Zipper Pouch

On Friday the Moda Bake Shop posted a pattern for a Strippy Charm Pouch. I thought it was so cute and the pattern looked pretty easy. So I decided to make one (or two).

I didn't want a pieced top portion like the pattern called for, so I just used a single fabric.

Warning: If you decided to make one, there is an error in the cutting instructions. You need to cut your two bottom rectangles 2 1/2" by 9 1/4". The instructions say 2" by 9 1/4" in the cutting instructions, but later in the pattern it refers to these as 2 1/2" by 9 1/4" bottom rectangles. This is the correct measurement for them, but doesn't help much if you cut everything at the beginning like she instructed.

I also did not like the method she uses for putting in the zipper. I did do it the way she instructs the first time, but the zipper didn't operate smoothly. Also the pouch looked funny at the zipper ends. So ... I took the entire bag apart again. It wasn't too bad. Then I got out my Cash and Carry pattern and did the zipper like this pattern does. I put the whole bag back together and it is perfect.

Note: I don't want to sound like I think the original pattern is bad. I don't. The pouch is very cute and a nice size. It's just that the zipper method she uses didn't work well for me. I am not very experienced at putting in zippers. The only way I have had success with zippers is using the method from the Cash and Carry pattern I referenced above. So when it didn't work for me the first time, I just went to the method I knew would work for me. I did everything else just like the original pattern. She had a picture for every step and the written instructions were very clear. My only other advice for this pattern is to sew slowly over the top portion of the bag, where the zipper is, when assembling the bag. I did break a needle in that area, twice! Both times I think I was sewing too fast over this bulky area. When I sewed slowly I had no problem.

I made the first one for myself. My son has a friend who will be turning 9 soon. A friend who is a girl, not a girl friend. Anyway, I made one for him to give her for her birthday. I asked my son what fabric she would like. He said, "any fabric with dogs." So here it is.

He was very excited when I showed it to him. "Oh Mom, she will love it!" He knows just what to say! I'm pretty sure he is right.

Another Charity Quilt

This is the same rectangle and square pattern I have shown before. I made three of these tops at my guild retreat in February. This is the second one, all finished.

I can't remember if I gave you the pattern previously so I'll do it now (or again). It is very simple! The rectangles are 4" by 6" cut and the squares are 4" cut. You need 48 of each. Sew a square to a short side of the rectangle. Then sew these blocks together as shown above, four blocks across and twelve down.

I tried another new-to-me quilting design on this one - all over swirls.

I washed it before I remembered to take a picture, but you can still see the swirls I think.

UFO Bust Report

I did get all the paper removed from the wedges at the Expo last Saturday while selling raffle tickets! Here are the wedges on my design wall waiting to be sewn.

I got so excited seeing them on the design wall that I just had to sew them together! I added the borders first then sewed the wedges together.

I realized that one of the reasons I had not finished this yet is that the pattern calls for it to finish as an octagon. I don't know about you, but I really didn't want an octagon quilt. It is suppose to be a wall hanging, but still ... all I could think about was that I didn't want a fancy STOP sign hanging on my wall. So I added triangles to the corners to make it square. Right now, it is about 30" square. I am surprised at how much I like this now. I could add more borders, possibly with some words, but I have other projects that are higher priority at the moment. Projects with looming deadlines. So for the time being, I am enjoying having it on my design wall and thinking about whether or not this is done or needs more borders.

Expo Purchases

I had a nice time on Saturday at the Quilt and Stitch Expo in Pueblo. We sold a little over 200 tickets for the weekend. Not as many as I would have liked, but about the same as the other guilds with raffle quilts displayed. There were 7 guilds selling raffle tickets on quilts and most people started at one end and just went down the line buying one ticket from each guild. A few looked over all the quilts and then just bought tickets on the quilts they liked, but most just bought one from each guild.

So what did I buy? For starters I bought no fabric. Yep, you read that correctly, not a single fat quarter came home with me. I did get some beads.

A stiletto with hand made handle.

And two feet for my Featherweight - a good 1/4" foot and a walking foot.

