Leftover Minky

A scrap project inserted itself in my February ToDo list--and it's so cute!

A blogging acquaintance alerted me to this project: a triangular neck pillow.  (Free pattern and instructions at the link.) The theme is scrapbusting; this adorable pillow could be made from some unusual scraps.  Yay!

I had some Minky leftover from a couple projects: a fluffy lap blanket and a full-size bed blanket that I made for a Christmas present.  What does one do with long, narrow lengths of fluffy goodness?

Well, it turns out that the pattern pieces perfectly fit what I got had. Even the Echino prints used on one of the three sides were scraps--although I haven't yet made the bag I originally cut out of their yardage. Finally, the lengths of ribbon and twill tape used as handles were also from stash.


Such a win!

And what will happen to these soft, scraptastic pillows?  Well, it just so happens that I have a red eye cross-country flight coming up. And I didn't own a travel pillow... until now.

I'll be sure and report back on how it works out for me.

BOM: The votes are in

I teach the Block of the Month group (BOM) at my shop.  This year, the theme is traditionally-pieced, very star-heavy blocks, using black-and-white fabrics with a white background.  To make each project unique, the color palette is to be supplemented by each participant--some are using the same accent fabric all year, and some are making it colorful (like my samples!)

audition blocks...

We are six months into this 12-month project, and I let the participants decide on which blocks they wanted to complete for the remainder of the year.


I made 5 blocks at retreat in January


And another 5 blocks during the first week of February

The BOM group voted at February's session.  They were very thoughtful in their choices, and so that's what we're gonna sew up.

Wanna play along & learn these blocks?

I had my reasons for making up different block samples, mostly having to do with techniques to teach.  (Oh, and a couple of them were just plain cute.)  What I didn't take into consideration so much was how the 12 blocks were going to play together in a single quilt/project.  I think this is what I was missing--my gals helped me to focus on the whole, not just the cute individual bits.

Techniques still to learn: piecing along diagonal rows; no-waste flying geese; quarter-square triangle; and more uses of folded corners.

I'm excited for the rest of this year!

Oakie's "Luggage"

Third finish of 2016: Oakie the travel penguin now has a bag to hold all his outfits and accessories!

This is the Sew Together Bag, slightly modified.  I removed the center zippered pocket to leave a large open space.

Top: modified; bottom: unaltered pattern

Initially, I thought Oakie could travel in the center compartment, but I was wrong...

Snug as a penguin in a pouch

Not that he didn't fit, but his clothing needed more room.

This guy has more of a wardrobe than I do! Visible in the photo: teddy bear, new Christmas hat and ugly Christmas sweater, sombrero from Mexico, visor & board shorts.  Yep, this is one well-appointed penguin, no matter the occasion.

A lad and his luggage... contented sigh.



Stash report: entire bag was made with scraps and stash; according to the pattern, almost a yard of fabric gets used up in this beauty.



[Credit for Oakie's new Minion hat goes to my talented sister--wish she had a blog for me to link to]

Jungle January

Hey, I finished a garment!  My Jungle January garment, to be specific.

Supposed to be easy--and it was, mostly.  Just that life got in the way a bit, so it wasn't as quick as I might have hoped.

The pattern: McCall's 7166 (long out-of-print; I think it's from 1980?)

The fabric: ooh, it's also old! I purchased this a looong time ago to make a maternity tunic top (my youngest child is 23).  I believe it is a french terry knit, rather stiff.  Would have been perfect for a tunic...

The Fit: this is my year to try and adjust, correct, and get fit issues sorted out in home-sewn garments.  I refuse to let my me-made items suffer from the ill-fit of ready-to-wear. 

• I lengthened the shirt by 4 inches all around.  (I am 5' 9" tall; length is always my first pattern alteration.) Then, on the advice of a friend, I shortened the front a bit.  
• My initial FBA attempt was too low, and not a deep enough dart.  Undaunted, I pin-fit a new bust dart while wearing the top, then adjusted the side seams accordingly.  (This meant I ended up with the front length even shorter--but still about 2 inches longer than the original pattern.)
• Made the sleeves 3/4 length, with hem depth determined while wearing.

Hi-low hem: all the rage right now?

