Now I know my ABC’s

 I finally have a quilty finish to share with you! A big one (relatively) – I seem to have spent all year making (or at least finishing) minis, bags, pillows, etc, with no big finishes.

 

I don’t know what initially gave me the idea of making this. I had seen all the individual letters made during the original Spell it with Fabric blog hop last year, but for some reason  about six months ago I started whipping up the individual letters in between making other things. Each letter is very quick to make and doesn’t use too much fabric. As a plus, there are minimal HSTs (there may not be any actually) which makes me a happy quilter.

 

Anyway, I decided that this would be the perfect teacher gift for Moo’s Kindergarten teacher. How fitting to give an alphabet quilt to the person teaching my girl to read? I think in general teachers are underpaid and underappreciated and Kindergarten has to be a tough gig, right? I love my kids more than anything in the world and some days I need to go outside and take a deep breath – imagine doing that with 30+ that aren’t even your own....

 

I needed to add four blocks to square out the quilt and I decided to use these cute little books from Ayumi Mills’ Patchwork Please! I love the blocks, but they were a little smaller than I needed and the day I made them I reallystruggled to figure out how to size them up. I just could not get my brain around it. I did manage to get blocks the right size eventually, after much swearing, but they are not centred, which is not that noticeable when they are not sewn into the quilt, but it became very apparent once the top was all pieced together because now the quilt is not symmetrical. And that bugs me. A lot. (You should see the fun we have at our house when we hang pictures).

 

I backed the quilt in some of the famous Ikea Britten print (Tempe Ikea has loads of it people). I bought 6 metres of it. As a bonus, it was just wide enough that I didn’t have to piece the back. Yay! Gotta love avoiding a pieced back for a quick finish. 

 

I quilted it up stitching down the sashing and around the letters in white Aurifil. If I have one regret about this quilt, it is that I tried to stitch in the ditch around the letters. It just looks....not bad, but I know it could have been better. I should have unpicked it and started again after the first one, but for some insane reason I persevered and I don’t think it is my best work. I would have been better off echoing the letters. But never mind. I’ll know better next time. Not having quilted anything bigger than a baby quilt for a while, I found quilting this really hard. Turning the corners on the letters made some weird things happen if I wasn’t careful – something happened to the tension and the thread got caught in the machine and pulled at the bottom and broke. The quilting was also made much more difficult by the batting. I used Quilters Dream that I bought off Massdrop and I won’t be buying that again. It was so fluffy and my threads that need to be buried have huge fuzz balls attached.

 

I bound it with a rainbow jelly roll that I picked up ages ago, so now it is done!

 

That is a finish off my Q4 FAL goals and my November ALYoF finish (and I might add, a huge weight off my mind). 

 

(Ms Moo was my photographer - I think she did a great job)

So here are the stats: 

 

Quilt Name: Now I Know my ABCs

Size: 55.5” x 62.5”

Pattern: Spell it With Fabric from Moda

Fabric: Scrappy (nearly) all from my stash

Binding: Scrappy Rainbow Solids

Backing: Ikea Britten Fabric

Quilted: With white Aurifil by me

 

 

 

 

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WIP Wednesday: A Spotty Swoon

I kind of feel like a Swoon Quilt is a rite of passage for a quilter. The internet is certainly awash with them and I myself have a Pinterest board dedicated just to the Swoon.

 

I started mine a long time ago. This was going to be a quilt for my bed! I signed up for one of Camille Roskelley’s Craftsy classes and the pattern came with the class. Now, do you think I have done that class? Have I even finished my Swoon? Do I have a quilt for my own bed? No, no and no. I just looked back in Instagram and I posted my first block 63 weeks ago!!! And I am sure that I cut the fabric a long time before that, so this quilt has been hanging around in my garage sewing room for a long time. 

 

Since this was going to be for my bed, which is also my husband’s bed, I didn’t want it to be too girly. I bought myself a FQ bundle of Dear Stella’s mini confetti dots, armed myself with some yardage of Kona Silver and off I went. Chop, chop, chop. 

 

Now first of all, can I say that there is not a lot of wriggle room in the cutting instructions if you are cutting from FQs. Keep in mind that I started making this when I hadn’t been sewing for very long, so I was not the accurate cutting star I am now. Some of my FQs were also....let’s just say cut on a bit of an angle.  Whatever, I made do with what I and cut all my blocks where they languished for a while, unsewn, but neatly organised in sandwich bags (as an aside, I didn’t discover sandwich bags til I had kids and they are a life changer – get some if you haven’t already!).

