Happy Halloween!

Good morning! It was a lovely few days here in PamKittyVille with lots of rain!   We had some pretty clouds and sunshine between storms and it was glorious.  I couldn't appreciate it more.  Doesn' \t the day seem cozy when it's gloomy? 

 

Since it's Halloween today, I thought I'd share the last of this trip to Joyce's with you.  She does some wonderful Halloween decorating and I thought you might like to see it.  She'll change it out for fall later this week, maybe even tomorrow!    I love how she layers in so many things to look at, each time I see something different when I look at the pictures.  Her formal dining room is on the left when you walk in, formal living room on the right. 

This is her hoosier in the kitchen/dining/family room area.

 

These mini skulls kill me.

And just for fun a picture of the quilt ladder up in her bedroom.  So many pretty quilts here, and rolled in baskets.  Joyce has had these antique ladders for years. 

 

So that's it for my trip to Joyce's home.  I hope you enjoyed it.  I can't stop thinking about it and omg her wonderful backyard. Thank you Joyce for having me.  Remember you can check out more of Joyce's home here.

 

Have a great week everybody! xo

Coffee Date

Happy Friday friends!  Hope you had a great week.  It was a good one here. Wednesday, as I mentioned Monday, I had a coffee date with Joyce. You might remember Joyce from this post, she's a long time local friend.  I met Joyce at Going to Pieces, a quilt shop in Pleasanton, where I took a lot of classes from Joyce and ended up working  for quite a few years. The weather was wonderful, warm but not hot, and we sat outside and enjoyed her spectacular backyard.  I'm all about those outdoor spaces and Joyce's backyard has me totally wowed with the potential of having a nice backyard that's still nice even in the drought.  Joyce and Mike, her husband, built that fire place last year from a kit.  WOW. Totally dying over it. 

 

They removed some of their lawn and added paths and a lot of mulched areas to cut back water usage.  I love the path that goes all around the patio,  perfect for her grandkids to run around. She's got lots of interest with birdhouses and garden statuary and fun seasonal elements like the pumpkins.  California has the perfect weather for this kind of outdoor living. 

 

Joyce is still a prolific quilter and you can find TONS of quilts of all sizes through out her house. I thought you might like to see part of her sewing room.

I love this mini quilt hanging in the sewing room.

 

These are just a few of the quilts she's made recently. 

 

Joyce does all her own machine quilting too. She loves sewing and knows how to squeeze progress into the tiniest slivers of time.  More on my visit to Joyce's next week. 

 

It rained yesterday, and it was glorious.  I love that cozy feeling all day.  Hope you all have a great weekend. No big plans here, what about on your side of the screen? xop

Magnificent Monday

Good morning! I'm very excited to show you the box of Scrappy Project Goodness I received from Fat Quarter Shop.    The box was packed to the brim (in adorable packaging I might add) with Lori Holt's new Scrappy Project Planner and all the accessories that go with it. 

 

I can't get over how cute it all is.  And what I really like it that it all goes so well with the cute tins.  You'll be completely accessorized. 

 

I don't know what to talk about first, the pens to color in your quilt layouts? There's plenty of spots where you will be using them to design blocks or quilts or make quick sketches in the project planner.  You can tape your fabric swatches in there with the washi tape  and mark the page with the sewing machine book mark. 

 

Lets talk about the STICKERS!  So many cute little designs, way more than you see here, there's coffee cups and cocoa cups and phones and sewing machines and airplanes.. holy cow. There's a whole section in the book for weekly planning, and these stickers would be perfect for those days.. or on your regular calendar.  I keep a kitchen calendar, and the years dates for birthdays and anniversaries, appointments, vacations, they all go on the kitchen calendar.  This would be a great way to make a note with a birthday cake or a cup of coffee to tell you have a coffee date with a pal! (Wednesday 2:30 with  Joyce)

 

 

Other sections of the planner include Tips and Organizing... I can tell you that's going to require some study time, better mark the day in my planner!  Lori includes not only a description of her method of scrap management, but a list of all her shortcut methods, including handy charts showing you cutting size charts. 

 

Then it's time for the Scrappy Patterns. There's 6 cute patterns, my favorites being the Scrappy-Apple Quilt and the Patchwork Tulip Quilt.  It's cozy time and that's the perfect time to get started on something new, right?   

 

I love my planner and all the wonderful things that came with it.  It's the perfect spot to record your projects and your coffee dates and check for cutting sizes and find some pretty quilts to make.  Thanks Fat Quarter Shop for sending me all the tools that I need to make my life more cute and more organized!    If you'd like to see more pictures of the quilts and the goodies check the instagram hashtag #scrappyprojectplanner!  There are lots of pretty photos of everything there! 

