My Quilts

Want to see what I sew? Take a closer look at some of my projects and quilts that I have worked on in the past.

  • Painted Ladies Quilt Reveal & Pattern Review

    I am beyond excited to share this Painted Ladies Quilt reveal with you! And I hope you’re ready to see tons of pictures because I couldn’t pic favorites!

    I started this quilt and finished the majority of the house blocks while I was on my mini quilt retreat a few months back. (72 hours of mostly sewing, yummy treats and far too little sleep but work every single second!)

    I’m not going to lie – this pattern is a work of love. It is a lot of repetitive blocks over and over…. and over again. While this can be a bit boring, you may find comfort in really nailing down what it is you’re doing and learning to do it well so by the end of making 40 hours (yes, 40 total) you will be the best house quilt builder ever.

    *I have to put in a little side note that if you look at the lovely pattern, you’ll notice my homes are slightly different than those on the pattern. While I used the bones of the pattern, I branched out and changed things to suit my eclectic tastes and made my neighborhood a little… wilder?… More artsy?… I made my neighborhood full of homeowners that I would like to live by… people who have fun… I always end up with something that I do my own way to add my own flair.

    I have a few quick notes about the pattern design itself as well as my fabric choices but then we will get right to lots more beautiful images of this special quilt!

    A Review Of The Pattern

    First, the Painted Ladies Pattern is a pattern by Eye Candy Quilts. You can buy the pattern here if you’re interested.

    Size: The finished quilt is 60″ x 72″

    The quilt pattern is inspired by the beautiful Victorian houses that line the streets of SanFrancisco, CA USA. “Each colorful house is stacked on the hill right next to the one on either side of it, and they’re all adorned with a little bit of appliqué gingerbread trim.” (according to eye candy quilts website)

    i.e – to my brain that grew up in the 1990’s – just like the houses on the opening credits of the TV show Full House!

    Understanding the pattern and creating each block was rather simple, in my opinion.

    I give the pattern 5 stars!

    Review of the Atomic Starburst Quilt Pattern by Violet Craft

    I found the cut sizes very precise and the instructions perfectly clear. There were only a few times where I had to rip my seams open and try again, but that was due more to lack of sleep and user error than any misunderstanding of the pattern or the pieces that I was working with!

    I did alter the pattern slightly and chose to omit the “trimmings” of the houses as shown in the pattern. I opted to dive into my scrap stash (actually the retreat group pooled a scrap ribbon stash for us all to play with) to add some fancy flair to each house.

    DIY Easy Key fob project sews up super fast and is perfect for teens, pre-teens and happy people of all skill levels! These are such a fun DIY gift... AND an amazing scrap stash buster!

    Another thing that I added that the pattern did not call for was little button doorknobs. I mean, you just have to, right? Somehow those beautiful little doors just have to open up!

    These were a fun way to use up extra and oddball buttons from my stash as well.

    More On My Fabric Choice

    I don’t think I’ve ever kept it a secret how much I adore Alison Glass’ fabric. I’m pretty convinced that we could be great friends and play with fabric designs together someday. Ahem… Call me, Allison!

    When I saw this stack of fabric in my local quilt shop… I totally had a stop and *gasp* moment… all of the designs together… the rainbow of color and the play of pattern…. and all fat quarters too! The deserved for me to stop and appreciate their loveliness! Oh, the possibilities!

    This line of fabric designs is named Sun Print. Everything pairs beautifully together and there are just enough eclectic designs and typography elements to make the fabric just stunning together. I can’t say enough how much I heart this fabric line.

    Image from FatQuarterShop.com

    My heart shined brightly on the inside when I saw this fabric… Yes, it sure did! OK, maybe I’m being a tad dramatic, but not far from the truth!

    You can buy this exact fabric bundle here. Note: If they are out of stock, you may have to search Etsy as this is the 2019 Line from Alison Glass and sometimes they are limited prints from the fabric manufacturer to allow for more new and beautiful designs to come out!

    You can also check out Alison Glass’ website to see if the bundles are offered.

    For the background, I knew I wanted something dark that would make the colors pop and show bright and bold. I ran across the lovely black and white constellation print that shows just enough of a print design to match the weight of the other fabrics but not take away from their beauty… plus, you may have noticed that I kind of really, like totally love stars. Like, just a little bit.

    A full review of the Painted Ladies Quilt Pattern - what I liked and didn't like -  as well as LOTS of photos of the finished quilt. Fabric Line is from Alison Glass

    More Quilt Pictures!!

    Ok now onto my favorite part… the quilt reveal with more pictures!

