Thursday, June 30, 2011

Sunshine in a bag

File this under "sincerest form of flattery." I fell in love with these bags that Ali/a2(w) made for Kelly in the Goodie Bag Swap. I LOVE the Weekender bag, but I've also heard enough stories about that pattern to scare me away from it. After perusing stalking Ali's photo stream, I came across this bag, and decided I must have one like it!

Sunshine bag
Hello, new friend!
(fabric here)

Sunshine gpleats
The little pleating details make me happy.


Love how the straps turned from chevrons to stripes.


For the interior, I used this print from Ty Pennington's Impressions. (I'm loving the yellow/gray right now, as seen in my 4x5 inspiration mosaic.)


This is an excellent pattern, available from Green Bee Patterns on Etsy. I highly recommend it, and I'll be using it again for sure!

sunshine bag 2
In conclusion: Thanks to Ali. Kelly is a lucky lady. Excellent pattern. Love my bag. The end!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Tumbler Wreath Tutorial

The folks at Accuquilt sent me a Go Baby to try out, and I've been having fun playing with this little guy. I was able to pick out three dies. I was tempted by some of the more basic shapes (squares, strips, etc.), but I feel comfortable cutting those with my rotary cutter, so I went with the the Tumbler, Circles, and Drunkard's Path (mostly because I'm obsessed with these drunkard path blocks by Kate at Needle and Spatula!).

I love the look of a tumbler quilt (this one has been on my to-make list forever!), but I've been too lazy to cut out the pieces myself. I started playing with the tumbler die, and I came up with this quick little tutorial for you.

Tumbler wreath tutorial
Tumbler Wreath Tutorial

Tumbler Wreath supplies

Gather your supplies.
A charm pack of fabric (Scraps would be great too. You'll only need 14 of the charms, so a partial pack will work.)
Background fabric (Again, scraps will work great. If you're using the Go Baby, cut your background fabric into 4.5" x 11.5" strips)
Embroidery floss
Long needle
7" and 10" brass hoops (These are macrame hoops. I found them at Hobby Lobby by the jewelry-making supplies.)

Charm squares in
Pick out your 14 favorite charms, and make your tumblers. Repeat with your background fabric.

tumblers out
Note: I had this happen frequently with my tumbler die. The shape would cut out fine, except for one string. Maybe there's something caught in the die? It didn't seem to matter if I used 1 layer of fabric or 4. Not a big deal--I just had to use my scissors to cut that pesky string! Overall, I was pleased with the way the shapes came out. They're accurate, and using the Go Baby is very simple.

Background and print tumblers
Pair up your background tumblers with your print tumblers.

Sew around the edge
Place a background tumbler and a print tumbler right sides together, and sew using a 1/4 seam and a short stitch length. Leave the long side open for turning. (I used dark thread here so you could see my stitches, but you'll want to use a coordinating thread.)

Turn and poke out the corners
Turn. Poke out those corners.

Stuff!
Stuff...

Stitch it up
And sew up the opening. Now you have a cute little tumbler pillow! Make 13 more.

Thread through the bottom
Take two of your tumbler pillows, and string them together using a doll needle and embroidery thread. Insert the needle 1/4 inch from the bottom of the tumblers.

doll needles
I really like these long doll needles for projects like this.

Thread through the top
Repeat 1/4 inch from the top of the tumbler pillows. If your cutting mat looks as rough as mine, buy a new one.


Continue until you have all 14 shapes strung together in a wreath form.

Add the back
Use a glue gun to attach your macrame hoops to the back of the wreath. I could see the brass hoops from the front of my wreath, so I wrapped the hoops in strips of my background fabric. (I went to the craft store looking for wooden embroidery hoops or a wire wreath form. I couldn't find either of those in the right size, so I went with the macrame hoops. I think any circular form would work fine.)


Hang, and enjoy!

I think this would be a fun addition to a nursery. I'm going to make another one out of Christmas fabric. OH! And wouldn't it be fun to make one using this candy corn tumbler tutorial? Yes, I'm doing that!

If you have any questions, let me know! And if you make a tumbler wreath of your own, I'd love to see it.


Also, Accuquilt is offering 22 free quilt patterns if you sign up for their newsletter. Check it out!
22 Free Patterns - Download Now


I'll be back soon with a Go Baby giveaway!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

WIP Wednesday

Back in action!

WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

Finished:
*crickets*
Oh, I made some ribbon headbands for my sister. My attempt to photograph them was unsuccessful, so you'll have to take my word for it.

Ongoing projects:

Central Park Quilts
Central Park Quilt Top for "Her"

"His" Central Park Quilt Top

The quilt tops are finished! Just waiting on some backing and binding fabrics.

Kaleidoscope quilt-along
Kaleidoscope quilt-along progress
I had a last-minute change of heart. Instead of Loulouthi, I'm using Paradise by Pat Bravo plus some fat quarters from my stash (background is Kona Ash). Fabric is cut, and I'm waiting for the next step!

Go Baby tutorial
Almost finished! I hope to post this tomorrow.

Completed tops awaiting quilting:
Red Letter Day quilt
Postage Stamp quilt (Long arm? Hand quilt?)

To do:
Tree Quilts (starting on this tonight!)
Scottie dog #2
Rectangle Squared blocks for do. Good Stitches (July)
headbands for my sister
Cape for Luke
Modern Crosses wall quilt.
Deer quilt

Head over to Lee's to see what everyone else is working on!

