A Time to Quilt

Today is the day.  The day to get working on my unfinished projects again, and start a couple more too!  I started by bringing out all my bins of fabric.  I thought I had 5, but no, I have 6.  Thank goodness that I buy in small quantities or else I would have a dozen!

We also brought out my mom's collection.  Her's is nothing compared to mine, about 1/6th!  Using her collection, with a little bit of mine, we are  going to make a new master bedroom quilt.  As many of you can tell from my previous posts it is very difficult for me to finish a large project.  Keeping that in mind it is time to start another.

Searching around the internet wasting time I found this quilt.

More than anything I like the pattern.  The chevron/zig zag pattern spoke to me.  I usually love the white contrast but this time I'm going for all color.

I drew up some plans.  I find it helpful to plan it out so I don't have as much excess fabric.  Hopefully it actually works out that way.  Only time will tell.

I'm going to use fabric that I originally purchased for a different project that is defiantly not going to happen.  All teals, blues and green.  I found one more large piece of fabric to add to what I had already purchased so now I have eight different colors.  I hope it turns out as well as I think it could be.

Kindle case version 3.0

3rd time's a charm!  Version 1.0 - too big.  Version 2.0 - too small.  Version 3.0 - just right!

This time I went with a bookcase look for my digital bookcase. 

And all the pictures are sideways again.  I tried multiple times to get them straight to no avail.

This time I started with a paper layout of my bookcase.  I wanted 3/8 inch border around the kindle when it was finished.

 I went through my scrap collection and found some great fabric to use.

I cut the "books to size and placed the "wood around the edges to get an idea for what it will look like.

Made two sides, one light and one dark. for the covers of the case.

I used the light side for the front cover and the dark side for the back cover.  Looks good!

The inside covers were made from another Disney text print.  This time I used Peter Pan.  

To make the covers more stable I used a thick fusible interfacing.  On the inside cover I also used some batting to cushion the screen. 

I'm finally happy with version 3.0.  I love the cover on the first one.  The inside of the second one is fantastic.  The third one is the right size and the cover is unique and the inside looks great.  I think I'm finally done making Kindle covers for myself.  Maybe I'll start making them for Etsy.  

-Bryn

Valentines day pillow

The day after breaking off the relationship I couldn't just sit around.  I had to do something.  And something that comes naturally to me is working on crafts. 

Valentine's day is around the corner so it would be the easiest crafts to make.  After breaking up hearts are not quite the items you want to be working with but I did it anyways.

I found a piece in my parents house that inspired me to make a patchwork pillow for Valentine's day.

 Blogger decided to change all my pictures sideways, oh well.  I went to my fabric stash after buying some fabric from one of my favorite fabric shop in Lawrence, KS, Sarah's and starting cutting the ever popular 2 1/2 in squares. 

 I started to draw out some different patterns.  I originally planned to use diamonds as a pattern for the pillow but the different angles of the heart precluded that idea.  I decided to go pretty simple and go from there.

I took a good amount of time laying out the initial shape of the heart with one fabric of the four that I had chosen.  

To continue tomorrow.  Crafting make the heart grow stronger!

- Bryn

Over Half way done

Wow, this quilt is so different than most that I have made lately.  So dark!  But I love it, graphic colors and patterns are what I love the most.  

Two halves about about to become one!  Just like Sean and I later this year (haha... barf!)

The end result.  Awesome.  

The easy part for me is now done.  I always make the tops of quilts very quickly but finishing one is a different story.

This quilt is going to have a home at the home I'm living at now.  I've been living with my grandfather in California for two and a half years and he has always been easygoing with my crafts taking over the house.  He seemed to like this quilt far more than the others, so it will stay here with him as a thank you gift for everything that he has done for me.  It's probably not even enough for all that he has done but at least it is a start.  

Love you G-pa!

- Bryn

It's been too long!

Wow, it's been over a month since my last post.  Needless to say, the holidays have been crazy!  My mom visited from KC, my aunt and uncle visited from Idaho and Colorado and it is the busiest time at work of the entire year.  And now I'm sick!
My projects got a little mixed up for the holiday season.  The quilt I wanted to make in the fall is my project now and my Christmas presents I did in the fall.  But I suppose, better late than never!  A while ago I found a picture online of a quilt made of solids and triangles.

I thought it was beautiful so I decided to give it a try.  I bought a whole bunch of solid colors from this crazy store in Anaheim.  I have never seen so many fabrics in one place in my entire life!  But I digress.

Opposite all colored pieces I bought a charcoal solid.  I really wanted to challenge myself to make something different than I usually do.  Most of my projects lately have had a light muslin or white as the background color but for fall charcoal seemed to suit the season better.  

I made five inch squares and cut them diagonally.  I used four yards  I found a little trick earlier this year of not separating the pieces until I had sewn thirty to fifty together and then cutting them apart.  Seems to work well and saves me a lot of thread.

