Drawstring Lunch Bag

While P and a friend were working on their own sewing project this afternoon, I made this super cute drawstring lunch bag using this tutorial.I used the Little Red Kokka print I got at Brenda's yesterday and some coordinating fabrics from my stash. I love that I used some of those OLD prints and made a little room for some new fabric.The bag has a drawstring top and is lined with the darker red fabric that is also used in the top band.

Miss P is quite happy with it. She has always struggled to eat a good lunch at school so, maybe she will happier to eat her lunch away from home if she gets to take it in a cute bag.

This bag design is quite versatile; it would also be great for carrying hand sewing or knitting projects.

Twinkling Stars

I've had a lot of interest in and questions about the Twinkling Stars quilt recently. I thought it would be helpful to collect all of the posts I made while making it and put them in one place. I'm also including a link here in the tutorial section on the blog sidebar so you can find it easily.

The three inch finished stars are made using Gwen Marston's liberated piecing technique.  The base pieces for the stars are all cut as 1 1/2 inch squares. The centers are a variety of bright prints and the star points are all solids.  There are 162 stars set in an alternating checkerboard design. The background is Kona snow. The outer border is nine inches wide. I had a hard time deciding how to quilt the wide border and I am glad that I took my time and quilted it with a large feathered vine. The stars pieces are not quilted but are outlined. The entire background is quilted with close quilting.

This is definitely my favorite quilt that I've made so far.

Measurements: 67" by 73".

previous posts about this quilt:
The beginning
A Star Filled Afternoon
BastedStarting the quilting
After many hours of quilting
Deciding on the big border
Quilting the feather border
The finished quilt 
Silly BooDilly has a tutorial on how to make a liberated star. You can find it here.

The stars can be made any size. The ones in my quilt are three inch finished.  I cut 1.5'' squares for each of the background pieces and the center. Each of the squares will then finish at 1''.  The star points are just random scraps of solid fabric sewn and flipped as shown in the general tutorial.

If you start with 2'' squares your finished block will be 4 1/2'' finished. 2 1/2'' squares will give a 6'' block.

Summer Doings

Yesterday we took bikes to the high school track again. M was trying out his new super fast bike helmet. He did time trial comparisons for the old helmet and the new helmet and confirmed that it does indeed help him go FASTER on the bike. He is eager for another triathlon!

He also helped P gain a little more confidence on her bike.

Goldilocks has a Tea Party

Goldlilocks invited a couple of friends over for tea.

She wanted to show them her new rug.

Summer Scheduling

I've been working and sewing like crazy lately and beginning to feel like Miss P was getting the short end of the stick. We've changed around our daily plan and have made more time for some "fun for her" stuff.

She really enjoys a good popcorn picnic with stories in the yard. We are happy that our heat wave broke for a few days and have been spending a little more time outside. 

We have been trying to have fun with our chores too. She liked giving the garlic bulbs haircuts yesterday. We have also mastered the "two minute tidy" where we set the timer for two minutes and then both tidy up very fast. We can really get a lot of stuff put away in two minutes! That's a fun thing to do right before we play a game or start to fix dinner.

I've been trying to sew before she gets up in the morning, after she goes to bed, or while she is busy with a project of her own. Sometimes, though, she wants to help with the sewing. Today we whipped out some Flea Market Fancy improv blocks.

Well, I'd better go. She says it's my turn for Spirograph. 

I May Need an Intervention

The other day when I posted pictures of the half inch hexies I was basting, Chawne asked if I needed an intervention. Well, maybe I do....That project is not the only crazy tedious thing I've been working on. Back in December after Miss Petunia got her dollhouse for Christmas, she and I started working on a few things for it. First, we decided to make a braided rug. I found three different colors of crochet cotton, white, pink, and a pink/blue/green/yellow variegated in the sewing room.  We braided, and braided, and braided. Then it sat for a while. Occasionally we would remember about it and braid some more. We filled a spool with braid.  A few days ago I thought we should start stitching it.

We take turns stitching; I go around the corners but she is pretty good at stitching on the straight sides.

It is slowly growing into a longish rug for the hallway. I think it is turning out pretty great. Miss P wants us to stich faster so it can be finished!