 

I hope you have a good week ahead friends!!!  I'm off for another cup of coffee! xo

TGIF

Happy Friday!  I had a busy week!  Not doing anything in particular, but busy none the less.  What about you?    What did happen here this week?  I got some great surprise mail from Fat Quarter Shop.  This is First Blush, their Block of the Month book. 

 

First off it's adorable. All diagrams are full color and the instructions are clear and easy to understand.  The illustrations are buy Elea Lutz, and they're super cute. 

 

I love the layout here, where each fabric is listed by month.  Organization for a big project is key.   And don't forget to order your Creative Grids Starburst 30 Triangle Ruler. 

 

My trees are ready!  Yeah, I bet you thought I forgot.  Well, didn't. But to in an effort to be transparent  I just finished them in time for this picture, yesterday!

 

During the week I've continued to discover some little treasures.  I am in love with the apple tape measure, with the little leaf as the pull. And the decals on the machine.. adorable. More things for the shelf! 

 

 

Next up the weekend.  Do you have any plans?  I suspect I should soldier on with the Legendary quilt, the pieces are cut and waiting!  Have a happy weekend!  xo

A is for Apron

Hi there friends!  It's a fresh new week ready for us to get out and conquer it.  Yay.  We had a lovely rainy weekend....still in the mid 60s so I could have all the windows open and get all the fresh air.  I love the gloomy rainy days so much.  There's something so cozy about it, and of course now that they're so few and far between I need to cherish each one! 

Last week you had a glimpse of the applique I started for this little work apron.  I started out making the pocket ( (2) 7 1/2" x 21 1/2" rectangles).  The inside of the pocket has fusible interfacing .. just whatever I had laying around, I'm not an interfacing genius at all.  I appliqued my little monogram onto the outside pocket, then stitched the pocket lining (same fabric) along the top with some rick rack for a nice break between the black floral and the Black Essex linen I used on the body of the apron. This is the first time I've used the Essex Linen and it's quite nice, just the kind of body you need in an apron. 

 

I ended up cutting my apron body (2) at 21 1/2" by 13 1/2".  Originally I went a little taller but I didn't like the proportions.  I basted the pocket to the apron body front, and then layered the back apron piece rights sides together and sewed around the sides and bottom, leaving the top open.  I added some pom poms on the bottom for fun.  I like the red and pink thing I have going here.   You flip that right side out and press. Now's the time to measure off some pocket divisions and stitch from the pocket edge to the bottom of the apron.  I just picked some arbitrary sizes.. you can too!  Then I cut (2) strips of the linen 4 x wof, cut one in half at the fold and sewed it to the other piece at each end, so you have one long piece of fabric. (and seams that don't fall right in the center)  Fold in half lengthwise and press to form a crease, then bring the long edges to the center and press, then fold on first crease to create a 1" tie that is open along the long edge. Fold the ends in 1/4 inch so there's no raw edges showing.  I found the middle of that tie and matched it with the middle of the apron and slid the apron into the tie till it met the crease.  I pinned the heck out of it and then starting at one end of the tie I topstitched will I got to the other end lengthening  my stitch a bit. 

 

Press it and you're done! There's lots of ways to handle each and every step but that's how I did it.  Now you too can make a cute apron and you have the dimensions that worked out for me as a starting point.   Want more instruction?  The Spring 2014 Quilts and More has an adorable apron and you can download that issue here if you don't have it stashed!

 

Ok peoples that's it for me today!  Hope you have a great week! xo

Friday

Greetings friends!  How are you and how was your week?  I had a very pleasant week here in PamKittyVille.  The weather was quite nice and cool, chilly in the morning with the windows open but I toughed it out. I love all the fresh air that comes in and soon enough I'll have to keep things closed up.  It's one of the nicest times weather-wise around here, temps in the 70s, cool nights and mornings.  Sunny but not so blisteringly hot.  Quite lovely.   I spent the week doing a little of this and that.

A long time ago I ordered a little Buzza Motto that I thought was so cute.  It featured a sweet little poem about friends and neighbors and with a charming little village.  It really captured how I feel about all you friends I've made here online, I've been so lucky.  I know, sentimental feelings.  Yikes.  Anyway I finally got around to having Bret cut some glass for me for a vintage frame so I could put it up on my wall.  I have it over the shelf in Frankie's room.  I've been very lucky and it's a nice little reminder. 

