plus quilt picnic blanket

Well I finished 2 quilts already this month and now I can't stop!
I have been wanting to make a quilt entirely of my scraps, and since I buy new fabric for most projects, my scraps have added up.   I store them in clear bins by color and knew that I had enough of each color to make a spectrum quilt.  This quilt is a gift and I plan on turning it into one of my  picnic blankets in a bag.
Here is one of my inspirations, as there were many on pinterest of course....I was considering using soilds like FITF to break it up but after I finished cutting I had enough to do the whole quilt.
Here is the top half, I had to lay it out in sections my table is not large enough for the whole thing......more to come soon im sure.

finished quilting and binding

this was my first large scale free motion machine quilt project since I got my new Bernina last year.  I learned a few things along the way, but over all I love the finished product and it just fueled my desire to continue and quilt some more.....so we'll see whats up next, I am thinking something with the scraps I already have in the stash since the beautiful backing fabric from this quilt broke the fabric allowance for a bit, but well worth it!
Since the almond trees are so pretty the quilt wanted its photo shoot outside so here it is.

scallop quilt update

It has been time for finishing up projects.
First the hankie quilt.... I needed to find a way to display my Grandmas hankies in a useful and beautiful way. I used a white swiss dot for the sashing and boarders as well as the binding,  my goal was to let the colors of the hankies be the main focus of this quilt, I also backed the quilt top with interfacing and decided to hand tie rather than machine quilt.
Then I got to work on the scallop quilt.
The quilt pieces were set aside for other projects and when I went to pick them back up I found that I needed to re-iron them.  The ironing technique using the foil goes quickly, but still time consuming.  So the only other thing I have to say about the construction of this quilt is that the pieces are round so they are stretchy which can pull and become esque.  So this quilt is less than perfect....but colorful and pretty non the less.  I have the scallops, boarders and back ready to sandwich and quilt.
I have a little quilt corner where I can display quilts and linens on an old ladder.  I have hung my hankie quilt, and below that is a quilt my  great-grandmother hand embroidered, all 50 states and the sate bird.  Then she hand quilted this large King size quilt.  Such beautiful craftsmanship.

scallop quilt before the boarders

A sneak peek at the boarder and backing.....I cant wait to get this thing quilted!  I used Joel Dewberry Notting Hill Voile for the backing, I you have not touched this fabric yet......let me just say you need to!!!

make-up brush roll

after I made my duffle bag, and matching bathroom bag, I needed a wrap for my make-up brushes to go in so they didn't get make-up all over the inside of my bag.  This is a very quick and easy project.
I followed this tutorial it came out perfect.

   

 I used good ol' drop cloth, since it was plain and I needed an excuse to practice my free motion quilting I wrote out" brushes", 

jewelry clutch

It always seems like when I start packing for a trip I realize I need a new bag, a make up brush roll, an 

organizer for carrying accessories......

so while I should be cleaning the house or prepping something for the trip I start to sew, it never fails!

This is just how I work!

So searching for a tutorial that looks efficient and fast that I don't have to think or and customize very much, this is what I found.  I wanted to use a shiny satin on the inside and  my fabric was only 11" wide and I only had 9" zippers so I did make my clutch a bit narrower than the tute but its not crucial.

I keep fusible fleece on hand (buy at Joanns when interfacing are 50% off and stock up) I also keep a yard or so of vinyl for such projects and buy zippers in bulk from this shop on etsy because I always need a zipper.

OK So my photos are not great with the reflection of the vinyl but you get the jist...

so, make one for a Christmas gift this year!

scallop quilt

this is Sandi Henderson's picnic quilt from her book "Sewing with Bits & Pieces"  I loved her color choices in the book, but Im a lover of green.  So I started collecting fabric in every shade of green.  The pattern calls for 80 different fabrics, thus the scraps as suggested in her title.

then she suggests following a method from one of our favorite bloggers AMH about curved piecing and it really is a time and finger saver.

here are my pieces cut and ironed, I was a little bit worried about some of the pressed edges came out, but when I started pinning them it worked out...phew..... didn't want to iron again!

then you top stitch them together...this is the most interesting technique about this quilt 

so Im 1/3 done, will post the completion hopefully soon...well the top anyways ;)

fathers day gifts

what do you give dads.....they give us so much! there is no gift to repay what they have done for us so i like to stick to functional practical gifts for the daddy's

this year it is a car kit filled with all the goodies that dad might forget...but will be glad when he finds them in his car kit! this project was easy and fast...also a great project if your are wanting to work with zippers but intimidated, because there is no turning or top stitching you just lay them flat and sew them on!

i used this tutorial from not martha....a place i like to visit from time to time (i want to totally steal her name because that's how i feel sometimes)

so, i followed her tute and it came out great!i thought the appliques were cute but not for our fathers,  i didn't want to make a trip to the fabric store so i rummaged through my stash and came up with this list of items for my supplies:

• drop cloth canvas-for outer
• old dress shirts-for binding (just the back panel of the shirt made about 4 yds bias tape, way more than needed)
• old laundry bag-for pocket mesh
• zippers from old laundry bags 

the only thing i might have done differently is to add interfacing and another layer of drop cloth just for stability, but i don't think its that crucial 

i hope they like em'