Verity Vintage Studio

Easter Blouse & Patchwork Quilt with Elise by Poppie Cotton

My favorite style of Americana fabric collections is one that includes some nontypical colors like aqua or pink. This newly released collection by Poppie Cotton ticks all those boxes, but has a great red, white, and blue selection too if you prefer just the traditional colors. I've been looking forward to sewing with it, and today is my turn to show you what I made!

 

I doubled up on my projects this year, since I was planning to make a blouse for me out of this lovely sky blue and pink rose fabric. I got it done in time to wear for Easter!

 

I still don't fit into most of my clothes, so I was debating if I should sew anything for me, or just wait until I have lost some baby weight. I ended up deciding to try a more adjustable version, so this was a fun experimental trial for me.

 

I used a post-war 1940s blouse pattern, but instead of making it fitted with tucks in the back, I left the back plain and instead inserted a tie belt in each side seam. Hopefully this will make it more adaptable to wear with different body sizes.

 

The fabric is so lovely! I outlined the yoke with rickrack points, and was intending to wear it with a vintage collar from my collection, but ended up leaving the neck plain for this outfit. However I could totally wear a collar with it next time and change the look up a bit!

 

 

I also made the skirt, but I'm saving that for a future blog post, so no details today!

 

I like how the flip up cuffs add just a little classic detail to the sleeves.

I needed a low-key practical Easter outfit this year, since we had a super busy day ahead at church, egg hunt, and then hosting a celebration at our house with the family. I do love going all-out for Easter, but this year, this simpler outfit was a much better choice.

 

There are so many pretty prints, however, that I also wanted to make something quilty so I could play with more than one. I had seen a photo of a simple 9 patch quilt online, so this is my own version. 

 

It's a baby or wall size, and I think I'll put it up in July this year as a sort of shabby chic patriotic decoration. 

 

It was a good opportunity to practice my custom free motion quilting skills. I still have a long way to go, but I also can see a big improvement from my first quilts, which is encouraging.

 

It was super easy and quick to make - a real palette cleanser from more complicated piecing or larger projects. I bound it with scrappy navy blues cut from the FQ bundle, because I have another plan for my leftover yardage - didn't get to it in time for this blog feature, but hopefully this summer! (Follow me on Instagram @verityvintagestudio if you want to see all my many juggled projects which don't make it to the blog.)

 

If you're on the lookout for a sweet floral summer fabric collection to sew with, I hope you will check this one out! 

Girly Easter Dress & Strawberry Ruffled Placemats

I'm so happy to be able to show you my projects I've been working on in the cute fabric line Stolen Moments by Poppie Cotton. It's a fun French themed fabric collection with saturated blues and pinks and some pretty low volumes. 

 

I made two separate projects with this collection - first a 1950s girls' dress for my 5-year-old, using a vintage size 5 pattern from my stash.

 

I was planning to make it anyway, but it turned out to be just in time for her to wear it for Easter, so that made double use of my sewing time, which was perfect!

 

Instead of all one fabric, I made the bodice and skirt contrasting and chose a square neckline.

 

I altered it to open all the way down the back, since that wears a lot better for an active small girl than trying to set a small opening in the skirt.

 

The buttons are from The Timely Tailor and are the perfect classic flat button with a little cute detail.

 

The pattern showed top stitched bands on the front, so I took that idea and used it with a little fussy cutting from a pink striped FQ for trim on the bodice and sleeves. 

 

I could NOT squeeze the original puff sleeves out of the fabric I had, so I ended up finding a cap sleeve pattern to substitute instead. 

 

A little white cotton lace trims it, and it hopefully will fit her for a while, making a comfortable summer Sunday dress.

 

The second project (which was actually 6 separate projects) was a placemat set. I've been wanting to make placemats with this strawberry block from My Sew Quilty Life ever since she released it. 

 

I stitched the block, omitting the outer border, choosing one each of the brightest pinks for the berries and using the low volumes for the background.

 

Then I added a piece on the left to make it rectangular, and a utensil pocket trimmed with cute little ruffles (fussy cut of course).