    As you can see I quilted the quilt on the longarm sewing machine. I’m lucky enough to have a sweet friend who is willing to let me come over with my kids in tow and use her machine (this one took 14+ hours of quilting time!)

    I quilted each house differently using quilting rulers and my imagination to pick the patterns. The sky/background is just a meander pattern with a black thread to blend in nicely.

    Its super fun to create each house and play with your fabrics! This quilt pattern would make a fantastic scrap buster too!

    This quilt is a birthday gift for my Mom, whom I adore and appreciate her always making home such a wonderful place to be. <3

    Enjoy the tons of photos to follow! And let me know in the comments if you’re going to work this quilt pattern into your to-do list this year!

    A full review of the Painted Ladies Quilt Pattern - what I liked and didn't like - as well as LOTS of photos of the finished quilt. Fabric Line is from Alison Glass
    A full review of the Painted Ladies Quilt Pattern - what I liked and didn't like - as well as LOTS of photos of the finished quilt. Fabric Line is from Alison Glass
    A full review of the Painted Ladies Quilt Pattern - what I liked and didn't like - as well as LOTS of photos of the finished quilt. Fabric Line is from Alison Glass
    A full review of the Painted Ladies Quilt Pattern - what I liked and didn't like - as well as LOTS of photos of the finished quilt. Fabric Line is from Alison Glass

    I chose a simple black and white backing with some sweet little birds flying so as not to distract from alllll that was going on color wise on the front of the quilt.

    I also chose a happy yellow fabric from the same line of fabric by Alison Glass for the binding of the quilt.

    A full review of the Painted Ladies Quilt Pattern - what I liked and didn't like - as well as LOTS of photos of the finished quilt. Fabric Line is from Alison Glass
    A full review of the Painted Ladies Quilt Pattern - what I liked and didn't like - as well as LOTS of photos of the finished quilt. Fabric Line is from Alison Glass
    A full review of the Painted Ladies Quilt Pattern - what I liked and didn't like - as well as LOTS of photos of the finished quilt. Fabric Line is from Alison Glass
    A full review of the Painted Ladies Quilt Pattern - what I liked and didn't like - as well as LOTS of photos of the finished quilt. Fabric Line is from Alison Glass
  • ISeeStarsQuilting Q&A

    I thought today we would take things a little differently. Why not answer some of your questions about ISeeStarsQuilting and of course, me!

    Hi, I’m Christen – By day, I am a busy wife, momma, homeschool teacher, taxi driver, wanna-be chef, queen of the dishes and laundry and of a course happy quilter! And by night… well… I’m still all of those things, but it would be super cool if I turned into a vigilante superhero or something…

    It kind of sounds exhausting though… I think I do enough vigilante work during the day raising my 2 busy kiddos!

    Usually, when I write on my blog, I tell you all about my latest project or share a fun tutorial with you. Sometimes I even take you into the depths of quilting knowledge and we get out learning hats on! Those are fun days 🙂

    I get a lot of e-mails from people asking me about quilting projects or requests for tutorials on [Fill in the blank].

    I seriously LOVE to hear from my readers. Do NOT stop emailing me, OK? Your fun emails are the icing on my cake each week!

    I also get a lot of other questions just about me and what I use to sew with etc etc etc… so here goes!

    Have any burning questions you're curious about? I'm compiling the most asked questions in my email inbox each week and sharing them with you! *Why not learn something new today?*

    Q&A with Me!

    Where did you get your start in sewing?

    I do not come from a long line of quilters in my family. My great grandmother quilted, but I wasn’t fortunate enough to learn from her many talents.

    My mom always had a sewing machine in our home. She used it to repair clothes and to sew pillow covers. My Mom has always been really amazing and crafty.

    She taught me how to use the sewing machine and I did what any young girl would do with it… I made Barbie clothes out of scrap fabric. (Don’t be jealous… They were terrible quality and usually broke when they got up to her hips)

    After I got married, I used my sewing machine to make budget home decor items to decorate our little apartment.

    When did you start quilting?

    I didn’t actually start quilting until after I had my kids.

    Raising babies is hard y’all… there isn’t a lot of time left in the day after you take care of everyone else.

    This Momma needed something crafty for herself. Not that I don’t like to play nice, but I needed something that I didn’t have to share with everyone… do ya feel me, mommas? I needed something just for me.

    I’ll spare you the gritty teary eyed epic meltdown moment and just say that after a really dry art period in my life, I thought I might just lose my mind. It was rough

    We also happened to need blankets for each child about that same time…

    None of us like to share cuddle blankets on movie night. Yes, I know I influenced this behavior in my kids. My kids were specific – It had to be a Batman blanket and a Cinderella blanket.

