Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
This month I sent off one of the actual travel pillowcases. Last month was the camping pillowcase. I suppose you have to travel somewhere to camp, but it didn’t feel like ‘real’ travel to me, whatever that is.
This was also a birthday gift since the nephew turned 18 yesterday. I stuck a card in the package for him. I actually got a thank you text! Unnecessary, but much appreciated.
I had some extra fabric, so I added the trim pieces to some of the pillowcases for this project
I finished this quilt at the beginning of last month, but forgot to post the finished quilt. August was busy!
One of my SILs brought it to the new baby when SIL traveled to the area where my niece and her husband live. I was glad not to have to mail it.
I am pleased with how it turned out and the juxtaposition of the same design in different colors. The first D9P was for this baby’s brother and is almost the opposite in color of this one.
From the Fair report, you know that I finished this quilt. However, I never posted a final picture and information.
Here it is in all of its glory. I am really pleased with how it came out.
It is 24 x 24″
Machine pieced and machine quilted (by me!!)
It was made for a 2024 San Mateo County Fair guild challenge. It is the third in a series of ‘Colorblocks’ quilts.
This EPP Ball #6 is also finished, though not due until October.
As I said in the previous post these go together very quickly. I was able to stuff a couple of them at the same time.
Someone suggested I made smaller ones and I was reminded of the juggling balls set I made for my niece.
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.
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.
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.
**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.
I worked hard over the weekend to clear out some projects. My workroom and my brain was getting cluttered and I needed some space.
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.
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.
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.
More Tula on the inside – this time the tiny stripes in pink.
This is done and gifted and I am pleased.
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.
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.
I finished one of the quilts I received back from Colleen the other day, Diagonal 9 Patch #3.
The binding went on very smoothly. I have to remember not to use batiks on the back. I did on this one, but not much.
The baby for this quilt is due in October. I have to get on the Baby 2 Jacobs quilt, because that baby is due imminently.
The EPP Ball #4 is finished. I am pleased because the baby is due soon. I’ll have the quilt done as well by the time I need to send them off.
This is Enigma #5. I do like this pattern! I like the way it looks and how functional it is.
You don’t get to see the all the steps, because I have so much to write about and so much to sew that I am just posting the completed bag now.
Lil Sissy was admiring my Peony Enigma bag when she visited us in Portland. She didn’t ask for one, but I decided to make her one any way. Her birthday was July 26, so I had about a week to make it when I returned. I had a week or so in between everything else – niece’s wedding, YM visiting, etc.
I had to quilt the bottom and I am never happy about quilting, but I am pleased with how this quilting came out.
I used the same fabric I used for the Disco Double Zip pouch and the Percheron Pouch. This is great fabric for my sister as she loves Paris.
I made two of these at the same time. You will see the other one later. Making the same bag multiple times makes them go together faster, but also means I can pay attention to the details. I was able to select which side panel would work for the top and which would be better for the front without a lot of drama. Since I knew what to expect, I could think about the finer details.
I also found a good place for my label and was able to add it in the course of making the inside pocket.
The zipper end was a pain, but ending up coming out well.
I finally finished the knitted scarf I made from the Woodland Capelet yarn.
I ripped out the Woodland Capelet and decided to just make a scarf. I was not enjoying making the Woodland Capelet.
There was one yarn that was super fuzzy. The strands were not uniform and I had a hard time seeing the stitches. It really made this scarf (and the Woodland Capelet) unpleasant to knit.
I was going to put the scarf in the donation box, but Mom said that one of the ladies her church helps would like it, so I gave it to her.
After my last kit project, I am going to stick to scarves. I enjoy making scarves and don’t need challenging knitting projects when I have challenging quilt projects. I need relaxing knitting projects.
It is, at least, another project off my to do list.
I finally took some time on Mother’s Day to finish this pouch. It has been laying around for a few weeks. It was the perfect project for Mother’s Day. I got to sew AND I finished something.
This is the second one of this pattern I have made. It is a fairly easy project, though the turns on the curved end are tight. Again, I did some fussy cutting, which I think looks nice.
I know this isn’t exactly pink; it’s more peachy, but it does show the range of pinks. I am definitely in the “give me bright pink” like the Bluestem Pouch camp. Still, this is a nice soft look
I was also pleased that the gluing together part worked for me this time. I had a better idea of how to do it and I am sure that helped.
The other thing I did was to sew down the quarter marking areas. I did a few steps over the quarter marking to tack the various pieces in place, then I went around the whole pieces. That worked pretty well, though those curves are tight for my machine.
The inside looks like an inside.
I used a leftover zipper and one of the zipper pulls from Sew Hungry Hippie. I also forgot to put a label inside. Oh well.
I finished the Little Pyramid Pouches in the middle of last week.
I am pretty pleased with how they came out. The zipper instructions are exceptional and I am REALLY pleased with the zippers. Mary C did give me a little info, which helped me shorten the zipper
They are a little on the large side. I think I might try the small version even though Mary C said that size was hard to turn.
This project was a good opportunity to use some of my shorter zippers.I don’t use 6 or 8″ very often, but I have a fair number.
I think I would choose a solid or a tone-on-tone for the accent strip (currently ladybugs) in the future. I think it would highlight the main/exterior fabric.
Still, all the Tula fabric do coordinate so they don’t look awful or anything.
I pulled out some older fat quarters of dot fabrics for the interior of all of these pouches. I was glad to use some of them that have been hanging around for awhile.
The lining is a little baggy. There were no directions for using a larger seam allowance (though I could have missed them). I’ll have to check to see and then adjust for future versions.
This pattern also uses ribbon or sewn tabs and those came out really well also.
You can see the bit of ribbon at the top. I used the leftovers from another project.
This was a fun project. I am going to try the Petunia Pouch next.
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.