The Secret Bag

I am so excited that I finally get to talk about the little project I've been working on! I decided to make some tote bags for my Mom and Mother In Law for Christmas. But obviously I had to wait until after December 25 for the big blog reveal. I started with some gorgeous fabrics from the Darla Collection.....
Cut them up into stacks of 5" squares.....
Played around with the placement of all my cute little squares....
And in no time at all I had two adorable Chubby Charmer Bags....
Now, I get to add this little beauty to the "Sew Fab Exclusives" category in the shop. And speaking of the "Sew Fab Exclusives"......I'd originally planned on adding a new "exclusive" to the shop every week. I know, I know - that hasn't gone exactly as planned! But, I think a new goal of adding a "Sew Fab Exclusive" kit once or twice a month is quite do-able and would make an excellent New Year's Resolution! I've got ideas for about a million new kits - it's just that pesky "there are only 24 hours in a day" thing that always gets in the way!

I'm off to work on my next new kit.....

Happy Sewing,
Jenny

Emma's Pick Of The Week - Party Skirts!

Hey There, it's me Emma Jane! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and I want to wish you a Happy Early New Year! I'll be going to bed around 9:30 and sleeping through all of the festivities. But, if you're up late celebrating I hope you have lots of fun!

My pick this week was inspired by all of the holiday parties that have been going on. It's the Athena & Calista Skirt Pattern - Wouldn't these make adorable party skirts?
You could wear them with flip flops in the summer or with tights and boots in the winter. And drumroll please........there are no zippers in this skirt! It has an easy elastic waist. If you dread sewing in zippers like I do this is the skirt for you.

And just in case you're wondering, the skirts shown above were made in the Santorini Collection.
I hope you have a happy, healthy, safe, successful and all around wonderful new year!

XOXO,
Emma Jane

Emma's Pick Of The Week - Merry Christmas

Hey There, it's me Emma Jane. As you can see, I am soooo ready for Christmas. And I've been a very good girl this year! I'm guessing that everything under the tree is mine!

Anyway, I've got a great Pick Of The Week for you today. Do you remember the Glace Collection that came out in the summer??? It's a really pretty Christmas collection.
But the really cool thing about this collection is that a lot of the fabrics aren't overly "Christmas-ey" and could be used for all sorts of non-holiday projects. Like this green paisley...
Or this beautfiul damask....
I think you could make such a pretty apron.....
Or a cute purse to carry when you go shopping....
Oh, and speaking of shopping Mommy just got home with all sorts of bags full of baking supplies! That means it's time to start making the Christmas cookies and you know I don't want to miss a second of that! Merry Christmas!

XOXO,
Emma Jane

Emma's Pick Of The Week - Nicey Jane

Hey There, it's me Emma Jane. My pick this week is the brand new Nicey Jane Collection by Heather Bailey. It's fresh and feminine and vintage and modern all at the same time!
Most of the collection has arrived but we're still waiting on just a few bolts of fabric. You can see everything that we have in stock right here. You can see what we're waiting for here (expected in January). This is the "Porch Swing" Fat Quarter Bundle.....
Don't you just love all the blues and greys and greens? It makes me want to roll around in the grass on a warm spring day. I think my favorite fabric from the collection is this one...
Or maybe this one.....
Or maybe this one.....
And I can't let you go before I share Heather's cute little story that inspired this collection: "Small-town girl, Nicey Jane heads to the city on Friday nights to swing dance with her beau - but not before hanging the laundry to dry and enjoying an afternoon picnic on the farm. Every weekend should be so sweet!"

Ahhh.....sounds heavenly, doesn't it?

XOXO,
Emma Jane

Emma's Pick Of The Week - Great Gift Ideas

Hey There, it's me Emma Jane and my big brother, Max. If you're not done Christmas shopping yet, I'm here to help. I've picked out some great goodies that will make perfect gifts! The Learn To Sew Kit is a cute gift for someone who's just learning how to sew. It includes fabric that's printed to look like a hand pieced quilt. All you have to do is add the binding and finish it with floss ties or as much or as little quilting as you want.
Another great idea is the brand new "Girl In Paris" Quilt Pattern. It's delicate and feminine and oh so French. And it would look great in so many different color combinations - soft red and taupe......or maybe pink and black......or shades of blue.....So many yummy ideas! Ooh la la!
Or just take a peak at our many pages full of Fat Quarter Bundles. Who wouldn't love a stack of perfectly coordinated fabric under the Christmas tree? Maybe the Farmer's Market Bundle......
Or the Red Darla Bundle....
Or the soft and sweet Mill House Inn Bundle.....
Well, I hope this gave you some good gift ideas. I've gotta run - I need to find out if I'm on the Naughty or the Nice List! See ya next week!

