Playing around digital style

Playing around and digital doodling. These prints are a hybrid of hand-drawn lettering in Illustrator and layers in Photoshop.

Timeline Covers

Facebook timeline banners are re-listed in my Etsy Shop. :) Working on some new designs too, check back as I will be sharing new uploads soon!

Navy and Green Table Runner

I finally finished the little table-runner I've been working on this week. It's small, only 34" in length, but it fits crosswise on my dining table perfectly. The fabrics are all from Joann's. As soon as I finished the simple straight-lined quilting I wanted to face-palm myself: I should have done wavy lines-- they would have been perfect, kind of mimicking the shapes of the center fabric, but at that point it was too late! That's what I get for just jumping into it without a plan!

I enjoy sewing/quilting table runners, pillows, and other small projects. I usually only have small bits of time for projects, so these satisfy the need to create, and I have a better chance of finishing what I start! As much as I'd love to complete a small quilt (lap or twin size) I just haven't had a nice block of un-interrupted time to actually do it.

Anyway, back to the little table-runner: I surprised myself by hand stitching the binding. It was easy and actually quite a relaxing thing to do as I watched Property Brothers. :) My outcome isn't perfect... parts of the binding on the back seem a little wider than others, but my tiny stitches are nice and neat and virtually invisible. All-in-all it's a nice little runner, and I'm already planning my next one!

Drawstring bag: "meow-meow".

This morning I made up this little drawstring bag using the now famous "Lined Drawstring Bag" tutorial from Jeni B @ In Color Order It's a wonderful and simple little tutorial, with easy step-by-step instructions and the all important pictures.

I've always had a soft-spot for 30's reproduction prints, and my little girl LOVES kitty-cats so when I saw this fabric from Wyndam at my LQS I knew it would be perfect. The adorable little ditzy blue flower print is Robert Kaufman, and the drawstrings are made from a fabric I picked up some time ago at Joann's. I'm only mildly bothered by the fact that the drawstring-pink is more saturated than the kitty cat print, but I don't think my daughter will mind a bit. This little bag will be the perfect place to store her little treasures. I'll probably whip up a few more, because they are quick and simple and cute. I can use them for little gift bags for birthdays or other occasions. The perfect little sewing project for when I need a little quality time with my sewing machine.

Give Jeni's tutorial a try! As I said it's easy and fun and in no time at all you'll have your own cute little bag for yourself or someone special! :)

Cross Block

I'm currently smitten with Cross Blocks, and after stumbling across Rachel at Wooden Spoon's diagram, I decided to give it a go. (Rachel also links to a smaller 5"version of the same block.) My block measures 11-3/4" square. I love the red, white and aqua color combo, but it's a color scheme that goes with absolutely nothing in my home decor, so I haven't decided whether I'll make it into something sweet and small (like a milk and cookie mug-rug) or a table mat or runner. I have a feeling that eventually my house will be decorated around my quilts, rather than choosing my fabrics to match my decor. :) Anyhow, I like this variation, because alternatively I could set it on-point, and make an "X" quilt. Yay.

Another version of the cross-block is this one, as shown and "tutorialized" (<----- I invented this word) by Jennifer @ Ellison Lane. I like this one too, the top & bottom of the cross are a bit more "squat" (<--- weird funny word). I've seen cross-block quilts like this in 2-color solids (black and white, red and white etc) and it looks amazing and graphic. This one is definitely on my quilt-bucket-list for 2014!