Another Stepping Stones pillow

I had known for a long time that my mother in law had a big birthday coming up. But I just couldn't think of what to make her. But in my true style of just a week to go the perfect gift popped into my head and another stepping stones pillow was whipped up!

I say whipped lightly! My MIL's colour and pattern tastes are a bit different to mine which I was struggling with, so off to spotlight I went. With advise from the hubby pink and flowers had to be included, but I had the idea of sewing the boys hands on (like I did for my mum for mothers day) already and I didn't think pink hands for my boys would work!

Luckily spotlight had a fat quarter bundle with the perfect fabrics for me. I added a border to the centre square to add more pink into it. As I only ever use a small amount of batting at a time in my projects I usually buy a packet of it, but the one I usually get wasn't there so I'm testing out a different one. It's polyester not cotton, it has a much higher loft so the end result was a lot more puffy than I'm used to, I also tried quilting in the ditch but it's not for me. On a learning note, I ironed some of the seams the wrong way so the squares didn't quite match up. If I make this pillow again I might try ironing the seams flat and see what a difference that makes.

The back. Another lesson learned, make sure the material is lined up at 0 not 1 when cutting!! Luckily I had some left over to patch up, can you tell?

It's amazing how different another pattern and colour scheme makes to a project. Makes me re-think a lot of quilt patterns that I have seen but been turned off by the materials used.

As I was busy making this pillow I didn't get a chance to make the extra block for the Skill Sampler, oh well, maybe I can catch up.

TTFN

Stepping Stones Pillow

It's all finished and didn't take all that long to make.

I think I spent more time procrastinating over cutting into the beautiful Saffron Craig fabric.

I'm really happy with it, it's the first time I made flying geese, and everything seemed to fit together nicely. I've had trouble in the past with everything not coming together but I used the edge of my 1/4 inch foot instead of the guard and everything turned out beautifully.

I was going to quilt by hand but I just didn't have the time and coming down with yet another cold, so I shadow quilted in a square from the main square and back stitched over the wings which made them pop out. I machine sewed the binding down then hand stitched it to the back.

So if you have a fat quarter pack laying around that you don't know what to do with I recommend making this pillow, great skill builder and a quick project to commplete.

I gave it to my neice yesterday for her 5th birthday, think she was happy with it ;-)

TTFN

Finally Finished

Finally it's finished! I started this quilt a year ago when my niece was born, and she would have received it not long after that but unfortunately a whole lot of stuff got in the way. First my machine started doing it's horrible missing stitches thing, then I got pregnant and lost all desire to craft. The pattern is from a free tutorial by Oh Fransonn! on the sew mama sew blog.

I straight line quilted down the solid strips, not really worrying about it being exact (i like the look) then shadow quilted along each of the charm squares. The quilting was all working until I got to the shadow quilting then my machine decided that skipping stitches would be a good idea. I've had it serviced but it still seems to be happening. Could it have something to do with my walking foot? I pushed on and got it finished just in time for Niah's 1st birthday. I love the funky monkey fabric, I have some left over and I'm just working out what I can make with it next.

I loved this pattern it was so easy to follow and came together so quickly. After machine quilting this one I'm looking forward to hand quilting my next, I have ideas of what that will be, something on the lines of aussie designer Kate Conklin. But I should finish this quilt first!! I just have to find where I put it. I've claimed a corner of the lounge room now as a sewing space but all of my sewing "stuff" is still a bit everywhere.

TTFN

A late birth present for Eva

I know it has been a while between posts but I have been very busy building a baby (now 35 weeks) and haven't felt too crash hot about sitting at a sewing machine let alone at the computer to blog about it. Well now I have finished work (since Christmas!!) I've had a bit more energy to sew and sit at the computer so we'll see how we go now.

Above is a gift I finished a while ago (November to be exact) but haven't written about, I wanted to give it to baby Eva first. So before I do a year in review post I thought I better write about this one first. I had ideas of what I wanted to make Eva but none seemed to get made through the bit of a sewing slump I had, until I saw "Once Upon A Time - Girl" in Homespun Mag 11.10, designed by Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches. It was perfect. I was home sick with a cold so whipped the stitchery up in no time. I had a few problems with the kind of thread that Natalie suggested but just ended up going through my extensive dmc thread stash and used that. I used a jelly roll from spotlight and trimmed it to the correct width, it would have been ok if they sold honey buns as well. Anyway, I found that the material wasn't cut straight at the fold which was very annoying, if you are going to use one of these rolls watch out for this. I also found that my 1/4 inch foot isn't, nothing joined up. I found that the gauge is out but the metal part is ok so from now on I ignore the gauge, very annoying. I'm happy with the finished product and had no problem with the pattern at all, just need a boy to stitch the other one for now!! More close up picks on flckr.

