Paula Hopperstad made both of these as her daughter had to have one too! I love the addition of the monogram Paula!
Dianna Baklik made this cute flip flop out of a baby's pre-quilted blanket panel. Aren't the pastel colors pretty? Great job Dianna!!
Mitzy Pearson made this pretty aqua and hot pink one and added a touch of beach embroidery redwork to hers. Clever Mitzy! Love it!
Terre Sexton made her adorable flip flop waterproof on both the inside and the outside with Pellon's Iron on Vinyl. She improvised on the handle by using some of the pre-quilted fabric instead of webbing. Great job Terre!
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Candi WIlson made this adorable pair. I love the brown and pink together.
Julie Ford made this What A Hoot Notebook Cover in the Steno size. Great job Julie!
Khindra Kent of Khindra's Kreations, made this adorable What A Hoot Steno Cover. I love the use of the teal and aqua of course but also the polka dots! Too cute Khindra!
Sue Weidenthal made this hooty (as she called it) and made her "hair" flip up a little. So cute!! I love the fall fabrics she choose. Adorable Sue!!
Sue Weidenthal also made this "Snow Owl" What a Hoot Notebook Cover - Spiral size. I like the use of different fabrics. Totally changes the look of the cover. Love your creative touch Sue.
A huge thank you to all of my testers. You guys are so wonderful! I appreciate all of your help!!!
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THANK YOU Thomas Sewing Center, Inc. for the adorable display of my patterns and samples in your Janome booth!
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Our annual Mesquite Quilt Show was held this weekend at the Rutherford Community Center. Its a small show compared to the Dallas Quilt Show but its always fun to attend and see all of the beautiful quilts on display. Quilt shop owners from around our area gather with their gorgeous fabrics, notions and machines to sell at special "quilt show" prices.
A big THANK YOU goes out to Thomas Sewing Center, Inc. for the adorable display of my patterns and samples in their booth. Dana, your booth looked fantastic -- all of your hard work paid off. You did a great job!
Below is a picture of these beautiful Janome girls, Dana, Karen and Liz.
]]>Diane Benoit has been making lots of ITH Scissor Rug Mats - they are so cute Diane!
Diane Benoit also sent me this picture of her ITH Flip Flop Coaster. Look at the adorable butterfly. She got this from her mother's stash - what a find! Just makes the Flip Flop Coaster! Great job. Thank you for sharing.
Angie Fowler sent me this picture of her version of Screen It Up. Too cute Angie! I love the yellow screen mesh you used. Here's what Angie said, "Here is finished bag...love the size of it! Great pattern....only change I made was the exterior fabric I sectioned and made pockets. Thank you Angie for sharing your thoughts and your picture of Screen It Up. Great Job!
Veronica Hicks sent me this picture of her Just A Peek Tote Bag. It is wonderful! I love the fabric! Thank you for sharing Veronica.
Candi Wilson has been sewing up a storm. She made these adorable Chevron hand towels and is planning on making a matching bath towel. Click here to get the Chevron towel tutorial. I love the funky hot pink and zebra fabric she chose for the Chevron. Too cute Candi.
Candi also sent me these pics of her Sew Many Projects Caddy. Adorable Candi! Thank you for sharing. Your projects are wonderful!
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Kathy Albus said, "This one turned out very cute,love the lining."
Kathy, your scottie fabric is too cute. Thank you for testing my pattern. Great job.
Sue Weidenthal said, "You also have a unique way of presenting everything in chronological order with enough detail to help make it simple, but not so much as to be wordy. And the way you did the recessed zipper .... WOW! You go, girl!"
Sue suggested using plastic canvas in the bottom of the bag in lieu of the fusible Pellon Peltex. Thank you Sue for all your wonderful suggestions and for your adorable bag. I love your fabric choices...you can never go wrong with pink!
Mitzy Pearson said, "It's another great pattern from Michelle. Well thought out easy to follow instructions. Thanks for the embroidery extras."
Mitzy, I love your funky fabric choice. Your contrasting thread stitching on the accent piece is fabulous! It really pops against the black fabric. Thank you for testing this for me. You can checkout Mitzy's Facebook store, Little Divas and Dudes for more adorable projects.
Julie Ford said, "CUTE AS A BUTTON."