 

To quilt it, I had to hold up the pocket and quilt on both sides of it, then laid it back down against the outer edges to bind it, which also secured the other two sides.

I quilted 3 of them with a free motion flower meander, but I'm just not a big fan of most meanders, so I ended up switching over to a FMQ flower chain instead for the last 3, and liked that much better!

 

The backs are just as pretty as the front, in case you wanted to flip them over and use them without pockets!

 

Don't they set a pretty table? These would be perfect for a spring or summer luncheon party. 

 

I like how they all coordinate but are all unique. 

 

If you like pinks and blues, you will like this fabric line! Swans and flowers, French script and bows...it's definitely fun to sew with.

Blog Stop for Wildwood Dwellings: Girl's Dress and Patchwork Pillow

It's my day on the Wildwood Dwellings blog tour! This lovely, whimsical collection by Poppie Cotton has the cutest woodland creatures (especially the California quail which are my favorite!) and various floral prints.

I made two projects with my fabric selections. First, a 1950s dress for my little girl. She is growing out of everything, so I made it extra long so it will fit her for a while, and altered it to open down the back as far as the contrast band at the bottom.

 

I used one of the cute woodland animal prints, and accented it with the blue print. It was a pretty basic pattern, with the cap sleeves as a unique feature. 

 

I love how they are edged with the contrast! I may have been a bit confused by the instructions at this stage, so I just winged it...turned out pretty good anyway, thankfully! I also skipped the collar and facing, just finishing the neck edge with a contrasting bias band.

 

She loves the deer on the dress, and is super excited to wear it this summer. 

 

Then I used a larger variety of prints from my fat quarters to make a pillow cover. I saw one made from this pattern on Instagram, and knew instantly what I wanted to do with the roll of Chenille-It I had in my drawer. 

 

It's a free pattern, which you can find here. I did a little fussy cutting for the diamonds, and made an envelope back cut out of two different fat quarters. 

 

It's intended to be a shortcut pattern, since it looks like patchwork but starts with laying out the diamonds on a fabric background, stitching them down, and then covering the edges with the Chenille-It. Another time I will just do a regular patchwork though, because it was hard to keep the diamonds straight when stitching - and some of their edges still show. 

 

But the Chenille-It really does add a fun textured touch to the pillow! I popped it on a living room pillow that needed a refresh, and really like how it looks. I don't know if I would use it on a big projects, but I would certainly use it as accent on totes and smaller projects like this pillow. 

 

The prints are more autumnal, but the soft colors work well for spring. It was fun to sew with this collection - thanks Poppie Cotton!

Quilted Doll Baskets with Serenity Blooms

Serenity Blooms is a fresh new modern quilting cotton collection by Poppie Cotton. After some consideration, I settled on making something that has been on my list for a long time - quilted doll baskets or bassinets for my little girls. 

 

After doing some online researching for how to make them, I was able to simplify my original idea by using (or adapting) this tutorial, which has the sides cut in one with the bottom.

 

I ended up making 2 sizes, with different bedding to go with them. The smaller one I could make out of a FQ piece, and it fits perfectly the favorite 12" doll. 

 

The fabric ends up in an I shape, which I then quilted to a layer of cotton quilt batting, before assembling. 

 

I added in a tip from another doll basket tutorial, which was to use plastic canvas on the bottom for stability. It works so perfectly! It's flexible but keeps the shape super well, and won't crease or bend with use like cardboard or some other stabilizers will.

 

For the 18" doll size I had to use yardage. It doesn't keep its shape quite as well - so keep in mind that larger sizes should have extra stability. But it still works quite well!

 

I finished the tops with contrasting binding, and did two different styles of handles, just for fun. 

The quilted bottom layer makes a nice doll mattress already, so I just had to make matching pillows and quilts. 

 

For the larger one I did a double layer of poly quilt batting to make a puffy reversible comforter. Incidentally, this sort of project is a great way to use up smaller batting scraps!

 

For the smaller one, I pieced a quilt as you go panel of 1 1/4" strings cut from the FQ bundle. It's a fun way to use up scraps, feature more fabrics, and have a quick and easy mini "quilt" for the doll bed.