TTFN

Mandy

Dad's Mug Rug

Dad's Mug Rug, originally uploaded by MandyMade.

I'm still here, I haven't totally disappeared!! Just part of my brain seems to have turned to mush. So I haven't been in the mood to write anything. But I have been doing some crafting. Gifts mainly so I can't post pics. I do have some to show though. But I wont do it all at once.

This is my latest. Mug rugs seem to have exploded in blog land and on flickr, so I thought I'd have a go. My Dad had a birthday on the weekend so I thought it a perfect time to make one, or two as it turns out!! I couldn't think of any designs and I've had this fabric for ages, only a small piece, he's into wood, so I thought i'd just have two plain pieces, no piecing to worry about, then quilt so it kinda looks like wood. So this is what I came up with. I made one with a spiral of circles and the other with a spiral of squares, he can use either side. He always puts his mug on a speaker next to the couch with a biscuit or two, now Mum wont have to wipe up after him, just chuck the mug rug into the wash.

So there you have it.

On the baby front, I'm now 26 weeks, 3rd trimester, yay. I had a scan on friday and it's around the 80 percentile so it looks like i'll have another tall one, Little A is currently in the 97th percentile!! Can't really keep calling him Little A. All is going well and I only have 4 weeks of work left, yay, then i'll have lots of time for crafting!!

Until next time

TTFN

PS. For more pics of the mug rug go to my flickr page.

Electronics Case

I made this for my sister for her birthday. I gave her a clutch purse last year, she was being very inventive and using it as a case for her hard drive, so I thought I'd make her another one with a bit more padding!! Again, the pattern is from the Sewing Calendar 2010. This little calendar is coming in very useful for little projects. I quilted it with radiating straight lines from the centre, spiral like, and used a press stud instead of a button. I tried making a button hole with a sample but my machine just wasn't coping, layers were a bit thick I think.

Edit: I also changed the size so it would fit an external hard drive.

The design is by Ayumi Takahashi of Pink Penguin. You can also find the pattern on her website as a tutorial, along with some other lovely looking tutorials which I'm going to have to try.

TTFN

Charging Basket

Charging Basket, originally uploaded by MandyMade.

Another project on the wish list done, and it serves as another domestic project too. Unfortunately I've had some time on my hands this week, long story, so I've been able to get  a bit of sewing done. It relaxes me and when I have a finished project, I feel good inside, can't beat that.

This one is another free tutorial from Oh! Fransson, the Charging Basket. It could be very tricky to make but her instructions are fantastic, so clear, and guides you through every step. I had a flat fat from my stash (spotlight splurge) and some matching red and I used calico instead of linen. After cutting the main square for the outside I didn't have the correct size for the centre, so I just adjusted the red outside it to fit. It got to the stippling bit, which I was looking forward to as I've never done it and thought this would be a great project to have a go, only to realise that my machine doesn't have a darning foot, thought it did, oh well. So I just sewed wavy lines instead (see below). Great project to make, highly recommend it.

 

TTFN

Grocery Bag Dispenser

Grocery Bag Dispenser, originally uploaded by MandyMade.

Another domestic project complete. Now all my plastic bags are off the floor of the laundry and neatly tucked away in my new plastic bag dispenser!! I ended up using the tutorial from Rachel Griffith at p.s i quilt. The tutorial is also on the moda blog. I used 2 fabrics instead of multi. It was hard enough deciding on these. I don't know if you can read the text but it's all about saving the planet with recycling etc. The fabric is all from my stash and originally from spotlight. I quilted it with straight lines offset from the seam joins.

The thing about this tutorial is that it taught me why it's good to iron the seems one way. When piecing it together all of the joins lined up perfectly. Definitely sold me on doing this now, I have usually always ironed them flat. I used the basting spray again for making the quilt sandwich. I think I've emptied the can. This was only the second project I used it on, thought it would last much longer than that, it's not like I over did it either. Oh well.

