Fun Mail Update

As we all know, I'm a swapping fool, and as much as I like to make things and send them off, I love to receive the fun mail that comes in response.  I don't really know why, but I tend to procrastinate getting out the camera and taking pictures.  I have a ton of excuses, "I'm too busy."  "The light's not right."  {and my personal favorite} "I'll do it later."  But I am determined to be better about taking pictures going forward.  {Pinky promise.}  So, I have three amazing swap packages to share with you today.

First is the amazing swap package I received from Kristy (Catiedyd Designs) in the Sew Sew Modern Swap.  I have been meaning to make my weekender for awhile - and in fact I have the backing cut out and I know just what I'm going to do, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.  Now, I'm not sure I will need to, although a girl can never have too many bags, right?

The bag is awesome.  She used two coordinating dark fabrics so they won't show the dirt as much.  Great idea!  And I love the lime green piping!
 

And the piece de resistance is the zippered outside pocket.  Such a great innovation! I may need to put one in the next bag I make.  VERY cool.  And sticking out of the pocket in this shot is the awesome banner she made me.  It will be fab in my new "studio".  (Note To Self:  Go buy paint!)

She used a different coordinating fabric for the lining.  I like that it's a lighter color.  As my eyes age, I appreciate all the help I can get.  Finding things in the bottom of a bag with dark lining is just - difficult.

Aside from the banner, she included zippers, rick rack...

and - coolest of all - some of those clever Clover quilting binder clips I have been meaning to buy for awhile now.  I used them to bind Krista's quilt and they are as awesome as advertised.  Waaaaay better than pins. I think the best thing about them is that they don't distort the shape of your item like pins do.  They are really nifty.  If I make another Weekender, I will certainly use them on that too. 

(You remember what my pins looked like after my Weekender adventure, right?  So sad.)

Thank you, Kristy, for a lovely swap package.

(I am super tardy taking photos of this fabulous package.  Where does the time go???  I know that I tend to put off taking pictures, but this is ridiculous!)  I am honestly over the moon with this awesome package from Joanne in the UK (Jo Jo 33).  She really nailed this one!  Do you see all these amazing creations???  Joanne said I really pulled her out of her comfort zone {sorry}, but I think she did a fantastic job on these items!  Oh my!  I am deliriously happy!

First there is this amazing bag.  I can't tell you how much I love this bag.  All the fabrics she used make me smile.  One side is pink...

And the other side is blue and green.  I am deliriously happy with this bag.  {Did I say that already?} I think it will become my new purse (when I can bear the thought of getting it dirty.)  EDIT:  Joanne shared the pattern with me here.  And as if this bag could get any better, it is reversible!  Is that awesome, or what???  (Thanks Rebeckah for reminding me!)

She also sent me this wonderful clock.  I wanted a clock that would hang on the wall in my new "studio", and when I get my room painted (see Note To Self above), this will be perfect!  I love how carefully stitched this amazing applique is.  And it is mounted on wood, so it is very sturdy.  I know I am going to love the way it jazzes up my new room.

She included a bunch of other wonderful things as well...  A little fabric basket to {try to} get me organized, a really cute camera strap, and a package of gorgeous pins - and after all the pins I've thrown in the trash can lately, these are most welcome.  (And I love that they are sooo pretty!)

Joanne, thank you for such a wonderful, thoughtful package.

Finally, I received this package from Lori (Lori H. Designs) in the Fabric Basket Swap.  I was hoping for a large basket to toss my fabric scraps in, and she really nailed it.  This basket is the perfect size - not huge, but really big.  It's big enough that I can throw scraps from a project or two in it, but not so big that I will be overwhelmed by the idea of sorting my scraps, if you know what I mean.

I don't think she used the same fabric twice on this bucket, and I love her choices.  I always like scrappy, and this is perfect.

She included a cute little fabric pouch, some FQs, a couple of bolts of ribbon and {yay!} pins.

Thanks, Lori!

I feel so blessed to have had such amazing swap partners who created such fabulous things for me.  I can tell that each of them took the time to find out what I might like and then create awesome items just for me.

And now we know why I am addicted to swaps.  I suppose that won't change any time soon.

A Tisket, A Tasket - A{nother} Little Fabric Basket!

A week  or so ago I mentioned what great gifts these little fabric baskets make.  I am really having fun making them.  This one is for Leona's Fabric Basket Swap.  I made the basket a few weeks ago with selvages from Anna Maria Horner's LouLouThi that were passed from one daughter to the other, and then to me.  I've been having a blast with them.

I filled the basket with an assortment of goodies, including some fabric, zippers, thread, a decorated dish towel and crocheted dish cloth, an apron pattern, and a cute little Mary Engelbrite journal.  It was fun - and a little challenging - to think of things to fill it with.  Normally, I might have added candy, but this is Florida, and it is June, and it just didn't seem like a good idea.  (Sorry, partner!)

Still, I hope my partner enjoys the basket despite its candy-less state.

Quick Gift Idea

 The 400th Post/Tula Pink giveaway is here, and ends today at 5:00 pm Central Time.

The other day I met my friend for a little fabric shopping/dinner adventure, and I wanted to make her a little gift.  She loves Tula Pink - and in fact I'm making a Neptune/Prince Charming quilt top for her - so I decided to make a little fabric basket from the selvages and some leftover linen from my Scavenger Bag.

