Today's Project stop takes us to Down Under with this adorable Bright Star Pillow centered around a galloping horse from "Summer Ride".
Pillows are an easy and fun project to use up those little pieces left over from bigger projects, and it makes for lovely pops of color made in a short amount of time.
CLICK HERE for the project information.
Thanks Kritsy for the Pattern!
Pin it and Stitch it blog from the United Kingdom and was so generous to create a pattern for us out of the Wee Wander collection! This is SUCH a perfect pattern as the squares perfectly frame so many of the little illustrated vinyettes in the fabric. I love this design, and it's a strong statement with out a lot of piecing. Thanks so much Tracey!
CLICK HERE FOR THE TUTORIAL.
Happy Sewing!!
Today's Wee Wander Blog tour features a giant hexagon quilt pattern you will want to have on hand! Hexagons are my favorite...but it is so time consuming to make anything substantial. But this pattern is just right for this fabric collection, with big oversized hexies to crop in on those favorite little vignettes of yours.
Polly at Pieces by Polly put together this free tutorial for us all. Thanks Polly!
CLICK HERE to get the full tutorial and pattern.
CLICK HERE to see the fabric collection information.
Happy Quilting!
xo
Sarah
I was able to head "home" for the weekend for a quick visit with my husband and all my siblings and their spouses to surprise my Dad for his birthday. It was so precious to be all together without our kids, and to reminise being kids ourselves...something that I don't think has ever happened with all my siblings being adults.
Funny how we as adults can just go back to being kids again when we are all together. My mom bought cold cereal and ice cream like she would have while we were under her roof. It was adorable.
Reflecting on what it felt like to be a child, with all those floods of memories and funny stories, reminded me that kids are kids. And meant to be kids. Not adults-in-training. I grew up in a house full of play....and looking back...hard work and education felt like play to us. Learning how to create an awesome history project was play. Music lessons were play. Learning French was play. Even math practice was play (up to a certain point:). And our creative free time was just as much learning as play.
Being home reminded me that education and learning was such a vital part of my parents' parenting style.. But it was hidden in a family culture of expecting excellence as well as creative play. I grew up with parents who are truly children at heart and were so curious about the world in a playful way, yet my father has degrees from Cambridge, Oxford, among others. It's something that I want to achieve as a parent....to let them play. And to not forget that children are children and through playing and fostering curiosity, they will learn and absorb the entire world around them.
- Gottfried Benn
It's also important for me to let go of that tendency I have to feel those pressures of adult life, and remember to play myself. The mind is full of expansion when we are open and curious, always learning. The world is still my playground, and I hope to never....not ever....loose that sense of wonder.
Today's free pattern for the Wee Wander Collection comes from Toni at Make it Perfect. She's in Australia, and has the most gorgeous blog and sewing patterns that she sells.
This Messenger Bag Pattern is so great!! Perfect for play and for school. I need to make one myself....my kids are always toting things around.
Thanks so much Toni for the pattern! I hope you have fun with it! Wee Wander has been so fun to see popping up in all your projects. Hope you love this pattern as much as I do!
xo
sarah
The past several weeks seem like a blur, as I've been attempting to catch up on about every project that got left behind in the swarm of new baby-land. I'm the kind of person that expects a lot of myself (this has it's pro's and con's) and I tend to live in a constant state of possibility. Like, "Oh sure! I can totally whip out that book cover in a week!" Haha. Maybe when I was 25 and childless. I still think I can just create on demand, and I forget that a tired body (this baby still thinks 5:30 am is a great time to start the day!) really limits my creative "on" buttons. I have to laugh at it, really.
Couple that with a body that's still trying to figure out how to heal from a challenging 16 months of baby making and keeping up with 4 soul-filled children, and I am playing catch-up big time.
I'm learning how to balance my own whimsy and the reality of mothering and I always veer to the side of mothering. Which makes me happy and content. But then there is the work that piles up, and sometimes I think I must look like a really bad circus juggler. It's all good things....art making, home making, peace making. But it's knowing for myself when to turn out the lights and just go to SLEEP when I really should be doing this and that and this, that's hard for me.
Here's a few clips from Instagram lately. I'm working on some really fun projects that I can't wait to share (books, new fabric, new products....)
Life is good, oh so sweet, and full to the brim! I long to find that place where I can slow down and still find myself being productive in all the right ways. I've been practicing mental gratitude and mental meditation which has been incredibly healing to an overworked mind. Because my passion is my work, and my work is my passion, I'm learning to be more kind to myself, filled with more forgiveness as I strive to be the best mother and still share my creative gifts with others. I've always known that God's gifts to me are for me to share, and that has been so beautiful as I have always strived to put myself in a place of giving. But we all know that the bucket can get empty without constantly filling it. Mothering alone can do that. I've been on a journey of learning how to be in a constant place of being filled. It's a beautiful place to be in, but requires such openness, and rawness which makes it hard to articulate sometimes.
But as I've expressed these thoughts in one form or another, I realized that there are many of of creative mothers that just KEEP GOING and feel a relentless need to DO MORE. And to you, I say, "Stop, breathe, follow your bliss and slow down without guilt." This world is getting more demanding, faster and harder to keep up by the minute. And it's very easy to fall into that rat race. Simplifying life down to it's core needs and letting the other pressures go will only make for better joy.
I'm just honestly so grateful that my work, when approached from a place of joy, can be so fulfilling to me. I'm constantly grateful that I have a place to go to that fills my soul.
It's just so ironic, that when I'm overworked, that very same place can drain me.
Maybe you can relate!
I'm in a place of internal change, as an artist and a creator, and I really look forward to seeing where that change takes me. I know that as we are true to ourselves, and no one else, that we will truly do our life's best work.
Thanks for listening, and hope someone out there benefits from these possibly random Monday thoughts.
Love to you all, and have a lovely week!
Sarah
Another great project for you from the lovely Rae at Made by Rae. She's pregnant, and due any day now. So when I had her pick a project, it was so sweet when she chose this one.
She has a step by step tutorial on making your own nursing cover, and I love the Tree Lights fabric that she chose. I think it works great for this, as it's such an odd shape, and the scallop of the trees really round it out.
So head on over to the NURSING COVER TUTORIAL and have fun! It's a great pattern to have on hand.
Thanks so much Rae!
Sarah
So this blog is getting a bit heavy on the Wee Wander inspiration....hope you aren't getting bored. I love what you are all making!
Today I'm sharing a favorite: The Geranium Dress Pattern from Made by Rae made by Amy Friend.
Just adorable. See more pictures here.
I love that I get to post inspiration from all of you! Behind the scenes I'm illustrating books, magazines, more fabric, making new products for you and occasionally making dinner (pancakes, anyones?) So sharing all your ideas has been so fun but also a blessing in disguise:)
Have projects you want to share? You can contact me and I'd love to see!
More inspiration here and here
Happy Tuesday everyone!
xo
Sarah