Finishes and New projects ready to start

Made a couple of little pouches this weekend from a home dec fabric sample I'd picked up on clearance at Joann's several yrs ago now.  

The first little tote is a boxy one that would be used to hold little stuff when traveling.   It finished out at 6'5" long by 4" wide by 3.5" tall.  I used the boxy tote tutorial found on the Three Bears blog.   Instructions were great and I winged the sizes to fit the sample fabric size that I was working with.

After finishing the first one, I then used the remaining pieces of the sample to make the triangular pouch.  Just three seams once the zipper is put in and oh so easy to make.

Any interest in me writing up a tutorial for it?














In doing some sorting through things that have been boxed up (in boxes or totes) for way too long,   One of the things that I've found again is this vest that I can no longer wear.   I hate to get rid of it because I love the tapestry fabric that I used to make the front out of.   I'm debating on what to do with it.....do I keep it as is and just try to sell the vest and make some money on it.   Or repurpose the tapestry fabric into something else for me.   I'm leaning towards the latter choice.   I still have never made myself a nice cover for my kindle file and am thinking that this might make a nice cover.  However, until I decide it'll go back into one of my totes so that it stays out of the light and dust.

The final project that I've pulled out to work on as I have time is a couple of kits for some Christmas homes that combine cross-stitch and sewing.   they were from one of my British Cross-stitch mags that I love, but of course I can't remember which one.   The pic on the cover tho is clear enoough that I can do the counting of the simple cross-stitch from the pic.   These will eventually end up as gifts since I don't have a tree to decorate anymore.

 Gratitudes:
1.  Sinuses continue to improve three days after surgery.....I might once again be able to breathe  easily before long....
2.  Good friends who are there in all things....

Mystery Quilt - Second Corner and instructions

Finally figured out what I wanted to do for the second corner of the border for the mystery quilt.

I decided to do a border that had been based on an adaptation of the simple 9-patch block.  Because the width of the final border is 4.5 inches unfinished the center strip is 2.5 inches unfinished, and the outer strips are 1.5".

Or at least on paper that is what the measurements should be to add up to a 4.5" unfinished border.   Sigh...........the best laid plans of mice and quilters don't always come to fruition, and it seems that the two border sections have actually worked out to be about 4.75" unfinished.   Grrrrr................  Then of course there is the directional print that i used that didn't cooperate for me when making the second section.

Net result is that I'm going to end up remaking the strips so that they finish out at the correct size and with the print going in the correct direction on both sides of the corner.

In the meantime, here are the directions for the corner.

2nd Corner Instructions -

Cutting -
2 - 1.5" strips of the background print
2 - 1.5" strips of the focus print chosen for the border section
1 - 2.5" strip of the background print
1 - 2.5" strip of the focus print chosen for the border section

Sew a 1.5" strip of the background print to each side of the focus print as if you were making a strip set for 9-patch block.   Press seams towards the focus print.

Sew a 1.5" strip of the focus print to each side of the background print in the same way.  Press seams towards the focus print.

From the strip set that has the focus print in the center position, cut 2.5" sections.   From the strip set with the background fabric in the center position, cut 1.5" sections.   Sew them together alternating the order of them as shown above.

I used 11 sections of both strip set, but am still debating on if I need to make them a little shorter.  You will need to play with how many you make depending on how big you want that corner to be.

Surgery and sewing.............

I've never been one that can just sit around and twiddle my thumbs when waiting for something else to happen.   So Thursday morning while waiting for time to leave for my scheduled surgery, i finished off two tote bags from the same fabric.   One will be a BD present for one of my best friends.   The second one will be posted for sale.

The fabric I used is a drapery fabric that I found on clearance.   was so nice to sew with.   Am glad I got it all because I still have some more to make more bags with.  I'm hoping that the one sells quickly.  =)

Once I got home from the surgery I ended up sleeping the rest of the day/night....well till about 4 am or so at any rate.   Started going thru a tote of stuff because I was wide awake at that point.....found these strip sets that had been leftover from other projects done years ago and started these quilted postcards with them.  Added the silk flowers to the postcards, and then did the finish stitching this afternoon.

Nice to have another UFO done and out of the totes.

Gratitudes -
1. Sinus surgery is over and so far everything is going well.

2. Good friends who are there to help and encourage when needed.

Back from my quilt retreat......

I was fortunate to be able to go to a quilt retreat last weekend in Wisconsin with a great group of friends.   Lots of fun, laughter and sewing were had by all over the weekend.   Did manage to finish three projects - two totally, and one to the completed top stage.  

The pumpkin quilt is now a finished top.   I got all of the buttonhole stitching done on the top panel.   6 or so hours later I was able to put all of the remaining borders on it.

When I bought this my intent was to have a fall quilt to display on the wall.  Well that was two domiciles ago and a lot of yrs ago.  I no longer have a wall tall enough to display my quilts on at this time and can't put up a rod here either.   So I'm not sure if I'm going to leave it as is or add a border to it to make it big enough for my bed.  That will be decided at some point in the future, but not now.   If I do add a border, I'll most likely make it similiar to the block backgrounds.

The gingerbread man is a potholder made from a kit that I'd gotten at least 10 yrs ago.  Fabrics in the top are from the kit, binding and bow are from a FQ that someone put on the 'free-to-anyone' table.

Serendipity had the print in the hanging loop match up exactly with the binding at the point where I sewed it on.  Bowtie turned out good - esp. since the pattern showed it but gave no instructions on how to do it.







The final project completed was a little wool ornament.   The kit was gotten on a shop back in Arizona at least 10 yrs ago and most likely longer than that.  Couldn't tell you what store I'd gotten it at either because it wasn't on the pattern.  A combination of hand and machine applique was used to make it.

Gratitudes:
1.  Sinus surgery date is here tomorrow and hopefully all will go well.

2. 5 wks left in school this year.

2015 Mystery Quilt - Border Ideas and instructions

Because the instructions for this quilt were meant to help people break out of the box and start to design, I will be sharing what I'm doing for the border on my quilt top.   I will include sizes and amounts of fabric but like all other directions please customize the border to what speaks to you!

Some time ago I had seen a quilt that had a pieced border and all 4 corners were a different block.    I fell in love with that idea, and even though I can not find the picture I had saved of it at the present time.   For this quilt I first added a solid border of a white-on-white fabric so that the blocks will float.   And then will be added the pieced corner sections to the quilt one at a time.   There will be solid white-on-white sections between the pieced sections.   I will be using up fabrics left over from making the top of the quilt.

Instructions and fabric requirements for the floating border and first pieced section -




First border (solid border) - 

Fabric Used -11" of background fabric or similar fabric

Cut 5 - 2-inch wide strips.   Sew three of them together, end-to-end.   Use them to add the side border to the quilt.   Then use the remaining strips to the top and bottom of the quilt.  Square up the corners.

First Corner - Checkerboard

Fabric Used - 1 - 2.5" strip of background fabric and of one of the coordinating fabrics.

Sew the strips together along the length of the strips.   Press open and then cut into 2.5" sections.   Sew these sections together in a checkerboard layout.   Be sure to turn the sections at the corner so that the pattern will continue on around.    Make as long as desired on both sides.

Note: I will be removing one or more sections from both the top and the side strips of this border because it turned out longer than I wanted.   But if you choose to do this the final length is up to you!f