Getting Scrappy

Sheesh, almost an entire month since my last post!  As much as I love summer, I'm very ready for the start of fall, which brings school, routine, and more time to sew!

I have been fitting in small projects here and there.

Canvas and cotton nesting bowls

Cotton and linen potholders

Linen and cotton nesting bowls

Linen and cotton wallets

But my largest project in the works, a queen-sized quilt for my bed, has been at a standstill.  As much as I love making the New York Beauty blocks that I had originally intended to solely use, meandering their way around the quilt, I just don't think it's practical to stick to the original plan if I ever want to actually finish the quilt.

My New York Beauty blocks awaiting some company

That point was reaffirmed this weekend when I found this stack of paper-pieced blocks that I started at least 5 years ago.

Hmmm...maybe these need to become something new...iPad cases? Cosmetics bags?

I had a lightbulb moment the other night regarding the quilt.  My original intent was to make it more modern than traditional.  Starting with the very traditional paper-pieced blocks, I needed to add something much less conventional to achieve the modern look.  I am always inspired by Maureen Cracknell's beautiful projects and color choices, and I remembered some scrappy chevron blocks she shared awhile back.  My new plan is to make strips of scrappy chevrons and mix them in with my New York Beauties and some strips of solid gray.  I'm using the tutorial at Six White Horses for the chevrons.  This scrappy, not-so-planned idea is much more forgiving and fun, even though I do find paper piecing relaxing.  I cut a bunch of strips tonight.  Stay tuned for the results!

Strips ready to get scrappy

Zakka Potholders and Summer To-Dos

A day late and a giveaway entry short, I managed to complete one Zakka Style potholder.  I would have been done on time, despite spending much of the week camping, had my old iron not given out.  Amazingly enough, I managed to find a Rowenta in my local small-town hardware store.  I have 5 more of these potholders in progress.  I love the stripy design and the pockets on the back for gripping hot pots and pans.  I think they will be the beginning of my holiday gift stash.

I have to put the rest of my summer to-do list in print so I don't forget anything!  It is quite full!

- Make two of Anna Maria Horner's Art Student Totes into diaper bags.  In time for the Purse Palooza deadline.  Yikes.

-Finish my New York Beauty quilt from the quilt-along awhile back.

-Restock my Etsy shop.  It has gotten quite empty.

-Begin stashing finished products for the local holiday fair in November.

-Work on hexagons for a quilt for my daughter.  I got a great start while waiting for the kids at swim lessons today.  Six hexagons in 45 minutes.  With a total of 900 minutes of swim lesson time ahead of me (!!!) I could potentially get 120 finished. Hmmm.

-Figure out what to upcycle a whole stack of my hubby's old Coast Guard uniforms into.  Any ideas?

Hexies and Target Dollar Finds

First up, some photos of this week's Zakka Style Sew-Along project!  It was a cute zip pouch, but the real stars are the hexagons appliqued onto it.  I have been wanting to try making hexies since I saw Rachael over at imagine gnats make some awhile back, but I had no idea how.  This project got me started, and now I can't seem to stop.  I usually despise hand sewing, but these are so much fun, and can be done while riding in the car or watching TV.  I may have even ordered some charm packs of cute fabric just so I can make more...and I'm not quite sure what they will become!

Linen blend body with cotton hexagons.  Outfoxed, Fly a Kite, and something else from my stash...

I do love a good contrasting zipper.

Lining is some cute hedgehogs from Outfoxed.

I wasn't sure if I was going to keep or sell the pouch...and then I realized it is perfect for keeping my hexie-making supplies together!

I was in the "big city" last week and went to Target.  Those bins of dollar items at the entry always suck my kids in...and they got me this time, too.  I found these cute little containers that I am using to further organize my sewing space.  Great for scraps, thread, trash, or transporting my hand-sewing supplies between desk and couch.

Slipped on my sewing desk drawer as a trash collector

Corralling my thread

Project transportation

In Love With...

my Zakka Style Stem Messenger Bag!!  I have been looking forward to this project since the sew-along began.  I haven't kept up with the projects as much as I had hoped, mostly due to the last month of school activities and our town's community-built playground effort, but thankfully things seem to be calming down.

I jumped ahead a few weeks ago and made the zip organizer.  You'll have to wait til next week to see the finished product.  But I made the Stem Messenger Bag to match my organizer!  I absolutely love it.  Working with this book has me using linen for the first time, and it has such a great weight and feel to it.  Aside from having issues keeping it squared up when cutting out project pieces, I really enjoy the natural fibers.  (I have fixed that issue by ironing interfacing onto the linen of the correct size and shape before cutting the linen out.)

Sooo...here's my new favorite bag!  Completed just in time for the Great Alaskan Road Trip next week that my kids and I are taking...from Homer to Fairbanks and back, via Denali National Park.  This bag will hold all of my travel necessities- phone, wallet, notebook, iPad, Kindle (techie, here!), Alaska TourSaver Book, smaller camera, snacks... It has lots of pockets, and I added a magnetic snap closure on the flap so that things don't fly out while I'm chasing my 4-year-old.

Gray linen with Outfoxed and Fly a Kite

I made my own double-fold bias binding for the first time...I can see how that could get addicting!  I envisioned an entire Etsy shop with handmade binding.

Fab design in the Zakka Style book- outside pockets and inside pockets to hold just about everything.

I made my strap out of two pieces of black cotton webbing zig-zagged together with teal thread.  My loops are nylon from my local marine hardware supplier.

Pocket on the back.  Attaching the flap this way was tricky and it doesn't look very neat on the inside top edge.  Next time I'd probably put it on the "regular" way.

