Dress It Up!

As I was having a conversation with a friend the other day, she said, "You know, I wish there was a way to have a really cute and functional sewing room. I always feel like I can get a cute table or desk, cute lamps, but then I have all this thread and fabric that I don't know what to do with besides hide it or throw it in a basket." 

And that got me to thinking.

What if there was a really cute way to organize your thread? Well, after a search on the internet for ideas, I found one that I LOVE!

Framed Thread Organizer

Basically, all this is, is a dressed up thread rack. All you'll need for this project is:

An empty picture frame

Piece of fabric large enough to fill the empty frame

Thread rack

Paint (to paint your thread rack if desired)

This project is so simple and easy, but it's so cute! Fill the empty frame with your piece of fabric, and then hang your painted (or unpainted) thread rack from the top of the picture frame, and voila! You have an incredibly cute way to not only organize your thread, but to display it in your "cute and functional" sewing room.

Project idea found at Sew Many Ways.

Fun Holiday Wreath!

February is almost gone! I can't believe it. There have been so many fun things going on that the month has flown by, and is about to leave us all behind in about a week.

Crazy.

So I was browsing the internet looking for a fun and easy St. Patrick's Day Craft (because Valentine's Day is over, so now we move on to the next holiday!) and I found this! Not only will this wreath work perfect for St. Patrick's Day, but you can switch up the colors and use it for any holiday!

St. Patrick's Day Rag Wreath

This is such a simple craft, and yet it will look not only beautiful but festive hanging on your front door! 

All you need to complete this project is a wire hanger that you can bend and shape into a circle, and 15-20 different fabrics that will coordinate to make a theme.

Whether this wreath is going to be for St. Patrick's Day, Valentine's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas it will be perfect and oh SO EASY to make!

This project was taken from The Magic of Ordinary Things.

Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday Event!

On Tuesday, February 21st we will be celebrating Mardi Gras here at Parkland Parish!

Yes, that's right, IT'S TOMORROW! 

So! Get ready for a fantastic deal on fat quarters that you will be unable to pass up! 

Our pre-cut fat quarters will be priced at just $1.00 each with a purchase of 25 or more! 

Think of the savings!

And not only will we have an unimaginable supply of fat quarters for you to choose from, we also have books, books, and more books all for making quilts and baby quilts out of fat quarters!

So come visit us tomorrow! We will be staying open until 9:00pm to make sure that we get to see each and every one of you that we possibly can! Let's get out of the rain and celebrate a little with one-dollar-fat-quarters!

Woohoo!!! See you tomorrow!

A Day of Love

Valentine's Day is here! 

Today is a day that is traditionally seen as the time to express your love for that one special person in your life. Whether it be through flowers, candy, a home-made card, candle light dinner, or a scavenger hunt through the house, expressions of love are always appreciated by those who are recieving them. Some people may be cynical about Valentine's Day, believing that they "don't need an assigned day each year just to tell the person that they love, they love them." I find myself agreeing with these people... to a certain extent.

I believe that Valentine's Day is a great opportunity to express your love for your spouse or significant other. However, I don't see it as the "make-this-day-special-and-you're-good-for-a-year" kind of event. My personal view on Valentine's Day is kind of like a "New Year's for Love." I see it not only as an opportunity to express my love for my Valentine, but to also re-committ myself to making every day a Valentine's Day. Maybe not go with the whole candle light dinner and expensive gifts, but do little things each and every day.

So I am a believer in Valentine's Day. I don't need my husband to go over the top with any gifts or any elegant display, but I do think that the holiday is a nice moment to honor our relationship, friendship, and love.

So how do you feel about Valentine's Day? Does it seem like a silly tradition to sell candy and hideous stuffed animals? Or do you see a purpose to it? Let us know by leaving a comment!

February Recipe of the Month!

Are you looking for that perfect bite-size sweet to woo your Valentine? Even those of you who feel that you are all thumbs when it comes to baking, you can make these brownies!

With this simple and easy recipe from FoodNetwork.com, these Red Velvet Swirl Brownies are a breeze!

Click on the picture below to download our recipe!

Some tips from me on how to make them just right!

1. Don't be afraid to "over-swirl". There is no such thing as over-swirling. You can make the top of your brownies as swirly as you want! I didn't swirl my first batch enough and was incredibly disappointed with the way they looked after they had baked. But, I swirled my second batch to my heart's desire, and they turned out beautifully! For proof, look at this picture on the right.
2. Don't be afraid to bake them longer than 30 minutes. The recipe tells you to bake for 30 minutes. I used a glass 8x8 pan, and at 350 F it took between 34-36 minutes for each batch. Now don't set your timer initially for 34 minutes! Still stick with 30 minutes to start with, your oven most likely bakes differently than mine, but don't be afraid to put them back in for a few more minutes. If you get it to where a toothpick comes out almost completely clean, then you will have a dense, moist, fudgy, and YUMMY brownie to enjoy!
3. Cut the 8x8 pan of brownies into 36 small squares. Yes, a full sized brownie is delicious. But these are really rich, so a small bite-sized piece will do just fine. Plus, they're so much cuter in mini form, don't you think?

