Perfectly Perched Top + Holiday Llama Quilt WIP

I hope everyone's week is off to a great start. I wanted to share a top that I finished that uses one of my Perfectly Perched fabrics. Was hoping to find an easy pattern that would work well with the design. So based on a tip from a post a while ago from Ashley at Film in the Fridge that I had bookmarked, I used the Simplicity 3835 pattern (with a few adjustments). I ended up with 3/4 length sleeves without elastic on the sleeve and left off the ties. It was a pretty easy pattern to follow and I'm quite pleased with the outcome. I think I only had to use my seam ripper once (which is pretty miraculous for me!).

And here's the top. I should have ironed it after wearing/before grabbing a picture of it! Funny story. Was with my friend K recently and was wearing the shirt.

Me: "Look at what I made. Pretty cute, huh?"

K: "Definitely. Its very maternity."

Me: Pause. Ummm. "Huh?"

K: "You know, maternity. What with all the birds and the nests."

Me: More pausing and thinking: I spent a long time making sure it was a relatively fitted top so that it wasn't too poofy...What is he talking about? Do I look pregnant in this shirt. Not the look I was after... "Oh... You mean the design is MATERNAL. Mama birds caring for baby birds!"

Boys. :) 

And how much fun did I have working on my Holiday Llama quilt this past weekend? Worked in some lovely Kona solids, some of my Modern Whimsy circles and a really pretty navy textured print from Jo-Ann's.

Quilting is now under way  and I'm hoping to get it finished within the coming week or two.
Loving the way the squares from the Holiday Boxes pillow panel are pairing up with the Holiday Llama prints. I just cut everything 5-7/8" square (to maximize the pillow panel prints) and it came together pretty quickly!

Holiday Llamas in the store

I love Saturdays. The weather here in Austin is a bit overcast this morning and its the perfect kind of day to get a little sewing in. So I was up early to get started on a new quilt with my Holiday Llama fabric. As soon as I have something to share I'll get it posted. I took one of my new Holiday Boxes Llook Llamas pillow panels and am using them as individual blocks. As I'm working with them, I also think I may grab another pillow panel and and make some holiday ornaments or bunting of some sort as well. We'll see what I end up with. Sew much fun :)

And last night I was able to get the store updated with the complete Holiday Llama collection. Let the Llama Llove continue. Llama love holiday style!! 

Dexter helped with my photoshoot. What a sweetie he is. When he's sleeping of course :)

My designs on canvas wall art at Oopsy daisy!!

You know how much I love surprises. And you know how hard it is for me to keep secrets. So I've simply been busting a gut waiting to share my super-duper exciting news. I have recently started working with Oopsy daisy! They are a really amazingly fun and innovative company who makes the coolest canvas wall decor and decals and other wonderful goodies for the modern kiddo (or the modern grown up with a childlike spirit!)

I have 4 designs available on their website that celebrate my love of travel to a few of my favorite and most iconic places in the whole wide world. London, New York, Paris and Rome. The London panel, of course, features the colors and a few of the motifs from my Next Stop London fabric collection for Robert Kaufman! Go take a peek at all 4 pieces!

Look! It's me!! I find myself on Oopsy daisy with some truly amazing and uber creative artists so I hope you'll take some time to peruse their site and discover something new and wonderful!!

Llama Llove...Holiday style!

I simply could not wait to show you a sneak peek of the new Holiday Llamas! I'm still processing photos and getting my Etsy store listings ready so it will be a few days until everything is available for sale, but I just couldn't wait any more. After I sewed up one of the panels into a pillow cover with pom poms, I was just too excited and had to get this quick post up to share the llama llove.

For the Holiday Llamas collection, I designed two different pillow panels (here's one of them) and then there are 3 fabrics which are similar to the current Llove Llamas yardage but have a holiday flair. Think sweaters, scarves, anklets made of holly. And of course flapdoodle hats and a few glasses. :) I'm shooting to get everything posted and up for sale before the end of the weekend. Its Christmas in July around here!!

Giveaway winners

Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments about Brr! As always, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about all the fun projects you've dreamed up. As the line starts to make its way onto your sewing tables, I would love to see what you make. Remember to post your pics here in my Flickr group so we can all oohh and ahhh over them!! And now, for the giveaway goodies! Via random number generator, the 2 winners of the Brr! FQ sets are:



# 57
Blue Crab Quilting who said I'd love to make some new Christmas stockings from the red and green colorway....

# 95
Jessica of Quilty Habit who said  I would love to make a nice big quilt for the family couch, to put out for the winter - and some stockings, too! :) Thanks for the chance - I love this line!

I was able to spend a bit of time today sewing, which was really wonderful. I'm working on a little girl's dress for a friend of mine from my new Olive the Ostrich line. The ruffles for the dress are giving me fits though so I've ordered a gathering foot for my machine. Can't wait for it to come this week so I can finish off the dress and the little bloomers. Every time I pulled the bottom threads to gather the stitches for the ruffle, the thread kept breaking. Any advice? The piece of fabric is 42" long so by the time I got the gather started, it would just break waaaay before I made it through the length of fabric. Any advice? Other than my current plan which was to abandon ship and wait for my gathering foot which is probably the least frustrating path. :)

So, since I had cleared some time for sewing today and had to step away from my original project, I started on a new quilt that I've been itching to try. Its the modern crosses pattern and I'm having such fun working through my stash.

I know the quilt will probably take me forever to make since I don't get to sew very frequently these days, but it's a super fun block and really easy to put together. I've been eyeing the quilt since I got a copy of the Modern Log Cabin Quilts book by Susan Beal so I was tickled to get started.  

This little stack of lovelies has been in process for a while and I was able to get 6 blocks done today. Loads more to make!

And Fiona was a big help during today's sewing session of course. How funny to catch a shot of her mid-lick!! :)