super cute sewing mat

Remember my paper pieced butterfly?

I used it to make a sewing machine mat for my mom for Mother's day.

(it is this week end in France)

It looks really good in my sewing room,

may be I should make one for myself too!

perfect with my summer treats quilt!

I have made so many sewing related presents for my mom,

it becomes challenging to find something new.

1- dress form quilt, 2- machine cover,

3- needle book, 4- sewing book, 5- sewing kit.

I followed this tutorial from Lillyella to make the pockets 

with the paper pieced butterfly, cool fabric and

the raw edges, and the thread catcher.

I followed this tutorial by the Sewing Loft to finish the mat.

Since I used a heavier fabric for the base

(I made a laptop cover out of that fabric)

I did not use any batting.

Instead of a regular fabric for the backing, I used shelf liner.

The trick in being able to stitch it is to use tissue paper on the bottom

so it is smooth on the sewing,

it just needs to be torn off at the end.

It makes the mat sticky to the surface you work on,

it protects that surface,

and it should absorb some of the vibrations from the machine.

I also made a cute little pin cushion that matches the mat and thread catcher

for a perfect ensemble.

It is not long enough to fully cover the machine in the back,

but it still looks really cute that way too!

Happy sewing!

paper pieced butterfly

Now that I am done with the calendar kids quilt,

I do not want to start a large project,

just small scale quilting!

It had been quite a while since I had done any paper piecing,

so when I saw these cute (and free!) paper pieced butterfly pattern by Lillyella

I jumped to the opportunity to sew one: 

I truly enjoy the accuracy and precision of this technique.

I played with a Liberty of London print to make beautiful wings on my butterfly,

with a mixture of pink/purple.

It turned out pretty good,

and I know exactly where this cutie is going to go...

Happy sewing!

cute pepper coasters

With so many rainy days and no ability to work on my outdoor dining room,

I had some time to do a little sewing.

I sewed a set of super cute bell pepper coasters!

A couple of Christmas ago, my mother in law gave Ms Pink Penguin book:"Patchwork, please"

I enjoyed reading and looking at all the cute stuff in it,

but never made anything...

Well, now it is official, I have made one of the project, using some of Ms Pink Penguin fabric,

I thought that was a nice touch!

Since I have cut into my fat quarters for my Mom's present,

I feel more able to play with that retro collection"lighthearted".

I added a few other fabric as I felt the green of the collection were wrong

for the bell pepper, I know it does not have to be literal,

but I have strong fillings for my bell pepper,

and I believe it agreed!

I recently purchased that red vintage picnic check, printed on the diagonal, super cute, and I could not stop playing with it. So I made an oven mitt with a pattern from Sew 4 Home using that gingham and more of the lighthearted fabric.

I gave the bell pepper coasters and the oven mitt to my MIL, she is an enabler, the best kind!
Happy sewing!

outdoor dining {One Room Challenge} week six: the reveal!

This is it, the big reveal from the One Room Challenge!

The rain stopped long enough to let me finish a couple things

and enjoy our first al fresco dinner for Mother's day!

And it was just I dreamed it would be:

The new table is huge,

I set it up for 6, but 8 will fit easily.

The bench is perfect for extra seating,

probably 3 people can sit there for a meal, especially children!

The table has great rustic charm, super sturdy

and made from old deck parts!

The colors of the seating area: indigo, turquoise/aqua and green are perfect with the eating area

The wall light stands out on the freshly repainted walls.

The string lights turned out beautifully,

the second row of light went faster than the first!

And at night, it gives the perfect glow for a meal,

or lounging on the couch.

I would say that overall, it was a great success,

even if not everything was done,

too much rain, not enough time!

sharing at decor to adore

and at the creative circle,

and Craftberry bush

calendar quilt

Well I did! I took my Fall dolls,

my Winter dolls, my Spring dolls, my Summer dolls,

and their houses/school. Here they are all together on this beautiful quilt.

And I love it, so fun!

Since all the dolls and appliques were just fused to the background,

I stitched and quilted it all at the same time,

as I have for many other applique quilts.

Like one of my favorite: farm life.

Here is fall, all quilted, with two trees and a house.

I quilted some extra details in the background, to make it more interesting

and also to keep it flat.

Then we have winter with his trees and a house.

I hand embroidered the leash of the dog.

Then it is Spring time with one tree and the school,

the tail of the kite is also hand embroidered, 

more texture is added with the quilting (clouds, trees).

Finally we have summer with trees and a house,

and of course the shop for school clothes.

For the back, I pieced the blue and green border fabric from the front,

and added a cherry print.

The quilt is finished with a simple black binding.

I have sent this quilt to my niece K, the one with the dolls book from a few years ago. Apparently she loves it! It does not get any better. Happy sewing!
sharing at Quilt Story