Sew Bittersweet Designs | Sewing and Designing in my BitterSweet World

Swirling Out of Control

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Melissa Dunworth

This past week I have been working on my submission for the Michael Miller Couture Cottons Challenge for Quilt Con. Each person who signed up was sent 8 fat eighths of the pastel colors from the Couture Cotton line by Michael Miller. I have found this to be especially challenging because pastels, for the most part, turn me off, but hey, that’s what makes this a challenge…right!

I have posted a couple full views on Facebook and on Instagram. I don’t have a good pic on my camera to post on here. I will share a full view when it is all done. For now, here is a picture of my quilting progress. I finished the FMQ yesterday and started on the straight-ish quilting. I am doing gentle curves with my walking foot.

When I finally finish this one up, I will tell you all about my inspiration and how I made the quilt. Maybe by the time I finish I will also have a name, right now it I am just calling it the pastel quilt because I just haven’t thought of anything more fitting yet.

I will tell you black thread on black fabric is very challenging to quilt with because it is very hard to see where you have been and to keep the swirls from running into each other!

Have a happy Monday!

Piccadilly Circus Handbag

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Melissa Dunworth

Back at the beginning of October my wonderful friend CeLynn and I decided it was time to make another set of handbags together. We picked another pattern out of Sara Lawson’s book, Big City Bags, and started pulling from our stashes.

I found some great prints that I bought this summer when my mom was visiting but I was completely unsure if I would have enough fabric because I was slightly under the fabric requirements for the pattern. I emailed Sara on a Saturday, and I wasn’t expecting a response for a couple days, after all it was the weekend. I was so excited that she responded almost immediately and told me I should be fine so long as I was very careful with my cutting. I love AWESOME designers like Sara who really do make themselves available to their followers!

I have to say that I absolutely love how this bag turned out. In fact I only made one change and that was using D-Rings instead of actual rings. I couldn’t find any at all at JoAnns and I was too excited to get stitching to order any online and wait. I was so pleased with how the curved corners turned out – if you showed me this pattern 3 years ago I would have scoffed at the idea that I could sew it!

I didn’t have enough of my interior fabric to make the pockets so I grabbed a coordinating Kona. The entire bag, minus the interfacings was made from my stash. Oh how I love stash projects, my husband would be so proud!

I asked Anne to take a picture of me with the bag. When the only person available to take your picture is just under 4 feet tall you end up with some interesting angles. Next time I will have her stand on a foot stool!

I have to say I really love this bag and again I am just so pleased with Sara’s patterns. I am really looking forward to her next book!

And for those who don’t follow me on instagram, today is a certain someone’s fifth birthday. I am crying on the inside!

Posted in Purse Palooza, Purse/Pouch | 11 Comments

Take a Moment….

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Melissa Dunworth

Today I ask that you take a moment and Thank a Veteran for their service and sacrifice for our country (if you do not live in the United States, take a moment to thank a veteran from your country – the sacrifice is the same regardless of the nation). To write a blank check to your country is the biggest act of service, commitment and the epitome of volunteerism.

Anne and I will be thanking our veteran. We will also be thanking many of our wonderful friends and family who have written the same blank check.

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Curve It Up Finish

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Melissa Dunworth

Back in September I decided to take a break from designing and sew from someone else’s pattern. The pattern I picked was the Curve It Up pattern by Sew Kind of Wonderful. The ladies from Sew Kind of Wonderful were having a QAL and I thought it would be fun to join in.

I have to say I found it really relaxing to take a break and it also completely rejuvenated me! I have since designed 5 new quilts and finished 3. I even wrote up a pattern! I will be releasing that later this week. Since I never showed my finished quilt on my blog and since there is a link up going on over at Sew Kind of Wonderful, I thought I should finally show it off!

I made a couple changes to a couple of blocks and with the exception of the Kona Navy border fabric, everything came completely out of my stash – and yes, I’m pretty proud of that fact! In the next couple days I will have a pattern release and I will be sharing a purse that I made last month too!