pretty in pink baby quilt

Hello lovelies, how are things?

Have you been working on any fun projects? I must say, my sewing time has been seriously limited lately and I find myself going for days without even touching any fabric at all :(

So, not surprisingly, this little baby quilt took weeks for me to finally finish.

Weeks!!! How crazy is that!?!?

I chose a simple square patchwork design (100% inspired by this beauty I have pinned ages ago) and I absolutely loved a chance to cut into lots of pink scraps and fabrics patiently waiting for just the right project.

This quilt top, as you can imagine, has come together rather quickly. And then I decided hand quilting was the way to go as my kids like it when I watch their favorite Netflix shows with them, and I like to hand quilt while watching. Totally a win-win for all of us :)

I used white perle cotton #8 and first stitched in the ditch, and then quilted a square inside each block. I think this quilting compliments the simple patchwork quite well.

I finished this little cutie by adding a lovely striped binding. I know I keep saying it, but I do love striped bindings very, very much.


Off I go, more summer fun to be had as we only have two more weeks of summer break left.

Wishing you all a happy and creative week. Svetlana

modern machine quilting (book review + giveaway)

My friend Catherine Redford is an incredible quilter. I greatly admire all the gorgeous quilting she does on her domestic machine so when she asked if I wanted to review her new book Modern Machine Quilting I was more than happy to jump at the opportunity.

The book is divided into five chapters. In the first chapter Catherine shares lots of info on fabric, batting, thread, needles, quilt basting, as well as quilting room set up.

Second chapter is all about Walking Foot Quilting and, once again, there's lots of very useful info on supplies, stitch length, tension, as well as many trouble shooting ideas to make one's quilting look beautiful and professional.

And, there are tons step by step pictures which I greatly appreciate.

Chapter three focuses on Free Motion Quilting. I must say, I'm kind of scared of FMQ, so I love Catherine's suggestion to draw the patterns out in pencil before one tackles the quilt. I will definitely be giving this a try next time I plan on FMQ a quilt.

Fourth chapter is a gallery of Catherine's gorgeous quilts featuring both straight line quilting as well as FMQ.

Last chapter includes four finished projects + full instructions on how to make them. This flying geese quilt is my absolute favorite. Beautiful, isn't it?

I loved reading through this book and I'll be incorporating tons of tips and tricks I learned from Catherine in my next quilting project.

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G I V E W A Y  ! ! !

Would you like to win your very own copy of this fabulous quilting book? If so, please leave a comment below letting me know what you love most about making quilts in the comments below.

The giveaway is open worldwide and I will choose a random winner on Thursday, July 26th.

Thank you so very much to all who took part in this giveaway. I loved reading all your comments!

Congratulations to our winner Gail (The Cozy Quilter) !!!

Svetlana

luisa crossbody bag (new pdf pattern)

Hello everyone! I'm super, super excited to have a chance to show off my newest crossbody bag pattern to you today, yay!!!

I've been working on this bag for months and have gone through at least six unsuccessful prototypes before I finally landed on this design. All that work though was totally worth is as I absolutely love this bag.

Luisa finishes at 10" wide x 9" tall x 3" deep. And, the addition of a hidden zipper pocket on the front, slip pocket on the back, zipper pocket in the lining, as well as a main zipper closure and adjustable strap makes for a super useful, perfectly sized everyday purse.

Materials needed to make Luisa Bag:
fabric A (main exterior fabric) – ¾ yard
fabric B (contrasting exterior bottom + strap) – ½ yard
fabric C (lining) – ¾ yard
interlining fabric (canvas, denim, or some other heavier weight fabric) – ½ yard
SF 101 interfacing (or other medium weight fusible interfacing of choice) – 2 yards
one - 12” long metal or nylon zipper
one - 8” long metal or nylon zipper
one - 6” long metal or nylon zipper
two - 1” rectangle or circle strap rings
one - 1” rectangle strap slider
five - 7mm rivets (optional)

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As usual, I had help from a few super talented ladies who tested this pattern for me and I absolutely adore all the gorgeous bags they made.

Amista

Amy

Ellyn

Kam

Lorelei

Mary

Sudi-Laura

Wyma


I love how each and every one of these bags is so different from the others and how they all reflect maker's preferences and personality. Well done ladies! You totally rocked this pattern.

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What do you say? Would you like to make a Luisa bag of your own? You can purchase Luisa Crossbody Bag pdf instant download pattern by clicking on the button below or by visiting my etsy shop (click here).

buy this pattern

Thanks so much for your support and happy sewing everyone!

Svetlana

anna pouch in magnolia and carkai

 Well hello!! Happy Wednesday to you all!

Lately I've been trying really hard to stay away from many, many new fabric lines coming to market at incredibly fast speed and work mostly from my stash instead. And you know what? It was pretty fun and I drastically reduced the amount of fabric I own, yay!

Did I ever tell you I don't like having too much of anything, including fabric, in my house as it makes me feel all overwhelmed and unable to concentrate? Yes, there's definitely such a thing as too much of a good thing for me. I reduced my stash to about a third of what it was a few years back and I love it. I do an occasional "stash enhancement" of course, but I try hard to choose only the fabric I love and have a plan for.

So, when I came across Amy Sinibaldi's Magnolia print from her Charleston collection I knew right away it would be perfect for a new Anna pouch.

And it really was. I totally love how this pouch turned out. The tiny checks I used for zipper bindings and tab are from  Amy's Les Petites collection.

This is such a fun little pouch. Actually, it's two pouches joined together to form one and is a perfect size to keep little items in one's purse organized and contained. Or, it could make a super lovely coin pouch.

And then, because I somehow seem unable to make just one of anything these days, I made a second Anna in Carolyn Friedlander's Carkai fabric.

I love how both these pouches turned out and will definitely be trying out more fabric combos in the future. Here's a link to the pattern for you in case you'd like to make a pouch (or two) yourself :).

Wishing you all a very happy and creative day. Svetlana