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Flower & Leaf

Flower and Leaf Navy Cotton ~ Available at ikoplus

Wild Thyme

I saw this print at a quilt shop and it is a great mix of colors.  The collection is called Wild Thyme and the designer is Carolyn Gavin for P&B Textiles.

Weekend Sewing Goals

This weekend my main sewing goal is to finish up two grocery bags.  When I get them done, maybe I'll start a Pocket Clutch.  I've had the fabric picked out to make one, and need to get it started before the fabric gets buried in my stash and I forget all about it! 

So what is on your sewing to do list this weekend?  Is there a certain project you've vowed to finish up this weekend, or maybe you are starting something new?

Sewing on a Button When a Snap is in Your Way

If you are adding a button onto a flap for embellishment sometimes isn't as simple as sewing through the button holes and under the button.  In a few of my patterns I've added buttons to the flaps, and there is almost always a magnetic snap on the other side.  The trick I've found is to sew the button on in a figure eight pattern, rather than a circle where you go through the button holes and under the button.

Here is how I do it:

1. Insert the needle through the fabric, going just through the top layer.

2. Thread the button.

3. Sew another stitch horizontally.  Pull the thread so the button is held in place. 

4. Thread through the button again, but don't insert the needle into the fabric just yet.  Grasp the needle (push the side of the flap down if you are having trouble grabbing the needle) and pull the thread all the way through. 

Now sew one stitch vertically just to the side of the button hole.  Sew the stitch close to the button holes and under the edge of the button to hide the thread. 

5. Once you've made the vertical stitch, pull the thread through and slide the needle through the button holes.  Come out on the other side with the needle and sew another vertical stitch.  Continue sewing in this figure eight pattern until the button is firmly in place and then tie off.

Spring Tulips

While a lot of the US has been getting plenty of snow this winter, here in the Pacific Northwest it has been a very warm winter.  By mid January many of the spring flowers were already sending up shoots.  I imagine the tulips will be blooming soon.

If you are buried in the snow and cold, maybe this sweet fabric will remind you that spring is on the way.

Welcome Crafty Girls Workshop

You may have noticed a few changes here lately as I continually try to make this an interesting and helpful place to visit for those who love to sew.  One of the changes is sponsorships are now available. 

These are links to other crafty businesses where you can find fun supplies for your projects, inspiring books and magazines, and hopefully a great deal from time to time.  Only sponsorships from businesses I think you'll appreciate visiting will be included.   

So we now have our first sponsor...Crafty Girls Workshop.  Please stop by to see the pretty fabrics and other sewing supplies they offer. 

Here are a few of my personal favorites:

Belle Skirt

I'm wearing this skirt right now! 

This is the skirt I talked about making in this post.  It is really cute, comfortable and was easy to make (when I finally got around to it).  I definitely want to make a few more of these.

I did make some modifications to this pattern.  Leave a comment if you are interested in hearing more about this skirt pattern and I'll write a separate post.

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Nicey Jane - Lindy Leaf

I just saw this print in a quilt shop two days ago, and really liked it.  It looks modern and vintage all at the same time.

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Cozy Modern Quilts by Kim Schaefer

This book looks great!  I'm finding myself more and more interested in quilting, and have been collecting some books so I'll have reference materials when I find the time to get into it a bit more.