a sugar candies pillow!

The Sugar Candies pillow is finished! It's completely calorie, gluten and fiber free, of course. I started this just a few weeks ago, and I'm so happy to see how it came together.

Sugar Candies is a mini quilt pattern that will be published very soon by Nadra Ridgeway of Ellis & Higgs. The finished quilt is 18" and would make a cute addition to a kitchen, a child's room or as a gift to your favorite sugarholic. These candies are so quick and easy to sew, with a very clearly written pattern. There are plenty of illustrations, and Nadra even indicates pressing directions with little arrows so that your seams nest properly. I LOVE that! Just gather your "ingredients" and get sewing! 

Sugar Candies was the perfect size to transform into a throw pillow. The pattern does not include directions for creating a pillow, but you can use your favorite method. I like to back my pillows with simple envelope closures, which means no zippers! (There are several videos on YouTube showing how to do this. I use a similar method that is clearly illustrated by Lynnette Jensen in many of her Thimbleberries books such as Making Your House A Home.)

My candies are made with an assortment of Milk, Sugar & Flower prints by Elea Lutz for Penny Rose Fabrics, classic 1/8" Riley Blake ginghams and Lakehouse's Sunrise Studio mini dots. My background is an older pindot by Pam Kitty Morning (I bought yards and yards and yards of that print, and sadly, I've nearly come to the end of it. Riley Blake has similar white dotty prints.) 

I'm so happy that Nadra allowed me to test the Sugar Candies pattern. She has more cute patterns coming soon, too, like a great townhouse. Check out her blog, Ellis & Higgs, for more news about her upcoming patterns and fabric collection.

sugar candies! pattern test part one

You all know how much I love sweet stuff - candy, cupcakes, ice cream... I'm not too picky. I loved Smarties candies with their cello wrappers when I was a kid. So I jumped at the opportunity to test out this new pattern called Sugar Candies by Nadra Ridgeway. Have you seen her blog, Ellis & Higgs? She has the cutest projects and a great sense of color. When I discovered her blog a few years ago it was love at first sight. She'll introduce a few mini quilt patterns very soon, and I am super excited about her upcoming fabric collection with Riley Blake. I love every single print!

Testing this pattern for Nadra gave me the perfect opportunity to use another new favorite fabric collection, Milk, Sugar & Flower by Elea Lutz, which combines perfectly with Sunrise Studio's bright dots.

And I finally got over my fear of the walking foot. Why was I so intimidated by that big chunk of plastic and metal? I was surprised at how easy it is to use. I just read my sewing machine's manual and did it. Next up - turning this 18" mini quilt into a pillow in time for the big reveal!

And I have to leave you with the song that I listened to while making the Sugar Candies blocks. Isn't it great to be able to watch Sammy Davis Jr singing "The Candyman" again? ("You can even eat the dishes" he sings. Where can I buy those?)