Laura Griffin Designs

I call this one my happy patchwork baby quilt because the colors are just that… happy!

Don’t they make you smile?

I’d been wanting to try out one of the patterns from Amy Butler’s Little Stitches for Little Ones.

This one was a little bit more complicated than my last two quilts, but still pretty easy for a beginner. I used a hi-loft polyester batting to give it more dimension and cushiness (is that a word?!) *lol* Here’s a close-up…

It is backed with solid blue flannel and I think it will make a great crib quilt or floor mat for playtime.

Back in 2002, I started a charity project that provides free hats to cancer patients across the Metroplex called Brimming with Love

I am always inspired by the courage of the patients I have met over the years. I recently received some hand-written requests for hats and here are a couple that I made to send out…

The first is a quick & easy turban pattern that is made from just 3 rectangles of fabric! It is simple to make (even for the beginner) and is a patient favorite .

Here’s one I call Millie’s Tie Hat. The pattern was designed by a volunteer in her 80′s who was an incredible seamstress. The hat is reversible and machine washable.

Interested in volunteering or donating to our cause? Check out the Brimming with Love website for more info.

After making my first baby quilt, I was excited when a neighbor commissioned me to make one for her brother & sister-in-law. Their nursery is safari-themed with greens and browns. We headed off to my local JoAnns store and hand-picked some cute fabrics from the baby section to match.

The quilt contains bamboo batting and is machine-quilted in the seams and around each animal in the center.

Love the matching flannel fabric we found for the backing…

Wishing you a creative day,

I pulled out some scraps from my stash the other day and decided to make a quick card with them. I have the tendency to pull out a lot of fresh cardstock, paper, ribbon, etc. when I make cards and then I end up with heaping bags full of scraps. Sometimes it’s fun to see what you can create if you limit yourself to using the “leftovers”.

Supplies: definition rub-on from Hobby Lobby, brown ribbon scrap, red polka dot scrap (Making Memories), K&Company pattern paper, Hero Arts notecard, Martha Stewart classic butterfly punch, Scenic route chipboard letters, black pen (to color butterfly body).

While checking out my new local fabric store, CityCraft, I found some beautiful prints I had to take home.

The tan-colored fabric is one they call “quilter’s tweed”. Am planning on using it with the red fabric to create a buttercup bag.

This Alexander Henry “Apples & Pears” fabric is so fun. I’ve been eyeing the light blue version of it at my local JoAnns store, but really love the contrast of the dark brown. I think this will make a great apron with green accents.

Love, love, love this dark brown print as well. I took all they had left and am planning on making a bag with it (once I figure out how to sew bags) *lol*. It would work great for an apron, too, don’t ya think?

Aren’t these vintage cherries sweet?! I picked up some complementary pink fabric at another store and am still debating what it will be used for. The Amy Butler fabric will be used to make a smock for a friend’s daughter.

So who are your fav fabric designers? What kind of fabrics are you playing with these days?

After seeing some of my recent quilts, a neighbor mentioned to me that a new fabric store, CityCraft, had opened about a block away. I decided to go check it out today, and man oh man, I think I’m in love!

My favorite fabric designers are Amy Butler and Heather Bailey…I love the modern twist they take on vintage styles. It’s nearly impossible to find their fabrics locally, though, and I was amazed to see entire lines of their fabrics in this store! There were many other fab designers represented as well like Michael Miller and Anna Maria Horner. I couldn’t walk away without dropping a pretty chunk of change… I really couldn’t help myself. *lol*

They have a sewing lounge adjacent to the store (where they teach classes and will have studio time available with wine & snacks.) The classes are full through August…but I’m hoping to attend one in September.

The prices were very reasonable considering the selection of premium prints that were available and the fact that it is a pretty small store (designer prints average $9.25/yard). They had a small wall of notions, interfacing, & thread in case you need essentials and don’t want to drive all the way to your nearest national chain store. They carry the largest selection of oil cloth in the city with really fun prints (think re-usable shopping bags). They also had darling printed ribbons, lots of modern sewing books, an entire wall of Amy butler patterns (yea!), and a beautiful rainbow colored shelf of bamboo felt (I didn’t even know such a thing existed!) The felt is eco-friendly, much softer than wool felt and holds its color over time much better than wool as well. Will definitely be trying this out.

