Fresh Squeezed ~ An RBD "Grove" Project Design

Toddler Ensemble made by Deonn Stott featuring Grove Fabric
by Jill Finley @Jillily Studios for Riley Blake Designs.

Do these fabrics make your mouth water? I've just finished this tasty little ensemble for my granddaughter, and now I'm craving a fresh lime soda!

Jillily's new fabrics have my creative juices flowing (pun intended *Ü*..).

Lemon, Lime, Orange, and Grapefruit slices in the prints inspired me to try to find a pattern for a dress or top with a round collar that I could turn into a sweet slice of something citrus-y! Simplicity 1450 was a good pattern. Does the yoke look like a lime slice?

It was a good challenge to figure out a way to give the appearance of a rind without adding extra layers to the yoke. I ended up adding a flange to the outer seam (kind of like piping, but without the pipe?), then the yoke lining could cover up the raw gathered edges. It's been a while since I gathered fabric to a yoke, or clipped, graded and faced seams! Got to practice my good 4-H sewing skills!

I cut 3" triangles at a 30-degree angle to make the lime segments, and rounded off the corners. Those were fused with Heat'n'Bond lite and machine-appliqued to the yoke with a blanket stitch. I installed a lapped zipper in the back and faced the armholes and neckline with self-bias to finish.

A little sun hat completes the ensemble!

Awww, so cute! It has been ages since I sewed little outfits and hats for little people!

Circa 1995 - Made by their Mommy (me)

The next project will be a Pink Lemonade Dress. (Man, I love playing around with EQ8! I'm honing my motif-drawing skills.) The pattern for this one will feature a separate round collar. The pattern is still on its way, but I'll update when I get this dress sewn. While I'm at it, maybe I'll make a coordinating little toddler-size round lemon-slice purse too! So, "sew" fun!!

My little 21-month old granddaughter living in Hawaii is sure to get some good use from her new outfits!

Grove fabrics will be available this month, and also feature some fun panels. Inquire at your local quilt shop or get them from an online retailer. If you are making garments, be sure to pre-wash and dry before cutting out. Make something fun for yourself!

Ahhh, refreshing! 

Happy Sewing! 

Check back with these project designers for more inspiration in the weeks to come:

Becca @ Sunflower Seams

Kari @ That's So Kari

Laurel @ Snowberry Street

"From the Heart" Blog Hop ~ A New Batch of "Snippets"!

Carol@JustLetMeQuilt has organized such a fun hop this week!  We're sharing our favorite small hand-made gift ideas.  I immediately thought of making a batch of my favorite little "Snippets"!  Perfect little gifts "from the heart".  

A "Shabby" Chic! + Tutorial

"A Shabby Chic" (or is it Chick?)  Mini Quilt, 28" x 28"
featuring Shabby Basics by Lori Holt for Riley Blake Designs

I had a lot of fun playing with some new fabrics to make this sweet Purdy Bird.  "Shabby" was first introduced in September of 2018 and is a wonderful textured blender and great basic to have on hand.

Back of the Chutes ~ RBD Project Tour

Oh, was I excited to see this new fabric line from Riley Blake Designs!  

Back of the Chutes licensed fabric features the art of Hugh Cabot, an American Master Painter who was "well-known for his highly distinctive, stylized cowboys and bold, powerful Western landscapes awash with light and color that literally glowed...  His cowboy portraits are prized by collectors worldwide."

The fabric line includes two panels.

Hello Fall! A fun Blog Hop!

Carla over at Creatin' in the Sticks has put together a super-fun blog hop this week!

What a fun way to welcome Fall!  I seem to be short of Autumn decorations, and this hop gave me the chance to add to my decor using some of Sandy Gervais' "Give Thanks" fabric scraps from my latest quilt (see previous POST).  

Utah Quilt Guild's RemoteFest 2020!

Coming up TOMORROW!  September 17 ~ 19th, the Utah Quilt Guild is going to play host to their annual Quilt Fest, and this year it will be a "RemoteFest"!  

I am excited for this event.  In these times of Covid, this seems like a great solution. There will be a total of 9 virtual quilt classes offered, including one I'll be teaching, "Oh, My Stars! (& Garters!)

Give Thanks - RBD Project Tour

Just when you thought Summer would never end... all of a sudden the leaves are turning and it will soon be Fall! 

Love to Sew ~ "Blessed Beyond Measure" Project Tour

"Love to Sew" wall hanging, 36" x 43" by Deonn Stott

Introducing Buttermilk Basin's new fabric line, "Blessed Beyond Measure" by Stacy West for Riley Blake Designs.  It includes a couple of printed panels that include sewing notions and sayings reminiscent of Stacy's experiences with the women in her family who loved to sew and embroider.

Christmas in July - Tree Skirts Then and Now

Thinking about Christmas - Snow Sweet!

Got my hands on some fun Christmas fabric!  Snow Sweet is a new line by J. Wecker Frisch for Riley Blake Designs.  

I really enjoy Janet's art, and I needed these adorable snowmen to march across my table!  Her "Sweet Snow Folk on Parade" border print was the perfect selection for a Ten-Minute Table Runner (< see tutorial).  Red gingham made a cute border.  

These runners take approximately 1/3 yard of focus print (12" x 42") and 1/2 yard of contrast for the border/backing.  I fussy-cut the snowmen bordered with a stripe on both sides, which came to about 15 inches, so I just made the backing 22 inches wide. That gives about a 1-1/2" border on the outside. I had not used batting before so I thought I'd try it on this runner.  I cut some batting to the right shape, then inserted it into the runner and stitched a few straight lines.  I like the look and it gave some shape and stability.  

These adorable placemat panels are darling too.  Each of these has a place-setting diagram, so the kids (or anyone else) can help to set up a simple or fancy table.  I added a strip of the snowflakes border print to each side, simple quilting, and more gingham print for the bias binding.

A couple of coordinating prints worked well for backing, so they're reversible!

So cute!  Leftover prints were serged around the edges for some cute coordinating napkins, so now, I guess I'm all ready for Christmas in July!  I think I need to bake some ginger cookies...

Big thanks to Riley Blake Designs for providing the fabrics for today's project tour!  Love them! Look for these fabrics in your local quilt shop or online retailer, available early next month.

Happy Sewing!


P.S.   here's another fun project idea using this line of fabric:
KreativeKymona.com
Aaaaand, a "Sweet Snow-Along" hosted by J. Wecker Frisch, coming soon! 

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