pillow talk swap.

confession: i've never really made a patchwork+quilted pillow before. yes, i've made a basic lap-back pillow in 4-H many years ago (10+ maybe?), but that's where it ended. so why on earth i joined the Pillow Talk Swap, you ask? to be honest i'm not entirely sure, but the point is i joined and somewhere fell in LOVE with making pillows. 

my secret swappy partner asked for a combination of yellows, blues, grays, with a hint of green. i'm really happy with the way this pillow ended up--in fact, i almost didn't want to send it away! finishing up at 20" x 20", this isn't your whimpy, little throw pillow--which i totally dig! and the best part, all the fabrics came from my scraps+stash. i hope my partner loves this pillow as much as i do! 

so first patchwork+quilted pillow ever = the beginning of a wonderful love affair. :) i am hooked on pillows! 

xo, megan. 

<<linking up to Fabric Tuesday>>

<<linking up to From the Blue Chair's Slash the Stash -- March>>

{Sew} Modern Monday #41

 

it's time for another weekly edition of 

{sew} modern monday!

flickr swaps. they seriously get me every time! just when i think i'm going to take a break from online sewing swaps, another great one pops up. and the mother of them all is most definitely the pretty {little} pouch swap. it.is.fabulous.
 

 

so a few months ago when round 3 sign-ups started, i caved. it's such a fun swap and i love zippys--i just couldn't resist! this time around, my secret partner asked for a zipper pouch and mentioned she loved the look of linen and bright, cheery colors. easy enough, right? 
 

 

i decided to pull some of the fabrics i received from the charm square swap at the sewing summit and picked up some essex linen/cotton blend at a little post summit meet up with Jeni and Deedrie. this was the first time i have ever worked with essex and it won't be the last! in fact, i am in process of making a few more for   my etsy store (opening soon)!
 

the smaller pouch is on it's way to my pretty {little} pouch partner and the bigger one is on it's way to live with someone else--but that's staying a secret for now. :)
 
and now it's your turn to share! if you have a modern sewing finish then link it up! but please remember to include the {sew} modern monday button (over there on the sidebar) and/or a link back to my blog. all others will be deleted, please and thanks. :)

<<be sure to enter in my birthday giveaway, too!>>

{Sew} Modern Monday #35

Hey, everyone!

Looking for some modern sewing linky party fun?? Then you have come to the right place! :)

 

Remember when Elizabeth and I started our own Flickr swap--For the Love of Solids [a modern swap]? Well the shipping and receiving has begun and we are almost finished with Round 1! Over the last few weeks there has be some seriously awesome modern sewing popping up in the Flickr group and last week I received my package! 

 

My secret swap partner, Jill (madeonmainstreet on flickr), blew my expectations out of the water and I hit the swappy jackpot! Way back in the beginning (August, maybe?), Jill posted this picture in the Flickr group and asked her partner to make a decision. Tough choices, right?

For the Love of Solids, a photo by madeonmainstreet on flickr.

 

My comment was "great colors! love them all, but 3 rocks!" The colors plus the modern design (curves!) was absolutely great! But ladies (and gents!) the real deal was at a whole 'nother level!

 

ftlos-2, a photo by madeonmainstreet on flickr.

 

It is fabulous in so many ways!  The quilting, the colors, the curves, the back....

ftlos-3, a photo by madeonmainstreet on flickr.

 

And if that wasn't enough, she also included this adorable pouch packed full of all sorts of goodies!

FTLOS-Swap-Package, a photo by madeonmainstreet on flickr.

Thanks, Jill for a absolutely wonderful swap package!  I can only hope my partner will love the swappy package I sent as much as I love mine! 

 

Now it's time for the linky fun!  Just a reminder (and I hate to sound like a stickler) but you must include a link back to {Sew} Modern Monday in your blog post.  Also, this is a modern sewing linky party only.  Posts that fail to adhere to these easy peasy rules will mysteriously disappear. :)

 

Time to link up! 

a swappy package!

alright, alright.
i know i said i was going to wait and share my for the love of solids swap package once it had safely arrived in my partners hands.
but...
i'm horrible with surprises.
well that, and the fact i am so stinking excited with how this mini turned out!
 

one thing my partner requested was a mini made with blended neutrals.  if you follow along, this is something very new to me!  but i actually loved working with this color palate (well, and i added a little color!).  it's so fresh and calming.
 

i went with this wonky starburst pattern (again, a stretch for me) and paired it with an organic wavy quilting pattern.  totally a new favorite!  
 

i also made this little matching zippy pouch, because you can never have enough little pouches! :)  inside are some solid goodies--but i won't spoil that surprise.
 

quilt stats

size: 19.5" x 19.5"

fabrics: kona solids!

