Gifts – Page 18 – Artquiltmaker Blog

Quilt Babies

Lynette recently flew to Zurich and then traveled to France and some other places. She was kind enough to take two quilts with her for the children of friends.

You might remember the BAMQG Color Round Robin? i started the piece in May of 2013.Kathleen and Rhonda both worked on, but I don’t know if anyone else worked on it.

This was one of the quilts I sent off to Austria. Anja is now the proud owner of this small piece. She is about 3.

Her brother, Lukas, received the Sealife quilt. I worked a lot on this one at the 2018 BAM Retreat.

It took awhile for me to get these quilts to Europe and it turned out to be the perfect time. Lukas and Anja also got a new baby sister a few weeks before, so these quilts ended up being their Baby Gifts.

Their new sister is called Laura (pronounced LOW -rah -with the OW being pronounced like an owie not like oh). Lukas is now outnumbered.

The way I send quilts to friends in Europe is I beg a traveling friend to stick a quilt (or 2) in their luggage and then visit a post office once they get to the EU. I put the quilts in one of those vacuum seal bags and suck as much air out of the bag as humanly possible. By doing this, I can usually save $70 on postage. I am pretty sure the post office wouldn’t like this if they knew, but I am not telling. 😉 I have another large quilt to send and I don’t know yet who will be the lucky courier.

Pillowcase-palooza

Nine Pillowcases - August 2019 — Nine Pillowcases – August 2019

I went on a binge of pillowcase making over the weekend. I had several pieces of fabric I had purchased for pillowcases. Somehow they had never risen high enough on the list, but this past weekend was the time.

I needed some quick finishes. I have been working hard on Flying Around, but it slow going and I just needed to finish something. I know I finished the Jelly Roll Rug recently, but that didn’t really feel like a finish somehow.

The YM gets a new pair (tacos). His new roommates each get one (taco, Mexican food cuff). A niece and nephew each get a pair and I will keep the turquoise dotted one for myself. I love that chocolate fabric.

Arty Flapper Apron Finished!

I finished the Flapper Apron for my mom. This is the project I started at Sew Day with Gerre and then worked on at the most recent BAM Sew Day.

I spent a few hours on Sunday finishing it up. Now I can show it at the BAM meeting in a few weeks and give it to my mom after she returns from Portland.

This is a pattern you can use with a yard of fabric. You cut the pattern out on the bias. The biggest attraction is that you only *need* one yard of fabric to make it. I usually make the apron reversible, which takes 2 yards. I like to give myself a little breathing room with 1.25 yards on each side. Still, the pattern is designed for one yard of fabric.

Paint Tube Flapper Apron - reverse side — Paint Tube Flapper Apron – reverse side

The pattern directions say nothing about directional fabric. When I made my youngest SIL’s apron the fabric was directional. I decided not to pay attention to the fabric motif and just made the apron. The motif is at an angle, but SIL didn’t complain. On my mom’s version, I wanted the paint tubes to go up and down. Gerre helped me look at the different options for cutting it out. I was concerned about the bias, but since this is an apron, I decided not to care too much.

I did notice when I was finishing it that the edges are all, now, on the bias. For an apron, who cares? For other types of garments, I wouldn’t make this choice. Also, I top stitched all around the edge, so the bias shouldn’t be an issue.

Read about this pattern on the first post I wrote about it. Long term readers will know that I have made several of these aprons. You can see all the aprons I have made, including several from this pattern, using the tag.

Casserole Carrier Returns

I received a casserole carrier from Sue at the 2017 BAM Winter Extravaganza. I haven’t had much of an opportunity to use it, but I did at Sew Day with Gerre.

Nobody in my house is particularly fond of cornbread. I enjoy it. Sometime ago I found out that Gerre loves cornbread. Now when we get together, I make cornbread.

At our last Sew Day, I was in a rush, because my previous tasks had taken longer than expected, so the cornbread came out of the oven right before I planned to leave. I didn’t want to wait for it to cool. I wanted to GO. Then I remembered the casserole carrier! I hadn’t used the pan that came with it, but I tried it anyway. The pan I used was a little small, but the velcro on the carrier was adjustable, so it worked great.

I was thrilled. Gerre was impressed and I was very thankful to Sue!

This came up because AllPeopleQuilt have a casserole carrier pattern available in this month’s newsletter. I am sure you can find others, too, if you don’t like the one they provide. I think you will use it, if you make one.

I saw some very nice, but inexpensive casserole pans/dishes at Tuesday Morning a few days ago, if you need one.

Another Flapper Apron

The other day I went and sewed with Gerre. A number of small projects and small elements on larger projects, have been bugging me. I brought a number of those things with me and made good progress.

One project was the Flapper Apron I promised to make for my mom. This is a real garment sewing project, so I had to lay out the tissue and prepare to cut.

One of the things I like about this pattern is that you can lay the fabric out, folded on the bias, lay the pattern pieces out and cut them all from 1 yard of fabric. If you want a reversible apron, you need two yards. Still that is a lot of bang for your fabric buck.

