Friday, July 21, 2017

Coastering Into the Weekend

I'm probably the last sewist on the planet but I finally jumped on the Rope Bowl bandwagon.  I'm not sure what finally tipped me over the edge, probably the fact that you can't open a design magazine without seeing a room styled with one of these, but here I am catching up to 2014.

I'd asked my husband to get me the longest length of clothesline they had because I wanted to make a big basket but then I realized I'd probably be better off starting with something small.  Back to the hardware store for a 50 foot starter length.  For thread I picked this Aurifil Light Leaf Green  (#1147) mainly because I had a fully wound bobbin and an extra spool.

There are a million and one tutorials out there for Sewing a Rope Bowl but I went with Flossie Teacakes because I just adore everything she does.  To get some practice I started out making a set of coasters.  This was a great way to get a feel for making these because I got to practice lots of starts and ends which really is the most challenging part.  I did find it difficult to get my coil started because my cord immediately started to ravel.  What worked best for me was to wrap my end with some scotch tape and then cut the end just above the end.  I also saw a suggestion to wrap the end with water soluble thread which would be a great way to use that up as well.  I also experimented using different feet.  Here I'm using my open toe embroidery foot (#3) but ultimately I found I preferred using my walking foot with the regular sewing sole plate.

When my bobbin ran out I switched to Delft Blue (#2730) and made 2 more.  I experimented with different ways for ending.  I'm not sure I've found one I love but I am pretty happy with the technique of making a loop and then backstitching over the end.

With a set of coasters completed I decided it was time to try bowling.  Back to my thread rack I found another full bobbin of Mint (#2830) which I used to make this adorable little bowl.  This is a great way to free up bobbins.  I'm tempted to make a rainbow bowl just to empty all the rest of my prewound bobbins;-)

And now for my next project...  what's your favorite rope accessory?

Coastering into the weekend with this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Friday, July 14, 2017

Siesta Anyone?

I've already talked a lot about constructing this quilt so there's not much left to add...

The quilting was uneventful...  Endless rows of straight-lines while binge watching Catastrophe.  Fortunately the drama stayed on-screen, not even a thread emergency.

I had some leftover triangles so I stitched them together and added them to the back.  I'm not wasting a bit of this fabric!!!

Gratuitous binding shot because the snails on the tree amuse me...

I must say this is the most snuggly quilt I've ever made - I wish I'd made it queen sized so I could put it on my bed.  The combination of cotton lawn fabrics and wool batting makes it absolutely cloud like.  Perfect for an afternoon siesta in the hammock:-)  Details on my matching Nap Time pillow are here.

Chillin' out with this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 45" x 57"
Fabrics: Sleeping Porch by Heather Ross.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Wool.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in  Blossom Pink (2530).

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

W.i.P. Wednesday: Vacationland

With summer in full swing we've been on the go.  We spent the week in Maine which meant my long ignored La Passacaglia is finally getting some attention.  I think I'm going to keep adding to this one so it will be my last large rosette.

I'd have finished this one if I hadn't been one star short...  Luckily we were on our way home - time for some more prepping.

Being in Maine also meant I got to hit some fabric stores...  I may have went a bit overboard at Marden's but how could I resist when these OOP fabrics were only $4/yard?

It rained Friday so we took a trip up to Portland where I got to check out a new modern quilt shop, Z Fabrics.  It's off the beaten track and a bit hard to find but well worth the search...  Birds & the Bees voile - are you kidding me?

Now that we're back I've been folding all my fabric and dreaming up ways to use it.  My shelves are overflowing so I think I'm going to do some destashing on Instagram.  Stay tuned for details...  Are you finding sewing time this summer?

Friday, July 7, 2017

Star Struck

Thanks to some lazy days at the lake I finished this up in time for the 4th.

You can read about the construction here...  Long story short I used Hopeful Homemaker's awesome lone star block tutorial but then made some questionable choices adding the borders. I figured an overall design would work best to quilting out the wonkiness.  Inpired by The Inbox Jaunt's Swirling Stars I made freezer paper motifs that I ironed on when I wanted stars and then did swirling meanders between them.

Once it was quilted I used my fave zipper closure tutorial by s.o.t.a.k handmade to turn it into a pillow cover, threw on the binding, and I was ready for our trip to Maine.

Could you ask for a better spot to tack a binding?

A perfect companion to my stars banner for a star spangled 4th.

Keeping the celebration going with this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Pillow Stats:
Finished pillow is 21" x 21"
Pattern: Lone Star Block tutorial by Hopeful Homemaker
Fabrics:  Anna Griffin Madison prints from Marden's, Spot On by Makower UK
Batting: Warm and White
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in Ermine (2312)