Circles Runner

 I recently had occasion to create another wedding table runner, so I thought I'd try my hand at a new design.  I've never used circles in my quilting designs, so I was excited to experiment with them.  In the end, I think it ended up simple, modern, and lovely.  I hope the couple likes it!

 I quilted random circles all over - a first for me - so I marked them in chalk rather than doing them free form.  It took a bit longer to accomplish than my usual method.  

 Here's the back.

 I used white thread for the quilting so it would pop on the back.

 And I had to make some coasters to go with it.  I think it rounds out the gift nicely.  Here's the front of them.

And the back.

And that's it!

Wedding Table Runner

I've been trying my hand at pattern-making recently and it's a challenge I really enjoy.  One difficulty in writing sewing patterns is that my style is so improvisational I have to take meticulous notes on what I'm doing as I go.  I'd rather just be diving in, so it goes a bit against the grain.  Another challenge is that sometimes (more often than I like), things just don't work out.  I usually have a clear picture in my head of the general feel of a piece.  Often I even make a sketch, but if something isn't working as I go, I change it.

This project is one of those cases.  I was going to make two pillows for my cousin and her new husband as a wedding present, but somewhere along the way, I was derailed.  What I came up with instead is this Wedding Table Runner.

 Because it was so improvised, I really couldn't write a pattern for it, but if you'd like to see more, check it out after the jump.

Plastic Bag Holder Tutorial

Here's a super-easy, super-quick project you could complete in an afternoon:

Plastic Bag Holder

 Materials:

Cotton fabric, pieced or solid, 20" x 25"

1/4" Elastic, cut to 10" and 6"

3/4" Ribbon, cut to 12"

Thread

 As you can see, I took some scraps from a previous project and pieced them into a design I liked.  I used a heavy cotton which kept the holder from looking lumpy once the bags were inside.  You could design any pattern you like, and a solid piece of fabric would work just as well.

This holder is a bit over-sized because I had a large space on my wall I wanted to fill.  You could easily change the height of the fabric to fit a smaller or larger space.  Keep the 20" width, and adjust height however you like.  No other measurements (for elastic or ribbon) need change.

Once you have your rectangle, lay it right side up and measure 2.5" down and 5" in from the left edge.  Mark this point with chalk or disappearing fabric pen.  Repeat with the right edge.  You will sew the ribbon to these points later.

Next fold over the bottom edge of your rectangle 1/4" and press.  Fold again 1/2" and press to make a casing for the elastic.  Repeat with the top edge of your rectangle.  Sew along the very outer edge of these folds.

Attache a safety pin to the end of your 6" elastic.

 Insert the pin into the casing at the bottom of your fabric.

 Thread the pin through the casing, taking care to stop just before the end of the elastic disappears.

 Sew over this end a few times to secure the elastic.   Keep threading the safety pin through the casing until you reach the other side, then sew over that end as well.

 The bottom of your holder will now look like this.  Repeat these steps with the 10" elastic and the top of your holder.  (This elastic is longer to allow for stuffing lots of bags into a larger opening.)

 Here's how the holder will look with the elastic in both ends.

 Next, attach the ribbon to the points you previously marked. Fold the ribbon under and sew over a few times to secure.

 Fold the bag in half length-wise with right sides together and sew ends with a 1/4" seam allowance.

Turn your bag out, and voilà!  

You're Done!

Fractured Rainbows

After a month of hard work I finished my first self-designed quilt!  It's a playful baby/toddler quilt with big swatches of color and since I didn't hate it when I was finished, I consider it a huge success!  River's school had an evening out for the grown-ups, complete with an auction to help support our search for a new space.  This was my donation to the cause.  I finished the binding Friday night, took some pictures Saturday morning, and handed it over that afternoon.  I didn't get to enjoy it in the house very long, but with two cats and two little kids, that's probably for the best.

The auction was a big success and the quilt is going to a lovely family, so I'm very happy.

As you can see, the pattern is pretty simple, but with just about a month to complete it, I wasn't going to attempt constructing a ton of complicated blocks.  I wanted to simulate a rainbow, but with a loose, modern interpretation (the deep purple on the bottom and binding photographed really dark, but it's not nearly that close to black in person).  Since I was able to use fabrics from my stash I didn't have to spend any extra money on it. (Which is really great considering how much money I spent bidding on other items last night!  I blame the free-flowing wine.)  

