Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
The regular monthly posts are a bit out of order this month due to the American Thanksgiving Holiday. Enjoy more donation blocks! I am back working on a Color Strip quilt, though we all know white is not a color. 😉
I need 40 of the strip blocks to make a nice sized quilt, so I have a few more to sew.
Frolic! was received by my friend and she sent me a wonderful text, despite her loss, when she received it.
Frolic! is a Bonnie Hunter pattern. It was one of her Winter Mystery quilts that I actually sewed with everyone else. I was also really happy with my color choices.
This is a cheerful quilt. While it wasn’t designed specifically for my friend, I thought she would like it while I work on a quilt specifically for her.
I finished the Grab & Go Sleeve very quickly and sent it straight off to my mom so she could use it right away.
Both sides essentially look the same. The only difference is that I put a label on only one side of the exterior.
I also used some ‘webbing’ that Cyndi made me take from one of the Sew Day Free Table offerings. The webbing is made out of cotton rather than plastic, like the Tula Pink webbing I used for a couple of the Take a Stand bags.
Since this is for my mom, I dug out the Laurel Burch fabric I used for her Mustang Organizers and used that for the lining.
She received it on Wednesday and said that it fits her portfolio perfectly. She said she really liked it, which makes me happy.
If I can think of things for which to use these bags I’ll make more as they are a quick bag to make, especially if you use pre-made webbing for the handles.
My Sister has taken to sending me Instagram videos. One of them showed a new Pattern by Center Street Quilts, the Atlas Zipper Case. It is a portfolio like case that can be used for tools or small projects.
I was on the fence about another new pattern until I visited with Mary. She had bought and printed out the pattern. I was able to look through it. I decided that the pattern would be a good gift.
I started right away, but struggled to get past cutting. I was dreading the quilting part until a friend mentioned MistyFuse. I used MistyFuse to fuse the lining to the foam so I could quilt it. I never tried it before, but it adhered the fabric to the foam really well.
I haven’t tried quilting it yet but my fingers are crossed that it will help keep the pieces flat.
I am making good progress on my needlepoint project. It’s only been a month, but I feel like I am flying through it.
The frame is very large, so it isn’t very portable. I just work on it in the evenings when I don’t have a quilt project on which to work. There is a learning curve, so it isn’t boring.
Sue said she made this while we were having our Sew Day. Sue was away for some of the Fall, but she misses us (and we miss her) when she is away. At least I do. 😉
Some weeks ago, Gerre demoed the Quilt in a Day Flying Geese ruler. Sue had that ruler and a random FQ bundle she had on vacation, she went to work.
I don’t know how many of the rulers she had along, but using one can make more than one size.
Sue said she thought the ruler was good. She made FGs in sizes that didn’t match up easily, so she had to add pieces. She wasn’t sure she liked the colors, but found it to be a fun challenge.
Sue said that the piece ended up about 30×27.
I like the different sizes of the Flying Geese. I think that adds interest to a piece. The colors have an old fashioned sort of look – not 1930s, but maybe 40s? There is a flat, e.g. not shiny or textured, look to them, but the pink is definitely bubblegum.
The other thing I like is that she just went and played.
Go play! There is always more fabric.
Maria bound Ends n.18 and brought it to the meeting on Saturday. I was so pleased to see it again! I finished it in September so it hasn’t been floating around very long.
I think this must be one of my favorites.
On my most recent trip to Portland, I bought this painting from the artist with whom we stay. Leah Kohlenberg is a working artist who also teaches. I fell in love with this painting and just decided to buy it. I have never done that before and it was a novel experience.
The Grab & Go Sleeve is a project from Minikins Season 1. Honestly, it is one I never thought I would make. I have at least two laptop bags, so I really don’t need anything else. Also, there is nowhere in the bag for the mouse or the cord.
However, it is a good bag for other things like files and notepads. My mom has a portfolio she is using to take notes during a series of appointments she has. She is using the project bag I made her to carry around her portfolio. It doesn’t really fit very well.
This project immediately occurred to me once I saw what was happening. I am not sure why as I really never thought about this bag before.
This project serves a second purpose as well. I want to make the Heartlands Backpack. It is a ‘choose your own adventure’ bag. The Grab & Go Sleeve is a lighter version of a ‘choose your own adventure’ bag. It has only a few pieces and not many options. I wanted to try an easy ‘choose your own adventure’ bag before I started the Heartlands.
I decided to add some mesh pockets to the inside to provide a bit of organization.
I also added a D-ring (but rectangular) so she can clips things to the bag if she needs to do so.
Cyndi gave me a few yards of white from an estate sale trove of fabric she got, thus I decided to use white on this quilt.
I know white for a donation top is a bad idea as it will get dirty, but a design wants what a design wants.
I have one more section to sew before I decide if it needs to be larger. Without the left hand section sewn, the top is about 40 in. x 40 in. at the moment. I might not want a white strip on the end. We will see.
As you know from the Sampler Quilt class tutorials, I am very fond of people learning all the quiltmaking techniques. It is a way to be free from the tyranny of always having to use a pattern.
