Tantalizing Textiles for Tot

Derek and I went to Minneapolis this past weekend. We took out our perfectly good entertainment unit, because our new TV didn't fit. It seems as though we are gluttons for punishment in the renos department as our kitchen and laundry room are still not totally complete. As my mom would say "You did this to yourself"

The highlight of the trip for me (shopping-wise) was a visit to Treadle Yard Goods. They were having a 20-50% off sale, plus I had a 20% off coupon that could be added to any previous discount. I found the exact Joel Dewberry fabric that I had been hoping to make the nursery bedding out of on sale!!! I also picked up a bit of the new Amy Butler Soul Blossoms fabric that just came out last week at 20% off!!! So fabulous, no?




p.s. the above pics are a mix of the fabrics I'll be using for the nursery

Brand New Heather Bailey Fabric!

It's been a while since Heather Bailey has put out a new line of fabric and I'm totally excited about this one. Derek and I made a last minute trip to Minneapolis for business and, as we were driving to our second location, we drove right past Crafty Planet, and amazing fabric and yarn store in Minneapolis. It has a fantastic selection of fabrics from some of the really fun designers like Heather Bailey, Anna Maria Horner, Amy Butler and Joel Dewberry. They also have a great selection of home decor fabric. Even though they are in the US, we up north can still get in on the selection with their online store. On our way back after picking up Derek's work items, I stopped in to browse the fabrics. The first thing I saw when I walked in was this new fabric. Slightly more subdued than her last line, it still coordinates well with it. It has blues, yellows and greens with a bit of grey (love grey!) When I mentioned to the guy in the shop that I hadn't seen this one before he told me that it had just come in the day before! Isn't that cool? I think I'm going to make a small blanket out of it, and can't wait to get started!

How to Make a Reusable Drink Sleeve

I regularly stop for gourmet coffee in the mornings and am embarrassed by the amount of garbage that is created by this habit. While I have reusable mugs, sometimes I forget them or they are not clean when I need to leave for work. For extra hot beverages, a sleeve or a double cup are needed, which is also more waste.

I had strips of leftover batting from a quilt that I made and hated to see it go to waste. i decided to use it to make reusable coffee cup sleeves. I was so impressed by how cute they were and how easy (less than half an hour), that i thought I'd post a how to.

You will need:
-2 pieces of fabric (approximately 12 X 6 inches)
-1 piece of cotton quilt batting
-2 small buttons
-1 piece tissue paper or brown paper for pattern
-thread, scissors, pins, pencil
-a paper cup sleeve from your coffeehouse of choice

Open the sleeve flat. Trace around it with a pencil, twice. Add 1/4 inch around the outside of your original traced line on one of the outlines. Cut out 2 patterns from the paper, one the size of the original sleeve (piece A), and one with 1/4 inch seam allowance (piece B).

Cut out 2 fabric pieces using the piece B pattern, and one piece of batting using the pattern for piece A.



Centre the batting on the wrong side of one of the fabric pieces (the one that you want to use as the lining of the sleeve) and stitch it in place 1/4 inch in from the edge of the batting.



Pin the 2 fabric pieces, right sides together. Sew these together on 3 sides (2 long and 1 short side). Trim corners and any excess fabric to reduce bulk, and turn inside out. Press flat and sew the fourth side closed (**this side should be the side that will be hidden once the sleeve is completed)





Using a 1/2 inch seam allowance, stitch down (quilt) the sleeve.



Pin the 2 ends of the sleeve together, overlapping so that the bad short end is hidden. Sew 2 buttons near the end of the sleeve to fasten together (*note: you don't have to make button holes).



Enjoy your cup of coffee in style!

Fabulous Fabric

I have bought upholstery fabric from Hancocks of Paducah out of Kentucky. They have good prices and a great selection of quilting cotton and upholstery fabric. I received an email today announcing their new fabrics and checked them out. Isn't this print fabulous? I'm trying to find somewhere that I can use it.