The Little Things

In amongst all the quiltmaking of the last few months, there have been a few smaller projects I never got around to sharing.

The Jane Market Bag is always a winner and I find it really fun to make. The pattern is from Alicia Paulson of Posie Patterns, and in this version, the denim colored chambray made for a pretty classic look. Dare I say my favorite features of this bag are the construction method AND those sewn down corners.

Needing a little gift last week, I turned to the newly-released A Piece of Me Pouch by Lucy Brennen/Charm About You. Again, there was a unique construction method, and with that outside binding, a fun and unique look. Quilting the panels of course gave it some nice texture. The pattern suggested fusible foam between the layers, or alternatively, fusible fleece or batting. I went with one layer of cotton batting. And come to think of it, I added to the length of my pouch just because my fabric choice allowed for it, so it's a good-sized pouch and just a tad larger than the original.

And lastly, I made another set of Log Cabin Hexi Potholders. I've made several over the years from the free Craftsy pattern by SewCanShe, but this was the first time with solids. Besides the fun hexie shape, I love that these are so scrap-friendly.

So there ya go! All lovely and relatively quick projects that I'd definitely make again!

Linking up with Finish It Up Friday!

Gifting

Log Cabin Hexi Potholders, a free Craftsy pattern by SewCanShe, are one of my favorite scrappy projects, and they're perfect for a quick little gift. Come to think of it, I've gifted every set I've ever made.... hmmm. Anyway, I decided to sew up a set for mom for Mother's Day.



Per the usual for these, I used Linen Mochi Dots for the backing. That with a layer each of insul-bright and batting in the middle, makes for nice sturdy potholders.



Of course, I needed to wrap them, and adapted Jeni/In Color Order's Fabric Envelopes pattern to fit the potholder pair. (I cut my fabric and interfacing 12 1/2" wide by 24 1/2" tall.) I found the perfect-sized piece of Anna Maria Horner's Hand Drawn Garden in the stash, and fussy-cut to center the roses down the front of the envelope.



I did use SF101 Shape-Flex in place of the medium-weight interfacing suggested, basically because I plain like it, but that did result in a pretty flimsy envelope, but it worked great as a 'wrapper' and mom thought it was perfect, so there you go. Oh, and it has a snap! I'm still a 'read every line of the instructions' snap-applier, but I had great success with my SnapSetter Tool.



So that all worked out well, mom was pleased, and as usual, it was nice to have a couple of quick little finishes. Oh yeah.

Linking up with Finish It Up Friday!

Hexies Redux

My go-to gift came through for me again, as I made a set of potholders for a house-warming gift over the weekend. I've even shared a similar set here before, but it's been a while, and the pattern is so darn good, it seemed worth sharing again.

The tutorial is Caroline/SewCanShe's Log Cabin Hexi Potholders, and yes, partial seams are involved to get started, but it's all so doable, and a perfect scrap project. I used one layer of Insul-Bright with 1 layer of Warm & White batting, which is my standard potholder filling.

So give them a try next time you need a little gift. And do tell. What's your go-to quick gift?

Scraptastic

It was a happy coincidence that when I read about the new Scraptastic Tuesday linky at she can quilt and mrs sew & sow, I just so happened to have a scrappy finish to share!

These are Log Cabin Hexi Potholders, made from a free Craftsy pattern by SewCanShe. Aren't they fun? I literally pulled from my scrap basket for these, which was alot of fun. For the backs, I used the same Boysenberry Linen Mochi Dots, which with a layer each of cotton batt and insul-bright in the middle, made for nice sturdy potholders.

You've probably already guessed that a couple of y-seams are necessary for each potholder, but they are quite manageable with Caroline's terrific tutorial. I quilted serpentine lines in a bright Aurifil 50wt #2535 (Magenta) - simple, quick, and fun! Chevron twill tape made perfect coordinating hangers, and without binding, these were a pretty fast project.

As I was making these, I kind of chuckled to myself at the palette I had chosen, as these were made for a family gift-exchange last weekend and not one of them has a pink, orange, and purple kitchen. Well wouldn't you know, my 6'6" brother-in-law ended up with them, and was actually quite excited. Pretty much made my day.

Linking up with Scraptastic Tuesday and Fabric Tuesday.