This little basket is super easy to make.  I used the Pink Penguin tutorial.  Instead of using the 2" squares she used in her tutorial, I took 6" strips of selvage and sewed them together, then cut them in half and mix/matched them, and sewed them on in the same manner Ayumi did, then quilted and constructed the basket.  It is a fairly easy project, and takes about an hour.

I {over}stuffed it with a few little things from my stash.  I was glad I did, because she brought me a whole bag full of fabric, including some Lila Tueller Bohemian Festival jelly roll strips and pieces of layer cake I've been coveting.  I know exactly what I'm going to do with it, which is really quite rare for me.

I've made a couple of similar baskets.  This one from LouLouThi by Anna Maria Horner.

And this little one with handles is from LouLouThi as well.

So, if you need a quick gift for someone, this could work for you.  Have fun!

A Productive Sewing Day

I had a pretty productive day at the sewing machine yesterday, which is a good thing, considering that my items for the Modern She Made swap need to be mailed today.  To be honest, I like this tote so much it's kind of painful to mail it away.  That said, I just made myself a new bag, didn't I???  Well, as one of my readers said, "Can a woman ever have too many bags?"

I bought some Melody Miller fabric awhile back, which became the focal point for this tote.  Then I started browsing through the fabric scraps in those colors and found a much better selection than I thought I would.  The theme of this round is stars, hence the wonky star....

I used some of the Dear Stella FQ scraps from the Dresden pillow I made last fall, and some of the AMH feathers and the RK Quilter's Linen I scavenged for my Scavenger bag, plus some of the Vintage Modern scraps from the BOM I'm working on (the colors were perfect!), some DS Quilts leftovers from various projects, plus a tiny bit of the Architextures I bought a couple of weeks ago...  Oh, and the floral was from some decorated towels I made for my sister's family last Christmas.  It was fun pulling the fabrics for this one.

The bag is loosely based on Elizabeth Hartman's Perfect Tote, but first I decided that I didn't want to do the piece-as-you-go method, and from there it was a downward slide to do-your-own-thing. Just one more example of that problem I have with following directions, I guess.

This is the first time I've used cotton duck as the interfacing for the bag.  I liked the structure and substance it gives the bag, and will probably use it again. One thing I did learn though - if you're using linen, the linen itself actually needs some stabilizing before it is quilted. The linen stretches and the duck cloth doesn't so it makes for some shifting in the layers.  This might not have  been an issue if I had actually done the QAYG method, but since I pieced it first, and then quilted, I found that I was fighting with the linen all the time as it stretched.  If I were to do it again, I would definitely use a lightweight iron-on stabilizer on the piecing before I quilted the project. 

I did some basic patchwork for the back of the bag.  I haven't done basic patchwork in awhile.  It was fun.

And I had a little catastrophe when I assembled the bag - oops, I sewed the top as the bottom.  And I had already cut the corners.  Made for some interesting moments.  But I managed to salvage the project.  Whew!

The inside has a zipper pocket and a patch pocket on one side - something I hadn't tried before.  It was an idea I got from the original pattern.  I also attached a loop - an idea I got from the AMH bag I made last week.  It's a cool touch, I think, though I'm not sure what to use it for?  Keys maybe?

And a double patch pocket on the other side, for cell phone, business cards, or whatever. My I-phone fits perfectly in one side. 

I had a little extra patchwork left over, so I cut a few more squares and made a fabric basket - my first one.  I love that there are so many fun tutorials on the internet!  It's so easy to find instructions for just the item you have in mind.

And since I was having so much fun, I grabbed some of the AMH Loulouthi scraps youngest daughter donated to me and made my basket for the Fabric Basket Swap.  It feels weird to make something so far in advance - this one isn't due to mail until June 5th.  What's up with that?  It's so unlike me...

All in all, a very fun day sewing yesterday.  I think I'll do it again.  There are certainly some advantages to being retired.

Hope you have a fun sewing day too.

Wonky Scrappy Scrap Basket

So we all know that I'm a sucker for swaps, and despite my best intentions, one weekend several  of my favorite swaps were having sign ups, and apparently I have NO self control, because I signed up for all of them.  What was I thinking??? 

One of them was the Modern Scrappy Bits swap.  This time we could make our partner whatever they wanted, and my partner wanted a fabric basket.  I've been on a hexagon kick lately - maybe it has something to do with that Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt that's been absorbing most of my waking moments for the last several months - but I decided to do a fabric basket with a scrappy hexagon top.  These hexies are machine sewn, and even the Y-seams aren't so tricky once you do a few, especially on a decent-sized hexie (still not going to try them on the GMFG - the hexies are too small and I think the Y-seams would make me nuts!)

While I was at the ECMQG meeting on Saturday, Marcy did a bag and pouch demo - oh my does she create beautiful bags! - and she talked about using headliner foam as a substantial backing for bags and totes.  Well, what the hey!, thought I...  I'll give it a try.

It was my first time working with it and it's a little wonky, but still, I like the idea that it stands up by itself.  This basket is 18" high, and doesn't sag or buckle.  I like that a lot.  So, there are probably things I would do differently next time, but overall, I'm pretty pleased with it as a first try.

So there you have it - my Wonky Scrappy Scrap Basket