The Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Winner Is . . .
a Rafflecopter giveaway
. . . april b.! April wrote, “I love sewing dresses for my daughter!” Congratulations, April! I’ll be emailing you right away!
Thank you so much to everyone who entered!
Special Touches And Pretty Stitches
Have you used every single decorative stitch on your machine? I can honestly say that after this last step, in the SewCanShe Crazy Quilt Block Sewalong, I have!
I am thrilled that I decided to work with the variegated embroidery thread. It adds a wonderful, shiny touch to the project!
Before getting started I dug into my stash and pulled out my beloved Killington Flannel. Cuddled it for a minute, cut two layers, and then cut a woven print for the backing. Several pins later my quilt sandwich was ready for stitching! As you can tell I wasn’t doing any major measuring. I just laid the quilted top on the flannel, then the woven, and simply cut around them, leaving a bit of room in case anything shifted while I was sewing.
I thought about using little beads in the center of the flowers. But with a little girl that likes to fiddle and pick at things instead of finishing a meal, I knew it would become a problem and distraction for her. Instead, I tried out every single decorative stitch on the fancier of my two machines (spoiled much?), and used almost every single one on this snack mat!
There were a couple I avoided because they were a bit too messy on the reverse, or were prone to tangles. I definitely recommend testing every stitch you plan on using on your project first. Some may need you to adjust the length or width in order for the design to stitch out perfectly on your current project. Also, if you’re stitching with a different thread than usual (in this case embroidery thread), you need to know how your machine is going to fare with it. In my machine I was struggling with the thread catching and fraying, until I realized what the issue was and could fix it.
Do you remember how I nicked the fabric near the bottom with my rotary cutter, leaving a small hole? Problem solved!
A little Heat’n Bond, some fabric scraps with cute flowers, a tiny applique stitch, and a little lacey trim are all you need to add a special touch for a flower loving girlie-girl!
Unfortunately, because I had to stitch so much slower than usual to stop the thread from fraying, I wasn’t able to complete both blocks for this post. I’ll be completing the other one and posting it on my personal blog this weekend: Rooibos Mom. Once it’s up, I’ll come back and share a direct link to it right here!
~Leigh
Modes4U Fabric & Travel Bags for My Boys
Traveling with little ones is so much easier when everyone has their own place to keep and carry their things. We’re away from home right now on a trip that includes several different destinations and quite a bit of time in the car. Just before we left, I stocked up on activity books for three-year-old Charlie and six-year-old Jamie and whipped up these quick totebags for each of them to keep everything organized!
I’d been eyeing some of the adorable oxford Kokka boys’ fabrics at Modes4U. I knew that Jamie would love the pirate fabric, and Charlie is all about anything that drives or flies, so the vehicle fabric was perfect for him!
My only worry was whether the fabric would get here in time since it ships from Hong Kong. Thankfully, it arrived in plenty of time — about 7 business days! (Their website does say that it can take up to 15 business days, though, so be sure you have a backup plan if, like me, you have to have the fabric really quickly.)
The oxford fabric is sort of a lightweight canvas, so it’s perfect for a simple totebag. For Jamie’s bag, I used two different colors of the same fabric and added piping along the front pocket. Charlie’s bag used two fabrics from the same line that were pretty busy-looking when I put them together. I eased that problem by breaking them up a bit with piping and a strip of solid fabric at the top of the pocket. 
Both bags got zippered back pockets for those little things that tend to need better containment.
Inside, I added a couple of colored pencil pockets along with a pocket that is just the right size for the mini-coloring and sticker books that I slipped into their bags. (I love being able to completely customize what I’m sewing for our needs!)
The boys are really enjoying their new bags, and so far, they’ve done a really good job of putting their things away when they’re done so we don’t lose track of or leave anything behind on any of our stops.
