A Joyful Soul Fabrics

Come Join Our Club!

2012-02-02T19:08:00.000-08:00

So last year, we did something kinda fun. We started a couple fabric clubs, a Fat Quarter Club and a Strip Club (I heard all the gasps! Not that kind of Strip Club!). For a small fee, you could purchase a spot in this club and every month for six months you would have an automatic shipment of 12 fat quarters or a jelly roll delivered to your door for a monthly fee plus shipping costs. We provided everyone with a free pattern book of quilt tops utilizing fat quarters or jelly rolls depending on what club you joined. Now, this is going to sound so ridiculous but I was so excited about this that I joined my own club. Strips for me!!

I had so much fun. Not only was it fun to receive fabric for myself (the only sewing or buying I do these days is for the shop) but I can't describe the feeling of packing up a ton of packages at the beginning of the month to be sent all over the world knowing that so many people were anticipating our monthly selection of fabric! While it was a lot of hard work, it was so worth it. Our customers enjoyed it so much. Now, because of our show schedule this year and a few other factors, I was contemplating not doing the clubs this year. It takes a lot of time. We cut all the fat quarters ourselves and most of the jelly rolls. But come January, our 2011 Club Members were contacting me asking about when the 2012 club was starting! I love my customers! I figured, if I had to stay in the studio til midnight to get these shipments ready to go, it would be so worth it! So, we're doing it again! And we are starting early because, Holy Smokes, the fabric lines that are due to come out this Spring are to DIE for!! We're doing things just a bit differently this year. You can read our Monthly Club Information Page for the changes.

First, if you're a scrapbooker, you've heard of Basic Grey. Take a look in my "Scrap Closet" and it's loaded with Basic Grey! They are designing fabric for Moda now. Perfection! They have a new line coming out this month called Hello Luscious. It's Vintage Victorian meets Modern! I am in LOVE with it!

Isn't it the perfect Valentine fabric?! I should join again, shouldn't I?! I'm thinking Fat Quarters this time! In addition to this beautiful fabric, which will be our first shipment in March, Heather Bailey and Amy Butler BOTH are re-releasing fabric lines from several years ago. If you are new to the textile scene, you may have seen some of these prints but you haven't been able to purchase it because it ran out a long time ago! I am ashamed to say that I have spent upwards of $35 per yard for some of Amy's Gypsy Caravan fabric because I HAD to have it and it was OOP (eBay lingo for Out Of Print)! You guessed it! She's re-releasing Gypsy Caravan in its original glory! It will be shipping in April and will be our club selection for May.

Fresh Cut by Heather Bailey will be shipping this month and will be our April selection. Fresh Cut was my first experience with Heather Bailey. I actually have a bin full of it that I've been too frightened to do anything with since it was no longer available. I am looking forward to cutting into it now!

Just a few of my fave Fresh Cut Prints!

If you're interested in joining or learning more about one of our clubs, we still have a few spots available! Click on the links below!

Monthly Club Information Page

Fat Quarter and Strip Clubs

ob·sess

2012-01-24T07:54:00.000-08:00

ob·sess /əbˈsɛs/
[uhb-ses]

verb (used with object)

1. to dominate or preoccupy the thoughts, feelings, or desires of (a person); beset, trouble, or haunt persistently or abnormally: Suspicion obsessed him.

verb (used without object)

2. to think about something unceasingly or persistently; dwell obsessively upon something.

Origin:

1495–1505; < Latin obsessus, past participle of obsidēre to occupy, frequent, besiege, equivalent to ob- ob- + -sid ( ēre ) combining form of sedēre to sit
(http://www.dictionary.reference.com/)

Have you ever had a prospective project take over your thoughts so completely that you just had to get it out of you so you can feel "normal" again? I don't experience this often, surprisingly. With bolts and bolts of fabric arriving on my doorstep daily, you'd think it'd happen more often. I know what HAS to be done and then I have list of what I WANT to get done. Normally, the HAS to be done list gets priority. But last night, I had finished a project and had a few moments before dinner needed to take priority so I proceeded to remove this project out of my brain and into reality.

We ordered some Rose Card Patterns (Villa Rosa Designs) for our booth in OKC and one of them was called Angel Face and used a "theme" fabric. More specifically, 1 yard of theme fabric and 1 yard each of a light and dark. It was baby size which we don't do a whole lot of around here so I wanted to try it out. And what better then this large scale theme fabric from Just Wing It by MoMo (Moda).

This fabric has been sitting in my studio for weeks. Just looking at me and saying, "Joy, when are you going to put me in that Angel Face pattern?" (Yes, my fabric talks to me often. And, yes, I do answer it back.) The thing that really stinks about this is that I have very little of this fabric left. I went to Moda last night to see if I could order more but of course, in true Moda fashion, it's gone! Important lesson: If you LOVE it, buy a lot of it!!

I started cutting and sewing immediately with the goal of having this done by the end of the evening. With a minor detour for dinner, it was finished by 9:00 PM. A total of 3 hours to cut, sew and press. Impressive. The size is small, 38" x 50", but what an awesome size for a baby quilt/playmat. And this butterfly scene fabric was just PERFECT! If you're as smitten as I am with this, I've put the limited number of kits in my store. When they're sold out, they're gone. I wish I could get more of this fabric. Also, if you don't care for this fabric, if you purchase 1 yard of three different fabrics (sale fabric excluded) and write ANGEL in your order comments, I'll throw one of these patterns in your package for free. (While supplies last!)

Just Wing It Butterfly Baby Quilt

Ahhhhh.....it's out, and it's as pretty as I knew it would be! Now on to the next obsession....Amy Butler corduroy and Kay Whitt's Savannah Swing!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-23T07:21:00.000-08:00

It seems every year since I've started this blog, my first post of the new year is of the same theme...where does the time go? All of a sudden my baby is a tween, we are within a year of retirement from the US Navy and I am ever closer to the big 4-0. The 40 thing doesn't bother me in the least. I don't long for my youth...ever. I'm having so much more fun now than I ever did when I was younger! It all has to do with confidence and knowing what you want out of life, neither of which I had any clue of back then. I do however wish that I could figure out how to slow down the time so I might have a chance to savor my life. I suppose this is a problem most of us have. I run so fast through life until something happens that knocks me still, normally in a hospital bed which happened recently. Nothing too serious, just some kidney issues, but that is one of my excuses for not spending time with you all recently! That and the holidays, and the Oklahoma City Winter Quilt Show...so, I apologize for my absence! I've missed talking with you all!

First, let me update you all on happenings here at the shop! As I mentioned, we just returned from the Oklahoma City Winter Quilt Show. This is one of my favorite shows! Oklahoma peeps are some of the nicest in the world! I had a blast visiting with friends and meeting all sorts of new ones!

Our booth, half the size we normally do but I worked this one alone so it's about all I can handle!

Dallas Quilt Celebration 2012 is next on the calendar. We will be in a double space, booths 34 and 35 at Market Hall March 9-11. We are SUPER excited to have the always FABULOUS Kay Whitt, designer at Sew Serendipity, in our booth on Friday signing her new book of handbag patterns introduced at Market last Fall. Kay is a Power House and we are thrilled to have her! Plus, she's one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet! Please come by and say hello!

Back in stock:

Sunshine Quilt Kit

We had been sold out of this one for a while but we restocked....for now. With another Amy Butler line expected in April, that means we are letting Soul Blossoms go. Sad, I know, but we must move on. Now, this kit includes one half yard of every print in Soul Blossoms, 33 total. If you don't want to make this particular quilt, it's still a pretty cool collection of fabrics. I don't think anyone else is offering this one as a kit. I may be wrong but I haven't seen it. If you make the Sunshine Quilt from this kit, you have quite a bit of leftovers to use for your binding, use in partially piecing your back or just keep it in your stash for a future project!

FABRIC CLUBS ARE BACK!

We had so much fun last year providing some of you with an automatic shipment of fabric every month that we want to do it again! Spaces will be even more limited than they were last year. Only 25 spaces available for each Fat Quarter Club and Jelly Roll Club. Past club members have priority placement so as soon as I find out who is returning, I'll update you all on what's available. What can you expect by joining the clubs? First, a gorgeous shipment of Fat Quarters or a Jelly Roll (or both!) monthly for six months starting in March. We'll do it a bit differently this year and instead of sending you a pattern book with your first shipment, you'll get a free pattern every month in your collection. Your fabric will be a surprise every month but rest assured that it will be of the same caliber you are used to seeing at A Joyful Soul Fabrics. I hope to introduce you to some new designers, color palettes and prints. It's a great way to broaden your stash and creative spirit! We had such wonderful feedback from last years clubs, we had to do it again! Your fabric collections will be a secret this time. You won't know until you open your package! Fun, right!? But, I will give you some hints...Heather Bailey, Amy Butler, Riley Blake....need I say more? You want to sign up now, right!?

Well, I suppose that's enough for today! I still have so much more to tell you but I'm pacing myself! Look for some new quilt kits (Riley Blake) arriving soon! Just need to get the samples made up! We have some Lila Tueller in and hope to make a tween/teen easy beginner quilt kit. Get those young ones sewing NOW!

Have a great day!

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Announcing our WINNERS!

2011-12-18T17:53:00.000-08:00

Wow! Can I just say how hard it was not to answer back each and every one of you who answered our question!? I didn't want to mess up the comment list so our random number generator could pick our winners without my nonsense messing things up! You heard right! I said WINNERS, with an S! This was so much fun and we had SO many responses, I couldn't just have one give-away so we added a couple more prizes to the mix!

Before we announce our winners, I want to give a HUGE thank you to each and every one of you and WELCOME you to A Joyful Soul Fabrics! I hope you find some useful information, creative ideas and hopefully we can help make you laugh a little too. We have so much fun around here. Who wouldn't have fun surrounded by bolts and bolts of fabric!?

Okay, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Our winners are....

Sugar Baby Quilt Kit

Angelaathome.com

Just Wing It 12 Fat Quarter Set

momc

Set of two quilt pattern books
poppyinpink

I've emailed all three of you lovely ladies so please get me your addresses as quickly as possible! I would LOVE for you to have your prize before Christmas! Plus, we're shutting down on December 20 so nothing will ship again until December 29 when we head back to the studio!

Thanks again for visiting us! If you'd like, we'd LOVE to have you sign up for our newsletter. We don't share your info with anyone and we won't fill your inbox with a bunch of craziness. We can barely meet our goal of emailing once a week! Our newsletter will let you know of any sales, new stuff and some project pictures from our studio. We really look forward to sharing our passion of fabric and sewing with you!

Welcome! Hop On In!

2011-12-07T13:57:00.001-08:00

WELCOME HOPPERS!

Hiya! My name is Joy and I am the owner of A Joyful Soul Fabrics! We are an online shop and we travel around to various quilt shows in the Texas and Oklahoma area and set up shop. (Must keep things portable as we are still Active Duty in the United States Navy, currently stationed in San Antonio, Texas.)

If you've never visited us before, we specialize in bright, fabulous fabrics, funky patterns and STELLAR customer service. We LOVE designers like Heather Bailey, Amy Butler, Sis Boom, Art Gallery Fabrics and so much more! We don't just specialize in quilts either! While we have fabulous quilt kits, we offer pre-cut fabric sets, handbag kits, clothing patterns and home decor fabrics and patterns. We love ALL things fabric!

We use this blog to showcase different projects we work on in the studio. It might be a tutorial we found online or maybe a review of a new pattern. We also like to do an occasional giveaway! Let's do one NOW! Here's a question for you!

What's on in the background while you sew??

Do you sew to music, watch TV, try to ignore the screaming children and barking dogs?? You get it! Leave your answer below in a comment and you'll be entered to win a baby quilt kit featuring Art Gallery Fabrics "Sugar" fat quarters! (International Friends are welcome too!) My favorite background noise is Florence + the Machine! Super loud!

We'd also like to invite you to be an official "follower" of A Joyful Soul Fabrics Blog so you won't miss out on any of the FUN! Just click the link on the right hand side that says "Join This Site". Easy peasy! You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter! We are all tech'd out!

Visit A Joyful Soul Fabrics Shop

As a special "thank you" for hopping in, here's a discount code just for you! If you purchase $25.00 (before tax and shipping) at A Joyful Soul Fabrics between now and December 17th, use the discount code "PARTY" to get 15% off your purchase!

For more fun blogs to visit click here!

Pillow Perfection

2011-12-05T10:00:00.001-08:00

Let's take a bit of a break from Sunshine (it actually IS cloudy today) and take a look at some other patterns. Listen, it's December 5 today. I'm not going to blow smoke up your skirt and say that you have plenty of time to sew up some holiday gifts. Time is running out! BUT, these two projects I'm about to show you are absolutely quick projects and with USPS Priority shipping...it CAN be done!

While at Fall Quilt Market in Houston, I found La Todera! So happy I did! Very creative patterns! I brought home two, Flatty Dogs! and the Harlequin Star Pillow. I love all things 3-D! Especially sewn. It makes sewing more interesting when you are sewing in 3-D!

Flatty Dogs!

Harlequin Star Pillow

We've been working on samples for our 2012 booth and it was a given that these two patterns would really stand out!

The Flatty Dogs pattern is one of my faves simply for the nostalgia of it! Come on, all you girls who grew up in the 70's, you had one right? Only the patchwork was probably leftover burnt orange, avocado and harvest gold polyester. Okay, well maybe not but I DO remember the Scotty Dog patchwork pillow. Well, this pattern is bigger and better than any dog pillow from the 70's. First off, both of these patterns use 1" fusible quilters grid..."the secret weapon". Talk about precision seams. I didn't think it was possible but with this little cheat, it is! My new favorite notion! I decided to get super nostalgic and do the Flatty Dog in Sophie by Chez Moi. When I first saw this fabric it immediately brought me back to my childhood. It's Holly Hobby and Strawberry Shortcake all rolled into one! (Yes, I loved both! In fact, I had a Strawberry Shortcake bike....banana seat, basket and bell on the handle bars! My room was Holly Hobby. I am a girl of the 70's for sure!)

Here's my Flatty Dog:

I didn't fill it super full of stuffing. I wanted her to be squishy soft!

I haven't figured out her eyes yet. I have beautiful vintage buttons that will probably win out.

Go ahead! Take a good close look at my seams! I haven't started Baby yet. This is the Mommy size. For Sophie pre-cuts to make this cutie, visit Sophie Jelly Rolls or Sophie Charm Packs.

In the background is our Sophie's Garden Quilt Kit but it's actually the back of it. Here's the front:

This is a super easy fat quarter quilt kit! It will be on the road with us if we don't sell out before our shows! The perfect set! A beautiful quilt with a matching Flatty Dog!

Also completed this weekend were both of our Harlequin Star Pillows! These will be part of our Amy Butler Lark display.

Both of these patterns take 2.5" squares. I used a Lark Strippy Roll for these samples. Out of one strip roll, you can get 4 pillows! $35 for four pillows! LOVE IT! You can also use 5" charms, just cut into 2.5" squares.

Yet another project that requires me to sift through my many vintage buttons...BUMMER!

I have to admit, my favorite thing about these pillows is how stack-able they are!

So, if you want to make one of these for yourself, I've linked everything above to our store. If you have any questions, you can always post them here or email us from the website!

More finished projects are coming, as well as Sunshine Installment 3 where we'll piece the backing and get it basted for quilting!

The Sunshine Quilt: Part 2

2011-11-16T09:44:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I've been distracted. But, I'm ready to show you my finished quilt top!

Now, we left off at following the written instructions and putting your blocks together. Your paper is all still attached so as you sew it together, it's going to get heavy. Having your machine on a table that will have some room for support of the top will make it easier. As you put your blocks together, use pins! Sewing on the black line of your papers will ensure accurate seam matching as long as you've got pins there and are supporting the heavy top with a table. The heaviness will pull your seam and you'll lose the accuracy.

One thing I forgot to mention in the previous post: Shorten your stitch when you sew. I shorten mine to a 1.5. This will help perforate that paper and make it easier to tear out. It also makes it harder to rip out when you've made a mistake. So don't make a mistake! Easy! Actually, I made a few mistakes when piecing but there is plenty of extra fabric so you can just toss the mistake into your scrap bin.

Once your top is sewn together you can start ripping your papers out. Just sit in front of the TV and go for it. Have a vacuum handy. It will look like Rip Taylor went through your house with his bucket o' confetti. As you tear out the paper, you must pull to the side rather than up. Pulling up will put too much strain on your seam. Pulling to the side will help shred that perforation and put less pull on your seam.

Now that all the paper has been removed, you are free to press! I used a little starch as I went pressing seams open wherever I could.

Go ahead! Take a close look! Foundation Paper Piecing will give you the sharpest seams and everything lines up perfectly if done correctly! And let's face it, even if a seam isn't perfect, how in the world will you ever notice with this beauty!

Now, I have to apologize. When I first started this project, I had a quite a few kits available. I am down to only one. I will re-order this fabric but not until January. So if you want this kit for a Christmas break project...here is the link:

The Sunshine Quilt Kit

The Sunshine Quilt: Part 1

2011-11-02T18:10:00.000-07:00

That's it! I've committed! We are starting The Sunshine Quilt in the studio today and I am super excited! I've sat here for nearly a year now looking at this pattern and I just HAVE to make it! I will document each step and put it here in the blog. The kits are available in our shop!

The Sunshine Quilt

This pattern can be found on Amy Butler's website as a free download. Make sure you read the instructions thoroughly before starting the project. Especially if you've never foundation pieced before.

Step ONE: Make your templates. You'll need 18 of each of the 10 templates. While you are preparing your templates, pre-wash your fabric. I have to be honest, I don't normally pre-wash but I wanted this project to be by the book! So, your fabric is in the washing machine and you have your templates. Make 18 copies of each template. Two of the templates are too big to put onto one sheet of paper so you'll have to tape your template pages together and then cut them out. Cut out the other 8 templates. The directions say to cut them out on the dashed line but I cut mine just a little outside the dashed line. Once my fabric has been pieced to the paper, I'll use my rotary cutter to cut on the dashed line.

A note about the type of paper to use:

The instructions do not say you have to use foundation piecing paper, although it is available for ink jet printers! I wanted to see how difficult it would be to use with regular copy paper. Foundation paper is thinner, just a little heavier than tissue. Copy paper is thicker. Definitely start your project with a new machine needle and have a couple extra needles to switch out during your project. Sewing through thick paper may dull your needle a little quicker. Also, if you are using regular copy paper, it can get heavy! The paper remains on your units through the entire project until the whole quilt top is sewn together. It makes pressing a bit difficult with the weight. When I make this pattern again, I will try it with actual foundation paper.

Here are a couple pictures showing how to make the larger templates.

Step TWO: Cut your fabric. First, you cut out four 3.5" strips from each of the 33 1/2 yard cuts. Easy enough. Then the instructions tell you to take a strip and lay it down on the pattern piece and cut a strip long enough to cover that area of the template. Kind of time consuming!

Here's what I did:

I took my ruler and measured each piece of each template at the widest part. I wrote all of my measurements down. I circled all of my measurements that were 10.5" to 12". I had 5 template areas that needed a strip of fabric that was 3.5" x 10.5" to 12". Multiply 5 by 18, since you have 18 of each template to make and you get 90. So that means I need 90 3.5" x 12" strips, because a 12" strip will cover a 10" area. Now, if you want to get super detailed, you can cut exactly the length you need for each area like they instruct. I don't have that kind of time. If a 12" piece will cover a 10.5" area with a little waste on each side, so be it! My time is precious and I intend on stacking and whacking this beauty out as fast as possible! I sure hope it works out! It's a pricey kit! That's why I'm testing it out for you! Okay, so, now that I know I need 90 12" strips, divide that by 33 (total 1/2 yard cuts) and you get 2.72 (round that up to 3). So I need to make sure that I cut 3 12" strips from each print. That will give me 99, a few extras just in case!

