Finished Scrap EPP Flower Pillow

There are times when I'd rather hand sew than sit in front of my sewing machine. The downside to the flexibility of that is that I sometimes just end up with these random blocks that I don't have any use for. This is one of those blocks.

Earlier in the year, my friend, Marci, put together a fundraiser for her coworker so she could get a cochlear implant. I offered a prize for donations. Not only was this a good cause, but I wanted to get motivated to finish something.

The lucky winner was really patient with me because when she won the drawing, I was in the midst of finals for grad school. She was sweet enough to let me know I could take my time. Unfortunately, right after finals is when my dad had his stroke and then passed away. I didn't have a lot of sewing mojo for a while after he passed, but I finally finished this pillow the other night and got it sent off in the mail.



I had sewn the flower using English paper piecing and then appliqued it onto some crosshatch fabric. I needed to enlarge things a bit so it'd fit a 20" pillow form so I added a border using the same colors I used in the block.

For the backing, I chose some flannel pieces that were leftover from a previous project and pieced an orange stripe through one of the sets. I opted for no binding and no quilting on this one as well as an envelope style closure instead of a zipper.

X-Factor Pillow Swap Received

Back in November, I shared the pillow I made for the X-Factor Pillow Swap on Flickr. After my wrist and elbow surgery in October, I was itching to make something, but couldn't yet use my rotary cutter or sewing machine. Instead, I did some English paper piecing that ended up being a good form of physical therapy.

The round ended the first of November and we all had the chance to vote for our favorite pillows. This was my first choice and I was so happy to see it arrive in my mailbox!

Tina from the UK (Cottilello on Flickr) made this amazing low-volume wavy pillow cover. The fabrics she used are so fun - clothespins, barcodes, cameras, text, needles and thread, scissors. I currently have the pillow sitting on my couch, but plan to put it in my sewing room if I ever get one of those.



This was a fun swap to participate in this year. It was low-key and not as time-consuming as some of the other swaps I've participated in. I could make a pillow that I wanted and *hopefully* it would be well enough received that I could get my first choice pillow in return. I'm hoping to participate in more rounds in the future.

My Pillow for the X Factor Pillow Swap

Quite a while ago, I joined the X Factor Pillow Swap on Flickr. With my goal to finish existing projects before starting anything new, I didn't join in on any of the rounds. But then I had surgery last month and I really wanted to sew something. Since I couldn't use my hand very well for my rotary cutter, I thought English paper piecing would be a good type of therapy. I also have been wanting to try a low volume project for a while now, something that is definitely out of my comfort zone, so round 7 of the X Factor swap was the perfect opportunity!

I looked through my stash and gathered a variety of low volume prints in rainbow colors. Then I pulled some whites, creams, and grays. I bought some diamond paper pieces from paperpieces.com a long time ago, but hadn't busted them out yet. I tried out several layouts, but ultimately settled on this one.



I tried to find a background fabric that was a little more low volume, but everything I auditioned just felt muddy. So, I used this yarn-dyed linen in black and while it's not quite "low" volume, I think it works as a fairly neutral background that allows the diamonds to stand out.

I quilted wavy lines vertically across the pillow with a white cotton thread.

I thought it'd be fun to place a dark print in with all the light fabrics. This text print from Madrona Road by Violet Craft is one of my favorite text prints of all time, so I just had to use it here. I also think it goes nicely with the background fabric.

For the back, I used this Heather Bailey light blue hop dot print and paired it with a light yellow (I can't recall the name of it now). I also used a strip of the yarn-dyed linen to cover the zipper and tie the back with the front.

The way this swap works is that you make a pillow and send a photo to the group admin. When all the pillows are posted, you vote on your favorites. If your pillow scores the most points, you get your first choice pillow. If not, then your second, third, fourth, etc. choice on down the line. I think it's a great swap idea because you can make a pillow any way you want (within the guidelines for that round of the swap) rather than making a pillow specifically for someone else in mind (although I love those types of swaps too).

