A beginning clothing sewer can attempt this one. I love the style of the bodice and the way it fits on me.

 I did not have any problems with the width of the skirt or tightness . It is comfortable to walk & sit. My husband said, "Wow!" When I walked out with this dress on. Just love his feedback!

 I decided to 'frankenpattern' because my bottom is bigger than my top. Ahem. All those frankenpattern directions are given if your bust is bigger than your hips, or vice versa. Basically, have you cut down the skirt a little bit starting with the top of the skirt to about mid skirt. I did too much of an angle and ended up with a 'bump' right where my hips are. I went back and re angled and cut the sides of the skirt in a more gradual way and the fit was great! 

I can definitely envision more of these dresses. I just need to get out my cardigan collection and match them with fabric!