Bunnies and Cream Blog Tour

March 7, 2017 ~ Bridgette@TheFamilyHearth ~ 10 Comments

Good morning, my friends!

Welcome to my stop on the Bunnies and Cream Blog Tour… I’m so glad you stopped by!

One of my favorite things is when a very seriously talented person turns their talents into adorable fabric. Bunnies and Cream is Lauren Nash’s first fabric line for Penny Rose Fabrics, and just like all of Lauren’s work, this collection is… simply… precious.

Mischievous bunnies, sweet little baked goods, gingham and florals, strawberries and bows, all in the prettiest spring pastels… pretty amazing, eh?

A few of the prints actually have some of Lauren’s personal recipes on them which put me in the baking mood right away, so I thought a cute little patchwork apron for Madeleine would be perfect. And ooh, I love the way all the prints play together.

Next up is a fun little mini quilt I designed using the floral and gingham prints. An April Showers bunny, because even though I love May flowers I love the April showers almost as much!!

Last up is a cute little tray using Noodlehead’s free pattern found here. I will probably end up using this one to store little odds and ends in my fabric cabinet, but I plan on using my left over Bunnies and Cream scraps to make a whole set of matching trays to fill up with Easter goodies and give away to the children’s friends. Thank you so much for stopping by! I hear there are a few places who already have Bunnies and Cream in stock! Yay!! ( Fat Quarter Shop, Ministry of Fabric, SunnyDaySupply, SewStitchingHappy)

Don’t forget to make all the stops this week, I definitely will be! Here is a full line up:

March 6 Faith Essenburg SaranaAve.wordpress.com
March 7 Bridgette McNay TheFamilyHearth.com
March 8 Elea Lutz EleaLutzDesign.com
March 9 Taunja Kelvington CarriedAwayQuilting.com
March 10 Veronica Am VividFelicity.wordpress.com
March 11 Lauren Nash TransientArt.com

xoxo, Bridgette

Quilt Petite Blog Hop

November 9, 2016November 9, 2016 ~ Bridgette@TheFamilyHearth ~ 16 Comments

Good morning! Today is my stop on the Quilt Petite Blog Hop and I am happy you have stopped by! Quilt Petite, published by Tuva Publishing, is the first book (hopefully of many) by the sweet Sedef Imer of Down Grapevine Lane and it’s absolutely stunning! (Sedef, you have some serious talent!) The captivating pictures, the adorable projects, the detailed explanations… it all makes for a truly fun book. A sewist’s treasure.

Sedef uses the term “small quilty things” to describe her book, so I knew it was going to be right up my alley. And how right I was! It’s filled with all kinds of patchwork projects from pillows and mini quilts to placemats and potholders, and brimming with all kinds of fun techniques geared at both the seasoned or the novice sewer. And with the excellent instructions on each project you’re sure to learn new techniques with ease.

I had a difficult time making up my mind on which project to choose (so much that I actually had fabric pulled and ready to go for three different projects!) before settling down with the “Pretty On-point Placemat”. It was the perfect project to mix with this super cute Christmas fabric (Pixie Noel by Tasha Noel) so… I made one for each of the children, because we all know Christmas cookies and milk and cozy hot chocolate nights are right around the corner. Yippee!

The blog hop continues until December 11th, and includes a long list of super talented bloggers! Check out the lineup below. Be sure to check out Wynn and Sarah’s stop and come back tomorrow to see what Heidi’s been working on! I can’t wait to see what each one has lined up!

Also, be sure to visit Down Grapevine Lane for a chance to win a lovely package full of all kinds of goodies, including a copy of Quilt Petite!

