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Fresh Sewing Day

October 1, 2014 by Tsoniki Leave a Comment

I think this is my first time posting for Fresh Sewing Day, hosted over at Lily Quilts and I wanted to highlight a couple of projects. The first is a St. Louis Sixteen that I made using solids, Denyse Schmidt, Ana Maria Horner, and Alison Glass fabrics. I have the first two rows completed and will have the top done in the next few days. I have a handful of quilts at this end stage and I’m excited to complete them!

Next up is my Tula Pink Color Blocks quilt! This is section number thirteen in the quilt and I have two more sections to go before I’m finished with the top. I’ve had this one partially complete for a while now, getting the last few solids were a little bit of an issue and this blue is actually a substitute. It goes with the fabric perfect though so I’m very happy with it!

Finishing up quilt tops makes me feel a twinge of sadness that I live overseas (I said just a twinge!) and it is so expensive to mail to the US, and then have the completed quilt mailed back to me. Hhmm, I am expanding my network of people I know here, maybe there is a long arm quilter in France somewhere.

Found This Week

September 28, 2014 by Tsoniki 1 Comment

My super smart, beautiful daughter kindly shared her head cold with me earlier this week and so my days have been tiring. Thank goodness for smart phones and naps.

I did manage to get a lot of my sewing machine cover worked on. Sewing hexies can go quick, my biggest issue with this project is keeping the hexies laid out in the pattern I want them to be in. And I have had thread twisting up and knotting and sometimes it feels like it’s only me that happens to, but of course I’m not alone. Sister Diane has some tips if this happens to you a lot as well – knotted thread.

I am planning a few quilts right now and am interested in using the Electric Quilt 7 program for these. Really I am interested in recoloring quilt blocks and this seems like a very easy way to do so. I found this tutorial that will help with that.

And this post goes along with that tutorial, in that this post talks about how to match colors to solid fabrics, in this case the Kona solids. the library that is attached to the tutorial is only the solids to July 2012, so it is old and I am looking for the newer ones now. I imported the Kona colors and recolored one quilt already! I am excited to see how well this works for me.

That’s it for this week, enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Hexie Sewing Machine Cover

September 23, 2014 by Tsoniki 1 Comment

I haven’t forgotten about my hexies from last week – all three panels are sewn together, the inside hexagon papers have been removed, and I am buying zippers today. I think I will make extra large boxy bags. I like being able to give the teachers something they will use. JW has two teachers (that I know about) so hopefully they like the colors.

But I also got out these hexies to finish.

It only took me a few seconds to realize I had a panel almost large enough to make a sewing machine cover (you can see the panel – it’s the top right of the layout, the hexies with no basting thread). A quick measurement and laying out of the rest of the hexagons and yep, it will work! So far I’ve finished three of the four additional bottom rows, and after I sew them together I’ll finish the few side columns. I have a lot of 30’s/reproduction/I’m not sure what these are actually called fabrics and still need to pick the backing and binding. Oops, just realized I also need to pick something to put the hexies down on, I have no interest in figuring out that crazy binding.

Linking up with Show and Tell Tuesday

Found This Week

September 20, 2014 by Tsoniki Leave a Comment

I don’t remember when I found A Lady In France but I love reading her blog. I know I do a bad job at talking about our life here, and if you are interested in that, I am sorry. She has posted her third video and this one shares tips for dining in France. I am happy to realize I know all of these things! I hope you enjoy. I am working on a new format for the blog and look forward to sharing more about our life here.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/ADmdoi_R0Oc[/youtube]

I admit that my favorite way to finish a pillow is to do the envelope method, but it’s probably time I learned to like zippers. Well, zippers on pillows anyway. There are a few ways of doing zippers, the most popular seems to be on a seam, but I like this method that puts the zipper in the middle of the back (maybe not the exact middle, but not on a seam either). And the plus is that it stays hidden with a fabric flap.

This is crazy awesome – see if you can help someone or if you have something you would like help with and submit if you do.

A Long Time Coming Hexies

September 17, 2014 by Tsoniki 8 Comments

After a quick scroll on instagram, I discovered that I started sewing these hexagons waaaaay back when we lived in San Diego. By my calculations (and thanks to instagram saying how many weeks ago something was posted), I first started sewing them two years ago. Two years! Ah well, at least now they have a purpose.

I pulled out all the hexagons – made with Lucy’s Crab Shack and coordinating solids – and made larger panels. These have evolved in their plans – I started the hexies with no pattern in mind, then I thought placemats would look nice when we were living in San Diego and again farther north in Monterey (the fabric does have a beachy/live by the water feeling). After a bit, and nothing coming of the hexagons, I thought mug rugs would look good, I could give them as gifts! But they stayed sewn together and just waited for what they were to become.

And the other day I stumbled upon this extra large box bag post! Inspiration! I turned what would have been six placemats (or mug rugs) (or anything else really) and turned them into the beginnings of three box bags.

These are large panels so they could also be oversized tote bags. I decided to make them for Christmas gifts for JW’s teachers. I don’t want to scramble in December because I forgot, and I like to take advantage of inspiration hitting at the right time. I have three panels, two of the same size and one just a little smaller, and I will probably have to add a little border. I don’t have big enough zippers right now, so I’ll have to also figure the final size after I buy zippers.

Linking up with WIP Wednesday.

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