Island Batik love..."Sunlit Garden"

 Hey quilter's...happy Friday! This morning the sun peeked early so I thought what a perfect morning to share a "sneak peek" on this stunning collection of "Sunlit Garden" by Jennifer Thomas of Curlicue Creations for Island Batik fabrics. I'm in love with the color hues...prints in this collection. The colors are stunning and just makes you want to hug the fabric. Yes...I said it! Seriously y'all...I know that when you're shopping fabric you come across a collection that you just want to 'hug it." Yup...totally agree :-) I think the only reason we don't because somebody will think we're nuts. Well...once you get this fabric you can hug...snuggle all you want in your sewing room. It's so beautiful and will definately bring you a ray sunshine and inspiration for your next project. I wanted to give you a 'sneak peek" because I will be featuring this collection soon with some fun projects. I love fabric that makes you feel warm inside especially when we're still having some cold days. I hope you check out this collection and love how it inspires your inner creativity. I'll also be sharing some fun "unboxing" tomorrow by Missouri Star Quilt Company along with a fun "give-a-way" too! More details coming soon :-) Talk soon!

Blessed Quilting,

Cat

MSQC Affiliate

Sallie Tomato Affiliate

Follow me on...Instagram...Facebook & Pinterest (links upper right on home page)

Island Batik "Sunlit Garden"...

Cats Tip of the Day!..."Why I love Missouri Star Quilt Co. Sew Light Fusible Adhesive"

 Hey quilter's...hope your doing great. I feel like frosty the snowman when he starts to "thaw" out. It's nice seeing sun again even for a short time. I will never gripe about the heat again :-) I wanted to share this tip with y'all that is a time-saver and scrap friendly. Y'all know how I love to make gift bags and honestly this technique will work on most crafting projects. A lot of bag patterns have you lining fabrics...turning right side out which creates you needing to close the opening later. Well...I save my small scraps of Missouri Star Quilt Co. Sew Light Fusible Adhesive for this purpose. Sometimes they are so small that I keep them in a plastic bag. Those tiny pieces of this amazing adhesive is perfect for those openings. The adhesive is double sided wich secures the fabric then you have the opetion of top stitching. It doesn't glue up your needle...very lightweight and great for sewing and crafting projects. I do recommend testing your fabric if you havene't used this amazing product. It's a great time-saver especially while working on small projects that are hard to position under your needle. Just follow the easy manufacturer's instructions and you're good to go! Seriously y'all...you can position those tiny scraps within your area so please don't throw them away :-) My pic below shows how I used the tiny scraps to enclose the opening while making the Holiday Bags that are 100% Re-gift-able. Love using the stunning Banyan Batik fabric "Pin Dot Floral". The information is on my previous post of the fabric and how I put a spin on the pattern "Nicholas Bag" by Sallie Tomato. You can view products with my link to the right on home page. I hope this tip helps you with your sewing/crafting projects. I thank y'all so much for following and check back soon for more fun projects for the upcoming holiday's. Talk soon!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

MSQC Affiliate

Sallie Tomato Affiliate

Follow me on Instagram...Facebook & Pinterest (links upper right on home page)

MSQC Sew Light Fusible Adhesive...

"Make your Holiday's Sew Special w/ Island Batik Gift Bags!"

