Bee In My Bonnet

Love Handles...A Tutorial...

2012-01-24T22:01:00.002-07:00

Yesterday I whipped up a little gift for a group of my sewing friends that I wanted to tell you about.

We often get together for a sew day or we like to go away together on sewing retreats...and we also like to exchange little gifts on retreat every now and then.

So anyhoo...this month we decided to extend our sew day into a week long sewing marathon!

There are 8 of us in our group and we are sewing at my friend Judy's house for the week.

We set up our machines and projects where we can leave them all week long.

We arrive early in the morning and stay until 10:00 PM and then we go home to get some beauty sleep so that we can

come back and start all over!

We all live within 20 minutes of each other.

We divided dinner duty and we

bring our own lunch.

I created a little something I call

"Love Handles" to gift everyone.

I got the idea from our last retreat we went on.....we all have featherweight sewing machines that we use when we retreat...

and as you know...

all of the cases are exactly the same.

Last time a few of us got our machines mixed up after loading and unloading them.

So I thought if I made a cute little handle out of different fabric for everyone that would solve the problem...so came the invention of Love Handles:)

I thought I would show you how I made them so you can make some too.

Not only are they handy for identifying your sewing machine...but they make your machine comfortable to carry because of the padding...and most of all...they make your sewing machine case extra cute!

They are easy to make and you only

need a few supplies and a

few minutes to make one.

You will need...

2 - 5" x 5" squares of fabric

1 - 5" x 5" square of batting

4" of sew on hook and loop tape (velcro)

Place your fabric squares right sides together and add the batting on top.

Use a 1/4" seam allowance and sew around all edges leaving a 3" opening in

one end for turning.

Clip the corners to reduce bulk...

Turn right side out and turn under

opening seams 1/4" and press.

Like this.

Sew one half or the velcro on one side...

And the other half on the other side...

So that you can roll it up and

close it like this!

I made all 8 of mine in about an hour.

Fast and Easy.

Now we won't get our sewing machines

mixed up anymore!

These would also work great for luggage....

you would be able to identify yours

quickly and easily while traveling:)

Just wrap one around your handle for

comfort and cuteness!

I put each one in a little cellophane bag...

And added a tulle bow on the top.

Everyone picked the one that they wanted.

I hope you enjoyed my little tutorial

on how to make

"Love Handles"...

and I hope you make a few of your own!

Until next time my friends...

have a quilty kind of day:)

Lori

Still Painting...

2012-01-23T00:30:00.000-07:00

Yes...I am still painting but I'm making progress!

I thought I would show you the lid of my paint can so that all those who have emailed me asking for the color can see that it is Balmy Seas by Behr. The color is perfect and I am so thrilled with it!

It took me awhile to choose the perfect aqua....but for me...this is it!

I wanted to find one that matches the aqua pantone that I chose to use in my fabric lines perfectly so that I will be able to decorate to my hearts content when all of the painting and flooring is complete.

The kitchen and the hallway walls are completely painted but we haven't got to the floor yet because we stopped to do the guest bathroom at the end of the hall....I'll show you the bathroom in my next post.

Of course I have not had time to arrange my vintage finds on top of my cupboards....

that will come later.

They are all still in boxes stacked in my front room...it looks like an episode of Hoarders in there...I'm not kidding!

I will show you how they turned out

when I am able to

get some time to do it!

I have put all of the handles and knobs back onto the kitchen cabinets

so that we can at least use them now...I'm anxious to get back to cooking:)

I didn't buy new handles because I still love

the spoon and fork handles that I have had

for 9-10 years....they add so much to my vintage farmhouse kitchen style...

don't you think?

I still love the knobs that I have had for a long time too...they are cherries!

Sorry for the fuzzy picture...

Here's a close up of the knob.

I can't remember what brand they are...

I ordered them through an online hardware company that I can't remember the

name of either:)

I already showed you that I painted my little baking cupboard yellow.

For right now I keep my iPad and docking station there so that I can listen to iTunes or my blog playlist or several good books that I have downloaded from Audible.

Those are the things that I listen to....to keep me going while I am painting other pieces of my well loved furniture.

Like this little chair that I painted aqua...

last redo I painted it a jadeite green color.

(all of my favorite furniture pieces have been several different colors...I like to redecorate alot!)

I bought this chair at a garage sale long ago. I remember that I paid 4 dollars for it. A cute grandpa who was a carpenter by trade had built it. He said he didn't need it anymore and so decided to get rid of it.

I love it! It's a very well built,

sturdy and cute little chair.

My children used it when they were small and Sophie uses it now.

I use it too!

I keep it in my kitchen (because I am short) to use as a stool so that I can reach into the top shelf of my kitchen cupboards when

Mr. Honey or my giant fourteen year old son Sterling isn't around!

(Sterling is now 6'1)

I have always brushed the paint on my furniture when I am repainting but for the rocking chair in my kitchen I will be using spray paint to repaint it...it's just too hard to get a brush in all of the nooks and crannies:)

It's red now but I will be painting it

my favorite Apple Green to

freshen things up a bit!

I painted a new coat of white on this vintage shelf that went on the end of a cupboard in a 1930's kitchen a long time ago.

I found it in a thrift shop about 15 years ago and it's been on the end of

my cupboard ever since!

I keep a colorful collection of

pitchers and creamers on it:)

You can see the old black and white floor that we are tearing out and replacing in the background....hopefully in a few weeks it will be wood flooring instead!

But in the meantime I am using the kitchen as my furniture painting station before we replace the floor.

I painted this old pie safe green...

a shade darker than the apple green I will

use for the rocking chair.

Mr.Honey bought this for me as a birthday gift a few years after we were married...

I still love it!

It has punched tin doors...

And I replaced the metal knobs with glass knobs for a little bit of bling!

