My earliest memories of sewing was with my mom. As a trained home economics teacher, her desire to teach was there, but she had a "student" who was not only willing to learn, but quite eager. At the time I did not value her contstant urgings to do things the proper way, and iron each seam... for me that took too long. But the deeper I got in the craft, the more I came to appreciate her good advice.
Walking hand in hand with those memories of learning to sew, are the memories of me digging through her notions boxes. I had favorite buttons, and bobbins, thread, and what-nots... and there was nothing more delightful than to dig and dig, making one new discovery after the next.
I thought it would be fun to use the 6" mini version of my Jeweled Kaleidoscope quilt pattern
as a single block for a pin cushion... well, actually the idea came
from one of my pattern testers. I've been itching to cut into these
notion themed fabrics from Cotton & Steel, and I pulled some of my favorite low volume sewing fabrics to go with it.
There
are some projects, usually small ones, that I really enjoy the process
of carefully thought out fabric placement. Fussy cutting is not always
for the thrifty quilter, but I love the challenge of a perfectly placed
snippit.
Cotton & Steel always had such fun selvages, and the Trinket fabrics from Melody Miller, are no exception!
Do such sewing themed fabrics like these evoke any memories of crafting and sewing as a child too?
Linking up with Let's Bee Social.
... to bring you this special program:
I've decided put my Facing East blocks on hold for a bit... but with good reason. It has become painfully clear to me that I really need a quilt design wall if I'm going to get very far. I give up with trying to keep things small, as was my original goal. In keeping with my usual dilemma, I always think... "well, if I've come this far, then why not go all the way?"
While reading through some of my favorite blogs this January, I stumbled across tons of New Year's Resolutions, but one really stuck out in particular. We all (that is if you sew) have that "special stack"... you know, the ones that we pull out every so often, moon over them and stroke them, and then pack them back into their place of honor, telling ourselves that these are far to special or too hard to find to cut... right? Well, this bloggers challenge (oh, I can't even remember who it was?!?) to herself and to others was to get that one fabric that you've been saving for something special and make something for yourself! Somehow, there is a little hint of brilliance in this simple and obvious statement! So, here she is... my one Melody Miller print that I've been hoarding saving:
It may seem that I am the ONLY one out there that has not made the Super Tote bag from Noodlehead, but I decided to remedy that. I started out using other snippits of this fabric, but decided the colors were too muted for a favorite purse and decided to mix it with the new Cotton & Steel fabrics. My favorite little telephone print is framed out and in focus using the inner star from this free tutorial. I've already finished and quilted the front side by simply outlining the star and shadowing the shape on the rest of the piece.
... and here's the start on the back. It's always amazing to me the "shrink" that you experience once the blocks have been sewn together. This is the mini version of the Mayflower Block from the Vintage Quilt Revival book that left the internet all ablaze last year.
So tell me, what fabrics are in your "special stack"... any plans for them this year?
Linking up later to WIP Wednesday.
When I first saw the Cotton and Steel fabrics reveal this past spring, the one thing that was so appealing to me, is how well they combine together. It was so much fun doing this Patchwork pillow, noticing where one color played off the other, or repeated in a totally different print.
Als ich die Cotton and Steel Stoffe zum ersten Mal gesehen habe, fand ich am Schönsten, wie genial man alle Stoffe zusammen kombinieren kann. Es hat so viel Spaß gemacht, diese Patchwork Kissen zu nähen und zu staunen wie super die Farben zusammen spielen.
So, joining in again on Lillesols und Pelle's One Pin a Week action, here's my inspiration pin, which by the way is also a free tutorial! The original pin is for a mini quilt that can used as a table centerpiece, but since the finished piece was large enough, I decided to turn it into a pillow.
