Zips

In amongst the more involved projects of late have been just a couple of small ones I made as gifts. I used the same pattern for both - Anna/Noodlehead's Open Wide Zippered Pouch, a long-time favorite.

The first was the larger size made using an Essex print from Anna's own Forage collection paired with an Essex Yarn Dyed Classic Woven stripe. Gotta say I love the pairing.



My favorite little detail is the leather zipper tab, which I totally copied from Anna too. Even simpler than a fabric tab, and believe it or not, stitches together so easy. I did use a 90/14 needle and a longer stitch-length just to be sure.

The second was the medium size, and for it I used a cross-weave for the pouch upper, and an Essex Yarn Dyed Classic Woven plaid for the lower section. 

Oh, and a hot pink lining!

Again, I added a leather zipper tab, and since the zipper I used was longer than necessary, and thus trimmed off, I stitched all sides of the pull so the 'unfinished' end wouldn't show.

Just a tad wonky there, but as I like to say.... you can tell it was made by human hands, and I'm ok with that!

The Latest Littles

Over the last week, I've sewn a variety of small projects. First up were 2 noodlehead pouches - another Open Wide Zippered Pouch in Mochi Dots and Essex {again}, plus a Lil Cutie Pouch. The open wide pouch was the large size, and the lil cutie quite a bit smaller finishing about 4"x6". I used the same Essex for the little pouch, which I accented with a little quilting, and then both pouches were lined with the same fabric as the zip end and key ring loop.

Next up were a set of potholders for my coworker's birthday. I dug into a charm pack of Color Me Happy by V and Co. and made a pair of Granny Square Quilt Blocks made popular by blue elephant stitches. 

More charms were pieced together for the backings.

I used my machine's serpentine stitch to quilt both, in slightly different patterns. Binding is Echo by Lotta Jansdotter. Oh, and I got a question about what I fill my potholders with and it's always the same - 1 layer of Insul-Bright + 1 layer of cotton batt. This makes a sturdy potholder, and I've never had any trouble with them not being protective enough.

Another co-worker asked if I could make him a phone pouch with a lanyard. I used a tutorial I've used several times - Kindle Cover by Ellison Lane - and basically just cut it down to size. In the tutorial, Jennifer suggests measuring your own device and adding 1 1/2" to length and width. I did that here and it worked out perfectly. For the lanyard, I just took a strip 1 1/2"x40", pressed it in half lengthwise, then pressed both long edges into the fold. Then I top-stitched the length close to each long edge and it was done. I downsized the closure tab to 2"x3", and added the lanyard ends in the last seam right along with the tab. Reportedly it's working just fine for him, and I got an "A" for making it "manly" enough.

Lastly was a case for hubby's sunglasses, per his request. {And yes, he chose the fabric for this project and the one above.} I used the Curved Sunglass Case by modern handcraft and it was perfect. I did cut mine down to 4"x8" and still had enough room at the end to add a 1" velcro square to make a closure. I also quilted my case, which I really like, though I think I'd do it much denser next time to make a stiffer case.

So those were all fun diversions. I think after the excitement of my recent mini quilt finishes, I've been a bit hesitant to dive into something too big. Plus a quick finish or 4 is always invigorating.

Gifty

Thinking about what gift to make for a good friend recently just happened to coincide with the arrival of a lovely little stack of Moda Linen Mochi Dots. From there it was a simple jump to Noodlehead's Open Wide Zippered Pouch tutorial, and I just got to work.

I paired the dots with some Kaufman Essex Linen in Natural, and luckily had just stocked up on zips from the one and only zipit. I swapped colors so each pouch had a contrasting zipper.

I dug into my stash for a lining that would work with both colors and came up with one of my favorite prints from Denyse Schmidt's Sugar Creek and Winding Road line.

And for those fun fussy-cut zipper tabs, I reached for a bit of Etsuko Furuya's Echino Insects. 

This pouch pattern is so clear and well-written, which makes these a really fun sew. For the record, I did use Pellon SF101 Shape-Flex, which makes the bags sturdy enough without being puffy or stiff. Noodlehead's tutorial has 3 sizes available, which I really appreciate. The blue bag I made is the large size (8.5" H x 8" W x 5" D finished) and the green is the medium (8.5" H x 8" W x 5" D).

