Sew Sampler Box February 2021

The February 2021 Sew Sampler Box from Fat Quarter Shop found its way to my mailbox this morning! It arrived a day before I was expecting to receive it, so it was a pleasant surprise.

This month's box is themed "Make a Splash," and it certainly does. The contents this month are colorful, fun, and happy. It's definitely nice to see so much color, especially as I'm looking out the window at far more snow than I'd like to be seeing. And it has reached the partially melted, gross, and dirty phase.

I wasn't super surprised with part of the box. The preview from Fat Quarter Shop gave it away a bit, but I'm glad because I was thinking about purchasing anyway. Let's get on with what's in the box!

This month's fabric is the My Favorite Color is Moda Quilt Kit. It is a collection of 12 fat eighths, and the My Favorite Color is Moda Quilt Panel.

So much fabric, you say? I am so excited that this month's pattern only requires about a yard and a half of additional fabric for borders and binding, and there's a pretty good chance many of us already have it in our stash since it's a basic. The pattern is the Color Factory Quilt Pattern. It highlights the My Favorite Color is Moda Panel and finishes at 48 1/2" x 54 1/2". It would look great hanging on the wall in my sewing area.

Clover Water Soluble Pencil Set - 3 colors of a classic water-soluble pencil, perfect for marking your fabric.

Teal Magnetic Spool Pin Holder - Not only is this cute, but it is also useful. This cute pin holder has a magnet, so if you knock it over, as I recently did with my pin container, you don't end up with pins all over the place. It'll definitely save me from another pause in sewing to crawl around on the floor picking up pins.

Spool of 50wt Aurafil - My preferred thread! I received color 2110, which is called light lemon.

I'm so excited about this box. It just makes me smile looking at it!

Sew Sampler Box December 2020

2020 was a challenging year, and 2021 hasn't started much better, but getting the December 2020 Sew Sampler Box from Fat Quarter Shop feels like a bonus treat. I know that some people aren't thrilled with the idea of receiving two boxes in one month, though I understand that January will also be late. If the last almost year has taught us anything, we need to roll with the punches.

I was fortunate to receive all of the items I ordered online for Christmas before Christmas. Things I've ordered recently haven't been so speedy, but we're also dealing with a global pandemic, among other things, so if things come a little slower, so be it. I can still remember the days before Amazon, or even the internet, when I'd pick items from a catalog, my mom would order them, and it would feel like they would never arrive. And we didn't get email tracking as soon as it shipped either. I currently have one package that is coming from Brooklyn. It has taken a detour to Boston for several days. I hope it's having a good time. I know it stinks to have to wait for the items we want, but I don't blame the company I've ordered from. It does neither of us any good for me to get upset or complain to them until a decent amount of time has passed.

Anyway, after all of that, I received my Sew Sampler Box a day before I was expecting it. So, that was a nice treat today. Want to know what came inside the December 2020 box? Let's get into it.

The box is Lori Holt-themed with fabric, pattern, and an additional item designed by Lori. Her aesthetic is not always my aesthetic, and that's okay. I certainly appreciate her creative genius! And, this fabric line is definitely my favorite Lori Holt line yet.

The fabric included in this month's box is a Petite Flea Market 10" Stacker by Lori Holt for Riley Blake Designs. I do like this fabric a lot. I like the vibrant colors paired with the fabric design inspired by vintage linens, old wallpaper, and dinnerwear.

A new item included in the box is 6" Sparkle Star Quilt Block Foundation Paper by Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet from It's Sew Emma. It's Sew Emma has been knocking it out of the park with foundation papers lately, and this one looks fun. It's shown with the solid as the stars, but it might be fun to play with that and have a quilt with many tiny, colorful stars on a solid, neutral background.

Designed by Lori Holt, the exclusive pattern uses both the 10" Stacker and the 6" Sparkle Star Quilt Block Foundation Paper. It is called the Twinkle Toes Table Runner Pattern. It's a scrappy pattern that has a bright, fun look, and it would be great to use not only with Flea Market fabric but also stash!

