Bohemian Festival Giveaway

I'm thrilled to announce the latest fabric line to arrive at Swell Cloth headquarters: Lila Tueller's Bohemian Festival.

I've long been a fan of Lila's work and am so excited to finally have her fabric in the shop!

What I like best about her designing are the palettes. They are fresh and bright without being too overwhelming. The prints are always balanced very well - some small, some large - and translate well into just about anything you'd want to sew.

On Lila Tueller's blog, she shared photos of her Spring Market 2012 booth. I love the adorable bags and garments she created! Check out her blog for more great images of her beautiful display.

If you need even more inspiration for what to do with this fabric, Riley Blake offers this super-cute (and free!) Blowfish Pincushion tutorial on their Cutting Corners website.

GIVEAWAY!!

I want to share a little bit of this Bohemian Festival loveliness with one of you. Enter to win the 5 Fat Quarter bundle pictured above. Interested? Here's how to play: There are three ways to enter.

1. Leave a comment telling your favorite festival to attend. (For the record - mine is my hometown's Oktoberfest that is put on by the Sister Cities organization every September. Even though it's usually hot, the timing marks the beginning of fall, my favorite season!)

2. Link to this giveaway from your blog and leave me another comment that you did so.

3. Tweet about the giveaway and leave another comment that you did so.

Deadline: Tuesday, July 10 by midnight EST. I'll draw the winner via Random Number Generator sometime next week.

Good luck!

Fun in the Sun

Last week, I took my girls on an impromptu trip to Cleveland to visit friends. While there, we spent a day on Lake Erie. I grew up boating, tubing, skiing, and swimming in that lake. Being back in the cool, crisp water was a little like a homecoming for me. Quite rejuvenating.

Before leaving, I whipped up a few sun hats for the girls (and also a boy version for the son of the friends we stayed with). My plan was to get a pic of all of them in their hats, but the babies did not cooperate. Olivia will have to carry this one for the team! :)

The pattern is by Oliver + S and is a free download. The clever design makes a reversible hat. I used Moda Bella Solid in Bubble Gum and Ivory. Once I made one, the others came together quickly. I'm a novice garment sewer, so a more experienced seamstress would probably have no trouble at all.

Hope you are getting out and having some fun in the sun this summer too!

Time Thief

Anyone else captured by the time thief otherwise known as Pinterest? My hand is raised! Here are a few of my recent favorites that are making my fingers itch to stitch.

Doily Throw Pillows

Ruffled Chemise by Aesthetic Nest

Oliver + S Bucket Hat Modification by a little gray

Baby Shoe Pattern by Winter Peach

Hodgepodge Knit Ruffle Tank Top by Monkeys Bug Patterns

As I wrote this, I realized that I'm not clear on the proper way to attribute Pinterest photos. Please let me know if I should do it a different way. I certainly want to give credit where credit is due! 

What are you loving on Pinterest? 

In other news - I heard about this great Wardrobe Basic Sew Along on the Sew Forth Now podcast. I like the idea of updating my closet with some classic basics - although I'm going to have to improve my garment sewing skills drastically to be able to tackle 90% of these patterns!? Anyway, there may be some of you out there who will be inspired by this link and I wanted to make sure to pass it along. 

Hope you're having a great week!

Going, Going, Gone!

Whew! The Riley Blake Chevron prints flew in and out of my shop almost faster than I could list it. Luckily, I made a quick project for myself with some of the yardage before it went off to other homes. ;)

My living room pillows got a little freshening up just in time for Olivia's 5th birthday party.

I used a combination of the Riley Blake Chevron in Navy, Aqua, and Yellow.

The pillow covers were made with a simple envelope back for easy washing - super important with two kids and two dogs running around!

There still is a little Chevron left in Aqua, Hot Pink, and Grey left in the shop if you're interested. :) I ordered another round and will get all the colors in July. Stay tuned!

And here is a quick peak at Olivia's 5th birthday soire - a princess tea party! She had seven guests attend, and we all had a lovely time. Before the event, Liv and I made a Pinterest board for decorating ideas. Check it out here!

And here's the birthday girl ready to blow out the candle on her cupcakes - how is it possible it's the number 5!?

Let Freedom Ring

I was inspired this week by an order I received in my shop. One of my lovely customers bought Vintage Modern Dots in Candy Apple and Riley Blake's Chevron Stripe in Navy. What a patriotic color combination! Immediately, the wheels started turing - the the fingers started Googling - for a 4th of July project idea.

Here are a few of the projects I found that I'm considering making for the impending Independence Day.

Red White and Blue Bustle Dress by Heart Break Kids

4th of July April by Crazy Little Projects

4th of July Ruffle Pillow Tutorial by Baby Jayne

Reversible Table Runner by Sewing by Stephanie

What about you? Do you have any favorite patriotic sewing projects to share? Please leave comments with links! 

Wash, Rinse, Repeat

Cleaning out Olivia's closet this week, I found a bag of items I knit for her when she was a toddler. From the time she was 10 months old to when she turned two, I was a monogamous crafter, totally dedicated to knitting. I was on Ravelry every day and churned out project after project. In the summer of 2009, I was led to quilting. While sewing and quilting has distracted me from knitting over the years, I still always have a project (or three or four) on the needles. It's a comforting craft that I turn to when I need to chill.

Anyway, I found this little knit top in Olivia's closet, and it fits Ellie perfectly!

The Spring Garden Tee is an Alana Dakos pattern. Made out of Rowan Calmer, the top is still in fantastic condition even after multiple washings.

I have fond memories of knitting this pattern. Feeling the yarn again takes me right back to the times and places I worked on it. Aren't crafting projects funny like that? They tend to encapsulate tiny moments we might have otherwise forgotten.

The stand-out feature are the flutter sleeves. Love them! They were fun to knit, adding just enough interest and challenge to an otherwise pretty basic and simple raglan top. Ellie seems to be happy about them too, clapping in this photo.

And here's where the photo shoot fell apart. Olivia had to get in on the action, and Ellie decided to climb on me to get to the camera that was way more interesting than me making silly faces at her in an attempt to capture a winning smile. Ah, motherhood. It's awesome...

A Tutorial for How to Sew Mini Bunting

This is a tutorial for how to make mini bunting. It includes a downloadable template with instructions. Additional details and photos are in this post. Enjoy!

Download the Mini Bunting Template and Tutorial

1. Choose an assortment of fabric approximately 5" square. You need two pieces of fabric for each mini bunting triangle. This is a great project to use orphan charm squares and scraps!

2. Cut the mini bunting template around the dotted line. 1/4" seam allowance is included.

3. Cut enough mini bunting triangles to make the desired amount. Remember you need two triangles for each unit. I made 7 finished mini bunting triangles, so I cut 14 from the template.

4. Put right sides together and sew around using a 1/4" seam allowance. Make sure to leave the opening at the top for turning.

5. Turn mini bunting triangles right side out through the opening at the top. Poke corners out using your favorite corner gadget. Press.

6. Top stitch around the left and right sides of the mini bunting triangles. The opening at the top will be stitched closed in a later step.

7. Figure out how long you want your ribbon to be by measuring the place you are going to hang the mini bunting from one corner to the other. Add a few inches for drape and ends. You can play around with the length using pins.

8. Attach the mini bunting triangles to the ribbon securing with pins and making sure they are evenly spaced. I had my corners touch to make things simple.

9. Edge stitch along the top and bottom edges of the ribbon. I used a 1/8" guide on my presser foot. This step also closes the top opening.

10. You're done! Now you can hang the mini bunting and enjoy. I used masking tape to secure mine to a shelf. Enjoy!

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. :)