Around the World Craft Swap

I am very intrigued by all the mini quilt swaps floating around Instagram, and really wanted to join one, but was super nervous. I didn't have much experience with minis anyway, and what if I couldn't think of something to make my partner? Or worse--what if I made something and it turned out horrible? Or I made something and my partner hated it?? I was nervous.

Then, I saw the Around the World Craft Swap. I was a bit bummed it wasn't strictly a mini quilt swap, but I was so excited that it was travel related that I couldn't help myself! I signed up, and hoped I would get a mini quilt based on Paris. I love Paris. :-)

I always assumed I would make a mini quilt, but when I got my partner email, she didn't really seem to want a mini quilt. I'm sure she would have been pleased with it, but it wasn't among the things she specifically listed that she would like to receive. So I went back to the drawing board...at first I started thinking about making her a bag and adding a small travel-related applique...but then she started posting requests for hoop art on Instagram, and I knew I had to do it for her.

After a lot of brainstorming, these were the designs I came up with. I couldn't pick just one, so I made her all three. They didn't take much time or effort, so I felt good about sending all three. The two quotes were specific quotes she mentioned liking, and I designed the Eiffel Tower one because she got engaged right around the time partner emails went out, so I thought a romantic tribute would be nice.

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out all the shapes, and I'm super pleased with how they turned out! They were so quick and easy.

Because the hoops were so simple, I elected to sew up a little zippy pouch too. I wrote about the zippy pouch here. I love how the fabrics turned out together, and I think it's super cute! I hope she loves it.

I also sent her a black and white print of Paris that I took a couple of years ago. It's of the Musee d'Orsay specifically. She mentioned using black and white photos from her travels to decorate with, and I thought it would be the perfect addition to the package.

I had fun picking up extras for her. I found an Eiffel Tower key chain on a clearance table at a museum (score!), and I sent some note cards and ribbons as well, and a small box of Italian candies from our trip.

I had a really great time doing this swap and am on the hunt for another one. I think one thing that really worked well for me was having just one swap. I initially signed up for just one because I wanted to see how it all went, and I got so lucky. I received a beautiful mini that I can't wait to hang, and my partner loved the package I sent her. It was a really positive experience. Now that it's all over, though, I think part of why I enjoyed it was that I was just focused one. So, while there are many many swaps out there, and lots of people sign up for multiple, I think I'll stick to one at a time for now. It meant that I was really focused on making a great package for my partner, and I think that's about as much as I can handle! 

Everyday Zip (Pattern Review)

If you've been following my Instagram feed, you know I'm involved in the Around the World Craft Swap. It's my first swap ever, and while I wish it were sewing specific, I'm pleased to be involved in a travel-related swap. I love traveling!

I made what my partner really asked for, but the designs haven't taken that much effort, and I felt like I wanted to include another small sewn item. She did say that she'd love something useful, and I thought I'd try a zippy pouch! I've never made one, but I found this cute Everyday Zip pattern by Fig Tree and Co. at a local shop and thought it'd be perfect. Simple, but a little fancied up with the prairie points and focal fabric.

I opted to skip the canvas and use regular cotton, and I used the same cotton for the lining as the main bag. I pulled this cute Paris print from my stash and found a number of 2" squares that matched perfectly. They are all from the Hometown line by Sweetwater.

I got everything cut out and sewed it up at my neighborhood sewing retreat!

So, here are my thoughts on the pattern.

I do think it's adorable. I like the boxed corners and that it incorporates a strip of focal fabric and prairie points. It's a great way to show off fun prints. The zipper went in really easily, and with the way it's constructed, the zipper ends lay flat (no ugly pinches!). It's also a great size.

I did have some problems, though.

First, I read through it several times and really struggled to understand what I was supposed to do before I started. I'd hoped it'd make more sense while I was sewing. I chose to make the smallest coin purse size, and the instructions are different because it doesn't have a front zipper. The problem is, she doesn't make it clear where you are supposed to start sewing for that pouch, as the first several steps are all for the front zipper panel used in the other two pouches. I appreciate that she's included a variety of sizes and styles in one pattern, but she didn't execute the pattern in a way that makes it easy to make them. In addition to the difficulty in figuring out where to start the coin purse, the other differences are explained on the last page at the very end of the pattern. It's not easy to pair those noted differences with the actual steps and I actually missed the note to shorten the wrist strap. I wish instead the pattern had included parenthetical notes in the steps with the changes.

Second, she constructed the pouches in such a way that the seam is inside the pouch, not enclosed between the lining and the exterior. She instructs you to zigzag the edge to finish it, so clearly this is what she intends, but it seems a little unfinished to me, especially since I expected the lining to be "finished." And, I used a contrasting thread because I was too lazy to change it and I was sure it was going to wind up hidden. It's not a bad contrast (it matches the focal fabric...) but still. I would have used a matching thread, which I had with me, if I'd known. I have a really hard time visualizing patterns as I read through them, so pre-reading didn't help me.

