Mary's socks

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

This morning I finished my 17th (!!!) pair of socks to date. These are for my good friend Mary. She purchased the yarn (isn't it gorgeous???) and I had the pleasure of knitting them up. I hope that she enjoys them for a good long time! The yarn is from Spun Right Round and the colorway is graffiti.

I used my basic sock pattern, which is available as a free download here. I changed things up a bit by knitting the ribbing pattern on the ankle/leg section only. I used a plain stockinette stitch throughout the foot instead of the ribbing. It makes for a comfy pair of socks!

Another finish this week...day 14 of my pincushion challenge!

This is a paper pieced courthouse steps pincushion. I left it un-quilted because I didn't want to mess it up. You can be sure that I will try another one, someday, and I plan to quilt it next time. I LOVE this little block. It's all I can do not to start an entire quilt of them. But, I really (REALLY) need to finish some other WIPs first! This pincushion measures about 4 1/2" square and it is scrap project #161.

One bit of business...Therese from Wichita...if you are reading, please email me! You are the winner of my bright birch tree starter kit winner. If I don't hear from you by Monday, I will pick an alternate winner.

That's it for me this week! Please link up your finishes. Thanks for joining me for finish it up Friday! Have a GREAT weekend! xo

tell me a story blocks

I have no shortage of cute novelty prints. In fact, that was one of the primary things that I realized when I did my 6 month fabric fast. I hardly touch my novelty prints. It is apparent, though, that I like to buy them! This is (most of) my current collection. Ahem!

Well, I have finally found a good use for these cuties! The pattern is the Tell Me A Story Quilt, from Amy Friend's new book Intentional Piecing. I'm not prone to fussy cutting, because I hate to waste fabric, so I'm fussy cutting responsibly. Hahaha! I am carefully planning my cuts so that I don't make Swiss cheese out of my fabric. Rather, I am producing square or rectangular scraps that can be easily used later. (Messy scraps drive me crazy!)

I love that Amy recommends in the book to make your fabric selections one block at a time. I probably would have done that anyway, but it's good to have formal permission. Ha! I don't have a ton of this background fabric on hand, but it was a strategic choice. I selected this aqua Moda Bella solid because I should have enough to make a pillow cover, but not a whole quilt. This way, I can't change my mind later on. I do not need another quilt WIP!

I'm not a huge paper piecer, but I do like to do it occasionally. I love the accurate results it produces! Plus, it's kind of fun to sew through paper. :) One thing I dislike about paper piecing is the 1/4'' flaps that remain unsewn on the edges of the block. (See photo above.)

It occurred to me yesterday, that if I sew through the seam allowance area (the gray shaded area) when I am sewing the very last seams in the block, that fixes the problem. No more flappy seams. Hurray! I would caution you, though, to make sure that you do this only on the outer-most seams. If you do so prematurely, you will have to do some stitch ripping. I also learned that yesterday. :) Now I'm wondering why I haven't tried it before! (Who knows, maybe this is paper piecing common knowledge?) Either way, it's kind of a game changer for me. I love learning new and useful things!

I've been having a lot of fun with these! Each block will finish at 6", so I only need 9 for a pillow. Sweet! (Har, har.)

tiny things blog hop

Good morning! Today I'm happy to be a stop on the Tiny Things Blog Hop!

I wasn't familiar with Susi's work (tiny toffee designs) before she contacted me and asked me to be a part of her blog hop, but after one glimpse of her work, I certainly wouldn't say no! Her work is amazing. And tiny. And oh-so-good!

I made a version of her mountain pattern. This little paper-pieced mountain range fits on 1'' hexagon! Seriously! I used scraps from my ticker tape scrap drawer (which I shared in my last post) and I even had to trim some of my scraps down. (Ha!) It's good to find a use for those small little pieces!

I turned my hexagon it into a pin cushion, of course! There was a fair amount of squealing when I made this. It was so. much. fun! And, while the pieces are tiny, the construction wasn't tricky, really. Paper piecing made it very manageable. I definitely plan to make more!

The dream big pattern collection includes 7 different paper pieced designs...each one as darling as the next. So, there you go! Another reason to save ALL of the scraps!

Oh, and speaking of that...this is scrap project # 130. It measures just under 3" square!!!

Happy Monday to you!

kaleidoscope quilt in progress

After working on a few projects that weren't coming together nearly easily enough, (don't you hate it when that happens?) I switched gears and pulled out my blocks from my Sew Sisters quilting bee.

I would love to think that I will make a couple blocks a week so that this quilt will eventually get finished...but I know better than to expect that. Ha! I've also been thinking that this would make a GORGEOUS king size quilt, but that might be more than a little crazy/ridiculous/insane! That also fuels my fire to want to do it!

Today, I made a new "block" using some scraps of my good neighbors fabrics! (Good neighbors is scheduled to release early September and will be available exclusively at Connecting Threads. I can't wait!)

