more acquisition

Well, I can’t say I’ve made anything recently…
but I have acquired some more fabric!

andalucia by patty young for michael miller

more andalucia by patty young for michael miller

riley blake medium gingham

riley blake small and large gingham

fresh flowers fat quarter and moda’s noteworthy charm pack

I have no leg to stand on.  I don’t need this fabric.  I can’t afford this fabric.  There is no room in my stash for this fabric.

And yet, here it is, in my house.  And I love it!

It is almost all fat quarters though…. just the jester in tangerine and turquoise, and the flora in tangerine are yards.  And then there’s the noteworthy that’s a charm pack.  The rest are all fat quarters.  And all of the fabric except the ginghams were on sale…

Excuses, excuses.  I’m preaching to the choir here, aren’t I?  Can I hear a “Hallelujah”?  How about an “Amen”?

 

patty young

I have long been in love with Patty Young’s Jester fabric from the Andalucia collection for Michael Miller.  I bought yardage of the red, the green and the pink several years back. I even wrote four posts about it: one, two, three and four.

So imagine my surprise when I found out that she released new colours last year – colours that are now harder to find anywhere because they are out of print.

I managed to find a yard of the brown on sale and broke my “no new fabrics to the stash” rule for it.  So far no luck on the turquoise, aqua or orange.  The couple of places who do have them advertised want a fortune to ship to Canada.  Especially now US postal rates have risen.  So those three go on my “covet” list.

While I was perusing Patty Young’s website, I came across this fabulous tutorial on patchwork pillow cover she posted last January.  The white panes really make the colours pop.  I think I have to make something like this!

 

pillowcase

I have been promising my friend Bridget a large pillow and pillowcase for years now.  I made her two small couch pillows a couple of years ago and she requested a larger pillow to match them.  A friend had given me a large used pillow, so it seemed like an easy project to promise her I’d get around to.

I finally got down to actually making the pillowcase while I was sick at home last week.  I haven’t yet done the hand-stitching, but I have until next Friday to get that done.  Why Friday?  Because its Bridget’s 40th birthday.  Perfect time to get her that pillow I’ve been promising her!

I had a bit of the flannel fabric I used to make the two small pillows with, so I used that as a starting point for the larger pillowcase.  Using all turquoise and dark brown cotton fabric, I made up an interesting patchwork design and sewed it up.

The result:

patchwork pillowcase

I think all of the fabrics are by Robert Kaufman and Michael Miller.

 

beads

I bought more beads online.  I couldn’t resist!
They are the same type of stone as the cross and skull ones I bought several months ago, so at least I can legitimize their purchase by claiming they work with others that I already have!

I bought small round beads, flat skulls and stars.

I really like the angle in this photo.  Maybe there is hope yet for me and the new camera!

 

 

fabric stash

Well, now I’ve gone and done it!  I have added even more fabric to my already over-stuffed cupboard.  My fabric stash has yet again grown exponentially.

I had better get those sewing machines tuned up and get on making new projects to use up some of the fabric.  I have a show coming up on April 24th, so I definitely need more product.  Now I just have to make time and equipment line up properly with inspiration!

So, what did I buy?

From the Alexander Henry Folklorico line I got a yard each of the pink and turquoise mini calaveras…

pink skulls

turquoise skulls

and 2 yards each of orange and black of the azucar, or sugar skulls…

black azucar

orange azucar

and of the Freespirit los sanctos line, I bought a yard of the turquoise Virgin of Guadalupe…

los sanctos

and finally, from Robert Kaufman’s Forget Me Not II line, I bought a yard in each of the spring, crimson and chocolate colourways…

crimson

chocolate

spring

Sigh, I can’t wait until it all arrives and I can fondle and oogle it.  But I also know I have to do some rearranging before it arrives or there will be nowhere for it to go!

 

pillowy softness

Two more previously completed projects.  This time its two summery pillows.

cherries

I’m trying out some new approaches to photographing pillows in the hopes that I’ll figure out something etsy-worthy.   This is my attempt at showing pillows in situ.

red cherries

This particular pillow is 14″ x 10″ and features Alexander Henry cotton cherries in red and turquoise.  Yep that’s right, its one pillow with two different coloured sides.

blue side red side

This pillow is 13″ x 13″ and made out of blue cotton Alexander Henry flip flops – bringing a little of the beach inside.

flippy floppies

I think the photos are still not the best quality ever, but I think they convey the idea and give the pillows some scale versus just cropped photos of them alone.  I think they’ll do for now.  Which leaves just writing up descriptions and finalizing postage decisions before I am ready to open my etsy shop.  I figure if I get it all up-loaded the last week in February I’ll be positioned to ship any instant purchases within a week, which is acceptable, and also have the shop up and running at the earliest date possible.

pin up girls

And here are those Alexander Henry pin-up girls again, looking better than a body has a right to!

 

more coveting

I should stay off ebay.  No good can come of me surfing for fabric. 

I went on there to look for a coordinating print to lengthen some pillow slips I made for a friend, and came away with more fabric than my stash can handle, plus a renewed case of the covets.

lantern pods by michael miller

There’s just something about this Michael Miller print that is calling my name.  I love the colours, the way it looks like a textured painting and who doesn’t love those wacky lantern pods?  In fact, if it was a painting I would happily hang it in my living room.  I simply must have some of this fabric!

It also comes in a green and purple colourway, which is nowhere near as fascinating to me, but I bet would look great juxtaposed next to the turquoise and orange.

lantern pods in green and purple

The rest of the prints in designer Laura Gunn’s line are interesting and all have that same textured painting quality.  The rest don’t call out to me as loudly, but I truly appreciate this line of cotton fabric.  If someone gave them to me, I’d be a very happy camper, but I can’t say that I’ll be parting with cash right now to pick them up.  Well, maybe for the bird cage one…

orange vases

bird cages

I would love to hang paintings of the lantern pods and bird cages in my home.  Must google this Laura Gunn and see if there are paintings to be had, you know, while I’m in such a covetous mood!