A Precarious Quilt Finish

Like many quilters, my sewing room is in danger of being overtaken by scraps! I have a shoebox-size plastic bin full of scraps for every colour of the rainbow and in some cases, a couple of bins for the same colour. So at the start of this year, I knew I really needed to get these scraps under control. For 2020, I want to make AT LEAST five scrappy quilts and Precarious is the first one.

The pattern is from the book Stash Statement by Kelly Young. I purchased this book a while ago (because I've been trying to manage my scraps for years now!) and I've done one other quilt from the book: Regatta.

The background is a Kona cotton (can't remember the exact colour) and I really like how the scraps pop next to the grey.

The quilting is wavy horizontal lines with the walking foot. I've got some intense drag lines on there which drives me a bit crazy but I'm hoping once the quilt is washed, those drag lines will disappear somewhat. According to the little bit of research I did, the reason I'm getting drag lines is because I'm not alternating the direction in which I stitch the lines. I've basically been starting in the center of the quilt and then quilt all the lines to the right. I then rotate the quilt and do the same thing to the other side. I've always quilted lines this way and never had issues with drag lines until recently, but maybe I need to try alternating the direction of each line... 

The backing is a navy blue print with small green flowers. And the binding was pieced together from leftover binding strips.

The details:

• Pattern: Precarious from the book Stash Statement by Kelly Young
• Size: 54.5" x 64.5"
• Fabrics: Kona grey (background) and scraps 
• Thread: Pieced and quilted with Aurifil #2600 in 50 wt

Elsa Sweater Finish

During the long winter months, I love to wear snuggly sweaters with leggings on the weekend. So I've been on the look-out for a sweater pattern along with a good sweater knit to go along with it. I can't remember where I found it or even when I found it, but I eventually came across the Elsa Sweater by DG Patterns.

The sweater came together fairly easily but I did struggle a little bit with the cuffs. Not sure if it was my fault (if I made a mistake when I printed the pattern), but I couldn't find a pattern piece for the cuffs. So I had to basically improvise and they didn't come out exactly right.

Also, the sweater is a little short for my taste. I like my tops to fall just a bit below my hip bone and this one hits me a little above. Not a huge deal and I'll definitely wear this sweater, but if I make it again, I'm going to lengthen it by a couple of inches.

The fabric I also got at DG Patterns - I ordered it at the same time as the pattern. It's a poly/spandex blend if I remember correctly. I just loved the colour and it was pretty easy to work with.

I didn't use my serger at all for this project - it's been misbehaving and I didn't have the patience to try and resolve all the tension issues so I just used my regular sewing machine, my walking foot and a zig zag stitch.

So overall, I would call this a success! The fit is good (although a bit short), the pattern is easy"ish" (except for the missing cuff pattern piece) and the fabric is super comfy.

The details:

• Pattern: Elsa Sweater by DG Patterns
• Size: 18 - no modifications
• Fabrics: Double knit from DG Patterns (colour is no longer available, but they have it in grey)

Same Pattern and Fabric, Different Bodies: The Seamwork Clarke

I love the "Same Pattern, Different Bodies" posts the Curvy Sewing Collective puts out there on a regular basis. I really like to see how a garment looks on different body types and what adjustments were made before I attempt a new pattern.

Today, I thought it would be fun to do something very similar but on two bodies that are vastly different: mine and my daughter's.


Mine

I blogged about my ITY Clarke here, but here's a picture and a few details:

• Size: 14
• Adjustments: none
• Measurements: 43 - 36 - 46

My daughter's

I made my daughter's version of the Clarke with scraps I had leftover from making mine. She's so tiny, I needed less than a yard for it.

• Size: 0
• Adjustments: none
• Measurements: 33 - 27 - 38

I really like where the Clarke hits her and how nicely it falls on her. (She's about 5' 6".)

This was really fun to make. I love that I can use up scraps to make something for my girl. And I would definitely call both these tops a success!