I am going to make a long story short here! I've done all the math for you. Take your half yards to your cutting board (hint: I stacked my fabric 5 1/2 yards at a time. If you are comfortable with your rotary cutting skills, go for it). Cut each one into 4 3.5" strips and save whatever is left because you'll be using those for your binding! In fact, if you want to cut your scrap strip down to 2.5" while you cut your 3.5" strips, that's saving even more time! Love it! Even after pre-washing and shrinking, you should have enough of most cuts to get a 2.5" strip. You'll need a total of 8 yards of binding or 288". Eight 2.5" strips would be enough but I think I want to make my binding scrappier. Now that you've got your 3.5" strips cut, from those strips cut the following:

From each print cut:

3- 12" strips (total 99 strips)

4- 10" strips (total 132 strips)

4- 8" strips (total 132 strips)

6- 6" strips (total 198 strips)

I have 4 paper bags that I marked with each measurement and just threw the strips into their bags. Then I went to my template pieces and marked what measurement I needed for each template area. So I know what bag to grab from! I didn't mark each of the 180 templates, I had one set of templates that were extra and I just marked the one. I'll have it next to my machine when I start piecing.

TIME TO START PIECING!

Lay one piece down on place #1 covering the entire area. Make sure that the wrong side of the fabric is down on the wrong side of the paper. Pin your fabric to the paper (some people like to use a glue stick. I've done both in the past.) and you can hold it up to a window to make sure that fabric piece covers the entire area.

Lay the next piece down right sides together matching raw edges and pin.

Flip the piece over and sew on the black solid line.

Bring your unit to your cutting board.

Fold the template piece back at the seam line. The amount of fabric you have past your seam line will vary. Mine is pretty close to 1/4" but yours might be a little bigger. This extra fabric needs to be trimmed to 1/4". You can do this with a regular clear acrylic ruler but is much easier using a "Add a Quarter" ruler. This ruler has a lip that will rest on the folded back paper and extends out 1/4". Just take your rotary and cut like so:

There was a little bit to be trimmed. Do this long enough and you can eyeball a 1/4" pretty well!

Once your seam allowance has been trimmed, open it up and press.

Flip your unit over and trim on the dashed line.

Here is your finished unit!

Those are your basic instructions on completing your units. You have a total of 180 units in this quilt so it will take some time completing all of them. This is not an afternoon project but I had it completed within a week.

A tip on the longer three piece triangle unit: Place the third piece of fabric vertical on your paper. It will cover better.

Placing it vertically will give you more wiggle room!

Finished!

Just one more unit to go!

So pretty! I love how grabbing a strip out of the paper bag made it so random. I tend to over think projects. Having the strips in bags forced me to be carefree in my fabric placement! I did try not to place the same fabric next to each other and I'm pretty sure I accomplished that!

This whole pattern was very easy to follow. You sew your templates together as instructed to make your units. You'll piece 4 units together and the opposite 4 units together and then place those two pieces, right sides together and sew on the lines. That will create your square (which is actually a rectangle!). Piece nine of these and then put your rows together. I did lay this out as I was sewing my blocks together so I could avoid too much of the same print touching. It worked out great. Remember, the papers remain attached through this whole process!

A note about seams! Listen, with the paper and the MANY intersections in this quilt top, the seams can become very thick. Wherever possible, try pressing your seams open. I did not learn my lesson until the end of the project. I think had I opened some of these seams, it would present less of a problem at the major intersections. Like the middle of each block....whoo, is that thick!

I have covered A LOT of this project so we'll end it here for now. If you have any questions, post them as a comment here so others can read! Chances are, if you are wondering, someone else is too!

Thanks for following along! We'll complete this post tomorrow!

We Have A Winner!

2011-11-01T07:10:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!

First off, I want to thank everyone for joining our blog! This was the biggest giveaway we've ever done and it was SO much fun! Stick around because we have more fun and games and freebies planned! So, we generated a random number which was 35 and the winner is......SHURIE!! Congrats, Shurie! I'll be sending you a message shortly!

On the agenda for today is the beginning of our Sunshine Quilt follow-along. My quilt is all put together and I am busy pressing and pulling papers out! I've decided to quilt it myself so that will be interesting! I'm excited! It's a neat project and I hope you enjoy reading about it!

We also just returned from a quick trip to Fall Quilt Market in Houston where we were able to chat with our favorite designers, meet some new designers and check out the latest and greatest in the textile world. It's always my favorite time of year! We'll post some pictures and share some really exciting things with you!

Thanks again for following A Joyful Soul Fabrics and remember, you can find us on Facebook and Twitter!

A Little Side-Tracked!

2011-10-18T14:17:00.000-07:00

I AM still working on the write-up for Amy Butler's Sunshine Quilt but with Halloween so close, I have another project in the works. My daughter is 11 and last year decided that she was too old for Halloween. No costume, no trick-or-treating. Now, I'm not a HUGE fan of Halloween. I do not get the entertainment value of being scared. But, little costumes, pumpkin cupcakes and chocolate bats....love that! When she announced she was too old, I very nearly had a breakdown. She was only 10 at the time! 10 isn't old! So, I was so completely giddy when she came to me this year and wanted me to make her costume! First of all, my daughter is not impressed in the least with my sewing ability. And the fabric business is really more of a hassle for her than anything else. Poor baby, constantly having to succumb to child labor. (She hands out cards in our booth at quilt shows!) So, YES!! She actually wants me to make something for her!

Then she told me who she wanted to be.

This is Gir. He's a robot that was sent to earth with Zim, an alien. His goal is to conquer the human race. Zim decides that Gir needs to be in a disguise so people don't suspect them as extra-terrestrial.

This cartoon, Invader Zim (Nicktoons), is the funniest show I have ever seen! Now, I am a stupid humor kind of girl. And this cartoon delivers, for sure! With lines like, "Me and the Squirrel are friends," and "I was a chubby lady hidin' in the bushes," I giggle right next to my 11 year old through every episode.

Turns out, this cartoon has quite a cult following and to be honest, I started worrying about my daughter being so smitten when I found out that Hot Topic carries ear and tongue "plugs" with Gir's image on it. I also found a belly button ring. But, I don't think that fact will mean that my baby will run out and get a Gir tat anytime soon.

She did not want to be the robot version of Gir. She wanted the disguised version. Here's Gir in disguise!

And here's what we have so far.

We only have the head so far. I have about 3 yards of lime green fleece just waiting to be turned into a body. I just hope it cools down around here. She's going to be sweating her little tail off.

As you can see, she is a true Gir fan. Probably the number one fan! She has all things Gir from pencils to hair barrettes to her favorite t-shirt. And we ALWAYS get stopped in public so people can tell her that her shirt made them smile! There are more Gir fans out there than I knew! Are you a Gir fan too!?

Super Blog Giveaway!!

2011-10-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome to all of our new followers! As promised, we are having a super blog giveaway this month! All you have to do is "follow" our blog and you will be entered to win! The prize?

How about a copy of 'One-Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Projects' written by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins PLUS 10 yards of fabric! Just "follow" the blog and you are entered!

Drawing to be held November 1, 2011!

This pattern book is awesome! I've made several projects from this little gem! It is a hard cover book with spiral instruction pages and full size pattern pieces located in an envelope on the inner cover. The greatest part? Each project requires ONE YARD of fabric!

Cool, right?

Here is a better view of the fabrics included. I wanted to give a nice array of different designers and looks! You'll find Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, MoMo, Lily Ashbury and Art Gallery Fabrics!

Such a great prize! And just in time for your holiday sewing!

Tell your friends!

Joyfully Simple

2011-09-30T08:13:00.000-07:00

(Sorry for the word play. When your name is Joy, it kind of comes naturally!)

At our last two shows, I had a new kit called Joyful Jewels. I was so inspired by Jennifer Paganelli's line Honey Child, that I HAD to design my own pattern. The colors and prints in this beauty reminded me of sparkling jewels. (I'm a huge fan of jewels! Ask my hubby!) Everyone just LOVED it! I sold quite a few but since the shows, I've had about 15 emails asking about the difficulty level. They saw it, loved it and can't stop thinking about it. A lot of my customers are new to the world of sewing and quilting so I can totally understand the anxiety in looking at a project and thinking it is beyond your skill level. While Joyful Jewels wouldn't be the perfect "first time quilt" project, if you have basic quilting and rotary cutting skills, I will show you just how easy it is!

Joyful Jewels

First off, this is a fat quarter quilt. You'll receive one fat quarter of each print in Honey Child as well as Bleached White Bella Solid for your sashing and all of the fabric for your centerpoints and borders plus binding. You just need a batting and backing. ALSO included in the kit is the Strip Tube Ruler by Cozy Quilt. This is a special ruler that will allow you to make the coolest most sparkl-y-est blocks EVER! (yes, it's a word).

To make the blocks, you are separating your fat quarters into jewel colorways. You see my Sapphire (blues), Amethyst (purples) and so on, you get the idea! After you've seperated for four jewels, you'll actually have 6 fat quarters left. That is my Australian Opal, my favorite!

You'll be cutting your fat quarters into 2" and 1.5" strips. Piece 1 2" strip to a 1.5" strip and then put another 2" strip on the other side. You need two of these sets to make one block.

If you've never "tube" pieced, this is the cool part! Put your strip sets right sides together and sew down BOTH long sides to form a 22" tube.

Your finished block size is 10" but it's made up of four 5 1/2" units. You'll use your ruler and line up your thread line from your seam on the 5 1/2" line on your ruler and cut down both sides.

Now flip the ruler to the other side and line your ruler up with the seam line under the 5 1/2" line. (I know this pic is wonky, just noticed that! Make sure your ruler is straight!) Flip again and flip again!

So here's what you get from your cuts.

Here are your squares from one tube arranged to form your opal.

Do you see how simple this is? And you can do SO much more with this ruler. The ruler comes with instructions on how to do your half-square triangles as well as a really cute block called "Daniela" that is PERFECT for your jelly rolls (2.5" strips)!!

Oh, we are placing this kit, as well as ALL the Honey Child line on sale 20% off for a limited time!

Head to our shop now!

Coffee Cozies Anyone?

2011-09-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

Yet another CRAZY quick project for you! I drink massive amounts of coffee. I love it, I've tried to quit it, but it just ain't gonna happen. Coffee is my BFF. So imagine my giddiness when I came across this pattern by Erin Harris of House on Hill Road. Here is a link to her coffee cozy .pdf pattern:

COFFEE COZY TUTORIAL

I found this pattern a couple years ago while trolling the web for cute projects. At the time, I had two very good friends who were as addicted to Starbucks as I was so I made this for them as a Christmas gift. They both loved it! I LOVE giving handmade!!

I am going to make these for the people who work with my husband. Of course, I'll have to find some Air Force and Army fabric. My closet is already full of Navy fabric so my Navy peeps are taken care of! We'll make each instructor a cozy and put a Starbucks Gift Card in there as well. Here are some pic's from my "tester". Yep, it's MINE!! (I know, I'm pathetic!)

I dug through my scrap bin to find my fabrics.

The instructions say to use a cotton batting or an insulated batting which I happen to have plenty of from my I-Think-I'll-Make-My-Own-Pot-Holder episode. (Never did.)

This part I thought was ingenious! Erin has you use a hair elastic for your button loop. I've seen other patterns for cozies like this that just use elastic. How BORING! This way, I can color coordinate!

Sewing all the way around, leaving a 2-3 inch opening to turn on the bottom.

Trim out the seams to a scant 1/4".

Push out your corners VERY CAREFULLY.

Top stitch all the way around to close up your opening.

Attach your button!

How awesome is that?! Go to Erin's blog and check it out. Gorgeous photography! Puts my pic's to shame but hey, you get the picture! I also LOVE Erin's copyright statement on her pattern! "For personal use only. Please don't sell anything made from this pattern. It's bad karma." AMEN to that!

Staying on Subject!

2011-09-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud of myself! In keeping with the thought of the week, I am Holiday Sewing today!

I'll go through this kind of quickly seeing as how I have a child, two dogs and a husband to get to bed so I can go catch up on my Vampire Diaries episodes!

Sewing for: TEACHERS!!

My daughter is in the 6th grade and has 7 teachers! They say they are preparing them for Junior High but I don't think I had 7 teachers in high school! Lucky for me, all seven teachers are women! Yeah!! Last year, I made some cute little key cuffs and tissue holders for the two female teachers she had. They were well received! I think handmade gifts are so appreciated by teachers! Better than chocolate or cookies! (For TEACHERS, not me! I prefer chocolate and cookies!)

I was playing in my "sewing lab" this afternoon. I had a customer in my booth, once upon a time, who mentioned this really cool idea for a purse closure. Wish I could tell you I was smart enough to come up with this but I'm not! I wish I knew the persons name who brought this to my attention so I could give her credit. Measuring Tape! The metal kind! You know when you're measuring something with a metal measuring tape and snaps and goes flying through the air and almost hits you in the eye? No? Must just be me. Anyway, went to the Dollar Store and found one for a buck!

Fabrics used:

Bliss Bouquet Teal Sun Spots Olive

I cut it to 8 inches and rounded the ends. Next time I will also put a layer of duct or painters tape around the cut edges. It slices right through fabric, fingers and I'm sure a metal can. I used an old pair of kitchen shears that will NEVER be the same!

One cut for each side of the purse.

I cut a pattern piece that was 8.5" across the top and 10.5" across the bottom and I used my ruler and rotary cutter to make a cut from corner to corner, tapered. I cut 2 exterior and 2 lining pieces. I also attached pieces of Thermolam Plus to both exterior fabric pieces. Thermolam is single sided fusible fleece that is my favorite interfacing ever!

I then sewed the top of the lining to the top of the exterior on both sides and placed them right sides together, pinned at each seam to line them up and make sure they were matched.

I sewed 1/2" seam allowance all the way around leaving a 4" opening in the bottom of the lining.

Trim the corners of your exterior. That's a lot of bulk!

4" opening across lining.

Okay, now I sewed a topstitch all the way around the top of the bag about an 1/8" from the edge. Then I worked the two tape measure lengths, with the curve facing the exterior on both sides in between the exterior and lining. I actually ended up having to trim the tape measure a little to fit into the top of the bag. Once you've worked it all the way up to the top, pin all the way around the bottom of the tape measure piece so you can sew all the way around to close it up.

You can see how the tape measure "pops" open and stays open.

Snapped shut!

The finished project. No, you probably can't keep pennies in there without them falling out but I wanted to make a cute little bag that would hold a lip balm, a cell phone, personal items...something they can either toss in their purse or maybe keep in their desk. We'll put a lip balm, small lotion and a tide pen in each one for our teachers! Since this was my "tester"....yep, you guessed right, I'm keeping it! Gosh, I'm doing a lot of sewing but not a whole lot of "list scratching"! Anyway, I really do want to play with the construction of it. I want to use the lining fabric as a trim across the top but when I tried it, the metal sliced through the fabric. That's why I need to probably tape the ends so it won't do that.

I'm really happy with the outcome! I placed my sunglasses in there and it was a perfect fit! My daughter put her DS in there, perfect fit! So many uses and it was a QUICK project!

This was the fastest blog post I've ever done so if anything wasn't clear or you have questions, comment here and I'll get back to you right away!

Holiday Sewing on the Mind

2011-09-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

My calender says it's the first day of Fall today. This is truly my FAVORITE time of year! Snuggly sweaters, pumpkins, falling leaves and cool crisp autumn afternoons. So would it be too much to ask Mother Nature to fall in line and give this to me? PLEASE!? I am so tired of the 100 degree plus days. Okay, so it's cooled a bit, only in the 90's. I am not letting this wacky weather detour me from my holiday sewing to-do list! I love making handmade gifts but yes, they are time-consuming so the list of recipients ends up being much smaller than what I started with. I am Queen of Procrastination. I have a plan to maximize my sewing time this year. #1 Start Early (yes, this is early for me!) #2 Stick to smaller projects. (sorry, sis, no queen size quilt this year!) #3 Pre-cuts Pre-cuts Pre-cuts! (what's better than a yummy jelly roll and charm pack?)

I found an awesome pattern called French Bread. I've been obsessed with the French Braid quilts for some time. I've even bought several books on the technique but honestly, I thought it would be too difficult and that I wouldn't have the time to learn. Well, this pattern utilizes the french braid technique and it's super easy! The pattern is for a table runner. I am making Christmas gifts for my grandmothers and they both would love this little shot of color in their houses. The pattern will give you a small runner, roughly 12" x 28". Plenty big enough to lay across a small kitchen table.

The pattern calls for 2.5" strips so I grabbed one of my favorite Jelly Rolls off the shelf. Summer House by Lily Ashbury is a bright and beautiful line of fabric that I have been obsessed with for a few weeks now! I know my Gran's will love it!

I picked out 9 of the 40 strips and trimmed off the selvege edge.

I then cut them into 2 1/2" x 7 1/2" rectangles.

The directions had awesome diagrams on how to piece your rectangles together but here are some pic's of how it's done!

Piece 1 to Piece 2.

Piece 3....see? Isn't it so easy!? I don't know what I was so worried about!

And you just keep going and going for as long as you want! I figured I could piece a row long enough that I could just cut it in half and have two pieces I could make into two different runners.

Once your piece is as long as you want it, trim off all sides to square it up. The pattern has you trimming it to 8" x 24". That's what I did seeing as how I was going to do two. (gosh, these colors are so pretty, they would look awesome with my vintage Pyrex... get back to sewing.) Now, you only need a 1/4 yard to cut 2.5" strips for a border. Or you can use strips from the roll to make a scrappy border. Then just 1/4 yard for binding but I'm using strips from the jelly roll, I only used 9 and that roll has 40! (this would look SO good in my kitchen!)

Okay, I'm kind of ashamed of myself now. What started out as TWO Christmas gifts has now turned into one table top quilt that will go in my kitchen.

What? I whipped this thing out in like 30 minutes! I have 30 strips left! I'll still make them one too! This was my tester! (I always say that.)

If you go the shop and purchase a jelly roll, I'll make sure a copy of this pattern gets in your package! If you'd like me to help pick out borders and binding, just email me at shop@ajoyfulsoulfabrics.com. I'll be happy to help pick out some coordinating fabrics. Remember, if you just want to make the runner, you only need 9 strips which means with one 40 piece jelly roll and 2 yards of fabric for borders and binding, you can make 4 runners! That is if you don't get all selfish like me and keep them for yourself! The pattern also gives you ideas on how to make this into a quilt!

In Anticipation of Fall!!

2011-09-22T10:27:00.000-07:00

First off...HI!! How ya been? I know, it's been a while, but we've been traveling, sewing, traveling more and just trying to keep up with things around here! I have so much to tell you all! But if I put it all in one post, you'll be reading for two days so I'll keep it short and sweet.

The studio has been abuzz talking of cold fronts, rain and the prospect of cooler weather. Now, it's still in the 90's mind you. Not cool to this San Diego girl but it sure beats the nearly 60 days of three digit temps we've been enduring in South Texas. It's not even the heat that bothers me so much, it's the lack of precipitation. You remember, that wet stuff that falls from the sky on occasion. I think they refer to it as....RAIN? Well, we've seen very little of it around here and my backyard is starting to look like Death Valley. Cracks and everything. We had a much welcome storm blow through a couple nights ago and the weather people are positively giddy about our "Fall-like" weather. Yes, apparently here in South Texas mid to upper 90's is "Fall-like". (Note to self: When the Navy is through with us, rethink this retiring in South Texas thing.)

