Fat Quarter Shop Mystery BOM #6 - 1st Half Recap

It arrived on Thursday.  The Fat Quarter Shop Designer Mystery BOM, block number 6.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  There is something about these blocks that makes me HAVE to cut it out and sew it up within a few days.  I actually finished the block yesterday but didn't have time to take my bad photo and post it.

This block is called "Town Square" and is designed by Kate Spain.  It's the third block where you have to cut one of the fabrics two different ways to make the block come out correctly.  I'm seeing blocks quite differently now that I know about this.

Because this is block 6 of 12, I thought I would put them together so far to get an idea of what the variety of blocks looks like.  

I think my favorite so far is block three.  Which one is your favorite?

New Place to Find my Patterns! YouCanMakeThis.com

I have some great news to share!  My patterns are now available for download at YouCanMakeThis.com!

Jane Dandy - a quilt made from repurposed sheets

And Jim Dandy - my favorite re-purposed project ever...a quilt made from pre-loved denim jeans.

I'm thrilled that there are so many places you can find my first two patterns.  I'm looking forward to seeing what you make with them!

New! Cloth Napkins made from Vintage Christmas Tablecloths

The last set of Christmas cloth napkins I had in my Etsy shop sold last week.  I happened to have two other vintage tablecloths that had seen better days, so I made some more napkins!  Both sets are available in my Etsy Shop.

The poinsettia ones are large, 15" square, and there are four of them.

The candle, garland ones are 12" and there are SIX of those!

Making these is like therapy for me.  I get to make something new out of something that might otherwise never see the light of day again.  It was a great way to start thinking about the holidays!

Finished Apple Cobbler Baby Quilt

Just thought I would share pics of the quilted and bound Apple Cobbler baby quilt.  It was sent off to PA on Monday to meet baby Hensley.

I did simple straight line machine quilting on my machine, and I'm really pleased with the finished look.  Again, I used organic fabric, which was a bit stiff, but washed up to make a nice wrinkled look.

Indygo Junction Girly Gored Skirt #2

Just wanted to quickly share the my second version of Indygo Junction's Girly Gored Skirt.

I made this one entirely from Jennifer Paganelli Queen Street fabrics.  (Which by the way...are TO DIE FOR).

This one came together even faster.  Now I have two friends whose girls are in school together who get to twirl the day away.  Can't say enough good stuff about this pattern.

My first two quilt patterns - where to find them!

I have been working on these two patterns and the samples for almost a year.  I'm sure it's not supposed to take that long, but I am so very happy to finally have them to show you!

The first pattern is made using vintage or re-purposed sheets.  It's named Jane Dandy, and comes with directions for two sizes, baby and twin.  It also comes with fabric requirements in case you want to make it with new fabric.

The second pattern is very close to my heart.  It's made from old jeans, and I am just so thrilled with the way it came out.  I used at least 15 pairs of jeans, so that I could incorporate lots of different colors, and lots of friends contributed their old jeans to the cause!  The directions are for having a quilt that comes out just like the cover, but you can, of course, use the directions as a guide and make your own, one of a kind quilt.

You must be thinking to yourself, "Where can I get these great patterns?"  There are currently two places

• My Etsy Shop, and 
• PatternSpot.com

If I get a good response, or requests for it, I will have them printed.  Right now they are in the form of PDF downloads.  While I love PDFs, and have purchased many patterns that way, I know some people still prefer printed patterns.

I am so happy to share this exciting news with you!

Apple Cobbler Pattern Review - another baby quilt

I'm getting them done as fast as I can...these babies...they just keep coming.  And coming EARLY.

This is Apple Cobbler, by Carlene Westberg Designs.  I got the pattern as a PDF download, from Fat Quarter Shop.  The fabric I used was a fat quarter bundle of Safari Sweet by Alysssa Thomas (Penquin & Fish).  This is from Clothworks' Organic Elements line.  

One side note...I do find the organic fabrics a bit stiffer to sew with, but they wash just beautifully and come out very soft.  Funny, it seems if I wash it first, then sew on it, it's still pretty stiff...but the end result is always soft, and I'm pleased with it.

The pattern was super simple.  You cut three size rectangles from fat quarters.  My only beef was that it said "works well with large and small scale prints".  I didn't really think about the fact that I had stripes, and that they may need to get cut in two different directions out of the fat quarter.  It would have been nice if that was noted, but that having been said, I think the mix and match of the stripe directions actually looks really cute.

I also quilted and bound my second Square Dance quilt.  I used a cotton from the same line, and an orange houndstooth (Denyse Schmidt) for the binding.  I am over the moon with the results.  This may become my go-to baby quilt pattern.

I love the brightness of the blue for the back, and blue and orange are one of my favorite color combinations.

Look at all those critters!  Dragonflies, ladybugs, turtles, salamanders...just perfect for little eyes to focus on.

Next up is a big reveal for me...I have been working on these two projects for over a year.  It will be a big exciting day for me, and I can't wait to share it with you all.