Saturday, September 24, 2011
Saturday's Quilting Job
Today I've been quilting Jess' baby quilt. I'm using my Mega Quilter and I just love it!! Baby quilts are fun to quilt because they are a manageable size. I can do up to a twin, but a twin can be trickier. This one just flows right through. I think the hardest part about free motion quilting is keeping your stitches the same size. I think if you go with a speed you are comfortable and take your time, most of the time that is possible. However, the beauty of handmade are the quirks that come from a human making your item. It's a pleasure that I'm grateful I can do! :) Do you notice the Trader Joe's peach boxes stacked? They make great project holders! What are you working on today??
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Teardrop Bag in Patchwork
I had a custom order for the Teardrop bag from Amy Butler in patchwork and adding a flap and inside zippered pocket. I was up for the challenge! Nellie wanted purples, pinks and blues and so we decided on Heirloom & Ginseng by Joel Dewberry, Innocent Crush by Anna Maria Horner & Flower Power from Jennifer Paganelli.. I cut 4 1/4" squares for the body and 4 1/2" squares for the strap. The trim piece along the top as well as the 'hips' are all Wilflowers fabric. I had a flap pattern I use for my diaper/wipes case and it was the perfect size~ it just needed to be a little longer, so I went with that. I put a magnetic button in the middle of the front pleat and the flap for closure. Inside Nellie wanted a zippered pocket, so I used the Mail Sack pattern~ (one of my all time favorite bag patterns) to construct that. The other side is a patchwork pocket that is divided. I'm really happy with the way it came out & I hope Nellie is too! :)
Saturday, September 17, 2011
New Ironing Board Cover & Iron
Here is the ironing area of my sewing room. I used a quilt rack with shelf above and had my husband modify it so that the bar hung lower so I could get fabric in and out easier. I either hang fabric to be ironed or fabric that has just been ironed on the bar. I store books and specific projects (my ongoing hexies) or supplies (scripture fabric) in the bins above. My daughter made the little bird that hangs on the peg. Finished purses and diaper bags will also hang from there until they get mailed out. My ironing board was in desperate need of recovering, so I used Jona's tutorial here . She has a great blog with lots of helpful info. Her blog link is on the sidebar. I used Velentina in cocoa from the new West Indies & solid brown for the string to go through. It was easy enough to make and pretties up that side of the room. To the right is the cutting table I blogged about previously. I've had so many irons I don't like and I finally found one I really like! It's a Rowenta Pro Master DW8080 that I purchased on Amazon. In reading many many reviews I found out that if you buy a Rowenta it needs to be made in Germany, not China for it to be reliable. The steam is awesome and the tank is bigger and lasts longer than my older irons. Hope it lasts! :)
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Wall Pocket
Well, my hours on flickr and pinterest have finally paid off! I've been seeing these wall pockets and realized that one of my sewing machines is located next to a wall and how cute would this be next to it to organize??? Speaking of cute, I was finally able to use my Sherbet Pips fabric because Aneela's fabrics are the definition of cute! The gingham is from Darla. Had to add the selvedge edge~ any opportunity to do so is fun in my opinion. Another hexagon glued on a framing nail (see previous post). This took less than an hour to make & now I feel even MORE organized in my sewing room!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
The Cutting Table and a Craft!
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Voila! You have a message board! |
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Use 1.5" strips after you peel off sticky adhesive |
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start with a blank canvas |
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hot glue roofing nail to the back of a hexagon for hanging |
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
West Indies Blankie
Had to play with my West Indies stack and came up with this baby blanket. Its almost like instant gratification with this size. The brown Chandler damask will be seen all over my home shortly. Just love that one! As you can see West Indies blends well with Jennifer's other fabric lines~ great for a fan like me! :) This one will be in the shop shortly.