Sew Happy Designs

2011 was a GREAT year!

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:32:00 +0000

Wowza! This blog has been sew neglected. If you look at my January 1st post of last year you'll see that I vowed to do a better job of blogging for 2011. Good intentions, but after my giveaway on my last (October) post, all blogging came to a halt as I concentrated on sewing for the holidays. That proved to be a good thing! My sales for the holidays were ~~great~~ awesome.

Because it's almost the end of January 2012, I just want to say how wonderful 2011 was and highlight some of the events...

On the family side of life, our grandchidren, Tucker and Tessa were confirmed in the Catholic faith in May. Parents, Aunt Mandy and gma and gpa enjoyed a little party after the event.

In June, daughter Mandy received her tenure for teaching. Yay Mandy!!

McStevie turned 60 in April. We celebrated that in July by taking him to Toronto (on my big winnings from the Preakness horse race) to a Yankee game. The whole family went and it was lots of fun.

Also in July, our Godchild Rachel got married and we enjoyed our trip to Connecticut for that wonderful event!

We got our dream kitchen last summer and have been enjoying it's beauty and functionality.

We had our usual August family week in Saratoga renting "the cabin" (our 7th year) and, of course visited the racetrack, having trackside seats this year and getting to meet Smokin Joe Frasier, may he RIP.

We also worked on another room this summer, our office, which is now Steve's "mancave". We bought a beautiful desk from our favorite furniture shop, Painfull Acres and have a lovely wooden frame futon/sofa that doubles as a bed for extra guests, i.e. grandchildren. The room still needs just the right wall decorations, so before and after pics still to come.

In September I did a daring thing. I got my first and only tattoo. It was on my bucket list for a long time. Just a little spool of thread on my ankle..actually, it's my icanquilt website logo. Since I told no one in my family, now that the shock has worn off, I think they think it's pretty ~~neat~~ cool.

On the business side of things, I released 2 new patterns in 2011, IcanQuilt it Curvy Reversible table runner and IcanQuilt Reversible Spidy Mat. Sales have been good for both patterns.

Last summer I acquired a new consignment shop in Potsdam, Maplerun Emporium. I sell mostly kitchen items there and love working with Mary Hilton. I still have items at Painfull Acres on consignment and love working with Mary Dufresne there. Both Mary's are just the best! Both shops are in bad need of new stock from me. I am working toward that goal as I sold most stock this last holiday season.

Speaking of holiday season, my Artfire online store SewHappyDesigns had wonderful year end sales. This month I re-opened my Etsy SewHappyDesigns shop and have begun stocking it. I received my first sale since opening last week. Yay! Thank you to everyone who has bought my IcanQuilt patterns, items from consignment shops and online shops. I have filled many custom orders this year and I love the challenge, thank you to those customers who have given me the opportunity to make something special for them.

2011 sure was a great year and I am truly blessed! Let's hope we all have a wonderful 2012!

Many blessings to you!

THE WINNER IS...

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:58:00 +0000

The winner of the Spidy Mat was drawn on Friday, September 23, at 10 AM. The winner was my online friend Aislinn Marie who has a shop named Serenitygrove on Artfire. Check it out!

Congrats to Aislinn Marie!

The Spidy Mat is on its way to you!

Time for a Giveaway!!

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:03:00 +0000

OMG it has been FOREVER since I did a give away! I need to get that straightend out PRONTO.

See this lovely little Spidy Mat?? (It's a shame the picture doesn't show how those little blue and orange crystals AND the clear center one sparkle in the light.) Those cute eyes light up in the dark and the thread that is top-stitched around the outside is GLOW IN THE DARK thread. WOWZA this was a fun pattern to create. Barring catastrophes the IcanQuilt Reversible Spidy Mat pattern should be out shortly. I have had it in the works since last year at this time and have created a bunch of these in all kinds of spidy fabrics...they aren't hard to find this time of year. The great part is that you can put something else on the reverse side so that when Halloween is over you can use it through the fall if you want.

Click on the pic to enlarge

Click on the Pic to enlarge for detail

This one has the (optional) center piece that was fun from another "spidy" fabric and reverses to an orange fall leaf fabric. I like to put a candy dish on mine through the month of October and then my trick or treat candy basket on it the night the goolies and goblin "littles" come out.

OK sew...this is how you enter to win this little mat:
You get 1 entry for leaving a comment on my blog.
You get 1 entry for following my blog.
You get 1 entry for going to my IcanQuilt website and liking my SewHappyDesigns on FB
You get 1 entry for going to my IcanQuilt website and liking my IcanQuilt Company on FB (my pattern Co.)
You get 1 entry for checking out my SewHappyDesigns Artfire shop and leaving which item is your favorite in your comment.
You get 1 entry for leaving in your comment a suggestion of an item you would like to see me make and list in my Artfire shop. (I make many items that I don't list there, so this entry will be very helpful to me.)

Now if you already follow my blog or are a SewHappyDesigns or IcanQuilt Company fan, be sure you let me know so that I will count that entry.

I will be drawing the winner on September 23rd and you will receive it the last week of September. Plenty of time for your Halloween fun!

Good Luck and Thank You for supporting handmade!!!

