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.

Passementerie Pincushion

I whipped up this cute pin cushion today after I finished the hot pockets (the potholders in the post below, not the frozen pizza concoctions). 

This pattern, featured in the spring 2010 issue of Stitch, is designed by Eva Hanusova.

The most time consuming part of this pattern is the decorative stitching on each trim.  The assembly is straight forward.  I backed mine with silk dupioni. 

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

Pretty Petals Clutch

This super cute and easy clutch pattern is designed by Rebeka Lambert.  You can find her blogging here.  The pattern made the cover of the spring 2010 issue of Stitch. 

When I first got the magazine, I stitched up a clutch for myself, complete with buttons on the flap. 

This year for the holidays, I worked up six clutches for each lady on my list.  They were a big success!  Instead of buttons on the flap, I added a faux leather piece, which I accented with variegated thread stitching. 

I used some beautiful linen fabric in bright saturated colors.  You might recognize the linen from this post. 

The clutches worked up really quick, and were fun to make.  I added fleece interfacing because I wanted the purses to have a little more structure. 

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.