I know, I know. Not the normal Mother's Day pic! But this mug was my mom's and reminds me of her more than candy and roses. So to all of you whether you are near to or far from your mom or children, Happy Mother's Day! Truly and Sincerely. xo, Penny Continue reading

There have been lots of changes going on lately, so I thought I'd give you all a quick update. First, as you all have probably heard, google reader is out. That means, bloglovin' is in! You see the new bloglovin' widget I've added over there on the sidebar? Click on the widget to follow sewtakeahike through bloglovin' if you haven't already! And btw, I downloaded the widget from Isabelle's lovely site. She drew the widget and it's available for a free download. I love it!! And second, did you all know that etsy FINALLY has the option to add pdf files to your listings? So that means no more waiting for the etsy seller to email your purchased pdf files to you! Thank you etsy!!! To celebrate, I'm offering all my sewtakeahike patterns for 30% off today and tomorrow. Just use the coupon code instantpdf when you purchase any combination of patterns from my etsy shop. Lastly, I have been using touchdraw a lot for pattern makng recently and am totally loving it. It's a vector program so the images it produces are clearer than what I can get from photoshop. Here's an image I drew with it: To learn the basics, I walked through all of Lynne's touchdraw tutorials. Since then I've been able to take off with it and I love it. I'll be posting more soon about touchdraw! xo, Penny Continue reading

Thank you everyone who commented to for a chance to win the Parisienne Cafe set! Congratulations to the three winners: Sonicfreak Jody Melissa I will email your patterns to you shortly! Happy Saturday! xo, Penny Continue reading

As Kerry has mentioned here, we are over the moon to present our newest pattern set, "Parisienne Cafe" (available here and here!) It is chock full of fabulous designs with so many possibilities! In addition to my espresso cups and teapot, Kerry has come up with the most ingenious designs for a French Press and for a coffee grinder We have changed the layout of our patterns slightly, you can read about it here. I couldn't help myself and came up with a revision for the espresso cup before we released the pattern (the saucer revision is not a part of the pattern set) And I have a special surprise for you! I am offering up 3 Parisienne Cafe pattern sets, just leave a comment on this post. I'll pick a winner on Friday. And no worries if you buy the pattern set before then and you win a copy. Kerry and I will reimburse you! Happy Monday! And make sure to check out Kerry's blog for the Parisienne Cafe set giveaway there too! Continue reading

I've been a fan of Sarah Fielke's since I cracked open her book "Material Obsession" a few years ago. Sarah's projects are so right up my alley. Full of fun, bright scrap happy fabrics. Needless to say, I was so very super excited to get my hands on her "hand quilted with love". This book is packed full of great information, useful techniques, awesome patterns, and incredible inspiration. As with every quilting book I've looked through, there were a few quilts that jumped off the pages and into my heart as soon as I saw them. The Bangles quilt and the Made to Measure quilt: I hope to make both of these quilts at some point. And if you're interested, the lovely and talented Amanda is having a Bangle-along! So if you're looking to be inspired by some scrappy goodness, this is a book for you! xo, Penny p.s. Sarah, I proudly found the perfect place to put the card you gave me at dinner last year. Continue reading

Before we get into the seam roller tips, I just have to show you my little bunny. I mean seriously, he must be a bunny because only bunnies are this cute, right??! Ok, now we can get to business. Many of you know I use this seam roller when I sew. In fact, I use it almost every time I sew. A few reasons why I use this specific seam roller is that it is only an inch or so wide and as you can see in the photo, the wooden roller part is rounded and not flat. This keeps the fabric from getting distorted as I use it. Many times people see my seam roller and think they can just use any old brayer or pastry roller. But believe me, it's just not the same. When I paper piece, as I sew sections of a pattern, I use my seam roller to press instead of getting up and pressing with an iron after each addition of fabric. In the top left corner photo, I have sewn the first two pieces of fabric to the pattern, then in the top right corner photo, I press the seam open by opening the fabrics and rolling the seam roller over the seam. I then sew the next piece of fabric onto the section and turn and press that seam open. At that point, I starch and press the section with an iron and trim the section up as you can see in the final photo. I was asked if using a seam roller means I don't iron. Not at all! As I explained, I use it to make the addition of fabrics quicker as I paper piece, but then at the end, I starch and press. Next, I use the seam roller to open seams as I sew, especially when sewing blocks together as I assemble quilts. Because it doesn't distort or pull the fabric (because of the rounded roller), I don't have to worry about not being able to match seams up easily as I sew the rows together. I open all the seams with the roller because I like the way an open seam appears flat from the front of the block instead of having that stairstep look. So basically, I sew the blocks together in rows, opening and seam rolling each block seam with the seam roller after the... Continue reading

