Hand Dyed Wine Bottle Drawstring Gift Bags

When I saw Jeni's tutorial for the wine bottle gift bag version of her indispensable and versatile lined drawstring bag pattern, I knew it was the perfect use for my small stash of hand dyed fabric. 

I created these designs in an amazing workshop with Kim Eichler-Messmer on itajime, arashi, and machine sewn shibori indigo dyeing over nine years ago. 

Itajime shibori uses folding and clamping fabric to create resists in interesting patterns. It is easiest for beginners to accomplish with small pieces of fabric, so I dyed mostly fat quarters. This project is ideal for that size fabric. It was meant to be.

Sandhill Sling

Do people even blog anymore? I'm really not made for shortform, or heavens knows not longform, video, so I may be a blogging holdout.

I made a version of the Sandhill Sling by Noodlehead. The Echino print was always going to be good, and I like the contrast of the Art Gallery lining.

This was my first foray into metal look zippers, and I found it surprisingly easy to work with.

The curved corners on the sling were a challenge just because of the multiple layers of fabric and interfacing, but the pattern is well written. It even has QR codes to take your to YouTube demo videos of tricky steps, which I definitely watched. I don't think I'm a bag person, guys. But I'm glad I finally finished this WIP.

Modern Herringbone Textile Art

This piece began as a color experiment. I wanted to explore neutrals paired with an unusual accent color combination. The coral, mustard, and light plum give the more traditional herringbone pattern a fresh, updated feel while the neutral cream and grey keep it from being too chaotic.

This piece is part of a triptych. I think all three would be make a bold statement framed and hung together.

All three, or just one, are available in my Etsy shop. 

Abstract Modern Textile Art

An improv pieced textile art piece featuring a couple of gorgeous hand screen printed linen scraps from Umbrella Prints, an Australian company, now defunct. I'm using my remaining bits sparingly. They're just so good.

I love how warm this piece feels with the neutrals and the subtle pop of orange.

The art itself is 8 x 10, matted to 11 x 14. It is available in my etsy shop.

Abstract Minimalistic Textile Art

This textile art piece uses simple linear shapes and neutral fabrics. The style, abstract minimalism, is at home in modern or traditional settings. The pop of the single print fabric adds interest without detracting from the calming simplicity of the piece.

It was created in an improvisational manner, making it truly one-of-a-kind. The textile composition is 8 x 10 and matted with a 11 x 14 mount. It is listed in my Etsy shop. SOLD.

Textile Art

It's been a while. Good to be back to my creative space. I've got a bunch of textile art pieces floating around in my head. They are small and perfect for experimenting with new ideas - nearly instant gratification. And I love how graphic these small ideas in fabric can be when framed simply.

Here's the first brought to life - inspired by the fluid, organic shape of kelp. The negative space is just as engaging as the kelp itself.

It's just as I imagined it. That's what I love most about creating original designs in fabric. 

I made this piece using the same improv applique method I have been using for the past couple of years. I really enjoy the process of cutting and sewing by eye, rather than using a template. The variations of shape and serendipity of design that result are so interesting.

More to come. This one is in my etsy shop. 

As an aside - sadly etsy has been overrun with mass produced items under the guise of "production partnerships" and "vintage" items. There are still lovely handmade items to be found, but you have to dig around to get to them. Let me know of any better platforms for handmade items, please. Back soon, I hope.

Modern Quilted Appliqué Pillow

It has been absolutely frigid lately in the Midwest, and when it is that cold I just want to sit under blankets as much as possible. Hand sewing is perfect for such days, so I returned to improv appliqué in my latest project.

The technique of improv appliqué begins, for me, with appliqué shapes cut by hand without a template. I eyeball the shape and trim as necessary to adjust to the contours I want. Then I baste the pieces in place and appliqué with matching thread.

I prefer rather dense quilting on appliqué pieces because it makes them durable. This pillow cover is machine quilted about every quarter of an inch.

The finished pillow cover is 19 x 19 and fits a 20 inch pillow form nice and snuggly. The design is a little mid century modern meets 1970s with the coral, gold, and brown square arcs. You can find the finished quilted pillow cover in my etsy shop.

I'm thinking of attempting to make a how to video on this method of improv appliqué, if anyone is interested.

Tall Tales Baby Quilt

I had intended to make more of these adorable foundation pieced blocks, but I cut things a bit short when I realized they would be perfect for my book loving friend's new baby. Using 20 blocks (8" square unfinished), I staggered the placement and added a quick border to make a 37 x 49 baby quilt.

The blocks, which use adorable Heather Ross prints, are just so cute for tummy time and story time - they would be great for any baby - but I know my friend is going to love making up silly tales about each one with her kids.

The background is a lovely, soft peppered cotton, and the backing fabric is a Alexander Henry print I have been hoarding for a while. A great black and white print goes with anything! I chose the texty binding print by Carolyn Friedlander which is a bit on the nose for the quilt theme. It made me chuckle anyway.

You can find the Tall Tales Quilt blocks by Quilt with Kate on Etsy. 

Quilt Blocks for a Book Lover

I have a small stash of special Heather Ross prints. The hand drawn quality and quirky subject matter of her fabrics is perfect for fussy cutting and quilt blocks that need a focal image. As I was thinking about the stories such images tell, I was reminded of a cute paper pieced book block I'd seen around the web. It is the Tell Tale block pattern by Quilt with Kate. 

