Mother's Day Gift Idea

As Mother's Day approaches, I'm always looking for new ways to give unique gifts.  One of my favorites lately, is to wrap the gift in on our beautiful floursack towels. 

With the cost of gift wrap rising, I would much rather spend my money on something that can be re-used once the package is opened.

Our towels are also perfect for making pillows.  You can check out our tutorial here to see how to do it.

Let us know, what would you do with our beautiful towels?

Burlap Ideas...

Let's see what ideas you can come up for using these great coffee bags 

offered by Homealamode.com

 

Here's a few ideas from Pinterest!

I could see this done in these great coffee bags!

 

Any pillow or bag done in these bags would also be great in any home or a great gift idea!

This would be cute in a laundry room, a kitchen, potting shed... your choice!

 

In with the New... Spring has sprung!!!

Spring has sprung!!!  This is a pic that I copied from a nephew's facebook.  It is awesome.  Gave me inspiration... I see God!  What a great beginning for Spring and a great feeling of awwweee.  Awesome!!!  Have a beautiful spring and a very blessed year!  This is the beginning of new flowers, buds, gardens blooming and new starts... Start yours with us!  Have a wonderful Spring!!!

The Flat Family is Coming!!

Angela Yosten, my favorite designer, is releasing her first (of many to come, I'm sure) fabric line... Flats by Moda. 

"Once upon a time in a land far away there lived a family that went by the name of Flats. Everything in their world was FLAT. They had Flat cat, a Flat dog, and even a Flat house. This one dimensional land of Flats is just what they dreamed it would be. The colors in the land of Flats are very pretty and bold… Rouge, Sky Blue, Grass, and Butterscotch to name a few. From flowers to polka dots and plaids, you’re sure to find something for everyone. Come and play with the Flats in their land far away."

As someone who has been watching Angela's blog and waiting for this fabric release, I can't wait to get my hands on all this beautiful fabric. 

My mind is already spinning with all the wonderful projects I will be making with this adorable fabric - including this adorable, take-with-you dollhouse.

All prints are available for pre-sale on our website right now.  Pre-order yours and be the first to get your hands on this adorable collection.!

We're in Katy, TX

The Home a la mode ladies have arrived!!!  We pulled in late Wednesday night (or morning, depending on how you look at it).  Bright and early Thursday morning we got to the Merrell Center in Katy, TX and began our set up process for the 20th Anniversary West Houston Quilt Guild Quilt Show.  And now, after an exhausting day, the booth is READY!!!

We would love to see you!  Come out to visit us and check out all our newest products!  Mention this blog post and receive a FREE prize (just don't tell the boss lady) ;)

If you can't make it out this weekend, you can always visit our website!

Time to create! ~Jill

How-To: Banner Tutorial

Now, if you browsed our website, you know that we carry a variety of banners for your decorating needs.

But, sometimes you are needing one for a holiday or event that we don't have already made for you.  As someone who likes to decorate for every holiday, I needed to come up with a tutorial so that I could make myself a banner to match every season.

The nice side of me decided to share with you my method for making banner :)

Start by gathering all your materials.  I used the following:

• Citrus Marbles Charm Pack
• Gypsy Girl - Wishing Well Blue
• Jumbo Ric Rac - Pink
• Pellon Wonder Under
• Pellon 808 Craft Fuse
• Coordinating thread
• Rotary Cutter & Ruler
• Cutting Mat
• Pinking Shears
• Iron & Ironing Board

1. Print out the template for either the "Happy Spring" or "Hoppy Easter"
2. Figure out the layout of colors and order that you want your letters to appear.
3. Add Pellon Wonder Under to the wrong side of the fabric you want to use of the letters.
4. Using a light board, trace the letters using the Sewline Fabric Mechanical Pencil.  If haven't ever used this pencil, you are missing out.  This is the first fabric pencil that I have ever used that writes just like a regular pencil on paper - and it's just as easy to erase!
   
5. After you trace all letters, cut them out and peel that backing paper off.
6. Now, you will want to apply your Pellon 808 Craft Fuse to your main fabric.  I prefer to apply the Craft Fuse first and then cut out the squares to the size you want.
7. Cut out your squares (mine were 4"x6").  Make sure your fabric is fully adhered to the Craft Fuse.
8. Iron on your letters to each square, making sure to line up the letters with each other.  As you can see, I kept the letters towards to the bottom of the square - you will want to do this so you have plenty of room to add the ric rac to the top.
   
9. Now comes the fun part :)  You need to stitch around the letters so that they will stay in place.  If you don't plan on re-using and/or storing this banner, you can skip this step.  I used a tight zig-zag stitch for an embroidered look, but a blanket stitch works great for this as well.  I used white thread for mine so the letters stand out against the main fabric.
   
   
10. Once all the letters are stitched on, you will want to take your pinking shears or a pinking/wave rotary cutter and just trim the edges of the squares.  You can leave the top edge alone since it will be covered with the ric rac.  As you can see below, I just trimmed off a slight edge - this will keep the fabric from fraying.
    
11. Now, for the final step.  It's time to put it all together.  I left a tail about 8" long before starting to attach the rectangles.  You will just sew each one, leaving a small space between them so the drape better.
    
12. As you can see, the edges of the ric rac will fray a little bit.  I use a lighter to melt the edges just enough to seal the ends.
    

I hope this little tutorial helps brighten up your home for the holidays! 
HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT EASTER SEASON!  We sure did!  Enjoy the spring!

Time to sew!  ~Jill