 

When I finally came to make my first block I realised a few things: 1) they are huge; 2) you need to make a lot of HSTs – not my favourite; 3) the squares for the HSTs are sized so you “shouldn’t” have to trim them once you are done (note that this assumes you can sew in a straight line; 63 weeks ago I had not mastered that skills, some of my seams have a creative seam allowance); 4) each block takes a while to make, especially if you are not so good at sewing in straight lines. Hence why my quilt is still unfinished. 

 

To be fair, I didn’t watch the Craftsy class on the Swoon so I am sure that there are some great tips in there that would have accelerated my progress and made my sewing more accurate. I do use the tips that were in the first episode regularly, so this is not a reflection on the instruction but more my general impatience and my general attitude that with rough guidelines are enough and I can figure the rest out. Not necessarily the most efficient. Also, now that I am up to block number 7, I am MUCH faster and 63 weeks later I am a much better sewer. So much so that there is finally light at the end of the tunnel.

 

I have two more blocks to make and then I need to quilt the beast. The idea of that sends a shiver down my spine. The biggest thing I have quilted on my machine is a king single (not sure what that translates to outside of Australia) so not that big. I am seriously contemplating QAYG for this, unless someone points out a good reason why this wouldn’t work.  

 

This is on my Q4 FAL list and realistically I don’t know if I will get it done for December but I will definitely push for that. I also need to add point number 5) to my list above. The blocks look fantastic and I know I am going to love this quilt when it is done and be super proud of having achieved my Swoon Quilters Badge^*

 

(* Not a real thing, but probably should be)

 

Linking up to WIP Wednesday.

Sewing for others

There is something so lovely about being able to make something for someone else. I guess that's why I still don't have a quilt of my own, right?

Still it is very satisfying to be able to do something I love for someone I love.

Last weekend I was invited to a kitchen tea for a friend and colleague. I had a gift but at the last minute I decided to whip up an apron to go with it. Since I was making it the night before I had to go with what I had on hand (most of my fabric is in FQ or smaller pieces), but I managed to dig out two prints that I think worked quite well. It only took an hour to whip up, so all in all very satisfying.

Ta da! Makes you just want to bake, doesn't it?

And the other side

The other thing I whipped up recently was a Curvy Clutch. My Mum's best friend's Mum is turning 90 and Mum asked if I could make one for her. This lady is so amazing. When I had my girls she knitted up a lovely little cardigan for them, so of course I said yes. (I would have said yes anyway even if she was a dragon because my Mum asked me and you do stuff when your Mum asks you).

I love, love, love this print! And I love the piping as well. Sigh. Tula is just so clever

I have made two of these before, but when I made them first time round I used Vilene 640 as the interfacing. Since I made them I have discovered that you can get Shapeflex at Spotlight and so this time I used that. Talk about a difference. When patterns have called for Shapeflex in the past, having never seen it I never really knew what I was comparing against. I found that it did give a lot more structure than the Vilene and was also a lot less bulky. That said, with the double layer of interfacing on the exterior, plus the double layer of the accent piece, plus piping there were some pretty chunky parts to sew through. Even though I switched to a 100/16 needle I still ended up breaking it. First it just bent and then jammed and I couldn't get the presser foot up (queue panic) and then it snapped. I pulled the whole of my machine apart looking for the tip of that bloody needle. I even cleaned it while I was at it. Only to find it jammed in the actual bag. Needle(ss) to say I was a bit nervous to finish it off. I found this useful little thing in my sewing machine accessories though and that helped the chunky parts through the machine.

Know your accessories! 

The clutch is a finish off my Q4 FAL list. A productive quarter so far! I plan on finishing the year on a high.

A Lizzy House / Tula Pink Patchwork Pillow

My dear little nephew turns six today.

In years gone by I have made his sisters birthday gifts, but this year it's his turn. My sister (his Mum) is a very clever crocheter and was making him a blanket for his bed, so I whipped him up this patchwork pillow.

A match made in heaven - two of my favourite designers

His new blanket is all blues, yellows and reds, so hopefully this will go nicely.

