Tag: Other Artists

Random Quilt Stuff

I went out the other day and encountered some random quilt stuff. I wanted to share some things with you.

On-the-go-snack-case
On-the-go-snack-case

First, at the Granary, I saw some interesting patterns. I have Organizational items on the mind as that might be the theme of the guild’s next swap. (N.B. Click the ‘join here‘ button so you can participate, too!). I saw a couple of interesting ideas. I thought they would be a little different than the Desktop Cube type project I made recently.  One was a pouch for reusable silverware. I saw the larger one made up and it is a little on the large size, but the small size might be really useful.

Pockets to Go
Pockets to Go

Next, was the Atkinson Designs Pockets to Go** pattern. As you can see in the pattern, there are two sizes. The larger size looks like it would be great for a car trip or to corral personal items in a hotel room. Obviously, this would work very well for Sew Day. It is a little like a purse organizer for things other than purses.

The smaller size would fit very well on desks and next to sewing machines.

This is more like the Desktop Cube type project I made recently, but the handles and pockets make them a little more useful .

The larger size reminds me of the Oslo Tote I made for a swap several years ago.

Madelyn Bag panel
Madelyn Bag panel

Second, also at the Granary, Julie pointed out a tote bag kit where the fabric is a printed panel. The various pieces of the bag are printed on the panel and labeled. For example the long strips at the top are labeled ‘straps’. Sadly, there was no picture of the finished bag on this package. Still, this is a great idea for new bag makers or if you want to make a quick bag as a gift.

I had to go out and do some research to see if I could find out more about this product. I found the Quilt Trends site. On it was the following description “a 36” panel featuring Lazy Girl’s popular Runaround Bag pattern, you’ll be able to make two bags with this versatile panel. The pieces are printed, just cut them out. Basic directions are printed on this panel. If you would like a more complete pattern, the LGD Runaround Bag Pattern is available on this site.”

I also found out that the panel is part of the ‘Madelyn’ line of fabric from Joan Hawley. The site describes this fabric as “Madelyn is Joan’s latest collection for QT Fabrics. The Madelyn Collection is anchored by a Jacobean print in Joan’s 11 piece collection done in her signature colors of aqua and purple. Supporting fabrics contain florals, scallops, tossed leaves, geometrics and a stripe.”

Well, I am impressed that Joan or QT Fabrics thought a great panel to include would be a bag. Good work!

Axe Yamazaki sewing machine
Axe Yamazaki sewing machine

Third, from the MOMA is a fun little sewing machine called the Axe Yamazaki. I don’t think it is really that useful, but it is cute and I would love to take it for a test drive.

Again, I wandered around the Web and found the Axe Yamazaki website, which has better pictures of the machine. “This lightweight, only 4.6 Pounds,
cordless machine can be used anywhere.”  The machine’s size is given as 4.5″D x 11.5″W x 10.4″H. Cost is $168 and the machine comes with a cell phone stand.

 

 

 

 

 

**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.

Tim’s Donation Quilt

Tim's donation quilt
Tim’s donation quilt

Tim is getting his longarm back in order. In order to test it, he quilted this quilt, then handed it over to me to bind. I didn’t know he would do that, but I don’t mind.

He has had this quilt in his pile for a long time and doesn’t remember who made it. I think it is an interesting design.

I plan to cut off the excess back and use that for the binding. It’s small and shouldn’t take me that long. No fabric usage for me from this quilt.

Finished: Green Strips n.2

Finished: Green Strips #2
Finished: Green Strips #2

Friend Julie posted about binding Green Strips n.2. Someone else quilted it, possibly Laura, and Julie bound it.

I am glad to see it is done, especially since I only finished the top and back in about October.

The green drawer is still relatively empty, though I have a huge pile of unprocessed scraps on my cutting table, so I am sure that won’t last. I need to find some time to deal with them. Maybe Sew Day?

Sue’s Flying Geese

Sue said she made this while we were having our Sew Day. Sue was away for some of the Fall, but she misses us (and we miss her) when she is away. At least I do. 😉

Sue's Flying Geese
Sue’s Flying Geese

Some weeks ago, Gerre demoed the Quilt in a Day Flying Geese ruler. Sue had that ruler and a random FQ bundle she had on vacation, she went to work.

I don’t know how many of the rulers she had along, but using one can make more than one size.

Sue said she thought the ruler was good. She made FGs in sizes that didn’t match up easily, so she had to add pieces. She wasn’t sure she liked the colors, but found it to be a fun challenge.

Sue said that the piece ended up about 30×27.

I like the different sizes of the Flying Geese. I think that adds interest to a piece. The colors have an old fashioned sort of look – not 1930s, but maybe 40s? There is a flat, e.g. not shiny or textured, look to them, but the pink is definitely bubblegum.

The other thing I like is that she just went and played.

Go play! There is always more fabric.

More Ribbon Friendship Stars

Ribbon Friendship Stars - second batch
Ribbon Friendship Stars – second batch

I said I would make a few additional Ribbon Friendship Stars to make up where someone bailed out. I was supposed to make another 5, but only had the fabric for another four. I hope that is good enough, though I can whip up one on the special Sew Day next week if we need an extra.

Sister Quilt

Kelly's quilt
Kelly’s quilt

My youngest sister contacted me about buying a sewing machine. It turns out she broke her machine  ($100 Singer) free motion quilting! She is making a quilt! I am thrilled.

This looks like a baby quilt to me and I think it is an awesome first effort.

Kelly's quilt - detail
Kelly’s quilt – detail

I told her I was impressed by her attempts at free motion quilting. She told me that is what broke her machine.

