Oh my, it’s been so long since I have posted to my blog. I’m so sorry I have neglected it for so long and promise to do better keeping everyone updated on what’s new at Sew Creative Cottage starting with the most recent news from Jenny Haskins.

I am so excited to tell you about Jenny’s New Clever & Crafty Series. So far there are three CDs that will be initially released in this series: Clever & Crafty – Trash to Treasure, Clever & Crafty – Bedroom Bliss and Clever & Crafty – Gracious Gifts. Each CD will include all the embroidery designs and the instructions for each quick and easy project.  Pre-order now and save 20% + FREE shipping if you purchase all three!  Click the links above or click here for more details!

Clever & Crafty – Trash to Treasure has 6 great projects showing you how you can ‘Upcycle’ ordinary and plain household items into beautiful collector pieces. The projects include a beautiful decorated bottle, candlestick holder, cloche, cupcake stand/holder, envelope pillow and a candle in a jar. For those who have never heard of a cloche (myself included) it is a “bell-shaped cover used to protect young plants.”

Here is a link to the YouTube video showing all the projects on the Clever & Crafty – Trash to Treasure CD:

Clever & Crafty – Trash to Treasure by Jenny Haskins Video

Clever & Crafty – Bedroom Bliss has great projects for the bedroom. The projects include a lace lampshade, a beautiful decorated bottle with floating diamonds, Key To My Heart pillow with weaving ribbons applique, shabby chic decorated dressform, decorative heart soap holder, Love Art Plaque, another decorated bottle and an upcycled pearl necklace. Here is a link to the YouTube video showing all the projects on the Clever & Crafty – Bedroom Bliss CD:

Clever & Crafty – Bedroom Bliss by Jenny Haskins Video

Clever & Crafty – Gracious Gifts includes beautiful DIY gifts. The projects include an embroidery decorated pillow, upcycled decorative candle holder, a beautiful pieced in the hoop pillow, two decorative bottles, tea candles, a to die for scissors case that is perfect for your sewing friends, upcycled shoe decorations and lacy arm warmers. Here is a link to the YouTube video showing all the projects on the Clever & Crafty – Gracious Gifts CD:

Clever & Crafty – Gracious Gifts by Jenny Haskins Video

I have posted the February edition of the Sew Creative Cottage newsletter. Click here to view the entire newsletter. To help bring on thoughts of the warmer Spring days to come (maybe its wishful thinking but it was over 36 degrees here today so it felt like a heat wave), I have added four new fantastic kits to the Sew Creative Website. These MAGIC kits will provide everything you need to create treasures that are sure to bring magic to your creations and at an unbelievable price!

The Fabricadabra Special Design CDs have arrived so order now while the special pre-order sale price is still available or take advantage of the Jenny Haskins Spring Design Set that includes Fabricadabra and Jenny’s newest CD, Sam’s Love Hearts along some of Jenny’s best floral design collections. The Sam’s Love Hearts CD includes free directions for Jenny’s latest quilt Windmills of the Heart, another beautiful quilt made with Jenny’s When Dreams Flower fabric. Look for kits for this latest quilt on the Sew Creative Cottage website soon!

We also have the 3D Embroidery Magic Design CD in stock. These designs are created specifically for use with Krinkle Magic and are truly amazing. Each 3D Magic CD comes packaged with 1/2 yard of Kinkle Magic to get you started. Detailed directions, steps and how best to use the 3D Embroidery Magic designs are included on the CD.

Windmills of the Heart Quilt by Jenny Haskins

I had this jacket in my closet for a while and had in mind to add either some Lotties Poppies embroidery or Margaret’s Magnificent Melody designs. One thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to use shades of red for the flowers. After seeing Jenny Haskins’ War of Roses quilt done in reds I knew I wanted to use the designs from Margaret’s Magnificent Melody. I used the same color threads as War of the Roses and just love the shades of red. The most amazing part is that it took only about 1 hours to layout and stitch down all the embroideries using Jenny’s Embroidery Decoupage technique! Jenny would be so proud of me as normally I am such a perfectionist (and I think it came out great because I didn’t sit and think too much about it)! Now I can’t wait to get started on my War of Roses quilt!