This pillow is headed to its new home and I hope the recipient likes it. I really enjoyed doing something outside the norm for me.

Pillow stats:
Fits 20" x 20" pillow form
Diamond paper piecing
Low volume rainbow prints
Wavy line quilting
Hidden zipper closure

2012: Year in Review

Happy New Year! It's 9 o'clock on January 1st and I'm ready for bed. But, I realized I hadn't posted the mosaics of my 2012 projects. Here's a short and sweet round-up of what I made (and a few things I received) in 2012.

Pillows - I really enjoyed making a few pillows this year. I participated in two rounds of the Pillow Talk Swap on Flickr. I've said it before and I'll say it again: this is by far my most favorite swap to participate in. I've been extremely lucky to have been partnered with some really amazing women and this swap has stretched me more than any other.

Bags and Pouches - The zipper has become my new best friend. I've enjoyed experimenting with different sizes of pouches (both the beginning cut fabric size and the gusset depth) and different types of interfacing. There were some days that I felt like a pouch-making machine, and this is definitely one of my favorite go-to, quick gift projects. I also made my favorite bag ever this year: my 241 tote that I use as my purse and get compliments on all the time. Melody Miller's typewriters have been one of my favorite prints of the year.

Quilts - Of course, my main sewing emphasis this year has been on quilts. I managed to make 20 quilts this year, finishing the first two in April (why did I waste those first four months?!). The mister made his first quilt too and I couldn't be a prouder missus. I made a few quilts for Christmas gifts and will be posting about those over the next couple weeks.

Everything Else - I also tried my hand at clothing construction. I am not a seamstress. I have a hard time understanding the three-dimensional aspect to apparel sewing, but even so, I managed to make myself a Washi tunic and The Middle an Easter dress (it's amazing that thing came together as well as it did since I adjusted the bodice measurements myself). The skirts I made The Middle have been a huge success and I'm sure there will be many more in 2013.

I've spent some time mulling over the goals I have for myself in 2013. In years past, I've focused on specific quilts I wanted to make. And to tell you the truth, I don't think I accomplished even 50% of that goal. For 2013 I want to really focus on quality over quantity. I want to enjoy what I'm making and not pick a quilt design based on its level of difficulty. I'm sure I'll still make a few patchwork quilts this year (I really do love simple patchwork), but I want to stretch myself and focus on learning new techniques and making things that I really really love.

I also plan to not buy fabric this year (gasp! Typing that was hard!), with the exception of neutrals for sashing and such. In fact, I will probably buy a bolt of Kona white in the next few days just so I have it on hand all year. I am also going to try to piece more backs so I hopefully can eliminate fabric purchases there too.

Lastly, I have several quilt tops that need to be finished up. I definitely intend to knock those off my to-do list as soon as I can. (I'll probably be sending a few larger quilts your way, Barbie and Kayli!)

Anyway, that's a wrap!

Finished Spring Carnival Kona Solids Pillow

At Sewing Summit last month, I started this English paper pieced (EPP) Spring Carnival pillow in Katy's EPP class using a charm pack of Kona cotton solids in the bright colorway. I finished it up just before Thanksgiving, and I must say that I love how it turned out.

I wanted to quilt this pillow pretty densely so I pulled out my walking foot and set to work quilting in organic straight lines. After 30 minutes or so (I didn't really time it, but it felt like forever), I had only quilted about a 2-3 inch wide section. Ugh. This was going to take a while. So, I set the pillow aside to work on other, more pressing projects. A few days later, I pulled it out again after freemotion quilting (FMQ) on an apron for my husband's aunt to give my mother-in-law and thought I'd try straight-line quilting with my freemotion foot. Huzzah! It was so fast and slick and awesome! I finished the rest of the pillow in the same time it took me to do those 2-3 inches with my walking foot. Definitely a new favorite FMQ technique that I'm sure to use over and over.