    So I went to the internet, looked around for about 10 minutes and decided sure, quilting, why not? I took myself to the fabric store and came home to make their little baby dreams come true.

    After that, I made little quilts for my niece and my nephew and then it just kept going…

    I became hooked and intrigued by the women who could manipulate fabric into beautiful kaleidoscopes of colors and designs.

    How do you organize your scraps?

    Haha… I like to sort by colors of the rainbow but other than that.. they’re kind of a mess. But please do what works best for your brain!

    I have friends who use a system of size and color and its massive and cryptic… and I have other friends who just use a big bucket at the bottom of a closet.

    You can see my whole system in this post Scrap Fabric Storage Ideas.

    I’m not really a good quilter… How can I improve my quilting?

    Ugh. That just breaks my heart when people tell me that they aren’t good at quilting. So, stop that right now, ok?! If you’re doing your best, you are doing amazing! Do Not stop quilting because you think you’re not good at it.

    If you have to take a few quilts and go a little slower, really hone in on your attention to detail and make sure your skills are what the quilt needs, then do it. It will be a slow-go process, but your quilting will be so much better because of it!

    So the answer is really just to hyper focus on each task that you do.

    How do you quilt straight lines?

    Ah ha! Every quilter’s dream. Perfectly straight even lines…. You can read more about my tips and ideas in this post 3 Tricks to sewing Straight Seams.

    Do you offer any classes?

    Yes! I certainly do! And they are a wonderful way for you to connect and learn!

    Because of the time involved in making sure every student understands and is well taken care of, I only open up enrollment a few times a year and spots go quickly…

    But if you’re one of the lucky ones who so get in… get ready, it is such a fun group!

    To stay up to date and get a heads up when enrollment is opening again, join the waiting list and learn more about Modern Quilting Made Easy by visiting this page.

    Do you teach in-person classes anywhere?

    I’m always down for a quilting party! If you’re in the Houston Area, let me know and we can rally up the quilters!

    Or if your guild would like me to come talk or give a presentation, contact me.

    How did you come up with ISeeStarsQuilting?

    I’m OBSESSED with stars. I love them everywhere. If I see something in a store that has stars on it, I want it… even if it is nothing that I need. I just really really like stars. They make me happy.

    You know that emoji with the star eyes? That is so totally me!

    And I get the same happy feeling in my heart when I’m really in my zone and at my machine making the quilting magic happen.

    What advice do you have for a beginner quilter?

    This is a loaded question that definitely deserves a whole pot of tea and probably some cookies too because… yum.

    I don’t want to completely overwhelm you with ‘you need to always...’ or ‘never do…

    The truth is, quilters are like cooks: We all have our own opinions and ways of doing things that make things work for us.

    I like to quilt fast and strategic. I am a productivity machine in my sewing room.

    Is it always perfect? nope. (but you know this if you’ve been hanging around here long enough)

    Start with finding one quilt pattern that you really love the look of and work backward from there. Really tune in and study each step and work your little fingers off until you get it right. The improvement in your skills and knowledge will come while you are learning.

    You can also check out some of the posts here if you need some help with your Quilting 101

    And for goodness sakes… if you don’t know something or you’re confused by a phrase… google it. We do not live in a day and age where you have to rough it out there on your own!

    What Sewing Machine do you use?

    I’m in love with my Janome 3160QDC. I have had her for a few years, and we’re totally besties forever now. (PS – This Janome 4120 QDC is a newer version of my machine, and comes with all the bells and whistles/accessories just a little more money up front.)

    I love Janome Machines and the modern feel they have.

    Overwhelmed with the sheer amount of accessories you can have in the sewing room? - Read this list for the top 13 Must-Haves in the sewing room!

    What do you love the most about quilting?

    I love that I will never ever feel like I have “mastered” quilting.

    There is always something new and more challenging that I find to add to the “someday” list.

    Do you have a favorite pattern?

    Yes, and no… I always get all giddy and excited when I start to work on a quilt but by the time I finish that pattern my eyes are already drawn to the glitter and shine of another pattern to make!

    I’ve really been into the clean lines and modern look to the patterns that Emily Dennis creates over at Quilty Love lately.

    What is the largest quilt that you have made?

    The largest (so far) that I have made a queen sized quilt… and it was a big one. Perhaps someday I’ll make a king-sized one? You never know!

    I prefer to work with throw sized quilts because I can make them and then move on quicker. 🙂

    Whew! OK… so I tried to wrap my head around the questions that I get asked the most in my emails. If I missed something or you have another question, please feel free to comment down below or email one in to me and I’ll get back with you asap! 🙂 Happy Quilting, my friends!