So, along with the welcoming of Fall and the hope for appropriate weather, we've added quite a few new things to the shop and are anticipating more daily! Have you seen our new quilt kits?

Joyful Jewels

Sophie's Garden

Folksy Flannel Rag Quilt

We've had wonderful feedback on the kits that have been added to our shop. Joyful Jewels is a pattern that I developed using the Strip Tube technique. A super easy ruler tool that allows you to piece what looks like extremely difficult blocks very easily! My inspiration was Jennifer Paganelli's line, Honey Child. I wanted this quilt to look like sparkling jewels! The Sophie's Garden is actually a take on a tutorial that has been traveling the web. I made a couple changes to the fabric placement so it looks like little butterflies flitting through the garden. So vintage and pretty, I'm not sure why, but it takes me back to my Strawberry Shortcake days! Love it! And lastly, the rag quilt. Y'all know I'm a sucker for a good rag quilt! Super easy, fast and if you use the right flannel (HIGH QUALITY!), the softest most snuggly cuddly thing you've ever created! (Did I mention easy?) If any of these interest you, just click the title under each picture and it will take you right to the kit in our shop. And as always, if you have any questions, post them here!

Along with the prospect of Fall comes holiday sewing season! I don't know about you but I love to give handmade holiday gifts. We are on the lookout for quick and easy gifts you can feel good giving to just about anyone in your life. From your closest family members to your hair stylist, everyone enjoys a handmade item! Subscribe to our blog today to make sure you don't miss out on these ideas! We'll be scouring the web for you to bring you the greatest ideas! Tomorrow, we'll show you a cool table runner idea! Here's a sneak peek!

Yes, friends! That is a "Basket O' Jelly Roll Strips"! Jelly Roll project tomorrow! Don't miss it!

OH, we're having an awesome giveaway too!! You need to be a blog follower to be eligible though! So hit "follow" today! This is the biggest prize we've ever given away! Tell your friends too! We will giveaway a pattern book with yards and yards of fabric! It's gonna be awesome! Til tomorrow!

Adventures With Elastic Thread

2011-07-19T05:50:00.001-07:00

We sure have been on the move recently! I LOVE setting up at shows but it certainly can take it all out of a girl. The downside of being an online shop is the lack of customer contact. I love to gab and visit and show off my projects and fabulous fabric! We had so much fun in OKC last month and I just returned from the Midlothian Show this past weekend. Next stop, Ft. Worth, Texas in early August! Another small booth since I'll be by myself again but the lack of bolts doesn't stop me from bringing the coolest fabrics, patterns and kits to these shows!

After OKC, my cousins and their kids decided to come visit me! Such an awesome birthday present! Being a military family, we have to deal with the lack of family nearby. We've been stationed in TX for about 5 years now and have been blessed with an awesome extended family who don't mind us invading them on occasion! Whenever I'm doing a show in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, I always have a place to sleep! Well, this time, they came to us! We had so much fun visiting! We drove to Corpus, Greune, went to the movies and had one heck of a birthday party!

Among the partying, I had to also get ready for the Midlothian show and since I had such a beautiful model, I decided to make a pretty little sundress for a very pretty (and specific!) little girl. Ally is my cousins daughter and she is very picky about the clothing she wears. She noticed a sample of a little dress that hangs in my studio and decided she wanted one like that "without the sleeves, ruffles and frills". She wants what she wants! I let her pick out her fabric and she stood by as I sewed so she could direct my every move! (It was really cute! I can't wait for this girl to grow up. Surely, she is going to be in a position of power!)

This is an easy little dress that uses elastic thread to give a smocking effect across the bodice. First, I took a yard of pre-washed and dried fabric, pressed and serged around all the edges. If you don't have a serger, you can still do this! Before I got my serger for Mother's Day, I used my zig-zag stitch on my domestic machine. Works just fine in finishing off those edges professionally. Once you've blocked off those edges, sew your fabric into a tube by sewing the selvage edges (trimmed) right sides together. Now you have a 36" long tube. I fold down the top of the tube about 3/8" and press then top stitch to give a nice finished edge across the top. If you don't mind the serged or zig-zagged edge showing, you don't need to do this. I've seen plenty of cute little dresses with the raw edge, serged, showing at the top and bottom of the dress.

Now for the fun part! Take an elastic thread which you can find at pretty much any sewing supply shop. I've even used the elastic you find on cards in the bead section of your large chain stores. Recently, your sewing supply sections of these stores are disappearing so I've had to be resourceful! (I like to call myself the McGyver of sewing!) Take your bobbin and HAND WIND the elastic onto your bobbin with just a little bit of pull on the elastic. I DO NOT adjust the tension on either the bobbin OR the top thread. I DO however lengthen my stitch. My machine is digital so where a 2.5 is my normal stitch length, I lengthen to a 4. Replace your bobbin and put a matching thread up top. I've used all sorts of thread weights. The all-purpose thread works great!

Place your tube under your presser foot at about 1/4" from the top of your tube, right side facing up and starting at your back seam. Make sure you have a nice long tail of elastic and thread to start with. Slowly start sewing around the top of your tube. As you sew, the tension on your elastic in the bobbin will start to smock up your fabric. When you've sewn all the way around the top and you are now on the other side of your seam, pull a nice long elastic and thread tail and cut. Keep your tails out of the way and and continue sewing lines down the bodice about every 1/4" to 1/2", depending on your desired look. Your fabric will bunch due to the elastic thread so use your fingers to manipulate the fabric flat so you aren't smocking a smocked piece of fabric. Smocking on top of smocking will just make the bodice that much smaller. The closer together your lines, the more smocked your piece will look. Sew as far down as you want. I went 5" because that's what Ally wanted! At this point, you can tighten your elastic to make your smocking tighter. I don't do this. I find that my machine makes the smocking all on its own and remember, you can hit it with a steamy iron and it will bunch up as well. Once all of your lines have been sewn and your bodice looks how you want it, start at the top of your piece and tie off all of the elastic and thread. Your seam allowance will be inside that knot but after all your ties are done, serge down that seam allowance catching all of your knots in the serge stitching. I'm careful to disengage my fabric trimmer at this point. I've never used it on the elastic knot edge and am afraid that if I accidentally trim off the elastic knot, the whole thing will come undone. I think I might do a tester piece and see what happens. I'll let you know.

If you've never worked with elastic thread before, I would suggest taking a piece of scrap fabric and playing with it before you use a good piece. I always like to test before I sew to see what my machine is going to do with that elastic. Just so I'm not surprised and so I know how much manipulating I'm going to have to do to keep my fabric flat as the elastic is sewn in. Always a good idea to do a test run!

Ally was very specific about her straps. She did not want ties at the top so we measured around her shoulder from the front to the back and made little spaghetti straps and attached them on the inside of the bodice by top stitching them in place. I reinforced them by going in reverse a couple times. Those things aren't going anywhere! You can do whatever you want for straps! Use pretty ribbon, make a tie at the shoulder....your options are wide open! Unless you're sewing for Ally!

Once the straps were on, we put the dress on Ally and she showed me exactly where she wanted it hemmed to. I trimmed off about 4 inches of the dress, re-serged and folded it up a couple times and top stitched to give it a nice finished hem.

It only took us about 1.5 hours to finish this cute little sundress and I was most thrilled that Ally loved it! It's the perfect little "throw it on and go play" dress! Isn't the Jennifer Paganelli fabric gorgeous!? Ally picked it! Out of 400 bolts, that was the one she wanted!

I'll be busy today unpacking the show bins but I recently made a purchase of some Anna Maria Folksy Flannel and am busy designing a rag quilt pattern to offer kits! I'm hoping to start this project tomorrow so look for another post VERY soon! Do you have any friends that might like to subscribe to our blog? Hurry and forward a link! I'm planning a fun fabric giveaway soon! Look for details in the near future!

LOVING Jennifer Paganelli!

2011-06-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

So, I've known of Jennifer Paganelli and have loved her fabric for a long time. But I've never been in the position to add her to our fabric shop...until now! Honey Child arrived in the studio this afternoon and I am staring at it with creative visions floating!This sparkling jewel-toned loveliness is INSPIRING!

I've gone ahead and put some in the shop even though I want to keep it all for myself!! Oh, and this is the July Club Fabric Collection for those of you wondering!!

Check it out here!

A Peek Into My Chaos

2011-06-12T17:43:00.000-07:00

Some people say they thrive in chaos. That is kind of true for me. I thrive in creative chaos, but if my room is a mess or the kitchen hasn't been cleaned, I feel off-kilter. Now, before you go thinking I'm some domestic goddess who always keeps a clean house, you couldn't be farther from the truth. My life is messy. It's difficult to clean up the clutter, run a business, take care of a family and all the other job descriptions I hold. You know what I'm talking about. I'm hardly alone in the messiness. Today was Field Day. (That's the Navy wife coming out!) Field day is the military term for "cleaning house"! Laundry was washed, dried, folded and, for the most part, put away. (I refuse to put away laundry for a 10 year old who is perfectly capable.) Floors are swept and vac'd, my hubby even got outside and washed windows and hosed down the house completely! We're sparkling here!

Since I spent most of the day cleaning and putting away 6 weeks of clutter, there wasn't a whole lot of time for creativity but I managed to create some chaos after cleaning up some chaos! I still have no idea what I'm doing but that's how I like it. The idea in my head is a kind of mini-sampler table runner. Right, it was supposed to be a baby blanket but I've changed my mind, which proves that there is just as much chaos in my brain as there is in my house AND studio!

No rhyme or reason, I know, but now you see how I operate! With absolutely no plan or pattern to speak of. And I think I'm going to have to get a bigger and more professional looking design wall! The batting scraps pinned to the wall with my daughters flower pins are HYSTERICAL!

A Puzzling Day!

2011-06-11T18:11:00.000-07:00

I put my little Lily Ashbury Summer House squares away today to finish up a sample for our booth. I've never been particularly fond of working with solids. Sure, I like to use them here and there but a quilt made entirely of solids was really never on my radar. When Amy Butler developed her quilting solids line a couple years ago, she also created the "Thea's Puzzle Quilt".

This quilt is simple in its construction but beautifully utilizes more than half of the 16 colors it was created for. Now, since her debut of her solids line, she has introduced 3 more colors to her original 16. So, of course, I had to throw those new colors in and added them to the original collection of colors she used in her quilt.

This is my enormous "nine patch" made from my puzzle piece blocks. I added the new Periwinkle, Mango and Coral colors and "Joyified" this pattern! You know I like my brights! This pattern is a free download on Amy's website. Click here to get your copy:

Thea's Puzzle Quilt

I kept the borders exactly how she instructs with the Lime Green for the inner border and the Ivory for the extra large outer border. Isn't this going to be a fun canvas for my quilter!

I can't wait to get it quilted now. I'm thinking I'm just going to give it to her and let her have at it! Looks good with my August Fields pillows, right?

So, I've been fairly productive today! I've had my puzzle pieces cut out for some time now and I had one square sewn together. I decided to take advantage of the air conditioning (it's beastly hot here!) and knock it out!

Tomorrow will be spent working on my Summer House Charm quilt while tackling the mountain of laundry that piles while I'm obsessed with my projects! I need to teach this 10 year old how to work a washer and dryer!

Summer House by Lily Ashbury

2011-06-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

New fabric in the house!

Summer House Pre-cuts just arrived from Moda. This is a beautiful line designed by Lily Ashbury. It's very traditional in the prints but I just love the mix of lime green, royal blue, hot pink and soft aqua. I ordered a few charm packs and not many jelly rolls. (This is our August Club fabric.) The bolts should arrive next month. Now, what to do with these square little pockets of summer sunshine? I quickly improvised a design wall with some leftover batting and my daughters tacks from her bulletin board. Call me Quilty McGuyver.

Problem is, I don't know what to make out of this beautiful stuff! Here's one idea. Setting them all on point and trimming all the way around. I was also thinking of grabbing a solid from Amy Butler's line and put some inset triangles in there just to make it a bit larger. If I trim it out the way it is, we're looking at a quilt that will be roughly 26" finished. Not big enough to do much of anything with. I want to back it with Minky. We have a friend who is preggers and I am PRAYING it's a baby girl as this will most likely be her blanky.

I don't know, what do you think? I looked through some of my charm patterns and everything I saw would just detract from the beauty of the prints. I'm leaning towards the solid insets and I'll have a nice receiving size woobie!

If you want to secure some of this sunny stuff for yourself, like I said, I only have the charms and jelly rolls right now. But the bolts and fat quarters are coming and you can click the links below if you'd like to purchase what arrived this week.

Summer House 5" Charm Pack (42~5" Squares)

Summer House Jelly Roll (40~2.5" Strips)

Have a beautiful weekend!

June Is Busting Out All Over!!

2011-06-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

Isn't that how it goes? Carousel, right? It's been a while since my musical theater days but that song is STUCK like CHUCK in this brain of mine with no way out but to belt it like Nettie would! Ahh, that was another life of mine that I'll have to share with you later! Meanwhile, I've been traveling, sewing, experimenting in the kitchen and attempting to entertain a 10 year old now that school's out. Oh, and not doing any of them very well I might add!

But I've been having fun with the sewing thing! I have a customer who's been asking for a "pillowcase" type dress made out of Anna Maria Horner's Innocent Crush. I've seen several of these patterns and tutorials but nothing has ever really impressed me so I set out to make my own pattern. I made three at a time so I could experiment with different means of construction. I love that it really could fit any child from a 2 year old on up to my 10 year old! How's that for longevity! I mean, we won't mention that by the time she's 10 years old it will have every type of ice cream, popsicle and hot dog stain you could imagine. Still, it's cute, and those stains won't even show up on this fabric anyway!

My little girl with her porcelain skin! She is literally allergic to the sun. And any pollen/seed/weed that gets carried in on this strong South Texas wind. So needless to say, we spend a lot of time indoors unfortunately. Although, our goal was to get out and walk every morning during Summer break and so far, I am proud to say, we've only missed one day out of the last...four. Okay, not a GREAT track record but I have to pick my battles around here and it was NOT happenin' this morning!

My Art Gallery and MoMo quilts came back from the quilter last week. I'm so pleased with them! Bindings are on the "To Do" list.

We brought the Just Wing It kit to the Kerrville show and I received so many oo's and ah's! I think it's the bright colors mixed with deep eggplant purple and flying butterflies...you just HAVE to LOVE it! I know I loved making it. So happy and cheerful! And yet another "Afternoon" project! I love when I can finish a project in one day!

Isn't the quilting pretty!? The quilting here was done by Doris at The Quilting Queen in Brownwood, Texas. If you'd like her info, send me a comment and I'll get you her number.

This is the kit now available in the shop. Also, this is our June Fabric Collection for the clubs!

We also have the 2.5" strips and a fat quarter set available along with some yardage but your best deal will be to join our Clubs. You'll get a pattern book for the $10 membership fee and then you'll get your fabric selection for the month at $30 vs. $35. Good deal, right!? I had so much interest that I've added more clubs so there is plenty of room! We'll do this through October and then start over in the Spring!

I think I've mentioned before that I joined my own club. I joined the Strip Club and here is what I've made with my May fabric collection, Bazaar Style by Art Gallery Fabrics. The pattern came from the pattern book we are providing to all Strip Club members. This is such a pretty quilt and the fabric is so different from the June fabric collection! Wait til you see July! It should be here on Monday!

This is made with one 2.5" strip roll and a little extra yardage for the inset triangles and borders/binding. So "blingy"!

As for the kitchen experiments, I don't have any pictures. But in case you were curious, they were lemony and were delicious and I better NOT skip my walk tomorrow morning!

I hope you are finding some time to beat this heat and CREATE!!

New Kits=Playtime for Me!

2011-05-16T04:44:00.000-07:00

What a GORGEOUS week we had! After over 90 days of NO RAIN in the San Antonio area, we had a gorgeous rainfall that lasted nearly all morning last Thursday! My grass and flowers look rejuvenated and I actually have some little green orbs hanging off my tomato plants! Super excited about that! Along with the rain comes the opportunity to sit at my sewing machine with my studio windows open and watch the beautiful downpour! And what better time! We've added a couple new kits to the shop and you know me...new kits mean "must sew sample"!! I had so much fun sewing up a few Bond Street Handbags and Totes. AND, BONUS, I have some tips and a tweak I made in the pattern. First, some pictures for you:

This is Bond Street by Poppy Patterns. Poppy Patterns is a collaborative pattern company made up of Patti Pinkston and Laura Gunn. Their patterns are relatively new on the scene and are right up the new "modern" sewing trend alley. Laura Gunn is a fabric designer among other things and I've loved ooing and awing over her fabrics at Market. This pattern was introduced to me by my very dear friend Nora of Hands on Tradition.

It's the perfect pattern to really showcase your large scale prints.

This particular sample is the larger tote size.

All Poppy Patterns have a 4 tiered skill level system that is actually pretty cute. The easiest pattern is represented by a baby carriage. Next up is a tricycle, next a bicycle and the highest skill level is what looks like a 1972 Dodge hatchback or something. This particular pattern is a "Tricycle". I imagine the only reason for that is the peek-a-boo pleat but honestly, the directions are so clear and easy to understand that even the most beginning sewist isn't going to have trouble with it.

Now, I promised you a tweak to this pattern. In the first sample I made, the tote in Anna Maria Horner Innocent Crush fabrics, I decided to use a fusible fleece called Thermolam by Pellon. Thermolam is a little "loftier" than your average fusible fleece. The pattern calls for "heavyweight interfacing". In my head, "heavyweight interfacing" is a Decor-Bond type fusible. I used the Decor Bond in the smaller handbags you see here. While it gave a beautiful product that photographed well, they were so stiff and inflexible that I couldn't see myself toting them around. My bag needs to be soft yet still keep its shape and Thermolam does that. Now, you'll deal with a little extra bulk at the straps when you sew the lining into the bag and topstitch around the outer top but go slow and easy and you'll have no issues at all. I've included Thermolam in all of the kits I am offering in the shop, NOT Decor Bond. I'm certain you'll be happier with the Thermolam!

A sample made from Erin McMorris' line, Weekends by Free Spirit.

Another cool aspect to this pattern is the little "ripped" flower. Not only because it's cute and adds an artistic flair to your bag, but because you get to tear the heck out of some fabric. I don't know what it is about tearing fabric...the noise it makes, the frustration you can diffuse...I don't know and I may not want to delve into why I like to rip fabric so much either. But look at the cute little flower you can make! The pattern calls for a 1.5" covered button which is adorable as well but I collect little antique pins and thought the flower would make a beautiful frame for my ever growing collection! Get creative! Just about anything can get attached to the center of this! How about running that ink jet printer fabric through your printer and putting a picture of your favorite child on there, at about a 2" size and centering that on a fabric button!? Ooo! I see Christmas presents coming! I'm going to have to try that next!

Another project actually finished this weekend was our new Brick Path kit made from MoMo, Just Wing It fabrics. Those of you who attend our shows know that the Amy Butler free pattern, Brick Path, has been a mainstay in our shop. It's the perfect pattern for absolutely ANY skill level. I am extremely dedicated to making sure our young people learn how to sew. Now that "home ec" type classes are no longer in our school systems, it's up to US to make sure this skill doesn't disappear with the mass production of items once sewn by hand. I'm not saying we need to learn how to sew a dress with a needle and thread, we'll leave that up to Cinderella's mice, but every person should know the beauty of creating something. This kit is the perfect project to teach a young or new sewist the skill of quilting. Easy rotary instructions, easy piecing and a perfect palette for showcasing the fabrics that inspire you! It can't get better than that!

