And so I tried to design a "man quilt"

I've been promising my husband a quilt for a while.

I've been scouring Flickr for inspiration, but nothing quite fit.

He was beginning to give up hope.

And then I happened upon these awesome quilts  (from none other than Red Pepper Quilts and I'm Just a Guy Who Quilts) and I immediately went to work with this pile of Authentic by Sweetwater (which has been sitting around since Christmas) -

and turned it into this -

Bold, huh?

The husband was pretty skeptical that I could make a quilt look manly.  But he gave me lots of feedback while I was laying it out, helped me make some design choices, and by golly, he likes it!  In fact I think he actually agreed that it's "manly"!!!!!

I'm hoping it's not too bold, but I really felt like I had to add a lot of black to up the "man factor."

Now it's time to sew these blocks together!  The finished quilt top should be 6' square, making it my largest quilt to date, and my biggest challenge to date!

Wishing you a happy and productive week!

Mary

Sew & Tell Friday

Thanks goodness it's Friday!

I was up late sewing last night, which is becoming the norm for me on the night before Sew & Tell Friday. But it's just so satisfying to end the week with a nice finish!

First I finished my Nicey Jane Grocery Bag Dispensers:

And since this "recipe" was from the Moda Bake Shop, it only seemed appropriate to use some Moda twill tape for the hanging tab.

I finished these before midnight (which is kind of early for me on a Sew & Tell Friday "eve"), so I decided to start a whole new project and whip up this adorable Patchwork Pencil Pouch:

This pouch was designed by Vanessa over at Little Big Girl Studio, and the awesome tutorial can be found here.  It's quick and fun!  Even the zipper was super easy to install.

This project was perfect for using just the tiniest bit of Verna fabric from my stash, and I just love patchwork.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

Happy sewing!

Mary

WIP Wednesday

And for the record, it is officially still Wednesday as I'm posting this, although I admit it's awfully darn close to Thursday.  But "WIP Thursday" just doesn't sound right!

Anyway.

Here's what I've been working on this week:

Two mini "quilt sandwiches" in Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane, ready to be quilted and sewn into grocery bag dispensers.  I'm hoping to have these done by Friday!

I've been adding to my pinwheel collection for the Pinwheel Sampler Quilt Along -

And finally a work in progress that's all in my head at the moment . . .

A nice stack of fabric (Authentic by Sweetwater, plus some Kona black and charcoal) sitting there patiently, waiting to be cut up and sewn into a quilt for the husband.  Don't you just love that number fabric on the right?  It's just perfect for my husband who's getting his MBA with a concentration in accounting.  Number fabric for my favorite number cruncher!

The problem is I just can't decide on a design for this quilt.  I was originally just going to make a simple patchwork quilt with the layer cake, but then I decided I wanted to make the quilt a bit larger, so we can both cuddle under it on the couch.  The husband is losing hope that I'll ever get around to making this, but I will, I promise!  I just have to keep staring at this stack until the right bit of inspiration hits me.

Well, I'd better hurry up and publish this post before the clock hits midnight and I make a liar out of myself regarding the whole Wednesday thing.

Happy sewing!

Mary

Potholder Pass Round THREE!!!

So I found out yesterday that there will be yet another round of the fabulous Potholder Pass!  Hooray!

If you're interested, check it out here.  You have until the end of April to sign up, and we'll be sewing in May.  It's loads of fun and I hope you'll join in!

And now that my package has been delivered I'm pleased to reveal my secret partner who I sewed these potholders for in Round 2:

It's Lydia, of Layne James Embroidery and Designs!  She has a great blog, and and an awesome shop too.

It was really fun to sew for Lydia, and I was almost laughing when I first checked out her blog because we have so much in common - we're close in age, married our high school sweethearts, stay at home with our two-year-olds, live in the southeast, and sew for sanity!  She was assigned to me randomly, so I thought that was a pretty funny coincidence.  It was fun to meet her through this swap.

Now I'm just watching my mailbox (patiently!!!) and waiting to see what's headed my way.  This is a blind swap, so I have no idea who's sewing for me.  It could be anyone, anywhere!  Fun!

Mary

Sew & Tell Friday

Three pretty camera cases!

I admit that the one on the left is recycled from Tuesday's post, but when I made two more today I couldn't resist photographing them all together.

(Fabric: Left - Tula Pink's Plume; Center - Sandi Henderson's Ginger Blossoms (teal) and Patty Young's Floura and Fauna (grey); Right - Sandi Henderson's Ginger Blossoms)

The pattern is Keyka Lou's Camera Case Wristlet.

Be sure to check out all the other finishes over at Sew & Tell Friday!  

Have a great weekend!

Mary

Life's a beach

The weather was gorgeous here today . . .

. . . and the husband was able to sneak away from the grad-school-grind for a bit, so we enjoyed the weather together!

After our little trip to the beach, Lauren and I spent some time hanging out at home . . .

. . . and some quality time reading the Pottery Barn Kids catalog (which is full of quilting inspiration!)

I absolutely love this time of year - it's warm but not hot, the bugs aren't out yet, and there are enough tourists in town to make things seem lively, but not so many that it's crowded.  I love spring!

I had the chance to test-drive this camera case while at the beach today, and I loved it so much that I started cutting fabric to make three more . . .

As you can see I didn't manage to keep myself inside long enough to do any actual sewing.  How can you pass up good weather, anyway?  :-)

Let's hope I can get these done in time for Sew & Tell Friday!

Happy sewing!
Mary

I heart Keyka Lou

Have you discovered Keyka Lou's patterns yet?

I'm kind of a big fan.

Here's my latest - the Camera Case Wristlet

(Like my tripod-turned-product display?)

It even has a nice pocket in the back where you could stash your debit card, drivers license and some cash when you're on the go.

(Fabric: Tula Pink's "Plume")

This camera case was pretty easy to make, and I plan to make a few more as gifts for friends.

You don't even have to use it as a camera case - 

it would be really handy for carrying your keys, phone, and lip gloss while you're out and about.

I'm also a big fan of Keyka Lou's Pocket Clutch pattern.  

I made this one back in February for a friend's birthday:

In case you haven't heard, Keyka Lou is having her anniversary sale right now at her shop.

All PDF patterns are $5 and available for instant download.

I'm definitely going to take advantage and pick up a few patterns I've been wanting to make.

Happy Sewing!

Mary