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Monday, October 31, 2011

This Weekend

Outfoxed Mini by jenib320
Outfoxed Mini, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
It was a very full weekend! My Mom and Aunt visited and we shopped and ate all weekend long! It was a lot of fun! :)

I squeezed in a little time to sew up this mini quilt featuring Lizzy House fabrics from 1001 Peeps and Outfoxed. It's pretty small at 10" square. I knew that little foxed needed his own project and I can't say no to another mini! Sometimes it's nice to just have a quick project that you don't need to think much about!

Mini Hoppel by jenib320
Mini Hoppel, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Snatched up a super cute mini Hoppel made by the talented Isa, which arrived last week! He is SO cute! And so tiny :)

Voile by jenib320
Voile, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I may have gone overboard. Enough voile to make a LOT more scarves! ;) Glad you all have enjoyed the tutorial from last week!

Made a batch of mini ham and cheese muffins for dinner tonight. I use this recipe as a base but use cubed ham steak, mozzarella and cheddar cheese instead!

Thrifting by jenib320
Thrifting, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Good few weeks of thrifting! Updated the shop with lots of new prints! :)

MINE by jenib320
MINE, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Finally, finally found a turquoise vintage fan! At an antique mall, but still! It's mine now. And, it works!

Happy Halloween! by jenib320
Happy Halloween!, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Happy Halloween! From George & I!

Today I love the..
Smell of: Dinner
Sound of: My Name is Earl
Taste of: Fresca
Sight of: Fall leaves
Feel of: Comfy PJs

Good Things about Today:
- Productive day!
- Ham & cheese muffins!
- It's Halloween!!
- Creamy Pumpkin candle

Thursday, October 27, 2011

This Week

Bee Blocks by jenib320
Bee Blocks, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
It's been a busy week! But, thankfully I was able to get caught up on my bee blocks. It always feels good to be caught up! Jen asked for drunk love blocks for the Twice Around the Block Bee. I also finished up my block for the Beebolt charity quilt from The Sewing Summit! :)

Stocking by jenib320
Stocking, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Have you guys heard about Stockings for Kids? It's a charity drive being run by Lyanna of Purple Panda Quilts. This is a little sneak peek of the tutorial I'm sharing there on Tuesday! :)

Fabric Candy by jenib320
Fabric Candy, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I've been baaad. Fabric candy has been arriving. Snatched up some Prince Charming from my friend Amy's new online shop, The Fabricologist, Outfoxed from Sew Fresh Fabrics, and a stack of stripes and other lovelies from my LQS. Oooops! :)

Pyrex by jenib320
Pyrex, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I got lucky with vintage Pyrex this week! Found these three bowls all in dismal condition, but felt the need to save them. They all cleaned up pretty well. I already have a turquoise set, but it's my favorite so, why not? Hehe.

Vintage Fabric by jenib320
Vintage Fabric, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Thrifted this vintage fabric today for $1!

Simple Cowl by jenib320
Simple Cowl, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Working on my simple cowl! I'm on Ravelry now, trying to help keep myself motivated!

George by jenib320
George, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
George :)

Today I love the..
Smell of: Fresh night air
Sound of: Harry Potter 6 audiobook
Taste of: Chicken Tortilla soup
Sight of: George
Feel of: Flannel quilt

Good Things about Today:
- Apartment is clean!
- Happy mail!
- Tortilla soup leftovers!
- Watching George run around!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Quick Scarf Tutorial

Quick Scarf Tutorial - In Color Order
Quick Scarf Tutorial, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
As promised, today I have a quick and easy scarf tutorial for you! Using voile and flannel, this scarf is SUPER snuggly! Perfect for the coming winter and would make a great gift! I hope you enjoy this little tutorial! I took a video which is at the end, of how I like to tie mine!

For my scarf I used the print Four Square in lilac from Anna Maria Horner's Little Folks collection paired with some cream flannel from JoAnns.

I like to use my walking foot whenever I'm using fabrics that are no regular quilting cotton. The voile can be a little slippery, but it plays really nicely with the flannel!

Quick Scarf Tutorial - In Color Order
Quick Scarf Tutorial, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Sewing Level: Beginner Friendly

Materials:
- 1/2 yd Voile fabric
- 3/4 yd Flannel fabric
- 1/2 yd Pom pom trim
- Coordinating thread

Seam Allowance: 1/4" unless otherwise noted
Finished size: approx. 8.5"x104"

Quick Scarf Tutorial - In Color Order
Quick Scarf Tutorial, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
1. Iron your flannel and voile. Cut three 9" strips from your flannel.

Quick Scarf Tutorial - In Color Order
Quick Scarf Tutorial, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
2. Fold your voile in half, matching the folded edge to the selvedge. Cut two 9" strips.

Quick Scarf Tutorial - In Color Order
Quick Scarf Tutorial, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
3. Trim the selvedges off both the flannel and voile.

Quick Scarf Tutorial - In Color Order
Quick Scarf Tutorial, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
4. Sew all three flannels pieces to each other to create one long strip. Do the same with the two voile pieces. Press your seams open.

