Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all my blogger friends.
Hope you all have a wonderful moments with your loved ones.

I didn't do much sewing this month. so nothing to share with you.
Hopefully I can sew again after the holiday over.

wonderful weekend

Yesterday, I received a wonderful cards from Leah 'colorfulartgirl'.

She really made my day this weekend with her beautiful artist trading card (or ATC for short) series "Postage 1". It is a tiny, original piece of art created with the intention of swapping or trading it with another artist, not selling it.
When I read the tag in the middle, it made me smile.
Thanks Leah ! I still "owe" you 2 postcards..:)

And about my last project, it's DONE :)
I had tried Victoria and Nina's suggestions in creating this wall hanging (see my previous post).
For the blue fabric that I didn't like at first (but don't want to throw away), I cut it in small pieces, then bleached them in trying to make varieties scheme color of blues. The quilting still in straight natural lines style.























I'd love to see how the blue squares pop up. That's why I named this piece : "Pop Up"

This is the back.
Still need to put a 'hanger' on it.

So Far ...

(Upps... I think the pics are too bright, sorry!)

So far...since I've done 4 tops for pillow covers last weekend, I can't stand for starting to make a table runner with the same 'batik' theme. Here I upload the top and the back although I'm not sure yet which one is the back nor the top, hehe...maybe we could call it 'reversible' table runner then :)

About the grey-blue ones...
I had ever bought "wrong" fabric, just wrong colors...didn't like it after I was at home. So since unused it would be a 'bad' habit along my journey in learning quilting, then I tried to cut it in small pieces.
I just love to arrange the small pieces mixed with white but now a little bit confused about which the easiest way to sew them together. Any suggestion?

Weekend's Project

I've plan to make couple of these today.

those blocks had made my bedroom a mess for quite a while...

because I cut fabrics, sew and all blogging "works" here.

Just love to do everything I 'love' in one room :)

Bee addicted - October 2009

Yes!! I've done the blocks for Melissa. Actually these are for the 2nd round - October blocks, but since I was late in receiving her fabrics so it's a little bit late also in mailing back. Hope she like the blocks.

Bee Addicted - October's Circle

After 2 days worried about my lil boy who got fever finally I've a little time left to play with Mellisa's fabrics. October is her month in our Bee Addicted and she asked us to make circles or triangles for her blocks. I chose the first.

Rearranging quarters of circles is really fun :)

My plan for tommorow... Sew them all.

My Imperfection 'Puckery' Quilt

Yayy...it's done today! I did the binding for 2 days. I pick solid colors. Love the cheery feeling from those bright color.

As you know I didn't make the puckers with purpose, at first these puckers were MISTAKES I've done in quilting. Along the journey I learned something from this quilt. I learned how IMPERFECTION could turned into something different (when you see from the eye of PERFECTION), but still I found BEAUTY in it.
Now I definetely LOVE my PUCKERY quilt! I also love the puffiness that made me want to touch and touch the puckers again.

My imperfection 'puckery' quilt remind me to Amy. She has started a group to share our imperfection moments in daily life. Love her idea!


One more thing:
For me ... doing hand stitches for binding is a perfect 'quiet' time for slowing and cooling down my mind from hustle bustle activities of the day.

It's time now for thinking my next project!

Fabric Pumpkin : Halloween Decoration or Pin Cushion

I'm not celebrating Halloween here, but inspired to make a fabric pumpkin like this.
My idea is come from a book "Sewing for a Holiday" by Singer. You could use it as a small decoration for your Halloween party or just like me...use it as a cute pin cushion. It's up to you !

This is really a quick project. I also made this in the middle of my 'puckery' quilt project that has not finished yet. You only need to :















Cut eight 9 x 13 cm rectangle fabrics and draw a pattern of partial pumpkin on a paper.





















The partial pumpkin pattern is 7 cm wide and 11,5 cm long.
(sorry, I just don't know how to put the numbers into the pic).
Just fold one piece of fabrics you had already cut and pin the pattern onto it.















Cut along the pattern then soon you'll have 8 pumpkin pieces like these.




























Stitch with around 1/2 cm (1/4") seam allowance for 2 pumpkin pieces right together along one side using 8 - 10 stitches per inch. Leave thread tails at curved end.















