Scrappy Tote

I have continued to have fun playing with the Tula Pink Prince Charming scraps that Cynthia shared with me. Last week I shared a "quilt as you go" slab that I was working on using the larger and longer pieces of those scraps.  This week I finished it up into a tote bag for myself.

I've made several of these already, and I learned to make them from the video tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Company called "Make Three Totes from One Charm Pack."  This time, I decided I didn't need to watch the video over again, and just got started making it on my own after finishing up the scrappy slab for the outside of the tote bag. I measured an earlier tote that I made so that I would have the correct dimensions, although I made this one a little bit deeper.  The lining is a sweet teal pin dot that I picked up at Hobby Lobby.

Having some custom fitted pockets on the inside to hold my phone, keys, and other daily necessities is really handy!  I also really like a magnetic snap to keep it closed.

This tote bag matches the Prince Charming pillow cover I made for the living room a few weeks ago!

And a close-up shot of the quilting on the outside of my bag.  I'm already enjoying using it!

I'll be linking up with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework - my favorite Sunday afternoon party!

Scrap Happy February

February Round-up:

In this month's colors of brown and pink, I completed...

Six 16 patch blocks - 

8 Double Four Patch blocks - 

And some blue ones, too!

 

I'm liking these together, but I see one that needs to be fixed!  

And, finally, two Scrap Jar Stars -

Short and sweet, but Oh! so much fun!  I'll be linking up with ScrapHappy Saturday over at So Scrappy.

A Busy Week!

Do you ever have this kind of week in your sewing room?  The one where you just can't settle on one thing to work on, and your brain is full of ideas, and you just keep jumping from one thing to the next?  That was my week, this week!  Besides working on my husband's zipper pouches, my daily Quilty 365 orange peels,and my RSC blocks, I also made a few blocks for Kat's February block drive for Covered in Love.

Then I pulled out the fat quarter bundle of Sweet as Honey that I won from Linda at The Road to Oklahoma in her January giveaway, because I have an idea for something I want to make out of those lovely fabrics.

Such pretty, sunny colors!  To start with, I want to make a spring table runner for my dining room table out of these.  So far, I've cut a 5 inch wide strip out of each of the 6 fabrics, cut 5 inch squares from the 

strips, and combined each square with a charm square of Kona Snow to make 4 1/2 inch HSTs.  This requires lots of trimming, so I'm still working on that!  It appears I might have enough HSTs for two table runners!

I've also continued to work on my scrap Organizing project and now my big brown scrap bin is all cleaned out, with the scraps sorted into different color tubs.  Yay!  That was very satisfying, but also got my brain going on what I could do with all of the skinniest of strings.  Any ideas?  I might have at least one idea that I am mulling over!

That, of course, leads to realizing just how much more cleaning and organizing there is to do, but instead of cleaning, I picked up the collection of Tula Pink Prince Charming scraps that Cynthia shared with me and got started with another idea I had this week.  

I took a few of the largest pieces (plus a scrap of Kona Navy) and sewed them onto a piece of batting using "quilt as you go."  This will be the outside of a new tote bag that I decided to make for myself.  I really love this fabric, and it will be fun to have something I can use all the time made out of it.  I'm still working on quilting the outside piece that I've made so far, and then as son as I find a coordinating lining fabric and some straps for it, I'll be able to finish my new tote bag right up!

Actually, it was a fun week, with all these different projects going on.  I guess I'll never run out of things to do!

If you are looking for more fun, scrappy ideas, head on over to Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework, where I'll be joining the party!

Scrappy Patchwork for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge

This week I've made a few more 16 patch and four patch blocks to add to my collection in the February colors of brown and pink.  Surprisingly, I found more of those colors in my scraps and stash than I expected to!

First my 16 patch blocks - I have 12 total now, and that meets my goal to make six in each color combination for each month.

Every time I put them up on my design wall (or lay them out on the floor upstairs by the window to get better light!) I see a different design possibility.  I'm sure that will happen every month as I add new colors!  

Of course, I had to make one completely pink 16 patch!

And this one is another favorite, with its tiny pink flowers and low volume stars for the background fabric.

I also added to my stash of four patches, and began combining them to make bigger blocks by adding 4 1/2 inch squares to each 4 1/2 inch four patch.  These larger blocks measure 8 1/2 inches.

There are still lots more four patches to work with in the pinks and browns...

And in the blues and purples, too! 

I'll just keep working on these and see what happens!

I'll be linking up with So Scrappy for Scrap Happy Saturday, and looking forward to seeing what everyone else has been working on this week!