I'll be honest, I find little boys a bit of a mystery. I struggle with his gift every year more than any other. I mean, would a full of beans little boy think "woo hoo" to receive a quilt? With this pillow I started my fabric selection with the red dinosaurs. I mean, find me a six year old who doesn't like dinosaurs. And I know my nephew does. Then I just pulled fabrics that I knew would go with the decor in his room. The other challenge I faced is that a lot of my fabric I would say is a little on the girly side.

I bound it in the matching Constellations print from Natural history and backed it with some blue gingham that was in my stash.

For this pillow I did an envelope back. It was my first time because I didn't have a zipper the right size and even though I followed a tutorial I found online I had an issue with gaping in the back. I usually get a cushion insert that will make the pillow nice and plump. Even after cutting open the insert and removing some of the stuffing I still had a horrible gape. I ended up stitching it up by hand - having bound the pillow top, I didn't really want to undo it all to remake the back. It's a bit of a pain, because it means that if it needs to be washed it will need to be undone and sewn back up, but on the plus side I stitched it up with red embroidery floss and I think it looks really cute. Plus the red floss echoes the red I used for the quilting on the front.

Not the closure I envisioned, but it sure looks cute

His party is on the weekend so hopefully his gift is well received. This is a finish off my Q4 FAL list.

Q4 FAL Goal Setting

My disbelief as to where the year has gone continues. Here is my list for the last hurrah of 2015!

A Garment a Month list

1. Flatter Me Frock

2. Emery Dress

3. The Anywhere Skirt

Quilts

1. Swoon - I just want this done

2. My Spell it with Fabric quilt

Just the quilting to go

3. My Genny & Ruth Quilt

Other

1. A 241 tote. I'm going to use that lovely Alison Glass Art Theory fabric. 

2. A curvy clutch for my mum's bestie's mum's 90th

3. My Marmalade granny square pillow

4. My Birds and Bees economy block pillow

5. A pillow case for my own little wild thing (my nephew Max)

This is going to be a lovely big pillow

There's so much more I want to make - I am trying to keep Q4 realistic, but I think next year I am going to list out all of my UFOs and just get them done. 

Linking up for the Q4 FAL party. 

A Garment a Month: September - Sailor Top

My project this month was the Sailor Top by Fancy Tiger Crafts.

I was keen to try something that had sleeves (raglan, but still) and I had done a little bit of gathering with the Geranium top I made the month before, so I thought "Sure, I can handle that".


What I thought of the finished garment: Love it. It looks like I got it at a shop (but a really cool and individual shop ;) ). This is probably my favourite out of all of the garments I have made so far. It is really flattering and a good length for me - no riding up and exposing my belly as I am running around and hauling kids back and forth.

An aside, I finally got a new phone, so hopefully the quality of my photos should improve!

What I thought of the pattern: The pattern was easy to understand and clearly set out, yet I found the construction more complicated than I thought it would be. I found the neckline especially troublesome. I tried sewing it down by machine but I missed a lot of the edges (you sew it from the front) and it looked quite shite. So I went and unpicked it and sewed the inside down by hand. Worth it for the nice neat finish, but it meant that I couldn't wear it to work the day I wanted. Some of the seam finishing instructions are a little unclear too I thought - especially when attaching the sleeves. I misread the pattern where is said "finish seams"- I literally thought it meant finish sewing the seams. I had to go back at a later stage and do some tricky zig zagging of the edges. Also, zig zagging is not my favourite finish, give me a good french seam any day.


Other observations:

• Sewing with lawn is trickier than sewing with quilting weight cotton. I found it hard to get it to behave, but it was worth if for a lovely floaty top;
• Making the pattern markings with a frixion pen is a bad idea. What do they always say to do when you are sewing? Iron, iron, iron! (actually press, I know it's different). What happens to frixion pen when you do that? Poof! No more markings. No markings actually made doing the gathering and attaching the yoke quite tricky. 
• There must be an easier way to turn a hem up by an even amount. I currently mark it with a ruler to press along. Am I missing some really obvious trick? Help me people!
• Not related to the pattern - but relevant anyway, all this garment sewing is starting to pay off. I am finding it more straight forward to follow patterns and every time I approach a pattern or technique with some trepidation I find that it is nowhere as hard as I had imagined. 

Next Challenge: Mmm, I am still debating it. I am tossing up between the Flatter Me Frock, The Emery Dress and The Anywhere Skirt. The first two because I think that they will be a challenge and I love a frock (I am thinking in Loominous or some of this sweet jumbo gingham) and the skirt because I can't get Anna's version out of my head. Have a vote! 

