tween aprons . . .

Some fabric arrived at my house recently - bright beautiful prints from Cynthia Rowley's new collection called Paintbox.  And the fabric was sent to me directly from Michael Miller Fabrics!  The first project that I thought of making when I saw them is aprons.  Can't you see a table of kiddos concentrating on art projects wearing these prints?

So today my oldest daughter was my assistant as we made a couple aprons for birthday gifts.  I've deemed these to be tween size, and am trying to deny the fact that my oldest daughter is entering this stage.

Of course my little guy had to jump in the photo op, so here is a picture of my big kid and my little kid.

Hope everyone is having a fabulous week!  I'm off to Sports Day and hoping for some sunshine.

Our little getwaway and a WINNER . . .

Last week the hubby and I escaped for three nights on a mini cruise.  The food was AMAZING, the scenery was breathtaking, and to top it all off - I spent a few hours in the spa getting pampered.  I also stumbled upon two great quilt shops in the towns we visited.

Kismet Quilts was full of designer fabric, and had this long-arm machine on display.  Wish I could go back and watch them quilt on it . . .

And the other shop was Undercover Quilts - a little shop that was packed FULL of fabric and completed quilts, and had some great pricing.  I walked out of there with some nice yardage for my stash.

Thank-you to everyone who checked out my beach bag tutorial!  The winner of the fat quarter bundle is Colleen!  I'll send you an email.

Beach Tote Tutorial and a Giveaway!

I have a new tutorial going up on the Fabri-Quilt blog for this oversized beach tote, and the generous people at Fabri-Quilt have sponsored a giveaway of this Belle of the South fabric - just enter through the rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

bee quilt in progress . . .

I was hoping to have the new Fabri-Quilt tutorial ready to post today, but will be aiming for Monday instead.  I do have something fun to share - these lovely quilt blocks that keep arriving in my mailbox.  These are for our latest quilt from the Joy circle of Do Good Stitches.  Didn't all these women do a fabulous job?  The backing fabric also arrived in the mail - it's a 60" wide from Wholeport.com and it goes great with the color scheme.

Life has been busy and consuming lately - a new full-time babysitting job of a one-year old has me more tired than usual, and also more in a routine of housework, cuddling on the couch with little ones, and having afternoon siestas to help catch up on energy.  I've also found myself emotionally distracted by things in the media like the search and loss of a father, the loss of two parents (one a prominent woman in the online crafting community), and this unthinkable crime.  I'm ready to cut myself off from the news for a few days and make some memories with my family instead.  Wishing you and your loved ones a safe and happy weekend!

a personalized pillow . . .

Well another birthday girl invitation came home (seems to be a recurring theme lately, must be birthday season). My oldest daughter always has unique requests when it comes to what to make for her friends, and this time she wanted a name pillow.  I had picked up a couple bolster style pillow forms for a good deal recently, so I didn't even need to make a trip to the fabric store.

The letters were appliqued using a fusible web and finished off with a blanket stitch.

The fabrics and zipper were from my stash.

I'll have to keep an eye out for these pillow forms on sale again, they make a fun quick gift!

Winner of SMS GIveaway . . .

Congratulations to Marcia!  These fun fabrics will be shipped out to you.  I'll be in touch with you shortly.

Next week I'll be linking to my new tutorial on the Fabri-Quilt blog, and also hosting a giveaway of a fat quarter bundle of the fabrics I used.  But today I am enjoying a quiet house all to myself while the kiddies go Mother's Day shopping.  Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

SMS Giveaway Day!

To celebrate Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day, I have a fat quarter bundle of these prints ready to send to a lucky winner!  Just use the rafflecopter below, and I will ship internationally.  Giveaway ends May 10. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway