Category: 2024

Thinking about the Classmate Again

Classmate Bag for Lindsay - BAM Swap
Classmate Bag for Lindsay – BAM Swap

I am starting to think more about gifts, not just the Pink Project, but upcoming birthday and holiday gifts. The Classmate Tote** by Atkinson Designs has been on my mind for some reason. Perhaps I need to make one for myself!

 

 

Gerre's Classmates Tote- open
Gerre’s Classmates Tote- open

I like making useful bags. As you know I have made two of them before, one as a swap gift and one for Gerre. I like the idea of this bag and I think it is useful. 

There are a couple of things I need to remember, if I decide to make one of these again. The pen holder is too small for *my* pens, so I need to make sure to measure my pens.

Gerre's Classmates Tote
Gerre’s Classmates Tote

The other thing is to make sure the binding goes with the the interior and exterior. I have to admit that I really like getting to the sewing part. That means I sometimes take shortcuts in choosing fabrics. It is so stupid, because I love shopping for fabrics and I enjoy the fabulous motifs of different fabrics. So, the reminder is to make sure all the fabrics go together.

 

 

 

 

 

**Obviously, you should shop at local fabric, knitting shops or quilt shops. However, if you can’t, please know that I use affiliate links. I may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I do not recommend items I don’t like. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

The Pink Project v.1 Final

The Pink Project Final
The Pink Project Final

I never posted the final group of bags for the Pink Project v.1. I posted the almost final group, but never the bag in which they were all held and the pouches.

Apparently, they were all sold separately and only brought in about $100. It’s a shame people don’t want to pay more for handmade items. The bags are all small, though, so perhaps $100 is fair. Still, I didn’t do it completely for the money. It is a great way to try out some of the patterns I have bought and that has a lot of value to me.

Here are more detailed photos of the bags that were included.

Superbloom Project Ideas

I want to use some of the fabric I bought on my vacation for Superbloom totes. I was really pleased with how the first one came out. I have had plans for another one using the Anna Maria Honorable Mention fabric, but I haven’t gotten around to making it yet. Now I have at least two more I want to make. Good thing I bought the templates.

Superbloom for Auntie
Superbloom for Auntie

The first one I plan to make will use these fabrics. The far left black and purple linen/canvas is from Bolt. I bought the iris print at Stitch in Ferndale. It is a good choice for my aunt who loves irises. I am not a huge fan of the background color of this iris print, but I didn’t see any others. In general, I know that there is a colorway with a black background, but that won’t work for the lining of a bag.

Superbloom for SMCAP
Superbloom for SMCAP

Next, I plan to start another project like the Pink Project, but for a different organization. This time I will use blue fabrics as a base. The fabric shown will provide good scope for fussy cutting.

The Superbloom tote will be the bag in which all of the other pouches are carried. I don’t know which other pouches I will make yet. I have to make this one first since it will be a great donation even if I don’t make anything else.

Superbloom fabric for the Pink Project v.2
Superbloom fabric for the Pink Project v.2

Finally, I will also use this pattern for the Pink Project v.2, I think. It is possible that I will try a different pattern, but for now I am planning on making yet another Superbloom.

I am waffling, because I could use this fabric to try out the Chickadee Backpack or the Cavalcade Travel Bag or any number of other tote bags that I have purchased. We’ll just have to see how I feel.

 

Back to the Design Wall: Pantone

As you probably noticed, I haven’t mentioned the Pantone Project recently. I have had a lot going on, but I have also been stressed out about this project. I like the design I have and was stressed that I might not be able to execute it as is. I was afraid I would run out of background fabric.

Finally, I decided to buy more. I wasn’t sure if this is strictly in the rules of our project, but I did it anyway and Julie told me not to worry. I was pleased to find the fabric is still available. This is a load off my mind.

Pantone quilt design - August 2024
Pantone quilt design – August 2024

The other day, I took all of the blocks off the design wall. As mentioned, I needed to clear my workroom and my head a bit and the Pantone blocks were taking up a whole design wall and preventing me from finishing some donation  tops.

This was a good exercise, because it forced me to really look at it as I was taking it down. This design is almost right. I think the top is a little too heavy, so I will see about lightening it up a bit. That middle diamond will probably move to the bottom.

There are some sections I really like, such as the stars.

I also like these wing shapes. I might try turning the section on the left 180 degrees.

I thought about sewing some of the sections I liked together, but decided the overall construction would be easier if I didn’t.

