alittlesweetness

simple twin bunting blankets

A few months ago we had the cutest little baby twins join our extended family!  Even better, it's a boy and a girl and they are simply adorable and sweet. 

These fabrics are from my line The Simple Life, with a few others from my stash mixed in. 

Girl bunting baby blanket....

I decided on a simple design, but with just the right amount of extra cuteness added with the patchwork strips between the sections of bunting fabric. 

My extra fabrics included some Pam Kitty Love, Doohikey Designs, Annies Farmstand and Lecien.  ( I think I'm right on those...) ;)

Inside these soft little blankets, I added a piece of white flannel for a bit of added weight and to help stabilize the minky backing.  I love adding binding to blankets and I wanted to quilt it, I just didn't want the stiffness of batting.  Especially with these being small blankets, I wanted them to be cuddly and wrappable.  I did a very large stipple on these as well.  Which was also very quick...each blanket only took about 15 minutes to quilt.   

My daughter really loves helping in any way she can when I sew.  Taking the pins out after I quilted was the perfect little job for her.  She's 4 now and we've talked alot about how to handle the pins. 

If you look closely, she was sorting them into color groups as she went.  Her own idea!  :)

She also likes to be up close and personal.....oh, and silly too. 

She was very excited to get these blankets done with me before the twins got too big!

Me and baby girl...(these were a couple months ago)

Me and baby boy...

They are growing so fast, but they are still tiny since they were preemies.  Doing great though!

Here are some cute pictures Kerri took when they were newborns....

How cute are they?!?!

Cuter than my blankets for sure!!

;)

Thanks for stopping by my loyal readers and friends! Even when I disappear, you seem to re-appear and  I appreciate it very much.  ;)

I feel a giveaway coming on soon....

Tasha

a country picnic party

A few weeks ago we celebrated Ava's 4th Birthday.  As most of you know, she came after 4 boys in our family, so of course I loved the opportunity to do something girly here.  We keep a lot of birthdays simple around here, so it's been since she turned 1 that I put together a party for her.  To be quite honest, I tend to get a little overwhelmed with the party planning process, so I'm generally just fine with the simple option.

However, with Ava being 4, she's very aware and definitley wanted a party.  I totally admit, I did take advantage of the fact that she is still little, and unaware enough that I picked the theme, instead of letting her say she wanted a disney princess party.  I'm sure that will come soon enough and I'll be stuck!  ;)  (Yes, my daughter loooooves the disney princesses and I don't fight it.)

My inspiration for this party was the fact that Ava also looooooves strawberries!  Like a lot.  So that was that.  A country picnic party is was!

Plus, it took some of the overwhelming out of it for me since I already had paper items that I had previously made for customers.  This made it do-able for me... I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.  My boys liked giving me a hard time and said things like...."oh you mean your party mom"....assuming I was wanting to do this for myself.  Couldn't be more inaccurate.  I truly was only doing this for Ava.  I tried to explain, they didn't listen.  

Don't get me wrong, I thouroughly enjoyed doing it for her.  What made it better is that she helped with EVERY little thing and she was so excited.  Ava takes "mommy's little helper" to a whole new level.  Not helping is not an option.  Trust me. 

But enough chatting from me....on with some pictures.  :)

The little awning was inspired by a Mandy Lynn party and was super simple to make.  Once we figured how to make it work, it really only took about an hour.

With a vintage dresser as a buffet, it really made the sweetest little set up.  Not to mention the little cutie standing next to it. ;)  

It really was quite simple as far as the food and decoration, but it worked for us. 

Ava helped me make a simple bunting out of my Farmer's Wife blocks, twine, mini clothespins and fabric strips.  Took us like 20 minutes.

I had another bunting I had made for fall market, but never used, so finally it had a purpose....

I lined the table with a vintage sheet, a long piece of gingham and a few baskets and buckets holding paper items and fruit. 

The buckets were at Michael's... I was so happy that I didn't have to order them!

For lunch we had chicken salad crossaints, fruit salad, pasta salad, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and of course the kids could take pears, apples and strawberries from the buckets on the table....which they did.

I made the cake and to my surprise it was really good!

I just used boxed mixes, (devils chocolate and strawberry) but the frosting recipe (down further in the cake post) was from Bakerella!  Yum!

We had a couple different lemondades...

I had little side bowls of lemons, limes and mint leaves....

I got the little signs as a free download a couple years ago, but I don't remember where. (if you know, please let me know!)

I liked this idea I saw on Pinterest for drinks....ball jars, cupcake liners for lids and paper straws...We use ball jars every day for our regular drinking glasses so this was an easy one for me to do.  I got the cupcake liners and straws at Michael's. 

