MOTHERS DAY BAG!

My Mom has been gone 11 years and I miss her
everyday...My son lives 12 hours away and
I miss him everyday. 

But today I want to share a sweet Mother's Day story

Gemma, my 7 year old great-niece

 was recently spending a day with me.

Aunt Kathy, "Can we sew?"

Sure, but so you understand the sewing machine

is not a toy and we will make a project.

"OK"

She picked some fabrics to make her 

Mommie a Mothers Day Gift

Lessons are in order when she sews with me.

I want to teach her to "love" sewing.

I showed her...

How to determine the right side and wrong side of fabrics.

How to place fabrics RST 

How to  pin the two pieces for sewing the seams

(flip them over and make sure the pin catches both fabrics

and the edges are totally lined up)

Now at the sewing machine, more lessons.

How to line up the seams against the pressure foot toe guide.

To watch the pressure foot guide....NOT the needle

to keep the fabrics against it and have a nice

1/4" seam while gently guiding the fabric.

Important lesson:

Keep those fingers away from the needle area.

And she used the back stitch button.

We had 6 fabrics and 5 seams to make the drawstring pouch

with exterior and lining.

I cut the fabrics...she sewed the seams...

pulling out the pins and NOT sewing over them.

I pressed the seams.

She concentrated, while Aunt Kathy 

gave lots of encouragement and hugs!

"proud of you" may have been overused!

She watched as I cut the corners to "box the corners"

and she sewed the corner sections together.

She turned it inside out and thought using the

"chop stick" to poke out corners was quite fun!

She was tired by now so I suggested, "IF she didn't mind,

I would make the casing and the drawstrings

and she could just watch!

She top stitched the top and saw how the 

"open arm" works on the machine.

I put in the drawstrings, she said that they were

too hard to scoot thru.

And THIS is the final bag!

And when it was all said an done...

she was a happy little girl!

She did get restless but she finished it because...

UFOs are not a good lesson!  😉

I was a very proud "Aunt Kathy"

I hope Gemma will continue to want to "sew"

I have "sew" much to teach her!

I told her not many 7 year old kids can say

they sewed their Mama's Mothers Day gift!

I hope your Mothers Day is perfect in every way!

WHO SHARES YOUR BIRTHDAY?

A good friend told me, at a recent birthday gathering,

that her sister was a first time grandma!

The baby boy was born on my birthday.

Without a moments hesitation I said,

"I must give him one of my quilts".

Arthur Jack Good was born May 1 2018

I was born May 1, 1951

I made this quilt several years ago.

It has been in a storage tub, just waiting for the 

perfect baby to receive it!

Alexander Henry car fabrics...

but I don't remember the name.

''

And the backing was stash fabric

and worked out just fine.

I used a brown thread for a meandering FMQ design.

And addied some large ric rack as sensory tabs

for the baby to play with.

I used my Bernina text capability to add the baby's name 

and birthdate on the bottom right border.

My name is on the side border.

Makes a quick and easy label.

I also made a card that says...

You and Me....

...share the same birthday!

Added a little personal note inside for the baby

and why I gave him the quilt.

I may never meet "Baby Good", but that is not what matters.

I  "paid it forward" by giving a child a quilt!

Hopefully a cherished treasure for years to come.

And now my friend knows the answer to a question 
she has asked more than once. 

"What are you gonna do with all the quilts you make?

😊

I PAINTED A FOREST

I hope you read the post showing

how I made my Painted Forest quilt top.

I used Cotton and Steel Spellbound and Boo 

fabrics for the tree leaves

Grunge tree trunks and limbs

Black filled the background from my stash!

I had passed Vereene Memorial Garden many times 

as I drove around South Carolina!

 I had no idea what would embrace me

beyond the entrance but, 

I knew a there was a chance it that needed my

"Painted Forest" quilt.

DON'T GO INTO THE FOREST!

...unless its my Halloween forest!
This pattern "Painted Forest" is designed by
Scott Hansen at Blue Nickels Studio

Today is Friday the 13th so its a perfect time
to show you a Halloween quilt!

It's full of fun Quirky and Spooky trees made with

Cotton and Steel Spellbound and BOO fabrics!

You will also find a bit of Grunge in the tree trunks.

I was planning my winter hiatus and I needed to cut 

and kit these tree blocks.

Now that is NOT an easy chore!

Look at all the pieces for each block.

There is a Left Side and a Right Side of each tree.

No two trees have the same sections...
The hardest part of this pattern, for me, 
was keeping it all organized
You see, the cutting, layout and sewing instructions are on 
several different pages.
Flipping back and forth to know where I was, or should be,
was insane and made me want to run into a forest
and never come out.

However...she persisted!

I tried everything I could to make it easier.

Sticky notes were everywhere!

Keep in mind...there are two rows of trees.

So the fabrics cannot be the same

SIDE BY SIDE

OR FIRST ROW OVER SECOND ROW

Get where I'm coming from?

I had finished 3 or 4 blocks before I left home.

I took pictures of everything and 

using my iPad "mark up" capability
I wrote numbers on the pictures to keep it all in order. 
and then grouped then with what might be
blocks on first row
blocks on second row

I used Black and white fabrics from my stash
 for the background because...

It's a Halloween quilt and a dark forest is a must!

As I built the blocks I soon realized I needed a place 
to measure them sew I can trim them all to the same size.
  Small condo, sew the kitchen counter had to be my work table

I had a plastic measuring tape and some scotch tape in my

mobile sewing box so I set up this measuring area.
By taping down the tape measure!

