{What I Worked on Wednesday} Quilts

Its been a typical January in the studio.  Lots of clean up and organizing after the holiday rush, and also lots of finishing projects.  I made this quilt as a wedding gift for my in-laws, now nobody bring up how long they've been married--I know, this is sooooo late! I made this snuggle quilt out of vintage prints and the red hearts are made out of velvet from the bridesmaids dresses that I made for this wedding.  

The velvet hearts are my favorite part of it, such great texture and a great memory to have it in this "quilt of love".  The royal blue print is a corduroy, and I'm tickled pink at how this all came together! Hopefully this brings out the romance in their lives by being taken to the beach for sunning, the fireworks for some sparks and in front of the fireplace for a movie night.  Its just the perfect size for being close, not too big and not too little.  

Next is a rag quilt out of Heather Bailey prints.  This was a custom order and I just love how it turned out.  These prints are so vibrant and pretty.  The fraying effect adds such a snuggly texture to it, I just want to hit the couch with a book when I see a quilt like this.  I'm sure this will be making a statement wherever it gets used, don't you think?!

I hope to take pictures of my clean studio to share with you soon.  If that ever happens. Secretly I kind of like my beautiful mess.  Shhhh!  Don't tell huz.  What are you working on this fine Wednesday?

{Fabulous Fabric Friday} Chevron #Giveaway

With the month of love L-U-V approaching I thought it fitting to put a red chevron in the mix for our Fabulous Fabric Friday.  This is a basic print from Riley Blake Designs. Chevrons are bouncy prints with a playful look, yet simple in design.

This fabric would make a great pillow cover, 

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some soft blocks

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or a piece in a yummy quilt.

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How would you use this fabric if you won a yard? Can't wait to hear your ideas!

To be eligible for this giveaway you must:

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For extra entries you can:

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Please leave one post for each entry. Can't wait to hear all your ideas!   Entries accepted until Tuesday at midnight.  Winner drawn Wednesday. Open to US and Canada.

To Shrug or NOT To Shrug {What I Worked on Wednesday}

Do you ever have fashion debates with your husband?  Well mine is very opinionated when it comes to the subject of fashion, in fact sometimes, he thinks he has better taste than me. *gasp* The horror of it, I know! 

{date night photo of us}

I live in MN where it is terribly chilly for a good portion of the year.  I either freeze in the winter or freeze in the air conditioning of the summer.  So because of this I am an expert at layering my clothes.  I typically have 2-3 shirts on in varying sleeve lengths so I can bundle up when I need to and take a layer off when I need to.  I have been particularly fond of "shrugs" or anything that will give me a layer of warmth when I'm chilly.  The nice thing about them is you don't have to put them over your head and ruin a perfectly good hair day.  Putting them on and taking them off is a breeze and you can do it while you are running out of an air conditioned building in your heels and not trip in the parking lot!  {note this is an extremely important feature + benefit} Don't you love this charcoal one below?

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Well....Huz says absolutely NOT to shrugs.  According to him they are for old ladies. Now I have seen some super cute shrugs and I don't agree they are old lady-ish. {Though I'm sure there are some ugly ones out there, right?}  But, I don't want him to lump me into the "old lady" category so what a complicated situation I find myself in!  *sigh* This black one below is another little gem for a formal occasion, don't you think?

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I was a girl on a mission.  What I needed was a solution that was modern, warm and easily removable.  Insert cute patterned socks + a little cutting + a little sewing and voila',  Slox™ are born! {Sleeves + Sox = Slox™} I wore these for the first time in April to see what my opinionated huz would say.  I got this picture and post on facebook in response:

Ahmelie is trying to tell me she sewed a new pair of socks to fit her arms. I'm not stupid!

After his initial disbelief that I literally sewed socks into sleeves for my arms, he LOVED them!  2 points for the sewista {who does the victory dance.} Yes, a sewista is she who sews wonderfully, thanks for asking.  Now that I have his fashion endorsement,  I keep a spare in my handbag so I'm always prepared for a chilly meeting room or MN weather. I'm also ready to go for a brisk walk thru some crunchy fallen leaves to celebrate this season, how about you?

So when you get chilly, do you shrug, Slox™ or both?  And are shrugs old lady-ish?  I'd love to hear your vote on this fine Wednesday!  Let me know below for your chance to win a free pair of Slox™.

To be eligible for this giveaway you must:

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For extra entries you can:

Share this giveaway on Facebook 

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Pin this giveaway or your fav Slox™ from my shop on Pinterest

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Please leave one post for each entry. Can't wait to hear your thoughts!   Entries accepted until Monday at midnight.  Winner drawn Tuesday. Open to US and Canada.

{Fabulous Fabric Friday} Greenhouse Apple Chevron Fabric #Giveaway

So happy its Friday, how about you?  This week I was in a fabric store getting my usual fabric "fix" and little O found some fleece he just had to have some pajama's out of.  I have to admit, it looks pretty cozy and the cute little monsters aren't bad either.  He convinced me that we needed to get it.  Hard sell, I know! 