piece: by me

quilted: by me

 
if you get a chance, go check out some of the other great solid projects that are in the flickr pool.  there's lots of yummy goodies!
 
and partner, this should be on your door step shortly.  i can't wait to hear what you think! :)
 
xo, Megan

pretty {little} pouch swap awesomeness.

alright, i have said it before and i'll say it again.  
my all time favorite swap is the pretty {little} pouch swap!
i totally lucked out and scored this pretty awesome pouch from round 1.
so when round 2 sign-ups opened a little over a month ago, i excitedly decided to join in the fun.
and this round totally rocked!

as with any swap, i started stalking the heck out of my partner Elaine (dashasel on flickr) as soon as assignments went out.  her favorites and inspiration mosaic told me she loved gray and AMH, which happen to be two of my favorites, too! so with lots of ideas swimming around in my head i decided to sit on it for a few days (which turned into weeks).  and then finally--at the last minute--inspiration struck.

i was loving my bee blocks that had already started popping up on flickr, and really thought hoped it would be right up Elaine's alley.  so i started with one small-ish x and + block, added a few borders (gray of course!), and topped it off with a little hand stitching and a fun zipper.  and ta-da! 

at this point i was loving it!  and i secretly wanted to keep it! :)  i really hoped Elaine would feel the same way about this little pouch and i need a little reassurance. in one last partner stalking session i came across this picture in her flickr stream. um, hello?  how cute is that!  i remember thinking to myself, "awe man, that is going to be one lucky partner!"  i completely ruled out the fact that it could potentially be for me because, let's face it, that never happens in swaps. 


i.stand.corrected.


the day after i sent my package (and the day before Elaine received hers) i was completely thrilled when i opened up this little pouch!

it turns out our swap mama played a little trick on us and assigned us to each other!

i seriously adore this pouch! from the stitching detail, to the gray, to the adorable LOVE on the front!  i couldn't have imagined a better pouch!

thanks for making the perfect little pouch, Elaine!  i absolutely love it!

now, the only question is: when does round 3 start?

xo, Megan

pretty {little} pouch swap. SENT

A few weeks ago, I shared the nook pouch I received from a²(w) in Round 1 of the pretty {little} pouch swap.  Which I love!  Well it seems I never got around to sharing the pouch I sent.  

When we received our partner assignments I was excited, and truthfully a little nervous to be assigned to Holly from bijou lovely.  Her tastes are pretty similar to mine--in that she loves solids and gray. 

I chose to go with a rainbow of Kona solids paired with Kona Coal. The front of the pouch features a little patchwork using the Konas, while the back has a rainbow of thread detail.
 

The Front.

The Back.

 

Holly asked for a larger pouch, so this one measures 8" x 12".  If you want to read more, check out this bijou lovely blog post.  

I hope you enjoy this little pouch Holly!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

xo, Megan

a mini for Elizabeth.

A few weeks ago, Elizabeth from Don't Call Me Betsy and I decided to do a mini swap between the two of us.  I have participated in a few swaps over the past 6 months, but there was something extra special about making something for someone you actually "know".  Not only did it help that I had a pretty good feel for what Elizabeth's tastes were because I knew her, but we actually share most of the same favorites on flickr.  Great minds think a like, eh?  I think yes! :)

Right from the get-go I knew I would be using MoMo's Wonderland for Elizabeth's mini--because if you follow her blog you know this girl has a thing for that collection.  I went with very tiny (1 inch finished to be exact) patchwork using almost all of the fabrics from the collection.  This was the smallest peiceing I have ever done--and it was actually kind of refreshing!  I do have one piece of advice--press your seams open.  It makes a world of difference when it comes to small piecing.

I also added a small embroidery into the mini using similar colors from the Wonderland collection.  You can never go wrong with embroidery and cupcakes. :)

The finishing touch was a little straight-line quilting and it was on it's way to warmer weather.

Like I said, it was so much fun making something for someone you "know" from the bloggy world.  I hope you enjoy this little mini Elizabeth, because I had a blast making it for you!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend everyone!  See you back here for {Sew} Modern Monday!


ETA: I am linking up to Fabric Tuesday!

xo, Megan

almost there.

Just putting the finishing touches on a mini for Elizabeth, from

Don't Call Me Besty, this morning.

xo, Megan

pretty {little} pouch. received.

You may recall a few weeks back I mentioned one of the most recent sewing/quilting swaps I joined called the Pretty {little} Pouch Swap.  Started by Michelle from i like orange, too! and Kelly from kelbysews, this has quickly become one of my favorite swaps.  I get a little giddy every time I browse through the flickr group because there are so many great people involved and so much wonderful sewing talent.

