A little effort...

...goes a long way.  I have had a little pouch sitting on my sewing table since mid-February waiting for my attention.  I move it, dust under it and look at it but have not put in the 30 minutes of effort to transform it into something useful.

Do you remember this little extension table cover that did not quite fit?

I finally installed a zipper to make it into a little pouch that I can use when travelling.  It can easily fit inside my featherweight's case stuffed full of threads, bobbins and needles.  I hesitated for a long while because I didn't have a zipper that coordinated with the spots on the exterior.  I then got over myself and just choose a navy one that "vibed" pretty well.

I added a little coordinating zipper tab and held the zip in place with a piece of binding.  I wish I had made the binding one continuous loop instead of feeding it back inside itself (like I do with a quilt binding), but this was all a bit improvisational (AKA learn as you go).

So there you go!  It's finally off of my sewing table, tucked away with my complete travel set.  Checking off number 3 from my FAL Q2 list.  

Big Stitch Swap 2 :: Finished Pouch

I am very excited to show you my finished pouch for the Big Stitch Swap 2!  

In this project, I hand stitched hexagons using mini charm packs of V and Co prints in purple, green, aqua and navy with hexagon templates from Love Patchwork & Quilting.  I tend to be an "anything goes" scrappy quilter, but for this project I wanted to try a restricted colorway for the first time.  My hexagon stitching improved with time, so you can nearly tell which parts of the bag were made early in the process and which hexies were added on at the end!   

I appliquéd the hexagons onto Essex Linen with navy 50 weight Aurifil.  I have to say I had doubts about having such obvious stitching on this pouch.  I like it more now that it's in pouch shape, but while the sides were flat panels I was sure the quilting was a mistake.

Inside there's a Denyse Schmidt print that I love, but have no idea what it's called?  I picked it up in the US a few years ago and am delighted I still have some to play with.

Of course, the pouch came together using Noodlehead's Open Wide zippered pouch tutorial.  I was aiming for a medium pouch, but it is slightly smaller due to the heavy stitching on the panels.  Still, I think it's a great size for saving your special things when travelling.

The pouch was packed up with a few goodies: 2.5 inch scrappy squares from Simply Colorful, and Simply Style, a needle book and shimmering washi tape.  I think that makes for a happy parcel.  I can not wait for it to arrive at your house, swap buddy!

This is my first finish for the second quarter of the FAL.  Checking number 2 off of my Dreaming Big list.

Fat Quarterly Retreat Wrap Up (Pt 2)

Sunday at the Fat Quarterly Retreat was as chock-a-block as Saturday was!  The ladies were in full spirits all chatty and giggly and classes were packed full.  It was fantastic having two full-on days of Fat Quarterly goodness.  What did my Sunday look like?

First I had a freezer paper piecing class with Kerry.  If you have a chance to take a class with her, do it.  She is FILLED with energy and enthusiasm, so it makes the whole class fun.  Kerry gave us several different freezer paper piecing patterns to choose from depending on our comfort and experience level.  They ranged from basic triangles to those with Y-seams.  Each one would make a super cute little pin cushion.

Before we started, though, Kerry tossed out little bundles of Liberty prints for each of us to use/take.  You should have seen the scramble!  Who was in the middle of it all, but Miss Susan?  Couldn't keep that one away from the deliciousness!

Once the frenzy settled down a bit, we got to sewing.  This was my first time using freezer paper, so there was a little learning curve.  Still, it's easy enough to get the hang of it in a morning.  My only problem was that the freezer paper would not stick to my solids.  Argh!  Anyway, some of my seams are a little off as it kept falling off and I kept re-applying it...or at least that's my excuse for now.

There's Susan again, with Laura Jane, right in the front row...

And Fiona (above) and Karen (below) diligently working away....

In the end I made a little hexie pin cushion.  As it's my first time freezer paper piecing AND doing Y-seams I'm pretty pleased.  I do wish I had some rice or something more weighty to fill it with.  Next time.

Next to our class was an English paper piecing class with Tasha.  And who did we find there, but Kat the amazing, who was making hexies and...

Leanne who flew all the way over from Canada!  Goodness!  Leanne was my best "surprise" find as we did not really know one another before this retreat, but I really enjoyed her company.    

There were also impromptu classes throughout the weekend.  Here, Trudi was giving a demonstration on sketching/designing free motion quilting patterns.  To watch her draw was just amazing.  She's incredibly fluid with that little pencil and baking paper!  Later she did a hands on demo with her sewing machine so we could all see how "easy" it was to do!  She was amazing.

There was also a great buzz around the Siblings Together project as they were coming to collect any donated quilts over the weekend.  Here's our lovely Hadley stitching on her label...a little last minute for you, missus.  That's not your style at all!

Sunday afternoon I took a frame purse class with Katy, our tattooed quilter.

Once we cut out our patterns, we were allowed to play with glue!  You should have smelled the toxic fumes coming off of that stuff.  And with some stitching, gluing and scissor-shoving we made a gorgeous little purse.  I absolutely loved the process and can't wait to make a second one.

