Scraps of My Life

Where Did the Time Go?

I didn't mean to ignore my little blog for so long. Let me just say, 2016 wasn't my best year. Due to some hard times at work, I wasn't feeling particularly creative or much like sharing when I did finally make something. But lately I've been missing it, so to start off 2017, here are some projects I made last year.

I made this cute Viewmaster pillow for my sister for Christmas. It's from The Paper-Pieced Home by Penny Layman.

One of my goals last year was to use some of my scraps in quilts so I made this baby quilt for a coworker. The pattern is Triple Star from Scrap-Basket Beauties by Kim Brackett.

My quilt guild (South Sound Modern Quilt Guild) displays our challenge quilts at the annual Arts Walk every year and the challenge last year was to use the patterned fabric and any solids in an improv quilt. Now just the word "improv" scares me. I am much more a "follow the pattern" kinda girl. But I had been wanting to try some of Jean Wells' techniques so I thought this might be just the right time. This quilt was inspired by her book, Intuitive Color & Design. 

Just like a lot of quilters out there, I've been saving selvages for a while and finally decided it was time to make something. This is a little purse I made for my niece using the Camera Case Wristlet pattern by Michelle Patterns. I sewed each selvage to a piece of cotton fabric, overlapping each strip and sewing with a zigzag stitch then cut out the pattern. My niece loved it.

The following three purses are from last year's Bag of the Month Club. 

This is the Backgammon Bag by Betz White. I couldn't find this pattern on her website, but she has a lot of other great patterns. The Backgammon Bag has a big pocket on the outside and a zippered pocket on the inside. It's a nice size purse for everyday use.

This one is the Window Shopper by Sewing Patterns by Mrs. H. It's huge and holds a lot of stuff. It's more a tote bag than a purse.

I made this Brooklyn Handbag by Swoon Patterns for my sister's birthday. She loves it and uses it all the time. The black fabric I used for the straps and the bottom of the bag looks like leather, but is actually Kraft-Tex paper fabric that starts out stiff but softens when you get it wet. 

So even though I wasn't blogging about my projects, I was actually making stuff. I hope you come back soon to see what else is on my cutting table.  Thanks for stopping by.

Little Projects

I found this cute little English Paper Piecing Travel Kit online at thezenofmaking.com and have wanted to make it for awhile now. I finally decided to cut everything out and work on the hexagons on our road trip to Sunriver in September. Once those were all done, I sewed it all together and now have this great organizer.

As you can see, it has three pockets to hold two Altoids containers, scissors, thread and finished hexagons. I really like it and am glad I finally decided to make it.

I love to decorate for Halloween and wanted a new table runner for the holiday, so I made the Diamond Charmer Table Runner from Fast & Furious Home by Gudrun Erla. This is a great book with lots of quilt as you go projects.

I used a charm pack of Halloween fabric (Midnight Masquerade by Deb Strain) and this small table runner went together very fast. I had a little problem with the inside corners on the binding, but a quick Google search turned up lots of tutorials and I was able to get the binding done and start using my new Halloween table runner.

I'd also like to introduce you to the newest addition to the studio. I've wanted this Tula Pink Bernina ever since I first saw a picture of it. For some reason, they're hard to find and I was fortunate that my local Bernina store was able to find one for me.

I've name her Peggy after my grandma who taught me to sew. She's just the right size for taking to quilt guild sew days and classes. Much easier than packing up my big Babylock Symphony. I took her on vacation to Sunriver in September and worked on some small quilt projects while my husband golfed. I really like her and am so glad to have her in the studio.

I'm happy you stopped by and hope you enjoyed my finished projects. Come back tomorrow for WIP Wednesday to see a few projects I'm working on now.

Where Bloggers Create 2015

Welcome to my studio and the Where Bloggers Create party hosted by Karen Valentine at My Desert Cottage. 

 

Not a lot has changed since last year, although I did recently repaint the room in a lighter shade of blue and add this cute orange and blue bird rug.

