I wasn’t supposed to buy any new fabric this year.  Well, I did really well for a while and then I guess I quit doing really well because I just bought this pretty little stack of fabric.  It’s called Vintage Summer by Little Yellow Bicycle for Blend Fabrics.  It’s kind of my style and yet it’s not, but I like it.  I’ve learned that I like a lot of large scale prints but then I struggle to cut into them and actually use them because I feel like I need to do the perfect thing with that large print.  I don’t know if I’m just getting smarter or if more fabric designs are getting smaller, but I’m trying to avoid the larger prints (because I still have plenty of them) and watch for the smaller ones that look great when they’re cut into small pieces.

I also shouldn’t start another quilt top until I’ve dealt with all my projects that need finishing, but for some reason I started reading about string quilts the other day and I got the idea in my head that I NEED to try it.  If I’m ever going to make that selvage quilt I’ve been saving strips for then I’ll have to learn paper piecing anyway.  Then I poked around and found this one  over at Film In the Fridge and I was sold.  Just enough order in that quilt for me to jump in.

So in the only quiet 30 minutes of my Mother’s Day, I went to my sewing machine and made my first ever paper pieced string quilt block.  My kids were shocked that I was sewing fabric to a piece of paper, but I was excited.  Learning something new beats a nap any day!

So the Vintage Summer prints were immediately cut into (big deal for me!) instead of waiting around for the “perfect project” and here’s my first block:

The fabric is the perfect scale for a quilt like this and I’m happy with my decision.  Paper piecing has always sounded tedious but I quite enjoyed this experiment.    I love the white with the prints, and I’m following Ashley’s pdf  chart  for it.

I really love those little strips of white in there.  They look so cool and they’re something I’ve always been intimidated by.

Honestly, I might not touch my sewing machine again until June, but it sure was fun to experiment for a little while!

HH

I believe I mentioned that my sister and I are taking an online sewing class to learn how to sew curves.  Well, it’s underway and has been for two weeks.  So far six projects have been taught and I’ve managed to find time for one of them (the fastest, easiest one).  Yup, I’m running behind.  Again.

Still, this first project was a lot of fun and really easy, and is something I’m sure I’ll make again.  One thing I learned that I wouldn’t have thought of in advance is that using a pinking blade on my rotary cutter saves me the need to notch the curved seam before turning it.  I like saving time, so I bought a pinking blade and I think I’ll be really glad I have it.  Another interesting thing is learning to use my rotary cutter without a ruler.  I’m getting the feel of cutting freehand with it.

I used a couple of coordinating fabrics from my stash for these two projects and think they make a cheery bunting.  I also added some little pink pom pom trim when I finished it.  It adds a touch of whimsy and texture to the bunting.

The second project I made is a fabric crown.  I’ve had this pattern sitting on my table for a few months but have been intimidated by it.  It just looked tedious, I guess, but while I had these two prints out I decided to make a birthday crown for my niece.  (Incidentally, if you’re interested in the pattern, there are a few of them in stock here at a discounted price.)

Honestly, it was simpler than I anticipated and didn’t take me as long as I worried it might.  I think it turned out great, especially for my first try!  My girls were certainly excited about it.  I didn’t have much time for embellishments, so I opted for a simple felt flower.  Next time I’ll try something different.  There are several options in the pattern and instructions for making them.

Honestly, the crown is bigger than I pictured.  Next time I make it I might adjust the size a little.  The pattern says it will fit anyone because you use ribbons to adjust the size, but at it’s smallest it was still a bit big on my girls, who are the ones who want crowns anyway.  Here is what the crown looks like from the back:

The pattern tells you to sew the ruffle to the front, then later fold the back up over the ruffle, iron the heat’n'bond in place, and use glue to secure any spots that need it.  Instead of using glue I opted to carefully go back over my stitch line from the ruffle and sew the back to the front.  I like that the whole thing is sewn together, and I think my seam looks fine because I was very careful with it.

