Project Quilting 9.4: The Minikins Cotton Candy Pouch

First of all, I can't believe I've actually been able to keep up with all the Project Quilting challenges so far this season! I'm four for four. Hooray!

This week's challenge is "Mellow Yellow". Apparently the color yellow scares some people. I didn't know that! I love yellow, and my favorite color to pair it with is blue. My wedding colors were actually blue & yellow.

I was really excited that the challenge this week was just a color, because I REALLY wanted to make this particular bag: the Cotton Candy Pouch by Sara Lawson (Sew Sweetness). This is one of the patterns that comes with her Minikins PDF + Video bundle, and it's also her monthly challenge for February. I'm killing all kinds of birds with a single project this week.

I won the $15 gift certificate to Sara's shop from PQ Challenge 9.2 (Thanks Sara & Kim!), so I ordered some of her cork and faux-leather fabrics. I've been really anxious (and also nervous) to give these a go. It was SO fun to work with the cork, and I think it turned out pretty awesome. The cork is the blue stuff on either side of the yellow Anna Maria Horner fabric. I didn't have a minute's trouble with it at all. I was particularly careful while topstitching: I used a longer stitch length (like Sara recommends), lowered my presser-foot-pressure (like I always do when using foam interfacing), and I made sure to have my integrated dual-feed on my Bernina engaged (as I usually do anyway).

I am IN LOVE with this bag! I made the large size, which finishes at about 12" x 7" x 3.5".

Last week I made the Zeppelin Pouch, which is another pattern from the Minikins bundle, and which also happens to be blue & yellow! HA! Here's a few shots of that one. There are 12 unique patterns in the bundle, and all but two of those (I think) have multiple sizes, so I've still got plenty to keep me busy from that bundle. I can't wait to try them all!!

Project Quilting 9.3: Amethyst Project Bag

Project Quilting Challenge Three this season is "Bold & Brave". I knew exactly which project I wanted to tackle this week for the challenge: the Amethyst Project Bag by Sara Lawson (Sew Sweetness). 

I sew my fair share of bags, but this gorgeous pattern has something that brings on the doubts and worries: a curved zipper. A few years ago, I tried another pattern by another designer that required the zipper to be installed around curved corners. I was NOT successful. Since then, I've avoided anything with similar requirements.

Sara Lawson makes awesome videos to go with many of her patterns, and watching them makes me feel empowered to stitch pretty much anything. She shows how even these difficult techniques are completely doable, and great bags with fancy attributes are absolutely achievable.

I replied to a comment on Facebook last night saying how Sara's videos make me feel calm and zen about sewing and also excited at the same time. Although that sounds dichotomous, somehow it's true, and it feels really great. I recommend any of her pattern & video pairs/bundles if you want to tackle a nice bag. I suggest making her projects with exactly the supplies she recommends, at least for the first go-round. She knows what she's talking about, and the types of interfacings and other components she uses all add up to make very polished, professional bags.

Sometimes my instinct is to use whatever I've got in my sewing room and stash that I think "will work OK" when stitching up a new pattern. You all know what I'm talking about, am I right? I've learned to RESIST THAT URGE with Sara's bags, because they're usually a slight disappointment when I use fleece instead of foam or the wrong kind of elastic, etc. When I'm able to invest the kind of time it takes to make a nice bag, I want it to come out great. Sara's patterns are all GREAT when you do and use what she says.

If you spot some flaws in the pics of my bag, don't hold it against Sara's pattern. This was my first attempt, and it's not perfect. It turned out pretty OK, though, and I'll certainly be making more.

Find Sara's Amethyst Project Bag here, and check out her other patterns as well. I just picked up the Minikins bundle last week, and I'm SO EXCITED to start making those! I even joined a Minikins swap. Unfortunately, the swap sign-ups just closed, but these bag patterns would be awesome for a lot of other swaps as well (I'm thinking of the Modern Stitching Affair swap here, hint hint). They would also make awesome gifts; there's a bag for everyone in that bundle.

Before I go, check out these new snips I won from Project Quilting Challenge 9.1 a few weeks ago! They were generously sponsored by Warm Crochet, and they are awesome: beautiful and really sharp! I'm loving them. Thanks Warm Crochet! Thanks, Kim, for being an amazing host and organizer!

