Pin Cushions with Dogs

Yesterday I was fooling around in my sewing room, trying to decide what to make for my upcoming quilt group meeting.  Every month I raffle off an item that I have made.  This time I decided to make a collection of pin cushions.

It all started with the little dog panel that I found at one of the stops on my NY Shop Hop last week.  I framed them with some new fabric that I had bought that matches them just perfectly!  Honestly, they are just so cute!

The theme for this month's raffle is Blue.  So next I cut some 1 1/2" strips from some blue fabrics and sewed them into rows for the blue patchwork pin cushions.  The squares and strips finish at 1".  

For the half-square triangle cushion, I cut 1 1/2" squares and then sewed on the diagonal, removing the extra fabric.  The squares also finished up at 1".  There are 16 blocks in this little pin cushion.

And lastly, I wanted a different shape, so I chose to make the half-square triangle circle cushion.  I cut the fabric squares 3" and then drew a line down the diagonal of the top square.  I sewed 1/4" on both sides of the triangles, cut them down through the center and sewed them into a four-patch block.  Instead of making it square, I just drew a circle and sewed on that to create a circular cushion.

Each cushion is layered with a piece of batting and then quilted.  After I turned and stuffed them, I added some buttons to embellish them.  What do you think?  Which one do you like the best?

Have you ever made pin cushions just for fun?  I could make them every day. Oh, wait, but then I wouldn't get anything else done!

Cheers and Sips

Honestly, I had so much fun making these cards last week!  The colors from Celebratory Sips are so vibrant and happy.  And the papers have cute, colorful drinks on them that you can cut out.  :)

For my first card, I cut some green designer papers into strips and mounted them onto the card.  I offset them to give them some visual appeal.  I added a piece of the beautiful Celebratory Sips paper as the focal point.  Then I cut out a couple of "drinks" to add to the card.  

This set does not have to be alcoholic, they can just be lemonade and grape juice drinks.  Here is another version:

For this card, I used a darker colored purple for the background.  I think it makes the images stand out better.  I got the idea for this card online but don't remember where.  (Let me know if it's your card so I can give you credit.)  I love how it came out.  :)

For the second card, I made a couple of slits in the middle of the front of the cardstock so that it opens only in the middle.  The top and bottom layers are glued down.  The papers are so pretty and bright.  What a fun card to make.  :)

This card has a pink lemonade with a little umbrella - how cute is that?  I got the idea for this card from Karen Titus on Pinterest.

The third card is a side fold card, so when you open it you only have room on half of the card to write your sentiment.  The pretty pinks on this card make it a happy card for someone, no matter what their special day may be.

Or just make it a Happy Birthday card to celebrate someone you know.  I stamped the orange and strawberry for the right side of the card and also for the inside.  

The papers are so nice in this set that you don't have to really any drink images.  I ordered more papers so that I can make some more bright cards.  Which card do you like best?

 

Serene Love

Earlier this month, I made 3 cards using the Serene Love designer papers.  They were a special offering from Stampin Up and I got them on the Last Chance list.

For my first card, I made a frame with the papers using a couple of rectangle dies.  I cut out the flowers and added a couple of sprigs to match.  I like to keep the colors to a minimum because I like the cohesive look it gives to the cards.  

The "friend" cut out is from Friends for Life.  I love how it adds to the card!

My next card has a circle cut out with some designer paper taped behind it to create a focal point.  The flowers are fussy cut from the paper and then I added some sprigs from various die cuts to complete the card.  Funny thing is even though it is called "stamping class," there isn't much stamping at all on these cards, just the sayings.

My next card is a horizontal card with some designer paper at the bottom and a fancy die cut row to give it some pizzazz.  The circle is from Spotlight on Nature dies and then I added some sprigs and flowers.  

I love how these cards came out.  There are 2 other colors (navy blue and light green) in the Serene Love paper pack so maybe I'll make some cards using the rest of the papers.  

What do you think of them?  You could pretty much use any flowered papers to make similar cards.  

 

More Drawstring Bags

 The drawstring bags are easy and fun to make!  Here's one with some pretty coneflower fabric that I love.  Pinks and greens are one of my go-to color combinations.  

This next one features a little hen house on a farm.  You can use any image or panel for the front of the bag.  I have a lot of whimsical fabrics - now is a great time to use them.  :)

This one with the bunny came out kind of plain.  It needed some ribbon or rick rack to spice it up.  It was one of the first ones that I made.  Now I know better.  

Here is a more subtle colored bag.  Made with soft blues and pinks.  I love using up my older fabrics to make something pretty.  

Which one do you like?  

Drawstring Bags with a Sewing Theme

For my quilt guild meeting this month, I made a sewing-themed drawstring bag.  I found a cute image of a sewing machine on one of my fabrics and then added some button fabrics, word fabric, checkered ribbon and some measuring tape ribbon.  I finished it off with a crocheted flower and button.

 It measures about 7.5 x 9.5 inches.  I made up my own pattern and had so much fun making this!

Like most craft projects, you can't make just one.  So I made another one.  This one doesn't have a sewing machine, but some other sewing images on it.  I scrounged around and found some assorted ropes for the drawstrings.

When I made another sewing machine one, I noticed that I forgot to put the measuring tape and ribbon on it when it was too late.  But it still came out cute.  I gave these away to a couple of my sewing buddies.

The next day I went into my sewing room and made more from some different fabrics, this time with lighter colors.  They don't take super long to make and they are a lot of fun.  I will be giving these two away, also.  

I forgot to make one for myself so guess I'll just have to keep at it.  LOL