Christmas Purse

I first saw this purse when Valerie came to my house. I ooh'd and aah'd over it enough that she gave me the pattern. I have made 3 base purses and each purse has a reversible cover. I liked the Christmas fabric because it didn't scream Christmas.

I'm the next person to supply the fabric. To the fabric store I go, high ho, high ho!

Christmas Bird Ornament

First I started something else, which I will post after completion. It didn't use much of the fat quarter, so I then made this bird, which also did not use much of the fabric. It was fun to make and came together very quickly!

I was inspired by the beautiful birds and excellent instructions on And So It Begins.

The original pattern came from Spool Sewing. The pattern is on the sidebar.

I made it as a Christmas ornament, but I'm going to see if my almost 11-month-old wants to play with it. If so, he can have it. I can always make more!

Christmas Pillow!!

Here is the pillow,  it was fun to do, a bit challenging as I used only fabric I had in my pile, I bought nothing (except the pillow, but if I make other covers, it will be used a lot).  I know you cannot see it from the picture, but the white ball part of the hat is loose from the pillow, only stitched at the top and I put a jingle bell on the inside of it.  Reagan, my 9 month old, likes to play with this.  I was able to use ALL of the fat quarter and had just a few scraps.  I hope you like it.  Happy Crafting!! 

Great Idea!!

Ruth, this is such a fun idea.  I was so excited when I opened the enveloped and read about the fat quarter club.  I showed it to Paul and the kids.  We started to think of ideas, I said is it a fall fabric or Christmas, then Paul who is more of a detail kind of guy pointed out the holly and snowflakes.  Our brains went to work thinking of Christmas ideas.   I knew I wanted to do a pillow, but what would my pillow look like?  "What is red and Christmas??" was the question to be answered. A few ideas were thrown around, by the kids, Paul and myself.  Finally we settled on one thing and I was off.  24 hours after receiving the fabric I was finished, I was excited.

WELCOME!!

First, you might ask, "What is a fat quarter?"
      Answer:  It is a piece of fabric.  Take a yard of material and cut it into fourths, one cut from top to bottom an done cut side to side.  That gives you a piece 18"x21".  Compare that to the skinny version that is 9"x42", and you can see why this is called a fat quarter.

Next Question, "What is a Fat Quarter Club?"
     Answer: Friends who like to sew and craft with fabric give each other a challenge.  One member buys the fabric and cuts it into fat quarters.  The fabric is sent out to the other members.  The members work their magic on the fabric, make whatever they wish(adding any other fabric, etc. they wish) take a picture and submit it to the group.  There is a rotation of members buying and sending out the fabric.

Ooooh, "This sounds like a lot of pressure."
       Answer: nope!  You can do whatever you want with the piece.  If you are too busy, you can just email and say, "Pass!"  If you think there is nothing you can do with the fabric, you can use it as a dust rag.  i think it will take us about a month to get everyone's idea back.  That would mean you would only be up to send out fabric every 8 months or so.

But..., "What if I want to drop out?"
     Answer:  No problem.  We will find someone to take your place.  We would like to keep the group at 8, so two yards of fabric would suffice.

Ok, "So how do I submit my picture?"
     Answer:  Just email it to me.  I will try to figure out the best way for all to see them.  You could also upload it to the blog and post the story of your idea with the picture.

Hint:  Start hunting on clearance tables for good finds.  Sometimes you can score a hit for just $2 a yard. Free is always good, too.   I have been given lots of fabric

I hope you have fun with this!!