A Lone(ly) Star

13/02/2012

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It's finished...

I have to say the piecing of the star was so much easier than I expected and fitting the white squares and triangles so much harder than I expected. I must ask Mum how she does it. I just made it up!! More and more I am working out with patchwork - there is an easier technique. I just didn't know it this time.
I think it is lonely and needs some friends.

I was thinking about playing with this collection of fantastic stars and making a red and white star sample quilt. I'll keep you posted.

Maryanne

PS I know... I'm still playing.
But I promise I am working on our great blog series Beyond The Basics. Caroline has got me on a timetable so the play has got to stop!!
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A Scrappy Christmas - Little Organisers

11/12/2011

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This is the time of the year when I most productive when it comes to sewing. I am so productive, I feel like I could rule the world (if ruling the world involves cutting up fabric into tiny little pieces and then sewing it all back together again really fast!)

The problem with spending every spare moment making Christmas gifts, is that there is not much time for anything else, including blogging. So I will make this quick.

I loved this tutorial for Where the Orchids Grow so much:
that I made this:
It was fun to make, so I made these too:
Filled with stationary, they made great presents for Madeleine and Pippa's teachers.
I hope they like lime and orange as much as I do!

Make sure you pop by on Tuesday. We are participating in the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day and I think you'll like what we have to give away.

Maryanne

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A scrappy Christmas - dotty table runner

26/11/2011

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A little while back Maryanne blogged about the embroidered serviettes  that she made for The Haby Goddesses' Red and White Kris Kringle.  She's way more organised than I am and finished her contribution before the deadline.
Me? I'm a deadline kind of girl and managed to finish my present right. on. the. due. date. phew!
This project kind of evolved.  I've  really enjoyed my brief foray into patchwork in the last couple of weeks so I decided to make a spotty, scrappy table runner.  
Staying true to our scrappy Christmas goal, I managed to make it out of my stash.  

I machine appliquéd lots of hand cut red circle scraps on to white to make the front of the runner and while I planned  a plain red backing, I found that I didn't have enough fabric so I stripped (is that even a verb? ... in the sewing sense I mean!)up  a panel for the middle. Luckily, a gross miscalculation (maths was never my thing) when I was making advent bunting meant that I had plenty of red and white checked binding to finish the  project off.
The hardest thing about this project was taking a reasonable picture of it ... hence the collage. Like Lizzy's cushions it's a little bit wonky but made with lots of Christmas spirit and the very best of intentions!  
Thank you  so much Jodi for organising this - I have really enjoyed it and you have inspired me to make my whole Christmas a red and white one this year!

Caroline

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A Scrappy Christmas - Gift Cards

24/11/2011

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This is a quick one today! Use some of your scraps to make some gift cards.
I cut my fabric at 3inches x 3inches.
I even found an old brown cardboard folder to sew the fabric on to, so these cards really cost me nothing.
Triple stitch gave me a look that I liked. I lengthened the stitch to 3.5mm and a jersey needle seemed to punch through the cardboard better than a sharper needle.

Here's one close up:
I know the photos would have looked better if I had included a half eaten mince pie, but today I resisted the urge!

Maryanne

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Scrappy Christmas

17/11/2011

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My head space for sewing right now is Christmas, Christmas , Christmas. My physical space for sewing is mess, mess, mess - fabric, stuffing, embroidery thread, books and patterns from one end of the small room to the other. I can't show you any pictures, I am too embarrassed. Just feel very sorry for my husband who shares this space with me for his study. We are being walled in by my sewing stuff.

Caroline and I have been talking in the past few weeks and both think  that for so many reasons a scrappy Christmas is a happy one:
  1. Christmas is usually a time of mass consumption. By using what we already have we can try and reduce buying too much new stuff.
  2. By using scraps we can justify our sewing time as tidying time - with each project I complete there will be one less scrap on my sewing room floor!
  3. Scraps often have lovely memories associated with them. Re-live them while you sew!
  4. Scrappy projects are often small and fast to make - this means you can give more of your family and friends a handmade Christmas

So over the next few weeks we will be posting some of the Christmas gifts we have been making, with a commitment that (most of them!) will be from the scrap pile.

To start things off I thought I would do a bit of a scrappy gift idea round up.
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I love this little organiser. I have already made one and done the patchwork outer for another 5! Madeleine and Pippi's teachers will all be getting them, filled with some little stationary loveliness. I am obsessed with this patchworking technique. I'll write more about it next week. You can find this great tutorial here at Where the Orchids Grow
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Sew a rainbow of scraps? Who wouldn't want to do that?
Susan, from Living with Punks had a Scrap Your Stash Month with lots of fantastic tutorials. This Pen Wrap and Roll is one of my favourites. Its made by Katy from No Big Dill
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This fabric bowl is made using cotton clothes line wrapped in scraps - something I have never seen before and would never thought of. I love the way it allows you to create a bowl with structure. You can find this great tutorial at CraftStylish.
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In 2009 Sew Mama Sew did a Scrap Buster Month. This sweet dolly quilt will really use up your tiny scraps - the pieces you need are 1 x 2 inches. Wouldn't it be a great way to use the scraps from all the clothing you have made a special little girl to make her dolly a quilt. The technique looks a lot easier and quicker than you think. Thanks to Amanda Jean for this great tutorial
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This tutorial from Jeni at In Color Order is the cleverest way to make a lined drawstring bag that I have seen. I have made a few to use for gift wrapping. With a rotary cutter and a big ruler you could make 5 or 6 of these in an evening.
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These Juggling Balls were also featured in the Living With Punks Scrap Your Stash Month. They were created by Sachiko from Tea Rose Home.
They are beautifully constructed and I love her choice of fabrics. She has sewn them by hand and I am really enjoying a little bit of hand sewing. These are on my list for Will. I will make a fabric basket to toss them into and store them when they are not being used. I could also make them for my brother - he could use them to improve his juggling skills!
So that's just a little taste of some Scrappy Projects on offer for your Christmas gifts. All these tutorials are well written and simple enough that if you have done a beginners sewing course (like ours!) you would be able to complete them with ease. Don't forget our tutorial page - many of the projects there only require small amounts of fabric and would look great made up with some scraps.

Have fun!

I am off to do some sewing... I mean tidy the sewing room...

Maryanne

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