The crown was a step out of my comfort zone and I’m so happy to discover that I can do it.  I plan to make several of these throughout the year for little girls I know.

Although my silly little model would have liked to keep it, we sent the crown and bunting to Denver for my niece.  I hope that she enjoys playing with them.  I enjoyed sewing them for her.

My list of sewing goals for 2012 includes sewing smaller items other than quilts.  I hope to complete one small project each month.  I didn’t get that done in January, but these two projects satisfy February’s goal.  Now let’s see if I can find time for some quilting!

Jennifer

Thanks to everyone who helped me with my choice of fabric for the baby blanket I’m making for a total stranger.  I really appreciate all the comments and emails sharing your opinions.

I went with the majority of you and cut into stack #2, the one with lots of pink and green.  I’m pretty sure the other two will also become baby blankets at some point.  Now I have a tidy little stack of fabric waiting patiently on my sewing table.  I’m enjoying the yummy colors and am excited to get started.

Sometimes I pause to marvel that this tiny stack will become something to wrap around someone.  It reminds me that lots of little things do, indeed, add up to great things.  Life is like that too.

I hope you have a great week!
HH

I’m really excited about the class.  I’ve taken sewing and quilting classes before but this is the first online class I’ve been involved in.  I think I’ve sewn just one curved seam in my life, so this will be a good thing for me to learn.  Learning new skills is part of my goal for 2012, to feel more joy.  When I’m learning I am happy because I’m growing.  The moment that cinched the deal on paying for the class was when I saw this retro flowers quilt.  I want to make one and so I’m going to learn how to sew curves.

My biggest worry with this class is that I really don’t have time for it.  The lull on our calendar during early winter has disappeared and life is in full swing at our busy home.  I hope I’ll be able to find the time to master this skill and make some great things along the way while still keeping life running smoothly.  That’s why my sister and I signed up together, so we can make sure we get our projects done and keep life balanced as well.  I’m super excited to take the class with her.

For those here visiting from the class, I’m a stay-at-home mom  who would love to actually be able to spend more time at home!  I have eight children ranging from age 14 to 2 and yes, they’re all mine.  (Hence my nervousness about not finding time to master this like I hope to.)  Sewing has become one of my favorite hobbies, something permanent that I can do in a home where everything seems to be undone 2.5 seconds after I finish it.  I love color, texture, pattern and using beautiful fabric seems to fill a creative need in my life.  Honestly, my skills are probably somewhere in the novice circle, but I’m not bothered by it.  I know I’ll get better over time and make a lot of useful things along the way.  I try to spend a few minutes every day or two at my sewing machine, even if it’s just for ten minutes.

I’ve always loved to make things and hope I’ll learn to make some great new things this month.   So welcome, February!

What are you going to do this month?

Jennifer

In the midst of our crazy week last night, and on a night when I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry myself to sleep, I went to a sewing class and made this skirt for my daughter.

I love fabric and I love to sew, but I’m scared to death of making clothing.  Oh, I’ve known for a while that I really ought to learn to make skirts at least, especially with five daughters.  I also know how difficult it is to find skirts that are long enough to be modest.  Yet I’m intimidated by the patterns so I haven’t done it.

Two weeks ago I was in a fabric store for some thread and overheard several women talking about this fabric.  I decided to peek at it, and it was gorgeous.  Gorgeous in several different colors.  I listened more and discovered they were talking about making skirts with it.  I asked a question and they pointed above my head at the sample hanging from the ceiling.  The class was less than a week away and they still had an opening.  On a total whim, I bought fabric in four different colors and signed up for the class.

I started with a skirt for my two year old because I could pick my favorite color, the vintage aqua that I love so much.  I enjoyed learning more about how to deal with this particular material, which is tricky with the ruffles.  My machine and I had to do some fiddling to figure out the best settings for slippery fabric since all we usually do is cotton quilting weight material.  I also got to learn about using a double needle to attach the thick elastic waistband to the material.  The double needle allows the elastic to stretch without breaking any thread.  I didn’t know that before Thursday night!

