Friday Is for Sharing

Its Friday!  Even though I've worked weekends for several years, every Friday morning I feel like I'm about to have a break, and that makes me want to plan fun things for my free time.  Whether I've got plans in the evenings with friends, or I want to get out in the garden or maybe get cracking on my next craft project, Friday is a day for daydreaming.  I've decided Friday posts on Hot Pink Peonies will be for sharing inspiring things found on the web.

Flickr is such a wonderful place to find inspiration, to join groups with your interests, show off your work (be it blankets, babies or blossoming gardens), participate in hobby related swaps and bees, and to socialize through photography.  do. Good Stitches is on Flickr and that's how we stay in touch with one another and create the quilts.  For quilting and sewing specifically, you can find groups that do swaps of finished items, blocks or fabric itself. You can also join quilt-a-longs, and see what other sewists do with your favorite fabric lines.  There's so much fun to be had!

Some days though, its just pure inspiration.  I love seeing different color combinations and learning new techniques.  Click on the links below to learn more about each photo - many Flickr users will include a link to their blog.  And aren't those quilted cupcakes cute?  My niece is all about the cupcakes these days, so I was thinking I might surprise her with a cupcake themed doll quilt.

1. Bliss Stars Top by Why Not Quilt  2. Pillow Talk Swap by This Crafty Fox  3. Garden Steps Quiltalong by Clover & Violet  4. Friday Night Sewin Project by Stitched By Me 5. Sparkle Punch Progress by I Dream in Fabric 6. Quilted Cupcakes by Quilted Cupcake  7. Hexagon Quilt by Quarks & Widgets  8. Best Bee Quilt Ever by Kelby Sews  9. Granny Squares by Sew Deerly Loved

Are you on Flickr too?  You can find me there as Hot Pink Peonies Sews.

Lovely Finish

Lovely by Sandy Gervais of Moda has been out for a while now, but it just makes me smile every time I see it!  The coral, turquoise and yellows are so cheerful and perky and they scream spring.

This is your basic Dresden plate that I appliqued onto my favorite white on white leafy fabric.  I used pinking shears on the center of the plate, which mimics the petals and makes it look alot like a flower.  I used coral perle cotton to hand quilt around the plates too.  I love that look!

Its available in my Etsy shop.  These fabrics are so cheerful I think I'll make a table topper too!

What have you been working on?

A Lovely Dresden

Dresden plates are a lot of fun and fairly quick, especially if you're only doing one. I've been anxious to cut into my Lovely by Sandy Gervais stash.  So perky!  Maybe I will make four and turn them into a little wall hanging.

A New Pillow

This has been a super fun project for me, and its a good skill booster too.  Using a load of half square triangles (HSTs) I made a modern pillow cover.  It was good practice for the HSTs and I improved my accuracy on quarter inch seams.  

Using advice I read somewhere on the internet, I remembered to press the seams on each strip in the opposite direction so that they fit together more neatly. It has an envelope style closure on the back with the most mod looking of the patterned fabrics.

I quilted it with teal thread that is a little darker than the solid teal and I like how it turned out. I did alot of quilting on the teal target band but less on the remaining solid and patterned bands. Its bound in solid teal and I'm just tickled with it! I might do another in a different colorway and create a tutorial.
Any good ideas for a name for this puppy?  I'm thinking "Off Center" or "Off Kilter" but those are fairly boring.  It will go in my Etsy shop soon.

Linked up with Ruby Jean, Sew Many Ways' Sew Darn Crafty Party, Creation's by Kara's Look What I Made Linky Party, Beyond the Picket Fence's Under $100 Party, Sew Happy Geek's Manic Monday Linky Party and Serenity Now's Weekend Bloggy Reading.  Check out all the awesome projects on the links, and thanks for letting me share, ladies!

Catching up with do Good

Here are some of my recent blocks for do Good Stitches.  In November we did Ticker Tape blocks based on Rachel's Bottled Rainbows Tutorial and Quiltalong.  I choose dark red and dark green.  (Wow my photography needs some serious work.  I think I've dropped the camera so many times its focus is off.)

December's plan was called Shades of Grey - and this was a cool idea. We each used grey as the primary color of the block and then added a pop of another color.  Lyanna also asked that we try to use geometric shapes and I can't wait to see all the blocks for this quilt.  My blocks use hot pink of course, but the only grey I have in the stash is Kona Coal and this circle print that practically matches. 

January was tons of fun!  We did string blocks and it was an 'anything goes' project, as long as we used a one inch white strip for the center. These are colorful and fun.  I'm adding this to my own to-do list. Here's my first attempt, with the paper still on.

And the final four ...

I made five, but something turned out wrong with the center strip on the first one & I didn't feel like picking it apart to fix it.  It was recommended that we shorten the stitch length to make the paper easier to rip off once you're done.  That worked out really well, but its harder on the eyes to pick apart any mistakes.  I'll save that for some bright morning when I'm well rested. ;)

My scrap bin wasn't too big to begin with, but I'm happy to see the pieces and parts become something fun and useful to someone else.  Now I need to get cracking on my own projects so I can have more scraps ready for the next assignment!

Back in the Saddle

My free time has been seriously limited for a couple months so I have had to resign my creative time to portable knitting and hand sewing, but I've gotten back into the sewing room at last.   I'm getting caught up on do Good Stitches blocks as quick as I can.  My little buddy has finally decided the new pillow I made for the sewing room is acceptable to her.  She doesn't look too happy that I'm taking pictures though, does she?

I've been wanting to play with half square triangles (HSTs) in a format other than pinwheels, and decided to seize the day.  It took forever to choose a color concept, but eventually I picked out three Anthropology fabrics and two coordinating solids.  I was inspired by Jeni's Vintage Sheet Pillow Cover Tutorial at In Color Order. I loved how her placement starts in one corner, rather than creating a diamond bulls eye in the center. I wanted more stripes though, so I went with smaller piecing. These were 3 inch squares, creating 2.5 inch HSTs.



Like the pretty pink tape on my sewing machine?  It helps me keep my seam allowances a little more accurate.  Chain piecing makes this type of project roll right along fairly quickly once the cutting is done. Leaving the pieces connected makes the second seam on HSTs go super quick!  After some trimming you get to arrange them and the fun really begins.

Chocolate and teal!  Its very simple, and might be more interesting with more than 3 fabric choices but I like it so far.   I'm just not too confident in mixing fabrics yet. 

Sorry for the quality of the cell phone photos - my camera was at work.

What are you working on?

Blooming Heart Pillow

The heart pillow is finished and now available in my Etsy shop!  It was a fun project, although it took more petals than I expected.  Even though I am in sunny Florida, it felt like a great spring project - I was making blooms no matter the weather!

I'm not so much of a heart person, but I like this alot.  Its red and ruffly and sweet for Valentine's Day.  It would be cute with a monogram in the middle, or maybe even initials like you'd carve on a tree? 

Have you done any projects for Valentine's Day?

Wordless Wednesday

Can I make a sound on Wordless Wednesday?  If so, that sound is WOO HOOO!