This weekend was definitely fruitful. I did a little bit of clearing out and a lot of sewing. oh, and I got my scrappy trip quilt and binding tea dyed! I'll do a post specifically about that soon, but I was amazed at how some of the fabrics took the dye so easily and others didn't. I also sewed a lap quilt together for donation with some leftover connecting threads fabric charms I had from my maple granny from last fall. I was short a few charms, so I added a few squares of bowling pin heads by bora to the mix. Can you spot them? And then there's this lovely. I used the remainder of my scrappy trip along strips to make a flannel backed receiving blanket for a friend who is having a baby soon. I added a few coffee cups in there because I know she's going to need them! And lastly, I made some progress on my snowball along quilt. I have 98 squares done and plan on getting a whole bunch more done today! Happy Monday to you! xo, Penny Continue reading

I think these sweet gifts from my sweet friends Joelle and Amy make such a pretty spring photo! Happy Friday to you! xo, Penny Continue reading

If you're looking for the initial Snowball QAL post, it is here and the flickr group is here! Just a few tips to make your snowball block production quicker should you use the pattern I provided! But before we get into that, make sure and join the flickr Snowball QAL group! First, instead of completing the snowballs one at a time, do the snowballs in batches, cutting, then sewing and trimming several at one time. So in other words, I cut all my triangles and squares and patterns and then stacked them like this so I can sit at my machine and just sew all the triangles on; not having to get from my machine over and over. Once they are all sewn I will press them all, then trim them all. Make sense? Doing this "production" type sewing will definitely speed things along! I like to do them in batches of 30 or so. Only because that immediate gratification part of me dictates it this way if you get my drift! xo, Penny Continue reading

So apparently this is what I do when I'm sick. Start a couple of new quilts. I've been battling a cold for a week and the last few days it's getting the better of me. So first I started my polka quilt out of my asterisk block. I have three of the blocks completed and that's a quilt I will be taking my time on. Now, I'm starting a Snowball quilt. Contrary to my Asterisk blocks, these blocks are super quick. And because it's hard for me to sit still even when I'm sick, I've started a Snowball Along. There are several ways you could do these blocks, and it's probably no surprise to you that the easiest way for me is to foundation piece them. So that's the technique I'm going to share with you today. But first, a few details. each snowball block finishes at 4" square the solid I am using is connecting threads "verdigris" this is the perfect block to use up your scraps my finished quilt will consist of 288 snowball blocks (16 across and 18 down) Here we go! What you will need: Print off this pdf that has 4 snowball foundation patterns on it and then cut each snowball pattern out separately. solid fabric cut into 2 1/2" strips and each strip cut into 3" lengths. Then cut these 2 1/2" X3" rectangles in half, into triangles. scraps that are at least 5" square for the center of the snowball Choose your center fabric (scraps work really well for this!) and trim it at least 1/4" past all edges of the pattern. With the right side of the pattern up, and the right side of the fabric down, align one of your solid triangles in one of the corners so it overlaps the corner mark by at least 1/4", and sew through the layers along the line. Repeat with the other 3 corners. Turn the corners of the paper pattern in and trim the center print fabric somewhat even with the edges of the solid fabric. Fold the paper corners back out then press the solid fabric out to cover the paper corners. Turn the block over, and trim the edges, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance of fabric past the edge of each side of the paper pattern. Now all you have to do is make 287(!) more (that will give you a... Continue reading

Heads up everyone! I've had so many requests for the asterisk from my funky peppermint tablerunner pattern, I decided to make the asterisk pattern available separately. The pattern makes an 8" square block and can easily be reduced or increased in size. The pattern is available here! Continue reading

Hoping my Magnum PI block (Ringo Pie block for Tamiko) starts your day with a smile or two. Happy Tuesday! xo, Penny Continue reading

