Blog-Appropriate Current Quilting Project

I may be in a reading slump, but I'm certainly not in a crafting one.

I finally found the book-quilt project I've been looking for. I've seen a lot- a lot- of book quilts where it's all spines, and those are fun to look at but from the perspective of doing it, piecing strips of fabric together in rows has always left me a little cold.

But I love foundation paper-piecing and the other day I found a pattern called Book Nerd that shows the covers with the pages open and decided to go for it.

I love the way it shows off fun fabric and gives me the opportunity to use up some "misfit" things that I haven't figured out how to use in blocks. And the pattern is simple enough that I can do it assembly-line style and knock out blocks relatively quickly.

It's also so versatile. You could use a variety of fabrics, like I'm doing, or do themes. There's a ton of comic book fabric out there; you could do a comic book quilt. Or you could pick fabrics that come from different places or show different locales and do a travel-book-quilt. Or a children's-book-quilt with some of the many many kids' prints like Eric Carle and Nancy Drew. The possibilities are endless!

What theme would you pick for your book quilt?

Crafturday-Where Are My Dragons?

Well I finally finished my dragons quilt, now officially titled "Where Are My Dragons?" in honor of Daenerys Targeryan and "Game of Thrones" the TV show (I'm not into the books.)

I got the pattern from Maaike Bakker's wonderful book Spellbinding Quilts, which contains lots of paper-pieced patterns for dragons, witches, wizards, fairies and other supernatural and mythological figures.

This quilt is about 50x50 inches, machine-pieced and hand-quilted. The quilting was very difficult for me because the nontraditional blocks don't lend themselves to simple patterns. I didn't want to do straight-line machine quilting because that seemed bland and I thought it would disrupt the pictures. I didn't want to bother paying someone to machine quilt it either and so it sat around for a long time until I decided to just go for it and do free-hand patterns and stitch-in-the-ditch on the interior, and a Celtic border pattern on the borders.

It was also difficult because I used black quilting thread everywhere except on the dragons and wizard so I needed to quilt in excellent light!

Overall I'm really pleased with it and can't wait to display it and show it off at my next guild meeting in September.

First Ornament of the Season

I found a tutorial online somewhere to make this little felt donut. It was supposed to be bigger but I wanted mine to be ornament-sized so it could go on my tree. It took under an hour to make and was a great excuse to use up some beads and felt. I can't wait to make some more ornaments!

What are your crafting plans for the holiday season?

Crafturday: The Phoebe Bag

The Phoebe bag is one of my favorite free purse patterns. I made this with a beautiful spring print and I love it.

It takes about a half yard of cotton for the interior and exterior (1 yard total), and I use a layer of ShapeFlex and Thermolam on the exterior, and a layer of ShapeFlex on the interior- so a half yard of Thermolam and a yard of ShapeFlex. I also used fusible fleece on the handle to make it sturdy, and added an interior zip pocket on this particular purse.

The basic pattern does not give instructions for the interior zip pocket or the recessed zipper. On the basic pattern the bag closes with a magnetic flap.

You can do so much with it and it provides a great canvas to show off pretty fabric. Here's a picture of the first one I made:

And I've made more, which I didn't photograph. But no matter.

Phoebe is available as a free download on Craftsy but if you want to make it to sell, you need to buy a license from the maker's Etsy store. It's worth it if you're a sewer! Either way it's about an hour an half of sewing time, not including cutting and fusing. I plan on stitching up a few for Christmas gifts this year. It's just a great little bag.

Crafturday- Bamboo Handled Purse

A long time ago I bought a bamboo purse handle and a pattern to make a bag with it, but this was before I was into bag-making and I was put off making it by all the interfacings I would have had to buy to complete the project. But nowadays I buy interfacing by the bolt, and there's no problem with having special bagmaking supplies. So I decided to try the pattern, and this is how it came out!

