A dire need

Well, not dire.

But if this was your pincushion, would you want a new one?

It's been a good little pincushion, and does it's job, but it doesn't make my heart sing?
And shouldn't it?
When you sew frequently, why not indulge in a fabulous pincushion?

So, I made one. You may remember this one I made last summer, for a swap partner. Using the same Elizabeth Hartman pattern, found here on Sew, Mama, Sew, I made one with favorite fabrics.

A little Lucky Penny Bike Path, a little out of print Good Folks, and two text prints (Blend Fabrics and Moda Authentic), I can now say I LOVE my pincushion.

Happy day!

Winner! Cookies!

My to do list never seems to end, but I'm enjoying the month of December, are you? It is flying by, though.

Let's get this winner announced, first thing!

The winner of this mega box of scraps is sshuttrbugg!

She just responded to my email, so I will be shipping her scraps out asap! Thanks to all of you that entered. I will definitely do another scrap giveaway!

Saturday, we had our third annual cookie day at my mom's. A few friends came, and we made dozens and dozens (and dozens!) of cookies. Each person brought a couple of recipes, and at the end of the day, we went home with a nice variety of tasty treats!

Sadly, I didn't get pictures of all cookies, but my friend Julie made these homemade oreos!

Amy made these candy cane crinkle cookies.

I made this cranberry pecan shortbread. I also made these chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies for the second time.

I'm off to make my fourth (and final, for 2012) tree skirt! Yay for custom orders!

SMS Giveaway Day!

December is here, which is insane. Truly. I've enjoyed participating in Sew Mama Sew's giveaway day several times now, and today, I'm sharing a box of scraps!

This box holds just over 2.5 pounds of scraps. Yes, 2.5 POUNDS. I love to use scraps, and I thought I'd share the love!

Some of these pieces are more like fat quarter size. There are lots of modern fun fabrics in here!

To enter, just leave a comment (only one!) and make sure I have a way to contact you (if you are a no-reply blogger, you have to leave me an email address!).

I usually include international winners, but for this giveaway, U.S. participants only. This box is too heavy to economically ship elsewhere!

Thanks for visiting today. I'd love it if you came to visit another time, but I know you've got tons of giveaways to enter right now! Head on over to Sew Mama Sew to enter more giveaways! I'll choose a winner Friday morning!

ETA: Comments are now closed. Thanks!

I've got a tutorial on Sew, Mama, Sew!

I'm pretty excited to share a tutorial with you today.

I made this table runner using part of a charm pack of Dear Mr. Claus by Cosmo Cricket and Kona Parchment (which is a great neutral!). You can find the tutorial here on Sew, Mama, Sew!

Since this runner has no binding, it's a fast way to make your home feel festive. I plan to make another for year-round use! It's a scrap friendly pattern, too, in case you're not the charm pack type.

If you try the tutorial, I'd love to see your version! I hope you like it!

FO: Pincushion Organizer

I'm pretending today is Thursday, since here in America, Wednesday is the 4th of July. So, I have two two-day workweeks. Kind of weird, but I'm embracing it. I used my Sunday wisely, and was able to be in my sewing room for a lot of the day.

I started and finished this fun pincushion organizer for the Modernista swap. I used Elizabeth Hartman's pattern, posted on Sew Mama Sew. The pattern is very straightforward, and the only trouble I had was handsewing the closure in a pretty way. Luckily, the seam is hidden in use. The pattern uses just under three fat quarters, and a small piece of felt. The cushion is very substantial, as it is filled with rice.

Fabrics used are all from the stash. The interior of the scrap bag is a Ruby Sundae Stripe, the exterior, is of course Mono Pez in navy, and the pocket panel fabric is from Leah Duncan's Maya.

Hopefully, my partner likes it! She's been quiet in the group, so I'm going with my gut. I'm still deciding what to make for my second item, but I've still got all month to figure that out.

Here's hoping your Monday (or Thursday!) is a happy one!