The New Set Bag

The New Set Bag

I've been bored while I've been off work and that means I've had time to concentrate on PROJECTS! Woo Hoo! So the other day I was wandering through my favorite little craft store and got the idea to make myself a new bag. I work in production so I always have, what I call, a "Set Bag". My set bag is a durable carry-all that I use when I am literally "on set" during production. It needs to be able to hold my laptop, clipboard, pens, walkie talkie, and every other little thing I need to have with me on a shoot. But my set bags take a beating and often get dirty so I don't want to take my nice leather purse with me. Just because it needs to be functional, durable and rough and tumble doesn't mean it can be cute too, does it? So I made myself a set bag. And I love it!

Close-Up on the Front Details

View of the Lining and Inside Pockets

View of the Back Pocket

But as I was finishing it I thought maybe I should give it to my friend Candi instead as a gift. I am helping throw her baby shower tomorrow so I thought it might make a great diaper bag for her second bundle of joy. She's having a little boy and I thought the colors fit her and her little boy-on-the-way well. I may just have to make myself another one. And one for my sister, my mom, oh, and my friend Alyssa who fell in love with it as I was making it. I guess I'm taking orders!

Red & Aqua Part 2 May Block

So my second attempt at paper piecing went much better. In the Red & Aqua Part 2 Bee, May's Block gave me an opportunity to further my paper piecing skills. The request from Canada was a Laced Star. Sigh. It was daunting at first but thankfully she included enough extra fabric so there was some room to play and I quickly discovered that this is - for me at least - one of the keys to paper piecing. Having the extra fabric made all the difference. Paper piecing can produce an excess of waste, and I tried to minimize this as much as possible, but it helped to have extra fabric especially since my distinctly non-mathematical mind has difficulties figuring out the angles backwards. Does that make any sense? This time around there was definitely less frustration and it was a little easier than the last - so much so that I discovered that I don't hate paper piecing as much as I thought I did, especially after seeing the finished product.

Laced Star for May in the Red & Aqua Part 2 Bee

I fell in love with this block. It was sad to send it home. And I was thrilled that I got one of the packages with the special Eiffel Tower fabric. I can't wait to see this quilt all put together. It's going to be amazing!

Sewn Together May Blocks

I haven't updated the blog for a while, but that's not because I haven't been working on any projects, quite the contrary. At the end of April I got caught up on my Bee Blocks for the month and I got a head start on May.

In the Sewn Together Bee Sorrel couldn't decide so she sent out fabric for two different blocks and let us decide which one we wanted to make. I don't go back to work until June and I absolutely love piecing so I was happy to take a stab at both - plus she had the best stories behind both of the quilts. The first block she asked for was a Los Angeles Lakers inspired wonky log cabin. Her grandmother had started a quilt for her cousin with Down Syndrome but never finished it before she passed away. Years have passed and Sorrel discovered the old project and has decided to update it for her cousin who is now living in his own place.

Lakers Inspired Wonky Log Cabin #1

I had enough fabric left over to start another block but I ran out of yellow so I sent her a block and a half for the Lakers Quilt.

Lakers Inspired Wonky Log Cabin "Half Block" #2

The alternate block she wanted was inspired by Denyse Schmidt's "Drunk Love" quilt. This quilt she is making for her husband. She told us how supportive he's been of her quilting habit, even creating a workspace for her in their house. Her mother-in-law wanted to buy her a display case for her quilts and she had to admit that she never keeps the quilts she makes. That's when her husband asked the same question my wonderful and amazing fiance asks me every time I sit down to my sewing machine: "Why don't you ever make me anything?" So she is making the second quilt as a surprise for her husband because he commented positively on a similar block she made for another bee. (Please ignore the dark spots on the photos I had an issue with my camera. It's since been fixed!)

Drunk Love Inspired Block #1 for Sorrel

Again I had leftover fabric and time on my hands so I started a second block for her but ran out of white fabric this time. So I'm sending her one and a half blocks for each quilt.

