Hot Potatoes – Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head at Quilt Market

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head bring back childhood memories for me.  It was a fun toy that I loved playing with.  Hot Potatoes from Hasbro, a new fabric line from Quilting Treasures is delightful. It was even more fun with Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head as an adult – designing several sewing and quilting projects with the fabric collection.  I designed and created the Hot Potatoes quilted play mat, large tote bag, half apron and potholder. The potholder is potato shaped and can hang from the apron.  The projects were featured in Quilting Treasures booth at the Spring International Quilt Market held in Kansas City.

Hot Potatoes Fabric free projects Quilt Market

Hot Potatoes Free sewing projects at Quilt Market

I also designed additional pieces for this collection.  All will be free patterns for download from Quilting Treasures website.  The fabric will be available soon – August 2012. Please check back to see all the Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head projects.

Phyllis

 

Redux – Sew a Christmas Apron

Sew a quick Christmas apron in just a couple of hours and wear it tonight! Aprons are fun and trendy to both sew and wear! I designed this apron pattern to wear for Christmas cooking and entertaining. Designed for an earlier post here on my blog, I wanted to share the apron pattern  again. Its so easy to make, even for a beginner, and can be made in a couple of hours from your fabric stash.

Free Christmas Apron Pattern

This apron pattern and others are available in Etsy WhimsyColor.

Thinking of Christmas aprons brings thoughts of all the wonderful smells of food cooking, cinnamon, and other spices. I also think of the citrus smell of oranges.

Enjoy both sewing and wearing it!

Phyllis

Redux – Sew a Spider Apron for Halloween

Halloween is rapidly approaching. It always gets here before I’m ready and I have to make a mad dash the day before to stock up on candy for the trick or treaters. Thinking that I would be more prepared this year, I decided to repost my apron pattern for this Spider Halloween apron in advance to give you plenty of time to sew one.

This pattern is available at Etsy WhimsyColor.

Spider Halloween Apron Free Pattern

The body is the spider is a pocket and rick rack is used for the legs. Jumbo orange rick rack embellishes the bottom edge. The apron is easy to make and can be sewn in just a couple of hours (you can even make it Halloween morning or the day before). You can wear it if you are helping your kids with Halloween festivities at school or elsewhere or just as an accent while walking with your own trick or treaters.

Have a creative day!

Phyllis

Create a fun apron for Halloween

I love sewing aprons and just created this Halloween apron with a spider pocket.

I used orange and black stripe fabric along with orange and black solids. Rick Rack is used for embellishment. The spider is the pocket and has rick rack for the legs and a large button for a head.

This apron pattern and others can be found at Etsy WhimsyColor.

Its so easy to make and you can sew it in a couple of hours or less. I would love to see the aprons that all you creative sewers make using this pattern so please send me pictures or comment!

Happy sewing!

Phyllis

“Keep it Green” ecology art on new products.

Keep It Green” art is a fun and whimsical way to show your love of the earth and in protecting it.  The elements of earth are incorporated into this art, with the sky, stars, seas, and forests all represented in borders that surround the earth.  A small blue whale adds a charming touch to the seas. The image is available on products in my Zazzle store.

The products available include the apron above (aprons aren’t just for cooking but can be used for crafts and gardening as well).  Other items include tees and other clothing, totes, stationery items, stamps, and much more.  There’s even a dog sweater so that your dog can match what you wear as well as help get the message out to Keep it Green!

Check out all the other products to show your support of keeping the earth clean and alive for generations to come as well as to support Mother Earth and Earth Day.

Have a great week and remember to help “Keep It Green”.

Phyllis

Behind the Scenes – Martha Pullen’s Sewing Room for PBS

I taped two segments for the Martha Pullen’s Sewing Room yesterday for the Warm Company ( they make the fabulous batting and fusible web that I use in all my quilting and applique projects).  The taping was exciting and Martha is such a warm and nice person.  Well, not just her, everyone who works for her is the same way, so it was a very enjoyable day.  Of course, I carried my camera and took photos during the day.   The project featured on one segment was a quilt, which I made using the fabrics that I designed, “Its a Dog’s Life” for Quilting Treasures on which I demonstrated a stipple quilting technique. Martha’s assistants, who are great at setting up the sets, are arranging the quilt.

For the second segment, I designed this apron shown here with Martha. It also is made with “Its a Dog’s Life” fabrics and features applique. The fuchsia fabric used for the main part of the apron features dog bones, so I appliqued dog bones around the bottom.  Since the block and yellow fabric also feature birds, I appliqued a bird at the top above the pocket. I know I’m short, but standing next to the apron which was raised for viewing by the camera, I look even shorter. 

The segments will be shown this fall and winter (2009-2010), so please watch for it on your local stations.  I am working up instructions for the quilt and apron and will post the free patterns here shortly.

Thanks for visiting!

Phyllis

New Quilting and Sewing patterns

I can’t believe that May is just about here.  I’ve had my design hat on the past several months and I think being totally focused on work makes time fly by even faster.  I’ve read that when you are in your “right brain” mode, you are unaware of practical things like time.

I just received a copy ot the May/June issue of Today’s Creataive Home Arts magazine which contained some of the fruits of my labor.  A collection of kitchen sewing and quilting items are featured in the magazine using the Meow Meow cat fabrics that I designed for Quilting Treasures.

The projects are an apron, quilted potholder, quilted placemat, quilted chairback and cafe curtains with full instructions for each. Also, a cat carrier is featured as a bonus design that can be downloaded from the Home Arts website – kitty not included.  Ok, I know I have focused on this fabric lately, but I’m going to the dogs shortly with my newest fabric collection. 

Guest projects – An Apron and Quilt made with Meow Meow cat fabric!

I always love it when someone tells me about sewing and quilting projects they have made using fabrics that I designed.  That is the ulimate compliment!

Apron made by Apryl with Meow Meow fabrics

                    

Apryl is not just new to quilting, but new to sewing as well.  She had finished her first quilt when she saw the Meow Meow cat fabrics that I designed for Quilting Treasures.  She not only made her 2nd quilt ever using these fabrics, she sewed this adorable apron as well. I think Apryl is off to a good start with a wonderful hobby and know that she will enjoy many hours ahead sewing and quilting.

Quilt made by Apryl with Meow Meow fabric

                       

Thanks Apryl for sharing photo’s of your accomplishments!

Sewing and quilt designs made with fat quarters

I was fortunate to have 3 designs published in a new book, Sew Special Fat Quarter Gifts published by House of White Birches.  As the title suggests, all projects in the book were made with fat quarters (fabric cuts that a fat 1/4 yard).

My projects were varied in style, an apron, decorative towels and a Christmas quilted table runner.

The apron is made in a patchwork style with black and white fabrics. I just love how popular aprons are and all the different styles.

I designed the decorative hand towels using embellishments of beads, rick rack, and applique.

The quilted Christmas table runner is decorated with appliqued poinsettias and bead trim.

Have a great day!

Phyllis