This is a finish for both ALYoF and my Q3 FAL.

August Finish: Miss Polly had a Dolly

July marked the end of this round of the Aussie handmade birthday club.

I had a lot of fun participating in this swap over the last 12 months. I've met some great ladies, and have seen, made and received some beautiful gifts.

All in all I'd call it a big success! A huge thanks to Tara for organising it, I know that these things can be a logistical nightmare sometimes.

So here is my very last make that went to the lovely Gina:

Hello!

Over the course of the last year, I have made bags, minis, more bags....and when I reached August I just wanted to make something different. But what?? After a bit of stalking through Gina's Instagram feed, I saw that she was joining in a doll swap and thought aha! I could make a dolly.

She's got spirit - check the twinkle in her eye

I set about hacking a pattern I had bought some time ago to make a mermaid for my niece (pre-Instagram, it was that long ago!). I kept the head and then just drafted up a body and away I went. I didn't have the mental energy / skill to draft up a set of doll clothes, so I just made the body of the doll be her dress. I snazzed it up with a sweet little four leaf clover applique "brooch".

She also got a stylish scarf (because it is winter!) and some sweet red shoes.

She clicked her heels three times and the magic of Australia Post took her to her new home

To finish the package off, I used my favourite crafty gift wrapping - a fat quarter with a ribbon!

I'll miss my little dolly, I might have to make one for my own sewing room (but I'll have to hide it from the kids!)

This is also my finish for August's ALYoF.

A VERY late post for a garment a month: July - the Ella Top

First up I should say that this post has been written since the 31st of July. I have just been too busy to get onto a computer and post it (don't get me started on the challenges of blogging on a mobile device...)

There hasn't been too much sewing going on at Casa Moobird recently. First off, it has been school holidays and we all went over to Western Australia for a much needed break. If you haven't been I highly recommend it. We all came home tanned and with a twinkle in our eyes. Ms Moo also came home with pink hair.

Then various work commitments have kept us all busy. However, knowing that July was going to be a crazy month, I chose a pattern that I thought would be reasonably quick. It was and I just managed to squeak in for the month (even though I was a bit tardy blogging about it)! I taped the pattern together and cut it out one night whilst watching tv and pieced it in a few hours the next night. I do love a fast sew!

Ta da! The finished top. Still havent mastered the art of a decent selfie. There needs to be a "selfie for bloggers"tutorial!

I thought the Ella top by Liola Patterns was a great pattern. Like the Sutton Blouse I made last month, the Ella looks just as good on the inside as the outside. 

Just as pretty on the inside. The internal finishes give me a great deal of satisfaction

It also has a pretty nifty construction where you bind the neck / armholes before it is completely assembled. It certainly made attaching the binding easier. I find that when the binding is attached to a completed neckline it is much harder to attach and it is harder to avoid puckers. 

This version was truly a scrap buster. I used the left over backing from my Sea Star quilt with a scrap of chambray from my Alder skirt. 

I really love the look of the contrasting yoke and the definition that little piece of chambray gives. 

So quibbles... Based on my measurements I made an XL and the neck binding wasn't long enough based on the pattern piece. Since I was using leftover fabric I didn't have enough to make a longer piece to had to sew a bit on the end. Not major since the binding is in the inside, but a bit of a pain.  

Also the way the top is constructed does result in a few bulky seams. To be fair, the pattern recommends lightweight fabric and I used quilting cotton, but some of those seams were hard core. I broke two needles finishing it off! 

These minor issues aside, I'd make it again, but maybe in a voile or lawn to combat the chunky seam phenomenon. I am keen to try out different fabric combos - with the yoke and binding there are so many fun options for putting your own personal touch on it. 

This is a finish from my Q3 FAL List. 

ALYOF August goal setting

My goal for ALYOF this month is to finish off my AHBC gift for our July birthday girl. I know! I am late, late, late....so this should be a good achievable goal.

Not too much I can reveal here, since I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but let’s just say it is something that requires polyfill (that was my lunchtime getting my steps up activity as I had to run up to Lincraft to get it).

This has been a fun little make. As the last of the Birthday Club presents, I was a bit tired of the bag / mini / pillow / pouch routine and decided to go completely outside of that. No more hints though!

I am hoping to get a quick finish on this one since it is already late! I’ll sweeten the deal with some chocolate I think!

Linking up to the ALYOF August Goal Setting Party.