Blessings~
Cindy

IcanQuilt it Curvy

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Been having some fun with my latest pattern, IcanQuilt it Curvy Reversible Tablerunner. This is a nice fast, easy beginner pattern. You can quilt, add some applique or rick-rack, or just top-stitch for your quilting. I have several ideas for more tablerunners coming. It's a great pattern for a large print. Here are a few that I have made. Which one do you like best? (click on the pics to enlarge for detail) Some of these will end up in my consignment shop over at Painfull Acres.

Pretty summer pattern, quilted with flower pattern.


Reverse rose color w/close-up of quilting.

Dark rose fabric with lighter rose pattern...quilted with rick-rack.

Reverses to green.

Pretty red hearts fabric, quilted with rick-rack.


Reverse in red leaves.

Lovely summer print, quilted all over with pink variegated thread.

Reverses to a pretty rose fabric.

A pretty pink paisley quilted with white rick rack.

I love the reverse of this with all the great inspiration!

Love, love this large fall print, this one is quilted with two rows of top-stitching.

A close up of the material.

Reverses to Christmas fabric, cute little gingerbread.

Did I say I love this fabric? The large flowers are quilted, following the flower pattern on this one.

Close-up of the quilting.


Reverses to a pretty batik.

Note that I often use variegated thread on my projects. I like the way it blends and adds a little somethin-somethin.

WOOTS! New Kitchen is Fab!

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:03:00 +0000

The kitchen makeover is done!

We have had approximately 5 weeks of dust and upheaval, but the kitchen makeover is done and we are VERY happy with it. Thank you to Lisa (kitchen planner), Scott, Mike and Barry (construction crew).

Let me warn you, a kitchen makeover is not for the faint of heart. Be prepared to:

Have dust on every little bit of space in your entire house, even with the doors closed.
Wash your dishes in a bathroom sink or tub when your sink goes away.
Get inventive with your cooking skills...owning a gas grill with a side burner made us feel very, very smart.
Budget some take out meals.
Stock up on lots of paper products...and...plasticware...AND.. be sure you THROW the plasticware away because that is the POINT of plasticware. (Insert eyeroll here.)
Roll out of bed EARLY to let the contractors in and be awake enough to know that they indeed are your contractors. You all know I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON. This however, was good training to try to make me one. I'm not there yet...be patient. My vampire-like lifestyle has been with me a long time. "I love the nightlife" is still my fav disco era song.
Hold your breath and count to 10 when something is accidentally damaged or broken, as there are always casualties when undergoing construction. I learned this about 4 construction jobs ago. I am able to let it go...now.....after some therapy.
Designate some kind of old plastic container as your "catch all" for "do-dads" and give it to your contractor to use to avoid curtain rod pieces, nails and picture hooks and other do-dads that will be around on counters, stands, windowsills, etc. I realized this from other construction jobs in the past so this worked really well for us. When McStevie went to put the kitchen curtain back up he found all the curtain do-dads in said container....but one. Lucky for ~~him~~ me, he has a do-dad drawer at his workbench in the garage and lo and behold he found an exact copy of the missing do-dad. I dunno, but he may have his baby teeth tucked away out there. :)
Keep your sense of humor. Some things can be very funny. Scott and Mike (contractors) are much younger than me and are very attached to their radio station and tunes when they work. I got a kick out of the times I heard them singing to the old Rolling Stones tunes that I grew up with....getting the words right was optional...LOL.

It is all worth it in the end, don't you agree? (click on the pics to enlarge and to see the detail in the new kitchen....the new backsplash has some lovely glass tile accents)


BEFORE

AFTER
(LUV LUV LUV the new island space)

Oh, and we received a surprise thank you gift box in the mail from the Cambria (quartz) countertop people; a cheese cutting board in our countertop pattern. Really unexpected because when the contractors came with our countertops they left us an oval cutting board in a different material as a gift. How awesome!!

Where does the time go...the Making of a T-shirt Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 23:52:00 +0000

OMG…..where does the time go? It has been sew long since my last post. I have been busy with life… and….sewing custom orders…and…sewing gifts, and…oh yeah the kitchen makeover. Let's save the kitchen makeover for another post, shall we?

Where does the time go has a double meaning here. One of the projects that I worked on since my last post was a gift for our Godchild, Rachel. Our Godchild is getting married! Holy crap, when did she get old enough to get married? Wasn’t it just yesterday that we were all in Vermont and she was being carried in a backpack? OMG…talk about time flying.

McStevie and I met Wayne and Carolyn when we moved into our first house - it was instant bonding. Carolyn was pregnant for her first child, Jordan and we enjoyed being rowdy next door neighbors for about 5 years. Then they moved…and we moved right behind them…only…in different directions. Rachel and her family live in Connecticut now…almost 7 hours away from us. Needless to say we don’t see that much of each other and there was a bit of a gap for several years. No drama, no big fights, just life taking its course in both families. Funny how life is like that, you kinda lose track without wanting or meaning to…it’s just one of those things that happens to many of us at one time or another with friendships.

We got reconnected in 2003 when Rachel and her Mom came to visit us in the summer a few years ago and we did some touristy things like visiting nearby Bolt Castle on the St. Lawrence River. (sidenote: The creation of Bolt Castle is an interesting but tragic love story, you can read about it here.) It was a fun weekend.