Julie used decorator fabric on her sample --adorable Julie! Thank you for testing this for me.
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The Mini-Screen by Kimberly Gavrus
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The Mini-Screen by Julie Ford
Michelle, your patterns are amazing. I've never seen so many photos and easy steps to follow. There is no lack for information and helpful hints along the way. It really is like you are right there with me. Plus, this bag is CUTE and people notice. Your choice of pet screen is a super product. It's not your typical thin pet screen but something that has body and will hold up. You make putting in a zipper seem easy.
Julie, thank you for your kind words. I'm so glad you enjoyed the pattern. I love working with the pet screen. It is available at Walmart (in the hardware section) and Lowe's. Its called Pet D-Fence.
Thank you for sharing your adorable Mini-Screen.
Thank you so much for the awesome free Owl treat holder. I made them for my 3 grandsons and they loved them!
Dee, I love the fabric! Thank you for sharing!
Hello Michelle,Thank you for such a well written pattern. The pictures were great.I have now completed two bags, one is a bit bigger as I forgot to trim it back.It is a bit bright here today, so the colours washed out the zips are bright pink and green.Best WishesAnnette Stevenson
Anette, your Sew Many Projects Caddies are adorable! I'm so glad you enjoyed making them.
Thank you for sharing.
Annette, your Mini-Screen tote bag is so cute! I love your fabrics! Great job!!!
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These ladies are uber talented! I am a better person for knowing each of them.
Here are some pictures taken at our January meeting. Just look at all the cute projects they brought to share during Show and Tell.
I hope these pictures inspire you to go and sew something.
Michelle:>)
]]>I normally make gifts for my friends and family at Christmas, but this year my time was at a premium and I was only able to complete a couple of gifts. Now that Christmas is over I can share them with you. They are both Kitchen Quilts. They are super quick and easy to make and require no real pattern(all a big plus for me). BTW, this was not my idea, this was shown to me several months ago by my friend, Mitzy, and I have kept it in my back pocket to make as a surprise for my Mom for Christmas.
Here's how I did it (sorry no step by step pictures like normal because this is so easy you don't need pictures):
I took a bath towel and cut it in half (you could even use a kitchen towel or a hand towel if you wanted). Then I began playing with fabric and deciding how I wanted the front to look. As I have told you, I am not a "real quilter" but I did want it to resemble a quilt since, after all, it is called a Kitchen Quilt :>) So I found a piece of focus fabric that I knew my Mother would love and cut a piece about 12" x 22" for the left hand side. Then I added two companion fabrics and made a checkerboard for the right side, cutting the strips to 2 1/2" each. I added the machine applique flowers (because a little embroidery never hurt any project, right?) to match the fabric on the left side to tie it all together.
Once I had the quilt top pieced, I placed it and the towel, right sides together and stitched with a 1/2" seam allowance around all the edges, leaving about a 6" hole for turning. I then machine quilted the two pieces together using invisible thread (my favorite). I closed the opening, once the quilting was complete, by top stitching around the quilt. See Easy Peasy! The total finished size was approximately 19" x 21".
HINT: Pre-wash both your towel (pre-cut) and fabrics.
In this next Kitchen Quilt, I didn't add any embroidery (shocker I know). I chose to use a Loralie panel (have too many of those I need to use up) and piece some companion strips together instead. It is a little smaller, approximately 18" x 19" but just as cute. This would be a great project for a house warming gift or as a present to yourself to spruce up your kitchen counter when doing dishes. It will also help you use up some of that fabric stash:>)
Thanks Mitzy for the Kitchen Quilt idea. It was a big hit with my Mom. If you make a Kitchen Quilt of your own, please email me a picture so I can share it with everyone for inspiration at SewMichelle@outlook.com.
]]>I wouldn't call myself a quilter but this Twister Ruler definitely has intrigued me. From the way I understand it, you sew either 5" or 10" blocks together (depending on the size of the twister ruler you use) and then you lay the twister ruler on the blocks and cut around it and then sew them back together to produce a "twister" quilt. Pretty cool huh? I am such a sucker for gadgets! I found these adorable quilts on Pinterest and it says they are made using the ruler. I think I might like to give this a whirl. Maybe it will turn me into a quilter? So if Santa is listening, I would REALLY like one of these in my stocking please :>) In fact, I made it easy for you, I found a place that has a combo Twister & Lil Twister Ruler set so you don't have to ponder over which size to get me.......just get both.
