Isn't this a great sun hat? Perfect for protecting my neck and face from burning, and a nice one or two evening project. I bought a half yard of this brown & pink batik at the Rosemont Quilt Show a few years ago, and used coordinating batiks from my stash for the lining. The pattern is from Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter, which has lots of other projects I want to stitch this summer!

It's done! I finally finished my Big Dot Pillow - my mom liked it so much she's going to stitch one, too, but not in such bright colors ;) I made an addition to the instructions in Amy Butler's In Stitches - I added a zipper (using Zipper Foot with Guide #14) to one of the side seams, to easily remove the pillow form for laundering (and for travel - see below). Everyone in Bernina-land has been extra busy this month, prepping for Bernina University, our annual dealer meeting in July. Erika & I are teaching a class together - my Big Dot Pillow is part of a display, and I'm shipping it _minus_ the insert. After Erika & I get back home and catch up on our sleep we'll have lots of photos to share - things we saw, people we met, and, of course, the new Bernina 8 Series!

Did you know that heart disease is the #1 cause of death in women? And now Bernina of America has a new corporate giving program - Sew Red - to spread the word and raise $$$ for the American Heart Association. They've made arrangements for 15 designers and teachers - including several celebrity stitchers! - to "bling" BERNINA sewing machines. The tricked-out machines will be auctioned during the BERNINA 8 event in Kansas City this summer. Speaking of which - the ultimate new BERNINA sewing machine will be unveiled then, too! Erika & I won't have any news about the new machine until we see it at Bernina University in July, but we'll share photos and links to some of the "Bling Your Bernina" machines over the next few weeks. I can't wait to see them! Stay tuned...

I realize that not only do a lot of us happy fabric shoppers have a ton of fat quarters, but we're likely to have a stash of scraps as well. Sometimes there may be just a little bit of some fabulous fabric after cutting out a project, and you don't DARE throw it away! Here's one of my favorite things to do with scraps! This project is straight out of Diana Rupp's Sew Everything Workshop book - the "Den of Pin Pincushion." The BESTEST thing about pincushions is that you can have fun with different fabrics and adding trims - AND they make great little gifts for friends and family who are just starting to sew (or starting to get back into sewing)!

These are some small scraps of Benartex Woodstock fabric, and I followed Diana's instructions in the book to put these together.

These pincusions I made by making the pattern from Diana's book a little bigger, and then boxing out the corners. This is a bit of vintage barkcloth with a vintage button.

Here's another one made from a scrap of faux-fur, a scrap of ribbon, and a vintage button.

And, here is a pincushion made from a scrap of luscious silk & brocade fabric imported from India.

Now I hope you are inspired to take a look at some pincushion patterns or make up some of your own to make a dent in your scrap-stash!

Here are another couple of GREAT projects for using with fat quarters. These are both from Linda Lee's book, Sew Easy.

This is a cool project - a notebook or sketchbook cover with a pocket. I added the monogrammed patch to the pocket before attaching it per the directions, I think it adds a nice touch! The pocket is big enough to hold an eraser and small pens and pencils, a bookmark, or even some post it notes. I used one of Alexander Henry's Tatsu fat quarters for this project with a coordinating solid cotton color for the lining.

This project is called a Jewelry Pouch, but it can be used as a clutch or a carry-all for an I-pod (and all the cords, cases, and extra junk that comes with it). I used one fat quarter of Alexander Henry's Tattoo Too fabric, and added an extra layer of plain red cotton for contrast on the inside of the project. If you want to use the pouch as a clutch, I suggest also adding a layer of interfacing to give some extra support.

The project has three zipper pouches, which was a great way for me to use up some of those extra zippers in my stash.

You can see the red fabric I layered with the main fabric as a contrast when a pouch is open.

And, for the finishing touches, I added the ribbon closure and button before I completed the project, to make the clutch easier to carry.

These are both fun and simple projects to whip up - great for gifts - and a SUPERB way to use up some of those extra fat quarters!