Many hours later and lots of patience...

I had the 14 blocks finished and on a design wall !

Looks pretty good!

But trees all in a row????
DO NOT work for me!

So I played and played until I was happy with

this asymmetrical design of the forest!

Now...fill in the background pieces

using the fabric I had with me....

PLEASE let it be enough!

Impromptu technique..building it out, one piece at a time.

BOTTOM Section is more complicated.

I have to build this out on the top and the bottom!

  

Finally the top is designed and sewn!

The Painted Forest quilt top finished at 57" x 69"

WOW...that's a big forest to get lost in

(or under)

This was the most challenging quilt top I have made

in a very long time.   It was worth every hour I spent on it!

Scott, the pattern designer, even likes it!

When I get home I will...

1) make the backing

2) a quilting design

3) will I quilt it?

4) make a scrappy binding.

Scrappy perhaps?

Stay tuned for a post full of fun pictures 
of My Spooky Painted Forest
in the wild...

TODAY I AM DOUBLE STUFFED!

Thanks for hopping by to see my block for the 

30 days / 30 blocks hop 

hosted by Carla at Creatin' in The Sticks.
I told her I could do any day, any block
Sew today...my block is the..

"Double Stuffed" block

I am on vacation so needed to use scraps I had on hand!

Made me think outside the box because...not that many scraps!

It was a simple block...3 pieces

I didn't want to fall asleep while making this simple block!
I decided scraps can make it more fun and I can make 2 blocks
for my project!

I made "scrappy" centers!

Top and bottom pieces are the same fabrics, but till scraps.

I had enough scraps to make two Double Stuffed blocks.
Laid them out different ways to see what will look
best for my project.

Horizontal 

or Vertical

or how about one each way?

My project is a zipper pouch so I am going with

Horizontal Scraps in the middle of each block.

  I had to piece the lining to make the size of fabric I need.

Remember ...scraps!

My go-to zipper pouch is the Wide Open Zipper Pouch by Noodlehead and you can find her free tutorial here.

Once the 4 pieces are made

I used SFS 101 interfacing for the lining and 

Fusible fleece for the outside fabrics.

 Sew in the zipper.

BUT***This pattern has a unique zipper technique that 

makes this the OPEN WIDE bag that it is!

Details on the tutorial.

For a tighter fitting lining...trim the lining pieces down about 1/4" 

I do this after the zipper is sewn...to make sure all is well and

lined up nicely. 

3/4" seam allowance to sew it all together

(see tutorial for details)

TIPS: I use a jeans needle when making bags.  

For the top stitch I set a straight stitch to at least 3.0 
and use my open toe pressure foot.  
It sits snugly and the inside of the foot/toe
is my guide as I "slowly" stitch all around the bag.

If you have a free arm sewing machine as an option...its a breeze!

And here is my Double Stuffed Block zipper pouch!

It's also my giveaway!

CONTEST CLOSED 

Comment #62 is the winner. 

Leave  a comment and tell me if you like 

Double Stuffed OREO Cookies?

Open to US only (sorry, postage is crazy)

And this bag is yours!

Here's the blogger list for this hop!

Date

Project Designer

Block

April 1st	Creatin’ in the Sticks	Block 1- 4 Patch
April 2nd	Kwilty Pleasures Blog (me)	Block 2 - Double Stuffed
April 3rd	Sew Incredibly Crazy	Block 3 - Baby in a Corner
April 4th	SBD Embroidery and Quilting	Block 4 - Dutch Door
April 5th	What About Rheema	Block 5 - Surrounded
April 6th	Quilted Delights	Block 6 - Tacked Up
April 7th	Joy Studio	Block 7 - Stripper
April 8th	Just Sew Quilter	Block 8 - Staggered
April 9th	Quiltscapes	Block 9 - Topsy Turvy
April 10th	beaquilter	Block 10 - Chunky Pinwheel
April 11th	Freemotion by the River	Block 11 - Painted WIndow
April 12th	krislovesfabric	Block 12 - Broken Cinder Block
April 13th	MooseStashQuilting	Block 13 - Reaction
April 14th	Quilts by Joanne	Block 14 - Median Strip
April 15th	Persimon Dreams	Block 15 - Center of Attention
April 16th	Needled Mom	Block 16 - Bounce
April 17th	Just Let Me Quilt	Block 17 - Sweet Sixteen
April 18th	Life in Scrapatch	Block 18 - Yeah Eights
April 19th	Quarter Inch Crafter	Block 19 - Weave
April 20th	Seams To Be Sew	Block 20 - Classic
April 21st	Just Let Me Quilt	Block 21 - Spot
April 22nd	Something Rosemade	Block 22 - Cross Walk
April 23rd	Thimblemouse and Spouse	Block 23 - Opposites Attract
April 24th	Books, Hooks, Sticks, etc.	Block 24 - Possibility
April 25th	Words & Stitches	Block 25 - Camper Window
April 26th	Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats	Block 26 - Catching Z's
April 27th	Selinaquilts	Block 27 - Broken Stripes
April 28th	QuiltFabrication	Block 28 - Stockade
April 29th	Lakeshore Stitches	Block 29 - Dovetail
April 30th	Creatin’ in the Sticks REMEMBER... Not all blocks have to be in a quiltt!	ck 30 - Slow Tee