The fabric was a gift from a bookstore friend and I fussy-cut it to center the floral motif on the front of the bag. There is something similar on the other side. The lining is a pink batik Hawaiian fabric.

I'm more of a shoulder-bag lady than a handbag lady per se, so this isn't a bag I'm really going to use, but it was fun to make and I'd love to make more for gifts and such. It came together in just a couple of hours. The most challenging aspect for me was the flat bottom, but I got the hang of it in no time- flat!

The next time I make it, I will add a couple of extra features- purse feet and an interior zippered pocket. Can't wait!

Crafturday- A Recessed Zipper Purse

I passed a major sewing milestone this week- I made my first recessed zipper purse.

I started with this "curvy bag" tutorial, and then found several guides to creating recessed zippers elsewhere online (just google "recessed zipper tutorial" if you're interested. People have different presentations but the basic principles are all the same).

It's not perfect; the lining is a little warped because of an interfacing mistake, and the zip ends are messy, but overall I'm very happy with how it turned out. I used fusible fleece on the outside and a thinner interfacing on the lining. In the future I would use a layer of thin interfacing as well as the fusible fleece on the exterior just to give it that extra bit of bulk. I tested it with my wallet, phone, keys- even a book- and it held up fine with all that stuff, so I know it will be a great purse as-is too.

But this one I'm giving way to someone, because it's really not my style.  It's a fun print- from the "Las Senoritas" line from Alexander Henry- but it's not really me.

I used a little less than a yard of fabric; you can get away with a 1/2 yard if you don't fussy cut the design like I did. It may not be my style exactly but it did come out cute!

I already have a couple of fabrics in mind for the next time I make this pattern. Can't wait!

Crafturday- Mermaid Friends

A few weeks ago I bought a pattern on Etsy from a seller called Bit of Whimsy Dolls, for this mermaid doll. Bit of Whimsy sells easy sewing patterns for a variety of toys and small dolls; I whipped up this doll from my scrap bag on a snow day. It took about an hour.

I made this mermaid out of scraps too (it's a very scrap-friendly project). She was made to match the doll quilt you see behind her, itself made from the scraps of a larger project.  I still have bits of the shell and tone-on-tone peach fabric left; maybe I'll make a little doll for the doll!

Bit of Whimsy has a lot of great patterns; I want to try the Jane doll next. She's designed to look like a Jane Austen-type Regency lady, but also looks relatively easy to sew. I'll let you know how it goes!

Crafturday - Makeup Bags

I love making these makeup/cosmetic bags. I've probably made close to a dozen by now. They take me about a half hour after I'm done cutting (2 each of outer fabric, lining, two kinds of interfacing, so it's like 8 pieces).  It's such a versatile pattern and can have so many different looks and uses. Use a fabric with sewing supplies on it and it's a craft pouch. Use flowers and it's girly. Use fabric depicting the New York subway system, and it's got some cool.

Here is the same bag in the Alexander Henry Fulham Road fabric I used for a shoulder bag, and here it is in Laurel Burch cat fabric:

Once I can pull together some fabric and order matching zippers I want to make a bunch of these for my Etsy shop. It just takes some planning is all.

You can find the pattern I used here. So-Sew-Easy.com is a great sewing blog. You should follow it and you should make this bag. Once you make one, you'll want to make a million. Two fat quarters, interfacing and a 9 inch zipper is all you need.

Crafturday- A Bookish Tote

I made this shoulder bag this week; it has some problems (darts not perfect, handle inside-out) but overall I really like it. I used the Alexander Henry Fulham Road fabric and a coordinate for the exterior and lining of the handle.The lining of the bag is plain pink.

It's called the "Phoebe Bag" and you can find the pattern here on Craftsy.

Crafturday! Paper Pieced Squirrel Pillow

I just finished this pillow, from a pattern by During Quiet Time, a craft blog I like a lot. You can find the free pattern on the During Quiet Time site.