Back later with my another finished project.

TTFN

Sewing Calendar 2010

Sewing Calendar 2010, originally uploaded by MandyMade.

I bought this calendar just after new year. I wasn't going to buy a calendar this year, just use the computer ones. I buy one every year then never use it, so I thought I'd stick a nice picture on a wall with the computer print out underneath. Then I came across this calendar. It has a new project to make every couple of days, and flicking through it, I decided there was more in there that I would make than not, more than books usually, so I bought it.



Being in the southern hemisphere all of the projects are kind of out of sync for us, so I started with one in June. I made these head bands for a friends little girl who turned 3 this month. For one I stuck with how it told you to make it, I found it really tricky to do and ended up with it being bulky where the elastic gets sewn in. So for the second I sewed them together with the seam allowance then turned them, ironed, topped stitched and sewed the elastic in. Much better result for me, I'm too much of a perfectionist to handle the way it told me to do it!!



I then made this mini oven mitt for another friends son's 4th birthday this month. It was the first time I quilted this way. I just picked a spot to start then let the machine sew the line it wanted. It was small enough to do it this way, complete accident that the lines joined in the middle like that, gotta love that walking foot. I stuck to the pattern this time, the only difference being how I attched the wrist cuff, which wasn't too far off from the pattern.

I have started making the pin cushion pear, more on that another time.

TTFN

First Friendship star table runner

First Friendship star table runner
Originally uploaded by MandyMade

This was a Christmas gift for my MIL. You may remember this in a wip a while ago, here. Well, I ended up making 3 friendship stars from the Block Party pattern then made it into a table runner.
I had no pattern to go by after I made the stars so here is what I ended up doing:
I sewed strips to join up the stars and on the ends. Then made a long strip for the border. I used the basting spray I bought a little while ago to sandwich the batting and backing. It stank, but did the job really well. I was after a stiff finish so this worked well, not sure how it would end up if you wanted a very soft quilt finish. I machine quilted straight lines around the stars. I wasn't happy with how they turned out on the back so I then added material to the back, then added the binding with the same material.
I really liked how it turned out. I want to make another but we'll see what block comes up next in the Block Party Quilt Along.

TTFN

First friendship star table runner made from the pattern used on Block Party Quilt Along

Tickle the Turtle 2

Tickle the Turtle 2
Originally uploaded by MandyMade

Yes you have seen this turtle before but this is it's twin. I made this turtle at the same time as the last one but didn't want to blog about it until I had give in it to it's very precious owner. One of my girlfriends had a very premy baby back in September, she has now reached 100 days so it's very exciting, Tickle the Turtle (or what ever baby Gaby will call her) is now with her new owner.

If you want to read more about the making etc of the turtles go here

TTFN

Tickle the Turtle, Design by Audrey and Maude, in Australian Homespun Vol 10.9, handmade by MandyMade

Ta da

Doll Quilt 2
Originally uploaded by MandyMade

Blog upgrade finished. For the moment anyway. May add some pics later not going to rush this!!

I can now tell you about my second dolls quilt now, the gift has been delivered. I made this doll for my cousins daughter for her birthday last year, and while looking at the photos again I thought, this doll needs a blanket, so out came the same fabric and I whipped!! up a blanket for her. I used the same pattern from the sew mama sew tutorial and the one I made for my niece. I think I may have made the binding too wide as the corners didn't quite come together as nicely. I'm now thinking of a bigger quilt but we'll wait and see!!

Quilt pattern from the doll quilt sew along on sewmamasew Handmade by MandyMade

Pencil Roll

Pencil Roll
Originally uploaded by MandyMade

Another one of Little A's friends turned 5 over the weekend. I made this pencil roll for her. The original pattern had a caterpillar applique on the front and Hungry Caterpillar material. Well, I didn't hunt too hard to find that material and I had these wonderful pieces in my stash. So this is my version. I sewed the lines for the pencils from the front instead of the back as I was still a bit unsure of how my tension was going on my machine. I ended up not having to worry, a good clean does wonders!!

I can see many more of these being made, I even went out and bought basting spray. Anyone had any bad experience with basting spray? I would like to hear about the good or the bad.

TTFN

Mandy

Pattern from Australian Homespun Vol 9.12. I'm a Hungry Caterpillar Pencil Roll, design by Lynne Power. Handmade by MandyMade