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I’m excited to announce that my Wonderland Two fabric collection with Riley Blake Designs is now hitting stores! If you’re looking for a fun new sewing project to start then you may like some of these Wonderland inspired sewing and quilting projects! Does anyone else have a good case of the January “blahs”?? We do,…
Today I’m going to share with you a printable that I designed for myself a few years ago but never got around to sharing online, these poinsettia gift tags. If you’re looking for cute Christmas neighbor gift ideas then this may be just what you need. I love to sew, and usually have a giant…
Today I’m sharing with you a tutorial for a waterproof patchwork picnic blanket pattern. It is made using squares of fabric and a vinyl tablecloth for the back! If you like this project, then you may also like this “Hit the Open Road” Pillow Pattern. I’ve mentioned a few times that our family started RV’ing…
Recently our family took a Norwegian Cruise through some of the fjords of Norway. It was an amazing trip and I thought I’d share with you a bit of what it’s like to take a Norweigan cruise. We took our teenage kids and they loved it just as much as we did. I’ll also share…
Today I’m excited to share with you how we restored our bedroom after a recent flood, and hopefully give you a few guest bedroom decorating ideas. If you like this project you may also like to see how we made over our Kitchen. Let me tell you a scary story, full of peril, narrow escapes,…
Almost as soon as Wonderland came out last February, Riley Blake approached me about designing a follow-up line. Of course, I was ecstatic; it’s not often that you get to go back and revisit a line that you’ve previously designed. I don’t know about you but frequently after I finish a project I start with…
Fall is in the air, and for me, that means one thing! It’s time to make the Halloween costumes! Even though my kids are now “too old” for most of the Halloween costumes that I love to sew, I still try to sneak in a bit of Halloween sewing each year. Over the years I’ve…
Several years ago, my husband and I bought our first RV. Today I thought I’d share some of our experiences as RV owners with you guys, along with a pillow sewing tutorial! It’s called the “Hit the Open Road” Pillow, a fun DIY project for an RV. This post is sponsored by Go RV’ing. I’ve mentioned…
Today I’m excited to kick off a new series – the Polka Dot Chair Summer Sewing Series! I’ve invited some of the best sewing bloggers on the web to share with you guys a brand new free summer sewing tutorial each week all summer! We are kicking off this series with this fantastic tutorial teaching…
I just returned from exhibiting at the Spring Quilt Market. It was my first time to attend as an official exhibitor and I have to admit that it was A LOT of work and last two months feel like an absolute blur at this point. I thought I’d share with you a brief recap of the…
I’ve been stitching up a storm the last few weeks for my Quilt Market booth and am excited to be able to share one of the projects that I’ve made with you today. I created this cute little patchwork fabric basket as a part of Caroline Critchfield-Fairbanks Colorful Patchwork Bags and Baskets Craftsy Class.) Over the…
Inspired by our own Dad’s bow ties, this cute Bow Tie Quilt is sure to please even the pickiest kid or teen. This quilt uses quarter square triangles to make it fast and easy to piece together. Stitch it up in your favorite fabrics! It’s available in two quilt sizes Twin and Crib Size Baby Quilt….
Today I’m excited to reintroduce you to the June Bag Cross Body Bag Sewing Pattern. It’s one of the very first patterns that I designed, and one of my favorites. Way back in 2008 I was going on a trip and needed a lightweight cross-body bag to take with me. I just need to…
Recently I designed a fabric line featuring bunnies. So many people have created cute projects using the line, that I thought I’d share some of my favorites with you today. I’m also featuring a few other fantastic Bunny Sewing projects too! By far the most exciting part of designing fabric for me is seeing what…
Today I’m excited to share a Pillowcase Dress Pattern that I created for BERNINA’s WeAllSew blog. This little dress would be PERFECT as an Easter dress, as it is quick to sew (I’m always leaving Easter sewing until the last minute) and can be easily customized. If you’ve been a follower of this blog for a while, you may remember that…
Happy March y’all!! Kentucky teased us a bit last week by giving us a few gorgeous sunny days with highs in the 60’s. Then as is typical for the weather here, Mother Nature took it all away and brought us snow and cold yesterday. March seems to have definitely come in like a lion, which…
Today I’m going to share with you tips for painting kitchen cabinets based on our experience. This is the second post showing you how we painted our kitchen cabinets. You can see post #1 here with a lot more photos of the finished project. Thank you for all of the great comments and compliments on…
Wonderland Fabric will be hitting the stores THIS month! I’m so excited!! I am really happy with how this fabric line turned out and uber grateful to my adorable niece for giving me the idea for the line in the first place (you can read about the story behind it here). Back in December, I…
This recipe for Cast Iron Skillet Roasted Potatoes is a crowd pleaser and sooo easy to make! Save yourself some time in the kitchen, so you can spend more time doing other things! My husband LOVES to camp. My kids and I sometimes tease him that we think he likes buying camping supplies sometimes MORE than…
It seems to be that time again, when we look back at the previous year and ponder all that happened and wonder what the new year will hold for each of us. I always love to look back and see what YOU my readers loved MOST the previous year. Today I have for you the…
These DIY Star Hanging Lanterns resulted from a “compromise” between my husband and me when decorating the outside of our home for Christmas. He didn’t want to hang lights, but I did. The compromise was to hang giant stars from the front porch ceiling instead. For more info just keep reading, if you like this…
