Crazy busy June

This month is busy. I started a new job June 1st (I love it - more about that later)

My sister got married June 4th, it was a very special day. We celebrated with them all day, and it was such a special day. 

I had made them pillowcases for their birthdays, and that was what they wished for as thair wedding present. More pillows. And wine. A combination that makes sense - you want to be comfy while drinking wine, right?!

I wanted to make them different designs, so I started out with a dresden:

I quilted it with a 1'' grid - I really do not have the patience for that...

I also made a kaleidoscope. I still want to make a quilt with this block. I just love it!

I am not sure what the name of this block is, but it is made from 9-patches that are cut op into triangles and sewn back together:

 I like the quilting on the 4-patch pillow:

Here you can see it from the back. Elizabeth Hartman has a great tute for this dogwood quilting.

And here they are, all together:

I am happy with how they turned out. And I think my sister is too :-)

More little earbud pouches

My daugther really wanted me to make some of the little heartshaped earbud pouches for her friends. So I have made a few...

A couple of blue ones for the friends loving blues... And....I prefer turning the zipper the way it is on the top pouch. I makes it so much easier to sew the little fabric square without having it bent out of shape....

A pink and purple heartshaped pouch, and a round one for me :-)

And finally one more heartshaped blue one... I think this last one is my favorite. Well...either this one or the pink/purple one...or the blue one with the owls...

I'll have to make some more. All information about the tutorial is here :-)

A panda pillow...

My daugther loves pillows, and pandas (well....and unicorns and rainbows too, just to be fair!)

So when I saw this photo print in a local fabric store, I knew I had to buy one. It's the quickest pillow I have ever made.

The front is just the panel as is...and I made the back from 2 cute prints. One of them had to be a panda-print of course

She loves it, and I have all sorts of plans for pillows to make for both my kids. Because they really like them - and maybe that means that some of all the softies can move to other homes??

Elena sized hour baskets

When the kids saw the hour baskets I made for the kitchen, they really wanted one each, to keep track of their stuff in the car.... The Hour Baskets are quite roomy - so I went with a smaller size, the Elena size from Friends of the Hour Basket - for this project.

Miss V really likes the designs by Me and My Sister Design, so I chose these 2 mini charm packs for her Elena hour basket

I am very pleased with the finished result

I had just finished cutting out charms for a basket for my son, when he came home from school and told me, that he wanted something completely different. So he chose the fabrics for his basket from my yardage:

Really nice choice! 

An ittybitty heartshaped earbud pouch for Miss V

You know how those smartphone earbuds always get tangled up in a big mess - and possibly they got themselves tangled into pretty much everything else in your bag?

...I don't, but that is what my daugther asked me, right before asking, if she could please have some little bag to keep them seperate from the rest of her stuff - and could that bag please be purple?

So, I found this cute heartshaped earbud pouch tutorial. It is by Dog Under my Desk, and it is really simple to make!

I'll need to make one for me. But maybe the round one - I'm not sure I would want the heartshaped one...cute as it is :-)

My first hour baskets

Oh my goodness! If you haven't made one (or more) of these hour baskets yet, go get the pattern, and make some!!

The pattern has directions for fabric handles, but I have some leather, and I really like how that looks. So I substituted...also, it's a lot quicker :-)

My kids like to get their own snacks in between meals, and they really should be able to, but we have just never has a space designated to "snacks it's ok to eat" - i.e. not sugary candylike stuff..

So I desided to make an hourbasket, and put the granola bars, the crackers and the other goodies in that - put it right there on the kitchen counter, so it would be easy for them to choose something healthy. 

But then....who can make just one? There's a pattern, Friends of the Hour Basket, that'll give you lots of different sizes, can't wait to try some of them out!

This one, in the pretty Kaffe Fassett print, will be for bread, breadsticks, tortillas etc.

I love these.... they are so fun to make.

Maybe I should make one for potatoes...onions.......anything, really.