I like how the metal and glass look together....don't you?

I love the way that the green

looks against the

new aqua walls...

all finished and ready to be filled

with vintage linens:)

I put a fresh coat of white on my

kitchen table and chairs.

I love white table and chairs.

I think white is like a sparkling clean canvas for all pops of color in tablecloths, quilts, place mats and chair cushions that I put on them:)

My farmhouse table has a really

deep drawer in the side...

and that's where I keep my place mats.

I replaced the knob with a glass knob too. They are part of the Martha Stewart

collection for Home Depot.

A cold winter day outside while I am inside warm and cozy with paint and brush and music and words...

and the cold day turns into a cold winters night!

Can you see the church pew in the window?...

we use it for extra seating at the table.

It's now aqua!....the same as aqua as

the little chair...

just one shade darker than the walls.

The church pew was the first antique that

Mr. Honey and I bought shortly after we were married ...and 30 years later we are

still collecting:)

We put a new light fixture over the table...and the very first thing I will be sewing for my new kitchen will be new curtains for the bay window:)

I have decided to use my Sew Cherry fabric

for the curtains.

I'll use the white floral for the bottom cafe curtains and the red gingham for the valance.

I'm lining the back of the curtains with the little red daisy fabric.

I thought I might add the yellow somewhere but I think instead I will probably add

yellow and also red ric-rac

on the bottom of the cafe curtains

for the trim. I want them very simple and vintage looking.

It may sound a little crazy to you that I am making all of my "new" decor look "old"...but hey...that's just how I roll:)

Like I said...I am making good progress and have alot done but I still have alot to do...like the front room.

I'll talk about that more when I get to it.

Until then...have a quilty kind of day:)

Lori

A Cute Little Patchwork Bag...

2012-01-14T00:30:00.000-07:00

Do you love sewing cute little bags

as much as I do?

There's just something about choosing some fun fabric and a fabulous little pattern...

and setting aside just a

little time to play...

and completing a sweet little bag...

and filling it with handmade love

from grandma...

and sealing it with a kiss before

giving it away:)

I used my Sew Cherry fabric

and my friend

Ayumi's tutorial

to make this cute little patchwork bag.

Go over and visit her to make one for yourself!...she is a sweetie:)

This is the last little project

that I sewed for my

Sophie Belle

for Christmas...

a little patchwork diaper bag to keep her Diapers and Wipes

and

Dolly's New Outfit

all together.

Oh!!!!...and a set of her own little

Hand Warmers

for the pockets in her winter coat.

I made them to measure 3" x 3" to fit

her cute little hands:)

Have a quilty kind of weekend!!!

Lori

A New Outfit for Dolly...

2012-01-13T00:30:00.000-07:00

Hello out there in bloggy land!

Today I'm showing you the little dress

and matching bib that I sewed for

Sophies new doll...who's name is

officially Dolly by the way:)

It's a cute little wrap around dress...

using only 2 fabrics and it could be reversible if you wanted to make it that way...but first...on to the bib.

I chose a yellow Sew Cherry print and the yellow Sew Cherry solid for the bib...I also used white flannel for the back of the bib.

I chose the red Sew Cherry gingham for the front of the dress and the red Sew Cherry daisies for the dress lining.

I used a really cute baby bib pattern by Amy at Lots of Pink Here...thanks Amy!

I copied it at only 33.3% to make it small enough for Dolly.

Click here to go visit Amy and her cute blog and also to download her free pattern!

I sewed the front of the bib together

and added some ric-rac...

Then I layed it face down on the flannel and sewed 1/8" around the edges.

I left an opening at the

bottom for turning...

And I cut out the flannel to match the

edges of the bib front.

I used a crochet hook to help me get smooth seams after I turned it...

And a pin to help me turn under the

small seam allowances from the opening

for pressing under.

The pin really helped because the bib is tiny!

I topstitched the edges and at the same time I sewed the opening closed.

I added velcro...

And the bib was complete!

So now for the dress:)

I downloaded a free template from

Blueberry Moon.

Click here to check it out...

it's a fun blog to visit!

I used my same method of tracing the pattern onto the wrong side of the fabric...

pinned 2 fabrics with right sides together

and stitched on the line.

I left an opening...turned...and topstitched.

I sewed velcro onto the strap ends for the closures so that Sophie would be able to undo and do them up herself...but I added buttons over the top for extra cuteness:)

This little dress was so fun and easy...

not to mention fast...

that I could have easily sewn 5-6 more if I hadn't run out of time!

I'm sure I will sew a few more after my little re-do of the cottage is complete:)

Isn't Dolly a cutie in red?

And look how cute the little yellow gingham diaper looks with it:)

Now Dolly has a new outfit and she also has a new diaper bag...I will show that next!!!

Have a quilty kind of day my friends:)

Lori

Diapers for Dolly...

2012-01-11T00:30:00.000-07:00

Hello cute peoples!

Are you interested in another fun

little project for the

little girl/girls in your life?

One of the projects that I made as

part of my Christmas sewing...

were diapers for the doll that I bought

for my cutie patootie grandaughter

Sophie Belle.

Sophie is 2 1/2 years old now and she is at that age where she loves to take bubble baths and she loves to drag everything

in the tub with her!

So when I saw this doll I thought it

would be perfect for her.

There's just something so fun about

giving a doll to a little girl

on Christmas isn't there?

Look at her sweet little face and her molded hair!...so vintagey looking...

she reminds me of the baby dolls I used to play with as a little girl.

Anyhoo...

on to the dolly diapers.

I used a small little print lined with

white flannel for each diaper.

I pre-shrunk the flannel because I know that flannel shrinks alot and I assumed Sophie would be washing these cute little diapers often and hanging them on her little clothesline to dry!