Rachel, Carolyn, daughter Mandy and Me "stormin" the castle!

Fast forward a few years and McStevie and I are visiting Rachel and family in Connecticut in July 2009 to celebrate the birthdays of Rachel’s Mom, Carolyn and her brother, Jordan. Very convenient that their birthdays are only one day apart…and yes he’s the one that was in the oven at the beginning of this story…and yes...that makes me feel old…pffft. Oh, and, BONUS, we get to meet Ed, Rachel’s fiancé, a sweetie, good going Rachel! During this visit Rachel tells me she has always wanted a T-shirt quilt and has been saving her t-shirts. She would pay me to make her one. No rush…no rush..no pressure. We sort out all the t-shirts and I bring them home in a huge bag and look in the sewing cave for storage for them…until it’s time..say a couple a months from now. Right. From then on at least every other time I entered my sewing “woman cave” I would have the following thoughts:

~No rush, no rush, no pressure.

~You really need to pull out those t-shirts and have a look. Not now…you crazy woman…you are making (insert any pregnant woman’s name here) baby quilt. I believe I made 6-8 baby quilts in that span of time.

~No rush, no rush, no pressure.

~I’m gonna see how many t-shirts I have and get a plan together. No you are not…you ARE gonna get that custom order out for (insert any name here) because you need the money for (insert any fun fabric or quilt tool here).

And so it goes, the guilt mounting with every month that went by.

Several months ago an announcement arrives for Rachel’s bridal shower. I sheepishly walk over to the huge storage container of t-shirts and take off the top, and promptly put it back on again. Yeah, this is a bad idea…for right now. A month passes. I’m in the middle of 5 things and I go to the container and begin to separate the t-shirts and I start to get a plan…a vision. Do I have enough time now? My ~~guilt~~ instincts kick in and I’m off to the races. Cutting and planning, happily seeing an end to a means.

And then it happens.

Somewhere between writhing from the pain of cutting into Rachel’s brownie uniform to searching for her name on her high school senior t-shirt….it hits me. It's like I am “with her” as she is in grade school, high school and college thru these t-shirts. I get a sense of nostalgia mixed with a big heap of love, that somehow I WAS there…sort of…indirectly….call it KARMA or whatever you want…but it sure felt right…and the timing was right…and it all just fell together…just right. I was all warm and squishy.

Then…it became a race to try to get it finished so I could send it as her shower gift….a gift from Aunt Cindy to my little...getting married now...Godchild...Rachel. And…I…almost…made it. So close. One day late…or was it two? No matter…she was HAPPY to get it and told me she was curling up in it when we spoke. (I heart texting and facebook.) Mission accomplished…and again...warm and squishy.

So, in a month she will be a Mrs. and I am very proud of the wonderful woman she has become. I love you Rachel and I am honored to be your Godmother. We wish you all the happiness in the world. Can't wait to party! Smooches.

Click on the pics for a close-up.

T-shirt cuttings

Quilt Front


Quilt Back w/more T-shirts

QUILT SHOP HOPPING!!!

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:58:00 +0000

Went on a quilt shop hop with my quilting peeps! 8 women, 7 shops, 2 days, 2 cars, 445 miles,3 GPS units and one birthday. This was our own personal shop hop where we picked the shops and route.

DAY 1:

3 shops,1 birthday girl, 1 lunch, dinner and hotel stop.

Our first shop was our local Sew Crazy Fabric Shop. Bonnie has an awesome shop and is now carrying my IcanQuilt Reversible Candlemat Pattern! Thanks Bonnie! I guess I was still half asleep because I forgot to take a picture of Bonnie's sign :( And, thanks for having a beautiful and local shop for our fabric addictions.

Next up was Tiger Lily Quilt Company (Donna Papaleo, owner) in Utica, NY....a really sweet shop, much easier to find now that they have moved their location. I got some nice threads and a pretty pink and brown batik there.

NOTE: Click on any picture for a larger view.

Lunch was Italian at Paolo's & Lilianas little restaurant right next to The Tiger Lily. We were treated to some great entertainment and wonderful food there.

The owners (back there in the kitchen) want us to come back for dancing next month AND we can bring our own wine and beer! We may be tempted!

Our last stop of the day was Fieldstone House, in Sidney Center, NY. A shop CHOCK FULL of fabrics in every inch of the space! Check out the inside pictures.

This is only a portion of the store, there were more rooms and tons more upstairs. I think we were there almost 3 hours.

Jodi is smiling "cause she's pretty sure she is in FABRIC HEAVEN.

We checked into The Hampton Inn in Oneonta, NY. It was awesome!! I would stay there again in a heartbeat! The staff was the best and they had a wonderful complimentary breakfast in the morning.

Our restaurant of choice was Appleby's and OMG we had the best waiter in the place. He didn't lack for charm...the manager came over several times to chat and took our picture. Renee, our birthday girl had a complimentary birthday shooter dessert, complete with candle and round of Happy Birthday song from the staff.

Cindy and Barb

Marion, Jodi and Sue


Mary S., Mary D. and the birthday girl, Renee(oops, closed *eyes)

Birthday girl, what big *eyes you have...LOL!

Back to the hotel for birthday celebrations continued with cheese and wine and popcorn and cookies and...well you get the idea. We all gathered in one room and took turns spreading out our lovely fabric finds!

