After getting a request for circular placements to fit on my mom’s circular glass dining table, I came across the Hexi Mat pattern and immediately thought it would be the perfect solution! Not only would a hexi mat fit the stipulation of not hanging off the circular edges of the table, but using a pattern that was already designed would allow me to finish the project faster. The quilt shop I purchased the pattern from was also selling fabric kits, which saved even more time!
I love the look of the crisscrossing borders around the main hexagon! It provides good visual interest and allows you to feature a few different fabrics. The border strips are created with strip sets, which believe it or not, was a technique I had never done until now. How easy and fast! I was able to finish this pair of mats in a few hours. The pattern also features a wrap around self-binding using the backing which is pretty slick.
I will definitely be making more of these for my own table (shown in the pictures)! These would be great as a table topper for a centerpiece as well.
It’s finished!! Sew by Row by Lori Holt is my first large cross-stitch project, finishing at 11″ x 14″. I love the fun, happy colors and, of course, all the sewing-related images. This looks perfect hung up in my sewing room! It took me about two months to stitch. Luckily I realized the best time to stitch was while waiting for my daughter during dance practices three nights a week.
Note: Some product links contained on my site are affiliate links. I earn a small amount if you purchase the item, at no additional cost to you. The products are first and foremost honest recommendations from myself and if you find the recommendations helpful I am thankful if you use my links!
This was my first time stitching on something other than Aida cloth and something with a high fabric count (meaning smaller holes). I used Lori Holt’s Cloud 25 Count Lugana cloth and really loved the feel of it and how nice it was to stitch with. It didn’t take me too long to get used to stitching over 2, which was also a first for me. I don’t think I will go back to Aida! I tried out Pat’s Favorite Needles Size 26, which were so much better than the cheap needles I was using before. I finished my piece with the Craig Frames Jasper Picture Frame, 11 x 14 Inch, Country French Teal on Amazon, framing it myself using Sticky Board from Fat Quarter Shop.
You can say I’m hooked on cross stitching now! I’ve already got another project started! As I put away my supplies for Sew by Row, I realized I now have enough floss leftover to be considered a “collection” and purchased this great ArtBin Floss Finder storage case on Amazon. Good thing it has some room to grow!
Just a day before Valentines’ Day and I’ve finished a lovely set of decor! These projects were inspired from the 2021 Cupid Box from Fat Quarter Shop.
The annual Cupid Box from Fat Quarter Shop is a mystery box filled with fabric, a pattern, and exclusive accessories/notions for the holiday. This was my first time getting this box and I was pleasantly surprised! It included a bunch of heart goodies like: clips, a handy tape measure, key ring charm, and ruler grips. The featured fabric was a stack of fat quarters from the “From the Heart” line by Sandy Gervais and an exclusive panel with large images of typewriters, love letters, and phones. There was an exclusive pattern to make a quilt from this fabric, but I went my own way and created some Valentine decor for my house.
Pillow Covers
Pillows I started off making two pillows featuring the large typewriters from the panel. I pieced together squares from the fat quarters to make an outside border. This turned out to be much more difficult than expected because of all the math involved! The typewriter image wasn’t exactly square, so even when I figured out the measurement the border needed to be for two of the sides, I couldn’t copy it for the other two sides and had to adjust the size of my white spacer squares to cover the difference accordingly. It all turned out decently, but by this point I was already regretting branching out and wishing I had a pattern to follow!
Table Runner
Table Runner Next up was a table runner. I was determined to use up as many images from the panel as possible! I really liked the heart blocks that were included in the quilt pattern, so I made those as designed, but added white borders around them to make them the same size as the love letter and phone images from the panel. I thought surely this would help me put the pieces together easier! Unfortunately, I found that while those blocks lined up nicely with each other, they didn’t line up perfectly with the typewriter (which still wasn’t square!). After trying out a few layouts I decided to add a red border around some of the edges to make the two sides the same height as the typewriter. The design definitely changed from my original vision, but I’m happy with how it turned out.
Wall Hanging
Wall Hanging At this point I was ready to be done with these projects, but I still had more panel pieces to use up! 🙂 I had also premade a bunch of hearts when I made the table runner (smart move), so I had some blocks ready to work with. I decided to keep it as simple as I could and cut up strips of the remaining fat quarters to use as sashing around the blocks. I didn’t have enough pieces of each fabric to make solid strips, but I actually like the scrappiness of it!