Earlier this week I received my package made by Ali from a²(w) which has made me love this swap even more!  Way back in the beginning, my inspiration mosaic gave a clear representation of some of my favorites--linen/gray, rainbow color scheme, and hand stitched details.  I also "hinted" I would like a pouch to for my Nook eReader (that has been on my "to-do" list since I purchased it last year).  What Ali actually made for me completely rocked my world.  It was way more wonderful than anything I ever expected.

I was SO excited to see this on the outside of the package.  Right away I knew how wonderful my pouch was going to be.  One look at her blog, and you will know what I mean.

And here is the beauty that was inside that little white package.

Check out that awesome rainbow patchwork.  I love the little detail of matching the thread to the fabric color.

And here is a close-up of the "Reading Rainbow" embroidery.  That was the icing on the cake for me.  Perfection.

My heart fluttered for all the little details.  Especially this little custom tag on the inside.

Like I said, Ali completely blew my expectations.  THANK YOU!  Never could I have imagined a more perfect little pouch.  Oh and if that wasn't enough, she also included a B&N gift card for the next month's book in a little quilty book club we are in together.  So sweet!

This was the third swap I have participated in and not only was it absolutely wonderful because of the pouch but because this was the first swap where I actually "knew" (because I religiously read her blog and the book club I mentioned) my partner.  There is just something great about having something handmade by someone you have a connection to.

My swap package hit the post office this morning and should get to my partner by Monday, so stay tuned to see that pretty {little} pouch.

Also I had mentioned starting Flashback Fridays this week, but have decided to hold off until Bloggers' Quilt Festival at Amy's Creative Side is complete.

Have a great weekend!

xo, Megan

an extra hour.

While I had grand ideas to get a WiP post together for yesterday's WiP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced, it just didn't happen.  I swear there is just not enough time in the day to get everything done somedays.  Any one else up for a 25 hour day?  Think of all that extra quilting an hour could bring!

Rather than bore you with the detailed list (that can wait until next week) of all the projects, I will just share a couple.

There are only a few weeks left in the Pretty {little} Pouch swap, so I am hoping to finish mine up this weekend and send it on it's way.  Originally I was a little intimidated by my partner assignment, but have decided to just go with it.  I was immediately drawn to her solids and gray tastes that seemed to pop up all over her inspiration mosaic.  

So with these rainbow solids and gray plus a little quilting/hand stitched detail, and I think it will be just right for her.  I am planning on using the same basic shape as this pouch I made a few weeks back.  Which by the way, I use all the time now, they are just so handy.  I have ditched the purse for the pouch--at least for the time being.

I also have decided on a quilt pattern for the BF's quilt.  He chose these great gray and green prints from Ty Pennington's line Impressions a few weeks ago and has been begging for a quilt ever since.  When I came across the Mod Times QAL (I think I have an addiction to QALs) from Twin Fibers, I instantly fell in love with the pattern.  Simple, geometric.  Perfection.  I will be using Kona Coal and Snow (still need to get to the store and pick some up) along with those Ty Pennington fabrics.  

The finished quilt size is pretty small (30ish" x 40ish" I think), especially if he is going to want to cover up with it (hehe) so I am planning on making it bigger.  I am a little stuck though.  Do I add more rows onto the top and side?  Or do I just enlarge all the pieces (same overall design, just on a larger scale)?  Any suggestions my quilty friends?

Also, I was going through all my quilts I have ever made the other day.  And I got to thinking (which is sometimes dangerous).  Since I started quilting a good 10 years before I started blogging and there are some quite a few quilts stacked up who deserve their little time to shine.  How does a Flashback Friday of sorts sound?  Would anyone be interested in a linking up some of your pre-blogging quilts?  Now I am not thinking a weekly or even bi-weekly thing, just maybe a few times over the next few months.  Tell me your thoughts.

Which brings me to my next thing.  If you haven't already, go check out this post from Lee.  Go on, I will wait.  As I repeatedly say, you all are seriously the best. It is your comments/e-mails/inspiration that keeps me blogging.  Words cannot express how much I appreciate each and everyone of you.  The online quilting community is seriously the best!

Phew.  How's that for a long post. :)  Have a great weekend everyone!

xo, Megan

MMM [sent]

Now that I have official confirmation my MMM goodies have arrived with my secret partner, I can't wait to share them with you all.  To be honest, it was a little difficult to hand these guys over the lady at the post office.
 

My partner,  Jenn (sixtwentyseventh on flickr), gave me a some wonderful ideas in her "likes/dislikes" for this swap.  The top two on her list were a pretty little pin cushion and a cover for her sewing machine, but she also added she liked birds and owls.  After making this pincushion a while back, I knew Jenn would love it.  If you remember, I also made this little hand embroidery of an owl (it's also in my blog header) right after our swap partners were assigned.  Then inspiration kind of fizzled, until the last minute that is.  So what else did I make for her?

