The Butterflies Bag

The test-bags saga continues.
Today character is the Butterflies Bag.

I used two lovely fabrics with a lot of purple print: Cocoon for Free Spirit from Westminster Fibers and Little Dot from Europe.

As with the other bags, I used batting and I quilted the bag body.
The quilted bags attract me almost every time. They have a special look. They are unique each and every one because you can't quilt identical designs. I mean free motion quilting. But it's challenging to find the balance, to not overwhelm the fabric with to much stitching or to lay out the quilting design that enrich the bag shape and not just fill an empty space.
In this bag I used  thread of two colors for those simple waving lines.       
I'm very pleased how it turned out the exterior zippered pocket and I like more and more the straps with square rings.

I chose another way to hide the magnetic button and I tested one add for the bottom.

And yes, I made this bag thinking at a dear lady. Because I will give this test-bag to her as present.
I only have to make it a matching pouch.

Now,  let's see what fabrics to choose for the next bag!

Have a beautiful day!

I am linking to Linky Tuesday 
                      Finish it up Friday
                      Fabric frenzy Friday

Giveaway Day Winners

I am so excited that so many of you took part in my first Giveaway Day!
I have read all your comments and I confess it was hard to decide who will be the 2 winners.
That's why the conclusion was to raise their number up to 4.
Nice surprise, isn't it?

So, the 4 winners of the Country Home Pillow Cover pattern are:
Ella
Swedish Scrapper
Texas Quilting Gal
WhoMom

I will send you an email and after your answers I will send you the pattern. I do so to be sure that I have your correct email address and my pattern will reach you.

Thank you all for stopping by and I hope to see you again here!
It's easy to follow my blog using this tools, to see what will come next:

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Enjoy what ever you have on your work table now!
Thank you, again! I was very glad to have you here!

Have a beautiful day, my dears!

Giveaway Day

The giveaway is closed now.

Thank you for your participation!

I am participating for the first time in the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day.
I love all is related to fabrics and threads and instinctively, almost every time I see something made with them I wonder: How could I do this thing otherwise?
So, I began to create patterns. My first one was released a few month ago and I will give it away to two of you.

You may find information about it here.

I have a question for you: What do you prefer: piecing or quilting?
If you want to participate in the draw, leave your answer at the end of this post.

I will choose randomly the 2 winners.

Giveaway is open until May 16.

 

If you want to come back here, on my blog,  please use this easy reminders:

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Have a beautiful day!

Edited to add:  if you are a noreply-blogger and don't want to make public your email address in the comment, please send me an email announcing me that you are one of the Giveaway Day participants.

Thank you! 

The giveaway is closed now.

Thank you for your participation!

Playing with my bag

I made another bag.  The others are this and this.
I wanted to see how it looks with a geometric print. I found such fabric in a little store in my town and I gave it a try.

I used polyester batting and I quilted the bag exterior on it. I used square rings for straps.

The bag is roomy, has inner pockets and an exterior one on one side, but as it will be a gift, I will make an assorted pouch for all those little things  that would be scattered everywhere in it.

I started to think of a name for it. For now I found none but until I will done writing the pattern is enough time to find one.

 

Have a beautiful weekend!

I'm linking to Finished up Friday.
                    TGIFF

My Garden May Palettes

We just returned from a lovely trip to our country home. We had such a great time. Although the first days where a bit grey and rainy, we had a wonderful time. 
Back home, I spent some time on the website play-crafts.com to compose the color palette of a few photos taken these days in my garden.

I really love this site. 
A very useful application I found here is Palette Builder - you upload your photo and instantly you have its palette.

You can add, change or delete colors from the palette but the best thing is on the right side of your photo: the application makes 3 matching lists of your color palette: one for Kona Cottons, one for Hex Values and one for Aurifil Threads.  You can save the photos with their palettes and/or share them. Brilliant!
No registration, passwords or things like these. It's simple and fast.
I find it very useful and fun. 
From now on the chain of My Quilting Hopes it's sooo short:  
photo - palette - money - money - money.... - Kona Cotton and/or Aurifil Threads order 
:)
In the meantime I saved one of my garden May Palettes with its three matching lists, for my wishlist :
 

I hope you will find this online tool helpful, too.

Have a beautiful day!


P.S. This isn't a payed post. I really think this people made a very useful job.

      

Reading and Gardening Break

For several days I'll be gone. It will be a little vacation I will spend in the countryside. We have so much to do there. In the garden we have the most work.
Today, while I was packing for our trip, the postman brought me a book I ordered two weeks ago. I only browse it, but I saw I was right to buy it.

It's a precious source for studying pieced blocks and learning their names but most of all it provides clear instructions in six different sizes for each block.

The book was printed in 2008 and was designed for the quilters who love both old patterns and modern techniques.

Unfortunately, Judy Hopkins is no longer living.
I am grateful to her because I have on hand such valuable reference book.
  

 

See you next week!

Have a beautiful beginning of May!