Pin it to win it!

There are a lot of places where you can purchase fabric. One of my favorite online stores is Fresh Squeezed Fabrics. They have awesome fabric, at a reasonable price, and their customer service is excellent. Anyway, they are doing this awesome promotion with Pinterest. If you pin a bundle an get it repined 15 times then you get it for free!

So perhaps you can do me a favor?

Repin this awesome bundle of bella fabrics:

Free fabric + playing on Pinterest = awesome

Edit to Add: Please do not repin my bundle anymore. The contest is over. Thanks =)

the 100 day hustle

Did you know that there are less than 100 days 'til the end of the year?! Yikes! Christmas will be here before we know it (I am rather obsessed with Christmas)

Time flies when you're having fun.

Anyway, I have a sewing to-do list that's a mile long and my lovely friend Kelsey over at Kelsey Sews has decided to start a support group of sorts to help inspire us to cross items off our sewing to do lists...it even come with prizes (what better motivation than free stuff, am I right?)

Without further ado, here's my list

Projects I *need* to finish:

Mosaic Quilt (this is a gift) - still need to: quilt/bind
Scallop Baby Quilt (this is a gift) - have fabric!
DGS Star Quilt (charity quilt) - need to finish piecing top then quilt/bind
Shades of Gray (charity quilt) - quilt/bind
Rainbow Row Quilt (charity quilt) - need to finish piecing top then quilt/bind
Granny Square Quilt (charity quilt) - still need to finish blocks!!
3x6 Bee Blocks Q3
Bee Blocks for all the bees I am part of

Projects I *want* to finish:

Weekender Bag (I want to take this on my upcoming Utah trip in a few weeks)
Seeing Stars Quilt (Sew Bee Blissful) top pieced/quilt/bind
Wedding Quilt - I've been married over 5 yrs. I just need to quilt/bind it
Kitchen Rug - I have the fabric
Rainbow postage stamp - fabric is cut!
Swoon
Organize my sewing room
Dessert of the month cross stitch - I'm all caught up so far

Other ideas *floating* around my head:

Make a skirt
Make a design wall
Camping Blanket
Noodlehead Clutch


So what's on your to-do list at the moment?

Sewing Desk: A Transformation

Awhile back, my dashing husband found this gem of a sewing desk for 10 bucks at a local garage sale and said he'd help me (and by help he really meant he'd do all the work) refurbish it.

My favorite part of the desk - well besides the built in place for my sewing machine is hands down the drawers. I love the vintage ads that line them.

Due to my husband's rather...hectic...schedule, this antique sewing desk sat in my living room for quite awhile before "we" started work on it. It was a slow going project that included a lot of sanding.

My favorite part, of course was choosing the color and painting. I decided on a light gray stain that ended up drying as a bit of a blueish gray with touches of gold.

Now it is all finished and I've loved sewing on it - it adds a lot of character to my sewing space and I am a big fan of the built in space for my sewing machine.

This weekend via Instagram

This weekend included lots of driving, photography, relaxation, and bonding with nature at one of our favorite National Parks. Here are a few of my favorite instagram photos from this weekend:

Do you instagram? I'd love to follow you! Leave me a comment with your username or you can follow me @purplepandaquilts

Just Read! Kindle Case Tutorial

Hey gang, here is a super easy tutorial for a stylish carrying case for you Kindle. Even though the directions might seem complicated, I started and completed this project in under an hour.

Note: My case is for the 6” Kindle. 

Materials:

1 7”zipper  (I used a bigger one and cut it down to size)

1 decorative strip of fabric 1.5” x 9” (or a bunch of scraps that are at least 1.5" wide)

2 pieces of fusible fleece 7” x 9”

2 pieces of lining fabric 7” x 9”

1 4.5” x 9” piece of fabric for front

1 2.5” x 9 piece of fabric for front

1 7” x 9” piece of fabric for back

1 2.5” x 7” piece of fabric for loop

Embroidery floss, needle & embroidery hoop

Instructions:

1. Cut and iron all pieces for your project.

2. If using scraps for the decorative fabric & loop, sew the scraps into 2 strips, one 2.5” x 7” for the loop and one 1.5” x 9” for the front. 

3. Piece together the front of the case by sewing the decorative strip of fabric to the two other front fabric pieces. Trim to 7" x 9". 

4. Time to embroider. Measure approximately one inch to the right of the decorative strip and 4 inches from the bottom. Lightly write, with pencil, the saying “just read.” I found it helpful to use a ruler to make sure it was straight.

