Completed Project! – Artquiltmaker Blog

Palomino Pouch Finish

The Palomino is finished! I am going to make another one right away. This pouch has only a few pieces and with the way the side panels and zipper are inserted, it is very easy to put together.

This is a gift for a friend and the fussy cutting is important.

It really went together pretty well, in general. I had some trouble inserting the lining. It does have the same glue closure as the Piebald. Not so great as I missed the instruction to stop at the 1/4 inch mark when sewing the lining together, so the edges shredded a bit (Moda fabric) when I ripped out some of the stitching. It would be really helpful to have a free arm when making this pouch. Now I know, so I’ll do better next time.

No drop-in lining or binding: perfect.

The zipper I used is one of the set I bought from Sew Hungry Hippie. I wonder if Natalie of SHH collaborates with Tula on the colors? The green matched the butterfly fabric exactly.

I thought it might be a little big, but the pattern called for a handbag zipper. I tried two zipper pulls, but it didn’t work with this pouch design so I took one off.

I took the opportunity to fussy cut the side panels as well. I can’t help that these motifs run into the partial motifs on the main panels, but I still think the side panels look good.

Scrappy Celebration Finished

I finally finished Scrappy Celebration! I am well in time for my niece’s wedding and shower. Now I just need to decide if I want to enter it in the Fair.If I do enter it, I’ll have to add a sleeve.

I don’t have much else to enter. If I do, it would mean not giving it to her at her shower, but I think that would be ok.

I am pleased with how it came out, but I think I want to make another quilt, or something complicated, with my man Phil’s Chrysanthemum print. I don’t know why I like the colors so much, but I do.

Scrappy Celebration - back — Scrappy Celebration – back

The back isn’t super interesting. I was reading the New Jersey issue of QuiltFolk. They said that this type of back makes the quilt a 2-sided quilt! Who knew?

Finished: Cal Piebald

Cal Piebald - finished — Cal Piebald – finished

Yes, the Cal Piebald is finished. I think it came out really well. The fussy cutting, as mentioned, looks great!

In this image you can see the long loop I talked about when I started it. I used my own hand to figure out the length and I think it is ok. We’ll see what SIL #4 says.

Cal Piebald - bottom — Cal Piebald – bottom

I also fussy cut the bottom even though it won’t be seen very often.

One of these days, I’ll have to try adding Odicoat to a finished bag to see what happens. I am thinking a lot about what happens when people actually use the bags I give them. I want them to use the bags, so I should prepare them better to be used.

This pattern has an interesting stitching pattern for the loop/handle. The directions say to stitch the the part of the loop not attached to the bag with 4 lines before attaching it to the bag. This meant that I had to calculate exactly where the loop hit the bag, thus there was a bit of pfaffing around with my hand in the loop and trying to mark where I thought the loop would end.

Note: if you make the loop the size indicated in the pattern, there is no pfaffing around.

The rest of the loop is stitched to the bag using the four lines again. I think it is pretty secure.

Cal Piebald - interior — Cal Piebald – interior

I think the lining matches really well. It is a little bit baggy, which is weird, but it isn’t terrible, so I am not going to stress about it. I sewed the lining with a fatter seam allowance, so it shouldn’t be baggy. Who knows? Another mystery to try and solve while I make other bags.

So, this is done. I am pleased. I am not sure when I will give it to SIL #4. I’ll see about giving it to her when I see her on the weekend.

Zebra I Spy Started and Finished

Zebra I Spy - front, empty — Zebra I Spy – front, empty

I started and finished another I Spy pouch very quickly last week. I needed another one for the Falabella templates, which I found when I was rummaging for the Piebald templates.

I went out of my way to use the zebra fabric and I had just enough left for the various lining pieces.

As I have with all of the other I Spy pouches, I used the Anna Maria coneflower fabric again. I had some leftover from a previous project and was able to use it up. Some wrong cuts aren’t always useless even if they aren’t useful at the moment. 😉

Zebra I Spy - front, full — Zebra I Spy – front, full

The templates fit nicely inside this medium version.

Cha Cha Cha #2 Finished

I am zooming right along on finishing my quilted projects.

I finished this one in time to use it on the first really sunny day of the year. I also decided that it was very Easter-ish (Springy) and would be good for the next few weeks.

Sweetbay Sew-a-Long Week 3

I made good progress since last week and the Sweetbay Crossbody bag is almost done! I just have to press it!

Putting this bag together was a little tricky, mostly because it is so small. The other thing I found interesting was that the gusset isn’t the same on both sides. You can see how it bulges out a little bit. it is very round on the bottom corners. I think that is from the gusset. The directions say to put the front panel on one side of the gusset and the back panel on the other. It was a novel way of putting a bag together.

I remembered to put a label in the bag. It might be a little too prominently placed, but it is what it is.

I have to admit that I thought about the label placement on that flap A LOT. It seems silly, but I wanted it to be right side up when I opened the flap, which required some thought. I did have to move the label once before I put the flap lining together with the flap exterior, because it was too close to the magnetic snaps.

I am really pleased with those magnetic snaps. Not all of my hardware matches on this bag, but those snaps are awesome. They are small. I didn’t even know I had them until I looked through my hardware bag and found them. The brand is Sally Tomato and I will definitely be buying them again.

I used a leftover piece of zipper by the yard for my exterior pocket. i was glad, because I have few leftover pieces that seem too long to toss. This was the first time I found a use for one of the pieces.

I think I would prefer to install it with the head at the top when it is closed, but I am just happy I was able to install it.

I also sewed the edges of the pocket to the seam allowance so the pocket wouldn’t sag once the user put something in it. I’d like to try perfecting my internal zipper pocket technique. I need to make a few more.