November 6: Sedef at Down Grapevine Lane (intro + giveaway)
November 7: Wynn at Zakka Art
November 8: Sarah at A Little Happy Place
November 9: Bridgette at The Family Hearth
November 10: Heidi at Fabric Mutt
November 11: Minki at Minki’s Work Table
November 12: Ange at A Little Patchwork
November 13: Lauren at Molly and Mama
November 14: Michelle at Cole & Taffy
November 15: Nadra at Ellis & Higgs
November 16: Amy at Nana Company
November 17: Faith at Sarana Ave
November 18: Debbie at Happy Little Cottage
November 19: Erin at Why Not Sew
November 20: Amanda at Jedi Craft Girl
November 21: Melissa at Oh How Sweet
November 22: Stacy at Stacy Olson Design
November 23: Ayda at Cafe Nohut
November 24: Peta at She Quilts A Lot
November 25: Amanda at A Crafty Fox
November 26: Keera at Live Love Sew
November 27: Sharon at Lilabelle Lane
November 28: Kate at The Homemakery
November 29: Jemima at Tied With A Ribbon
November 30: Jodie at Ric Rac
December 1: Anorina at Samelia’s Mum
December 2: Alisha at Ministry of Fabric
December 3: Xanthe at Wife-made
December 4: Cheri at Tinker With This
December 5: Kristyne at Pretty By Hand
December 6: Kimberly at Fat Quarter Shop
December 7: Veronica at Vivid Felicity
December 8: Shari at Doohikey Designs
December 9: Jina at Jina Barney Designz
December 10: Emma at Emma Jean Jansen
December 11: Sedef at Down Grapevine Lane (wrap up + giveaway winner)

quilt-petite-blog-hop-square

xoxo, Bridgette

Apple Farm Blog Hop

August 9, 2016 ~ Bridgette@TheFamilyHearth ~ 11 Comments

Good Morning! Welcome to my stop on the Apple Farm Blog Hop.

I have been anxiously awaiting this day. For those of you who have been following me for any time at all, I am sure you are aware of my fondness for Elea Lutz, her incredible talents and her adorable fabric lines. Just when you think fabric can’t get any cuter, out comes her newest collection… Apple Farm for Penny Rose fabrics. It pretty much sums up cute in one bundle; Gingham, plaid, tiny florals, and the cutest bears picking apples and picnicking about. So, needless to say, I was elated when she asked me to join in on the blog hop.

So, lets get right to it!One of my favorite skirts that Madeleine wears is the pinwheel skirt I made for her last year. She is just shy of outgrowing it, so I used the same idea in this sweet and simple play dress. (Made using this pattern. I added the pinwheels to the skirt panels and doubled the panels over to cover any ugly seams and work as a lining.) I made the pinwheels out of the smaller scale prints in Apple Farm, which I have to say make the most gorrrrr-geous pinwheels, and I finished the outfit off with a fun little patchwork bandanna to match. Since we are just a week away from starting school here, I thought a few school themed projects would be in order!

For the patchwork apple pillow I just sewed together different sized fabric pieces into a large square, quilted the square patchwork to the batting itself, and then cut the shape of an apple out. I then used that quilted apple piece as a pattern for the backing and stuffed and added binding as normal. Lastly, I hand tacked the little leaf into place. Voila!

I stuck to mostly the red and pink prints for Madeleine’s apple pillow. I plan on making a similar one in the green and brown prints for Liam. It is the perfect sized pillow for the children to rest their heads on on their desks during break time, and it makes for cute decor in our school room.

Last up is a fun little A-B-C mini quilt for our art wall in the school room.

For each design, I drew the pictures and letters onto paper and then traced and cut them out of fabric, appliqued them onto the linen and stitched them into place with black thread. To finish it off I added a little tag (…because those cute little flowers!) and then hand quilted it.Thank you for joining me today! I had so much fun with each of these projects and I am positive you will find just as much inspiration with the Apple Farm fabrics as I did!!

Be sure to also check out The Fat Quarter Shop today for their fun Apple Farm stop, and then the fun continues tomorrow with Taunja at Carried Away Quilting and Nadra at Ellis and Higgs. Yay!!

At the bottom of this post is the full line-up of the blog hop.

