Tasting Table Tuesday - Lots of Projects

My oh my...  So much to catch up on...

A few weeks ago (this post) I told you that Family Ties #3 was out to be quilted.  It came back from the quilter looking gorgeous, as expected.  Then I added the scrappy binding using even more of the neckties from my client, added the label and shipped it off to it's new home.  Family Ties #4 is next.  The last in the series.

And remember the Vintage Hankie Quilt I mentioned in that same post?  Well, that is now assembled and ready to go out for quilting as soon as I find the perfect backing fabric.  I painstakingly stitched each hankie to a background of Essex Linen in Natural, using a narrow zigzag stitch and matching Aurifil 50wt thread.

The thin Aurifil thread virtually disappears on most of the hankies.

If you remember, I was on a mission to find fabrics for the sashing from an old collection called Morning Glory by Robyn Pandolph.  I used these fabrics to make a quilt for my daughter several years ago and they are no longer available.

But I just knew it would be perfect for the scrappy sashing strips...

I spent hours searching the internet, then discovered that one of my good friends just happened to have some in her stash!  Oh Happy Day!  When I combined hers with mine, there was enough to do all the sashing as well as a scrappy binding!  Like she always says - "sometimes it's not what you know, it's who you know".  How true!

I added a 6" border of the Essex Linen to give the longarm quilter room to do some of her exquisite custom quilting.  The quilting alone is going to make this a show stopper - I guarantee!  Her work is amazing...  just wait and see...

This weekend I took some time out and worked on a "me" project.  Have you guessed what it is yet?

That's right!  A new purse - and it's mine!

It's the Two-Zip Hipster pattern by Dog Under My Desk.  I've made this bag a few times for customers, but never for myself.  You see, I'm going to the Machine Quilter's Exposition (MQX) in New Hampshire next week and wanted something easy to carry that would also hold my iPad.  This fits the bill perfectly!  And I've been in love with this gray IKEA fabric for ages and was just waiting for an excuse to make myself something with it.

The outer slip pocket will be perfect for stuffing brochures and papers that I pick up along the way, and the zippered one will hold all my little loose stuff.

I lined it with a pretty light aqua cotton, and it has slip pockets for my digital camera and phone.

And of course, every new bag has to have a matching wallet!

Did I mention that I'm going to MQX next week???  I'm so excited!  I was there five years ago and have wanted to return ever since.  I've signed up for several lectures, as well as a Judy Niemeyer Paper Piecing class taught by Jackie Kunkel of Canton Village Quiltworks.  I've followed Jackie's blog for quite some time and am in awe of the projects that she and her students accomplish.  When I discovered that she was teaching at MQX this year, I jumped at the chance to take one of her classes.  This is the block we're going to make.

Like I said before - I'm SO excited!!!

Cheers!

Play Day - Zentangle Stitching

It's been a busy week and I've gotten lots accomplished (pictures of my latest projects are at the end of this post).  So today I gave myself permission to play.  You may remember me writing about Zentangle drawing last summer, and I've been doodling on paper from time to time, practicing some designs, but hadn't yet tried stitching out the designs on fabric.  Afterall - that's what attracted me to Zentangle in the first place - the designs lend themselves so well to free-motion quilting.  So I stitched my first Zentangle quilt block.  The design is called Paradox.  This is what it looked like after stitching it...  Not bad, but look what happens...

...when you add some shading with a colored pencil...

Isn't it amazing what a difference the shading makes?  (Lighting too - the first one was taken under a fluorescent light and the second and third ones were in natural daylight - huge difference in color!)
I can really see myself having some fun with this!  Do you Zentangle?

In case you're interested, here are the "work" projects for the week.  Two custom purse orders in one week!  Woo hoo!!!  First up is a Two-Zip Hipster in Juggling Summer and lined with orange swirls.  The combination of fabrics and stabilizers in this bag is just perfect.  I wish you could feel this bag.  It has lots of body without being stiff, and feels so nice!  My customer will be picking this up later today and I can't wait to see how she likes it.

And this work-in-progress is a City Bag, at 90% of the original size.  I'm still waiting for the strap hardware to arrive in the mail, so it's not quite done yet.  I used a multi-colored batik for the top and faux leather for the bottom and the strap.  Now I get to Zentangle (aka play) while I wait for my package of hardware to arrive!

Cheers!

Tasting Table Tuesday - A New Year

Happy New Year!  Seems like forever since I've posted anything new here.  The holidays were a flurry of activity, both before - and during - leaving no extra time for blogging.  I made almost all of my Christmas gifts this year, and in hind-sight, I probably got in a little too deep this time.  I got a little stressed out in  my attempts to finish everything on time, but in the end, it all worked out fine.

Following tradition, hubby and I got up early Christmas morning and drove to a nearby State Park at the PA Grand Canyon for a daybreak pancake breakfast.  We always do this when we find ourselves alone on Christmas morning, and it's a very special start to our holiday.  This year there was a fresh snowfall and absolutely no wind.  The weather was perfect.  We built a fire in the huge stone fireplace in the pavillion, cooked pancakes and drank coffee.  A peaceful start to a perfect day.