Velcro worked perfectly for the closures and Sophies little hands were able to fasten and unfasten them easily.

I used a cute pattern found on

Skip to my Lou for the diaper.

Click here

to check it out.

I copied the pattern at 66.7% and I found

that size fit Sophie's doll perfectly using my method of cutting and sewing.

Her doll measures about 12" tall....you can adjust the pattern to fit any size doll!

I sewed mine a bit differently than the one on

Skip to my Lou ...

I traced my pattern onto poster board (to make it sturdy for tracing) and then cut it out.

Then I used a mechanical pencil and traced the pattern onto the wrong side of the printed fabric for my sewing line...I didn't trace a line where I left an opening.

I placed the flannel onto the right side

of the print...

I didn't need to pin because the

flannel doesn't slip...

and stitched directly on my traced line.

I of course left an opening:)

I cut out the diaper leaving an approximate 1/4" seam allowance.

I clipped the inside curves before turning so that they would lay flat.

Then I turned the diaper using my favorite turning tool to get nice corners...

a crochet hook.

I pressed the seam allowances to the

opening under 1/4"...

And topstitched the diaper all the way around the edges...which sewed the opening closed.

I made 7 diapers...

one for every day of the week:)

I sewed on the velcro and made a

cute little dolly diaper stack.

And then played with them some more...sorry...I'm still trying to grow up!

I also cut 6 pieces of flannel and

zig-zagged the edges for

little diaper wipeys.

I remembered seeing a picture of

some like that on

Pinterest

and I thought they were so cute and I knew that Sophie would love them!

I was right...

Sophie did love them and as soon as she unwrapped them...

she didn't waste any time changing

her new baby's diaper!

I also made a dress, a bib and a diaper bag for her doll.

I'll show them to you next!

Lori

Hot/Cold Bags Tutorial...

2012-01-08T20:29:00.002-07:00

Do you remember my last post about the

hoodie scarves?...

I told you that Kass and I made something to go with them and I am finally

getting around to showing them to you now:)

We made some handwarmers to go

in the pockets at the end of the scarves!

Here in Utah the winters are long and cold...so handwarmers are a winter staple at our house.

I usually make a bunch this time of year and keep them in a big bowl in my pantry where they are handy and close to the microwave for a quick heat up on a cold day.

The nice thing about these hand warmers is that they work for cold packs too if you put them in the freezer first....

headaches and owies are quickly soothed

by using one or two of these little cuties!

So here is how I make them.

I like to use 5" x 5" squares...I'm sure you all have a few of those laying around

so that you can play along... right?

I use 2 different squares of

Sew Cherry for each bag...

one for the front...

and one for the back.

I also like to line them with flannel.

It helps to keep the heat/cold in longer.

I cut two 5" x 5" squares of

flannel for each bag.

I placed a piece of flannel on the wrong side of each square...

And I placed 2 squares with

right sides together.

Then I stacked them all up in

a pile for sewing!

I used a 3/8" seam allowance and stitched all the way around the edges... leaving an opening for turning and filling later.

I backstitched where I stopped and

started sewing.

I also used my walking foot because there

are 4 layers and it really

keeps them from shifting.

Before turning...

I clipped off the corners for less bulk.

I turned and used a crochet hook to get a nice point in the corners.

(my favorite turning tool)

I used a funnel...

and filled each bag with about

3/4 of a cup of rice.

I stitched the opening closed using

my machine:)

I stitched them up in matching pairs...

one for each pocket!

Each set takes about 30-45 seconds on high

to heat up in my microwave.

And there you have it...fast,easy and cute little square hot/cold bags...

what else could you ask for?

Okay...maybe longer and larger hot/cold bags for your feet and neck?

You got it!

I made a few of those too!

I made them the exact same way ...

I used Daisy Cottage fat quarters

for these bags and I cut 2 different

pieces of fabric 6" x 20"...

again...

one for the front and one for the back.

I also cut two pieces of flannel for

each bag the same size.

I stitched them up and turned them...

Filled them up with about 6 cups of rice

for each bag...

which is about halfway full.

I stitched them closed...and laid them out to show you!

These take about 2 minutes on high because they are quite a bit larger.

I like to put one at the bottom of my bed so that my sheets are nice and toasty for my feet when I climb into bed on a cold winters night!

They also work nicely for a neck, shoulder or backache after a long quilty day!

And they also work in the freezer too!

After I have been out working in the garden on a hot summer day...it feels heavenly to lay one across my shoulders and neck to cool me down a bit...try it and see if it works for you too!

Until tomorrow...

have a quilty kind of day my friends:)

Lori

Kassidy Sews...

2011-12-30T00:05:00.187-07:00

Today I thought I would show you what Kassidy made her friends for Christmas.

For those of you who might not know...

Kassidy is my 12 year old daughter

and my baby!

She has been sewing with me since she was very young and got her first sewing machine

when she turned 9.

We have regular "Sew Nite's" together so that we can play with fabric, have fun together and improve on her sewing skills...which I think are important for a young girl to have!

The winters here in Utah are so very cold so she decided she wanted to make hoodie scarves.

We saw some at Target that were way cute but at 20 dollars each...that wasn't going to happen as she has 8 friends

that she wanted to sew for....

so she decided we could make our own.

We took a trip to JoAnn's and she picked out

3 colors of nice thick fluffy fleece.

It was 10.00 per yard but was 50% off...and each scarf needed 3/4 yards...so I say that was a pretty good deal!

Fleece is so fun and easy to sew with because it doesn't fray and so there is no hemming needed...so these scarfs went together quick....no need for a pattern...just a scarf with a hood sewn to the top center.

She made the scarf extra long so that she could fold each end up twice and stitch down the sides for pockets....

and cut fringe on the ends.

