Creating with scraps and bartering . . .

My 'baby' sister happens to be a professional photographer, and she does an amazing job on our annual family photos.  And since she also appreciates handmade and modern fabrics, we've been bartering for the past couple years.  Last year I made her this Rolling Meadows quilt . . .

And this year I pulled out the leftover scraps and made a matching throw pillow and small table topper . . .

I also made some bags and accessories for her this year and here is the stack that was waiting on my counter to be picked up last week . . .

And it looks like I'm already in the clear for next year, because I won a fabulous Jo Totes camera bag on Leelou Blogs this morning . . .

So, do you barter your sewing/quilting with others?



Linking up to {Sew} Modern Monday, Manic Monday, and Fabric Tuesday.

and the winner of the Pellon Eco-Cotton Batting giveaway is . . .

Congrats to Debra!  I'll be in contact with you by email shortly.

And THANK-YOU to Pellon for sponsoring this generous giveaway!  And if you're interested in becoming a Pellon artist and contributing tutorials to their site (and getting free product to make it with!), just email me at ourbusylittlebunch@hotmail.com and I'll forward your contact information to them.

And there's still four days left to enter the giveaway from the Intrepid Thread for this lovely stack of Pear Tree fabric . . .

Friday Fun Giveaway sponsored by The Intrepid Thread!

It's Black Friday and we all know what that means - SALES ON FABRIC!!  The Intrepid Thread has a fantastic online fabric store and is having some great deals for today and Cyber Monday - details on their blog.  And they're also hosting their Friday Fun Giveaway over here today!

One lucky winner is going to get this gorgeous bundle of Pear Tree fabric!  This is a newly released line by Andover Fabrics and is designed by Thomas Knauer.  Just leave a separate comment for each entry (up to 3 entries max):

• Hop over to their shop and tell me something that's on your Christmas wish list!
• Publicly follow my blog OurBusyLittleBunch with GFC.
• Blog, Facebook, or Tweet about this giveaway and leave the link in your comment (only one entry, even if you do more than one).

Please leave an email address in your comment if your profile is set to private so I can contact you if you win.  Winner will be selected by random.org and announced next Friday. Good Luck!

using scraps for little projects . . .

 fold-up shopping tote and tissue pouch . . .

 notepad and coupon holder . . .

a passport cover . . .

And here's a giveaway for you to check out ~ this fun fat quarter bundle is being given away 

at Making More With Less:

241 Tote . . . again

This is my third time making the 241 Tote pattern, and I'm still loving it.  I must admit that I don't buy a lot of patterns, there are just so many great ones available for free, and I often just come up with my own designs.  And I often get free patterns through testing or reviewing.  But it is definitely less stressful to work with a tested pattern, and this is one of those unique designs that I didn't think I could reproduce without the instructions.

I used a denim for the main fabric, a coordinating solid for the lining, and a print from Terrain for the pockets.  I added hardware to the straps, and otherwise stuck to the pattern.

Have you thought about purchasing this pattern?  Noodlehead is having a sale ~ get it for $2 off for today and tomorrow only.

Linking up to {Sew} Modern Monday, Manic Monday, and Fabric Tuesday.

Riley Blake Home Decor contest - voting open!

Riley Blake has been hosting online contests for the past several months.  The winners for their Clothing and Quilts categories have already been chosen, but their third contest for Home Decor was just narrowed down to the top 10 and is open for voting!

My entry didn't make it, but an online friend Michelle made it to the finals!  Didn't she do an amazing job on this set for her little girls room?  

So why don't you head on over, pick your favourite entry and cast your vote!

Guest blogging over here today . . .

Giveaway for 9 yards of NEW Eco-Cotton Batting from Pellon!

Pellon has just released a brand new Eco-Cotton Blend Batting - 70% recycled cotton/30% recycled polyester batting with scrim.  This product was just released at Quilt Market, and I had the chance to work with some it.  It is so soft and has a beautiful weight and drape to it.  And they are offering one of you a 9 yard board (96" width) of this beautiful batting for your future projects!

Pellon has a big selection of battings, as well as many other products for your crafting and sewing needs.  One of my personal favourite products is their fusible fleece - it gives beautiful structure to bags and purses and it is so easy to work with.  I buy the fusible fleece in larger quantities and it's still gone in no time!