For an activity, the kids painted little flower pots and planted a flower. 

I raided my husbands old t-shirt collection and put those on the kids while they painted.  Worked great.  Unfortunatly I didn't get a lot of pictures of this. oops!  They loved it though!

For treat bags, I used another idea from Pinterest with paper bags, doilies and fabric.  I love any chance to use more fabric!

And of course we had present time...

Which made for one happy birthday girl!

And one exhausted mama....

But hey...if she's happy, I'm happy.

The End. 

Now I better get myself moving today because my parents are coming into town and I just might have some party decorations to put away first.  oops! 

P.S.  I have to say Thank you to my wonderful sister-in-laws, husband and my boys who helped me so much on party day!  I couldn't have done it without each of you!  :)  For reals.

 

a little hello!

Since I'm having a sale in the shop right now, I wanted to stop in and let you know I added a couple more little things. 

I'm so lucky that Amy of Nana Company, made up this adorable potholder featuring my little happy hen...that, yes, I know....looks/is more like a rooster!....*whatever. ;)  It says happy hen on the fabric, so it's staying that way.  But no matter what you choose to call the happy little animal....that pattern is now listed in the shop!  Yay! (gosh, i love that little pothodler!...that's a little pocket at the top, btw!...doesn't amy need to do a pattern for that?!? hint, hint)

(photo courtesty of Amy!) 

Also, I had a request for a Miss Strawberry embroidery pattern, so she's also in the shop!

Remember, she's an illustration too! (gray or aqua backgrounds)

I came across a couple photos I had taken of the market projects that Heather, from Vintage Grey had made....so I thought I'd share them now. 

I loooove this apple pillow!

Heather used the Bustle and Sew e-magazine's September issue to make this pillow.  So cute!

She also did an adorable redwork mini quilt with my new Laundry Day pattern, which is very similar to my my original Laundry Day pattern /illustraion.  The difference is there are flowers instead of mushrooms.  Both versions are in the shop! 

Her hand crocheted edging is perfection!

Kerri had done some beautiful photos of her Simple Patchwork and Stars quilt, but I haven't shown it here yet!  Such an adorable quilt and she came up with her own tutorial! 

Cute! Cute!

Wanted to mention that I noticed on the Riley Blake website that the pink and aqua simple florals are sold out as well as the pink Main....so if you've had your eye on any of those, you might want to consider purchasing soon!

For my little shop sale, I think I'll keep that going for a couple more days since I just added those couple things today.  Remember, HAPPY20 is the coupon code during checkout to save 20% off your entire order!

Thank you SO much for those of you that have ordered already!  I appreciated it very much.  :)

Am I forgetting anything else?  Please tell me if I am....I generally think about 72 million things at once... 

but really I love it!  ;)

Oh, I thought of something already (imagine that!)...

**If you are interested in stitching up an embroidery pattern to help me out with shop examples, please email me at [email protected].  The one criteria is that you need to be very confident with your ability to stitch very neatly and be able to use colors that coordinate with The Simple Life.  You know, red, pink and aqua.  ;) 

And I think that's about it!  (I think)

Giveaway winner + shop news!

Hello wonderful fabricy friends!!  Thanks so much for playing along in my giveaway!  It's truly so fun for me and I appreciate every single comment!  I've read most of them and I swear I'll finish them up.  Such a treat for me!

I used random.org to find my winner, but it did need a little tweaking.  I'm kind of a stickler on the rules of the game, so I'm very sorry, but rule breakers don't get to win.  As much as I appreciate your desire to win, there are others that do abide by the rules, so most importantly I need to be fair to them! 

And sooooo, the winner is.....

Verena who said...

Oh how I would love to win this!!!!!
Just a couple hours ago, I sat together with my sweet quilter friend Cathy. She wants to make a quilt for the arrival of my surprise baby girl in May. She had asked me if there is any fabric I would like to choose and my instant answer was: The Simple Life by you!!!! I have been eying it since it launched, not knowing that we would expect another baby girl! and I have been following your insta since I discovered you beautiful line. Cathy is an awesomely ( you might know her book: pretty in patchwork, doll quilts) talented quilter and I am sure she would create something magical Thanks for the chance to win!

Please contact me ASAP because you don't have a link or contact info!  If anyone knows Verena, let her know!!  Thanks!  If I can't get a response pretty soon, I'll choose another winner. 

As for SHOP NEWS:

I've added just a couple little things and wanted to share!

My little Reading girl from The Simple Life is now available in an 8X10 print for framing. 