Riley Blake Quilt Contest


Have you seen the quilt contest on the Riley Blake Blog? They're hosting a contest for quilts made with Riley Blake fabrics, and there are some great prizes. I'm entering my Hooty Hoot quilt. Check it out!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Central Park Twins

I'm helping my friend with some quilts for her son and daughter using Central Park fabric and the Lemon Squares pattern from Faith (Fresh Lemons).

"His and Hers" Central Park Quilt Tops
The Central Park fabric is ideal for boy/girl quilts. I used the pink/purple/blue/green prints for the girl quilt and the blue/green/yellow prints for the boy quilt. I added in a few Kona solids too. (I'm always surprised by the size of twin-size quilts. Just me?)

"His" Central Park Quilt Top
Faith's pattern allowed me to fussy cut some of the elements and highlight some of the large-scale prints.

"His" Central Park Quilt Top Close
Some Bahama Blue Kona makes an appearance in both quilts.

"His" Central Park Border
A bit of Kona Stone too. I added a blue cobblestone border to the boy version.

Central Park Quilt Top for "Her"
I used some of the green prints in the girl top to mix things up a bit.

Central Park Quilt Top for "Her"
Kindly excuse the stray threads...


The girl version got a purple cobblestone border. These cobblestones are my favorite prints in the collection.

We just need to decide on some bindings and backings and these will be off to their new home!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Change of heart

So I was all ready to cut into my Loulouthi for Elizabeth's Kaleidoscope Quilt-Along when I had a sudden change of heart. Love Loulouthi. Love Elizabeth's design. But for some reason, the two together...I guess I lost that lovin feeling.
Big Friday Night
See? I was really ready to cut! I've been unsure of my ability to make the large-scale prints work, and as I was pressing the fabric, I just panicked.

New plan for Kaleidoscope Quilt-along
New plan! I'm going to use my FQs of Pat Bravo's Paradise, minus then dark browns and plus a few FQs from my stash. I'm thinking Kona Ash for the background. (Or Snow? Thoughts?)

Don't feel sad for my Loulouthi. I'm sure it will find its quilty home soon.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Say hello to my little friend.

There seems to be a Baby boom going on these days.
go
I'll be back with more once I've had a chance to try out this little guy.

(And, of course, I'll be giving one away!)

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

WIP Wednesday

Gotta say--WIP Wednesday is helping me stay on track with my crafty goals. Here's what I've been working on.

WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

Finished:

Pool Robe

Beach robe3
pattern from Made

June block for Sew Beautiful Bee

Bee block for Cara

House block for Cara

Ongoing projects:

Central Park Quilts


Quilt top #1 is complete. I added a border in the purple cobblestone print.


43 out of 63 blocks finished for quilt #2. Almost there!

Completed tops awaiting quilting:
Red Letter Day quilt
Postage Stamp quilt (Long arm? Hand quilt?)

To do:
Tree Quilts
headbands for my sister
Cape for Luke
Cara's House Block for Sew Beautiful Bee
Modern Crosses wall quilt.
Deer quilt
Kaleidoscope Quilt-Along (starts June 23)

Head over to Lee's to see what everyone else is working on!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Little pink house

Bee block for Cara

This month, the members of the Sew Beautiful Bee are helping Cara make blocks for a house quilt, which she's giving to a family with a baby in the NICU. Here's my contribution. It's located in a mushroom field not far from the airport.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Pool robe

I saw Dana's beach robe pattern yesterday and had one of those "must make one now" reactions. Luke is spending lots of time at the pool, so i knew he'd put it to good use. One nap time and $6.99 later, and Luke had a robe of his very own.


(Warning: side effects include turning 3-year-olds into Kung Fu warriors.)


Dana's pattern is made from a beach towel, which is awfully smart. Also smart: the ties are sewn into the robe (cause I know we'd lose that thing before we got out of the car).


I had intended to make the hooded version, but the towel I bought wasn't quite big enough (and I ignored Dana's advice to buy two towels to be safe). Oh well. Still cute!

Beach robe
My bias tape is kind of sloppy. I might go with the store-bought version if I make it again.


It's a great pattern, and Luke really likes it (I suppose that goes without saying). Mom and son are both happy!


Note to Luke's pediatrician. I know you said we should try to keep him out of the pool until Monday if possible (swimmer's ear). But on a sunny, 95-degree Saturday, we decided it wasn't possible. As you can see, we feel really guilty about it!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

WIP Wednesday!

Welcome back, Wednesday! Here's what I've been up to.

WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

Finished:

Scrappy Scottie

Scrappy Scottie

June blocks for do. Good Stitches

Hourglass blocks for do. Good Stitches
Paula requested gray and green hourglass blocks.

June block for VIBees


We're helping Meghan make a man quilt for her husband, who is in the Army. She sent us some cool red and aqua fabrics. Her husband is Airborne, so I thought an airplane block would be cool. (tutorial from Badskirt)

Ongoing projects:

Central Park Quilts

Central Park Lemon Squares progress
54 out of 63 blocks complete for quilt #1. I hope to have a finished quilt top soon!

Completed tops awaiting quilting:
Red Letter Day quilt
Postage Stamp quilt (Long arm? Hand quilt?)

To do:
Tree Quilts
headbands for my sister
June blocks for do. Good Stitches
Cara's House Block for Sew Beautiful Bee
Modern Crosses wall quilt.
Meghan's block for VIBees
Deer quilt
Kaleidoscope Quilt-Along (starts June 23)

Head over to Lee's to see what everyone else is working on!