The final sew hot brand rep parcel!

 

For my final Sew Hot brand rep parcel I was sent the Tula Pink Besties fabrics. The prints are so bright and fun, with some lovely character prints. Since I was sent some half-metre cuts this time, I was excited to use them and make some slightly larger projects. 

First up was some storage. I wanted a large pouch or tote to store my webbing together. Since my sewing room has some glass cupboards, it is only right that I make some pretty storage. I chose the Gus tool bag pattern by Indigobird designs. I made the small size as it fits perfectly into my deep billy bookcase. I love the style of this caddy and best of all no binding. I think that is the main reason it is a nice and quick make. The instructions are great and so easy to follow too.

My second project was a new bed for Millie in my sewing room. I already had a dog bed/pillow that she liked but it had a brown cover, which just didn't look nice in my sewing room. Of course, I wanted a pink quilted one and when this dog print fabric came, I just knew I had to do it. 

I added some more Tula pink fabric I had left over from a quilt I made, which worked perfectly. I think the stripy binding adds some fun and really makes the print stand out. 

I made the cover with a zip so it can be easily removed and washed too. I was asked on Instagram if I would be making it available as a pattern. I didn't plan to make it a proper pattern for sale but will be doing a free blog post tutorial with all the measurements and some basic instructions, so keep an eye out for that if you are interested.

I am sad this is my last Sew Hot brand rep parcel. I loved the challenge of getting the surprise fabric, which wasn't always to my taste, but using it to make something lovely and show off the fabrics. The team at Sew Hot have been great and the special brand rep retreat for the reps was wonderful. All the other brand reps are fabulous makers and it has been a joy getting to know them this year. 

It has been a wonderful experience and I'm so pleased Sew Hot gave me the opportunity this year. 

I can't wait to see what the new team of brand reps do next year.

Mx

Sew Hot brand rep… take 3

 

Another Sew Hot brand rep parcel has arrived and it is fabulous!

I love these Ruby Star Society fabrics. It is the new Lil range by Kimberly Knight and has such pretty little florals. 

Of course I had to make some new cushion covers for my sofa. Before I started my projects, I had to narrow down the fabric selection. I went for the smaller prints for the patchwork and two of the larger scale prints for the zip backs.

First up I made my own pattern using simple half square triangles (HSTs). I think it is the colour and print placement that make the pattern so effective, in my opinion.

I have made it available in my Etsy store as a cute pocket pattern.

There is no other way to finish a cushion, than a hidden zip back. Tutorial here.

I did simple straight line quilting with my walking foot and love the results. It adds such lovely texture to the cushion.

For my second cushion, I decided to go with the Made Just Sew 'pointing' cushion pattern. I adapted it slightly as my cushion was rectangle, I didn't make all the rows, I also turned the pattern since I thought it fit the direction of my cushion better.

This was a free pattern for an event but you can check out her other patterns here.

I love this larger scale print for the cushion back and I couldn't resist leaving the selvedge on this one.

I had to adapt the way that I made the cushion back but I still wanted to add a zip to close my cushion back.

I think they look great together on the sofa. I will be adding my Ruby Star Society fabric cushion cover to the sofa next year and these are a great start to the collection.

Mx

New sewing room!

Since moving at the beginning of the year, we have been renovating the house. I have been waiting for my sewing/crafting space to be finished. It isnt quite there but enough to work in and share with you.

My desk has a set of tin draws underneath for tools and notions. I also have a small trolley with my projects and EPP, tucked to the other side. I have also added a peg board for my scissors, pins and few bits that I think I will use the most. 

There was already a shelf up, which was perfectly placed for above my desk, for some photos and decorations.

I found the pink office chair on facebook market place. 

At the side of the desk is an old piece of furniture I found on facebook marketplace. I plan to paint this so will share more photos when I finish that.

At the other side of the desk is some storage. It is a smaller depth Pax wardrobe either side of a Billy bookcase in a wider depth. There is only a couple cm difference so they sit quite nice together. The bookcase only comes in the white, but I chose the wood effect wardrobe doors to warm the room up a little bit. I have just added shelves into the wardrobes to sort my fabric and other sewing bits away.

The chair at the side was a find at a vintage markets many years ago. It is great and turns into a ladder, perfect for getting to the higher shelfs. At the side of that is the other piece of old furniture I have got but will be painting next year, so will share more when I do that.

On the other side of the room is more storage. At this side I did the same setup as the other side, but I had a bit more space so I used 100cm wide Pax instead of the 50cm. 

In the centre of the room I had made an island. Unlike in my old room instead of just using desks, I wanted something with storage. I reused the two Kallax units (with fabric boxes in) we had and laid them on the side, pushed them together. I found the table top that was the perfect size to go on top. It is a touch longer, which I have put at one side as I think I could use it to sit at if I really wanted to, although it will mostly be used for cutting out. I found a nice patterned large rug to go under the unit. It breaks up the vinyl flooring, adds pattern and warmth and best of all saves my floor from the inevitable ruler dropping.