 

I've also added the embroidery pattern for Feeding the Chicks, which you can find here!  I haven't stitched her up, but I had a few requests so there she is! :) 

Here she is below...

I'll continue adding things to the shop that match The Simple Life.  If you're waiting or wanting a particular thing (pattern or artwork!) from that fabric line, let me know and I'll hurry it up on that!  ;) 

Meanwhile, I'm happy to offer 20% off your entire order in my Etsy shop for at least a couple days into next week (Jan 22nd sounds good!) just to say thanks for playing along and making me smile.  Simply enter coupon code HAPPY20 during checkout and it will automatically deduct 20% from your total order.

One tiny last thing...thanks for helping me with the name of that block!  I think I had the most people say it was Shoo Fly!  I'll get a little tutorial done soon!  ;) 

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Tasha

a simple little quilt + a giveaway.... (closed!)

**Giveaway is closed!**  Thanks for playing!

One of the quilts I made for fall quilt market was inspired by a quilt that belonged to my grandma.  It's a little different in it's shape, but very similar.  (I just simply made squares where there were rectangles.)  A super simple block to make and I've seen this block before, problem is....I don't know what it's called.  Help!?!?  If you know, please share.  :)  Meanwhile, I call it The Simple Life quilt.  So creative, I know.  (huge wink!) ;)

I like how soft and delicate this one turned out, with lots of white...

but bursts of red....

I really like Miss Strawberry here...

and the chicks being fed right here. 

I did a patchwork border....

and used the Simple Floral in red for the backing. 

I really loved making this simple little quilt! 

If you'd like to know how to make the block, let me know and I'll do a little tutorial.  If you know what this block name is, please share!  :) 

To enter to WIN A FAT QUARTER BUNDLE, please leave me a comment, telling me what you'd like to make with it! 

For extra entries:

*if you've ever purchased from my Etsy shop!

*if you've ever commented here before

For a total of 3 possible entries!!  Giveaway will end Thursday night....late!  I'll reveal the winner on Friday, Jan 18th!

 

a tutorial : little x quilt

Hello there!  Today I'm really glad that I have this simple tutorial for you!  I've wanted to get it done for a while now, but life just gets so busy, especially at this time of year.  We've had everything from being sick, to having relatives in town, to dr. appointments and holiday to-do's.  Thanks for being patient!  :)

While I didn't come up with this block myself, I don't know of a tutorial specifically for doing it, although it is just a shortened granny square...which I know there are tutorials for.  Anyway, what I'm hoping is that this tutorial is helpful to those that visit my blog and want to make a little X quilt too!  :) 

Ready?!  Me too.  

First select your fabrics for the little squares.

You will need the following:

Please pay attention that if you are using directional fabrics or are doing any fussy cutting, you are cutting them on point (diagonally) because of the positioning of the finished block. 

Lay your squares out like this:

Sew together the rows using 1/4" seam allowance:

Press the rows.  I press my seams open.  Sometimes I press to one side on bigger pieces, but I've noticed with smaller pieces, pressing seams open helps with accurracy and reduces bulk. 

Lay out your pressed rows again.  See how they are laying neat and flat?

Pin together rows by matching up seams:

Sew together each row until block is complete.  Press. 

This is what your block should look like:

Take your block to your cutting mat and position it on point/diagonally.  (Please pardon my scrubby mat...it's been well loved.)  :)

To trim your block, line up edges so that you are a little more than 1/4" away from your little points.  That way you won't sew through them when you construct your quilt.  Using a see-through ruler helps to do this. 

Trim your block to approximatley 7.5".  (Please read all instructions on this portion before trimming your block)

Trim all 4 sides...please read all instructions below before trimming your block so you have a clear understanding of how to do this first.

While trimming, use mat and ruler guidlines to keep block square.  The measurement doesn't have to be exactly 7.5".  Find the measurement that works for your block and as long as all of them measure the same, it'll be fine.  Mine aren't exactly 7.5"...they are a little bigger, I just followed the same marking on my ruler.  If I was simply following a measurement of 7.5", I might end up cutting too close to some of the points and I don't want to do that.  Just be aware of that 1/4" marking on your ruler to make sure you won't be sewing through any points.  Bottom line, it doesn't really matter what the measurement of the final block is as long as they are all the same and you're not cutting within a 1/4" of the block points.  I hope that isn't confusing, but I think once you are making your block you will understand this.

Here is the finished block!

So simple!  In my quilt I used 12 blocks.  If you wanted a smaller project, you could use just the one block for a pillow or make 4 blocks for a larger pillow or a wall hanging. 

