Just Married Label

I just finished up the illustration for a wedding gift label. This one turned out especially nice in my opinion (maybe it's the lovely couple), so I thought I would share. Click on the photo above for a larger preview of the label.

Cheers!

Oh Baby! I finished a baby quilt... a week late.

Ta da! Here's a bright little baby quilt I made for a sweet new baby girl. The shower was last weekend, but I don't think the baby will mind too much.

On this quilt I did everything. I designed the pattern (not that it's anything revolutionary), I pieced it all together and then quilted it on my little home machine. It's "mostly straight" lines that matched the piecing.

Here's the back. I love pieced backs. And I added a label that has the baby's name and birthday. Whew! Feels good to finish a project, even when it is a week late.

Look At This ADORABLE Puppy Pouch!

How cute is this guy? I used the brand new Straight Stitch Society "Feed The Animals Coin Purse" pattern and I absolutely love it. AND I actually put in a zipper, something I've been avoiding for a while and it wasn't even that hard (in fact, I'm thinking I'll make the other two animals soon).

The pattern totally walked me through my anxiety about tackling a zipper (can you see the part where is says to take a deep breath and get out your zipper??), which really cracked me up and made the process a lot more fun.

Let's see... I also recently made my new Mail Sack purse out of some lovely Melody Miller Fabric I've been coveting for a while. I really stressed for a while on what to pair with these awesome typewriters...

then I found the bright and amazing floral pattern by Phillip Jacobs - perfect! Bright and fun, just what I need for summer (hopefully it gets here soon).

Here's my awesome bag in action. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE this pattern? (PS I made P's shirt too... an ode to the car he currently loves and loves to take apart—I don't get it but it's fun to make custom t-shirts as gifts).

And speaking of making shirts, here's my last project to share. My ba-BLING Sis Boom Dana Top made out of ba-BLING Dear Stella fabric. It's peacock feathers with gold lamme sprinkled in. I know it sounds crazy, but I think it's lovely and just the right amount of ba-BLING! I finished it up on Mother's Day right before Quilt Market (it was supposed to be for Quilt Market but I was so excited about the ba-BLING that I wore it for Mother's Day too).

Cheers!! Thanks for stopping by.

Charlotte Made An Adorable Apron

I'm so proud of my 8 year old (almost 9) daughter Charlotte. Here she is posing with an apron she made (mostly) by herself. We used the new Riley Blake Verona Apron Panel, which I highly recommend for beginners or sewing with kids. It was quick, easy and a lot of fun. Plus look how darling it turned out. You could easily add your own embellishments to really make it your own masterpiece.

It took Charlotte maybe 15 minutes to cut everything out, give or take a few minutes if you add time to play with Sparky and scraps while cutting.

Then the next night we started sewing the pieces together. I had Charlotte do most of it herself. I've had her help me make other little projects (we're both beginners) and she's gotten better and better and handling the machine. At first it was scary, I was worried about somebody loosing a finger, but now that thought only occasionally pops in my head. It would be neat to get her into a sewing class for kids, and maybe she could eventually teach me a few techniques.

She sewed and turned the pocket and straps.

I had her do the pressing too.

I did the finishing edge all around the apron.

She chose the layout of the apron with the pocket at the top and buttons. It turned out great and she's so proud of herself. Now I'm thinking it would be fun to get another colorway (this one is calling my name) and making matching Mom & Daughter Aprons. I bet our cookies will taste even better when we make them wearing these adorable aprons! 

The Epic Race: Turtle vs Hare 2012

Once upon a time, there was a resourceful, little turtle who was tired of racing and losing against a cocky, little hare. The clever little turtle took his allowance money and bought himself a bicycle and the rest is history. 

My submission for the Spoonflower Weekly Contest. This week's category: Bicycles (3-color). I thought it would be kind of fun to try to create a bit of a story with the design.  

Name Tag and More! (lots more)

Last month I joined the Portland Modern Quilt Guild (PMQG) — YAY! Exciting! It's really inspiring, there are so many talented quilters out there.... and they're pumping out super amazing quilts like crazy! We meet each month and they're all bringing new incredible quilts to show & tell each meeting. WOW (where do they find the time?)! I love it, the ideas the colors, the fabrics. Last month they kicked off the new year by asking members to make a name tag to wear at meetings. Above is the name tag I made. BRIGHT, Amy Buttler and Anna Maria Horner fabrics - plus I used the sparkle thread I won at the last meeting (I love sparkles even more than bright). Then I ironed on my label I created for my quilts and added some buttons for a little extra touch of cute. The binding isn't the greatest (it's actually kinda sucky because I was in a hurry and it's pretty darn tricky to make a binding for a little tiny quilt) but's it's OK I still like it, even if it's not perfect.

I've been plugging away on my Sparkle Punch Quilt Along. I've got a long way to go, but I'm hoping to finish for my daughter's birthday in April. Cross your fingers for me.

Here's the awesome swap gift I received from my GenQ Valentine Swap partner. It's a lovely little zipper pouch. The colors are gorgeous - scrappy pinks and reds. But my favorite part is the quilting she did on it. Random straight lines, some follow the shapes and others are just on their own. Looks great.

And look at this super cute pin cushion my sweet friend made for me! Doesn't it look GREAT with all my favorite leaf pins stuck in it? So colorful and cute. I love it!! 

In the meantime I've been doing a lot of drawing (instead of sewing). More cartoony caricatures for my friend in the commercial real estate biz. I hope these guys like their funny bottle labels I've been making. Here's the finished project — a custom Maker's Mark bottle— for the last drawing I posted.

It's kind of weird to draw pictures of all these random people I've never met. Here's the next one I've been finishing up this weekend.

I'm working on my watercolor skills with Painter as well. Below is my Christmas card (I know - old news) I drew for this past Christmas. Painter is a little less forgiving than working in Illustrator, so it's a bit of a learning curve. I really love the look though. 

I'm practicing and hopefully I'll get a lot more polished at these cute watercolor illustrations soon.

This Little Piggie is Going to Austin ...

Here's my first swap project - Petunia the Love Pig. Or maybe just Petunia. She's headed to my swap partner in Austin, Texas tomorrow morning. It's the Melly & Me pattern and this is the second time I've made it (I'll probably make it a few more times since I know a lot of little people that like cuddly little piggies).

Petunia made the rounds posing with a few family members before getting stuffed in a box.

Here's an adorable baby announcement I did for an old friend. Look at those twin babies aren't they ADORABLE!

And here's another caricature I've been working on for a different friend. This guy is going on a bottle of bourbon as a thank you gift for a job well done on a big project. Bottoms up!!