Friday, March 29, 2013

Fancy Schmantz

Mr. T is going to a wedding this weekend, so I made him a pocket square last night.  It's pretty fancy and he looks quite posh wearing it.


We just did a quick late night photo shoot, but I'll get some better picks of him in full shirt and tie.

The square was SO easy.  I used a fat quarter of Dear Stella I had on hand (which perfectly matches the tie I got him for his bday that he's planning on wearing; the collection is Lanikai, but I think it's discontinued now. It's no longer on their website).  I cut a 13" square, folded each edge in 1/4" twice to encase the raw edges, and top stitched.  Such a quick, simple item that adds so much panache to an ensemble!

Also, I tried something new in order to accurately fold my raw edges.  In the past, when hemming items, if the directions say "fold raw edge 1/2 inch," I just sort of roll it up a little, do a half-ass measure, and hope it comes out right.  This time I wanted it to be more precise, so I scored the folding line with my hera marker, and it worked like a dream!  With enough pressure, the fabric essentially folded itself.  All I had to do was a hot, steamy press and everything stayed in place.  I didn't even need any pins!  I'm sure others have been doing it this way for ages, but I was quite proud of myself for thinking up this method last night.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

do. Good Stitches - March 2013

I just became a member of do. Good Stitches. I'm really excited!  I created a new page to document all the blocks I make for the group - I'm in the Bliss circle.  These were my first contributions. Marian requested blocks in summery colors using the July star tutorial from Cluck Cluck Sew.

Fabrics: background: Joel Dewberry; points: Cloud 9, center: unsure

Fabrics: background: Daisy Janie; points: Dear Stella, center: Windham Fabrics (unsure of specifics)



Tuesday, March 26, 2013

School pride iPad case

FINALLY, after way too many months, I can share the completed Standford iPad mini case!  I first mentioned this one in January, which for a small project like this is a really long time ago!  But now it's done and gifted!



I was originally following this tutorial from Craft Buds, but after I put everything together, I really didn't like the zipper mechanism.  The opening was a bit tight, which made it difficult to get the iPad in, but then the case was way too lose, so the device jiggled around and didn't feel well-protected.


So I ripped everything out and tried again, this time with the standard velcro closure I've used in the past (here, here, and here).  I went with the wide strap as I used on Mr. T's case, but moved it to the side rather than the top since I had already designed the case and placed my label to open in this manner when following the zipper plan. I still had to rip it out one more time because the outer cover was too big, but the third time's the charm, right!


For the back, my friend wanted a wolf (which I thought was an unofficial mascot of Stanford, but apparently she just likes wolves...), so I traced an image and appliqued it on with a zig zag stitch.  I have to say, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, especially since this was only my second applique experience.


I quilted all four panels with some low-loft batting, practicing FMQ a little bit more on three of them.  I really wanted to quilt a tree (which is the official mascot...) onto the front like the school's logo, but I decided that was a bit outside my skill level, and that the chance of breaking a needle was pretty high since the seams of my paper-pieced S are pretty thick.


Details
Fabric: Kona red and white (not sure if those are the official names)
Thread: Aurifil 50wt white for piecing and guilting, Guterman I think 30wt for construction
Paper-pieced S designed by me

This is my first finish for FAL 2013 Q1! See the full list here. See recap post showing my progress (or lack thereof) here.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Mini Robot

I love him! He's adorable!
 
 
He arrived as part of the QuiltCon swag I won from Lindsay. As soon as I saw him I knew he'd be the perfect birthday gift for one of my bffs, LC.  Every time I see a robot anything, I think of her.  So, I quickly cut him out, paired him with the Hawaiin print I won from Kim, and stuffed him to the brim. 


Now I think it's just going to be a fighting match between LC and her two year old son over who actually gets to keep him...

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Winnings

I enter at least 10 giveaways a week, probably more.  I never expect to win.  In truth the odds aren't that bad - most typically have 300 to 1000 entries, but still. It always seems like such a long shot.  Well, apparently my luck changed in February because I've won three giveaways in the last month!  I finally had a chance to take some sunny photos this weekend.

1. Daisy Janie
Back in January, Jan of Daisy Janie held a blog hop to promote her new organic fabric collection, New Leaf. To encourage followers, she held a word scramble.  Each participant provided a letter at the end of her post, and contestants had to guess the correct word at the end of the hop.  Well, I followed along religiously and ended up correctly deciphering the scramble and being drawn from the correct answers!  Now, I get to play with this gorgeous bundle!


I just became a member of do. Good Stitches (beyond excited!) and this month's quilter wants summer colors - these vibrant yellows and purples are perfect!

2. Shades of Blue from Crafternoon Delight
Kim from Crafternoon Delight (best blog name!) held a generous giveaway for her birthday - a collection of half yard cuts in shades of blue/green.  She asked readers to tell their best tale of drunken and disorderly shenanigans, so I hailed back to my college days and a night out with some friends that involved a street sign, chicken nuggets and honey, and Mean Girls. And I won!  So while Mr. T and I were in Turkey, this lovely bundle arrived.  I haven't gone through them too closely yet, but I think they're mostly from Robert Kaufman.  The one with the chairs and the birds is my favorite!


I've already used a bit of the Hawaiin print for something I'll share later in the week.

3. QuiltCon Swag
Lastly, Lindsay of Lindsay Sews and Craft Buds held a giveaway for some extra items she brought home from QuiltCon. I was having a bad week when this arrived, so it was definitely a good pick me up!

Clockwise from top left: DMC embroidery floss, Melody Miller temporary tattoos, embroidery needle, Kona Tomato Red FQ, FQs from Windham (I think - no idea what collection), Pearl Bracelets charm, thread, Ticklish mini charm pack (love this!), Mini Robot Doll from Spoonflower and Jessee Maloney, Ty Pennington FQ. There were also a few coupons and discount cards, but those aren't as pretty to photograph. Oh, and a pixie stick, but that's long gone...

I may or may not have already made the robot doll and put him in the mail...

Thank you to Jan, Kim, and Lindsay for my goodies!  Considering I'm on a fabric buying ban ad infinitum, these provided much needed fabric therapy!