Bright Turquoise, Tomato Reds and Grassy Greens give a beautiful backdrop to the floral and butterfly prints. (With a little bumblebee thrown in here and there! Think I Spy!)

At 72 inches square, it is the perfect large lap size or yard quilt for anyone who wants to lounge in the sun!

Look at the little bonus doll quilt I made from the scraps! I hate leftovers and whenever possible, I will immediately sew them up! If you don't have a little doll to sew for, quilt this up into a quilted pillow sham, baby quilt (we all need baby gifts waiting in the wings!) or a decorative pillow. Bottom line, USE YOUR SCRAPS!

Thought I would throw this in so you can see what challenges I have during my photography sessions! He almost took off with the My Twinn doll. Even though she's twice his size.

If you are interested in checking out these new kits in the shop, here are some links for you:

Bond Street Handbag Kits

Just Wing It Brick Path

Thanks for spending some time with me today! Now I'm off to find a quilter who can get this thing finished for me before our next show! We'll be in Kerrville, Texas next over Memorial Day weekend at Schreiner University in Edington Gym. If you're near the Hill Country, come check us out! This is a new show for us so I know nothing about it but I have really enjoyed working with the organizing quilt guild. Texas is chock full of really great peeps!

A Moment For Myself

2011-05-06T06:43:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting at my desk right now staring at the tropical island pic that is May on my "Places You'll Never Get To See In Your Whole Entire Life" 2011 Calendar. I'm not being a Negative Nelly. Just a Realist Reba. I don't even know where Nuku'alofa, Tonga is, but there is a patch of warm sand that my rear would really like to come into contact with! This has me realizing that I am in desperate need of a moment to myself. Just a moment, nothing big. I came close to it last night while watching my guilty pleasure (Vampire Diaries) but even that was spent helping my daughter crochet wool necklaces for the poor dogs who have about 20 of these things hanging from their necks. (They are such good sports!) Perhaps with Mother's Day fast approaching, I'll have a little time. I know I'm not alone!

I don't make it easy on myself with everything I aspire to get done in a 24 hour window. Let's see, there's the crochet bug (taught myself in about a week and promptly got bored), the embroidery bug (bought $100 in supplies and have lofty goals in place), the quilting bug (bought myself a kit at the last show we were at, like I NEEDED more fabric), the handbag bug (just cut a new one out yesterday) and the garment sewing (have a top that has been within minutes of finishing for about a month now). Now I've been asked to design and create some unique children's clothing and do you know, I'm actually considering this! I've always wanted to design and have done some designing for myself. Kid's clothes have to be easier!

We've just returned from The Heart of Texas Quilt Show in Brownwood, Texas. It was so wonderful seeing our Brownwood friends again! We weren't able to attend last year with our military move but we were lucky enough to get stationed in Texas again and only 3.5 hours away from this show! Wanna meet some pretty terrific people? Go to Brownwood! We have such fun, I'm always amazed when we go to these little towns that most of the ladies "get" me. I'm kinda kooky. But they like me anyway! So cool! (Some of them think I'm totally nuts and they would be right!) Our next show is in Kerrville, Texas on Memorial Day Weekend. This will be a first for us but I'm so happy to be getting into some shows that are close to home. No doubt, the people of Kerrville will be just as nice! I know I have some followers in Kerrville! SHOUT OUT! I'll be there at the Edington Gym at Schreiner University May 27-29.

Now for some business.

So, we've started a couple clubs in the shop. A Fat Quarter Club and Strip Club. Yes, I HAD to join my own club. I decided on the Strip Club. This is my first fabric shipment, Bazaar Style by Art Gallery Fabrics. The pattern for this is called Bling Thing and is from the book of patterns that is included in the Strip Club. Our strip club will give you 40 2.5" strips from a line of fabric every month for 6 months at $30 a month (a $5.00 savings). With the membership fee, you'll get a pattern book with 5 patterns utilizing fat quarters or strips, whatever you sign up for. If you'd like more info on how to sign up, go here:

MONTHLY CLUBS

I haven't blogged in so long that I have a backlog of things to tell you about but I better stop here and save it for another day. Have a wonderful Mother's Day! And take a moment for yourself!!

UBP Party Post!!

2011-04-04T10:08:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm Joy! I started blogging as a way to create a virtual community for my customers at A Joyful Soul Fabrics, my fabric and craft business! I have customers from all over the world and really enjoy sharing my craft success AND "craft-astrophies" of which I have a few. Most of all, I want a place where people can share and maybe even inspire or be inspired! I love what I do and HAVE to share it with the world!

365 Days??

2011-04-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

I am so incredibly fascinated by the 365 day blogger. You know who I mean, right? The person who commits to posting daily and even farther than that, commits to accomplishing something to blog about daily. The movie Julie and Julia comes to mind. What a commitment to actually attempt a gourmet recipe daily for an entire year. If I remember correctly it was actually over 500 recipes in one year so that blows my mind even more. (Especially since I HATE to cook.)

I was perusing the internet this weekend looking at some gorgeous crafty blogs and there were a couple out there that had "365 Day" commitments. Seriously? You have to be super-motivated to commit to something like that. Or live across the street from Starbuck's and NEVER sleep. It's not that I don't think I'm crafty enough, I am. I just like to sleep too. These blogs were inspirational. How I wish I could be as inspirational! Sorry, I'm challenged when it comes to daily craftiness. I'm going to be honest with you right now, I have time to blog now because I haven't showered yet. It's 9:45. Nuff said. Didn't know how much honesty you were going to get subscribing to my musings, did you!?

All of this being said, I WAS inspired to try an idea I've been obsessing about for a while. I have a pack of fat quarters I've been sitting on for a month. I love this fabric, Weekends by Erin Mc Morris for Free Spirit. I have it in the store but I really bought it all because I wanted it for myself. (Perks of owning your own fabric store!) I'm wanting a picnic quilt. Not that we picnic. I have a husband and daughter who I swear are allergic to fresh air and sunshine. But still, I could picnic by myself....okay that's really sad. We'll call it a "lay out in the sunshine and read a book quilt".

I'm not a traditional quilt type of girl. Originally, I wanted to do this fabric up in pinwheels but when I started looking at patterns, I got bored. I decided to do this one up on my own. I took a couple fat quarters and stacked them, cut out a 10.5" by 8.5" rectangle (I really just pulled that out of my head, no reason for that size).

I just free-hand cut a squiggle down the middle. This is by no-means an original idea. I believe it's called "Stack and Whack" piecing. I have no idea if there is a pattern out there like what I am doing. There probably is, if you know of one, let me know so I can give credit.

When you piece curves, you have to really manipulate the fabric grain. You're basically piecing a smily face to a frowny face. I didn't pin, you know how I feel about those things. Pinning is probably a good idea but I think it turned out great without pinning! I have some experience piecing curves with a really pretty Judy Neimeyer pattern (Autumn Splendor) hanging on my wall. (It will be a while before I attempt another one!)

I had enough room to trim to 10" x 7.5" so my finished block will be 9.5" x 7". Just picture a full size quilt with a bunch of these blocks in these fabrics:

And even better! It's for ME!! All mine! So, here's my 365 Day commitment! Ready? I will have this quilt top finished...in 365 days. Now, for the more pressing commitment...try and shower at least 182.5 days of the year. (I'm kidding of course, I shower everyday...just a little later than most people.)

SO little time....

2011-03-31T10:55:00.000-07:00

Well, Dallas is over and in the history books! It was an amazing show, as always! The best for A Joyful Soul Fabrics since our grand opening! It's one of my fave's and takes roughly six months of preparation but is worth every bead of sweat. Life since Dallas has been a little relaxation, a lot catching up and has left me realizing that I need HELP! How some people do this by themselves is beyond me. Yes, I have a lot of help from the hubby but the Navy still owns him so he helps where and when he can. You would think I wouldn't have any complaints about being successful and busy but geesh. A breath here and there would be nice. Lately, I live on caffeine and my XM AltRock station. Keeps me going.

Looks like I've picked up a few more followers so WELCOME!!! Thanks for the follow and I hope I don't bore you to death with my ramblings!

So, here's what's up with me:

A few pic's from Dallas:

I was so proud of our booth. As usual, the hubby and I make a great team! My friend Lori came out to help in the booth on Friday and Saturday and boy did we need her! Kay Whitt was gracious enough to hang in our booth on Friday afternoon and do a book signing with her Sew Serendipity and Media Frenzy Pattern books. Two awesome must-haves for your pattern library! Our next show is Brownwood which is a smaller show and I am down-sizing to a single since I'll be by myself on this one. If you're near Brownwood, Texas, make the drive to the Coliseum on April 30 or May 1. You won't be disappointed. It's a small show but the talent in this small community is stellar and they are doing a cool new "Show Hop" thing where you get a passport and it gets stamped at each booth you visit. Make a purchase and get another stamp. You'll be entered to win some really cool prizes. It's a pretty neat idea! I love out-of-the-box thinking! Speaking of:

I've been looking for something fun to do on the website. We've decided to start a couple monthly clubs. We're still working through the details but we'll launch May 1 and start filling spaces April 1-30. First is our Fat Quarter Club. For a $10 buy-in and $30 per month (plus shipping), you'll get a space in our FQ club and for 6 months, you'll get a new set of a dozen FQ's handpicked by ME!! (So you know they'll be some seriously cool fabric collections!) The $10 buy-in guarantees you the monthly collection at $30 (plus shipping) and also provides a gorgeous book (retail cost of the book is $15.00 so this is an awesome deal!) of 5 different quilt projects using fat quarters. The book we will use is by Anka's Treasures. I love these books! The instructions give you options for different size quilts and gives you all the fabric requirements and cutting instructions you need for each size. Our second club is our Strip Club. Oh my, I heard all of the gasps from here! Yes, this is your 2.5" strip rolls or jelly rolls. So, it works the same as our FQ club but you'll get a roll of 40 2.5" strips each month. Price is the same, $10 buy-in and $30 per month plus shipping. It's a different book utilizing 2.5" strips for each of the 5 different projects. Sign up for one or BOTH! We only have 25 spots available for each club (I've already booked two spots for the FQ club so only 23 left there.)

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!!

This will be fun! What better way to encourage creativity than to have an automatic shipment of delicious fabric arrive every month!? I just can't think of anything better!

I've ordered enough fabric to have a nice selection of yardage left so if you need a little extra to complete your project, you can place an order on the website and we'll get you everything you need. IF we have rolls and fat quarters left after club members fabric ships, we'll put it on the website for sale at the beginning of the next month. Club members get first dibs! (Benefits of being a club member!)

Thanks for spending some time with me today! Remember, we're on Facebook so check us out over there. I'm constantly posting pictures of new stuff and projects I'm working on. Share what you're working on too!

32 Degrees, Quiche and a Little Sewing!

2011-02-09T08:57:00.000-08:00

It's cold. I know, I know. A lot of you reading this are in negative 40 degree wind chills. I'm from San Diego. I don't ever remember it getting under 50 degrees when I was growing up. (I'm sure it did, but I don't remember.) Now, since then, I've lived all over the place thanks to the U.S. Navy and have experienced all forms of weather this great country has to offer. I was tickled when the Navy decided we would be in San Antonio for our last active duty tour. I wasn't planning on moving again. The weather is warm and more like what I grew up with in the inland valley of San Diego. So why in the WORLD was I not able to open my car door this morning from the ice!? And, we actually had a snow day last week. Not a huge amount of snow but it was enough to shut the entire city down. No school, no work. I took advantage of it and had them both wrapping quilt kits and folding fat quarters! I suppose I could look at the bright side. In an effort to keep my feet and hands from turning blue, I've cleaned this house from top to bottom and boy have I done some sewing! Not to mention a little baking which I'll get into later.

I was thrilled to finally get the rest of the Kaffe Fassett fabric to finish up my Yellow Diamonds Quilt Kit. I've also been working on filming a quick video tutorial on this kit. The pattern states it's for an intermediate sewer. I can see where they would say that but honestly, with your basic quilting skills and a little confidence, this pattern is not difficult at all! I figured, if I did a little video showing some hands-on piecing of this top, someone who really wanted to attempt it but wasn't real sure of the skill level, would see it truly is simple and what a beautiful end product! I just love this quilt and am trying to get my husband to approve it for our bed. It's a bit bright and flowery and he likes his ho-hum blue comforter with absolutely nothing special about it. I'm going to win this one.

In addition to the Kaffe Fassett fabric arriving, the Anna Maria Horner fabric arrived too! It's been a GREAT week! We are using her Love Letters Quilt Pattern to kit this up. I love this fabric. It's funky and cool and I think will appeal to the sewer who likes the retro type look but maybe isn't into the vivid bright colors. This one has a lot of plum and dark red with a burnt tangerine mixed with that girly pink and even a flax or goldenrod. The combination is sophisticated yet still fun. This quilt pattern calls for a bunch of squares of varying sizes and is easy to piece. It's a nice lap size at 60 inches square.

Okay, so I'm sewing and cleaning and trying to keep warm and what's warmer and more comforting than baking? I seriously lack domestic skills. I'm not a great housekeeper and my cooking skills leave very little to be desired. My husband certainly married me for my looks because I stink in the kitchen. I'll tackle some baking though which isn't great for my girlish figure but it's all in moderation, right? I've been dreaming of quiche recently so I decided to tackle one on my own. I took a recipe I had and altered it A LOT so I wouldn't have to go back out in this weather. I think it turned out great and wanted to share my kitchen victory with you! After all, I have so few! I would shout it from the rooftops if it wasn't so blasted cold up there.

Here goes:

Bake a deep dish pie crust at 425 degrees for 5 minutes. Take it out and let it cool.

Sprinkle 1 cup of diced smoked ham and 2/3 cups Monterrey jack cheese in the bottom of the crust. Mix together 4 eggs beaten, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup milk, 1 small can diced green chilies, and some pepper. Keep in mind, I didn't really use measuring cups so these are all estimates but pretty good ones!

Pour the egg mixture over the ham and cheese in the crust. Place in oven at 350 degrees and bake for one hour plus 10 minutes.

I garnished mine with avocado because everything is better with a little avocado! Yummmmm!

I hope you are warm wherever you are and if you're hoarding the sunshine in your neck of the woods, GIVE IT BACK! Please!

Finishing it up!

2011-01-29T13:38:00.000-08:00

Now that my quilt top is finished, it's time to plan for the backing. I had quite a bit of rectangles and squares left over from the top so I have a nice amount to work with. I also have fabric left over from the 17 fat quarters I used to cut my "footballs" from so I collected all of those pieces and started cutting.

Just one example of a piece left over from the applique cutting.

I trimmed both long sides and got one piece that was at least 5 1/2" wide which is the common width of the rectangles and squares I had left over from the top. I cut the smaller rectangle just in case I needed it. (I don't waste a lick of fabric!)

I trimmed up the ends to square them off and here is what I had after cutting from all my scraps and using the top leftovers.

Totally busted but I don't work without them this time of year!

I randomly started piecing long rows by sewing short end to short end using the long floral pieces and the shorter rectangles and squares from the top. Then I just pieced those rows together. It looks really cool and I didn't have to match any seams! Good news for me!

I tried to casually place the fabrics so no prints were too close to each other. I started driving myself crazy so I just let go of my OCD and sewed it all together. It's a backing, really, what's the big deal?

As for the quilting, since the quilt is only 50" square, I decided me and my BFF (My Pfaff) could handle it ourselves. I spray basted it all up and used a cotton/bamboo blend batting. (Nice and light and a dream to quilt!) Inside the footballs I spiraled the shape and kept it 1/4" apart. So I didn't have to keep spinning my quilt under my very short neck domestic machine, I stopped at the tip of the football and threw ole' Pfaffy in reverse. I was using my 1/4" foot so it allowed me to see the stitching clearly as I was sewing in reverse. It took a couple rounds to get the hang of it but it worked well. (And I only forgot to switch directions a couple times!) On the outside of the footballs, I shadowed the applique about every 1" for a total of 4 times. I eyeballed it. I wanted to prove to my customers that come by the booth that they CAN do this themselves! It was super simple and I think the effect looks great!

As for thread, I use Aurifil 50 wt Mako in nearly everything I do. Piecing is a dream using this thread. Very little lint collection in your machine when you use this stuff. I had an Aurifil variegated thread in my box so I decided to use it to quilt as well. I made this to showcase the fabric so I didn't want the thread to stand out too much. The colors go from a peach to a light yellow, a little lavender and beige. It was enough to add a nice texture but didn't outshine the fabric.

You can't really even tell it's variegated unless you get up close and personal.

So, it's all quilted and squared up! AND I still have some fabric left that I am putting away for another project! You really could make this quilt bigger if you wanted to. You certainly have enough fabric if you buy the full set of Soul Blossoms fat quarters.

Now I need to figure out what to bind it in. I'm leaning toward the blue Laurel Dots you see here in the middle. I'm stepping away for a few days and I'll return with a fresh eye!

Fun With Soul Blossoms!

2011-01-25T17:27:00.000-08:00

I've been in search of a pattern that I could use to really showcase the Soul Blossoms line by Amy Butler. We start our show schedule in March and time is ticking! I need to get these samples finished! I was strolling through Amy Butler's Web site and looking at some of her older patterns when I happened upon her Charm quilt. Now, I've seen this quilt pattern about a hundred times but it just never spoke to me...until now! When I clicked on the pattern to see the details, it was a match made in heaven when the pattern requirements said "33 Fat Quarters". What a co-inky dinky!! Soul Blossoms has exactly 33 prints! Like I said, match made in heaven! And even better was, it's a super easy pattern! Here is a picture of her original quilt from her web site. You can click the link above and follow her site to the free patterns to get a copy of it.

Isn't it pretty!? I don't know why I've never made it before. (Lord knows I'm hoarding enough Charm fabric to make about 5 of them.) Now, I think it was some divine intervention because this pattern was perfect for Soul Blossoms! Take a look!

The background is made up of rows of squares and rectangles...can it be any more simple? Then she gives you a pattern piece to cut out your "footballs". They look more like marquis cut diamonds to me but I suppose"football" was easier to use in the pattern! Her directions have you turning your "footballs" under 1/4" and pressing then either using a blind hem stitch on your machine or hand-appliqueing. I started the hand thing....that lasted about 5 minutes. I quickly realized that I would much rather use my machine so I found some invisible thread and used my blind hem stitch. I just pinned it all down real good. Now, for those of you who like to fuse your applique; You absolutely can do that here. I would recommend the lightest stuff you can find. Just enough sticky to get it flat while you sew around. And why not use some decorative stitching? You could use just about anything in any color thread!

I used every single print in the Soul Blossoms line and had a bunch of fabric left over! I can't wait to get piecing my backing with the leftovers. I'll let you know how much extra fabric I needed to complete the back. The finished quilt is 50" square. You probably have enough leftovers to do a nice border. I was thinking of putting a small solid border around and then using the extra fabric from the fat quarters to piece a scrappy looking outer border. However, I was quickly told "NO" by the booth designer (aka Chief/Hubby). I have exactly 52" left for Soul Blossoms so this will fit perfectly!

Here's a close up of my work. I took the straight stitch as close to the edge of my football as I could get and then every 5 stitches, it takes a zig-zag to the left to catch that edge of the fabric. You can barely see it since I used invisible nylon thread.

