Simple Zipper Bag

I am so excited to be sewing along with the Fat Quarter Shop today! They have come up with the cutest little zipper pouch! It's perfect for traveling, make-up, sewing accessories, jewelry, or even as a simple gift. I actually gave one to both my mom and mother-in-law for Mother's Day filled with little goodies! I use mine to store all of my Olfa cutting tools.

You can find the Simple Zipper Bag video tutorial of Kimberly and Sherri here! They give step by step instructions on how to make this pouch in two sizes.

I made my bag using the Lavish Collection by Art Gallery Fabrics and it has quickly become one of my new favorite fabric collections.

If you want to see who's also sewing along with the Fat Quarter Shop, just click on the links below and visit some of my sewing friends.

Tina from Emily Ann's Kloset
Jessee from An Art School Dropout's Life
Erin from Why Not Sew?
Leanne from She Can Quilt
Vanessa from Lella Boutique
Amanda from Jedi Craft Girl
Sherri from A Quilting Life
Cristy from Love You Sew
Leslie from Seasoned Homemaker
Tiffany from Tiny Seamstress (hey that's me!)

Happy Wednesday friends!

Leather Shore Bags

So much sewing has been happening in my studio!

Lots and lots of new bags in my shop...check it out! :)

And follow us on Instagram for regular updates!

Winner!

We have a winner! Congratulations to Rebecca who said their favorite tradition is,
         "tieing up all the Christmas stockings on the back of the dining room chairs"

Watch for an email in your inbox Rebecca. Also, we will be doing another giveaway on my Instagram feed (@tinyseamstress) soon, so follow me there to stay up to date. Thank you everyone who entered and thank you C & T Publishing for the fun blog tour!

75 Fun Fat Quarter Quilts Book Tour & Giveaway

About a year or so ago I was approached by a long time quilt market friend, Roxane. She asked if I wanted to be a part of a fun collaboration that involved making a quilt only from fat quarters. I was so excited...and nervous...but mostly excited! I decided to give it shot. My inspiration came from the basic chevron style quilt (similar to my Chevy quilt). 

Once I finished my first design, I was then challenged to take that design and turn it into 5 (I think?) other designs, using the same block. That was my favorite part of the project, the challenge! I was so excited to take my design and make even more design options from it.

75 Fun Fat-Quarter Quilts is made up of 14 designers who together have made you 75 designs to choose from! The designs vary from the beautiful traditional style to edgy modern designs, allowing lots of options, styles and sizes for you to choose from!

 All of the fabrics used in this quilt are from the Riley Blake solids and basics collections.

This variation of the quilt is a baby size quilt. It comes together rather quickly and makes the perfect baby gift for boys or girls! My sweet nephew will be adopting this one. :)

Keep reading for the best part...

 C & T Publishing is giving one lucky reader a copy of 75 Fun Fat-Quarter Quilts!!!

To win just leave a comment telling me your favorite Christmas tradition

and I will choose a lucky winner December 26th!

Make sure you stop in and visit some of the other designers from the book at the links listed below. They may or may not be giving away a book too...that's NINE chances to win this book!

12/14 C & T Publishing

12/15 Jera Brandvig

12/16 Melissa Corry

12/17 Kate Colleran

12/18 Sue Pfau

12/19 Tiffany Jenkins (Me!)

12/20 Ellen Murphy

12/21 Amanda Castor

12/22 Jo Kramer

May the odds be ever in your favor! ;)

Lullabelle Blog Tour and Giveaway

Hi there! Welcome to many of you who are visiting from Dodi's blog tour. It has been so fun following along the Lulabelle tour here and here. I am excited to be the next stop! I have loved working with Dodi's new fabrics and I know the winner of her amazing GIVEAWAY will also love them!

I love this line so much because it reminds me of my little 4 year old girl. She loves everything navy and pink! As do I. She was my inspiration in this bag and the fabrics were just the icing on the cake.

I used the Lulabelle Main Navy for the body of the bag.

the Lulabelle Scallops in Navy for the side scrunches (the same technique used in my Poppins bag) and for the lining I wanted to soften up the bag a big, so I chose the Lulabelle Petal Pink.

The leather was a personal touch.

