Autumn cross stitch

My latest fully finished cross stitch project is the freebie Autumn cross stitch pattern by Tiny Modernist.  I stitched this up last year and put it away until I could figure out what to do with it.  I initially wanted to finish it on a wooden pumpkin piece but it was just a tad too large.  So, the next best finish was to make it into a pillow.  

 

Here are the details:

Cross stitch fabric:  14 ct. off-white Aida cloth

Pillow size:  approx. 6 1/2" x 7"

Cotton trim: orange rick rack (from Sew Vintagely)

Pillow fabric:  Adel in Autumn collection by Sandy Gervais for Riley Blake Designs

    front fabric panel:  SKU #C10824 (chocolate)

    backing fabric:  SKU# C10822 (chocolate) 

Floss:  DMC 729 & 720; Sullivans 45170, 45242 & 45268

 Happy stitching!

 

 

Halloween cross stitch - Hazel and Mitzi

Well a few more days and it will be Halloween!  I haven't crafted as much as I would have liked lately but, I did manage to fully finish two cross stitch patterns, Hazel and Mitzi, designed by Christi, Javagirl Stitches.  These designs are fun and quick and perfect if you like Halloween and need a break from a large project!

 

Hazel is dressed up in candy corn colors and Mitzi dressed up as a witch; nothing spooky but cute!  All DMC floss used and I did change a few colors on Hazel but kept Mitzi's colors as called for on the pattern.  They are both stitched on 14 ct Aida called Fronk by Seraphim Fabrics.

The pillows are approximately a 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" square.  I did iron on some interfacing behind the images as a layer of protection before assembling and stuffing the pillow.  The fabric I used to make the pillows is from the Holiday Essentials Halloween collection by Stacy Iest Hsu for Moda Fabrics which I also used as the pillow backing.  A bit of rick rack and ribbon bow for embellishment makes it a nice and simple finish!  These will be some cute home decor pieces to put on display!

Happy Halloween Stitching!

 

 

 

The fabric, oh...and some bags

It's always fun to peruse the shelves and walls of the local fabric stores and even better bringing home some great finds!  I've built up a bit of a stash over the years and rarely have the courage to cut up those pretty designs.  Well, over the last several months, I put in some effort and made some bags!  I used fusible fleece in all bags except for the sewing machine bag; for that one I used batting and added a few rows of quilting.  It was a good feeling to get productive, and now at least I've made something useful and fun to look at with delight!  I also wanted to share the joy with others so I made a bag for Priscilla and Chelsea (Stitching with the Housewives) in each of their fabric design, and also one for them to share with a fellow stitcher!  Now, let's see the bags.

Bag 1

Fabric:  Enchant by Chong Hwang for Timeless Treasures

Zipper pull:  Serendipity enamel keychain charm from Fat Quarter Shop            

Bag 2 

Fabric:  a fat quarter from the fabric bin at Michaels

Zipper pull:  Quilt Shoppe Main Street enamel charm from Flaming Toes Shop

Bag 3

Fabric:  Sew Excited by Andi Metz for Kanvas with Benartex

Zipper pull:  Needlework Shop Main Street enamel charm from Flamingo Toes Shop

 

Bag 4

Fabric:  Sew Excited by Andi Metz for Kanvas with Benartex

Zipper pull:  ribbon, handmade charm using pendant blank, element from the fabric and scissor charm

 

Bag 5

Fabric:  Priscilla's Pretty Plaids by Stitching with the Housewives for Henry Glass

Zipper pull:  ribbon, handmade charm using pendant blank, piece of  fabric and glue gun charm

 

Bag 6

Fabric:  Chelsea's Checks by Stitching with the Housewives for Henry Glass

Zipper pull:  ribbon, handmade charm using pendant blank, piece of  fabric and glue gun charm

 

 

Bag 7

Fabric:  Tea and Dessert designed for Joann Fabrics

Zipper pull:  Vintage Oven enamel happy charm by Lori Holt of Bee in My Bonnet from Fat Quarter Shop

 

 

Happy Sewing!

Cross Stitched Pillow Quotes

I finally stopped procrastinating and finished off three mini pillows, all works in progress from oh about at least 3 months ago!  I cross stitched these three patterns back in April/May, started the makings of pillows sometime in the summer and then nothing.  I got as far as forming the pillow for stuffing but then didn't have the desire to complete the project.  Well, I didn't want these UFOs to linger into the new year and motivated myself to finish them last night!  I put on flosstube, pulled out the fiberfill, needle and thread, and got busy!  

These cross stitch patterns are freebies offered for the "bewellandstitch" movement started earlier this year.  Numerous designers created some wonderful patterns to contribute to this cause and even though I'd love to stitch them all, I had to be realistic and narrowed down my selection to these three:

Here are the details:

Bee Kind - Pattern by Vonna Pfeiffer for Fiber Talk

Fabric:  14 ct. white Aida

Floss: Sulky cotton petite threads (1 strand used) - purple #712-1122, yellow #712-1124, blue #712-1198; Sullivans 45193 (wings), Sullivans 45094 (flower center), DMC 310

Fabric, ribbon and lace trim from stash - (The yellow fabric was also used for the pillow backing.)