Just the right size.

Giveaway Day!

It's Giveaway Day (well, Week, really) over at Sew, Mama, Sew! and I'm offering up something fabulous.

I have been following along, mostly, with the Zakka Style Sew-Along, and I jumped ahead, thanks to Sara at Sew Sweetness, to the Zip Organizer.  Then I decided to downsize it into a wallet.  I loved the result so much that I have made several wallets this week.  They all have a charcoal linen base with fun designer cotton prints as pockets and accents.  The binding is hand-sewn.  You'll have to wait to see the original organizer that I made until its time comes in the sew-along!  For a sneak peek, check out my Facebook page.

This lovely prize features some Joel Dewberry prints.  It zips closed and has a zip pocket on the back for change.  The inside has 3 card slots on one side and three slightly larger slip pockets on the other.

To enter, leave a comment below letting me how you shop on Etsy...do you search for something specific, browse new listings, check in with your favorite shops?  Open to anyone, anywhere.  I will randomly select a winner on May 27.  For an extra entry, like my Facebook page and comment that you did.  PLEASE MAKE SURE I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN.  Make sure your email address is visible in your profile, or include it in your comment.

This week's sew-alongs

I am all settled into my new sewing area, which I LOVE.  I can't believe how handy the little drawers and compartments in the desk have turned out to be.  My machine also sews much nicer on the very solid desk surface.  After sorting through my mountains of fabric and notions and organizing it all into its new home, I managed to squeeze in both sew-along projects this week between sewing up custom orders.

Here's my New York Beauty block.  That's right, just one block.  I have a second in progress but need to start it over because I don't like my fabric combo for the center piece.

This week's Zakka Style project is a pin cushion.  I actually need a new one, so it came at a perfect time.  The whole thing took about 20 minutes, and it's simple yet cute and functional.  I didn't do last week's project because I just didn't have the time.  Plus it was a zip pouch, and those who know me know that I have about fifty of them already.

Up next I'm going to try these really cute sling-style backpacks for my kids.  We have lots of adventures coming up this summer (visit my other blog for more on that) and they need something functional and durable to carry their stuff around in.

Zakka Style Sew-Along Week 1: Zig Zag Tote

I have been hoarding my stash of Washi fabric, waiting for just the right project to come along.  As soon as I saw the first project in the Zakka Style Sew-Along, I knew this was it!  The project is a tote bag, which I don't really need.  But I have been filing away ideas for a handbag for myself for quite awhile, adding to my list as I have made new patterns.  I love the quilted zig zag design of the sew-along tote, so I followed the directions in the book for that portion and then made the rest up as I went along.  It was fun to get back into quilting again after a very long break!

The bag started out with cutting quarter-square triangles.  I was a little unsure how this print would turn out when made into the zig zag shape because the color is not evenly distributed throughout the fabric.

But it turned out just fine.

I constructed the full zig zag portion of the bag as instructed.

Then I designed my bag shape, taking some construction tips I learned when making my Honolulu Bag.

The gray brushed twill was left over from another project, so I made my bag as large as my scraps would allow.  Then came the quilting!  I have never used fusible fleece before and loved it.  I put on my walking foot and the quilting was a breeze. 

For the lining, I took the tip offered by Terri and made my pocket a contrasting color.  

Then I decided to get really fancy and add a straight wide band at the top of my bag, set a zipper down inside, and attach my straps with nylon D-rings that I have been waiting to use.  I learned this basic top and zipper construction from my newest favorite pattern from Keyka Lou.  I followed the strap construction directions from the book and was very pleased with them.  My least favorite part of making bags is turning the straps right-side-out, and this method eliminates that completely!

The result is quite fabulous, if I do say so myself.  I love everything about it and am a little amazed that I was able to figure this all out on my own.

I added some darts in the top to give a little shape.

  

Sew-Alongs: Getting Things Done

Pleated Clutches, from a pattern by Keyka Lou, headed to a local boutique

I have spent the past few weeks sewing up orders for others.  I enjoy sending my goods out to those who love them, but I am so looking forward to starting on some things for myself this week. Since I do better with smaller projects (I have a bit of sewing ADD), I decided to join a couple of sew-a-longs that have recently caught my eye.

First up is the Zakka Style sew-a-long, hosted by LRstitched.  The book we will be sewing through is compiled by Rashida Coleman-Hale, designer of the Washi line of fabric that I have been holding on to, waiting for just the right project to come along.  I think this fits perfectly!  The sew-a-long starts tomorrow with a zig-zag tote bag...which also seems to fit nicely with my theme of chevrons lately.  Staying true to my usual re-design-it-myself style, I plan to take the basic idea of the tote and turn it into a slightly different shape that looks more like a handbag.

I have also been eyeing the New York Beauty quilt-a-long hosted over at Sew Sweetness.  My bed is screaming for a new quilt, and I have been hoping to try a more modern style of quilting than I have done in the past.  I ordered some charcoal Kona cotton to use with these Poetica by Jane Dixon half-yards, and plan to make 4 of each New York Beauty block.  I'm going to assemble them in a very non-traditional, meandering sort of way with lots of negative space.  Or so I think, anyway.  We shall see.  I'm 4 weeks behind on the blocks, so I need to get started as soon as my solid arrives.

My bed's new quilt...eventually

Of course, I also have a few more custom orders to make up this week as well.  I have put a hold on taking new custom orders on my Etsy shop until mid-April.  I may add a few things to my shop in the meantime, but I am focusing mainly on things to keep this month.