DAY 2: 4 shops, 1 lunch, 1 dinner stop

Our first stop of the day was Quilted Crow Fabric and Quilt Shop in Sanitaria Springs, NY, and OMG it was just the sweetest shop! Lots of small quilted projects, mats galore and the fabrics were wonderful! We were in awe of Peg's shop. Check out her blog too! Quilted Crow is now carrying my IcanQuilt Reversible Candlemat Pattern...woots!!! Thanks, Peg!! :)

Quilted Crow...a cabin full of fabric..a sweet classroom is upstairs. YES, that IS snow, everyone is anxious for spring there too!

Next we headed west to Binghamton, NY, Creative Threads, a small shop...I bought some nice threads. A quick lunch at a Subway...then on to close-by Grandmother's Thimble in Vestal, NY. A really nice selection of fabrics there, I bought some lovely browns and blues. Oh yeah, and they had sewing machines that cost as much as a car! McStevie was impressed with that statement....not.

Our last quilt shop stop was Pucky Huddle Delight in Candor, NY (heading back toward home now) and, the delight part was definitely right on! The mother/daughter team of Jen and Julie were very delightful! This shop was a winner! If you are looking for batiks, the whole front of the shop is all batiks and they were beautiful! See some pics below. Jen and Julie were a bit shy to have their picture taken, but they delighted us by taking ours. Yes, snow still on the roof...bleh.


Left side of shop batiks

Right side of shop batiks


Me and the "sister quilting peeps" at Pucky Huddle Delight

There were two huge rooms to the left and right of the cutting station you see in the back. They had a wonderful selection! I'm sure we will be back!

We started north and stopped for dinner...where you say? Of course at our new hangout...another Appleby's...this one in Cortland, NY. Another great meal.

Next stop, Adams Center, NY home safely, thanks to my trusty, rusty side-kick navigator Mary S, thanks Mary!. Here is a pic of the trunk of my car with bunches of bags!

All of my goodies spread out to admire the next morning!

What a great time! Best get in the cave sewing soon! Woots!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love teachers!

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:06:00 +0000

I love teachers!

Many of my family members (daughter, daughter-in-law, nieces, and more) are teachers.

I love to sew things just for teachers and am always on the lookout for “teacher fabrics”. Here are some of the fabrics I currently have in my stock. Click on the picture for a larger view.

Below are a few of the items I have made for teachers thus far. I have other ideas for projects and would love any input you may have, especially if you are a teacher, so don’t hesitate to give me a comment on your idea. Also, I love to do custom orders, so if there is something I can make for you, please use my contact form!

towel/potholder sets

(plastic bag holder)

You’ll find these in my Sewhappydesigns artfire shop. Link here.

Kitchen Makeover is Coming!

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:23:00 +0000

We ordered the cupboards today! A sample of a cupboard is pictured below. They are Maple wood with a Paprika Chocolate Glaze. Doesn't that sound divine? Can't you see me in my favorite Martha Stewart apron, mouthing the words YUMMO like Rachel Ray and doing my little "BAM" routine from Emeril? Oh Ya, I am KICKIN IT UP A NOTCH! Actually, SEVERAL notches.
OMG OMG I am getting sew excited. We have lived in this house for over 15 years now and we have done all kinds of makeovers from new bathrooms to new siding, saving the most expensive item for LAST. I have struggled with this non-functional kitchen with the pitiful few cupboards for what seems like an eternity.

Yippee, no more drawer that goes off it's hinges when you pull it out just right. No more throwing Tupperware in the corner cupboard and closing it quick to be sure nothing shoots back. Ya, the stuff I really want, the stuff that takes up lots of space, is back in the corner where you can't even see it and have to reach in blindly to "feel" for the right piece...ugh. And, NO more little dinky cupboard to hold ALL my pots and pans. Think I'm kidding? See below.
I got new Rachel Ray cookware (see her trademark orange handles?) last Christmas and I really hated to cram them all in my little non-functional cupboard...eech...I hope Rachel will forgive me. :)
We have picked out something we like for quartz counter-tops and need to look at some back-splashes. We are ordering the cupboards, counter-tops and back-splash at White's Lumber in Watertown. We are working with Lisa, a most patient and informative kitchen planner, as well as just a really sweet person. We have done lots of work on our home and we wouldn't have anyone but Scott Phelps General Contracting for that. He and his crew are the best and we recommend them highly.

Tomorrow we are gonna venture out into the world of new appliances. Our refrigerator is over 15 years old. Do you think appliances have changed much? I'll be sure to keep you posted on the makeover in the weeks to come. Won't be right away though, cupboards take 4-5 weeks to come in. Meantime, I'll be sitting on my hands and praying that it all comes together.

Sewing Tips - One of my Fav Products

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 16:52:00 +0000

I love, love, love this stuff!!! HeatnBond ULTRAHOLD (no-sew) iron-on adhesive.

The ULTRAHOLD is the strongest. Heat n Bond also has LITE, which you can sew through, the ULTRAHOLD is not sew-friendly, that's why I use just the narrow strip for closing. The 1/4" width and the 3/8th" width are what I use most. The 1/4" width is becoming harder to find, not sure why. Here's my favorite use for it~

When you are making a quilted project that you are going to turn and the project has batting inside, I use this to close my opening.

