I can’t tell you how excited I am to be a part of the Quilt Petite blog hop! I just love this book by Sedef , from Down Grapevine Lane! I want to make everything in it! I knew I would love all the projects – I’ve been following Sedef on Instagram for a long while now, and I love everything she makes. They are soft and pretty, florally and sweet! She uses lots of florals, and gingham, and polka dots, and pink, and aqua, and… Well, I’d best stop there, or we won’t get to MY project!
As soon as I saw that little girl on the cushion on the front, I just knew that would be my project. I have this thing for Mary Jane shoes, and florally fabric, so I didn’t really have a choice, did I?
My favourite of all fabrics is a tiny navy floral, so I decided to use the navy floral from Vintage Picnic for my little girl’s dress. Then I gave her aqua socks and navy Mary Jane’s. Perfect!!
I decided quite late into it, that I wasn’t going to this into a cushion. In my home, pretty cushions invariably get sat on by the dog, or thrown on the floor by teenage boys.
So I was going to make it into a mini, when the thought came to me that if she became a tote bag, I could carry all that prettiness around with me. That’s why I decided to machine quilt the border around my little girl, and sew on flowers instead of embroidering them – a little bit more robust for a bag, I think!
Not so long ago, I finished a hexi panel using fussy cut hexies from an IG swap, and wanted to use this in a tote.
So, I decided last week, why not put them both in the same bag! And voila!! How happy am I with the result?!?!
I used a mash up of two tote bag patterns from two different books – the Craft on the Go Tote Bag from Scrap Happy Sewing by Retro Mama, and the Airmail Simple Tote from Sweetly Stitched Handmades by Amy Sinibaldi.
I really like the linen background – it doesn’t take away from all those pretty fabrics! I also added a band of linen to the top of the lining which I think makes it look very professional! I even remembered to sew on one of my tags! And how sweet are those buttons on the web handles?!
I used the sweetest bunny print from Somer by Sarah Jane – a lovely low volume print which makes it easier to see inside the bag when I’m searching for something!
If you haven’t already bought this book, you should go and buy it right now! There is not one dud pattern in there – and Sedef’s instructions are so clear, and the photos are pure eye candy.
Here is the schedule for the blog hop – there have been so many pretty things made already, I can’t wait to see what everyone else makes!
November 6: Sedef at Down Grapevine Lane (intro + giveaway)
November 7: Wynn at Zakka Art
November 8: Sarah at A Little Happy Place
November 9: Bridgette at The Family Hearth
November 10: Heidi at Fabric Mutt
November 11: Minki at Minki’s Work Table
November 12: Ange at A Little Patchwork
November 13: Lauren at Molly and Mama
November 14: Michelle at Cole & Taffy (this is me!)
November 15: Nadra at Ellis & Higgs
November 16: Amy at Nana Company
November 17: Faith at Sarana Ave
November 18: Debbie at Happy Little Cottage
November 19: Erin at Why Not Sew
November 20: Amanda at Jedi Craft Girl
November 21: Melissa at Oh How Sweet
November 22: Stacy at Stacy Olson Design
November 23: Ayda at Cafe Nohut
November 24: Peta at She Quilts A Lot
November 25: Amanda at A Crafty Fox
November 26: Keera at Live Love Sew
November 27: Sharon at Lilabelle Lane
November 28: Kate at The Homemakery
November 29: Jemima at Tied With A Ribbon
November 30: Jodie at Ric Rac
December 1: Anorina at Samelia’s Mum
December 2: Alisha at Ministry of Fabric
December 3: Xanthe at Wife-made
December 4: Cheri at Tinker With This
December 5: Kristyne at Pretty By Hand
December 6: Kimberly at Fat Quarter Shop
December 7: Veronica at Vivid Felicity
December 8: Shari at Doohikey Designs
December 9: Jina at Jina Barney Designz
December 10: Emma at Emma Jean Jansen
December 11: Sedef at Down Grapevine Lane (wrap up + giveaway winner)
And don’t forget to pop over to visit Sedef’s blog, where she has a giveaway (a copy of the book + fabric + lots of Zakka goodies). She’s going to keep the giveaway open on her blog until the end of the tour – the winner will be announced on the final day.
Thanks for joining me today,
Till next time,