We used muslin to design and cut out a test pattern shape for the hood before

cutting into the fleece.

Kassidy made 9 scarves total...

8 for her friends and 1 for herself.

She did a great job...thay turned out really cute and the girls all loved them!

We also made additional little gifts to go with the scarves that I will post about later.

When I was a girl growing up in a large family with lots of sisters, we would sew most of our own clothes.

My mom taught us all how to sew when we were young and it seemed that her tan Singer sewing machine was always set up on the kitchen table....we would always have to put the sewing away to set the table for dinner and then it would go right back on after the dishes were done!

We made some cute outfits and lots of cute dresses for church.

My sister Tammy who is a year older

than I...was the real seamstress...

what a talent!

She could sew anything but depended on me to choose the fabrics and styles and coordinate the outfits because that

just happened to be my talent.

Mom would take us girls to the mall to check out all the good stuff...

my sisters and I would find what we liked and then I would sketch them.

Then we would go look for patterns that looked like what I had sketched ...alot of times Tammy would combine two or three patterns for a certain look.

I would choose all of the fabric and coordinate the outfits...

and even do some designing!

My sisters would pick out the outfits that they wanted (but we all shared anyway as we were all pretty much the same size)

Each sister was in charge of cutting out her own outfit from the pattern pieces and marking them ...and then Tammy would sew them

and make them fit us.

We always got compliments on our clothes and were always asked where we got them.

I'm proud that I have a mother who

taught me to sew.

Thanks MOM!

I am taking her example and passing it on

to my daughter.

I love the fact that Kassidy saw something in a store and decided to make her own...

a continuation of a family tradition:)

Lori

A Big Project at the Cottage!...

2011-12-28T21:32:00.002-07:00

Well hello cute people...it's been awhile!

I took a small break from blogging but now I'm back to my regularly scheduled program:)

Can you see the reason for my little bloggy break in the above photo?...

YEP!

We have been painting at my little cottage!

So far we have the kitchen walls painted....

when I say "we"...I mean Mr. Honey and I.

Kassidy and Sterling have been helping out too which makes it a family project...a big one!

The walls above the beadboard have been butter yellow for 9 years and now they are aqua!

We are installing wood flooring

throughout the house...

and so I decided it was time for a change all around and that the perfect time to do it would be during the long winter months ahead.

The cupboards, doors, beadboard and trim have been white for 9 years too and are still in great shape ...but while we were at it it...we put a fresh coat on them too.

I'm letting the paint cure for a few days before putting the handles and knobs back on.

I'm also repainting each piece of

furniture in the kitchen...

this is my vintage little girl's cupboard

now painted yellow.

It used to be a jadeite green.

I love my little cupboard...

I bought it years ago while thrifting

and have always kept it in my kitchen.

When the kids were little I kept playdough, crayons, coloring books, paper,

colored pencils and art supplies in it

so they could sit up to the table and be creative while I was in the kitchen.

Now I keep my baking supplies inside:)

I'll show you what it looks like inside when I put everything back together!

I hope you had a lovely Christmas...we did!

I did take some time to do a

little bit of sewing for gifts...

I took plenty of pictures and I will show you everything I made in my upcoming posts.

It's good to be back...I have missed you!

Lori

Still on the Farm...

2011-11-30T00:05:00.111-07:00

I realize that it's been a long time since I have posted anything about the

Farmers Wife Quilt Along...

but I just wanted to let ya'll know that I'm still on the farm...

And I'm still enjoying being a Farmer's Wife!

So anyhoo...I wanted to use some vintage

fabric in my quilt.

So I decided to use a red and gray combo for

#14 because my very favorite

vintage fabric that my grandma

gave to me is in red and gray.

She was a farmers wife for reals...and I thought it only fitting to include some of her fabric in my Farmers Wife quilt.

The fabric came from her stash that she had for a long time!...she thought it was from about 1950.

It's one of several that she gave to me

that are in 4 yard cuts.

When I asked her why

she always bought 4 yards...

she said,

"Well...that's how much it took to

make a house dress"

Because the blocks are only 6 inches finished...the pieces of the floral aren't very large but I really liked the way it turned out. I have always loved red with gray...

and I think the touch of green

adds a nice pop!

I decided to play with the color combo and set up a little vignette around my quilt block for a photograph.

I usually take pictures in my studio so I grabbed a few sewing related things in there that are red, gray and green.

A fun pair of vintage sewing scissors...

Of course I used my red gingham

tomato pincushion.

I collect vintage toy irons and this green one fit into my little vignette perfectly:)

I added a few old spools of thread

in red, gray and green...

A very old thimble from

my other grandma...

and a sprinkling of green vintage buttons.

I love playing with color...especially using vintage color combinations!

#14

Butterfly at the Crossroads

Fabric Used;

Gray stripe - Cherry Fizz

Red solid - Sew Cherry

Tiny red floral - ?

Gray floral - (my grandma)

I'll be making another block soon to show you!

I hope that you all have a

quilty kind of day my friends:)

Lori

Making Aprons from Old Shirts...

2011-11-27T16:32:00.003-07:00

Well I've told you how much I love Pinterest.

I always find something inspiring while I'm happily pinning away.

Last month I came across a photo that brought back memories from a project that I made when I was in Junior High.

It was a project that we made in our church youth group (Mutual)...they were aprons made from our brothers, dad's or grandpa's old button down shirts.

I can still remember the aprons that I made back then...I used my brothers western shirts...you know...the kind with the snaps instead of buttons.

It's real easy and fun to do.

You can find basic instructions here.

These photo's are from this site where the Pinterest picture originated.

She has used two different shirts to make one apron and has added a few embellishments and even a log cabin block for the pocket on one.

Here are a few without embellishments or pockets....I like these too...

simple and basic.

