Hexie Zip Bag

English paper piecing is probably my favorite type of hand sewing. It's just so portable, perfect for scraps, and cute. Of course it stops being portable when you try to make something large, so the two panels necessary for this sweet zip bag were just right to my way of thinking.

The pattern I used to make the bag is the Perfect Zip Bag by Elizabeth Hartman. You can make it with a pieced panel or without. It is my go-to pattern for zip bags because of the method she uses for inserting the zipper and covering the zipper ends. Perfect every time.

I was trying to decide who would appreciate this sort of gift, and I think it has to be a quilter, don't you? I'm going to surprise a special woman via post this week.

Ketchikan Throw Quilt in Jacquie's Favorite Bundle of Painter's Palette Solids

I am excited to share the quilt I made with Jacquie's Favorites bundle of Painter's Palette Solids from Paint Brush Studio. This post corresponds to a giveaway this weekend over on my Instagram account, so head over if you'd like to enter for a chance to win a kit.

This was my first time working with Painter's Palette fabrics. These solids are so soft without being thin. The weight is just perfect for quilting.

Some of you may recognize this throw quilt as my Ketchikan Quilt pattern. Isn't it cheerful in this rainbow of colors? I used just a few blocks from the pattern and arranged them in a new way to make a smaller version of the quilt.

I chose the darkest blue from the bundle as my background. It is called Marine.

Jacquie Gering designed and made this modern Whirlygig quilt with her bundle. A free pattern can be found for it on Painter Brush Studio's website.

The giveaway for the Whirlygig quilt kit is open until Sunday evening, so be sure to enter in time or stop by Teresa's instagram page next Friday for another chance to win a kit.

Winter WIPs

Bone chilling cold has settled over the Midwest, leaving me starved for color and warmth indoors. I started this project as a way to use my favorite Anna Maria Horner scraps, but I soon realized I wanted a larger quilt than my scrap stash would allow. I pulled out the good stuff, and I'm resolving to cut it up. It's silly to leave it on the shelf. The riot of color and pattern is somewhat calmed by the alternating low volume prints, another stash category that needs thinning.

For a hand sewing project on the go, I'm creating something more austere. I've never worked with this English paper piecing shape before. I suppose it's really just an elongated hexagon. I'm not sure where this doodle is going yet, but not knowing is half the fun.

Jewel Stars Quilt

This quilt proves that it's never too late to finish a long term project. I first blogged about these jewel stars as a new English paper piecing shape back in 2011! It seems I started  joining the stars to diamonds and wrote about assembling thee quilt top in 2014. Ironically I ended the post with a joke that surely it wouldn't be another three years before I finished the quilt. Ha! Guess what time it is, folks? Yup, three years later, but it is finally done.

My favorite part of the process by far was making each little star. Finding just the right fabric combinations and fussy cutting the jewel and hexagon shapes was a delight. I spent many a gymnastics and taekwondo lesson happily cutting, gluing, and sewing those gems. What bogged me down was the assembly of the stars into the background and to each other. That was not quite as fun, and the larger it got, the more awkward it was to hand piece. I'm happy I soldiered through it though, as the final 44 x 50 quilt is a fun I-spy game and snugly cover in one. Can you spot the annoyed owl? Cute frog? Cotton candy stand? Terrified terrier in a teacup?

I backed the quilt in scraps of flannel, making it extra cozy, and continued the scrap theme with several different leftover yellow binding strips.

Hopefully I've made everyone feel between about the WIPs or UFOs languishing in your sewing areas. They may get finished one day!