New Month New Pillowcase

Camping Pillowcase
Camping Pillowcase

So, the new pillowcase project has started. As mentioned, I am trying to encourage the youngest nephew to follow through on his dream to travel through my pillowcase fabric choices.

I sent the first pillowcase off  a few days ago. I hope the theme is obvious. To help with that, I sent him the camping pillowcase first.

I am pleased with how this one came out. I like the tree fabric for the cuff.

26 Projects 2024 #8

Time marches on. The year is more than half over and I ate up most of my yardage progress with the fabric that I bought on vacation. Still I am back in the green (barely) and continuing to sew up a storm.

Finished 2024 Quilt Projects

Finished (for me!) Donation Quilts

As you know, I don’t quilt much. I really enjoy the collaborative effort of making a top and allowing someone else to quilt it. Thus, the quilts below are mostly tops, but I will include a finished quilt once someone else finishes it for the group.

Finished Bags and Small Projects

This category covers bags, toys, aprons and knitting as well as other non-quilt projects.

Ready for Quilting / In the Quilting Process

In the Finishing Process

  • Nothing at the moment

WIPs

WIPs are projects on which I am working. This means that I am past the cutting out of pieces stage,  some sewing has taken place.

  • La Passacaglia – I am working on the border, but need to work more and harder.
  • Ombre Weave – I am working on blocks and have cleared off my design wall so I can work faster.

Cut Out & Stopped

  • EPPic Bag – I need to make a cover/ main exterior piece for this bag. I was thinking of a Pineapple block, but haven’t gotten back to it yet. I am also kind of scared of this pattern. I know what to expect from Sew sweetness patterns, but this is a new designer to me.
  • Hildegarde Notions Trunk – I worked on this project a little at Tim’s house. I realized that I didn’t cut out some of the specialty substrates.

Still UFOs

I still have UFOs. Who doesn’t, after all? A project in the ‘UFO’ category means I am stalled, it hasn’t been worked on in awhile or it is waiting its turn to be worked on. The list is a lot shorter and the projects are newer, for the most part.

I am annoyed that some of these are still UFOs. I have to give myself credit for completing some of them last year.

  • Rose Petrillo bag – I found the pieces for this bag cut out, but not sewn.
  • Superbloom tote using Hindsight fabric – not started. I did pull the fabric, supplies and found a photo I plan to use as inspiration that others posted, so I am one step closer.
  1. Handbag Sampler – I found the blocks! I found them in a bin I thought I had thoroughly searched! I also found the fabrics carefully stored together. Hooray!!
  2. Self Portrait: started in 2006 at a class at Quilting Adventures in Richmond, Virginia. After a brief burst of inspiration, I am stalled on this again. As one of my oldest (I am pretty sure) UFOs, I put it on my blog and out into the Twitterverse and Diane suggested that I not consider this as a self portrait. I think that strategy is a great idea. I am now trying to think of a new persona for her.
  3. Serendipity Lady – I am still planning to take this piece to be framed. It might need a bit of quilting first.
  4. Fabric of the Year 2020
  5. Fabric of the Year 2021 – I may combine 2020 and 2021 into a COVID edition.
  6. Fabric of the Year 2022 – yes, I added this one to the list, but this is the last one I plan to do.

Various & Sundry 2024 #7

Admin

The Minikins page is updated again. So many patterns! So little time.

The Niece-phews page has also been updated. The more nieces and nephews I get the more quilts get added to that page!

The Quilts in Print page is one I haven’t looked at in a long time. I took the time to update it this month when a quilt was mentioned in a book I was reading.

The Color Strip and Chunk page has also been updated to include the new green top as well as some new formatting.

Projects, Classes, Patterns, Techniques & Tutorials

Friend Julie found a Backpack Organizer tutorial and posted it in her July Cornucopia post. She has a lot of other interesting links on a variety of topics as well.

At PIQF I was startled by a designer who was glad I had returned to her booth and was ready to demo something like the 1 hour circle technique for me. I was startled because I had never visited Snapdragon Quilting before. Once we got that straightened out, I was able to look around the booth. I like the patterns she has designed. They are fresh and fun. It is also great to see a new and enthusiastic designer. She has a blog. One of her posts has good information about pre-washing fabric.

Check out the new subscription box options from Alison Glass. Kudos to her and her team for thinking up something new: 2.5 inch squares. There are a lot of good quilts to make from 2.5 inch squares!

Create Whimsy has an EPP resource page. It includes tools, supplies, books and a lot of information to help you start learning English Paper Piecing.

Need some binding refreshers? Ali from Arabesque Scissors has three different binding options on a recent blog post.