Overall, the pattern was difficult for me to follow and took twice as long as it should have given the simplicity of the item. Now that I've done it once, I'm sure it would go together much easier in the future, but with the exposed seams, I'm not sure I'll make it again as is. I'm really disappointed in the exposed seams, and I'll probably try to figure out a way to incorporate the focal fabric and prairie points into a pouch with a finished lining. I'd rather have a bottom seam with all the seams hidden than exposed side seams.

I would not recommend this pattern to a friend, and wished I'd purchased a different pattern. And that's okay--I'm embracing the idea that you never know until you try. :-)

Swoon! {quilt labeling tutorial}

I finally bound my Swoon quilt! This quilt has been in the works for quite a while; I started planning a year ago. But I finally have it finished, and I'm so pleased.

And actually, this post has been finished for a while, save a full shot of the quilt, so we've been enjoying the quilt for a good couple of months. It's been really hard to get a photo of the full quilt, and even then, I didn't do super well. Cheers to my helpful husband for holding it up as best he could! It's a big quilt, and that means it heavy, and he didn't quite have the arm span to hold it from both corners. That's really saying something as he is 6'6"! But, here we are. Finally.

For my Swoon, I chose some of my favorite fabrics from my stash, and paired them with solids. What's nice about the regular Swoon pattern is that it's designed for fat quarters, so I could easily pull from my stash since everything I buy is either a fat quarter or a half-yard.

 I really wanted the prints to stand out, and solids are so in right now I thought they would work well. I also opted to use Kona Ash as my background instead of white. I think it works.

Of course, after I finished binding it, I realized I had forgotten to label it (doh!)...I do that way too frequently. *sigh* so I had to unpick a corner to add it in. Of course, it's worth the extra work to unpick. I think labels are important.

Do you label your quilts?

If not, you should think about it. Especially if you gift a quilt. Here's the information I often include on my labels:

• The quilt's name. This is hard for me. Often, it's the name of the pattern or a variation on the name.
• Recipient's name (if applicable)
• My name.
• Long-arm quilted by: (if applicable, which it usually is...)
• Name of pattern/designer (if applicable)
• Date completed
• Care instructions
• Special note (i.e. love you!, thanks for being a good friend!, etc)

I don't always include every item on a label, it really depends on the quilt. I think labels are especially important for gifted quilts so that the recipient knows how to care for their precious gift. If you gift it to another quilter, they'll be familiar with the proper care of a quilt, but many people who don't quilt won't know that they need to be washed gently.

To make a label, I take a square of white fabric, generally 5-6 inches, and fold it in half. I iron it in half diagonally. Occasionally, I'll back it with wonder-under so I can use my Silhouette to "write" the label...but it's a lot trickier to get the pen to sketch the font correctly, so I've kind of given up on that, even though I don't love my handwriting.

Once I've pressed it, I write the information on. Sometimes, I'll type the information up in a document and trace it so it will all be evenly spaced (which is a huge struggle for me to freehand...), other times, I'll just go for it. I use either a fine-tip BLACK sharpie (I've read not all sharpies are colorfast) or a Micron pen (which I bought from the quilting notions section in Joann's--I'm figuring it's meant for exactly this purpose). I heat-set the ink and press it back into the triangle.

Next it's time to install it on the quilt. When I'm binding, I'll pin it down to the back on a bottom corner by lining up the raw edges with the raw edges of the quilt corner. I like to pin it in place so I can include it in the first seam, but when I forget to add it all together, that doesn't happen. You can sew it down when you first sew your binding to the quilt (and if you're going to hand-stitch the binding down, you'll want to make sure to do that). You can also add it when you top-stitch the binding down, and if you've neglected to add it altogether like I did, this is how you'll add it after you unpick the top-stitching around one of the corners.

That's pretty much it--just make sure to catch it so it's enclosed in the binding. You'll end up with a little pocket, and I think that's fun. It's unobtrusive, and easier for me than applying a patch somewhere on the backing. 

I hope this helps--now get to work and label all those old quilts! :-)

Swooning
quilted by Abby Latimer
Completed July 2015

Fabric Friday: October 2

Last week, April Rosenthal, Amanda of Westwood Acres, and Vanessa Goertzen hosted a fun contest on Instagram. To enter, you had to post a bundle of 18 fabrics from 3 different designers, more or less equally split. When I read the rules, I first thought it meant from 3 different lines (obviously more limiting than 3 designers), and so that's where this bundle came from!

I used my all-time favorite line: Hometown by Sweetwater. I just love it. I wish I'd bought more in different prints, but I'm cherishing what I have left.