Good luck and enjoy this delicious treat!

Super Bowl Sunday Snacks

Do you find that every Super Bowl Sunday you're either the hostess or being dragged off to someone else's house and asked to bring some food? Well, we know the stress and the pressure that it can bring. So! We have a recipe that is delicious but also helps cut back on calories.

Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza

This pizza does take a while to make, but it is worth your time and effort! Pizza is always a popular food item during the big game because it is easy to pick up, eat, and never take your eyes off the TV. So if you want to try and sneak in a serving of vegetables into your husband's daily diet while he's distracted with football, then this pizza is for you!

Doesn't that look so good? If I looked at pictures like these too long then I'm pretty sure I could eat two pizzas. All by myself.

The ingredients for this tasty dish are quite long, but most of them are things that are usually kept in stock in the average kitchen.

For the recipe with directions on how to make this dish, click here.

And if you wanted to extra creative for Super Bowl Sunday, you could even arrange the chicken sausages and vegetables to make a little football! I bet the guys would be impressed.

For other great ideas on game day finger foods, click here.


And if you don't have anything to do on Super Bowl Sunday... come join us here at The Parish for our "Soup"-er Bowl Sunday Celebration!
We will be serving soup and featuring some workshops! For more information call us today at (253)531-4309.

Valentines, Valentines, and More Valentines!

Well, although we have already been blogging about Valentine's Day the past few weeks, it's just too fun to stop! 

This week I was thinking about how fun it was for me to sew with my mom as a little girl. I loved feeling like I was good enough to help her with a project. And then a thought occurred to me: a valentine's quilt doesn't have to be fancy, or intricate, or covered in hearts. It just needs the colors red, pink, and white! 

So here is my suggestion.

Get your children who are interested and/or old enough to understand and tell them they're going to make a Valentine's Day Quilt for Dad. "What to use for fabric?" you may ask. Well, go to your stash and pick up all the red, pink, or white scraps that you have. Any red, pink, or white fabric will work! Since you're working with your children, you don't need a fancy pattern. Just sewing together squares will be perfect.

Have each child help a little at a time. Maybe if they don't want to use the machine, let them pick which square goes next or how big to make the squares. Once the quilt is finished take them to the store with you to pick out the backing. You don't need binding (unless you want it). A simple envelope-style quilt will be perfect for this project.

Sew the layers together, flip the quilt, stitch the hole shut, and enjoy your finished project! 

This homemade quilt will be a tender gift for your husband. After all, a dad's sweetest Valentine on February 14th is his daughter.

Warm Your Cold, Winter Feet

If you are anything like me, then you hate to have cold feet. However, I think my husband might hate it more when I have cold feet because they always seem to gravitate towards him when they're in ice-cube state. Strange how that happens.

And again, if you are anything like me, you find that winter days where you are stuck inside tend to drag on and become quite boring. So I thought to myself, "Well. What can I do to fix both of these problems?" And Martha Stewart gave me the solution!

Stephanie's Sewn Felt Slippers

Aren't they so cute?!

Not only are these slippers cute, but they're easy to make!

All you need for this project is:

Slipper template (download by clicking here)
18-by-18-inch piece of 3 millimeter wool felt (you can purchase some online by clicking here)
Chalk pen or pencil
Thread, such as silk or heavy-duty polyester
Sewing supplies

These slippers will be soft, warm, and perfect for lounging around the house! You can sew them up as gifts for a spouse, grandchild, friend, or relative. 

And if you want to put a Valentine's Day Spin on them, fill them with candy and hand embroider a heart on the back of the slipper!

For instructions on how to make these, click here.

So lets stop the freezing feet and dragging days of winter, and make these ADORABLE slippers!

May your bobbin always be full,

Taylor

Free Shipping... Say What?!

Yep, that's right! From January 16th - 31st we are offering you FREE SHIPPING on ALL ONLINE ORDERS. Shop our online store right now!

Fun Valentine Craft!

With Valentine's Day coming up in a little over a month, now is the time to start on all of your sewing projects! And if you don't have any ideas for a fun project that brings the happiness of Valentine's Day into your home, we have one for you!

Heart Shaped Pot Holders from Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts

These adorable pot holders will not only decorate your kitchen, but they will be functional as well! 

To complete this project (1 pot holder), you will need:

1. Heart shaped pot holder pattern template, which you can download by clicking here.

2. Approximately 1/2 yard cotton batting, cut into three 12-inch squares.

3. Approximately 1/2 yard cotton fabric, cut into 12-inch squares.

4. 1 yard bias tape. 

 For instructions with pictures of the steps, you can click here. 

To get the cute look of these hearts, you will need half-yard cuts of a few red, pink, or white fabrics.

Here at the shop we have a GREAT selection of fabric that would be absolutely perfect for these! Come visit us soon so that you can get your fabric and get started!