I ended up with about 25 different colors.  Some of the colors ended up a bit too bright so I didn't use them.      More cutting, ironing, and sewing to come.  Feels good to start another project.  More to come soon!
- Bryn

Something old and something new

 Wedding planning is taking much of my time these days but there is something else wedding related that I need to get finished.  My brother and his wife just got married two months ago and I promised them a quilt.

Horizontal stripes

 I was practically done with the quilt top when I stopped.  It didn't take very long for me to the majority of the top.  I'm going to put a black border around it as both the length and width are too short.  Now it is the newly married couple's choice on which way the waves go.

Vertical stripes

And now the something new.  I have been wandering the internet and found this cute idea for coasters.  I would love to have a homemade wedding favor that somebody will actually use.  These are a contender, depending on how long they take. 

Cheers coasters

 If this was the gift I would have to make about 200 of them!  Yikes!

Back to work tomorrow but that will not stop me from working on projects anyways.

- Bryn

Christmas presents with scraps

 My Christmas stockings left me with a ton of left over fabric that was already sewn together.  I've had a Chrismtas pillow on my project list for a while.  It dawned on me that my scraps would be perfect for those pillows.  There is no time like the present to make presents!

For each 16" pillow I cut a 8 inch square white piece of fabric.  I needed more white fabric on the outside to create a diamond shape.  Two - 8 1/2 squares for the sides of the pillows and cut them once diagonally to create two large triangles.

I cut 2 inch wide pieces from my last project and framed in 8 inch piece.

 I pressed out the seems and added my other pieces of white fabric on each side.  I had 4 square pieces of fabric with a colorful border along each edge.

I sewed on the large triangles on each side of the square to reorient the fabric square in the center to create a diamond instead.

All that hard work left me with a beautiful diamond pillow top.

That is all I can get done today.  It's time to head to work.  Tomorrow I plan on using even more scraps for more pillows and other projects.  

- Bryn

Making Christmas

Halloween has not even happened yet and everywhere you look there is Christmas stuff.  I have not quite the Christmas bug yet but I need to start on all my present projects

I bought a couple new Christmas fabrics while they were on sale and added them to all my stash of green and reds.

I had the fabric laid out in different patterns.

Mixed up

My usual color organization is color progression.  Dark to light of each color

Colors together

I went with the second option.  It looks much more like me.

How many other projects do I need to finish, many.  So why start something new.  Because that is what I do!
I assembled enough fabric to make 4 fronts of Christmas Stockings.  I took some brown wrapping paper and cut a general pattern for the stocking.  Not too bad for a first try.

 4 Christmas stockings for two couples.  They look nice, but they are not even close to being done!

Cutting the lining was next.  The problem about getting better at the stuff you make is having to do all the steps to make it look like it should.

Stockings with-in Stockings - so meta!

Now to add a detail.  Not sure add the toe and heel detail.  I think it might be busy enough already, so no red on the bottom.

Add red or not - that is the question

I put together the outside and the inside lining.  

My final addition was a felt top.  It's not a Christmas stocking without the white trip on top. 

After turning the felt and putting the finishing touches they are done!  Three Christmas presents and one for me!

Tomorrow is another Christmas project with many of the scraps from this project.  I have to get up at 5:30am for work so I expect not a ton of progress.  To another day!

-Bryn

Creating Rapunzel

I have wanted to make my own Halloween costume for the last couple of years.  This year my craftiness gene has kicked in at the right time.  This year is the year for Rapunzel.
I have been buying fabric for a couple of months.  I still wish I had other choices of purple with pattern in them but beggars can't be choosers.

I have not made clothes in a very long time.  I first made the bodice from muslin to see if the shape was right.  The muslin bodice looked pretty good so I made the real one.  I reenforced it with some interfacing but it was a little too stiff.  I ended up keeping the interfacing on the back but took it out of the front.

The basic look

Quite a few steps later - putting in the zipper, finishing the top seam with lace, measuring eyelet holes and placing them, and weaving the pink string.  Lots of stuff!

 I moved onto the skirt.  I decided to try and make it without a pattern.  I used a skirt that I already had that fit me really well and had the shape that I wanted for Rapunzel.  I had to use two different purples to create the top and bottom layers of the skirt.

I call it - The Art of Cutting

All the pieces together.  The skirt on the left, bodice in the middle and my last little project on the right.

The almost finished product!  Looks pretty good for not making clothes in a really, really, really long time!

I do have quite a few things lift to actually finish it.  

• The bottom seam on the bodice
• The top and bottom seam on the skirt
• A redo on the opening on the skirt - it's too big for my taste
• Adding sleeves to the bodice
• Painting flowers on the skirt
• And my final project - Flynn's satchel for my Trick or Treat bag!