Other noteworthy items:- M now has a triathlon racing bike and fancy shoes clamp to the pedals. I'm too old for that sort of foolishness. I wouldn't remember that my feet were stuck to the pedals and would fall over at stop signs.  We went to the high school track where he tried it out and Miss P gained a little confidence on her two wheeler.  The track was a big hit; it's much easier to ride there than on our dirt/gravel driveway.

Miss P's baby celebrated her first birthday (again).

We'll use any excuse for a cake around here.  P and I also made a baby gown for the baby as a birthday gift! Fun times.

A couple of evenings last week we went up to the lake to try to beat the heat and get cooled off at the end of the day. Friday, the lake water was so warm it was like swimming in bath water - not as refreshing as I had hoped but still fun because we all went together.

Hand Stitching Prep

The other night I emptied the scrap bin and cut hexagons in groups of six. I just held the paper hexagon template to the front of the fabric and cut a hexagon with quarter inch seam allowance with my scissors. Some pieces of fabric were large enough that I could fold cut six at a time with my sharp Ginghers. The Kona sample pack of the new colors I got at Quilt Market was perfect for the centers.

I was also compelled to try some hexies in the 1/2 inch size. They are so cute. I don't think I'll be making a whole quilt from them but they will be fun for smaller projects.

For those of you who are not familiar with English Paper Piecing, it is a traditional method for hand piecing quilts. The fabric is basted around a paper foundation and held to shape by the paper so that the pieces can then be sewn to each other.

Some people use glue or a fabric glue stick to baste the fabric to the paper foundation. I prefer to thread and baste them without stitching through the papers. This way the basting can stay in after the papers are removed. The basting stitches will keep the seam allowances in place until the quilt is put together with the backing. Here's a picture of one that I have basted. I take two stitches to start  - the second stitch traps the thread tail and keeps it tucked toward the center. Then, since I'm left handed I proceed counter clockwise turning down the seam allowance and taking one tiny stitch to hold the fold together. On the last corner I take two stiches so that I can again trap the thread tail. This method is pretty quick.

The next step is to stitch them together into flower shapes. They could be sewn together in any sort of pattern but I'm making flowers for this project.

I'm getting a bunch of these ready and put in a bag for portable sewing. It'll be a great project for the car.

A Scrapadoodle Weekend

I did a bit of scrap sewing this weekend. I made some pieced binding for the Paris quilt and put together another stack of string blocks.

String piecing is very therapeutic and allows me to mull over other projects while I sew.

We also weeded and spread mulch on my herb garden and even had a little  "campfire" last night. We thought we should at least have one evening fire before the mosquitoes get bad.Did you have a productive weekend?

Confessions of a Free Motion Quilter

I am a sucker for upbeat music and choreographed dance moves. There, I said it. I love a good classic movie musical.

I am on a musical movie kick this week and it has really gotten me out of my recent mental paralysis. I had too many ideas and couldn't make progress on any of them. While watching musicals I have quilted the Paris quilt and am getting going on a couple of other projects. I love when that happens. I'm just glad that no one is here to see me wearing a pair of big dj headphones while singing along and sewing. Fun times.

Yesterday I watched Grease; it had been years since I had seen that one. Today- High School Musical. I had never seen that one before. I liked it.

I'll be requesting some more classic musicals from the library. I'm sure there are a bunch I haven't seen. Do you have a favorite musical that I can add to my list?

Do you have a secret to help you get in the creative groove? I'd love to hear about it. 

Paris on a Shoe String

I finished putting this quilt top together yesterday. I call it "Paris on a Shoe String".

The guys here thought that the name of the quilt was a bit obtuse but I told them that quilters would "get it". I hope I'm right. If not, it doesn't really matter because I like it and I'm stickin' with it.

I mentioned earlier that I was making some more string pieced triangles. I had the idea to try some different settings with them and this big star design is one that I came up with. I had this great Paris map print on my sewing table and it was begging to be used for the background. I didn't want seams running across the map print so D helped me  make a cutting diagram to get the pieces cut from the fabric I had. We also made sure that the print is right side up everywhere and continuous in the star centers. Not that anyone would notice but us...

I love that when the four large stars are set together you get another star in the center.

Bluebirds of Happiness

I am happy to share with you the finished Bluebirds of Happiness quilt for Cloud 9 fabrics. This quilt is made from fabrics in the Alegria line. That bluebird fabric is so popular that it is already sold out!!! Miss P fell in love with the little bluebirds and I am glad I snatched up an extra few yards for some roman shades for her room before it was all gone.   Michelle has informed me that they will probably be running another print run of that fabric.

