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I assume most of you already use a reader of some sort to follow blogs you enjoy.  You will also likely know that Google Reader, which I had been using, is going to disappear soon (oh the dependency we have on free online tools!).  I'm trying out Bloglovin as my new reader.  So far, so good.

If you don't use a reader and manually check blogs for updates, you should definitely try out one of the readers available.  It will show you when blogs you like have been updated, so you won't have to check daily.  It's a big time saver!

I am working with these fabrics today.  I'm thinking something angular and masculine.

Low Volume Quilted Pillow

I finished my quilted, lumbar pillow, which is based on a pattern in Malka Dubrawski's Fresh Quilting.  There's an affiliate link, if you click the photo below.

I used strips from my scrap bin, slightly larger than the pattern indicates, so the pillow ended up being 16 x 35.5 inches.

I quilted the top with simple straight lines to emphasize the zigzag pattern created by alternating the direction of the print and solid rectangles.

I backed it in cream linen with a lapped zipper, using this favorite tutorial again. The edges are bound in Kona Glacier for a pop of color to help the pillow stand out on my friend's cream couch. I stuffed the homemade pillow form firmly, so this lumbar pillow should be very functional. I hope it fits into the elegant, understated decor of its new home.

And Now For Something Completely Different

Low volume scraps, precise cutting, and following a pattern.  It's good to change things up sometimes.  I pulled some light prints from my 2 1/2" strips bin to make a project from Fresh Quilting by Malka Dubrawsky that I earmarked "long ago" as my boys would say.  This project may have started the current low volume trend, or maybe she was ahead of her time.  Either way, there is something very restful about working with these fabrics.

The project pairs solids with low volume prints to create a simple zigzag, but the slight variations in values of the fabrics give it a subtle interest I love.

I'm doing some straight line quilting, and then I'll need to buy a bunch of filler for a home made pillow form.  My strips are bigger than those in the pattern, so this is going to be giant.

Therapy from Scraps

If you have a problem with rainbows, you should look away now.

Recently, my bin of scrap strips began to overflow, but really, let's not pretend this long term project is simply a way to remedy a surplus of scrap strips.  No, I'll own up to it.  I enjoy sewing monochromatic strips sets so much, I have gone so far as to accept additional scrap strips from friends, even buying them at times!  In the grand scheme of things, it is an inexpensive form of therapy though, and it's productive too. Right?

When I need a break from the sewing I should be doing, I grab a handful of strips, snip them a bit longer than required, piece, and trim each block into a 5.5 x 10.5 rectangle.  What's not to love?  I get to pair lovely fabrics, do some mindless chain piecing, and rainbows appear.

I don't have a plan for these blocks just yet, although I have in mind two quilts from Scrap Republic  that could be adapted to work.  Lots of possibilities...

For now, I'll keep sewing strip sets. 

A Pleasant Trip

I thoroughly enjoyed my many trips around the world quilt.  You can find out more about the pattern and quilt along in my previous post.  It was a complete pleasure to make this quilt from start to finish.  I was excited to pull scrap strips in my favorite color palette of the moment.  I ended up raiding my stash as well, but it was worth it. I made 25 blocks; the quilt finishes at 60 inches square.  

The colors are moody and wintry, and the rich teals are a new obsession for me.  It is a hard color to find in fabrics.  I want it rich and saturated, without white accents that disrupt the value.  If you have a favorite dark turquoise or teal, let me know!

The Anna Maria Horner pastry voile I chose for the binding is the perfect teal.  And let me tell you, if you have not hand sewn a voile binding, you are missing out!  It was such a pleasure.  I will definitely be using it again.

I decided to try out  a new free motion quilting design.  I thought the busy quilt top would camouflage any imperfections, which thankfully seems to have been the case.  I picked the concentric circles design from Angela's first book.  The design is really quick and easy, although next time I will make the circles on a smaller scale (less than four inches across would be good I think), as the large circles were hard to keep even on my tiny machine.  I really love the texture they create, almost like raindrop ripples in a puddle.

The back is a text print from the Mama Said Sew line.  I saw it on lucyandnorman's gorgeous scrappy trip along quilt and had to have it.

You can find the throw sized quilt in my etsy shop.

Tripping

If you instagram (I'm @teaginny over there), no doubt you've seen many #scrappytripalong blocks popping up.  There is also a flickr group for this informal quilt along.  The tutorial for the block can be found on Quiltville, and it is rather ingenious.  It uses strip sets to create blocks like the ones below.

I started with my scrap bin of 2.5 inch strips and chose any fabrics in plum, teal, aqua, gray, and white.  I've wanted to work with this color scheme for a while, so it's good to finally see them all together.  It feels rich and wintry to me.

When you put the blocks together in this configuration, you get the effect of many trips around the world.  If you keep it scrappy, the "trips" are a little wonky and broken up, which makes it all the more interesting to me. It is really fun to arrange and rearrange them on my design wall.

I have 16 blocks so far with strips for another four.  Perhaps 25 would be a better size.  It's a lot of fun, so I'm not in a rush to finish.

A Quilted Pillow and a Look Back

No, I didn't make this pillow quickly today.  I actually finished it last month; I just forgot to show it.  All 144 squares (1.5 inch finished) came from my scrap bin and provided some much needed therapeutic sewing during the holidays. 

I quilted it simply with a crosshatch through every other squares and added a zipper closure using my favorite method.  Here you an see what it looks like then you use matching fabric for the flap, rather than contrasting as I did with my last pillow.  

I bound the edges like a quilt.  A thin binding strip looks a lot like piping and frames the pillow nicely. This quilted cover fits an 18 inch pillow form.  You can find it in my etsy shop.

Here is a quick look back at some of my favorite projects from 2012.  Here's to lots of fun sewing in 2013!

 

 
1. Herringbone Baby Quilt, 2. birdie sling, 3. Scrappy Bibs, 4. Feathered Nests Quilt, 5. Brrr! Quilt and Pillow, 6. granny squares baby quilt, 7. Furrows, 8. ipad cover, take 2, 9. Flashdance, 10. Ruffled Wristlets, 11. Trellis Quilt, 12. Atomic Quilt, 13. yellow and gray pinwheel, 14. Raindrops Quilt, 15. paper boat mini, 16. Links, 17. Snapshots Quilt, 18. super sized granny square quilt, 19. MQG pincushion swap, 20. Supersized Flashdance Quilt, closeup, 21. Tallahassee Anna Pillow, 22. Pleated Liberty Frame Purse, 23. Table Runner, 24. Quarter Log Cabin Quilt, 25. wholecloth quilt