Gift Idea: Quilted Pillow

Quilted pillows are such a GREAT gift! They can be so quick and simple to make, depending on the amount of piecing. Here is a quickie that I put together for the Pillow Talk {Swap} that is taking place on flickr....

For this pillow, I used varied-width strips of fabric (different prints) and cut them all to 5 inches in length. When I stitched them side-by-side, it made a simple patchwork strip that off-set the pillow front. I then quilted the front piece to a piece of batting, using dark chocolate brown thread in the shape of wood grain...super simple and I was able to use my regular piecing foot instead of a darning foot on the machine.

I then added a little deer silhouette and used my darning foot to applique it to the pillow top. The back of the pillow is a simple envelope closure. I was a little worried that it didn't overlap enough to hold in a thick pillow form, so I added some ties to the back, just-in-case. The sleeve fits an 18" x 18" pillow form, found at your local craft store.

I'm planning some more pillows for Christmas gifts...I'm thinking a "string quilt" pattern will look really nice! More to come!.......happy sewing!

Pre-Holiday SPECIAL at Pocketful of Pinwheels

A little savings for your pocket from Pocketful of Pinwheels....

Get two fat quarters for $18....Offer good on special order and in-stock fabrics purchased this week only!



Head on over to the SHOP for some original fabric love! Makes a very special gift for the sewist/quilter in your life :)



Mention "FATQSPECIAL" in the notes to seller during checkout for a partial refund of the sale difference to your Paypal account. *or, feel free to convo me for a custom listing.



HAPPY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!

Fall Fall Fall!

It's a pretty awesome time here in Indiana......aside from the 70-degrees-one-day and 40 degree dip the next, lots of awesome happenin's this fall.

First, I'd like to welcome my new baby nephew, Logan Bruce...weighing in at 10 lbs. 7 oz.!!! He was born yesterday morning and mommy and baby are happy and healthy!

Titus' birthday was a blast (of cold air!) We had a fun party at the park with friends and family as he turned the big TWO...

And feeling breezy here in Indiana gave me the nudge to create a fall-inspired fabric, called "Jeremy Raccoon"...available in two colorways and for sale in the shop!

I'm loaded with projects and gifts to make in time for Christmas, so I'm keeping it short and sweet! Enjoy the fresh chill in the air....unless you're one of my coastal pals who is still livin' it up in shorts weather ;) xoxo

I love Crayons

I love crayons. Love the smell of opening a brand new box....the combination of the crisp paper wrappings, cardboard, and new crayon smell. Maybe I'm just a weirdo. :) But I know that crayons will be a hit at Titus' birthday party next weekend.

In lieu of store-bought trinkets and candy, I decided to try those handy crayon rolls that I've seen in some of my favorite shops on etsy.

Thanks to a super simple tutorial found HERE, I was able to make these rather inexpensively, with fabric I already have in my stash. I substituted wide braided elastic in place of the ribbons that hold the roll in place. Hopefully, I can whip up a few extra to give in Christmas stockings this year...

Speaking of Crayons, if you love crayons like I do, please check out Sarah Costa's work here. She has an incredible etsy shop that I love to stare at. Sarah is a very talented photographer and sewer, so deck your walls with some of her artwork this season!

Happy Saturday to you....I'm off to finish scraping the cereal treat/marshmallow goo from the bottom of the pan after making a batch for a fall party this evening....and yes, I scoop the leftover goo out with my hands and shovel it into my mouth....'cause that's how I roll.

Papercraft PARTY Hat Tutorial

Boy, have I been racking my brain lately to pull off a "cute" Robot-themed birthday party for my soon-to-be TWO little guy. I could not find robot party stuff to save my life, so I decided to make my own. Here is a super easy tutorial to make your own, customized party hats....using basic scrapbooking supplies! ENJOY!

(You will also need: tape, a large dinner plate, and a slit or hole punch)

Craft Night Success

pincushions, originally uploaded by ariel quilts.

This weekend was great fun! Friday evening was our Ladies Fall "Fun-due" fondue night at church. I serve on the committee and was given the task of coming up with the evening's craft.

