Creating a Handmade Childhood: Patchwork Baby Quilt

The first baby project to be completed! It's a crib 'quilt'. Technically it's not a quilt because I didn't quilt it. It's a good feeling to create something for the little sprout, it's as if we are building a welcome for her.

The pattern is from Joann Fabrics. I will warn you that the instructions are a bit vague so if you're new to quilting, it may be difficult to follow. I used a natural grey linen to incorporate the zakka aesthetic I want for the nursery. I will be using the same linen for throw pillows and other accents which I hope will give the nursery some feeling of unity while allowing for me to play around with prints and patterns.

The fabric came from all over the place, Etsy or Fabric.com are good places to find some that may either be similar or indeed the same. The design of multicolored Spirographs is from Ikea. Once the quilt was assembled, I backed it with a type of quilting batting that doesn't need to be covered, you can get it here. It's beautifully soft and makes for a lightweight quilt.

Conscious Design when Crafting

Here's the problem I have encountered. I love to craft, I love sewing and making things. BUT, my taste does not lend itself to filling my house with loads of fabrics and I don't like a look that is 'homemade'. So how does a person indulge their love of crafting while still making things that will fit into a contemporary aesthetic?
Some things to consider:
- Choose a base color and/or fabric that will add cohesion. For me it was natural colored linen. It is beautifully neutral and I have not found a color that doesn't work well with it. The linen looks clean and minimalist and blends well. Consider some other fabrics: ecru muslin, indigo dyed cotton, white cotton, burlap. When you have chosen, stick to that choice.

While the maple leaf blocks in this quilt are made from quite old-fashioned floral designs, the white cotton gives it a contemporary twist. This quilt could be put in many a modern home and it wouldn't fight with the established decor.

- Complement the base color and/or fabric with carefully added patterns and colors. Not only does this result in a less loud and homemade look, it is very economical. You don't have to go crazy buying yards of gorgeous prints. A fat quarter will go a long way. In fact scour thrift stores for cool fabrics that you can use from old clothes, then use it sparingly to add emphasis.

With these book covers, I added just a few squares of patterned fabric for emphasis. These fabrics came from all over the place, one is an old bed sheet.

- Don't be afraid of blank space. This is common advice in graphic design. You don't have to fill every blank piece of fabric with applique, embroidery and patchwork designs. Sometimes a trim of squares in patterned fabric is all you need or a button or two. Less is more because it doesn't get lost in an assault of busy-ness.

The white background really enhances the origami crane.

- Play with texture. Using different textures is very fashionable right now and is a fun way to incorporate different crafting techniques. Pair chunk knit with a cotton panel in a pillow. Mix different fabrics, but remember go easy.

The two materials here are burlap and cotton. There is no intricate design, the interest comes from the contrasting textures.

- Stick with basic designs if you want to play with colors, sewing techniques etc. Tote bag designs are everywhere these days. They're popular because the designs are simple and therefore easy to execute, but the simplicity gives you a blank canvas on which to experiment with patterns or embellishments. I see a lot of patchwork blocks that are beautifully intricate but I don't enjoy the look because so many different patterns and colors have been used. The more intricate the project the more conscious you need to be of not going crazy with materials.

This messenger back was extremely easy to do and a very simple design which meant I could be bold with fabric. Both fabrics are from old bed sheets.

The De-Stash Project

It's time. Time for what? A massive de-stash.  I am terrible for holding onto fabrics for some future time. Well it's time.  I am going to be bold and try and use up as much of my stash as I can with different projects - pillows, table runners, throws etc.  Watch out for new items, tutorials and a new Etsy shop.  Yes, ANOTHER one!

TV Project 1: Kimono Coasters

Kimono silk is just something I can't resist, it's sexy makes me think of geisha.  It's also awkward to work with, since it is so sheer and thin.  I like to always have a project on the go that I can do while watching TV. So this is my TV project du jour.   

NOTE: The instructions for the rosettes can also be used to make the ones you saw on the boudoir pillow.  Imagine a pillow with kimono silks! Ooh la la, get your Valentine's horny on!

