Spring Thyme Blog Hop!

Welcome to my day of Buttermilk Basin's Spring Thyme Blog Hop!  I'm so glad you're here!

Most of us have been living through a dreadful winter that just keeps on going.  We're SO ready for Spring Thyme, aren't we??!  It's been nice to visit each designer's blog to bring a little Spring into our lives.   

I'm betting your anxious to get to my Spring project...so I won't keep you in suspense any longer.  

Patchwork In Bloom Pinkeep 

Pastel colors just don't live at my home, so I chose to create my Patchwork In Bloom Pinkeep to match the colors of my kitchen.  Of course, you can certainly choose to make yours in any colors you'd like, for where you want to display or use your pinkeep.  

Making it is very easy.....

Begin with the patches.  It's fun to choose some sweet prints you can fussy-cut to make things a little more interesting.  They're happy, little surprises in your projects.

The Union Forever print by Judie Rothermel for Marcus Fabrics

I adore this little red 'The Union For ever' print, and try to fit it into as many projects as I can.  

Fussy cutting can be tricky sometimes, and I want to keep every little scrap I have of this fabric, so I used my Frixion pen to outline the design area I wanted, and add the seam allowances.  When I was happy with the position of the center design, I cut it out.  The Frixion pen is great because any heat (iron), or friction will remove the ink, so you can draw again, and again if need be, to get the design exactly where you want it without cutting into the fabric.  (Frixion pens are available at your local quilt shop and some office supply stores.) 

Sew your patchwork top together.

Add a pretty fabric for the bottom of your pinkeep.  

I chose to use red twill tape to add a little splash to my pinkeep.  You can use ribbon or any other fun embellishments you want.  I used Roxanne's Glue Baste-It (love that stuff!) to tack the ribbon in place before sewing it.  

I used blue thread and big stitches to sew my twill tape to my pinkeep.  The Roxanne's glue allowed me to keep the twill tape positioned exactly where I wanted it to be with no pins in my way.  

Sew your pinkeep together.  Using pins meant specifically for patchwork will aide greatly in keeping your seam allowance accurate.  See how flat the fabric lay even with pins in there! They're the greatest!!  If you'd like, you can order these pins here.  Turn and stuff your pinkeep.

Add a little wool flower, and some cute buttons, and you're all done!  That was pretty easy, right?

And here is where my Patchwork In Bloom Pinkeep lives, in an antique dough bowl, on my kitchen island.  It makes me happy!  

Click here for the Patchwork In Bloom Pinkeep pattern.  

As salads go, the usual garden salad with bottled dressing is a ho-hum for me.  I love a salad with inventive ingredients and home-made salad dressing.  This one is a favorite in my house.  If you don't like dried cherries, you can substitute dried Craisins, dried blueberries, or pop in fresh fruit.  The salad dressing is oh- so yummy with a hint of maple syrup.  It makes a fabulous pairing with the salad ingredients.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!  

Click here to print the recipe.

Those wonderful patchwork pins are a must have for me now, as well as a new notion (new to me, anyway) my friend Deb gave me.  The little thimble pads are just great when hand sewing. I hate wearing a thimble, but there are times you just have to have one on.  These little leather pads stick to your finger, giving you the protection you want without the feeling that you're wearing a giant bandage.  Click here to order Thimblepads. 

I have a few extra packages of these little goodies to give away!!  Leave me a comment about how you've been surviving your winter (including those of you in warm climates!), and what you plan to sew in the spring.  I'll chose two winners on Friday, March 13...lucky Friday the 13th!!!

I'm so glad you stopped by my blog for a quick visit.  My thanks to Stacy West of Buttermilk Basin for coordinating our Spring Thyme Blog Hop!  Hope you're having as much fun as we are.  

Be sure to visit NotForgotten Farm tomorrow!!

Sending a special thank you to Charlotte S. in California, for her kindness and inspiration.