High Chair Cushion

This was a fun project! Now that I have grandchildren, I decided that Gramie needs to have a high chair for them. I found this Antilop Highchair from IKEA, which is both cute and affordable ($19.99 + $5 for the tray) and just happened across this tutorial for a cushion designed specifically for this chair. Perfect! The tutorial is a little difficult to follow because it's been translated into English from some other language, but there are enough pictures that I was able to figure it out without much trouble. If you do any sewing at all, you shouldn't have any problems either. My granddaughter was here yesterday to visit, and got to try it out. We all loved it (although she kept reaching for the bugs on the cushion instead of eating, so her mom got a little frustrated trying to get the spoon in her mouth instead of her ear...)

Zippered Bags Done!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving as much as I did. We traveled this year and enjoyed a fabulous dinner with family. Still have a couple of pieces of pumpkin pie to finish up for dessert tonight, but that's it for the leftovers.

Today I completed a set of four zippered bags that I cut out last week. I used Nicole Mallalieu's Make-Up Purse pattern, but modified the height & width. I've done this for several different sizes of bags, based on whatever length zipper I happen to have in my stash, and it works really well. Nikki's instructions for inserting the zipper are the best I've found yet!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have so much to be thankful for this year. The most important is that we were blessed with our first two grandchildren this year - a girl and a boy - life couldn't be better! We are truly thankful.
Now, for the crafty-stuff... Two dear friends knew that I was looking for a dress form to use that would work as a model for my purse photos. They found this one for me at a nearby shop and she works great! Thanks girls!!! I bought a new outfit for her at my local Goodwill shop, so the price was perfect. I hope to photograph her modeling some pretty new purses soon. Just can't think of the perfect name for her though... Any suggestions?
And just as I thought I was getting caught up on my Christmas projects, new orders came in. First, a batch of zippered bags - these are all pretty pastel colors with dolphins leaping through the waves - so serene...
And I've had requests for some more flex-frame pouches. The black one on the left is for an iPhone. The customer requested plain black (for a man), but I had to add a smidgen of style with the grey stitching. Black on black is just too boring... The one on the right is for eyeglasses - just love that ladybug fabric!
I've also been asked to come up with some unique cases for iPhones and iPads, based on the customer's specific requirements. Don't know exactly how this will turn out, but I've got my thinking cap on and I'll see what I can come up with. I love challenges, and I'm sure I'll come up with something that he'll be happy with.
In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for stopping by!

Neptune & Kona Ash – a new blend is fermenting…

First of all, a huge “Thank You” for the warm welcome you’ve all given me in blog-land! Word is getting out and I’m starting to meet people from all over – what fun this will be!
I promised a quilt in my next post, so here goes.
This one has been rolling around in my mind (a little fermenting going on here in my Cotton Cellar!) for several months now, and with the end of my Christmas project list in sight, I’m getting anxious to start working on this one – hopefully soon! Last year I made a quilt using fabrics from Moda’s Neptune collection by Tula Pink that called for really large flying geese. I used the “squares-in-the-corners” construction method, which normally creates a lot of wasted fabric. So before I trimmed off the excess triangles, I sewed a second diagonal seam a half-inch away from the first one, then cut between the seams, creating a half-square triangle that’s all ready to use in another quilt.
Then I sewed the HST’s together in pairs to create hourglass blocks. Voila – instant quilt blocks and I only had to cut for one quilt!
I’ve drawn the layout on my computer and done all the math, so now I just need to cut all the solid Kona Ash that I’ve chosen for my background. I’m really excited about the layout! If it turns out the way I hope, it should look awesome. I even have enough blocks to make two quilts about 48” square (twins anyone?) but I’ll start with one and see how it looks… It might be a while before I get to this, but I’ll keep you posted on my progress…

Six Weeks till Christmas!

Two more Christmas projects finished today! Wish I could show them to you but they're secret for now - maybe after the holidays.

So for now, here's a peek at some more purses I've made. Some of these are still available, in case you want to put a bug in Santa's ear...

These are all clutches made with Keyka Lou patterns. The tiny one on the upper left is a Keychain Clutch that fits my Jitterbug phone perfectly. The upper right is the small Curvy Clutch, the two on the bottom left are mediums, and the bottom right is the large. The tiny one has a split key ring, and the others all have detachable wrist straps.
These are two more Nicole Mallalieu designs. I just love her patterns and use them often. The Day Bag pattern I posted yesterday is probably my favorite - very basic, and just the right size. But these two are dressy little numbers, just perfect for the holiday season. The top one is her Clutch pattern, done in a simple, contemporary fabric, with a beaded embellishment in the center. The wrist strap is detachable if you prefer a plain clutch. The bottom one is her Evening Bag pattern, done in a pastel batik fabric, with a lavender dupioni silk lining and handles. The handles have boning inside so they keep their shape. I've embellished the outside of this one with tiny seed beads, all hand sewn in place.

Maybe I'll post about some quilts next time... Hope you're enjoying today's sunshine as much as I am! Cheers!

My First Post!

Welcome to my Cotton Cellar Blog! I've been reading everyone else's blogs for so long now that I decided to join in the fun. My plan is to post about the things I'm working on in my Cotton Cellar workshop, but unfortunately everything I'm working on right now is Christmas related and I don't want to spoil any surprises, so for now I'll post about things I've made in the past, so you can learn more about what I do. As soon as I start working on non-Christmas things, you'll be the first to know, so please stop by often and see what I'm up to!

Top Left & Top Right: "Day Bags" - one with a zippered closure and the other with a magnetic snap closure. Pattern by Nicole Mallalieu of You Sew Girl!

Bottom Left: "Black & Tan" quilt, using tan linen for the background and assorted black & browns for the rectangles. Pattern is "My Guy" by Funquilts.

Bottom Right: "La Petite Ecole". Fabric collection and pattern by French General for Moda. Made as a shop sample for Needles Quilt Shop.