MaryC did a trunk show at the guild meeting this month. I loved the show and learned so much about her quiltmaking life! One thing I didn’t know is how much she loves Jelly Rolls. One quilt she made is called Simplify from Cluck Cluck Sew. This is a great quilt and I might want to make it. I don’t really want to buy another pattern, however.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

Have you seen all the new kits, fabric, patterns and books on Victoria Findlay Wolfe’s website?

Check out the new fabrics on Sewing Party’s website.

Media, Books and Articles

Desiree Habicht designed the steampunk aquatic print I bought at Feather Your Nest in Gresham. I went looking for more information and found an interview with her on Create Whimsy. I love reading about how artists get to where they are and how they find inspiration. Find more about her work at her website, Desiree Designs.

The DAR is hosting a symposium on November 1 about the role of sewing and textiles in American history, and it features a lecture on “Quilts as Messengers” Lynne Zacek Bassett! In this lecture, Bassett will explore the historical roots of today’s popular use of quilts to convey powerful messages. If you’re interested in learning more about how quilts have been used to express love, sorrow, protest, piety, community, patriotism, and memory, this is the event for you! You can learn more about the symposium  on Eventbrite.

 

Other Artists

OMG! What is happening? Quiltmakers are passing away at an alarming rate! We lost Faith Ringold in April. Recently, I talked about my sadness at Ruth McDowell’s passing. In the last week or so I heard that Carol Lyles Shaw, Freddy Moran and Sarah Bond also passed away. I am really sad. The guild had a very successful workshop last year with Carol Lyles Shaw. I didn’t take it, but I have been enjoying the results and the confidence people got from her.

As far as I can tell, Freddy Moran does not have her own website, though search results point to a number of artists and journalists talking to her or about her. There are a number of videos. I was a fan of Gwen Marston and became more of a fan of Freddy when the two of them started to collaborate. Their book, Collaborative Quilting**, is wonderful. I worked with red and pink as backgrounds and was thrilled when Freddy started to tout red as a neutral.

Finally, I am really sad about Sarah Bond. She had been fighting breast cancer for years. She couldn’t quit her engineering job to teach full time, because of the health insurance. She needed it for her illness.  Her work is shown on her IG feed. I am sad because she was young, but also because I loved her designs and never got the chance to take a class from her. I really like her Flying Geese quilt and the plates quilt(s). I don’t see any patterns or a website for her, but will continue looking.

I guess this is a lesson to take the classes I want to take when I can, don’t wait.

NQR

Cups for Pups: Join my Lil Sissy in helping to fund the Recovery Ranch Sanctuary via GoFundMe. She is working on creating a place where the dogs of those needing recovery will be taken care of while their people are getting help.

Tim showed me a bag he bought recently on his travels. It is from Coba and made of some kind of thick felt. It is a really interesting bag.

 

 

 

 

 

**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

August Donation Blocks

I didn’t think I would have time to make very many donation blocks, but I ended up making a few. Many of these blocks are already part of some quilts.

Finished: Crafty Carrier

Finished: Crafty Carrier - front
Finished: Crafty Carrier – front

Yay! I finished the Carrier in time for the next Sew Day. Yes, I am finishing a lot lately. It feels great, though I still have a lot to finish.

This is a large bag and it is simply a bag. There are no ironing pads or tool holders and there aren’t 45 pockets. I even forgot to put a leash in it with a lobster clip!

As mentioned previously, I thought it would allow me to be modular in my transport of tools and supplies to Sew Day.

Finished: Crafty Carrier - front/handles
Finished: Crafty Carrier – front/handles

There are 8 pockets, six on the outside and 2 on the inside. The inside pockets might have been better as vinyl pockets. I had already added Soft & Stable** as the interfacing. This means that the first time out, I was reluctant to add another layer to some already thick seams.

With this bag, I was already considering whether or not I needed an industrial machine. The top stitching around the handles and the edge was difficult, but I lengthened the seam allowance and that worked pretty well. I really don’t want additional machines hanging around. If I had a larger workroom, maybe, but I don’t.

The pattern called for ‘heavy interfacing’. Peltex 70** was suggested. As you know, I have yards of Soft & Stable and I know how that works. I haven’t tried Peltex 70, that I remember. I also know how to work with Soft & Stable, so I went with that interfacing. The bag stands up, which I like, so I call it a win.