When I look at this quilt, I see a treasure chest full of jewels! This might be one of my all time favorite projects! And I got it done in two days which is always a plus! If you are interested in this fabric and pattern, please visit my shop, A Joyful Soul Fabrics. Head to the Soul Blossoms Pre-Cut category. If you purchase one fat quarter set of each color palette (Bliss, Joy and Passion), I will include a free printout of Amy's pattern and you'll be ready to make your own jewel filled treasure chest for your lap!

Meet my Heffalumps! No Woozles Allowed!

2011-01-14T10:43:00.000-08:00

Winnie the Pooh was one of my favorites growing up! I had all the books, loved the Disney movie and even decorated my baby's nursery in Winnie the Pooh...Classic Winnie the Pooh. Because of my love for Winnie, elephants have always been "heffalumps" to me. Thought I needed to explain my title to those unfortunate few who haven't had the Winnie 101 Course yet!

I was so excited when Heather Bailey came out with her Effie and Ollie Elephant pattern. Now, this has been a while ago, maybe even over a year, and I am just now getting around to sewing up a circus of these cuties. This cute little heffalump can be used as a soft toy or pincushion. My dog prefers "toy". He's been eyeing my Ellie's with a truly disturbing look on his terrier face. I've hidden these little gems away where he'll never find them!

The cover of Heather's pattern has her three Ellie's towered like above. These are my "cool" Ellie's.

AND....here are my "swell" Ellie's!

Yikes! This tower looks like it's teetering!

And here are all my Ellie's on parade!

What a fun and easy pattern! I can honestly say that I don't have any tips for you on this pattern because all the tips I could think of that would make this pattern easy are already in the pattern. I've raved about Heather's patterns before. They are SO easy to follow. Her language is right up my ally! I truly understand the instructions and the sketches are exactly what you see in real life. She is a master pattern writer. I'm always amazed at what I've accomplished when I am finished with one of her patterns. Because of Heather, I've added "Toy Maker" to my resume! So cool!

These elephants will be traveling on the road with me in my own personal circus called "The Quilt Show Circuit". How appropriate!

Reversible Sunday Sling Pattern Review/Tips

2011-01-10T10:59:00.000-08:00

I finally sat down and forced myself to do a little productive sewing! I love to review patterns and let you, the reader, in on my experience step by step...however embarrassing it might be for me! I LOVE to sew, but I have a couple personality traits that make it difficult to complete a project as the pattern designer intended. First challenging trait? I don't like to read instructions....yeah....big one, right? Second one, I stink at organization. I entered into this sewing commitment fully intending to concentrate on my weaknesses and not let them sway me from a positive sewing experience. So here goes! For those of you who have purchased this pattern, go get it. You'll need your pattern, a pencil and a cup of coffee/tea or whatever you prefer. (I suggest against anything with alcohol until after your project is complete. I speak from experience.)

The Reversible Sunday Sling by Amy Butler

First, your needed tools: These are your basics...scissors, seam ripper, pressing cloth, hand-sewing needle, straight pins, iron and ironing board, turning tool, ruler and fabric marker.

Tip: She suggests a closed pair of scissors as a turning tool which I suppose could work but my scissors are heavy Ginghers and have a very sharp point. I have bought HUNDREDS of turning tools from the Wonder Buddy to the Purple Thang. All of them work great...that is if you can actually find them when you need them (organization thing again). For this project, I used a manicure stick or "orange stick". I always have those in my medicine cabinet and it works GREAT for getting into small spaces!

Another Tip: In every pattern she writes, she suggests using a pressing cloth. This is to protect your board AND your iron from the fusible "glue" on your interfacing. I've used everything from muslin to home decor cotton. I recently started using BIRDSEYE cloth diapers. Birdseye cloth diapers are thinner and will allow the heat from your iron through the layers. They're also inexpensive, washable and reusable.

A note about your machine settings:

When I sew handbags, I like to use my straight stitch needle plate. This is a plate that was actually designed for piecing quilts. I find that when I use this plate and engage my built-in walking foot function, my straight stitch is AMAZING! This is important when putting together a handbag, especially on your decorative top stitching. Make sure you don't try and zig-zag anything with this plate inserted. You'll be dealing with a broken needle and a jammed machine!

Also, when I'm sewing my handbag pieces together, I like to decrease my stitch a little. My standard stitch is at 2.5 so I decrease to 1.5. This gives you a nice close stitch and will increase the integrity of your bag. Now, if you make a mistake and have to get that seam ripper out, it does make it more difficult to pull out your stitches but this issue is easy...don't make a mistake!! (Just kidding! I'm Queen of Mistakes!) So, for piecing the handbag together I use a 1.5 stitch, for top stitching a 2.5 and for basting a 4.5. You'll be doing all of the above on this pattern.

Fabrics required for the SMALL sling are 1 7/8 yards for the exterior, 1 3/8 yards for the lining/reversible side, 5 1/2 yards of fusible woven interfacing, 7/8 yards of fusible fleece and 1/4 yard of fusible peltex. This is using 44"/45" wide quilting cotton. She has other requirements when using 54" wide Home Decor. A note about the interfacing...USE IT! Don't think you'll get a great outcome without using interfacing. AND use what she suggests! I've used whatever I could find in my craft closet before. Doesn't work out well! She suggests Shape-Flex SF-101 by Pellon (the best interfacing ever made) for your woven, Thermolam Plus (awesome!) for the fleece and Peltex for your interfaced bottom of your bag. Please don't deviate from these products unless you are confident in the similarities of your choices compared to her suggestions.

When choosing your fabrics: Keep in mind that this bag is reversible! Make the most out of your fabric choices! I regret using a solid. I thought it would quiet the bag down and make it more soothing. Now I think it's just boring! Your exterior pockets will be trimmed with your lining/reversible fabric and your lining/reversible pockets will be trimmed with your exterior fabric choice. Go NUTS!

Step 1: Cut out pattern pieces.

A few pattern pieces are labeled with multiple numbers. You'll be using this one pattern piece for two or three different pieces. She makes this easy by labeling exactly what the piece is used for, where to fold and a number/letter combo. Pattern piece 1 is actually 1a, 1b and 1c and each piece has a solid, dashed or dotted line to follow. Pattern pieces 2 and 3 are the same. To better my organization, I put a label on each piece I cut out as soon as they were cut.

Step 2: Cut all pieces from your fabrics/interfacing.

Self explanatory. Use your paper pattern pieces to cut out your fabric (keeping in mind your fabric print direction!). Use your fabric pieces as full size patterns to cut out your interfacing. I didn't do this, I used the paper pieces to cut out the interfacing. Using your fabric pieces just closes the gap of mis-cutting your interfacing too big for your fabric piece ( I assume). Since I used a pressing cloth, I wasn't too worried about this. Amy has awesome sketches on how to lay out your pattern pieces to maximize your fabric with plenty of room to move your pieces around and get exactly what you want out of your fabric.

Step 3: Apply interfacing and fleece.

Follow the manufacturers instructions for doing this. I use a damp pressing cloth with a dry iron. The steam setting on your iron will always mess with your interfacing. You want a dry heat iron setting (hot!) and a slightly damp pressing cloth (I spritz my cloth with my iron water spray).

Step 4: Making pleats.

If you've done pleats before...no sweat. If you've not done pleats before...it's the easiest thing you'll ever do! Amy's directions and sketches are superb!

Step 5: Make and attach straps.

Here's where you'll need that turning tool. I also have a little trick when top stitching your strap. I like to get about 1/8" from the edge on my top stitch. Well, when you hit that point on the strap, it's difficult for your feed dogs to pick that fabric up and drag it under your presser foot. I put a piece of regular printer/copy paper under the strap tip and sew right through all layers. This stabilizes your strap and also gives you something to maneuver as your sewing. Use that paper to pull the strap through after you've pivoted at the tip. This will give you a much smoother sew line and will prevent your strap tip from getting stuck under your presser foot. When you're done sewing, just tear the paper out (like an old school stamp, tear to the side, not up).

Step 6: Make and attach side pockets.

Easy step! I love how the pockets are put together so the lining fabric trims the exterior pocket!

Step 7: Sew side and bottom panels together.

Step 8: Make the exterior.

You'll be easing a bit of a curve in the bottom of the bag in this step. Her directions for this are great. My suggestion is to pin in the center bottom then pin in each top corner. Then work down the sides and across the bottom until all that's left are those curves in the bottom corners. Now you know how much fabric needs to match up and it will be easier to ease and manipulate that fabric so all fits smoothly.

Step 9 and 10: Mark and place your cell phone pocket.

Cool, super secret cell phone pocket! Love it!

Step 11: Make and attach Main Pocket.

Your main pocket is made of your lining/reversible fabric choice with the exterior fabric choice as the pocket lining. Your exterior fabric will actually be the trim on this pocket. Gosh, I hope that makes sense! I wish I would have known this before I chose my fabrics. Again, it all goes back to not reading instructions!!

Step 12: Complete the reversible side of the sling.

You'll actually go back to Steps 7 and 8 to complete this with one VERY important change...you will leave an opening at the bottom edge of your lining so that you can turn your bag right side out once it is all sewn together.

Step 13: Sew exterior and reversible sides together.

I pressed the side seams open to reduce the bulk around the top. You will have a huge amount of bulk under the straps but that's okay. You don't have to top stitch over those...thank goodness! Match your raw edges all the way around and pin making sure that you match up those corner seams.

AND WATCH THOSE STRAPS!! You want your 1/2 inch seam allowance to hit right at those straps in the top of your bag. Just feel around and stop stitching once you hit the beginning/end of your strap and pivot your bag to continue stitching. Again, the sketches included in this step should clear up any question you may have. You may even want to fold the straps under and pin them so they don't get stuck in the side seams as you sew around the top of your bag.

When you've finished sewing around the top, she'll have you trim and notch so when you turn it right side out, your curves will press out perfectly. You'll have that hole in your lining/reversible side so you'll hand-sew this shut. Just a quick whip stitch will do. Remember to be neat if you plan on using the reverse side!

I had a great time making this bag and it was pretty quick. Give yourself about 3 days. The first day I cut everything out in less than 2 hours or so. The second day I had the interfacing attached and most of the sewing done (spent about 4 hours). The third day was under a couple hours finishing it all up. Your household may not be as crazy as mine and it may take you less time. If so...lucky. (My best Napoleon Dynamite impression!) If you're a beginner, it may take a bit longer. I suggest you familiarize yourself with the written instructions before sewing. This is not in my DNA. Had I done this, I don't think I would have chosen a solid for the reversible side.

I really hope this "play-by-play" has helped you! If it has, please let me know! You can post a comment here or you can email me at shop@ajoyfulsoulfabrics.com. If I'm missing something, let me know that too! I'm still learning and can use all the advice I can get! If you are interested in purchasing this pattern or any of Amy's fabrics, you can find it in my online shop, http://www.ajoyfulsoulfabrics.com/. I carry all sorts of contemporary fabrics and patterns and I deliver stellar customer service! If I can be of any assistance at all, please let me know!

Sew Serendipity is Sew Awesome! (sorry, I had to!)

2010-11-08T14:22:00.000-08:00

One booth we never miss while at International Quilt Market in Houston is Serendipity Studio. This pattern designer, Kay Whitt, and her husband Keith (who also rocks!) are one of the first booths we rush to see! If it weren't for Kay and her amazing patterns, I would be scared to death to even attempt sewing a garment much less wearing one I made, but her clear instructions and easy-to-follow directions made me a darn good garment sewer! (See my Sophia Trenchcoat #1 and Sophia #2!) I knew Kay had a new book out and it was on my list to purchase for the shop!

Introducing...Sew Serendipity!!

Not only does this book have gorgeous photography, it also includes Kay's original sketches from her creative process. She's developed detailed sketches throughout the book to assist you every step of the way.

This hard cover and spiral bound pattern book includes Skirts, Tunics and Dresses, and Jackets sections. It has full size pattern pieces to accommodate seven sizes from XXS to XXL. It also has chapters on Custom Fitting, Tools of the Trade and Sewing Techniques (I learned a lot in this one!! Like how to use a ruffler attachment and inserting an invisible zipper. Turns out, I've been doing it wrong! Go figure!).

Kay gives you 3 basic patterns with 6 variations to complete a project all your own. She even gives tips on certain embellishments. Really, the most important thing I got from this book is that garment sewing doesn't have to be scary. With a few of the right tools, some awesome directions and a little confidence, you'll be creating your own fashions in no time!

BUY SEW SERENDIPITY TODAY! ONLY $27.99 FOR A SIGNED COPY!!

This book is available in our online shop and, oh...did I mention that each copy is SIGNED by Kay!?! How cool is that!? Yep...I have connections...if you or someone you know has an interest in garment sewing or design, this is a great book to get them, or you, started!

A Bittersweet Ending

2010-10-21T17:18:00.000-07:00

Well, it's done! And I'm kind of sad! Weird, right? I don't know, I've never quite had this feeling before. I've always been relieved when I've finished a project. But this one had me in such a quiet and peaceful place, I really am sad that I'm finished! I did disappear for about a week. My friends were wondering where the heck I went. But, I resurfaced this morning with my "Therapy" quilt finished. Now, when I snuggle under it, all of those peaceful and quiet feelings will come back to me!

I'm thrilled with it and I think I may even attempt to quilt it myself. It will look fabulous in our booth. The quilt I made above is from the Creamy Gelato colorway. I love the Apricot with the bright Fuchsia. It's truly sparkling! I do have these quilt kits available in the shop in case you're interested. Here is the other colorway. (Courtesy of Patricia Bravo.)

This is a fun looking color combo. Now the kit that is in the shop is bigger than the quilt above. The picture they sent me was of a smaller version of this. The kit is an 80"x 80" and has 6 12' finished blocks across. Here is a link to these kits:

Sweet Dreams Quilt Kits

This Blasted ADD!

2010-10-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

No, I have not been officially diagnosed but I'm willing to bet my entire fabric stash on the fact that I have ADD. Albeit, a mild form but I am constantly trying to maneuver around these wild hairs of mine so I can actually get something accomplished. I don't think you'll blame me on this one though. This was a fun wild hair! I'm working on the Sweet Dreams quilt as you know. You'll see a picture of my progress below. In the middle of this project, the UPS man HAD to interrupt with a shipment of the Portabellopixie pattern, Cupake Pincushion. This pattern has been out for a while but I have recently jumped on the cupcake bandwagon! I took the scraps from my Sweet Dreams Quilt and cut out a couple small ("low-calorie") cupcakes and started sewing.

On the cover of the pattern, Sandi has the cutest little cupcake pin in her cushion. She lists where you can find them in her pattern. It is an artisan on etsy.com (www.gigiminor.etsy.com) who is so talented an imaginitive. I strolled through her etsy shop and wanted one of everything! She hand paints her little clay sculptures and puts them on the end of stick pins. So adorable! The cupcake pins were something like $8.50...for ONE. I really wish my business was going so well that I could afford to pay $8.50 for one pin but this economy has me pinching everywhere I can. So, I decided I would try my hand at it. We went to Michaels and bought some clay.

Remember how I said that these pins were $8.50 each on Gigi Minor's etsy shop? Yeah, after making my own...she should be charging $20 for ONE!! What a lot of work! But it was super fun! Needless to say, I won't be starting a clay sculpture pin business any time soon. I'll leave that to Gigi! But these pins turned out really cute and they will look awesome in our booth at the front table next to the cash register!

As promised, a picture of my progress on the Creamy Gelato Sweet Dreams Quilt. It's a bit blurry. I took it at night and I really need the natural light to make photos come out. My sister was the one blessed with the photography gene. Not me!

Windows open. Ready To Go!

2010-10-08T07:28:00.000-07:00

Ah, this quilt. My Sweet Dreams sewing sessions are fast becoming my meditation time. I've opened the windows to let this crisp, cool Texas Fall air sweep into my sewing room and clear my mind of all that is stressing me out. For the minutes I am able to sit at my machine, the rhythm of piecing this quilt is helping me put my mind at ease. And isn't it easier to handle the trials that life can throw at you when your mind is in the right place?

The morning started a bit rocky. I exceeded my coffee limit of one cup and had a second which threw me into a caffeine induced craze. Even my daughter wondered what in the world was wrong with me. I'm silly to begin with but when she thinks I'm nuts, I know I've gone off the deep end! (All I remember was squaredancing with my Lab. And I don't know how to squaredance.) It took about an hour for that second cup to wear off so I am now ready to sit and center myself. I am now on the last unit of the second combination. Almost ready to piece all of these sparkling squares together.

One thing I must say before I forget. I did go out and buy myself a 6.5" square ruler. Can I tell you how much time I'm saving with this little beauty? Boatloads! If you attempt this pattern, invest in a 6.5" square ruler! I bought the Quilt-in-a-Day 6.5" Triangle Square Up Ruler by Eleanor Burns. Worth it's weight in gold for this project! (Any 6.5" square ruler will do!)

I won't have much time to work on this as the husband is off early today and will, I am certain, be ready to decorate this house for Halloween. It happens to be his favorite holiday so we "Griswald" it up at Halloween. It looks like the November 1st clearance aisle at Wal-Mart. The only thing I like about Halloween is candy corn (well, I LOVE candy corn) and the fact that Thanksgiving is only 3 weeks away. This year is particularly special. My sewing buddy and Mother-in-law will be joining us for Thanksgiving this year and I am so excited! I'll be setting up a second machine so we can make a quilt together. Now I need to find the perfect project! Then, the Christmas holiday will be spent with my family. I'm in desperate need of Mommy Time. You just can't be too old for some Mommy Time, can you? Well, I am going to turn on some Metric and Paramore and get back to my meditation. (Nothing like some good girl rock to get you going!) I'm hoping to have a finished quilt to show you by the end of this long weekend!

Unit 2 and 3 for Combo 1...(huh??)

2010-10-03T14:06:00.000-07:00

For those of you who care to follow along on this quilting journey, this is Unit 2 and 3 (when turned upside down) of my Combination #1 block for the Sweet Dreams Quilt.

This is the completed Combo #1 block with all four units. I was pretty impressed with the seams, a couple of them were a bit off but all in all, I think I did a pretty good job. Not having that 6.5" square ruler is causing me to take a little too much time trimming the units so I'm off to the quilt shop tomorrow to grab that. Making this quilt has got me all zen-like! I'm so calm today!

Sewing is my THERAPY...only more expensive.

2010-10-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

Those of us who enjoy sewing use it as a form of therapy. (You all know what I mean when I say more expensive. Take a look at your stash.) It most likely makes us happy (most of the time), we feel productive, it nurtures our creative mojo and so on. When you own a business that is centered around your form of "therapy", it is very easy for the "therapy" part to fly out the window (along with the sewing machine). It becomes a "have to". Lately, sewing has very easily ranked right up there with doing the dishes, the laundry and even cleaning out the garage (scheduled for this weekend). But I have started a project that has brought back that sense of calm that I can only find with the purr of my Pfaff!

Traveling the Quilt Show circuit means that I have to have samples on display of the quilt kits I carry. As you can see above, my booth is plastered with them! It makes it easier for a customer to see a finished product than just looking at a picture. I normally stick to projects that are simple with big pieces. Most of my customers are like me, I don't have the time or space to have a project laying around for weeks or even days for that matter. Quick and easy is what I'm all about! Unfortunately, that frame of mind has brought a "manic-ness" to my sewing life.

I have started a quilt by Pat Bravo using her Sugar line of fabric. I bought the entire line for our shop and planned on using this pattern to make kits. It's a beautiful quilt but when I sat down and started reading the directions, I wondered what the heck I had gotten myself into.

