Yes, I made another I Spy pouch. I don’t like this one as much. It doesn’t feel as substantial as the last one and I am not sure why. It has to be the fabric. It is an Art Gallery fabric, which I really like, but I don’t think it is right for this project. Since I am storing acrylic templates in them, then need a little heft.
This doesn’t mean it is terrible or anything and I do like highlighting the lining fabric through the window. It is like a fun prize. I’ll probably use this as a gift.
This is the small size. I also use the glitter vinyl. I like that glitter vinyl. Not only is it easier to cut, but it is fun. It does make the peony look a little blurry in the photo. It doesn’t look like that in person.
SueS asked me to make scissor cozies, as mentioned. I forgot to post about Maria’s. I made one for her before. I didn’t have the same fabric, so I picked out some coordinating fabric, so the two would go together.
Maria’s Scissor Cozy #2 – interior
I am really pleased with the interior of this one. It came together very well and the stripes look nice.
I closed the bottom with a machine stitch. The handstitching looks better, but I didn’t want to spend the time
I started another 2-in-1 Case almost immediately after finishing the first one. As mentioned, this is an easy bag and I wanted to get it right. This one looks a lot better and is more functional.
I was pleased with the fuchsia binding. I thought it was a less distracting choice than the black and white, though I do like a good black and white stripe.
I made certain to the get the closure in the right place. I used a slight different process to sew it on. I put the female half of the snap in then, before sewing the tab to the back, I snapped it together. This helped me align the tab with the female part of the snap on the front. Then I pinned the tab to the back and sewed it down. Somehow the measurements in the pattern didn’t work for me.
2-in-1 Case #2- open – in process
I used the same fabric for the inside as I did in #1. It’s a nice bright white. I am pretty sure I bought it with Amanda when we were out shopping in Portland one time.
I used longer zippers as well- 9 inch instead of 8inch, as the pattern suggests. I had to be careful not to hit the metal parts, but the zipper was fully enclosed in the tabs and the binding, which looks better. I will probably use a longer zipper next time and cut off the excess. It seems like a waste, but then I won’t have to worry about that metal zipper end. Hitting with a needle is no picnic.
Almost done then I send it off to be wrapped for the guild door prize.
Remember I said that these pouches were like making candy? I gave one of my I Spy pouches to someone on my team, so I just made another one for my Cotton Candy pouch acrylic templates.
This one follows the theme of the others. I used the Anna Maria Coneflower fabric again along with some of the hexagon Tula Pink fabric for the inside.
It was fun just to sit down and start and finish something relatively easy. I feel ridiculously pleased with this pouch. Actually, every time I make one I feel ridiculously pleased.
I have wanted to make another tablerunner for our buffet for awhile. I found the charm pack I used for this project at Sunshine Quilts in Medford. It was an impulse buy, but I was determined not to let the pack sit around.
I cut the pieces for this project at Sew Day and started sewing them together last week.
OMG! I can’t tell you how much I loved just sewing pieces together – no applique’, no fighting, no drama.
This project started off so well and wasn’t difficult. There was one crucial line missing from the directions that threw me off.
That line was “Remember, this needs to open like a book”.
It is perfectly usable. It would work very well for someone who was left handed. As you can see the opening is on the left. If the directions had said “Remember, this needs to open like a book”, I think I would have been able to better picture the directions in my mind. Instead there were a lot of words describing flipping the exterior in different ways, which was confusing.
2-in-1 Case #1 interior
Also, I used a snap instead of the magnetic clasp called for, which I know had an effect.
I also added a piece of foam in addition to the fusible batting. I like the heft. I might try two layers of fusible batting next time. Yes, there will be a next time. I think this is a useful pouch/booklet, but also not difficult, so it is a good item for a door prize.
Despite the problems, I found this a fairly easy project. It also gave me practice in using my Snap Setter. I always wonder what my DH thinks I am doing when he hears me pounding away. I am always amazed that the tool doesn’t break.
As mentioned the other day, I did a marathon and was able to finish the top and back and binding of Who Am I?
I am not sure the bottom adds heaviness, but it does break up the ‘sweetness’ of the dots. I wanted a little sweetness and I also wanted some consistency. I want the focus to be on the words and not much on the background. That’s why I didn’t introduce another fabric to the mix.
In the photo above, you can see the whole design, even the ME that is part of the background.
One thing I have to think about is quilting the borders. I used some batting to stabilize the center of the quilt for applique’. It wasn’t a great choice, but Julie had some and was willing to share at the time. I need to talk to Colleen and see what she wants me to do. I could use batting tape to connect pieces of batting to the center. I could also have Colleen use a super thin batting, which would mean the center was double-batted. We’ll see what happens.
Who Am I? back
The back is simple and went together relatively easily, which was a relief.
My reward for finishing this is a straight piecing project, but I think I will work on some bags first.
When I finally received the Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day pillowcase fabric, I decided to just make all the pillowcases and have them ready to go.
These were in the mail around March 1, so the boys would have a lot of time to enjoy them — or hide them in the back of their wardrobe!
Now that Month 18 is finished, I have started to put the entire La Pass top together.
It is hard and unwieldy, but I am really liking how the rosettes look together. I need to figure out how others are managing this process to see if there is an easier way.
One thing I noticed is that those dark blue spikes look really good!
I made significant progress over the weekend on this donation top, as I worked on Who Am I?. Leaders and enders saves the day!