I will be making some again for Mr. Honey and for Sterling to wear in the kitchen on Sunday's over their white shirts and ties in between meetings.

(they are probably tired of wearing mine...haha)

I will keep the collar on for the neck...

or I will use a standard butcher apron

as a pattern and

simply finish them off with bias tape.

The idea of re purposing clothing...

or making aprons out of

old shirts is not a new one...

it's been around for a long time!

Our grandmothers lived by the motto

"waste not want not"

and we would do good to live by the same!

I still can hear my grandma saying...

"Use it up...

Wear it out,

Make it do

or Do without"

It would be fun to make a few just for sentimental reasons for Kassidy out of an old plaid shirt of her grandpa's...

I'll have to ask each of them for one.

For her... ruffles would be a must for sure:)

She likes a feminine apron.

See the tutorial for the ruffled front apron above here.

And speaking of feminine aprons...

I wanted to show you this one that my friend Rae Ann made out of an old blouse.

I took this picture of her apron and the pocket below at our Aspen retreat.

She saw the possibilities for an apron in the blouse because of the little red pinstriped fabric, the pleats at the top and the red eyelet trim around the bottom...

makes a cute ruffle apron!

There were darts on the back of the blouse and she just left them in and cut a pocket out of the back for the front. Cute huh?

I loved making my aprons out of old shirts

a long time ago ...

and I'm glad I found the pictures on Pinterest to remind me to make more!

So now you can go look in your own

Mr. Honey's closet or take a quick trip

to the thrift shop.

Look at mens old button down shirts or womens old blouses in a new way...look for an apron inside of them:)

Waste not...want not.

Lori

Jolly Jabbering...

2011-11-22T09:00:00.002-07:00

If you are wondering why I am showing you random pictures from my little cottage...

I suggest that you

click here

to check out my interview today over at the awesome Fat Quarter Shop blog...

the Jolly Jabber...where you can find out all about them.

Don't forget to leave me some bloggy love while you're there!

Lori

Butterfly Quilt...

2011-11-20T12:12:00.004-07:00

Last year I told you about my "Autumn Butterflies" quilt that I started.

Click Here...

to read all about it.

While at retreat ... I was able to get a little bit more time to work on it after I finished my Sew Cherry Swoon quilt.

This quilt is the perfect project to use as many different fabrics as you can...for alot of variety.

I have chosen fun prints from my stash

that I that I thought would make a great butterfly and would contrast nicely with

my brown solid background.

I'm making 100 butterflies for my quilt and I am about halfway there...

I have started joining them into rows of

2 x 10 butterflies.

As you can see, these are wonky butterflies and are fun to do!

I cut the wings 3 1/8" x 6 1/2"....

and added my brown background pieces

(cut 2 1/2" x 4 1/2")

to each side of the wing on an angle.

I trimmed them up and sewed the wings to my brown gingham butterfly body.

(cut 1 1/2" x 6 1/2")

You can follow Amy's tutorial just like

I did if you want to make your own!

Lori

Swoon and Sew Cherry...

2011-11-15T00:05:00.055-07:00

"Swoon" is one of the projects that I

worked on while on retreat.

If you remember...

I told you all about this quilt when

I started it while on retreat with

my BFF's in May...

right after Spring Market.

Click here to read about it.

I had been anxious to work on it ever since then and I finally had a few days when I could!

After I finished all of the blocks...I laid them out on the large design wall that was set up in the large sewing room at the lodge.

Now they are sewn together...I just need to add the white borders and quilt it!

I will bind it in my

Sew Cherry red gingham

and tuck red ric-rac inside the binding

for a fun finish.

I love Swoon!...after all...

the pattern was designed and given to me by my friend Camille.

I also loved making it with my

Sew Cherry fabric...

I'm going to hang it on my family room wall as soon as I can!

Thanks Camille...for such a fabulous pattern!

Coming up...I'll show you my other project I worked on while in the beautiful Wasatch Mountains of Utah.

Lori

Quilting Retreat at Aspen Grove...

2011-11-12T00:05:00.134-07:00

I'm back from the fabulous retreat at

Aspen Grove!

I had a great time...

and just take a look at how

gorgeous it was there.

Utah is famous for winter sports because of our mountains and plentiful snowfall in the winter season and we just recieved the first sprinkling of snow last week.

Aspen Grove is about 1 hour away from where I live...located in the beautiful

Wasatch Mountains of Utah.

It's also just right next door to the famous Sundance owned by Robert Redford.

This is where I spent the week...sewing in this beautiful spacious woodsy lodge nestled in the mountains.

It was cold there in the mountains...but we stayed warm and cozy by the fire blazing in a large stone hearth.

We all sewed together in the large room...

sew fun!

There were about 60 of us...

Ironing, cutting, sewing, eating, chatting, encouraging, sharing ideas and giving advice.

Of course we stayed up late and shared lots of stories and food and lots of laughter.

I roomed with my friend Rae Ann...

and Susann...we were the

3 muskateers and partners in crime:)

Here are just a few pics of the many, many projects I saw that were being

worked on this week.

This is my little work station.

Next week I'll show you my projects while I was away on retreat this week.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend with family and friends:)

Lori

Fall Market Photo's...

2011-11-07T00:50:00.000-07:00

I have pictures to show you of

Daisy Cottage

at Fall Market in Houston.

The reason I have pictures is

because my friend

Miss Pam Kitty Morning

took them for me!

Thanks Pam...you are a sweetie:)

Of course I couldn't display Daisy Cottage without a chandelier! ....

here is a pic with the chandelier on...

And chandelier off.

The table is vintage and it goes next

to my bed.

I've been going to paint it my favorite

shade of pale pink

forever and I thought it would look great

with Daisy Cottage... so I thought now was the perfect reason to finally paint it.

