Oliver + S Mini Messenger Bag

This week was Kids Clothes Week... A week to sew clothing for your kids. It's been a fun week for instagram- seeing all of the cute clothes that were created! I can't believe how talented some people are! 

Even though I had grand hopes and ideas for joining in, I guess you could say I kinda- pretty much- failed. No cute clothes were made in my home this week... but I did manage a cute accessory so it wasn't a total fail! ;)

Ever since I got the Oliver + S Little Things to Sew book I have been wanting to make the small messenger bag for each of my girls. (it's probably the main reason I bought to book)

I love Oliver + S patterns because they are written so well and the finished product is neat and professional looking. This pattern did not disappoint... I love the way it turned out and so did  the Little Miss! Score!

When I got this darling Thumbelina fabric a few months ago I didn't really have any idea what I would make with it, but I think this project perfectly showcased the print. 

I am head over heels for these birds, hedgehogs, flowers, and polka dots- and Thumbelina riding a bird with a parasol- it doesn't get much cuter than that!

I used Carnaby Street Rose Girl About Town for the interior of the bag, linen for the handle, and Marmalade Stripe in Leaf  for the bias trim. 

The fabric that I used for the outside of the bag was a pretty lightweight linen and the interior of the bag was quilting cotton so I ended up making a slight change to the pattern- I used duck cloth in between the two layers to make it a little more heavy duty. (I just used the duck cloth for the main bag flap, the side panels of  and the front panel- so I didn't used it on any of the pockets or pocket flaps- the end result wasn't too bulky or heavy- just the right weight.)

This little messenger bag is the perfect size for my tiny 4 year old- big enough to carry her stuff but not too big to overpower her.

Now the other Little Miss is requesting her very own bag as well... Guess it's off the the sewing machine for me- but who's complaining! I love it when they request I make them something! :)

Have a great weekend! xoxo, Ashley

A Very Scrappy Trip Along... FINISHED!

I finally finished my Field Study Scrappy Trip Along quilt! What a relief! 

 I used mostly prints by Anna Maria Horner's newest line: Field Study, but I did throw in a couple Lou Lou Thi prints, a few Bloomsbury Garden prints, Timber and Leaf, and a couple other random prints. I love the bold, crazy color scheme... I think it tied together well.

It ended up being 90x100 inches so it was slightly larger than a standard queen sized quilt. Holy Cow! I am so happy to be done with it. I loved making it, but after cutting, piecing, quilting, and binding this massive quilt- I was sick of it! Now that it's finished, any unkind feelings have since been forgotten!

I went for a very scrappy quilt... I used most of the leftover strips for the binding and part of the backing so it turned out VERY colorful and VERY scrappy. I love it though. It is definitely one of a kind! 

It was so large that there was no way for me to take a picture of the entire quilt by myself, so I draped it over a tree branch and was able to get a picture of a portion of it. (almost half is tucked under and hanging over the back of the branch.)

Although my quilt is super scrappy, I couldn't let go of all control- I had to keep some sort of fabric/color/design to tie it all together- maybe next time I will throw all order to the wind and go completely scrappy. I used the blue leopard print on the long diagonal of each block to create the unified diamond. The rest is totally random and scrappy.

I quilted the quilt myself by doing straight lines with my walking foot. It resulted in a grid of 3 3/4 inch squares. I am not brave enough to try my hand at free motion quilting yet- especially on a quilt this size, but I am pleased with the way it turned out...

Last year, when I did a little makeover on my bedroom, I bought a duvet cover for my bed. I loved it, however, after only a handful of months, the cover started to rip/tear at the button closure. I couldn't believe it! It was unrepairable. So I decided when I started my Scrappy Trip Along quilt that it would replace our duvet. I was able to salvage the backside of the cover and use it as a quilt back (I did have to add some scraps to make it large enough but I had a pretty large piece to start with). So in the end, I didn't feel as horrible about the duvet not holding up in the long run.

I think the quilt looks great with my pillows. It definitely adds to the eclectic feel of my room. My husband even likes it! Win Win!

