Practice Pouch Highlights: What's wrong with this picture?

Nothing like Highlights magazine and the smell of glutaraldehyde to really bring back the dental office panic attacks of my youth.  Our dentist growing up was a friend of the family.  Dr. B was rapidly approaching retirement age.  I always thought of him as a kind man, soft-spoken and gentle.  Right up until the day he pulled a (perfectly-good) permanent tooth in place of the wiggly-loose baby right next to it.  Some mistakes you can fix.  Some leave yawning gaps where your second mandibular bicuspid should be.

So, what's wrong with this pouch?  Plenty.  Thankfully, most of the issues are small and picky, and happen to be things that I can fix the next time around, which makes me incredibly grateful that I decided to take a practice run in the first place.  But, one...  Well, one is quite possibly gaping-hole-in-your-mouth serious.  I don't really know yet.  I'll need your help with that shortly.

First, though, the process details.  [Feel free to skip down to the next * * * if you want the quicker, less-detailed "spoiler" version of the game].

* * *

If you read my post from earlier this week (yes, two in one week...  I know, right?), you already know I'm working on a redwork pouch for one of the ladies in the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild.  The embroidery and patchwork are both finished, I just need to put the pouch together.  As a veritable pouch rookie, though, I've been really nervous about cutting into that 144-piece patchwork without a little more preparation, so I (and several of my fellow STLMQG members) have opted to first make practice pouches instead.  

After falling in love with Mary Claire's super-cute hexie pouch earlier this week, I decided to purchase a copy of Elizabeth Hartman's Perfect Zip Bags pattern from her website.  I don't usually buy patterns, but Elizabeth's are worth every penny.  Her directions are detailed but simple, and after reading through this pattern just once, I envisioned at LEAST 20 variations of these bags popping up on my to-do list later this year.  Of course, I probably should have read the pattern more than once, but I'll get to that in a minute.   

My plan for the redwork pouch will require a few alterations from Elizabeth's original pattern:

(1)  Instead of a patchwork square on the front, I want to frame a circular embroidery pattern with patchwork, so this seemed like the perfect time to try my hand at Dale Fleming's 6-Minute Circle.  

  

(2)  Because my embroidery piece was already finished by the time I purchased the pattern, I regrettably discovered that it was too big to fit on ANY of the pouches in Elizabeth's PDF, so I also had to scale the pattern to fit the embroidery piece.  Thanks to some wonky math, I'm happy to report that this part of the experiment seems to have worked out nicely, and I am actually quite pleased with the final placement of the circle on the finished bag.  If anyone is interested in the measurements I used, I'm happy to send them along (minus all of the sloppy handwriting and parenthetical derivations): 

With these two changes in mind, I started combing through my stash for something pretty I could fussy-cut as the circular centerpiece.  It didn't take long to realize that my mostly-solid fabric collection doesn't really lend itself to that sort of thing, so I needed something else to fill the space.  I decided to raw-edge applique some simple text instead.   

I typed the word "quilt" in Microsoft PowerPoint using American Typewriter font (175 pt, bold).  I then traced each letter (backwards) onto the paper side of a small strip of sewable Heat 'n Bond using my state-of-the-art light table.  

I pressed the Heat 'n Bond onto the backside of some orange fabric I had laying around, and cut out the letters.  After pressing them to the white (interfaced) background fabric, I zig-zag stitched around the raw edges.  Unfortunately, I had some tension issues early-on, and it wasn't until I got to the L and the T that things really started to work themselves out, so don't look too closely at those first few letters.
(Mistake #1)

Once the letters were attached, it was time to try my hand at that circle.  According to my math, I was going to need a 7.25-inch opening.  Thankfully, one of my small bread plates from the cupboard worked nicely.  I traced the circle onto the dull side of my freezer paper template and pressed it to the backside of my interfaced fabric.  Next, I traced and cut the inner circle (Quaker Oats lid), and notched the curves as shown:

I pressed the notches back as directed to form a smooth circle, but I thought the result was a bit too stark, so I decided to add some batting and do some straight-line quilting in the same bright orange.  Now, Elizabeth's pattern calls for you to turn the exterior fabric over the edge of your interlining fabric before constructing your bag.  Unfortunately, I went ahead and did this before I'd decided to quilt.  Assuming I'd be folding that top edge again when I pieced the bag together, I did some lazy-man's quilting, cutting my thread ends instead of burying them, not realizing they would eventually end up right next to my zipper (Mistake #2).

