Happy Summer!

Nothing Says Summer Like Birds and Flowers This Cardinal Pincushion embodies my love of being outside, bird watching and gardening. I have also spent the summer trying new things and trying things I have on my bucket list of patchwork and sewing. I think I dreamt of this new pattern. I always love to do applique, but I rarely have the time to just sit down and get back to some nice slow stitching. I don't know why. It always relaxes me and it opens up a whole bunch of new ideas. I combined applique and some patchwork to make my Sun Shine and Moon Shine Pincushions

It was fun trying to bring something new to my patchwork pincushions. There is nothing more humbling and more comforting that looking up to see these beautiful, cosmic wonders every day. They were super fun and a great mini patchwork challenge. I say if you can imagine it, you can make it. If it doesn't work out the way you thought it would, heck, you learned a lot in the process! I have a few more pincushions to share. These are from 2 Etsy shops that I highly recommend. If you are ever in a creative block, try to do something inspired by someone else. Follow a pattern, practice a skill, just sew and see what happens. These first 2 pincushions were made from blocks I found on ASpoonFullOfSugar. Lisa Cox is a talented designer of patterns. You will find PaperPieced Patterns featured on my Cherry Pincushion and the Pineapple Pincushion. It doesn't stop there! She has applique, bags, placemats, quilt patterns and so much more. Just browsing her shop will make you smile and get your creative juices flowing!

I also loved to work with LizTaylorHandmade to create my Daisy Pincushion. Liz Taylor is another talented designer. The patterns are beautifully designed. There templates are clear and the instructions are great. Like most paper pieced patterns, you will get pattern guidance. You will have to learn basic paper piecing techniques on your own. Don't fret! There are some awesome YouTube videos and blogs to help you out. All the patterns I used for my pincushions were beginner level blocks. If you are new to the technique, start larger, be patient and have some faith. They seem to go together like magic in the end! I made the 3 inch version of this block. Sometimes working small can offer a whole lot of challenges. Bulky seam allowances being one of the problems one can encounter with small patchwork. I recommend grading or trimming down seam allowances when things get tiny. If you are new to paper piecing, be patient. Its like walking backwards. You know how to walk, you know how to sew, just take a breath and do your best. Once again, I think challenges are so good for us. They can teach you so much. Here is my Daisy Pincushion. I used lots of ombre, textured and plain solids. I love how it turned out!

Speaking of flowers, I have some news on my Summer Garden Pincushion Tutorial. Its been on my blog for nearly 10 years now. I know many have enjoyed making it. I fear that making you go from one blog post to another, trying to find everything you need was a bit of a pain. I hope you found it worth the effort. I am going to move that pattern from my blog to my Etsy Shop, Fiberluscious. It won't be free anymore but it certainly will much easier to get everything you need to make it in one place. I'm just starting the process but hope to have it ready for sale before autumn. Its such a lovely pincushion and I would recommend you try it if you love embroidery!

Hope your summer has been fun and creative! Be back to share more with you soon! Jill