Thursday, April 15, 2021

Meanwhile....

So behind the scenes, I'm quilting my improv log cabin scrap quilt; but also, I've snuck in a couple of smaller projects. You may have already seen one if you subscribe to my newsletter, The Scrap Basket. It's a zipper pouch I made by repurposing one of my actual mini quiltsHomemade Emily Jane gave me the idea in her post, How to Make a Mini Quilt Zipper Pouch, and now that I've done it, I think it's brilliant.


The quilt I started with measured just 14" x 15", a small, scrappy little one. I actually didn't quite use all of it for the pouch, as I had to consider the zippers I had on hand. And yes, it did hurt just the tiniest bit to cut the bindings off a finished project.


But really, it was perfect for it's new life as a pouch! Where Emily actually starts by making a mini quilt as a part of the pouch-making process, I used a finished quilt; but still needed to add a lining like usual, so the quilt-back gets hidden, which is a small price to pay.


So the pouch finished at 7" x 7 3/4", and a leather lacing zipper pull was a logical addition. It'll soon be off to a new home. Fun, right?

Then, after finishing my most recent Dropcloth Sampler, I needed some hand-sewing to work on in the evenings. Between that, and the bleak status of my stash fabric usage, I decided to stitch up some Running Stitch Napkins, a tutorial from Purl Soho


A fortuitous find were the remains of a fat-quarter stack of Anna Graham/Noodlehead's Forage fabric collection. The group is all printed on Essex cotton-linen blend, which obviously makes for a pretty substantial napkin. The only solid I had enough of that worked even reasonably well for the back of the napkins was a Northcott Colorworks in Pearl, a very very light gray, which I'd been 'saving' for quite some time. But as I spend several hours stitching the napkin edges with perle cotton, I decided the Pearl was perfect to bring the grouping together, especially as I stitched each napkin with its own coordinating thread.


My napkins measure 15" square finished, which is as large as I could go with the fabric at hand. I did pre-wash all the fabric before I started cutting, and I think they'll get even softer with subsequent washings. Oh! And one little detail I wanted to be sure and mention was that, per the tutorial, all knots are on the right-side of the feature fabrics! Though I've seen others do this, I never had, so it felt a little naughty, but very fun, just the same!


Anyway, I really enjoyed making these too and using several yards of stash fabric in the process. Now back to quilting!

10 comments:

  1. Very sweet zipper pouch, but my heart fluttered when I saw the napkins! I really like using cloth napkins and your fabrics are fabulous.

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  2. The mini quilt made a beautiful pouch; I bet it did feel a bit odd to be cutting off the binding! The napkins look wonderful and I bet the texture of them will be fun to feel change under use.

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  3. Beautiful inspiring projects, great fabrics too.

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  4. Ps you can skip lining if you cover inside seams with bias, there are tutorials showing how to. Very doable concept really.....
    Lining is good too of course.

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  5. way to use that stash! also now you have me digging through my large stack of mini quilts to see if some will work as zipper pouches. brilliant!

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  6. Oh my gosh I love the pouch and napkins. Lucky recipient who receives the zippered pouch.

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  7. I did the same with my Carolyn Friedlander Essex Linen fat 1/4 bundle, but I left the edges to fray with a minute edging stitch 1/4 inch all around the sides. I got 2 napkins from each fat quarter. I love seeing them in a basket on my hutch, ready to use instead of paper at each and every meal.

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  8. The pouch is dreamy and kudos for being able to cut it up. I think you did make a great choice but I would have loved the quilted piece either way. :)

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  9. I love the pouch and the napkins! I’ve been thinking about turning one of my quilts into a quilted jacket for months now but I always chicken out. Maybe I should start with turning a mini quilt into a pouch!

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