Personalized Drawstring Bags : :

It's become tradition that when my niece comes to visit, Haila, Ceci, and I plan a sleepover sewing session to tackle a new little project. Last vacation it was pillows, this time we decided on a pair of Drawstring Bags, personalized with their initials, with a quilt as you go twist!



These adorable bags started with Bari J.'s new, gorgeous Joie De Vivre Joyeux Alphabet panel. We fussy cut and framed each letter, creating little log cabin style blocks using my quick quilt as you go method!





The girls each picked fabrics to pair with their letter and I love what they chose -- a Blossom Lavish print in aqua blue for Ceci & a sweet Garden Paperie print for Haila!





These drawstring bags were so much fun to make! If you're looking for a sweet, functional projects to stitch up with a young sewer in your life, I definitely suggest you add these to the list! You can find the tutorial, with just a few slight modifications, at Svetlana's blog s.o.t.a.k Handmade!





♡ Maureen  

Sewing Room Snapshots : :

Lately in the sewing room...















there's been a mess of Etsy crown and pillow making, Christmas music playing, felt and fabric flying, lots of coffee drinking, and so much more! Many little moments both good and bad and fun and hard, as this time of year has a way of overwhelming me every single year as I prepare for the holidays, both Kaiden and Haila's birthdays, work on my Spring fabric collection (a first for me), all while taking on as many orders as I possibly can! But I'm feeling so grateful this morning for taking the time to sew with my birthday girl this past weekend. She's NINE today!! While we both don't get as much time to sew together as we'd like, when we do we LOVE it! So today, on her birthday, I'm extra grateful for my sweet, creative girl and my overwhelming feelings of love and pride for her that fills my heart and the gaps of what I sometimes forget!

Happy Birthday Haila Grace!

♡  ♡  ♡

Sewing Room Snapshots : :

Whenever I take a day off from blogging it's almost always because I'm sewing sooo much! That's been the case this week as I play catch-up after a weekend away and I work on meeting fast approaching deadlines. Since we returned home Sunday night I've been a sewing machine! I'm preparing to close my etsy shop beginning this Sunday for a little more than one week, to give me the time to finish up all orders before our Virginia Beach Thanksgiving vacation.

Because of the work week I'll be missing and how late Thanksgiving seems to fall this year, I decided to start my annual Crown Sale early!! If you've been wanting to order one, now is the best time! Coupon Code: HOLIDAY20 give's you an extra 20% off and makes these crowns a wonderful handmade, under $25, personalized/custom, special gift/stocking stuffer! My New Year's is made so much more special by all the adorable photos my customers send me after the holidays, I can't wait!!



This is a new favorite of mine -- A Camping themed crown, newly listed in my shop!



A few of yesterday's crown makings!



Besides crowns, here's a look at what's being made or is just hanging around my sewing room these days!



I made this embroidery hoop dreamcatcher one night last week, I especially loved making the stitched, felt feathers! After a little pattern tweaking I think it will make a fun tutorial to share sometime in the Winter weeks ahead of us!

There's always a fox pillow or two being made each week!



I've been very busy sorting lots of fabric scraps to include with the felt orders that come through the shop!







I started a new quilt using a block idea I dreamed up specifically for all my AMH strings leftover from my Herringbone Quilt & tutorial!



I can't wait to find the time to cut into this lovely stack of Minimalista -- a new collection by AGF In-House Studio! I have a good plan for these!!



And, I can't stop thinking about how to finish this thrifted quilt top. At close inspection it has a few holes and the hand-piecing is quite loose. A project probably best to leave for after the holidays, if I can wait that long! Isn't it beautiful?



I have Kaiden's Making Rows quilt left to finish and two more quilts yet to start & finish before Christmas, but I believe these should some together quickly. I also have so many little project ideas swirling around. These days sure are busy, but they're also fun! I'm hoping to be back tomorrow with something new to share! See you then!!  ♥  Maureen 

This Week's Sewing : :

Good morning! Today I'm feeling pretty good after a productive night of sewing! I finally found the time and energy to add the binding to my newest quilt finish. This Loulouthi Hugs & Kisses print by Anna Maria Horner made for some gorgeous binding making, along with some matching Aurifil thread. I do love both the dark, wine color against the bright, white border of my quilt and the contrast of the deep burgundy against that lime & aqua Coreopsis floral print I used to back it. I'm excited!! Although, I still can't decide where to go to take my pictures?!