This is my scrapbooking area where some of my stamps are stored on shelves built by my dad. My computer and Silhouette Cameo are in easy reach so I can quickly cut files as I'm working. I'm addicted to 6x6 paper pads and keep them handy in my Raskog cart from Ikea. 

I painted this organizer recently in this great shade of blue. It was black (see picture above) and I like it much better now.

One of my favorite new storage solutions is this Spicy Shelf I added to the cabinet above the Silhouette. I love how easy it is to see all my paints now.

I have my sewing machine, Singer Featherweight, and serger set up on the counter along the wall, but can easily move them when friends come over for a sew day.

In this picture you can see the ironing station my husband made for me and my cutting table that is a dining room table that belonged to my Grandma Zangl.

This end of the room is where my Avante Handi Quilter resides. I also store baskets with fabric and batting underneath.

My design wall is surrounded by bookcases full of quilting, sewing, and scrapbooking books. The shelf on top holds some of my childhood dolls.  On the wall above the treadle sewing machine, which belonged to my Grandma Skog, is a shelf built by my dad that holds fat quarters.

Well, that completes the tour. Thank you so much for stopping by and don't forget to check out the other amazing studios here.

I couldn't resist closing with this adorable picture of Zoey "helping" in the studio.

Where Bloggers Create - A Studio Tour

Welcome to my studio. I'm so happy you stopped by today. This is my third year participating in the "Where Bloggers Create" blog hop sponsored by Karen Valentine of My Desert Cottage. I really enjoy sharing my studio and having the opportunity to get a glimpse into the studios of other crafty bloggers.

On the right as you enter my studio is my scrapbooking area.

All my scrapbooking supplies are stored in the blue bins in the bookcase, in the organizers on my desk, and hanging from the rod under the window. Under the desk is a six drawer Ikea file cabinet where I store paper, embellishments, and Project Life pocket pages.

Some of my mini books are displayed on top of the Ikea bookcase along with my blue vintage typewriter.

Shelves over my laptop hold more paper, embellishments, and my printer. My Silhoutte Cameo sits on the counter next to the my laptop, making it easy to quickly find and cut a design while scrapbooking. The upper cupboard hides all my acrylic paints and other crafting supplies, while the bottom cupboard has pullout wire bins full of quilt batting and interfacing.

Now we're moving into the sewing areas of the studio. I have room for three people to sew along the long counter. I usually have my three machines set up, but can move them quickly to make room when friends come over to sew. I spend a lot of time at the Babylock machine and love the convenience of the portable ironing board. It's really handy when piecing blocks to have the iron so close at hand instead of jumping up constantly to use the big ironing board.

This cute little Singer Featherweight is a new addition since last year's studio tour. I haven't used it very much, but think it's adorable and plan to take it to sew days with my quilt guild. On the pegboard shelves above are old candle jars full of ribbons sorted by color. 

This corner holds my serger and that all important machine - the Kuerig coffee maker. 

Along the back wall is my Handi Quilter Avante and a bookcase full of quilting and scrapbooking magazines. The quilt on the wall is made out of 15 years' worth of Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show tee shirts. 

The ironing table is another new studio addition that my husband built for me recently. You can read a little more about the building process here.

My cutting table is a dining table I inherited from my Grandma Zangl. Growing up, we used to visit my grandparents at their house on Moose Lake outside of Antigo, Wisconsin, and many summer evenings were spent putting together puzzles or playing cards at this table. We added blocks to the legs to raise it to counter height and it makes a wonderful cutting table. There's also room underneath on both sides for wire storage drawers which are full of fabric.

My design wall is surrounded by two Ikea storage towers that hold craft books and an Ikea shelf where I display my childhood dolls and toys.  Who remembers Chrissy and Velvet dolls with hair that grows?

This table is where I spend time looking at craft books, planning projets, and usually visiting with my sister. 

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the world. I hope you enjoyed yourself and be sure to check out more studios here.

Family Time

I feel like I've been neglecting this little blog for the last month or so. I'm usually in the middle of some quilty or scrapbooky goodness to share with you all, but since May, we've had company staying us and I haven't had a lot of time to make anything.

