Completed Project! – Page 21 – Artquiltmaker Blog

Finished: Sewing Machine Cozy

I have been thinking (and, perhaps, also talking about) making a cover for my sewing machine for a long time. Last Friday was the day! I took one extra day off work and made the long weekend really long. I got a ton done and was able to rest a bit. I didn’t feel so exhausted when I went back to work.

I buy some large pieces of fabric if I think I will make a bag from the fabric. I don’t like piecing together bits and pieces to make a bag. The Philip Jacobs Japanese Chrysanthemum print I used was one such piece. I was going to make a bag, but I really like it and thought I wouldn’t mind looking at it all the time as a sewing machine cover.

I used a pattern from Strawberry Patches. I had a hard time understanding the pattern, so I also printed the post where she talked about making the cozy and showed pictures. The pattern is fine; my brain just didn’t understand how to make the thing without pictures. I do appreciate people posting tutorials like this, which is part of the reason I post tutorials, too. Have you see the AQ Tutorials? Someday I’ll optimize them for printing.

The pattern provides measurements for some Bernina machines, but also tells the maker how to measure your own machine, which is what I did. The one thing I should have done is compared the measurements for the lining and the outside. The author suggests that you do those measurements separately, but I think they need to be similar in size. Mine were similar, but not exactly the same and I found the outside was larger once I was ready to sew the lining to the outside. I put some tucks in it, which I wouldn’t do for a gift, but I consider it a lesson for the future.

I am not sure why the author had pockets on the pattern, but I put them in. The Michael Miller turquoise dot makes me happy. Now I can keep the dust off my machine.

Two More JMTs

August 1 marks the beginning of the long slow slide to Christmas for me. I know you are running away and screaming ACK! when you hear that (except for those of you who don’t celebrate and are just sitting back and laughing right now), but it is true. I am working away on gifts for Christmas after learning that it is much better to get them done early rather than staying up until the crack of dawn on the 23rd. I am not as organized as Quiltin’ Jenny, but I am getting better!

I finished two more of the Jane Market Totes over the long weekend. I made some progress while my main machine was in the shop since it doesn’t matter much about consistent seam allowances (between machines) on these bags.

I know they look the same. I used all the same fabrics for the outsides, but they really are two different bags. I have 4 more to make. I inadvertently counted Grama’s Birthday gift as one of the Christmas gifts. Oops!

I also remembered to box the corners on these, which I am really happy about. Not sure why I had the mental block on that, but, perhaps it is over?

Little Wallets

I started the purple wallet before Christmas last year to give as a gift, but never finished it. I finally got another package of snaps and finished it. I am a little short on handwork right now, so it made sense. It will be a gift, but for whom, I don’t know.

The Skull wallet goes with the Jane Market Tote bag I gave to Lil Sissy. Poor girl. I gave her her gifts over a month rather than all at once, nicely wrapped on the day. All I can say is that I hope the dribs and drabs method made the day last longer.

That is not one of my new, cool Photoshop Elements backgrounds. That is trying to get rid of the background and running out of time to figure out what I was doing wrong. It looks pretty cool, I think. I tried to center some interesting motifs on the inside, so when she opened it, she would see some skeletons. Hope she likes it.

By the way, this pattern is good for bus passes! I saw one made with a loop and clip on it, which I thought was a good modification.

Finished: Skull Bag

Last year on my trip down to Long Beach, one of the many fabric stops we made was at Hart’s Fabrics in Santa Cruz. In case, I didn’t mention it back then, it is a great store. Great service, lots and LOTS of great fabric, indie patterns, notions, laminated cottons, embellishments, everything a girl could want.

While there, I saw some skull fabric that was sort of a canvas or home dec fabric, but smooth and not really heavy. I thought I might have trouble sewing it, but the print was so great I knew my sister would love a bag made from it. I intended to make it for Christmas, as her birthday had passed by the time I got home from the trip. Didn’t do it. The fabric sat and stared at me.

Sharona, owner of New Pieces and solver of all problems point out the skull toile to me when I was in the shop a few weeks ago. Suddenly this project came together. I made the bag in a few hours. Now I just have to grab Lil Sissy so I can give it to her.

Finished: Zig Zaggy Quilt

I find this to be an odd quilt. It was a fun challenge to put together, but it looks so out of place with all of my other quilts. I like it, but don’t know what to do with it.

Nota Bene: my quilt hanger said that this is about the largest quilt he can hold for me. I suggested he train The Young Man and they work in tandem for larger quilts.

Really Finished Bag

You might remember this bag from the end of 2010. I finished it, but wasn’t really happy with the way it came out. For some reason, I couldn’t move on from it, so a few months ago, I ripped out the straps and then left it to languish. Yesterday evening, I redid the button loop and redid some of the top stitching. Then today, I finished the top stitching and sewed on a different button. It isn’t perfect, but I am much happier with the result. Before I was a little embarrassed that I had made the bag and now I don’t mind saying that I made it.

After finishing Stars for San Bruno #2, I feel like I have a little bit of brainspace. I feel like I can do a few small finishing projects. I need to piece some batting. I need to make a binding. I need to make sure the back for SfSB#2 is large enough (mom made it before she went on vacation and before I had finished the top), etc. There are those things that I would assign to an assistant, if I were a fancy enough quiltmaker to have an assistant. Since I don’t, I’ll just do it since I am in the right frame of mind.

Have a great weekend!

Finished: Stars for San Bruno #1!!

Yes, I really did it! I made the first quilt in this series and it is finished. I have brought it around to CQFA and BAMQG and shown the contributors in those groups. I want as many people as possible who contributed blocks to see it before I give it to DH’s cousin.

Now I have to call the cousins and arrange to bring the quilt. I am nervous, since I don’t know them that well. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Nota bene: the Block-a-long will return next week.

