The Brown, Orange and Blue bundle

Here's another one that seems rather masculine (at least color-wise). I'm liking it...what do you think? I've been having so much fun playing around with these fabrics and seeing what I can come up with. I'm pushing the boundaries of the colors I normally go for. I'm finding what works together, I'm getting better at editing my choices. It's really great practice! It would be great if people who stop by could give me their thoughts and opinions. I'm not fishing for compliments, you can even tell me you don't like it and maybe suggest what you think would have worked or what didn't. Just don't be rude of course.

The Gender Neutral Bundle?

I'm thinking this looks kind of masculine in colors, but I happen to love these colors and would love a quilt made with them. What do you think? Is this more of a masculine color scheme or would women (other than myself) like it too?

Tints and Shades Bundle

I just thought Purple, Orange, Yellow and Blue would look good together so I picked on light and one dark of each and then a light to dark set of greys! I like it!

Grey Skies Are Gonna Clear Up

For this bundle I thought I'd put a little bit of the smokey blues and light blues in it for that stormy sky look, with some hints of yellow and sunny orange for when the storm passes and the Sun makes an appearance.

The Chocolate Covered Strawberries Bundle

I was just searching my brain for something to inspire another bundle for the contest. I was hungry and I had a sweet tooth. So, obviously I decided on chocolate covered strawberries. I wonder if there's anyone who could resist those?

I have strawberries growing in my garden right now and I'm hoping I will get some this year. If I do, you can safely guess what I'll be doing with them. What do you think of this selection? Does it work or was I just out of my mind? I'm always happy to hear other's thoughts.

The Sound of Rain on a Tin Roof Bundle

I love this one! I built the fabrics around the beautiful Arabesque in Ivory fabric. My favorite color is blue, so this one just makes me feel good. It's soothing, kind of like the sound of rain on a tin roof--a sound I know so well.

Fabrics in this bundle:

Arabesque in Ivory - Love by Amy Butler

Lodge Lattice in Lilac - Aviary 2 by Joel Dewberry

Nora's News Ink - Reunion by Sweetwater

Cross Weave in Blue and Aqua - by Moda

Fish Tales in Ocean - Salt Air by Cosmo Cricket

Waves Mist - Salt Air by Cosmo Cricket

Sea Garden in Mist - Salt Air by Cosmo Cricket

Four Square in New Day - Hope Valley by Denyse Schmidt

Herringbone in Pond - Modern Meadow by Joel Dewberry

Tape Measure in Aqua - Made with Love Canvas by Moda

Lattice in Dusty Blue - Metro Living by Robert Kaufman

Nap Sack in Lake - Modern Meadow by Joel Dewberry

The bundle with a "Vintage feel"

Here's another bundle for the contest. I really like these colors together, it has somewhat of a vintage feel. Like they once were bright, but now they've faded with age. What do you think? This is such a fun exercise to get better at picking fabrics and color schemes. These fabrics are all for sale at Pink Castle Fabrics.

Another Bundle...

I just love to play around and see what I can come up with. Here's another entry for the contest being held at I'm A Ginger Monkey. I just love the Washi Tape fabric and the Fly A Kite fabric and to me they look like they'd go together well, so I just started out with those two and built around them. I'm always open to constructive criticism on how I can improve my fabric pairing skills. Do these look Ok together?

Bundle inspired by my neice's watercolor painting

This is my first entry for a contest being held at I'm A Ginger Monkey. It was inspired by a watercolor painting my 4 year old niece painted. I really don't know how "conventional" this color scheme is, but I really loved it in her painting. I wish I could have found a few more purple fabrics at the shop, but right now there wasn't a huge selection that I liked. I still like how it turned out! The photo below the bundle is the inspiration. I do apologize for the terrible photo. See the little splotch of grey in there? It's mostly pink, purple and yellow, but I just loved that little splash of grey and that's why I included a touch of it in the bundle.

Bundle inspired by:

Down Freshcut Memory Lane

I was looking through some pictures I took a while back of my yarn to put on Ravelry and guess what I found? Pictures of Heather Bailey's Freshcut fabrics. I forgot I used them as a beautiful backdrop for my yarn inventory. Look at all that Freshcut fabric deliciousness! These were the first fabrics I ever bought for my sewing adventures. I'm so glad they are being re-printed. They are so gorgeous, they deserve to be re-printed over and over again. One can only hope.

If you're a tea drinker...

One of the fondest memories I have of being a child was going to the local Chinese food restaurant called Imperial Gardens with my mother. It was a beautiful place with wonderful atmosphere and the waitresses knew us by name. It wasn't like the buffet style places these days. You took your time there and enjoyed every taste and flavor. I loved the art on the walls of dragons and cranes. I was in a trance when I gazed up at  the beautiful lighting fixtures that looked like lanterns and had silky red tassels. I think we went once a week. It was a bonding experience. We would always get a cup of hot tea along with the meal. It was really something special to drink the hot, golden liquid from a cup with no handles. The tea would warm your hands.  I can remember the taste of the tea like it was yesterday.

I've longed for the taste of that tea for years. I searched high and low for something comparable. So, when I tried the Iron Goddess of Mercy oolong tea that Rishi Tea sells, I was taken back to those afternoon visits to the Imperial Gardens with mom. The flavor is so delicate and floral. It's light on the tongue and has such a lovely bouquet. I recommend this to anyone who loves tea. This is liquid gold. If you normally drink black tea (the kind most people make iced tea from) I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. What's better than a hot cup of tea, a snuggly quilt and curling up on the couch to read a book or watch TV? Not much. I think I'm going to have some now...in my beautiful, new Asian style cup. Isn't it pretty?