My class was, once again, filled with fabulous personalities.  Here we have Mary and Trudi distracting Terri, Hadley and Lucy from there stitching....

Lucy keeping her composure to the best of her ability...

Mary with that glue...again...

and Hadley telling us how it should be done.

Ta-Da!  We each made a gorgeous purse.  I love the Melody Miller prints used here.

I went with Echino and fussy cut a few little birds for the front and back.  They make me happy.  It's lined with a lime green solid that suits the flecks of green in the flowers and leaves.

There's my full Fat Quarterly experience.  I had a fantastic weekend with these spectacularly lovely, creative, funny, charming, supportive, encouraging, inspirational women.  I'm already counting down the days 'til next year!

Strawberry Sweetness

The super awesome Emily from the Strawberry Patch has recently celebrated her 100th (fabulous) blog post with an adorable zippy pouch give away.  I, of course, immediately jumped in waving my hand wildly....Pick me!  Pick me!

I was lucky enough to win!  Want to see the awesome pouch Emily made?  I can not wait to show you!

Is it not fantastic?  I am so in love! I love the dotty red and blue. It makes me happy.  The text print fabric is just delicious.  And what's more, the entire back is speaking to me!

And inside there's more of that cute little blue print.  Yippee!!

And that's not all!  Emily was also super duper generous and gave away a set of her earrings.  Emily made these herself!  How cool.

And, of course, yummy scraps.  I've been coveting that little sheep print for a long while.  For now I'm super happy to just pet these and re-arrange them....I wonder what I'll make?

Emily, you are fantastic.  Thank you so very much.  I am completely delighted with this pretty package.  If you, FSQ readers, have not met Emily yet, hop over to her blog and say hi today!  

 

Mouthy Stitches Delight

Woo hoo!  Woo hoo!  I have just received the most fantastic pouch ever from the Mouthy Stitches Swap!

My super top secret partner was Di of Random Thoughts...Do or "Di"....and she rocks.  If you have not been to visit her blog before, hop on over there!  She makes the most gorgeous quilts and always gives a nice glimpse into what she's got cooking or what is happening with her family.  Get on over there and give it a read :)

Want to see my most beautiful pouch?  Well it came in a great big box....

and when I opened it there was a little card peeking out at me....

....it was a sassy one!  Can you read it?  "Always wear a thong. It's the perfect excuse for never carrying cash."  Genius!

Di even played Easter bunny and sent a pile of deliriousness!  It's nearly all gone already!  Who ever thought of dipping marshmallow peeps in chocolate deserves a promotion.

Inside there was a little package wrapped in gorgeous ribbon holding the nicest little skein of twine!  I can't wait to use it to wrap a little gift!

What's inside?  Scraps!!!!  Yum yum yum!!!!  I love Malka Dubrawsky's A Stitch In Color line, but it never made its way to Ireland....until now!  I can not wait to start sewing with these pieces of gorgeousness.

But really, you want to see the pouch, don't you.  Look!  Look at this!

Squeeee!  I am so in love.  I love this Melody Miller print.  I love the purple zip with the charm.  I love the piecing down the sides.  I love its size and that it's boxy and can stand on its own.  Love it, love it, love it.   The back is also Melody Miller Ruby Star Rising.

Inside there are four of the cutest little pockets I've ever seen!  I stuffed them with fabric, of course :)

Di, thank you.  Thank you so very much for your thoughtfulness in designing this pouch, the care you put into stitching it and the energy you put into making the delivery just so much fun.  Thank you, Di!

Mouthy Stitches Pouch: Finished!

I hope my partner likes it.  I hope my partner likes it.  I hope my partner likes it.

I think I finished my Mouthy Stitches pouch...that is unless my partner sees it on Flickr and has a suggestion for me.  Is this part of a swap nerve wrecking for everyone?  I think I created something she will like. It's something that I would like to receive.  But now I wait on pins and needles hoping to hear she likes it too!  Anyway, I'll show you where I am for now:

I think my partner likes scrappy, brightly colored pouches with a neutral background. She seems to switch between greys and natural linens, but I thought on the grey the colors would really pop.  I made a paper pieced star using the Solstice Stars tutorial and then quilted a grid around it.

 She also has several bold, geometric blocky pouches in her mosaic, so I made a scrappy back that is also quilted in a grid pattern.

Both sides have batting to give them a bit of softness, but rigidity.  They are quilted with dark grey thread that is a little darker than the Kona so it kind of is visible, but doesn't steal the show.

Inside is an Echino print that runs the full length of one side (by my thumb) and is partly visible on the other side that also holds a pocket.  The pocked is Joel Dewberry Aviary print that is split into a large and small pocket.  The large pocket has a matching fabric covered button above it and a silky orange ribbon to hold it closed.  The bottom is boxed to stand on its own, which I think is just great.

And, of course, the pouch will come filled with scraps! My partner seems to like quirky Japanese prints, bold colors, bright patterns.  I hope she likes these!  There's a bit of Echino in there, Moda, Heather Ross, Monaluna, Erin McMorris, etc.  She's sure to find something to make her smile, right?

Well, partner, it was fun tracking you!  I hope I created something you like!  xx