All in all, I’m very happy with this set of projects! However, I learned that I don’t dream of becoming a pattern designer and instead can’t wait to follow someone else’s math next time!
Finished Size: 20" x 20" for Pillow Covers, 42" x 14.5" for Table Runner, 22.5" x 22.5" for Wall Hanging
Fabric: From the Heart by Sandy Gervais for Riley Blake Designs
I finished this large, roomy tote a couple days ago and have already put it to use! It’s the perfect size to hold my 11″ x 11″ cross-stitch frame that was too tall for my previous cross-stitch bag (my ByAnnie’s Open Wide) and there’s extra room for my other stitching supplies. The construction was different than other bags I have made and I learned some new techniques!
Even though I already own a couple other tote patterns I haven’t sewn yet, when a local quilt shop recently offered a two-session Zoom class for making this one I couldn’t resist! Besides the motivation for making another bag, it was a chance to sew along with others and get some tips along the way. I have definitely been missing “open sewing” sessions and quilt retreats this past year.
My daughter was interested in making the bag too, so with the convenience of the Zoom class at home we prepped two bags to attempt to make both during the class. I knew this would be tough, but I have two sewing machines set up in my sewing room so I thought it was worth an attempt! Worst case I would help her with hers and finish mine later.
I know from previous class experiences that I can quickly become behind, and sure enough, that’s what happened to us. Partially because we were sewing slower than the instructor was and partially because we were trying to make two bags at once. We didn’t mind, though. We still picked up a few tips along the way and found the other classmates’ questions and the instructor’s answers informative. We finished our bags later on, just as I predicted. 🙂
Sew Happy by Sarah label!
The pattern itself was very easy to follow and has great color photographs for each step. (Handy for when we got behind in class!) There were a few modifications to the pattern I made along the way. I used ByAnnie’s Soft and Stable instead of the called-for “Stiff Stuff” firm interfacing. Mostly because I already had the Soft and Stable and I love the soft structure it gives to bags. I also added an additional pocket to the inside because the more pockets the better!
I had to slow way down during the steps for assembling the bag to make sure I was sewing the lining and the exterior pieces together the correct way. It was a little nerve-wracking, but it turned out right so I didn’t have to do any seam ripping! This was my second time making a bag with boxed corners. Sewing the corners themselves was so easy and really seems ingenious! I like this technique.
Also take note of my new “Sew Happy by Sarah” bag label! I designed it myself and printed it out on my home inkjet printer using June Tailor Colorfast White Printer Fabric. The printer fabric sheets worked perfectly and will remain colorfast because I used an iron to set the ink. I’ll definitely be adding these labels to my future makes!
My daughter’s bag
Even though we got behind during the class, my daughter did an awesome job of sewing this whole bag herself! Gone are the days where I have to help guide the fabric to keep it straight — she is definitely becoming more accurate and I can simply tell her to make a 1/4 inch seam or 1/8″ top-stitching and she can do it on her own! She plans to use her bag for her cross-stitch supplies as well!
Finished Size: 13" x 13" x 6"
Pattern:Harper Holdall Tote by Lazy Girl Designs
Fabric: Shine On by Bonnie & Camille
I have to thank YouTube for a lot of the sewing tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years. Whenever I’m stuck on a pattern, I can usually find someone with a video tutorial on how to do the technique — or better yet, someone making the exact pattern I’m using. I also turn to YouTube when I just want to listen to someone chat about sewing and see what they are working on. Check out the channels I subscribe to and you may find something new!
All-Around Tutorials The Crafty Gemini Quilting, garments, bags, and so much more: Vanessa at The Crafty Gemini sews it all! She has great tutorials aimed at beginners and many are free! She also has live Q&A chats twice weekly.
Bag Making Sew Sweetness I once picked up a Sew Sweetness bag pattern at a quilt shop thinking I might like trying to make a bag someday. I later searched Sew Sweetness online and found Sara’s YouTube channel and became an official “bag lady”! Sara holds weekly live shows to answer questions about her patterns, give tutorials, review products she likes, and show her latest fabric finds. She’s so knowledgeable and fun to watch! ByAnnie ByAnnie’s quilted bags rival Vera Bradley’s, and better yet you get to create your own! ByAnnie has a large collection of patterns for all types of bags. Her YouTube channel contains introduction videos showing examples of all her newest offerings, zipper tutorials, and she’s recently started posting weekly live demos.