If you've been following me on Instagram then you know my new obsession with faux-leather. :)

And as stated above, you don't want to miss out on the great giveaway that Dodi s offering this week! Simply go to www.sashgals.com and leave a comment to with Lulabelle fat quarters

AND

Check out Lulabelle on Instagram @sashgal to win 5, 1/2 yard pieces of Lulabelle! Rules will be posted there on her feed. Contests will end at 12:00 PM Saturday the 14th with Riley Blake doing a wrap up for the tour! Winners will be chosen after the close of the tour. Best of luck!

Next stop on the blog tour: Striped Swallow Designs

Leather Shore Bags

 So...we've been working really hard over here. I am so excited to introduce our new faux-leather Shore bags! These will be listed in my shop on Tuesday September 1. So make sure you check back!

These are very similar to the original Shore bags, with a few minor changes. There will be 2 pockets inside, instead of one, plus the original 1 pocket on the outside.

 The leather handles are so soft and comfy, even better than the cotton handles and the bag is so lightweight, yet still durable. There will be limited quantities of each bag. Oh, I hope you love them as much as I do!

P.S. A little secret...we will be sending a free gift with the first few orders. There will be more info on this in days to come on our Instagram page. So come follow us there and stay up to date on all of our exciting news!

Spring Patterns 2015

I am so excited (and so behind) to introduce my new spring patterns! These are the patterns that I showed at quilt market this year. My first pattern is called Bounce. This pattern is one that looks complex, but is in fact, not very difficult. The squares are put together diagonally allowing for that "bounce" affect with each block. Finished quilt is about 72" x 72".

Fabrics on cover are Year of the Ninja by Riley Blake Designs.

My second pattern is Oh Betsy 2! This bag is similar to the original Oh Betsy bag in the way that it is built, but as far as style goes, it has it's own personality. The cut out on the top is so great because it allows the bag to lay on your hip comfortably! There is one pocket on the inside and it's so stylish with it's hook and ring closure. I get compliments on mine all the time.

Fabrics on cover are Halle by Riley Blake Designs.

Pocket-full is a very simple build of a bag and quick and easy to put together. The name of this bag does actually come from that bag, as it is FULL of pockets! 10 to be exact--6 outside, 2 large inside and 2 pencil pockets. And as always, a magnetic snap closure!

Fabric on cover is La Vie Boheme by the Quilted Fish.

Ribbons is a quilt you've seen before and now I finally have the pattern!

All of my testers confirmed that this was quick and easy to assemble, so I feel fairly safe saying that out loud. ;) This quilt is mostly built of flying geese and then a few others along the way. Like I said, simple! It measures 54" x 54" approximately when finished. The perfect throw!

Fabric on cover is The Cottage Garden by the Quilted Fish (I see a theme here).

I have had lots of requests for this one and it was in fact our top seller at quilt market (by like 3 patterns...haha). This is a smaller "fun-size" version of The Shore Bag. I call it "The Smaller Shore Bag"--catchy eh? This is an exact replica of the larger bag...only smaller. I'm not really sure what else to say, except maybe, it's adorable and fun! :)

Fabrics on Cover are Basics by Riley Blake Designs.

And then....Urban Chic! This quilt speaks for itself. But just in case it doesn't, I have to say that this is a fun quilt! So fun to put together and can be done one block at a time. Lots of half square triangles! And the blocks are quite large, about 24" x 24". Finished quilt is about 72" x 72".

Fabrics on cover are mostly solids by Riley Blake Designs.

 

So, that's it! I hope you love them! They were a lot of work, but so so fun! Also, if you happen to take the time to make any of these patterns, always feel free to post pics and share (you can tag me on @tinyseamstress) or even email them directly to me! I love, love, love seeing your work!

 

Hugs!

McCalls Spring Patterns M7138

Things have been so crazy, that I struggle to find time to ever sit down and blog, even about the good stuff! Like these fun patterns for McCalls! These bags are exclusives for McCalls and I'm so excited about them. The zippers are so simple to install and add such a fun touch to an otherwise ordinary bag. If you look closely at the bag above, you'll notice that the handles even have a zipper between them, allowing you to zip them up to make 1 handle. How fun is that?

The smaller shoulder bag has smaller details, such as the little bows on the strap and the fun boxed bottom, so it stays standing when you set it down. And then for extra storage there is a tiny zipper pocket in the flap for like coins or a small set of keys.

I used Soft and Stable in the base of the larger bag and I loved how it really added a lot of strength to the bag without taking away from it's lightweight style.