The curtains were from next although in the sale, so I cant find them online to link.

The last design feature for my new room is the pink ceiling... It might be a bold choice but I love it! 

The light is the same as my old sewing room and I would highly recommend it.

Overall I'm so happy with how my room looks and excited to use my room and create.

I have added links from all the items, if you want to check them out. I think I have done everything but if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments.

Mx

 

Sew Hot Brand rep... Take two!

My second parcel for the Sew Hot brand reps arrived and this time I was sent a selection of fat quarters from the Swatch book fabrics by Kathy Doughty for Figo fabrics. 

It has been a year since I released the Bestla Quilt pattern, and it has been on my mind, especially because I decided it was about time I finished the matching cushion pattern. When the fabrics first arrived, making a Bestla cushion was an obvious choice. However there was a lot of fabric for just a cushion or two, so I couldn't resist making a small quilt.

I chose the baby size of the Bestla pattern. After making a few mock-ups, I decided to add a spectrum solids in 'optic white', to really brighten up the fabrics. I also needed to add a binding fabric from my stash. 

I cut out the quilt and the cushion at the same time, to make it quicker and easier for me. Also making sure I had enough to finish my projects. When the quilt top was finished, it was time to choose a backing fabric. As I am really trying to be more mindful of buying fabrics and trying to use what I have, I decided I would try to do a scrappy back using the pieces I had left over. It took a little time playing with the layout but I finally found a combination that I liked the look of and was big enough to baste. 

After basting it was time to quilt. I only do straight-line quilting with my walking foot. I couldn't fully decide on a pattern, so I did something very strange for memuch and made it up as I went along. I just kept adding lines as I went and was happy with how the design developed and turned out in the end.

I thought instead of just doing my cushion ahead of my week, I would make it in real-time during my week. I figured it would be a great opportunity to repeat my cushion in a weekend challenge so I did #bestlacushioninaweekend. It was a lot of fun to see how fast I could make it to cushion and secretly wanted to beat my time from last year... I did! My sewing has probably improved but I think mostly the time improvement came from the patchwork being less pieces and much simpler quilting. 

It was lovely to revisit the Bestla pattern and I am thrilled with my new quilt and cushion. I think the fabrics are a little too grown up for a baby quilt however, it will be a great size for use in my wheelchair, in the car and no doubt be stolen by my cheeky fur baby who has already proven it is the perfect size for her. 

Mx

Bestla cushion pattern testers parade

 It's a year since I released my Bestla quilt pattern, so I thought it was about time I finished the Bestla cushion pattern. The cushion pattern takes a section of the quilt pattern and makes the centre stars a feature. It is a different block from the Bestla quilt block but still has a nice and simple construction. There are many ways to customise your cushion, using different colours and prints in different sections. This is because there are many ways to make the Bestla quilt, it was only right the cushion should be able to match if you wanted it to. If you don't fancy making the Bestla quilt, no worries, you can just make the cushion pattern as a stand-alone. 

As always with my patterns, I like to get pattern testers to catch any mistakes and make the pattern the best it can be. There are the cushions my testers made and a little about them. I think they did a wonderful job, so be sure to take a look and give them a follow on Instagram!

If you want to make your own, grab the pattern from my Etsy store HERE. Why not also join the fun of a little sew-along on the 14th of July over on Instagram too.

I cant wait to see all your cushions, Happy sewing!

Mx

Hi I'm Lolly from Birmingham, UK. I've only been quilting for about 3 or 4 years now. I still consider myself new to quilting but becoming more and more confident in my quilting skills This is my 4th test for Crafty Lil Mouse! I had so much fun stitching the Bestla quilt patterns. So I signed up for this one as it's a accompany piece for the quilt.

It turned out so great I am so pleased!

@lollypopstitches

Hi, I'm Sanne, a Dutch quilter with a love for threads and fabrics. This was the second time I had the honour to test a pattern by Stacey. I had so much fun creating this one with a very special fabric bundle. I bought these fabrics last year in Scotland when I was over there for a wedding of a dear sewing friend, I just couldn't decide what to sew with it, but this pillow was the perfect project. The bigger squares give you the opportunity to do some fussy cutting like the highlander cow on the corners. It's a great pillow that comes together very nicely, I love the different options Stacey gives so you can construct it the way that works best for your skills and fabric of choice. You can check out my other projects on Instagram @SewbySanne or my blog sewbysanne.wixsite.com/blog.

I’m Shelly I am a children’s nurse by profession with a love for sewing. I have been sewing since around 2011 and had an amazing teacher in my mother-in-law who loves bears. I love turning people’s loved ones clothes into bears. Every day I am not working I can be found in my sewing room. I love making teddy bears, quilts, baby clothes and have started dressmaking for myself. I love a challenge and really enjoyed doing this pattern test. I loved the finished cushion and found the pattern was easy to follow with clear instructions. I am looking forward to creating more cushions with the pattern and think my next one will definitely be a scrappy one.