 

The pillows were just folded over, sewn on 2 sides, stuffed with batting scraps, and stitched shut. Of course I had to use the striped fabric since it was reminiscent of pillow ticking. 

 

Even with figuring out the process, I made each one in an hour or two. My girls love them! And I enjoyed sewing with the pretty springy colors and prints after my Christmas sewing - that butterfly is my favorite in all the colorways.

 

 

 

Quilting and Sewing with Poppie Cotton Home Sweet Home

Blog tour time!

There have been a few fabric collections I've been privileged to preview that have been so lovely I can hardly wait to sew with them, as they sit on my shelf for months waiting their turn. This was one of them! Home Sweet Home by Elea Lutz for Poppie Cotton is just the cutest 1930s style collection (obviously just my style then!) and I enjoyed sewing with it so much that I made 3 projects - a large, medium, and small - and still was sorry to put it away!

It has vintage-style sketch toiles, florals, birds, samplers, strawberries, cottages...just ALL the cuteness! 

First I made the Petal Patches quilt pattern by My Sew Quilty Life. I've wanted to make it for a while, and this was the perfect collection to use it. 

 

It was a very enjoyable pattern and I'd definitely do it again! I like that it calls for 10" squares. I didn't use them, but it's nice to have a good layer cake pattern around. 

 

I wish in retrospect I'd gone with the blues instead of the yellows, for the alternate flowers, but I still think this is super cute!

 

The sweetest low volume berry print made a perfect border. 

 

I didn't have enough greens to choose from, so I used the collection greens as the darker color, and chose a basic for the lighter green in all the leaves. 

 

It was a quick make and is a good throw size. It would be very easy to make larger - this would be so cute for a girl's twin bed. 

 

I quilted it myself with a free motion meander with daisies. I haven't tried FMQ for a while since my last effort was so discouraging with constant thread breakage no matter what I tried. This time I used more expensive thread and it went SO much better! Hooray! It will be worth buying Aurifil to use just for FMQ if that's what works. 

 

My second project was an everyday dress for my 5-year-old. She had chosen the yellow birdie fabric as her favorite, so I got a yard of it to use for her and pieced it out with a basic. 

 

Naturally I didn't realize until much too late that I had cut the yoke upside down on the print. *facepalm moment*

Oh well!

 

I used a thrifted vintage 1970s pattern that was super quick and easy. 

 

I wanted to lengthen it so it will fit her next summer too, but due to only having 1 yard to work with I didn't have enough fabric. So I went with a contrast ruffle and that worked well. 

 

She likes her new dress quite a bit, and I'm always glad to have another staple in her closet since she is growing so fast it's hard for me to keep up with her clothes!

 

My 3rd and final project for now was a little needle book (no pattern). I always love the adorable makes by Pico Crafts, so this was inspired by those. I wanted to feature something with blues, since I didn't use as much of them in the quilt as I would have liked.

 

The front is pieced, the rest is not. I probably made the whole thing in an hour or so and it was very fun. 

 

I used my new scalloped pinking shears to cut out the felt and decorative stamps for the inside, and love how it looks! The scallops are so much cuter than the traditional zigzag pinking shears. 

 

I always have multiple projects on the go, and since Christmas is coming I know I'll need to pull out a project bag for Christmas cross stitching, so another needle book is going to come in handy. I use my last one a lot!

 

I hope this inspires you to find some of this fabric to sew with, now that it is shipping to quilt stores at last! There are SO many cute things being made on the blog tour, and it's just scratching the surface of possibilities with this adorable fabric line. Truly one of my Poppie Cotton favorites ever!

1960s Girl's Dress & Zipper Bags with Calico Cowgirls

Today I get to share the projects I made recently with some selections from the Calico Cowgirls fabric line, new from Poppie Cotton. It has lots of bright colors and bold prints, so I just picked out my favorites to work with. 

 

My very favorite print was the coneflower, in all the colors! I had some yardage of the green coneflower to make a girl's dress, so I settled on using a special pattern my grandma gave to me. It belonged to her mother-in-law, my great-grandmother. Her name (mis-spelled) is still on the original envelope!

