A Wedding Quilt

A couple of weeks after I started working with Allie (the bride for whom I made the lingerie bags), I received a (secret) email from her fiance, Zane. He mentioned how much she loved handmade things and wanted to get her something special as a wedding day gift. We emailed back and forth, and he sent me links to their wedding registries. I noticed that they were registered for Fiestaware, and in the most beautiful, bright colors. I sent him a couple of different fabric combinations, and I knew right away what he would choose. He chose the Amy Butler Love line and the colors match perfectly with their new dishes.

I figure he must be a pretty good catch to go to such distances for his betrothed. ;) I made a label for the back of the quilt using this printable fabric, (picked up at Michael's) and I have to say that stuff is pretty darn cool. I hand-stitched around the edge to make it a little more secure and I am so happy with how it turned out.

After I had delivered the bridesmaid bags to her, he emailed me back and asked if I could make another bag for her, too, since she loved them so much! Nothing makes me happier than when someone enjoys what I make for them. :) They went to Jamaica on their honeymoon so I thought a swimsuit bag would be fitting.

Congratulations to a super sweet couple and I'm so glad I could play a small, handmade part in your special day!

Unmentionables

A couple of months ago I had the very fun task of helping a bride decide on something to give her bridesmaids. She was so fun to work with and really let me have free reign. I suggested monogrammed cosmetic bags or a lingerie bag, and I made this little bag to give her an idea. I had recently been on a couple of weekend trips and kept losing socks and undies in my suitcase, so I thought I'd make a little bag to store them in.

She loved it and the only change she made was to put the girls' names on them instead. She requested blue, orange, pink and red, and let me do the rest - I love having creative freedom! :)

I fused the teeny tiny undies on and then embroidered around them, free-motion stitched a clothes line, and then hand-embroidered their names.

The new couple is on their honeymoon now, and tomorrow I'll show you what her sweet groom surprised her with......

For baby Claire

We have a new niece on the way, and she's all set to arrive tomorrow. Of course I had to make her something handmade, and I used this adorable Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday line. It's becoming really hard to find now, but it's perfectly girly and the colors are great. I made a disappearing nine-patch baby quilt that measures about 36x36, a couple of burp cloths, and a onesie.

She has already been nicknamed "Claire Bear" so of course I had to make her a little bear shirt. (And the fold is crooked, not the embroidery, I promise!) Baby gifts are so fun to make because they're such instant gratification.

Libraries & Labels

At the end of the summer when the heat became unbearable, we headed inside to the library. The kids still can't get over the fact that we can take so many books home - it's too good to be true. (I secretly still think the same thing!) And DVDs, too! Since we turned off our cable this spring watching DVDs has been a fun thing for them to do, and I love that there aren't any questionable commercials that I have to worry about.

As I lugged home a huge tote full of books, I had a lightbulb moment. Library bags! And they could be personalized, with a pocket for their cards! And have patchwork! And cute handles! I'm easily excited. ;) I've wanted a reason to order some Sweetwater personalized labels for quite some time now, and this was the perfect occasion. I ordered one for each kid and then had fun pulling out coordinating fabrics.

THEN, to add to the excitement, this awesome library tote tutorial from Noodlehead popped up in my Google Reader. I put this all together before vacation, and now that we're back I can't wait to get started.

I'm sure you're familiar with Sweetwater's fabric lines (Pure, Make Life & Authentic), but did you know about their awesome new Label Crew club? It's only $6 and you get 4 fabric labels (one is personalized!) and a cute little pattern every month. Below is the kit for September - I got it in the mail a couple of weeks ago and can't wait to make these little fabric buckets for Halloween!

(And no, this isn't a paid advertisment, I just think their products are that cool!)

Patchwork

I don't think I'll ever get over my love of simple patchwork squares. They're not fancy; on the contrary, they are about as humble as a design can be. In my opinion, this is what really makes them shine. Not much thinking is involved besides deciding between 3 or 4 inch squares, and then you can do the really fun part of choosing which fabrics to combine. I have been using Robert Kaufman Essex cotton/linen blend for a couple of years now and it's a staple in my sewing stash. I haven't found a group of fabrics yet that isn't complimented by the addition of some Essex in Natural.

This little group was ordered by a great friend to give as a baby gift. I had so much fun picking out girly colors and stitching the little onesie. So tiny. These patchwork bags are a staple in my inventory. They measure about 12x14 inches and are great for keeping toys corralled in the car, taking a change of clothes for an outing, diapers, or packing ballet shoes or soccer cleats.

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