Haralson Belt Bag

Hubby and I have been trying hard to go out walking more often, and every once in a while, I find I wish I had a small bag to carry a few things in, something much smaller and lighter than my everyday Compass Bag. After looking around a bit, I decided to make a Noodlehead Haralson Belt Bag by Anna Graham. It can be worn as a crossbody bag, more like a sling, snug to your body, or as a fanny pack. The size - 9.5" wide x 2" deep x 7" tall, seemed just about right, and now that it's done, I'm sure it is.

For fabric, I chose echino dots by Etsuko Furuya for KOKKA for the exterior, and Wordplay by Michele D'Amore for Benartex for the lining. Both had been in my stash for a verrry long time. Luckily, I had the two metal zippers called for on hand - though instructions were given for zipper by the yard. And I used hardware I had on hand, so pieces may not match exactly, but I felt they were close enough.

The sewing of the bag went together swimmingly, except for a snafu or three with the hardware. TOTALLY user error! The first rivet I installed must have slipped, as the head was slightly smashed. Oops. I found a tool of hubby's that I was able to use to miraculously cut the stem of the rivet, so I could remove and replace it. Then, when I was nearly done, and had just turned the bag right-side out, I discovered the rivet holding the bottom closure piece (that I had just replaced) had fallen out. Soooo out came the seam ripper to open the bottom seam and reinstall that rivet again. Except then I realized that in replacing the rivet with the bag partially constructed, I caught the bag's main lining, which would have been very awkward when the bag was in use. An easy fix was to snip the lining around the rivet, that loosened the other side. In doing so, I had created a small hole in the lining, but after treating with Fray Check and sewing one of my labels over the top, isn't noticeable at all, and I think will wear just fine. What an ordeal! Obviously, purse hardware is not my strong suit, but I survived, the bag survived, and all is well.

The bag's front exterior had the most unique method to create those 'corners.' That Anna is a genius.

The only two changes I made to my bag were 1) using leather scraps for the strap holders rather than the webbing that was suggested; and 2) the leather pieces for the front closure were 1" rather then the 3/4" suggested, as that measurement fit my hardware better. I think both were fine choices.

So besides the hardware missteps, the bag was really enjoyable to make, as Anna's patterns always are. I'm looking forward to having and using the Haralson as an option when I'm out and about.

Studio Refresh I

Over the last few months, I've been trying to organize the ole studio a bit, update a few things, and generally just freshen up. Nothing is really profound, but still, these things have made me happy. 

Amazon links are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small percentage of any sales linked from this site. Trust me, I would never suggest a product that I don't actually use and enjoy without saying so.

>> New pins. I made a point of going through all my pincushions and tossing any bent or rusted ones. How do they rust over time? I'm not sure, but I was tired of dealing with them. I tried the following, all recommended by quilting friends. They all felt a little fragile to me, or maybe I'm just a rough pinner. Basically, I think I'm just used to a thicker pin, and still on the look out for others to try, so suggestions welcome.

Clover Extra Fine Patchwork Pins

Clover Quilting Pins Fine

Clover Marbled Glass Head Pins, Assorted

>> Organize notion drawers and labels. My cutting/sewing table has four small drawers on one end, and I keep tools, notions, labels, and other odds and ends in them. I found bags or containers for like-items, and also copied an idea I'd seen on IG, and bought a Plastic Organizer Tackle Storage Boxes with Dividers for my labels. This has helped a lot when it's finishing time for my projects. 

>> New rotary mat & cutter. Oh my cutting board was really showing some wear, and I found a great sale on a new brand to try by Quilters Select [https://youtu.be/sVPWP9UgRzw] at my local sewing machine repair shop. While I was at it, I went ahead and purchased a new rotary cutter, which I'm still getting used to. I'm not going to say I don't like it, but it works different than I'm used to, so I'm real conscious of using it safely.

>> Cover ironing table. Every few years, my 42" x 50" drafting-table-converted-into-a-pressing-table needs a fresh cover. I was lucky enough to find fabric in my stash for it, Finlandia Dot by @freespiritfabrics. Pink is not my go-to color, but it was worth it, finding it in my stash, plus it's just plain fun. Under the cover is a layer of batting, and then I use painter's tape to secure the fabric on the underside. This time I used Scotch Rough Surface Extra Strength Painter's Tape, which worked really really well.

>> Aurifil thread cases. Besides the beautiful threads, another benefit of being an Aurifil Artisan was that occasionally, there were extra thread cases available. I was able to receive two, which was just enough to really sort and better organize my thread stash. For the first time, I sorted solely by color, mixing the various weights of large spools together. AND I ordered several spools I was running low on, 50wt for piecing, and 40wt for quilting.