Gerre and I tried a lot of different things to get the paint tubes on the fabric to line up straight on the fabric. We couldn’t figure it out. We decided that since it was an apron, it would probably be ok to not cut it on the bias. If have more fabric if I need to remake it. I am doing it this way so the motifs are oriented properly.

Sadly, there was no information on the pattern focusing directional fabric. The directions are complete, but brief.

Flapper Apron for Mom-preparing to cut with challenges

Folding the fabric lengthwise parallel with the selvedge posed some challenges. One challenge is that the whole piece is on the straight of the grain. I figured that, since it is an apron, it will probably be fine. I did put the tie on the bias to enhance tying. The motifs will not be straight, but I think that will be fine.

The larger problem is that the folded fabric is not wide enough for the whole pattern. I plan to add some small pieces on, matching as best I can.

I suppose nothing is simple.

Pillowcases Gift

Gerre's Pillowcases - February 2019 — Gerre’s Pillowcases – February 2019

I also made my friend some pillowcases in addition to the journal and tote.

She enjoys Dia de los Muertos motifs. I hope these are not too ghoulish for her.

As usual, I didn’t have enough of one pink to use for the cuffs so these cuffs are different. Perhaps my friend will enjoy one over the other?

Classmates Tote Gift

Gerre's Classmates Tote — Gerre’s Classmates Tote

I decided to make another Classmates tote for my friend’s birthday. I didn’t mail it until Monday, so I hope she has it by now and the surprise won’t be ruined.

This one went a lot more smoothly than the first one. I learned different things this time, such as color placement. I am thinking I will make one to contain all of my random suitcase flotsam. I meant to see if it all would fit before I sent off the bag, but didn’t do it.

Gerre's Classmates Tote- open — Gerre’s Classmates Tote- open

I went through the pattern and marked the cutting chart up so I would know what I was cutting, which would help me with color/ fabric placement. My plan worked very well.

One thing that sent me over the edge in liking this project is the number of pockets. I knew as I was making it that I would get a lot of pockets, but I found, once I put the whole thing together, that there were even more pockets than I thought. This turned out to be because when I put the pockets I had made separately on the lining, additional pockets were created. The bonus pocket behind the center zippered pocket could hold a 6×6 inch ruler! Or nearly.

Gerre's Classmates Tote- outside cover, open — Gerre’s Classmates Tote- outside cover, open

I am pretty thrilled with how this one came out. I worked really hard and did my best work. The one thing I would change is the binding. It looks great on the inside, but doesn’t go very well with the ice cream fabric. I am not sure what I would use. I might need to change the linking to go better with the outside. I wanted to make sure the piece was cheerful, which is why I chose the lining fabric. I also wanted to use the ice cream fabric so this bag would go with the sewing machine mat and other items I have made for her. I thought it would be segregated enough to not matter, but I didn’t thinking about the binding and how that would united the outside with the lining.

Gerre's Classmates Tote- partially open — Gerre’s Classmates Tote- partially open

I think I would also change the handle a bit. I think it would be good to add a little padding to it. I am not sure my machine could make it through an additional layer of padding.

I am pleased with how the lobster clip and ring line up. That was a concern on the first one and this effort came out perfectly.

Journal Cover Gift

Gerre's Journal Cover — Gerre’s Journal Cover

My friend had a birthday yesterday. I have been telling her – well strongly suggesting that writing in a journal would help her work out some issues. Thus, this is my “put your money where your mouth is” gift to her.

I rummaged through my white scrap bin to make this journal cover. I was going for cheerful and light to counteract the grey weather we have been having. I really tried hard to get that castle fabric (upper left) on the front, but didn’t quite make it.

Gerre's Journal Cover with front cover open — Gerre’s Journal Cover with front cover open

Since I have been making Gerre a few things recently with the ice cream fabric, I wanted to include some in this journal cover as well. I put it on the inside as it didn’t go very well with my light and cheerful look.

Gerre's Journal Cover with back cover open — Gerre’s Journal Cover with back cover open

I haven’t made a journal cover in a while. The last one was dark blue and made in 2017. I have been sing a different kind of journal that doesn’t work with these covers, thus I haven’t needed a new one. I still like these Miquelrius journals. They have great paper and ink dries on it quickly. I am just more enamored with the Leuchtturm journals at the moment. I like hte rounded edges and the colors. The Leuchtturm journals also fit in my handbag, which is an added bonus.

Gerre's Journal Cover back cover — Gerre’s Journal Cover back cover

I had fun putting this cover together. I used a number of scraps from the EPP half hexie project and even some scraps from the City Sampler.

I had a hard time sewing it as there were so many seams along the edge, so I ripped the last seams out a couple of times. It isn’t perfect, but I hope she won’t notice. That edge is tricky.