Level: Beginner
Time: 2 hours per coaster
Cost: $2 (approximately
Materials and Tools:
Hexagon template, size: 1 inch per side
Kimono silk scraps (or scraps of cotton quilt weight fabric) in three different patterns in similar colors.
1/2 yard of grey felt
Thread in contrasting color and matching color
Pins
Scrap paper
Needle
Iron
Scissors for fabric
Scissors for paper

- First cut seven hexagons out of scrap paper
- You are going to need one hexagon from one patterned fabric then three each from two additional patterns
- Place your paper hexagon onto the wrong side of your chosen fabric and pin in place
- Cut around the hexagon with a quarter inch seam allowance
- Fold the fabric seam over the paper and tack all the way round with the contrasting thread
- Remove pin
- Do this with all seven hexagons
- The one hexagon cut from a different fabric to the other six is the center of the rosette
- Take this hexagon and a hexagon of another pattern place them with right sides facing each other and sew the seams together with whip stitch
- Continue doing this until you have all six hexagons of alternating pattern sewn to the center one
- Iron your rosette so the seams are nice and sharp
- Remove the paper from the center hexagon and pin to the felt
- Cut out the felt so that the rosette is pinned to smaller piece of felt with some excess fabric around it.
- Remover one paper from an outer hexagon and pin to the fabric with the seam folded under
- Sew the edge with a running stitch
- Do this hexagon by hexagon until all edges are sewn to the felt
- Trim off the excess felt
- Press with iron
- DONE

Cushion Cover

New cover, the rosettes are paper pieced and hand appliqued, the top will be machine sewn as soon as the voltage converter comes for my UK machine!

New Projects

These are going to look awesome as cushion covers once I get the colours right ...

kimono Silk Patchwork

I love kimono silks and my love of paper piecing works great with them because they are so thin and floppy to work with. The paper templates are a great way of stabilizing the material.

As you can see I am using them for a fan block, the completed one is a Dresden plate block which I made years ago. These are good blocks for kimono silk pieces which I buy and are not always all that big.

Easy Facelift - for a room

I cannot get over how merely switching out cushion covers can change the feel of a room. We have inherited a really great, green leather sofa, but the covers we inherited with it were very dark, old fashioned and basically not very nice. The whole feel was jarring, as we have really tried to keep the room modern and airy. I finally go around to making a cover after a bit of a sewing machine saga (more on that for another post) and love the results. The burlap looks so good but is a little unstable because of the loose weave, my advice is to give yourself a seam allowance of an inch to stop any unraveling and consider lining it with a similar color of cotton because you can sometimes see the white cushion filler with ours.

I am definitely going to use more burlap in future.

Craft Essential: Masking Tape

Masking tape is just one of those multi-purpose gems that I have to have in my craft inventory. It's great for all sorts of stuff,I personally use it a great deal when embroidering or cross-stitching. I tape the edges of my fabric to stop fraying and because it doesn't have a mega-strong adhesive quality, it comes off easily. I also find it useful for keeping track of embroidery cotton. When you divide up your threads, the extra ones can be taped to a sewing box lid or even a piece of paper and you can write the colour code on the tape itself.



If you have other uses for masking tape - feel free to share.

My Pennant Quilt Progress

I am still squirreling away on my paper pieced quilt and about half done with the top. Superbowl weekend I laid my first lot of strips out and found one doesn’t quite match in size which is a little irritating and also mystifying, but I am sure I will come up with a way make it work. I have made a new template to add straight edges to each end of the pennant style triangles so that I have a straight rectangular quilt to work with when the strips are sewn together.

Zakka Folder

Here is the first folder I tried to make to keep my crafty papers in. Unfortunately I didn't plan it well so I couldn't add pockets. I have a new method though so the next one will be perfect! I experimented with two types of applique. I like the button hole style but it takes a while.

I used extra thick interfacing to make th folder slightly more rigid.