This pattern was probably the most complex paper piecing pattern I've tried yet. I started with the bigger/easier pieces and moved on to the smaller ones later; I figured by the time I got to the hard pieces I would have completed enough that I would feel obliged to finish and not get intimidated. I was right! I worked one section a day as I had time and I would say it took around a month to complete the pillow (given two or three sewing days a week). It went together pretty easily once I finished the individual sections. It's 12" square and I love it!

I got away with one fat quarter for each part of the top- background (very tight squeeze & had to use up all the little scraps I made along the way), squirrel body and binding (same fabric) and tail. I used a different squirrel print for the flaps on the back and a random ugly fat quarter for the flip side of the quilted squirrel top. I would recommend using a half yard for the background if you can, just to eliminate stress. But if you are very careful about using up all your scraps you can get away with a fat quarter. Have fun!

Crafturday: Tea Wallets!

Do you carry tea bags around with you in your purse? A nice way to do that is to use a tea wallet- little pouches that can carry up to four tea bags or a combo of tea and sugar packets. They can also hold gift cards or business cards. Here's the inside of one:

I made a whole bunch of these this week and put them on sale in my Etsy shop for $8.00 a piece. You can see the shop at Pandora's Craft Room!

Crafturday! Dolphin Hawaiian Pillow

Another UFO (UnFinished Object) bites the dust. I finally finished quilting and making this Hawaiian applique of dolphins into an 18-inch pillow cover. I learned Hawaiian applique on my first trip to Maui in 2004 and made this sometime that year. Until about a month ago it just sat in a pile in my sewing room but now it's all done and ready to be stuffed and leaned on. I love dolphins and though it's not perfect, it captures something of the feel of the ocean for me!

By the way, Pandora's Craft Room now has a Facebook page. If you "like" it, you will get coupon codes and news about what's new in the shop. It's a great way to stay in touch!

Crafturday: Where Are My Dragons?

Trapped in their maze, on this pillow. I made this as a gift for the folks who put us up in Austin a few weekends ago.

There was a mistake on the blue dragon which I caught in time to fix it. It's pretty horrifying when you look at a paper pieced pattern like this, which I would describe as intermediate with plenty of smallish pieces, and find that something that was supposed to be blue was black and now your dragon looks like it has a pencil neck. But I did catch it in time!

The pattern is from the book Spellbinding Quilts, which features wizards, dragons, fairies, witches and other magical creatures. The block is 71/2 x 15 inches and the total pillow size is about 18 inches.

Crafturday: Mail Call

Awhile back I got on a mailing list for Harper Design and their craft book series; what this means is every now and then I get some craft books from them in the mail. So I thought I would share them with you!

My latest box included two new titles. The first is Calamity-Free Crochet: Troubleshooting Tips and Advice for the Savvy Needlecrafter.

From the title I assumed this book would be aimed at the experienced crocheter, but as I looked through it I found it to be a great step-by-step guide for the beginner! Author Catherine Hirst goes through everything from yarns, tools and different kinds of accessories- even including stitch conversion charts, and I don't even know what that means- to what looks like a pretty complete array of basics and reference material. I don't know how to crochet (yet) but this book makes me want to try!

The other book I received is Gretel Parker's Little Needle-Felted Animals: 30 Cute and Easy-to-Make Friends. Needlefelting is a craft in which I have some experience; I once made a cat, and a Santa, and an elf. So this one wasn't so foreign. The patterns, for bears, rabbits, mice, giraffes and more, are adorable, but do look like things you need a little experience to make. Needlefelting is a craft that involves taking wool roving and stabbing it repeatedly with barbed needles- great if you're an angry person but you want to make something cute. This book will show you how.

You can visit Parker's blog here for more needlefelting goodness.

I am sure I will use both of these books soon! Thank you Harper Design for the package!

Crafturday Review: PLAYFUL LITTLE PAPER-PIECED PROJECTS, by Tacha Bruecher

Playful Little Paper-Pieced Projects: 37 Graphic Designs and Tips from Top Modern Quilters, by Tacha Bruecher. Published 2014 by C&T Publishing.