I did get a nice compliment from Angela who has used the journal cover tutorial to make covers for other types of journals. She said it was her favorite journal cover tutorial. 🙂

Gerre's Journal Cover -whole cover, open and face down — Gerre’s Journal Cover -whole cover, open and face down

Quilty Birthday

No, my birthday is not in February, but I didn’t have a chance to show off my gifts until now. I am not trying to make anyone jealous.

It was a pretty big quilty birthday, which is not always the case. I got a new cutting mat. I have smaller cutting mats that go with me when I travel or participate in Sew Day. The mat I use in my workroom, however, is the one I got when I started making quilts more than 30 years ago! It was time for an upgrade and I am using and loving the new one. It does make a difference.

I received some new Tula dots. I’ll have to figure out something fabulous to make with them.

I also got a number of new project totes, which is great! I really like putting my projects in totes and keeping everything together. This little tote (right) fits charm squares. Not sure how I will use it, but will figure something out.

I haven’t tried everything out, but am slowly working my way through all the new stuff. I am so fortunate to have such great friends. It was so nice get things related to my passion.

Maureen’s Pincushion

In order to add a gift to Maureen’s bag, I made her a pincushion. Unlike the bag, the pincushion went together very smoothly. I had some of the pieces and parts from my last round of pincushion making on the cutting table. They weren’t crappy, just unused.

I picked out some other scraps from the unsorted pile on my cutting table and came up with a great selection. I am pleased with how it looks and don’t think it looks thrown together or disjointed at all.

Maureen's pincushion-with clips — Maureen’s pincushion-with clips

I saved time by not using selvages for the back. I just used a piece of the batik. As usual, I filled it with a combination of wool roving and Beanie Baby pellets.

I hope she likes it.

Maureen’s Bag

Maureen is stepping down from her role as Supreme Leader of CQFA. I decided that we needed to give her a gift, so I organized the bag gift that I do at BAM.

Maureen's Jane Market Tote — Maureen’s Jane Market Tote

I got started on it kind of late, so the bag I made is a simple Jane Market Tote. I thought I had some African Fabric, which Maureen would have liked, but I have been cleaning out my fabric bins and that must have gone to a better home in a recent purge.

The project didn’t go super smoothly. I had to rip out the whole thing once I had sewn the outside and lining together and done the topstitching. Sigh. Somehow the linking was way too large and was sagging on the inside. I couldn’t live with it, so I ripped it all out. I had to trim the lining and then sew it all back together. It wasn’t terrible, but not ideal either. I think I must have turned the lining the wrong way when I boxed the corners. Hopefully, I will remember to check next time!

The members will bring notes and gifts with which to fill the bag.

Gift Post #9: Juggling Balls

You have seen a few posts about these juggling balls in the past few weeks. Well, I finally finished them. I didn’t get them done in time to give them to my niece for Christmas, but oh well. I am still pretty pleased with the way they came out and I am thinking about making another set.

As previously mentioned, I got the idea for the balls from All Points Patchwork, a comprehensive guide on English paper piecing. I wrote a review about it recently.

I didn’t want to just hand over 3 balls, so I looked for a bag to make in which they could be stored. Quickly, I remembered the drawstring bag by Jeni Baker of In Color Order. I found the tutorial, but after working through it a little I found some missing information. After some investigation I was forwarded to another version of the tutorial. In fairness, Baker sells a pattern for this drawstring bag with several size variations. I believe I bought it at one point, but wasn’t able to put my hands on the pattern quickly. The size (approx 10.5″ x 8.5″) in the tutorial was fine for my purposes. Perhaps a little big, but fine.

I had a bunch of the mini-charm packs of Prairie by Moda, which is what I used to make the juggling balls. I used more of them to make the bag with a Barbara Jones peach dot print for the accent and the lining. I am not sure I would make patchwork again for the bag, though if I had some orphan blocks I might use them. It would be quicker and more elegant to use two or three fabrics. Still, what I made is kind of cheerful.

Gift Post #8: Pillowcases

I started out making these for the YM. Then I decided that I would give them to my cousin (he is a few years older than the YM and more like a nephew) instead. I don’t usually get an acknowledgement of gifts I send, so I have no idea whether or not he liked them. *I* like them and that is what is important to me.

I put the cuff on the wrong way on one of the pillowcases. I had no idea there was a right way and a wrong way on that shark fabric, so he probably won’t notice.

The Friday Creativity posts will return soon.

Gift Post #7, Apron n.5

Dee's Apron - Christmas 2018 — Dee’s Apron – Christmas 2018

This is the last apron I made from the marathon of cutting I did at Sew Day way back in August.

It took me time to make them all, but repetition is good for projects like this.

SIL #1 is also a Cal fan and a Cal graduate who attends football games regularly. She got the last of my Cal fabric.

Dee's Apron, front - Christmas 2018 — Dee’s Apron, front – Christmas 2018

I learned that the pattern prevents the maker from laying out directional fabric in a certain orientation, but I am ok with the logo being on the diagonal when it is worn.

The front looks good and I hope it won’t show the dirt.

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