Zakka Book covers

Zakka book covers - they're all the rage don't you know! The first one I made was too small for my notebook so I use it for keeping recipes clipped out of magazines! The second was just right! Want to make more to sell at the craft market. The second is from upcycled bedsheets, my new thing.

Zakka Bag

Here it is, the bag is finally finished. The material came from some bedsheets a friend of mine was giving away, they matched so beautifully I couldn't resist making something with them. My friend went crazy when she saw the bag so I am going to make her one. There are a few modifications I would like to make: First, the lining material wasn't stiff enough so my bag is kind of floppy! I wanted it to be like an academic satchel. Second, I didn't include any pockets or dividers becaus I was too impatient, it definitely needs some as I am fishing around for my phone and keys a lot.

Studio Dreams

Those of you who have been following my blog will know I had a nice little room back in the UK that I used for quilting. To be fair I only used when machine quilting and for storage and spent a lot more time in the living room working because there were comfy chairs and more space.

Here I don’t have a room at all, I have a box that I work from and a chest I stuff things in. My dream is to one day have my own workroom, but rather than it being a room in the house, I would love a little studio out in the garden of wherever we will end up settling. I have a bit of a shed obsession, I just love them, they can be large or small, cheap or expensive, quaint or modernist. When I was visited some artists friends of mine here in Lusaka they showed me their studios. For more on these studios and my work with artists here in Zambia check out my other blog Scrapbook.

The opposite side has more glass for light, unfortunately the studios are being eaten by termites – a big problem in Zambia. I keep this picture as something to work towards, what a great space it would be especially if we treat the wood to stop insects devouring it.

Paper Piecing How To

I know a few months ago I gave a few pointers on paper piecing but I don’t think there is any harm in going over them again.
I generally use paper piecing for basic repetitive patterns but they can also be used for patchwork blocks. In particular if you have a block you want to copy but you don’t have the measurements, method etc. Paper piecing makes this easy because you don’t need to work out seam allowances.

You will need:
Cardboard for your template/s (for example old cereal boxes)
Scrap paper (magazines or newspapers work well)
Scissors
Tape
A thick pen
Needle and thread
pins
Scraps of fabric

First make your template:
The triangle I am using I made by using a rectangle of cardboard, placing it lengthways, find the middle then drawing to lines from the bottom two corners on the shortest sides to the opposite side dead centre.

If you are making a number of templates for a block, number them and then number the block you have to make it easier to work out how to place them.

Tape the edges of your template so that when you draw around it, you don’t soften the edges. Alternatively you could use template plastic, which is available at quilt stores – or use plastic from packaging. I am trying to use as much recycled materials as I can, plus I don’t have a quilting store here!

Next, use your scrap paper to make the paper pieces by drawing around your template with the thick pen and cut out. Make a stack so you don’t have to keep going back to make more.

Pin the paper pieces to the wrong side of your fabric, leaving about ¼ inch space. Cut out the piece a ¼ inch away from the edge of the piece – very important, do not cut flush with the piece!

Fold the excess fabric over your paper and sew with a large tacking stitch to the paper.

When you have enough for all the stages or patterns you want, you can start assembling.

Place the fabric covered pieces right side to right side with the edges lines up and sew together with a small slip stitch. Check carefully that you have your pieces lined up correctly.

Keep going until you have your quilt. Easy!

New Adventures in Paper Piecing

I was feeling kind of down recently. It’s hot here at the moment and after Christmas I felt quite homesick, seeing all that snow and knowing my family is so far away. Nothing improves my mood than working on a craft project, especially sewing, I find it very therapeutic. So I decided to start a new quilt and luckily I have tons of new fabrics to work with (some of you regulars will have read about my love of chitenge material). As I sorted through my fabric stash and bathed in all the colours and shapes, I immediately started to feel better. I chose paper piecing again because I wanted to hand stitch my quilt and I find the slip stitch used in paper piecing super-strong. I also love the whole process of paper piecing and love the feeling of keeping alive this old method.