Today as a part of Riley Blake Designs Stitchin’ Kitchen Christmas Blog Tour, I’m sharing a tutorial for this simple double gauze quilted blanket. Keep reading to learn how to make the blanket yourself and find out how to get my favorite gingerbread cookie recipe! Those of you that are participating in my Block of the…
Today I’m excited to share with you one of the projects we tackled as a part of our Kitchen make-over, this DIY Stenciled Bookcase. It’s quite easy to stencil the back of a bookcase with paint. Keep reading to find out how we did it. This project is sponsored by Royal Design Studio but the text,…
These DIY Thanksgiving Gratitude Journals are a simple craft you can give to family and friends this holiday season. They also can be used as Thanksgiving place cards. This is sponsored content. Somehow I blinked, and now my kids are nearly grown. I don’t know how it happened. People always tell you that it “goes so fast,”…
Hey there guys! Today, I’m very excited to share a little more about my upcoming fabric line with Riley Blake Designs, Wonderland. Some of you may know that my first ever fabric line was released in January of this year. The Story Behind the Collection It’s called Derby Style, inspired by my love for my “Old…
Do you guys love to decorate for Halloween as much as I do? I’m always looking for ideas for fun ways to decorate my porch for Halloween. I’ve searched the web and have found more than 15 cute Outdoor Halloween Decorations perfect for your porch. Enjoy! How to Decorate a Porch for Halloween Don’t you…
These Exploding Eyeball Harry Potter Cookies are simple to make and contain a “surprise” inside… pop rocks! They are inspired by my recent visit to the Weasley Joke Shop in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Our family is in full “Halloween prep” mode! Pumpkins have been carved and porches have been decorated. I’m seriously considering…
Are you planning to deliver treats to your friends and neighbors this year? Maybe you’re looking for a simple gift idea for a teacher or family member. Then you may just love today’s project, these “Good to the Last Bite” DIY Halloween Treat Bag Ideas (the project includes a free printable Halloween goodie bag as well). I…
Today, we are going to chat about Quilting Basics for beginners. I hope you find this helpful, especially if you’re interested in making a quilt but do not have a lot of experience quilting. Hey there! I know that many of you are anxious to get started on our new Block of the Month series….
I hope you’re excited to play along with our new Block of the Month series here on the Polka Dot Chair Blog. Whether you get your fabric online, on sale, or in a shop, buy yards at a time or just a fat quarter, you’re going to need to know how to pick fabrics for a…
If you’re new here, Saturday Snapshots is a series of posts on this blog that are more personal in nature. I tell stories, share photos, and generally ramble on about the goings-on around here. This week I’m going to chat a bit about a few of our favorite things we did while visiting Charleston, South…
To celebrate back to school, I have been sharing sewing patterns for zippered pencil pouches this month. Today I’m sharing with you the 3rd of these projects, an Oilcloth Pencil Pouch. Make sure you also check out the chalkboard vinyl pencil pouch and the zippered pencil pouch sewing patterns I posted last week. I…
Celebrate the 4th of July by decking out your home with patriotic prints! These free 4th of July Printable signs would make a great addition to your home and would also be great to use for invitations to a 4th of July party! The 4th of July totally snuck up on me this year; I…
Celebrate Dad with one of our Father’s Day Party Ideas! We have loads of fun ideas to share with you today, including free Father’s Day printables, soda bottle labels, & a “We Love Dad” Banner. Chinet® Cut Crystal® sponsored this post At our house, Father’s Day usually consists of a lot of delicious food. We…
Hey there!! It’s 10 minute Tuesday again!! Today I’m going to share with you a tutorial to create this Felt Ball Necklace. It’s really simple to make (hence the 10 minute project) and would be a great statement necklace. Most of my clothes are pretty simple. I’m more picky about how things fit than anything else, and…
Add a bit of pizzaz to your next family movie night with these free printable popcorn buckets inspired by Disney’s Big Hero 6 animated movie. This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions and work are mine. #BigHero6MovieNight #CollectiveBias A few years ago, I had one of those “Mother…
Last Friday I got home from running errands to find a very nice surprise waiting for me. My Derby Style fabric yardage had arrived! If you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed that it was hitting stores last week. I was so excited to share the good news with everyone yet fighting back…
Learn how to make a simple patchwork doll quilt step by step with our free Baby Doll quilt pattern. Several years ago a few days before I needed to send off “the” Christmas package to my family out west, I decided that I needed to throw just “one more” gift in there. Normally I…
It’s easier than you think to add a Monogram to your Converse (or other sneakers). All you need is a bit of freezer paper and paint! This project uses a Cricut machine to save time cutting out letters, but you can also make it using just a craft knife. It’s January so I guess it’s…
Today I’m going to show you how to make a DIY Christmas Card Holder. It’s a really simple and cute Christmas Card Display idea. Plus it’s no-sew and easy to make! If you like this project you may also like this Christmas Home Tour. In my opinion, one of the very best things about December…
Hello, Happy Monday Morning to y’all! Today it’s my turn for the Riley Blake Fabric Designer Blog Hop! If you came here from the previous stop, Lori Whitlock‘s blog welcome! I thought that I’d start by introducing myself. My name is Melissa Mortenson, I live in the Louisville Kentucky area with my husband and 2…
Hi guys! Today I’m going to share with you a bit more about some of the fabulous new things I discovered at Quilt Market in Houston last month. Before I get in to that, a little bit of business. I recently added a password to download my free printables. I did this because…