Over the weekend I received a lovely package from Cloud9 Fabrics including a preview bundle of Up, Up, and Away, the upcoming second collection for Cloud9 by the awesomely talented Skinny laMinx. I am such a fan! I'm playing around with some quilt block ideas for an Up, Up, and Away quilt pattern. All those soaring birds throughout the Up In the Air and the Free As a Bird prints insisted that some flying geese must me made, and now I think I have a solid quilt idea that will be perfect for this modern collection! Stay tuned..



Up next I'm piecing together a quilt back for my Indie Quilt to send off to Melissa at Sew Shabby Quilting! I've been a fan of her work from following Amy Diary of a Quilter, and after seeing Amy's gorgeous Giant Indie Star Quilt the other day, I had to reach out to Melissa! I can't wait to see our Indie quilt finally finished and on our bed, I've been slowly planning our bedroom decor around this quilt, so it feels pretty wonderful to finally be sending it out!



After that I'm beginning my nephew Owen's Ant Farm quilt! Deciding on a pattern for this quilt is what's taken me so long to begin, any recommendations? I could use some ideas, otherwise I think a log cabin style quilt might be perfect. What do you think?



Thanks so much for stopping by today, and thanks in advance for the help!!  ♥ Maureen

Nordika Sewing : :

In these busy Summer days, when there is so much going on, there's just so little time for sewing. Which is perfectly fine most days since instead I'm at the pool, bike riding, and soaking up these sunny Summer days with my most favorite people. But, as you know I do love sewing, and I'm really starting to miss those long sewing sessions. When I do find some time, because of all my orders and other projects due, I feel as if there's less and less production and more just me running around in circles. There are alot of things piling up around here! So, you might think the last thing I need is another project, but nope! it was actually the answer -- some good, fun, selfish sewing is just what I'm in need of!!



On Friday a sweet bundle of Nordika arrived from my friends at Art Gallery Fabrics! It's the brand new collection by the wonderfully, talented Jeni Baker, available in stores next month. I'm so completely in love with this entire collection. As is my girl, who begged for these fabrics to become a new quilt for her!!



I knew right away that I wanted to do something separating the darker volumes from the light.



As well as something scrappy and zig-zaggy, beginning with my very favorite print first!







The energy and excitement that comes with starting something new, with beautiful fabrics, and all sorts of fun possibilities is just what I desperately needed to regain some focus. This project will be the treat that's waiting for me to work on here and there after I finish up all those "must do's!"



So, how about you? Are you struggling to find Summer sewing time, too? I'm wondering how many of you, like me, thrive on the excitement that comes from stashing a new gorgeous stack of fabric or from starting something new?  

Wishing you a little fun, Summer sewing this week, too!  ♥ Maureen

Mrs. Fox : :

I made a Mrs. Fox pillow yesterday, as a custom order request that came through my etsy, and it's the best thing I can think to share on this dark rainy day!! These fox pillows always bring a smile to my face!



There's something so cozy about a Summer rainy day. I'm hoping to get lots of sewing in today! And, I wish you all a beautiful day!  ♥ Maureen 

p.s. I have to mention that tomorrow's giveaway is this pretty Rainbow Bundle, how perfect is that?!!

Good Morning : :

Thank you for all the birthday wishes you left me here! Monday was my actual birthday, but with work and the kids busy Summer schedule, we did most of our celebrating on Saturday. My talented best friend Cynthia, made me the most beautiful cake! The inside a gluten free chocolate with a peanut butter mousse, the outside covered with her super yummy marshmallow fondant, and hand-painted with these gorgeous flowers! I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened the box!! It was such a special birthday!



As far as sewing goes, most of my time has been spent on orders.



I did add a little more to my newest "thread sketch" piece, with the beginnings of a dreamcatcher.



And in the quilting department, I've been really busy with my Linen & Glimma quilt top. But! Sadly, I'm having some issues. I spray basted, which is what I've been doing for a little while now, and right away I noticed lots of wavy wrinkling across my quilt top? I kept adjusting the layers and pressed well until everything was nice and smooth. I let the quilt sit for several hours and when I went to begin my quilting late that night, the same wavy wrinkles were there again. I pressed the basted quilt layers well once more and again the wrinkling disappeared, so I began quilting. Well, for the first time ever I'm experiencing some puckering in a couple different spots on my quilt?? I'm not sure if it's from the linen stretching while I quilt? From the quilt being a combination of quilting cotton and cotton linen. Or maybe I over-sprayed??  

What do you think? Do you have any tips for taming down these puckers that can occur when quilting? I read that once you wash the quilt, they shouldn't be as noticeable. I hope that's true!!

