Felted Wool iPad tote

52 Week UFO Challenge - Project #24 - stitching sample made into an iPad tote

This little stitching sample has been sitting in my sewing room for almost two years!! I just wasn't sure what to use it for, but then I got inspired!! Why not attach it to larger felted wool pieces and make it into a tote bag?

The edges weren't even, so the first thing I did was to trim all four edges even with the outside border stitching.

Next I found some royal blue felted wool (which was once a wool coat that I scored at Goodwill) and I cut two rectangles that would be big enough to house my iPad. I machine stitched my embroidery sample to one of these pieces. And then turned over the top edge of each piece and machine top stitched each of them. This gave the open edges a nice finish.

Next, I auditioned different straps. I had a few different ones to pick from but decided on the cream coloured heavy cord.

To attach the cording to the bag I cut a small piece of wool and sewed this, with the end of the cord tucked inside, to the top edge of the back of the bag. By sewing all around the edges of this piece of wool mu cording was secured to the bag and the end wouldn't unravel.

The next step was to sew the front and the back of the bag together. I just topstitched along the sides and bottom and - VOILÀ - the felted wool iPad tote bag was done. Now I can carry my iPad in style - or - use it for a gift for a friend!

The completed iPad tote with the embroidery  front.

It's Been a Slice - Layer Cake Quilt

On Thursday I finished teaching my "Sliced Layer Cake" class at Taylor Sewing Centre and I just LOVED how all of my students' projects were coming along. It's so fun to see how my pattern can be made in five other colour schemes!!

Here are some pictures of my students' works in progress:

Assorted sewing themed fabrics cut into 10" squares

Lovely greys and taupes = a present for a grandson

A beautiful batik quilt

Reproduction fabrics

This one is going to be a queen sized quilt when finished

Donna has asked if she could take my sample with her to the Ottawa Quilt Show next weekend, so I have published my directions for the quilt into a pattern - "It's Been a Slice".

I've also just added this pattern to my Craftsy site, so you can check it out there!! ePatterns are so great because you get them immediately AND don't have to pay shipping.

I can't wait to see the finished projects from my students. I hope they send me pictures of their finished "It's Been a Slice" quilts. Seeing the ones they were working on makes me want to start another layer cake quilt!!!

Disappearing Twice Nine Patch Table Runner

52 Week UFO Challenge Project #23 - Disappearing nine patch table runner

I had four blocks left over from my disappearing nine patch quilt so, of course, I saved them and wanted to use them for another project.

Unfortunately, none of the ways I arranged the blocks looked right.

So I decided to cut up each of the blocks to see what I could do with them. I cut the block in half from top to bottom and from side to side.

The block sliced into four sections

Next, I rotated each of the sections and rearranged them until I liked the way the block looked.

Sections rotated and rearranged

I sewed the four blocks together with navy blue sashing strips and then added a blue border. I just LOVE this method of making a complex block from a nine patch block. Making the nine patch disappear TWICE was a great way to make the blocks look different for the table runner.

To quilt the table runner I used an alternating swirl design for the outer border and a meander on all of the blocks. Fast, simple and effective.

Close up of quilting designs

My disappearing twice nine patch table runner is project #23 in my 52 week UFO Challenge. It has been 16 weeks since I started my challenge and I can't believe how many projects I have been able to finish up!!

The finished table runner

May Block of the Month

New Beginnings Block of the Month

Well, it's May Day so I've added the next block in our New Beginnings Bock of the Month to Craftsy!!

Our May block uses only three fabrics so I picked a cream with a water ripple for Fabric #1, an orange flower print for Fabric #2 and a black flower print for Fabric #3.

I used my cardboard markers to keep track of the fabrics as I cut the pieces for the block.

Here's my finished May block. My Block of the Month quilt is starting to take shape!! Don't forget to add pictures of your finished blocks to Craftsy for a chance to win our grand prize in January!!

For more information about our New Beginnings Block of the Month, download the BOM General Directions PDF from Craftsy. It is a free download!!

Machine Quilting Leaves and Swirls

52 Week UFO Challenge Project #22 - Disappearing Nine Patch quilt

Have you ever made a quilt that you just didn't like?? Even though I had purchased two charm packs of fabrics that I just loved, once I put them together into a quilt I just couldn't get motivated enough to finish it.

I finally decided that the reason that I never finished the quilt was that I really didn't like it. BUT after looking at it critically one day I realized that it was only the OUTER BORDER that I didn't like.

When I had finished the top at our quilt retreat, I had a brown fabric on hand that I used for the border, but I'm not really a "brown" person. I probably have no more than six brown fabrics in my entire stash and I'm really not drawn to them. 

Once I decided that the outer border had to go, I found a blue one that I liked and got to sewing. The resulting quilt top was SO much better!!!

Disappearing nine patch quilt with the new blue border

I loaded the quilt on my Gammill and decided to use a leaf and swirl design to quilt both the border and the centre of the quilt.

Leaf and swirl design

Here is the finished quilt - not bad for a quilt that I had never wanted to finish!! Machine quilting leaves and swirls is one of my favourite motifs to use on a variety of quilts. I'm so glad that I persevered and finished this quilt! UFO #22 is done!!