@shellysquiltandsew

I’m Lisa; I live in sunny Brighton UK. I started sewing as a child and made lots of clothes until my 20s, when I had a l-o-n-g break from sewing anything. In autumn 2019, I booked myself onto a patchwork course, as it was something I’d always wanted to try. I made a Bargello quilt and was hooked! During the Covid lockdown patchwork kept me sane, but it has become a bit of an obsession. In just over 3 years I’ve gone from a no-fabric household to every room containing at least some of my stash – I’m a big fan of Lewis & Irene and Dashwood Studios fabrics.

The Bestla cushion pattern was a great stash-buster for me. I’d just finished a large starry quilt, and I made the Bestla with leftovers, so now I have a gorgeous matching cushion on my bed. My husband is delighted with (yet another) cushion to chuck off at bedtime! I’d never thought of binding a cushion before, but it really finishes the project beautifully.

@lelbourne

Sew hot long arm quilting service

 It is no secret that I love getting my quilts long arm quilted. It is a super time and energy saver. I have had Cumbrian Long-arm quilter do so many of my quilts and I will always recommend her. However I was intrigued to see what it would be like to have my long arm quilting done by someone else. 

I was chosen to be a Sew Hot brand rep this year and it just so happens that as well as been a fabulous sewing shop, they also offer a quilting service. This seemed like the perfect time to try it. 

I had previously bought this Ruby Star Society unicorn panel (sadly sold out now) and was desperate to get it quilted and on my bed. I won a giveaway for fabric from the USA, so I chose a wideback that I loved but couldn’t find in the UK. It seemed like the perfect fabric choice for me and this quilt (Ruby Star Society have released a standard width fabric that is similar so would be a good alternative here.)

Next was the most difficult part of getting your quilt long arm quilted, choosing your design! Sew Hot have a great selection on their website, however nothing was really catching my attention. There is the option to visit 2 websites and have even more choice though. After a little searching, I found what I thought was the perfect design for this quilt, the swivel circle. 

They matched the thread colour perfectly to the quilt. After doing the quilt, it was time to do the pillows I sent. I wanted them to match, but the design I chose was quite large, so I was asked if I wanted to alter the size. I said 'yes please' and they did. I am so pleased they asked and I did as they look so much better for it. 

 One downside, is they don’t offer a binding service. The quilt comes back trimmed though, so putting the binding on myself isn’t too bad. 

Now it’s time to relax with some hand stitching, there is quite a lot so I might be a while. Finished quilt reveals coming soon hopefully.

Mx

First Sew Hot brand rep parcel…

I was so excited to receive my first sew hot brand rep parcel this month. I was sent the new Alison Glass ‘Wildflower’ fabric range. I must admit I was a little unsure about some prints in the collection, however my sister liked them. So I decided to split the collection into two fabric pulls and make us both some pouches.

My sister hasn’t got a maxi travel sewing case yet, so I thought it was time I made her one. Of course, I wanted to make her a mini travel sewing case too. My sister said she wasn’t doing as much sewing lately but could use a pouch for her tablet, notepad and stationary for uni. I had to make the maxi travel sewing case, 1” taller to accommodate her Samsung tablet. I split the top slip pocket into 3 sections. I used foam instead of my usual batting and interfacing selection. I thought it would give her tablet a bit more protection. I was also interested to see how it would turn out, it is lovely in my opinion, and I would definitely try it again. I also switched out the ribbon for elastic on the mini case. I have done this with a couple of my cases and it makes it very user friendly. 

I took inspiration for the quilting from the walk book by jacquie gering.  I have both of the walking foot quilting books and find them so useful. I actually scaled down the design for the smaller pouches as I felt it would work better to see more of the design. I definitely aren’t confident enough at quilting to do a full quilt but I think doing these small projects is building my skills and confidence. The quilting definitely popped more on the foam and the variegated thread adds interest, so I am very happy with that. 

For my fabric selection, I decided I might as well make myself another maxi and mini travel case set. I have made several and use them all. I think I might not use this set for sewing too, so I didn’t add the needle keeper felt. I am thinking of the maxi for stationary and the mini for in my handbag. I think it will work well for those little bits I always have in my bag, like plasters, tablets, lip balm and tissues etc, only time will tell though. 

Overall I am very happy with how all the cases look in the end and we are both looking forward to using them. I am also very excited to receive my next brand rep parcel, of course I will come back and blog about that one too. 

More photos of this and my other makes are over on Instagram @craftylilmouse if you fancy having a look. 

Mx

Pattern used are the #maxitravelsewingcase & #minitravelsewingcase available to buy in my Etsy store here.

Fabric used are Alison Glass 'wildflower' collection, supplied by Sew Hot.

Other supplies used:

Serial bagmakers #3 zip by the yard blue denim tape with sliders

Aurifil 50wt Threads: 2235,4662,2730,2530,1148,2235,2730,2135,2535&1243.

Fold over elastic

Vilene Interfacing F220.

Vlieseline sew in bag foam 

Hobbs 80/20 batting