For those of you who are moms to boys, Modes4U has an enormous selection of boys’ fabrics! I don’t think there’s a single one that I don’t like! I’ll definitely be back for more. This oxford fabric would be great for summer shorts! They also carry a whole list of other things, including bento boxes. I grabbed one of those, too, that you’ll see later. (I think it’s going to be perfect for next week’s sightseeing.)
Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!
It’s Giveaway Day at Sew Mama Sew, and it’s been a little while since I joined in the fun! If this is your first time here or your one hundredth time visiting, WELCOME! If you’ve found your way over from the link-up at Sew Mama Sew, I hope you’ll browse around a bit, say, “Hi!” and take away a little inspiration.
My name is Bonnie, and I’ve been blogging here for many years, sharing the things that I sew for my little ones, for my family and for my home, along with a few recipes now and then, and a little bit about life in general. Recently, my assistant, Leigh, has joined me in sharing some of her projects, as well. (You can find Leigh blogging regularly over at Rooibos Mom.)
I’m the designer behind Fishsticks Designs sewing patterns. I primarily design patterns for children’s clothing and for accessories. I really enjoy focusing my designs on things that are practical and things that work for little boys (although, I’m slowly adding little girls’ clothes, too).
I’m giving away the winner’s choice of three of my pdf patterns this week, and since you’ll need fabric and notions to sew those new patterns, I’m adding a $25 gift card to the winner’s favorite online fabric store! There are thumbnails of all of my patterns along the right-hand sidebar here, and you can find details about each of them in the Fishsticks Designs Pattern Store if you want to take a closer peek at what you’re entering to win.
I’m using a Rafflecopter for entries because it’s easy for you to use, and it makes choosing a winner complication-free for me. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite thing is to sew for your loved ones then click on the Rafflecopter to confirm your entry. (Don’t miss the bonus entries for Facebook fans and blog/newsletter subscribers!)a Rafflecopter giveaway
Large Scale Crazy Quilting
Anyone who has been around me long enough, has heard me utter these words: “If it doesn’t come with an actual pattern piece, then I won’t sew it.”
Enter the Crazy Quilt Block Sewalong!
And you’re absolutely right, this is exactly the type of sewing I said I would never do!
But can I admit something? It’s actually incredibly fun! Even if you make a silly mistake like I did while trimming.
Do you see that nick in the fabric to the left of my oh-so-sharp rotary cutter? Oops. Thankfully with crazy quilting I can easily choose any number of ways to cover it up before my project is finished!
I was crossing my fingers a little by this stage. Just hoping and praying it really would look pretty after it was all trimmed off, and that I wouldn’t lose too much of my favorite fabrics on the edges, in the process.
Before trimming:
As you can tell, it was a rather big block that I’d pieced together. And seeing as I am not making a quilt (I already have 2 in the works!), I decided to trim it to the very biggest size I could. As the sides are trimmed and moved out of the way, it’s amazing to see this cute block suddenly emerge from the chaos!
Ta-da! I love it!
In fact, I loved it so much that I stayed up late making another one! This one is actually much bigger than the first. It’s probably going to be a lovely big placemat. The first is probably going to be turned into a super cute snack mat for our little girl, who makes messes of about the same proportion as a wild animal at the zoo during snack and meal times!
Well, I’m off to put my photos up onto the SewCanShe Crazy Quilt Block Sewalong Facebook. Have you put yours up yet? I can’t wait to see what new ones have been added today!
~Leigh
Crazy Mini-Block Set #1 for Charlie’s Quilt
Things are moving along quite nicely with the crazy I-spy mini-blocks for Charlie’s quilt. (I love that he gets so excited when he finds me in my studio working on it! I really have to get it finished for him before we leave on our trip!)
I’m not sure yet whether I’m going to sew 10 or 12 of these mini-blocks. Either way, these are the first five finished blocks. (This week’s Crazy Quilt Sewalong Challenge is to show off at least one finished block.)
For each block, I started with a fussy-cut focus piece and worked around it with the other scraps that I have on hand. 
