nanaCompany

something for me

New pretties to cut into!  I really couldn't wait to get my hands on that little strawberry print above in the three colorways... and now it's mine, all mine!  All these pretty fabrics are from Sew Deerly Loved. 

Now going way back ~ do you remember this FWQAL block?  It was/is my fave.  I have high hopes to pick up that quilt effort again sometime in the *future* but we'll see... (the future is pretty hazy, ya know?)  For now, I've used the same fabrics from that beloved block in a paper-pieced pillow for me.  Yay!!

Stitching the flower together went quite quickly.  I used hexagons and diamond paper pieces combined for this one.  (Paper pieces from Sew Deerly Loved).  It's too bad I couldn't get a single good photo of it... yet!  This is the back of the pillow:

I'll try to get better pics later.  Make sure to come back on Friday ~ I've got a fun fabric giveaway to announce!  Lastly, here are some flickr pics that have been inspiring me lately:

1. chocolate chip mint, 2. the buttons, 3. Ever think of a quilt while working on another quilt and have to stop everything and make said quilt? Yeah, me neither., 4. Picture Perfect, 5. Chevron Selvage Pillow, 6. Untitled, 7. Little clay houses made by me : ), 8. Untitled, 9. The Lace one, 10. sweet swallows, 11. christmas tree ornaments, 12. Welcome to Nunaka baby quilt, 13. class picnic shorts for kcw

See you Friday!

xo amy

A quick thanks...

I sent off the recent sales from my Etsy shop with special handmade tags...

... tags that were more fun to make than anything (manilla tags, fabric swatch, wool felt, needles, and a paper label, all sewn together).  How I love pretty little things.  Thank you so much for coming by and making that the quickest sale ever ~ 6 minutes after 9 o'clock and everything was sold!  Wow.  You all know how to make a girl feel special.  ;)

xo amy

Summer Days

Lazy summer days?  Nope, not for us.  I feel like we've been packing more into the day than usual and that means less sewing for me.  More driving around in the new car ~ you know, the glamourous route between baseball camp, the pool, gymnastics, Anne's job at Pinkberry, the library, Target and so on and on.  I did, however, pick up some patchwork I started a long time ago and made a little progress...

Then I started a totally new project that I'm really excited about.  Starting projects is so much easier than finishing.  But, hey, I've got a bunch of handmade goodies that are going in the shop on Monday.  Let's say, 9am Monday, July 22.  I've been meaning to list some of these things for a looong time.  Come by the shop if you're interested!  These here are some of the items that will be available:

xo amy

a Winner... and a little patchwork therapy

I know... I'm late, I'm late, I'm late for this announcement.  Drum roll, please!

Congratulations, Bari Jo!  You've won a copy of the charming new book, Zakka Handmades, by Amy Morinaka of chick chick sewing.  (Please email me your details right away, Bari Jo.)  Thank you to all who entered the giveaway... I hope you have fun this summer, sewing up all the projects you told me about.

As usual, I have a pile of unfinished projects waiting for me, but when I sat down to sew the other day I wasn't interested in any of them.  What I really needed was a little scrap patchwork therapy.  Yes, therapy.  It calms me (should I be embarassed to admit this?) to sit and cut my irregular shaped scraps into rectangles and squares to make patchwork.  So, now I've got three patchwork bibs...

... that I don't really need.  I think I'll keep one, give one to a friend, and sell the last in my shop.  I've got a few other items to put in the shop as well ~ I'm horrible about that ~ so I'll give you a proper heads-up before I list them.

Big things are happening around here:

• We bought a mini-van.  Sob sob!!!  I'm an official soccer mom.
• Anne got a summer job at Pinkberry (!)
• Mia is walking at last!
• and Summer is half-way over.  Can you believe it?

Enjoy it.  xo amy

"Zakka Handmades" blog tour and giveaway!

Zakka.  Do you know what it means?  "Cute" doesn't cover it.  Zakka is a Japanese term referring to those small everyday items that are both useful and charming, and oftentimes handmade with a simple, fresh aesthetic.  Of course, I love zakka style and I love this new book "Zakka Handmades" for giving us the patterns to quickly and easily make 24 more adorable projects.  Written with an eye for detail by Amy Morinaka of Chick Chick Sewing, it's a perfect book for beginners and a welcome addition to the arsenal of more advanced sewers.  