  • Tour of My Sewing Room

    I thought today we would take a quick detour from the typical quilting and how-to posts. Today, I am inviting you into my space and giving you the grand tour of my sewing room!

    This is where all the fun fabric magic happens!

    I am so blessed with the space I have. We have a very open floor plan in our home (which is great when you have little kids running around, but not so great if you want to maintain any facade of a clutter-free home! The mess just grows and is visible from everywhere in the house…)

    My sewing space is actually just after you walk in the front door, where a “normal” family would have a formal dining space. From the moment we moved in, I knew we weren’t formal dining people… because when you have little kids, carpeted dining areas aren’t the wisest choice.

    The formal dining room space became my office/craft space and eventually I gave up the Pinterest worthy interior designer decor and it became my full on quilting space. i.e. I brought in all my crafty junk and just made myself comfortable in here instead of trying to make it look like a magazine spread!

    Yes, I’ve considered putting up french doors to hide a little more of the mess in the space but that would block a lot of the natural light in the other rooms which is one of my favorite aspects about our home…

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    If you are asking yourself… “I wonder if she really cleaned up for these pictures or if it always looks like this?”

    Hahahahahaha, the answer is yes… I absolutely cleaned up and usually, my space has 10+ different projects strewn about in varying degrees of completion plus children reading books on the floor… oh and a dog too. She is normally right under my feet while I work.

    But I also always promised to keep it real with you, my sweet sewing friends… so while I straightened the clutter, I didn’t take the time to fold all my fabric and make it soooo perfect. I’m honest with myself too and that just not how I function when I create.

    Creativity is messy and a little messy is ok!

    So without further delay… here it is… my *starry eyed* sewing space 🙂

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    Let’s start with the wider view of where I work 70% of the time. from left to right, you have my favorite fabrics (oh yes, there is more than just this shelf…), the project time out corner, my embroidery machine (Brother NS1150E), favorite tools, my Janome sewing machine (Janome 3160QDC) and scrap fabric bins. Yes, the back wall is a mirror

    The large white table tops are from IKEA (you’ll see a lot of ikea in this room)

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    I love this corner. The bookshelf holds my favorite fabrics. I have access to all of my thread colors as well as hand quilting supplies.

    The timeout corner is that shelf with the orange fabric on it… They need a little time to reflect on how nice it is to work with others and stop making me pull out the seam ripper so much! I’ll pull them out when they have learned their lesson….

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    I also like to keep my favorite quilting patterns and books/magazines within easy reach on my bookshelf. Though it is slowly growing tighter and tighter on this shelf. 🙂 I also keep loose patterns in a 3 ring binder with clear dividers so I don’t lose pieces or parts.

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    Hanging on the side of my bookshelf is my embroidery scissors organizer. (this isn’t all of them as some are with on-the-go projects right now) but it is a fun way to be able to see these pretty scissors and use them quickly too!

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    Another fun area of the bookshelf is my collection of fat quarter fabrics and jelly rolls… please tell me you have an addiction to these little fabric bundles too?

    Keeping them all together ensures that if I need only a little bit of fabric or have a small project, I check here for fabric first before cutting into a larger piece of fabric. Also, these are all REALLY cute fabrics that I just couldn’t live without! It makes sense to use them!

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    Also in this zone of my sewing room is my chocolate stash. It is essential for motivation in the sewing room or when things aren’t going well and I need a little pick me up. If you don’t have a chocolate station, you need one!

    PS: There are other treats for when days are REALLY rough… the children do not even know these exist in my house. They are a secret! I absolutely implore you to go and buy these treats because I swear they will make even the worst days just a little bit better 😉 They are soooo gooooood!

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!
    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    This pretty little box actually used to hold some french cookies that I purchased from Homegoods or TJMaxx (I can’t remember which). While the cookies didn’t last long, I found the perfect use for the tin in my sewing room. I love to re-purpose old containers… and as an added bonus, now my hand sewing supplies are easily portable for when I want to take it on the go!

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    Ugh… I know, this is not your “Pinterest worthy” Photography shot to be bragging about but you know what? I live here… and I rummage through these drawers quite a bit.

    That being said. They are really amazing for storage. I have 2 drawer sets from IKEA and use them to prop up the table tops I purchased as my sewing workspace.

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    A big part of creating your sewing space is filling with with things that bring you joy and creating a room that you never want to leave 🙂

    But don’t become over run with dust catchers! Only pick the very best of the best… the very pick of the crop items that you love and proudly display them!