I’m such a planner. These blocks definitely push me out of my comfort zone because they’re such an exercise in going with the flow. 
I am having fun choosing fabrics that are very “Charlie”. He was born in Texas thus the block below, and the Michael Miller Dino Dudes above makes me laugh a bit. I worked so much with Dino Dudes between the interlock, the woven and the various colors of jerseys . . . oh, and the PUL! This child wore Dino Dudes at least one day a week for the first couple years of his life!
My blocks are incredibly simple compared to some of the amazing blocks showing up on the Crazy Quilt Sewalong Facebook Event Page! If you’re looking for inspiration, you have to go check it out!
~Bonnie
KCW Days 2 through 5: Hoodies for Travel & Some Secret Sewing
I know I said I was going to be working on shirts for my two little guys during this season’s Kids Clothes Week, but I got a little sidetracked. These are at least tops, right? I mentioned before that we are heading out on a family trip soon. We’re off to visit a few places that are normally fairly warm this time of the year, but with highs currently hanging out in the low 60s and high 50s, my Florida babies just might be cold! I’ll admit that I agonized a little over the idea that all of our outdoor sightseeing pictures were going to show jackets instead of the cute handmade shirts that I’ve been working on. Enter the handmade hoodie, and that problem is solved!
This light blue stretch french terry has been in my stash for longer than I remember. It’s got a nice weight to it, not too heavy, not too light, and it made the perfect backdrop for some of the jersey knit stripes that I love for my boys!
I used my Charlie Tee & Hoodie pattern for these sized up one size since these will be worn over clothing. I modified the pattern slightly by rounding the pocket openings. I’m really loving pockets with a little bit of a curve mixed in with the sharp right angles.
The hoods on both tops are lined with the same stripe as the pocket and the sleeve- and waist-bands are done with scraps of chocolate brown french terry. The brown french terry doesn’t have a stretch to it, so I increased the width of the bands to equal the width of the part I was sewing it to.
I also had a blast playing with raw edges again! I am generally a little bit obsessive about the way that my seams look, but the reckless nature of these raw edge finishes makes that totally unnecessary. You really don’t know how the fabric is going to curl along the seam allowance until after it’s washed and dried, so slightly wiggly stitching is no big deal! It just adds more character.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, I worked on another project for my kids. One that happens to also include raw edge jersey knit sewing. I’m not quite ready to share the whole thing yet, but I’ll share a little picture of some fun pockets . . . lots of fun pockets.
Bonnie’s Crazy Scrap Pile and Plan
Weeeee! Time to get started on the Sew Can She Crazy Quilt Sewalong! This little mountain shows just a small portion of my I-Spy scraps. We’ve been a little I-Spy Quilt crazy around here in the past, and it’s time to make another one! I have a tendency to grab fat quarters and 1/4 yards that have fun novelty prints on them whenever I run across them, and I hang onto any scraps with cute prints that would work in an I-Spy Quilt, too!
Each of my kids has what we call “couch quilts” that I’ve sewn for them. They are generally about 50″ x 60″ finished with a quilted top and minky on the back. I’ve turned and topstitched some and machine bound others. They are perfect quilts for little ones to sleep with and for big ones to curl up under on the couch. (They’re the only blankets that I allow to be dragged around the house.) They also fold up quite compactly for travel, so they go with us when we’re on the road.
I started planning Charlie’s quilt last year before we left Texas. Actually, I even sewed six blocks for it, but then the house sold and packing started, and I never made it back to it. I was so excited when Caroline told me she was planning a crazy quilt sewalong because it’s perfect motivation to get this quilt done! It just so happens, that my first six blocks are crazy (or wonky) log cabin blocks.
