Friday's Feature - Happy Cloud Creations

It's gray and rainy here in the midwest.  Nothing better than a looksy into a colorful, handmade Etsy shop to lift the spirits!  Today's feature is sure to chase the winter blues away!  

Say hello to Andrea from Happy Cloud Creations!

Andrea lives in Washington with her husband and son.  She loves buying fabric, so right away, I knew I was going to like her.  ;)  She specializes in baby and children's items, but she has a few surprises tucked into her shop as well.

I am drawn to bright, cheerful colors, and this quilt quickly caught my eye.  You can see why Happy Cloud Creations is so happy!

Of course, Andrea's quilts are beautiful all on their own.  But, she takes the extra step to make them even more special.  Each quilt comes all wrapped up with a ribbon ready to give!  Love that!

Being a Mommy herself, Andrea knows that one can never have too many bibs or burp cloths.  She's got you covered in that respect, and she does it with style!

Happy Cloud Creations even creates handmade items for your home.  You'll find gorgeous pillows, quilted potholders, and knitted dish cloths.  Did I say knitted???  Yes, I sure did!  Andrea is a multi-talented stitcher!

To top it all off, Andrea offers a customized option in which she will work with her customer to create a one-of-a-kind baby quilt with fabrics of their choosing.  There is simply nothing better than a handmade, unique gift to give to a new Mom and her baby.

I hope you take a minute to stop by Andrea's Facebook page and the Happy Cloud Creations shop on Etsy.  Tell her Jenn at The Little Shop of Stitches sent you!

Happy Stitching, everyone!

SUPER Fabric Riddle Answer

Earlier this week, I posted a picture challenge for you.  Designed to stretch the synapses in your brain, as well as your quilt-y knowledge, this one definitely allowed for creative thinking.  (Click here if you missed the challenge.)

These were the photos of the fabric challenge:

I even included three clues:

Clue #1 - These are all various fabrics from my stash.  

Clue #2 - They turned into two easy-sew projects, although they are not quilts.

Clue #3 - The finished projects were birthday gifts for two SUPER girls who turned 3 and 5.

 

I heard from several readers, some through the comments, some through email.  The most popular guesses were pillow cases and pajamas.  Great guesses!

 

The answer is....Super Girl Capes!!!

 

Super Girls need capes, right?  I cannot take the credit for the creativity behind this project.  My best friend (Hi, Chris!) found a great tutorial on How Does She?  Fantastic directions!

 

Now, just like with cooking, I don't always follow the directions when I sew.  (The jury is still out as to whether or not that is a good thing!)  I changed my capes just a bit from the blog instructions. 

 

I used cotton instead of felt or fleece.  Each set of fabrics had a very slight metallic thread running through it.  A girl's gotta have some bling!  ;)

 

I made my capes reversible, with a different print on each side.  And, of course, I HAD to include a Super Initial Badge on the front for each Super Girl!  I just drew the shapes and letters directly on the fabric and added some fusible web to the back.  

 

POOF!  Ready to save the world!

 

Have you made any fun kid projects lately?

Fabric Picture Riddle

A few weeks ago, we had a Picture Riddle here on Stitched Stories.  (If you missed it, click here.)  You know those picture riddles in puzzle books and on video games that show you a super close-up shot of something?  Then, you are supposed to exercise your neurons and figure out what the "bigger picture" is.  

I had a pile of started, yet unfinished, quilt blocks laying on my ironing board.   This is what it looked like:

I posted a challenge to my oh-so-smart readers to try and figure out what they were destined to become.  No foolin' you!  This is the finished snowball quilt:

Let's try it again!  I will even give you a few clues.  Here are your photos:

Clue #1 - These are all various fabrics from my stash.  

Clue #2 - They turned into two easy-sew projects, although they are not quilts.

Clue #3 - The finished projects were birthday gifts for two SUPER girls who turned 3 and 5.

Can you guess???  Leave a comment on the blog!  The answer to the riddle will be revealed later this week.  Such fun!

Merry Christmas, Honey...WHAT???

I know, I know, I know!  It's the end of January, February starts this week.  I know!

Perhaps a little recap is in order...

I challenged myself to make everyone I love something handmade for Christmas.  See challenge here.

Then, I made a resolution promise.  Next year, I will not procrastinate on those holiday sewing projects.  See the story of my confession here.

In order to save my mental well-being and blood pressure readings, I gave my mom and my hubby IOU's for Christmas.    I made good on the IOU to Mom -- see her quilt here.

