It was my mom’s birthday earlier this week. I sent her this beaded Friendship Bag:

I also made her a tote bag from a Moda Bake Shop Tutorial:

Close up of the stitching:

Free-motion stitching on the back:

Serena Smith from Embroidery Treasures has put together two fabulous videos on how to cover a pizza box with fabric. She makes it look so easy. The addition of a little piece of ribbon to make the boxes easier to open is brilliant.

I’m going to head over to the local pizza place and see if I can’t convince them to part with a few boxes. These will really help in the cleaning up of the mess in my sewing area.

I have several projects on the go that will benefit from being kept flat instead of in a bag where they end up all wrinkled. :( I’m also going to use one (or two) for strips cut from leftover projects.

Serena has several other great videos she’s posted on YouTube. I especially like her roman shade idea for protecting your fabric stored on book shelves.

I am now the VERY proud owner of one of Geta Grama’s fabulous trapunto quilts. It is even more gorgeous in real life. It shimmers in the light because of the organza.

And a close up…

I’m still deciding on the perfect place to hang it. I’m thinking the cabinet doors in the sewing area, as I can see them while working and I’ll be able to look it every day. It’s great inspiration and a reminder of friendships around the world that I’ve made as a result of this web site.

Geta has some free quilting designs that you can download on her site. One of them is the pattern she used for the quilt she sent to me. You can purchase her trapunto ebook too. (I have it, it’s excellent.)

Check out this cutie …

Melissa, from Mel’s Own Place put together this fabulous Owl Plushie Tutorial. It’s just so cute!

The tutorial is very well written with lots of easy-to-understand photos. It’s sure to make some little one smile.

While I love gardening, my balcony gets very little sun so this year I only planted one large pot. My next place will definitely have southern exposure.

These super cute fabric flowers don’t need sun or watering and they won’t wither a die once the frost returns. They’d make a great gift, or attach them to a Friendship Bag.

Going Sew Crazy’s Flowers:

The Stitchin’ Chicken’s flowers:

I’m not much of a t-shirt kinda girl, but I do think t-shirt quilts are a great idea for preserving memories from concerts, sports teams, and other events.

Here are a couple of tutorials that I found:

• How to Make an Out-of-the-Ordinary T-Shirt Quilt: Part One and Part Two
• T-Shirt Quilt

Has anyone tried using a serger for this type of quilt? I think it would be a lot easier, but am worried about the stretch factor that might introduce. Thoughts?