Baby Blanket

A friend of Claire's has a new baby brother. I've known her parents for six years and, though we're not close friends, I like them very much and I wanted to make something for their new son. This blanket was fast and easy and I think it's really cute. I didn't use a pattern, I just sewed a 36" square of plush baby blue fabric to the same size square of cotton, and edge-stitched around it.

Placemats for my mom

I made a set of six placemats for my mom! She was browsing through my copy of In Stitches by Amy Butler last time she visited, and she dropped a not-so-subtle hint that she'd like some placemats. Voila! I'll give them to her next time I see her, which will probably be sometime in August. These were easy and not very exciting to make. I'm happy with how they turned out and I think they'll look good in her dining room.

Yoga Bag

This was my first sewing project, which Claire helped me with because I didn't even know how to use the sewing machine yet! This bag goes to and from the yoga studio with me a few times a week. The pattern was free from Amy Butler's website, and the fabric is an Amy Butler design as well.

Oversized Laundry Bag

I hope my friend Amy doesn't find this blog before I give her this laundry bag, because it's her housewarming present! I'm sewing a funky orange apron for her fiance Amy, also as a housewarming present. This pattern is from In Stitches by Amy Butler, a book I've used for many of my first sewing projects. New skill I learned with this bag: button holes!

Bowlie is pleased to meet you

Here's Bowlie, our rescue lab/vizsla dog, and the inspiration for the name of my sewing "brand" - The Bowlie Fan Club. My daughter Claire taught me to sew recently, and I've been having a blast making beginner projects: aprons, tote bags, placemats, even an A-line skirt with a zipper. I'm going to be documenting my sewing projects on this blog. Yay!