Category Archives: Sewing

Small Sewing Project

While André and I were on vacation for most of August, one of our neighbors took care of our plants. She’s also a sewist so I sewed her a little bag as a thank you.

I loosely followed this tutorial: Fat Quarter Tote with darts that I found here years ago.

Here it is:

fqb-front-back

Click for bigger version.

Sewing Project

I recently got a new sunlounger and actually got to spend some time using it since the weather has gotten really nice this week. The only thing that was missing from my reading comfort was a cushion or two. I remembered this hummingbird fabric I’ve been saving for a special project for five or six years – it was just enough for two front sides. I used some matching light green fabric (Kona Cotton Solid in Spearmint, if I’m not mistaken) for the back.

It was almost 10pm when I finished them, so here’s a quick shot of the cushions on their intended sunlounger at dusk.

Update: Here are two more photos in better light:

Sewing project from two years ago

Two years ago I sewed a quilt that I gave away as a present to a couple on their wedding day.

The design is very heavily inspired by The Tempest Quilt by Cherri House of Cherry House Quilts fame.

The squares are all made from Kona Cotton solids by Robert Kaufman in ash, black, charcoal, coal, graphite, iron, med. grey, pepper, pewter, shadow, silver, sky, slate, steel, blue and indigo and match the couple’s living-room couch. For the small inset rectangles I used some print and some solid fabrics in the bride’s favorite color range. The solids are Kona Cotton in berry and cerise.

For the back in Kona ash I pieced a patchwork heart from the accent fabrics.

I quilted it with horizontal free-form wavy lines. For the binding I used Muslin Mates Bubbles in black by Moda, except for the lower left corner, which is made from one of the accent fabrics.

The quilt looked nice as a present even without wrapping paper!

Unexpected Compliments

Today I went to visit Nadelwelt, a fair for all things needlecraft. My main interest is, of course, quilting, and I always enjoy looking at new fabric and especially the lovely quilts most booths have on display. Of course every sewist likes to wear something they’ve sewn themselves, so I brought this handbag I sewed three years ago:

While I was walking along one aisle, a lady stopped me to compliment me on my lovely handbag. I said thanks, and she replied with: “Well, I designed the fabric, I spotted it right away!” – “Oh – you are Brigitte Heitland! And she was! I told her I was a huge fan of her fabric collections. I noticed that she wore a tote bag made from her Barcelona line and mentioned that I’ve had a fat quarter bundle of Barcelona at home for a year and had not yet found the courage to cut into it.

She then went on to the workshop she taught that afternoon, and I went on browsing the booths, soon coming to the one of her company, Zen Chic, where the attendant promptly complimented me on my bag and told me the fabric was a line of their’s. I told her that I’d just heard the same from Brigitte Heitland herself. :-D

Later I went and looked at the quilt exhibition that’s part of the fair, and they had some of Brigitte Heitland’s quilts there, among them one called Shine through (scroll all the way down) made with the Barcelona fabrics I’ve got. I think I might attempt something similar and turn it into a wall hanging for our living-room.