Organizing thread and fat quarters

When you have little ones at home, the best you can hope for is an hour here and there to accomplish big tasks. I'm slowly renovating my sewing room in that way. Here's one wall that I've added two thread organizers, a handmade bulletin board, and two fat quarter shelves to.


The fabric in the bulletin board and on the switchplate (tutorial here) match the drapes I'm making for the room. The green paint is a color taken from the fabric and I have some peg board painted a yellow from the fabric that I will also add to hold my tools.

I love a sense of order! It's so important to see what you have when inspiration strikes.

Swaps received

My Friendship Bag partner was all the way around the world in Australia! Thank you Vickie. Vickie lives in a town called Humpty Doo Australia - what a name!
It came filled with sewing goodies and fabric for me and stickers for my daughter - sparkly stickers! I received it a week ago and intended to take its photo right away but Savannah decided to use the bag to pack for one of her imaginary trips to Florida and I just found it today while cleaning her room...

Also, I received my swap for the Good 'Ol Summertime Mini Quilt Swap from Cynthia in Missouri. She's new to quilting but created all this. I say "all" this because her mini quilt was 36" by 36", so not so mini! Thank you Cynthia and welcome to quilting!

Clothespin bag

When I was little and first saw the Hindu goddesses with four and six arms, they looked deformed to me. Now, as I take a basket of wet laundry to hang on the line, with two arms around the basket, plus a baby strapped to me, needing one arm for balance, and a bunch of clothespins that need transporting and a door that needs opening, I think having more arms would probably make me feel like a goddess too.

Since I haven't had the good fortune of sprouting new limbs as I need them, I created a bag for my clothespins to make my life a wee bit easier. It holds 150 clothespins and has a thick wrist strap, leaving both of my hands free to do something else.

It's great to have this on my wrist as I'm pinning up and taking down clothes from the line. The clothespins are always where I need them to be! The strap doubles as a great way to hang the bag around a door knob or hook when not in use. The entire bag is quilted for strength and stands up on its own boxed bottom.

Made from Kaffe Fassett's fan flower fabric from my stash. I wanted something not too girly in case my husband ever has to bring laundry in from the clothesline. Some interesting notes about clothespins...

Grocery bag dispensers

It's nice when you can get organized and make your living space more beautiful and functional at the same time. This was a simple little project that's has helped to organize two small corners of my home - quilted grocery bag dispensers.

This is so much better than looking at a wad of plastic grocery bags.

I used some leftover ribbon for the loop at the top. This one hangs in the pantry near where I unload groceries. Stuff the bags in the top and pull from the bottom to dispense. I couldn't resist the Alexander Henry Apples & Pear fabric for the kitchen. Sometimes we use our fabric grocery bags and avoid the plastic altogether but sometimes we use the plastic bags,

This one was made with Heather Bailey's Pop Garden. I used leftover double-fold bias for the top loop. We use this one upstairs in the storage closet.

You can make your own by following the tutorial here.

Snowstorm hat for Savannah

William got his snowstorm hat during a chilly visit to Maine, now it's Savannah's turn. I used leftover yarn from another project. It's two-tone because I ran out of the taupe but had more of the sky blue in the same Wool Ease Thick & Quick. This knit up quickly in one evening. I added the pompom and braids the next day. The pattern, which I roughly followed, can be found on Lion Brand's free pattern site (they are now all free but you will have to sign up for it) under snowstorm hat.


My little snow bunny. She can't wait to be out in the snow sucking on icicles and building friends for Frosty.

Here's the side view with the ear flaps. Cute and warm!

All tied on and ready for the cold, which will be here soon enough. Really, anything looks good on her...

Friendship Bag Swap

I finished my friendship bag for my Quilting Blogger partner. I made it from Kaffe Fassett scraps leftover from Nana's Memory Quilt. This is a great bag to make with small leftover scraps or strips. Purple is the color of friendship and sharing. I'm sending this one overseas. I hope she likes it.


The tutorial comes from Rachel at psIquilt but I did change the handle style. Instead of two small fabric handles, I made one basket-style handle that's an inch wide with batting in the middle so it feels good (solid and strong) in your hand. There are some excellent ones already made in our Flickr group with many other quilters taking poetic license too.


I made this pincushion to send along with it and use up some more scrap fabric. The inspiration comes from Heather Bailey but I didn't follow her excellent tutorial.

I might fill it with some extra fat quarters or squares too - anything to pass along the wealth and reduce my stash!

Baby hat with ear flaps

Poor baby William was so cold over the weekend I used the extra yarn I had from Savannah's cabled throw to knit him a quick hat. Initially I had made just the ribbed hat with the chunky yarn but it didn't stay on when he turned his head back and forth so I picked up some stitches on the sides to make ear flaps and added braids to them. William likes to pull and suck on the braids so they were worth adding for that alone.


If I had to make it over again I would make one ear flap then measure for the other one. I put the ear flaps exactly halfway around the head but I should have put one about a half inch or two stitches back.


I think he likes it!

Ivory cabled throw for Savannah

It's been a while since I've picked up my knitting needles but I had the chance to "unplug" over the weekend (ie no Internet or electronics). I made this Ivory cabled throw for Savannah's special chair in the living room. Before the woodstove is really going she needs a warm blanket and sometimes she just likes to snuggle in something cozy.


The pattern is my own. Four rows of seed stitch on the ends and seven cables across. I love the classic feel and texture of cables...

I made it with Wool Ease's Thick & Quick yarn in Fisherman. I love this super bulky weight yarn!