One inch strips? Are you serious? And to top that off, I need about 800 of them. Not to mention the roughly 250 triangles. I don't know why but triangles scare me. I'll find just about any short cut to avoid piecing a triangle.

I've done some work with selvedges but I foundation pieced them onto muslin so it was a breeze. These little 1" fabric worms are just being pieced with a 1/4" seam and it scared me. I sat down at my machine and started to sew...because I HAD to. The way these blocks are put together it was very easy to organize myself into a chain piecing party so I took my first unit and laid it out on my sewing table in order and started to piece.

Can I just tell you, I have no idea why I was fretting so much over this quilt. And I don't think I'm ever going to say that I'm not a quilter ever again. The peace and tranquility that came over me while I put these units together was blissful. My family wasn't too happy as dinner was completely forgotten but I was in "the Zone"!

It helps having the best sewing machine ever! She and I will never part! I love my P-faff as I lovingly refer to her. I replaced my open stitch plate with a closed, put my 1/4" foot on and engaged the IDT. A little Bravo on TV and I was good to go.

Sew a set of strips and turn in my chair to the pressing board to iron them flat and back to sew the next strip. I took them in sets of 18 and that was perfect to keep me alert and interested in what I was doing.

Here is my beautiful rainbow of scary triangles and 1" strips. Isn't it pretty? I was going to show you a picture of the finsihed quilt but it's one of those computer generated deals and I thought it would be fun for you to see the progression!

In Pat Bravo's directions, she suggests getting a 6.5" square ruler to do your trimming. I wish I had one and I probably will head out this weekend to get one but my regular 6" wide ruler is proving to be just fine. I need to pay a little more attention to the lines than I would with the square ruler but it's cool. I can manage for now.

So this is Unit 1 (and flipped upside down is unit 4) for my Combo #1 block. There are two combinations of blocks that when pieced together make a gorgeous, sparkling beauty!

When finished, this quilt is 80" x 80". The kit includes over 10 yards of fabric for the top and binding. Another 5 1/2 yards is suggested for a backing. The kit retails for $99.75 and comes in two different colorways: Fruity Sherbert and Creamy Gelato which is the one I decided to do. For the first week of October, I am offering free shipping within the United States too! I'm so excited to be working on this quilt and sewing is no longer a "HAVE to". I'm finding my happiness in sewing again. If only cleaning the garage made me this happy....I might be able to pull my car in!

She Did Love It!

2010-09-12T12:12:00.001-07:00

So, I suppose all of the pain and anguish (and the needle through the thumb) was all worth it. She loved it! My baby turned 10 yesterday and we had a wonderful celebration!

I feel like the harder I hold on, the slower she'll age. Does that work? She looks so happy, doesn't she?

I'm working on a new project that I hope to have finished this week. I'll share as soon as I can!

It's an Upside Down Kinda Day

2010-09-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I have so many projects on the docket for today and guess how much I've gotten done...yep, nada. Zip, zero, zilch. My baby is turning 10 on Saturday and of course requested a handmade purse for her birthday...yesterday. I love it when I have exactly two days to design and complete a purse with so many requirements it would take Kate Spade 6 months to deliver. It must have a zipper, it must be able to hold the Nintendo DS in its case, it must have outside pockets but not allow things to fall out...ugh, I'm tired just thinking about it. All of this AND I must incorporate her 4 favorite fabrics. Piece o' cake! My sketching is done and most fabric is cut. Now, I fly on a wing and prayer!

Step one:

Sewing the three fabrics of choice together to make up main panels. Sewing....sewing...take them to the pressing board...fan-flippin-tastic. I sewed them on upside down. Looking for seam ripper...nope, nowhere to be found. Okay, embroidery scissors will do. Snip, snip, covered in little threads, back to the sewing machine. Sew, sew, back to the pressing board...MUCH better! Just as I envisioned it.

Step two:

Apply interfacing. First panel, press, gorgeous, nice and strong. Should withstand carrying around a DS and a book or two. Second panel, hmm, why didn't the interfacing stick? Wait, are you kidding me!? I put the sticky side upside down so now I have a panel of interfacing stuck to my pressing board cover.

NOW...I need to interject here for a moment. I am typing this as it happens and I named this blog BEFORE the upside down interfacing incident. Karma? You be the judge. (Forever jinxing myself! I swear!)

Okay, carrying on with interfacing and won't make the same mistake twice.

Step three:

Sew side panels to bottom. Done. Ugh, forgot the side pockets. Seriously? No biggee, improvise.

La La La, cut pockets, ooo it needs a stripey trim. Yep, so nice. I wonder how much time I would cut off this project if I stopped screwing up. Things that make you go...HMMM.

Improvisation complete, and not half bad if I do say so myself.

Step Four:

Attach exterior panels to side and bottom panel. Okay, not bad. Stabbed myself with pins a couple times but no blood so it's all good. That's why I very rarely use pins. They have something against me.

OKAY! Exterior is put together. Now I'll cut out the lining and I think I'll attach some fusible fleece to this. The fleece will help it hold its shape. I used a Decor Bond for the exterior fabrics which I'm not real sure about, time will tell. Sometimes Decor Bond doesn't hold up well under regular use. It really stiffens the cotton fabric so when its under a lot stress, the fabric almost crinkles like paper. It's easily flattened with a hot iron but a hassle. I'm not entirely certain that this purse won't end up at the bottom of her closet and Decor Bond was quick and easy. That's what you get when you want something in two days.

Well, I started at noon and it's now 2:20 PM. Hey, for not having a plan and making a ton of stupid mistakes, I'm in a pretty good place. Exterior is done, lining is done and the strap is basted on. All I need to do now is make the zipper panels, insert the zipper and put it all together. It will have to wait til tomorrow since the princess is out of school in 20 minutes! I better get my shoes on and hit the sidewalk!

I'm Baaack! Again!

2010-09-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

My, oh my! It's been a while hasn't it? Well, July and August just flew by like my neighbors trash can when Tropical Storm Hermine hit yesterday! To say it's been a stressful couple of months would be putting it very mildly but I'll spare you the sordid details. Let's just say I've been spending my time in a foul pity party and I have decided to put an end to it. We've all had times in our lives where things just seem to compound and you find yourself in the middle of the street on your knees screaming to the heavens..."WHY ME!?!" Right? Oh, come on, right? Okay, well maybe it was just me but it's over. Officially! Kaput! Onward and upward. I have been keeping myself busy, which is saying a lot actually. Normally, when I have my "parties", I disappear under a blanket and a cheesecake. Not this time, I decided to get out into our new community and see what was going on in ole San Antone. Turns out, this place is pretty cool! So much to do... and eat! The different cultural museums, art museums, food, theater, shopping, food. We have a zoo (even though it was ranked the fifth worst in the nation, it's still a zoo), Sea World, Botanical Gardens, Wild Life Ranch, Natural Bridge Caverns, Japanese Tea Garden, and did I mention the FOOD? MmMm, lots of food. Anyway, it's been fun. My daughter and I joined the Arts council in our town and she is having fun taking classes and I will be vending at their Handmade Market Days on September 18 so I've been designing and sewing and even filling some private sewing orders. I've been keeping busy!

I decided to do some sewing for myself this week. I have no business sewing for myself with this show coming up but I did it anyway. I put Heather Bailey's fabric lines, Pop Garden and Bijoux, on sale in the shop so I've been selling out of bolts on a daily basis. I've been keeping the leftovers for myself. I decided to delve into Heather's New Leaf Folding Totes Pattern to use up my bolt ends. It only takes 5/8 yards of two prints and 1/2 a yard of a third and makes a cute, not so little, bag you can take to the grocery store or farmers market to shave that carbon footprint of yours down a bit. They fold down into a small wallet looking contraption that easily fits into your purse. Now, I know you can get the reusable bags at Walmart and other stores for very little money...$.99 I think. So, it's hard to justify making bags when a lot of the cute fabric you like is upwards of $9.50 a yard. But think, while the Walmart blue works and is certainly affordable, don't you want to carry something out of your grocery store with a little more pizazz!? It makes the chicken cutlets taste that much better...really!

God bless Walmart for thinking this one up and God bless you if you've purchased them and use them! It's a fabulous idea and takes countless plastic bags out of our trees and landfills. It's just that, well, Heather's pattern is way cool! And the finished bag is, let's face it, way more fashionable than the Walmart blue. I have no shoes that look good with that bag. This bag, however? I have shoes, jewelry and headbands that match this! Literally! I make it a point to be as cute as possible when traveling to the grocery store. When your job doesn't take you outside of the house, it's important to get yourself together whenever you have the opportunity!

This pattern was very easy and didn't take but an hour to complete from start to finish (for one bag). It also has patterns for a large coupon wallet and a small pouch and even a band that will hold all of your folded totes together. Now, I did make a couple changes to her instructions. I am sure there is a reason why she has you sew the straps right sides together and turn them right side out after you've sewn the seams down both sides. If there is anything I hate most about sewing, it's having to turn things. Hate it! So, I cut a strip wide enough to fold the raw edges in and then fold in half lengthwise and I topstitched down both sides. So much quicker! I also topstitched where she wants you to hand sew the bags turning hole closed. It's a shopping bag, I'm not hand sewing anything! The topstitch looks good and closes the hole. Done! The one thing I noticed is that the pattern cover is a bit misleading. This bag does not stand up on it's own. It has to fold down into itself so, of course, it has to be soft enough to do that. Just thought I'd mention that. I love having the pocket on the outside. I'm always looking for a place to drop the receipt or my keys or that Snickers I just couldn't say no to.

So, fun project, great idea for gift-giving, quick and easy. Yet another homerun by Heather Bailey. Haven't met a pattern of hers I didn't like!

Anatomy of a Pig: Part Three!!

2010-07-07T07:06:00.000-07:00

Great news! I found the camera! Then I lost the cord I needed to actually get the pictures onto my computer. But I found that too! Then the batteries in the camera died...it's just been that kind of week. But things are looking up! I'm starting to enjoy my new surroundings, I've got my creative mojo coming back in baby steps and actually have been doing some sewing. It's been about 3 weeks since I plugged up my machine so it was a nice reunion! Of course, my first project was sewing patches on a new uniform which is not fun or creative but saved a little cash by not taking it to a tailor and I am ALL about saving a little cash!!

I promised an update on my Piggy Project sooner than later so here are the pic's of my Piggy all complete. She has no clothes to speak of yet and I lost one eye during this horrible move, but other than that, I think she's the beez kneez!

That eyeball is being held on by a pin. That's the white ball you're seeing. She'll look so much better when it's embroidered on...and when she has two eyes instead of one.

Sad but true, her body shape is much like mine right now. For a piggy it's fine but for me....no. We're working on that.

I love the way her arms are movable. In my last post, I stated that you use a large button as an anchor at each arm. I did not thinking that this doll might be given to a baby/toddler. No buttons allowed! So I just anchored it with thread. It worked great and they still move with ease.

I have a few sewing orders that need to be filled right now so Piggy will sit naked for a while. Once she has her permanent eyes, perhaps we'll find a suitable name.

I still have a bunch of these patterns available in the store:

www.ajoyfulsoulfabrics.com

Anatomy of a Pig: Part Two...FINALLY!!

2010-06-23T12:29:00.000-07:00

Most of you know we are a military family and have been in the throws of one of the worst moves we've ever experienced. While I am still surrounded by boxes and don't have a creative space to speak of yet, I decided today was the day I would post Part Two of my Piggy Project.

This project is great fun! I've always said that about Heather's patterns. She has the ability to allow you to really impress yourself with your skills! Her directions are always very clear and user-friendly.

WARNING: The following pictures are not for the squeamish!

Limbs are created first along with the tip of the nose. I must make a disclaimer here. Her pattern states not to use any fabric that has a stretch to it. I HAD to use a soft Minky on the piggy nose and ears. Anyone who has worked with Minky knows it has a nice stretch. I backed it with a woven interfacing to eliminate that stretch and it was very easy to work with. You might be able to make the whole piggy out of interfaced Minky but I don't think I have the patience to try that out. The ears and nose, no problem!

What you are seeing splayed out on my cutting board are my piggy's front sides. There are back side pieces and there is an inset piece down the front and one down the back. You have a total of six pieces that make up the body. This allows for a beautiful body shape with curves and contours that would make any pig green with envy! The arms are attached on the outside with a dollmakers needle using large buttons as anchors. I did not use buttons because I'm still not sure who this lovely will be gifted to. No buttons for babies!! The legs are attached while sewing your back three pieces to your front three pieces. She remains open in the... "unmentionable area" ....where you will stuff her with your poly-fil then hand-sew....that area...closed.

My piggy has been stuffed and sewn and is nearly ready for eyes and her pretty little hair ribbons. I would LOVE to show you a picture! I just haven't found my camera yet.

Anatomy of a Pig, Part One

2010-05-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

I have a special affinity for pigs. Yes, pigs. The barnyard animal that "wollers" in the mud and oinks to it's pudgy hearts content. Perhaps my love started as a child. As far back as I can remember, I had a piggy bank which, of course, was a piggy! It was made by my grandmother who is the best artist I know! Thankfully, her talent was passed down to my daughter. I loved dropping coins in that ceramic bank and hearing them clink the bottom. Another reason may be one of my favorite stories from my mothers childhood. Her family took a road trip to Minnesota to visit her grandparents farm. She was sitting with a little piglet in her lap and it peed all over her. I don't know why I thought that story was so blasted funny! I was young. Anything to do with an animal peeing on someone would probably tickle any child. Lastly, my grandmother decided I needed a piglet that was a little more grown up looking than my childhood "cartoon-ish" piggy bank, so she created one of my most beloved possesions.

Isn't she just the cutest? She made this for me in 1982 when I was just 9 years old. The same age my daughter is now. I have carried this piglet around with me for 28 years. It's lived in seven different houses (going on eight) in four different states. While she does have a bit of a scuff on her nose, she has been well taken care of. I love her.

It was my love for piggies that got me so excited at Fall Market to see Heather Bailey's new doll pattern, Claira and Clancey Pig. I've waited for this pattern for months and it finally arrived on Tuesday! It was cut out that night!

Now, I'm a purse girl. I can look at a purse and pretty much figure out how to re-create it. But dolls? No way. So, as I was cutting out my pattern, I was so confused. How are these crazy looking pieces going to come together to make my piggy?

Hmm, well, I must have faith! Heather's patterns have never steered me wrong. So, I will follow directions, and start constructing my beautiful oinker! With any luck, Part Two will follow shortly!

I Likey the Nicey!

2010-04-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

I am so obsessed with Heather Bailey's new line right now, it's like no other fabric exists! It's all I want to sew with. Unfortunately, there is no time to do such a thing! I'm working on a special order quilt right now which most of you who read my Facebook page know, is WHOOPING my tail! I'll have another quilt order to fill after that one and some other little projects that my friends and family have been so patiently waiting for. But man, I just want to wrap up into the Nicey Jane and stay there for a while! Perhaps it's just the Spring-y-ness of it! We've been rained on, iced on and snowed in for four months. This warmer weather, the blooming roses, pansies and peonies in my garden are just what I've needed to thaw out my frozen creativity! Nicey Jane just looks like a breath of fresh spring air! Who couldn't use a little of that?

Here's what I've managed to finish from her gorgeous fabric in the past 4 months:

Both of these are available as kits in the store and were so popular at both the OKC and Dallas shows! I sold out at both shows!

Okay, so it's not finished but I'm in need of some serious inspiration on this one. I knew I wanted a blouse out of the Wash Day Ticking fabric so I made my own pattern with Raglan sleeves and a nice open neckline. It started looking like a hospital gown to me so I quit. I'm waiting for my next surge of creative mojo to figure out how to finish it up without looking like I'm waiting for the lactation consultant! (It just looks maternity to me right now.)

There's no way I could forget my Henrietta Turtle Pincushion (pattern by Heather Bailey). Isn't she the cutest! I used Heather's line of wool felt to make her corsage. Such a fun project! I'm stocked back up on this pattern since we sold out in Dallas.

Now, I am not the only out there loving this fabric! I don't have a whole lot of time to scour the internet reading blogs but I have a couple faves and I want to introduce you to one today!

Live {Laugh} Sew

Words to live by, right! It's also the name of one of my most favorite blogs on the net! If you don't subscribe, you should! Look at these adorable fabric flowers she came up with using the Nicey Jane fabrics!

Here is a link to the tutorial: Fabric Rag Flowers by Live, Laugh, Sew

Adorable! My whole house is going to be covered in them! Think about it! Refrigerator magnets, throw pillows, package embellishments...the possibilities are endless! The greatest thing is, I have two 20 gallon tubs full of strips (don't ask!) that I can make these cute little blooms from! Check out this easy tutorial and while you're at it, check out the Wonky Pink Patchwork Pillow! I love projects that utilize scraps! I am in a "NO WASTE ZONE"!!

"If you don't have anything nice to say....

2010-04-20T03:45:00.000-07:00

don't say anything at all."

This was told to me by every adult I looked up to as a child. "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." That's why I've mulled this blog post over and over in my head. Should I do it? I hate to say anything negative about anyone or anything. I believe in karma and what goes around comes around! BUT...being in the craft trenches, I believe I need to be honest for my customers sake, so here goes...

I bought a book a while back. It's a GORGEOUS book! The photography ( by John Gruen) alone was worth the $27.50 I paid for it. Inspiring pictures! But I bought it because it was full of "More than 40 projects and ideas for inspired stitching". Totally couldn't pass that up! This book is by Heather Ross and it's called Weekend Sewing. I LOVE Heather Ross' fabric lines.

This is Mendocino which is a line she designed for Westminster. I'm in love with it. If I was independently wealthy, I'd own every bit of it just to ooo and aah over. When I saw she had this book out, I scooped it up hoping it was something I could carry in the store. Thumbing through the book I happened upon the Yard-Sale Wrap Skirt. There is a beautiful picture of a woman wearing the skirt while picking peaches. Oh my, I want to pick peaches too! In THAT skirt (yes, the one on the cover)!

Now, I am a curvy girl. I'm 6 feet tall, I have hips, I'm a size 16 and not necessarily proportionate. So, imagine my glee when I read the pattern and it said "This pattern will fit just about everybody...". REALLY? EVERYBODY?? (See, I guess I didn't catch that "just about" in there.) The only measurement she had in this pattern was a waist measurment. If your waist measures between 31"-44" the Large/Extra-Large will work for you! Got the yellow tape out and wrapped it around my waist while crossing all fingers and toes. (Which is pretty difficult!) Can it be? YES!! This pattern will work for me! Only 3 yards of fabric was needed in total and within 2 minutes, that fabric was cut and in the washer. It was a Saturday morning and the family was out fishing so what better time to whip together a "weekend sewing" project?

The only pattern lay out given in the book is on 60" wide fabric. Problem #1 and a little annoying. Well, I only have 45" fabric so I double checked to make sure I can still make this skirt with 45" wide cotton. Sure enough, only 2.5 yards was listed for 45" wide fabric. Surely, I can figure this out. I got to cutting! My skirt panels were all cut out. I started cutting out my waistbands and ties. Hey...there isn't enough fabric here to cut these on the bias like I'm supposed to. Hmm. I must have done something wrong. I figured since the ties wrap around my waist, it really didn't matter much so I just pieced a couple pieces into it and I started sewing immediately.