The Heather Ross prints make perfect book covers, and I enjoy imagining the titles and subject matter of each one. The frog cover is of course Wind in the Willows, and clearly we have an account of the  the Princess and pea. The unicorn has to be a book of fairytales. The girl and her cat cover is a recent YA novel full teen ennui. Maybe this book is memoir about Woodstock. 

Three Quarter Log Cabin Scrap Quilt

It is a relief to finish this quilt. Making the improv blocks from scraps was so relaxing last fall, but they sat another year on a shelf as I tried to figure out how to use them all together. The solution of sashing to separate the crazy prints and colors has worked fairly well.

The quilt is big by my standards (73 x 95), since I quilted it on my tiny home machine. I find small scale free motion designs well suited for a large quilt because the small shapes, like these loops, allow you to stop and adjust the quilt frequently without interrupting or marring a larger, flowing design. 

I used an extra wide yellow backing from my stash and an old Erin McMorris Summersault print that I love for the binding. I think largescale prints are so interesting as binding because you get quite a variation along the edge or the quilt.

Patting myself on the back for using these blocks rather than letting them languish, and I hope the quilt will be useful and a blessing to a local child in foster care. 

Breathing Room

Remember this scrap project from last fall? I made three quarter log cabin blocks with my print scraps, using every shade and pattern. It was fun and therapeutic, but once I completed the blocks, I was dismayed to find I hated how they looked together. I even wrote a post contemplating where I went wrong. After leaving them on the shelf and the mental break of working on other projects, I decided to see if I could rescue the blocks. I do not ordinarily use sashing, but I knew the blocks needed some breathing room.

The fabric I chose for the sashing is Homespun Essex in indigo (although it reads as grey to me), and I think it is just what the blocks needed. The neutral space between the crazy prints tones down the chaos just enough. I picked my favorite 45 blocks, which finish about 9 x 12, so this will be an extra long twin when I get it pieced.

Modern Appliqué Table Runner

My latest experiment with improv appliqué is perhaps the simplest of all - organic ovals not unlike stacked river stones. Each shape was cut by eye and appliquéd in place with matching thread. The fabrics are all shot cottons, and their shimmering colors are hard to capture in photographs. While not a strict gradient, the colors are arranged to shift harmoniously from one to the next. I think the design is at once bold and peaceful.

To add texture, I quilted the runner densely with organic straight lines in creamy Aurifil 50 weight thread. Keeping the focus on the appliqué, I bound the runner in the background fabric which makes it nearly disappear.

The runner finishes at 16 x 49, and this unique art piece is available in my etsy shop.

Improv Appliqué Pillow

My latest improv appliqué piece was inspired by dried coral. I wanted to create a shape that mimicked its organic curves, specifically the holes within the coral. The technique I used was the same as my previous improv appliqué pieces (cutting the appliqué shape by eye, basting it a quarter inch from the edges onto the background, and using needle turn to sew it down), with the addition of careful basting around the shapes to be cut out within the larger appliqué shape. I cut the holes one by one as I appliquéd them in order to maintain the structure of the piece and avoid distortion. I'm really pleased with how flat I was able to keep the piece using this strategy.

I had a false start with the quilting, trying out some ocean-like waves which went awry. I set it aside for a while and ignored the impulse to put the whole thing in the trash can. After a couple hours of laborious unstitching, I decided to create a dense, random crosshatch. I love the texture, and the bonus of dense quilting for an appliqué piece in particular is how durable it makes the pillow.

Another change from my original design is the shape of the finished pillow. I started with a square, but I didn't like how the appliqué shape moved across the square. It works so much better as a rectangle, although it hurt a bit to lop off a good 6 inches. It was worth it in the end, as the piece achieves just what I set out to make - a natural, serenely flowing shape.

You can find this unique, quilted pillow in my etsy shop.

Modern Strata Quilted Pillow

I used the leftover bits from my scrap solids quilt to create this cheerful, improv pillow (do scraps ever really get completely used up?). This random looking piecing is called strata, and I give detailed instructions on the technique  in a section of my book, Improvising Tradition. I never really noticed, but until now all my strata has been monochromatic. The riot of color from the multicolored scraps has a very different feel, but I think it works in small doses.
 

The quilting is an easy free motion swirl that creates such a fun, contrasting texture to the geometric piecing.

For a nice plump pillow, the cover finishes at 19 x 19 inches to be filled with a 20 inch pillow form. The pillow backing is fully interfaced and closed with my favorite finish for quilted pillows - the lapped zipper.

This happy little number is available in my etsy shop.

Shibori Face Masks

As promised, these are the masks I made with some of this week's shibori indigo dyed fabric. Are they cooler than plain masks? Maybe. Will they mark me as a textile nerd to others of that ilk? Definitely.

I've sewn over 50 masks in the past couple of months for friends and family (as well as some to donate). These are made from my favorite pattern, a free one by crafty passion. They are quick to sew, wash well, and have a versatile fit. The elastic can be made as two strips to wear around the ears or in a continuous piece to go around the head. I knotted the elastic so it is easy to adjust or replace.

Stay safe!