Happy Friday! One of my favorite desserts in the summer is Poppy Seed Cake....not just any Poppy Seed Cake but my grandmother's recipe. My mom makes it all the time and it is heavenly.....
For your Saturday night BBQ..... Download PoppySeedCake
It is such an easy cake it is perfect for the kids to help.....and as messy as we get when we cook we wear our aprons.....
This is a great simple apron and fun to make with your daughter or grandaughter.
Have a great weekend!
XO
Valori
Good Morning.....we are getting ready to head out for a little family vacation but I had to share a fun pattern for the perfect picnic.
Skye....I made this quilt out of voile, cotton and then I made it into a picnic blanket.
I love it out of the voile...it is so soft yet cool.....perfect for a summer evening.
Here is the pattern for you to download and share.....
Hope you have a great weekend!!!!
We are hitting the road!
XO
Valori
Happy Friday!!!! I have to apologize about last Friday and Simply Made Summer....it was a big day for Quilter's Affair. Of course I had the best intentions and I figured I could do it all and still get in a post. I came to the realization at 9 p.m. as I was working at the shop that I was just not going to get it in.
Tomorrow is my Princess Violette's 5th Birthday....she is very excited for her Bubble Gum Princess party. In our house you don't get gum until you are 5....hence the bubble gum part! We love parties......and the summer is full of them!
This week for Simply Made Summer I thought I would introduce you to the Sophia Table Runner....she would look great on a table for a party....
This is a perfect project for a beginner because it has simple piecing, color play with the large scale print and piecing, quilting and binding.Those skilled quilters will find it a fun quick project to add a little style to your table.
To top off a great setting you need napkins......I have perfect napkin pattern for you.
All you need is a fat quarter - 18" x 18" piece of fabric, squared up. Then all you do is pull the strings until you get an fringe edge.
Once you have pulled the strings and you have 1/4" to 1/2" around the entire piece you clean up the edges and your done. There is no sewing required. This is a great gift for the hostess. It is fun to do lots of different patterns in a pack that you give away. It is a bit time consuming but a good tv project or weekend by the pool.....
Hope you have a great weekend!
XO
Valori
Hello.....FRIDAY!!! The last relaxing day until Quilt Show is over. Sunday starts the whole event off with the Fiber Arts Stroll, Monday is the beginning of Quilter's Affair Classes at the high school....and the week goes on....I am really excited for Quilter's Affair and Quilt Show this year. I think it is going to be a great year!
The Quilt Show office is now open and sorting quilts.....
They are so organized....it is truly amazing that 1500ish quilts come into this space get organized and then One Summer Day in July....Sisters, Oregon is transformed with quilts hanging all over town! It is beautiful!
We are having a bbq tonight to start off the party......
But before I get to my cooking and mixing of sangria I will share my Simply Made Summer for today.....
It is BERRY season around here and Oregon does have the most amazing berries. That being said I have to share my Summer Berry Crisp recipe. It is the perfect last minute dessert....takes no time at all and is truly yummy.
Download SummerBerryCrisp and the download for your recipe box....(I Hope)
Olivia and I made this crisp last night....unfortunately we didn't have any ice cream so in turn we put chocolate chips on it. When the crisp is warm it is so yummy with the chocolate. Fun new addition to the recipe.
Now when you make this lovely crisp you will need a pot holder to get it out of the oven....In case you are tired of your old pot holders I have a pattern for you....
My Flutterby Pot Holder Sewing Card......super cute and easy......can't go wrong with that!
Now I am off to prepare for a BBQ.
Have a great weekend!
XO
Valori
Happy Friday! As summer continues I am hoping for warmer weather for my garden....luckily we have missed the frost but there is not much new growth.....Looking forward to July when we have warmer days.....
I have been working on the instructions for the knitted edging for the Summer Nights Shawl and am happy to say they are done and ready for you......
here is the download able version Download Knittedlaceedging
This was my test version....on this I used two colors and make it longer. The pattern is for the original shorter version.
I used Shibui variegated sock yarn......as my obsessive personality continues I am now knitting the edging out of 4 ply yarn for my voile Fina skirt. To adjust the pattern so that the lace is long enough I measured the bottom edge of my skirt and added stitches in multiples of 12 to make it the appropriate length. I will share when it is done!
This is the back side or other side of the knitted lace edging.....I think it is just as beautiful as the front. Just in case you didn't get the Summer Night Shawl pattern here you go.....
and if you want to share..... Download SummerNightsShawl-web
Another great weekend project the Sassy T-Shirt Dress for your favorite little girl. My girls love their dresses and love it when I make them something out of my fabric. I am not sure at what age this ceases to be fun but for now they love it.
