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 quilts. Homemade 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!