This pattern uses French Seams which I loved! A blessing to those of us without sergers. All of my panels (6 in total) were together and I couldn't wait to wrap it around me to see my first glimpse of my almost-done wrap skirt....(wrapping....) Are you kidding me?? This overlaps at the waist by like 3"!! How in the world is this supposed to "wrap" around my waist and not give the ole' farmers in my town a peep show? Surely I'm not that horrible at sewing that I screwed up this bad! If that's the case, I better hang this up now!

Several ideas floated in my head. I could just sew it up, put an elastic waist in it and call it a day. OH, wait! Let me check online and see if she has any corrections to her pattern book.

SEWING LESSON #1: Before starting a pattern, of ANY kind, check to see if any corrections have been posted to the designers web site.

Within a few clicks I was on Heather's Blog...Down the right side of her gorgeous web site, I see "Weekend Sewing Errata". I have no idea what errata means, but that has to be it. Sure enough. Corrections to the Yard-Sale Wrap Skirt. From the downloaded Errata file:

"Yard Sale Skirt
This skirt requires the joining of at least six panels, not five. For size 10-14, add two panels. For sizes 16-20, add four panels. For each panel added, make the waistband ties eight inches longer. Once your panels have been joined, test them by wrapping them around your waist. Then do the same with your waistband. Then attach your waistband to your skirt."

I re-read this about 10 times to make sure I was reading correctly. So for a size 16, I needed to add another 4 panels?!? And on top of that add another 32" total to my waistbands? So much for making a skirt with 3 yards of fabric. I was so discouraged. Thank goodness I own a fabric shop and am able to grab a bolt of fabric off the shelf and cut more. I would hate to think that someone my size bought 2.5 yards thinking it was going to make an adorable skirt and come to this conclusion. Talk about depressing. The errata doesn't even mention that you'll need a total of 2 yards more fabric just for the panels. I have no idea how much more you need to make the 32" extra in the ties. I was so mad that I just started piecing a bunch of bias pieces together to make the ties long enough. I don't tuck in my shirts so no one will see the waist anyway.

Long story short, ( I know, too late) I cut the extra panels I needed, made the waistband work, hemmed the skirt (by machine which was against her instructions. She wanted me to hem this by hand but I was so annoyed at this point, I just wanted it done.) and tried it on. Not bad. In fact, it was pretty cute. I even got a compliment from my daughter who acts like skirts are the devil. All in all, a successful sewing venture although, not a smooth one.

I guess I'm sharing this with you not because I don't want you to buy the book. There are 39 other projects in here that are cute and look like a lot of fun. And, if I were a size 8 or under, this pattern would have worked perfectly. I just know that we've all probably had projects that just didn't work right by our fault or the designers. Designers are human too! The important thing to remember is that we don't let it frustrate us to the point of quitting. I didn't touch my sewing machine for 3 days after this fiasco. But, I'm back to it and I'm even wearing my wrap skirt today. Now that I'm cooled down from this project, I'm anxious to start the Summer Blouse...and guess what....

Weekend Sewing Errata:

"Summer Blouse
The “sleeve” pattern piece for this project is missing markings. There should have been dots indicating where to begin and end basting stitches along the edge at the shoulder. Basting stitches should be placed along the curve that will become your shoulder, starting and ending about three inches from each corner."

Deep breaths, I can do this.

Pic's of me in my new skirt taken by me...try taking a picture of YOURSELF in a wrap skirt. Not easy. Hope you don't get dizzy easily. Sorry for the abstract angles!

Textile Artist Spotlight

2010-03-26T06:30:00.001-07:00

Now that we are taking a break from the show circuit, I am hoping it will give me some time to get back to my blogging world! Don't get me wrong, I love the shows. While it does require an amount of energy I never thought I was capable of, it is so worth the sweat and cramping back! I'm a people person! Why did I choose to open an online store where all of my interaction is virtual? Well, in a perfect world, I would own my own shop. I've wanted to do that for a long time. It's still a plan too! If my best friend and I ever find ourselves in the same city, it WILL happen! For I know, that an endeavor as big as owning a brick and mortar shop is not one I can tackle alone! But, even though most of my interaction with my customers is via email, the shows allow me to meet a lot of you face to face! Occasionally, I meet someone online who happens to be local which is the case in my Textile Artist Spotlight today!

Lindsay and I met when she purchased some fabric from me while she was living in Chicago. It was quite a coincidence that her parents happen to live in my neck of the woods! When she and her husband moved back home to Texas, she sent me an email asking if she might come over to take a look at my Amy Butler collection and it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

A very gifted entrepreneur, Lindsay started her own etsy shop, Showered in Chic, making custom shower curtains and using mostly Amy Butler fabrics. Her shower curtains are beautiful! Yes! I own one! She was so busy with her etsy shop (and a full time job), she had to close it temporarily due to a huge demand for her product. What a problem to have! She's back up and running and offering more in her cute shop!

Lindsay has since moved away but we still keep in touch and she sent me some pictures of her latest work.

Click here to view these pictures larger

Isn't it gorgeous! Makes me want to have another baby! If any of you are interested in ordering a set from Lindsay, let me know and I'll hook you up!

Have a great day!

Yet Another Trenchcoat!

2010-02-15T16:01:00.001-08:00

Yes!

I made another Trenchcoat!

I just love this pattern and the look of the coat so much that I HAD to make another one for Spring. I used Amy Butler's new LOVE Home Decor fabric. This fabric is Sandlewood in Periwinkle and the sewing pattern is by Serendipity Studios, The Sophia Trenchcoat. The color is so pretty!

Raglan sleeves make this a quick and easy project. This is my second trenchcoat and I'm amazed at how quickly it goes together. If you've been wanting to try a fun and easy garment, this is the perfect pattern! There are a few left in my online store!

Centering the pattern pieces on the print demanded about an extra 3/4 yards of fabric. If you don't want to order extra fabric, make sure your fabric isn't directional or something you want to center. If you don't care, no worries!

I don't think I'll be doing buttons on this. I'm going to find the perfect blouse and wear it open. If you've never made garments out of Home Decor, try it! It's the perfect weight for stylish coats or even skirts!

My New Favorite Thing...I feel like Oprah!

2010-01-28T07:55:00.000-08:00

Good grief. I feel like I've been on the road for at least four months. I haven't, I mean, we've been doing some traveling, but I feel like I just haven't had a chance to stop and chill out in a while! It won't be happening any time soon either. We have our orders moving us on to the next base and the house is going on the market in 4 days, I am neck deep in boxes of tax paperwork (us creative people lack in the organization department) and our next big show is about 6 weeks away. I would rip at my hair if there were time but there isn't and what good would it do anyway?!

Instead of ripping out the hair, I think I'll play with my new favorite pattern book, One Yard Wonders! This book was written by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins and is filled with 101 projects that require just one yard of fabric! FINALLY! Something to do with all of the one yard cuts I impulsively buy! Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about! You see a fabric, you love it, you have absolutely no idea what you are going to do with it but you just have to have it! "One yard, please!" Yep, I have a whole closet full of "One yard, please!"-'s. Fabric too pretty to cut up into tiny pieces but need a fabulous project of their own. That's why I love this book! First of all, the book itself is gorgeous! The photography is beautiful, the fabric used in the projects are, well....they are all in my "One yard, please!" closet and the projects are simple and quick! A book right up my short-attention-span alley! The first 20 pages are full of fabulous basics making the book great for a beginner or a seasoned sewist who might need a couple refreshers (like me!). All of the pattern pieces are included in an envelope attached to the inside of the hardback, spiral bound book.

This book has patterns for re-purposing older items, household domestic projects, organization, accessories, clothing, handbags, childrens clothing and accessories, childrens toys and even a section for sewing for your pet! If you never sew a thing from it, it's just fun to look at!

Here is my first project from the book. My daughter was complaining about the chicken nuggets with "spots" that they serve on Wednesday in the cafeteria. I suggested carrying her lunch once a week and told her to pick out a couple fabrics that she liked and I would make her a lunch bag.

I know, she's not as flashy as I am. She picked the two quietest fabrics she could find! Now, I did add an iron-on vinyl to the outside of the bag so clean-up would be easy and used a hot/cold interfacing inside so her PB and J with juice would chill 'til lunch time.

When she came home the first day carrying it she said her friends wanted to know where her mom bought her lunch bag. She told them I made it and then they all wanted one!! There just isn't a better compliment out there!

I loved this book so much that I added it to our store! It's not online yet, but if you're interested, shoot me an email. It's only $20.95, I thought that was an amazing price for what you are getting!

It Could Be Worse...right?

2009-12-01T17:28:00.000-08:00

When I heard Heather Bailey was coming out with a new line of fabric, I scooped it up sight unseen. I've never seen a fabric she designed that I didn't like. This was back in August and it was due to arrive in December/January. Well, in that time we found out that the Navy requires my husband's service elsewhere and an impending move was looming. In my level-headed attempt to be logical, I called my Heather Bailey rep and canceled my Nicey Jane order. Of course, I cried, blubbered really. (It was ugly.) But we have to be smart about these things, right? The Navy will already laugh in my face about the 300 plus bolts of fabric I have here. I'll be renting a U-Haul for sure. After a few weeks of mourning, I was certain I made the right decision.

Imagine my surprise when my favorite UPS man arrived on my doorstep with four large boxes of Nicey Jane fabric....

Now, I started with the logical thing again...I never have been too good at that. I left the boxes in the garage knowing that I would place a call to my rep and have him send a call tag to send them back. "Well, let me just drag them into the house, they'll be safer there." 30 minutes later: "Well, they're sitting there and it wouldn't hurt to just break them open and take a quick peek. I can just tape it back up when UPS comes to pick them up. " Let me just spare you the inner angst I've experienced over the last 24 hours and end the story with, "Of course I kept the fabric."

My rep was very nice and apologetic and was very willing to have the fabric returned but my obsession with all beautiful textiles won over. I'm half wondering if someone knew my downfall and weakness and sent it knowing that I wouldn't be able to resist. There has to be a support group out there for me. My name is Joy, and I'm addicted to fabric. (It could be worse, right?)

Show and Tell Time!

2009-11-18T17:54:00.000-08:00

Yes, finally, pictures of my rag quilt. I have finally put it down long enough to photograph it. I was watching my daily Golden Girls episode this morning all wrapped up with my cup of coffee with Pumpkin Spice Creamer. It just doesn't get any better than that!

This is made from Amy Butler's new flannel line. The prints are from her LOVE collection. You can find it all at www.ajoyfulsoulfabrics.com. I used the warm colorway, Heart, on the ragged side.

I love the way this flannel ragged. Just one cycle in the washing machine and it softened right up. So pretty. I used the spring scissors by Fiskar and saved my thumb from massive bruising! Those things are worth their weight in gold!

A rag quilt is very simple. Just make mini-quilt sandwiches. Your choice of square size (I usually don't go over 10"), place wrong sides together with a piece of batting in between (the batting square needs to be one inch smaller than your flannel square). With all three pieces together, sew an "X" through your layers. Once all of your squares have been "X"d, lay out your preferred design and start sewing your squares together to form rows. Using a 1/2" seam allowance, sew your squares together back side to back side so the seams are on the front of your quilt. Once your squares are sewn together in rows, sew your rows together then sew a 1/2" in from the edge all the way around the quilt. Once everything is sewn together, snip into your seam allowance about every 1/4 ". BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO SNIP INTO YOUR STITCHES OR THE WHOLE THING WILL FALL APART WHEN WASHED! Toss the quilt in the washer and dryer, (clean your lint trap a couple times during the dry cycle!!) and you have a new woobie!!

I used the cool colors, Soul, on the back. The back will be smooth as all of the seams have been sewn to the front. SEE!? SO EASY!! Make one for yourself! It's getting cold! You need one!

Music to Meander By

2009-11-13T11:56:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a rather eclectic taste in music. Some may call it schizophrenic, I prefer eclectic. I love country, pop, classic rock and have even been known to haul butt on the treadmill to Maria Callas and Pavarotti. I haven't however been bitten by the electronic bug yet...until now. The number one downloaded song on iTunes this week is Fireflies by Owl City. This song is played on my XM radio station about 20 times a day and I don't ever get tired hearing it so I bought the album and uploaded it to my iPod. My new sewing situation isn't great. Where I used to be facing the great outdoors surrounded by bay windows, I am now resigned to my bedroom and I stare at a wall instead of the inspiring grass and blue sky. I am trying to make the best of the situation and make it as creatively nurturing as possible so I've moved my iPod speakers in and I listen to my music while I work.

I am trying to learn the art of free-motion quilting which is pretty stressful stuff but I am so happy with my progress and I discovered that I am a better quilter with Owl City playing!! This music is magical. Tinkling and sparkling notes with happy rhythms and whimsical lyrics. I love music that just makes me happy. Not deep or brooding (i.e.; Blue October...who I LOVE but you have to admit, it can get pretty somber at times) but just happy and fun. I literally see cartoon animals frolicking in a park when I listen to this stuff. (No, I haven't been dipping into the liquor cabinet...I am perfectly sober!) When I quilt to this music the fabric just glides along like it's being moved by the little electronic sounds and gleeful rhythms. My meander is AMAZING!! Go to iTunes and listen to the little snippet of Fireflies. I dare you to not smile and tap your toe!

'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs
From ten thousand lightning bugs
As they tried to teach me how to dance

A fox trot above my head
A sock hop beneath my bed
A disco ball that's just hanging by a thread

How can you not love those lyrics?

I firmly believe that whatever is going on around you while you create gets infused into the project you are working on. If you are happy and creatively free, your work is just better and if your project is a gift, that love and happiness moves on to the recipient. The twins will love their Pony quilts because I truly enjoyed making them! Every stitch was done with happiness and love with Owl City playing in the background!

(So now that I have come to this realization, the last quilt I pieced for myself was done while watching Uma Thurman in the Kill Bill series of movies. It's now my "Girls Kick Butt" quilt!)

Amy's LOVE Flannel is in!

2009-11-04T16:48:00.000-08:00

The flannel has arrived and it's every bit as beautiful as I expected. Only 8 bolts were printed but it is the perfect mix of LOVE prints, four cool and four warm. I can't wait to get it cut into some rag quilt squares!

Check out the LOVE Flannels NOW!

LOVE is in the air!

2009-10-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

I just received our shipment of LOVE and I am already designing! I'm working on a quick messenger bag that I can take with us to Market in Houston.

I am thrilled to see my favorite textile artists, Amy Butler and Heather Bailey, and too excited to spend time among my fellow fabric shop owners. I am even more excited about finding the newest and latest patterns and cool things to bring to you! Among the new patterns I'll be ordering are Amy's two new additions, "The Liverpool" and "Sweet Harmony". The perfect projects for the new fabric! I'm so ready to be inspired and rejuvenated among my peers and am looking forward to passing it along to you!

Do you have any questions for Amy or Heather? Is there anything you've just been dying to ask them? Let me know! We'll be heading down on Thursday and I'll be seeing both of them on Friday and Saturday! They are the sweetest women and I have a feeling no question is too strange! So let me know what you want to know!

Garment Sewing for Dummies

2009-09-03T04:05:00.000-07:00

As mentioned before, I have a dress floating around in my head and I really want to attempt to write a pattern and actually create it. Problem is, I don't have any idea how to do this. I mean, Step One, I need a dress form with my measurements... yikes...that would be a big dose of reality I'm not sure I'm ready for. But I have a tutorial on how to make a mold of my body so I just need to do it. Then, a bolt of muslin to start draping....okay, I'm going to be honest now...the fact is, this happens to me every time Project Runway starts a new season. All of sudden, I'm certain that there is a jewel of a fashion designer deep down inside of me and all I need to do is get a big bolt of raw silk and my T-shirt/Duct Tape body form and POOF!.........The Most Fantastic Formal Dress You've Ever Seen! I'll be the talk of the Navy Ball..."Did you see Joy?" "Where did she get a gorgeous dress like that in this small town?" "Deb said she made it!" "No WAY! Seriously? That's AMAZING! She should be on that Project Runway show!"

Okay, so I'm a little on the crazy side. This is what happens when you suffer from two weeks of insomnia...you start having these scenes evolve in your head and visions of a gorgeous gown of your making...well, at least that's what happens to me. Fact is, not everyone can sew garments. It takes a special understanding of how clothing goes together to best flatter a body. A "garment engineer" if you will. The last thing I want to do is invest a ton of money into a bolt of a fine fabric only for the dress to be completely unwearable (like that sheer mess of a dress that went down the Project Runway runway a couple weeks ago~huh?) or I can see myself getting so frustrated that I can't even do the simplest thing like design and construct a formal dress that everyone will oo and ah over so it all gets scrapped and ends up in the bottom of my closet. Well, not the body form, I'll bet my husband would recycle that into some horrible and gruesome lawn ornament for Halloween.

So, what I have concluded is: I will, for the time being, soak in all the info I can on the subject...I've enlisted help from my sewing friends on Twitter who have already replied to my call for help, at 6:00 am (Twitter is the Land of Insomniacs...I'm certain!). I will get a few patterns and actually try to put together a full garment before making one of my own design. The dream hasn't been shelved. I will just execute it in a slow and meticulous manner. You never know, I may still be the next Project Runway star-in-hiding.

Which brings me to the reason for this random post...Does anyone know of a good Garment Sewing Tutorial book?

I LOOOOVE "LOVE"!!

2009-09-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

I just got my sneak peeks from Amy's "people" of her new fabric line. I was hoping it was going to ship this month but we have been told it won't ship until December...big 'ole bummer! Oh well, this is the perfect Christmas gift! I will tease you with my collage!

Can you see it?? Which one's do you want to see better?? What do you think? Comment to this post to let me know which are your faves (so I know what to order 2 bolts of)!!

Midwest Modern Contest Entries

2009-08-29T07:11:00.000-07:00

My entries for Amy Butler's Midwest Modern Contest are finished and yes, I actually entered them! I didn't chicken out! (Which was a HUGE step for me! Those of you who know me understand!) My first piece was a purse that I designed. I foundation pieced all of my left over "strings" to a piece of muslin.

My next piece was a MUCH needed portfolio to keep my split personalities organized! I have been very intrigued by the new textile trend of selvedge sewing so I grabbed up all of my Midwest Modern selvedges from my scrap bin and foundation pieced those as well to develop this great portfolio.

One side is business and one side is personal. I have places for checkbooks as well as my business cards (A Joyful Soul Fabrics and NSHS Ombudsman stuff.) There are places to stuff receipts/stamps/post it notes...all of the things that get lost because they end up at the bottom of my purse.

I had to raid my stash of ribbons and vintage buttons for these projects which is always fun! I've already had one request to develop both patterns into a class which is so flattering! Or maybe I just have the greatest friends on God's Green Earth!! (The latter is the absolute truth!!)

If you have a Midwest Modern project you'd like to enter, just send pictures to contest@amybutlerdesign.com. The deadline is September 15 and your entries may be uploaded to her Flickr page. She's giving away patterns, Midwest Modern fabric and a signed copy of her book.

What's on my "Creative To-Do-List" now?? Well, besides a couple "Navy Quilt" requests, I have a dress floating around in my head right now and it absolutely needs to get out! It will either be the most beautiful thing I will ever wear or it will be a total disaster but I need to try it either way. I am in search of the perfect fabric which of course doesn't exist locally so I may take a trip to Dallas or OKC to find it. My first trick is to make a mold of my body. A couple friends, a bottle of wine, a form fitting T-shirt and a million rolls of duct tape....this should be interesting!