I'll use making a simple pot holder as my example~

Step 1- Line up your seams together as straight as possible, pin them shut. Flat pins are great for this!

Step 2 - Iron the two seams with steam setting, if possible.

Step 3 - Cut two lengths of heat n bond the same length as your opening. I use two pieces for extra security, if your item isn't going to be washed much, one is OK.

Step 4 - Iron the pieces inside your opening seam, (using the iron setting guidelines on the package), one on each side.

Step 5 - Give it a few secs to dry and peel off the white tape exposing the glue. This is your last chance to adjust the seams if necessary. Click on the pic to enlarge if you can't see the glue.

Step 6 - Iron the seams together and you're done!! The seams are tight and the ULTRAHOLD is strong enough to keep glued through washings!! Look how neat that closing is! It's awesome stuff!!

Can you think of a use for this awesome product? Do you already use it? I welcome your comments!

Fabric ~To Wash or Not to Wash ~ My 2 Cents

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:02:00 +0000

And the answer is...up to YOU. Washing or not washing fabric before using it is a personal preference. Some like to cut the fabric while it still has a bit of stiffness... I personally like to wash it for a softer feel and to get all the chemicals off, especially if I am sewing for a baby. I like to wash and dry it and get the shrinkage down, as fabrics do not shrink equally. I don't wash my batting, so I know that in the end, the quilt or project will still shrink a bit when washed. That's my usual MO, but I DO occasionally break from this way of thinking. If it's a Christmas ornament or something that will only be out seasonal, and thus won't be washed much, I may bend my wash rule.

I DO, however have a smart tip of advice for you...when you have a very dark fabric, especially reds or any really deep color, I suggest you at least do a colorfast test. Trust me, it doesn't matter where you bought it or how much you paid for it. Every now and then a color will run. Case in point. I was making a queen size quilt a few years ago and following this rule. I had picked a white background on my blocks and was testing all fabrics that were really dark before I washed them. I had a beautiful deep rose fabric similar to the one below and the minute it hit my sink basin it exploded in color. It came from a very reputable quilt shop and a very reputable fabric manufacturer. I rinsed it several times and got it to run clear and it looks very pretty in my quilt. Can you imagine if I had not given it the bleed test? Do you KNOW how much work goes into a queen size quilt? I shudder at the thought.

It only takes a few minutes to get a basin half filled with some lukewarm water to do this test. Example below. As you can see this one passed!

Another tip! I use these Shout Color Catcher Sheets when I wash a load of new fabrics. Just throw one in the wash and it helps to pick up some of the "loose dyes" you may have from your fabrics.

Fabric sometimes whispers to me...

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:02:00 +0000

But yesterday these pretties literally shouted at me.

I walked by them once and felt that “hairy eye ball”. You know how that goes, the little hairs on the back of your neck stick up and you start to get a little flushed, like someone just told you the back of your skirt was all bunched up in your panties. I gave a glance in their direction. Then, quite loudly there was a plea…come on over, touch me, have your way with me…you know you want to! Wowza! I was there faster than a bug hits a windshield. I’m sew easily seduced by fabric.

We are at the midpoint of our long winters here in northern NY and this lovely cotton eye candy will keep me company while the snow falls softly and I’m entertained by my favorite pair of cardinals, (Fred and Ethel) at the feeder. After these lovelies come out of the washer and dryer I’ll be in the cave getting some spokes cut for some sweet spring candle mats. Ahh...it's what makes me sewhappy! Hope you are sew happy sewing today too!

FYI~

The little prints are from the Wild Rose, by Marti Mitchell collection from Maywood Studios.

The green and rose pink that “read solid” are from Perennials by Eleanor Burns collection from Benartex Inc.

The lighter green roses print is a fat quarter that didn’t have writing on the salvage of the piece I bought.

Baby Boom

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 04:21:00 +0000

Making items for my shops sometimes gets put on the back burner when there are babies to sew for! I wanted to share some of the baby items I have quilted recently. Most were gifts, one was a special order for a good friend.

A new little baby boy will receive this small quilt of blues and matching set of burp cloths soon. This one was not made with a pattern, just a "let's roll with it" attitude. I knew I wanted to embellish it with the large ric-rac. I've been looking for a project to put the ric-rac in since I bought it.
This set of burp cloths were for Ceanna, an online friend and sweet new mommy, personalized for her little bundle of joy, Olivia.
This quilt was made for my niece Christy, (and Ya-Ya member) for her 2yr old daughter Kara, who is a sweet little "monkey". I gave her and her brother the little book, Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed and they loved it. I saw the pink monkey fabric for this quilt and new I needed to make it for her. Check out this cute video on Five Little Monkeys!

This quilt and set of burp cloths was made for niece Sara. Her little Ellie was born on Christmas Day! Sara is a fan of lady bugs, so this pink flannel ladybug fabric was ideal for her shower gift.
The quilt is a "rag" quilt, this is the back with the rag part showing. Below that is a picture of the front. This type of quilt is fun and easy. Each block has a flannel front and back, quilt the block and then put all the blocks together and snip one side. Give it a wash or two and the snips fray and the quilt gets really soft. Thus, the "rag" reference.