But because I was too busy sewing...

Mr. Honey came to the rescue and

painted it for me:)

Having all of my Daisy Cottage quilts and projects all together on display is a very rewarding feeling and

I couldn't have done it without the help of sew many friends...and of course thanks to Cindy and Jina!

I love being a part of Riley Blake.

They are the best!

I really can't believe that the

sewing frenzy is over.

If you can believe it...

All seven of the quilts were made from start to finish in 3 1/2 weeks.

Then, I started on the aprons, Mr. and Mrs. and all of the pillowcases,

which were made in 10 days!

Whew!

I'm ready for a vacation :)

And just what kind of vacation do you

think I'm going on?

Can you guess?

Yep.

A quilt retreat!

A quilting retreat with 60 other

quilting friends...yay!

I leave tomorrow morning and will be

gone for the week.

I'll take lots of pics to share with you when I get back.

I hope you all have

a quilty kind of week too!

Lori

I'm a Pinhead!!!...

2011-11-02T22:45:00.011-06:00

Yep.

I said it.

Well apparently I have another

addiction besides dresdens:)

I am totally and completely addicted to Pinterest.

Yes...I'm a pinhead!

I just can't stop pinning all that

good stuff out there on the internet.

But it's ok because I don't want to stop

and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon.

I thought I'd share with you just a few things I have pinned on my pinboards...I'm up to like 150 boards I think!

Pinboards are simply different categories that I have created on pinterest so that I can save pictures along with it's original source.

I love that when I "pin" a picture that inspires me to one of my pinboards...

I can click on the source link and it will take me there!

Which is really handy for saving

tutorials like this one.

These are by my friend Ayumi at Pink Penguin.

Aren't they cute?

I pinned this picture onto my pin board

that I titled

"Sew Fun..."

All I have to do now is click on the

picture on my board...

click on the source link and it will

take me to Ayumi's cute

"organizer basket tutorial"

Easy peasy:)

How about this fun pencil pouch tutorial?

It's by Vanessa from LBG Studio.

It looks like a quick and easy gift for

the upcoming holidays...so...

I pinned it onto my

"It's in the Bag..."

pinboard for easy reference when I

want to make it.

The tutorial for this quilt is by my BFF Nanette from Freda's Hive.

It's her Scraptacular Picnic quilt.

I love it and I want to make it and use up some of my scraps...because I have just a few!

I saved Nanette's tutorial for future reference by pinning it onto my

"A Quilty Kind of Day.."

pinboard.

And just look at this

little cutie patootie!...

This is my friend Amy's from Nana Conpany tutorial for her needlebook.

this is the front...

And this is the middle...adorable right?

I pinned this one to my piboard called

"Pins and Needles..."

These are just a few of the pictures that I have pinned on my pin boards.

Pinterest is a great place for me to save and organize all of the pictures, recipes, ideas and tutorials that inspire me on the internet.

They really should have named it Pinspiration...(I'm just sayin:)

If you havn't joined yet...

I highly recommend it!

A big part of the fun is following other pinners who have similar interests as you,

and you can repin what they have already pinned onto your own pinboards.

So here is your invitation...

click on the link below and

"Follow me on Pinterest"...

you can be a pinhead like me!

Lori

Daisy Cottage has arrived!...

2011-11-01T10:10:00.003-06:00

See the empty shelf in my studio?...

well...

it's been that way for a few weeks now.

I have been (impatiently) waiting for

my Daisy Cottage bolts to arrive.

And they are about to be filled up

because Daisy Cottage is here!...

YAY!

Now you can even get some for yourself

to play with...

Here and Here!

This morning after I eat my breakfast...

while listening to a good book on my iPad...

I will be working on the instructions part of my new Daisy Cottage patterns...they will all be released in 2 weeks!

Thank you so much for all of your

wonderful comments about my

Daisy Cottage fabric and new patterns.

I had so much fun reading each and every one...I was sooooo overwhelmed with kindness from you my bloggy friends:)

The winners of the fat quarter bundles are

Stephanie, Melissa and Mary.

Congrats to you!...thanks for playing:)

The winner of 3 new Daisy cottage patterns of her choice is Elizabeth.

Thanks for blogging about Daisy Cottage!

More to come later...

Lori

New Crochet Edge Pillowcase Pattern...Plus 1 more!

2011-10-31T00:05:00.142-06:00

Well you all know by now that I love crochet edge pillowcases.

I think my Daisy Cottage fabric is perfect for tons of crochet edge pillowcases...

so that's what I made!

Introducing...

"Daisy Cottage Crochet Edge Pillowcases"

Although I love the other method of sewing a buttonhole stitch with yarn around the pillowcase edge first...

it's a very time consuming process...

so I came up with my own simplified and

much faster version:)

I also designed a bit of Mr. & Mrs.

embroidery for the edges of

the gray solid pillowcases.

After all..what real cottage would be without Mr. & Mrs. pillowcases?

I love the look of the cotton crochet lace paired up with the embroidered scallops.

A nice comfy cottagey texture:)

I like it sew much that I made a pillowcase using every piece of fabric in my

Daisy Cottage line.

Each pillowcase only takes 1 yard of fabric and takes 1/2 hour to cut and sew...

and about 1 hour to crochet the edges.

I love them!!!

There are so many ways to pair up different combinations of fabric, yarn and lace.

I'm excited about this new pattern and it will be ready for release at the end of this week along with all of my others.

Speaking of others...I have one more new pattern to show you.

Although the above picture has crochet edging...it's not a pillowcase.

What could it be?

If you know me at all...

I'll bet you guess it right away:)

That's right...an apron!

The "Daisy Apron"... to be exact.

With nice deep pockets...

and crochet scallop trim on the edge...

And a single row of crochet scallops across the bottom of the hem too.