Q3 FAL goal setting

Ok, here we are for my Q3 (!!) FAL goals. Where has the year gone?

So this quarter I am dropping off any that are unlikely to get finished this quarter - there is just too much going on.

So here goes....

A Garment a Month list

1. Ella Top - I have some left over fabric from the back of my Sea Star quilt that I want to use

2. Fancy Sailor Top

3. Flatter Me Frock  (I am a bit scared of this one)

Quilts

1. Swoon - I just want this done

2. My Spell it with Fabric quilt

Other

1. July AHBC Gift - shhh! It's a secret

2. A curvy clutch for my mum's bestie's mum's 90th

There's so much more I want to make but I want to be able to have a realistic list of goals, not everything under the sun. 

Linking up for the Q3 FAL party. 

A Garment a Month: Sutton Blouse

This month for my (own personal) garment a month challenge I made a Sutton Blouse, pattern by True Bias. 

Taking a quick photo on the front door before any of the neighbours walk past and wonder what on earth I am doing

The Sutton Blouse is a V-neck top with kimono sleeves and a pleat in the back. I have a similar top that I bought ages ago that I have literally worn to death. The side seams have all torn and I was going to dismember it and try to draft up my own pattern for it when I saw the Sutton Blouse one day while browsing. 

I was a bit apprehensive about trying the pattern as it is graded as Intermediate (I would not classify myself as an intermediate level when it comes to sewing clothes) but Kelli has a sew along for the blouse on her blog, so I thought why not? 

The top has a cute pleat at the back, which makes it nice and roomy - great for running after kids (I wore mine ten pin bowling)

As all the other things that I have hesitated about when it comes to sewing, it actually wasn't that hard. The pattern is exceptionally well written. I found it very clear and easy to follow. My favourite thing about the pattern is how beautifully finished the inside of the garment is. No exposed seams anywhere, which is a bonus when you don't have an over locker. I love it when the inside of a garment looks just as nice as the outside. 

See how neat and tidy the inside looks? Apart from my slightly wonky stitching...shhh, we won't talk about that

I thought the method of attaching the bias trim around the neckline was super clever and I definitely got my best results ever attaching bias tape. It probably also helped that rather than using the pattern piece for the tape, I measured it and the cut it with a ruler and a rotary cutter. I don't know if it's because I am a lefty, but I am terrible at cutting with scissors! 

Check the finish on the neckline. I am so proud of how good it looks, I am tempted to wear it inside out (not really)

I have already worn this top and it is in the wash as I write. I will definitely make another one of these tops. Perhaps with a contrasting yoke. I count this one as a win. 

That's a finish off my Q2 FAL list and I am linking up with the Sew Mama Sew Community Super Sewing Match. The Round One Challenge is the Sutton Blouse, so it seemed kind of fortuitous.  

A Garment a Month: May - Bianca Top

This month, my garment was the Bianca top by Made by Rae.

Ta Da! Lounge shot since I cannot for the life of me figure out how to take a decent selfie

I have to say that this is one of the best written patterns I have made. It is really nicely laid out and easy to follow. There are good explanations of the various steps, loads of tips and diagrams. I especially love the appendix that shows the different options for finishing seams. My top has lovely french seams and looks as pretty on the inside as it does on the outside.

The pattern has an option for either shirring or an elastic casing. Since the whole goal of this garment a month challenge is to actually try new things and grow my skills I decided to give shirring a go. I had the elastic thread from when I made my Staple dresses (when I chickened out and decided I would wear them with a belt). Life. Changed. (Not really, but it reinforced to me that the things that I think are too hard / scary to try probably aren't that bad). I am seriously contemplating retrospectively shirring those Staple dresses.

Shirring, oh how I love thee

This is another one off my Q2 FAL list. Next up, the Sutton Blouse! 

A finish: a curvy clutch (or two)

I have been watching these cute little curvy clutches pop up on Instagram all over the place, and since if there is a bandwagon I like to jump on it, I thought I'd give the pattern a try (get it free here). 

I decided to make one for my May #ahbc partner and while I was at it I thought I'd whip one up for my Mum too. When I made my Noodlehead Envelope Clutch my Mum (not so subtly) commented that I could make her something like that any time. 

So, about the pattern.... It was ridiculously simple to make. The pattern is pretty straight forward. There were a few things that made me scratch my head - it seemed a step or two had been slipped from the pattern, but perhaps I just misread it - but as I have made a few bags now, it was pretty easy to puzzle it out. It is a quick little sew too. I cut one night and sewed the next and voila! all done. The trickiest think for me was attaching the piping nicely, but practice makes perfect and I have definitely improved since my first efforts. 