I was commissioned by good friends - Jenny and Carol, Jenny's Mom to create a quilt with pictures and quotes for a special niece/granddaughter of theirs. Jenny and Carol picked the fabric and I took it from there. It turned out lovely and they were very pleased.

The back had such pretty family words on the fabric. Hope you can read them - Love, Celebrate, Hope etc.
I SEW love to make gifts for babies!!

Happy 2011

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 18:13:00 +0000

It's a year of new resolutions...or in my case old ones that I just need to focus on a little harder.

2010 was a good year for me. I became more conscience of my health and exercise routine. I feel better and see results from my efforts. More to do, still need to stay focused. I enjoyed spending quality time with family and wonderful friends and am truly very blessed in that department!

My sales in my consignment shop were steady. Sales for my online shops were nothing to write home about, but considering little promoting, not really that bad. Need to step up to the plate more in 2011. However, I had more custom orders for 2010 than ever before. I have a constant stream of ideas for shop items, finding the time to make it all come together is the challenge. I was able to get my second pattern out on the market, which is a miracle in itself. Others are in the wings and fingers crossed that I can get #3 and maybe #4 underway in 2011.

I didn't teach classes as much as I had hoped in 2011, but I resolve to schedule more this year. I have been networking some and have two different ventures I hope to pursue that have come my way recently. I'm hoping those work out, time will tell, wish me luck.

I have been the most disappointed in my blogging for 2010. I mean really, my last blog post was August 9th? So I had nothing I wanted to write from 8/9/10 to today, 1/1/11? Not true, I had much I wanted to share, but getting it from brain to typing fingers was always the thing I would do next - and next just didn't come. I've done several recent projects that I hope to share with pictures. I am vowing to do a better job of blogging in 2011.

So that's it for my resolutions. Not over the moon, just reasonably realistic.

I hope that you will also accomplish your New Year resolutions for 2011, both new and old! Here's to good health, much love, friendship and prosperity!

I LOVE custom orders!

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:46:00 +0000

It was a very productive day in the sewing cave! I had the pumpkin pillowcase finished last week, and the sheep pillowcase cut out, so the I was able to finish the sheep one today and will have it ready to mail soon. I have more of the sheep fabric, if you love sheep!

I made these for my internet buddy Anne. She is getting them for her lovely daughters Renee and Amanda. Renee likes the sheep and Amanda likes the pumpkins and crows. Anne has an awesome shop named Leather Made Nice, check it out here. She has wonderful leather jewelry and does custom orders as well.

Next up in the cave was a custom order quilted netbook cover for another internet friend, Deronda of Deronda Designs. Check out her website here. This was a challenge. I had the measurements of Deronda's netbook, so while looking for some fabrics I came across a quilted piece that I had once intended to be a placemat. This is a placemat pattern that I created and have a copyright. I started with the quilted piece and was able to add two pockets and some detail pieces, an elastic loop and pretty heart button to complete the project. I was making it as a prototype, creating the pattern as I went. I was hoping that Deronda might like the prototype well enough to purchase and she did! I love to work with Americana fabrics and have a handsome stash of them! If you would like something made with Americana fabrics, I would love to do it for you!

How McStevie got his name

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:46:00 +0000

Many of my friends and ALL of my internet friends know my husband Steve, as McStevie.

To clear up any confusion as to "why" I call him that I will need to dial back to an evening a couple of years ago when Grey's Anatomy was on the TV. I am a big fan, as well as many of my family members, especially my daughter, Mandy. Mandy happened to call me after an especially "hot" episode and her Dad got on to talk to her for a minute. He was a bit ignored because soon we began talking about the episode that was on earlier and we got all McSteamy this and McDreamy that. In the excitement of all the "hotness" we totally forgot about "Dad" wanting to talk. After several minutes, there was a big clearing of throat. "Ah, this is"McStevie"here.... wondering if you could stop to take a breath for a minute and let me say somethin." Needless to say, there was an eruption of laughter from both Mandy and me and I think I peed my pants a little.

~McStevie and daughter, Mandy~

Patrick Dempsey AKA
Derek Shepherd, AKA"McDreamy"

Eric Dan AKA Mark Sloan, AKA"McSteamy"

You can catch up with episodes here.

Lucky at BINGO!!

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:17:00 +0000

When my internet friend Mischelle "Mzz Thang" Martell from Fo-Shizzle Design Studios was having a BINGO game on facebook for a free piece of jewelry from her shop, I didn't hesitate to play! Well, imagine my "happy dance" when I won her bingo game!

When I got home from a mini vacation last night...this lovely box was waiting for me. I had to take a picture before I opened it because it was just sew pretty!!!

And when I got the box opened this lovely little bag contained.....

THIS gorgeous piece of jewelry! Sorry for the not-sew-great pic, but I grabbed the closest thing within my reach (a piece of fabric dunchaknow!!) and as you can see it is a very dainty, sterling silver hip and happenin' necklace. I CANNOT WAIT to wear it!!

Thanks, sew much MZZ THANG! You've made me sewhappy!