Stitch remaining pumpkin pieces together, 2 at a time to make 4 sections. Stitch two pumpkin section together . Draw up thread tails to gather slightly along seam lines like this.
Just don't pull too hard :)


Look, the pumpkin pieces will look like this 'pumpkin' after you turned it right side out.
Stuff the pumpkin lightly with polyester fiberfill or leftover batting pieces. Fold the edge under itself and hand stitched after that so the small opening looks neat.












Also hand stitched the bottom of the pumpkin to close the opening.














For leaves:
Cut 2 rectangles of 10 x 18 cm green fabric. place wrong side together, fold in half.
My advise: You should use brighter green fabric than mine. This is the only green I have, so better use it than buy another :)




















Edgestitch next to fold through all layers.

Make fringed leaves by clipping the fabrics at 0,5 cm interval or choose whatever size you like.


Cut a small branch from a tree, insert it at the top of the pumpkin, secure with hot glue.


Also apply hot glue to stitched fringed green leaves, wrap strip around your pumpkin.
Tadaa...now, done!!

Treating Puckers

I try to be 'friendly' with all puckers I had made on my quilt this week.
Look at this.....

I thought at first because I didn't use walking foot or a kind of fabric glue spray before batting that usually I see on other quilter's block (is it true?). Or maybe it's just my skill hasn't reached "no puckers" level yet :)
I remember that one of my new blogger friend Nina-Marie said she didn't use walking foot either, just regular foot with feed dogs up but having no problem in quilting. She said maybe because I used poly batt, not cotton batt so the foot doesn't move easier / smooth sometimes (and made puckers??)
There's no quilt store even less cotton batt here :(
Buying online would be very expensive, afraid!)
Well, I try my best in treating those puckers. This is the pic after I sew more organic lines in most of the area. Looks better :


Give up? No way....
Still in progress, hope I can finish this quilt next week.

2009 Fall Blogger's Quilt Festival

Couple of days ago I knew from one of my friend's blog that Amy from City Park Girl hosted a 2009 Fall Blogger's Quilt Festival. Interested to join, yes! But then not confidence enough to move on...so this morning I emailed Amy and attached the pic of my quilt just to ask her opinion about it. Well, she said "Amazing..you should shared it with us, Henny!".

So here is my quilt, can be a table runner or wall hanging.


I had ever post about it here. I made this wall hanging using my scraps from left over bedsheet fabric I made before. Inspiring with one of Jacquie's quilt then I quilted it with organic lines. Two reasons why I love these style of sewing are: I only need to sew it in straight lines and no need a walking foot (still I haven't had it yet).

I hope my first participation in this Blogger's Quilt Festival would encouraged me to create another quilt project more and more and most of all having new friends :)

Her Special Pencil Case

Finally ... we made up our mind to make her a pencil case with her own drawing that I had printed on fabric.
This is the first time for her (also me) to see her manga drawing printed on fabric.
Beautiful drawing!
I used a wonderful tutorial here, from Pink Penguin.


I think it's a quite good collaboration project, she draw , I sew :)

Motivated both of Us

Yesterday we -my daughter and I- were working on this project.
These are all her drawing. I tried to help her transferred them to fabrics.
Uploading this unfinished project could motivate me because I often tend leaving my recent project if there's other more interesting one. Also motivate her to keep on drawing.






















Still thinking what should I do with this block, maybe a pencil case or tissue case..

Simple & Easy Tissue Box Cover

Cut 2 pieces fabric of 4,5" x 18" and 1 piece of 5,5" x 18".



















Use a 1/4" seam allowance and sew 3 pieces together like this. After that hem around the perimeter (fold it under 1/4" & then again another 1/4" to hide the raw edge & sew it down).



















Fold it into something like this (right side in). Sew only 1 side of the rectangle, let the other open.



















Cut 2 pieces fabric of 2" x 4", sew around the perimeter then make them into small cute bow ties. Or you can also make another shape of ribbon for an accent at the top, whatever you liked :)












Turn the right of tissue box cover out then hand sew the bow ties onto 2 points.
Make sure the hand sew would also tied 2 pieces together. The middle side that left opened is for pulling the tissue out. At the end of my work I just simply put velcro (for replacing button). From this side you can easily put some tissue into the box cover. Now you're done!






Hope you enjoy this simple tutorial :)