I may be weird, but I kind of like ripping off the papers from the back. I'm saving up/looking forward to working on these the next time I'm riding in the car. :)

I'm delighted at how they look together! This is going to be one special quilt...no matter what size I end up making it. Hurray for happy quilts!

The templates for the blocks are available here and here if you care to make some kaleidoscope blocks of your own. Also, I have a blog post about saving fabric while paper piecing here, if you care to read it.

Happy Tuesday!

paper piecing tips from a frugal girl

Happy June! It is my month to choose a block for the Sew Sisters Quilting Bee. It's always SO HARD to choose a block for a bee, so I asked my friend Tara what I should do. She suggested a kaleidoscope block, which I thought was a great idea! (Thank you, Tara!) Rather than use an existing template, I made my own---of course! I really like that it is a paper pieced block, so even though 10 different ladies will be sewing up blocks, the accuracy will still be there!

I love paper piecing for accuracy sake (it's the only reason to paper piece in my mind!), but let's face it....it wastes fabric. And lots of it!

Several years ago, I learned this trick, and I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to share it with you. Today is the day! What is this lovely trick? Make templates for each piece before you piece the block. Templates? Yes, it's an extra step, but for paper piecing, it's totally worth it, if you ask me. I am not going to teach you HOW to paper piece, that's not my job. (hahahaha!) This is just a trick to keep you from wasting fabric and to help keep your scraps tidy WHILE you paper piece. Tidy scraps are very important to me. (And that's no joke!)

Ok, let's get started. First, print off your templates. (For each block, you will need two regular and two reverse templates.)

Cut the template apart on the lines. I keep an older rotary cutter in my craft room JUST for cutting paper. It's fun to rotary cut paper AND it's a good way to use old blades that are too dull to cut fabric. It's accurate, too!

Trace your pieces onto another sheet of paper. You can mark the points of each triangle and then use a ruler or straight edge to connect the lines.

Use your rotary cutter and a clear ruler to cut out each piece, leaving a 3/8" seam allowance around each edge.

Here you have each piece with a 3/8" seam allowance added. Label them with the numbers in the same orientation as your template, so you know which side is up! You technically only need 1/4" all around, but the extra 1/8" gives you a bit of wiggle room. You will be glad you have it! Also, note how I trimmed off some of the long points from each triangle.

When it's time to cut out the fabric, place the template (face down, because everything is reversed an backwards when you paper piece) and cut around the paper using your fabric rotary cutter. Notice, I didn't cut super close to the edge....it doesn't have to be exact, but close is good. Then, paper piece as usual. There is less fabric flopping around, and since your pieces are pre-cut, it's easier to align them!

 Once I pieced my block, these are all the trimmings I had left! Isn't that amazing??

I still have odd shapes leftover from piecing the block, but that's just the nature of the block that I'm making. At least the scraps are all fairly tidy. Still usable for something!

 Here are just a few more examples to see how tidy it is. This is the paper side, before it's trimmed.

 And the fabric side before it's trimmed.

I like to leave the background or the center piece in a square to start off with. This is to illustrate how the first piece looks like before you add the first line of stitching...before sewing.

And after sewing, once it's pressed into place. It's so tidy as you go!

Here are my 4 block sections. Once sewn together, it will make a 10" finished block. I'm not going to sew blocks together until I get all the pieces, so I can easily distribute the colors throughout the quilt. It think it's going to be a super fun and colorful quilt!

I hope that these tips help (and don't confuse) you! If you have any questions, I'll try to answer them in the comments!

Happy Monday to you!

mini spiderweb quilt

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

When making this quilt, I had visions of a larger lap size quilt or a pillow cover, but then I did a reality check. If I put that much time and effort into something that size, no one would be allowed to use it. Ever! So, a mini it is!

I absolutely love how it turned out! The measurements are here, if you'd like to make one of your own. It's a great way to use up some teeny tiny scraps! The quilt measures about 13 1/2" x 16 1/2".

Speaking of teeny tiny scraps....I was in Duluth earlier this week and I had a chance to meet up with my friend Sue for lunch and shopping. She made the sweetest little pin cushion for me! Thanks so much, Sue! The scrappy patchwork above the pin cushion is her work as well. There was more than a little squealing going on at the table. I feel the need to dive into my scrap bins again--surprise, surprise! (The blocks were made using Victoria's technique.)

Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thanks for joining me for finish it up Friday!

finish it up Monday?

Over the weekend I set myself a little goal to finish 10 small projects. My mind (and my craft room) are feeling cluttered....so I tried to power though as many things as I could. I made it to 7! I am pretty happy with that. Many of them are scrap projects, so I get double the points. Ha!

I finished up a scrappy placemat that was in progress waaaay too long. Months! I love the rounded corners and the bias binding. The awesome mug came from my friends at Modern Textiles in Fargo. It's my new favorite! This is scrap project #63/101.

