Color Wheel Hackney

Color Wheel Hackney - Carrie
Color Wheel Hackney – Carrie

I finished my most recent class with my fabulous students, Sue and Carrie. I had planned to make them each a Hackney for Christmas with this great Carrie Bloomston fabric, but moved the gifts up to be ready for our end of class lunch last Sunday.

Color Wheel Hackney - Carrie
Color Wheel Hackney – Carrie

One of the reasons I chose this fabric is that it matches another pouch, the Boxy Clear Pouch, I made for them. the fabric is fun and cheerful despite the dark background. Because I can’t stop teaching, I also wanted a reminder to them to use their color wheel. 😉 Finally, this is great fabric. Doesn’t it look like an explosion of color?

 

Color Wheel Hackney - end (Carrie)
Color Wheel Hackney – end (Carrie)

This Hackney is like all the others. I have added a handle to this one and think that is a standard addition I will make to all the others I make. Having a handle is useful. I am not sure why Sara didn’t include one in the original directions. Perhaps the pattern is intended to go into a suitcase or something? Regardless, I think a handle is useful.

Color Wheel Hackney - interior (Carrie)
Color Wheel Hackney – interior (Carrie)

I am particularly pleased with the fussy cutting I did on the inside bottom. Don’t those pencils look great? I measured very carefully to get the whole pencil on the bottom and am thrilled with how successful I was.

I am still not 100% happy with the mesh pocket. I think it is useful, that is not in dispute, but the construction doesn’t appeal. The zipper tabs end up being too thick. I made a vinyl pocket on the Sugar Skull Hackney. I think it came out ok, but I wasn’t concerned about the final topstitching. My next test will be making pencil loops on the top. I’ll see how those come out.

Color Wheel Hackney - filled interior (Carrie)
Color Wheel Hackney – filled interior (Carrie)

I have put a few things in the bag including some Adagio tea.

 

Easter Pillowcases

Easter pillowcase 2023
Easter pillowcase 2023

As mentioned, I sewed all the remaining pillowcases at once when I made the Valentine’s Day pillowcases. I didn’t want to miss sending them out after the Valentine’s Day pillowcase debacle.

I bought this fabric at the Granary on my birthday. It isn’t exactly Easter-ish, but I thought it would be better for college boys. I didn’t want the pillowcases to be too girly.

Easter pillowcase 2023
Easter pillowcase 2023

I have to say that I am getting a little short of fabrics for cuffs. I have a few more nieces and nephews going to college in the next few years, so I guess I have time to stock up.

The boys seem to appreciate getting something in the mail. I am not sure how they feel about pillowcases exactly.

Finished Pointillist Palette #4

Finished: Pointillist Palette #4
Finished: Pointillist Palette #4

I also finished Pointillist Palette #4. Another finish feels like an embarrassment of riches.

I finished 5 quilts last year, but they felt really hard won. So far this year, I have finished, really finished, 3 quilts and a table runner.

This quilt is 56×56 inches. I forgot to add the size to the back, which will annoy me into the future, I am sure.

You can read more about the series on the Pointillist Palette series page.

Finished Orange You Glad

Finished: Orange You Glad
Finished: Orange You Glad

I finally finished Orange You Glad’s sleeve. It took forever considering I got the quilt back from Colleen in February.  The real problem was that I put off making the sleeve for awhile. I know I should have made when I finished the quilt, but I didn’t.

This quilt doesn’t look square, but apparently it is. It is 63×63 inches.

I am pleased to have another finish.

Finished: 2-in-1 Case #2

2-in-1 Case #2- closed
2-in-1 Case #2- closed

I finished the second 2-in-1 Case pretty quickly and this one looks good enough to give as a door prize. The first one was a good learning experience.

Yes, I am using a lot of that coneflower fabric lately. I like it despite the brown in the print. I am not sure what is so appealing about it to me.

This time, you can see that I was much more careful and attentive to the closure. I thought about using one with a pointy tip, but decided against it in the end. There is a pattern for a project with the pointy tip closure in the book**, but I thought I would try it a different time. I was on a bit of a deadline and didn’t want to mix up the process until I had gotten it right.

2-in-1 Case #2 interior
2-in-1 Case #2 interior

I used the same interior fabric, as mentioned. I thought it looked nice and it was on my cutting table, so why not?

I used longer zippers this time, as I said I would. I know I said I might use even longer zipper next time. I don’t think the project needs the zipper stop. also, I like to being able to get the zipper head as close as possible to the binding. I think it looks better.

As before, I used some foam to give it a little more heft. I wonder if that makes the pouch less useful? I wonder if the recipient can put in fewer items, because the pouch has more structure?

2-in-1 Case #2 exterior
2-in-1 Case #2 exterior

I am pleased with the binding. I think less contrast looks better.

So, another project finished and this one has been sent off to Carrie for the door prize assembly for the guild.

New I Spy Pouch Start & Finished

I Spy pouch #7
I Spy pouch #7

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.

2-in-1 Case Completed

2-in-1 Case #1 Finished
2-in-1 Case #1 Finished

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
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.

St. Patrick’s Day Pillowcases

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!

Finished: BAMaQG IRR

Finished: BAMQG IRR
Finished: BAMQG IRR

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)
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.