For the back, I made another hidden zipper enclosure. I love that the pattern of the back fabric sort of mimics the design on the front. I can't remember the name of this fabric off the top of my head, but I picked it up during Sewing Summit and thought that'd be fitting too. The green zipper flap is Patty Young's Running Stitch in green.

I've entered this pillow in Pink Castle Fabrics Fall for Solids contest over on Threadbias.

Linking up to Kati's At the End of the Hallway.

 

Oh, and I wanted to mention that I survived my first-ever Black Friday shopping experience! My sister has vowed to never go again (once was enough for her), but another sister happily offered to do it again with me next year. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and weekend!

The "Holy crap!!! Do you know what this means?!" Pillow

The Monday before Halloween was pretty much the best Monday I've ever had. I woke up in a good mood, ready to start the week. (That never happens.) I even caught myself humming when I walked into the office. I don't remember anything about the work day being stellar, but I guess that'd be too much to hope for.

Rewind a couple weeks earlier to Sewing Summit. I met Kelly from KelbySews the first day. She's adorable and funny, by the way, and I absolutely love her little accent. Anyway, some time during the weekend, she boasted to me that she knew who my partner was in the Pillow Talk Swap. The little tease wouldn't give me any hints, but the fact that she said that stuck in my head.

So, back to the Monday before Halloween. I was perusing Flickr and Instagram and doing a little blog reading during my lunch break. My most favorite pillow posted in the Flickr group for the swap had been shipped out and the blogger mentioned that it would arrive at her partner's house that day. Then, on Instagram, I noticed that Kelly had posted comments a lot on this same blogger's Instagram pics. My wheels started spinning and I was hoping hoping hoping that the pillow I really wanted would actually arrive at my house. I was trying not to get my hopes up all the way though because I'm not usually a lucky person when it comes to this kind of thing and I didn't want to be all let down if the pillow went to someone else's house.

I finished out my work day and headed home. The mister got off work before I did and grabbed the mail before I had a chance to. When I walked into the house, I saw a package on the counter, but I had ordered some fabric and thought that was probably it. When I looked at the sender though, this is what I saw:



I immediately took a picture and posted it to Instagram with the caption: "Holy crap!!! Do you know what this means?! #bestpillowtalkswappackageever !!!"



I'm sure you all know who Angela Pingel from Cut to Pieces is. She's amazing and I've been a huge fan of hers since I started quilting. Her work is absolutely wonderful and I am so blessed to have something she made in my home.



If you haven't already, head on over to her blog and read what she wrote about making things for swaps and the inspirations she has. Reading what she wrote about making this pillow JUST FOR ME really made the pillow I received that much more special.



Thank you, Angela, from the bottom of my heart! The pillow you made is already getting tons of love and will continue to get a lot more!

Finished Modern Meadow Spring Carnival Pillow

Some time after Spring Quilt Market, Sukie brought the gorgeous Spring Carnival pillows that Katy gave her to our monthly SLC Modern Quilt Guild meeting. I had seen the pillows on Katy’s blog, but I about died actually seeing them in person. Absolutely amazing – and HUGE! The next day, I printed off the templates and set to work on my own.

Fast forward a couple months to Sewing Summit. Katy taught a class on English paper piecing, and while I already had tried my hand at the Spring Carnival pattern (which is what Katy taught in the class), I wanted to learn from her to make sure I was doing it the right way. I also started a new version and love how the pattern changes based on where you decide to place your fabric.

Here is my first version, which I turned into a pillow that is ready to be gifted for Christmas. I used mostly prints from Joel Dewberry’s Modern Meadow line with the addition of a DS Quilts print (the blue/teal-ish circle). I bought the Modern Meadow fabric ages ago because I really love the large medallion print. I fussy cut those medallions for this pillow.

For the back, I made another hidden zipper enclosure and used more of the JD prints. This really is such a slick way to finish the pillow. I think next time, though, I’ll try offsetting the fabric rather than installing the zipper in the middle of the pillow.

