Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Introducing Millie's Closet!!!...


I'm sew excited to announce 
my next fabric line...


introducing...
designed by me!!!
I designed this line last spring 
and it was inspired by my
whose name was Mildred... 
but was affectionately called "Millie"
 by her family and friends.
 Little did I know back then that after the line was complete.. it would be just a few short months until she passed away. 



I have been waiting (might I say impatiently) to get some of the sample yardage in my
 hot little hands so that I could 
finally show and tell it to you...




and they are finally here!
Millie's Closet is my 2012 Spring line
 and will be available for purchase
 online and in quilt shops mid March.
I took several close up photos so that you can get an idea of what it looks like...










I'm extra excited about these 3 prints 
because I designed them to look like they
 were fabric squares 
already pieced together...
so it will be really fun to use as is ...
or the squares can be cut up for 
smaller projects or for piecing quilt blocks!
The squares measure a little larger 
than 5" x 5".







If you don't already know...
my fabric is produced through
They are a fabulous company and I love working with them for sew many reasons...and one of them is their awesome embellishment line called


As you know...I do like to add some trim and buttons here and there on a few of my quilt designs!!!


And I was able to pick up some of their brand new ric-rac that matches Millie's Closet....
and even more wonderful trims will be introduced the end of February...
so that I will be able to embellish 
to my hearts content:)


Right now I am busy designing new projects and patterns for Millie's Closet.
I can't wait to get going on them!
I am so pleased about the way it turned out.
I don't know if I have told you much
 about my method of fabric designing 
but it's quite unique.
I am not a graphic artist...
I hand draw everything...
and it's so satisfying to see it come out exactly as I wanted!


So here are the precuts sitting on the shelf 
in my studio where the bolts 
will go when they arrive.
There are 24 prints and 4 solids in the line for a total of 28 pieces...
just right for the top shelf!!!
You can bet I'll let you know as soon 
as they get here.
I hope you like Millie's Closet 
just as much as I do:)
xx
Lori

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Love Handles...A Tutorial...


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:)
xx
Lori

Monday, January 23, 2012

Still Painting...


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:)
xx
Lori