Zakka Cat

Zakka Cat;
linen and homespun

I made this cute kitty pillow for my mom for xmas.  It is sleeping comfortably on her bed right now!

The pattern is the design of Eva Hanusova, and is featured in the Fall 2009 issue of Stitch.

Facets Quilt

This quilt pattern is from the Fall 2010 issue of Stitch, and is the design of Blair Stocker.  You can find her lovely blog here. 

My quilt is made mostly of old blue jeans, but I didn't have enough pairs of dark wash jeans so I supplemented with some home decor fabric.  I like the results!   

The denim was of course very thick, and I had to sew really slowly.  After lots of rifling through my notions I could only find one heavy duty needle, so I kept removing it and sharpening it in my pin cushion.  It worked well and I was able to use the same needle through out the whole project, though I kept expecting it to break.

It's backed in a light weight navy gabardine (I think) that I had on hand, and bound in the home decor fabric.

I've never tied a quilt before, and it was more time consuming than I thought it would be (not to mention hard on the finger tips).

But, after a lot of hard work, I love my facets quilt!  It's just the right size and weight for a good snuggle. :)

Stepping Stones Pot Holder

This cute trivet is featured in the Spring 2010 issue of Stitch and is designed by Kevin Kosbab.  You can find him online here.  Mr. Kosbab is a very talented man; I think his designs have been featured in every issue of Stitch! 
I worked up his 'plaid curves table runner' a few weeks ago and love the results.

My trivet is worked in wool rather than wool felt (I didn't have any wool felt on hand, but have a large supply of wool blazers and coats).  Since I used a plaid wool instead of wool felt for the main body, it left a slightly raveled edge that I didn't like, so I encased it with some linen bias binding. 

Bejeweled Pillow

This pattern, featured in the Spring 2010 issue of Stitch magazine, it is simple to execute and visually it pops!  The design is by Blair Stocker; you should check out her awesome blog here.

I didn't have any swarovski crystals, so unfortunately my pillow is not bejeweled.  I just used a graphic cotton print for the circle and let it speak for itself.

My Mom had given me about 4 yards of this bubblegum pink corduroy- what a great fit for the main body!  I layered some cotton batting and quilted some uneven circles. Simple envelope closer back. 

I wish I had 5 or 6 of these in different colors lining my couch!  Or maybe use the same pink corduroy for the main and change up the cotton prints..

Little Peep Magnets

This fun pattern is designed by Stephanie Smith.  It is featured in the Stitch Spring 2012 issue.

I have a huge collection of magnets.  When I saw these cute birdies, I couldn't resist stitching up a half dozen of them!  I'm definitely keeping one or two, but maybe I'll part with a few..

They came together very easily.  I used thicker home decor fabric for the bodies, and wool taken from blazers and other second hand garments for the wings.  Rare earth magnets make these strong enough to hold a grocery list, even with the weight of the bird.

'Plaid' curves table runner

The front!

The back!

This turned out very nicely.  The plaid fabric used in the original design was a bit too masculine for me, so I went the opposite way: very pink! 

The design is from the very talented Kevin Kosbab, who can be found blogging here.  He has contributed many times to Stitch magazine, and I always like his designs.

Only one pitfall, but it was a doozy.. the templates were printed slightly wrong!  After carefully cutting out all the pieces for the fans and sewing them together, I realized the curves were not correct!  I had to take all the pieces back apart, re-cut them, and reassemble them!  I should have know better. 

The good news is, of all the hundreds of pattern templates printed in Stitch, this is the only one that has ever been printed incorrectly.  If you want to make this runner for yourself, the revised templates can be found on Stitch blog.

Hot Pocket

I love this hot pocket pattern!  It is the design of Penny Layman, and you can find her blogging here.  It is featured in the spring 2012 issue of Stitch magazine.

When I saw this pattern, I knew I wanted one for myself (my potholders are in a sad state), and one for my grandmother (who is probably my biggest cooking inspiration).  She can (and has) thrown a party for a hundred, at her house, and made it look easy!

So, this pattern was pretty straight forward, though a little time consuming.  As long as you follow the directions, it should come together without much trouble.  The funnest part was, of course, picking out the patchwork fabric!

Here is mine- I love the binding!

The backer and the binding work well together, I think

Inside is just as pretty as outside!

Here is my Grandmother's- her kitchen is done in shades of green

Sashiko Coaster Set

This coaster set is featured in the Spring 2012 issue of Stitch magazine, and is the design of Rachel Hauser.  You can find her blogging here. 

This is my first project featuring sashiko embroidery, and I quite enjoyed it!  I opted for a saturated color palette instead of a muted one, and used linen throughout.

These coasters are small in size, but embroidering each makes this more of a weekend project. 

Party Lanterns

These cute party lanterns are from Stitch spring 2012, and are designed by Stephanie Smith.

I caught up on a few online episodes of Craig Ferguson, and before I knew it they were ready to hang!  The lanterns hold their shape very nicely with just the interfacing, though some fiddling in necessary to get them pushed out just right.  I also added some hand stitching around the tops.

I have them hanging in my craft room; I like how they sway with the ceiling fan.