This is really a bag you take along with only a few things. It is really small on the inside.

This will go really well with the other Pink project bags.

Not sure what I will make next. I’d like to make a big tote bag, but I already have one for The Pink Project.

Finished: Metro Twist

Yes, Metro Twist is finished! Hooray. It will go off to its new home after I show it at the guild meeting.

I am so thrilled with the fabrics. It was a good group to use. Someone asked me when I showed it at Sew Day if I had bought the pack of fabrics or if it came from the fabric closet. I was thrilled to tell them I made the choices myself.

Colleen did a great job on the quilting. You can see it really well on the back

It came out smaller than I remembered, but it will be a large wall hanging or a small lap quilt.

Finished Pink Piebald

This Pink Piebald went really quickly and I am pleased. There are a couple of techniques I need to practice and some other things I want to do differently to make this pattern more to my liking.

I am super pleased with the fussy cutting on the front. The flap is big enough for a whole spray of flowers, which I think adds a nice look to the pouch.

The front panel has less space, but I was able to center flowers on the whole piece.

Finished: Pink Piebald - back with strap — Finished: Pink Piebald – back with strap

The back requires a much larger piece of fabric and I didn’t really fussy cut it. I didn’t think it needed the extra care since the back is partially covered by the strap. I did try to center one of the motifs, though the strap means you can’t really see it.

As mentioned, the strap is longer than the pattern shows. I tested it out as a wristlet and I think it will work. SIL#4 knits and I thought it might be a good project-on-the-go bag. I am going to ask her. The audience for this bag won’t really care or notice, I don’t think. I think they will be pleased they can use the pouch as a small purse.

Finished: Pink Piebald - lining — Finished: Pink Piebald – lining

I ended up making the inside (lining) from the fabric I originally planned to use for the exterior. It is a little darker than I usually use, but I didn’t want to waste the pieces I had already cut. I think next time, I will see about fussy cutting a surprise onto the flap lining.

As a reminder, this pattern is from Sew Sweetness and is from Minikins Season 3.

Flowl I Spy Pouch

If you ever watch the TV show Ghosts, you will know Flower. I watched the beginning episode of the season and decided that some Tula owl fabric would be good for this latest I Spy.

I know I always say that I don’t want animals looking at me from my quilts, but these I Spy pouches seem to be immune. Anyway, the owls will most be covered by the Vervain templates that now live in this pouch.

I know I have said this before, but these pouches make me really happy.

My Bluestem

I finally made something for myself.

This is the Bluestem pouch pattern from Sew Sweetness. As mentioned when I made the pink one recently, it is part of Minikins Season 4.

I plan to use this pouch for my pens, post-its and other bits an pieces that I take to guild meetings and Sew Day.

Chrysanthemum Bluestem - end — Chrysanthemum Bluestem – end

I decided on the fabrics as part of the latest President’s Challenge at the guild. I have had some of the Chrysanthemum fabric for awhile, but I got another piece for my birthday. The goal of the President’s 2024 Challenge is to get people to ‘use the good stuff’. I have been trying to do that, but it is difficult. When I started this pouch, the day had come to do it.

Chrysanthemum Bluestem - open — Chrysanthemum Bluestem – open

I am taking the President’s 2024 Challenge a bit farther in that I am also using the fun zippers I have been buying. I really like those rainbow zippers. The new zipper pulls also look great.

I used the orange stitch fabric, because I like it. I have used some of it, but also tend to hoard that particular print. I decided I could enjoy looking at it as I used the pouch just as well as when I came across it in my fabric closet.

Chrysanthemum Bluestem - label — Chrysanthemum Bluestem – label

I remembered to put a label on the lining before I sewed the lining together, which makes me smile.

I am struggling a little with covering the inside raw edges. Still practice makes perfect, right?

New I Spy

I got some new templates this week, which means I needed a new I Spy pouch in which to store them.

I cut this pouch out after work on Monday and sewed it up during Craft Night. I only had to whip stitch the bottom closed and I could fill up the bag with my templates.

I made an effort to make the window (lining) fabric look good and used some fabric I received for Christmas. Normally, the fabric isn’t seen, but I wanted to make this super pretty.

I am planning to make another pouch for the other set of templates. I could have made two at a time, but I thought I would have to adjust the size and I didn’t want to worry about that on Monday. I just wanted to sew.

Finished: Enigma #4

I finished the Enigma #4 and also gave it to my friend. She was so touched; it made me want to cry. I don’t think of giving bags to people as anything special. In my small quiltmaking/bagmaking world, everyone gives bags like they are napkins or something equally as mundane. I am always brought up short when I give a bag to someone outside of that world and see how amazed they are.

This one came out really well. I am still impressed by the matching stripe I was able to find. I cannot remember when I bought it or where, but it has been hanging around for awhile. It just goes so perfectly with the pink and green outer fabric. I used up all of the fabrics I used. All had chunks taken out of them when I started and were really just scraps when I finished.

Engima #4 - top view — Engima #4 – top view

Of course, I am still swooning over the diagonal zipper. Of course, I didn’t take a photo of the side where you can see in this version. You can see the diagonal zipper and how it works in the picture of Mom’s Enigma.

I am really pleased, also, with how well the handbag zipper color goes with the exterior fabric of the bag.

I am Miss Self Admiration Society today, aren’t I?

Pink Enigma - open flat — Pink Enigma – open flat

This one also lays flat. I still really like the way this design opens flat for accessing everything inside.

This piece really came together well in terms of fabric. I am already thinking about the next one I want to make.

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