A Magic Jar of Tea

Last week I made this mugrug as a practice patchwork block to get me back into the swing of things.

I was inspired by the colours of my Japanese jelly beans. I dove into my scrap baskets and embroidery floss to find matching greens & pinks. Inspiration soon struck, and a little teacup needed to be added! I decided to make a log cabin centered around this cute bunny fabric I found.

I spent a day or two trying to decide how to quilt it. I knew I wanted steam but steam everywhere would have looked a bit strange. I decided to turn it into a drawing a free-motion quilt a background image around the teacup appliqué. Not trusting my rusty free-motion skills, I drew the images on thin tracing paper first, pinned it in place, and quilted right through the paper. It was easy to follow the lines, I could see clearly, and I wasn't distracted by busy fabrics.

I love details...

I try to add a little bit of ribbon, buttons or embroidery to everything I make. I usually add embroidery after quilting rather than before. I started with the steam and just kept going and going but I had to force myself to stop before I went overboard! I added a touch of this lovely Tea Time ribbon that my friend Anna made.

"Loving the « invisible » tea jar!! Brilliant"

My friend Sonia left the above comment on my instagram. Depending on the light, the jar and all other quilting disappears and reappears making this a truly magic Jar of Tea!

Where did it go?!

My blog posts tend to be a bit behind. To keep up to date with what I am working on, follow me on instagram and facebook.

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Tea-for-One MugRug

Tea-for-One MugRug pattern is now available in my SHOP!

Tea-for-One MugRug is an easy applique pattern and a cute project for those last minute gifts. The hand-embroidered details & rounded corners enhance the homemade feeling. It is the perfect way to display that precious fabric scrap you've been hoarding!

This pattern utilizes raw edge appliqué using paper-backed fusible web. However, this pattern is still suitable for use with your favourite appliqué technique. Use heat repellent batting to make a sweet kitchen trivet.

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Teacup & Laptop Cozy

Here's a couple things I made as presents last year...

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Pattern Shop News!

The Quilted Teapot pattern is now available in my SHOP. This one's for all those tea lovers out there...

This beautiful work of art is certain to be the centre of attention at your next tea party and would make the perfect gift for any tea-loving friend. Now you can add a teapot to your teacup collection for an entire quilted tea set!

All PatchworkPottery digital pattern booklets include metric conversion chart, stitches & terms section, illustrated step-by-step instructions, and full size templates. These patterns are instant downloads so if you do not receive an e-mail with the link to your pattern immediately, please check your junk mail folder. I no longer send e-newsletters so if you haven't already, please subscribe to my blog by e-mail to receive shop & pattern updates.

Thank you for all your patience to those of you who have put in requests and have been waiting for patterns. Be assured that I am working on them and I haven't forgotten about you.

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Pattern Shop News!

The Teapot Pillow pattern is now available in my SHOP. It is a 12-page PDF containing 2 pages that make up the cover, 4 pages of instructions, 5 template pages, and 1 page on how to properly print and assemble your very own pattern booklet.

All PatchworkPottery digital pattern booklets include metric conversion chart, stitches & terms section, illustrated step-by-step instructions, and full size templates.

Add a warm cozy spot of tea to your favourite armchair with this elegant teapot pillow. Choose floral fabrics for that English look, blue & white toile for fine china, or even try a modern print for a totally different look... I think I'll try some vintage and text fabrics next!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Texting While Sewing Surprise!

We were away all weekend enjoying our last trip to visit my family and have fun at the Interior Provincial Exhibition & Fair so I missed the news that my block for the Texting While Sewing contest was chosen as one of the Top 10!

A bigger surprise awaited me when I opened my e-mail the next morning to discove that I won first place! I would have blogged sooner but I was sidetracked when I hopped on over to the Fat Quarter Shop to pick $50 of free fabric!

No really... it was the first week of school and we are all trying to get used to the new schedule. A reversible bug jar dress that was a special request for summer was finally sewn for the second day of grade 3. At least she said it was worth the wait and the boys at school gave me the thumbs up too!

I am also often lured into playing with our new kitty Opal. She is very sweet but can wreak havoc on the organized piles in my craftroom!

Oops! Sidetracked again! Now back to the contest...
Second place went to Cindy for this ingenious iphone block. I giggled when I first read the selvedge conversation!

And third place went to Kristy for her Quilter's Bible. I just love that selvedge bookmark!

Thank you to Amy of During Quiet Time for hosting such a fun contest. I joined before I even knew that there would be such fabulous prizes. Thank you also to the talented Kerry & Ayumi for their difficult work as judges. There were so many amazing blocks created with text fabrics and you can see them all in the Texting While Sewing flickr group.

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Texting While Sewing

When I was first invited to join the Texting While Sewing flickr group a few strange thoughts popped into my head... Maybe I won't join because I don't text while I sew. It's probably a good thing because that sounds dangerous. I don't want to see pictures of horrible accidents caused by texting while sewing!

I cautiously took a peek and realized that it was actually an online sewing contest held by Amy Friend of During Quiet Time. The challenge was to create a 12 x12 inch finished quilt block using text fabrics in a creative way. There were no other rules but sometimes too much choice can be a bad thing!

As the deadline approached and I was starting to worry, an idea finally came to me while searching with a friend for inspiration in my mountain of text fabrics that I seem to have collected over the years. We started to giggle as the words started coming together in a very odd way as we shouted out a combination of food and sewing terms. A creative trip to the cafe was called for and I was asked several times if I needed help as I stood at the counter sketching their espresso machine!

The idea for a cafe scene came to me early on but I couldn't figure out how to add text fabrics in an interesting way. Thanks to my friend Jana for suggesting a sandwich board because it ignited the menu board idea! I had way too much fun making it. I used a variety of techniques including regular patchwork, paper-piecing, three kinds of applique and embroidery.

I am thrilled with how my block turned out even though it did leave a huge mess in my sewing room! And finally the big reveal... my contest entry for the Texting While Sewing Contest entitled "Scalloping on the Bias Cafe". Wish me luck!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

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UPDATE: I'm excited to announce that I won first prize in the contest!