Once a month, Ange at Mama Said Sew has a crafty meet up. For the last one, she organized a fabric swap. So I loaded up some fabrics and off to the swap I went. You never know what kinds of fabrics you'll find at swaps, but I have to say, I scored big time. Beth brought four panels that each consist of three vintage blocks. She also brought a load of feedsack scraps! I was in heaven!! On a whim, I decided to draft up a pattern for the block so I can make my own. It's full of Y-seams at every turn, but extremely satisfying to make! I've not seen this block before (although, there are two similar but different blocks in Patchwork 163, thanks for the info Amy!) and don't know what the name is, so I'm calling it Special K. It's a 16" block and the second one was infinitely easier to make than the second. I think I'm addicted to inset seams thanks to this block. Hmm. Did I just say that out loud? Happy Friday! xo, Penny p.s. The girls over at Spoonfulzine are having a super fun Spoonful Easter Competition, 2013! They're challenging individuals to design/draw an Easter pattern, to get in the springey chocolatey spirit and win this handmade Easter bunny! Isn't he adorable!!!! Continue reading

Excitement has taken over my body since finishing my Ringo Pie quilt top this morning (thanks for the nudge Anna!). I couldn't wait to share it with you, so here it is in all it's glory. "Kitchenalia" The blocks were made by: Marit-stack of pots block Erica- recipe box block Anna- spatula, measuring cup, spoon block Amber- red dot pot block and teacups on a shelf block Corey- hand held blender Amy- cake and cookie container block Lucinda- spoon block and broom/rug block Ayumi- toaster block Lynne- espresso maker block Kerry- baking scene block and the rest were made by me. Happy Monday to you!! xo, Penny Continue reading

Hello everyone! I've missed you! And I have so much to tell you since I was here last. Fair warning, this will probably be a long one! I'm going to break my QuiltCon posts into a two because there was just so much to take in. Honestly. What to say, what to say. It was inspiring. Joyful. Exciting. Fun. Heartfilling. Nervewracking. And I had several proud momma moments with my students. I taught threee classes. Foundation piecing. Freezer paper piecing by template. And Designing foundation blocks. I was so impressed by each and every student in all three classes! Vicky and her cupcake from the foundation piecing class Claudia and her microwave design/block from the design class Elaine and her flappy finned fish design/block from the design class Monica says hi from the foundation piecing class! Gillian's elephant (applique, applique that ear!! lol) and Anne's St. Bernard patterns from design class Joanne's key pattern/block from design class Audrey's headless "Marigold" Eileen's ladybug pattern/block from design class Whaaaaat? They're all so fabulous! And there are so many I missed. So yeah. I had some serioulsy goofy students too. Or maybe it was me (no, not me!) and I forgot to tell them it was OK to take their blocks home with them after the photoshoot? Ooopsie! If you were in the class and you see one or more of your blocks here, shoot me an email to sewtakeahike at gmail with your addy and I'll pop them in the mail to you! And you should probably hurry before Fozzy tears across them. He's a total spaz. Also, I have your original bridge design one of you left in the design class that I'd love to get back to you!! And lastly for today, a photo of some of the concentrating design class students And a couple of gratuitous class sample seam block photos See you in a few days for QuiltCon diaries part 2. xo, Penny Continue reading

It seems unreal to say, but QuiltCon is less than a month away! The last several weeks has been a flurry of prep work and trying to think of the tiniest detail so the classes I'm teaching go off with as few hitches as possible. Yesterday, I checked on the current weather situtation in Austin, and this week it appears to be all sunshine and highs of 79 and lows of 60. Wow. By the time I'm there at the end of February it could be even warmer? Looks like it's time to break out the tanning lotion. One super fun thing I've done in the last few days was to design some new mugs. I'll have a few of these at QuiltCon for purchase, and a couple to do a few fun giveaways in my classes. (as a side note, it was super easy to upload my design to vistaprint and order the mugs. I seriously think I need vistaprint 12 step program!) So are you going to QuiltCon? If so, what classes are you most looking forward to? Please do tell! And if you are going to be there, I really really hope to meet you!! xo, Penny Continue reading