The bag has a very professional looking finish. The darts in the bottom give it some nice structure and the zipper tabs are THE BEST I HAVE EVER MADE. Yes I meant to capitalise that, because that is the one step I usually stuff up. 

I used Vilene H630 for the interfacing on the outside since I that's what I had and I used lightweight interfacing in the lining because I ran out of the Vilene, but I think  that it would have been a bit bulky if I'd used anything heavier on the lining. I still have to get my hands on some SF101 so I know what I am subbing for when I make these bags. 

Anyway, this pattern gets a resounding two thumbs up from me. I can see why it has been embraced so enthusiastically. 

This also knocks another finish of my Q2 FAL list. Yay! 

A finish: AMH Mini Quilt

I finally finished and got in the post the mini I was making for Katrina, the April baby, from our Australian Handmade Birthday Club.

This was my first foray into EPP and I can really see how my stitching progressed as I went along. 

I made this with an AMH charm pack I had bought as I really wanted to see what all the fuss was about. As I sewed it together, I'll admit I didn't really get it (don't shoot me). There were prints individually that I loved, but all together... It was visually how I feel about Florence and the Machine, ok in pieces but a whole album is too much. 

The back - just as pretty as the front

At least that's what I thought I thought. However, there was something about quilting the mini up that seemed to bring everything together and simmer down the "too muchness". I don't know. At the end of the day I found it quite hard to part with, so I guess that's telling. 

Have I mentioned how much I love my sewing machine? Quilts like a dream

I made a border out of plain white and white on white prints, predominantly Alison Glass and bound and backed it in some AMH I bought from Peppermint Stitches. 

And my blind hem foot for attaching binding...never sew over the top of the binding again!

So here are the stats: 

Quilt: AMH Mini Hexi quilt

Size:18" x 21"

Fabric: Dowry by Anna Maria Horner

Backing: Maybe in Indigo from Innocent Crush by Anna Maria Horner

Binding: Woodcut in Sassblue from Innocent Crush by Anna Maria Horner

Quilting: diamond crosshatch in yellow Aurifil 50wt (from Jeni Baker's Favorite Things Box)

Check out my little helper - she obviously knows the good stuff

This is a finish for both my ALYoF and Q2 FAL goals. 

A finish: Rocky the Tula Pink Squirrel

When Emma (@joworimakes on Instagram) put out the call for participants in an Aussie Tula Pink mini quilt swap I jumped right on board. I mean, I am Aussie, I love Tula, what else did I need? Never mind that I said that I was going to dial back my participation in swaps, bees and such this year. Never mind that I have NEVER made a quilt for my own bed... I mean Tula, come on! (Check out the #aussietulapinkswap hashtag on Instagram for some delicious eye candy).

It took me a while to get started, since I had some other minis to finish off (ahem), so I made the use of that time to stalk my partner (Julie @heritagekeepsakes). Apparently she likes squirrels, so I decided to make up a scrappy Tula Pink squirrel using Violet Craft's Forest Abstractions pattern.

I thought I would be all over this after making Princess Twilight Sparkle, but I think that this pattern is much more advanced than that. There are a lot of pieces and some of the angles are a bit hard to make sure that everything lines up just so. There are also some very bulky seams. Still, my little finished squirrel (I have named him Rocky, I'll have to think about making a Tula Bullwinkle) turned out super cute. I am very pleased with him.

Julie said she liked pink, raspberry, purple and mint in terms of colours, so I added on a few borders to bring the mini up to size. I wasn't sure how to quilt the little fellow, so I went for trusty straight line quilting in a pale pink Aurifil thread.

I just can't stand to throw away scraps, so I used the scraps from the mini to whip up a little pouch to go with it. I loved the finished product.

So here are the stats:

Quilt Name: Rocky, the Tula Pink Squirrel
Pattern: Forest Abstractions by Violet Craft
Size: 18.5" x 18.5"
Fabrics Used: Assorted Pieces from the following Tula Pink Lines - Hushabye, Parisville, Prince Charming, Saltwater, Birds & The Bees, Fox Field, Moonshine, Elizabeth
Backing: Parisville, Damask Dot in Gold
Binding: Moonshine, Swarm in Indigo

This is a finish on my Q2 FAL goals.