(That’s Charlie’s little finger pointing out the I Heart Robots fabric on top.) The pile of squares to the right are already cut to 6 1/2″ which is 1/4 the size of my finished blocks. My plan is to sew random crazy blocks that are 6 1/2″ to mix in with those squares in 4-patch blocks. To finish the piecing, I’ll stagger the crazy log cabin blocks and the crazy 4-patch blogs. But, we leave on a trip next Friday, so I’ll be sewing fast and sewing ahead of everyone else! I’ll share pieces as we travel, though, so you won’t get to see my finished project until the very end.
~Bonnie
Leigh’s Crazy Quilt Block Scrap Pile
Have you ever felt like you were missing the right things to be able to play with the “cool kids”?
Well, that’s how I was feeling about my little scrap pile. I know it’s a silly feeling to have, especially at my age! But we’re sewing along with the Crazy Quilt Block Sewalong on SewCanShe, and my scrap pile was just looking a bit too skimpy to actually be transformed into anything gorgeous!
Now don’t get me wrong, my fabric stash is enormous…embarrassingly so, in fact. But I rarely sew for myself. The majority of my stash is knits, and the rest is mainly wovens for the kids. Only a tiny portion of what I own is what I’d call “adult appropriate”.
I dashed off to etsy and found a great scrap grab bag listing from Stitchin Away, bought two (I think the previous paragraph already established the fact that I have a fabric addiction), and breathed a sigh of relief…I would have some “cool” fabrics very soon!
The package took a total of ONE whole day to arrive from the time it shipped, after less than 1 processing day!! I knew the seller was in the same state, but I had no idea she only lived an hour and a half from me…SCORE!
These are the pretties I received in the expertly packed priority envelope:
I put aside a few that Missy would love me to use for dolly clothes and accessories, and added a few freshly cut strips from my stash. Aren’t the scraps so pretty all organized into rows?
Okay, I need to admit something. I really wanted a beautiful pile of strips and scrap pieces like the ones you see on SewCanShe: Week 1, to add to this post. I tried, I really did. But I simply couldn’t bring myself to rumple up all the beautifully folded pieces. Can you see them all neatly in place, below my sorry attempt at a random pile of strips?
And yes. I am about to go refold all the strips as soon as they’ve been ironed. 😉 Then I’ll be well equipped to join in this sewalong! Are you joining in too? You absolutely should!
~Leigh
Introducing Leigh!
I am so excited to get to introduce my new virtual assistant, Leigh! I’ve known Leigh for years, and I think you’re going to love getting to know her, too. She’s not just an office assistant. Although, I love that she does that job for me incredibly well! She’s an amazing seamstress. She’s a homeschool mom. She raises chickens in her backyard. She’s even a wiz at woodworking! Wait until you see the bunkbed and chicken coop she built!
Leigh is going to be working alongside me, helping me to be the two people that I often wish I was. You’ll see her here on the blog, on Facebook, and pretty much anywhere else I need her! Here’s Leigh to tell you all about herself!
~Bonnie
It’s always a bit of a struggle when I am asked to introduce myself. I am never quite sure what kind of information is wanted, and what will be bore you to tears!
So let me start by saying: Hi, I’m Leigh! I’m Bonnie’s new Virtual Assistant.
I am a South African married to my sweetheart James, a US Marine. He’s the the most amazing man, and we can’t believe we’re about to hit our 11th wedding anniversary this June!
We’ve been through 2 deployments, multiple separations for training, a brief period of being out of the Marine Corps, living with his parents for 8 months (thanks again!), 5 different homes, 4 states (Texas twice), 3 children, becoming homeschoolers, 4 chickens, and two trips to South Africa (one with and one without James) since our elopement. Phew, time flies when you’re staying busy!
Top left photo by Fernadele
The rest are photos from our last trip to South Africa to visit family. That’s my father in the bottom right photo!
My father is one of the people that helped design and build the world’s biggest pineapple, The Big Pineapple. He is a recently retired agricultural researcher, and has traveled to many parts of the world for his job.
We are the parents of the 3 silliest monkeys alive:
Photo by KM Philips Photography
JBug is 10 years old, and is utterly amazing at building Lego creations.