Quilting Chats Pat Sloan Pat Sloan is a quilt pattern & fabric designer, as well as an author. Her daily videos cover a different quilty topic each day and she always has a sew-along going on. Power Tools with Thread Becky posts chat videos about what she’s working on and also covers tutorials for embroidery machines and the Brother Scan and Cut. Neither of which I have, but I still find it interesting! 🙂 Fat Quarter Shop Kimberly Jolly, the owner of Fat Quarter Shop, hosts a weekly livestream that usually lasts 2 hours! She covers new products and fabrics, sew alongs, free patterns, and Q&A from viewers. There are also many great quick tutorials on their channel. Just Get it Done Quilts Karen Brown has a ton of tips, tricks, and hacks videos, along with live Q&A’s from Facebook. More recently she has started a “Karen’s Quilt Circle” series where she interviews a wide variety of people in the quilting industry about really interesting topics!
Quilting Tutorials Angela Walters Angela’s free-motion quilting challenges are excellent! I’ve completed two of them and have learned so much. She has also started doing weekly live chats. Natalia Bonner Natalia shows free-motion quilt designs on her longarm. Handi Quilter Handi Quilter is a brand of longarms, but they also post video tutorials that could apply to any longarm. Helen Godden Quilts I came across Helen from a Handi Quilter video because she is a Handi Quilter ambassador. I’m amazed at her unique technique of painting on fabric and then free-motion quilting over it using her sitdown machine. Sugaridoo The name “Sugaridoo” is a perfect match for Irene’s colorful, bright, happy style and cheery demeaner. I feel happier just watching her videos! She focuses on foundation paper piecing, quilt patterns, and quilting.
This quilt was actually made by my 9-year-old daughter! Her first quilt! The pattern and fabric came from the Fat Quarter Shop Jolly Box 2020. When the box arrived, she was immediately excited about this fabric and since it looked like a good beginner quilt I told her she could do it!
We added an extra outside border to make it a bit bigger (closer to a lap quilt size for her) and backed it with super soft Fireside by Moda to make it cuddly. It was my first time using Fireside and I love it! I had no problems quilting it with the longarm. I’ve got another piece of Fireside waiting for the back of my cat quilt when I make it.
For the quilting, my daughter and I picked out a couple designs from Designs with Lines books (Border Lines and Basic 8) and used Pam Clarke’s stencils and chalk pounce powder to create a guide. I outlined the deer — well, half of it — and my daughter got on the longarm for the first time to finish it up. She did a great job and luckily has the attitude that “nothing is perfect, Mom!” so she just went for it and wasn’t afraid of mistakes.
She loves her new cute, cuddly couch quilt!
Finished Size: 37.5" x 46.5"
Pattern: North Pole Quilt Pattern exclusive to the Fat Quarter Shop Jolly Box 2020
Fabric: Deer Christmas by Urban Chiks, Fireside Pink by Moda
#jollybox
#sewsamplerbox
It’s the time of year to look back at all that I’ve accomplished in the previous year. I did a lot of sewing in 2020! Over 40 projects that included:
3 Table Runners
4 Wall hangings
12 Bags/Pouches
3 Decor Items
13 Pieces of Clothing
2 Quilts
9 Round Robin Blocks
1 Cross Stitch
I already have an endless list of projects for 2021. The list seems to continually grow and I have no doubt this is because I like to sew so many different types of things. I want to continue to do a little bit of everything, so I need to focus on rotating through these throughout the year.