]]>I recently participated in a zipper pouch swap put together by Heather Valentine from The Sewing Loft. The only thing my swap partner really knew was that I liked bright colors. I first opened my package to find she took the time to wrap the pouch in pretty tissue paper (bright yellow of course) and tied a cute bow around it. Being the girly girl I am - of course that instantly made me smile. After all, presentation is everything isn't it? Then I unwrapped it and saw this adorable bag - its like she had known me for years! She wrote in her note (that was on the cutest handmade card) that she picked the brightest fabric in her stash - its perfect! Definitely my kind of colors. She even filled the pouch with extra goodies such as a business card holder, scissor case with the cutest pair of little scissors and a matching key chain. She really outdid herself - thank you Mary Ann! You are a FABULOUS swap partner!!
]]>Its CRUNCH TIME! If you need a quick gift, click HERE to check out my Fancy Fabric Folders.
Secrets of Embroidery has the file available as an instant download on their site. All you have to do is click on the picture at the bottom of their page and it will automatically download to your computer. You can personalize the folders with the applique machine embroidery designs that are included with the free pattern. Don't have an embroidery machine? No problem. I have added a PDF and a JPEG file with each letter so you can personalize them too using a regular sewing machine and a zig zag stitch on the edges. The folders are even cute without embroidery. The free pattern includes instructions for covering a matching spiral notebook too.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Enjoy!!!
]]>For all of you that are scrambling to get those last minute gifts done (I can TOTALLY relate)and need quick but beautiful designs, you should check out Sew Inspired by Bonnie. She has a new set out call Painted Poinsettias and it is gorgeous! Here are some pics of her new set on a tree skirt she created. While it might be too late to make a tree skirt like this, unless you don't sleep and only sew from now until Christmas, you could embroider the designs on towels or pillowcases for a quick gift. And for the icing on the cake......she is having a Buy One Get One Free Sale starting today.
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As with most sewers, I am always working on multiple projects at the same time. I get bored with one and then I begin a new one. I try to be organized by putting everything I need for the first project in a box or bag to keep it all together but then when I want to go back to that project, I normally can't find it without looking through all the boxes or bags I have loaded with other projects. One day after getting frustrated searching for a particular project for what seemed like hours, I thought, if I could only see what's in these things it would make my life easier and I wouldn't waste so much precious time searching for what I'm looking for. Then it hit me, PET SCREEN! You can see through pet screen! And so it began, the Sew Many Projects Caddy was born.
My favorite part of the Sewing Caddy is that it has two outer zippered pockets to hold thread, scissors and sewing notions (or whatever else the project requires). Then behind each zippered pocket is an additional pocket that is perfect to hold patterns and notes while storing the fabric or heavier materials in the main part of the bag. Using the pet screen allows you to see exactly what project you have in the caddy and all its compartments, while keeping your things organized so when you're ready to work on your project, everything you need is right there and you can identify it easily. No more wasting time by searching through all the boxes for the project you were working on a month ago!
Don't let the zippers scare you away from making this adorable caddy! I understand that most of us are visual learners and I cater to that by including lots of pictures (over 25 in this pattern) to guide you step by step in making your own Sew Many Projects Caddy. My method of installing zippers (with zipper tabs to make it look professional ) is super simple and is explained in detail with pictures to help you conquer this fear!
In addition to the 12 page eBook, I have included my much loved Sewnopsis to save you time and money on printing. What is a Sewnopsis? It is a single page reference guide that has the supply list, cutting instructions and the most important steps to the pattern on ONE SHEET. It's handy to keep by your sewing machine to refer to when making your Caddy. It is also a lifesaver to have with you when you go to the store to get your supplies so you don't forget a thing and have to make the dreaded trip back to the store.
This pattern DOES INCLUDE BONUS embroidery designs. The Sew Many Projects circle applique' frame is included with each letter of the alphabet and then a blank applique' frame in case you want to incorporate your own lettering. The embroidery design fits the 4"x4" hoop and is available in JEF, PES, HUS and EXP formats.