Quick Scarf Tutorial - In Color Order
Quick Scarf Tutorial, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
5. Cut two 9" pieces of pom pom trim. On one end of the flannel strip, pin in place on the right side, along the edge, with the poms pointing in. It's helpful to cut off the first and last poms so that they don't get caught in the side seams.

Quick Scarf Tutorial - In Color Order
Quick Scarf Tutorial, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
6. Baste trim in place using an 1/8" seam allowance.

Quick Scarf Tutorial - In Color Order
Quick Scarf Tutorial, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
7. Pin the voile, right sides down, only on the edge with the trim.

8. Begin pinning along both sides, all the way to the opposite edge, stopping about 6" from the end of the voile.

Quick Scarf Tutorial - In Color Order
Quick Scarf Tutorial, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
9. Trim away the flannel where the voile ends.

Quick Scarf Tutorial - In Color Order
Quick Scarf Tutorial, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
10. Repeat steps 5 and 6 to baste and pin the pom pom trim on the other end.

11. Finishing pinning up the sides, leaving a 5" opening for turning at the end.

Quick Scarf Tutorial - In Color Order
Quick Scarf Tutorial, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
12. Using your zipper foot, sew along the edge with the trim. Backstitch and start and end. Repeat at the other end.

Quick Scarf Tutorial - In Color Order
Quick Scarf Tutorial, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
13. Using a walking foot, stitch up both sides, making sure to leave the opening for turning. Backstitch at the start and finish.

Quick Scarf Tutorial - In Color Order
Quick Scarf Tutorial, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
14. Clip your corners.

Quick Scarf Tutorial - In Color Order
Quick Scarf Tutorial, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
15. Turn your scarf right sides out, pushing out the corners. Press. Be sure to pin your opening closed.

Quick Scarf Tutorial - In Color Order
Quick Scarf Tutorial, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
16. Finally, using your walking foot, topstitch around the entire scarf.

Quick Scarf Tutorial - In Color Order
Quick Scarf Tutorial, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Voila! You're done! :)


Quick Scarf Tutorial a video by jenib320 on Flickr.
Okay, don't laugh! Here is a dorky video of me tying up my scarf!

Enjoy!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Kona Challenge Quilt

Kona Challenge Quilt by jenib320
Kona Challenge Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
As a part of the Madison Modern Quilt Guild, I was able to participate in the Kona Challenge. We were each given a charm pack (I think this one is the classic palette), and told to only use solids to create something. Naturally I wanted to make a quilt but that charm pack sat around for a while before I decided on a pattern. Lucky for me, I received another charm pack in the same palette in my Sewing Summit swag bag. I originally planned on using both packs to make tons of half-square triangles and go from there.

Well, once I was through one charm pack, I did not want to make any more half-square triangles! So, I decided on some variation of the traditional Bear Claw quilt for my project since it uses 4 HSTs and a large square. I used this method to create my HSTs! I played around with a lot of layouts but liked this one the best! It rounds out at about 33"x47" :)

Kona Challenge Quilt by jenib320
Kona Challenge Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I was really tempted to pick up some yardage of a single color for the backing, but decided instead to just use what I had on hand. So, I just pieced a bit of rainbow together!

Kona Challenge Quilt by jenib320
Kona Challenge Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I first quilted it on the diagonal, but didn't feel like it was enough once I was finished. So, I went back and quilted on either side of the major seams. I like the effect, it's especially noticeable on the back!

Kona Challenge Quilt by jenib320
Kona Challenge Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I machine bound the quilt in Kona stone, despite my strong urge to add a print! I behaved! :)

Kona Challenge Quilt by jenib320
Kona Challenge Quilt, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
This was a fun quilt to put together and a good exercise for me, since I rarely use a lot of solids. I'm not sure if I'll do anything with all solids again soon, picking out the prints is my favorite part of the process! However, I'm happy with the result and happy that I played along! Plus, Michael likes it well enough for me to hang it in our hallway, so, YAY!

Happy Quilting!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Weekend

241 Tote by jenib320
241 Tote, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Why oh why did it take me so long to finally make Anna's 241 Tote? Well, the actual reason is because I kept changing my mind on what fabrics to use! Every time I thought I was ready to start, a new fabric combination tempted me away! Yesterday though, I got a brainwave staring at this stack of rainbow Lizzy House goodness. Of course, patchwork!

Between my stash and the scraps I received last week, I used prints from all five of Lizzy's current fabric lines: Lizzy Dish, Red Letter Day, Castle Peeps, 1001 Peeps, and Outfoxed! They play very nicely together!

241 Tote by jenib320
241 Tote, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
To calm the patchwork a bit I used Quilter's Linen for the sides, Kona stone for the interior, and Pearl Bracelet in brown for the side pockets. There is a little 1001 Peeps as the inner pocket too! Still not convinced? Check out all the other beautiful bags in the Noodlehead Flickr Group! :)

I am SO happy with the way this bag turned out! It really is a great pattern and I can see myself making more for sure. There are just so many fabric possibilities, which of course is my favorite part, hehe! It came together really quite quickly, I started and finished it yesterday!