Last month, I added a few more sewing books to my library. I happened to have 60%, 50%, and 40% off coupons for Joann’s and decided I’d use them on books. I usually order things like this from Amazon and get free shipping with my prime account. I seriously scored on these. (You can’t beat getting three books and an Accuquilt die for $50 – although I don’t think I was supposed to get the discount on the die, but I won’t complain!)

Sara from Sew Sweetness mentioned the Bag for All Reasons book in her Sewing Summit class. I thumbed through it at the store and there are some really great bag projects in there that I want to make.



Come back Wednesday to see the project I made for the Ruby Star Wrap-Along.

Finished Pillow for Pillow Talk Swap Round 9

As Christmas is quickly approaching, I've been working like a mad woman to get things done. I managed to finish my partner's pillow for the Pillow Talk Swap on Tuesday night. Thankfully, I took pictures yesterday when it was still warm out because this morning's been very wet with rain and snow.

The finished pillow cover fits a 20" pillow form. I made this one a titch bigger than I usually do. I prefer a stuffed look for my own pillows, but thought I'd make it a little bit roomier for my partner. The finished cover measures about 19" square.



I used black DMC embroidery floss to hand quilt in the negative space (Kona ash). I really like the added pop it gives the pillow as well as helps showcase the prints I used in the kaleidoscopes.

I'm not sure I can name all the fabrics on the front, but I used various Konas (charcoal, some blue-greens leftover from a Poseidon FQ bundle, and ash), Washi, Metro Living Circles, Summersville, Chicopee, Vintage Modern, and Little Apples.



For the backing I used Aneela Hoey's Sweater Check in Aqua from her Little Apples line and Lu Summer's Summersville Weave in Bus for the strip that covers the zipper.



I hadn't tried this technique before, but it was so easy! It's sure to become a new favorite pillow enclosure method for me.



I used Kona white and a black sketch print from Timeless Treasures to add a border to the pillow front. I really really love that sketch print and want to buy yards more to add to my stash.



I'm planning on shipping this pillow off tomorrow with a few extra goodies for my partner.

If you're interested in how I made this pillow, I'm in the process of putting together a tutorial for it, so stay tuned!

Autumn Fire and Rain Pillow

I'm guest posting over at Moose Quilts today about my autumn Fire and Rain pillow. The pattern is from Konda's new Simply Charming Minis book. Head on over and check it out.

Gearing up for Pillow Talk Swap #9

The mister thinks I'm crazy (since I have SO many projects in the works right now), but I couldn't resist signing up for round 9 of the Pillow Talk Swap. It is probably my most favorite swap on Flickr. The talent pool is amazing and I've been so so happy with the two pillows I received in previous rounds.

In stalking my partner, I came up with a design that I think she'll like: repeating kaleidoscope blocks.



I drafted a paper piecing pattern so I don't have to use templates. Each quadrant finishes at four inches, so I'm planning on making 25 blocks for a 5x5 layout (20 inches tall by 20 inches wide).



I've only made four blocks so far, but I wanted to give my partner a better idea of what the pillow top will look like. I photoshopped the above image to get this one:



The color placement will obviously be different with the actual blocks, but they'll each consist of red, yellow, green/aqua, dark gray, with a light gray (Kona ash) background.



This isn't one of my familiar, typical, comfortable color schemes (and part of me keeps thinking about the German flag), but I'm really liking how it's coming together so far. I'm becoming more and more comfortable with paper piecing, and this project will provide a lot more practice!

Fabrics include:
Denyse Schmidt's Chickopee
Rashida Coleman Hale's Washi
Kona Ash, Charcoal, and a few other greens that I can't remember the names of
Robert Kaufman's Metro Living
Annela Hoey's Little Apples
Lucy Summers' Summersville
Bonnie and Camille's Vintage Modern
Riley Blake (I can't find the name of that other yellow print, but I'll look for it)

Pillow Talk Swap 7 Received

Look at this amazing pillow that came in the mail on Friday!



