Very Little Sewing Happening!

It's true!  I've done very little sewing these days!  Very little could mean several things...not sewing much or sewing little minis!

In my case I'm sewing minis.  It's satisfying, fun and when you don't have a large project to work on but just wanna make...it fills that urge for the time being.

HEART OF THE HOME PATTERN 

Welcome to my neighborhood!  These tiny houses go together pretty quick and even though they are paper pieced, they are pretty easy and don't require too much precision.

Big heart or small heart, each one gets a little special treatment with some sort of detail.  

4 1/4" x 4 1/4"

This was the last one in the batch that I made.  It was the first time I realized I could add a selvedge with a cute saying to personalize the house!  DUH!  It really only works with the small heart house (Small Heart Pattern) and appears as if it was meant to be.  I don't often save selvedges unless like this one, it's too cute to toss!

 

The Gnome house might be a favorite of mine!  Fussy cutting for the windows is one option, but I couldn't forget about the chimney! Meow!

Bears and bunnies anyone?!  Truthfully, it takes longer to pick the fabric than it does to sew one of these minis, at least thats true for me!

You gotta find the right 'window dressing' that will fit inside the frame.  The patterns come in three sizes: 4", 6" and 8".  With a little juggling of fabric you can find the right size print to fussy cut for any size.



For the most part I've been free motion quilting each mini house.  Which is why the quilting isn't perfect!  I like to quilt the sky, roof, heart and house so that each has a different design.  It might be a bit more time consuming, but FMQ speeds that up to some degree.

With the weather warming up the flower seeds I planted indoors needs to be transplanted.  That's where I'll be if anyone comes knocking at my tiny house door!

'Heat of the Home' patterns are available here:

  Twiggy & Opal Etsy

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Heart of the Home :: Pattern Release!

These are trying times for everyone and it isn't always easy!  While we shelter in place it's important that we stay in contact with friends and loved ones.  Maybe that's with a phone call, a letter or video chat.  How ever you reach out, letting someone know you are thinking of them and that they are not alone is so important.

I was thinking how home has been our safe haven these days and social distancing is becoming the norm.  For good reason.  I decided to design a small paper pieced block that captures the home and heart of our current state in which we find ourselves.

HEART OF THE HOME 💗 LARGE HEART

I designed two (2) patterns because I couldn't decide if I liked the large heart or small heart best!  

Each pattern has templates to make 4", 6" or 8" blocks.  The choice is yours! 

HEART OF THE HOME 💗 SMALL HEART

You could easily pop a 'Heart of the Home' mini quilt into an envelope to surprise a loved one!  Let them know you are thinking about them!

I'll admit...I've made several tiny homes already!  They are so much fun to customize!  

4" LARGE HEART

All you need are a few scraps of fabric to build your home to suit your style.  Prints or solids, it's in your hands!

   

One part that I find super fun to play with are the windows!  You can fussy cut small prints to add even more personality to your home.

 

After quilting it's on to binding!  I have a tutorial for that:  Mini Mini Binding Tutorial.

I could see an entire neighborhood of tiny houses.  A Utopia!  My imagined place in which everything is perfect!!

💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

You can find 'HEART OF THE HOME' in my Etsy Shop!  Just click on the link!

💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

I'd love to see your custom built homes!   You can email:  jaynebug (at) gmail (dot) com or tag me on Instagram using @twiggyandopal!

LINKING:

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Cut it Out!!

In my last post I talked about how quilting a large stack of quilts can be too much all at once.  By taking a break and making a small project in between recharges me to get back to the larger task at hand.

One of those 'intermission' projects was this project.  Rainbow paper pieced scissors.  

GEOMETRIC SCISSORS
11 1/2" x 11 1/2"

I've had this project cut out for weeks hoping that I'd get a chance to make it.  The Geometric Scissor pattern is another amazing design by Kristy Lea of Quiet Play.  The scissors are part of her Quiet Play Pattern Club 2019 which is still available, and happily she has another year lined up for 2020! (Pattern Club 2020)  As you can see I'm a huge fan of Kristy's!



The easy part was picking the rainbow fabric, the hard part was which background fabric to use.  I decided to use something a little different and went with a fat quarter of Coffee Peppered cotton.  



I could have left well enough alone, but I couldn't very well do that!  It's not in my nature!  I ended up making a border to increase the size and give it a boost.  I designed the border in EQ8 and printed paper piece templates.  And very soon after I had the extra element needed to finish it up.  

Near the end of piecing the border I realized I was literally cutting it close with the background fabric!  I needed and used every piece of that Peppered Cotton fat quarter!  