I love to paper piece. For those of you who aren't quilters, paper piecing or foundation piecing as it's also called, is a technique whereby you stitch fabric to a paper foundation to create intricate geometric or representational designs. The technique offers a level of precision and detail that simply isn't available in traditional patchwork, and there endless ways to apply it.

I learned to paper piece on geometric designs but quickly progressed to representational work. I still enjoy traditional patchwork and that's largely what I've done over the years, but I've been looking for more representational paper piecing designs to use in the accessories and small items I've been sewing lately. There are a ton of patterns available online but my paper piecing prayers were answered with Playful Little Paper-Pieced Projects.

This book includes dozens of patterns for blocks, accessories, small items and more; the book starts with a series of 12 calendar-type blocks- month by month designs, then modifies and incorporates them into a variety of items for the home. So for example, the umbrella pattern shown on the cover is used as the basis for a block and then for a tote bag.

Lately I've been into making 12-inch pillows, some to keep and some for gifts. I decided to try out the February pattern, a love letter and rose, and then decided to use it in one of those 12 inch pillows. Here's the result:

 

I was able to use scraps on hand- I needed about a fat quarter for the background (although I still had a big chunk of it left) and less than that for the letter.

The book comes with a CD with all the patterns on it, but- and this is my only problem with the book- the patterns don't include seam allowances around each piece, so as you're cutting and sewing you need to remember to leave enough fabric around the edges. Playful Little Paper-Pieced Projects is not a book for the absolute beginner but if you have some experience with paper piecing you should be fine. I consider myself an intermediate paper-piecer and I found that this pillow project was enough to keep me on my toes but nothing I couldn't handle.

But now I want to make everything in this book, because the patterns and projects are some of the funnest and cutest I've seen. What's also fun is that each project is written by a different artist, many of whom have blogs and websites and Etsy shops, if you're interested in checking out more patterns. How fun is that? I strongly recommend this book to all sewers! You can make quilts and you can make all kinds of fun stuff.

Crafturday! A Little Pillow

It's been a while since I shared some craft projects with you so here goes.

Here is a 12 inch pillow I made using this pattern called Scrap Attack, which I found on Craftsy. This was an easy paper piecing pattern that did indeed use up a whole bunch of fabric scraps. I love paper piecing and I'm getting into making this quick, instant-gratification projects like small pillows.

It's the perfect size for my head and I think little pillows like this would make great gifts, too. I backed the block in an ugly fabric- I now have a basket in my sewing room filled with "ugly" fabric for just such things- and used a vibrant red Hawaiian fabric for the pillow "envelope," where the pillow form goes in.

I can't wait to make more little paper pieced pillows!

Crafturday- An iPad Cover!

I spent some time over the past few months searching for a great e-reader pattern, one that would include sizes for lots of devices, and one that included a license to sell. Well, I found a great one, though I've lost the link (I have a PDF download of the pattern itself) and I've spent the past few weeks trying out different versions.

The fabric is called Fulham Road and it's by Alexander Henry. Constructing the thing itself was the easy part; the challenge is interfacing. For those of you who aren't sewers, interfacing is a layer that gives the finished product some stability and structure. Interfacing can be tissue-thin or thick as book board, and anything in between; it can be a fusible or iron-on layer that you adhere to the fabric, or a sew-in layer that sits either against the fabric layers or between them. It's essential to use at least something on any accessory-type project. If you don't, it's just going to flop around and have no heft at all.

The first time I tried, I chose a thin interfacing on the fabrics and a layer of quilt batting for padding; that was too cushiony. The next time, I went ultra-firm and found that unusable as well. The fabric wrinkled and I wouldn't have been able to turn it right-side out once I had sewn it. Then I tried sew-in fleece, and again it was OK but too soft. With this attempt, I used a layer of a firmer woven fusible (Pellon Shape Flex) on each main piece of fabric plus one layer of fusible fleece. I don't know if it's just right, but it's a big improvement and usable as far as I'm concerned. I would like to try a firmer fusible combined with the fleece, to see if I can give it a little more body, but I'm happy for now.