I loved following along with all of the other talented quilters and seeing the progress on Instagram! So fun!! Can't wait to get working on my Marcelle Medallion quilt now! Yay for Instagram quilt alongs!!!

Leopard print, Y-seams, and voile.... oh my!

Last week I finally finished my Field Study scrappy trip along (king sized) quilt top. I love how vibrant and bold the colors are! And the leopard print... oh my... how I love it! I tried the quilt top on my bed today- just to see how it looked. It's perfect! The colors match and it totally adds to the eclectic look in my bedroom... Now I need to quilt the beast! 

The problem is... I keep getting myself sidetracked! Since finishing the quilt top, I have started 2 other quilts. I just can't help myself... 

Sew Mama Sew had another fabulous $6 sale on AMH Good Folks Voile and I had birthday money burning a hole in my pocket so I just HAD to order some! (As if I needed any more added to my little folks stash- but one can never have too much- right?) I managed to snag enough to back a quilt and make a shirt or two. 

I started collecting my Little Folks Voile last year and have been perusing the Little Folks Flickr Group for inspiration ever since.  After hearing how slippery it is to sew with, I settled on starting with a basic patchwork squares quilt to get a feel for  working with it. Once I get the hang of working with voile, I have plans to make a Little Folks Swoon quilt that may look something a little like this beauty...

(These scraps are so beautiful I can't bring myself to throw them in the trash! ha ha)

After the Scrappy Trip Along and the X-Plus Along on Instagram came the Medallion Along. 

I couldn't help but join in once I saw this beautiful quilt! So far I have my center medallion done... Which was quite the feat given that I mixed up my templates and started sewing it together with the pieces mixed up... and then there was the Y-seams! ha ha Don't let it scare you though- if you are a responsible "template maker" and are patient, it's really not that hard! It was my first time with y-seams and they were not as hard as I thought they would be... my points are not perfect, but we are rolling with it! :)

Stay tuned for my progress and definitely check Instagram for inspiration! #marcellemedallion #medallionalong

For anyone that is wanting to make the Marcelle Medallion quilt, you can find it in the Liberty Love book by the talented Alexia Abegg or you can also find the pattern in the new Love Quilting & Patchwork magazine that just hit Barnes & Noble here in the US.

I picked up a couple copies this afternoon. It was a little surreal when I opened a magazine in B&N and saw my face starring back at me! I showed a little self control and only bought 2 copies... and I showed even more self control and refrained from showing the lady that was standing next to me! ha ha

I heard it should be available in Joann stores as well but didn't have any luck finding it in my local store... probably in the next week or so.

Hope you are all having a wonderful week!

xoxo, Ashley

A Year Full of Firsts

Do you ever have years that seem to be good years and years that seem to be not so good?? I do. So far this year seems to be shaping up to be a pretty good year so far... I feel like it as been packed full of a bunch of "firsts" for me... I thought I would share some of the fun firsts with y'all today...

Without fail, each and every year, I make a new years resolution to write in my journal everyday.... and wouldn't you know it- I have never succeeded! Until this year (so far). I got the idea from the darling Camille Roskelley to get this lovely one line a day... 5 year memory book- she is almost done with 5 years of memories! Amazing!

(another first for me this year (some of my fellow fabric junkies may have picked up on it in the picture): I splurged and bought some of my favorite Liberty Lifestyle Bloomsbury Garden fabric... Oh. My. YUMMY!! I found mine here. I bought a fat quarters of a handful of my favorite prints and I am not sure what I am going to do with it yet, but for now I am content drooling over them on my sewing table... ;)

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While I was home visiting over Christmas and New Years, I had the chance to meet one of my favorite bloggers in the world: Amy from Diary of a Quilter... To say I have a blog crush would be an understatement... more like official blog stalker! ha ha 

I have learned all of my quilting basics from this lovely lady... She is soo soo talented! And as if that wasn't enough- she is one of the nicest people I have ever met. We had such a fun time browsing a darling fabric shop called Material Girls Quilt Shop that I was visiting for the first time (I told you this post was all about "firsts") and chatting over lunch at one of my all time favorite places to eat: Cafe Rio (definitely not a "first"). It was so much fun! Thanks for taking the time to meet up with me Amy!! xoxo

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On Valentine's Day this year... I had a fun thing happen that I would have never dreamed of... I was featured in a magazine. A very lovely, inspiring, and quilty magazine based in the UK called Love Quilting and Patchwork. For those of you that are a big fan of the CrossStitcher magazine, this is made by the same company.