M was kind enough to help with the photo shoot today and also suggested the barn backdrop. I think he secretly wanted to hang out of the barn window.

I am thrilled that I will get to personally deliver this quilt to Michele next week. I will be going to spring quilt market and this quilt will be on display in the Cloud 9 booth. Woo hoo!! I'll be going to market with Brenda, Anna, and Debbie from the Ann Arbor Modern Quilt Guild. I am so excited about going and meeting many people like Tia and Katy who I have known on the web and will finally get to meet in person.

The Happy Drawing tops and Crazy Love quilt will also be on display at quilt market.

Happy Sewing

Last week my neighbor gave me an old three drawer dresser that fit perfectly in the corner of my sewing room. I reorganized and tidied a bit and have now eliminated all of the plastic bins from my sewing room. Yay! This has been a goal of mine for quite a while.

I can ALMOST get everything put away. I also love that I now have a surface where I can set the iron when I adjust larger pieces of fabric and quilts on the ironing board.  No fancy  ironing set up here - an old wooden ironing board and a presteam iron- so a dresser top works great for a temporary resting spot for the iron.

I'm making more string pieced triangles like I used in Nancy but I plan to set these differently. I am hoping that by using up more scraps things will really get whipped into shape around here. Since I am building a triangle base I am easily able to use the triangle cut away scraps that have piled up from some recent quilts like this, this, and this.

I'm having so much fun piecing these that I may try a few different setting ideas. Maybe I'll make some smaller quilts. I haven't really dicided yet.

I just love the "parts" that you get when you work with small bits of fabric. Look at those little feet.

Meet Nancy

I'd like you to meet Nancy. (named by M)

D helped me with the photo shoot yesterday while M was fixing dinner. Since M will be living in an apartment next year he wants to learn how to make his favorite meals. One of his summer projects will be to copy the recipies and practice making them. I also told him that if he helps in the garden and with canning that he can take some of our yeild to stock his pantry next year. Yay for tall people being home. I can get double help!

!I just can't say enough how much I love scrap quilts. Really. They make my heart sing.

So many memories stitched into this quilt. In the photo above I see a bit of P's backpack, and some pink pajama fabric, bug fabric that I used for a baby sunhat for D....I also LOVE the backing fabric. That is such a pretty color of brown with the pink flowers. I also love the way it looks with the green. It has a sort of electrical "does it really go?" vibe going on.

I've had some questions about the quilting on this so I'll tell you how I approached that.
1. I stitched in the ditch on all of the vertical block seams.
2. I stitched in the ditch on all of the horizontal lines.
3. I stitched in the ditch on the diagonal half square triangle lines.
4. I stitched a serpentine line across the diagonals in the string pieced areas.
5. I stitched the feathers in diagonal passes in the green triangles.

Nancy is 64.5 inches by 87.5 inches.

Here are other posts about the making of Nancy:
quilting
chartreuse as a neutral
auditioning fabrics for the ground
half square triangles

When it Rains it Pours

Just popping in to let you know I'm still here.

I finished this chartreuse triangle scrap quilt almost two weeks ago and it is still waiting for a real photo shoot. I need a tall person to hold it for me. Luckily, two tall people have moved home from school. Soon there will be pictures. I promise. It just needs to stop raining while a tall person is at home.

I've also been working on the Alegria quilt for Michelle. I am ALMOST finished with it.

Has the spring cleaning bug hit your house? We had a fit of spring cleaning fever this weekend when M came home and was allergic to his room. Lots of wiping, washing, rearranging.... now I kinda want to clean and rearrange the whole house. Have you ever wanted to take everything out of your house and just put back the things you really want and use? I used to do that to my room and closet every year when I was growing up. It would probably be a good thing to do but I don't think it will happen. We have accumulated a lot of stuff in the twenty three years since we moved to this house. It's a little frightening to think about, really.

Quilting Feathers

I've been quilting on this quilt the last few days. I thought I'd share a little of my method while I'm taking a wee break.

First I made a cardboard template for the center spine of the feather that goes in each block.

The sewing plan for these is to work on one row of triangles at a time completing one triangle before progressing to the next.

