It's the Little Things

Last year on International Scrap Sorting Day, I actually managed to sort my print scraps by color, though I chose not to press any of them or cut them into any particular sizes. And that's how things have remained, and it's been fine. Though I didn't really participate on the day this year, other than play with piecing scraps together, it was the impetus to make several small projects.

First up was a set of four orange and black potholders.

With two round 'corners,' and two square, they are my favorite potholder shape. I put the same backing on all of them, a favorite orange print from my stash, the same as some of the scraps on the front.

And then I actually used some charm squares to make a lined drawstring bag to hold my older granddaughter's birthday gift. After miscutting my lining fabric, I ended up with a combo of the Simple Patchwork Drawstring Bag + Mini Accent Drawstring Bag variations from the Lined Drawstring Bag Expansion Pattern by Jeni Baker @jenib320. Actually, I'm quite happy with it, and might make this combo again on purpose!

This last make wasn't actually made from scraps, per se, but it seemed to fit the 'Little Things' category. And it's a Pop Open Pouch made for my daughter-in-law, Lindsey @lindsjeske, who we happily got to celebrate with on her birthday this year. The pattern is one by Aneela Hoey @aneelahoey, and is actually one of my very favorite zipper pouch patterns to make and to use.

So all three of those projects were most enjoyable to make. Now back to finishing up a quilt back for my Like, Totally BOM quilt and this month's Block Studies Collective project, which I have yet to start. Onward.

Bombazine and More

With my own 100 Day Project being all about using scraps, I settled in to make several gifts, namely Bombazine oven mitts and potholders.

A friend had gifted me with her generous selection of embroidery thread which she could no longer use, and obviously a hand-made thank you gift was necessary. I'd been wanting to try the Bombazine Mitt from Bombazine for a while, and that with a coordinating potholder seemed perfect.

The mitt came first, pieced with various scraps, enhanced with a bit of hand-stitching using some of the floss I'd been gifted, and finished with a leather 'hanger.'

Then came the mitt, 8" square-ish, with the two rounded edges I'd seen Hannah @verdigrissewing do (and copied) last year.

Then mom, who had been a recipient of the great potholder giveaway last spring, randomly asked for another set - scrappy like the first, but larger. Per her request, the new set was made 10" square, equally handy as potholders or trivets. 

Though the fronts of all these projects were straight from the scrap basket, the backs were sometimes from stash - still trying to use the smaller pieces that linger there.

Then I decided my brother might enjoy a Bombazine Mitt to use with the scrappy potholders he'd already gotten. A simple uneven grid was a fun way to quilt his mitt.

And last of this bunch, was a pair of potholders for my daughter, Rachel @snippetsofsweetness.... just because. I made them 8" like the originals, happy to have found at least a few scraps to include that I knew were her old favorites.

So I felt like a change of pace after all those, and you'll be surprised (I think) to see what I started pulling from the scrap basket next....

Scrappy Potholders

A couple of weeks ago, I was debating what scrappy project to start next, when I happened across a handful of scrappy slabs left over from a project in 2013!! Ha! At first, I couldn't even remember what they were from! I very briefly considered putting them right back in the closet they had come from, but I'm glad I didn't.

Rather than start in on a rainbow quilt, which isn't really my thing, I thought to make some potholders, and then I remembered the unique shape I had seen Hannah Haberkern/@verdigrissewing use, and it was settled. 

I finished one and added a hand-stamped leather 'label' that I thought was really fun, though I admit it hasn't been fully field-tested yet. We've used the potholder several times and the metal rivets haven't conducted enough heat to be bothersome; but it has yet to be washed, so we'll see how the leather holds up to washing.

Meanwhile, those scrappy slabs were enough to make 15 potholders total!!! Yeah, that was a lot! But I love the shape, and enjoyed finding backings from stash, and using coordinating thread to randomly quilt each one as I felt inspired.

So what does one do with 15 potholders?! Well I kept the red one with the leather label to field-test completely; but I had my mom choose a pair, and the rest went home with my brother, who's been visiting from out of town, to share with my nieces and nephews. Serendipitously, I had the perfect number!

Potholders

Nary a Christmas season passes without me making at least a couple of sets of potholders as gifts. This year has been no different, and the first set I made was a new-to-me pattern from Quilt Expressions - The Folded Pot Holder. The original maker folded her potholders and gifted them with recipe cards and a spatula tucked in tied with a bow, thus the 'folded,' but there's really nothing folded about the making of them.

I used up the little bit of dala horse print I still had after making a table runner for a friend a few years ago. It's from Katarina Roccella's In Blue line. Backed with a reddish Cotton + Steel basic, I quilted them simply, with different patterns on the background and pocket. I also did not make a separate hanger, as the pattern suggested, but tried to duplicate the method Marla/@pennylanequilts uses. I got close at least. You should check out her beautiful scrappy potholders!!

And then I made an old favorite out of Zakka Style, compiled by Rashida Coleman-Hale. This particular pattern, Patchwork Pot Holder, is by Kim Kruzich. I happily pulled cotton-linen scraps to coordinate with that floral from Anna Graham's Forage collection.

Again, simple quilting, and I was happy I had enough of the floral to make the pockets on the back of both potholders. Bias binding was in order, of course. And for all of these, I used one layer of batting + one layer of Insulbright, which is my standard for potholders.

As much as I love making quilts, these other sewn projects provide me with much joy. 'Small sewing' is where I began my creative journey years ago, and it's never really gone away.