 

I could have went around the house a found about another dozed pairs of scissors for the photo...but that would have been a bit over the top!  Instead I settled on three pair that were within arms reach.






The detail is worth a couple detail shots, I think!  When I'm paper piecing something as detailed and tiny as the pieces in the handles, I grab larger pieces of fabric than normal so I don't have to worry about being short.  For those who freak out at the waste of it all...even larger pieces for this were pretty small!  That's what my scrap totes are for!



Another element to take it over the top was the quilting.  Or I should say:  in my mind I think it's over the top!  Pebbles using Aurifil Burgundy thread.  I normally try to match thread with backgrounds, but I had the urge to step out of my comfort zone and choose a color that would be visually impactful, but not outlandish.



I also wanted to keep the scissors sharp (pun intended!) and opted not to put one single stitch on them.  Finished off with a red border and viola! it was done and my itch was scratched!



My plan is to maybe take it to our Guilds Holiday Party and add it to the small gift swap.  They say you should give gifts that you yourself would love...and I do love this!

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Circle of Geese Plus :: A Fast and Furious Project

I'm trying to get back in the swing of things and start regular blog posts again.  I feel like I've been on vacation minus the sand, surf and sun that usually is the destination of choice!

Some time after I finished my pastel quilt Pink Haze, and before QuiltCon, I was looking for a project.  Something that was small, something that was quick and most certainly something with color.  

HOT GEESE
17.5" x 17.5"

One of my favorite paper pieced patterns is Circle of Geese by Piece By Number.  It's a pattern on BluPrint (formerly Craftsy) and free to anyone.    

 

I've made three versions of Circle of Geese, each time adding my own twist.  Borders, colors and quilting are fun ways to change it up and in a sense make it my own.  As much as you can when using someone else's design!



This is the finished design before borders.  I used 12 different shades from yellow to red in the circle and and Kona black for the background.  You can print the pattern so the circle goes clockwise or counter clockwise, and it consists of four sections.

Each section is identical which makes it easy to precut pieces.  I like to figure out the size, cut four and sew each piece before I move on.  It makes the process quicker, easier and less stressful for me!



This time I added the three geese on each side for more color, visual interest and to increase the size.  It took a few tries to get the side geese the right size, but with EQ8 I was able to do that with minimal paper waste.  



The border geese couldn't much more simple!  Once I figured out the placement, the rest was pretty straight forward.  Add a couple background pieces and the task was done!



I could have done a better job at lining up the border geese on all sides so that they were all the same.  As you can see from this photo, the orange side goose lines up point to point, but the yellow side goose does not.  Honestly it didn't even occur to me to check that part!  Perhaps there will be a next time!

 

When it came time for quilting I knew I didn't want to quilt the geese.  If I had I would of wanted to use matching thread for each goose, and I didn't want to get that detailed with thread.

I stuck with black thread and created a geometric star in the center to begin with.  From there I figured out certain points that I could use to continue the geometric design using lines.  It came together in the end.  



The back is a metallic gold piece of fabric I've had for years.  I'm not sure why I would have bought this...but I did.  This was a good time to use it for the back and in a weird way it kind of fits.  I mean, it's black and it has circles!  

I'm not sure why that it is, one of my many quirks I suppose!.  It isn't because I think I could improve the pattern.  It could be an ego thing...I gotta make it mine!  I don't know.  I just know that's the way I work, the way my brain works!

Do you follow the rules or do you color outside the box?

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Rubber Ducky :: You're The One! (or Two)

Rubber Ducky you're the one

You make bath time lots of fun

Rubber Ducky I'm awfully fond of you

(Sesame Street)

Rubber Ducky's are just plain adorable, that I think we can all agree on!  I first saw the paper pieced pattern on Instagram and then was lucky enough to win a copy from Zephyr Skies.  The pattern is available here on Craftsy: Rubber Ducky in case you are interested.

RUBBER DUCKY
17 1/2" x 12 1/2"

I couldn't wait to make the block, yet I had no idea when it would happen.  I'm kind of at that point where I just wanna play with quilting.  You know, make a few small things, try out new patterns or blocks, but I'm not ready to start something big.  So, I played.



I decided to make two ducks, one facing right and one facing left.  Picking the fabric was a mind chore!  There are so many possibilities, but I eventually settled on some lovely 
Cotton + Steel Basics and Moda Grunge.  



Adorable, right?!  The metallic in the Cotton + Steel fabric is what really tipped me over the edge.  A little bling is never a bad thing!



Toy Boat XOXO Metallic for Righty and...