For market I took a picture of the girls in the field and added butterfly kites to the sky. This was blown up to a 4' x 8' panel and became one of the walls of the booth. I just love it!
So easy to make.....all you need is a t-shirt and some voile or cotton and about an hour....
Have a great weekend!!!
XO
Valori
Hello all.....enjoying a little vacation from the hub bub at the beach with my family...It was wonderful weather the last two days and today is a little wet and cloudy. Typical Oregon Coast.....
We make an annual trip to the beach in between Rodeo and Quilt Show.....kind of a mental break for all of us. We are just missing my brother's family but they went to Hawaii instead. Yeah, don't feel bad for him at all!!!!
So, this week I wanted to share my Rosalie quilt.....it is a Hexagon quilt (my mom tells me that hexagons are really big right now). The best part o the sewing card is that there are two sizes with the same layout but just different size hexagons. You can make a queen or a throw.
This is the queen version using all of the Cocoon cottons..... I love the way it turned out.
I was out shooting some quilts for our summer postcard and I had to take Rosalie.....
Such a perfect spot to take photos.....it is SO Sisters.
To go with this beautiful quilt......a easy project for anyone - fabric gift box!
So easy to make......
This will give you the instructions and one of the box templates....the download will have the full size template in two different sizes. Perfect hostess gift for the summer party. Download FabricGiftBoxes-web-1 Download FabricGiftBoxes-web-2
I like the inside of my box to be interesting also, so I printed on the inside.....you can stamp or put another piece of fabric on the inside.
Well off to hang with the family on this rainy beach day.....
XO
Valori
Happy Friday!!! Another beautiful day in Sisters....I think Summer is finally here! Summer makes my weekends perfect....not stuck in the house when it is raining and cold. UUUGGGHHH!!! Summer keeps us outside...in the garden, on the deck just enjoying our lives!
But before we embrace the weekend how about a simple project to add color and style to your summer....Flange Edge Pillows. The pillows are only outside when I am or we are having company. I remake my covers once a year since having them outside fades the fabric..... I also change my fabric frequently since I have new designs out every six months.These are made out of Cocoon Cotton Linen...yummy to work with...
And now for the down loadable version.....there are two different pages. It is designed so that you can print one page out flip it over and print out the other page, trim if needed and fold in half for a card! Fun to give away with some fabric and a pillow form as a gift.
Download 5x7_FlangePillow-web-1
Download 5x7_FlangePillow-web-2
Now an update on the Summer Night Shawl with the knitted lace edge.....I had a lot of sitting around time last weekend when we worked the Rodeo Dance.....and I am excited to say the scarf is done! Made with Cocoon Voile...yummy! I am testing my knitting instructions on another shawl and then I will share the knitted lace edge pattern.
My only added touch will be to topstitch in around the edges about 3/4" in from the seam.
I think it will be nice....Next will be a wrap dress to go with the scarf that I can wear to a wedding in a couple of weeks....
Have a great weekend!
XO
Valori
Happy Friday!!! Always a great day to start a new project.....I have a perfect simple project for you. A summer shawl made out of voile.....so soft and light and stylish.
Yummy Cocoon Voile....all you need is a yard of two different pieces.....
And you can make a beautiful shawl....
You can download this easy Download SummerNightsShawl-web and share with your shop or your friends!!!!
I love my shawl and I have decided to make it even better....I am knitting a lace edging that will go on the short edges of the shawl. Once it is done I will pass on a photo....One of my goals is to create patterns that incorporate fabric and knitting....
Have a great weekend!!!
XO
Valori
Happy June!!! It is a beautiful day here in Sisters, the sun is out it is going to be 80 today....can't wait to get into the garden.
This is the first day of Simply Made Summer a series of postings full of projects, recipes and ideas for a great summer!
My new skirt pattern Fina is a perfect summer skirt.....I made it out of the Cocoon Linen and I am in the process of making one out of the Cocoon Voile. I think it will be so soft and yummy as it gets into the heart of summer. For the Fina photo shoot I made skirts for all of the girls and we went out to the meadow. It was a cold spring day but they were awesome.
We had fun....
And the final cover photos is.....
Now once you have a beautiful skirt your going to need to reward yourself with something yummy.... how about some Sangria!!!! Download SummerRedSangria
Enjoy!!!! Have a great Day!!!
XO
Valori
Hello my friends.....it is the next instalment of Simply Made.