Finished: Crafty Carrier - interior
Finished: Crafty Carrier – interior

The lining isn’t as tight as I would have liked. I should have used a larger seam allowance. I trusted the pattern maker and the lining was very saggy baggy. I went back and increased the size on some of the seams I could reach once the bag was all together. That made it better, but not as I would like it. I have to review the directions in a different pattern, which is rumored to include anchoring the lining in the seam allowances. Stay tuned for that.

I also painted Odicoat** on the bottom. Not photo since you can’t see it in a photo. I put on two layers after the bag was completed and I don’t see any harm to the bag. I don’t see much, if any, shrinkage. When I do this again, I’ll still pay attention.

I still have to migrate all of my ‘going to Sew Day’ tools and supplies to this bag.  That’s a project for another day this week.

Making bags is always a learning experience. I learn something every time. I need to remember to incorporate my preferences into each bag regardless of what the pattern says.

 

 

 

**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

 

Holland Pouch Plans

Holland Pouch + fabric idea
Holland Pouch + fabric idea

As I was organizing all the fabric to wash, I made notes and took pictures of projects I had in mind for the fabric. I need to do that because I am excited about sewing. I am excited about making gifts and some donation projects. I have a lot going on and I don’t want to forget what I was thinking.

Holland Pouch + fabric idea
Holland Pouch + fabric idea

First up is the Holland Pouch. I saw this pattern at Stitch in Ferndale and decided to get it. I love the Hemingway pattern by the same company and it was convenient to purchase the print version while I was there. I found the fabric above and I know the perfect person for it.

I bought the black cat fabric in the second photo for the same person. I bought it first and if I had seen the cat fabric above, I wouldn’t have bought the second fabric. Still, I might make this person two bags. I’ll use the same lining for both.

Finished: Green Strips #3 Donation Top

I worked hard over the weekend to clear out some projects. My workroom and my brain was getting cluttered and I needed some space.

Green Strips #3 donation top
Green Strips #3 donation top

The first one was the Green Strips #3 donation top and back.

The top is finished. It looks a bit weird, but I was trying to accomplish a couple of things. I wanted it to be mostly square, thus the borders only on the sides.

I also didn’t have enough fabric to make the side borders all one fabric. It is more interesting, or it looks weird.

Green Strips #3 donation back
Green Strips #3 donation back

I also made the back.

I was a little sick of this top by the time I got to the back. It has just been hanging around for too long; it isn’t a bad top or anything. I couldn’t find any large pieces of green I wanted to use for the back in my green bins, so I dug into my pile of backing fabrics. I found that stripe, which I know would make  great binding, but I wanted to finish it. That piece of fabric has been hanging around for awhile, so it is time to use it for a good cause.

This is ready to go to the Community Quilt ladies.

Finished: Petunia Pouch

Petunia Pouch for Alex
Petunia Pouch for Alex

I think I mostly like saying “Petunia Pouch”. Here is the finished version. It is not a hard pouch, but what a pain this one was!

I had to recut the exterior to get the print going in the right direction. The zipper is a bit off and I had to rip a lot. I don’t know why. Perhaps I was just tired.

Petunia Pouch for Alex - interior peek
Petunia Pouch for Alex – interior peek

More Tula on the inside – this time the tiny stripes in pink.

This is done and gifted and I am pleased.

Ombre Weave Start

A few days ago, you saw a few of the Ombre Weave blocks on the design wall.

Ombre Weave Start
Ombre Weave Start

After gathering the supplies, I made a start on the Ombre Weave quilt at Sew Day the other day. The pattern was written for a jelly roll, which I didn’t have, and there were no alternate instructions. That meant that, first, I had to rewrite the instructions to accommodate the yardage and dessert roll I had. I also had to make sure I could understand them.

Once I did that, with the help of Mary C, I got busy sewing blocks. These are super easy blocks to make and I was able to make 22 during Sew Day. On Sunday I was able to make another 20. I am going to make blocks until the fabric is gone.Then I’ll see where I am.

Finished: Green & Grey D9P

Finished: Grey & Green D9P
Finished: Grey & Green D9P

I was able to finish the binding for the Green & Grey Diagonal 9 Patch. I am thrilled.

There is still a lot of yellow-green, but this pattern is magical. It works so well with a variety of different colors. I want to play with more different color combinations using this pattern.

Finished: Grey & Green D9P back
Finished: Grey & Green D9P back

The back is one of my typical backs. As usual it is made up of large pieces of fabric. Lately, I have been using older fabrics. I am finding that fabrics are better in a quilt than in the Fabric Closet.

I think it looks great and I can’t wait to send it off, though I think I might make a bag for it.