Organization in My Sewing Room!

My sewing room can get in a mess, for sure, but thanks to a good friend things are looking a lot better around here!  Through my quilt shop, I have met some of the most talented people and made some very sweet, creative friends. Meet a very special one today, Mr. Paul Johnson. His wife, Ann, is a prolific quilter/sewer, giving away most of the things she makes to charities and family. I can't say enough about how thoughtful and kind and generous they are.

Placing Paul's ladder (which isn't technically a ladder, but a quilt display rack) right next to my machine keeps strips in perfect order and ready for sewing.

Paul happens to love woodworking...and he's very good at it. His finished projects are as smooth as melted butter, and the woodgrain is fine and pure. He loves wood like I love fabric.

For my birthday, Paul and Ann (Ann's part was allowing it to come to my sewing room and not hers!) gifted me with a beautiful 'ladder' for displaying quilts. It lives in my sewing room, and when I'm working on a project that requires sewing lots of strips together I remove the quilts and hang my strips on the rungs! Placing the ladder right beside me at my sewing machine is like having a sewing butler at my side, holding the strips neatly in order for me!

Then...just look at this thread cabinet (below, left)! It organizes my embroidery thread cones and keeps them free of dust! The other cabinet holds containers of buttons and other necessities, all handy and harmonized. Notice the yardstick trim and wooden spool knobs on the doors? Perhaps one of my very favorite things is the embroidery hoop organizer placed between the two cabinets. Where else does one keep all those hoops? Oh, and don't overlook the ruler rack on the left wall. Thank you, Paul and Ann!

In addition to the things I've shared today, Paul makes wooden chests with clear sides and tops for storing quilts, custom plastic rotary cutting templates (any shape!), customized wooden quilt hangers, and thread stands for using large cones at your sewing machine. If you're in need of something beautiful to help you organize, just let me know and I'll put you in touch with the Handicrafter!

Thanks for visiting! Happy sewing and God bless! Maxie

Using the Silhouette Cameo Cutter to Repurpose Art!

So...we have been remodeling our home and I've been enjoying some DIY projects here and there. This one came from a gift from my husband. A little back story first...

We took almost 2 years to complete our little space, and the bedroom was practically the last thing on the list. We ran out of hardwood, so I had to settle for carpet. I researched my options and, for several reasons, landed on an organic wool from a wonderful company in Dalton, Ga.,  Earth Weave. They list on their website the many benefits from wool...did you know that it actually purifies the air? It was a splurge, but after all, my room was small. We planned the budget and decided to go for it! Installation day came, and it was as lovely and soft as I had hoped it would be. But it smelled of, well, sheep! Ok, a barn full of sheep. Wet sheep.

I figured the smell would dissipate, and it eventually did. But not until my husband had plenty of opportunities to tease me. One day he smuggled in a very old, framed canvas photo of sheep in a pasture and hung it in the room. He thought it was very funny, but I actually loved the picture so much that I decided to preserve it and make it mine by adding a sweet verse!

The scripture verse is not painted on the picture, but is vinyl that I cut with my Silhouette Cameo machine. The font was created by my daughter, Bonnie Christine, in her own handwriting! The Silhouette Design Studio software is so easy to use that it made the whole process fast and easy!

I love that this font is Bonnie's handwriting. One day we were playing around with an IPad app that creates fonts from handwriting. She just whipped out A-Z and I saved it to my computer. Since the Silhouette automatically imports all the fonts on my computer into the Design Software, Bonnie's Handwriting was right there, ready to use!

I cut the words apart so that I would be able to place them exactly as I wanted them on the picture.

When transferring a vinyl decal, the first step is to place a piece of vinyl transfer paper over the top of the design. The red grid lines make it easy to keep things nice and straight. (First photo.) Simply peel it off it's backing, place it over the vinyl lettering and rub to transfer the letters to the grid transfer sheet. (Middle photo.) Peel up the transfer sheet and it's ready to set in place. (Third photo.)

Place the transfer sheet in position and rub to transfer the lettering to the surface. It's as easy as that! And did you know that Bonnie also designs files for Silhouette? Check them out here! They coordinate with her fabric lines, but can be used for anything you can dream up! I have another DIY project in my head using one of her designs, so I'll be sure to share that with you soon!

And after it's all said and done, I love my wool carpet!

Thanks for visiting! Happy sewing (or cutting) and God bless! Maxie

Succulence Fabrics Look Book!

I've been anticipating the release of Art Gallery Fabric's Look Book for Bonnie Christine's newest fabric line, Succulence! My wait is over! The free online book is ready for your viewing pleasure! Inside you'll find lots of inspiration for beautiful quilting projects, bags, clothing and home decor. I love the colors Bonnie chose...rich burgundy, emerald green and warm golds. Take a peek and don't stop until you reach the end, where you'll see the tumbling block quilt Bonnie and I designed as a free download for Art Gallery. Click on any of the photos below to view the book, which has live links that will take you to the sources for most of the projects. And if you live in my neck of the woods, stop by my quilt shop for a trunk show with many of the actual projects from the book!

Click the picture to view the Look Book

As you probably know, Bonnie Christine is my daughter! You might enjoy her blog, going home to roost, filled with lifestyle inspiration, tutorials, free fun stuff and more. You can also read a little about her in the Look Book. (Yes, she's as sweet as she seems!)

Click the picture to view the Look Book

Here's a little peek at that tumbling block quilt, Terrarium, that Bonnie and I designed for her fabrics. In the Look Book, you'll find a link to the free pattern. You can find the fabrics here, with free shipping!

Click the picture to view the Look Book

I hope you enjoy the book and are inspired to create something beautiful today! Thanks for visiting! Happy sewing and God bless. Maxie

Quilt Inspiration

We can find inspiration for quilts in the most unexpected places. Like the entrance foyer to Mimi's Cafe Restaurant. I snapped this picture as we stood waiting for our table, and pondered the possibilities throughout our dinner.

It's in the very preliminary stages...but I took the image to my Electric Quilt software and in just a few minutes I had this drawing. It needs a bit of work, granted, but I thought I'd share how our inspiration comes when we least expect it. Maybe it's just a beautiful color palate from a photo that you love, or an architectural structure that has great geometric lines.

Because Electric Quilt offers Bonnie's fabrics as a download, I was able to choose them for this color variation. (You can also import your own fabrics from the web or by scanning fabrics from your own stash!) Where do you find inspiration?

Thanks for visiting. Happy sewing and God bless. Maxie

(No-Sew!) Italian Crepe Paper Peonies

Bonnie, my daughter is expecting her second child in about 9 days. This one is a girl, and when her sister, Becky, gathered a few friends and family together for little 'girl' shower, Bonnie asked if we could all make Crepe Paper Flowers for the nursery. Every now and then we like a little 'no sew' project, so I set out to see what I might do. Bonnie had discovered Italian Crepe Paper and a great diy tutorial and video for paper Peonies by blogger, Lia Griffith. Lia is a designer, maker and handcrafted lifestyle expert who began blogging to share her unique paper flower designs. You'll enjoy her videos with her easy, professional teaching style. Here are the peonies we made at the shower for Bonnie!

The Italian Crepe paper is unlike any other crepe paper I've ever seen. The deep folds in the paper allow it to be formed and stretched into just about any shape very easily.

Aren't they lovely? Supplies are simple:

• Italian Crepe Paper
• Glue Gun (I like low temp)
• Floral Tape and plain 18 GA wire

They are so easy to make with Lia's video! She has lots of tutorials and videos for other flowers on her website. I'm off to try the rose and the gardenia...

Thanks for visiting! Happy Sewing (and Paper Crafting)! God bless, Maxie