My daugther has asked for some to organize her toys and her markers. So I am sure I get to make many more of these :-)

Star Wars x-wing pillow for my youngest

A while ago, I tested a Krity Lea/Quietplay pattern for a 12.5'' x-wing block. The pattern is great btw, you can see my post here.

Anyway, I wanted to use the block, so I added some borders

The Star Wars print seemed perfect :-)

Quilted it and added a back (and a zipper, pillows need zippers!)

...and here's the finished pillow! My son is happy, and it matches his Star Wars quilt!

Pink floor cushion for Miss V

Ever since she saw the floor cushion I made for A for his birthday (in March....), Miss V has asked me, to make one for her. I could choose the pattern - as long as I made it in pink fabrics :-)

So....I chose HSTs, and this layout:

This should be fairly simple, but I managed to sew every HST together the wrong way. Lots of unpicking... Fot the other side, I used the leftover HSTs and some strips - didn't need to repeat the seam ripping. I have had my share of doing that for a while now!

Moving on to basting - and cofee to keep my spirits up :-) But this is the fun part! Well....not so much the basting, but the quilting.

Here it is, all done: (do you see the star?)

I took this picture this afternoon. This makes me happy, and this is why I made the cushions in the first place. The kiddos love to sit on the floor, with their toys, puzzles games.... Our floors are cold hardwood floors, so they need a soft cushion!

Now I need to make one for me, and then we are all set for playing board games on the floor :-)

Sarah Fielke BOM - Month 4, Block 2: Hawaiian Applique

I am so happy I signed up for Sarah Fielke's BOM - I am learning to many new techniques! Doing applique is new to me, and something I have always wanted to learn - and also my main reason for signing up. 

This month is also applique, there are 3 blocks (1 piecing and 2 applique). I started out with the block using Hawaiian applique. Another technique I have never tried before :)

I admit, that it felt as if this block had as many stitches as all the other blocks combined. But I think that is because it is all one piece, all one color, and it is 4 sections that are the same.... So probably more because I get a little bored :)

I did finish it,and I love it

I you want to see some of all the other fabric choices for this BOM, go to #sarahfielkebom on Instagram - lots of beautiful blocks! 

The Necessary Clutch Wallet

I finally tried it - maybe tackling the Sew Together Bag made me more brave :-)

....or maybe the fact that I (once again) lost my credit card, made me realize, that I need a wallet?

Either way, my sister got the pattern for me (no credit card - no online shopping!!), and I started right away. This is my first attempt at the Necessary Clutch Wallet:

I really like the green print I used for the flap - I may have to make another one like it. In this one I used Soft and Stable as interfacing in the exterior of the bag. It's quite heavy - maybe it'll be better with some use? Or maybe I should throw it in the wash to see if it'll soften up a little?

Here's the inside of this clutch:

So...I also forgot to use interfacing on the credit card slots.... Not good!

So, I tried again. This one is not perfect, but much better:

I used an iron-on interfacing for the flap (and everywhere else). The thickness is much better, but it makes the fabric look a little crinkled :(

The inside of this clutch:

I like the second clutch much better. But I am going to be making a 3rd attempt at this. With an interfacing that does not need to be ironed on... We'll see when I get to it.

Anyway, it's a fun pattern, and it comes together without any hazzles. It's from Emmaline Bags.

so...life happened! ...and status of the hexies

I have been busier than usual these past weeks, so I haven't done a lot of blogging - or sewing!

I have been working on my hexies here and there, this is how far I am:

I am not really sure what I want to do with these. I am running out of paper, and really should find some more. But these are really old, and don't seem to be a standard size. Oh well. Maybe I'll just start sewing them together, and then re-using the paper. What do you usually do?

And...I will be starting a new job June1st. I am so excited about that!

Sarah Fielke BOM - Block 19

I had a hard time choosing fabrics for this last block of month 3, block 19. I ended up making it very coordinated, the overall look of the quilt is going to be so scrappy, that I decided to keep the colors within the blocks more "calm"

This is before glueing the pieces down. Lots of curves in this block, lots of inside points - great for practising!