First, I sew the center spine towards me. Next, I free stitch the right side feather lobes working away from me. When I get to the far point of the feather I start sewing the lobes on the left side of the spine. The lobes are shaped so that they fill the triangle space. I have gotten a lot of practice with this the last few days. I suggest that you get out a pencil and paper and practice a bit before trying it with the sewing machine; that will help you get the feather shapes that you want.

edit: When stitching the spine, sew with the fabric moving away as you would sew a seam. For the first side of feather lobes the fabric will move toward you as the feather lobes are stitched going away.

Zinnias is Taking a Trip

I am excited to share with you that my quilt, Zinnias, was chosen to be in the Modern Quilt Guild Showcase at the International Quilt Festival this fall in Houston! I am honored and thrilled that it was one of 33 quilts selected for the exhibit.

The Modern Quilt Guild Showcase exhibition may also travel to Cincinnati next Spring and then to Long Beach, California next summer for the Quilt Festivals in those cities. I don't think I"ll get to Houston or Long Beach but I may try to get to the Cincinnati show!

The Back Story

Each quilt I make has some sort of inspirational moment - something that makes me actually start the quilt.

This quilt started with the back, this one yard piece of baby flannel.

I picked this fabric up at a garage/rummage sale many years ago. Back then, I made pajamas for the boys out of most of my thrifted flannel. I made a few more baby items when miss P was small but this one somehow got left behind. The last few times I have cleaned my sewing room I put it in the purge bag. Each time I also took it out thinking that it would make a good backing for a baby quilt. Well, this last time as I took it out of the give away bag I told myself "If you are going to put this on the back of a baby quilt you had better do it NOW."

And that's what I did. I pulled three solid fabrics in the colors of the flannel print and added scraps from the top of my scrap basket. The scraps are mostly from my recent quilts.

Here it is in all of it's washed, crinkled, and sunshine glory. I love the mix of squares and half square triangles.

I think it makes a pretty happy looking baby quilt. Not bad for a clean up the sewing room inspired quilt.

It measures 36 by 42 inches.  

Quick Project

I haven't decided quite how to finish this quilt so I started something new...

Good things about the new quilt:
1. It used scraps from recent quilts.
2. I was unsure about it for a while but I like it more now that it is sewn together.
3. I'm already quilting it.
4. It used a flannel backing that I've had for years.

Slowed Progress

With the sudden arrival of spring weather this week work in the sewing room has slowed to a crawl. I have making a little progress on quilting this quilt. I'm stitching a serpentine line through the scrappy parts and haven't quite decided what to do in the background yet. I'll probably have it figured out by the time I finish the other part of the quilting.

We have been out enjoying the warm weather a bit though.

We even saw some bare feet this week!

Yay! I love the warm sunny weather - even when it slows the sewing progress to a snail's pace.

We plan to get some peas planted in the garden this weekend.What about you? What are your weekend plans?

I've Been Hexed

When local artist Lynn Krawczyk asked if I wanted to make a little quilt from her new fabrics on spoon flower I practically jumped out of my seat. I have been a fan of Lynn's work since I first saw some of her pieces about two years ago.She sent a lovely selection of prints. First I tried a scaled up quilt block but that didn't have enough interaction between the fabrics.

Then I tried something similar to the Zinnias quilt but that didn't really give the look I wanted either.

Then I saw these hexies on my sewing table and thought I'd try some paper piecing with Lynn's fabrics. I was thrilled with the look of this and kept going.

When basting the edges to the back of the paper pieces I only stitched through the fabric instead of all the way through both layers of fabric and the paper. This was easier on my hands and also made it easier to remove the paper after the were stitched together and I had spray starched the back.

I wanted a "clean" edge with no extra binding fabric for this quilt. After hand basting in preparation for hand quilting I trimmed the batting even with the turned edge of the front of the quilt. Then I folded the backing over the batting and hand stitched the front to the back giving a crisp finished edge.

I don't know the exact size of the hexagons. I made my own template by tracing a circle and folding it into sixths like you would to cut out a paper snowflake. I trimmed the rounded edge straight from corner to corner to get the hexagon template.

The finished quilt is 20 by 17.25 inches. It is hand quilted with perle cotton thread.

Here's the back.

Aren't these fabrics great?