It was also at this point that I decided to add some hand stitching around the circle for emphasis (why these things don't occur to me earlier is beyond me).  That means that after stitching, I now have little tufts of white cotton batting straggling their way through my grey fabric all the way around the circle.  Ah, well...  Practice pouch, right?  (Mistake #3).

Now that all of the preliminary work was finished, I could start assembling the materials for constructing the bag (don't you LOVE that lining fabric?).  Because I had scaled the pattern, I had to custom-trim the zipper, but otherwise, the bag came together just as Elizabeth described.  

Seriously, how much do you LOVE that lining fabric?

I know.  So do I.  Which is a good thing, considering we'll probably be seeing a lot of it since I'm afraid to zip it anymore:

Mistake #4:  Failure to interface lining.  

Grrr...  So frustrating.  I was going to interface the lining.  Truly, I was.  But, then Little Man got sick, and Miss Em needed a volleyball jersey, and yada, yada, yada, I got back to the sewing room, and blamo!  The bag was together before I knew it, with two floppy squares of interfacing left idly on the sidelines.  

All of that work to finish a bag that is completely non-functioning.  

I have neither the time nor the willpower to take the thing apart.  It's a practice bag, after all, and that would be seriously OCD even for me.  But, still...  It's pretty damn cute, if I say so myself.  I'd like to salvage it if I can.  I've already popped a few stitches yanking the hell out of it, and came pretty close to ripping the liner in the process.    How do I make it work without sloppily hand-stitching the lining up near the zipper?  

* * *

Fatal flaw:  Liner fabric (consistently) caught in the zipper teeth.  

Gaping mouth hole, or bridgeable gap?

The lines are now open...

   

Ready for (semi-)redwork / "Cheer up sleepy Jean(s)"

The St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild is having a pouch swap at our meeting next week, and I've got some (hopefully) modern (semi-)redwork in the wings for my secret swap partner.  I can't show you the stitchery itself, as that would definitely give it away, but here are some of the fabrics I'm auditioning from my stash:

The plan at the moment is kind of a hodge-podge of techniques:  embroidery, patchwork, six-minute circle, reverse and raw-edged applique.  Will probably toss in some linen, and maybe a Dresden plate for good measure.  Sounds a little manic, I know, but this weekend is the first time I've set foot in my sewing room in nearly three months, and I have a lot of catching up to do. 

Here's what I have on the design board as the patchwork comes together.  I'm hoping the design of the bag and the sprinkling of modern fabrics will help swing the feel toward the less-traditional side: 

The squares will finish at an inch apiece, which means my 144 teeny-tiny pieces will finish at about 12 inches square.  This would be fine, I guess, if I didn't have plans to carve out the middle of this thing for reverse applique.  Because I may want to save the center portion for later, I couldn't bring myself to insert a square of muslin here to simplify things, so a-stitching I will go.  Borderline crazy, I know, but it took me nearly the full month to decide what to make for this special lady.  Now that an idea has finally settled into my brain, there's no going back at this point.

In other news, I've enjoyed a little retail therapy the past few weeks.  I may not have time to sew, but I find that petting fabric takes no time at all.  :) 

A little (or 12 yards of) pezzy print:

And a few stacks of (mostly) solids:

Some of these will be featured in a wall hanging I have planned for my other secret partner from the "For the Love of Solids" (FTLOS) swap currently underway on Flickr.  The ship date for international partners runs from now through Saturday, which means I have the potential to miss deadlines on two continents this week, I guess.   :)

Finally, if you get a minute today, pop on over to the Modern Quilt Guild's website.  They've  been busy posting their super-great 100 Days series since the first of the year.  TONS of amazing quilts and tutorials to enjoy.  This past week's series was called "Using what you have," and somewhere amongst all of the colorful scraps and vintage sheets is a quilt made of-- wait for it-- denim.  So, many thanks to the MQG for the kind shout-out this weekend.  It's pretty nice to be included in such amazing company.