Faux Pas

So I made some 'new' potholders over the weekend. Actually new out of old. Back story... a few years ago I took a class from Carolyn Friedlander at QuiltCon, and ended up making a table runner that was really special to me. Fast forward to a few months ago when it was irreparably damaged. I think the culprit was a plant that was repeatedly watered with no saucer under the pot. Oops.

But anyway, I just couldn't throw the runner away and finally over the weekend I had the courage to cut into the best of what was left and re-purpose it. Thought I might share about what I did, just in case you find yourself in similar circumstances. Highly unlikely, but still.

So first of course was cutting the 'good' out of the 'bad.' I started by cutting 9 1/2" squares. Even though the runner had the three typical quilt layers, I treated it as front + batt. So I also cut squares out of Insul-Bright and backing fabric, placed my quilt 'top' on top, and spray-basted the layers together. Next was some minimal additional quilting, just to hold the layers together. Considering they were relatively small pieces, they didn't need much.

Then I cut 2 1/2" binding - thicker than my normal - but I figured with five layers it might be a good idea. I went ahead and machine-stitched the binding on just because. I really wasn't in the mood to drag this 'redo' out. But, in spite of the mishap, I ended up recreating something, if not better, at least very good. Whew.

Other Small Makes

Looking back, I apparently started my pre-holiday sewing with a Pop Open Pouch, pattern by Aneela Hoey. I think I was really celebrating having finished my Modular quilt by trying a new pattern - something small and doable in a couple of hours. This pouch totally fit the bill, at 10" x 5"x 5", a great size and the pop-open design is really clever!

Fabric is all Carolyn Friedlander, which I love to pair for pouches.

And finished off with a leather pull and zipper tab, it became my new favorite and since I had the perfect use for it, I gifted it to myself. It's good to do that sometimes!

As always, I had ambitious plans for all the reusable fabric gift-bags I'd make. First were a handful using s.o.t.a.k handmade's drawstring bag tutorial, which I've made so many of, I have it memorized.

Then were a few using the Lined Drawstring Bag pattern + Expansion Pack from Jeni Baker. I especially love the new Mini Accent variation, like the two on either side of the basic bag below. Though they're all so great for gift-giving, and truth is I made a couple more that got used so quick I didn't get a photo.

Next up was a set of potholders that I hadn't planned until I saw Allison/@allisonehs post, inspired by a pattern in Modern Rainbow by Bryan House Quilts. They looked so perfect for what I needed, I stopped by my bookshelf for my copy of the book, then headed straight to my stash, where I happened across a "Strip-It Bundle" of Ombre Hand Dyes by Marcus Fabrics. It'd been there a while, obviously saved for this project. Made for someone who loves the ocean, the varying blues were just right. I loved them with that gray Essex, and quilted the potholders with straight lines.

I used the full width of the strips to piece backs for the potholders, and then found the ombre to be perfectly perfect for the binding.

On I went to make a sweet and small Wee Braw Bag, using Laura Cunningham's pattern, which I'd made a few times before, so I knew it would be enjoyable.

It's fun to pick out fabric for these, and I coordinated everything to go with that Rifle Paper Co. floral. Super sweet.

And finally, a Boxy Pouch, the original size in Pink Stitches' tutorial. Waxed Canvas is perfect for this pouch, in my humble opinion, and though I didn't get a photo, it's lined with a handsome print from Carolyn Friedlander's Instead. And again, a bit of leather lacing is the perfect finish.

So I think that catches you up on December's "special" sewing. Now I'll head to that WIP pile and see what else I need to finish up....

The Latest Set

As far as I can tell, this was the 8th year I made a set of potholders for hubby's family gift exchange. Funny thing, I saw those from year one in our niece's kitchen this weekend, and though they had obviously been well-used, they were also holding up great. Yay!

So for this year, I was inspired by Jayne/Twiggy & Opal's Log Cabin Pot Holders tutorial over on bluprint. I didn't follow it exactly, in that instead of measuring the strips, I pulled and trimmed right from the solid scrap basket. But the distinct flavor remains.

As always, I quilted the potholders together with one layer each of Insul-Bright and Warm & White to make them heat-proof and sturdy. For backing I used the prettiest blue Moonscape in Dresden by Dear Stella. It along with the Kona Blueprint binding somehow brought all those colorful scraps together.

So this year's pair went home with our nephew, and I trust they will serve his family well.

Patchwork Potholders

Besides her myriad of excellent patterns, Svetlana/s.o.t.a.k handmade also has quite a selection of free tutorials, many of which I've made. Most recently, her Patchwork Potholder caught my eye!

They start with a randomly pieced block. I made mine logcabin-ish, cutting into a bundle of Anna Graham's Forage. These would be an ideal candidate for scraps, but I'd been wanting to sew with Forage, and I figured with it being made of a cotton-linen blend, it would make especially sturdy potholders.

So I pieced together a pair of coordinating blocks (big! 10"!) and then layered them each with one piece of batting and one of Insul-brite, which from experience I knew to be a winning combination. I spray-basted those all, including a backing, and then slapped on my walking foot for quilting. I was going to quilt denser than 1" apart, but it felt plenty sturdy and I liked the feel of it. Then I then machine-bound them with one of the prints I'd used for my piecing.

I totally copied Sveltana and finished them each with a leather tab and rivet. Love that detail!

So these will be finding their way to a family gift exchange this next weekend where I trust someone will like them as much as I do!