The verdict: I love it!  A basic pattern, quick to sew, that could be a wardrobe staple.  And the perfect re-introduction to sewing garments.


Have you ever participated in Jungle January?  I still have a bit of this material left--what could I sew that might need some leopard trim?



Stash report: per the pattern envelope, 1 1/4 yards used busted

Winter Retreat, 2016

Official camp photo

The Universe took a pause and allowed me to attend Quilt Retreat over my birthday weekend in January.  All my favorite quilt-y friends were there, which was good because there was a lot of emotional family stuff happening at the same time.

The Projects

Challenge blocks: this year's challenge was to make a 12" finished block using floral fabrics with a cream background.  The challenge as I saw it was to find such florals in my fabric stash so that I could stitch up a block using them.

As I have done in the past, I took the opportunity of making a single block using a new pattern or technique.  I used a tutorial from Barbara's blog Cat Patches to make a circle applique--with no hand sewing and no fusible+topstitching required.  The block turned out wonderful! And a pretty simple technique, too.  You can bet I'll be using this again in the future.


1930's Scrappy: my main goal for retreat was to finish this top.

Before retreat began, I had all the 16-patch blocks made, and a few of the X blocks started.

Took my usual amount of time to make 24 X blocks, and somehow got all the rows and columns put together.  Yay! 

However, ran into a bit of difficulty when it came to size: this only measures 56 inches square.  Needs borders.  And, since this is a scrappy/stashbusting project, I am limited in my fabric choices.  Too much fussy thinking necessary to make this next step work out... for now.  I put it aside.


Black & white BOM blocks: I was determined to get a bit ahead of the game for the final 6 months of the BOM I am leading at the shop.  I made 5 blocks, and that felt very good.

And that wraps up another quilting retreat.

Thank goodness for friends.  And my hobby--which distracts and calms me when life gets to be a little bit too much.  What does your ideal retreat look like?

First finish: one placemat

Voila!  The first finish of 2016 is on display.

A single placemat.  Paper-pieced, from a pattern I designed, using Sushi Roll fabrics (Asian fabric mini-bundles sold at New Pieces quilt shop).  The background fabric is more of a long-stashed navy twill that I used in a table runner last year.

The reason for a single placemat?  Well, you see, prototype.  Test of concept.  Plus, I wanted to get it done.  Back in November, in time for a Shop Hop.  Didn't happen, obviously.  So now it needs a mate, as the display options for one placemat is limited.

it's reversible, thanks to careful fabric purchasing

Wouldn't you know, making more placemats is really not in my plans at the moment.  According to my New Year's resolution, I have to finish 2 things for every new start--and that's not the item I'm itching to start this month.

Oh well.  Orphan it will be for now.  But a FINISHED orphan, at least!

Fabric stash used: 1/4 yard (only counting the navy, as the backing and binding fabrics were purchased for this project)

Modest Goals for 2016

Gotta write 'em down, or I can't remember them they don't count, right?

After setting ambitious goals for 2015, which did not mesh with the reality of quitting my job, moving, and spending months in a sad mental state, I'm ready to set some crafty goals for 2016 that can be accomplished.

1.  Finish 3 large quilts.

The ones I have in mind are all quilts that have been started.  Two of them are almost done with the piecing.  Let's see some pom-poms come out for the finish line!

2.  Buy no fabric for the first 6 months of the year.

This is next-to-impossible for me lately.  The fabrics--and the ideas they generate--really set up a chorus in my head every time I step into the quilt shop where I work.  My one "out" for this resolution is if I need a fabric for a project I am actively working on, and that fabric is the only thing that will let me move forward.

3.  Finish two projects for each new start.
I have so many UFOs that lay in scary, shadowy forms: on the floor, in the corners, teetering on the shelves, ready to pounce.  I already have four at the top of my list to finish this month (so I can start the 2 new things that I just gotta cut into!)

4.  Complete at least 8 garments.

This goal will be a challenge.  The only "garments" sewn by me last year were 2 aprons.  To help my mojo in this direction, I have joined the uber-talented folks at Make a Garment a Month (currently on Facebook).

5.  Write a pattern.
C'mon, I am teaching a Block of the Month class at the quilt shop, how much more work can it be to write up a pattern for one of the amazing designs in my head?