 

I've also had this little shelf ALMOST as long as that motto.. I finally got it up on the wall.  So cute right?  It's really skewed so there's just no getting a picture of it where it looks straight.  I spent way more time than I'm ready to admit auditioning little items to put on it.   DAYS.  That little chair pincushion..  one of my first copycat purchases.. Alicia Paulson from Posie Gets Cozy had one and it appeared in photos here and there.. I found this post to show you.  Back in the first days I was reading blogs I would visit Alicia's, it was THE blog to follow.  Just looking back through the old posts, so magical.  I remember when my blog appeared on her blog list.  I DIED. To be on the bloglist of someone so famous.  Ohmy.  Seriously people it was an enormously big deal.   Oh the good old days.  But you guys know that. I still follow along, although I don't comment much anymore.  Man I loved those days.  And that little chair. 

 

Well so much for all the sentimental talk!  Next week more about sewing.  For those of you following on Instagram you've seen a peek at the little applique I am working on.  I'm enjoying the slow steady pace while going through all my stuff.  Frankie will be shocked when we don't have to shoe horn her into her old room!  Happy weekend! xo

 

 

Mirage

Good Monday morning!  I finished that tote believe it or not, and already have dropped it off at Alex's for her to ship to RJR. It's a simple tote to show off the pretty focus fabric of the Mirage grouping.  Boxy, big, stands up on it's own courtesy of Pellon fusible fleece and buckram.  My new Reliable iron is a total game changer when it comes to fusing.. I've always hated that it wouldn't completely fuse and be a pain to stitch because it wasn't adhered to the edges or the center and would just be a floppy pain in the rear. And since it was fused perfectly, the spray basting I used to hold the buckram in place did it's job.. the whole thing, easy. 

I went to my stash of Inazuma handles and found these cute green ones with the little flower ends that mimic that flower in the center of the repeat. 

First time ever I made a matching key fob. I have had the hardware for years.. why procrastinate? Why not?

Standard PamKitty pockets in there.. divided extending across the width of the bag. There are three sections but so easy to customize to your cell phone size.  

 

It was super fun to be able to make something for Alex.  Her new line Mirage  will be out in the spring, just in time for some fun colorful sewing! 

 

Ok, have a great week! xo

Friday!

Hello Friday!  I'm headed back to my stunt sewing roots this week.  Alex called me and asked if I wanted to make a bag for the quilt market display of her new fabric line Mirage with RJR.  YOU BET. Sewing with a purpose is my favorite kind of sewing. 

 

 

I love the big focal print, it begs to be fussy cut.  So I did, for a tote bag. I'll show you when I finish it up.  I have some perfect green handles the will go great with it.  Mirage ships in March/April.

 

Quilting in the Garden was a couple of weeks ago and Alex took a class from Freddy Moran and used her Mirage advance yardage for this fun Freddie style quilt.  Don't know Freddy? Just google her name and you'll see a slew of amazing quilts.  She's truly a quilting legend.   

 

Alex also showed me her latest rulers, mats and rotary cutters from Quilter's Select. That cutter is pretty amazing.  I love the soft gray of the mat, nice and neutral. 

That's all that's up here.  I love stunt sewing and it was fun to catch up with Alex.  Everyone is so busy it's hard to connect up in real life!  Hope you guys have a great weekend! Happy sewing! xo

Pam Kitty Cozy

Yesterday it was cloudy and cool and it almost rained.  I mean the patio was the tiniest bit damp and the air smelled like rain.. but that was it.  But it felt like a day to get totally cozy, snuggle in, watch CSI and drink coffee. 

 

SO I DID THAT.  For a while anyway, thanks to Esquire TV and it's little marathon of CSI episodes!  But then I had to get up and actually do something, so I returned to my little project, the sewing rooms.  Actually I'm just working on the 'cutting room' which is Frankie's old room.  It's still a room for her to visit, but I've added in a 4 foot folding table  that I now cut at, freeing up the dining room table for its intended purpose.  (you know, to pile stuff on like mail and random things you're not sure what to do with)  Anyway Frankie had a shelf over her desk, so my table is under the shelf and I'm trying to keep it cute and functional.  FINALLY I unsealed that package of scalloped trim that I bought YEARS ago, and put it on the newly painted shelf.  It felt magical.

 

I spent a lot of time organizing just those few things. Everything needs to be auditioned.    I have little treasures hidden here and there that I will dig out.  Like that 40th Anniversary Hello Kitty bobble head.  I actually pulled it out of its protective packaging!!!!  I know, I felt a little faint when I did it.  But I quickly put the packaging in the recycling so I wasn't tempted to put it back in there.  FOR IT'S OWN PROTECTION.

 

I love looking at all the wonderful pictures of people's sewing spaces and just homes in general.  I admire people who really keep it all together.  For now I'll just keep walking by and surprising myself.  Baby steps people.