Sew Powerful Purses #44-48 (for 2026)

5 more purses to donate to Sew Powerful Purse Project. I painted the white canvas material on all 5 flaps using stencils and fabric paints and then appliquéd the hearts on top.

I had made these hearts a decade or 2 ago? Been so long I forgot, so when I found these hearts, I knew I needed to add them to the purse flaps. These fit the monthly challenge of Love is in the Air at the Facebook group. The heart has one velvet fabric in the center of the left heart and a batik fabric in the right heart and both have a wool/rayon blend felt that I hand dyed and then cut the hearts out, that surround the hearts. I added sequins and beads on the left heart and beads and French knots on the right heart. After hand stitching the hearts in place, I added hotfix crystals around the hearts. When the light hits the crystals, they sparkle so pretty.

These 2 hearts are similar to the other 2. I stitched seed stitches in variegated thread on the right heart.

This heart was first pieced scraps and then I appliquéd the heart and surrounded it with metallic gold rickrack for some bling. 

Pin It Now!

Stay at Home Round Robin 2026 (SAHRR) Prompt 4

First, let me mention that I did visit most of the blogs that posted their SAHRR's, but when I clicked on several links through Linky, it didn't take me to their blog, but to my own email! Huh? This happened more than a few times, so that was weird. On several photos on the Linky, I could only see your progress on the Linky thumbnail pic only. There are also so many blogs I am unable to comment on and many that comment on my blog that I cannot comment back as you are a no-reply and no email comes up with your comment. I am looking, reading and admiring all your work, but there are strange forces at work that won't let me see your blog or make a comment though 😕.

The Prompt for this time was from Wendy of Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life, and she chose CURVES. Pieced curves, appliqué curves, curves in a fabric print, etc.  Appliqué is what I most love doing, so I made a couple of tall sunflower appliqué blocks for the sides of this SAHRR. I added a little black bird on each one too. I wanted one of the sunflowers to overlap the previous side blocks, so I did that too. This is the round I am most pleased with! I also wanted to bring back the sunflower theme that I started this SAHHR with in the center. 

Pin It Now!

Sew Powerful Purses #39-43 (for 2026)

Happy Valentine's Day! While I am working on more heart flaps for the Sew Powerful purses, I don't have them finished yet, just the one I shared a couple days ago. However, I did finish these 5 purses that I will donate to Sew Powerful Purse Project soon.

Painted background, appliqué flower, and pieced webbing strap using up scraps of webbing.

Decorative stitches on the curved scrappy section and a fabric strap using up some partial straps that I joined together.

Scrappy pieced flap with appliqué flower from that rainbow tank top that I have cut up into a lot of flowers. I made the fabric strap out of the same purse body fabric.

Painted background, appliqué rainbow flower from the tank top and a shiny textured vinyl for the center of the flower.

I made this flower years ago. It is fused with fabric on both sides and I riveted it to the flap. It is 3-D, as nothing is sewn on the flower. 2 flower layers and the circle center with the rivet in the center. I decided to rivet the flower on the scrappy blue purse flap.

Pin It Now!

Sew Powerful Purses #36-38 (for 2026)

3 more purses to donate to Sew Powerful Purse Project.

This scrappy pieced purse flap was made using quilter's 2-inch fusible grid. So easy to place 2" squares on the grid and sew rows to create a patchwork. The squares finish at 1 1/2" square. Great for scrap busting small scraps with fabulous results! You can place the scraps at random like this flap or in a number of pattern configurations.

On this flap I used the same fusible grid product, but I placed the same fabric in diagonal rows instead of a random placement.. 

This scrappy pieced flap was done in blue scraps and then I added a flower appliqué

 made from that same rainbow tank top that I have been using for flower appliqués. I even made that button years ago when visiting my sister. She had a Shrinky Dink plastic product and let me try it. So I cut out a larger circle and stamped in blue with one of her stamps and punched out tiny circles in the center for the button. Then the plastic gets heated in an oven and shrinks down. Not sure what percentage it shrinks, but maybe 40%-50%? I thought that was cool. I know I made a few others too, but hadn't used them before. When I saw this button in my blue button jar, I had to add it to this purse. I bought a few sheets of the Shrinky Dink plastic after visiting my sister, but have I used any of it? No! I think now that I have a lot of stamps myself and a few punches, I could and should make some more buttons. One day I will spend a few hours doing just that.

Pin It Now!

Sew Powerful Purse #35 (for 2026)

Love is in the Air is the monthly challenge over at the Sew Powerful Facebook group. I have been working on several hearts and this one I finished yesterday. I painted the textured background with metallic gold Shiva Paintstik (oil based paint that cleans with water), then appliquéd the batik fabric pieced heart, added rainbow rickrack & French knots all around. I even made the strap using 2 fabrics. I love how this one turned out.

Flap lining is a patchwork look with hearts too.

Pin It Now!

Rainbow Challenge: Green Blocks

This month for the Rainbow Challenge is Green. I am continuing with making string blocks. I made as many green string blocks as I could before running out of long enough scraps to use. I made 12 blocks. Click on the icon on the sidebar for more info from SoScrappy.

Green string blocks.

Pin It Now!

SAHRR Prompt 3 (Stay at Home Round Robin 2026)

Prompt 3 came from Emily of The Darling Dogwood. Emily said, "This week, we’re taking inspiration from the animal kingdom!  Any animal counts, from the smallest ant to the biggest of sharks. There are lots of ways to interpret Animal Kingdom".  Here are some ideas:

• A block or unit named after an animal: Bear Paw, Monkey Wrench, Snail's Trail, Birds in the Air, Shoo Fly, Puss in the Corner...there are so many!  Looking for something simple?  There's always that classic quilt unit, Flying Geese.
• Appliqué of an animal
• Pieced block that looks like an animal
• Fabric that contains animals

I thought about this and had a hard deciding what to do, so I finally decided that I would make an appliqué, since I do appliqué much better than piecing 😉. Since this is Valentine's Day month, I thought I would add the die cut word, Love in the center and then add a sheep and some fussy cut butterflies from fabric. All of these appliqué pieces I had already cut out ( from years ago) and ready to add to a background. So this one was easy and I do like how it looks on top of the piece (so far). I decided not to sew it into the piece just yet, as I will wait and see what prompt 4 is and what I make for that prompt, in case I want to place this block elsewhere on the quilt top.

Love die cut, sheep appliqué and fussy cut butterflies from fabric.

I will wait to sew the top block in place until later, just in case I decide to rearrange where I want the block to be.

Pin It Now!