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    Let’s look a little more into the hidden parts of my sewing room…

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    This is a peek into the drawer that is closest to me when I am at my sewing machine. As you can see, I have everything that I need close by and it has a home so I know exactly where it is.

    Down below my tool drawer is my collection of rulers and acrylic templates for patterns and cutting.

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    If I buy a fabric bundle or purchase fabrics that coordinate together while I am shopping, I keep the fabrics together in a drawer.

    This makes for a quick grab when you need to make a quilt for a gift or need a quick sew. Half the battle of creating a quilt is deciding what fabric to use and what pattern you’re going to sew… this knocks out the majority of that struggle!

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    I also keep my basting sprays (purchased in bulk with a coupon! woo!) and other prays handy.

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    Moving over to where more prep work for quilting takes place is my cutting table.

    This is actually a drafting table that I got from my dad back in high school. It is adjustable in height and has been a staple in my craft room from day one! Yes, its kind of been around a little while… but we’re not going to discuss technical terms and numbers here!

    I have a few different cutting mats on the cutting table to protect the table top and my rotary blade as well.

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    I like to use containers to coral and organize my tools on top of my cutting table. This also makes it a little safer for wandering little hands that just want to run away with anything they can reach!

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    Another fun area to dig through is my scrap fabric storage! It is just simple plastic drawers from Target, but it holds oh so much fabric! (I have 2 of these because… you know… I had to organize my fabric in rainbow order. 3 drawers does not fit the whole rainbow. Slightly obsessive and compulsive? yes, I realize that but I have no plans to change :)

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    If you want more ideas for scrap fabric storage check out this post: Scrap Fabric Storage

    Just to the left of my sewing machine, I have all my quick grab tools. I purchased the clear organizer tray on Amazon. It has been 110% worth it to have everything in one place. I think these are mostly used to organize makeup brushes… but they work well for crafts too!

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    I also have an extra light source for when I’m working in the evenings and the daylight is fading. This is handy for when I’m working on tedious projects.

    This is the lamp that I have, if you’re interested. It has different light settings so you don’t have to work by the light of 1,000 suns and you prefer a little soft reading light 🙂 Also, really happy with this investment I made!

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    The last little area on my table I have that is close to an arms reach away is my big pin cushion and my flatter ironing spray.

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    This stuff… THIS STUFF!…. it is a recent find of mine, but I can’t imagine why I never heard of it before. If I could stand on the street corner and shout its praises without looking silly, I totally would. It’s that good.

    Just a little spritz when you iron and ahhhhh…. perfection beyond what you thought was possible. AND IT SMELLS LOVELY too. Win-win.

    My favorite thing about my sewing room is how accessible it is and allows me to work however I please.

    I used to have a big ironing board that was from before my husband and I was married and I hated that thing. It was always in the way and it was rather precarious if you ask me. We still have it for when I actually have to iron clothes, but in my sewing room, I use this super simple solution.

    Most of what I iron is just 1-2 seams at a time… no need for the BIG OLD ironing board.

    I have a cart that I have on wheels right next to my machine. I DIY’d myself an ironing board and now I don’t even have to get up from my chair to iron a quick seam.

    Lazy? Perhaps haha… but I prefer to call it efficiency, my friend!

    Work smarter, not harder!

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!
    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    The cart is from… *Ding ding ding* You guessed it! IKEA! 🙂 But I’ve also seen a really similar version for a few dollars cheaper at Walmart. We use the Walmart one in the kid’s playroom and I see no difference in quality.

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    The last section of my sewing room is where I am right now as I am writing this to you today. It is the “office” part and where all of the behind the scenes technical stuff happens…

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!
    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    Did you see that basket on the desk there? I love baskets to group like things together! This one holds my photography equipment. But you can round up anything and give it a home in a nice basket!

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    Everything HAS a place, everything IN it’s place!

    Does that saying drive you crazy? It does my kids haha 🙂 but our home runs so much more smoothly if everything gets put back in the place it belongs… especially our shoes which tend to get separated (I mean seriously, how?)

    And I work so much more efficiently in my sewing room if I know where things go and can grab them in a flash.

    This computer work area also has one of my favorite and most used pieces of my sewing room… MY DESIGN WALL!

    Someday I will do a full tutorial on this baby, but it is really simple to make on a budget that it almost doesn’t need a tutorial. It is so easy!

    I used insulation board that you can find at a hardware store (the stuff they put behind drywall I think) and I made a sleeve out of quilt batting to go around it by sewing down each of the long sides. Boom. Done & Voila. Nothing to it, right?

    It’s sturdy, light weight and move-able… AND by creating a large sleeve of quilt batting, it is double sided! Can I get a woohoo?!