One Donation Down, One to Go

2009-08-26T16:18:00.001-07:00

I've finished the donation quilt for our CPO Selectee's. I did a rag quilt this time hoping that it will earn a little more money than the fleece blanket from last year. I've spent quite a bit of money on this one not to mention the time it took and the cramping hand from snipping all of the seams....but I'm not complaining or anything! Let's hope it will go for big bucks!

This is their T-shirt in the center. I used a lightweight fusible to stabilize so the knit wouldn't go nuts when I sewed it all together. It turned out great!

I love this Navy fabric! Everytime I see it, I smile!

That grey fabric is the exact color of the Big E (USS Enterprise, the best 3 years of my husband's career!)

This is the back. Not a great picture but trust me, the fabric is really cool! It's red and white striped swirly banners on a navy blue background with gold stars. So very patriotic!

Now that this one is done it's on to the Breast Cancer 3-day Walk donation quilt for my sister's team. It's at the quilter's now and I should have it back soon to be bound and shipped off! Then I get to sew for myself! I am redecorating my room in August Fields. I even bought a really neat antique wicker backed chair to recover.

STEP AWAY FROM THE SEWING MACHINE

2009-08-21T05:15:00.000-07:00

(Not a chance.)

Hi Friends!

It has been a whirlwind week of sewing for me. I finished up some baby things for my best friends new addition, Rowan. We drove out to visit her and big sister Olivia (and Mom too!) to deliver her new Ellie/Blanket combo. The Happy Stacker didn't make it but she can't do much with it at 2 months old anyway so that will arrive later. I finished my sisters 3-day Breast Cancer Walk raffle quilt and two more samples for the shop. Now I'm working on a donation quilt for the Chief's Mess. I'm surprised that I haven't gotten sick of sewing by now but strangely enough, I am anticipating what my next project will be.

One thing's for sure! I need help!! Not the professional kind (well, maybe that too) but I think I need to hire someone to help out in the shop! It is impossible for me to sew as much as I need to sew, keep developing the web site and my patterns, keeping up with inventory, paperwork, packing and shipping. I'm not complaining! The shop is doing fantastic but I really thought I was going to be able to handle it all myself. Not a chance! I haven't been able to even think of shooting my online classes yet and before you know it, it will be show season again so I can forget about doing anything come December! I am having so much fun though. Well, not the paperwork part. Quickbooks is a HUGE mystery to me! I am trying to talk my Mom into doing my accounting stuff for me. I have no desire at all nor the skills, which is hysterical because I used to take care of the books for a guy in Virginia who owned his own business. Now I know why he dropped all his stuff off to me. I never could understand how he just couldn't do it himself. Now I know. It's not lack of knowledge, it's lack of motivation. I'd rather be sewing!

So here are the fruits of my labors over the past week:

This is also the quilt I am donating to raffle off for my sister's 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk Team. If anyone wants tickets, let me know.

These will be offered in my store as kits. I have 3 different colorways that will be offered. Check out this post to see the third colorway. This is a great priced kit at $55.00 that includes the pattern, Picture This by Ann Hansen of Pixiegirl Quilts, 10 fat quarters for the top, 3/8 for the small border, 1 3/8 for the big border and 3/4 for the binding. It is a nice lap size at 46.5" x 58" but I have mine hanging on the wall! It's too bright and cheery so it hangs outside my office so I can look at it while I work!

I better get back to work on this rag quilt for the Mess. I'm hoping this will bring in a lot of money for the Khaki Ball!

Domestic Goddess Review

2009-08-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends!

It's been a busy few weeks but I've finished the third apron from Amy Butler's Domestic Goddess Aprons Pattern. I love to review her patterns. I always find it helpful to read "Real People" reviews before I attempt to tackle a project. I don't get paid by her studio so you'll get honest opinions from me. So, here goes:

Project One

Half Apron

The Half Apron was a blast. My sister requested an apron so I thought this would be a great time to test out the half apron. She chose the fabrics (LOVE them!) and I went for it. This was a super easy pattern to follow. It comes in 3 lengths. I made it at the Mid length but I think I would have been fine with the short length. My sister and I are both tall so I wanted to make sure it would have good coverage but in my opinion, it was too long. Not sure what Robin thinks. Hey, Robin, if you're reading this, comment on what you think about the length. The Apron requires some pleating across the front. Amy's directions for pleats are super easy so no issues there. The way the waistband goes on was really cool. Great directions, easy to follow. It also gives you an option for long or short ties. According to the picture on the cover, the long ties should wrap all the way around your waist and tie in front so this is what I opted for. Well, Amy used one of her super skinny friends as a model so it is a bit misleading as to how much tie you actually have hanging. I am a size 14/16 and was able to tie at the front with a bit to spare. Certainly not as much as the model on the cover! But that's okay! It still works. If you want more to hang and you are my size or larger, it would not be a problem to just add some inches to the ties. (You might need to add enough yardage to account for the length.) Easy!

Project Two

Pleated Full Apron

While a little more time consuming than the half apron, the pleated apron was just as easy. A few more pleats since you are pleating the front bodice as well as the bodice lining but it all went together very easily. The one thing I will change on this one for the next time? I am going to add a few more inches to the bodice length. This will also require my adding inches to the bodice sides. It would be really cool if these instructions were included in the pattern but most of these patterns are made with an average height woman in mind. I am a few inches over average....every woman in my family is. This apron, however, was made for a friend who just turned 40 and happens to be vertically challenged, so there! A perfect fit! This is the shortest length option. I think I prefer this length vs. the mid length.

Project Three

Split Bodice Full Apron

(This one is mine!)

Again, easy to follow instructions and a quick project. This bodice has a drawstring neckline and when I make another one for myself (my goal is to have one for every day of the week!) I will definitely add a few more inches to the bodice. As you can see, it needs to be just a little longer to look right. I might also pull the bodice sides all the way to the end of the apron sides. I don't know, I might like it with "fuller coverage". Don't get me wrong, I love this apron! Super cute!

In my opinion, this would be a great pattern for all levels of sewers. Don't let the pleats or waistline scare you. The instructions are so easy to follow! I especially love that now that I have made all three, the pattern will be easy to adjust to account for my height. I love being tall but it does make it hard to sew for myself with my limited garment sewing history!

***** 5 Fabulous Stars...Again! *****

As usual, if any of you are in the middle of a pattern or project and need just a little help to get you through, please email me! I love to help people complete their projects and if I don't know the answer, I'll find out for you! Also, if there is a pattern that you want me to try out, let me know!

~~A Little Shop News~~

We will be participating in the Fab Shop Network Summer Blowout Sale this month. I will have some super crazy prices on some of our project kits and fabrics. Click on the link for my web site to check it out. This sale starts August 17 and ends August 21. It's a short one so check out the store fast! I'll blog and give you the link the day before the sale starts. Sign up for my blog updates and you'll receive an email to remind you.

NOW,

GO SEW SOMETHING!!

2009-07-23T05:33:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a week. We arrived back at home on July 11 and it's already the 23rd. Honestly, sometimes I feel like I wake up and a couple days have past. How is it possible that life is flying by so quickly? I looked at Emme yesterday and realized that my baby is turning into a young lady. I completely freaked which totally freaked her out. (Of course, I grabbed her and started rocking her in my office chair. A little strange for an almost 9 year old. I suppose I would have looked at my Mom like she needed to be in a straightjacket too.)

I've been busy filling some sewing orders. Baby things and aprons mostly but I have finally come to a point where I can break, do a little blogging and actually clean my house. I have so many pictures I want to share with you.

MY BIRTHDAY!

I very rarely get a big deal made of my birthday. This bothers me. When I was little, my Mom and Dad made a huge deal of our birthdays. Why should this stop as we get older? How depressing! As if getting older isn't bad enough, now, our one special day isn't special anymore?? I think not! Since I was going to be back in San Diego for my birthday, I decided if no one else was going to make a big deal about my birthday, I was. No shame in throwing yourself a party! Yes, I am getting older. Closer to 40 everyday. But, I embrace it! For with years comes experience and knowledge and a better understanding of myself. Okay, so most of that is just to make myself feel better. I actually completely freaked that I now have to check the 36-45 age group on those stupid surveys. But why fight it, it happens to all of us. And honestly, the older I get, the more clear I am on what I want out of life. I guess that's a good thing, right? So, I wanted to celebrate. We floated in the pool, had some cocktails, my sister and her family came over to the house and we had CAKE.

Not just any cake, my Amy Butler cake. I brought a picture of my favorite fabric (well, one of my favorites), Trailing Cherry in Brown from Midwest Modern, into a cake design studio in my hometown. The name of the shop is Crumbs of Paris and if you live or are near the city of El Cajon, CA and you want a yummy but gorgeous cake, check them out. I would get married all over again just to have them do my wedding cake. Truly amazing what they do with a little cake and frosting. We sat down in the studio and did a little cake tasting (I've always wanted to do a cake tasting!), I showed her some pictures and she said, "We can do that!" I was elated! Here's my awesome cake!

Pretty cool, right? Not only was it a dead ringer for the fabric right down to the woven texture on the brown background to make it look like fabric, it was DELICIOUS! I was so proud of this cake that I sent a picture to Amy's studio. I even got an email from Amy herself wishing me a happy birthday. It was one of my best birthdays ever! Not just because of the cake but I was able to spend it with my family. Doesn't get better than that.

I want to thank Crumbs of Paris for an awesome job! Check them out at Crumbs of Paris or call them at 619.440.4910. They are an award winning cake studio and are genuinely nice people.

Okay, so I had my perfect cake and what else do you need to make it a perfect birthday? Gifts of course! Mostly, I got cash and gift cards which are always great! While fabric is my first love, shopping is my second! My husband and Mom surprised me with a beautiful handbag by JennJohn. Jenn is a "web friend" of mine. We both love to sew, have the same taste in fabric and have made a business of our passion. I've been wanting one of her bags for a while so my husband took all of my hinting and got me one for my birthday! He stepped out of my Amy Butler box and bought me a purse with no Amy Butler fabric in it. A little odd I thought (Jenn thought it was strange too) but the bag is gorgeous and I love it and I've carried it ever since I opened it!

APPLEJACK DAISY

Click the link above and check out Jenn's stuff. I've gotten so many compliments carrying this bag! If you want a fun summer bag, you'll find it here!

So now that I am back into the swing of things, I hope to update you more often. I will post pictures of the projects I've completed this week. I have another baby set (Ellie, Quilt and Happy Stacker) to show you and I also will be reviewing Amy Butler's Domestic Goddess Apron Pattern.

Have a fabulous day!

I'm Home!

2009-07-12T13:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am finally home! We had a great time in San Diego but I am glad to be back home and ready to tackle everything I left on hold two weeks ago! Of course, I have no pictures for you yet. I can't even find my camera in this mess of luggage.

I used my new Field Bag on the airplane and it tickled me everytime someone stared (and they all stared)! I don't think they were admiring my fine workmanship or even the gorgeous fabric. I believe they all were wondering if I had stowed a small body in there but I didn't care. I was fabulous!

The Big Blue Hat got a workout as well. I am about ten shades darker than when I left. I was so pale that my skin actually had a green tinge to it. I am now healthy looking minus the red skin on my legs. That was from the last day of "I'm leaving tomorrow so I better get one last sunning session". Yep, I was a little too ambitious. I even turned down a shopping trip to get a few more rays. Can you blame me? Here in TX, if you step outside you burst into flames. And don't give me "at least it's a dry heat". Dry, humid, it's still 106!! That's just too hot. So we got outside and cut down the small forest that we call our yard, promptly both got headaches and now we won't be leaving the house the rest of the day for fear that they'll have to come sweep up our ashes on the front sidewalk.

Oh, it was my birthday too! I haven't had anyone make a big deal about my birthday in a while so I decided I was going to this year. I commisioned a fantastic cake to look like one of my favorite Amy Butler fabrics. Pictures to come soon, I promise, as soon as I find that blasted camera! It was GORGEOUS and DELICIOUS and I hate that I left the remainder of it in my Mom's fridge but I hope they EAT IT and don't throw it out! It wasn't cheap but it was worth every penny. My whole family made it over and we swam, had cocktails, ate a lot and they even humored me with the worst rendition of Happy Birthday ever. I don't think they enjoyed it but they did it none the less. The cake had no candles. I was told it would have been a fire hazard. Rude.

My husband surprised me by shipping in a jennjohn handbag. I've blogged about Jenn before. I've been wanting one of her bags for a while so now I have one! It is beautiful, of course. He opted for a bag that did not have Amy Butler but has Carla Miller fabric. It's beautiful! Again, once the camera shows itself, I'll post pictures. A big thanks to Jenn! I'll email you as soon as this headache goes away!

Well, I have a ton of stuff to do but honestly, I think I am going to go freeze my head for a while. I'll post my pictures later so check back soon!

Pattern Review ~ Amy Butler's New Field Bag and Tote

2009-06-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends!

I have had a WONDERFUL 48 hours! I drove down to one of my "bestest" friends house (shout out Lori!) for a too short sewing getaway! I decided I was going to tackle Amy's new Field Bag pattern. We'll be getting on a plane in a few days so I thought it would make a great carry-on. From the pattern cover, it looks enormous.

But, I know Amy uses her cute, adorable and petite friends as models so I thought a tall and curvaceous woman, like myself, might be able to pull it off as an average size tote bag. Umm, it's still enormous, even on me! Which kind of made me feel good! I mean, I know my thighs are no where near as gorgeous as this girl but hey, I don't dwarf it!!

See!

So, let's get down to business. This pattern skill level, in my opinion only, would be "beginner" for the Tote and "experienced" for the Bag. The difference? A dreaded zipper! The Bag, which is what I decided to make, has a zipper closure along the top panels. I need to say this, Amy's directions for putting in zippers are good. "What's the trouble" you say? I have to be honest, I just don't know. I read the instructions, they made sense to me. I start attaching it all together and I have issues. Mostly from the bulk. I think I just need to do it once for practice then do it for real! Now that I've put this zipper in, I don't think I'll have a problem next time. It wasn't even the actual putting in of the zipper, that was easy. It was actually attaching the top panels (which had the zipper already inserted) to the bag itself. It's the bulk, man, it gets me every time!

~~

The pattern instructions are very good. I did have a question about one part of the cording instructions but I emailed Amy's studio about clarification. I just received word that STEP 11 F can be omitted. This is a mistake in the pattern, a very small one and it didn't take long to figure out that step 11 F was not necessary.
~~
Like I said, I would be very comfortable recommending this pattern to a "beginner" for the Tote (no zipper). I would define this person as someone who has constructed a bag of some sort and someone who has worked with multiple layers. I don't think I would recommend this as your first bag ever. It's a lot of fabric and a ton of interfacing. The investment is too large to let frustration take over and the whole thing to land in a box in the closet (I speak from experience)! The pattern calls for 8 1/2 YARDS (if using quilting weight cotton) of Stacy SF-101, which in my opinion is the only interfacing!! I love this stuff! It also takes some Thermolam Plus which is the best fusible fleece for bags. Now, even though I had a problem with the zipper (it really wasn't a problem, it looks fine, it's just that a good time was not had while trying to put this sucker in), I wouldn't say you have to be "Advanced" to tackle it. Just be confident, read your instructions a couple times before diving in and GO SLOW! If I can do this, you can!

~~

The instructions for the cording are fabulous. The pleats are no big deal. The bottom of this bag has a wide inset that you'll need to pin and ease in the curve. Easy as pie!

Some "please learn from my mistakes" tips:

1. Make sure all interfacing is completely adhered to your fabric pieces. In some cases, you'll have 2 layers of interfacing or one layer of Stacy with a layer of Thermolam over that. If those layers are not completely adhered to your fabric, you are likely to have some rippling.

2. This bag gets heavy with all of the interfacing. Put your sewing machine on a table that is big enough so the purse doesn't hang while your sewing. It needs to be laying on a table so the weight doesn't make what you are sewing pull to the left. (This may have been the majority of my problem with the zipper.)

3. Don't think this a 4 hour project. Of course, the tote is much quicker because there is no zipper but if you are adding the zipper, give yourself a few days to complete the project. Even without the zipper, you'll need to give yourself a few days. Very few of us have the luxury of being able to sew straight through with life happening all around us. Make sure your family is okay with this project being out for a couple days. It will take a while to cut all of your pieces out, attach the interfacing and fleece and make your cording. That's not even getting to the actual construction. Don't be rushed. Take your time, and enjoy the creative process! Your finished product will be well worth the time invested!

This cutie will definately hold everything I'll need for a 5 hour flight! Then it will double as my beach bag! I can totally see this as a diaper bag too. It has 4 large pockets, two on each side of the lining. Then, of course, you'll need to scour your local antique store for the perfect piece of vintage jewelry, a la Amy!!

Pattern Rating:

5 super hip and cool stars*****!!

Bear in the Big Blue Hat

2009-06-25T18:52:00.000-07:00

My hat is done! I think it's beautiful. My husband says I'm the Bear in the Big Blue Hat. I don't think I was grumpy today....hmmm.

Recovery

2009-06-25T06:41:00.000-07:00

Well, after a few days of living in a comatose stupor...I think I am back. Maybe not 100% just yet, but I'm getting there. Oklahoma City was FANTABULOUS....yes, it's a word. We had great fun and sold out of quite a few things. I've placed my orders and we should be fully stocked by next week. Of course, I endured some pain. The Lotus and Belle lines are disappearing. You don't know how bad I want to take all of this fabric off my web site and hide it in my closet!! After all, this is what hooked me on Amy Butler and what started this exciting roller coaster life I live! Every time I "burned" a bolt and travelled to the trash can to discard that sad, empty cardboard flat, I would glance at the end and read the name, almost in memoriam. I never said I wasn't loony toons. I'm as crazy as they get when it comes to Amy's fabrics. Every time I sell out of one of her items I can no longer get, I sink into this grieving period. I know, I make a great business woman, right? My husband is ready to commit me.

So, now that my shows are over for the year (sniff sniff), I need to concentrate on my web site. We've joined the Fab Shop Network and will be participating in the Fab Shop Hop in September. If you have never heard of the Fab Shop Hop, go to their web site, http://www.fabshophop.net/. This is a virtual shop hop where you go to these great online quilt/fabric shops and try to find the bunny. You click on the bunny and it registers you for great prizes. You can win gift certificates to different shops and the grand prize is always really cool. A sewing machine or a sewing caddy or a ton of fabric! I swear, when I first got hooked on this, John was deployed and I was bored to tears at night after Em went to bed. I would stay up all night and search web sites and try and find that bunny. After I finally went to bed, all I could see was that bunny floating in my dreams. It's great fun and it introduces you to a ton of great web sites with different fabrics. I never knew the amount of fabric out there until I did this hop for the first time.

I'm feeling creative today. I have plenty of sewing orders to fill but I'm feeling a Blue Sky Hat coming on. We'll be laying by the pool in San Diego soon and I need to protect this pasty skin of mine. I've also started cutting out Amy's new Field Bag and Tote pattern. Almost all of the interfacing is cut (it takes quite a bit, this is going to be one sturdy bag!) but I am still debating on which fabrics to use. I was told I needed to make it exactly like the cover. Umm, it's pretty, and I might do that for the shows next year but I'm not feeling it. Every crafter knows, you have to "feel" what you're doing. Otherwise, the inspiration just isn't there. I think I'll stick with the Midwest Modern line but use a fabric that I wouldn't normally gravitate to. Step out of my box a bit. (Well, okay, I'm hanging an arm out of the box.)

Here are some pictures from OKC:

Yes, that is a teal blue Singer Featherweight. Isn't it beautiful?! I want this machine so bad.

Okay, I'm off to see if my noggin is too big for this pattern. Wish me luck!