Work in Progress Wednesday

My husband surprised me with a sewing request the other day, and since that doesn't happen often, I decided I'd better get right on it!  He has seen the various zipper pouches I've made for myself and other family members and friends, and thought he could use a couple for when we are traveling.  He really wanted solid fabrics for his pouches, so I took him to my favorite LQS that has the best Kona Cotton solid selection in our area.

For the first pouch he chose a royal blue for the exterior and a gray for the inside.  I used the Open-Wide Zipper Pouch tutorial from Noodlehead for the pattern, and it went together very easily! Even though this is about my eighth zipper to put in, I still struggle a bit with that part of the pouch construction, but I guess I will just keep practicing!  It's a good thing you can't see any of the zipper stitching from the outside of the pouch!

He also asked if I could put a small pocket on the inside, which I found was really easy to do, and I sewed on a tiny hook and eye to make sure the pocket would stay somewhat closed.

For the second pouch, he chose brown and tan fabrics.  Time to get going on this one today!

Linking up with the New WIP Wednesday linky at Silly Mama Quilts, and also Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts.

Just for Fun!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Ever since I first saw Teje's Fabric Forest collection on her blog at Nero's Post and Patch, it has been something I wanted to try.  Her blocks have such a delightful, whimsical feel to them, and her post definitely made me feel like this was something I would enjoy doing also.

So, last Sunday, I fussy cut some scrappy trees and flowers and proceeded to stitch them up into a sweet little mini quilt for my sewing room.

I enjoyed the raw edge applique and found it very quick to put together.

I even added a little embroidery for inspiration.

                            

So fun to try something new, just because.  Linking up to Oh Scrap! for some Sunday fun!

Scrap Jar Stars - One More!

One of the things I love about my Scrap Jar Stars is the crisp Kona White background I am using.  I've ordered a couple of charm packs of Kona White the last couple of Black Fridays when they were free (!) from Missouri Star Quilt Company.  Can't pass that up, right?!  So I started out making my Scrap Jar Star blocks using the remains of the first charm pack from a couple years ago.

I was able to make the first four blocks out of those leftover charm squares of the white, but then I needed to get out another one to start my fifth star.

But, uh oh!  It turned out to be a charm pack of Kona Snow!  I love Kona Snow, but I really wanted to keep to the Kona White for all of these blocks!  Fortunately, my local Hobby Lobby carries quite a few Kona solids, at a very good price, and they had some when I got over there, so I am now all stocked up! So I was able to make the second brown and pink star for this quilt.

And here are all of the stars I've made so far.

I like how these are coming together!  Linking up to Scrap Happy Saturday at So Scrappy.

Giveaway Winner!

The winner of Cynthia Brunz Designs' pattern "Life is a Highway" is StitchinPenny.  Thanks for your sweet comment!  I hope you enjoy the pattern, too!

I've sent you an email about your pattern and you should have it soon!

Organizing...

This has been a very productive week for me in my sewing room.  17 inches of snow combined with my husband still recuperating from recent surgery has given me lots of time to sew.  I finished up my Seaglass quilt and worked on lots of RSC2016 blocks.  And, finally, I spent some time organizing my scraps!

I worked on turning this...

Into this...

And this!

 

These photos were taken early on in the process, and my bins are much fuller now.  The brown basket is about halfway to empty, so there is still lots more to do!  But, surprisingly, this process is very satisfying!  I'll be back at it this afternoon...

Linking up to Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework for lots of scrappy inspiration.

February Blocks for RSC 2016

It's been fun this week, hunting around in my scraps and stash for fabric in the February colors of browns and pinks.  January was easy - blue seems to be everywhere around here, but I wasn't as sure about what I would find for my February blocks.  So I was actually surprised to see how much I had and it turns out that I've been able to add something to each of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects.

But first, when I saw the colors Angela at So Scrappy had chosen, I immediately thought of my Winter in the Woods quilt, made out of Into the Woods by Lella Boutique, which I think is the perfect combination of pink and brown, with a little dark red and teal thrown in.  I had a few orphan blocks leftover from that quilt, and I decided to turn them into coasters to use whenever we are having coffee or tea in our family room.

Since I actually had four leftover blocks, I made these coasters two-sided!  After squaring each block up to 6 1/2 inches, I sandwiched two of them together with a piece of batting and quilted very simply with wavy lines of stitching, then used another brown fabric I had for the binding.  I have a lot of this brown, so it will show up in my RSC blocks, too.  Since these match my Winter in the Woods quilt and pillow, they make a great set for February decorating!