P.S.  I grew up in the '70s, and a huge part of my childhood was spent laughing and singing along with a fun-loving group of guys who just-so-happened to give birth to the music video:  The Monkees, whose lead singer, Davy Jones, passed away this week at the age of sixty-six.  Although I was particularly smitten with Michael Nesmith (the quiet, broody one in the knit stocking cap), I could always rely on Davy and the gang for an honest-to-goodness belly laugh without politics or agenda, which made the days seem brighter to me, and life in general, just a little less serious.  I like to think that it's appropriate that a denim quilt was featured this week.  Not just in tribute to Davy and his bellbottom trousers, but also as a reminder that just as fabric can be rejuvenated with a little extra effort, maybe life really can be a bit brighter if we'd just take the time to make it that way.  As much as I grumbled about trying to make a denim quilt, the truth is, once I threw myself into the project, I couldn't help but feel good about the change I could see taking shape.  Have to wonder how much brighter life might seem if I put that much love and effort into everything I do.  Next time I hear "Daydream Believer," think I'll sing "Cheer up sleepy jean(s)," instead. 

Thanks, Davy.  For everything.

WHY IS THERE A TIGER IN THE BATHROOM?

Thanks to everyone who played along with my Sew Mama Sew Giveaway post.  I'm sorry that I have been unable to respond to every message (I never anticipated 456 of them!), but I so enjoyed reading your comments, and will likely still respond to many of you soon.  So many great quotes and books to consider!  And so many new friends with common likes and interests!  I hope to post a synopsis of some of the highlights soon.  

In the meantime, congratulations to Kasey, visitor #84, who left me this message:

She blogs over at Stitch. Bake. Run.  Air Force wife/mother of two/runner/baker/quilter.  And NOW, the proud new owner of 4-1/2 yards of beautiful Amy Butler fabric!  I plan to check out her website soon, and can't wait to see what she makes with her new stack of goodies.

In the meantime, thank you again to all of my visitors, new and established alike (see how I didn't call you "old?").  Special thanks to the new followers out there.  This really has been a fun week for me, and has reinforced for me yet again how lucky I am to belong to such a fantastically talented, funny, and generous community of artists worldwide.  I will do my best to post more frequently in the hopes of getting to know you all better, and keeping myself inspired by your amazing work.  Fledgling though my efforts may be, writing this blog really does brighten my days (to quote Ms. Kasey):

"... even if I'm the only nerd laughing."  

"The Butler did it."

Welcome Sew Mama Sew readers!
PLEASE NOTE:  The GIVEAWAY SIGN-UP DEADLINE HAS PASSED.  Entries will be capped at 456.  Thank you all for playing!  Winner announced at this site soon!

What brings you here today?

Could it be that you're waiting to hear news about my latest projects?


Like this...

 

Or this (first zipper pouch ever)...

This... (Yes, that says 'beryllium')...

This...

This...

This...

This...

This...

This...

This...

This...

These...

Or, this?

No?

Well, then perhaps 'the Butler did it.'

Amy Butler, that is:

Your prize for visiting my blog during this week's Giveaway event is TEN 1/4-yard cuts PLUS TWO full-yard cuts of luscious Amy Butler fabrics to brighten your holiday season.  That's four-and-a-half yards, people!  Interested?  Just leave a comment below listing (a) YOUR favorite movie quote, and (b) your suggestions for one must-read book to add to my list, and you're eligible for the prize.  Winner (as chosen by random number generator) to be announced later this week.  International entries welcome.

In the meantime, for my 15 loyal listeners, sorry for the brief hiatus...  I hope to update you on all of the above (and then some) just as soon as I administer last rights final exams to my organic chemistry students this week. 

As for the rest of you, remember...  Movie quote, stellar book, name goes into the drawing.  

Easy-peasy, right?

Best of luck, everyone, and thanks for visiting!   

    

I am grateful

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday, and GOOOOOOOOO Kirkwood!