Our daughter, SIL  and granddaughter were here for most of the week, including Christmas, and the 5 of us had plans to travel to Western PA to see my parents and brothers, but Mother Nature had other plans.  We got dumped with about 18 inches of snow between Wednesday and Saturday so that brought our travel plans to a screeching halt.  Very disappointing, to say the least.  But we made the best of it and enjoyed a quiet end to the week and enjoyed the time together.  And you have to admit - the snow was beautiful.

Little Miss R kept us totally entertained as she played "dress-up" for hours on end.  Grammie's hats, shoes, jewelry, purses, scarves - you name it - she wore it.

Now for some of my Christmas projects...
My husband loved his target quilt, so that was a huge success.  In my rush to get everything done, I neglected to take a picture of it after I finished quilting it, and I just now realized it.  Oh well - I'll take one later.
The Weekender Bag was also a hit, as was the I Spy Matching Game, as you can see here.  She's not yet two years old, but was already finding the pairs and matching them up.

At the last minute, I also decided to make a Computer Bag for my DIL.  I used the Two-Zip Hipster pattern by Dog Under My Desk, but made it twice as wide and an inch taller, so it would hold her laptop computer. I also added a padded, elasticized pocket for the power cord and the mouse, along with some slip pockets on the other side.  I love these fabrics.  They're from the Juggling Summer collection by Moda.

There were many other small miscellaneous gifts, but I neglected to photograph them all.  Besides, I don't want to bore you with picture overload.  Next year I think I need to get an earlier start on my projects...
Thank you for sharing 2012 with me here at the Cotton Cellar, and I look forward to keeping in touch with you all in 2013.  Happy New Year!
Cheers!

Tasting Table Tuesday, which way do I go?

Good morning! The sun is shining and it's a gorgeous day here in PA. What's on my Tasting Table this Tuesday? Lots of things! It's one of those days when I have so many ideas rolling around in my head that I don't know which one to start first. (I'm sure I'm not the only one with this problem!)

Anyway, first on the list is to finish this new bag - a custom order - I'm in love with the fabric she chose, which really makes this project fun to work on. I love it when a fabric really "talks" to me like this one does. I'm very excited to see how it's going to finish up, and I'm sure my customer will be thrilled with it. The designs look like they were drawn with a Spirograph, and I spent hours playing with one when I was a kid. Happy memories! This bag is made with this pattern - another Two Zip Hipster. (It's afternoon now and I just finished, so here is a picture of the finished bag as well.)

Next on my list is another quilt using my own "Cube Mates" pattern. This is a repeat of the one I made using re-purposed oxford shirts, but this time I'm using this cream fabric with beige words written on it for the rectangles. I've had it in my stash for quite a while and didn't know what to use it for, but this will be perfect. It's from Moda's Simplicity collection that was out a few years ago. It goes well with the pastel shirting colors.

Another idea is to make a quilt using these fabrics. It's a jelly roll of grey & cream fabrics that would make the most awesome quilt, especially as a gender-neutral baby quilt. The soft grey & cream colors are so classic-looking, yet with a modern flair. I found it on a great Etsy shop called SanourrasFabricLove and she has a terrific fabric selection! If you are looking for a quilt like this, all I need is a little nudge (hint hint) and I would order this fabric in a heartbeat! Otherwise, I'm going to wait until I get caught up on some other projects first. But I really love the idea for this one!

Plus, I've got a plan for a quilt I'm going to make for my husband. I'm drawing up my plans on EQ and I'll share them with you soon. This year we celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary and I've made quilts for everyone but him. He is so supportive of this sewing obsession of mine and I think it's time to make a quilt just for him.

And my list could go on and on, but I'll stop here for now. If I spend all my time on the computer, I'll never get these projects finished! Time to go sew! Have a great day all!

Tasting Table Tuesday - Hipster style!

Last week I saw a great-looking bag over at Poppyprint's blog and I knew that I just HAD to have this new pattern! It's called the Two Zip Hipster by Dog Under My Desk, and because the pattern is offered as a PDF, I was able to purchase it and download it almost immediately - love these instant downloads! The pattern is very clear with lots of detailed photographs, so I didn't have any problems making this one. It's intended as a Hipster-style cross-body bag, but the strap has lots of adjustment and if you shorten it all the way it can also be used as a shoulder bag. It has a zippered top and two front pockets. One with a zipper closure, and the other is a slip pocket directly behind the zippered one.The inside has a double slip pocket. The one on the right is sized for an iPhone, and the other is slightly larger. The inside of the bag will hold an iPad too! Great for people on the go who have to have their gadgets with them. (Please pardon my mock-ups for the gadgets - I don't have an iPhone, or iPad, so I use these hand-made props instead. Works for pictures and the batteries never run down!) The pattern is shown using one fabric for the entire outside of the bag, but I like the contrast of a 2nd fabric for the pocket section on the front. Both fabrics are quilting cotton.
I also added 5 rows of top-stitching to the strap, just because I like it that way. Now I have to decide (as they say on HGTV) whether to "Love It, or List It". As much as I'd like to keep it, I'll probably list this one on Etsy soon. I have some new fabric coming in the mail later this week and I just might make one for myself with that...

What's on your "Tasting Table" this Tuesday? Any new projects started? I'd love to hear about them!