xoxo, Bridgette

8 August 2016 www.tiedwitharibbon.com

8 August 2016 www.sameliasmum.com

9 August 2016 www.fatquartershop.blogspot.com

9 August 2016 www.thefamilyhearth.com

10 August 2016 www.carriedawayquilting.com

10 August 2016 www.ellisandhiggs.com

11 August 2016 www.doohikeydesigns.com/blog/

11 August 2016 www.fabricmutt.blogspot.com

12 August 2016 www.fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.com

15 August 2016 www.alittlepatchwork.wordpress.com

15 August 2016 www.transientart.com

16 August 2016 www.euphoriajessica.blogspot.com

16 August 2016 www.prettybyhand.com

17 August 2016 www.ohhowsweet.com

17 August 2016 www.downgrapevinelane.com

18 August 2016 www.saranaave.wordpress.com

18 August 2016 www.VividFelcity.wordpress.com

19 August 2016 www.dollyhenry.blogspot.com

19 August 2016 www.jedicraftgirl.com

20 August 2016 www.elealutzdesign.com

Ship n’ Sails Mini Quilt- A free Pattern

June 14, 2016June 14, 2016 ~ Bridgette@TheFamilyHearth ~ 10 Comments

Back when we lived in Kentucky, a favorite pastime of ours were Sunday drives. We lived a short distance from Route 8 which follows alongside the Ohio River for miles and miles. It’s a bendy, winding, hilly road with lots of scenery and we’d always end up at some roadside farmer’s market or one of my husband’s favorite ice cream stops. One particular Sunday we had a lengthy sermon we wanted to listen to, so we packed up the kids at nap time and drove down Route 8 for a couple of hours straight. Many of the barns we passed were part of quilt trails in the area, and I enjoyed spotting the different quilt blocks painted on the barns. (At the time I didn’t know what a quilt trail was, I just thought it was a cool barn trend of some sort..) Anyways, one particular block stuck out and I just thought it was the neatest of all the blocks… A patchwork ship with patchwork sails. We drove past it too quickly to really take a good look at it, but I was determined to go home and try to design my own ship using the same idea. Thus the Ship n’ Sails Patchwork Mini…I have had this mini hanging in my sewing room for sometime now, and was just recently asked to write up a tutorial for it. You can download the pattern and instructions here: Ship n’ Sails Mini Tutorial I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

If you have any questions on this pattern feel free to let me know, I am happy to answer. If you are on Instagram share your progress with #shipnsailsmini. I would love to see what you make!

xoxo, Bridgette

Market Squares Quilt- A free pattern

June 8, 2016June 9, 2016 ~ Bridgette@TheFamilyHearth ~ 4 Comments

Hello! Happy Wednesday!

I shared a quick step-by-step picture tutorial of this quilt on Instagram a while back, and am finally getting around to posting the printable PDF file on here. I wrote this pattern to work around the adorable little characters from Tasha Noel’s Vintage Market fabric, so I decided to call it Market Squares.

You can download and/or print the full instructions here: Market Squares Quilt Pattern
If you have any questions on this pattern, feel free to contact me. I am happy to answer. If you are on Instagram, share your pictures and progress with #marketsquaresquilt. I would love to see what you make!

xoxo, Bridgette

Jumbo Spool Pillow – a tutorial

May 6, 2016May 10, 2016 ~ Bridgette@TheFamilyHearth ~ 1 Comment

Hello! Happy Friday!

It is the most crystal clear and cool morning here. The kind of morning that screams at you to open your windows and do something useful. So, I am. I am drinking coffee and baking bread. The kids are excited because I told them they could play outside barefoot. For some reason, being allowed out without shoes is a thrill for them. I am writing this post to you while the bread is rising and between accepting barefoot kisses and lots of weedy flowers.

The other day I took my spool pincushion and turned it into a much larger version to make a fun patchwork pillow. I thought it would add a nice pop of color to my sewing room, but to be honest it hasn’t left Madeleine’s room since I made it.

Here is quick tutorial for it, so grab your scraps and let’s go!

What you will need:

2 strips of the same fabric both measuring: 13 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ – You will need to do this 5 times.

4 strips of neutral colored fabric measuring: 17 1/2″ x 3 1/2″

Poly-fil Stuffing

Instructions:

This pillow is sewn up exactly the same way that the pincushions are, so the instructions are exactly the same except for the first 2 steps, which I will write here.

1. Take one of each of your strips of fabric, and using a 1/4″ seam, sew them together lengthwise.

2. Repeat step 1 with the second strips of fabric, making sure to sew them in the exact same order.

Finish the remainder of the steps, just as you would for the spool pincushion starting at step 3.

I used Vintage Picnic fabric and linen to make mine. If you have any questions on any of the steps, feel free to let me know! I am more than happy to answer any questions. If you are on Instagram, share your picture with the hashtag #spoolsoftie. I would love to see what you make!

xoxo, Bridgette

Let’s talk strawberries…

May 3, 2016May 10, 2016 ~ Bridgette@TheFamilyHearth ~ 2 Comments

Strawberry season has come and gone here in Florida and I almost missed it! I have to constantly remind myself I am not in Kansas anymore…er, I mean Kentucky. I am used to strawberries in May or June back home.

Luckily, the kids and I and Aunt Annie (My younger sister has come to stay with us for awhile…) caught the tail end of it here and were able to pick dozens of deliciously ripe strawberries. Mmm…Plenty for the kids to feast on, and just enough left over to turn into 12 jars of jelly.

