Relaxing Mid-month

I talked to a friend today about the progress of the wedding sewing.  Ummm...

Oakie and friend.  At least he's not alone.

Well, despite Oakie's best efforts to coax me to his corner of the sewing room for some satin-y creating, I have just been playing in the other corner this past week.  That corner contains my Relaxing Robin.

My favorite part of this project right now?  That I can set a timer for 15 minutes--or 30, or 45, whatever time I have to spare on a weeknight--and just sew a little.  Cut a little.  Iron a little.

No pressure.  No keeping track of progress.  No deadline looming (yet); it's just the middle of the month.

This is truly relaxing.

I am linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.  Yay for little bits of progress.  Soon it will grow up to be a quilt.

Yoga Mat Cover

A finish!  A week and a half ago a new yoga mat came into our household.  The following day, it needed a cover.  I would say I swung into action at that point, but that's not quite how it happened.  I might have looked through my stash to see if I had a large enough chunk of a heavier fabric... 

But I definitely didn't start work until last Sunday.

Finished: yoga mat cover

 Very proud of the fact that I didn't have to buy anything to complete this.  I had the yellow canvas, the rainbow stripe cotton, the zipper, grosgrain ribbon and interfacing (both used for extra strap support) and the drawstring all within my amazing all-powerful STASH.  Big win in the Fabriholic column there.

 I relied heavily on YouTube videos to help me conceive of this.  The "How to make a Yoga Mat Bag" video was super-helpful, and really well-done for a single-camera how-to.  This video showed a bag with a pocket, but did not give directions for the pocket.

 For the pocket, I wanted both a zipper portion and an open portion.  Fortunately, another video helped me out: DIY 5 Minute Zipper Bag (EASY).  I made the zipper bag, assembling it so the zipper was near one end of the bag, rather than in the middle.  Then I  just attached that zippered piece to the bag as one would attach a patch pocket.  Presto!  Both types of pocket in one.

 One change I made from the video was to have a circular base for my bag.  I simply traced around a plate that approximated the size of the rolled-up mat, and gathered the tube of the bag to fit around it (no math needed).  I made sure to double stitch that seam, as I'm sure it will receive more stress from the weight of the yoga mat.

Sweetie loves her new yoga mat carrier.  She is not a big fan of yellow, but since this fabric was from my STASH, I made sure to include lots of RAINBOWS so the bag would be distinctive and fun.

Fabric used: 1 yard yellow canvas, scraps of rainbow cotton

Your Daily Inspiration

Sometimes working in a high school yields surprises.  New poster appeared in the hallway near the art room.  Looks like a student was learning technique: stencil and spray paint.

I love to be inspired.  Especially when it comes from an unexpected source.

Making Lists

Oy! I am feeling overwhelmed and stressed by all the things that happen in spring.  As sewing is my refuge, I am trying to take back a sense of control by making a list of sewing/crafty things.  I was inspired by Jess over at the Elven Garden, who made a goal list for the upcoming quarter: what do I want to get done by July 1st?

Since July 1st is two days from my scheduled wedding, the upcoming quarter seems like a great timeframe for making said goals list.

1.  Yoga mat cover

 

Ya know how projects just seem to fall in your lap?  Well, in my lap, at least.  Sweetie started taking Yoga.  The new yoga place has flimsy mats, so she purchased a substantial mat online (delicate flower that she is).  And this new mat needs a cover to protect it.  Enter the sewing girlfriend, with her endless stash of fabrics and notions.  I'm almost done, just gotta get the carrying strap and drawstring inserted.

2.  Oakie outfit (for the wedding)  

Here is our intrepid Traveling Penguin, auditioning fabrics for his tuxedo pants for the wedding.  He has already chosen the silky aqua fabric for his bowtie and cummerbund.  Stay tuned, it's gonna be a dapper outfit.

3.  Wedding sewing & crafting (see related list--I have to post this separately, for sanity reasons)

4.  Two rows for Relaxing Robin

 I am only setting a goal for 2 rows, although there are 3 months in the quarter.  My project is getting large, and my plate is pretty full, so that seems more than ambitious enough.  Plans and fabrics are in place, and the one row (theme: "something with triangles") has all the pieces cut already.

 5.  Rainbow bathrobe 

Wow, where did this project go?  I was all set to have a Year of Sewing Garments, and my plans went awry quickly.  It's all cut out.  Sewed the pockets and the waist tie.  Well, maybe I can get this one garment sewn before half the year is over.

6.  Mending/hemming for summer wearing

I should probably make a separate list for this category, because the pile is getting larger and items toward the bottom may start composting soon.  I know I have three pairs of Capri pants to hem to appropriate lengths, a pair of skinny jeans that needs some love, and a lovely summer frock that needs hemming.  And a pair of pajama shorts waiting on elastic.  And a summer t-shirt with a hole to mend.  And lightweight running pants with a hole.  And... and... maybe that compost quip was not too far off the mark.

7.  Binding for Sweetie's t-shirt quilt 

It's at the quilter now, so will just need binding when it gets back.  Although I love the geometric black fabric for a binding, I don't think I have enough of it.