    Your fabric clings to the batting (or you can pin it for a more secure hold) and makes for a really great area to play with placement and fabric arrangements… where the dog (or the kids) won’t come and try to “help” you… not that I don’t adore the help of little hands. I’m just less keen on accepting their advice after I’ve already got it all laid out perfectly...

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    Do you want to know a secret?

    Do you?

    Do you?

    Do you? 🙂

    My design board is about the same width as three KALLAX
    single bookshelves (its another IKEA product again!)

    Remember how I told you in the beginning how open my house is and if one room is messy they all look messy…. I can “hide” some of our general family office mess and other storage areas behind my design board!

    But shhh… Let’s not share that with everyone, ok? 🙂

    Creativity is best in a room filled with the things that bring you joy! I'm going to give you a tour of my sewing room today and share all my organization tips along the way!

    Whew, I feel like we need a tall glass of sweet tea after all that!

    Thank you for stopping by and taking the full tour of my sewing room! I’m, so happy that we got to share this together today and I hope you can take away some fun ideas to implement into your own sewing rooms!

    I’m always on the lookout for new and fun ideas…What is your favorite things about your own sewing space?

  • Jelly Roll Quilt Size Guide

    I just had to share this pretty queen sized jelly roll quilt with you that I recently finished. Its almost too pretty to be the on the back!

    Here is the front of the quilt. It is a quilt for my daughter’s bed. She is 10 and *loves* unicorns… I mean, who doesn’t, right?

    This is a pattern I designed myself. I’ve thought about jazzing it up with some instructions and releasing it on my site, what do you think? Are you interested?

    I’ve been collecting Unicorn fabric for about a year now… not just any unicorn fabric though, neon like the sunset sky, neon pink! Needless to say, I ended up with way more than I needed, but a healthy collection to choose from. FYI: Most of the neon fabric came from different Cotton + Steel Fabrics.

    So… I could keep going… Quilts are super fun to take pictures of! 🙂

    But the real star of today’s post is totally this queen-sized jelly roll quilt that I made for the back of my unicorn fabric quilt!

    Just look at how lovely all these colors look together!

    I made my strips 2.5″ wide x 40″. It is a TON of strips!

    I love the way it turned out! It’s a tough call to say if I would do them at 2.5″ again or not if I decide to jelly roll another quilt.

    In hindsight, I SHOULD have made them a little larger, maybe 3.5″ or even 5″… There is a LOT of fabric wasted in the seams of this quilt.

    Also, this long initial piecing strip of fabric went on for at least a few miles, I swear 😉

    I was inspired to create something fun and different with this quilt… a little off the normal ‘jelly roll’ method! And look what I did!

    Do you see the little smaller blocks? This is probably my most favorite detail to the quilt back. I cut some of my strip up into 2.5″ squares and randomly placed them in with my longer strips.

    When I say randomly, I really mean randomly! Always in groups of 4 to give it a little more visual interest and tried not to let similar fabrics “touch” (when I say this I feel like a toddler who can’t have the peas on her plate touch her pasta or the ketchup touch the chicken without having a meltdown”) I just see no point in putting the same fabrics next to each other because it will look like one continuous piece of fabric!

    The result is this beautiful mix of long strips in traditional jelly roll fashion with some confetti of smaller blocks to jazz it up and make it fun!

    Here is a formula that I used to determine the sizing for my Jelly Roll Quilt…

    I suggest you take a moment and do your math properly because what I did was just jump in and I ended up doing a little more figuring out in the middle than I probably should have. — Live and learn, right?

    The Jelly Roll Formula (AKA Do this first!)

    A  formula to just figure out how many strips you need for your Jelly Roll Race Quilt is:

    (inches wide x number of rows) / 40″ strip = number of strips needed

    *Number of rows is your quilt height divided by the height of your jelly roll – ex: a 2.5″ jelly roll strip will be a 2″ height strip with the seam allowance taken out.*

    *Also, while your fabric may be a little wider than 40″, remember that you’ll take out the selvage and you’ll also take out a bit for seam allowance.*

    Remember, the length will be determined by the number of rows and that is a set number. Only the width is completely flexible.

    To add to your length you will have to make two separate pieces and sew them together.

    If you think you could run a little short, just add in a few extra strips to be safe!

    Other Jelly Roll Size Guides

    Maybe you don’t want to make a queen sized quilt? Here are other guidelines for Jelly roll quilts!

    Baby sized Jelly Roll Quilt

    (20) 40″ strips – Your finished top will be a little bigger than 32.5″ x 50″. You can also cut those strips in half ‐ from (20) 40” strips to (40) 20” strips so your small quilt will have a more mixed stripe look. Shorter strips = more busy colors and fabric variation.

