Friday, September 30, 2011

Rainbow Geese






I started this flying geese block for a new grocery tote this week.  I love working with rainbows! The dimensions are a little bit big for a regular tote, so I thought it would be perfect for a grocery tote...lots of room for fresh fruits and veggies.  This weekend will be full of working on the quilt back for the blue boy I've been working on.  I have also been drafting up another tree project.  Happy Friday!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Quilt Tag

 This week I have been working on a hand sewn quilt tag for a Christmas quilt I've been working on.  The colors on the front of the quilt are blue with the same creamy off-white I used in the patch.


My vision was a tree with initials carved into them.  I added a bird in the leaves for fun :)


 Now I can't wait to finish the front so I can put it all together!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Fabric Cowl

I found some time yesterday to do a little sewing, and with all the cool weather in Colorado recently, I decided to make a comfy fabric cowl.  A cowl is a scarf that has no end and is typically knit.  I chose linen and jersey materials to make it extra slouchy. 
The materials used were:

· 2 yards of jersey fabric   
(I chose purple)
· 2 yards of loose weave fabric
(I chose blue stripped linen)
· Coordinating thread
· Basic sewing supplies:
             Scissors
             Fabric Tape Measure
             Pins



First, measure from the back of your neck down to your waist, in my case this was a total of 31” on one side.  Doubled this number  to represent the full size of the fabric tube - 62” for me.  Next, cut the linen 62” x 10” wide.  Then layer the linen on top of the jersey to cut  because the jersey can stretch when cutting, and you want to pieces that are the same size:

 
Next, cut the jersey fabric to the same size as the linen on top:

 
Then, sew both long sides and one short side, with the stripped fabric on top, so you can follow a stripe to keep the lines straight:


When finished three sides, turn the tube inside out and push the corners out to a point. Next, fold the raw edges of the last short side under, to create a nice finish.  Put the finished short end of the tube in the unfinished short end and pin, then sew along this edge, making sure to go through all layers of fabric. 
 
When done, it should look like this:
 
When you are done, put  the cowl around your neck with seam in the back then wrap around your neck one more time.  Now you have a beautiful, handmade fabric cowl! 


Tuesday, September 13, 2011

summer time blues

This summer was not only super busy, but also too short!  I feel like it should be spring time still.  This summer I got quite a bit of sewing done.  I made some birthday presents:

Such as... this paper pieced bag: 



And this apron:

I managed to push out this last minute gem in about 24 hours:


Along with embroidery work on the back (my best so far)...






And I have managed to start planning for Christmas.  This guy is going to be a king sized quilt for friends in Alaska.  It has a cool blue, watery feel to the fabrics and design.  I am excited to see the final outcome.