it’s done!  i finally finished the tote bag for my car quilt.  i incorporated one last block (thanks, Liz!) into the front of the bag for a pocket.  I wanted to make it easy to get access to the contents of the bag, but also not have it gapping open all the time, so one of the handles has a button:

which, when unbuttoned, allows the bag to open like this:

i’ll let you know how it works in the long run.  i may switch to a buttonhole instead of an elastic loop… or i might just leave it.  i do love the way it turned out!

here’s a sneak peek at my next quilting project.  any guesses as to the quilt pattern i’m using?  (hint:  it’s an actual pattern, not just improvised!)

i can finally post this project!  so…. you may remember the generous rebekah who made me the lovely fingerless gloves?  well, here’s the gift i made for her!  she wanted to frame it, so that’s why you can see blank canvas around the edges.  she told me she wanted a needlepoint pear and this is what i came up with.  it looks great framed!  (check it out on her blog.)

i’ve also posted the pattern on my patterns page if anyone is interested in trying this one out.  as always, if you end up using any of my patterns to create your own needlepoint pieces, i’d love to have you post them on my flickr group called “modern needlepoint.”  thanks again for the swap, rebekah!

i now have several screenprinted items listed in my shop!  i have a few fabric gift bags (like the one pictured above) and some dish towels and some pillowcases (sewn from repurposed sheets by me!).  i’m particularly proud of the packaging ideas.  i didn’t want to just add another big strip of paper to my product that would just get thrown away, so each pillowcase set comes with a matching simple drawstring bag that could be used as a shoe-bag when packing your suitcase, or to keep your shampoo and deodorant tidy in your gym bag, or whatever you’d like to use the bag for!

another packaging idea that i’m toying with for my linen tea towels is this:

get it? does it look too much like ravioli?   is it too corny or do you like the idea of giving a “tea” towel to someone as a gift?  (or for yourself?)  there’s an “envelope” opening on the back, so the towel is easy to take in and out of the packaging.  And you could probably come up with some creative use for the package after the towel is removed…. add some herbs and dangle it into your bathtub?  stuff it with fiberfill and make a pillow out of it?  i haven’t figured out if it’s worth the hassle yet.  but i do think it’s pretty cute.

and here is a special opportunity for you, dear readers.  i’ve received a commissioned request from a friend to print some tea towels for her mother-in-law’s birthday.  after some discussions about the design, i’ve created two patterns that i’m planning to print for her in the next week or so sometime.  if you would like to have something printed with one of these designs, this is your only chance!  this is a limited edition printing, so if you love the design, speak up now!  just comment on this message letting me know what you’d like to have the image printed on (towel, apron, tote bag, etc.), how many, what colors, and which design:

design “a”:

design “b”:

i’ve photoshopped the designs into the pictures above, so the final product may look somewhat different than what you see there, but that’s the general idea.  i think if you want to see the designs better you can click on the photos to make them bigger.

i’d like to more “limited edition print” offers like this, so if you like this idea (even if these particular designs don’t make your heart sing), let me know if i should continue to give you the opportunity to “pre-order” when i’ve got a printing run coming up.