I have no idea why they picked little old me to be included in such a lovely magazine, but I feel lucky to be along side the talent featured within. I haven't gotten my hands on a copy yet since it hasn't made its way to the US yet, but I am told that it should be on sale here shortly (around the end of March) so keep your eyes out for meand be sure to let me know if you happen to spot it here because you know I am going to be buying one (or ten) copies when it hits the stores! ;) For anyone that is itching to get a copy sooner than the end of March, it is available on iTunes. If you download the free CrossStitcher app in your newsstand, you can buy the Love Quilting and Patchwork magazine within that app. 

Until then, I thought I would give you a sneak peek of my page in the magazine... They featured my Sewing Storage.

Of course I had to give a shout out in my article (orange box that says "blog hop") to the lovely Maggie of Smashed Peas and Carrots who inspired my mini fabric bolts. Thanks again for such an awesome trick Maggie!

I have big plans for that beautiful quilt featured on the front of the magazine by Alexia Abegg ! Maybe I will use up some of my Bloomsbury Garden stash to make it! The pattern is included in the magazine. I can't wait to get started on it! It has sparked an impromptu quilt along on Instagram- look up the hashtags #medallionalong and #marcellemedallion for some yummy pictures on Insta. Anyone else in on the Medallion Along train? 

I am quite taken with these impromptu quilt alongs on Instagram... At the beginning of the year I jumped on board with the Scrappy Trip Along and seriously considered the xplus along too! This is the first quilt along that I have personally followed along with and it is so addicting! I have had so much fun watching all of the pictures pop up all over Instagram... It is so inspiring and fun to see the different fabric combinations people are coming up with! I went with mostly Field Study fabric by Anna Maria Horner, but threw in a couple randoms too.

I am all done with all 72 of my blocks... That's right ladies and gents... I went for the long haul and made an over sized queen for my bed. I am piecing all of the blocks this week and then I will be onto quilting it... I will be sure to post pictures when I am all done!

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A couple weeks ago, I decided to try making an Oliver + S pattern for the first time. I decided to make a little Ice Cream Dress for a friend who had just had a baby. I used some darling fabric from Sarah Jane for the first time too. It is from her Children at Play line and I am in love! 

I couldn't stop with just one project in Sarah Jane fabric so I started a quilt for my oldest out of some Out to Sea fabric inspired by a quilt and tutorial by Rita from Red Pepper Quilts... here is a sneak peek from my Instagram.... I am slightly obsessed with these mermaids, girly pirates, whales, and ships- you know I have a flair for anything nautical! I have the quilt top finished and am working on the quilting today... Stay tuned!

I hope you are all having a great week!! xoxo, Ashley


P.S. For anyone that loves to sew- I am a judge of the awesome SEWVIVIOR sewing competition over at Family Ever After! The auditions started yesterday so head over and audition to be in the competition and win some awesome prizes! I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!!

Scrappy Spools Quilt

One of my favorite things in the world, is giving handmade gifts. I have always loved it, but even more so since I started sewing. Last year, I made quilts for almost all of my siblings (still working on one more). It was so much fun practicing my quilting skills and learning new things along the way. 

Just after Halloween, I got the opportunity to head to Nashville to pick up my sister who had been serving a mission for our church for the past 18 months. It was the perfect time to take her the quilt I had been working on for her. 

I used the Spools quilt pattern by the very talented Camille Roskelley. I loved this pattern so much! It was a lot of fun to piece... I got a little crazy with it and added a scrappy border just for fun.