I love the back! I had just enough of the ecru fabric to finish - thank goodness!  The quilting was perhaps the most difficult part of the whole project.  Each block is quilted in matching thread, so up close there's a subtle rainbow affect on the back too.  The ecru sashing is quilted in parallel lines and all of the other blocks are done in concentric rectangles.  I marked it all out with chalk before I took it to my machine, and getting those lines to match up was quite a feat!

After a month of sewing exclusively for other people I'm ready for a project that stays in this house!  I recently picked up some fantastic Japanese fabrics and an adorable dress pattern, so I think Lila has something coming her way in the near future.  :)

quilted pillow

Getting back to my machine has been wonderful.  I was starting to go through withdrawals after a month and a half without it, so when I had some time last week, I plowed into the first project that caught my eye.  I've been dying to use this cute tree fabric since I snagged a fat quarter of it some months ago and these fabric boxes seemed like the ideal place for it.

After I decided what to make I realized my mother-in-law had a birthday coming up, and I knew these would make part of a great present for her.  I wanted to to something more, though, and with it being pillow month at Sew Mama Sew! my inspiration was easy to find.

 Since I first started quilting a little over a year ago, I've learned a ton.  Some of it by doing, but mostly by reading blogs and drooling over beautiful pictures.  I've tried a wonky improv quilt before (a table runner that I'm sure I would be horrified to look at now), and I wanted to try again, with a little more experience under my belt.

First I gathered some coordinating fabrics - using the tree fabric as a color guide - and cut them into random strips.  In the past my work has been a bit busy because I've neglected to pair any solids with the crazy patterned pieces.  This time I was conscious to use a minimal pallet and help the few patterned pieces pop.

 I sewed a bunch of random strips together into three rectangular blocks.

 I squared the edges and made them all the same length and width.

 Then I cut them into six even strips and chose my favorites.  (I'll save the others for another project.)

 Previously I would have mushed all those pieces together and made a hot mess.  But I've learned how effective it is to create negative space, largely by reading Elizabeth Harman's blog, Oh, Fransson!  I framed each block in white and squared it up.

 Then I added a green border and the pillow front was complete.  I added a big square of white to the back of this piece and quilted them together with meandering vertical lines.  That way, if the cover needs to be washed, the seams from all the patchwork wont fray and get ugly.  Instead of doing anything too wacky on the back, I left it a simple green (with an opening) and I was done!

I'm really happy with how this turned out.  If feels like most sophisticated work of quilting I've done so far, and it's given me confidence to keep trying new things.

Brush roll

After seeing the pencil roll I made for my niece, a friend asked me to make her a brush roll, hoping it would motivate her to get back into painting. 

She looked through my fabrics and picked one she liked but I didn't have quite enough to do what she wanted, so I found one in the same line with a matching heavy cotton.  She sent me some specs from similar rolls she found online, and I created my own pattern.

 I wanted the layers to be nice and thick to absorb any water from wet brushes.

 The damask and stripe fabric is more intricate than I would usually be drawn to, but now that it's finished, I actually love how it looks.  As I started, I wasn't sure how I was going to finish the edges, but when I found a package of olive binding in my stash, I knew it was just the pop of color needed.

I added a length of rope under the binding and here it is all wrapped up!

Pencil Roll

I've had about a millions ideas for Christmas presents I'm going to make this year, but since my computer was out of commission for a few weeks, I haven't been able to post what I've been working on.  Well I'm back in business, so here is the first of a few projects I hope to feature in the coming weeks: a colored pencil roll for my niece, Sydney.

An artistic nine year old, Sydney loves to draw and I thought this would be a fantastic way for her keep her creative juices flowing on the go.

This features some of my favorite fabrics of late and rolls up into a nifty little package.

Coordinating zigzags on the inside allowed easy sewing of the pencil slots.

Rainbow fun!  The eraser and pencil sharpener were my own additions to some other fantastic tutorials I've seen around the web.

I also whipped up a fabric covered sketchbook to complete the set.  Great for my little artist-on-the-go niece!