Yes, I said patchwork cat.  As in, the Stipe-y Patchwork Cat tutorial from Green Kitchen.

Perhaps you saw this cute little cat on last year's Handmade Holidays over at Sew, Mama, Sew.  I did, and I wanted to make it last year. But, as usually happens around Christmas, I ran out of time (and energy).

Which, of course, is the purpose of Throwback Thursday! Now we can work on this cute little cat before all of the new holiday tutorials start hitting Blogland (and we all know it's going to happen...soon!)  Seriously, it's not too early to start thinking about Christmas presents, especially if you're planning to give handmade ones.  These things take time.

Find the tutorial here.  

If you're not interested in making your own, I'm a little partial to this cute little pet family from Tiddlywinks. 

Or this sweet Opal the Kitten from Bit of Whimsy.

Otherwise, you can keep your fingers crossed and enter to win the Patchwork Cat next week on Win-It Wednesday. 

For sometime now, I've been wanting to make coasters.  I've made the version from BTRS (Halloween themed), but I've been wanting to make some quilted ones like those in Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts.

Given my recent love of all things patchworky, I thought this Criss Cross Coaster tutorial from AllSorts would be a great project this week.

These don't truly use a patchwork technique, so no worrying about lining up all those tiny squares. Yet, they still look a bit like patchwork, and I'll get to use up some fun little pieces of fabric that have no other purpose.

You must check out Jenny's blog, where you can find all of her great ideas and several other tutorials. 

If you want to make some this week, the tutorial is here.  Or, you can browse these offerings from Etsy.

Set of wooden coasters from Enbal

In Amy Butler Lotus, from Pretty Industries

Embroidered linen coaster ala Alice in Wonderland, by Nanu

Now, when Mr. Plaid reads this week's Throwback, he will declare coasters dull and predict Win-It Wednesday comments to hit an all time low next week.  I disagree. 

Coasters are crazy fun and so practical. Who doesn't need a whole slew of them?! 

You may have seen Meg's great tutorial during Sew, Mama, Sew's Handmade Holidays.  I loved the idea, but given that it begins with cutting 88 squares of fabric, there was no way I could finish it during the holidays.

Since I had so much fun doing the patchwork pocket on the Kidlet, I thought I would give the bath mat a try for this week's Throwback Thursday project.  I'm always excited to try one of Meg's tutorials because they contain so much personality.  They're typically very thorough, too, which is probably a result from the Montessori teacher within her. Find the tutorial here.

The thing about bath mats is that it's pretty tricky to find one that's exciting. Right now, we use the standard-issue Target variety...a bit of shagginess in a solid color.  But isn't the bathroom floor a great place to add some color without being obnoxious?

This would normally be the part of the post where I would direct you to some adorable bath mats you can buy on Etsy.  However, I just couldn't find anything comparable.  Instead, head on over to Flickr and check out some of these.

In the meantime, I'll be working on getting those squares cut so I can show you my finished product on Wednesday!

As soon as I saw these little Kidlets on JC Handmade, I knew I needed to make one.

The Kidlet is designed to hold the random stuff that kids gather throughout the day.  The handy loop allows the Kidlet to be hung on a doorknob while waiting to be taken to its rightful place, or allows it to hang on the wall to organize things.  I am envisioning a wall of Kidlets in my girls' rooms, holding art supplies, nature-walk finds, travel supplies, and the like. 

Then, at the last minute as we're rushing off to gymnastics, if the non-participating child suddenly decides she wants to take her art supplies, she can grab the kidlet and run!

The idea is genius, and the tutorial is incredibly detailed, full of pictures, and looks like so much fun.  (I love a tutorial with a bit of humor mixed in.)

If you're not quite feeling up to making your own Kidlet, check out JC's Etsy shop, JCASA and try to buy an original.  Good luck, though, because they seem to sell out rather quickly.  A shop update is coming in July, though, so check back often.

In the meantime, though, you can pick up this great linen tote, or a very adorable baby quilt with an appliqued chicken!

Tune in on Wednesday to see my finished Kidlet and for a chance to Win-It for yourself!

Our new Whole Foods opened yesterday, less than two and a half miles from my house.  I was crazy excited and had to be there for opening day.  When we returned for another visit this evening, my mom expressed her surprise that I didn't yet have a whole slew of fabric shopping bags to carry my groceries.

I'm surprised myself, given that reusable grocery bags have been on my to-do list for about a year now.  So, this is the week...

Thing is, I haven't decided 100% on which tutorial I want to use for this project.  There are several out there:

Soft fabric ones ("prettier than the ugly plastic things you're using now") at Wisdom of the Moon

Based on the paper grocery bag (I like this one because of the nice square bottom) at Making Something

Then I also like the Morsbag.  The idea behind Morsbags is this:  Friends (or neighbors, community members, non-profit groups, potential-friends) get together in a pod.  They bring sheets, comforters, tablecloths, curtains, etc. to reuse as grocery bags.  The pod enjoys wine and refreshments while sewing a whole slew of bags, using the free pattern from Morsbags.com.  After the bags are finished, the pod does guerilla bagging--handing the bags out at local grocery stores to customers on their way in...for Free! 

It sounds like fun, especially the part with the wine.  And, maybe my motives aren't fabulous, but I'd love to see the smiles on some of those surly faces headed into our local grocery store.  If the bag sewing goes well this week, I just might consider starting my own pod.  All you localites, let's mobilize!

Ultimately, whether it's a morsbag or some other fabric version, these guys benefit when we use pass on plastic:

Motivated? We first need to start at home, which means I need a set of fabric bags to bring along to the store.  So do you! Let's get sewing.

Or, tune in Wednesday to win one from me!

This isn't exactly a throwback, because I think the pattern is relatively new. It's a free Amy Butler download, and it looked like so much fun that I wanted to try it.

When I had a real job, I always carried business cards but never really handed them out. I guess I never really had to. Most of my clients already knew my contact information, and random strangers didn't seem to need it.  Now that I'm in the Mom-On-The-Go biz (so much more fun than being a "stay at home" mom), I've encountered several occassions where I wish I had a card to hand out.

I've been thinking quite seriously about ordering a set of these from Moo.  These are the mini-cards that are so original it kills me. Why didn't I think of this?! I've been really wanting some, to handout to potential playdates and other friends who need our contact information.  

Today marks the second time in the last week that I've had to run to the car for a pen to write down our phone number for someone.  Time could have been saved if I had a little mini-card and a fun Card Keeper, no? 

This week, then, I'll be sewing up some Amy Butler Business Card Keepers.  Other good business card holder tutorials are available from Bluelines or Craft Pudding:

Or you could buy one from Mikish Mink on Etsy:

Or from Beau Coup (where you can choose from a variety of fabrics, monogram scripts and thread colors:

I've had this Little Boxy Pouch tutorial from Three Bears bookmarked for several months now.  This only uses a small piece of fabric, so it will be perfect for those little scraps around the house.  And since I have plenty of scraps lying about, I'm certain to have at least one or two of these little boxy pouches to give away next week for Win-It Wednesday!

Not feeling crafty this week?

Instead of making your own pouch, you can buy this cute little cosmetic bag from August Lately on Etsy.  

Or this boxy pouch from JPAT Purses.  They have several other versions, including some cute Amy Butler fabric pouches.

But don't rush out to buy one just yet! Leave a comment on this post before next Wednesday and you'll be entered into a random drawing to win a Little Boxy Pouch of your own.