    Lap Sized Jelly Roll Quilt

    (40) 40″ strips or (80) 20″ Strips – This will yield a lap quilt that is about 50″x 64.5″.

    Twin Sized Jelly Roll Quilt

    (70) 40″ strips, or (140) 20″ strip – Your finished size will be close to 64″ x 88″.

    Note: Make this by creating two sets with  35 strips. This will make two quilt tops that are approximately 87.5″ x 32.5″, and then sew them together to make your 87.5”x 64.5″ top.

    Queen Sized Jelly Roll

    (105) 40″ strips, or (210) 20″ strips – Standard Queen size is 86 x 93.

    See the method used in the twin sized quilt – Use 3 sets of 35 strips to make 3 segments measuring 87.5″ x 32.5″ and then sew together side by side. Your finished top size will be approx. 87.5″ x 96.5″. You can trim down or you can leave it a little larger for maximum snuggle quilt size!

    King Size Jelly Roll

    (120) 40″ strips, or (240) 20″ strips ‐ Standard King size is 104″ x 93″. We can create one that is 100″ x 96.5″ using the jelly roll method and then you can add borders or sashing to make it a little larger.

    Make it in 3 segments – 40 strips in each. Stop when each segment is 100″ x 32.5″. Sew all three together and you’ll have your king sized top!

    To make a custom sized jelly roll…..

    This is the general formula you should use…

    [(Length/2) x Width]/40 = number of strips you’ll need!

    I hope that helps you create your very own custom sized jelly roll quilts!

    Let me know if you use this formula and if you have any questions!

    Happy Sewing!

    Custom sized jelly roll quilt? Here is the magic formula I use! Works every time and is so simple! + a look at the queen sized jelly roll I made with a design twist
  • Shimmer Quilt Reveal

    As we get close to wrapping up another year, I’ve learned a few things… I’ve learned to be more realistic with myself. Would I like to finish 27 quilts? Yes. I certainly would, but reality is that is not going to happen.

    I can shoot for the moon and aim high, but I can’t beat myself up for the ones I didn’t get to. Sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day and I can’t lose sleep over that. (oh my gosh, have I become that mostly chill woman in her 30’s or what?)

    I’ve been working on this quilt for several months. I’m going to share a review of the Shimmer Pattern and share the reveal of the Quilt Top.

    I also have a few tips for buying Solid Fabrics for you at the end 🙂

    I’ve been baking a few blocks at a time here and there. Its mostly been my project to come back to when I’m frustrated with another project and need a break 🙂

    I think it is always good to have these kinds of projects laying around. Keeps the brain happy and the work fresh.

    Shimmer is a pattern I fell in love with from CluckCluckSew. Her patterns tend to have a more traditional quilting/piecing vibe to them and I get lost in their simple beauty every time. She doesn’t even know I exist because I’ve been a quiet follower of hers for a while, but I encourage you to check out her website if you get a chance. It’s a real quality quilting site to follow!

    Shimmer Pattern by CluckCluckSew - sewing by ISeeStarsQuilting Quilt top reveal and Pattern Review

    Shimmer Quilt Pattern Review

    The pattern had me at “no Y seams to sew”. And it was absolutely true. Yay for the complicated block being broken down into simple terms! These are my favorite patterns to sew.

    This quilt pattern uses 20 fat quarters that are then cut up and interchangeably dispersed throughout the blocks.

    It is amazing how each time I finished a new block I had a new favorite 🙂

    There are many suggested sizes from a baby quilt to a king sized quilt.

    These beautiful blocks do take time.

    There are a lot of steps involved, but they were simple sewing tasks that a beginner-ish level quilter could tackle with a little practice. The hardest part for a newbie would be marching the corners, but you’ll never get there unless you try, right?

    Shimmer Pattern by CluckCluckSew - sewing by ISeeStarsQuilting Quilt top reveal and Pattern Review

    The instructions were clear and I am so pleased with the finished pattern and really enjoyed working on it between other projects!

    You can purchase this pattern on Amazon here.

    Pictures of my finished quilt top!

    Shimmer Pattern by CluckCluckSew - sewing by ISeeStarsQuilting Quilt top reveal and Pattern Review

    Disclaimer: I am a rule breaker… I’m sorry. I followed the pattern blocks but I didn’t finish the quilt the way the pattern intended.

    You can see here on my design board how the blocks are meant to be sewed right next to each other creating the secondary “block” in the middle of each starburst block.