 

Why a machine cover of course! :)

 

I just love how the Wonderland by Momo fabrics pop with that little owl and the Kona Coal.

 

For the quilting, I knew I wanted simple as to not take attention away from the Momo and embroidery so I went with straight-line quilting.  You can't go wrong with a little straight-line quilting, right?  

The rest of the package was rounded out with some Parisville by Tula Pink and some chocolate.  Oh, and in Jenn's dislike section she specifically mentioned she "wasn't a big fan of novelty prints...ie. Thomas the Tank."  When I read that, I was on the hunt for some Thomas fabric!  Thankfully she has the same sense of humor as I do and thought it was funny as well.  Except for the fact she mentioned she might be sending it back my way! :) No thanks Jenn, it is all yours!

That rounds out my MMM package.  Like I said, I have received my awesome package as well...just waiting on this crazy Iowa weather to shape up so I can get outside and take some pictures.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xo, Megan

life in the fast lane [powered by RedBull]

busy schedule at work. 

check.

squeezing sewing time into every free moment. 

check and check.

I don't know about you all, but this past week has just flown by.  Despite long hours at work, my sewing mojo is at an all time high.  All thanks to the great folks at RedBull (yes, yes. i realize how "bad" energy drinks are for me--the BF reminds me daily. but sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do).  It was only a few posts back I was worried about how sewing/blogging would be affected by my return back to work--but so far so good.  I have learned when you only have a limited amount of time for fun things like sewing, you make every second count.

At the start of my productive week is that camera strap cover I shared earlier.  It is amazing how much fun taking pictures is when you are in style (as if I didn't enjoy taking pictures before that).  Oh, and I am pretty sure I need to add more Tula Pink Parisville to my stash ASAP.

Then it was onto finishing up my MMM swap goodies for my partner.  I had kind of waited (glorified way of saying procrastinated) until almost the last minute to get started on an overall design for my "big ticket" item because I was lacking a little inspiration.  But when said inspiration struck...in the shower of all places...there was no turning back.

I officially wrapped and sent things this afternoon (there's nothing like waiting until the deadline) and can't wait for my partner to get them so I can share it with you all. 

Once those swap goodies were complete, I decided to get a jump start on my Pretty {little} Pouch Swap package.  We received our partners last week, and I am very excited to make something for my secret partner.  I have already pulled fabric and started sketching a design and am hoping to finish a bit more of it tonight.

Which reminds me, tonight is April's FNSI--I will most certainly be working on that little pouch.  Just as soon as I get off the laptop.

Oh, oh.  And to end a great week, I received my MMM swap package today.  I actually got a text message, while at work, letting me know I had gotten a package with "MMM" on it.  

Do you know how hard it is to keep working is when you know there is something so great waiting at home?  Let me just tell you, VERY HARD. :)  Here is just a little peek for now.  I am hoping to get pictures taken of it all tomorrow.

No, no.  That fortune is not from her.  It was from my lunch today (mmm, chinese takeout).  I think it was a sign.  Roses=KJR flowers.  Right?

Alright, I think that is enough sewing update for now.  I'm off to enjoy the night in sweat pants, virtually sewing along with all of you tonight.

Have a great night.

xo, Megan

pretty {little} pouch swap.

Have you heard about the 

Pretty {little} Pouch Swap?
 

It's an awesome new swap started by Michelle from i like orange, too!

and Kelly from kelbysews.

ps...sign ups are open until April 8th.

go check it out.
 

So after officially signing up for the swap this weekend,

I had pouches on my mind.

The solution?  Make one of my own of course.

 

This little guy measures 5" x 8".

 

The front features a herringbone design using some
Midwest Modern by Amy Butler accented with
Kona Med Gray.

 
And for the back I opted for a simpler patchwork pattern
using the same fabrics.

Oh, and here is my inspiration mosaic for my partner.
Yummy goodness.
 

 

1. pretty petal clutch - Explored, 2. Zipped hexie clutch, 3. rainbow zip pouch, 4. linen patchwork zipper pouches, 5. 8 line zip, 6. medium pouch berry stitches, 7. purple bird patchwork large pouch, 8. Ring of stitches, 9. patchwork linen clutch, 10. wonderland pleated clutch SOLD, 11. Hexie pouch, 12. patchwork linen zip pouch, 13. Innocent Crush Notebook Cover, 14. patchwork linen clutch, 15. swap - tiny circle flying geese, 16. AMH zippy pouches

 
I didn't realize until later that I included one picture twice. :)
Must mean I really like that pouch, huh?

Linking up to Fabric Tuesday this week.
Go check it out for even more fabric inspiration.
 
xo, Megan