This purple bag shows the bow a little better in the handle. Aren't they fun?! You can find this pattern #M7138 at Joanns, Hobby Lobby, a few Walmarts, Hancocks, McCalls online shop and of course they are listed in my shop! Thanks so much for all of your support in the past, I hope you continue to enjoy these fun patterns!

Qualegal keeps your business organized

    

I have been so lucky in my business endeavors to have a brother who can help me manage all of my legal documents and questions along the way. But I know that there are so many people out there running a small business, trying to keep up with all of their legal paperwork and fees, and falling behind because they can't keep up or they can't keep organized with everything and don't know what is required. Especially because when we sign up to do a fun little business (like pattern design), the paperwork isn't at all what we're signing up to do! Am I right? 

 

     My brother Troy (a corporate attorney) recently started a new website www.qualegal.com for small companies where you can keep all of your business documents, minutes, contracts, and even your company roles, authorizations and investor information up to date in one place. Forget the messy paperwork and make your business hassle free.  

 

     For example, when we made Tiny Seamstress into Tiny Seamstress LLC, all I had to do was log onto Qualegal to gather all of my important information. I also keep my business contracts with other companies uploaded on my Qualegal site, so whenever I need them they are available.

 

     Earlier this year a small postcard arrived from my state needing some information about my business. While I knew the information was somewhere in my office, I wasn't entirely sure where. I was so excited when I remembered that I had already downloaded that info onto my page and I was able to get everything I needed for the state without digging through a single file! True story.

 

     It's a great online minute book for small businesses, it keeps all of your legal records organized (you know, the most important part of business), it walks you through how to keep your minutes, gives you the forms you need and helps you do your required annual meetings, and there is contact info available to you for any questions you need answered along the way.

 

     I think as far as small businesses go, I'm about as small as they come (absolutely no pun intended) and even I need my documents organized! So check it out. Go see what the fuss is all about. I promise you won't be disappointed! www.qualegal.com 

Rejection, it's for everyone.

I remember a creative writing course I took in college where authors came in to talk about their careers. Jack Weyland came in and spoke about submitting your work and then facing rejection. He had a 4" binder that he dropped right there on the table in front of us (smack!) and he said, "These are all of the rejection letters I've received." I remember my eyes growing big as I pondered the years of writing he must have submitted to be awarded such a novel of rejections. And that was basically all he said in his speech other than reading a few of the letters aloud.

On January 1, 2015, I decided to be brave in a whole lot of aspects and I was going to get everything I've ever wanted for myself this year. This plan was in perfect motion, until a couple of weeks ago when I began experiencing all sorts of rejection. My whole world felt as though it had all gone to crap and I sat huddled up in a little ball sobbing next to my husband, complaining about all of the things I want being ridiculously hard to get.

My sob session goes back as far as 1996 when I decided that I just wanted to grow. I simply wanted a few inches and there was only ONE way to get that. I couldn't have it easy like the rest of high school where they just wake up one morning 6" taller. Nope! I had to have my legs lengthened by a stretching method discovered in RUSSIA. Where they surgically break every single bone with a hammer and chisel and then they drill 12" pins through one side of your leg and right out the other for the whole world to see. And then magically three years later I'm 6" taller! Whyyy does life have to be so hard??? (Jason loves that I always bring my hardships back to the one event that I feel was so absolutely unfair in life.)

So now when I want something, I feel that I have every right to lay my plan out and say, "OK, everything else is hard (like carrying children, reaching the salad dressing in the grocery aisle, shoe shopping etc.) so THIS one little thing that I want should be easy! But it never is. It really never is. And the easier I want it to be, the harder it is!

Rejection. The almost-worst thing in life. It's for every size. Every flavor. Every style. Every color. Every temperament. Ev-er-y-one. It's like a bad cough medicine. Every four hours you know it's coming and even if you hold your breath, you still find yourself jumping up and down in the bathroom, squinting your eyes and spitting out every last drop that lingers in your mouth. You can't escape it because you need it and you have to have it, even though you don't want it. It will never get easier, but maybe it gets better because you learn that the faster you take it, the faster you'll forget about it. Choke down the cough syrup so you can enjoy the next four hours.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, I'm back on my feet, and things are looking up, except when they're not. ;) I think rejection is necessary. It makes you decide just how much you want something and gives you a reason to power through. Take note, that even the amazing people in the world like Jack Weyland are faced with rejection. It is indeed for everyone.

These Three

With Valentine's Day approaching I can't help but think of all the people I love.