Or maybe another without trim

on the pockets...

But with 2 rows of fluffy white rose trim along the bottom of the apron skirt.

The aprons have extra long ties for

tying a bow in the front.

And needs only 1 1/4 yards of fabric and are simple to make.

I have more aprons to show you because there are a few more variations...

but I am simply out of time for today!

Thank you for all of your wonderful comments about my Daisy Cottage fabric

and patterns...

I have had a blast reading them and

I love hearing from you.

You are who I design for!

The giveaway for the Daisy Cottage fat quarter bundles and new patterns will end at midnight (my time) tonight.

I will announce the winners on Tuesday:)

Lori

Cozy Cottage Lane...

2011-10-30T10:17:00.000-06:00

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

a beautiful day for a neighbor...

would you be mine?

Won't you be mine?

Won't you be my neighbor?

(stolen from Mr.Rogers..haha)

Will you be my neighbor on

"Cozy Cottage Lane"

Another new pattern by me.

I love house quilts...don't you?

So you know I just had to design at least two house quilts with a fabric line called Daisy Cottage ...right?

I knew that my furniture fabric with the

white background would be perfect for

fussy cutting inside the doors and windows of each cozy little cottage:)

I used my large gray floral for a scallop border that is pieced...not appliqued.

The pieced scallop border is one that I use alot in my designs because I love the way it frames my quilts and is so easy to do.

I love my Cozy Cottage Lane quilt....

what a fun neighborhood to live in...

will you live in it with me?

Coming up tomorrow...

2 more patterns to show you!

Lori

Ring Around the Rosy...

2011-10-29T00:59:00.000-06:00

Just a quick post today with lots of pictures of my new dresden quilt...

"Ring Around the Rosy".

I know.

I've showed you several dresden quilts that I've made before.

But I can't stop making them!

I love them...seriously people...

I might have to go to dresden rehab!

My name is Lori...

and I'm addicted to dresdens.

I used a light pink background for a soft "vintagey cottage" look...

which are the two words that I use to describe my Daisy Cottage line.

I also made cute little mini dresdens to go inbetween the larger ones.

Before I continue on talking about how I made the quilt...first just take a look at the quilting!!!!...my friend Helen quilted this one too.

Helen is just amazingingly talented...she did an over the top gorgeous job!

She knows I love swirls and feathered borders.

Mr.Honey hung Ring Around the Rosy off of the upper deck in the backyard so it would hang down to the patio for pictures.

I always love to photograph my quilts outside if possible because the

natural light is so beautiful.

Instead of the traditional appliqued circles in the centers...I thought it would be fun to use doilies and buttons.

I love adding crochet details to my designs.

I often add buttons too...all of the buttons in this quilt are different but all are a cottage white:)

Notice that these dresdens only have 12 blades instead of the traditional 20.

I think the wider blades show off

larger scale fabrics!

The blocks are large...

so only a dozen big dresdens and

20 mini dresdens make a

full size quilt for a double bed.

By adding 4 more large dresdens and 5 more mini's it would be a nice queen size...

or you could make only 9 large dresdens and

16 mini's for a square quilt!

The possibilities are endless which brings me back to why I love dresdens so much:)

My Daisy Cottage FQ bundle and new patterns giveaway still is ongoing...thanks to all of you for your lovely comments and good luck!

Lori

Pink Lemonade...

2011-10-27T01:19:00.001-06:00

The new quilt pattern that I want to

show you today is called...

"Pink Lemonade"

It's a square quilt that I made to lay on point across my table for a vintage themed luncheon or a tea party!

Of course it also makes a

nice size wall quilt ...

or would look cute folded

across the sofa...or on the back of

a comfy chair...

or would be a really cute vintagey baby quilt!

The depression glass lemonade set was given to me by my Grandma Crane.

She kept it inside the built in glass hutch of her kitchen since before I was born!

Grandma told me that it was given to her as a birthday gift by one of her sisters

sometime in the 50's.

I have always admired it and she recently gave it to me before she passed away.

I think it goes perfectly with my

Pink Lemonade quilt!

The vintage dress, hat and pearls...along with the vintage gloves on the table live in the front room of my little cottage!

Her name is Martha and she looks ready for a lovely afternoon attending a

Pink Lemonade party...don't you think?

Lori

Daisy Cottage Giveaways!...

2011-10-26T01:29:00.003-06:00

Good Morning!...

I just wanted to do a quick post and tell you all thanks sew much for all of your lovely comments about Daisy Cottage and all of the new patterns that I have shown you so far!

I know this is all that I've been blogging about lately because seriously...that's all I've been doing for the last 6 weeks!

I'm still putting the finishing touches on a few projects this morning that will be safely packed into the Riley Blake suitcases this afternoon and be in Houston by tonight!

I have 10 patterns total that I have designed with Daisy Cottage fabric that will be shown in the booth....I'm really excited about that!!!

So obviously I still have more patterns to show you this week.

I would like to say

a big thank you by giving away

3 Daisy Cottage Fat Quarter

bundles to 3 lovely people who have or will so generously leave a comment

on all of my posts in October that I have

talked about my

Daisy Cottage fabric and patterns.

This includes all that I have already posted and the posts I will be doing throughout the rest of October revealing

the rest of my patterns....so if you are not already a follower of my blog...you might want to become one if you like Daisy Cottage!

I just can't tell you how much your kind words about my creations mean to me...they just keep me going!!! So...I would love to give you some Daisy Cottage for your very own!

I will choose 3 winners on

Tuesday, November 1st.

You will be entered in the giveaway for each comment that you leave on a post about Daisy Cottage in the month of October....so if you choose to leave me a nice comment and words of encouragement on each post you will be entered each time!...

but please only one comment per post.

And that's not all!