For making the quilt, I have given some very general measurements to follow and also my fabric choices.  I didn't give detailed instructions for each step of constructing the quilt.  It's more of a guideline to get you headed in the right direction. 

All of the fabrics used in this quilt are from my new line, The Simple Life. 

Here are some measurements for sashings and borders. 

Sashing is what goes in between and around the blocks.  I chose the pink/red polka dot on the white background.  Then I have 2 borders....the red polka dot and the pink floral.  For the binding I used the aqua gingham.

This quilt measures about 48.75" X 40.5"

This quilt really goes together quickly!  If you have done a little piecing or patchwork, this is perfect for you.  It's a pretty small quilt...baby sized.  If you want it bigger, just make more blocks or wider sashings and borders. 

I hope you love making this quilt!  It's my favorite right now!

Tasha

little X quilt...

I thought it was about time I started showing you the quilts I made for market!  I ended up doing 3 lap/couch sized and 2 baby/mini's, but today I only have pictures of one quilt.  With 5 out of 7 members of the family sick this week, it's slowed me down quite a bit.  Especially since 1 of the 5 is me. (blah!)

So this is what I call the Little X Quilt:

I loved this one I saw on Pinterest, by Sewn With Grace and it was really fun and easy to put together.  It's constructed the same as a Granny Square, simply with less sqaures.  So if you've done granny's, you'll think this is super fast.

I really love fussy cutting for centers! 

Even this little guy got an X....

I really don't know if there is a tutorial for this block, so I'd be happy to put one together if you are interested.  Let me know!  I may end up doing some general cutting instructions for this quilt anyway, just in case.  Next week? 

I hope to get around to showing you each of the quilts I've done...

I'm crossing my own fingers for you and ME that everyone will stop coughing around here first though.  Hmm...Maybe begging will work better? 

Anyone have any natural remedies for coughs that you know works?  (slightly off topic, but I really want them gone!) 

...more market! (a very long post)

It's been a little rough since I've been home from market, but I think I'm finally feeling back to normal.  Even though the market experience can be tiring (and just plain wipe you out for days), it's definitly worth it!  Not only was it exciting to have my own fabrics on display, it was also fun to see everyone else's displays and to meet such amazing and friendly people.  I can't say enough about how nice everyone was.  I didn't meet anyone who wasn't supportive, encouraging, kind and friendly!

Meeting Joel Dewberry was a definite highlight for me!  He was so down to earth and genuinely kind and personable.  We chatted with him for a little bit and I learned that his mom is Donna Dewberry of One Stroke Painting who I used to watch (in awe!) on TV when I was a teen.  My sister is a true hoarder of Joel's fabric, so it was fun for both of us to meet him.  I loved the cute outfits he had in his booth!

Meeting Allison from Cluck.Cluck.Sew was great too!  I've been following her blog for a couple years and I love her patterns and style.  She's super nice and totally laid back! 

Speaking of super nice, we loved chatting with Chelsey from Pink Fig patterns.  She was there helping Lila Tueller with her gorgeous Mistique booth and they were both so helpful and encouraging to my sister, Talia, who is just starting to look into the pattern business. 

I had a picture of us with Lila as well, but it turned out blurry.  I got this one of the two of them at takedown, I know they were exhausted, but I thought the photo was cute.  They really were so fun to meet!  Just so nice!

It was fun to run into Sherri from A Quilting Life right in front of my booth.  I've also been following her blog for a while now too and she is one talented quilter!  She even bought some of my Spoonflower fabric a while back, which was partly the beginning of my fabric adventure.  Thanks Sherri!  ;)  She was also very sweet! 

Here's Bari J's beautiful booth....I know she worked her guts out on it!  She was also just the nicest person to chat with.  I got a picture of us, but I wasn't looking blog worthy!  (and it was one of the only other pictures where I was wearing a different outfit!...shucks!)

Loved this adorable booth from Darlene Zimmerman!  So sweet!

The awesome dresden at the Liberty booth!

Liberty

Tilda fabric!  So pretty!

I spotted some quilts from Bonnie and Camille's Marmalade!  Lovely, lovely!

Pretty quilt from the Mary Rose Collection...so cute!

Fascinating quilt made of super teensy squares!! 

 

And of course I'm saving the best for last here......  ;)

The best part was meeting everyone from Riley Blake!  I loved watching the booth in action.  They are the kindest people and they work so hard to get everything done!  They are amazing people to be around!

 

Here's me and Cindy Cloward (her and her husband are the owners) at takedown...we were generally tired here!  Bret and Cindy are both truly the nicest people!  (I told you everyone was nice!!)

