Here are a few Valentine’s card ideas from the past. My kids have ideas for this year, so hopefully I will get to share those with you soon. Meanwhile, we are collecting toilet paper tubes! My husband asked why they were all lined up in the kitchen and I said we were saving them for Valentines. His comment was “Of course. Nothing says ‘I love you’ like toilet paper tubes”. So true.

Tweet, Tweet printable valentines.

Cupid’s Arrow Pencils with printable from my post for Alpha Mom.

Crayon Hearts with printable card.

Several ideas for simple handmade valentines in a post for Alpha Mom.

Recycled card ideas.

Salt Dough Hearts.

Cotton fat quarters, set of 3, $13.20 from UniqueShiny.

Love Plate, Ninainvorm, $57.

And We Rolled (detail), digital print, $30 from Amy Rice Art.

Needle Felted Pincushion, $15 from Felt Jar.

Turquoise Circle Lace Coin Purse, $24.50 from Humoresque.

Vintage Ring, $14 from Ripe.

Loveheart Screenprinted Fabric, $8 from Summersville.

Vintage Pinwheel Quilt Top, $45 from Estatehound.

Katy Kitty PDF pattern, $11.95 from mmmcrafts.

Quilt top by Rosie Lee Tompkins of Richmond, California. Quilted by Willia Ette Graham of Oakland in 1986. From Eli Leon’s collection, from the exhibition Who’d A Thought It: Improvisation in African-American Quiltmaking at the San Francisco Craft and Folk Art Museum.

Just thought I’d share a few links from around the internet. I’ve been thinking a lot about quilting, obviously. Why am I buying fabric, cutting it up and sewing it back together? That’s odd. So I’m thinking about necessity, hobby and art. People quilt for those reasons and many more, I’m sure.

I’ve also been thinking about quilting traditions and the differences in European style versus the folk art, improvisational style of rural American quilts made in places like Gee’s Bend. What I keep coming back to is the fact that when I see a beautiful, detailed and perfect quilt, I am amazed by the technical skill of the maker. But when I see a graphic, improvisational quilt, I often have a strong visceral response. I think any argument about which quilts and styles are better than others is nonsense. Everyone should make what they want for their own reasons.

I thought this article comparing improvisational quilts to jazz was really interesting.

And in unrelated news…

If you are thinking about trying to publish a craft book, Kathreen’s series over on Whip Up is full of helpful tips and guidance.

I’ve enjoyed reading the Reflections and Predictions series over at Sew, Mama, Sew! If you missed it, it’s worthwhile to go back and check it out.

A college friend and photographer, Kathleen Robbins, has an achingly beautiful photography project featured on NPR, called In Cotton.

And I thought I’d mention the internet piracy bills again. It’s worth educating yourself about this topic and speaking out if you feel so inclined. Although SOPA appears to be dead, this will continue to be an issue and we should pay attention.

And if you live in Atlanta:

the beehive is having its giant warehouse sale this weekend, so go check that out. I love this shop and so glad to see local, handmade things close to home.

Speaking of, Youngblood Gallery is having a nice show of local artists in February, and of course they always feature great artists in their shop.

The new fabric collection, Washi, from Rashida Coleman-Hale, is popping up in fabric stores. You can head over to Intown Quilters to check it out.

Lantern Embroidery for the Chinese New Year from Wild Olive.

Boxed Pouch Tutorial from Terrabyte Farm.

Valentine Throw Pillow from Diary of a Quilter.

Tie Me Up Quilt Tutorial from Monkey Do.

Macaron Coin Purse from Craft Passion.

Penguin from The Purl Bee.

Cookie Cutter Pincushions from Country Living.

Scrap Mousepad from How Joyful.

Photo by Laura Malek.

Today I’m sharing this pattern for a sewing machine cozy. When writing 1, 2, 3 Sew, I wrote too much. I wanted to give you tons of projects to make! I’m all about good value. Initially, the book had 36 projects instead of the 33 that were published, and as painful as it was for me to cut, 33 is still a lot. We decided to remove a chapter with patchwork projects, but you’ll definitely see some of those ideas in the next book. For now, you can download the .pdf pattern for this sewing machine cozy. It’s a string-pieced project that can be adjusted to fit any size machine. Happy Sewing!

Congratulations to #56, Anne! She is the winner of the Sew Modern giveaway.

And I thought I’d mention this internet piracy legislation. What’s SOPA about? I’m no expert, but it seems to me that this is misguided legislation that would open the door to censorship by forcing internet service providers to monitor content and block sites that they feel are violating copyright laws, but will also allow for pending lawsuits to shut down websites with questionable content, even before a judgment has been made. Watch this video to learn more, then make up your own mind. You can sign google’s petition here and contact your local representatives with this quick link on wikipedia. Looks like SOPA won’t make it and some of its provisions have already been changed, but there is another bill called PIPA, which is also problematic. Perhaps laws regarding the internet should be made by people who know something about the internet? I’m guessing half of the Senate has their aides print out e-mails!

I love Sunday mornings. Getting some work done, sewing, finding beautiful things on Pinterest, and over-thinking everything.

Parade Print in Orange from Helen Rawlinson, $17.29.

Pretty Pachyderm, $42 from Nifty Kidstuff.

Washi Tape Organizer from 464 Handmade, $30.

Crocheted Hearts, $6 from Viola’s Boutique.

Tangerine Checker Throw Pillow, $58 from B. Perrino Quilts.

Fabric Bundle, $13 from Cottonholic.

Kokeshi Doll Tooth Pillow from During Quiet Time, $16.

Echino Dot Fabric Fat Quarter, $4.25 from Charm Stitch.

Bright Quilt Wood Wall Hanging, $195 from Gary Park.