Today I'm taking part in the Local Quilt Shop Day blog tour. I feel so blessed to have such an awesome local quilt shop in Mama Said Sew. Ange is the hippest quilt shop owner I've ever met, and it shows in her store. In fact, according to Ange, it's not only a fabric shop, it's a sewing lounge. Nice, huh? Right now, she is having a quilt show of sorts, displaying some quilts of the Fort Collins MQG. Here's Ron overseeing the daily operations. So if you're in the Fort Collins area, make sure and stop by and see Ange. She's always wearing a smile. And if you're not in the area, check out her online shop or give her a call if you don't see what you're looking for listed there. She has a wide array of prints from designers and manufacturers like Lotta, Suzuko, Lecien, Yuwa, Liberty, and tons more! Also, take a lookie at the fav local quilt shops of these awesome bloggers, who will be posting today, Saturday or Sunday. Abby Glassenberg – While She Naps Alissa Haight Carlton – Handmade by Alissa Allison Harris – Cluck Cluck Sew Cara Wilson – Cara Quilts Carolyn Friedlander – CarolynFriedlander.com Cheryl Arkinson – Dining Room Empire Christina Lane – The Sometimes Crafter Debbie Grifka – Esch House Quilts Diane Gilleland – CraftyPod Pam Harris – Gingerbread Snowflakes Jane Davidson – Quilt Jane Jen Carlton-Bailly – Betty Crocker Ass Krista Hennebury – Poppyprint Laurie Wisbrun – Scarlet Fig Michelle Freedman – Design Camp Monica Solorio-Snow – Happy Zombie Pat Sloan – Create with Pat Sloan Penny Layman – Sew Take a Hike Rachael Gander – Imagine Gnats Rae Hoekstra – Made by Rae Rita Hodge – Red Pepper Quilts Victoria Gertenbach – The Silly Boo Dilly Happy Friday to you! xo, Penny Continue reading

Good morning! It's a fine winter's day here at about 1 degree. I'm so thankful our furnace is in working order! Are any of you cross stitchers? I had always thought I didn't like cross stitch. Maybe because of the overabundance of really icky designs out there? But then I started seeing the sweetest designs on IG by the frosted pumpkin stitchery and then came along this book: The cover got me. Sweet and simple designs. (I ordered it here from the sweet Nobuko) The very day I received the book, I did the wellie. And this morning I did the strawberry (from a different book). I'm seriously hooked. But, it's really made me realize how bad my eyes are. I have to pull my glasses down to the end of my nose so I can see what I'm doing. Maybe a magnifier is in order? But it would have to be one that clipped to my glasses because I need both hands free. Anyone have any tips on where to find such a thing? This is Leila's Ringo Pie block. She asked for something that speaks of ourself and this block nails me to a board. The pink linen was thrifted from a vintage tablecloth, the pitcher fabric was given to me by a dear friend, and the retro "kitchenalia" design is so me. It really feels good to get a tardy bee block done. Happy Monday to you all! xo, Penny Continue reading

As if I don't have so many things I should be working on right now, I started a new quilt. It's a scrappy trip along quilt and I am totally in love! (all the pics in this post are courtesy of my phone, therefore not as clear) I've almost completed the top, just some ironing to do and one more row to sew on. Then I think I'm going to tea dye it! Take a look at this side by side The left pic is normal. The right pic has a filter on it. It's very subtle, but doesn't it give a sweet vintage look to the quilt? I'm hoping to achieve a similar look with the tea dye. I've consulted with Krista, who has done some tea dying in her day, and she's given me all the info I need. And if I wasn't already convinced to do it, I took this photo last night of the rows sewn together. I love the color that is cast upon it from the yellow lights in our dining area. So what are your thoughts? Am I crazy? Or do you have any tips for me? Happy Monday to you! xo, Penny Continue reading

It really is a beauty of day out there today. A little chilly, but so pretty. So to stick with the theme of pretty, here are a few things that I think are super pretty. First, some new business cards, ordered from vistaprint. I checked out a few places to order cards from and Vistaprint seemed to have the best value for what I was looking for. I'm also super excited that they have several other products (t-shirts, coffee mugs, magnets) that they can put my logo onto. And I received one of my label orders from spoonflower, these tags. They turned out perfect! I designed them to cut along the solid line, fold them in half and then sew into a seam. And lastly, have you checked out Superbuzzy's sale section lately?? Kelly has some really great fabrics in there! I found several Suzuko and Yoshiko fabrics for 12-13$/ yard!! And then of course, I had to fit a few of Suzuko's newer fabrics in there as well. :) Happy Saturday to you! xo, Penny Continue reading