Drunk Love Inspired "Half Block" #2

As I was working on these I really fell in love with them. I loved the colors and I was happy with the way they turned out. I was inspired to maybe do something similar for my own wonderful and amazing fiance one day. I hope Sorrel is as happy with them as I am!

Red & Aqua Part 2 April Blocks

Since I was away for most of the month I had to scramble when I got back to finish my bee blocks for April. In the Red & Aqua Part 2 Bee Mary wanted us to make a Strip for her Strip Quilt. I must admit I wish I had been a little more creative with this one. I like how it turned out but looking back on it I think I could have pushed the envelope a little more.

Strip #1

Here is some close-up on the details for the first strip.

Close-Up on the Details on Strip #1

I actually made two strips for her.

Strip #2 for Mary

More detail on the second strip.

Close-Up on the Details on Strip #2

Paper Piecing Woes

Since I got home from Guatemala I've been busy catching up on blocks I needed to make for my virtual bees. I purposely left the first block in the Red and Aqua Bee Part 2 until after I returned from my trip. The block was a Colorwheel Geese block and was my first ever attempt at paper piecing. I tried to put it together before I left for Central America but I was having some difficulty learning how to paper piece so I figured I would have more time to focus on learning this technique when I returned home. I have to say that putting this block together gave me more than a few gray hairs. It was a labor of love. I hadn't been this frustrated sewing in a very, very long time. I had to rip out stitch after stitch over and over in my attempt to learn how to paper piece. Initially I would have thought that paper piecing would be easy but boy was I wrong. But after many failed attempts I finally got the square together and I must say I am pretty happy with the finished product. I love the design but I think it will be awhile before I attempt this one again.

Sewn Together April Blocks Done

It's been a while since I've posted. March was crazy trying to wrap up Celebrity Fit Club and then my wonderful and amazing fiance and I were able to sneak away for a little while and take a much needed vacation. We spent nearly three weeks backpacking through Guatemala and Belize. It was fabulous and so difficult to return home. I did buy lots of fabric and textiles while I was down there, but I'll share some of that later. Since I've been home I've been trying to catch up on some blocks I needed to finish for the Bees I am in currently. Truth be told, I finished Mary's first block for the Sewn Together Bee before I left the country but I had so much fabric left over I offered to do a second block for her. Unfortunately I couldn't get to that one until I got back. In the first one I added the pink and brown fabric in the top right little square in the middle. Mary said we could add our own fabric as long as it had small dots or circles.

Mary's first Dotty Squares block for the Sewn Together Bee month of April

I had a lot of fun making Mary's Dotty Square blocks. Sadly, as much as I had an overabundance of fabric to make all the small squares and triangles, I didn't have enough large pieces of fabric to create the large squares and triangles. Mary was fine with that and told me to do what I can. So I got the second one about three quarters of the way finished and sent it on it's way to her. I hope she likes it! I added the blue fabric in the very center of the second block from my own stash.

Mary's incomplete second Dotty Squares block for the Sewn Together Bee month of April

Sewn Together March Blocks Done

I finished April's blocks for the Sewn Together Bee this month and I'm quickly getting them off in the mail before I leave on a trip to Guatemala for the next several weeks. I really love the Wonky Log Cabin and it was a very easy way to ease my way into my first ever quilt blocks. It was also such an honor to help April make this quilt because I know these fabrics mean a lot to her. She asked each of us to initial the blocks so I machine embroidered mine onto each.

My first ever block! I loved making this for the month of March in the Sewn Together Bee!

I was experimenting a little so I made the center of my first block with two triangles and I have to say that I really kind of like how it turned out. As I was making the second block I realized that I was running out of strips of fabric long enough for the outer rows so I had to improvise and change my vision a little at the last minute but in the end I am satisfied with the outcome.

I hope that April likes these blocks!