XOXO,
Emma Jane

Emma's Pick Of The Week - Tropical Resort

Hey There, it's me Emma Jane.....
And my big brother, Max.....
We had so much fun playing at the beach this weekend. Obviously this inspired me to pick some beachy fabric. I love this collection called Resort by Michael Miller....

It's getting kind of cold and grey with winter coming and this is the perfect fabric to brighten your mood. And if you're lucky enough to be planning a warm, sunny getaway this winter this is the perfect collection for a beach bag or a sundress. I love this fabric with all the beach cabanas and umbrellas.....
And this one with all the little sailboats out on the aqua water....
I hope this brought a few warm, tropical breezes your way. See ya next week.

XOXO,
Emma Jane

P.S. Max is feeling sooooooo much better these days! He really appreciates all your prayers and get well wishes!

The Loooonnnngggg Weekend

Ahhhhhhh......the long holiday weekend was amazing. And somehow it went by way too fast. Weekends tend to do that, don't they? Anyway, here are the highlights of our four days off. We rode our bikes down by the beach to a wine and cheese festival on Friday....
And yes, if you look closely you will see that I have a bright pink Hello Kitty bike. I'm not ashamed to admit it. And when we got back from the wine fest we took "the kids" down to the beach to play. Emma posed for beauty shots.....And so did Max......

Emma received lots of hugs and kisses.....
And so did a sand covered Max.....
And so did Emma again....
And then all the excitement became just too exhausting.....
And I worked on my new craft obsession. Felt food. And yes, the book is written in Japanese. And no, I don't know how to read Japanese.
Don't you just love a nice big pile of brand new craft supplies.....
And then we put up the Christmas Tree.....
I love pulling out all the Christmas ornaments. It's such a nice trip down memory lane. John got this ornament for me in Hawaii.....
And my Mom and I got this ornament at a Craft Bazaar when I was a little girl.....
And don't you love ornaments with the year on them? I wish I had one for every year. I think this is the oldest one I have....
I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend too! I'm gonna get back to working on felt food. I'll keep you updated on my progress!

Happy Sewing,
Jenny

December Giveaway - Pop Garden

Happy December! This month we're giving away a Pop Garden Fat Quarter Bundle by Heather Bailey with 35 pieces!!! Yup, it's a huge Holiday Giveaway this month! This collection is full of modern and romantic prints in bright, vibrant colors. Don't you just love it???

Just send us an e-mail with the word Garden in the subject or text and you'll be entered to win. We'll also sign you up for our newsletter (if you're not already on it) unless you write No Newsletter in your e-mail. The last day to enter is December 31, 2009. The winner will be chosen on January 1, 2010 (I can't believe it's almost the new year!!!)

Good luck and happy sewing!

January 1, 2010 Update: Marian B. of New Hampshire won the Pop Garden Fat Garden Bundle. Congratulations Marian!

P.S. You can read about last months Giveaway here. Amy L. from Venice, FL won last months giveaway. Congratulations Amy!

Emma's Pick Of The Week - Big Birdies!

Hey There, it's me Emma Jane! This week I chose the Birdie Big Blocks Quilt Pattern as my pick of the week. And oh boy, do I ever have a good reason for picking it! We saw a Red Tailed Hawk hanging out right outside our house over the weekend! And let me tell you something - it was a big birdie! So, in honor of Mr. Red Tailed Hawk I picked this pattern.
It's a simple quilt done with fusible applique. You could probably even finish it in a weekend. Imagine how cute it would look in the Par Avion fabric from the Flights of Fancy Collection....
Or in this colorway.....
Or in this one.....
I love the way the circles and bird motifs in the fabric would match the circles and birds in the quilt. I also think this quilt would look really cute in fabrics from the Darla Collection....
I hope you like my pick this week! See ya next week!

XOXO,
Emma Jane