The Mint Needle

Inspiration is all around! Our little tulips have begun their rise. I can't believe that Spring is here! It's all so exciting watching everything awaken from the deep winter sleep. And I can't help but feel a little guilty that I haven't paid much attention to the blog. For example... Every year I have done a post for the first day of Spring, St. Patrick's day, etc...  And guess what? It completely slipped my mind this year. Why, you ask? Because there's sew much going on! The Birchen Quilt is a slow steady process. It's coming together beautifully but I don't work on it all the time.  I'm loooooving Triangles on a Roll. I can't believe how fast it makes projects move along. Also, did you know that there is a CD you can pop into your computer and it will print out any size template? Check out  1,000 Any Size Quilt Blocks  if buying a roll isn't necessary for your piece.  And.... I'm loving everything about these...

The first week of March has already gone? Oh my! It has brought some warmer weather here, in Ohio, & it feels great to see the Sun! I've got a couple awesome things to show you and talk about! This little quilt got finished ...... And this is the proud point one! I've had Alexander Henry's print laying around, (in reference to the first quilt), for such a long time. I'm so glad I was finally able to use it as a panel piece on the back of the mini 'baby' quilt. And nope we're not expecting, which is what i'm asked when friends see this one:) I'm so proud of my mitered corners and the colors are great! Going on..... Have any of you checked out the awesome Birchen Quilt ? Well, it was a sew along with the  Fat Quarter Shop  ; complete with a youtube video. Two thumbs up! A couple of weeks ago, my Instagram feed literally exploded with gorgeous variations of this Birchen quilt. In short, I was hooked & ordered the supplies. ...

Okay people, let me start by saying, that I love this quilt. I ordered this fabric specifically with the intent of making a triangle quilt. And anyone that follows my pinterest boards would know, I'm in loooove with triangle quilts. I'm not sure if it's the graphics or what, but it's extremely pleasing to the eye ... my eye. Fabric ~ Lotta Jansdotter. Going on..... what i'm not thrilled about is the way the triangles came together.  As many of you know, I'm fairly new at 'quilting'. I've been sewing since middle school, ya know that home ec class that hooks you and makes you ask your parents for a sewing machine on your 14th birthday;) But... quilting involves ALOT of,  do I dare say it...... math. It also involves patience, soo much patience and understanding of the tools you buy. The latter, my friends, is what got me on this quilt.   Ya see this lovely triangle template missing the points, especially the top? Well, if y...

So... here's the "I decided to do something I've never done / part 2" of fabric purchasing.  Many of you know, my first part was buying a jelly roll which you can see  here . But I also thought I'd finally buy some fabric squares. Riley Blake's Cottage Garden had all the colors I adore! I gotta admit, I'm a yardage kinda girl but what's better than eliminating an hour or more of cutting. The only downfall, falling in love with fabric patterns and you got only 5 x 5 inches of visual candy. I placed random white strips in between the blocks to break it up. This was the first, "let me see how quilting actually works without a long arm." I pinned, I stabilized and stitched extra slow.  In the end, pretty cute for a quick sewing project! (Even though I forgot to stitch around the perimeter!) Of course my girls grabbed this right away and put it on their dresser:) As they walked down the hall, I heard...

Oh February... everything about this month makes me want to sew with colorful fabrics! These two aprons were inspired by my adorable nieces who love to help their mama, (aka my beautiful sis)!  I decided to do a little something different and make a two-tier skirt.  I added the lettering last since it's not machine stitched to the apron. (Gotta love Joann's!) Now, I have my own method for all the aprons (& items) I sell in the Etsy shop. (I guess you can say that I always felt like it was bad ju-ju to make money off of someone else's patterns.) Anyway, as I made these, I realized I need to make more of the these two tier skirts & recorded the measurements of fabric. They're adorable & they look even cuter on! Then.... of course, I went out of control with another "to-do" list of all the different styles & sizes you could make with the two-tiers. I guess you could say I'll be busy stitching till Summer:)  On another ...

Of course I have to post something pink for the month of February, right? What can be better than a pink & gray zig-zag quilt. Here's another 'play around' project I did using simple strips and piecing them together. If anything, I feel that tiny projects like these are perfect for getting the 'not so accustomed' quilter better at hand. There are so many things I did not know prior to learning about quilting. For example, I never use store bought patterns on the aprons I make. I create my own... and part of that means 'ah, seam allowance... it's gotta be between here & here.'   But quilting... is a different ball game.  You have to make sure your sewing machine is set for a 1/4 inch seam...every time. Every single piece of fabric should be cut precise. A millimeter here and there could result in a 1/4" off at the end.  And... an even feed foot. I've been sewing since I was 14 and I still cannot believe that...

Feel like stitching up something really quick & pretty? How about changing up those coasters for the coffee table? I decided the glass ones I had, needed to be replaced with some bright colors and a soft touch. Take a look! All you need are a couple of strips of fabric all measuring the same length. Stitch them together lengthwise and cut them into equal sized squares once they are pressed. I used black felt for the backing. Sew them together face side down in a U shape. The one side should stay open so you can fold it right side out. Once again, press. Carefully fold the open end inward and topstitch to seal it closed. Continue with the topstitch over all your seams. (My bobbin thread was black to match the backing. Just want to remind everyone to switch that out.) Aren't they cute? This is what I call a great 'in between projects' project! On another note~ Could you believe January has already come and gone??? I've go...