So, at last...MERRY CHRISTMAS, HONEY!

The pattern is from 4 Girls Design on Etsy.  It includes directions for making all sorts of gadget holders.   This is the Nook cover I made for hubby.  Super cozy, ultra-protective, and he got to pick out his favorite stash fabric!  See, there is a bright side to procrastination, right?  Right??

I know, I know.  "I will not procrastinate.  I will not procrastinate.  I will not..."

Tuesday Tips

Do you remember Monica from the show Friends?  I LOVED that show!  Don't tell me if you are too young to remember -- I don't wanna hear it.

Monica looooooved organizing stuff!  Labels, bins, folders...she had a specific place for everything!  Some-who-shall-remain-nameless think I am Monica.  Obsessed, perhaps a little neurotic.  Do I hear nodding out there???

I don't think I'm THAT bad!  If you could see my desk right now, you would agree.  Let's just say I have "Monica-Like-Tendencies" and leave it at that.

Today I have been in my sewing room -- not sewing, but organizing.  I'm not quite done yet, but it's getting better.  I can at least walk through the room now.  (See??  Just tendencies!)

Anyway, I would like to tell you about an AWESOME tip that was shared with me.  Arrah, my friend from my sewing group, uses an over the door shoe hanger, like this one:

Nothing super fancy, right?  About ten bucks at Target.  Here's the way cool part!

She organizes her fabric scraps in it!!!  Monica would be so proud!

She labels each little pocket with a color or style.  Then, if she needs a little pink or a little green, she can find it right away!  Love it!  This is why I am organizing today.  OK, also, so I can walk through my sewing room again.

The photo above came from an awesome blog called IHeartOrganizing.  I am not sure how this one slipped passed my radar, but Jen has great tips on organizing just about anything.  In looking for the shoe hanger, I also found this picture she had on the same post:

I don't really have a shoe-thing, but the colors caught my eye.  And, if you are a true stitcher, you are thinking the same thing I am...

"Hmmmm...I wonder what that would look like with fabric in it...."

What kind of tips do you have for organizing your fabric, your thread, your yarn?  Leave a comment and let's share!

Riddle Solved! And...Help Please!

The Quilt Picture Riddle didn't fool you!  In case you missed it, this photo was our Riddle.

The fabric pieces scattered in my sewing room reminded me of those picture puzzles you see in puzzle books that are supposed to make you smarter.  (Hmmm...maybe I should do more of those!)

You guessed correctly...it was the beginnings of a pile of snowball blocks!  Here is the completed wallhanging.

This was my Mom's late Christmas present.  If you recall, she opened a beautifully wrapped package filled with...fat quarters and an IOU!  Well, I am paid up.  For this one, at least.  Still owe the hubby a gift.  More on that later.

Now, here is my request for help.

I "volunteered" to help out with my son's Cub Scout den.  A group of 12 (count them, TWELVE!) first-grade boys, who are...shall we say...ALL BOY!  When we attend our den meetings, it looks like a room full of squirmy worms.

As my contribution, I signed up to teach these boys to sew a button onto a piece of fabric.  WHAT WAS I THINKING???  Twelve little boys with sharp objects?  Good Lord!

Has anyone out there taught little ones to sew?  Any tips you could offer?  Leave a message in the Comment section.  I need all the help I can get!

Ahoy Mateys!

AARRRR to all of you Land Lovers out there!  We received a new shipment of pirate themed fabric this week.  What kind of quilt project could you cAARRRve out of these?

Throw that anchor overboard!

Where did I put me map?  X marks the spot!

Can you say "Feeding Frenzy?"

These new fabrics and more can be found in my shop at www.littleshopostitches.etsy.com.

Happy Friday Everyone!

From Crayons to Cotton

A walk through the grocery store tells me it is "Back to School" time.  Being a former teacher, I don't really need a reminder.  My brain automatically does a do-over in August.  Something related to Pavlov, I am sure.

I always loved opening a brand new box of Crayolas.  Still do, as a matter of fact.  My eyes simply savor the colors, the combinations, the possibilities. 

My return from the Holmes County Fabric Show has resulted in a new box of crayons for me.  I've traded my Crayolas for luscious cotton fabric!  I savor the colors, the combinations, the possibilities.  To play off of Dr. Seuss, "Oh, The Quilts I Can Make!"

I will have pictures soon.  Stay tuned!

Jenn