The stiletto, walking foot and 1/4" foot were all on my shopping list for the show. The bead booth, Bead Ranch, was too sparkly to pass up and I spent about 20 minutes deciding what to purchase. There were lots of wonderful fabrics to choose from, but the truth is that I already have lots of wonderful fabrics in my stash. I really need to start using them!

It was a long day, but a fun one.

Non-Pattern Pattern Block

I've been a follower of The Silly BooDilly blog for a while. Victoria does amazing work! She has written a few articles for Quilting Arts magazine, has an etsy shop, a flickr account and some embroidery patterns published in a two different books. Just browse the right hand side of her blog for links and information about all of her work. Definitely check out her Work Quilts series! These are what first introduced me to her work. If you haven't checked out her blog, you definitely need to click the link and check it out!

Recently she posted that she was thinking about writing a pattern for the Slumbering Spring quilt she blogged about. She started writing up the pattern, read this post for that, but then came up the with idea for a non-pattern pattern. And oh my! This is what sent me over the edge, so to speak. I literally could not stop thinking about this idea. On Friday afternoon, despite having a million other things I really needed to be doing, I just had to make one of these blocks using Victoria's idea. Here is what I made.

I totally love this block and Victoria's method for creating it. I'm currently trying to decide whether or not this block needs "friends" to make it larger or if this one is done. I will definitely be experimenting some more with this idea though. Thank you so much Victoria for your generosity in sharing this idea!

Stephanie posted her March challenge project late last night. Click here to go see what she made. See my previous post for what I made.

March Challenge Project Revealed

For March, Stephanie, of Peas in a Pod, and I were suppose to work on "narrow inset piecing." I started out making half square triangles. I had no plan, I just felt like making half square triangles.

I played with many different arrangements of these half square triangles and finally settled on the above. Then I went to work piecing them and inserting narrow bits.

It hung on my design wall like this for a while. I auditioned various borders. Below is one option.

I finally settled on just using the darkest gray from the half square triangles and quilted it using only Aurifil thread.

How cool is this!? With no prior planning on my part, I happen to own exactly the same colors of Aurifil thread as the Kona solids I chose for this project! I picked the fabrics only because these were the ones in my Kona solids scrap bag for which I had 4" squares already cut.

As I was piecing this I was thinking about what to title it and how to quilt it. The title "Best Laid Plans" came to mind.

The on point squares represent how sometimes things go exactly as planned. The gray square with the green insets represents how sometimes unexpected things can be squeezed into our plans without changing them too much. The green and white rectangular parts represent how plans can change and lead us in unexpected directions. The gray square with the blue inserts represents how we try to keep the original plan intact in spite of the big unexpected events that occur. The quilting mimics these ideas. In most of the piece the quilting is straight lines that spiral or wander but stay within a confined area. Then along the top and right hand side I quilted spirals and echos of spirals. This represents how life can sometimes spiral out of control despite all planning.

Stephanie will hopefully be posting her project soon. She has been out of town a lot recently and didn't have as much time to work on her project this month as I'm sure she would have liked. She does have some beautiful silk fabrics that she is using though and wants to embellish it with beads which is why I did the bead tutorials (part one and part two) on her blog last week.

UFO Busting and Pre-UFO Busting

I made a little progress on my Tutti Frutti quilt from the Gail Garber class I took years ago.

I got the geese sewn to the triangles. Now I have to remove the paper before continuing. I decided not to spend my limited sewing time removing paper. I am taking this with me on Saturday to Pueblo. I'm going to the Quilt and Stitch Expo. I'm in charge of my guild raffle quilt on Saturday and selling tickets (lots I hope) to the expo attendees. I'll also do a bit of shopping. I figure I can rip off paper while sitting at our table selling tickets. I've packed these up in a bag along with a little trash bag so there isn't a pile of paper bits on the floor underneath my chair.

Have I shown you my guild's raffle quilt for this year? I don't think I have.

Tickets are $1 each or 6 tickets for $5. It is a generous queen size.

I'm trying to get these charity tops I pieced recently quilted up before they become UFOs. The first one is done complete with the scrappy binding I made up recently.

I tried a new-to-me quilting motif on this one.

Kind of a square spiral. It looks pretty good if I do say so myself!

And look at this little furry queen:

Doesn't she look cozy all tucked in?!