 Hey quilter's...hope you're weekend is off to a great start. Well the weather is cold and you might need to stay in so I thought this fun & easy "scrap" project would be a perfect time to share. If you'r like me and you have leftovers from 5" stamps of your favorite fabrics..."Island Batik" Pin..Dot..Floral that you just need to use. Yes...this fabric collection is stunning. I had some left over squares from a previous bag that I had made for a graduation gift. I thought with the Holiday's approaching this fabric would be perfect for some fun & easy Easter Bags. I wanted use the 5" squares and incorporate the small Nicholas bag from Sallie Tomato. I love her handbags/gift bags...the patterns are easy to follow that you can either rotary cut to the directions or incorporate 5" scraps to the directions. My gift bags are a tad bit bigger due to using as much of the 5" squares as possible. I will say I used all my squares of this stunning collection to make 2 bags and then lined them with Missouri Star Quilt Company Quilt Town White Stars fabric. Another one of my favorite fabrics ;-) I love using scraps. I also love giving a gift that is "re-gift-able." You can view/purchase the Nicholas Bag pattern as a download for your instant sewing project this weekend. I love the small bag size...you can "stuff" it with great quilting tools. The pic below shows how the MSQC 8" scissors & Rotary cutter...the Sallie Tomato Essential Creasing & Turning tool....Aurifil thread fit within and would make a great gift! Oh don't forget to leave room for your favorite chocolate & Chuck! My links to Missouri Star QuiltCompany & Sallie Tomato are on the upper right of home page for more sewing supplies & inspiration. I hope this inspires you to create a special gift bag for your Holiday's. Plus...your're using and sharing your favorite fabrics with othes! Win...Win...Thanks so much for following & check back soon for more fun & easy project inspiration. Enjoy!

Blessed Quilting,

Cat

MSQC Affiliate

Sallie Tomato Affiliate 

Follow me on Instagram...Facebook & Pinterest (links upper right on home page)

Island Batik...Pin Dot Floral Gift Bags...

Inspired by the Sallie Tomato "Nicholas Bag"...

Tip...Once you have downloaded the Sallie Tomato Nicholas Bag pattern follow the great instructions or rotary cut your 5" squares as desired then sew them using a 1/4" seam allowance until you get the size per instructions on pattern or your desired size/design. My bags are just a tad bit bigger 'cause I kept sewing strips together. Couldn't leave any Island Batik Fabric behind :-) i incorporated the simple 4 patch design which is also a great way to teach a beginner quilter too.  This Nicholas bag pattern is super fun & sew versatile. Make gift bags...hand bags using the same pattern & just add straps or handles. Sallie Tomato instructions come with a great tutorial to watch to make your sewing easy. View the website for more fun & easy patterns for all your sewing needs. Enjoy!

 

Cats Tip of the Day!..."Why I love Island Batik Fabric"

 Hey quilter's...hope your week is going well. It's so crazy watching the news and seeing pics of snow in Texas. I loved seeing texts from family having fun in the snow especially the dogs. Can you imagine what they are thinking? We've been having cold and rain but no snow just "sew days." But that's what I love. I love this time of year...planning...organizing...creating designs to share with y'all. Y'all know by now how much I love to create "gift bags" that are 100% Re-gift-able. This idea was due to my sweet grandson and I decided to carry it through for all holiday's. I really never thought of how much waste during the Christmas season goes into the trash. When he mentioned "while taking out the trash" of how much wrapping paper and gift bags get trashed it was an eye opener. He even mentioned that if you "recycle" the paper someone is still doing the job of organizing it to where it belongs. Smart kiddo he is! Or thruth he also hates taking the trash out :-) Gotta love him! Well today's tip that I'm sharing with y'all is my love for Island Batik Fabrics plus a fun technique if you haven't discovered yet. Island Batiks are 'hand dyed" cottons from skilled fabric artists in the garden village of Sanur, Bali. Due to this process it creates a design that is so amazing...creating unique textures that makes the fabrics so unique. I'm currently using Island Batik "Pin Dot Floral." I had scraps from the 5" squares that I had from making a previous handbag for my niece's granduation gift. This collection is stunning..the prints the color ways and the sweetiest butterflies that I had to incorporate into my gift bags. But here's the bonus y'all....we all know about "fussy cutting" to get the desired print/direction we want. But that also makes a lot of fabric waste. With Island Batiks due to the print is on both sides of the fabric you can actully flip the fabric over...place in the direction you want of the design with hardly any waste! Yes...I know...a-maz-ing! I seriously love being able to create unique squares using this process. It seems so simple but please try it. I especially love the fact that you don't waste this stunning fabric. The pics below is shown of how I flip the square over and turned the "butterflies" in the opposite directions for my squares. This is a "sneak peek" of a gift bag that I'll be sharing with y'all soon :-) I hope you try this technique and enjoy creating unique squares using this process. If you need fabrics or supplies my link to Missouri Star Quilt Company (upper right on home page) has a beautiful collection of Island Batik fabrics to inspire your next project. I thank y'all so much for following. Keep checking back for some fun and easy projects using those Batik scraps! Enjoy!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