I stewed for awhile on what would be crafty fun, yet "grown up" enough for ladies to enjoy. I had some good suggestions from friends and family, but decided on an easy felt flower brooch pattern from mmmcrafts, thanks to an inspiring blog post by Allison at Cluck Cluck Sew. My friend Jamie then suggested we encorporate Allison's teacup pincushions at each table as giveaways.

The evening was so fun...full of chocolate, cheese, goodies, and great fellowship. It's so good for women to enjoy each other's company and grow spiritually together! (and eat, laugh, and create at the same time!!)

So, take my advice and make some time to get together with the girls this month. Whether you shop, watch a movie, or just have a play date with the kiddos, good friendship is great for the soul.

xo

Polly Pinwheels

Polly Pinwheels, originally uploaded by ariel quilts.

Dear Wacom Tablet,

You are like artist's heaven with a technological twist. I love you. You make illustrating on the computer a giddy experience. You can stick around as long as you wish....or until my friend Mandy wants you back....

xo,
Ariel

P.S. Here is a peek at how we've been spending our time together late at night after my little guy is in bed...

Robots on the Brain

1. build a ROBOT cupcakes!, 2. emmett's robot, 3. Robot Lovers, 4. robot needlebook and pincushion, 5. robots_01, 6. I Robot, 7. Kokka Trefle Large robots, 8. Robots Crayon Roll, 9. 3rd grade portrait, 10. Robot Love Valentine Card, 11. I'm Awesome!!!, 12. Robot Red-Rover, 13. Robot Party 414. Not available15. Not available16. Not available


There's a sweet little guy at our house, about to turn 2! Guess what theme we're going with for his birthday party.....

CONGRATS to a Winner and Runner-UP!

Weeeelllll, I'm a little late posting the winners of the giveaway because I was, ahem, hunched over my new sewing machine :)

Thank you to all my creative bloggy friends who came up with super cute names for miss Janome 6500. It was so tough to choose one, so I picked TWO!

The first winner suggested the name that I plan to use...Angie suggested, "Matilda". I like it. I think I'll call her "Tilde" for short :)

The second winner cracked my stuff up with his suggestion. Thanks, John for the clever name, "Ja-Gnome". Makes me think my machine is a rapper gnome from da hood...okay....you're right...I'm just a goofy white girl with a sewing machine, but I loved his idea.

If I selected your name, email me at ariel_eldridge@hotmail.com to claim your prize!

Wanna see what I've been working on?

I was just itching to use my red, aqua, and pink fabric from Sew Deerly Loved! It's time for something really girly for a change, and it gave me an excuse to use some of my Lollies and Hedgies, Storybook Mushrooms, and Willard Gnome fabrics.

It's HERE, let's celebrate!

Cue the music! At long last, my new sewing machine has arrived! What a relief! Today was the last possible day that it could have arrived before I would have had a meltdown of worry. I'm always a little leary of purchasing large items on ebay, but I spoke with the seller on the phone and she is a fellow quilter and teacher. Always a soft spot for you gals who are quilters AND teachers....how do you find the time?? Anyhoo....at long last, here she is...

I've obviously not had a chance to get acquainted with her yet, and she doesn't even have a name. This is my first computerized sewing machine, so it'll take me a minute or two to read the manual and get her up and running ;)

In honor of my new friend, let's have a little contest, shall we???

*Leave me a comment with your best name idea for my Janome 6500. I will select my favorite comment by Sunday evening 9/27.

* The winner will receive a generous fabric remnant from one of my new fabric designs, "Storybook Mushrooms" and the bragging rights of being the most creative name-giver ever...

BEST OF LUCK! xo, Ariel

Playing catch-up

So many things to show you, yet so little time! We're heading out of town for the weekend and it will be great to spend some quality time together as a family. We didn't really take a summer vacation this year, so we're thrilled to get away for a few days.

You may have noticed that I've closed up the shop while I'm gone. You can expect it to re-open on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

Hallow-eenies, my newest fabric design in celebration of Halloween and time to hunt for the best costume, is being featured in the Spoonflower Fabric of the Week contest! Go HERE to vote for your favorites. There are some AMAZING designs this round!