I was so happy to open the mail box and see a package sitting there for me. Val seriously hit the nail on the head with this one. In my mosaic, which served as inspiration for the swap, I had a lot of images of stars, strings, and rainbows. This pillow incorporates them all!



She made a purple star that didn't end up fitting in with the design, but she sent it along anyway. I'm so excited to use this block and make another pillow or wall hanging out of it.



She also included a bag full of scraps for me. There are some great fabrics in there and I can definitely put them to good use!



Thanks again, Val!

Look! It's finished!

I promise this will be the last post I write about round seven of the Pillow Talk Swap (except to show off the pillow I receive, of course). I finished my partner's pillow over the weekend and I am so pleased with how it turned out!



Except for the binding. That just about did me in. I had to rip out a couple sections and redo them.

I changed my fabric choice for the binding as I was getting ready to make it. The multi Pezzy Print wasn't cutting it. I opted for a solid to help balance out all the different patterns.



I straight-line quilted each piece (front and two back flaps). The front and part of the back features parallel straight lines that measure about 1/4 to 3/8 inches apart.



I also quilted zig zags the same distance apart, along with a decorative wavy stitch on the Washi fabric strip on the back.



On one of the back flaps, I quilted wavy lines with my walking foot.



I'm excited to ship this puppy tomorrow and see what my partner thinks when the pillow arrives at its new home!

Pillow Stats
Size: ~18.5 inches (fits 20-inch pillow form snuggly)
Pattern: Drunkard's path die from Accuquilt Go! Baby
Design: Me
Quilting: Straight line by me
Fabrics: Variety of prints, including Washi, Hometown, Make Life, Metro Living, to name a few

Pillow Talk Swap 7 Progress and Another Bee Block

My sewing time lately has been spent working on my pillow for round 7 of the Pillow Talk Swap.

My initial idea was this (a mix of single girl and retro flowers):



My partner said that she preferred idea #2 (displayed later), but I got a lot of positive feedback for this design and decided to try it out anyway.



I have since put all the pieces together. I'm glad that my partner said she likes idea #2 better though because I wasn't pleased with how the curves came together with the internal retro flower blocks. I am okay with it for myself, but I don't think it's up-to-snuff for sending to someone else.

So, I moved on to idea #2.





I had initially planned on using the text print in the bottom of this stack, but once I pieced the drunkard's path circles, I felt like the text print just gave a muddied look to the overall pillow. So, I used a dark charcoal print from Rashida Coleman-Hale's Washi line that I just happened to have recently purchased.



I really like how it has come together so far (and, thankfully, my partner does too - yay!). Now I just need to quilt it, sew the front and back pieces together, and add the binding. I plan to finish it during my sewing time next week.

***
The other bit of sewing I did this week was to make the Interlocking Seasons block Rachel requested for her month in our local bee.



I procrastinated a bit and ended up finishing about two hours before our quilt guild meeting last night. This block was a bit of a challenge for me (notice the skiwampus center square). I did a lot of unpicking and re-stitching. Overall, it's a great design and I think Rachel's quilt will be amazing with a bunch of these blocks together.

Pillow Talk Swap 7 - Mosaic and Brainstorming

The beginning of 2011 was full of swaps for me. I got burned out, to tell you the truth. I'm sure a big part of it was because I was in my first trimester of my last pregnancy and feeling all-around miserable. I swore off swaps for the rest of the year - forever? BUT, round seven of the Pillow Talk Swap was starting up and I thought it would be fun to do it again since I had such a great experience last time with this swap. So, I set to work browsing through my favorites and this is what I put together.



After getting my partner assignment, I started brainstorming ideas and here's some of what I came up with (ignore my poor art skills).

Idea 1: A mix of Single Girl and Retro Flowers



Ideas 2 and 3:



So far, the consensus is for idea number 1, which is great because it's my favorite idea, but also scary because it'll really stretch me. Hopefully, I can pull it off.