Then I started working on my RSC blocks - lots of four patches to begin with.  Just for fun I put them up on the design wall with a few blue blocks.  

I think these four blocks, below, are my favorite brown and pink combination so far!  I'm not sure how these blocks will end up going together, but it will be fun to see what they grow into.

I also made a few 16 patch blocks.  These are made with two 21 inch strips, and I have less of those in my scraps, so to make more, I think I'll have to get creative with the pink and brown scraps I do have.  My plan is to make six of these each month in each color combination, so that I'll end up with 60 blocks by the end of October.

Finally, I added one more Scrap Jar Star to my collection.  I plan to make two of these blocks each month, so that I'll have a total of 20 by the end of the year. This week's star has lighter browns and darker pinks.

Next week's star will have some darker brown with brighter pink in it.  Below are the stars I have made so far, up on the design wall.  (I made the yellow one in December for an experiment!) I love the secondary pattern that is starting to emerge with the corner blocks!

So far, I am really enjoying this challenge of using my scraps to create something new as the year goes along! I was certainly surprised at what I came up with to sew together this week, and I'm not done with brown and pink yet!

Linking up with Angela at SoScrappy for Scrap Happy Saturday, and looking forward to seeing what everyone else has been working on!

Seaglass Finish... and a Giveaway!

It's always a good feeling to pull out a UFO and finish it up!  Back in September, I stitched up a quilt top from a pattern called "Life is a Highway" by Cynthia Brunz of Quilting is More Fun than Housework. Cynthia had suggested that her pattern would work really well for a set of Bali Pops that I won last spring in a giveaway from Fresh Lemons Quilts, and she was so right!  Life is a Highway is the perfect pattern for a jelly roll, or anything similar like the Bali Pops strips I had.

This collection of Bali batiks is named Seaglass, and I think it is a lovely name for these beautiful colors.

For the contrasting squares, I used Kona Navy, and I used the same navy for the binding.  I think it frames the pastel Bali Pops beautifully!

I had a hard time deciding how to quilt this because I love the clean lines of it and didn't want anything to take away from them.  In the end, I went with a super simple "stretched out" zig zag that is the closest stitch I can come to the scallop-type quilting I've seen many other quilters using.  I just can't find that scallop stitch on my little Janome.  

It's very minimal quilting, and leaves the quilt with a soft and puffy kind of feel.  I have been very tempted to just wrap up in it and read the day away seeing as how we have had so much snow here recently!

The soft and sweet colors of the quilt top inspired me to choose a whimsical backing for it, so I found these birds - and they make me smile every time I see them!

While I would really like to keep this quilt for myself, I think it has someone else's name on it and is destined to become a gift for a special friend.  I hope she loves it as much as I do!

To find Cynthia's Life is a Highway pattern, you can go to her blog, Quilting is More Fun than Housework, and look for the Patterns for Sale tab or click here.  She has also generously offered a free copy of her pattern for me to give away to one lucky reader!  All you need to do is leave a comment on this post before next Wednesday, February 10th, and I will choose a commenter to receive the pattern.

I don't often have a perfectly timed Friday finish, but since I do this week, I'll be linking up to the Finish It Up Friday party at Crazy Mom Quilts!

63 Days of Orange Peels for Quilty 365

My first two months of Quilty 365 - I started on December 1st of last year.  I am loving how these look up on my design wall!

I decided to make orange peels for my Quilty 365 project, for multiple reasons!  I'm not much of a hand stitcher, so didn't think I would be able to keep up with a project that required hand stitching every day. Plus, I had made a mini using orange peels a couple years ago, and wanted to work with these blocks again in another way.  I like how these blocks are made - sewn to a fusible interfacing and then fused onto the background.  I'll go back and add more stitching when I'm putting the quilt together.  My background is the Modern Backgrounds in Paper by Zen Chic.

Some highlights of the month:

Finally getting to see the new Star Wars movie - January 5th.  The Star Wars stories are a big part of our family life - we loved them as a newly married couple, brought our two boys up on them, and they in turn love them as well.  We also celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary on January 9th, so I had to make one with little hearts for that day!

My husband and I are birdwatchers, and especially enjoy feeding the birds in our backyard.  The squirrels that come are hugely entertaining, but we do spend a lot of time fighting with them to keep them off of the bird feeders!

And for January 31st - an orange peel to go along with my "Paint and Sip" masterpiece of last night. 

Showing our Colorado love!  It was a very fun evening!

I will be linking up with Quilty 365 at Quilty Folk and I'm looking forward to seeing how other people are having fun with this daily project!