I used a Moda Sophie layer cake for the "thread" on the spools and the scrappy border and then used some solid and gingham printed linen for the "wooden spools". 

I love the way it turned out... but more importantly, my sister loved her quilt too! Job accomplished! ;)

Field Study Fever

I absolutely fell in love with Anna Maria Horner's newest fabric line Field Study the moment I saw it! I love all of the rich, vibrate colors and fun prints. I was so excited to get my hands on it and start working! 

Over the weekend, I set out on a quest to make the perfect makeup bag for my little sis to take on her mission for our church. These prints were the perfect thing to use because everything about this fabric totally reminds me of her fun style.

I knew I wanted to do a quilt-as-you-go method like I used on my Quilted Weekender Bag. So I started by creating a rough pattern for the bag and cut out the panels in duck cloth and batting. Then starting adding strips of fabric and quilting with straight lines until the duck cloth panels were completely covered. 

For the inside of the bag, I used laminated cotton so that it could be wiped out in case of makeup spills. In the "lid" of the bag, I added some places to store brushes. Once my panel for the makeup brushed was done, I sewed my zipper into the correct panels and then assembled the bag. 

And of course I had to had a little "Made with Love" tag to finish it off. I got my tags from Lilla Lotta on Etsy. They are printed on cotton twill tape and I love the personal touch they add to my projects! My sister absolutely loved it! Job accomplished! :)  

 After I was done with the bag, I started a new quilt... Over the Christmas break I noticed a crazy spur of the moment quilt along pop up on Instagram and I couldn't help but join in on the Scrappy Trip Along! There is a great tutorial for the blocks here. There is a big group pool on Flickr and if you look up #scrappytripalong on instagram you will find a tons of yummy scrappy pictures there too. 

So far I only have 6 blocks done, but they are so quick and easy to put together! Probably the quickest quilt I have made so far.. I have big plans for making lots more this weekend so I will keep you posted on my progress. This is my first quilt along to follow along with and I am having lots of fun watching what everyone else makes. I just need to decide how big I want to make mine! Lap sized or queen sized for my bed... We will see how long I last! :)

I love everyones totally scrappy versions, but for some reason I can't bring myself to go totally random scrappy. I have to have some thread in each block that ties to the next so I decided to use the spotted in a crowd elizabeth blue on each diagonal so I can connect the blocks in some design at the end. I may have to get y'alls opinions for layouts when I get a bit further so stay tuned! :)

Have a great weekend!

Happy 2013!!

1- Little Miss Priss Skirt, 2- 14 Days of Valentines, 3- Tied with a Bow Carseat Canopy, 4- Mini Messenger Bag, 5- Salt Air Lattice Quilt, 6- Vintage Lace Pillowcase, 7- Zig Zag Quilt Along, 8- Vintage Modern Baby Quilt, 9- Kitschy Kids Apron, 10- Sweet Life Quilt, 11- Circus Quilt, 12- Bedroom Makeover, 13- Dolly Quilt, 14- Sewing Storage, 15- Quilted Weekender Bag, 16- Ahoy Matey Quilt, 17- Kindle Case, 18- Little House Zipper Pouch, 19- Isosceles Triangle Quilt Along

Happy New Year everyone! I know that I am a week or so late, but I thought I would do the famous "last year round up" anyways! 

Last year was a really crazy year for my family. I lost my brother at the end of February and the rest of the year was spent in a whirlwind of grieving and just trying to take things one day at a time. It is so cray how one person missing in your life can change everything.

One thing that did help me stay grounded was this blog. Having a creative outlet is so important to me. Sewing was so soothing and healing when times got rough or emotions were high. And having you readers help to brighten my day with a sweet comment, a "like" on Facebook, or a pin on Pinterest meant the world to me! So thank you to everyone that has helped me through this last year- friends, family, readers, bloggers, etc. I love you all and am so grateful to "know you"!

Here is to an awesome year!