I have a few more refreshes that I either need photos of or actually need to take care of, so stay tuned for a little postscript to this post. Meanwhile, are there any refreshes or updates you've been making in your sewing space? I'm always on the lookout for ways to make my space more workable and enjoyable.

Chairs

Thumbing through some of my quilt books the other day, I happened upon a quilt by Kathy Peters of Marquette MI, called "Table Scraps" in Liberated Quiltmaking II by Gwen Marston. I didn't remember ever seeing a quilt of chair blocks, so of course, I had to give one a try....

I had just a scrap of that fun orange/pink/purple print fabric, but a week or two later, I decided to make another chair block, and incorporated it again.

That second block made me think I wouldn't mind making a bunch more chair blocks, so we'll see. I don't have much of that print left, and unfortunately can't remember what it is! But maybe I'll find other prints that fit with it, and I can continue on. We'll see!

Spring Fling

The second I caught a glimpse of Dropcloth's Spring Fling sampler, I wanted to stitch it. And it proved to be such an enjoyable one! I used double-thickness #8 perle cotton for this one, and my only regret is not doing the butterflies in satin stitch. BUT since that's not really my favorite to execute, I chose to just enjoy the process. For some reason, I especially liked stitching all the greenery. And those round purple seed pods. And all those Xs that weren't even a part of the pattern. 

The design on Spring Fling measured about 6.5" across, so quite a bit larger than the Floral Stitches series, and I liked that. I also had fun building the palette as I went. 

All in all, I'm really happy with it, but kind of sad that it's finished. Thankfully I have this month's Floral Stitches sampler at the ready to turn to.

June Fabric Usage

Here I thought I was going to make it with no fabric purchases in June, but the need to provide a color palette in real fabric for my Bee Sewcial mates arose, so I did order a few small cuts.

Basically though, I sewed with stash and scrap both, having a pretty productive month taking it as it came. I also fulfilled a fabric wish for someone I follow online - they were looking for a particular fabric, and I happened to have yardage I thought I could live without, so I sent it off. That gave me a bump start for my fabric usage for the month. So here's my stats:

June Fabric Usage

Used up: 22.09 yards [14.06 projects + 8.03 recycled/sold]
Brought in: 2.5 yards 
Net: -19.59 yards

I thought since we're half-way through the year, it might be fun to see my YTD fabric stats:

Used up: 105.83
Brought in: 56.26
Net: -49.57

Kind of a shocking amount of fabric brought in, but remember in March I used a gift card that accounts for 25 of those yards? So I'm not really feeling too bad about that. Anyway, onwards! I'm not really sure what July holds for me sewing-wise, but I'm looking forward to finding out!

Minimal Shapes

It seems that most of my Bee Sewcial quilts over the years have turned out pretty maximalist. (Click to see them all!) So this year, especially considering my month is smack dab in the middle of our summer, I chose a more minimal-leaning prompt, Minimal Shapes.

I found this simple definition of 'shapes': "Geometric shapes, such as circles, triangles, or squares, have perfect, uniform measurements and don't often appear in nature. Whereas, organic shapes are associated with things from the natural world, like plants and animals." -Google.com

A collection of the kinds of shapes I'm looking for - organic, but reminiscent of geometric shapes - can be found in my pin board, Minimal Shapes. I'm thinking bold shapes with both straight lines (improv-style, meaning ruler-free is fine) and maybe some gentle curves. 

As for a palette, I'm asking my beemates to work in a palette similar to a purple and orange collage by Liz Roache - ie. orange, purple, brown, and gray. More specifically, colors such as Kona:

• chili, tangerine, pimento
• raisin, eggplant, hibiscus
• chocolate, brown, mocha
• lighthouse, overcast

Other guidelines I'm asking are:

• use two to five fabrics per block, in at least two colors
• each block should contain at least two but no more than six shapes
• shapes inspired by those shown in the pin board, but not exclusively those
• no transparency, no applique, 100% quilter's cotton only please
• two blocks, each at least 12.5" square 

One of the layout ideas I'm considering would involve minor trimming, so blocks need to be at least 12.5" square; but anything much larger risks being trimmed off. That said, blocks may be left untrimmed, as long as they fit the 12.5" minimum request.

So pictured throughout this post are the two sample blocks I made. I'm hoping the prompt is fun but not too demanding. Plus I'm curious to work with more minimal blocks than my usual Bee Sewcial prompts provide. I'm anxious to see how the project evolves.