If you choose to blog about Daisy Cottage....

I will also enter your name in another giveaway for 3 of my new patterns to be announced on the same day.

Just tell me that you have blogged about it in your comment.

And...

I'm happy to announce that Daisy Cottage

will be available online

here

next week!

I'll post more tomorrow:)

Lori

Shabby Shades...another New Pattern!

2011-10-24T01:11:00.001-06:00

Hello cute people!...

Did you have a nice weekend?

I hope sew:)

It's time for lots of new pictures

and another new pattern!

"Shabby Shades"

This quilt allowed me to embellish

to my hearts content...

I don't know about you...

but I really love a pattern that uses

all kinds of trims and buttons:)

I even got to use crochet flowers and yo-yo's!

I embroidered the pullchain on each lamp

and on the end of each chain is

a gray crystal bead.

I used Daisy Cottage 10" squares

for the lamps and border along with the

4 solids that come in the line,

Clean White, Pewter,

Daisy Yellow and Hot Pink.

The binding is Daisy Cottage Dots in gray

cut on the bias.

I hope you like my new pattern

"Shabby Shades"

and that you want to make one

for your very own cottage:)

More to come tomorrow!

Lori

Another New Pattern!...

2011-10-21T00:30:00.002-06:00

It's time to show you another

new pattern from my

Daisy Cottage

fabric line.

I hope I'm not posting too many

pictures

but I am just showing you all of them

in the order that I took them!

The crochet bedspread draped across the chair was made by Mr. Honey's great grandmother and was given to me by Mr. Honey's mother...my other mother!

I think it goes well with the colors and style of the fabric.

The chair was given to me by my Grandma Crane!... as you know all of my designs are inspired by family and also everything vintage:)

Okay...scroll down and have a look!

The throw is called

"Daisychain"

I call it a throw because instead of batting I used flannel so that it was thinner and would have a nice drape so it could be

used as a throw or a tablecloth!

I loved making this one patch quilt.

I think patterns like this are a

fun and easy way to show off fabric.

The jumbo pom-pom trim is from Riley Blake

and it was a must!...I love pom-poms and I think they finish this

throw/tablecloth/quilt off perfectly...

what do you think?

Lori

Daisy Patch...

2011-10-19T23:18:00.001-06:00

I'm taking a quick break from my secret embroidery project to show you

another new pattern...

"Daisy Patch"

It's a twin size quilt made out of my newest line Daisy Cottage and the quilt is

made with

only 12 blocks!

The method to piece the daisies is the

easy corner triangle method

that I have used forever...

(the one I taught you in my

Farmers Wife tutorials).

So that means the blocks are very fun

and easy to make!

Take a look at the close up pictures that I took for you...

(pieced back)

After the blocks are completed...

a circle surrounded by crisp white ric-rac is machine appliqued in the center of each block to complete the daisy.

The pieced border consists of rectangles cut from leftover fabric from the blocks....and the background fabric is my new favorite background color..."Pewter"...which is one of the solids in my Daisy Cottage line.

The white ric-rac is also sewn into the binding...and the binding is Daisy Cottage stripe in white cut on the bias.

I just love striped binding sewn on the bias ...don't you?

My friend Juli Stubbs helped me out with

this quilt and did a gorgeous job

quilting it!...thanks Juli:)

As soon as I am able to take another quick break...I will show more patterns...I have 6-7 more to show you!

In the meantime...I hope you have a song in your heart and a smile on your face:)

Lori

2 New Patterns to Show You!...

2011-10-18T00:05:00.152-06:00

Hello cute people!

It's finally the time when I can start to reveal my new patterns that will be released at Fall Quilt Market in a few weeks.

Today I'm showing you two new patterns.

First...I'd like to introduce you to

"Mr and Mrs."

A new easy applique pattern by me!

I used the 3 of the solids that are in my Daisy Cottage line...."pewter" for the sillouettes..."Hot Pink" for her collar...and "Daisy Yellow" for his.

Each are embellished with a few buttons and a little bit of embroidery.

Because I love vintage sillouette's and also vintage cameos...

I decided to applique Mr.and Mrs.

on an oval background edged with

Riley Blake's tiny white pom-pom trim!

I appliqued the oval onto Daisy Cottage mini floral in pink and then I wrapped it around a canvas frame and tied pink crochet ribbon around the edges...

I added pink tulle for a

little bit of vintage fluff!

I'm really happy with the way they turned out and they are fun and easy to make...

I will be hanging them in my little cottage above the bed in the master bedroom.

The next pattern I'm showing is

"Home Sweet Home"

it's a wall quilt and this is where

Mr.and Mrs.live....lol

A cute little machine pieced cottage with a garden of appliqued and embroidered

daisies in the front yard:)

I made a crochet wreath for the door to

welcome guests...

and stitched on a vintage

glass doorknob (button).

Here is a close up of the embroidery on each daisy petal...I used larger stitches and perle cotton for a fun vintage look.

On each side of the applique heart...

I embroidered swirly smoke

coming out of the chimneys...

Mr. and Mrs. are warm and cozy inside

sitting by the fire:)

They are enjoying a quiet evening

together after supper...

Mr. is reading a good book aloud while Mrs. works on her embroidery.

I used the large Daisy Cottage floral in

Pink to border the outside of the quilt... and the mini floral in yellow for

the small inner border.

I also used my trademark...

tiny white ric-rac!

not for a cord this time but for

the window sashings:)

The roof is Daisy Cottage stripe in white and the shutters are

Daisy Cottage dots in yellow.

My friend Helen Brutch quilted

"Home Sweet Home" for me...and did a

beautiful job as always!

What do you think?...would you like to see more of my new patterns?

Let me know if you do!

I'm having a quilty kind of day today and I hope you are too:)

Lori