Improvisationally Challenged

After spending most of the day in bed popping Advil Cold & Sinus, I can finally lift my arms above my waist and keep my eyes both open and focused simultaneously.  Unfortunately, it's after four o'clock in the morning now, so "awake" isn't terribly convenient.  (Stupid antihistamines).  Nevertheless, I've been laying here thinking about my shortcomings as a quilter.  Specifically, my utter lack of ability where improvisational piecing is concerned, and my incapacitating fear of combining bold prints in close proximity.  (I have others, of course...  These are just the few featured today in my drug-induced stupor).

Juli Ann's fabric picks for this month's "Meet Me In St. Lou Bee" Blocks.

My lovely friend and fellow St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild member Juli Ann recently asked us to mix improvisational piecing with some really beautiful bold prints for this month's "Meet-Me-In-St. Lou Bee."  The blocks were due today at our monthly STLMQG meeting, which I sadly had to miss.  :(  I realized, though, as I "tweeted" my pending absence to friends this morning that mixed in with all of that disappointment was the teensiest sigh of relief.  At the time, I thought I was just relieved to spend the day in the horizontal position, but the longer I thought about it, the more I realized that I was actually really intimidated by having to share my blocks with the ladies this month.  I've seen previews of many of their blocks on Flickr in the past week or so, and mine just don't seem to fit.  As a teacher, though, I know that the only way to really improve at something is to let the experts help you work through your mistakes.  I had hoped to do some of this today (yesterday, now, I guess) after our meeting, but alas, I wasn't really fit to maneuver heavy machinery across the river.  So, in an effort to swallow a heaping spoonful of my own medicine, I'm posting my blocks here for the time-being, along with my thoughts on what's wrong with them, and a request for any tips/tricks you'd be willing to share from your own experiences mixing prints and piecing improvisationally.  For the record, we were shooting for blocks similar to these posted by Alissa Haight Carlton of Handmade by Alissa:

Here goes.

Block 1:  Cage the Songbird

Generally, I do a lot of quilting with solids, and like a lot of contrast in my quilts, so the idea of the shot cottons paired up with the white appealed to me.  Beyond that, though, I was stuck.  I wanted to fussy cut the bird, and a few of the spirals because of their graphic nature, but I think the result is a little too matchy-matchy compared to the rest of the blocks I've seen, all of which seem more varied and vibrant than mine.  As an example, I actually fussy-cut little snippets of the brown/pink/red fabric and pieced them together to frame out the spiral in the top-left-hand corner while avoiding the giant, fluorescent orange floral in each.  The bit of orange you do see there has been pieced in purposefully, as I had the intention of tying the orange back in later (which never actually happened, due to the complete explosion of pink across the rest of the block).   See what I mean?  (Poorly-) planned improv.  Just doesn't seem right to me.


Block 2:  Empty Garden
(aka Elton John - The Melancholy Emoticon)

I don't know WHAT the hell happened here.

I liked the notion of off-setting the frames to the side, and I'm good up to the layer of Tula Pink framing out the gold.  What happened next is anyone's guess.  

The weird little strip of red in the middle was inspired by this quilt top, which I love, by the amazingly talented Karen of Blooming Poppies, but after working this in, along with the tiny little spec of red in the bottom white border, I just kind of forgot about it.  I had wanted to tie in little bits like this throughout the entire block, but then I revisited some of the bee blocks on Flickr, and realized that this was really not looking at ALL like the "wonky-log-cabin/drunk-love-gone-crazy" direction in which I was supposed to be heading.  So, I finished piecing the last few borders, trying my best not to butt any two disparate prints side-by-side.  When I stepped back to look at it, though, this is all that I saw:

:|

Melancholy emoticon.

Of course, when you combine that with the flowery frame surrounding the gold square, you have what looks like a melancholy emoticon wearing a vintage Elton John monocle.

