Lone Star Baby Quilt

I joined my local Modern Quilt Guild back in February of this year and I'm so glad I did.  I've met so many encouraging women who love, love to quilt.  Many of them have been quilting for years.  There are also some like me, who have only just begun our quilting exploration.  A special part of each meeting is show and tell.  It has been very inspiring!

I was so inspired that I made my very first quilt.  I found a design that drew me in and got the creative juices flowing.  The Lone Star Baby Quilt was the perfect size to dive into.  I got out all of my scraps and began hunting for color combinations that worked together.

Amy did a great job on the tutorial - I followed the instructions with no changes.  The only trouble I had was getting all the points to meet in the middle - easier said than done.

In the end, it worked out pretty well.  I like how the blue, brown, and coral tones work together.  I didn't realize until taking pictures of the final product, but the darker tan and peach solids that are part of the framing make a couple of the areas look like elongated cubes and somewhat detract from the star shape.  I think if I did it over again, I would use all white background fabrics for that area.  I really like the dark binding that I made from scraps of the darker fabrics.  I think it frames the quilt nicely.  And, I really got to practice hand stitching.  I did all of the binding with a needle and thread and my own two hands. 

For the back, I decided to have some fun with the leftover scraps.  It took just as long (maybe longer) to do the back as it did to make the front.  I curved the strips of fabric, which made the piecing a challenge.

To me, it sort of looks like a row of books on a library shelf.  Even though I used all scraps, there are still some scraps left.  I guess they weren't small enough to begin with.

The quilting shows up pretty well on this side of the fabric.  I experimented a bit, but just ended up with some straight line quilting along the each of the edge of the star and the surrounding pieces.  I may be more adventurous next time with some free motion quilting, but I do like the simplicity of the straight stitching too!

I really like this pattern and would highly recommend it.

One For Him and One For Her >>> Sacs of Wool

I recently made a bag for him from wool...

...that used to be a coat.  Or rather, two coats.

I really enjoy making bags.  It is an especially nice way to upcycle garments that just don't have much going for them anymore.

And wool is super expensive, unless you pick it up at the thrift store for a couple of dollars in the form of a coat, or a sweater, or a skirt.

So, these two coats came together as a gift for my husband.  This is a much more manly bag (and more suitable) than the Trader Joe's reusable bag that he has been using for quite some time.

I like to put lots of pockets in the bags that I make.  There is one in the front for hard to find items like keys.

There is also a very large one inside for a water bottle, a wallet, or other things you don't want to get crushed.  And, it would not be complete without a small pocket to hold a pen.

I used the striped fabric for the inside to give it a bit of a nautical feel.

The idea for the flap came from the coat itself.  As I thought about closure for the bag, I saw that part of the collar from the coat already had a button hole, ready to go.  I cut it across making a triangle so that the button hole would line up with the button on the pocket.  And it was done, just like that.  It felt like a moment of upcycling bliss, using a piece directly from the coat that way.  No seams or button holes to sew.

then I made a bag for her...

....made from a tweedy, wool skirt.  Just one skirt.

I made this bag with a pattern offered by Noodlehead called the Trail Tote.  I was drawn to the bag because of the piping.  I really wanted to try it.  So, when I decided to make a bag to enter into the county fair the night before I had to turn it in, this is what I made.

Now for a peek inside...

I had fun with the mix of grey, red, and white.  The zip pocket on the front was also a great detail.  Another great place to stash your keys or sunglasses.

I used a button tab closure instead of the magnetic snap, just adding it like in my Bucket Basket Tote that I made a few months ago.  I also just made the strap one piece with no hardware attached.  I like my bags to be lightweight and don't mind not having the adjustable pieces.

The strap turned out a bit long, but it works well as a cross body bag.

The pattern comes in two sizes.  I made the small bag which is good for quick trips to the store or a night out when you don't want to carry much.

I know it's a bit late to be posting about wool now that we are in March...March!, but now is actually the perfect time to gather up some of your own cast off wool at your local thrift store as they make the transition from winter to spring time clothing.  Just remember, the longer the coat (or skirt!) you buy, the easier the fabric will be to work with.  For instance, the grey that I used on the first bag was from a very long coat with no seams down the back.  Of course, you can always mix different wool fabrics to make your own one of a kind sac of wool.

Thanks for stopping by!

My Cheyenne Cup of Tea <<< A Floral Flavored Gingham

It is so great when you find the perfect top and then realize that you can actually make the same top over and over again in as many colors and fabrics that you can possibly find.

The Cheyenne Tunic is truly my cup of tea.  It is comfortable, it is versatile, and flattering all at the same time.  It also has just enough part and pieces to it that you can really give it your own flair.

I began, thinking that I would make the tunic in all black and white gingham.  I was given tons of the fabric and thought it would be a good place to start.  I started cutting it all out, intending to make a long sleeved top.  As I laid out the sleeves with the body, I realized it was just way too much black and white checkers for me.

So, I went on the hunt through my stash for something to complement the fabric and found a beautiful, colorful, cheery floral.  When I put them next to one another I knew it was meant to be...

It suddenly felt like the piece came alive by adding a little coral here and a little yellow there.  I ended up with splashes of color on the front placket, the top of the back, and the sleeves.

The Cheyenne Tunic pattern is from Hey June!  This is the second pattern I've used from Hey June.  The first was the Sloan Leggings, which is also a great pattern.  I blogged about them in my last post.

The pdf pattern file is set up nicely so that you can print just the size(s) that you want to make.  The instructions were also really clear.  I referred to the sew along tutorial on the Hey June website for most of it as well.  The actual pictures taken of the process really helped, especially when it came time to do the plackets.

The biggest challenge that I ran into had to do with the fabric and sleeves.  I began by cutting the long sleeve version.  However, when I tried it on and tried to roll up the long sleeves, it became too tight to roll the fabric up all the way up to use the button tab.  The two issues I found were that the fabric was a bit thick and I am also a tall person.  I probably should have lengthened the sleeves from the very beginning.

By the time I realized it wasn't going to work, I had already cut both sleeves.  I also realized that I would probably be wearing the top with the sleeves rolled up all of the time anyway, so I just cut it back to the 3/4 sleeve line.  Here's the picture of the cut.  By the way, the little floral accent was a nice way to hide the stitching from the sleeve tab on the underside of the sleeve.

Cutting sleeve back to 3/4 sleeve (good bye to my beautiful placket!)

The 3/4 sleeve was still a bit short for my arm - it hit me pretty much at the elbow.  In order to make the cuff more comfortable, I lengthened it and just overlapped it.  Next time, I plan to cut a longer sleeve and also grade the sleeve from medium to large in order to widen the lower part of the arm.

Another adjustment I made was to leave off the buttons on the front placket.  I really liked the look of just having the solid pretty fabric without the muddling of buttons and button holes.  I just sewed the placket up part of the way so it is still possible to get it on and off.
 

The Cheyenne Tunic is definitely going to become a staple for me as it can be made in all sorts of fabrics.  I have a similar top that I bought which has a rayon sort of front and knit for the back and sleeves.  It is so comfortable.  I'd love to make more of them and plan to soon!