5. Using 2 strands of embroidery floss, back stitch over your pencil marks. Be sure to knot your thread on the back when finishing to avoid it coming loose in the future.

6. Fuse the front piece to a piece of fusible fleece, right side up. Repeat with the back.

7. Make the Loop. With right side of fabric facing down, iron and fold the top and bottom of strip in a quarter of an inch. I found it helpful to use starch during this step.

8. Next, fold it in half and iron again. This will ensure that there are no raw edges on the loop. (The ends are okay because they will be sewn into the bag)

9. Topstitch down each side of the fabric, creating a flat strap.

10. Take the zipper and make several stitches very close together across the closed zipper teeth at 7” from the top end of the zipper tape. To do this set your machine at the widest zigzag stitch it has and a length of. 01mm. Turn the hand wheel one full rotation to make sure the needle will clear the zipper teeth. Repeat multiple times. This will create a new stop for the zipper, allowing you to cut off the excess.

11. Lay the front fabric right side up and place the zipper, face down, on top of it, lining up the edges. Next lay a piece of lining on top of the zipper, right side down. Essentially you are creating a sandwich with the zipper in the middle.

12. Pin and stitch together close to the teeth. I highly recommend using a zipper foot. Turn the 2 fabric pieces so that they are wrong sides together. Press both edges away from the zipper.

13. Lay the backing piece right side up, next place the piece you just sewed with the zipper on top (thus the 2 outside pieces will be right sides together, with the first lining on top).  Line up the edge of the zipper. Now place the second piece of lining on top, right side up.

15. Pin and stitch together close to the teeth. Again, I recommend using a zipper foot. Open the zipper at least halfway so you can turn it later.

16. Next, we are going to stitch the sides. Insert the loop by sandwiching it between the 2 outside fabric pieces and place it at a downward angle. Pin in place. Now you are going to stitch along the sides and the bottom, with a quarter inch seam. Important Note: Don’t stitch the lining that will be in the next step.

17. Sew the lining. Be sure to unzip the entire zipper!! Stitch along the sides and bottom of the lining, leaving a hole in the bottom of the lining for turning. Turn the lining right side out. Fold the bottom unsewn part under a quarter inch and stitch along the folded edge.

18. Voila! You have an awesome fully lined carrying case for your Kindle!

This post is part of the Remember September Project at Hopeful Threads & Sew BitterSweet Designs. 

September 2012 Remember Service Men and Women Project

With yesterday being the sad anniversary of 9/11, I decided today was a good day to tell about an awesome service opportunity out there for all my sewing friends.

One of my friends, Melissa who blogs over at Sew BitterSweet Designs, has teamed up with Hopeful Threads to launch a charity drive for the American Troops. Their goal is to get 100 e-readers and pillowcases to be sent to the men and women who are currently serving our country abroad.

If you are already a reader of Melissa's blog than you know that her husband is currently deployed in Afghanistan. I can't even imagine what it must be like for her husband to be away from his family for so long and for Melissa and their daughter to have him gone. So many people sacrifice so we can live our lives every day. Let's all take a moment to give back to those who work hard to defend our freedoms everyday. You can read more about what this project means to Melissa here.

I know that the quilting/sewing community is comprised of some of the most generous people on the planet. Together we can not only meet Melissa's goal, but exceed it. Please consider participating in this project - it will only take a bit of your time. You can head on over to Hopeful Threads for more info  - there are tons of tutorials and giveaways from your favorite shops and fabric designers. There also is a flickr group you can join to show your creations and be entered to win prizes. 

See ya tomorrow for a super easy (and cute) kindle case tutorial!

Fabric Lust

Ever since I heard that V&Co had a fabric line coming out, I knew I wanted it. It isn't available widely in shops yet - it comes out next month - but a lucky few have got some samples from Quilt Market and I think that it is just as fun in person and the pictures I've seen.

So spill it, what line of fabric are you currently lusting over?

Mini Quilt

Recently I participated in a mini quilt swap with the members of my do.good.stitches circle. I made this lovely sewing machine mini for Kelly. She is such a fun person who is extremely creative - check out her blog to be prepared to be creative!

Anyway, Kelly requested a super small quilt to put in her sewing room, which is decorated with bright greens and blues. 

So I made her a mini sewing machine quilt. It was my first time paper piecing such an intricate pattern. I found it available for free here - it was relatively simple to follow and when I did get confused, I just sent her an email and Charise answered my question right away. She was so helpful! Anyway, here's my quilt. I love the fabric I used on the back - the crosshatch aqua is one of my favorite staples for my stash.