I love to make receiving blankets for babies out of flannel but in the summer you need something cooler. Cotton Voile...the perfect solution to a cozy and cool receiving blanket for the summer.
Summer Baby Blanket
Materials:
1 1/3 yard flannel
1 1/3 yard cotton voile
matching thread
* Wash fabrics in a mild detergent on cold, tumble dry low before sewing - I wash the flannel with the voile.
Cutting:
Fold the flannel from corner to corner to make a large triangle, cut off each edge to make a nice clean square.
Lay voile face up on a flat surface and tape edges.
Lay flannel square face down on voile and pin around edges.
Trim off excess voile.
Sewing:
Use a larger stitch on your machine, ie 3 or 3.5 rather than a 2.5. This will keep the two fabrics from pulling and puckering.
*I made a blanket with the voile on top and one with the flannel on top. Either way it is slippery so take your time and gently pull the fabrics from the back side of the machine as you are sewing.
Using a 1/2" seam allowance, stitch around entire blanket leaving an opening on one side that is 4" - 6" wide, for turning.
Clip corners and turn right side out, press.
Whip stitch the opening closed.
Top stitch around entire blanket at about 1/2" to 5/8" in from edge.
Wrap up and give to a new baby...
The cute elephant is Elsa one of my sewing cards...she is so easy to make and a great addition to the hand made gift for a baby.
Enjoy....
Valori
I hope to write again before Quilter's Affair and Quilt Show hit....next week. I want to share the amazing photos that I took while I was in L.A.
Happy Friday! This is my first instalment of Simply Made. What is Simply Made? Let me tell you....I have tons of ideas and projects that are easy, and great weekend or day projects, as well as yummy food and drink recipes. I thought that I would start sharing them with all of you....
This week I will share my Pencil Case pattern. I love to carry my sketch book around but I dislike not being able to find a pencil or pen when I need it. This pattern solves all of those problems.
Ready to make a pencil case?
Pencil Case....
3 3/4" x 8" finished size
What you will need...
Fat Quarter for outside of pencil case or scraps the size of the cutting measurement
Fat Quarter for the lining of pencil case or scraps the size of the cutting measurement
Thread for Decorative Stitching and sewing together
7" zipper
*optional - elastic to attach to the pencil case so that you can put it around your sketch book and never be with out a pen or pencil - for my sketch book I pulled the elastic around the book making it tight, subtracted the finished size of the case, 8". My elastic size came out to 8" long. I used a cord type of elastic but you can use any type of elastic.
Cutting...
Cut 2 - 4 1/4" x 8 1/2" pieces from outside fabric
Cut 2 - 4 1/4" x 8 1/2" pieces from lining fabric
Sewing....
1. Stitch decorative lines on the ouside pieces of the case if desired.
2. Press the top edges on all four pieces of fabric down 1/4".
3. Place the zipper right side up on the foleded edge of one of the lineing pieces.
4. Place one of the outside pieces folded edge on top of the zipper. Pin through all three layers. Making sure the fabric pieces are lined up and at the edge of the zipper.
5. Using a zipper foot, stitch along the edge of the fold. Do not sew over pins.
6. Repeat the pinning and sewing process for the other side of the pencil case.
7. Unzip the zipper and place the outside fabric right sides together and the lining pieces right sides together.
8. Pin around the edges of the pencil case, make sure you fold the edges of the zipper area to the lining side.
*If you are adding the elastic - pin one end of the elastic piece to the edge of the outside piece of fabric - lining up the end with the raw edges, lay it over the fabric making sure not to twist and pin to the other side. When you sew around the case the elastic will be secured in the seam.
9. Leaving a 2" opening at the bottom of the lining pieces stitch around entire piece.
10. Carefully clip the corners.
11. Pull the case right side out through the opening at the bottom of the lining.
12. Push the corners out with a chop stick and press entire piece.
13. Top stitch along the bottom edge of the lining to close hole.
14. Push the lining into the outside piece.
15. TaDa your done!!!!!
If you need a cool journal....Rag and Bone Bindery makes amazing journals, even using Del Hi Yellow Pom Pom Dahlia...which they call Zinnia. I sent them some of my fabric and they made journals just for us at Twigs (that is our gift shop next to the Stitchin' Post)......
Bloom... one of the great things about these journals is that they are hand made and the paper is AMAZING.....
Ingrid....
Jenaveve....this is the one I have, looks a little different because they are hand made.
I hope you enjoyed the first Simply Made....Have a Great Weekend!!!!
XXOO
Valori