I gave her some tips and she ended up with a used Brother Innovis NS80e. She got it from a  dealer who offers a 25 year warranty on the used machines they sell!

I am not familiar with that model, but looked it up. It has a lot of features and stitches for a starter machine. My niece is going great guns making projects from the One Yard Wonder book. I am pretty excited to have them both sewing.

Ribbon Friendship Stars

Ribbon Friendship Stars
Ribbon Friendship Stars

I made the blocks I promised to make for a group quilt. Most people are making 6 blocks, but I agreed to make more since I suggested making the quilt larger.

I am not a huge fan of the Friendship Star block in general. I like them smaller than 12 inches, which is why I made the Friendship Stars in Flying Around so small. I also like them better when combined in wreath format.

For this quilt, I liked the sentiment of the Friendship star and thought the addition of the ribbon (the green and the blue) was an interesting element. When I put all the blocks next to each other on the design wall, I though they looked great. It looks a little boring with just my blocks, but the group will use different red-violet fabrics for the centers and that will make the whole quilt more interesting.

These blocks are easy to make and would be great for a quilt for friends. I copied the design into EQ8 and created a pattern so you can make blocks for your friends, too. If you need a reminder of how to make Half Square Triangles, you use the Leah Day 2-at-a-time tutorial or my Triangle Technique (8-at-a-time HSTs) tutorial, if you are making a lot of blocks.

Julie is also making some of these blocks. She sewed a practice block, which I think is a good idea, even though I didn’t do it. She also has a great post about her process and the tools she used. I forgot about the Seams Easy marking tool, which I have, but always seem to forget about.

These are the blocks I agreed to make for the project, but I have more fabric, so I thought I would make more blocks so that the quilt can be bigger. We’ll see if I can get them done.

Pantone Blocks

Last Pantone blocks
Last Pantone blocks

 I finished work on  Friday and spent the weekend on some cleanup projects, one of which was the Pantone blocks.

I finally finished all the blocks for the Pantone Project. I am excited that I can start playing with the layout, especially after I saw what Friend Julie was doing on her design wall!

These have been hanging around my workroom for a few weeks now. Last weekend was really the first time in a few weeks I had uninterrupted time to sew. DH was out and the house was quiet so I could concentrate. Fortunately, except for one fabric, I had picked out all the fabrics previously so all I had to do was cut and sew. I did choose some of the easier blocks, but I tried to choose blocks I thought I could use in the overall quilt design. Now to just get these to Julie at some point soon.

Breakage by SueG

SueG’s entries were amazing! I didn’t know she entered so many projects into the Fair.

Breakage by SueG
Breakage by SueG

This is Breakage by one of my friends (and student). It is her own design and I am so proud of her. She won a ribbon at the Fair as you can see.

She said that she was able to make this quilt, because of what I taught her in the quilt class. That made me feel SOO good.

I have been wanting to write about her quilt, Breakage, for awhile and seeing it at the Fair meant that I could take a photo and then would be able to write about it.

One of the things I teach is that knowing all the techniques allows you to have the skills to not only design your quilts, but actually put them together. Sue knew how to sew and how to make quilts when she joined my class, but she has much more confidence now and is really making some amazing works. Breakage is just one of them.

Last Pantone Blocks in Process

Selecting Pantone block fabrics
Selecting Pantone block fabrics

I spent some time last week finding fabrics for my last group of Pantone blocks.

I don’t have any greens as dark as Deep Forest, so in the end, I just chose a black.

Most of the others I selected from older fabrics that I haven’t even looked at in awhile. I have one more fabric to select, but I have already cut the 4.5 inch squares. I have also started to make the blocks and will show those soon.

 

GNE Gives Back

GNE Gives Back
GNE Gives Back

My work spends a week every year giving back to the community. We raise money, work on projects and do a walk around campus to help those in the community. The company has provided over 180,000 volunteer hours in the last ten years. I was excited to be able to participate in three events this year.

Hygiene Kits
Hygiene Kits

One thing I did was put together hygiene kits.  You get a bag and you fill it with soap, shampoo, hand sanitizer, toothbrushes, etc. That is the easy part. The hard part is what to write in a card that will sound supportive and non-judgemental. I spent most of that hour working on the two cards. Filling the two bags took me about 5 minutes.

I used some construction paper to make the card and then I traced a stencil of the star as a start to the card. I added some additional decorations to try and make it look nicer.

The other project was ‘No Sew Blankets’. I really wanted to sew them, but I was a good girl and followed the directions. We had fun. I wasn’t with a group for this project so I was assigned to help another department and we worked together really well. We were able to finish two 96 in x 55 in blankets that will be donated to Bay Area Cancer Connections. BACC helps women with breast and ovarian cancer. I know how to make these blankets now so I can see making a few on my own, perhaps in a smaller size.

All of the activities were coordinated by Hands On Bay Area, an organization that connects organizations that need help with companies and organizations that want to help.

Children's Walk
Children’s Walk

For the first time I walked with everyone on the Children’s Walk. It was kind of slow because there were so many people, but I was with a group so we just chatted while we sauntered.

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood, so a good day for walking. I was glad to be able to help.

 

New Pantone Blocks from JZS

April Pantone Blocks
April Pantone Blocks

Along with garment sewing and a new bracelet, I also got some more Pantone blocks from Julie at Sew Day.

I have a stack of postcards to match and plan to do that this weekend. I owe her several and hope to bring them to the Retreat.

Pantone ideas - evolving
Pantone ideas – evolving

We are almost done making the blocks, then it will be time to put the quilt together. Perhaps I will use this design – or something like it – sooner than I think.