Considering how important precision is in quilting it’s a bit ironic that I am not a very thorough person, for example I never washed my fabrics when quilting back in the UK. Modern methods of dying mean you don’t really need to pre-wash fabrics, but the chitenge material here often runs, so I did wash them this time. Look how lovely they are with the sun shining through them on the line and the wind blowing them.

The design I am using is very simple, an acute triangle repeated alternately in cream fabric and the various patterns. I think this design will look really elegant and the cream fabric sets off the patterns well. This is a very good method if you want to use up scraps. Watch out for my method of paper piecing for you to follow coming up in the next few days.

Life Etc.

uiI know it’s been a while since I posted, settling in and trying to find some ways to occupy myself kind of took over. The house is more or less how we want it now, and I really love our little nest. I am now helping out an art gallery here in Lusaka with promotion and consulting with them on how to create crafts and merchandise. It’s all voluntary but I really enjoy it and the people I work with are great, I am learning so much, there’s more on the gallery on my other blog Scrapbook and Lusaka Art Scene. On top of that I have started to do some freelance writing which was kind of an accident, I write for a local magazine and then decided that if this magazine liked my writing, maybe others would too! All of this would be fairly straightforward if we had internet at home, but we don’t because it’s just too expensive in Zambia, so every time I want to send a piece, it’s off to the internet café. The lack of internet is really driving us both crazy. Regardless, I am coming up with lots of new recipes and articles and my food blog – So Eat is going strong, not enough visitors to monetize it yet though.
I think a pretty big issue for me has been trying to stay motivated when not working, I suppose it has made me resourceful and since we are in a country with very few craft supplies and we are trying to economise, it has been a great challenge to my creativity – in a good way. I also want to use this new landscape as inspiration for quilting and other needlework projects. Time to get back in the saddle!

Packing and Plans

Packing aah! I have had to move from one place to another on average at least once a year for the last eight years. As glamorous as that sounds, moving to Italy, Zambia etc. I am getting rather sick of it now. I am having to leave all my sewing stuff behind and a lot of my clothes, but this is not too heartbreaking. They'll be there when I get back (it will seem like new stuff)and it's a good chance to build up a stash in Zambia.

It's been ages since I sat down and did some sewing, either I have been plonked in front of the internet or getting ready to leave. I am cursing the fact we can't take sharp implements on the plane because it means I can't sit and work on this lovely kit I got as a wedding present from my new sister-in-law. It's so sweet and the threads she bought for it a gorgeous quality. She bought the kit from a place called Needlepoint.com in Raleigh, N.C.

I am getting excited about leaving especially since my husband might have found us a place to live that is really nice and I am thinking of all the cool projects I can start with the wonderful chitenges. Some of you may know about these because I blogged about them months ago. Chitenges are sold in 2 metre pieces and the women wear them around their waist as a kind of sarong to either cover themselves for modesty (the booty is mucho sexy in Zambia) or to stop you getting dirty. They are also used for carrying babies, items and much more. They come in wonderful patterns and are very cheap to buy. I can't wait to start a quilt (we will need a light quilt for cold season) but I also have ideas for more projects including clothes. Check out my other blog Scrapbook for a video about African fabric.

Some ladies modelling the use of chitenges, you can see they wear them as headscarves as well. The lady on the far right has one tied across her chest because there is a baby in there!

When you're pounding maize you can get quite dirty, so an old chitenge is the best apron or overall.

My First Cross Stitch Commission

From little acorns! The friend I mentioned with the new Etsy shop Crashboxdesign has commissioned me to make her a cross stitch picture of a kangaroo. We chose this design which is from the Australian road sign. She wants it done in reverse like the fawn and squirrel I did before. So I printed out the sign directly onto graph paper to save the job of tracing it and because it has been enlarged it pixellated itself quite conveniently. As you can see, the design is very fluid so I will need to incorporate half-cross stitches to keep the curves.

A great little project for Zambia. One of many I hope. Pictures are a bit fuzzy because I used the web cam - I have packed my camera!