Pellon also has a website called PellonProjects.com where you can find lots of projects designed and submitted by Pellon Artists.  If you think you have a project that works great with Pellon products and would like to submit it (and possibly receive free Pellon products to create it with), please email me at ourbusylittlebunch@hotmail.com and I'll forward your contact information to them!

Now, how do you win this generous prize of 9 yards of Pellons new Eco-Cotton blend batting?  You can do any or all of the following, and please leave a separate comment for each one (up to 3 separate comments).

• Tell me what your favourite Pellon® product is and how you use it.
• Publicly follow my blog OurBusyLittleBunch with GFC.
• Blog, tweet, or Facebook about this giveaway and leave the link (only one entry, even if you do more than one of these)

Giveaway winner will be selected by Random.org and announced on Monday, Nov 28th.  Good luck!

Tinkerbell pouch . . .

I had a request for a hip pouch for a little girl that needs to carry some emergency items on her.  I used the tutorial found here.

My daughters tried it on after it was done, and now they all want one too.  It might be a better solution than backtracking through the mall trying to find the purse that they put down while shopping . . .


























Linking up to TNT Thursday.

a couple more bags . . .

We had a 'Quilt Till You Wilt' night on Friday ~ good company, good food, and un-interrupted sewing time.  I had these two bags already cut out, and finished them up that night.  The first is another Phoebe bag.

And the second is another 241 Tote.

The main fabrics are from Joel Dewberry's Aviary 2 collection, with some coordinating prints and solids ~ the wonderful ladies at Sew Fresh Fabrics matched them for me and made a custom bundle.  And I have a fat quarter of each of the fabrics put aside for a future giveaway. . .

Linking up to {Sew} Modern Monday and Fabric Tuesday.

Bloggers Quilt Festival . . .

The Fall Bloggers Quilt Festival is going on right now at Amy's Creative Side and here is my submission . . .

This quilt is probably my favourite I've made, and mostly because of who I made it for.  My maternal grandmother (my Oma) has always been my closest grandparent.  We lived nearby growing up, visited often, and have so many great memories that include her and my Opa.  Then, when I was a teenager they moved 12 hours away, but I followed only a couple years later.  It was wonderful being close to them again, and we visited often.  And after my first daughter was born, I settled into a weekly coffee visit at their house in addition to seeing them at church on Sundays.  But then my husband took a job back in my hometown, so we moved and we were once again 12 hours apart.  Whenever we visit, we try to stay a few nights at their home (they have a whole finished basement that we take advantage of).  But last year, the Lord took my dear Opa to Himself, and my Oma is now continuing on without him; but with the grace and strong character that I've always loved about her.

And as far back as I can remember, my Oma has had a pair of knitting needles or crochet hooks in her hands.  She loves to create baby gifts, blankets, coasters, and sweaters; and the sound of those needles clicking is a familiar one in her home.  MANY times, I have given her yarn and a pattern and asked her to make something for me or for one my kids, and she always gives a little smile, and an "Oh, sure."  Making a quilt for her in return made me think of all those times, and how many countless hours she spent working on something for me.

This quilt is a 'copycat' of one that a friend made, I saw it and right away thought the design and colours were perfect for my Oma.  I love being part of a quilting and blogging community, and getting inspiration when I'm not even looking for it.  The pattern can be found here (but I used a diamond ruler that I bought at JoAnns), and the fabric is a retired line from Connecting Threads.  I quilted on either side of the ditch, and used a solid brown flannel for the backing.

So when my Oma reads this (she loves checking up on her grandchildren's blogs), I hope you're still enjoying this quilt, and please know that I think of you lots!  Love you!

Pattern Review: Ruffled Baby Boots

Need a unique handmade baby shower gift idea?  BaublesandBits just released this Ruffled Baby Boots pattern, and I was eager to review it for them.  This is a PDF pattern, so you just need to print off the pages.  There are very detailed instructions for how to sew them up, and lots of photos.

The first pair took me a little extra time to make sure I was doing it right, but now they take no time at all.  They use just a small amount of fabric, and are a great way to use up some scraps.  You can dress them up with a ruffle or some trim, or leave it off.  And using minky or fleece will make them extra warm if you have a cold Winter ahead of you.

You can find the pattern in their shop if you'd like to get started on a pair!