Missy is 4 years old, and she’s a little spitfire. But she has also the one that has perfected the puppy eyes look when she wants something, or as she calls it “The Cute-e-ness”.
Little Man will turn 2 years old in a month, and has recently started chatting up a storm and is starting to climb cabinets. We’re a little scared, lol!
I grew up in the main house, next door (literally about 4 feet away) from my Grandmother’s little “granny flat” on her pineapple farm! And down the hill, on the very same farm, lived my cousins. I’ve been in a farm school with about 12 students at it’s peak (yes my dears, 12 in total!), as well as spending many years attending an all girls boarding school in the nearby town.
Left: Taking a little walk on the farm with my brother, mother and JBug
Right: JBug trying to catch up to his daddy who is sneaking in a run while on vacation…as you can tell, his daddy is fast and he couldn’t catch him!
My mom specialized in needlework in her last year of training college, and taught a year of high school needlework before my brother and I kept her busy. She taught me some basics as I grew up. I spent more time doing various types of embroidery/needlework than sewing clothing, but it’s my memories of her sewing for us that pushed me to learn more in my adult life.
My Mommy!
I had sewn a few odd things since our oldest son was born, but we’re talking about the world’s most basic curtain here, not a garment! I really caught the bug once our daughter was born and I decided to try cloth diapering, and sewing them myself to save money.
Top L to R: Undercover Boxer Briefs, The Rainy Days Diaper, Wee Tot Lap Tee
Bottom L to R: Everyday Camp Shirt, Go Mama Diaper Bag, Jamie Jumpers with Cuddles N Chaos Knot Hats
I’d love to tell you exactly what my first clothing item was, or which pattern it was from…but I honestly can’t remember! I do know the second though: The Round Neck Dress by That Darn Kat! So it wasn’t too long until I learned about WAHM pattern designers, and that’s when the sewing addiction, along with the fabric stash really kicked off…with gusto!
I show off the majority of my creations on my little fledgeling blog: Rooibos Mom and my Facebook page. Come on by and take a peek at what I’ve been up to lately!
What’s that you say? You want confessions?
Okay!
- I hold pins by the heads in my lips as I sew – although I try not to do this in front of the kids, for fear of them copying me..
- I don’t repair things…almost ever. If it needs to be fixed, it will probably stay in the “to-do” pile until it’s outgrown.
- I find knits easier to sew than wovens.
- I’m still too scared to try a twin needle.
- Our kids are outgrowing the sizes in a good portion of my pattern stash, faster than I can sew.
- And I may or may not have chosen our son’s orthodontist by her proximity to the nearest Trader Joes, as well as her ability to fix his teeth of course.
L to R: Pajama Party Pjs, JBug designed stuffie “Joe”, Fred Flintstone and Pinata costumes
Lto R: Lazy Days Lounge Set, Miss Molly Dress, Jocole Crossover Tunic
L to R: Lazy Days Lounge Set, The Tank, Little Man looking ultra cute with his “Darth Bunny”
I am a very impulsive crafter with a very patient husband. UFO (unfinished objects) piles abound, new projects are added based on the whim of the day, and I’ve even discovered a love for building things!
With some help from my husband, I built our chicken coop for our 4 lovely gals. Sadly Izzy is no longer with us.
Meep, Buttercup, Izzy, and Meep, our sweet chickens.
And one of Meep acting like a parrot on JBug’s shoulder!
We’ve also built a set of bunk beds for JBug and Missy, from the Ana White Classic Bunk Beds plans.
L to R: Bunk beds, backyard chicken coop.
I can’t fully express how excited I am to be working with my favorite designer, as well as all of her amazing readers! You’ll be seeing my join in and help with sewalongs, reply to posts on the Fishsticks Designs Facebook page, and even reply to some of the messages and emails that come Bonnie’s way.
Thank you for taking the time to read a little (actually a lot!) about me, and for allowing me into your homes and lives. I am honored to be here.
~Leigh