I have been sewing these blocks, but it takes time to build up the strips. It seems like I had so few blocks for so long and then all of a sudden a bunch of them came together over the weekend. I finally feel like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
The blocks aren’t all straight strip blocks even though that was my original intention. There are chunks in some of them, because I couldn’t bear to toss strips I had trimmed. There are no rules, but I have been making a straight strip quilt first, then sometimes a block quilt made with chunks and then, finally, an improv quilt. Of course, it all depends on how many scraps I have.
Pink color strip #11
Pink color strip #12
Pink color strip #13
Pink color strip #16
While listening to an International Women’s Day seminar, I went through my scrap bin and pulled out more strips. This type of organization will help me make blocks faster. As a bonus, having busy hands, I was better able to pay attention to the online seminar.
Who Am I? has been hanging on my design wall for weeks and I am really sick of looking at it. The concept was stellar IMO, the design choices I made were good, so I really don’t know what the problem was.I don’t know why I didn’t want to work on it, but I didn’t. The other day, I finally forced myself to work on it.
I was tempted by other projects, but I forced myself to stay focused. I know I need to enjoy my quiltmaking, but I do not enjoy having quits languishing.
Who Am I? trying borders
I thought about adding a small dark border so the first thing I did was try that. I had some Tilda charcoal I am going to use for Stay Tuned, but I have enough to use for for this project as well. Also, since I know what it is, I can always buy more.
As an aside, the Stay Tuned fabric palette has not been decided, so I may as well use fabric I have for projects that need it now.
Who Am I? – making visual decisions visually
I wasn’t sure the charcoal would work completely, but I kept on. I added some further border strips using the dotted background fabric (colors on white).
Putting a little of the white dotted fabric up gave me more confidence that I was on the right track. I decided my ideas were good ones, so I started sewing.
Who Am I? – more borders
I wanted to frame the center, but also smooth out some of the wrinkles from the applique’. I carefully measured and put on side pieces that helped to square everything up. I don’t think the quilt is completely square as I couldn’t cut much off of either side.
Laying out the whole charcoal gave me the idea of doing something a little different on the bottom. I wanted to anchor the design a bit and I thought making the bottom a little heavier would work.
I worked on this for about 8 hours the other day. I was able to get it done and get the binding made.
I finished another old project. As mentioned, I started this project in 2015, so it is only eight years old. Still, old enough to get on my nerves.
Someone compared my dislike of UFOs to someone I really don’t like who has no UFOs. That annoyed me, because I don’t think I am like her at all. I just don’t find that **my** projects improve by sitting around. I can’t imagine never having any UFOs, but I think they will be projects for which I have cut fabric, but not started sewing. Once I start sewing, it is pretty easy to continue.
Finished: BAMQG IRR (back)
I zoomed through the binding on this quilt. Using good fabric really helps. I was pleased I remembered not to use a batik in the binding! I didn’t expect to finish it so quickly, but it went really fast.
The recent Sew Day was a Community Sew Day. Most quilts were finished, but a few were taken home to finish. We think there were about 8 total.
Four Completed I Spy Tops
SueS brought the leftover squares from her I Spy quilt project and most people worked on putting them together to make some community quilts. The quilts really turned out well. The solid sashing and borders really highlighted the variety of fabrics.
Amy’s Pink Community I Spy top
Amy chose a variety of pink, or pink tending fabrics and used a dark pink for the border of her quilt top.
She told me she wanted to make something pink and girly. I would say she succeeded.
We all contributed to SueS’s stash of squares. I think the raspberry fabric in the center of Amy’s quilt is one that I donated.
Yellow Community I Spy top
This yellow top was the first one finished. I think Peggy sewed it, but I am not sure.
I think the blue number fabric in row 4, column 2 is a fabric that I provided as well. It is nice to see my fabrics show up in other people’s work.
I did not work on Community quilts today. I have the Pink Color Strip quilt in process and I needed to cut out pieces to make door prizes. If I had been thinking ahead, I could have worked with Mary, but I have been too busy at work to organize my sewing life very well.
The Door Prize team decided that we would make small, but more interesting pouches and organizers such as those in Aneela Hoey’s Stitched Sewing Organizers** book. I reviewed this book soon after I received it.
Two in One Case cut
In getting ready for Sew Day, I looked through the book and decided to make the Two in One Case as a door prize. I don’t think I have made anything from this book, though I have made Aneela Hoey patterns such as the Inside Outside pouch, the Boxy Clear Pouch and the Speedy Pouches.
Aside from some strange language for the tab, cutting this project out was pretty easy. There aren’t a lot of pieces so it looks like it will go together quickly.
I thought of making the Fold-up Sewing Folio, but it was a lot more complicated, so I thought I would start with this one.
I need to work on some other projects, but I think I should be able to finish this pouch soon and get it off to Carrie in time for the April meeting.
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I never posted both Month 17 Rosettes. I’d like to have a full set here on the blog, so here they are.
This was the month was substituted for Month 16 when the fabric for Month 16 got delayed. I changed a number of different fabrics in these rosettes, so they look different.
One of the reasons I could never do this project on my own, as I am sure I have said, is breaking down the rosettes in order to choose the fabrics. I got much more confident as the project went on and I might be able to tackle another of Wilynne Hammerstein’s patterns on my own. I have a few things to finish first, so stay tuned for that.