Not only is it strawberry season outside, but have you noticed how it seems to be strawberry season in the fabric world as well? One line I am especially loving right now is The Shabby Strawberry. The cute little bouncing strawberries just seem to announce picnic season is here.

I decided to make an easy patchwork placemat we could roll up and pack with us for picnics at the park or beach. And the square quilting on it matches the design on my jars of jelly. (That actually was not intentional, and I didn’t even notice it until I took this picture!) I wish everyone a good picnic sometime in the near future!

Meet Kilian/ Spring Potholders

April 2, 2016May 11, 2016 ~ Bridgette@TheFamilyHearth ~ 2 Comments

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of excitement here! After making us wait a week longer than expected (which feels like half of eternity in pregnancy years), our little Kilian George finally decided to make his appearance in the world on March 10th… and all 9.6 lbs. of him have been smothered in hugs and kisses since.

* * * * ***

Needless to say my sewing projects were put on the back burner for a couple of weeks. Towards the end of my pregnancy the carpal tunnel was so bad in my hands that I had trouble even trying to sew. Luckily, it subsided shortly after and it was glorious to be able to sit down at my sewing machine again.

I immediately had the urge to sew something spring-y, quick and useful. I came across this hotpad pattern by Purl Soho a while back and thought it would be a love match for the floral prints in this Wonderland collection. (You can buy the fabric bundle here.) I decided to add a grommet and string for the holder since I used fabric to bind with instead of twill tape. I used to find grommets so tricky, but I think I am finally getting the hang of them! Such a lovely spring addition to my kitchen…

What spring-y project are you working on?

xoxo, Bridgette

Acorn Patchwork and Pattern

October 3, 2015October 3, 2015 ~ Bridgette@TheFamilyHearth ~ 8 Comments

October is here which marks the start of my favorite months of the year! That time of the year when you can add cinnamon and pumpkin to everything and it just makes it better. Mmmm….

I am still not sure what to expect as far as seasons go in Florida, but I know not to expect any of the wonderful fall weather that I am used to in Kentucky. I love Florida, but I sure am missing the trees changing colors, the leaves falling, the chilly breeze and that smell… that glorious smell of autumn. Thankfully, as I mentioned on Instagram, there are still Pumpkin Spice Lattes to be had, chai tea with lots of cinnamon, and caramel apples at our bakery. To top it all off, I was able to pull together a nice stack of fun fall fabrics… for something… for something fall”y”… something patchwork”y”…. but exactly what, I wasn’t sure.

Then one day this past week, I was outside playing with the kids and it suddenly dawned on me, I hadn’t seen a single acorn recently. Another one of those signature fall things I guess I had to say goodbye to. So, I decided if I wasn’t going to see real acorns, I could at least make one out of patchwork. I plan on turning my acorn patchwork into a pillow, and will share it as soon as I am finished with it. I think this block would also make a cute mini quilt or center table mat, etc. so I wrote up a quick pattern for anyone who may be interested in it.

You can download the pattern and instructions here: Acorn Block Pattern and Instructions

If you have any questions about the pattern, feel free to let me know! If you are on Instagram, share your picture with the hashtag #fhacornblock and/or tag me @bellbridgette. I would love to see what you make!

xoxo, Bridgette

Patchwork Pencil Case

August 21, 2015August 21, 2015 ~ Bridgette@TheFamilyHearth ~ 1 Comment

Earlier this week the children and I were sorting through all of their little school supplies and getting them ready to start a few pre-school classes at home. We had everything we needed minus a pencil case for Madeleine. Of course no little girl should have to have her supplies in disarray, so this was immediately put at the top of my to-do list. (Quick little projects like this are my favorite kind!)

A little patchwork…

A small leather tag…

A few hand- stitches…

…and some really cute fabric makes the perfect combination for a little patchwork pencil case.

I originally had a few scraps picked out for the project, and then my awesome mail lady, with perfect timing, dropped off my bundle of Bloom and Bliss by Nadra Ridgeway. Nadra blogs over at Ellis and Higgs and her entire blog is bright, cheerful and full of so many fun projects and ideas. Her new fabric collection is nothing less!

This ended up being a really fun little project, and I just love how it turned out. I am planning on writing up a quick tutorial in the next week or two for anyone who may like to make their own.

Until then…

xoxo,

Bridgette

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