In the Sewing Room


I decided to move my sewing room to a more sunny location in the house. So this weekend was all about moving furniture from one room to the other, re-organizing and getting settled. It was a lot of hard work switching rooms, thankfully my husband helped me a lot. He did most of the heavy lifting. Even though we were exhausted it was all worth it. I love my new room; I get a lot more natural light and the new layout makes it feel more spacious.  


As part of my reorganization I needed some containers to hold small tools and scissors so I covered a couple of tin cans with fabric. And on the small one I practiced English paper piecing. It was my first time using this technique and I love it. I can't wait to do some more.



My small fabric stash is now neatly organized on my new shelves. I still have to do some organizing, but it is all coming together nicely. Now it is time to get sewing.
I hope you had a great weekend!

Martha.

Alphabet Baby Quilt



I finally finished the baby quilt! I feel like I have been working on this project for a very long time. I'm glad is finished and ready to be delivered to my goddaughter. I think she will be very happy with it. She can use it to stay warm, use it as a play mat or to learn her ABC's.
All the letters on the quilt were hand drawn to give it a more playful look. I also mixed capital and lower cases  I think it gives it more character. I got the inspiration for this quilt from this book. Such a pretty book filled with great projects.



The back of the quilt. I just love this fabric. I think the ice cream cones and pops are so cute.


Well, now that I'm done with the Alphabet quilt, I'm thinking what would be my next project. I have some ideas...

Stay tuned!

Martha

Work In Progress - Baby Quilt


I have been working on a quilt for my goddaughter for the past two weeks. I made a lot of progress over the weekend and the quilt top is almost finished. I hope to start the quilting this week, so my goddaughter can start enjoying her quilt very soon.

Martha

Scrappy Mug Rug and Some Quilting Tips


Have you ever gone shopping for a specific item and you end up walking in circles and not finding what you were looking for? Well, that is how I spent most of my day today. I went shopping at the mall and came back empty handed because I couldn't find what I was looking for. All the stores were crowded and it was almost impossible to find a parking space. Maybe everyone went to the mall to get away from the heat; it was almost 100 degrees!
Since most of may day was spent at the mall my quilting project got a bit neglected. But after I came home I played around with some fabric scraps and I made a mug rug. All the scraps were random fabrics I picked from my scrap pile and they ended up working really well together. I specially like the fussy cut of the little piggy. As soon as I finished my mug rag I put it to good use holding my glass of water. It was still very hot outside...


Also, I want to share with you some practical quilting tips I have learned from experience and from my fellow quilters over at Plum and June's Blog Hop:
  • To prewash or not to prewash fabric: It all depends on the use you are going to give to your quilted item. If it is going to be a decorative item it is not necessary to prewash the fabric.
  • Measure twice before you cut into your fabric
  • A 1/4" foot makes for easier piecing. If your sewing machine doesn't come with one it might be a good idea to invest in one.
  • Press your seams either open or to one side; there is not an universal rule, it all depends on the project.
  • Do not use your fabric scissors to cut paper.
  • A seam reaper is your best friend. We all make mistakes when sewing or quilting and a seam reaper makes it easier to correct them.
  • Iron your fabric before cutting.
  • Always have fabric starch on hand.
  • Have fun sewing.
This is this week's Hop Calendar, please visit these bloggers and see what they have prepared ;

July 7
Katie from Kati's Quilting
Caroline from Quilting in the Cold

July 9
Jamie from Sweet Baby Jamie
Janine from Rainbow Hare Quilts

Happy Sewing!

Martha

Summer Bag and W.I.P.


I was in need of a new summer bag. A roomy catch all bag with a care free feeling. Today I finished my new summer bag. I got the pattern from the great book: Bags, the modern classics. The patterns in this book are easy to follow and this one was no exception. The book recommends using fusible interfacing for the exterior layer of the bag. I chose to skip the interfacing since the outer fabric I used on my bag is a heavy cotton (canvas like), so I think the fabric has enough body on its own.


I already transferred all of my stuff to my new bag. I want to wear it to work tomorrow.


I also started a new project... I bought this yummy fabrics at my local fabric store. It is meant to be a present for my goddaughter.


I got the planning of the fabric placement done and began cutting the fabric. I will show you more details as the project begins to take more form.  Stay tuned...

Martha.