Special Shout Out to The Warm Company!

I just wanted to give a special thanks to Dawn Pereira at The Warm Company for being super nice and generous too! They truly are about the customer there. Did you know you can request samples of their batting? Yes, it's true! Just click the link on my sidebar on the right. It will take you directly to the page. In the drop-down menu is the option to request the samples. She literally replied within seconds of my emailing them. Amazing customer service. Anyway, be on the lookout for a special post in the very near future!
I can't wait!

K's Funky Handmade Apron

I love cooking and baking, my KitchenAid, aprons and all things handmade. So, a while ago I had a beautiful halter-style apron with ruffles made especially for me. My niece saw it and she desperately wanted one for herself. She loves to help in the kitchen. Being the aunt with the sewing machine, I desperately wanted to make one for her. I looked everywhere for a child's apron pattern that looked like I imagined in my mind. However, there were none--at least none that I could find. So, what did I do? I just decided to wing it! No pattern...I didn't even take her measurements! Why, you ask? Well, it was Christmas Eve when I decided with conviction that I wanted an apron to be her Christmas present because I couldn't wait 4 more months for her birthday. Why do I punish myself? Anyway, I worked all through the night and had it ready for her on Christmas morning. Thankfully, it all worked out with only a few minutes to spare. It may not be glamorous or made with the best fabrics (there's no way I was going to chance wasting my $9/yd fabrics!) but she loved it. I wish I had better pictures. My camera is old and sucky. If I find more pictures, I'll add them. I know they are around somewhere. Sorry, my computer's a mess.

P.S. The apron has asymmetrical ruffles...yes, that was on purpose!! I was trying to make it funky.

Homemade Trapper Keeper / Notebook Tote thingy

Good Morning,
I thought I'd post one of the things I've whipped up on the ol' sewing machine. It's my trapper keeper-esque notebook tote! It's made with Heather Bailey fabric. Gosh, I love her fabrics! I love this carrier and made it for myself, but it was recently "adopted" by my 9 year old niece. She feels so grown up with it. When I told her she could have it, she just pranced around carrying it. Gosh, I love kids... I told her no one else in the world will have one. Which is completely true, there may be something similar out there, but I made this out of my own need and the specifications are my own--no pattern used. It even has a little pencil/pen pocket on one side. I just measured, cut and sewed it up as best as I could. I'm no sewing expert, by any means--just a girl with a passion for handmade items, sewing and fabrics. So, I even surprised myself. I have not used many patterns--in fact, I can only think of one pattern I've used. It was for a shirt and it turned out really nice. I was proud of this little tote though. Even without a pattern, or a ton of sewing experience (I still classify myself as a beginner) it turned out looking quite professional. Or is that just my opinion? Ha! I will miss you tote, but I think K. will love you more and take good care of you.

This is the side with the velcro for opening it.

The inside view. Just a standard 3-ring binder inserted. Which is nice because you can wash this as needed.

Curve Master Presser Foot

Has anyone heard of the Curve Master presser foot? I stumbled upon a demo video on youtube and it instantly grabbed my attention. Being new to the world of quilting, this may make things easier starting out. Has anyone tried this? I'm seriously considering it. It is supposed to be almost magical, even going as far as saying it needs no pinning. I thought it was pretty neat. I may go for it and just see how it goes.

Here's the demo video:

Blogger's Choice Bundle Dilemma

Ok, so I entered some fabric choices for the Blogger's choice bundle contest at Quokka Quilts. This seemed right up my alley. I love fabrics and I want to become a quilter (hopefully soon--I just need to build up my nerve.) Anyway, I've entered this bundle which I narrowed down from 300+ of my favorite fabrics found in the Fat Quarter Shop. I thought I was in love with this finalized "bundle." Apparently, I missed some fabrics at FQS because I recently found some more that I really like. I was hoping if anyone stopped by they could weigh in...

Right now I've only switched out one fabric. The 4th fabric on the top-right. Should I make a change to the bundle? Or are there any fabric in this bundle that sticks out like a sore thumb? Which do you like better? Here's the original bundle (top) and new bundle (bottom):

Here are 2 mock blocks for the updated bundle just so I could get an idea of them in the same quilt:

1. Free Spirit Designer Solids Aqua Yardage SKU# S20-AQUA
2. Michael Miller Orange Cotton Couture Solid Yardage SKU# SC5333-ORAN-D
3. Stella Light Pink Solid Yardage SKU# STELLA-SOLID-LTPINK
4. Modernology Aqua Mod Vines Yardage SKU# MO-4809
4. (on new version) Bella Butterfly Aqua Medallions Yardage
SKU# PS5425-AQUA-D
5. Lark 54" Wide Sateen Charcoal Treasure Box Yardage SKU# SAAB002-CHARC
6. Decadence Orange Damask Yardage SKU# C2633-ORANGE
7. Modernology Sachet Impressions Yardage SKU# MO-3805
8. Soul Blossoms Organic Turquoise Peacock Feathers Yardage SKU# ORAB004-TURQU
9. Floral Folio Aqua Large Florals Yardage SKU# Y0817-33
10. Soul Blossoms Organic Lime Peel Night Tree Yardage SKU# ORAB002-LIMEP
11. Prince Charming Olive Snail Scallop Yardage SKU# TP11-OLIVE
12. Route 66 Black Highway Yardage SKU# 33344-3
13. Garden District 54" Wide Dove French Ribbon Yardage SKU# SAHB005-DOVEX
14. London Pink Wakefield Yardage SKU# PWDF118-PINKX 

15. Lark 54" Wide Sateen Cinder River Shine Yardage SKU# SAAB004-CINDE