Blog

So in exchange for the succulent pincushion I sent my swap partner Ina, she sent me an absolutely ginormus patchwork pincushion (it's about four inches tall and seven inches in diameter!).

The huge pincushion was actually the second one she made for me; the first was the tiny one pictured above, which Ina also included in my package, along with some pins, buttons, and ribbons.

Both of the...

For a dear friend's birthday last week, I stitched up one of Jenny Hart's bluebirds (the transfer is available in Embroidered Effects). The pattern reminded me a lot of the sparrow necklace that my friend often wears, so I knew it was the perfect motif for her gift.

Inspired by my friend's living room, which is filled with yellow accents, I used gray embroidery floss and a vintage yellow napkin that my mom sent to me after cleaning out one of her linen drawers. I used a chain stitch for the entire piece.

In March, I took part in a pincushion swap organized by Claire over at Claire's Crafty Blog. For my swap partner Ina (who lives in the Netherlands--my first international swap!), I made this succulent pincushion out of felt.

The pattern is taken from this excellent tutorial for an appliqued succulent sachet, created by Laura of Bugs and Fishes (I love Laura's blog and felt projects!). All of the elements are handsewn, and the pincushion is stuffed with leftover quilt batting.

In other news, I never heard from Kristin, the gal who won my giveaway day pinback buttons (sorry, Kristin!), so I've gone ahead and drawn another winner.

Congratulations, Kitten Delicious! I'll be contacting you to get your address so that I can get the buttons out in the mail to you ASAP. Thanks again to everyone who entered!

After much slacking on my part (and a failed attempt at using stretchy seersucker as a quilt backing--not a good idea, in case you were wondering), I've finally--finally--finished my little trees quilt.

I made it using this Purl Bee tutorial by Sharilyn of Lovely Design, which was based on one of Sharilyn's lovely quilts.

I used a combination of new and vintage fabrics for the trees. Each trunk is made from scraps of Japanese fabric featuring sheep on a brown background. I tied the entire quilt with dark red pearl cotton and used black binding tape on the edges. The back features a green fabric I picked up from the remnant pile at the fabric store.

P.S. I have yet to hear from Kristin, my Giveaway Day winner. Kristin, please e-mail by Wednesday, May 26 (tomorrow), to claim your prize. If I don't hear from you by then, I will draw a new winner on Thursday.