So, nochmal nehme ich an Lillesols und Pelle's One Pin a Week Aktion teil, hier ist mein Inpirations Pin - der übrigens eine kostenlose DIY Anleitung ist! Das original Projekt ist für einen Mini-Quilt als Tischdecke gedacht, aber weil der fertige Block ziemlich groß ist, habe ich mich nochmal für ein Kissen entschieden.
I find that I am very much enjoying smaller quilting projects... there is a lot of satisfaction in getting to the end result quicker.
Ich mag es kleinere Quiltingprojekte zu nähen... man kommt viel schneller zum Endergebnis!
Anyone who knows Pinterest, knows about the countless hours that one can spend searching, being filled with inspiration, and then only to look down and realize that an hour of what could have been creative time has vanished. I really like the idea that Lillesol und Pelle had to take some of your favorite pins and turn them into your own creations. So, I thought, why not join in on the fun?
Alle die
Pinterest gut kennen, wissen, dass man schnell mehrere Stunden wertvoller eigener "Kreativ-Zeit" verlieren kann, während man durch die Inspirationen anderer Leute "browst". Ich finde daher die Idee von Lillesol und Pelle super, dass
man einen Lieblings-Pin aus der eigenen Pinwand aussucht, und dann auf eigene Art
umsetzt. Also dachte ich mir: "Warum nicht selbst an diesem Spaß teilnehmen?
Here's my inspiration pin from Knotted-Thread. I really like the rainbow colors and the pretty petal shape.
Instead of using a
patchwork method, as seen in my inspiration piece, I decided to use my favorite
sewing technique using Freezer Paper Applique (FPA) to achieve the same look (which
I will share at the end of this post) I decided to turn mine into a pillow using Cotton and Steel fabrics on a chambray denim background... a totally different look!
Want to try it too? You can start out by following the same steps from my Freezer Paper Applique (FPA) post found here (in English and German) I like to think
of the FPA technique as a little
bit like upholstering.
Wollt Ihr es auch ausprobieren? Hier geht es zur meinem Freezer Paper Applique (FPA) Post. Meiner Meinung nach ist die Freezer-Paper Technik ein bisschen wie Möbelpolsterei...
Using a glue stick, wrap fabric around to the back side. Make sure to overlap the curves slightly.
Mit einem Klebestift die überstehenden Stoffkanten "einkleistern" und dann den Stoff umfalten und auf das Gefrierpapier aufkleben. Stoff in den Kurven leicht überlappen lassen
Here's the view of the finished template from the backside:
Und so sieht die fertige Schablone von der Rückseite her aus:
Once you have your finished template ready, you can sew it onto your main fabric using a straight stitch, or if you prefer, a blind stitch. Because I am using the applique on a pillow that will be used, and not on a card, the FP has to be removed.
Wenn die Vorlage fertig ist, kann man sie ganz einfach mit einer geraden Naht, oder auch einer Blindnaht auf dem Hintergrund aufnähen. Da es sich bei diesem Projekt um ein Kissen handelt, muß das Gefrierpapier danach noch von der Rückseite her entfernt werden.
To remove the FP, simply cut 1/4 inch (ca. 5mm) from the stitch line on the backside of the project.
Zum Entfernen, den Hintergundstoff von der Rückseite innen, ca. 5mm von der Naht ausschneiden.
Lightly moisten a towel and dab along the stitch line. Be sure to not over soak the piece. After the water has had a minute or two to set, gently remove the FP holding the seam slightly. The FP will easily pull away. If you have any little paper pieces left, you can use tweezers to remove it.
Ein Handtuch anfeuchten und damit den Stoff entlang der Naht abtupfen. Hierbei des Stück aber nicht zu sehr einweichen. Nachdem das Wasser 1 - 2 Minuten einweichen konnte, das Gefrierpapier vorsichtig herausziehen, in dem man den Stoff an der Naht festhält. Das Freezer Papier wird sich sehr leicht entfernen lassen. Bleiben doch ein paar kleine Fetzen zurück, können diese leicht mit einer Pinzette abgezupft werden.
