patchwork napkins

Lately, I've been buying a lot of fabric--too much fabric. I blame this on my day job. At a fabric store. So in an effort to keep my scrap bucket from overflowing, I've been looking for quick and easy stash-busting projects. I quickly found that Film in the Fridge's patchwork napkin tutorial fit the bill, and I whipped up four new napkins.

The tops of all four napkins--prints and solids--are pulled entirely from my scrap bucket. The patchwork stripes are a mix of designer, Japanese, vintage, and shirting fabrics. 

The napkin backs are made up of fabrics from my main stash, including fat quarters from Purl Soho and CityCraft that I've been hoarding. 

I loved working with fabrics I had on hand, and definitely felt a sense of accomplishment when I saw that my scrap bucket had emptied out a bit. Know of any other good stash-busting projects? Feel free to share them in the comments!

crocheted pincushion

A pretty little pincushion (a birthday gift!) arrived in the mail last week. It's so pretty in fact, I'm kind of hesitant to stick an actual pin in it...

sewing project: pillowcases

I've been on a pillowcase-making kick lately, so I whipped up a pair for my parents for Christmas to coordinate with their blue-and-white bedroom. Using some P&B fabrics I picked up from work, I made the pillowcases from Heather Ross's pattern in Weekend Sewing.

I love being able to customize my bedding, and I think this project is a great way to feature large pieces of favorite fabrics (my next set will be made from one of Lizzy House's Castle Peeps prints).

quilting project: big stripe pillow

I fell in love with Sparkle Power's quilted stripe pillow the second I saw it, and immediately used the tutorial to make a lilac and maroon pillow as a Christmas gift. It was such a quick and easy project (particularly since I did it after having just finished this one), that I'd love to do it again and make one for myself.

the juki

Thanks to a very generous birthday gift last week, a pretty new sewing machine arrived on my doorstep yesterday. I think I'm in love.

2011 calendars: rosettes

So for the third calendar panel (here's one and here's two), I decided to keep things simple. I tacked down some grosgrain ribbon in the top left corner and hand-stitched three turquoise rosettes to the panel that I had made as potential wedding accessories back in 2009, but had never used. I finished the calendar by backing it with this fabric.

The calendar is simple, and came together the quickest of the three, but I love how it turned out. Now I just need to finish the fourth calendar panel which is for our house, which is currently sitting on my workbench, untouched...

featured on brides.com!

Photo by Shannon Renee Photography

Last fall, I was contacted by Brides.com to create a custom cross-stitch dog bandanna for a photo shoot that would be featured on the wedding web site. I stitched one up using some lovely yellow gingham from the local five-and-dime, and after a bit of waiting, I'm happy to report that my bandanna is among the adorable wedding day accessories for dogs that are now featured in the online photo spread!

Photo by Shannon Renee Photography

I will soon be adding a custom bandanna listing to the shop (which is now reopened after a much-needed vacation!), but feel free to contact me in the meantime if you're interested in a custom order or have any questions.