I'm not ready to start selling these cases- I still need to practice- but I made a big step forward!

Crafturday-Zippers!

So, among the many reasons I haven't been blogging a lot lately is that when I'm home pretty much all I want to do anymore is sew. I recently learned simple zipper installation, and I can safely say that life will never be the same again.

I've been experimenting with lots of different kinds of bags and pouches. Yesterday I started a jewelry roll, which I completed this morning:

The zippers don't match because I'm buying them in small assortments right now and I never get two of the same color. I made this for practice so I don't really care if the zippers match, but when I make a nice one either for myself or as a gift, I'll need matching zippers! I'll also match the thread next time. I found the pattern here, on the Fiberosity blog.

I liked the way this came out. I made a couple of changes already, in that I didn't use premade cord to tie it up and I interfaced the pockets. The next time I plan to make a few further tweaks, but these instructions are a wonderful place to start.

I've experimented with other zippered pouches too but my very favorite comes from the wonderful sewing blog Dog Under My Desk, Easy Zippered Pouches. I've made two of these so far and I plan to more. The first is a quilted pouch just like the sample:

I love love love this little guy, just big enough for some cash and a chapstick. I want to make a thousand of them. I have a friend who would just love this but I have to keep it for myself. Maybe I'll make her one next! It doesn't take much fabric. And then today I made this one, out of oilcloth:

I used the same measurements but because it's not quilted or lined and thus not as bulky, it came out a little larger. It's still quite small though. I bought a fat quarter of oilcloth and I could make several of these pouches from that fat quarter. I love love love this one, too! And I love Erin's blog. I've already bought one of her patterns and I'll surely come back for more.

I may end up selling these in my Etsy store, Pandora's Craft Room, at some point but I'm still just playing around with zippered pouches for now.

Crafturday: A Passport Wallet

I made a passport wallet for my upcoming trip to Ireland, based on a pattern I figured out myself. The button came from a vintage store near my home and I used a regular hair elastic to close it. Here's the inside:

These pictures aren't the best, but what I have is two horizontal pockets on the left that can either fit two more passports or boarding passes and/or other paperwork, and one vertical pocket on the right for a passport or what-have-you. This is the third one I made; like Goldilocks, the first was too small by just a smidge, the second was too big and the third is just right!

I'm thinking of adding this to my Etsy shop as a custom-only item since they take a little more time than average for me to make, and lots of elements can be customized like the exact fabric choices and placement and the buttons of course. I'm planning to make a change purse and tissue holder to complete my purse accessories from the same fabric which I'm sad to say I'm running out of. I need to find more, I love it!

Crafturday! A Change Purse

Here's a fun little thing I learned how to make this past week. A change purse! I bought the pattern at my favorite quilt shop, Quilter's Way of Acton, and got to work right away. I used two small pieces of fabric for the outside, and two more for the inside pockets

plus fusible fleece and interfacing, sticky-back velcro, a Hawaiian coconut shell button and the usual sewing notions and machine. The pockets hold standard-size business or credit cards. It would be a great accessory for those you headed to BEA or other functions where you'll be passing out and collecting lots of business cards. Here's the back:

Since this was my first one there's definitely room for improvement, but overall I'm pretty happy with it. I picked out a really cute cat print to use for a couple more. I used scraps for this one but you can cut enough fabric for two from a fat quarter, if you cut the long edge parallel to the selvage. I can't wait to get started. It took me about an hour to make this one; I think doing two or three at once, assembly-line style, is very practical. I'd love to get good enough at making these to sell them but for now I think they'd make fun gifts.

And I'm giving this one away to one of you if you'd like it! If you live in the US and would like a little turtle purse, leave a comment with an email address. The giveaway will be open for a week, till next Saturday.