NOTE: I am not against quilt patterns and I feel we should all support quilt designers.
However, at some point quiltmakers will want to make a quilt design they have thought up themselves. To do this, we need to know all the techniques. Thus, I couldn’t say no when SueS asked me to do a Y Seams demo for the guild. As usual, I had to overachieve. I posted a handout to the guild members only site*. Most of the information is in the Y Seams tutorial.
I made a whole bunch of step outs and notes to tell people. I won’t be actually sewing. That didn’t work out well when I tried to show a demo of leaders and enders, thus the step outs.
*N.B. If you are in the Bay Area and want to join, click the join button on the guild site. We also have a Zoom option, though the demos and Bag Club are not always available via Zoom.
I was very pleased to learn a new zipper tab technique after working on the Stella Pouch. I actually emailed Sara Lawson from Sew Sweetness about it. She said it was new to her. I really like the technique, because it makes zipper tabs really easy and you don’t have bits sticking out as you do when you fold them.
Note this is not a tutorial. I am just showing a technique you can try. It is well explained in the Stella Pouch pattern. You can probably figure out how to sew zipper tabs using this method from the photos below.
First you cut two pieces of fabric and place them over the zipper. You don’t put the fabric quite to the end.
Next sew a big U starting away from the end of the zipper. Do not catch the zipper tape in the stitching. It is pretty easy to see the zipper tape through the fabric.
After the tabs are sewn, turn the zipper tabs out to cover the raw edge of the zipper. You might want to trim the corner where the vertical stitching meets the horizontal stitching to reduce bulk.
Now you can sew your zipper into a bag or pouch.
However, one thing I didn’t like was that I couldn’t poke the turning point corner out to be crisp. I even tried my awesome Modern American Vintage turning tool. It was a little large for the job. I wonder if they have a smaller version? I didn’t trim around the corner, but I would try that next time (see above).
Fortunately that particular area is sewn into the seam allowance when you sew the zipper into the bag or pouch. It makes the technique really crisp and clean. Of course, if the zipper is sticking out like in the Cotton Candy pouch or the Boxy Clear pouch, then a different technique needs to be used.
After my recent post, I thought more about this quilt and decided that the Jacob’s Ladder pattern wasn’t going to work at all. I tried different ideas, different colors, but it just isn’t the right idea for my friend.
First, I really shouldn’t call it the Sad Quilt. Not a great start. I can’t help how sad I am, though.
Second, as an interim solution, I sent off Frolic! to her. I am glad I have some quilts around I can just send off to people in need.
I love this quilt and had a good time making it, so there is a lot of good karma/energy associated with it. My friend lives in Hawaii, so it wasn’t cheap to send. It was totally worth it since I can’t be there to hug her in person.
In the meantime I am still working on a design made specifically in memory of my friend’s daughter. I am thinking that I will repurpose the Tilde fabrics I bought on vacation into this quilt.
A pattern occurred to me that I bought awhile ago, but haven’t yet tried, Country Revival. I don’t know why it is called Country Revival, because it doesn’t look ‘country’ at all to me.
The QCR (etc) patterns I have made, Metro Twist and Metroscape, have come out well, so I think the end result would be successful. At least is has a chance of being successful.
Obviously the Tilde fabrics would give it a different look than the quilt on the cover. I think I need to find a common fabric I could use in the center to bring the whole quilt together. I think pink would work, even different pinks. I also have that weird blue, which might work.
Also, the example quilt is small. I would want to make it larger, maybe 9 blocks. Still work to do to bring it together, but I feel I am on the right track now.
We are thanking Laura, a longarmer in Half Moon Bay who has been longarming donation quilts for us for a year or more. Carrie is gathering gifts to make a nice basket for her.
After seeing the Center Street Quilts video on IG showing the making of a half vinyl pouch, I decided to try and make one. I actually made two. One will be for a guild swap. I thought I could probably make the pouch after watching the video, but decided to buy the pattern, the Stella Pouch from Center Street Quilts just to make the process a bit easier.
I looked for more specific directions on the Flying Geese and the vinyl, but didn’t find any. Even with the pattern, I still had plenty of figuring out to do. I knew I could do it. That is one reason I enjoy making bags. There is always something to figure out.
I think I forgot to trim the height, so the pouch is taller than the pattern states. Still, I think it will be useful. Small project bag?
One of the good things about using vinyl for this bag is I was able to use a very pretty lining fabric. Having a good fabric show through the vinyl is an added bonus.
I made a pattern in EQ8 for the Flying Geese portion. This pattern is for the large sized pouch. Make sure you print it on thin paper, or special foundation paper piecing paper**. If you don’t know how to foundation paper piece, check my tutorial. You can find all 5 parts on the Quilt Class page.
I think I might have a few more of these pouches in my future.
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and support 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.
As I work through some sewjo challenges, I decided to make another Ends donation top. I have already handed in two donation tops this month, but an empty design wall doesn’t work for me.
I had various ends laying around the workroom and slapped a few up on the wall to see if I could make anything.
Ends n.18 was finished in September, so it is time for another one. I want to use a background fabric with the pieces shown, but I haven’t decided what color yet.