I'm really not meaning to do a review on this pattern, but the truth is, on Giveaway Day when I asked commenters to name their favorite free online tutorial, this one was mentioned more times than anything else! So really, if you haven't tried it yet, you should, don't you think?

This and That

It was daughter dear's birthday this last weekend, and I thought she would enjoy some 'handmade' gift-wrapping. So I started with a project I saw on Pinterest - Fabric Twine by My Poppet. 

 I think I need to perfect my technique, but for the first time out, I thought it turned out ok.

 Plus it looked colorful and cute around a fabric-wrapped gift.

Then of course was the requisite Lined Drawstring Bag by In Color Order. I can't tell you how many of these I've made - Rachel's made oodles too. It's just a great little pattern and turns out so cute every time. This one's the Project Bag.

Not having the pleasure of attending Quilt Market last weekend, I must say I enjoyed watching from the sidelines on facebook and Instagram + reading folks' posts telling of their experience. And yes, seeing all the new collections is pretty exciting. Of course there had been alot of hype about the new Cotton + Steel, and it certainly doesn't sound unwarranted!

C+S Spring Collection Preview from Gregory Miller Pictures on Vimeo

Not saying that's all I'm looking forward to, but some of many!

Also, I got word last week that my ástərisk quilt was accepted for inclusion in the special exhibit Modern Metallic 2014 at Quilt!Knit!Stitch! in Portland OR this August. So that's pretty exciting! Definitely worth the rush to get it done!

Lastly, something you probably won't find me doing any time soon, but I thought they were SO darling! Hexistars from Nellie's Niceties. I thought some of you EPP types might enjoy them!

 

That's it for now! Hope you all are having a good week and enjoying the Blogger's Quilt Festival!

Linking up with Really Random Thursday.

W.i.P. Wednesday

Thanks to a fun-filled, sew-till-you-fall-asleep quilting retreat last weekend, I have plenty to show for myself, which actually feels very very good. Mostly littles, but still . . .

Completed projects
Merry - Hubby's Christmas stocking may be late in coming, but worth the wait. I posted it here.

Sweet Heart purses - This project was timely and fun, a quick tutorial by Simple Things. So fun in fact, I made a second.

Open Wide Zippered Pouch - Again, after making my first . . .

I couldn't resist making another. Very fun indeed.

Mod Angles cushion - If this looks kind of familiar, it's because I made it with my Chicopee practice blocks from the tutorial I wrote back in October. The hst blocks were inspired by don't call me betsy's Double Flip HSTs tutorial.

Ongoing projects

Scrappy Trip Along - I'm SO excited I got my blocks all pieced into a top. The backing should arrive any day, so I hope to get quilting on this shortly.

Emerald mini/placemats - These two projects may have merged and become one. TBD. Meanwhile, I'm piecing blocks - 3 1/2", 6 1/2" and 9 1/2".

x and + blocks {#xplusalong} - I managed to get 12 blocks done and have 12 more ready to stitch up.

Woodland cross-stitch sampler and Modern Crosses quilt - no progress.

Upcoming projects
* flannel pillow for grandgirl
* table topper for mom
* scrappy Metrolink
* Polaroid block projects

Linking up with W.i.P. Wednesday.

Open Wide

Well I'm back from my quilting retreat, and it did not disappoint! A HUGE surprise was that our fourth member was able to join us after an absence of 12 years(!) due to her move out of state. So it was a sweet reunion plus good food, hours upon hours of sewing, and talk, talk, talk. In short, *awesome*.

Just for fun, we had planned ahead to do a small project all together. We chose Noodlehead's Open Wide Zippered Pouch. It was a fun, easy sew, and I'm thrilled with how mine turned out!

My exterior fabric is Etsuko Furuya's Echino Insects paired with Essex Linen in Lime. For the interior I used a gray print from Zen Chic Juggling Summer. Where I used the Pellon 101SF that Noodlehead suggests in her tutorial, my friends all used fusible fleece. It does make quite a difference in the feel of the bag - mine obviously isn't as poofy as theirs, but it definitely stands on it's own. I'm also the only one that made the large size (10x13"), and it's really a good-sized pouch. 

I loved how each in the group jumped right in personalizing their pouches!

There were several quilted bags . . .

Even a couple with interior pockets!

The over-achiever in the group (not me!) actually made four pouches before she moved on to her previously-scheduled project!

All in all, it was a very fun project. I'll definitely be making this pouch again.

Linking up with Fabric Tuesday.