Pillow size: 7 1/4" x 5 3/4"

Choose Happy - Pattern by Hands on Design (Cathy Haberman)

Fabric:  18 ct. white Aida

Floss:  DMC 726 (outer petal), DMC 742 (inner petal), DMC 3364 (flower stem & grass), DMC 921 (words)

Fabric from stash (The orange fabric was also used for the pillow backing.)

Pillow size:  8 3/4" x 4 3/4"

Be well - Pattern by mylifewithmisssassy (pattern on Instagram)

Fabric:  14 ct. white Aida

Floss:  DMC 744 (left and right tulip), DMC 321 (hearts), DMC 742 (center tulip), DMC 839 (vase), DMC 3364 (leaves and stems)

Fabric and ribbon from stash (The brown fabric was also used for the pillow backing.)

Pillow size:  7 3/4 x 4 1/4"

It's such a relief to get these finished and I'm pleased with how they turned out!  Happy stitching and sewing!

 

  

Two Quilts, Oh My!

I impressed myself and completed two quilts this year!  (I finished my very first quilt in 2013 pictured here and wow, I can't believe it was that long ago!)  Well considering the lack of experience that kind of makes sense as these two quilts are in no way perfect, there are some flaws but, the more practice the better!  I didn't use a pattern and just laid out the fabric pieces until it was pleasing to the eye!  They measure about 81"x49" and I used Mountain Mist's 100% cotton batting for the middle layer.

For this first one (I call it the novelty squares quilt) finished a few months ago, I used novelty and character fabrics consisting of:  2 different designs of Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Walking Dead, Transformers Prime Badge Blue, Nintendo Mario Kart 8 (Springs Creative Products Group fabrics); pizza slices, bacon and headphones (Timeless Treasures fabric).  The squares (approximately 9") are accented with some blue and green fabrics.  I sewed leftover pieces of the fabrics together to make a scrappy binding.

This most recent quilt I completed last week; I call it the strip quilt.  Again I used more character fabrics:  Batman for DC Comics, Spiderman, and the Comic Strip for Marvel Comics (Eugene Textiles fabrics) and a skull and cross bone fabric from my stash.  I also sewed a scrappy binding with the leftover blue and gray fabric.  Unlike the other quilt, I decided to sew on the binding to both the front and back following the Gourmet Quilter's video How to Bind a Quilt by machine - Quilting Tips and Techniques.  Hand stitching the binding can be relaxing but I wanted the quilt done so it was a great a time saver! 

The character fabrics are so fun!  I purchase them at the local JoAnn Fabric and Craft store.  And I also buy novelty fabrics there or at another local fabric store.

Happy sewing!

MSQC Tumbler Bag

Today I have a bag to share that I made last Fall.  It's the tumbler bag from the Missouri Star Quilt Company.  Within minutes after the video started, I knew I just had to make one.  I picked up a 5-pack fat quarter bundle set, the City collection from Fabric Palette by Fabric Editions, Inc., from the sewing section in A.C. Moore.  With this amount of fabric, I was able to make the bag base and a pieced strap but for the bag lining and pocket I used up some yardage from my stash.  Luckily I already had the MSQC tumbler ruler that I purchased a few years prior and a button in my craft stash so purchasing the fat quarters was all that I needed.  It was a quick project, one that I'm sure could be completed in a day as time allows but with working full-time, I stretched it out over two weekends.

A new blog, first post and a few projects

Wow, it's 2015!  I decided it was time to create a new blog that wasn't limited by it's title as I do love many crafts.  Not that the title restricted what was posted but I started Sugar and Paper to share my cake decorating and card making.  As there are many other crafts that I enjoy doing, or if it's something new, trying it out, I wanted to move on in blog land! With that introduction, my first project this year is this cosmetics bag that I sewed up last night.  I used the free pattern from Deby at So Sew Easy.  I was drawn to sew this bag after seeing her video on how to construct it.  I used this cupcake fabric made by V.I.P by Cranston from Cranston Print Works Co.

I've had it in my stash for a few years and glad I finally created something with it.  When I bought the fabric my intention was to immediately make some potholders but I got so far as to only cut out two squares which are still waiting for some attention, LOL!  So to start and finish this bag in one evening was a good feeling!  The lining fabric is the candy dots pattern from the "Sweet Tooth 2" collection designed by Maria Kalinowski of Kanvas Studio for Benartex.  The finished size is approximately 11" wide x 5 3/4 tall.

Speaking of sweet tooth, here's a bag I made a little over a year ago from some charm packs from the Sweet tooth collection.  This bag is also lined with the candy dots fabric.  The bit of green on the bag bottom and handles is fabric by Patrick Lose for Timeless Treasures, pattern # PAT-1006.  I followed the Missouri Star Quilt Company's tutorial for the "Make three totes/purses with one charm pack" however, I used a larger grouping of charm packs to make a larger tote.  I came across their YouTube channel several years ago and have been hooked ever since; they have great tutorials and Jenny is so fun to watch!