Bunny Zip Pouch

Etsy is full of fun and cute paper piecing patterns.

This bunny pattern found at Bubble Stitch, looks more complicated than it actually is.  I then tossed in a fabric color change.  The pattern is designed as a two color (brown and white) rabbit.  

I managed to get one section off a bit without noticing it, but I’m lettin’ that s**t go.  You know, the galloping horse and all.

I’ve made it into a zip pouch that measures 8.25” X 7.25”

My very good friend likes bunnies.

And bunnies like carrots.

The carrot pattern is found at Sugaridoo.

My friend also loves purple.

The bunny pattern was made at the 6” block size and the carrot was reduced to 75% of the original pattern size.

Seagull Drop Cloth Pillow

I found this seagull quilt block pattern on Etsy by Nadia Ridgeway of ellisandhiggs.com

When I printed the purchased pattern download and saw the bazillion little fabric pieces I would need to cut, I had the idea to change it into a paper piecing pattern...which I did.

A ways back in time, Selina of Selina Quilts blog, sent me a drop cloth.  She had made a tote and it inspired me to make something with it (that did not happen.....yet).  Last week I pulled out the drop cloth to try it out as a base fabric for a pillow.

I found a great little strip of selvedge dots in my selvedge stash to add into the sand.

Now it was time to begin the pillow cover construction.  I started with putting the zipper in the back piece(s).  The cloth can wiggle some, but it was the raveling that just about ended it for me.  I wasn’t even sure I would finish making the pillow cover.  But as I worked, I learned that as soon as I cut a piece or strip to sew, I immediately took it to the serger and serged all the edges.  Once I did that it was great to sew with.

It has a great texture for the pillow and a more organic look to it than if it were made completely from cotton quilting fabrics.  There are interesting imperfections that appear occasionally throughout the cloth.  I added another selvedge strip to the back for interest.  The fabric the selvedge came from was called World Maps.  Seagulls are all over the world so it fit.

Then I added my little signature tag and a made with love charm to the zipper pull.

The pillow is a 14” square form and has gone to live near the Pacific Ocean.

He’s the quietest seagull I’ve ever met.  I never once heard a peep out of him but I could hear the piercing keow of his relatives in my head all the while making him.

Altered File Folders

The only paper crafting I have been doing lately is altering plain manila file folders.  What fun they have been for playing with Distress Spray Stains and Distress Oxide Sprays!  The results are unpredictable.

This was my first batch.  The original photos have disappeared from my iPad, so I’m not able to show them individually.  However, they can be seen on my Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CbAsz76ulXf/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

These were my second batch.

Individually...

    

I devised a system to make the tabs replaceable so if the contents of the folder changes, the description tab can also be changed without marring the original folder tab.

This is the most recent folder I’ve altered.

    

These folders make filing a whole lot more fun!

Dragons Wall Quilt

There is a lover of dragons in my family.

I took on this panel to alter.  I didn’t really like the border design.

It took me several months (almost a year) to come up with a plan for framing the dragons.  I didn’t want the overall size to grow any larger.  I began by chopping off the borders around the dragons.  I knew I wanted to use half square triangles (hst) so I made some.  I made them with Kona black.  I had a piece of white dot black with a hint of light black that I really wanted to use.  I needed to cut it sparingly in hopes of stretching it far enough for the plan.

Time to sew them in strips and see how they work and look.

I love how this panel and the hst fabrics just seem to glow.

My daughter commented that the backing looked like dragon scales.  I had to agree.  I hadn’t even thought about that when I purchased the fabric.

Here it is in all it’s glowing glory.

After fretting about this panel for so long I’m really happy with how it turned out.

It finished at 40.5”X35.5”

I was messing around with an idea for my over abundance of decorative threads one day and made this tag and attached it to the back of the quilt.  This idea needs some work.

March 2022 Calendar Journal

Spring weather is getting closer!  That makes me happy.

Alphabet Quilt

This is the panel that drew me away from paper crafting and back into my sewing space.

For a long time I’ve wanted to make an alphabet quilt.  But I didn’t want to make the letters and I wanted them to look artsy.  When I bought this panel, I didn’t know it was a Marcia Derse design.  No wonder I love this panel.

(Not to worry, all those prewash wrinkles will disappear as I work with the panel)

I didn’t need to worry about wonky with this panel.  The alphabet is intentionally somewhat wonky so any further wonky added during printing the panel would not be an issue.  Looking closely at the panel, the letters are collaged on notebook pages.  First thing I did was cut the notebook pages apart. 

I wanted the letters to be separated from each other, so I cut them apart.  That left raw edges very close to most of the letters.  I cut 1/4” strips of Wonder Under and fused it to that raw edge on the wrong side.

    

I then fused that raw edge to a strip of another fabric and stitched a zig zag to applique the two pieces together.  That would allow me to have a seam allowance for piecing.

I arranged the letters in rows, staggering them somewhat.  I then began a rather measured improv piecing to make them into uniform length blocks.  But within each block itself, if it was wonky, I left it that way.  You can see what I mean in the closeup below. (The a, B and C are the most obvious).



A close up of the first row.

After getting the quilt body all sewn together, I added a narrow 1/2” purple border and a scrappy neutral border outside that border.

I almost forgot to get the selvedge into the quilt!  My panel didn’t have any color dots (sad face).  As the finished quilt top waited on the design wall for me to get a backing, I decided I didn’t like the narrow purple framing border.

I started thinking about how I could change that.

A bit of a wild idea came to mind.  So out came my overflowing storage box of selvedges.

Continuing with the measured improv, I trimmed and stitched selvedges over the top of the purple border.



I think I’m figuring out my style...eclectic.

When I pin baste my quilt layers together, I don’t leave much backing and batting extending past my quilt top.

Quilting with a walking foot has proven that the backing and batting don’t pull inwards, so I stopped wasting extra fabric for the basting and quilting process.  I mostly just quilt with straight lines as this look is my favorite.  

Now look at the fun mistake I made and discovered halfway through the quilting.

I set the Z block upside down.

I began to panic!  What about the H?  What about the I?  What about the N?  What about the O?  What about the S?  All just fine.  Then I got to the W and I noticed a portion of the map was upside down and I thought I used the M upside down!  Then I remembered the m was lower case.  Whew!!!

So just the Z is flipped.  I decided it is a fun mistake and I’m embracing it.

Now I know my ABCs ... and flipped Z!

Costume Maker’s Ball Wall Quilt

This was another gifted panel.  The designs by J. Wecker Frisch are quite unique and whimsical and they all make me smile.  This is the panel as it can be purchased.

I cut apart the images.  I dug into my stash to see what I had in the way of black and white checks.  There were more than I thought and I decided they didn’t all need to be white.  There is even a harlequin print in the mix.  

And then the evils of a panel came to life.  One reason I am not a big fan of panels is that they never seem to be printed or woven straight.  Or maybe that’s just my luck.  Then I added insult to injury choosing to frame each image with the checks.  I liked them...even without sashing.

But sashing won out.  It bothered me all during the making that the quilt might turn wonky and prove to be undisguiseable or unforgiving.  I kept along with it anyway...hoping...

This panel was really fun to work on despite its challenges.

Binding choice was easy.  No surprise here, right?!

I had to include the words that ran alongside the panel.  

I can’t believe that I forgot to work the selvedge into the quilt design!  How fun is that selvedge!

This wall quilt is quite large, measuring 51” X 30”.

Ta-Da!  All done.  If you don’t look too close, the wonk isn’t too noticeable.

(At the time of the photo, I hadn’t yet gotten a dowel for hanging)

Did you notice the panel has a sewing theme?

On to the next project...........