8.  Two blocks for daughter's t-shirt quilt

I have plans, big plans for this quilt.  Just got excited by other things before I really got going on it.  But I'd like to do the piecing associated with these 2 particular plays as my beginning foray.  This quilt was promised with a 3-year timeframe; sounds about right for my stops-and-starts.


As always, my list is more aspirational than solid goals.  I just need things in writing to keep them sorted out.  That way I can check back in on myself when I get to spinning in circles and stop making sense.

Since my list of goals includes at least one quilt to complete, I'm linking up with Finish Along at The Littlest Thistle.  That way, I can celebrate in public (I am a showoff and I know it.)



And, if I'm really at a loss for things to work on, these items have passed from WIP into UFO status, and could be revived:

9.  Cloth baskets

Um... Yeah... These were supposed to go with the aprons that I was making in the fall for Christmas gift giving.  Ran into a snag, which will require some un-sewing and adjusting of sizes.  And there they sit, all ready for Mr. Rippy to come along and fix things.  Too bad my seam ripper doesn't have an autopilot setting...

10. Sun hats

So buried in storage that I won't dig them out now for a picture...

Fabriholic Check-In

March comes to a close: 3 months into my fabric fast.  Time to report how it's going.

NO FABRIC PURCHASES.  Yay!!!

I have appreciated having a "no buy" policy, as it has gotten me out of making a couple random purchases when I was seeking retail therapy.  (Boredom can be treacherous.)

Sadly, I have not done much sewing, and thus my endless stash is still hanging around.

On an upbeat note, the Relaxing Robin sew-along project (that I just sort of slipped into) has been a way to use up flannel scraps.

The flannel scrap box

Plus, I have pulled out long-saved hunks of flannel from my stash and daringly cut into them.  Of course, I would love to be able to go buy just the right color for the next round (I really need some yellow for the sun I am wanting to make!)  But I am finding my creativity come alive in being forced to use just my stash.

Current Relaxing Robin dilemma: I prefer the "picket fence" style with the narrower spacing, seen in the top row here, but not sure that I have enough of the cream/gray/purple plaid to make it work.

Also used up pretty much all of a striped scrap in making binding for my blue baby quilt.

Use it up: striped binding fabric

So it's all good from here.  Linking up with others who are also reporting on their progress.  Send them some love!

P.S. For some of my fellow Fabriholics, I stumbled upon this post about the state of American quilting magazines.  It has a ton of comments, and got me thinking about those who are truly drawn to the newest lines of fabric.  Here's my favorite comment quote, from Karen, who blogs at Nana Girl Quilts:

"My takeaway thought on this subject is....as much as we love new fabric, it seems the manufacturers have taken away the thing that made quilting personal and fulfilling (at least for me) - choosing our fabrics. The patterns haven't changed but the way we choose our fabric has. I too would love to see quilts made from somebody's real stash and not from a stack of fabrics put together by committee! Maybe somebody's listening."

Guess What I Made

First clue: here's what the pattern looks like

I used freezer paper to make this pattern, then cut it out from scraps of an old skirt.

This was to be my prototype.  I had some fiddling to do to make the item fit its intended recipient--of that I was certain.

Found the pattern, a free .pdf download, on Miss P's blog.

Here is what the pattern looks like, printed out at full size (100%), and again at 60%.  That was my guess as to how much smaller I would need to make it.

Lucky guess on my part! 

I used the recommended 1/4" seam allowance.  Left the back seam unsewn, which is a good thing, because it was tricky to get that tiny fabric tube turned right-side-out.

A very stylish young man

Oakie needs an outfit for the wedding, and I just couldn't think of a penguin not wearing a bow-tie to such an event.

I got a little ahead of myself... wanted to see if Oakie would look sexy-casual with the bow-tie untied.  Started picturing him with a smoking jacket.  Meh.  Not so much.

I need to make another one of these--this time in the wedding colors!  (I have just the satin fabric.) 

And to narrow down my options for what goes with a bow-tie:

• tuxedo jacket with tails?
• tuxedo pants?
• with suspenders?
• tuxedo shirt front?
• cummerbund?

Stay tuned.  90 days until the wedding, give or take.

A Finish: Blue Baby Quilt

Got the idea last week, from the (temporarily suspended) Finish it Up Friday, that I haven't really focused on finishing some of my languishing projects.  They take up space in my sewing room, and I move them around as I get excited and start working on other projects, but I just don't buckle down and take those last little steps.

Blue baby quilt favorite block: Old Windmill pattern

Case in point: blue baby quilt.  Blocks made as part of 20111-2012 Buck-a-block BOTM.  Sashed and bordered, even machine quilted.  But no binding.

So close to being done.  And there it sat.

Git 'er done!

All it took was some willpower, and not much time. 

I so seldom finish a quilt that I have to go back and learn the tricks of binding anew each time.  Found the Missouri Star Quilt Company's binding video super-helpful--especially the tricky "hiding the beginning/ending seam" portion.

I love stripes and plaids in bindings, so I use bias more often than not.  Just like the way it looks.

And there you have it: a finished project.  Hoping to link up with TGIFF (thank goodness it's finished Friday), or Finish it up Friday.  Next week.

Last word: the creatively-pieced backing