The time I have been in the studio was spent helping our beautiful niece Kenzie make a few projects. One project was this wall pocket from the book Modern Mix that she plans on hanging over her desk in her dorm room next fall. I think she did a great job.

 

 

While Kenzie was busy working on her project, I made these little bibs from Going Sew Crazy for a co-worker's baby shower. They were quick and easy to whip up and turned out so cute.

Now our nephew Michael is here with us for a month after just graduating from the University of Washington. Congratulations Michael! He's not much for crafting, but he will join me in the studio to watch a movie while I'm sewing.

In less than two weeks we'll be on our way to Sisters, Oregon for the big Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show and our family vacation in Sunriver, Oregon, so I probably won't be doing much sewing or scrapbooking until the end of July. But it has been so great having the kids here with us and we've enjoyed going to the beach, watching movies, having family game nights playing croquet, ladder golf, Big Bang Clue, and Monopoly, drinking rootbeer floats and "Harry Potter Butterbeer" and just being together.

Check back here on July 12th for this year's "Where Bloggers Create" studio tour hosted by Karen Valentine of My Desert Cottage and spend some time visiting a whole lot of cool, creative studios. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your summer days! 

Pinterest Inspired Projects

I admit it; I'm addicted to Pinterest. I have been pinning lots of great projects and finally decided to actually make some of them. So here are some recent Pinterest Inspired Projects.

For a while now, I've been wanting my husband to build me a "Big Board" that fits on my ironing board and provides a nice large pressing surface for quilting. Then I started seeing different ironing "tables" on Pinterest and I knew that's what we needed to build. 

We started with two $20 bookcases from Walmart, a piece of medium density fiberboard, batting, and cotton duck fabric and we ended up with this great ironing table with storage that combined this craft table from Organize Your Stuff Now and this ironing table from Jillily Studio.

This cute little tote from Crafty Hipster holds my Singer Featherweight sewing machine and makes it easy to take to my quilt guild sew days.

I made these little fabric boxes by Seaside Stitches for my mom and sisters for Mother's Day. I'll probably fill them with hand lotion and nail polish and maybe a small candle. They were really easy to make and I love how they turned out.

Last month my quilt guild decided to make nametags and I found this adorable paper-pieced pattern by Monkey Beans.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to come back soon to see more Pinterest Inspired Projects.  

Around Here

Sewing...January Bag of the Month at Sew Sweetness.

Notepad holders for me and my sister. The cute coffee embroidery is by Wild Olive.
Teaching...my friend Terri how to quilt on the Handiquilter.
Making...cards and envelopes. I love my new envelope maker from Stampin' Up. It's so fun and easy to use.

This card was made on the Silhouette with a cut file from makememori.com. Unfortunately it isn't available anymore.
Cards for the Stamper's Sampler challenge.
Meeting...Tula Pink at the Sewing & Stitchery Expo in Puyallup, WA. My sister Paula and I were lucky to run into Tula during the show and she was so nice to agree to a picture with us. We also attended her talk in the evening and it was great. She was so funny and it was interesting to hear about her fabric design process.

Shopping...at the Sewing Expo.
Listing...March 2014 30 Days of Lists.
Finishing...the Tula Pink's City Sampler 100 Modern Quilt Blocks Quilt Along. I made all 100 and used 64 in the Trellis Quilt (plus ten on the back).



Welcoming...the first signs of Spring in my yard.

Up Next Time...a few Pinterest inspired projects.

Work in Progress Wednesday

Around here I've been busy working on several projects that have deadlines, which is weird for me since I usually just make stuff for myself on my own timeline.

You may remember that back in May I committed to making 100 quilt blocks from Tula Pink's City Sampler Book along with other quilters participating in the Quilt Along. Well, it's six months later and I have completed all 100 blocks. Whew! And the first deadline is to link a completed quilt top to the Sew Sweetness blog by January 31 to have a chance to be picked a winner by Tula Pink herself! 

Yes, that is 100 blocks in a stack and a whole bowl full of scraps. Truthfully, as much as I love that patterned fabric, I am so happy the blocks are finished. I decided to make the Trellis quilt from Tula Pink's book. I started by sorting the blocks by color.