Happy Happy New Year! I always thought my parents were so fuddy duddy when they would say this, but where has the time gone? It really does seem to move quicker now than when I was 10. 2012 was full of many things; joy, sadness, inspiration, brokenheartedness, and elation. Just when I was feeling drab, something or someone would inspire me. When I was feeling down in the dumps, someone would encourage me. And when I was heartbroken, friends came along side me and cried with me and hugged me. Through it all, I am so thankful for 2012. After all, it brought the most wonderful dream of a partnership with Kerry in Sew-Ichigo. a renewed sense of where I fit in the quilting world when I was asked to teach at QuiltCon (which is coming up in a few short weeks!) reminders of what's really important in life time with L-man doing the things we love closer bonds of friendship Instagram! :) a deepening desire to improve and make a difference And then, just a few days ago, I received a note from Lisa at the Moda Bakeshop telling me that my Isosceles Picnic quilt was one of the top 10 viewed projects at the Moda Bakeshop in 2012! Get.out!!! So to each and every one of you that take your precious time to visit sewtakeahike, leave comments and touch my heart, thank you. Thank you for a wonderful 2012! And to thank you from the bottom of my heart, Ben at Saral Paper and Kimberly and the gang at the Fat Quarter Shop for being long time sponsors. Here's to a super 2013! xo, Penny Continue reading

I've been in a label rut lately. I had been doing so good keeping up with making and using labels in the past, but this year has been an exception. I think part of it was the feeling I had that I had to do it all from treating the fabric to making the design then printing it, retreating the fabric, and cutting them out and so on. And then two days ago a lightbulb went off and I decided to do it through spoonflower. Brilliant!! So all I needed was the design, which I came up with by using photoshop. The label above is for quilts. I'm super excited to be able to just cut them out, press the edges under, embroider (by machine or hand) the details and hand sew them down. And this label design is for other sewing projects. It's way smaller and I'll cut them out along the solid lines to be folded in half and the long raw edges will be sewn in the seam of a project. I've only just ordered a yard of each design, so I haven't received it yet. I hope they turn out close to these pics though, especially since I was so impatient and didn't want to order a swatch and wait to inspect it only to order more. I guess if it doesn't turn out, I'll use them for purse linings maybe? xo, Penny Continue reading

The winter weather we're (finally) having is warming my heart and making me want to wear warm things around my neck. So a week ago I made an infinity scarf, which I love, but wanted to customize it a bit more to the length I prefer and add some flannel to the inside for an extra cozy feel. Also, I shortened the length from the other tutorials I found so it wouldn't hang so low. In doing that, I wanted to give an alternative to putting it on over the head since I usually put my scarves on as I'm walking out the door, after my hair and makeup are done. This scarf is really super simple, and will take you about 30 minutes to make. I hope you enjoy this little Christmas gift from me to you! What you will need: 52" X 11 1/2" outside fabric 52" X 11 1/2" lining fabric (I used flannel) 3 buttons water soluable marker three 2 5/8" lengths of 1/8" cording (I used my size 6 clover biased tape maker to make the 1/4" tape then folded it in half and sewed the folded edges together to get the 1/8" cording. Also, with the size 6 bias tape maker, you start with a 1/2" strip of fabric. Here's a pic of sewing the folded 1/4" tape in half. I had to move my needle position to get the feed dogs to feed it through: Note: All seam allowances are 3/8". Directions: 1. With right sides together, sew the lining and outside pieces together along one of the 52" edges and press the seam open. 2. Sew a gathering stitch along the two shorter ends of the joined lining and outside fabrics. Do this by lengthening your stitch length as much as you can and sewing 1/8" and then 1/4" from each edge. 3. Pull the threads on one side of your gathering stitches to gather the scarf ends so they are 12". Make sure the lining and the outside fabrics are evenly gathered, so each one is 6". 4. Topstitch 1/4" from each edge to tack the gathers down. 5. Fold your three lengths of cording in half and pin them down along the edge of the short edge of outside fabric, lining up the raw edges of the cording with the edge of the fabric with the loops inwards. Topstitch the... Continue reading