I have lots more orders to work on today and hopefully you might have some helpful tips for me before I get back to my quilting. Thanks so much!!!  ♥,  Maureen

Quilting As I Go : :

Yesterday I had planned to share some lucky finds I thrifted over this past weekend, but right away I got so into working on my ABC quilt, I couldn't pull myself away! My crazy goal is to have it finished Friday night, to be gifted on Saturday, and I actually think I'm going to make it!!



All thirty blocks are pieced, quilted, and trimmed to 10.5" squares!



I'm really glad I spent most of yesterday sewing, only stopping to take care of Penelope and to take & share some photos of our last full school-day as a threesome...





Here the kids are this morning, humoring me just before they headed out the door for their last day, a half day, of school!



This school year certainly flew by, faster than any year in my life! So much has happened and so many things have changed. It was nice to take a moment this morning to look back at that first day photo, and compare. Wow!!



And now, I have just a few short hours to get going on this quilt before our Summer vacation officially starts! I'm using HeatnBond Feather Lite for the first time and so far I'm loving it! I can definitelty feel a difference once the pieces are pressed to my quilt blocks, you can't even tell!



There's so much to be excited about today, wish me luck!!    ♥,  Maureen 

And, thanks for all the sweet comments on my latest "stitched sketch" project! I can't wait to share more!!

A WIP Evaluation : :

How many project wips (works in progress) do you all have right now?

This week I got the idea to make a quick mosaic of all the unfinished projects I have laying around! I will be the first to admit that I can get really off track. I realized long ago that I will never be the type to have just one or two projects going at a time and I decided I would never hesitate to begin something new, just because I already have several things yet to finish. Of course this adds a certain amount of unnecessary stress to my life, especially when they really start piling up! Like now!



I'm hoping that by sharing all that's unfinished here today, some of which I need your help with, and by reading your own wip problems or solutions, if you're kind enough to share, I can get back on track!

Here it goes,

The most popular project wip I have that gets asked about if or when it will be finished, is this quilt top. It is my favorite, it's very special to me, and has already been so long in the making! Well, it's been spray basted to it's quilt back, I began adding my machine quilting stitches, and something went wonky with my bobbin and I have to rip that all out!! So, it got shelved only out of frustration.



My Indie quilt is the project wip I am most eager to see finished! I really want to have it professionally long arm quilted as soon as possible -- which is where you come in! Can you recommend a service? Or maybe you provide one? I have reached out to four quilters now and for some reason I've never heard back from any of them or their schedulers? Since I live in such a small town, I don't have a LQS who offers this service, and since I have this sewing blog I was hoping and thought it would be fun to find someone here in the states who blogs their quilting!



Small projects -- I have a few!

Those bags I recently started for the kids? I was off to such a good start, but my measurements were off on the first one I finished. Haila still loves it, but the boys informed me that theirs could not look anything like hers or it would be too "girly." Back to the bag drawing board and time to turn this patchwork into something else!



This pillow top is pretty close to being finished. It's for my best friend who will be happy to receive it whenever. She knows I love her!



These pretties are waiting to become more of these pillows, that might be my most favorites ever!



This pieced house project that I started quite a while ago. I'm not going to lie -- I have no idea what I'm doing with this? I was thinking floor pillow, but now I'm thinking this could grow into something even bigger!



Completely planned out projects -- I have several!

All of which are quilts in the making. No need to rush any of these, I'm just excited about them!





More unfinished quilts -- My Carnaby QAYG and my Linen & Glimma Quilt Top! The big problem I have with finishing quilts is the batting. It gets so expensive, I never seem to have it on hand, and the closest seller of the kind I use is 45 minutes away. I almost bought a role to have here when I came across a great deal, but I didn't jump on it, and now I'm really regretting it!





Finally, my Tsuru Quilt Top. I just sent this off to Cloud9 for Quilt Market, so I have some time before it's even possible to see this finished!



Of course, I did start something new yesterday, as well. I know, but I couldn't help it! My brother and his wife are expecting and an Alphabet Quilt has been requested!! This one is going to be a tutorial, and I'm super excited!!

So, do you have a wip problem of your own? Secretly I'm hoping I'm not alone in this! Or maybe you have a successful tip on how to manage staying on track and seeing things finished before beginning something new? Please share!!

And, if there's any particular wip of mine that you would really love to see finished, pretty please let me know! That's just the motivation I could use!!  ♥,  Maureen
  
p.s. Today, as part of "Celebrate Mom" week on Happy Quilting, I'm guest posting with some photos of my family's shared creative space, along with some of our story, and a wonderful Fabric Giveaway!!