Summer Pattern Testing

Over the summer, I was able to pattern test The Alice Quilt Pattern for Erica at Kitchen Table Quilting.  I was sooo behind on turning my notes in to her - I had been battling a headache and got started late and then spent the whole day sewing and still didn't manage to get done on top.  I felt so horrid about it.  I'm usually a last minute turner-iner, anyway, but this was completely past due.

Anyway, if I have the time and I like the pattern, I always say yes when Erica asks for testers.  Her patterns are always very well written.  I highly recommend them!

I made this quilt from a fat quarter bundle of Anna Maria Horner fabric that I had won quite a few years ago in a giveaway from Pink Castle fabrics (I think). The darker border fabric also came from my stash.  I had to buy the lighter background fabric and I also bought a fabric to be used for binding.

You should know that this quilt is still not finished.  I have to see if I have enough AMH fabric in my stash for the backing.  I've already purchased a pack of Quilter's Dream Cotton Request loft batting to use for it.  I want this to be a light quilt to be used for last spring/early summer napping.  I also think it would be less bulky if I want to drag it along on a road trip or something of that sort.

So (Sew) Much to Report

There has been so much happening around here, I'll see how much I can recreate.  I'm thinking I may need to make several posts.

I just decided to go poking back through my photos and start where I left off.  So this should be chronological, but may also be a bit random.


These first two photos are of the spot where the house I grew up in used to stand.  They pushed it in sometime in the spring, after my last post.  Obviously bittersweet.  This was the only house I lived in prior to going away to college and then moving to the area I live in now.  My grandparents lived across the back yard from this house and in fact one of my brothers now lives in that spot where my grandparents live.

We had a Chicago Sewing Social meet-up at Benzie Design.  Their shop is so gorgeous with all of the felt lined walls and bins of felt balls.  They also carry little kits.  These were needle felting kits that a couple of us bought and worked on.  I think mine is the one on the left.  I also bought some felt balls and made the necklace in the second photo.  It was super easy to make.  I'm looking forward to colder weather when it will be easier to wear a necklace made with wool balls.

This is a quilt that I made when pattern testing for Erica at Kitchen Table Quilting.  This is a version of The Linda Quilt.   I find Erica's patterns to be really well written and would certainly recommend any of them.  I ended up gifting this quilt to my cousin's baby girl.  I was sewing the top together on the day she was born and then the quilt decided it was just meant for her.

Hmmm... just realized that I am at the end of the photos that I loaded into this post, so I will end here for now.  It's late, so I'll try for more posts in the following days.

Hodgepodge of Sewing

These last few days, I am feeling very accomplished!

I managed to finish a UFO, test a pattern, and go to a class at my LQS (and finish my project!).


First up, the UFO.  When it's just my husband and I, I like to have us use cloth napkins.  I made some on a whim a while ago and using them has just sort-of stuck.  A while ago (at least a year), I bought a long length of this fabric on a clearance pile.  I used part of it for a tote bag and then cut up a bunch for cloth napkins... and then never sewed the napkins.  Well, in a recent clean-up of the craft supplies, the cut fabric was un-earthed.   If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you should be able to see the pretty mitered corner on the napkin on the bottom.  I love the mitering and think it makes them look so much more polished.

Over the weekend, I was able to test this pattern for Samantha.  It is The Gentleman's Wallet.  Although, you can see from my photos that I made mine into a feminine version.  I must say that I am always delighted when I am able to test a pattern for Samantha.  I know before I ever look at the pattern that it's going to be well written.  I also know that I love her style of bag/pattern construction. This wallet sews up very quickly, too.  I think all of the testers (and Samantha) agreed that cutting, fusing and sewing can pretty much be done in 3 hours.  I would imagine that you could even get it down to a smaller amount of time once you've made a couple of them.

Just today, I took a class at my LQS to learn how to make these clothesline bowls.  I am completely tickled with how my bowl turned out!  I didn't quite finish it in class, but set up promptly when I got home and finished it right up.  One of our supplies was this book, "It's a Wrap."  

I was glad to have the live instruction on how to start and switch fabrics, and the ending, too.  In the book, the author recommends using a fabric glue stick to secure the fabric when you are transitioning from one to the other.  However, our teacher recommended Aleene's No-Sew Fabric Glue.  It only takes a very small dot of glue to secure the fabric long enough to be able to stitch it together.  I propped up my phone in the second photo to try to give you a little perspective.  When I measured, the diameter of the base of my bowl was about 5 inches and the diameter at the top was about 8 inches.  

Now, I just have to figure out what I want to use this bowl for :)  I can see that these would be nice to make as Christmas gifts, or even to make gift baskets (if you made the bowl just a bit bigger).

Most Recent Make

This is my most recent make.  It is called The Sling Bag.  It is a FREE pattern by Samantha from At Home with Mrs. H.  You can find it here, on Craftsy.  Also, if you head back to Samantha's blog, there are several posts with other testers' bags (and some pattern hacks, too).

I pretty much followed the pattern as it was written.  I did use denim for the exterior, which made the sewing of the handle tabs a bit tricky.  I ended up having to do some judicious cutting in order to get the tabs sewn on.  Thankfully, the judicious cutting is not noticeable now that it's all sewn together.  

Also, I sewed the tabs a little closer to the top edge of the bag.  I didn't so much want a flop over top. Anyway, I really like how the bag turned out.  I used all supplies that I had, with the exception of the magnet for the closure and the zip for the inside zip pocket. Oh, I forgot that I added a tap to the inside, too, with a little swivel clip so that I could clip my keys or whatever on it.