Posts

Many Moons: Free Pattern

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This modern drunkard's path pattern was made with my own ice dyed cotton. I titled it Many Moons because the colours and textures of the fabric reminded me of the moon's surface, and the pattern is laid out similar to a moon cycle chart. The moon is also considered to be the symbol for women. This was my first try at the Drunkard's Path block. I avoided this block because of the curves, but once I did a few, I got the hang of it. Below are links to get this free pattern, instructions for ice dying and a video on a simple technique to sew accurate curves for this block. (I wish I'd seen this video before I made this quilt). Glue basting??  Fons & Porter video demonstrating the glue basting technique for drunkard path blocks.

Happy Halloween!

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Halloween is my favourite time of year. I did this floral arrangement for the season and made a Halloween table topper to go with it. I think the whole thing looks quite cheerful. Also, check out my Halloween door wreath.

Sewing machine cover from an old art quilt

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I made a sewing machine cover with an old art quilt that hung in our office. I had been trying out improv aka free form quilting for the first time and created this mini quilt Summer Aspen . I love the colours but grew tired of it on the wall. I used Rayna Gillman's book Create Your Own Free-Form Quilts to make this quilt art. This book guides you along very well and has beautiful examples of some of Ryana's pieces. At first, I thought it might look nice as a bag, but I changed my mind about that and decided to turn it into a sewing machine cover. I love how it turned out.

Crazy quilt pillows with video tutorial

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I made these crazy quilt block pillows for our couch, and they really inject a bit of character into the room. I love crazy quilts but lack the patience and time for all that embroidery. So, now I use the fancy stitches on my sewing machine instead. My little Singer has the best decorative stitches, so I use that machine for crazy quilt blocks. Below is a great tutorial by Fons & Porter for creating crazy blocks. (FYI: The quilt in the left background inspired my denim scrap quilt beach blanket. )

My new studio desk

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I'm very proud of this little desk I created from a vintage sewing machine. I think the machine is circa 20s or 30s. I got it free from a friend of a friend, and it sat in my studio gathering dust for over a year until I finally had the time to make it useful. Some may think it's sacrilegious to hack a vintage machine like this, but it makes a great desk. I'm amazed at how much I could fit into those four little drawers.

Sewing Room Storage Tips

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#1   You can fit seven bobbins in a lipstick case.   Lipstick Case Bobbin Storage

Denim quilt made with scrap fabric

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Denim scrap quilt made with denim and cotton upholstery fabric scraps.