When I made my first flea market fancy pillow I cut out enough squares for two. I finally finished this one up today. There is a tutorial here if you would like to make one of your own. This pattern is a great way to use mini charm packs or scraps! This is scrap project #64.

Another repeat pillow using some of my distressed fabric from last fall. I gave the first two pillows away, so it's nice to have one to live at my house. I have enough fabric to make a whole quilt in this pattern. I can't seem to get it out of my head! I can guess what I will be cutting out tonight. :) This is scrap project #65.

 This was supposed to be a thread catcher, but I turned it into a zip pouch instead. I really like it!

This is the other side. I think it turned out so cute! My husband is wondering what I will use it for, but really, does there need to be a reason? :) Actually, I think I will use it to hold charging cords for my phone and iPad. This is scrap project #66.

Last weekend when I was teaching in Duluth I swiped a few scraps from the community scrap bins. I made these two mini mats to remind me of my fun weekend and my awesome students. I love this color scheme! I wish I would have used solid red for the binding, but hindsight is always clearer. These are scrap project #67.

This isn't a scrap project, but I had a yard of this cute fabric hanging around for the past few months...I finally took a half hour to sew it up into a pillow case. I love it! It's so cheery....all it's missing is unicorns! Ha!

Again, not a scrap project, but this is a paper pieced block that will be going to some friends who are making an auction/charity quilt for a breast cancer 3 day walk. I got to use my stitch ripper on this one. A few times over! :P

So that's my 7! Not bad for a weekend (plus a Monday's worth) of sewing! Woo-hoo!

One more little project to share....I made this little needle book a few weeks ago for a friend.

The inside has a little bit of sweet briar rose. I love the combo and how it all came together. This is scrap project #68.

 

Phew! That's a lot of little projects. Feels good to get things done! Now if I could just finish some quilts....I think that's next on the agenda!

 

Happy Monday to you!

shimmer feather pillow

Why hello there! Today I am happy to be a stop on Jennifer Sampou's SHIMMER blog hop!

Shimmer is Jennifer's newest fabric line (manufactured by Robert Kaufman) that is full of....well...shimmer! It's really beautiful.

It took me several weeks to decide on a project for these fabrics. I kicked around several ideas in my head, rearranged the charms a bunch of different ways, but that spark was missing, you know? One day it occurred to me that the fabric would be PERFECT paired with Anna Maria's feather pattern. That was the light bulb moment I was waiting for. (It's always fun when that happens!)

I love how it all came together! I made the feathers smaller than the original pattern so that 3 of them would fit on a pillow cover. I foundation pieced the shimmer fabric unto paper, then proceeded to assemble the feathers, figuring out the rest of the dimensions on the fly. It was a little trickier that I thought it would be-with all those angles-but nothing a little stitch ripping couldn't solve.

I cross hatched the background using purple thread. I know that's an unconventional choice, and very much out of my box, but look how much depth it adds to the pillow! I started and stopped the quilting lines at each feather, so I had a bunch of threads to bury. But it was worth it in the end!

To finish it off, I made an envelope backing with this fabulous olive colored fabric from my stash. I sewed a double line of stitching on the edge of the closure for a more tailored finish. I really like it! I'm sure I will be revisiting that detail again soon. (The only drawback about working with dark fabrics is all the lint it attracts, but what are you gonna do?)

The pillow measures 20" square. (It's so weird! Usually my projects are made from scraps. I'm so used to counting them toward my 101! Ha!)

Since this is a blog hop, you know there has to be a giveaway!

If you would like to win this shimmer charm pack, please leave me a comment in this post. I'll pick a winner in a few days.

Happy Monday to you!

paper piecing

Can you believe that I paper pieced this block with less than a fat quarter of background fabric? I did and I can hardly believe it!

This block was made for Mary as a part of the Two's Company Bee. Thanks to some tips from the group members (and a phone call with Tara), I was able to make this block with less than a fat quarter of red fabric. As one who hates to waste fabric, this got me pretty excited!!

What I did was cut out the templates from paper, then add 3/8" around each piece. I numbered the pattern pieces to correspond to the pattern of the block. I folded my background fabric into 4 layers and fit the pattern pieces on the fabric like a puzzle before cutting anything out. Then I cut very, VERY carefully. I was skeptical as to how it would work to paper piece with pre-cut pieces, but it went so well! I still had to do some trimming after I added each piece, but the wasted fabric was so minimal, I was truly amazed! And it was easier to see where to place your fabric piece, because you didn't have to deal with any extra bulk. I'm excited to try it again sometime! I'm by no means an expert on paper piecing, but I know enough to get by. I'm feeling pretty happy to have a new trick up my sleeve!

Speaking of paper piecing, Penny is teaching a paper piecing retreat again this year. I was able to attend last year and it was a blast. You may want to check it out!

Happy Monday to you!