Three of which are the greatest blessing of all! I love my kids even though they

are growing up SO fast and giving me no warning at all.

 Ruger 9 years old

 Sawyer 7 years old

Remi 3 years old

Black Friday Sale

Find Your Lula 2014

     This past year has been hard...to say the least. Business has been rough, my mind has been lost and all of my creativity has felt incomplete. This has rubbed off into my personal life as well. I won't go into details, because I'm sure it's happened to all of you in one way or another. I didn't know what to do. I would walk circles in my studio not knowing where to start, or if any of it was even worth it. Especially when comparing myself to other designers, I felt like I couldn't make the cut (BTW, don't EVER do that!).
     Last year I had thought a lot about attending Lula, but I didn't. Because it cost money. I felt like that was selfish. Then again, this year I thought the same thing. But my husband (the good man that he is) said, "You should go!" And I said, "OK!"
     I packed my bags and headed to Park City. I knew a few of the people from Quilt Market, but not very well and I was mortified. You know, like first day of high school mortified. What if everyone thinks I'm a loser and doesn't talk to me? What if I have to eat by myself? What if I don't catch on in class and they all roll their eyes at me? What if Pink Fig thinks my business is lame or what if the shop owners stop buying my patterns because I'm so crazy? SELFISH THOUGHTS!
     So about 15 minutes into the retreat I realized that this just wasn't going to be scary at all. This was a very safe place, where we could express our emotions and our struggles and everyone pitched in to lift us up. Everyone had stories JUST LIKE MINE! They had fears and struggles just like I did and we together as a team were there for each other. We built each other up and at the same time we had teachers who were so incredibly SELFLESS with their skills and taught us so many secrets and talents that we really need for our careers. We had cooks and staff there to make sure we were eating so well and keeping our minds and bodies alert and happy! There were designers, authors, a magazine owner, and Amanda Herring who were there to lead us and guide us! They helped us find a new beginning for our paths and now via the internet we are all able to keep in touch and continue to feel inspired and be supportive!
     I have to blog about this, not just to tell you all about it, but to remind myself next year, to go again! THIS WAS SO WORTH IT! Don't just go for the amazing gifts/swag (because OH MY WORD...THE SWAG!!!) or the fancy dining or the great classes, go for the lifetime of new friendships, the support, love, and inspiration from others just like YOU! Just go to find yourself all over again.

Photography 101

This past week I spent a few days at an event called Find Your Lula. I attended this event in hopes of learning a few skills. Never could I have possibly have imagined all the greatness that I gained in such a short amount of time. I established life long friendships, a new found confidence in myself, a love for creativity and people, as well as many other things which I will touch on in another post.

 

One of the courses taught at Lula was photography. I learned so much in just a few short days with Kristen. I still have a ways to go, but I am so grateful for all she taught me.

 Does my shadow make me look tall? ;)

If you are looking for a life changing experience or maybe even just a reboot, check out Lula! You won't be disappointed!

Remington's Room

 I have had a few requests (and by few, I mean like 3) to show Remi's room with the Petals décor. I don't have a complete photo of the room because it's not all finished and in fact these photos actually show it more "along the way" to completion because I'm not sure when I will actually finish it. I started the flower about 2 years ago and have modified it several times. But now I feel like it is perfect and my best critic (Remi) loves it hanging in her bedroom! We actually have a few now, but these photos are only showing the one.

 At one point, I made a quilt to match as well...it's a lot of fun with the petals and ruffles in the middle, but I didn't include it in the pattern because I ran out of time. So...maybe next year? ;)

 One thing that I love so much about Remi, is that I never have to bribe her to smile for the camera. She is so willing all the time. She's bit younger in these photos. Her hair is a lot longer now, but her eyes and smile are still the same!

Once I finally decided on where to put the crib, I was able to finalize some decorations. I used all THREE templates in my pattern to make various sizes of baskets and wall petals for her. She just thinks this is the best thing ever and loves looking at her flower every night.

We were very careful with hanging the flower and made sure it was SUPER secure! I like that it's simple and enchanting all in one. Not over the top like a lot of little girl rooms. That's really how we like things around here. I was even able to find all of the polka dot fabric for super cheap (with coupon) at Hobby Lobby! The other fabrics are of course Lila Tuller by Riley Blake Designs.

We still have a lot to do with the rest of the room but I think this is a pretty good start! :)