At this point, I was really depressed.  Juli Ann is an artist by trade.  Her quilts are somehow both bold and striking, but quiet and beautiful at the same time.  She has an amazing aesthetic.  She was also the first friend I made in the quilt guild, the person who most put me at ease during a sudden social-panic attack at Laura Gunn's house, and considering my natural inclination to keep to myself in large groups, probably the only reason I get to enjoy spending time with this wonderfully funny and talented group of ladies each month.   I wanted so badly to make her something strong to add to her quilt to thank her for all of those things.  Instead, I slid these two unhappy blocks into my 2-gallon Ziploc bag, and let out a long, frustrated sigh as I settled into the futon for the night.  Sad songs say so much.

When my alarm went off at 5 AM the next morning (this would be Friday), I flicked on the light and stared at the mass of scraps I had left on the table from the night before.  Too dejected to pack them up for her just yet, I headed to the bathroom to shower up.  There's no fan in the bathroom, so the mirror is constantly fogged.  I took a washcloth and wiped it clean, starting in the top-right corner, and working my way log-cabin style around to the middle.  I went upstairs, and used up the rest of the waffle batter from Emma's birthday breakfast the day prior to make breakfast for the kiddos.  Put out a soft stick of butter, and reached in the pantry to find a brand-new bottle of Log Cabin syrup.  Got to work, ran to my boss's office where he was showing a colleague a bizarre set of greeting cards the University had issued him last spring with Abraham Lincoln on the front.  Abraham Lincoln.  Who grew up in, you guessed it:  a log cabin.  It was pretty clear the quilting universe wasn't done messing with my head over this little fiasco.

When I got home from the parish picnic late Friday night, I was already feeling under-the-weather.  Between my fever, chills, and the constant loop of "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" cycling in my head, things were looking kind of gloomy.  In an effort to redeem myself and salvage some small part of the day, I sat down at the old Kenmore with Juli Ann's scrap pile and just started sewing.  Not really thinking about much of anything, just pairing up scraps from smallest to largest in a quick and wonky log cabin.  I don't know if it was the sinus meds or just the fact that I was starting with scraps (so if I screwed up now, no pressure, right?), but whatever the reason, I think I like this last block the best:


Block 3:  Wonky Cat

I know the print-matching isn't necessarily the best here, but considering it was all that I had left, I'm actually okay with it I think.  I do like the wonky nature of this block.  It feels closer to the others that I've seen, which makes me think it will work more harmoniously with the rest and not stand out as an eyesore the way the others might, I fear.  Either way, this was a tough bee month for me.  If I had it to do over again, I think I'd make them both log cabin blocks, but pair the fabrics to show a little more contrast.  As it is, the piecing here is a bit lost in the shuffle.  Regardless, I have to thank Juli Ann for the learning experience.  And, everything else for that matter.  :)  I'm happy to re-make these if need-be now that I have a little more confidence in the process.  Still can't say that I'm comfortable working with such varied prints yet, but, you have to start somewhere I guess, and I'm still standing.

;)

What do YOU consider when mixing bold prints together?  How do you approach improvisational piecing?  Not rhetorical.  I'm really asking.  :)

  

Climbing the Walls (Part III, the Conclusion)

...cont'd from Part II.

When I first started stripping, I kept things pretty organized:  first, by size within color...

...then, solely by color.

Once the strips were all cut, I trimmed 36 squares of copy paper to 8.5 x 8.5 inches square, and prepared each for paper piecing the string blocks.  I drew a pencil line across the diagonal of each square, marking additional lines 0.75 inches to either side of the diagonal as shown.

  

Using just a touch of fabric glue, I temporarily adhered 1.5-inch strips of heavily-faded denim to each of the 36 squares along the diagonal.

Next, I randomly pieced each block using the denim strips cut previously, doing my best to alternate size and maximize contrast between sets of strips as I progressed.  When each paper block had been completely covered with fabric, I turned them face-down, trimmed the excess fabric along the lines of the paper and ripped the paper from the backs to give 36 strip-pieced blocks...

... and a whole mess of these:

I played with the layout for "a while,"  (you know, the way reading War and Peace takes a while?), and eventually landed on this:

Which, according to my husband, gave my father-in-law a serious case of vertigo.  ("If I look at it too long, it's like I'm falling into it").  That's right, Dad.  Try not look directly at the quilt.

