Flashing around with Charley Harper cardinals

 I was excited to find a Charley Harper print fabric and knew I had to make something special with it.  Charley Harper is one of my all time favorite graphic artists.  I love his minimal interpretation of wildlife.  I found his cardinal print which is very recognizable and pretty popular.  And double the love, I think cardinals are awesome with their flash of red soaring through the sky.  Every once in a while I will get cardinals visiting my bird feeder, but unfortunately they don't seem to stick around long. 

With this fabric I made an Aunties Little Poppins Bag.  This bag measures 12" tall by 13" wide.  The top has two bended stays that pops the top down.  I'm very happy with the final bag.  It is special and I can't wait to flash around with it.

I haven't had much experience in bag making until this past year, but I think I'm getting the hang of some awesome techniques. Summer has been a good time to tackle bags since I only sew a few hours a week.   With my confidence growing I have a couple other bags ready to be conquered.  

I've continued working on my UFO challenge quilts and have stayed on task each month.  Unfortunately, I have four quilts sitting on my longarm frame waiting to be quilted.  As the weather starts to cool down and the days get shorter I will spend less time outside and get caught.  I can't wait to share them on my blog.

This Wednesday will be the AuSable Quilt Guild meeting.  There are two more UFO challenge months left.  I've been clipping along at a good pace finishing the piecing of each quilt each month and will hopefully get the last two quilts pieced - they are more complex and larger than my last couple quilts. I've also stayed focused at busting through my stash.  

Its been a win, win summer.

Ready for the beach

Today was a rainy day.  Sort of a bummer - I love hot, sunny summer days.  But I didn't let the weather make me blue.  Instead I tackled one of my UFOs - a beach bag called the Hampton Tote in bright blue fabrics.

Last month  I posted a quilt called Out There.  I decided it would make a great throw at the beach.  With the leftover fabric from that quilt I now tackled a beach bag to carry my quilt and all the other goodies I take to the beach.

The pattern is free on the Windham Fabrics website.  Directions were easy to follow and not too complicated.  I enjoyed using some different techniques to construct this bag, such as working with fusible foam and inserting snaps.  I did quilt the outside of the bag before assembling to lining which was not part of the instructions.

Here is my tote with the matching quilt draped behind it.  The finished size is 15" high by 14 1/2" by 14 1/2".

The tote has snaps at the ends which make it more condensed - it squares up the bag.  Now that is a clever idea.  Also, a local quilt shop, O O O La La, is a great resource for not just quilting supplies but bag making supplies and ideas.  The owner, Nancy, is a true bag lady (meant in all the great ways).

Loaded with the coordinated beach throw quilt I'm ready for hot sunny days.

Hoping for sunshine tomorrow, but if the rain continues I'll tackle another UFO.  I have three finished quilt tops that need quilting.  So despite this beautiful summer weather I have managed to get some sewing time in.  Will be back soon with another post. 

A birthday with a bang

Happy Birthday America!  The 4th of July is a fun holiday - summer weather, family get-togethers, picnics, cookouts, swimming, and of course the day ends with the bang of fire crackers and fireworks.  Our weather today is reaching the 90s and the swimming pool is waiting.  It doesn't get too much better.

Now that I have grandchildren I'm more mindful of making holidays even more special.  With that in mind I realized that I didn't have much in 4th of July decorations.  So last minute I decided I would whip together a table runner.  I finished it this morning.  Perfect for my picnic table.

I just laid the runner out on my picnic table - my family will be here soon.  Ribs are in the oven slowly roasting.  Potato salad, beans, watermelon and an Oreo dessert will top off our celebration.  

Enjoy your holiday with family and friends.  Happy 4th of July!