 

It's a simple 1960s shift dress, which is a good style for an everyday dress for my 5-year-old. 

Of course I had to make the scalloped collar version, even though it's not as noticeable in this print. 

 

My only adjustment was to cut the neck opening wider. It was extremely tight and close. 

 

Other than the collar, it's quite simple. Just a bit of topstitching is the only other trim. But it also was super quick to put together.

 

This child is hard on clothes, and is growing fast, so I made it a little extra big so she can be sure to wear it for a year. 

 

It's a good color combo for fall, and also cool enough for summer.

 

Because I also like to play with some of the other options in a fabric line, I picked out a few other prints to make some zipper bags. They were inspired by this lovely pattern by Charise Creates.

 

I love how they turned out, and the rounded corners. 

 

The gathered pockets are my favorite detail though!

 

I always have so many projects going, I can always use more project bags! I already have one of these in use for a new crochet design. :-) 

 

As always, it's a delight to work with Poppie Cotton, and to be part of the blog tour. It's so fun to see the variety of projects that everyone comes up with, and how different they can look with the same fabric. 

All the Kitchen Things - Painted Blossoms Fabric Tour

It's time to share the projects I made recently with a brand new fall fabric line called Painted Blossoms, by Poppie Cotton. It has a lovely color palette, and lots of pretty floral prints. My favorites are the butterflies!

Here is the selection I chose to use from my fat quarter bundle. The colors are so perfect for this time of year! 

 

I felt a little burnt out after making two quilts on a close deadline with the last blog tour, so I wanted something smaller and easier this time.

 

I had a little yardage of two of the butterfly prints, so after some debating on what to use them for, I settled on making a fun little coordinating set of little girl size coverall aprons from a 1960s pattern.

They were super cute and easy to make! Just one piece to cut out, sew the shoulder seams, and bind all the edges. 

 

For the larger size apron, I used a contrast floral from Painted Blossoms to bind the edges. I think it turned out so cute in this pink color!

 

Of course there are roomy patch pockets. 

 

It slips on easily, is loose fitting, and snaps at the back of the neck - a great size-versatile way to protect the clothes underneath. 

 

I scaled down the pattern quite a bit to make the 2-year-old size, and bound it with a gingham basic.

 

I could make the whole thing in an hour or less, so these were very easy and quick projects. My girls were thrilled with them! I have a feeling these will get a lot of use during the upcoming holiday baking season.

 

But as usual, when I only use a few prints from a collection, I like to also play with the rest of it in something smaller. This time it was a selection of kitcheny things!

 

I badly needed a hotpad refresh in my kitchen, so I could get rid of the sadly stained and greasy ones I've been using.

 

I made 4 quilt-as-you-go hotpads in different styles and sizes. 

My last item was a non-quilted cloth for my folding bed table that I use as a tea tray almost every afternoon on the sofa. I used some prints that will hopefully hide any tea stains, and added some vintage lace for the perfect trim.

 

It's completely reversible, so I got two different looks in one. It's hard to decide which side I like better!

 

All of these were fun to make, and as usual if you check out the other makes on this blog tour you can see a wide variety of lovely and creative projects which are sure to give you inspiration!

Vintage Style Quilts with Poppie Cotton's Market Day

I've been eagerly anticipating when the time would arrive to sew with my sample yardage of Poppie Cotton's new fabric line Market Day, and it finally happened!

 

I love this line so much...definitely another top favorite of mine. So many sweet designs, pretty colors, little berries and florals and wreaths, buntings and dolls!

 

I couldn't stop with one quilt, so I made two! First I noticed that the fabric was a good match to the colors I had used to embroider these Sunbonnet Sue blocks I started as a teen and finished up the first year I was married (before I had taken up quilting, so I just stored them until later).

 

There are plenty of flaws from my less-experienced needlework days, but I still think the blocks are super cute. In order to turn the embroidered blocks into a crib size quilt, I alternated them with a print block.

 

I settled on deconstructed hourglass blocks, since those are fun to make. I had to do some tests first to come up with the correct size to pair with the embroidered blocks.