Finished by jenib320
Finished, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Finished up my Kona Challenge quilt today! It's in the wash. Shall share tomorrow!

Scheming by jenib320
Scheming, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Planning a few more scarves! Will write a little tutorial up next time I make one. Hopefully next week sometime!

CUTE! by jenib320
CUTE!, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
These could very well be the cutest scissors ever. They're so tiny! Little Gems, purchased from The Workroom's online shop! Now I feel the need to collect tons of embroidery scissors! Need to start embroidering again to rationalize it! :)

George by jenib320
George, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Another George + diet coke photo, hehe!

Today I love the..
Smell of: Fresh laundry
Sound of: George running about!
Taste of: Shortbread cookies
Sight of: George's Pummelvision
Feel of: Comfy clothes

Good Things about Today:
- Finished up a quilt
- The sun is out!
- Productive day so far!
- Chocolate!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

The Sewing Summit: Final Recap

The Sewing Summit by jenib320
The Sewing Summit, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
For my first recap of the Sewing Summit, see here! And now, onto a very long post (apologies), with tons of photos! I borrowed lots of photos but made sure to link them up properly to everyone, however if you'd like yours taken off, please let me know, no hard feelings! I simply took no photos of people, hehe!

So, let's get on with it! :)

I struggled for a while, trying to decide how I wanted to run my class, Creative Fabric Selection. In the end, because there were so many students and limited time, I went with a straightforward lecture style. However, I wanted to make sure that there was plenty to see other than my powerpoint presentation. This is where all that crazy sewing I did in the two weeks or so leading up to the event comes in. I made sure that everything I spoke about had an example! As the dust continues to settle around here, I'll make sure to visit each example again in better detail!

We covered a lot of topics in a little over an hour, hopefully it wasn't information overload! From color to fabric to finding inspiration, we barely scratched the surface! There is just so much to say about the subject! I could talk fabric 24/7, hehe!

The Sewing Summit by jenib320
The Sewing Summit, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
I didn't realize until I saw these photos of my class, (most taken by the lovely Amanda by the way!) how much I talk with my hands! My hands are blurry in almost every photo! Anyways, back to the class! Here I am speaking about one of my favorite things I've ever made, my Sparkling Cider quilt made from vintage sheets. We briefly discussed a fabric's intended purpose, and not letting your possibilities for a certain fabric to be limited, and I jumped at the chance to bring along this quilt!

Jeni by amandahall25
Jeni, a photo by amandahall25 on Flickr.
I was very excited at the end of my class to give away Kona Color cards courtesy of Robert Kaufman Fabrics (thank you, thank you!)! Thank goodness I didn't have to hold in the secret too long, it was so exciting being able to surprise my students with these. They were VERY excited! :)

Jeni B of In Color Order by the workroom
Jeni B of In Color Order, a photo by the workroom on Flickr.
I ended up going with my original outfit choice for my class, including my 1001 Peeps skirt made using Karyn's awesome tutorial!


Sweet Ladies!, a photo by Amy's Creative Side on Flickr.
My lovely friend Angela, just so happened to also be my class assistant! She was fabulous! :) It was comforting to have a familiar face up there with me!

Saturday Night we attended an awesome dinner put on my Jennifer of Ellison Lane Quilts and Elena of Breakfast for Dinner! This was one of three tables filled with sewing peeps! From left to right: Rachel, Angela, Jessica, Amanda, Me, Faith, and Elena!

Most nights were filled with chatting and handwork, some worked on knitting projects, some on embroidery, paper piecing, etc. Glad we got this fun shot thanks to a willing passerby! Such fun ladies! From left to right: Erin, Megan, Holly, Amanda, Angela, Amanda, and myself!

The lovely Darci & Erin! I have no memory of this photo being taken, but I'm sure glad it was! :)

Karyn worked her photo magic right before we all left and got some really rad photos! Top left to right: Amanda, Kait, Karyn. Bottom left to right: Amanda, Katherine, Me.

Amanda & Jeni by the workroom
Amanda & Jeni, a photo by the workroom on Flickr.
My partner in crime (and roomie!) Amanda and I! :)

George by jenib320
George, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
Quite a few of you at Sewing Summit did not realize how tiny George bunny is! So, I took some "for scale" photos of George today next to a standard diet coke can! :) He really is tiny, I swear!

Fabulous Fabric Stacks by jenib320
Fabulous Fabric Stacks, a photo by jenib320 on Flickr.
And finally, the fun bloggy news I promised! I think I may have mentioned this in my last Sewing Summit post, but not in detail. The Art of Choosing is back! I'm going to go in depth about a wealth of new subjects, most especially color! For those of you who came to summit, you'll recognize some of it, but I'll be going into more detail (hopefully!). If you're new here, feel free to catch up on past posts here. I'll have the first post, on the color wheel, up next week!

Phew! Okay, now I need a nap! :)