Fluttering and Sparkling .....

This has already been a very busy summer - is it even officially summer yet?  Well, it feels like summer with the 90-degree days we've been having here in Nashville! 

Time for blogging has been hard to carve out, but I've got lots going on to share with you.  A couple of finishes, several projects in the works, and a few that are still in the design stage.  For instance....

This cuter-than-stinkin'-cute Tuffet Pincushion just happened to get made and now sparkles up the studio quite nicely .....

One day soon I hope to make one of those wonderful full-size Tuffets that I've been seeing in blogland, but in the meantime I bought a kit at Mountain Quiltfest to make this adorable little pincushion, and I couldn't be more smitten!  It was surprisingly easy and fun to make as well :*)

I started with lots of bright and happy scraps from my Kaffe and Philip Jacobs stash ....

Then I added a little bling ....

These are drawer pulls from the local hardware store.  You can get much more inexpensive ones of course, but I just fell in love with these sparklers and couldn't resist.  As everyone knows, I'm pretty much a lot like a magpie - a real sucker for anything bright and shiny LOL!

After a bit of a battle between my desire and my budget, I decided to splurge since the pincushion will be something I see and enjoy every day.

Of course, I have to keep it in a drawer except when I'm actually sewing because of this little guy....

Rocky helping me practice my free-motion feathers -
"Mom, make your curves nice and smooth, like my perfect little kitty toes ... "
=^..^=

He's pretty much declared himself King of the Studio, and if I'm sewing, then he's right there snoopervising, up close and very personal ....

.... dangerously up close!  And if there is even one pin in sight, he'll zero in on it and have it in his mouth before I can stop him.  I've taken to using one of those magnetic wands on the floor before I leave the room so he doesn't find a stray one.  Sheesh!!!

As for the "Fluttering" I mentioned earlier, here is my latest new start ....

In-Flight Monarch Butterfly
design by Debra Gabel @ Zebra Designs

I posted HERE in September 2012 that I had purchased these patterns and hoped to begin work on them.  2012!!!!  Sheesh again!!!

My friend Pat and I have been talking about getting together and playing with these blocks for well over a year, and every time we plan a playdate something comes along to spoil our fun.  She's already fused down 5 of her blocks waiting on me to get started!  This past week, we finally put a date on the calendar and refused to let anything stop us.  We had a lovely day!!!!

I used Lara Buccella's (BuzzinBumble) applique technique from her new book, Crafted Applique, and I just love the results.  No fraying edges, and I can tell that they won't fray even after I stitch them down.  Nice!  This is the perfect project for this technique, because there are lots of little fiddly pieces ...

Some of these stems are smaller than 1/8" wide!

The edges look a little rough, but that is because I used serrated scissors to cut the pieces and they grabbed the edges a bit.  With my next block, I'll use a sharp pair of sheers.  I'm really excited to finally get my first block done, and can't wait to start the next one.

One more project is not even really started yet ...

I've pulled these fabrics to make another See-n-Go project bag.  I was inspired by this amazing Kaffe Fassett print called Corsage ...

I'm going to be teaching some friends how to make this bag in a few weeks, so I wanted to make a new one to refresh my memory on all the little details.  Not to mention that I can't have enough of them LOL!!!  (If you would like to make a See-N-Go Project bag of your own, you can go HERE to find out how to get the free pattern!)

Finally, I have two finishes to share ....

My mini Fractured Seahorse has been labeled, bound and hung on its standing frame, and now graces our living room so we can enjoy it every day!  I chose this deliciously curvy hot pink that somehow reminded me of the Little Mermaid :*)

I like to sew the label into the binding so I only have to hand-sew 2 sides - and it's more secure!

And Calypso also got its binding sewn down.  I chose to do a small flange of the red in the fold of the binding to give a little pop of color between the border and the binding.....(it's not crooked, that's just the way it is draped over the chair arm).

This one also resides in our living room now as well - doesn't it look wonderful with our claret-colored furniture?

Finally, I thought you might like a quick peek at my current Design Wall ....

It's a hodge-podge of lots of little projects in the works.  Unfortunately, pictures on this wall are never great - the lighting is bad in that area of the studio, but you get the idea.
-  Top left - blocks for Cool Diehl, a set of blocks I'm putting together from a Kim Diehl design.  I'm using Kim's fabrics too and loving the way it is coming together!
-  Top right - a block gifted to me by my friend Carol Ann, waiting for it to tell me what it wants to be
-  Middle left - In-Flight Monarch Butterfly
-  Middle right - Whoooooo's Your Daddy?
-  Bottom left - a partial of my Diamonds are Forever
-  Bottom right - two See-N-Go Project bags in the planning stage

I spent last weekend sandwiching a couple of large quilt tops to be free-motion quilted on my domestic machine.  I started quilting one of them this week, but since I don't want this post to drag on too long, I'll come back and share some pretty pictures in a few days.

Happy Father's Day!!!!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Linking up with the following fun parties:
Design Wall Monday
Oh Scrap!
Let's Bee Social
Tuesday Linky Party
Scraptastic Tuesday