Baby Love

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 11:57:00 +0000

Sorry I have been so lax with my blog...haven't been inspired to write much...busy...busy....busy. We were in recently in construction mode for over a month having both of our bathrooms remodeled. We have a main hall bathroom which is the largest and, on a regular day-to-day basis is "Cindy's bathroom". We are also fortunate enough to have a very small full bath (shower stall) off of our master bedroom, which is ideal for McStevie. The makeovers were finished this past Monday and we are VERY HAPPY with them. We have lived in this home for 15 years this year and McStevie's bath had not even been painted, nothing, nadda...wall paper that has been slowly peeling and tiles coming loose from the floor....needless to say his bathroom is now SUPER luxurious from what it was.

Anywho, the contractors that we work with have done most of the "makeover" work we have had done to our home and God willing...will do more in the future as we enjoy them personally and the quality of work they perform. I learned that one contractor has a baby boy due in August that will join his 2 year old sister....so my grandma mode and quilting hands simultaneously started juices flowing for creating a gift for the culmination/celebration of the end of the project...and kinda the beginning of something new...a new life. Here are some pictures of my gifts:

For the baby boy....well of course he will do his share of spit-ups so viola...a set of burp cloths and baby bib...

You can't give a gift to a newborn that has a little one at home without thinking of them, so I created this little lovie taggie quilt for his sister, Lanie (pronounced Lane e...pretty name, isn't it?) I also machine embroidered her name in a few spots on the quilt...hope you can see....click the pic for a closeup and look in the black...

I really love to make baby and children items....if you have something special you would like made, please contact me through one of my shops or my Request an Order Form.

Happy National Quilt Day!

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 23:50:00 +0000

Today is National Quilt Day. I celebrated by goofing off some and then quilting a new spring table runner.

The quilt is still in "sandwich" form and now needs the binding sewn and attached. I quilted it with a leaf design from one of my sewing machine stitches. (If you double click on the last picture you will see the quilting close up.) I turned up the quilt on one edge so that you can see the pretty green fabric on the bottom. Haven't decided for sure which fabric I will use for the binding. It's sew beautifully bright I prolly should have worn sunglasses when I made it to protect my eyes.....

Can you see the tiny leaves quilted in "the ditch" in orange sulky thread?

I also tried a new soup recipe.....sweet sausage soup, made with sweet turkey sausage. Here is my National Quilt Day soup. I tried to duplicate a soup I had for lunch at a restaurant this week. Although that one was made with pork sausage, I think I came very close to the flavors. I served it with a little fresh Parmesan cheese on top, like the restaurant did.

I absolutely love these corning ware soup mugs that I got for Christmas. I took a picture of them in the store with my camera phone and emailed it to my family. It worked.

And that was my fun Quilt Day!!!

Some Little Quilt Love

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:50:00 +0000

Just finished up some new little quilts and thought I would share. These are currently for sale at Painfull Acres, my consignment shop. The table runner was in progress in my last post. I love to make the little projects and have made so many of the little table mats that I think I sometimes make them in my sleep!

Hope you enjoy the pics! If you wish to see the detail of the stitches, just do a double click on the picture.

This table runner pieces together very quickly as the main blocks are cut at 4 1/2 inches. The slow part is the quilting, but I picked a leaf pattern that was a built-in stitch on my sewing machine. The colors are just lovely for spring.

I love sunflowers. I'm a fan of sunflowers as sunflowers were the signature flower from the movie Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood. This is where I got the name YaYa Sisterhood Diva Quilters Club for my sisters, niece and daughter.

What I Made Today

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 01:04:00 +0000

I watched a sewing program on PBS today. I came in on it late so I don't know if the instructions for the cutting were given or not. I set the dvr and rewound it later for the sewing instructions after I got some fabric cut. I just wanted to see if I could make the darn thing....hers was sew cute. I grabbed some fabric that I didn't care if I messed up and gave it a shot. It didn't appear to be coming out correctly...until I got ALL the corners sewn.. and then it made sense. I CAN FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS...yay me!

I guessed at the cutting, as I said I was just curious to see if I could make it. I was feeling like a challenge. Anywho, this one is smaller than the one from the program, so I will make another...with nicer fabrics...and make the cuts larger so the little bag is larger. I just thought in the end, it came out cute! I'm going to keep some stuff in this one for my hand sewing...needles, thimble, small scissors etc. It will make a cute gift too!

It's kinda a mini-version of the one on PBS today....

Honey Wheat Bread Recipe....mmmm.....

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:40:00 +0000

I was sew impressed with this recipe I found in the newspaper around Christmas that I bought a new bread bowl (Merry Christmas to me) with the idea that I was gonna give it a try. The cottage cheese ingredient intrigued me.

I guess the cottage cheese is the ticket...or that the honey and whole wheat were made for each other...a true marriage of great flavors in this bread. I will make it again...and soon...I hope. It was the maiden voyage of the new baking bread bowl, however, I was not as impressed with that. Used once and already a chip on the edge. :( I thought the bread would be more rounded. I think next time I will bake it in a regular bread pan...will be easier to slice. I'll get the cobwebs and dust off my bread machine and give that a try too, just to see if it turns out the same.

Here is the recipe. Although it is for two loaves, I cut it in half and made only one. I wanted to be sure I would like the recipe first.

HONEY WHEAT BREAD

1 cup cream-style cottage cheese
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons salt
2 envelopes dry yeast

Heat 1 1/2 cups water, cottage cheese, honey and butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until very warm (120-130 degrees).