 

After sewing them together, I only had a few weeks left to quilt it, so I was hand quilting every spare moment in order to meet my deadline - and I finished it up by sewing the binding the very same day I had to take and send in the photos!

 

I custom quilted around each of the Sue blocks (the one with the parasol is my 2-year-old's favorite!), adding fun little details in some of them, and did all the star blocks alike. It was quite a bit of hand quilting in a short time, so now I'm ready to take a break before I start the next project!

 

This was also my first attempt at a scalloped border. I've wanted to make one for some time, and finally decided to just tackle it. It actually was fairly easy, thanks to online tutorials like this one, and now that I've done it once, I expect it will be even easier next time.

 

The scallops finish the edge perfectly, making it such a fun little girly quilt! I had to hang it up in my living room so I can enjoy it for a while.

 

But I also had a second idea I wanted to make, if I could squeeze it in. Teapot wall hanging!

 

For this one I used Lori Holt's Granny's Teapot pattern, making 4 teapot blocks, and adding my own border to make the size a good one for my space (and to add in more of the cute prints). 

 

I actually made this one from start to finish (except for one teapot block) in one day, so it went pretty quickly. 

 

I love how the large size of the teapots show off some favorite prints! Now if I could just find some REAL teapots with chintz prints like this...

 

I machine quilted it all over with a double line diamond grid, and really love how it looks. I think I'll use this for a larger quilt when I have one I want to machine quilt.

 

So many pictures in this post, but I was so pleased with both these projects that it's hard to narrow it down!

 

There have been so many adorable projects using this new fabric line, in this blog tour. I hope you check them out, and ask your local quilt shop about the availability of Market Day! It's honestly the cutest.

Monday, August 19	@elliebugmakes	Ellie Bug
Tuesday, August 20	theredfeedsack.blogspot.com	Dori Troutman
Wednesday, August 21	http://prettybyhand.com/	Kristyne
Thursday, August 22	https://charismascorner.com/category/blog/	Charisma
Friday, August 23	https://www.nannygoatquilts.com/	Lisa Garlic
Monday, August 26	https://verityvintagestudio.typepad.com/my-blog/	Kristen Clay
Tuesday, August 27	creamcraftgoods	Karen
Wednesday, August 28	Website: http://blueribbondesigns.com	Belinda Karls-Nace
Thursday, August 29	https://www.mollyandmama.com.au/blog/	Lauren Wright
Friday, August 30	charisecreates.blogspot.com	Charise Creates

 

Gingham Placemats with Cottage Charm

Today I get to show you some fun little crafty projects I made with a new Poppie Cotton fabric called Cottage Charm. I selected a just a few prints from this new fabric line to sew with. 

 

Of course the little cottage prints called for fussy cutting, so I featured them along with some coordinating florals to make a set of 4 gingham placemats. 

 

I think they are perfect for setting a summer or fall table!

 

I cut 3" squares and made a super basic patchwork panel, so it went quickly. 

 

I like how the gingham frames the little cottages. 

 

Of course you can mix up the colors, but I think it's fun to have them in color groups like this. 

 

There wasn't a pale aqua floral, so I chose one of Poppie Cotton's basics to go with this one.

 

For another small project, I took my favorite little cottage and embellished it with freehand embroidery. It adds some cute texture and detail. 

 

I'd never done anything like this before, but I've seen it done - and I think mine wasn't too bad for a first attempt!

 

We can always use placemats in our house, so these will come in useful - and the hoop will decorate my sewing room.

 

If you like whimsical prints in earth tones, you should definitely check out this new fabric.

 

Check out this list of participating makers to see all the lovely variety of projects featuring this fabric!