Amy is practically my neighbor ~ she lives just a few towns over ~ but we haven't met... yet.   I do know she makes beautiful handcrafted items, though, and I'm so glad to have her book.  For my stop in the Zakka Handmades Blog Tour, I really wanted to make a fabric bucket, or the raindrops tote, the airmail mug rug, or the baby toy and bib... it was difficult choosing which project to sew first because I really could use one of everything.  But I chose to try my hand at this Bento Lunch Bag first:

The shape of the sac is just perfect for my Olivia to tote a few toys to the park or a friend's house.  So, I dug deep and cut into some of my older (and I'm sure impossible to find these days) Trefle fabric and stitched away.  I love how it turned out:

And Olivia loves it, too.

Thank you, Amy, for this book!  "Zakka Handmades" includes 4 sections of useful zakka items, so there's something there for everyone.

• Everyday Zakka
• Bags and Pouches Zakka Style
• Baby and Young Child Zakka
• Handmade Kitchen Zakka 

Now for the giveaway!  If you'd like a chance to win a copy of Amy's book, please leave a comment on this post telling me... what you're sewing this summer.  The giveaway is open to all ~ US and international readers.  Leave your comment by Friday, July 12th and I will announce the random winner on Saturday, July 13th.

Visit the rest of the stops on the Zakka Handmades Blog Tour to see more from the book and to enter all the giveaways!

6-24-13 - Kerry verykerryberry  (Interview with Amy Morinaka)

6-26-13 - Jeni In Color Order 

6-28-13 - Sachiko Tea Rose Home 

7-1-13 - Amber One Shabby Chick 

7-3-13 - Kristen Feeling Stitchy 

7-5-13 - Hiromi Harujion Design 

7-8-13 - Amy nanaCompany 

7-10-13 - Lisa and Sarah A Spoonful of Sugar 

7-12-13 - Mette Erleperle   

7-15-13 - Sarah and Rachel Roxy Creations
7-17-13 - Anna Noodlehead

Good luck to you!  xo amy

zakka, zakka, zakka!

I think I can easily say that I love all things zakka, all things house-shaped... and I love pockets.  Remember this cross-stitched bunny?  It got a house all to itself.  Such a pleasure to make.  I think I'll make a few more and once I've built a really good house... I'll write up a pattern for you. 

And the winner of the "Stitch Zakka" book giveaway is...

Jocelan who commented, "I am happy for..ice cream. Particularly in the backyard with the kids. Lovely dress and pics! She poses so well for you!"  Please send me your details, Jocelan!  I think you'll love the book...

And I'm happy to tell you about another great book I love... it's called, "Zakka Handmades" by Amy Morinaka of Chick Chick Sewing.

There's a blog tour going on right now for this charming book and that means a book giveaway at every stop.  Go ahead and enter all the giveaways to increase your chances at winning a copy ;)

6-24-13 - Kerry verykerryberry  (Interview with Amy Morinaka)

6-26-13 - Jeni In Color Order 

6-28-13 - Sachiko Tea Rose Home 

7-1-13 - Amber One Shabby Chick 

7-3-13 - Kristen Feeling Stitchy 

7-5-13 - Hiromi Harujion Design 

7-8-13 - Amy nanaCompany 

7-10-13 - Lisa and Sarah A Spoonful of Sugar 

7-12-13 - Mette Erleperle   

7-15-13 - Sarah and Rachel Roxy Creations
7-17-13 - Anna Noodlehead

I'll see you all back here on Monday for my stop on the "Zakka Handmades" blog tour! 

Here's what's been inspiring me on flickr lately:

1. Untitled, 2. 91 magazine, 3. Weekend Plans, 4. Untitled, 5. with you, 6. japanese embroidery kit, 7. mym_9, 8. small cute things made of wool felt-japanese craft booklet, 9. from Zakka Handmades, 10. gadget pocket # 1, 11. Fabric flower brooch, 12. Stars, 13. 64 plus blocks done!

xo amy

for Nicholas :: the planets of Star Wars

A long time ago...

not quite in a galaxy far, far away ~ but downstairs in my cozy sewing corner ~ I started a pillow for Nicholas using Lori Holt's circle rulers.  I've enjoyed using the rulers to make circles before, but then I had an aha! moment and realized the circles could be planets... Star Wars planets!  So I set about picking appropriate colors to represent Coruscant, Endor, Naboo, Kamino, Dagobah, Hoth, Bespin, and Tatooine ~ the planets I felt were most important.  But Nicholas really wanted me to add the Death Star ~ which is not a planet or moon at all, but a space station.

I'm glad I finally relented.  The Death Star is my favorite part.

If you're interested in making something like this for your Star Wars fan, there's a full list of Star Wars planets here and a lot of information here.  And you might want to include Alderaan.  Dang it, Nicholas just told me I should have included Alderaan (though the planet was destroyed by the Death Star in Episode IV).

xo amy