This is my progress so far:

I finished all the setting stars, and I have 3 vine border blocks left to stitch. But I have until October to get those done, so no rush...

The Splendid Sampler - Block 13, 16 and a bonus block...

It's been a while since I made some of the splendid sampler blocks, and you really do fall behind pretty quick... Today I started out just prepping some of the blocks, I had a really bad headache, and then prepping is a nice and quiet activity....

This evening, I was ready to sew, and I started by making block 16 "Pieces of Friendship"

I moved on to block 13 "Scrap Stars" - this one was a little tricky, so I took my time. I was so pleased that it came out the right size, because that's a lot of seams in one little 6.5'' block :-)

The last block I pieced today is a bonus block. Why not make an extra, when there are 4 patterns waiting for me.......??

But I just love this "Inside Out" block - and it really is a fast block to put together

I would like to make a whole quilt of these - but then I would probably make each block bigger......and wonky :-)

Sarah Fielke BOM - Block 1: The Bird Block

I have made some progress on my Sarah Fielke BOM "Happy Days". Somehow, between my different projects, I just don't seem to finish anything these days :-)

Anyway....this BOM is so fun, and I am learning so much. I would never have dared try to needleturn applique something like this bird:

But tonight I finished it, and I am so happy with how it turned out

Next up is a block with lots more circles, inside curves and small pieces....I can do it!

X-wing block tester!

I have loved Kristy Lea/Quietplays patterns for a long time, so when she asked if I would test her new pattern for a 12''  paperpieced x-wing block, I said yes!

 I am not the most skilled paperpiecer ever, but this pattern is so well made, that even I could follow it :)

The block came together so easily, just follow her very simple instructions, and everything will fit together perfectly. 

This pattern is ready in the Quietplay pattern shop on Craftsy, you can also try one of the other patterns - I know I will - and go take a look at her instagram feed, there are so many beautiful projects!!

The Splendid Sampler - Block 12 "Checkerboard"

This was a fast and fun block to sew. I didn't cut all the little sqaures, but cut 1.5'' strips and went from there. I considered choosing a different color for each strip, but I have made the decision to stay as close to the original patterns as possible. For me to learn as much as possible.

So here it is:

This block was designed by Pat Sloan. It was fast and fun to sew. Makes me want to finally sew that trip around the world quilt :)

The Splendid Sampler - playing catch-up. Blocks 9, 10 and 11.

I have been working on a lot of other projects, so I have fallen behind on my blocks for The Splendid Sampler.

I had cut blocks 9, 10, 11 and 12 a few days ago, so they were ready to sew "whenever I had a couple of minutes" - I just never did! Or....when I did, I chose to do something else :)

Today I finally just sat down by my machine and started....

Block 9 "Local Quilt Shop"

This was a fun block, I really like house blocks, but I don't think I ever made one before! One of many advantages to The Splendid Sampler - trying new things!

Block 10 "Iowa"

This one reminds me of a frosted donut, or sherbert..... My daugther loves it and wants me to make her a pillow with one giant Iowa block. 

Block 11 "Crocheted Thoughts"

This one obviosly still needs the crochet/embroidery. I am not sure how I am going to do that, So I am leaving it like this for now..

I still need to sew blocks 12 and 13. But I feel like I am caught up for now. I'll have some time to sew over the weekend - but I have a special block planned. So the sampler may have to wait until next week..

Black and White Squares WIP

Why not start something new? I only have a huge pile of quilttops waiting to be basted, quilted and bound... Anyway, I started this...

I first remember seeing this pattern in a sweater by Kaffe Fassett. It is fun, a bit of a pain to figure out the size of everything - I guess I forgot most of the geometry I learned...

I need to cut a lot more - this is going to be huge! I love it already :-)
Tomorrow is A's birthday, so I ma putting this away for now, but not for too long. Can't wait to satrt sewing those squares!