modern woodlands baby quilt

I was determined to use up every bit of my Modern Woodlands fabric (designed by Emily Ann).  It is just too special to sit on the shelf.  So I made up this crib-sized quilt for some future mystery baby.  I'm not being sneaky -- I really have no idea who will end up with this cuteness.

 As always, Henry found it difficult to stay off the thing I was photographing.

Since everything I make has to have that special Molly "touch" (read: mistake), I will show you this special accent on the binding.  Can you believe I ran short with only this much left to go (I can)?  I scoured my sewing room for one more small piece to match.  Nope.  Voila - accent piece!

 Henry- tested and approved!

rainbow patchwork picnic blanket

Inspired by my friend Carina's awesome picnic blanket at a recent playdate, I resolved to make a crazy quilt of our own!  Of course I only used scraps from my stash.  And of course it had to be rainbow!

 The main idea here is that it is colorful and crazy enough that it won't show too badly when it gets dirty...and I intend for it to get dirty on many picnics, playdates, beach trips, etc!

 For the back, I used a sheet that Emily (I think!) had given me.  Crazy enough for ya? I kept it really simple, with no batting or border.

 As I was finishing up, I noticed a weird ripped patch on the back.  I didn't even notice as I was laying it out! That's how awesome this will be for kids and parks - stains will blend in so much we won't even notice them.  I even had trouble finding it again to put a little heart patch over it (no way was I going to start over at that point).

 We've already used it a bunch on our deck and in the grass in our backyard. 

 We are obsessed with bubbles at the moment...

Looking forward to tons of fun times with our crazy blanket this summer...including our first trip to the beach this year, coming up this weekend, yahoo!

more patchwork

 

Just some scenes from my sewing room...scraps lined up for my latest patchwork project! 

 

Stay tuned...

scrap packs

Scrap packs are now available in my new supply shop: Sprout and Sparrow Supplies!  Am I crazy to now have 2 shops?  Yup!  But I love the idea of unloading my unused supplies and sending them to happy new homes.  These are perfect for small projects.  More to be added soon!

stash buster project : yarn scrap basket

I like to think of myself as the opposite of a hoarder--I can't stand to have "stuff" in my house that doesn't serve any particular purpose.  However.... when it comes to fabric and yarn leftovers, I might have a bit of a problem.  Finishing my last project inspired me to delve into my yarn stash for some Stash-Busting.

It does look rather pretty in there though, doesn't it?  (Oh by the way, this is only a fraction of my collection)

I've had my eye on this pattern for quite some time.  The only thing stopping me was that it tells you to work 4 strands together.  I mean....ugh.  So I thought I'd get creative and just use whatever 4 strands and call it good. 

 Ta Da!  It turned out way more masculine than I thought it would.  And it turns out I hardly put a dent in my collection.  More baskets in the future?  Maybe!

opal's easter basket

Opal came over on Tuesday and we started a project.  We decided on an Easter basket!  The girl loves all things pink and purple.  So we hauled out my pink-and-purple scraps and started a little patchwork basket (I think she may have been slightly scared of the state of my scrap stash, and who could blame her?).

 

Stitched it up with a heavy duty canvas lining to make it stand up.

Now we're ready to hunt Easter eggs!

the quiet book...one year later

Almost exactly one year ago, Seattle got a snowstorm two inches of snow, which meant that school was closed for a few days.  Holed up and desperate for entertainment, I started on this Quiet Book, got a few pages finished, and estimated that I might be able to finish the book within a year.  Pretty generous estimate, right?  You'd think so.  Well, 11 months later I got back to work, and finished in time for Christmas.  Introducing......Henry's Quiet Book!

 Lace and Tie the Shoe

 Button the Flowers (managed to lose several flowers since last winter....hoping they will turn up in my sewing room!)

 Play Tic Tac Toe

 Count the Birdies

 Match the Shapes

 Swim Away from the Sharks

 Weave a Basket (and store the x's and o's for your Tic Tac Toe game)

Make a Banana Split!

 I wish I could say that I truly loved making this, and that I can't wait to make one for every niece, nephew, cousin and friend.  However, that would be a big fat lie.  Sorry!  I will say that I loved using odds and ends from my sewing room and that the only thing I purchased especially for this project was an extra pack of grommets! I will also say that grommets + felt + small hands = :( so the Lace-the-Shoe page needs some fixing.  Other than that, this Quiet Book is finished and never to be duplicated!  You're welcome, Henry.

more rainbow love

The Rainbow Pencil Case is now available in my shop!

Click here to visit the product page.

i made a patchwork bag

Here it is!

i heart patchwork.

rainbow days

My love of organization make me love rainbows, all that order and all...but my love of rainbows is also inspired by my sissy Emily . Check out this rainbow pencil roll I made yesterday using mostly scraps from my insanely large collection!

organization happiness

I've been meaning to do this little job for a long time.

Before: Disorganized scrap chaos.

During:

After: Organized eye candy, lovingly folded and easily accessible.

Ok, so these make up just a portion of my scrap collection (which I know I have talked about before)--the fabrics I can make jewelry cases with. My even smaller scraps present another challenge....more on that tomorrow!

scrap project

With all this sewing, you won't be surprised to hear that I have a bit of a scrap problem. I won't even provide photographic evidence of the full extent of this problem...but I will tell you that attempts have been made to organize the chaos. So I've been rolling ideas around my head to address this issue.

What better way to get rid of scraps than with a patchwork quilt? I set to work cutting 5x5 squares. Did you know it takes 387 squares to make a full size quilt? sheesh!

I only wish this had made a slight dent in the scrap supply. Indeed it did not. But I am LOVING how it is turning out! The top is almost done...


another work in progress!

Scrap Cleanse

Let’s call it a Scrap Cleanse. Or Purging of the Scraps. Whatever you call it, it made me really happy. Cousin Ann came over on Sunday to peruse my scrap collection. She is going to make some baby blankets.
I am known to often dig through my scraps for just a little something. A take just a little something and load the whole thing back into its bin. How happy am I that these little scraps will now have a home in a blanket of their very own?
I love the combinations she chose. And Ann can be depended upon to follow through with a project. She won’t just have this great idea and get all the stuff and then never finish, ya know? (oh by the way, this will NOT happen with my little dog. Promise.) So I told her I fully expect to see these blankets before they are gifted. It’s my right as their original owner!