Really this is such a simple skirt that I shouldn’t be bragging about making it, which is exactly why it was a good first project for me.  I plan to make one for each of my daughters in the next couple of weeks.  It happens that both of my little ones fit this skirt and it’s made me smile to see them taking turns wearing it.

It always feels good to learn something new, doesn’t it?

I made a pillow.  I liked it so much that I made a second pillow.

Because the sun can’t seem to find its way out from behind the clouds, I added sunshine of my own.  I bound the pillows in a solid orange that reminds me of Sunny Delight.

I’m glad I did it.  It frames the houndstooth with a punch of bright color and is the perfect finish.

After piecing the fronts, I lined them with a piece of white cotton duck cloth and “quilted” them very lightly.  I then added solid white backs of the same cotton duck, with zippers in them.

I’m super pleased with how they turned out.  They’re bold, bright and fun to look at.  The scale of the houndstooth print was an experiment that worked out perfectly.

Tedious as the pattern is to piece, I love these pillows so much that I’m considering a quilt in different colors.

Until then, the pillows make me smile, and that’s a good thing on cloudy days!

Hoping your day is sunny,
Jennifer

pillows shared here, here and

When I finished this pillow I was giddy with excitement.

I actually had an idea that I’ve never seen before, executed it, and it turned out as cute as I pictured!

I can’t remember the last time that happened.

I made a bunch of miniature bunting flags, turned them right side out, and arranged them on my current favorite Kona solid:  ash.

White rick rack finishes it all off.  I love the way the colors look against the gray, and I can’t stop looking at how all the little flags hang on the pillow.  So cute.

The inspiration for this pillow came from this project.  With three little girls sharing the room, I’m trying to make some pillows that reflect each girl’s age, tastes, and how I feel about them.  This pillow is for my three year old.  She’s just a precious little thing, and at such a perfect age, she makes me want to celebrate every day.  I am so happy to be her mom,  so she gets a party pillow.

I was thinking what a cute pillow this would be for a nursery.  You could embroider the baby’s name and birth statistics in the top right corner of the pillow.  It would be a really cute gift.

As usual, I made this pillow with a zipper for easy washing and easy changing.

Like I said, I’m giddy about how cute it is.  And it looks great next to the other pillow I made, also.

Two down, lots more ideas to come.  We’ll see how much time I can find to experiment.  Meanwhile, we’ve got a happy three year old!

Jennifer

Pillow submitted  here.

And this is what I made.

I’m calling it the candy swirl pillow because it reminds me a little of a huge lollipop, all wrapped up with bright colors.

This was a great scrap project.  I used lots of little strips of fabric from my scrap bin.  They’re sewn in a spiral on a natural linen pillow top.  The swirl finishes at just over 1/4 inch wide.

For the backing I used a piece of my favorite print from Pillow & Maxfield’s Whimsy collection.  I fell in love with this collection when I was making this baby quilt and later with this one. I think it works well with the whimsical spiral on the front and with the general color scheme as well.

As usual, I inserted a zipper in the bottom seam because I hate to store pillows.  A few years ago I invested in some high quality down pillow forms so I simply unzip and change them whenever I want.

I love the texture in this pillow; the linen top with cotton back.  When I sewed the thin strip on to make the swirl I sewed only down one edge, so there’s a little lip there that also adds dimension.

The only problem is where to put it!  It looks great in every place I’ve tried.  I’m super-pleased with the outcome.  It really wasn’t difficult to make, although the ironing and pinning to some time.  If you’d like a tutorial, shout it out and I’ll post one.

Do you see the cute little gray number in back?  I made that, too.  It’s up next.

Hopeful Homemaker

pillow submitted to this contest.