Jacket Front using Margaret's Magnificent Melody designs from Jenny Haskins

I used Jenny’s embroidery decoupage technique for adding the flowers from Margaret’s Magnificent Melody design set. After taking this picture with the jacket buttoned I can see where it’s a bit off center on the left side, but that’s the beauty of using embroidery decoupage…I can just add another flower wherever one is needed. I will post an updated picture so you can see.

Jacket Back

Close up of Jacket Back

I have posted the Sew Creative Cottage January Newsletter to the Sew Creative Cottage website. If you don’t already subscribe, you can view the January newsletter here. Be sure to sign-up so you don’t miss out on the latest news about Jenny Haskins Products or current sales at Sew Creative Cottage.

Jenny and Simon have been hard at work on a new Special Edition CD, Fabricadabra. Fabricadabra, which is a quilt by Simon, uses a unique embroidery technique that gives an exact 1/4 inch stitch outline for each design which is the cutting line to piece the embroidered strips/blocks and includes designs from Simon’s Terrific Trims. I can’t wait to start seeing all the different color combinations that are sure to result from this great new technique quilt. Preorder now and save $10. I expect the first shipment to arrive the first week of February.

Jenny is also releasing a new design CD, Sam’s Love Hearts named after Jenny’s daughter Sam. These beautiful heart designs feature three dimensional flowers and you will love the double applique hearts with embroidered buttonholes through which to thread ribbon. The pillow below shows the quilt block for the Sam’s Love Hearts quilt, which is pieced on the diagonal and features Jenny’s When Dreams Flower fabric. The cover of Creative Expressions Issue 30 (due in Feb/March) features Double the Luv, a double sided quilt using the Sam’s Love Heart designs. Preorder now for our low price of $99 and get FREE shipping! I expect to receive the first shipment mid-February and if you order both Fabricadabra and Sam’s Love Hearts they will both ship together for FREE.

Fabricadabra is the latest Special Edition Design CD from the studio of Jenny and Simon Haskins

This quilt uses Sam's Love Heart designs and is featured in Creative Expressions Issue 30 (due out Feb/Mar 2011).

This pillow done in Jenny's fabric When Dreams Flower features a block from Sam's Love Hearts quilt.

Another pillow featuring the Sam's Love Hearts Designs and Jenny's fabric When Dreams Flower. I Love the button holes to allow for weaving in ribbons!

Well it’s been awhile since I have posted anything and I wonder what happened to 2010? Seems it got away from me but I’ve been busy sewing and also updating my website. One of the newest design CDs by Jenny Haskins is Peaches Purses. The inspiration for this embroidery collection was a unique Candy Wrapper purse Simon brought Jenny home from Mexico several years ago and I’ve been have loads of fun making these. The latest is my version of Robbie’s large bag with embroidered gussets and flap that I stitched using Jenny’s fabulous metallic threads. Jenny had hers in Houston and it just sparkled in lights when we were out one evening so I knew I had to make one! No thread breaking whatsoever with these threads that is so common with many metallic threads. I used G1 Blonde Gold Metallic, G2 Beige Gold Metallic, G3 True Gold Metallic and G31 Copper Metallic. Although it’s really hard to capture the true colors in a photograph, I think the addition of the copper metallic really makes this purse pop. I think I still want to add a button or some sort of decoration over the snaps on the flap but I am really happy how it turned out. I think I want to make a black and silver metallic version next but I am also eyeing the Moss Green and the Purple metallic threads as well. As soon as I do, I will be sure to post a picture.

My version stitched in Jenny Haskins Metallic Thread

A closeup view of the metallic threads.

You can also take a look at the other purses I did. I used Jenny’s silk in Celery and 84 Fern and 1048 Pink Burst threads on the Pink & Green Candy Wrapper Purse. My favorite is Wine Circles purse and matching eyeglasses case. I used Jenny’s Plum silk, 233 Wine and 234 Karlina threads on that one along with Swarovski crystals in pink and burgundy. I love how the crystals form a little flower design. I even made a purse enhancer for the eyeglass case using some of Jenny’s bicone beads. Both of these are available as kits at www.sewcreativecottage.com and I will have a kit for the new metallic one available soon.