And I just have to show you the BEAUTIFUL swap I received in the mail today. I've been watching the mailbox like a hawk recently, in anticipation of my Doll Quilt Swap surprise mini quilt's arrival. No quilt yet, but I had almost forgotten that I was expecting some fabric from Austria that I swapped with the lovely artist, Sardana of Sardana's Creations.

I was only expecting 3 fat quarters, and she sent all kinds of lovely, heart-felt goodies. Included in my parcel were also a darling hand-made zipper pouch, red/aqua/blue flowered trim, a mini note pad, and a beautifully hand-written note. Thank you for your kindness, Sardana! I look forward to keeping in touch and watching you create! You all can visit her flickr gallery for photos of all the hand-crafted lovliness Sardana is up to. She carves stamps, sews, quilts, embroiders.......you must see!

Good friends

I have a friend named Lynsey. We grew up together in small town Indiana....okay, TINY town Indiana, in the middle of cornfields, where our dads knew the art of mastering an awesome hayride-done-right.

One thing I've always loved about Lynsey is her creativity. She always had a sketchbook of some sort and one of her favorite things to doodle was trendy gals, dressed in ball gowns, with trendy names like, "Annabel". Well, my fun friend grew up (as did I) and had a beautiful blonde baby girl and named her Annabel :)

I have to take a moment to brag on Lynsey's talent, because I feel like it's the people we grow up with who shape us into the people we are today. I'm a little bit more adventureous and creative having known Lynsey :) And, here is her first finished quilt. It doesn't even look like a "first quilt" to me! I love it so much and the colors are darling. I just had to share it with you!

CONGRATULATIONS on your first quilt, Lynsey!!! (First of many, I hope!)

Hard at work!

The Hubs was in Germany all last week, so I didn't appear online so much...I got a little taste of what it's like to run this circus as a "single" parent for seven days. All you mommas and papas out there raising kiddos alone, you have my utmost respect.



We were so excited to have him home this weekend, and I was able to do some "designing" while T had some much-needed rough and tumble "daddy time". I still feel a little foolish when I say "designing" fabric or call myself a "designer"....I feel like a gal who loves to illustrate and just realized how fun it is to put my draw'rings on fabric!! woot! Anyhooooo....here are the latest designs I'll be adding to the shop...

"Hallow-eenies" was a super-quickie that I came up with so I could enter Spoonflower's Fabric of the Week contest this week. The winner receives 5 yards of fabric FREE and their design is made available for purchse (at Spoonflower cost!!) in the Spoonflower etsy shop for one week! Here's to crossing fingers ;)

And, my sweet blogging/quilting/fabric lovin' friend, Kerri, requested some Humpty Dumpty fabric appearance after she purchased the Humpty Dumpty illustration from my etsy shop. No surprise here, folks....red and aqua make me happy ;) This one is called, "Hedgies and Humpty" and is available for pre-order in the shop!

Finally, I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch because it's not physically here yet, but I have a lovely Janome 6500 on its way to mi casa!!! I found a very good deal from a retired teacher on eBay. After speaking to her on the phone, I'm very excited to get this machine. We'll have to name her, you know. I'll take pictures when she arrives ;) (the machine, not the lady on eBay, you sillies.)

Hope you've done some relaxing this weekend, now GO and be creative! xo

FINALLY, a Quilting Finish!

I've really missed sewing. It's so good to clear my head and thoughts as I watch the mind-numbing repetition of needle up, needle down.

I managed to finish my quiltie for the Doll Quilt Swap 7 today! Woot! I'm crossing my fingers that it will be greatly loved by my partner!

This pretty fabric print on the backing is one of my absolute favorites from Anna Maria Horner's Good Folks line. The color just "grabs" you and I'm really fond of the block-print look of the flowers. I even threw in a little hand-quilting because it's easy to do while watching TV and quiet while my kiddo is napping.

Speaking of Kiddo....Look at the determination during our craft time today! Sometimes he fools me into thinking I'm looking at a tiny replica of my husband :)