Snapped a few pics with the iPhone to share…

Will snap photos of my purchases & share with you soon…

A close friend recently had her first baby, and I wanted to make her something extra special for her new lil’ girl. I decided to attempt my first quilt.

Now I have to say that I’ve always been a lil’ intimidated by quilting. All those pieces to cut out, all those exact seam allowances to sew, and need I say….mitered corners?! But since baby quilts are half the size of regular ones, I figured it was worth a shot.

I picked up a kit at my local JoAnns store with gorgeous green & brown fabrics and some soft bamboo batting to use as the filler. The binding wasn’t nearly as difficult as I anticipated once I found this great tutorial by Heather Bailey. If you have any interest in quilting – these are really helpful instructions. (You get some great eye-candy on Heather’s site too.)

I sent the quilt off and later found out that the colors exactly matched the color scheme of her new nursery. Yea! I think I might have the quilting bug now.

A neighbor commissioned me to make a baby quilt for her sister-in-law, and I decided to make a third quilt just for fun. Stay tuned for those projects later this week…

After making my friend’s hot water bottle cover, I thought it would be fun to design a card to match. I pulled out my trusty Silhouette SDand cut out a flower shape similar to the linen poppies on the hot water bottle cover.

I used the same color palette as the water bottle cover and pulled out a couple of trusty stamps: my Woodgrain Background stamp by Hero Arts and my I Treasure your Friendship sentiment stamp by Stampabilities. I embossed the sentiment with silver embossing powder and added faux stitching with a brown fine-point marker. The flowers were adhered to the card front with spray adhesive. Am loving the freedom to create with a digital die-cut machine. The possibilities are really endless! Will be back to share more soon.

I mentioned in my last post that I have a new-found love of upcycling… especially when it comes to pretty, wool sweaters.

For a while, I’ve wanted to design a custom hot water bottle cover for a dear friend who is British. When I came across a beautiful cashmere/merino blend, I knew it would be perfect. After felting it down to half it’s size, I turned it into this…

Want to make one yourself in about an hour?

Just purchase a red hot water bottle from your local pharmacy, and trace around it onto copy paper (four sheets taped together). Leave approximately a one-inch border on all sides. Copy this pattern onto more paper, but this time, extend the bottom down about 6 inches to create the flap that comes around the back of the bottle.

When cutting out the two pattern pieces, place the pattern so that the ribbing at the bottom of the sweater will be at the top of the bottle, adding texture and a nice finished edge to the opening. Turn the flap under and place your pattern pieces right side together. Sew up either side with a 1/2″ seam allowance. Turn right side out to finish. Snip three button holes onto the back flap and sew buttons underneath. Finish with iron-on embellishments. If you’re feeling adventurous – you can embroider your own design before sewing the pieces together. I used pre-made iron-on linen poppies on the front…

…and some iron-on embroidered letters on the back. My friend’s husband travels a lot, so I figured she could still have him keep her warm when he was gone! heehee

Supplies: Rubber hot water bottle from your local pharmacy, large or extra large men’s 100% wool or cashmere blend sweater (it will shrink when felted), thread to match, sewing machine, copy paper, brown satin ribbon, iron-on embroidered letters, iron-on flowers, 3 bronze-colored buttons (from my stash), & scissors.

Gallery:

I love the whole concept of upcycling… taking something old, getting crafty, and giving it a whole new life.

Ever accidentally wash a fav wool sweater and shrink it to half it’s size? Well – I’m actually doing that on purpose these days! My latest obsession is trolling through local thrift stores searching for pretty wool sweaters to felt. *lol*

I’ve been hoarding sweaters like pretty patterned paper. Anybody know that feeling? I finally decided to cut into some of them to create a gift for a friend who loves ice cream cones. The project was designed by Betz White and came from her fab book Warm Fuzzies: 30 Sweet Felted Projects.

Check out what it’s hiding!

Yup – a sweet surprise. Ice cream cone turned tape measure. Gotta love that.
Check out this darling mushroom tape measure Betz designed as well. Might have to try that one next!

Want to see more felty goodness? Click below to look inside the book…