A little of this

I'm way behind on sharing projects, but here's a few recent happy makes:

I made this pillow as part of a birthday club. I made some similar ones a few years back. I'm thinking of making another one for my etsy shop. I love the simple patchwork and linen look.

I missed you, embroidery! I stitched this teatowel (using a Sublime Stitching pattern) up for Sara in the wonky bee swap. P.S. She's selling amazing naturally hand-dyed yarns now! Gorgeous.

I'm crazy in love with these paper-pieced treasures. I'm not sure what I will do with them, but I will be making more bits, no question. The apron is by Charise Creates and the mixing bowl is Ayumi's for Superbuzzy.

Here's to a crafty week, friends!

FO: Hedgehog Apron

Thanks for all of your kind comments on Bridges. It feels so good to see improvement in a skill, like free-motion quilting. My word this year has really pushed me to be (mostly) monogamous (or monogamish, as C says) in my crafting.

But sometimes, like with my pincushion, a quick, fun project is what you need.

A couple of weeks ago, it was this hedgehog apron.

My home decor weight fabric stash is a little unwieldy. That hedgehog fabric (acquired at least a year ago from Superbuzzy has always been a favorite, but I wasn't sure what to do with it.

I realized that although home dec might not be suitable for an apron skirt (a little too stiff for my liking), it would work well for the bodice.

I used my favorite apron pattern (previously made here, here and here.

Somehow, I'd never made one for myself, and the project definitely brought me happiness.

I hope to find more practical uses for my home decor stash soon!

Obsessed much?

I'm currently obsessed with paper piecing.

I finished my penguin popsicle this weekend. I'll be jumping right into the next Super Penguin block!

I made these spinning stars as part of my Wonky Bee start (I'll share more about that soon!).

I'm also working on this Flower Star, from Issue 8 of Fat Quarterly.

Yes, paper piecing is on the brain!

Also on the brain? Stamping and ribbon. After I made those owl pouches, I was inspired to make others!

Oh, be sure to check out Jessica's Bumble stocking today! There will be weekly prizes for participation in the Holiday Craft Bash. Just add anything you make to the flickr group!

Okay, back to paper piecing I go!

Miscellany

I can't tell you how happy I was to wake up this morning to cooler weather. I drove with my window down, and I'm fighting the urge to have the back door open at the house. I won't do it, since my kitties are 100% indoor. But I do think I'll have the windows open tonight!

So, I've got a handful of crafty things to show you today.

I managed to finish this sushi cross-stitch recently. I've actually started a second piece, this time Halloween-related. I'll be sure to share a picture of that one soon! The sushi pattern is from Frosted Pumpkin, of course!

I've also been on a major paper-piecing kick these days. You may remember the watermelon popsicle trivet I made for my mom this summer? Well, I've been piecing more popsicles this week. These are part of the Superbuzzy Super Penguin Quilt-Along, with patterns created by Ayumi.

I'm working on my third popsicle (the penguin!), and I do intend to purchase Ayumi's other blocks for this quilt-along. It's a fun challenge, and a chance to use some special tiny pieces from the stash.

I also finished up this scrappy log cabin pillow, which I've listed in the shop. I love working with scraps, and I made this pillow top with the "quilt as you go" method.
I haven't figured out if the shop will be something I maintain, but it's been a great experiment, at the very least!

Finally, I wanted to share these owly pouches I made.

Using some Essex linen, a stamp, and some owl ribbon from the stash, I made these fun little pouches in no-time flat. I've already set them aside for two special peeps, but I was thinking of making some more. I have a couple of other stampy ideas to try as well. I was inspired by my friend Amanda's recent screenprinting endeavor!

I hope you are enjoying a lazy Sunday today! I'm going to get back to organizing my scraps now; no easy feat!

FO: Popsicle Trivet

The great thing about moms is is they understand how busy you are. They really don't want you to buy them expensive things. A handmade gift is enough to make them smile (although, most crafters feel the same way about that!). We celebrated my mom's birthday last week, and I managed to finish one gift on time. The second gift is waiting patiently to be completed. Maybe this weekend?

When I first purchased Ayumi's popsicle pattern over on Superbuzzy, I immediately knew I had to make a watermelon popsicle for my mom. Which I did. Since she and her husband just built a house together, I thought it would make a fun gift for the kitchen.

I added some borders of Summersville, a red(-ish) solid and a Riley Blake Domestic Diva print. To bind, I used an older Timeless Treasures print. The batting is Insul-brite.

I guess it's sort of silly to have a trivet (hot) with a popsicle (cold) on it? Ah, but it's cute and fun. She loved it. Win, win, win.

Summery patchwork

In the Love do.Good Stitches circle this month, Deborah asked us to use this Film in the Fridge tutorial. It was lots of fun to make these log cabin blocks, and the colors Deborah picked are so summery.

I also recently bought Ayumi's new pattern on superbuzzy. This is a new block of the month project, called the Super Penguin Quilt-Along. How happy is that?? The first block is adorable, and I started working on my first popsicle last week. Have you seen Tamiko's amazing version? Gah. It kills me!

I decided to start out slowly with the easiest of the popsicles, the watermelon version. Perhaps you, also, were not aware there was such a thing, but Ayumi tells me that it's a tasty treat in Japan, and there are "seeds", which are chocolate-covered rice puffs. Yum!

I pieced the watermelon popsicle with just one problem. You can see my mistake at the bottom points of the triangle. I was sure I'd have to start over, before I realized that the seam allowance would cover up those little boo-boos.

See? All gone! I'm almost finished with this little patchwork piece, and a good thing, too, since it's a gift. I should be able to share it next week.
Fabrics used: Lizzy House Jewels (from Outfoxed), Michael Miller Mini Mike's Random Pencil Check in green, Urban Cowgirl (the brown print) and the off-white is a Circa 1934 solid. I used Kona Pond for the border. Oh, and one more day to enter the giveaway!