After cursing my way through a WHOLE lot of denim meeting up at the corners (can you hear my Kenmore chugging "I THINK I can, I THINK I can?"), I decided I'd had enough, and took an unofficial break from the blue stuff for "a while."

You know, the way black bears pack on 30 pounds of body fat, then nap for a while?

I developed quite a nice little case of ADD during my hibernation.  (Avoiding Denim Disorder).  Pieced a few bee blocks for a friend.  Designed a lap quilt for a swap partner.  Created a messenger bag for the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild's Rip-Rip-Ripping Challenge using bits of transparent shower curtain and a selection of elements from the periodic table.  All the while, the denim quilt lay there, backless, and mocking me.

When I finally managed to focus again, it was time to decide what to do for the backing.  Although Dawn had asked that we skip the batting (the denim itself heavy as it is), she had specifically requested either flannel or fleece for the backing.  She initially considered something whimsical and fun in honor of Jordan, but having already strayed so far from my comfort zone, this was a little more than I could swing:

           
So, I made the executive (predictably dull) decision to match the fleece on the back with the colors on the front and go with navy blue instead.  I purchased two separate, high-end flannels for the backing, only to wash them both and have them pill like the dickens.  I finally decided to go with fleece instead, which not only provided me with anti-pill options, but also gave me the opportunity to personalize the quilt for her as well.

I purchased anti-pill fleece in both navy and sky from a local fabric store.  I then searched the web for a whimsical font I could steal download for tracing the letters.  I eventually decided on this one from "Art of Graffiti," which I enlarged to 200%:

  I traced the letters of her name onto the dull side of a small sheet of freezer paper.

Using the finished name as a guide, I cut a small swatch of sky blue fleece large enough to span the width and height of the letters and pinned it to the wrong side of the navy blue backing.  I then pressed the freezer paper shiny side down onto right side of the navy blue backing and directly over the spot where the sky blue swatch was located.  

Using a very small stitch length, I trace-stitched along the lines of each of the letters of Dawn's name, essentially sandwiching the navy blue fleece between the freezer paper and the sky blue background swatch.

I carefully removed the freezer paper from the right side of the navy fleece.  In an attempt to give a more finished feel to the wrong side of the backing, I used a soft, flexible interfacing to cover the swatch of sky blue fleece and smoothly pressed it to the wrong side of the navy.

Once all of the paper had been removed and the interfacing pressed to the back, I used sharp embroidery snips to remove the top, navy blue layer of fleece within each letter by trimming along the inner edge of stitches, taking care not to cut through to the sky blue background fabric.  (Because of the small stitch length, and the no-fray properties of fleece, you can trim all the way up to the stitch line without issue.  I have made several personalized blankets like this, and after dozens and dozens of washings, not ONE has come apart along these stitch lines, no matter how closely I trim them).

This left me with Dawn's name in sky blue relief against a navy blue foreground:

At this point, I attempted (poorly, and on several occasions) to stitch the denim top to the backing fabric along the diagonal cross-hatch pattern formed on the front, but quickly decided that this was, in fact, too much for my Kenmore-that-Could (as evidenced by a gritty, grinding sound accompanied by the smell of burning gears).  Instead, I stay-stitched the front to the back in about 15 strategic locations, and bound it all up in navy blue Kona.

This quilt is heavy.  Lay-on-your-chest-during-dental-x-rays heavy.  But, considering it's only meant to protect against sharp little kitten claws (as compared to the 2-3 millirem radiation of, say, your typical bitewing series), I think it should do the trick.

One final note to Miss Dawn, in the event that you happen to read this.  It seemed an appropriate homage to our free-running friend to photograph this quilt in its proper setting before giving it to you last Friday.  Of course, if I happen to get a phone call from the construction crew outside asking me to identify the young man currently hanging from the scaffold, I will deny ever having met him, so I apologize in advance for having planted this idea in the first place.  In the meantime, hope the quilt comes in handy, and serves as a small reminder of my gratitude for your boundless friendship and support these past few years.  If it turns out the quilt isn't quite what you had hoped, I'm happy to replace it with another of your choosing.  I suppose you could up-cycle it yet again by returning it here.  Construction workers love denim, right?