Here's me and Jina.  She basically helps me with everything!!  She's a sweetheart and I was so glad to meet her in person!  Thanks Jina! ;)  (Remember, this is takedown....we are tired!)

Here's some cute displays from Riley Blake:

Doohikey Designs

Lori Holt

Zoe Pearns

Emily Taylor

Sandra Workman

And in case you missed it, here's mine.  ;)  We moved things around a couple times...this is how it was at one of those times....

Then to this...

and this...

So, I think that's enough pictures for one day, don't you?!?!  I say yes.

I have to tell you who I missed though!  Somehow, even though we planned on meeting, I missed my sweet and spazzy friend Kristyne from Pretty By Hand!  HOW, oh how did that happen, we both say???  We ran into everyone else but each other!  Next time!! 

AND....how on EARTH did I miss the fact that TY PENNINGTON people! was at market and I didn't KNOW!  I was even telling my sister how he has fabric now and that we could actually meet him someday and it still didn't occur to me to investigate if he was in acutality, AT MARKET!  Helloooo?!?! Truth is...I'm a little spacey like that.  No lie.  

Anyway, NEXT MARKET, I'm hunting at least two people down.  Remind me if I forget!  (please!)

Tasha

P.S.

If I forgot something or someone, please forgive me.  I had a lot of photos, but some were no good....blurry or really bad face making or something.  I loved meeting everyone though!!!  I met the super sweet and talented Pam Kitty Morning and my favorite little girl skirt designer, Jona  (who has tons of market photos!) ...but the pictures just didn't turn out. :(  both were the just the sweetest, nicest people though!! 

See, I told you!!

quilt market ~ fall 2012

I know, it's about time already!  I've been in some serious recovery mode since I got home and I'm not sure I'm done yet either.  With Halloween and now a few sickies in the house...me being one of them, I barely have my things out of my suitcases!  For reals.  So please forgive me....once again...for my super slow behavior.  And in advance, I apologize for some bad photos too.  Sadly, the Iphone didn't measure up quite like I had hoped.  Next market I'll have to haul the real camera!

I was soooo super glad to have my mom and sister come along with me to market!  I couldn't have done it all without them.  From setting up, to figuring out how to get to where we needed to go, to just having the moral support, friendship and someone to chat with....we had a great time!

I grew up watching my mom sew practically everything...dresses, clothing, dolls, pillows, home accessories and yes, lots of quilts and blankets!  I loved learning new little things from her along the way.  Cross-stitching, making little dolls, stuffing handmade ornaments, doing lots of crafts.  So truly I am so thankful she could be with me!  My sister, Talia, is such a talented sewist herself!  She creates and sews pretty much anything and everything as well!  She always makes her own patterns for clothing (and other things too) for her darling little girls, so I was thrilled that she was willing to create a couple of outfits for my display, which will be available in pattern form for purchase soon!

Here's me and Talia after set up: (super bad lighting!)

My mom and Talia during set up:

One side of the booth:

Kerri's quilt and a Marie Madeline dress!

Talia's dress and a quilt I made:

Amy's Patchwork basket and hexie pincushion!

Talia's overalls.  Pattern will be called 'Seraphina'. 

Talia's dress, Pattern will be called 'Amelie'.  I'll keep you posted on availability for both.

Lambie pillow and Happy Tree pillow

One highlight of my market experience was discovering that an adorable booth, Marie Madeline Studio, had used The Simple Life combined with Lecien's Flower Sugar to make their clothing!  The company, Marie Madeline, is a mother and her 4 daughters.  Just 3 of the sisters were there at market, but they are simply the sweetest and cutest girls you'll ever meet!  I was thrilled to see my fabrics used in such adorable creations.  Their booth won an award at market too!  Thanks Marie Madeline!!

Abigail, Me, Achaia, Apphia

Me and Achaia

Also, I wanted to thank Kerri (lovely little handmades), Amy (nana Company), and Heather (Vintage Grey) for making up some super cute things that helped make my display complete! I couldn't have squeezed in time for even one more teensy-tiny item, I was stitching on the plane!, so truly, I'm so grateful they were all so excited to help.  It ended up just exactly perfect!  Some of my pictures didn't turn out very well and didn't get used, so I hope to do some more photos of each of the items from my booth when I get a chance.  I'm sure they will each do some of their own too when they get their cute things back, so keep an eye on their blogs.  

(Although I'm tempted to see how I could keep all the cutie stuff for myself!) ;)

Check back later this week (hopefully, if I've fully recouperated!) and I'll post more of what I saw and who I met (and who I missed...waaaa!) at quilt market! 

Tasha