Another new item that Sew Sampler subscribers received first is the Stay Sharp Navy Magnetic Needle Case. This feels like one of those things you didn't know you needed until you have it. I have A LOT of needles. Being a Sew Sampler subscriber, a quilter/sewer for many years, and a cross stitcher, I have many different needles hanging around, and sticking out of projects, spools of thread, and hanging in packages on my pegboard. I know what I'm going to use this one for. My favorite cross stitch needles are Pat's Favorite Needle, and they come in a tiny envelope. Every time I open the package to grab a new one, I'm afraid I'm going to re-enact the tire change scene from A Christmas Story, and needles will fly across the room. Since there is a magnet inside this case, I won't have to worry about the needles having a mind of their own.

The final product included in the box is a duo of small 50wt Aurafil spools. The colors are 2220 and 2134, and they coordinate well with Flea Market. I'm never going to turn my nose up at Aurafil thread. It is my preferred brand. My aunt introduced Aurafil to me when I was trying to finish my first quilt back in 2011, and the sewing machine I had then died. She is a fantastic quilter and has several machines and kindly allowed me to borrow hers. I can't remember the model, but it was a Janome. It helped me solidify my decision to go with Janome when I replaced the no-name machine I was working with.

Overall, this is a nice, bright box that is very welcome here in January in New England. We're not quite utterly devoid of color since the foot of snow we received in mid-December was washed away by rain at Christmas, but I'm already ready for spring!

Sew Sampler Box September 2020

Guess what came in the mail today? If you saw the title, you already know. It's the September 2020 Sew Sampler Box from Fat Quarter Shop!

This month's box was slightly different from the usual box since the project is a bag instead of a quilt. It's a lovely little tote that would be perfect for carrying around my cross stitch projects. Bags aren't usually my thing, and I've never had much luck sewing them, but I'm drawn to this one and might try it out.

Here's what's in the box:
Petite Balboa Fat Quarter Bundle - Six fat quarters of the new Balboa by Sherri & Chelsi for Moda. I've been checking out the fat quarter bundle of this line for at least a month now, so I'm excited to have this mini version. Even if I don't use it for the included project, I appreciate it when the included fabric is fat quarters. So many possibilities!

Sewing Life Tea Towel by Gingiber - This cute tea towel has teal sewing accessories printed on it. Who doesn't need tea towels?

7" x 7" Silicone Appli-Fuse Mat by The Gypsy Quilter - I haven't done much applique, but this is designed to protect your iron from messy fusible!

Sew Mate Quilt Clips - These help manage your quilt sandwich when quilting on a domestic machine. We've already covered my woes of the tiny throat space on my machine, so I'm excited to try these.

Pack and Go Project Bag Pattern - Designed by Sherri McConnell, this bag uses some ByAnnie supplies to create a cute zippered pouch.

I like that there were some different products from what's usually in there this month. And, it's always fun getting quilty mail!

Sew Sampler Box August 2020

My August 2020 Sew Sampler Box from Fat Quarter Shop arrived today, two whole days before I was expecting it. It's been a tough week, so the minute the USPS truck drove to the next house, I ran outside to the mailbox, ran back in, sliced through the tape, and dug around in the box!

I like to check out the hints and guesses from other recipients when FQS posts it on their blog. I didn't have any ideas for this month's Rise & Shine theme.

I certainly wasn't expecting to be so excited about what I found in the package! Check it out!

Backyard Blooms by Allison Harris for Windham Fabrics Charm Packs - TWO of them! Chickens aren't really my thing, but I love the colors in this line, so bright and happy, and we could all use a little of that lately.

Kimberly Cuts 5 1/2" Square Rotating Cutting Mat, a Fat Quarter Shop Exclusive. I have a rotating cutting mat that's a bit larger, and I love the smaller size of this one. It looks like this one will also be available in a 12 1/2" size!

Lori Holt 5" Crazy Paper! I'm super excited about this. I've wanted to give Lori's Crazy Paper a try since I saw the first version on an FQS Livestream, so I'm happy to be able to give it a go!

Dritz Quilting Betweens Needles - can't have enough needles, can you? :)

Crazy Daisy Quilt Pattern. The star units use the Crazy Paper! I love the way the fabric line pops in this pattern. I'm currently trying not to purchase ALL the fabric, so I probably won't be buying the materials I need to do this project. BUT, I am considering turning the pattern into a table runner. I think that would be a fun sew and a good compromise for my wallet.