I also used Cotton and Steel basics and Wallflower by Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew. I think they work really well together. I love that they have the same colors, but that they're just slightly different to add some interest, and that they are really the same tonal range. I think that's one of the most important things when you blend different lines (which is my preference as you well know). :-) It's important to match fabrics with similar undertones. If you can do that, the fabrics will look like they belong together even if they don't really belong together.

Also--I'm going to take a little breather on the Fabric Fridays. I really love it--I just seem to have a lot going on, and sometimes I just don't make it. So, I'm going to take a breather on the pressure. And if it doesn't happen one week, well, I'm going to know that it's okay.

Mini Mania: Log Cabins

September has been busy at our house! We went to southern California for a week (and took our girls to Disneyland), and we celebrated my youngest's birthday and my birthday. Couple all those things with my oldest starting kindergarten, and, well, it's been hectic. I've still sewn a bit. But I don't have much to show for it. I got the paper pieced blocks sewn together for my Christmas Seaside quilt (pattern from Vintage Quilt Revival), I've been sewing my curved blocks together for my Arabian Nights quilt (pattern from A Quilter's Mixology), I bound a baby quilt my friend made for her new baby boy and then just didn't have the energy to bind, and I got my cherry mini bound. It doesn't feel very productive, and it wasn't, but it was productive enough. I need to remember I'm not in a race. I'm a mom first and foremost, and any time I get to sew is a bonus. One thing I've liked about the mini quilts I've been making lately is that they help me feel like I'm getting stuff done. :-) Always a good thing.

I also finished a mini for the Flickr Mini Mania Challenge group. With my busy month, I wasn't sure  I was going to be able to, and I struggled with figuring out a plan for a couple of weeks. Color schemes, layouts, log cabin vs. courthouse steps...but I finally came up with a plan that I was excited to try. I didn't know how I would lay it out, but I was excited to try log cabins in an ombre effect in a couple color ways, all with solids.

Luckily, they went together quickly, you gotta love chain piecing, right?, and I got them up on my design wall so they could sit for a few days while I played around with block placement. While I thought I would do more of a gradient thing, from yellow to blue with the colors lined up, I ended up going with a pattern that isn't terribly apparent at first glance, But I really like it. And I have to admit that I fell more in love with this mini the more I worked on it, and it's one I'm really excited about. I've even toyed with the idea of making a larger quilt. We'll see...

I also really like the quilting! I saw a sample quilt with some log cabins with diagonal straight lines and knew it was going to be perfect for my mini. Thread color was tricky, but I think the gray I picked worked really well.

Anyway, I'm pleased with it! And looking forward to next month. Hopefully I'll get to it...amid the Halloween costumes and a gift for my niece who is turning 8 in December (got to get started early...so it doesn't get lost with all the Christmas prep). We'll see. We always see, don't we?

Fabric Friday: September 18

This week has been dreary and rainy...which I personally love. I've lived in Utah almost all my life, and it's a desert, obviously, so rain is special. I love the sound of rain drops hitting the pavement, the sound of thunder in the distance, and the darkness in the afternoon when it should be light. I love the clean smell of rain when it smells fresh. I just really love rain.

So, I guess, since it's been dreary, it's fitting I picked a bundle of fabric based around a London print. Which, by the way, I don't think is a dreary place at all. But it is known for it's foggy, drizzly weather. I guess since I don't really think of London or rain as dreary, it makes sense that this bundle isn't dreary in the least either. :-)

Top to bottom: Passport (by 3 Sisters I think?), Dottie by Cotton and Steel, Gardenvale by Jen Kingwell, (Social Club, I think) by the Comstocks, Miss Kate by Bonnie and Camille, and London Fog by Camelot.

Have a great weekend!

WIP Wednesday: Getting my curves on

It's been a while since I've posted an in-progress post, and it's not intentional, I just don't take a lot of photos while I craft. I have to really think about taking photos of finished products too, which I'm glad I'm doing this blog because it gets me to do it, but that's just to say that WIP posts aren't easy for me to whip out.

But--I've been working on a lot of different things. Mainly minis, to be honest, but I do have a couple of larger quilts in the works too, including one with curves from Angela Pingel's book, A Quilter's Mixology. I love this book, and I love her technique for sewing curves! It makes it pretty accessible.

The one thing that held me up, though, was all the cutting. So, I finally decided to just do it for 10-15 minutes at a time, and just knock it out slowly...and I actually finished earlier than expected.

I haven't made a ton of progress since getting everything cut out, but I really think I'm going to love this quilt. And slowing down while I've been piecing it together has been great.

I'm really enjoying the process. I think tougher blocks kind of make you do that--since you can't rush, you almost enjoy it more because you don't feel bad that it's not going to be finished by the end of the week (or month...)

Linking up to Lee's WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced!