The Sunny Bunny Quilt...

...is finally finished after one and a half years in the making. Looking back I cannot believe that it took me so long to complete this simple quilt, but I have to admit that I was having a "love and hate" relationship with it for a long time. Even though I finished all the thirty blocks back in September last year, it still took me this long to put them all together, quilt it and bind it. Now looking at this lovely quilt, I cannot be more happier and my Little One is absolutely in love with his new quilt that is full of cute bunnies and pretty petals. Perfect for the winter snuggles.

Boro Style Coin Purse and a Little Surprise

I am totally and absolutely in love with my latest make! This little boro style kiss lock coin purse was such a pleasure to make, especially the front patchy part. I have always admired this kind of patched up tattered look, but never had enough courage to give it a go until I found a perfect pattern.

Sweet Strawberry Mini Block

It's tiny. It's cute and it's very sweet. Do you like strawberries? I do! I have been a little bit obsessed with painting mice and strawberries over the last few weeks and one night (instead of sleeping of course) I ended up making this tiny block that I call "Sweet Strawberry". My so Big now Boy called it an "Apple-esque Strawberry". I have to agree, it does look like an apple or even a radish to me, but I am going to stick with the strawberry for now. :-) It is a very quick and easy block to sew and absolutely perfect for small scraps.

Pencil Block: A Note to Self

Last year I made this 5" by 5" block from a Japanese book filled with 210 Patchwork Patterns that I bought at a Kinokuniya book store a while ago. I really tried sewing this block by hand as the book suggests, but after a few attempts I simply could not get the result I was looking for. Maybe because of the lack of practice or the wrong choice of the background fabric, but after fiddling with it for a while I  switched to my sewing machine and it turned out quite well.

Revisiting the Splendid Sampler

The past week I was spending some time working on my all forgotten The Splendid Sampler quilt. At the time of the sew along, I only managed to sew 25 blocks and then I fell badly behind. I was trying to catch up and luckily printed out a few blocks, but then I gave up. Why?

Work in Progress: Pretty Handmades

If you like pink, pretty and handmade little things, then this book is definitely for you. Pretty Handmades is the first book written by Lauren Wright from Molly and Mama and published by Tuva Publishing. It's going to be released on the first of October. When Lauren asked me to join her book tour, I simply could not say no. I adore Lauren's style, her creativity and her attention to the tiniest details. When this book arrived, I could not put it down. It was not just the projects that kept me excited, but the sweet photos and illustrations accompanying every page. 

Tutorial: Baby Linen Bib with a Hexagon Panel

This is pretty much a step-by-step process of how to make this hexagon baby bib. It really is a quick and fun way to create something cute for your Little One. I am using Amy's from NanaCompany bib template for this tutorial. There are two reasons for that. Firstly, I really like the particular shape of this bib and it was the original bib I made for my Little One, but unfortunately it got lost. Secondly, for a few reasons we still don't have a printer at home (I know, it's crazy) after our Little One destroyed the old one a few months back. I cannot really design anything at the moment that requires printing or scanning. This shape is really great and suits older babies from about 4-6 months when they need it the most. I have designed a smaller bib of a different shape for my Little One and it was perfect for him while he was a newborn. I might write a tutorial for that later. OK, let's get started.

For this bib, as the name and the photo suggest, you will need to make 18 hexagons. They are fun to make and you can get really creative here. Once you have 18 1" hexagons, sew them into a panel, as shown in the photo above.

Hexie Stitching Companion

Oh my goodness! I am in love! I am in love with my own creation! It's not very humble, isn't it? Sorry, but I do like this little make very much and for some odd reason, it reminds me of something I had when I was little. I cannot remember it for sure, but every time I take this little folder in my hands, I have a feeling that I had something similar, maybe a coin purse. It was white and red and opened the same way. It is a very strange feeling, but a pleasant one I have say.