    Shimmer Pattern by CluckCluckSew - sewing by ISeeStarsQuilting Quilt top reveal and Pattern Review

    I loved the way it looked but I felt like I needed a little space between the blocks to allow the eyes to rest between busy fabrics. I just wasn’t feeling the really busy quilt top.

    I think I was a little overly stressed with the holidays and needing more calm in my life. 🙂

    So instead, I added a 2.25″ strip of fabric between the blocks to make a grid layout.

    Shimmer Pattern by CluckCluckSew - sewing by ISeeStarsQuilting Quilt top reveal and Pattern Review

    You can still see all the lovely free spirit fabrics, but there is a little more room to breathe. I really loved the way it turned out. 🙂

    I could totally see myself making another one of these quilts in the future!

    A monochromatic quilt would be so stunning!

    Fabric Buying Tip: Please Read

    This is more of a suggestion, but I’d like to point out something that I ran into with this quilt.

    If you’re buying solid fabrics. I highly suggest buying them in bulk. Especially whites. You can see here that my grid lines were an afterthought because my white fabrics DO NOT match 🙁 – It isn’t as noticeable indoors, but in the sunlight its very noticeable.

    Shimmer Pattern by CluckCluckSew - sewing by ISeeStarsQuilting Quilt top reveal and Pattern Review

    I almost was tempted to rip it up and go with a light grey or something all together different for the grid fabric… but I believe that when I go to quilt this one the 2 color whites won’t be as prominent in my eyes.

    Shimmer Pattern by CluckCluckSew - sewing by ISeeStarsQuilting Quilt top reveal and Pattern Review

    Next time you’re in the fabric store, go to the solid whites and take a look, there will be similar whites but no two white bolts will be the same.

    Some have more of a yellow tinge to the color than others. – Maybe this doesn’t bother you like it does me? Years of art school have trained my brain and my eyes to look at colors differently.

    While I’m not ready to make another 15 of these beautiful
    Shimmer blocks just yet (I have so many more quilts I want to get to!) I might make a few of these for mug rugs or over-sized tea coasters!

    What do you think? Is this a pattern you would like to sew?

    Shimmer Pattern by CluckCluckSew - sewing by ISeeStarsQuilting Quilt top reveal and Pattern Review
  • The Best Wine Bottle Bag DIY Tutorial!

    If you’re looking for a great little handmade gift, you’re in the right place! How cute and fun are these wine bottle bags? I’ve linked to several Wine Bottle Bag DIY Tutorial posts from some of my favorite other bloggers… you’re sure to find one that is just right for your tastes and skill level! Have fun!

    The best part? 

    You can customize these any way you like. I plan on making grownup neighbor gifts this year 🙂 A bottle of wine for mom and dad, a plate of cookies for the kids with some hot chocolate mix… the makings of a fun family evening!

    You can make these in less than 10 minutes!

    Yep! And I’ve found the best tutorials to share with you so that you can make your own little wine bottle gift bag!

    Things you’ll need…

    Two bottles of wine (1 for gifting, one for drinking)

    Your favorite fabrics!

    That’s it… make these beautiful gift bags and enjoy!

    1. This one has such a cozy/wintery feel to it. It’s perfect for a true beginner because there is no lining fabric. Easy-peasy, a few stitches and you’re done! Check out the tutorial at FleeceFun.com here
    2. Slightly more advanced but still beginner friendly is this adorable bag! (This is the tutorial I used for the pretty purple bag that is in my pictures.)  Pair your outer fabric with a contrasting lining, and you have a super classy gift! Check out the tutorial at Smashedpeasandcarrots.com here.
    3. This next tutorial I really liked because the bag looks sharper with a rounded bottom to match the wine bottle. Her bag also fits a little more snug around the wine bottle. I could absolutely see this being classy enough to give as a company/work gift. Check out the tutorial at TheStitchingScientist.com here.

    4. And finally… if you’re in a pinch or want to host an easy girl’s night in craft night (totally recommend!) this no-sew wine bottle bag is too cute not to share in this list. Check out the tutorial at SomethingTurquoise.com here.
      Looking for the perfect Wine Bottle Bag DIY Tutorial? I've collected the best of the best to share with you! You're sure to find the perfect bag here to suit tastes and your skills! Check out my favorite go-to (#2!)

    What is your favorite pattern? Let me know if you decide to make one today and comment below! I love to see what you’re working on in your sewing rooms 🙂 Happy festive drinking… I mean… um… Happy Sewing!

    Looking for the perfect Wine Bottle Bag DIY Tutorial? I've collected the best of the best to share with you! You're sure to find the perfect bag here to suit tastes and your skills! Check out my favorite go-to (#2!)