It occurs to me that I should start numbering these forays... except that when the number gets high, folks might start to wonder if I do anything else?

Let's start with these Metropolis Lunch Boxes for months and months for the real-things to arrive.  They come in a set of two - the larger box measures 8.5" x 6.625" x 3.5" and the smaller box measures 7.75" x 5" x 2.625".  (I know, so many decimals.) . I'm a girl who loves boxes and bins for storage as they let me keep my "stuff" organized and a bit out of sight.

So it stands to reason that I am also swooning over these Metropolis Nested Boxes - they're in a set of three.  

As you can see, I do like to keep my charm packs organized.  (The three different boxes and sizes can be seen on Page 4 of the Home + Gift Catalog.) 

I really like the Stash 'n Store organizers, and I had used one.  But I secretly kept hoping for Red.  Or Navy.  But really... Red.  Now you can color me Happy!  The Aqua and Navy are also very tempting.

National Sew A Jelly Roll Day is in three weeks so we're trying to make plans for what we'll be sewing on Saturday, September 15.

Pam & Nicky Lintott have published several terrific Jelly Roll books and this is their latest - Jelly Roll Quilts In A Weekend.  The quilt on the cover really caught my attention because it's not one I would have looked at and thought "Jelly Roll".  But they did - and the book is terrific.  So if you love Jelly Rolls, this might be a perfect book for Saturday, September 15th and National Sew A Jelly Roll Day.  (Just in case I hadn't mentioned that.)

Jelly Roll Rugs.  Of course this is on the list of options for Saturday.  Have you seen the rolls of pre-cut batting?  This Katahdin 100% Organic Cotton Batting from Bosal is the perfect weight for the rugs - thick enough to give padding and thin enough that it isn't too bulky to sew.  These rolls are 2.5" x 25 yards and two are required to make the Jelly Roll Rugs by RJ Designs.

There is a new roll that is 2.25" x 50 yards long.  Those who have had a chance to use it say that the narrower strip makes folding and stitching the long strips a bit easier to accomplish.  Have you made a Jelly Roll rug?

I love the style of Nichole's embroidery, and after her hugely popular Boho Embroidery book, this follow-up has been much-anticipated.  And Boho Embroidery: The Pattern Collection doesn't disappoint.  

Nor does this book by Shelley Scott-Tobisch - Easy Precision Piecing.

Simply put, perfect piecing isn't just about a scant 1/4" seam allowance.  Or cutting.  It's about prep work, organization, stitching, pressing,  From tips on adjusting tension to squaring up fabric, keeping points sharp and assembling straight strip sets, this book is highly recommended for anyone wanting to improve their skills - from beginners to accomplished quilters.  Shelley makes Precision Piecing Easy.  Easier.  

Jen Kingwell knows about precision piecing too - and she does it by hand!  With templates.  Or not.  (But templates make it easier and better.)  This is Delilah, one of Jen's glorious quilts.  It started as a Block of the Month with more than a dozen blocks.  While the templates for the blocks in this quilt can be purchased as a complete set, they're also available individually.

These are Jen's Tempters - a set of templates for a single block.  The sizes vary and all can be used to make a single-block quilt.

Jen made this quilt using her Looking Forward collection and the Shooting Star Templates.   (Looking Forward will be in shops in November.)

One of my favorite things about the Tempters is the coloring diagram on the back of the pattern.

Yes, you can make photocopies of the back cover to try several color variations.  Or just to color.  

Fifty Little Gifts.  I'm a fan of Susanne Woods of Lucky Spool Books.  She has a great eye for talent, projects, styling and photography.  In addition to great projects, her books are always pretty.  This is no exception - and there are already a dozen projects in her that I want to make.  (Now.)

This seemed like the best, easiest way to give you an idea of some of the fifty pretty little things included.  Key fobs and zipper bags, pincushions and fabric baskets.  Small projects that use scraps.  Sign me up!

One of the patterns I went looking for is the Clam Up Zipper Pouches from ByAnnie.  I'd seen pictures popping up on social media and I think I need to make a few of these.

There are five different sizes and as always, Annie's instructions are very good.  In addition to making great bags and bag patterns, Annie also does very good teaching videos for some of the techniques she uses in making bags.  Most of her patterns come with a coupon for a video that goes with the pattern.

So Annie designs a great bag, then writes a terrific pattern for it, then provides you with a video tutorial for a specific part of the pattern.  It's like taking a class from Annie!  I'm all set - I've got zippers!

Have you ever done any block printing on fabric?  Several of us have been enjoying this book - Print, Paint & Ink by Andie Powers & Emily Grosse - to learning a few new ideas for printing using pre-made stamps, and for making simple stamps.  Using ink and paint, we've been printing on both Bella Solids and a few printed fabrics.   

Of course we definitely used these stamps...

Woodcut Stamps.  Each bag is an assortment of 12 different stamps in different sizes.  Because we were curious (nosey?), we opened several bags and while there were a couple of duplicates among the bags, the variety is very nice.  There are paisleys, fish, square designs, owls, birds, leaves and all manner of medallion.  Remember, each bag has a random mix - it's an assortment.

When you finish making all these gifts, you can wrap them in this beautiful wrapping paper from Vera Bradley's archive of prints.

There are four different Paper Books - Baby Bump / Birthday Bash / Oh Happy Day / Wedding Bells.  Each book has 20 papers measuring 18" x 24" that can be used for wrapping and crafting.

The last find I have to share is this vinyl bag.  It's mostly clear but as the description says "the sturdy 2-ply construction has a woven appearance" because of the thread within the plastic.  It's water-resistant.  There are a variety of colors for the zipper - Black, Red and Green.  The bags also come in three sizes - 4" x 8", 13.5" x 9.5" and 15.5" x 11".

Aside from being very useful, my favorite thing about the bags is that they can be embellished.

This vinyl quilt block was leftover from Spring Market and it was just the perfect size.  Vinyl stickers like this can be purchased or made with a Cricut or Cameo machine.  This has become one of my favorite project bags.  

So that's all for today.  Whew.  Are you worn out?  I hope you're going to get to sew this weekend.  I have two quilts that needs binding.

What do you think of my new binding box?

Happy Thursday!