ALYoF May goal: AMH Mini

Last month I forgot to post a goal for ALYoF, so this month when I saw the first post I thought "I must get on that"!!

This month is a bit of a weak goal as it is something that I MUST get done. And yet it must get done so I guess it's good to have some public accountability. 

My goal this month is to finish off my April gift for my handmade birthday club. (I know, I am LATE! But our house flooded last month so I am claiming extenuating circumstances). I am making an AMH mini for the birthday girl who expressed a desire for a mini made entirely of AMH fabric. 

 

This was quite fortuitous for me since I had bought a charm pack of Dowry in an attempt to see what all this fuss about Anna Maria Horner was. Then once I had it I was stuck - what to do with a single charm pack? The answer: hexies! In addition to getting on the AMH bandwagon I also got on board with EPP and hexies. I am quite the trend follower it seems. Now let me tell you - a charm pack of hexies does not go very far - just enough for a cushion cover if you put s border on. 

And so my hexies languished - sewn together with nothing happening. Until I read our birthday girls likes and what would make a great gift for her. Jackpot! It's a win win - I get to make something for her that hopefully she will love and I get to finish off a long term WIP. 

 

Linking up to ALYoF goals for May. 

A Garment a Month: April - Alder Skirt

I have had the Alder skirt pattern by Imagine Gnats kicking around for ages waiting to get made. I have actually had the PDF taped together for nearly a year! Disgrace!

It was actually on my Q1 FAL list so I am glad to get it crossed off for Q2. And even though I am posting this in May, I actually finished it in April (just!) so it still counts for my garment a month challenge.

 

I whipped it out of some chambray and used this Tula Pink fabric for the accent pockets and whipped up View A with the cute centre pleat and sticky-out pockets.

This Elizabeth print has to be me favourite - I want yardage in ALL the colours!

Like all the other Imagine Gnats patterns I have made (Bess top and Roly Poly pinafore) this was a pretty straightforward make. I had to read some of the instructions several times, but I put that down to my inexperience and sewing late at night (sigh, the challenges of having to go to work all day. I do get great satisfaction from a well composed PowerPoint document though). 

I also got to try some new (to me) techniques: darts and a blind hem (LOVE!). After this, my love affair with my blind hem foot for top stitching continues. I'll be honest, I struggle to sew in a straight line. The blind hem foot just makes it so easy.

Check that top stitching

Another skill I am yet to master is the selfie. So no good photos of me in the skirt. This was the best I could do. 

 

A Finish: Sapphire Mini Quilt

I made this mini as part of the #igminioz swap being run over on Instagram. The finished mini has a gemstone-like quality, so I have named it "Sapphire".

My partner said she liked (amongst other things) blue, orange and stars.. I think I ticked those boxes...

While scrolling through Pinterest waiting for inspiration to hit I stumbled across the Shoeman's Puzzle pattern. I was struck by the geometric design and the prismatic effect of the alternating light and dark colours. I couldn't find a pattern anywhere so I decided to draft up my own. I went down the paper piecing route as I find it gives me the best accuracy.

Originally I had planned to make the mini in light and dark blue, but then I played around with the idea of broadening the colours I used to try and get a gemstone effect. I love that look (especially this quilt). A quick bit of colouring with the kids' pencils and I had a plan.

When making this I realised I have a LOT of smaller pieces of fabric (smaller than a fat quarter). I had to use more prints than I had originally planned, but that worked out ok. I think it gives a bit more depth than all the same print. I also had loads of off cuts that were biggish and I hates the thought of wasting them.  They were all a bit random as the were just the trimmings, but I got my improv on and pieced them together into a largish mug rug (or smallish placemat, take your pick).



My first effort at improve. I just couldn't bear to throw away those scraps. It was quite liberating to just whack everything together and quilt random lines. I ended up quite loving the result, to my surprise.



The final package of goodies I sent off.

So here are the quilt stats.

Name: Sapphire
Dimensions: 24" x 24"
Inspiration: Shoeman's Puzzle by Denyse Schmidt
Method: paper piecing, self drafted templates
Fabric: various from my stash, Kona Snow for the background
Backing: Orange fabric from Spotlight
Binding: Dulcette in Bluestar from Color Me Retro by Jeni Baker (as an aside, can I just say how much I love this fabric as binding, I think it really makes the quilt pop).

This crosses one thing off my Q2 FAL list.