Project Quilting 9.2: iPad Stand

The second Project Quilting challenge this season was “Triangulation”. I knew I wanted to make some sort of useful accessory, since that’s my goal this season, and I was initially at a loss of what to do. Then I remembered how badly I’ve been wanting an iPad stand for my sewing area, so I can easily view PDF patterns and videos while I’m sewing instead of having to print everything. I found this tutorial with a quick Google search, and it looked perfect.

This project was quick, easy, and very practical. I appliquéd a Mac Apple onto the front, so my project would qualify as “quilty” for the challenge, and because...well, it’s awesome. I cut into “my precious” Carolyn Friedlander stash and shocked the world! (Well, I shocked my best friend at least.) She knows how obsessive I am with my CF fabric; I almost never use it. It has its own big drawer. But alas, I have a layer cake of this particular line in addition to a fat quarter bundle, so I figured I could go ahead and take the plunge.

The free tutorial worked out great. The only thing I’d change if I made another stand would be to use rice in the little front roll section to add some weight. It’s a great stand, and an incredibly fast and simple project. This would make an excellent little gift for anyone with a tablet.

Project Quilting 9.1: Santorini Totes

If you haven’t heard of Project Quilting, stop what you’re doing and click here. Actually, finish reading this first.

Project Quilting is an awesome, annual, short season of quilting challenges for which you have one week to start and complete a project for each challenge. My friend, Kim Lapacek, at Persimon Dreams started it nine years ago. It has grown over the years, and she’s  gathered awesome sponsors who give prizes to random winners for every challenge. Our friend, Trish “Quilt Chicken” Frankland is now Kim’s Project Quilting  co-hort, and she comes up with the challenges. I was one of the lucky random winners for the first challenge this season. Look at the awesome scissors I won from Warm Crochet!! Aren’t they gorgeous? They’re also super sharp and functional.

This season kicked off on January 7th with “Hometown Proud” as the first challenge. My favorite thing about Project Quilting is that you don’t necessarily have to make an actual quilt to participate. A handmade object that includes quilty attributes can also work. See any of the PQ Challenge posts at Persimon Dreams for the actual rules. I made three quilted bags for the first challenge.

Two of my friends and I are knitting temperature blankets this year, so I thought we could each use a nice big project bag. Coincidentally, my friend, Natalie Santini, over at Hungry Hippie Sews was looking for some help testing one of her patterns: the Santorini Tote. I thought this pattern would make an excellent big-knitting-project bag, so I went for it. I pieced the top half of the main panels for the bags with charm squares from my group of "Strip Poker" players mentioned in my last blog post. I'm always looking for ways to use the strips and charms that I take from my fellow fabric gamblers!! HA! The bottoms of the panels (and straps) are Essex Linen. Everything I used for the bag was from my stash, except the zippers. I ordered those from my favorite zipper supplier: Zipit Zippers on Etsy.

To make the bag extra perfect for a knitting project, I added some pleated pockets on the inside to hold yarn and a grommet through which to feed yarn, so it doesn’t get chewed up by the zipper teeth while we’re working on our blankets.

And how about those cool zipper charms, eh? You can find plenty of those in my Etsy Shop for your own zipper projects. They also work well as row markers!

I used two layers of batting instead of the foam interfacing that one would usually use for the Santorini Tote. I chose to use batting, because I’ve never quilted on the foam. Normally I’d be up for trying something new, but  I wanted these bags to look great since two were going to be gifts. As a result, my bags are a little floppy, but I love them for their intended use. They work great.

The Santorini Tote is an amazing pattern, and it includes two sizes. I made the smaller one for the knitting project bags, and I plan to make a large one (with foam) for travel. Get the pattern here.

Follow Persimon Dreams to join in the Project Quilting fun! If you’re not a quilter, you can still play along by voting on your favorite projects during the week following each challenge.

Here is the first month of my two temperature blankets. I'm doing one for my new hometown in Walworth, Wisconsin and one for Calais, Maine, where I grew up. Each of my two boys will get to keep one at the end of the year when they're done. I'm excited to see how these two similar climates differ throughout the year. I think Walworth is a tad warmer with a slightly longer warm season. Good thing, too, because I LOVE it here!!