Sweet Scallop Pouch

A long time ago I saw a cover of a book on Pinterest. It was in Japanese and there was not any information about this book, but I fell in love with all the colourful patchwork and applique squares on its cover. I did not even know it was a quilt. It took me a while, but I found a copy of this book in Chinese. It was the only version available at that time. This book is called Happy Flower Quilts by Atsuko Matsuyama and it's full of prettiness! A collection of 30 lovely projects designed by Atsuko in her unique style combining pretty prints and bright happy colours to create the most adorable bags, pouches, mats and quilts using applique and patchwork techniques and sewn entirely by hand. Last year this book was translated into English to the delight of so many quilters and crafters. Finally, many of us can read and understand the names, comments and instructions for the projects in this book. Last month Kristyne Czuperyk, who is one of the technical editors of the English version of the book, ran a giveaway on her blog Pretty by Hand. I had this book on my wish list, but to my huge surprise I won a copy of the English version from Kristyne's blog. Oh my! I did a happy dance when I got an email from her and then another one when I received the book from Lindsay from Zakka Workshop. Thank you so much girls!

Oh, These Bunnies!

Don't you think they are the cutest little things ever? They just asked to be made into something special and ended up on top of this linen envelope. I love making these envelopes. Quick, easy, fun and always useful for carrying around or storing some stationary bits and pieces or sewing projects and notions, or some special keepsakes.

Work in Progress

It's been a while since I posted anything about my current works in progress. As always, I have quite a few small things going on at the same time that I switch between depending on my mood and the time I have available for sewing. Some of the projects have been planned, some are simply a spur-of-the-moment decisions, just like the project below. I came across that little scrap of Belle and Boo fabric (I keep a small basket on the desk where I put some of the precious scraps). I pulled a few more floral scraps and got lost in playing around with pretty fabrics and buttons. It did not take long for a vague idea to form and I can say that now it's finished. Something quite cute that I will be sad to part with. Pinks, florals and cute buttons. I cannot wait to show it to you.

Finishing Old WIPs

I wrote before that one of the things on my list for this year is to finish most of my unfinished projects that I keep in a special box. This little guy was left forgotten pretty much since the very beginning of my sewing journey. But I am happy to say that it's all done and dusted now. The embroidery is a copy of a photo of a small figurine that was given to my husband by his parents when he was little. We still have this special toy and it sits happily in a glass cabinet with my doll collection. I was going to make a fabric envelope and leave the embroidery as a "pencil sketch", just brown outlines. I only added some fabric for the ball at that time. But when I pulled it out recently, I felt like it needed some colour. So I filled the outlines with some colourful threads.

Pretty Project Bags

Have used any? They are such a fantastic idea! We went away for a few days recently and I packed some knitting and sewing to take along with me in both bags. It was much much easier to pack and unpack my work, it was put away quickly and stored nicely. Let me tell you a bit more about these great makes.

Saving the Scraps

While working on the "Lowa" block for The Splendid Sampler project, I had some trimmings left. These tiny delicate pieces looked so lovely together that I could not bring myself to throw them away. I put them aside and continued working on my block, but at the same time I kept thinking what I could make with these trimmings. A teeny weeny pinwheel block seemed like a nice option.

Flex Frame Tulip Pouch

Last year I gave myself a little gift. A Japanese book called "Pattern Lessons of Patchwork". The book is full of different hand sewn quilting blocks with all the instructions in Japanese, but with very detailed step-by-step photos. The book really is amazing and inspiring.

Lovely Scraps

We've got a Mousey Mouse in the house. Not a big Mousey, but a very cute one. The one that looks at you with big eyes and a sweet smile and your heart just melts, no matter what that Mousey does, how naughty or mischievous it gets at times.

Wonky House Pillow

At last! My Wonky House block has been turned into a pillow! I made this block exactly two years ago and all this time it has been patiently waiting for its turn to be used. And I am so very happy with what it has been made into.

So Sweet...

Little note... Oh, I am so excited! Come, have a look. I just finished this candy sweet piece. So much pink and so many tiny stitches. What do you think?

Bib, Bag and Pouch - a Baby Set

All made out of scraps. Oh, I love tiny scraps of fabric! So many things you can make out of them and at the end you are left with a lovely feeling of achieving something really good. For all the three things I have made I did not cut into any new fabrics, I only used the scraps from my box, apart from a tiny piece of Milk, Sugar and Flower - a cute kitten on the pouch.

Pencil Zipper Pouch

You know what I like the best about this pouch? The cherries of course! Little bright red berries. I got carried away and did not even notice how I covered the entire front of the pouch with them. It was a real cherry overload, so I had to "pick" quite a few.