Finished: FOTY 2010

Yes, Fabric of the Year 2010 is finished. I took it to the photographer today so that it can be professionally photographed before it goes to the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles Show. This is not a great picture, because the quilt is too large for my quilt holder (DH) to hold it out straight. I will replace it when the professional photos come back.

Finished: More Pillows

These pillows have been languishing in my fabric closet for so long they weren’t even on my WIP list. They were yelling at me very loudly on Saturday after I finished the Teacher Pillows. I was inclined to work on them since they were taking up valuable floor space in my fabric closet.

The class I took at the Sewing Workshop was called Simply Pillows and Linda Lee taught the class. I took the class in 1999. Most people didn’t piece their pillows, but since I was enamored with quiltmaking I decided to piece my pillows. We learned to do piping and the striped piping on the pillow above was already done when I took the pieces out of the bag on the weekend. I had to sew one seam and I was done. It is pathetic that I let this project languish for so long.

Actually, I was kind of surprised that I took the class in 1999, because I thought for sure I had taken it when I lived closer, but the dates are in my handwriting on the folder. Very strange.

The hourglass pillow did not finish as intended. I put on some piping, which was in the bag of supplies. I found out that the back wouldn’t fit, because, apparently, I needed to trim the front of the pillow before adding the piping. I took off the piping and just sewed the back to the front and called it done.

Enough pillows already!

Finished: Teacher Pillows 2011

Whenever I finish the Teacher Pillow Project, I always feel a little sad. This is even after ripping half my hair out and spending way more time than I wanted in the process. Crazy, I know.Somehow the end result of a little pile of pillows is wonderful. And this is the last year I am doing this. The Young Man goes to high school next year and, except for special occasions or for special recognition, I am resolved to not make this many pillows again. (I know you are thinking “Famous Last Words.” Stop thinking that!)

This year I had 5 pillows to make, but decided, as I talked about yesterday, to also make a pillow for the Art Teacher, leaving me with a total of 6 pillows to make.

I made a Greek Cross (pg.72) block for the 8th grade Religion Teacher.

The Science Teacher got a Big T (pg.37) block. Do you like the label? It is an exploding test tube. The Young Man’s goal of blowing something up in science class has not yet been achieved.

Art will receive a Martha Washington Star (pg.85). I really like the back that the Young Man did for her. Very appropriate, I think.

The Social Studies and Reading Teacher will also receive a Martha Washington Star. Look familiar? I was feeling uninspired. Now I think I should have made the block red, white and black, but I am not remaking it. I don’t know what the back means. Perhaps an inside joke?

2011 English/Literature Teacher Pillow back

English and Literature received a basket block pillow last year and she will receive the above Grape Basket (pg.71) this year. The fabrics and colors goes with the block I made last year. This basket block was a bit of pain. I have made a number of basket blocks and this one went together very strangely. When I had finished putting it together, I looked at it and thought that I would have done it differently, had I known.

The Math teacher will receive a Free Trade block (pg.67). see a theme here with the Sawtooth Star variations? Again, I was uninspired. The fabrics go with some I used last year. Hope she likes pink. The back depicts Pi out to a lot of digits.

In years past, I have also given the Resource teacher a pillow, but this year she is getting a quilt.

Nota bene: All the blocks are from a book called Around the Block. It is out of print, but has been been reprinted with v.2 and v.3 in a book called 501 Rotary-Cut Quilt Blocks. Very worthwhile purchase. I would have a hard time living without this book.

Finished: Frosted Stars Leftovers

The last time you saw this quilt was after Thanksgiving.

Last night I finished the binding while watching Oceans 12 and now it is ready to go off to its new home. I am not ready for it to go off yet, because I will wait for the end of the school and give it then. I decided I am going to go and get several large gift bags (no, I am not making them, though I probably should) and just start filling them up with quilts and Teacher Pillows. The thought of having a bunch of gifts to wrap at the end of the year makes me crazy.

I have to admit that I have never gotten over the feeling that the quilting will ruin the look of my piecing. It turns out that I am really pleased with the quilting. Colleen did more feathers, which I love. She also paid special attention to the various borders – no all over patterns for me. The other thing that is making the finishing of these various quilts much easier is giving her the binding and having her sew it on. I can just bring it home and start working on the binding right away. Wonderful.

I decided that I should take a photo of the back, so I asked my quilt holder to turn the quilt around. You get a lovely view of the back:

I like using the leftover fabric as the back, as I have said before. I prefer to use larger pieces, as I discussed when I was talking about making the back for FOTY 2010. Two panels were included in this group of fabrics. I thought it was a little odd looking, but one of them works for the back.

Finished: Purple Quilt

Here is the full quilt. I only showed part of it before, because it was too large to photograph in the space I had. I am going to make a second version in different fabrics with a few changes.

I wanted to get this one done so I could send it off, but didn’t get it done in time, so it will have to wait for the new owner to get home.

Finished: It’s a Merry & Bright Wrap

It's a Merry & Bright Wrap Finished! — It’s a Merry & Bright Wrap Finished!

I really finished this in December, but never got around to taking a photo. Here it is in all of its glory. It will be a gift. This is a pattern from Sandy Gervais called It’s a Wrap. Someone thought the packages looked like elephants.

The last post about this project talks about selecting the border.s

Sugar Pop CC

I still have a bit of handsewing to do, but I want to bring this to the meeting this weekend, so I am considering it done. 😉 As Margi says: My quilt, my rules.

This is a great pattern. Once I sat down, focused and stopped with my own creative drama, it really came together.

I know now why one should use the fusible fleece. It is much stiffer and makes the bag stand up very well. This one is a little floopier than my first Chubby Charmer. My closet is a bit emptier because I used batting I already had.

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