My Peaches Purses Pink & Green Candy Wrapper Purse

My Peaches Purses Wine Circles Purse and Eyeglasses Case

Jenny Haskins has released yet another wonderful design collection! Margaret’s Magnificent Melody is a colleciton of luscious three-dimensional large flowers (in three sizes) along with grasses, wheat and bugs, bees and butterflies. This design CD is digitized with a running stitch fill, which is different to Jenny’s usual long and short stitch.

Take a look at the wonderful Margaret’s Magnificent Medley pillow that Jenny and Robi created. The largest flower is 8″ in diameter and looks absolutely outstanding on the black pillow. The designs are perfect to add to your favorite hat and would look lovely on sweaters or jackets.

Jenny recently became a grandmother and it’s only fitting that she has now came out with a childrens embroidery design CD. Harvey’s Garden is named for Simon’s son Harvey and is based on drawings about the adventures of Sammie Snail that Jenny made for her children Simon, Samantha (Sam) and Jay to color to keep them occupied when they were small. The story that goes along with the designs is sure to delight all! Here is an excerpt:

This is the most exciting news of 2010 for Jenny Haskins fans! Jenny finally has her first fabric collection, When Dreams Flower, manufactured by Windham Fabrics that will be available in July 2010. The fabric was created to go along with Jenny’s new book also titled When Dreams Flower. The book will be available later this month and is available for pre-order now at Sew Creative Cottage.

Jenny Haskins When Dreams Flower

Here is a sneak peak at the entire fabric collection. For more details or to subscribe to our newsletter to be one of the first to know when the fabric is available go to Sew Creative Cottage. We will have special pricing on fabric kits and thread kits for the When Dreams Flower quilt posted soon.

This fabric is one of my favorites in the collection:

Jenny Haskins When Dreams Flower by Windham Fabrics - 31776

Jenny Haskins When Dreams Flower by Windham Fabrics - 31777-X MULTI

Another one of my favorites in the collection. It reproduces the wonderful poppies from Jenny’s Lottie’s Poppies design CD and could be used as a border fabric on the When Dreams Flower quilt if you don’t want to use actual embroidered poppies.

Jenny Haskins When Dreams Flower by Windham Fabrics - 31778-3 WHITE

Here are the perfect plaids for your When Dreams Flower quilt:

Jenny Haskins When Dreams Flower by Windham Fabrics - 31779

I absolutely love polka dot fabric and the addition of butterflies taken from the Butterflies for Catherine design CD is wonderful. The butterflies could also be cut out and used as fabric decoupage:

Jenny Haskins When Dreams Flower by Windham Fabrics - 31780

Some great stripes, which are often very hard to find:

Jenny Haskins When Dreams Flower by Windham Fabrics - 31781

These are all great background fabrics:

Jenny Haskins When Dreams Flower by Windham Fabrics - 31782

Here is another one of my favorite fabrics in the collection. I think I will use this one as the backing on my When Dreams Flower quilt:

Jenny Haskins When Dreams Flower by Windham Fabrics - 31783

Jenny Haskins When Dreams Flower by Windham Fabrics - 31784

It’s official! The winners have been posted for the Creative Expressions Magazine Light up a Life Challenge:

1st place – Jean Halstead, UK
2nd place – Debi Reese,Cleveland, Oh
3rd place – Linda Stiltz, St Charles, MO

I am so ecstatic that I won 2nd place! I used designs from Jenny Haskins Victorian Roses CD (my all time favorite design CD), Laura’s Vintage Embellishments and Butterflies for Catherine. I used Jenny Haskins rayon thread in 1 – Darling, 3- Pink Posey and G27 – Silver Metallic. The Jenny Haskins metallic threads stitched like butter in my machine with absolutely no breakage! I also embellished the jacket, hat and butterfly necklace with over 500 hot fix Swarovski crystals. My goal was to “light up a life” for whoever is the lucky recipient of my jacket! Here are some pictures of my winning entry:

Jacket Front View

Jacket Back View - There are nearly 300 Swarovski crystals on the back of the jacket alone!

Jacket Front Close-up

Jacket Pocket Close-up

Jacket & Butterfly Necklace

Butterfly Necklace