More bags! I absolutely love making bags! Having a completed useful and professional looking bag or pouch is really satisfying! My main goal this year is to make a purse for myself. I could really use a new one and I’ve got the fabric already purchased and the pattern picked out! I’m thinking about making the Sew Sweetness Baker Street bag:
Sew Sweetness Baker Street Bag
Clothes for myself In the past I have mostly concentrated on making clothing for my kids. In 2020 I lost 20 pounds and I want to celebrate this by making myself clothes to wear. I have had a few blouses, dresses, and a hooded sweatshirt pattern on my “To Make” list for years, but wasn’t as interested in making them as my size was changing and I didn’t want to even take my measurements for fear of reality. Now that I feel great in my clothes again, I can’t wait to sew for myself! I’ve had McCall’s M7359 Misses’ V-Neck Dolman Sleeve Tops in my pattern stash for awhile:
McCall’s M7359 Dolman Top
More cross-stitch! Having completed two simple small cross-stitch pieces now, I would like to move on to more intricate, large works. I purchased Santa’s Village by Country Cottage Needleworks and my goal is to start and finish it this year!
Country Cottage Needleworks – Santa’s Village
Seasonal wall hangings I would love to have a wall hanging for my entryway for every season. I want to make them all a similar size so I can easily switch them out. Not to mention this will give me more practice on my new longarm I purchased in 2020! I’ve had this 4-patch mini wall quilt tutorial bookmarked for awhile:
4-Patch Mini Wall Quilt by Jedi Craft Girl
Cat quilt I have dreams of making a large cat quilt featuring all of the cats I’ve had. I have all the supplies purchased and a pattern ready to go, I just need to start making the cats! I will be using the “Jazz Cats” pattern from The Cat’s Meow: Purr-fect Quilts for Cat Lovers by Janet Kime. I picked this book up at a garage sale awhile ago!
Jazz Cats quilt from The Cat’s Meow book
Sew Sampler finishes In 2020 I subscribed to the Fat Quarter Shop Sew Samper subscription boxes. I love these monthly boxes! I have already accumulated a few boxes that are waiting for me to make them! My goal is to make each project so I can work more on my quilting skills. It’s going to be hard to keep up, but most of the projects so far are small quilts. If I reserve some time each week to cutting fabric for these, it would make it easier to pick these up and piece them when I have a free moment.
August 2020 Sew Sampler box pattern
I’m looking forward to lots of great sewing this year! I also plan on dedicating myself to adding more content to this blog. In the past I have used it to track my project completions, but didn’t add many details. I now hope to share my experiences and inspire others in their sewing journey.
This is the second time I’ve made the Desert Stars Table Runner pattern from Atkinson Designs (first version found here). This time I needed to make a small winter wall hanging for my mom and thought this would be perfect. Because I was trying to make it to fit a particular area in her house, I shortened it by one star. I used blue batiks from my stash and a solid white. I quilted this on my home machine.
Close up views of the quilting
I love this pattern! It’s very beginner friendly with great step-by-step color illustrations. It even shows which way to press the seams on each step for best results. I love that it takes the guess work out of it!
Finished Size: 11.5" x 32"
Pattern:Desert Stars Table Runner by Atkinson Designs
Fabric: assorted batik scraps and solid white
This tote bag was a fun one! What a great way to use a panel! I got this fabric and pattern kit from the Front Porch Quilt Shop and gifted this bag to my mom. The construction of the bag was different from any other bag I’ve done so far, done in a way where the front/back, sides and bottom pieces are sewn together to make one large piece, quilted, and then folded around to form the structure of the outer bag (instead of quilting the separate pieces and assembling afterward).
I quilted this free-motion on my Juki 2010Q because it was too small to put on the longarm. It was fun to create designs on this Minnesota lake scene. I used Soft and Stable, which gave it great form and added SF101 to the lining.
I definitely plan on using this pattern again. The tote is a perfect size to carry books or project materials.
I came across this wallhanging pattern on an episode of Fat Quarter Shop’s weekly livestream on YouTube. It’s perfectly my style and better yet, the pattern is FREE! I even loved the fabric they used in their example so much that I bought it and used it. It is actually offered as both a 26.5″ x 26.5″ mini quilt (the version I did) and a 59″ x 59″ throw sized quilt. The mini uses mini 2.5″ charm packs and the bigger version uses regular 5″ charm packs.
I quilted this on my longarm (the first non-test quilt sandwich!) and played around with rulers and free-hand.
Finished Size: 26.5" x 26.5"
Pattern:Mini Charming Christmas Quilt by Fat Quarter Shop
Fabric: Naughty or Nice by BasicGrey
The Crafty Gemini
Sew Happy by Sarah 