Lazy Punk is quilted and I receive a new tote bag

Drum roll please! I am pleased to present Lazy Punk quilt, my lazy version of the Steam Punk quilt by Jennifer Kingwell. I explained my process starting on September 10th so if you are interested there are detailed instructions each day as I worked my way through the quilt. Here are a couple of pictures of Lazy Punk folded on the sewing table.

 

 

Here it is hanging in the garden. Notice the toile with skeletons in the setting triangles! Love it!

Lazy Punk, 2013

I really like the cornerstones that are just a little darker than the sashing. I didn't quilt the propellers at all and they have a little puff to them that I quite like because I think that is showcases the quilting!

All that remains to be done is bind Lazy Punk and then give it a good washing! Although I washed all of the blocks individually before cutting them to size there was some bleeding. I am keeping my fingers crossed that there won't be any more of that!!! I do have a couple of products that I will use in the wash to hopefully eliminate any problems!

As you may already know I participated in Lia's Secret Tote Bag Swap. I sent off my bag to Greece and my partner loved the Noodlehead 241 bag that I made for her. I was pleased! Today I received the bag from the swapper who had my name. This lovely bag was made by Michell and it came all the way from New Zealand!

In addition to the bag there were a few lovely little treats enclosed, a tissue holder (so pretty and I've never had one so this was a wonderful little surprise) and a couple of sets of tiny Moda squares.

Lia will no doubt organize another swap in the future and I'll be signing up for sure. If you don't already follow her blog not to worry - I'll be sure to let you know when the sign-up begins in case you are interested. It is really simple - you fill out an online form with your information and preferences in terms of colour and bag design. You create a little mosaic of the things you like and post the picture on the swap group that is set up on Flickr. The mosaic is intended to help your partner learn a little bit more about what you like. When the sign-up closes you receive an email with information about the person for whom you are to make a bag. You have no idea who has your name. You make your bag and mail it to your partner and at the same time the person who has your name will make and mail a bag to you. We post pictures of our progress on the Flickr group and people comment. It is so nice when you do something and your partner comments that she likes it but she has no idea it is for her! Great fun!

This morning I went outside and a Cooper's hawk landed on top of a spruce tree across the road!

Cooper's Hawk

I was quite far away and had to use my zoom. He could see me looking at him and didn't take his eyes off me for even one moment!

Then I went out back to have a look and the brugmansia is blooming like crazy. Mind you now that the days are so much shorter and cooler the flowers are much paler. But they are still very pretty! Each blossom is 8 to 10" long and they are fragrant at night.

Until I post again, happy sewing!

Setting Triangles for Lazy Punk and the Secret Tote Bag

I'm still hand stitching the half blocks but can get on with sewing the finished blocks into strips. So now it is on to the sashing, cornerstones and setting triangles for Lazy Punk. Unlike the original Steam Punk quilt  I've decided to use cornerstones that are a slightly different colour from the sashing. The setting triangles will be cut from the Alexander Henry skeleton fabric (the recipient of the quilt mentioned that she liked the fabric when she saw it in an earlier post and she wants it in the quilt). The print on the far right will be used for the cornerstones and the solid dishwater white fabric behind is the sashing fabric.

Here are the blocks on the design wall; I've already starting attaching the sashing.

 The setting triangles that will fill in the sides and corners of the quilt are cut from squares that are larger than the finished quilt block. For the side setting triangles each square will yield four side setting triangles because the square is cut on the diagonal twice. The squares that are cut for the corner setting triangles will yield two corners.

There are two simple formulae for cutting setting triangles. The formula for side setting triangles is:

 

Finished size of block x 1.41, round up to the nearest 1/8" and add 1 1/4"

 



The formula for corner setting triangles is:

 

Finished size of block x 1.41 / 2 and add 1/8", then round up to the nearest 1/8"

 





This means I will need 14" squares for the side setting triangles and 9" squares for the corner triangles.

I used to struggle with this formula because it is based on decimal whereas quilt measurements are fractions. So what is an eighth of an inch when expressed as a decimal? The following list provides the measurements in 1/8"s and multiples thereof expressed as a decimal!

1/8" = 0.125

1/4" = 0.250

3/8" = 0.375

1/2" = 0.50

5/8" = 0.625

3/4" = 0.750

7/8" = 0.875

 

 

I keep a little chart pinned to my bulletin board. I include the 1/8" measurements along with a list of finished block sizes and the size of squares required for side & corner setting triangles.



I've finished the bag for my secret tote bag swap partner. Here are a few quick pictures of the finished bag.