After trying several different layouts, I decided on this one.

Then I framed each block with dark brown Kona solid. I love the way the brown makes all the colors pop. Now I need to add the white sashing. Also, as you can see, the Trellis quilt pattern only uses 64 of the 100 blocks, so I'll probably use some on the back.

Next up is the Riley Blake challenge from the Modern Quilt Guild, which needs to be posted by February 17. As a member of the South Sound Modern Quilt Guild, all members received fat eighths of these five Riley Blake fabrics. We can add solid fabrics and make anything as long as it's quilted.

I'm making the Weekender Travel Bag by Amy Butler and following Elizabeth Hartman's tutorial for making a Weekender bag using quilted panels. I made all the panels this weekend; now I just need to sew the bag together.

So I think I'm on track to meeting those deadlines.

I also have a finished project to share. A while back my husband asked me to make a quilt for friend of his. He helped pick out the pattern and fabric when we were on vacation in Sunriver in September. The pattern is "Pennies in Heaven" from the book Loose Change by Kansas Troubles Quilters. I wasn't real excited about the fabrics since they weren't exactly screaming "modern" to me, which is what I tend to be drawn to lately. But my husband likes the quilt and I enjoyed making it for him to give his friend.

Well, that's what I've been up to since the first of the year. What projects have you all been working on?

I'm linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Another Baby Quilt and Tote Bags

Today I'd like to share the newest baby quilt I just finished. I fell in love with this quilt by Jen Eskridge from the book Modern Baby and knew it would be perfect for my cousin's new baby boy.

I used Kona solids for the background and scraps from other baby quilts for the hexagons. I would normally hand applique the hexagons because I enjoy doing hand work, but since this was for a baby and would be washed a lot, I wanted them to be on there securely, so I sewed them on with a machine blanket stitch.

On the back I used a few leftover hexagons along with a white one for the label, then I meander quilted the whole thing. Now I can't wait to give it to the new little one.

Before I went on my vacation to Sisters with my sister and our niece, I made all of us new tote bags to hold all our great fabric and other quilty goodies. The pattern was from the Fall 2009 issue of Quilts and More magazine, but is also available on AllPeopleQuilt.com. They were a big hit and really hold a lot of stuff!

Yesterday I made my 50th quilt block in the Quilt Along.  Yay!  I'm halfway there.

What are you working on now?

Vacation and Other Stuff

My sister Paula and I have been going to the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show since 1996. Over the years it has turned into a week-long family vacation. We rent a house in Sunriver and just relax, ride bikes, play golf (real golf for a few and putt putt for the rest of us), swim, play games and put together puzzles. But our big day is always the Saturday of the quilt show. We get up early, pack our picnic lunch, wake up somebody to take our picture, and we're off to Sisters.

This year our niece McKenzie joined us on vacation. She lives in Virginia and we don't get to see her very often, so it was wonderful to have her along. 

Our day was spent looking at all the beautiful quilts and shopping at the Stitchin' Post and other shops in the area. Of course, I came home with some new fabric and patterns. I haven't made anything yet, but I really enjoy just looking at it.

McKenzie loves to sew and once we got home from vacation, she got right to work on a couple of projects. She fell in love with this great Lotta Jansdotter fabric pack and knew it would be perfect for the Pasadena purse from A Quilter's Dream.

Her other project was a Kindle cover. The pattern is the Reader Wrap from Atkinson Designs and the fabric is Who's That Girl from Robert Kaufman. She did a great job on both projects and I'm so proud of her! She's going to be heading back to Virginia for college in a few weeks and I'm really going to miss having her in the studio with me, scrapbooking and sewing and watching Gilmore Girls.

I'll leave you all with a pretty shot of the Deschutes River from one of our morning walks. Just lovely.

On a side-note, I've linked up my Where Bloggers Create post to the Studio Spotlight tour hosted by the Sewing Loft and Elison Lane. Be sure to check out all the beautiful and creative studios on the tour.