The pattern comes from this issue of Quilts and More.  I purchased it at my local grocery store because it is full of projects I want to make.  I’m guessing you might still be able to find one at a Barnes & Noble.  If not, it would be easy to draw your own pattern.

You need a large circle of felt, about 8 inches in diameter, and two pieces for the “toppings.”

With two strands of embroidery floss, blanket stitch the first, larger topping to the center of your circle.

Repeat with the second, smaller topping.

Add a red or pink button for your cherry on top.

Your circle should look like this.

Turn the circle over, wrong side up.  Thread a needle with 36 inches of sewing thread.  Knot the ends of the thread together and begin a running stitch around the perimeter of the circle, about 1/4 inch in from the edge.

Gather the circle.

Stuff with filling.

Tighten thread until the hole is less than 1 inch in diameter and carefully knot your thread.

Cut a circle of felt to cover the hole.

Whip stitch into place.

You’re done.  All you need is a parfait glass.  We found ours at WalMart.  This pincushion is designed to sit on the top of the dish.

This allows you to store buttons or other notions in the glass beneath the pincushion.

It was so easy to make that I experimented with other colors, too.

My girls quickly saw the potential of these creations and whisked them away to the toyroom for use with their little kitchen.

I’ve seen some of the cute felt food that people are making for children to play with but I had no idea how much fun it might be to make it!  This project left me wanting to stock the playroom with sweet little bits of food.  Whether it’s used as a toy or a pincushion, this was a fun project.

Hopeful Homemaker

Shared at DIY Day

I used a bleached burlap for the outside and chose a coordinating hounds tooth pattern from my stash for the inner lining.

To determine the size of my fabric, I measured the space I wanted it to use on my shelf.  This would be the base, and then I decided how high the sides were to be.  Once you know those numbers, multiply the height of the sides times two, and add that to your dimensions for the base.  For example, if you want the base to be 8 inches wide by 10 inches deep, and your sides to be 6 inches high, then you need to add 12 to the width and height of the base.  This means you will cut your fabric to be 20 inches wide by 22 inches long.

Once you do this, you might want to reinforce the fabric by ironing some interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric.

Now you need to lay the fabric flat and on each corner, cut out a square the size of the height of your bin.  If we continue the measurements from the above example, you will cut a 6 inch by 6 inch square out of each corner.  This will leave you with something of an “x” shaped fabric.

Repeat with the piece which will be your lining.

Fold each “x” in half on a diagonal line through the center square or rectangle.  Carefully line up the sides of each piece, with right sides together (RST) and sew down that six inch line.

You will be able to see that you have just formed one corner of the bin.

Repeat with the remaining three sides until you have made a little box.

Repeat with the other piece of fabric to form a second bin.  Turn the outer piece right side out.

Now for the embellishments!  I chose to make a handle and a little pocket for a label.

For the handle, decide how long you wish it to be, and cut your fabric that long, but twice as wide as you want it.  With RST, sew the fabric into a strip lengthwise.  Turn it right sides out, tuck the ends under, and attach it to the outer bin wherever you want it.

For the label holder, I cut a small rectangle, and then cut another, smaller rectangle out of the center.  I placed a piece of clear vinyl behind it and sewed around the inner edge of the burlap rectangle.  Then I sewed the rectangle to the bin on the sides and bottom only, leaving a pocket in the top.

Lastly, place the lining inside the outer shell.  Fold the liner under, and then fold it over the top of the outer shell to form a contrasting strip around the top of the storage bin.  Carefully sew into place.

You’re done!  Now go fill it with whatever you made it to hold.

I must say that the burlap was a bit of a hassle to deal with, especially in spots where I was sewing through several thicknesses of it.  Still, I’m happy with the result, and it’s nice to have the size I needed without spending any money.  I love it when I find useful ways to use my stash and it’s always fun to combine creativity with organization.

I hope you’ll try one and tell me what you think.  It was a lot of fun!

Hopeful Homemaker

This post linked to DIY Day