Be One in a Million - IF You Can Sew a Straight Line!

Have you heard about the One Million Pillowcase Challenge? It's a wonderful nationwide initiative to sew and donate one million pillowcases to charities. As the sad story about the devastation in Haiti unfolds, it's overwhelming to reflect on how one little person here can help. While the pillowcase project isn't designed to assist in that type of emergency, it offers a small way for us to reach out to someone locally. Here's how the sponsor, American Patchwork & Quilting, describes the project:


Calling all quilters, sewers and crafters! American Patchwork & Quilting is challenging you to join our efforts to Make a Pillowcase, Make a Difference. Every pillowcase can make a difference in your community. A pillowcase can provide comfort for a cancer patient, hope for a foster child, encouragement for a battered woman, or beauty for a nursing home resident.

From the project website, you can locate a participating sewing shop in your area. Then you simply make your pillowcase, take it to the closest donation center and it will be delivered to local participating charities. The website also lists charities that need pillows and a link to request that your charity be added to the list - so if you work with a group that could benefit from some beautiful, handmade pillowcases, check it out!

And to spark your creativity, there are great patterns to download - remember, you don't have to be an experienced seamstress to make a basic pillowcase! However, you may be inspired to make several pillowcases during the year, increasing the difficulty as you become more comfortable. New patterns will be added each quarter - so it's a great way to expand your repertoire. And, you can add some great new pillowcases to your own linen closet while you're at it - it won't take much more effort to make two while you're sewing! One local quilt shop is offering pillowcase workshops one day per month - fabric kits, instructions, and the use of their machines - all for $11 for two pillowcases. Look for similar workshops in your area!

I'll keep you posted on my pillowcases and would love to hear if you're involved in the One Million Pillowcase Challenge!

All photos courtesy American Patchwork and Quilting.

Meet Molly the Dolly

Over the summer I tried my hand at sewing a simple doll - using the Black Apple doll pattern as a starting point and the myriad Flickr doll pics as inspiration. She (Polly) turned out to be rather cute as you can see here. Polly was a present for my niece and for her little sister's December birthday, I made a sister doll, named Molly.

Like her older sister Polly, Molly has her own quilt. She also has a scarf that is not only functional for these cold days, but hides the imperfections where her neck and dress meet (it seems like such a simple seam, but I found it a bit tricky - perhaps this is why I only sew a few times a year - or, perhaps it's because I only sew a few times a year! What a chicken-and-egg conundrum. . .).

And Molly's not just a pretty face, she's a firm believer in re-purposing! See her luxurious hair? In a previous pre-felted life, this was a beautiful Merino wool sweater. And her big bluish-black eyes? They came from a big button collection that belonged to a friend's mother. Next year she hopes to add to her wardrobe with some additional hand-me-downs . . . until then she's just happy in her new home and I'm thinking of my next sewing project!

Tomorrow - details about our tea giveaway!

A Bunting We Will Go, A Bunting We Will Go . . .

Heigh-ho, the Dairy-o, a Bunting We Will Go!

Okay, are you thinking of Elmer Fudd? The 'Huntin' We Will Go' song always me think of him. And while singing it a few minutes ago I realized two things: I don't know the rest of the lyrics, and, this tune is the same as 'The Farmer in the Dell'! Did you know that? But, all this aside let's talk bunting!!

For about a year, I've been in love with bunting! The British magazines always have pictures of charming rooms with the cutest bunting hanging casually overhead. So, I decided to embark on a bunting adventure of my own. Instead of using different fabrics, I chose a single fabric that has many designs - it was purchased for a roman shade project last year and I liked it so much I purchased extra yardage, just in case . . .

A few weeks ago I decided to make two strings of bunting - one for a friend who was having a milestone birthday and one for me (to use on the porch next summer).

There were three basic things to decide before beginning: 1) the flag size (or whatever you call the fabric points?), 2) how to finish the edges (by hemming the sides, or pinking the edges and leaving them unstitched, or pinking the edges and stitching the top side leaving the raw edges exposed, and, 3) how to attach the flags.

I decided on large flags - roughly 9" x 10" due to the large pattern of the fabric. The second decision I came to regret - hemming (and, therefore, turning and pressing!) the flags. As for stringing these together, rather than using the typical bias tape as a string, I used more of the fabric. As you can see in the photo above, I just ripped strips of fabric for the 'string' - for those of you who do proper sewing, you'll know I should have cut this on the bias, but this way was so much faster. Plus, the beauty of this type of sewing is that it doesn't have to be perfect. (A word to the wise - if you're a perfectionist, don't choose to hem and turn the flags - no matter how much you trim, getting perfect points is too tedious for words!!)

So, this is my bunting story - I was pleased with the end result and am thinking of doing another string of bunting with different fabrics (this time just pinking the edges and top stitching!). Think of the cute options for Christmas . . .

Happy Crafting!

Meet Polly the Dolly

Inspired by the some fabulous sewing blogs, I decided to make a fabric doll for my niece. Using the pattern from Inside the Black Apple and fabric from Amy Butler, I started with high hopes. (BTW - if you're looking for Amy Butler fabric, several eBay fabric stores carry great fat quarter packs that let you try whole collections and are perfect for small projects like this!) I used velvet for the hair, instead of felt, but otherwise stuck closely to the original. Mine isn't as well-tailored as the ones for sale by Inside the Black Apple, but I'm pretty pleased with her and think my niece will like her, too. She has her own pillow and a quilt that was based on the full-size quilt on the May cover of my new favorite magazine - BBC Homes & Antiques. The next time you're browsing through the web, take a look at the many great craft and sewing blogs - you're sure to find some inspirational ideas . . . and it's the perfect time to begin making those holiday gifts!