Back of the bag with zippered pockets and beaded zipper pulls

Front of the bag

 

Side panel with appliquéd grasshopper and butterfly &

side pocket with appliquéd butterfly

Close-up of grasshopper

 

Other side with appliquéd butterflies on panel and pocket

 

 Inside the bag

 

I sure hope my partner likes her bag. She has left some comments on the Flickr page for this swap that would lead be to believe that she will be happy!

Until I post again, happy sewing!

A lovely prize I won and Picadilly to the Nines

Earlier this summer Lia hosted a Secret Tote Bag Swap and I decided to join in the fun. And fun it was! I made a lovely tote bag for my partner and I received a lovely tote bag from another quilter. In addition there were a bunch of prizes to be won and lucky me won one of them! My prize was a custom made tote bag made especially for me by Lia! The colours are just gorgeous and the bag has outer pockets, a zip closure and a lovely lining.

She did a fantastic job of this bag and I am thrilled with it! Inside the bag were a couple of little treats....a Toblerone Bar (delicious) and a Bunny Hill pincushion pattern). 

Lia is organizing another Secret Tote Bag Swap and the sign up will be in a few days. If you've never participated in a swap this is a fun one!

Basting and stitching the diamonds for the border of my quilt "81" is an evening job so while that is going on I can go back to working on a quilt top, Picadilly to the Nines! This is a quilt that is made of mostly nine patch blocks and variations thereof. I make 3" finished nine patches with scraps and I use them as leaders and enders when I'm sewing. This means I've always got a good pile of nine patches available.

Picadilly to the Nines was inspired by some nine patch variation blocks in my stash. One of the fabrics in those blocks is Picadilly by Free Spirit. I love it and use it sparingly. It is a lovely lime-olive ground with bits of yellow, black, soft turquoise and pale blue.

The other fabric in the blocks is a stripe fabric from Northcott. It is a brighter green with bits of olive and gold. I love working with stripes and directional prints because they can be used to great advantage in blocks.

These two fabrics aren't a perfect match but the originals were made with scraps and when I'm working with scraps I play around and these two fabrics worked together. One of the reasons I think that this is so is because the colours do not bleed into on another. They do have some commonalities and so they do work well together. And I'm only using small bits because the finished block is 3".

And here are three of the 3" blocks from my stash that were the beginning of the quilt top!

I had limited stash of the inspiration blocks but I liked them so much that I decided to make more with the two fabrics. Notice that the Northcott striped fabric is used in the same position in each block. Since the first blocks were made with scraps there are two different backgrounds in each. That was because I was just using the scraps I had on hand. If I had the enough of the right size scraps for the background it would be the same but if I didn't then there would be two different backgrounds and I quite like the effect of different fabrics!

Tomorrow I'll show you how I made these little blocks. They are fun and fast so if you want to give it a go, look for a piece of striped fabric in your stash and we'll have some nine patch fun!

Until I post again, happy sewing!

The finished tote bag and new tutorial for multiple fussy cuts

I finished the tote bag for the Secret Tote Bag Swap hosted by Lia's Handmades. It was so much fun making this bag and I must confess that for all of the sewing and quilting I've done over the years I have never made a tote bag. I am in L-O-V-E with this bag and if my secret partner isn't crazy about it I know where it can find a very good home....with me! And Lia says she would like to have it too!  I had so much fun with the applique, embroidery and beading. Check out my quick demo for making bees under the tabe Tips and Tutorials. So here it is!

Side A

Side B

Corner close-up including handle

Now for some fun fussing cutting. I'm sure you know that fussy cutting simply means cutting selected images or motifs from your fabric. Just one fussy cut patch in the centre of a block is pretty but cutting several and sewing them together can create unexpected new patterns. This block has a fussy cut border and centre.

You can fussy cut for any type of block but I am partial to hexagons and diamonds (three diamonds make a hexagon) so that's what I'll focus on. There are a number of ways to fussy cut multiple motifs but I like to do things in a way that involves the least amount of effort on my part. I've written up a new little tutorial titled Fussy Cutting Multiple Patches with Window and Clear Templates and it is a follow-up to my tutorial Making and Using Hexagon Templates for Fabulous Fussy Cuts. I hope you enjoy this simple fussy cutting method and that you'll make some spectacular blocks!

I have another fussy cutting technique that is perfect for diamonds but I'll leave that one for another day. I used it to make a quilt that I call Mom's Flower Beds. I haven't shown you the entire quilt yet but there have been a few sneak peaks! And here is one to whet your appetite!

I would love to hear what you think of these two tutorials so please feel free to comment or email! And if you see that I've done something and you are sure how I did it, post a comment or email me. I am more than happy to share what I do with others.

And now how about a quick look in the garden!

Lavender

 Foxtail Lilly

Species clematis

Columbine

Until I post again, happy sewing!