Jelly Lanterns - A Quilt Finish

The fabrics that went into making this quilt had probably been in my stash for 6 or 7 years. I'm pretty sure I got the Jelly Roll as part of the "Jelly Roll Club" subscription from Fat Quarter Shop back in 2013! Which would explain why it had been in my stash for so long - not exactly my style. But as I've said before, I'm determined to use up what I have - fabrics and patterns so when looking for a quick and easy quilt to make over the holidays, I decided to finally use my Field Notes by Blackbird Designs jelly roll and the Jelly Lanterns pattern by Meadow Mist Designs.

This pattern is really fun and easy and quick - just what my brain needed at the time. I matched the Field Notes strips with Kona White for the top because that's what I had on hand. And I used leftover strips from the jelly roll for the binding.

The backing is an absolutely crazy print I've had forever. I think I bought this at Fabricville years ago thinking I was going to make curtains for my sewing room (back when my sewing room had a window!) I was tired of seeing it in my stash and it was the perfect size for this quilt so onto the back it went.

I once again went with the wavy lines for the quilting. Nice, easy, quick, effective...

The details:

• Pattern: Jelly Lanterns by Meadow Mist Designs
• Size: 48" x 60"
• Fabrics: Kona white (background), Field Notes by Blackbird Designs jelly roll for the lanterns and binding 
• Thread: Pieced and quilted with Aurifil #2600 in 50 wt

Portales Mini: Small Wall Hanging Finish

I'm back with another finished quilt from the book Southwest Modern by Kristi Schroeder. This is my fifth quilt from the book: Rustic, Marfa Lights, Dunes and Cielo were the other four. I think this is probably going to be my last though - a few of the other quilts in the book are paper-pieced and I'm not a huge fan.

Portales Mini was a very quick finish and exactly what I needed. But it was also my first try at half-rectangle triangles which was kind of fun!

I used fat quarters in Kona Celestial, Kona Bahama Blue along with two Carolyn Friedlander prints in white and dark grey. The binding is Kona Celestial.

The quilting is pretty simple - straight lines with the walking foot with matching thread.

The details:

• Pattern: Portales Mini from the book Southwest Modern by Kristi Schroeder
• Size: 13" x 28" 
• Fabrics: Kona Celestial, Kona Bahama Blue, Carolyn Friedlander prints in white and dark grey 
• Thread: Pieced with Aurifil #2600 (light grey) in 50 wt, quilted with Aurifil #2780 (dark blue) in 50 wt,  #2600 in 50 wt, #2845 (light green) in 40 wt and #2630 (dark grey) in 40 wt.

Handmade Gifts

I didn't make many gifts this year - I was a little short on time unfortunately, but I did manage to get small things done.

First was a secret Santa gift for the office exchange. The person I was matched with really likes pink, candles and tea. So I decided to buy her a scented candle, a tea cup and I made a pink one-hour basket to put them in!

I used fat quarters I had in my stash and some By Annie's Soft & Stable to give the basket some structure and make sure it wouldn't collapse with the cup and the candle.

Next, I decided to make the ladies in my family coin purses just like the one I made for my sister a few weeks ago. I made 5 in total.

And that was it! That's all I was able to get done this year. I'm a little disappointed, but everything above was well received so I guess there's that.

A New Grey Seamwork Clarke

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a new Elliot Tee I had made with a grey jersey I purchased from Fabric.com which unfortunately is no longer available. Well, when I finished cutting that Elliot Tee, I noticed my Seamwork Clarke pattern still on my cutting table (I made my first Clarke back in November). I had more than enough of that grey jersey so I decided to cut myself a new Clarke!

This new version was a definite success! The fabric is much more fluid than my last one so I don't have that tent look. But the fit is just as good as the first one.

I don't really have much to say about this pattern that I haven't said in my other post. It's quick, it's easy and I love that the neckline and armholes are finished with  facings. If the fabric you choose is a little on the thinner side, you can lengthen the facings and have a lined tank top. I was actually thinking how nice this would be with a lace overlay and a beautiful satin on the bottom.

So many possibilities!

The details:

• Pattern: Clarke by Seamwork
• Size: 14 - no modifications
• Fabrics: Grey jersey from Fabric.com (no longer available) in polyester (95%) and lycra (5%)