Friday, July 5	Website: http://blueribbondesigns.com
Monday, July 8	theredfeedsack.blogspot.com
Wednesday, July 10	http://neverlandstitches.blogspot.com/
Friday, July 12	https://charisecreates.blogspot.com/
Monday, July 15	https://www.nannygoatquilts.com/
Wednesday, July 17	https://bemandythings.com/blogs/news
Friday, July 19	http://www.happyquiltingmelissa.com/
Monday, July 22	@elliebugmakes
Wednesday, July 24	https://www.sewmariana.com/
Friday, July 26	https://verityvintagestudio.typepad.com/my-blog/
Monday, July 29	http://www.creamcraftgoods.com/

Christmas in June with Poppie Cotton Prairie Christmas

I believe in enjoying the current moment, so I always prefer to sew or craft in the season I'm currently in - but when I need to work ahead of schedule, I find it's also nice to get a jump start on my later seasonal sewing! This month I took a few days to make some Christmassy projects with new Christmas fabric by Poppie Cotton, and it was rather fun...also nice to stock up on some gifts and decor before the seasonal crunch begins. 

 

This is a rustic Christmas line, and while it's not a style I would normally gravitate towards, I quite enjoyed these projects using it, and kept making just one more thing! The little town and farm scenes are especially adorable.

I started with a couple of 18" pillows. 

 

I used the Flower Love pattern by Sew Mariana and made 1 block in 2 different combinations, choosing my favorite prints to highlight in the bigger areas of the block.

 

I quilted them differently, and added a basic envelope back. This is so helpful if you have a lot of pillow covers but limited space. You can fold and store the covers flat, and reuse the same few pillow forms as you switch out the seasonal covers. 

 

I really love the bold flower block look. It reminded me of a giant Christmas bow, and really works well for Christmas with the star and heart center - perfect for this traditional collection. 

 

The edge finish provoked thought since I wanted something stronger than hand stitching a binding, but that looked nicer than a machine stitched binding - which I still have not mastered.

 

The answer was to hand stitch it through all layers with size 10 crochet thread. Super strong, looks nice on both sides, AND adds a lovely contrast stitching detail to the edge. Now I want to try this technique with a full size quilt. 

 

I'm looking forward to using these on the couch this Christmas season.

 

Then I grabbed the leftover fabric and made a slew of smaller scrappy projects!

 

I quilted two panels, cut them in a circle for potholders, and added a pocket for little gifts or decor.

 

I did my favorite quilt-as-you-go string blocks, sorting the strings by color. The green one I left as is; the white one I added little raw edge hearts on each corner and loved it! These are so quick and easy - sew your fabric strips together through all the layers, trim, and bind! Great for a quickly made addition to a gift basket.

 

I think my favorite potholder though was the log cabin - also quilt as you go, starting with a large center cut from the scenic fabric. I loved it so much I'm thinking about doing a whole quilt-as-you-go quilt like this, with fussy cut floral centers!

 

I love how they all coordinate but are all different and unique. 

 

The final project was one I've wanted to try for years, and this fabric line was the spur to finally make me get around to it - folded no-sew Scandinavian stars. I followed this YouTube tutorial and found it quite clear and helpful.

 

It was SO FUN and easier than it looks. I want to bust out my Christmas scraps and make more this year for sure! 

 

The one other thing I had made earlier were these easy gift placemats for our table this past Christmas, and really enjoyed how festive they were during the holidays.

 

I do wish Prairie Christmas had more red options in it, as I quickly ran low on the reds. But I'm still super pleased with the results of a few days of crafting. If you love rustic or country Christmas, this is definitely the fabric line for you. Stock up early for this holiday season, as it's shipping to quilt stores now!

 

Check out the other lovely Christmassy makes too. It's so fun to see everyone's unique spin and creativity using the same bundle of fabric. 

Monday, June 3	@sewmaryhappy
Wednesday, June 5	http://neverlandstitches.blogspot.com/
Monday, June 10	https://verityvintagestudio.typepad.com/my-blog/
Wednesday, June 12	Website: http://blueribbondesigns.com
Friday, June 14	http://www.creamcraftgoods.com/
Monday, June 17	http://www.happyquiltingmelissa.com/
Wednesday, June 19	@elliebugmakes
Friday, June 21	theredfeedsack.blogspot.com
Monday, June 24	https://bemandythings.com/blogs/news
Wednesday, June 26	https://ivoryspring.wordpress.com/
Friday, June 28	https://www.arabesque-scissors.com/journal
Monday, July 1	http://prettybyhand.com/