MSQC Affiliate

Sallie Tomato Affiliate

Follow me on Instagram...Facebook & Pinterest (links upper right on home page)

Island Batik "Pin Dot Floral"...

"Start the New Year off Sew Organized!"

 Hey quilter's...happy Monday! Hope everyone is staying warm and safe with this crazy weather. I don't know about you but weather like this makes me want to stay home and sew. I wanted to share a super fun pattern with y'all to help you organize your sewing space. The "Martha" sewing machine mat organizer by Jennifer Reinke for Sallie Tomato Patterns is wonderful. The tutorial is very easy to follow along with and you can customize the pockets to your sewing needs. I love Sallie Tomato tutorials and products sew much that I am now affilated with this wonderful sewing company. I'll be sharing tips and techniques using the products and will keep you updated on specials as well. I have an affiliate link (upper right on home page) that will take you directly to the Sallie Tomato webiste to view all the wonderful products. I will receive a small percentage for you using my affiliate link which allows me to create more designs to share with y'all. I'm looking forward to a fun year with y'all...sewing...crafting...quilting and "QuiltMas Cheer all Year!" We already started w/ "Santa Bells are Ringing" in previous post. I will always give you an option when possible to show how versatile my designs can be by just changing the fabrics. I'm waiting on some fabrics to come in for that design so in the meantime let's get our sewing rooms organized 2gether. I've already started on my "Martha" organizer and you can view the options on the website to purchase the instant download or the paper pattern. I love Sallie Tomato 'Jess" she makes learning fun & convenient. You can see how super cute this pattern is with the pics below. It features a non-slip backing...durable cork fabric & design was inspired by "Aunt Martha" from the 1950's sitcom, Leave it to Beaver. How fun! View her products  to inspire you or put your own spin on it. Either way it's super cute and fun-ctional for you to be "sew organized" in the New Year! I thank y'all sew much for following and looking forward to a fun creative year 2gether. Enjoy!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

Follow me on Instagram...Facebook & Pinterest (links upper right on home page)

Martha sewing machine mat & organizer 

by Jennifer Reinke for Sallie Tomato Patterns...

"Santa Bells are Ringing"...Wishing you Joy throughout the New Year!

 Hey quilter's....Happy New Year! Another year of making resolutions...goals or what I like to say "creating memories." I recently met someone that stated it's the "moments" that make the memories so make the moments count. Wow...when you hear it worded that way it really puts things in perspective. I've had a wonderful Christmas with my family but it always goes too fast. I love this time together...cooking...baking...seeing my grandson practice baseball and my daughter "sewing" again. When life gets hectic sewing is very therapeutic. It has truly helped me with not focusing on my pain although I do things in moderation. My design "Santa Bells are Ringing" Wishing you Joy throughout the New Year is my way of wishing us all Joy but also a reminder to cherish those special moments. I love Christmas...the music...making gifts for family and friends & that is just one reason why I promised "Qult-mas Cheer all Year." Yes, I'll have designs for all Seasons...tips & techniques to share plus a new series geared towards Children that I'll be sharing soon. This design is very "scrap friendly" using 2" squares so don't put those Christmas scraps away! It's very versatile if you want to start small wiith a pillow or table runner. The design is a "throw size" but can be easily adjusted to your needs. So here's to 2025 being a year filled with Joy and memories to cherish! I thank y'all so much for following and check back soon as we start this fun project 2gether. Talk soon!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

Follow me on Instagram...Facebook & Pinterest (links upper right on home page)

Santa Bells are Ringing...