Baby Quilt!

A dear friend of mine is having a baby soon - a little girl! So of course I had to make her a quilt. Their nursery theme is Disney, but I didn't have any fabrics so I did my own theme of "enchanted forest" which I think works well. The only request was no pink! As you can see, though, I cheated a little and used a coral.

This little quilt worked up really fast and I didn't need a pattern. I just cut out 5-inch squares and arranged them in diagonal lines. (Maybe 5 and a half? They were 5 inches, but I can't remember if that's finished or unfinished. 

Above is an in-progress picture while I quilted it! I did very simple straight lines about a generous quarter inch away from each seam.

And here is the finished quilt! Or at least a corner of it. As you can see, I bound it in a pretty green print from the Miss Kate line by Bonnie and Camille (which is my favorite). I actually used a lot of very-special or favorite fabrics for this quilt! It adds a little bit extra love!

3DS CASE... OF DOOM!

First off, I would like to say that I again - against all common sense, I think - chose not to use a pattern.  I had a sort of pattern to work from, in that I had a case I bought that I wanted to replicate.  And almost replicate it I did!

 

...sort of.

The problem with this project is that 1.) I have very little experience sewing bags and such and there seems to be a lot I don't know, so I mess up.  Or could mess up.  Or probably mess up.  I know so little I have no idea why I even decided to do this.  (I wanted a case, mostly.  A cute one!  Handmade!)  And 2.) My sewing machine apparently hates this project, and hates sewing through layers and I'm probably doing something wrong again but I do not know what.

It's just a little soft case meant for a 3DS (it can fit an xl), which I love because I am a big video game nerd.  Also I love, love, love this fabric and I wanted to make myself something cute that I'd actually use.  Below is a photo of what I have right now.

This is the almost finished product! (Don't be fooled, though, the only seams that are finished are on the zippers.)

Easy Peasy Case The Second

So you may remember my previous post, where I made a somewhat decent yellow and gray tablet case.  I was not particularly proud of it, but I was happy - as I always am - that I made it myself.  Sewing is obviously a lot of the fun of sewing, but a big part of it for me is the satisfaction of actually getting something made.  I'm sure a lot of people feel like that.  Anyway!  I made that one without a pattern or anything, and really I just wanted to use those cute little mini charm squares I had.  Well luckily I had a few more left over - just enough for the exact same project in different colors.  I am predictable, it's true.  But!  Using my newly gained knowledge and experience from the first time, the second case turned out so much better.

Construction was pretty much the same. I sewed together 12 squares - but instead of doing a solid back I decided to do more patchwork. I like that better I think.

I also decided to go ahead and add the button. My sewing machine has a buttonhole foot which I tried for the very first time!

I did not do well.  That's okay though! That was a test - did much better on the finished product. So I sewed the two exterior pieces together along one side, put that with batting and then free motion quilted loops in rows.

Improvements/Learned from the first time I made it

-I used higher loft batting which made a huge difference. It's not very dense quilting, so on the first little case there really wasn't that much texture. I was so glad I made that decision. Looks pretty good!

-And because I quilted both front and back I didn't use the interfacing, which was another decision that worked better (though I kind of think I used a light to mid weight maybe, just to make it a little sturdier)

-I am getting the hang of FMQ! Ahh! I got into a groove - what works for me is guiding with both hands and being confident (which helped me stay at a consistent speed and keep the stitches slightly more the same length) I've still got a ways to go but seeing even small improvement feels great!

-Nesting seams! So much better than pressing open like I did the first time

-I did the lining in one big piece folded over instead of folding two together. Just one less seam for less bulk, though it didn't make too much difference

The pink and navy is the front. I sewed the button on with my machine because it had like a button foot, but I will not be doing that again. It's easier by hand for me.

The back!

My buttonhole that looks a little bit better!

Things I Learned

-how to use the buttonhole foot on my machine

-that I can eventually get the hang of free motion quilting with some more practice

-these are super easy to make and super cute and I want to buy a jelly roll or another little pack of this fabric and make one for all my friends

-again, measure thoroughly because I estimated and the little button flap will only just close over my tablet

I like this whole learning, making it again thing. I might do that for another project.

AN EASY PEASY TABLET CASE!

Ahh, spring is almost here! I do not like winter. Where I live we rarely get snow or ice, but the cold is bad enough. I don't think I could handle somewhere where winter could be described in any way as harsh. Or in any way worse than mild, really. But! Because I don't have to worry about the siren call of sunshine, I can stay inside and sew! (Which is exactly what I do a large portion of my free time.)

So this is what I made!

It is a little case for a tablet. (I think I'm going to add a button closure on the front when I get a chance.)

Now, I have not made many quilts, but every one I've made has followed a pattern. I'm meticulous about following the patterns actually - I just don't trust my own design sense for quilts yet. But when it comes to almost any other type of sewing I'm just like "Eh... LET'S WING IT." I often rethink this policy but so far I've taken no steps to change it. I should, and I keep telling myself that the work it takes to find a pattern I want would be worth it, but I'm just too lazy. It's my curse.

This project, for example, I just kinda took a rudimentary knowledge of bags and such and jumped right in! So here is what I did. 

First, notice you have a pack of - I think mini charms? - in some really cute prints. Then lay them out in a design you find appealing. Like so!

Then make sure to measure to be sure that the tablet you want to use this for will fit in it. An important second step here is not caring if it's a little too wide.

Then sew each row together and then join. For extra fun, forget the order you'd originally laid them out in and sew the last two rows together along the wrong edges. Then prepare batting! Don't use backing, just sew whatever you're using right to the patchwork. Make sure to wonder if you're breaking some important rule doing that. Use a bright, cheery yellow thread, and do a loopy free-motion design. The mistakes and uneven stitches add a lot of character.

After quilting cut three similarly sized pieces of gray fabric for the back and lining. Measuring? For the birds! I might have measured for the back piece but for the lining I'm pretty sure I just guesstimated. Then sew the lining together. Realize that you probably want the lining a little smaller than the exterior, so sew with a very generous seam allowance (1/4 inch). I randomly decided to add some semi heavy weight interfacing I had to the back piece. I'm pretty sure that it was fusible on both sides instead of one... Because it stuck to my press cloth a lot...

(The above picture was before pressing. Obviously! The puckers mostly came out though.)

Then sew the front and back together. Turn the lining right side out and pin it inside the front and back piece right sides together. You should probably match up side seams, something I... Think I did? I did not want a flap closure but I had two squares left over so I sewed them together to make a... thing. A strap type thing. It will eventually have a buttonhole probably. Then sew everything together at the top. A nice even seam is you know, the norm, but I wasn't paying attention somewhere and got the right side really wonky and not even. I should have pinned more I think. Then turn right side out, top stitch the bottom of the lining and stuff it down in there. Boom! Done. 

Things I Learned:

-the finer points of free motion quilting continue to elude me

-make interfacing decisions before you start and also - WHEN THEY SAY DO A TEST ON A SCRAP DO A TEST

-probably should measure stuff more accurately, though normally I take care to do this