 

Sugar Skull Hackney

Yes, I am definitely on a Hackney kick.

Sugar Skull Hackney
Sugar Skull Hackney

This one is an International Women’s Day gift for Gerre.

This is the fourth one I have made and I plan to make a few more. I have made them all in the large size. I could make the smaller sizes; I just haven’t yet. For some reason I like making these as gifts.

Sugar Skull Hackney interior
Sugar Skull Hackney interior

I used the same lining fabric as I used for the Skeleton Hackney. It is a good lining fabric. I haven’t used it as a background as it is pretty dynamic and doesn’t fade into the background like other fabrics.

I did the pocket a little differently, too. I made a vinyl pocket using the Glitter vinyl from Sew Hungry Hippie. There was a little bit of a problem sewing the turning opening closed, but not much. Some of that could have been from forgetting to use a 3/8 inch seam allowance on the top.

Sugar Skull Hackney handle
Sugar Skull Hackney handle

I also added a handle to this one and remembered not to sew through the lining! It was much easier to put the whole thing together.

I put a few small gifts and a card inside. I hope she likes it.

I try to make sets of things using the same fabric, but I have very little of the Sugar Skull fabric left. I thought the dots coordinated well.

Another Pink Journal

Another Pink Journal cover
Another Pink Journal cover

I had some bits of made fabric in my pink scrap drawer and they were getting in the way of me making new donation blocks. I decided to make another journal cover. The project also served as a palate cleanser after I finished another project.

This version isn’t as long as the tutorial demands. Basically, I was lazy and it works fine as is. There won’t be as much security if I were to put things in the cover, but this is a journal from 2009 and I don’t think I will be taking it off the shelves that often.

Another Pink Journal cover - back
Another Pink Journal cover – back

I took the opportunity to look through it. I saw a lot of studies for the Creative Prompt project. Those made me smile. I liked doing those drawings. It was a great thing to do while I waited for the YM.

This one includes some fun fabrics.

I am out of practice making them so there was quite a bit of ripping at the assembly stage. The inside doesn’t look that great, but it doesn’t matter.

Valentine’s Pillowcases

Valentine's Pillowcases
Valentine’s Pillowcases

Well, the Valentine’s pillowcases didn’t happen on time. I went to Hancock’s of Paducah early in January and bought Valentine’s fabric – some really nice chocolate box fabric that was okay for college boys. It turns out that Hancock’s does not even, apparently, look at your order for two weeks.  Soon after, when I was in Portland, I got an email saying that most of the fabric I ordered was out of stock, including the Valentine’s Day fabric.

By this time, it was about a week before February started, so I cancelled most of the order and tried to decide what to do. Finally, went to the Hart’s of Santa Cruz online shop. I found the chili pepper fabric, which is, at least, red. I received the package the next day. Still, I had a lot to do and some weekends out of town in February, so the pillowcases didn’t get made in time for celebrating. I sent them along this week with the St. Patrick’s Day pillowcases. They got some socks and chocolates for Valentine’s Day.

Finished: The Lobster

Lobster tablerunner
Lobster tablerunner

I know I finished pretty fast considering the quilts were returned to me not that long ago, but, yes, I finished the Lobster. It is now on my dining room buffet protecting the surface. It also brightens up the space.

I want to use it for the July timeframe, but I still have so few non-holiday tablerunners that I will use it for awhile and then switch it out for another. I guess I need to work on tablerunners for all the holidays like I made napkins for many holidays.

Finished: Hand Bone Hackney

Hand Bone Hackney - top
Hand Bone Hackney – top

I made another Hackney. It is a gift for a friend. As you can, no doubt, see this one also uses the Timeless Treasures fabric that I used for the Skeleton Hackney.

Hand Bone Hackney bottom
Hand Bone Hackney bottom

I talked about this one in another post. I am really liking the pink zipper, of which you just get a slight glimpse. It is a fun addition to the somber skeleton fabric.

Every time I make one of these, I feel like getting a Switch and seeing if it would really fit in here. Stupid waste of money since I probably wouldn’t play with a Switch. Still, I am curious.

Hand Bone Hackney -interior
Hand Bone Hackney -interior

I used an older Joel Dewberry fabric for the inside and it is cheerful. I am making another one as a gift and I am going to change the mesh pocket for something different. Maybe a vinyl pocket?

I think the mesh pocket looks ok and I did a good job. There is something about having the zipper where it is that bugs me.

Hand Bone Hackney - handle
Hand Bone Hackney – handle

I added a handle, because I think it makes the bag more useful. I haven’t quite figured out the placement and I think this one is a little too tight. It was a little hard to get my hand around it. I also sewed through the lining as well and that caused some challenges for later steps in the process. Since the handle isn’t part of the pattern and I have to add it before the whole thing is put together, I think I am doing ok. I’ll do better next time.

NYE Napkins

New Year's Napkins
New Year’s Napkins

I had some leftover fabric after making the New Year’s pillowcases for the nephews. Since I’d still like to have napkins for every holiday, I decided to make some New Year’s napkins. I had just enough to make two napkins, which is enough for us, but no guests.

NYE Napkins
NYE Napkins

I don’t know when I bought this fabric, but it has been awhile. I picked out some fun backing fabrics and whipped these up pretty quickly. We used them right after I made them and I am pleased.