In a large bowl, combine saucepan mixture, 2 cups of the flour, the whole wheat flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Stir enough of the remaining flour by hand (or use dough hook on heavy duty mixer) to make a stiff dough. Knead 2 minutes. Place in greased bowl. Cover and let rise in warm place until double in size, 45 to 60 minutes (mine took longer...about 1.5 hours). Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake bread for 40 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped. Remove from pans to cool. Makes 2 loaves, 12 slices each.

Per slice: 164 cal (14 percent from fat), 2.5 grams fat (1.4grams saturated, o.6 grams monounsaturated), 6 mil cholesterol, 4.7 grams protein, 30.9 grams carbohydrates, 1.5 grams fiber, 336.7 mil sodium.

If you try it, please come back and post your results, good or bad....would love to hear, oh.. and... a pic would be awesome too!

Go green, people.....please

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:45:00 +0000

I saw this picture on the internet.....
it through me into a bit of a hissy Caps fit.

Don't you think there are ENOUGH PLASTIC BAGS in the world?

I'm never without my "green" fabric bags when I grocery shop.

I just don't like to see plastic hanging from my roadside trees and ditches. It's just not very attractive...and so very wasteful and needless. But the thing that really makes me see red is that I see few people "bothering" with bringing their own reusable shopping bags to the store. Why? Is it really that hard to keep them in your car? They are so inexpensive to buy and if you have access to a sewing machine, very easy to make, (click on these tip-nut links, for a few). I wish stores would "make" you BUY your plastic bags like some do in European countries. If that were the case, perhaps there would be more "green" bags being used at the supermarket.

My friend Char over at her CharSpirit's shop makes grocery bags that fold into their own little pouch. Check them out.

I have a bunch of old denim jeans and when I get to it, want to try to make a few reusable bags for myself..as eventually the "green" ones I've bought will wear out.

And... because I love crafts....check out some craft projects you can make with plastic bags....over at Craftzine.com. You can do a google search and find even more!!

Go green people....please.

~Reorganizing Project~ Inside and Outside of the Sewing Cave

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:22:00 +0000

Sew I've been talking about my fabric and supplies reorganization project since the beginning of December when I got my new storage cabinets for my birthday. We got them half price at Lowes at Thanksgiving time. We've got a ranch style house with a full basement. In the basement is a separate room ("cave") that's used for my sewing and teaching quilting. It's a wonderful room with great lighting and lots of room to spread out. See before pics of the cave below (when I was crazy with sewing gifts for Christmas) and the after pics when Christmas was over and I was able to get it back in order. You can click on the picture for more of a close-up.

What a mess!

Now doesn't this look better?

Here are some of the lovely things that surround me when I sew...You will see that many of my lovelies were given or made for me by my wonderful friend Pat. We have many things in common...one of the major ones is our love of sewing and quilting.

The outside (one whole side) of the basement is devoted to SewHappyDesigns. The classroom/sewing room is a room by itself. Outside of that room the whole side of the basement is dedicated to my fabric/supplies storage and cutting area, and other tables for creating.

The cupboards sat around until after Christmas because there was just too much to do with the making of many of my Christmas gifts this year. We had a week off after Christmas so McStevie put the cupboards together (exclaiming, "wow, these really fit together well"....thank you Lowe's and Black and Decker) and my part of the organizing project began. Fabrics were brought out from several large clear plastic boxes and sorted, some by color, some by theme. One large container now has several pieces to donate to a worthy cause. There were stray patterns, tons of applique patterns I often use, books and more that had to be sorted so that I could find them more easily. Most of them now have a home in the old file cabinets that were partially empty at the end of the room. Clippings and appliques and misc. all have a home listed alphabetically, much easier to find. (Now I just have to keep it that way!) I still have a few things in files in another room upstairs that needs to be incorporated, but saving that for another day.

These are the BEFORE pics of this area....one cupboard is together, just hangin out in the mess.

And here is the AFTER. This picture is taken from the bottom of the stairs...at the door of my "sewing cave".

So, with more moving help from McStevie, (my hero)...viola....the rest of the outside of the cave looks great...awesome even.

Keep in mind this is an unfinished basement, so it isn't super pretty cosmetically.

My Newest Creation

noreply@blogger.com (~~Sew Happy Designs~~) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:20:00 +0000

Microwave Potato Bags!

Sewhappydesigns newest handmade item! Fun to make. Will be making more in different fabrics, so if you don't care for the potato front just contact me!

These make your potatoes turn out unbelievably soft and flaky in half the time of the oven, making it a lovely "green" energy efficient item! It really works!!! Microwave watts vary, so you may have to experiment. Mine bake up awesome in 8 minutes. Each bag will hold 3-4 medium size potatoes.

My bags are made with ALL pre-washed cotton fabrics and cotton batting. Never buy one made with any type of polyester (including pre-quilted polyester fabrics) as they could start a fire in your microwave. Each bag comes with an instruction label. The best part? You can throw them safely in the washer and dryer when washing is needed. No worries!

I had trouble trying to find a potato applique for the front, so I made my own freehand. I'm sew proud..lol! All inside seams are finished. Approximately 9 inches square.

You will find the my appliques potato bags for sale in my etsy shop here.