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Kimberley sent me pictures of her version of my
Mini-Screen Tote Bag Pattern.
It is just adorable Kimberley!
This is what she had to say:
"Hi Michelle, I recently purchased your pattern instructions for your cute little tote. I made this tote featuring Whimsical Roses Monograms by Santi from Hatched in Africa embroidery designs. I want to compliment you on your instructions...they are really nice...love all the pics. Also, I really liked working with the type of screening you suggested. I have never heard of it before, and a few Walmart employees had not either....LOL My husband and I wondered around the store until he spotted it in the hardware isle. This is one tote, you are seeing both sides. I couldn't decide if I wanted to use the K or the G (for my last name)....so I decided to use both. Thanks for creating this little cutie. Kimberley Gavrus."
Kimberley, THANK YOU for sharing your adorable creation!
You did a fantastic job!
If you have made a project using one of my patterns, I would LOVE to see it and share it on my blog.
Please send me a picture or two to my email SewMichelle@outlook.com.
If you would like to purchase your own Mini-Screen Tote Bag Pattern, please visit my Etsy Store by clicking here or you can purchase through Secrets of Embroidery by clicking here.
Thanks again Kimberley!
]]>If you would like to purchase My Sunday Best pattern, please click HERE to go directly to my Etsy store.
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Normally I don't sell any embroidery designs that I use on my samples, but I am trying something new this time. This pattern includes the embroidery designs shown on the tote bag as a BONUS with the purchase of my pattern. The designs will be sent with the pattern in JEF, PES, HUS and EXP formats. Both designs (an applique cross for the lining) require at least a 5"x 7" hoop to stitch them. The cross can be completed in one hooping, using the 5" x 7" hoop, but the scripture will require two hoopings if using a 5" x 7" hoop. The scripture does fit in a single hooping for a 7" x 11" or larger hoop.
The tote bag is ZIPPER FREE so it is a very quick project (even for a beginner). You could make plenty of these tote bags to give to the people on your Christmas list that you have no idea what to get for them. Or you can even make these and sell them at craft shows (that season is coming up quickly you know). The bag is so unique that it is sure to attract lots of attention to your booth.
The bag measures 12 1/2"tall x 14" wide x 5" deep, making it the perfect size to hold your necessities any day of the week.
]]>Congratulations go out to Barbara Kish Murray from Roselle, IL!! She won the Why Knot Tote Bag sample made out of Moda's Little Black Dress fabric line. I heard from Barbara this morning and she is so excited she's "doing the happy dance". Too funny Barbara!
Thank you all so very much for the sweet comments you left. Reading them makes me want to make a sample and send to EACH of YOU! Stay tuned for more contests - this was too much fun.
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Lana has been teaching her 12 year old twin girls and their friends how to sew. They have been working on things the girls can use to make it fun for them to learn. One of her students, Emmaleigh Dunston, made a spiral notebook cover from my tutorial and entered it into the State Fair of Texas and WON A RIBBON! I have to say it is the prettiest notebook cover I have EVER seen Emmaleigh! I love your choice of fabric and the way you embellished it with buttons is just adorable. I am so proud of you! Please keep up the good work.
Lana, you have done a fantastic job teaching these young girls to sew. Thank you for taking the time to pass the love of sewing down to our younger generation and for sending this picture to me. It really touched my heart.
]]>For all those who have posted comments, I really appreciate all the sweet remarks.
I'm glad I am drawing randomly because I couldn't stand to have to pick just one to be my favorite :>)
If you haven't left a comment yet, please post one before midnight Sunday night so you can be entered for the Why Knot Tote Bag sample(not the ladybug tote pictured above but the black and cream one from the previous blog post).
I will draw the winner on Monday and announce it after I have contacted them via email.
Good luck!
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If you would like to be entered into this contest, all you have to do is leave me a comment on this post.
After September 30th, I will draw a lucky winner and mail this bag to you.
Simple, right? You bet! Easiest contest ever!
]]>At that time, it will go up to the normal price of $8.00. Thank you all so very much for your support.
I am thrilled you guys like the pattern. Makes all my long hours and late nights of working on it worthwhile.
If you haven't purchased your Why Knot Tote Bag pattern yet, please click HERE to take you to my Etsy store to get it while it is at this reduced price.
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