The Mint Needle

Hello, hello readers! I'm so excited about today's post! And there are so many reasons why! For starters, I want to show you all what's been on the sewing table. Second.... I'm giving you a pattern for my Kissing Fish Quilt!  This is how it came to be... An unorganized sewing room + scraps galore + thinking I need to de-clutter and organize = I forgot I had this fabric..... It would make a cute little project :) Here's how you can make one! All you need are three fabrics! Two coordinating for the fish and a background fabric! For the fish: You will need to make 96 - 2 1/5 inch half square triangles. I did this by using triangles on roll. It's a ton faster than cutting little blocks! Cut the triangles on a roll into 8 block sections. You will need 6. (Each section of 8 will give you 16 hst's x 6 = 96 hst's done very quickly!) Create little blocks by sewing 4 hst's together.  You can personalize your...

Spring has arrived! And even though it may be chilly outside, in the house, the flowers are stirring with this adorable vintage inspired apron. I had this idea when I realized that a lovely pair of polyester shams, (hand me downs from Grams), were never going to make it to the bed. But geez.... that fabric would be perfect for a hostess apron!  Take your dupa shopping to some resale shops! You'll want to get as many vintage shams as you can because these would make the perfect gift too:) The bigger the ruffles, the better the apron! Take your washed sham to the cutting table. Fold it length wise and make a cut off center. (To know where to cut, play around first by folding over your apron, creating two layers. Do you like them closer together or farther apart?) The coolest thing - your apron is even guaranteed a secret pocket - the old pillow opening! You can see in the picture below where I placed my scissors. Pin your layers together. Make sure that...

The new machine has arrived and a drum roll is completely necessary for my Janome Horizon Memory Craft 8200! Can I add 'Special Addition' to that? This machine has everything I wanted and more. I ended up going to a local quilt and fabric shop, Pins and Needles , where I got to sit down and try out a couple of machines. I'm not going to lie in this post. The Baby Lock had me as soon as I started stitching, but the throat space and lack of 'extras' had me asking... what am I really getting a new machine for? With the Janome, I can finally free motion all those giant quilt tops that have been sitting so neatly in the basket without the fear of skipped stitches.  Isn't she beautiful? With my purchase, I luckily got a couple of free classes on how to use this beast. (I say beast because it's super heavy and HUGE compared to my other machines.) So far, I've gone to one and I can't believe all that this machine is capable of. I hope the in...

So.... a fabric junky of the sort.... I often end up purchasing fabrics without an actual plan or purpose for them. Generally, it's child like. If I see something I like, I just gotta have it. That's kinda what ended up happening when I ordered a mini jelly roll from  Southern Fabric's  daily deals. The price was just too good to pass up, (even with shipping charges) and ..... I haven't sewn strips since my niece's quilts. What I did decide to do, is check out all those pins I've been saving on Pinterest for some sewing inspiration. I found a really easy pattern - just stitching 3 strips together, cut them into blocks, and then place solid blocks in between for a checkered look. It looked cute with the pastels the girl used. But for some reason when I did it, no one... I mean absolutely nobody in this house liked the appearance.  Maybe it was the strong contrast, because no whites were used at the time; just navy and the jelly roll. When I laid out th...

I've always wanted a red and white quilt.... And guess what? I've finally got one just in time for Valentine's Day!  Nothing was more appropriate than using   Moda's Love quilt pattern  for a red and white quilt. It was so fun and easy to make with directions for a mini-charm, charm pack, or layer cake. The central flying geese were added to visually break up the large quilt blocks. Seriously, this was one project that moved along rather quickly! Overall it measures 73" by 73". And just because.... Who would've thought simple red doilies on white bags would look so festive? I made these for my daughter's Valentine's Day party at school! Super cute and quick! They were a hit! On another note, my sewing machine is sounding even squeakier which is keeping me on toes. Yes.... I still haven't gotten a new machine.... Two things ~ first, it needs to be serviced and second, I need a new machine... . But I've got so many proje...

What do you do with those adorable clothes your kids have outgrown? Make them into pillows of course! The moment I saw the top in the " it just doesn't fit anymore" pile, I knew I had to do something. It was way too cute! And what better than to make an adorable pillow she can never outgrow. (And better yet... it's still washable!) All you need are a couple of things: a shirt with a cute design cutting shears cutting matte fusible interfacing a sewing machine straight edge coordinating fabric a good soft pillow :) Start by inserting the cutting matte into the t-shirt to cut your desired size. Next - apply fusible interfacing to the wrong side of your shirt and iron it in place. This will strengthen the knit fabric and prevent it from overstretching while you sew.  Grab some coordinating fabrics and start trimming. I kept my strips 3" wide by various lengths creating a log cabin quilt block. ...