This adorable apple chevron by Erin McMorris is a cuddly fabric that you can make your own jammies out of or some for another little person on your holiday shopping list.  PJ's make a great gift and my nieces and nephews love the ones I make them.  They let me know when they've grown out of them.  Hint, hint.  Love it!  

I'm all about celebrating what makes you unique.   It can be your PJ fabric choices, your food must-haves, or your sense of modern day fashion among many other things. I hit the polls on Tuesday wearing my over sized sunglasses and blaze orange sweatshirt (its hunting season in MN peeps!).  Between my name and my glasses I left our small town voting location a little shocked, according to Huz.  But hey, somebody's gotta rock it in southern MN, right?  Huz and I had fun making a little out-of-the-norm-splash in Madison Lake!

Back to more important things, like the fabric giveaway.  So in honor of official PJ weather having arrived, and you celebrating your own uniqueness, I'm giving away a yard of this delicious Greenhouse Apple Chevron flannel.  What will you make with it?

To be eligible for this giveaway you must:

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For extra entries you can:

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Please leave one post for each entry. Can't wait to hear all your ideas!   Entries accepted until Tuesday at midnight.  Winner drawn Wednesday. Open to US and Canada.

A New Sewing Machine {What I Worked on Wednesday}

No, I'm not buying one personally, though I would totally dig that some day!  Today I invested in an industrial sewing machine for immigrant ladies living in the 'burbs of Atlanta in a place called Clarkston.  They make these cool accessories at Plywood People out of old billboards.  Can you say upcycle! 

I love the modern look of their accessories.  And I'm all about the fact that this billboard did not end up in a landfill somewhere.  This is a billfold.

An iPad Sleeve.

And a Satchel.

Wow, what a fabulous company!  They have an incredible mission to serve their community and a heart to reach out to strangers in a new land. I also love that they are training future sewista's {yes that is my made up word for she who sews wonderfully}.  Wahoo!

Plywood People is in innovative community addressing social needs.  They believe that, "We will be known by the problems we solve."  How true is that?!  And they have a passion to teach skills to the women in the community around them.  They have started a sewing school and are instructing on the art of sewing, along with English and equipping them with skills to find long-term employment.  

Here is a snippet from their blogpost "Cycle of Love" about fundraising for an industrial sewing machine.

They need an industrial sewing machine so they can be quicker and more efficient, but more importantly, so they can know how to use this type of machine for potential future jobs. Our Billboard Bags project is a one-year job training program [through Plywood People]—the goal is for them to gain all the experience they can and move on to other long term jobs. I want them to get good jobs and be valued as employees in their future jobs.

Would you consider making a donation to help this worthy cause?  Maybe you would prefer to support them by trying out a tote or a billfold.  Keep this store on your list for holiday gifts.  Its a gift that makes a difference. Just ask Kay Nwe.

What are you working on today?

Scrap Happy #Giveaway {Fabulous Fabric Friday}

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Happy Friday! This week I want to share a pile of fabric scraps and an inspiration project with you. Now doesn't this little ruffled gift card holder just make you want to giggle cause its so cute and would be uber fun to pull out of your handbag every time you step up to the register?!  You can also use it for cash or credit cards so its got plenty of uses. Freespirit fabrics has posted a tutorial on how to make this on their blog. I fell in love with these and yes, they definitely got pinned on my "Patchies & Using up Scraps" board!

Do you have a stock pile of cute scraps that you want to sew up into piles of gifts for all your loved ones?  Well if you don't, I do! I think these will do the trick nicely.

It snowed yesterday in Minnesota for the first time this fall.  While I'm not ready to give up wearing my flip-flops just yet, I am definitely in my vesting stage.  Yes this is when you wear your vest, no gloves and sandals and pretend its warmer outside than it really is.  Then you stay inside as much as possible and find cool projects to sew!  

Now all you have to do to get this stack of 12 fabrics is leave comments below of what you'd make with this sweet stack and share this giveaway with your friends.  Easy Peasy!

For extra entries you can:

Follow me on Facebook

Share this giveaway on Facebook 

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Share this giveaway on Twitter 

Follow my blog 

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Share this giveaway on Google +

Pin this giveaway or your fav fabric from my shop on Pinterest

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Please leave one post for each entry. Can't wait to hear all your ideas!   Entries accepted until Tuesday at midnight.  Winner drawn Wednesday. Open to US and Canada.

{What I Worked on Wednesday} Slox, Fashion for your Arms

Have you heard of my new line of arm warmers?  They're called Slox. {Sleeves + Sox = Slox} Yep I make them out of sox so they come in all kinds of great colors and print combo's.  This week I've been working on stocking my store, taking pictures and listing all these sweet little ditties.

Slox are super fun to make, but even more fun to wear.  They extend summer short sleeved shirts in to the perfect attire for a cool fall day.  See how layering these in with your tanks or tees totally extends your summer wardrobe?  Lovin' it!

My friend, Michelle, is a photographer and her daughter is one of my models.  They both do a great job, don't you think? Thanks so much Michelle and Lexi! 

What are you working on this fine Wednesday?