Netorious Mixing Bowl Metallic for Lefty!

Both blocks went together seamlessly.  I did grab my seam ripper a few times, there is no doubt about it!  Working with solids it isn't a problem which side is right or wrong, but those darn prints...I gotta think harder!



After the ducks were finished and happily quacking away, I had to figure out the layout.  Call me crazy, but the idea of bubbles floating in the center was gnawing at me.  In the end I decided tiny hearts would be just as cute...cuter...unexpected?!  

I ended up making three paper pieced heart blocks: 1 1/2", 1" and 3/4", using three shades of pink. 

 

I offset each heart and centered them in the middle literally using every last piece of the background fabric!  Whew!  I was a bit worried towards the end!



Quilting time!  I made a 'duck sandwich' and began thinking of design possibilities.  



I quilted the wings and around each duck before I tackled the background.  I was having a horrible time free motion quilting!  The thread kept bunching up on the back.  I changed needles, reset the bobbin case and re-threaded over and over and over.  Eventually the problem was solved and I was able to finish it with a loop design.



The Rubber Ducky block is 10" and available here:  Rubber Ducky Pattern

It was such a fun project!  I'll most certainly will make more one day.  Call me crazy again... but I want to reduce the pattern and make a mini mini...you'll see...it's gonna happen! 

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Maelstrom :: Scraps & Improv

I finished quilting my Geometry Lesson quilt last week and decided before I could move on to the next one I had better take my machine in for a tune up.  It was getting a bit clunky and squeaky, which I'm sure isn't a good thing!  Hopefully it will make the machine quilting process a little less painful.

That very same day I started feeling blah...like getting a cold blah!  I wasn't feeling horrible, but not feeling well enough to take on a new project.  That being said, I also wasn't going to sit on the sidelines and not do something!  So, I blew my nose, made a cup of tea and grabbed a project that would be mindless and inconsequential.

MAELSTROM
17 1/2" x 17 1/2"

Do the colors look familiar?!  This quilt is from all the scraps I had leftover from my recent finish 'Bridges'.  Trusted Kona Deep Blue and Toasted Pecan!  

Several weeks ago I started sewing some of these scraps together for no other reason than they were there.  Simply put.  And now was the time to put them together and let the chips fall as they may.



This is where it ended weeks ago and where it started a couple days ago.  It certainly isn't very impressive is it?!



It wasn't long before things changed and the unimpressive slab morphed into what I think is a pretty interesting quilt.  



It looks a bit pixelated or a little chaotic, and that's all true.  Not all improv is 'flying by the seat of your pants', there is a part of the process that has to be planned to some degree.  That's my experience, loose planning.  

When I decided to add the curve around the center I wasn't sure which color to use.  I only had two to choose from so it didn't take long to narrow it down! 

 

I almost took the final border in a completely different direction and I'm so glad I didn't take that road!  The way the pecan and blue are opposite from each other exceeded my expectations!  I couldn't have planned it any better...or did I plan it at all?!  

Let's talk quilting for just a second.  Same same...dense and organic.  Enough said!  I'm not terribly creative!

One of my favorite details is the binding.  Look at that line up!  Adding a matched binding was the perfect final accessory!  It's a wonderful way to take the eye from edge to edge.

Hopefully I'll get a handle on this cold situation and be back on top of my game soon!  It would help if this rain would stop and the sunshine would make an appearance!

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It's A Gem - In the Rough

Everything appeared to be going so well.  I was flying high!  All my pretty, pretty blocks were finished and I was just about ready to start assembling ... when everything screeched to a halt!  I realized I forgot to add what I felt was a crucial piece to my design.

Once I was aware of the mistake I knew I would finish what I started regardless.  However the enthusiasm for what I was making wasn't there.  Instead I pieced the blocks together with very little care or concern resulting in a less than stellar finish!  
   

IT'S A GEM
17" x 20" 

If you close one eye and stand back it isn't that bad!  Open both eyes and the misaligned seams are glaring!

What I learned was I should always finish with the same care and precision as I can.  If only for the practice!  That even though it wasn't the 'plan', it can be just as good or perhaps better.  Who's to know it wasn't intended all along?  And lastly, even though it wasn't the best I could do, it was still worth finishing.  From piecing to quilting.  I haven't a clue what I'll do with it not that it's finished...but it's finished and I did have fun!



I'm sharing this photo so you can see how 'off' I was with the alignment.  I was so frustrated with myself for doing that!  Next time it will be different!  Some of the sections I quilted 1/4" lines that carried through the grey background.  



I free motion quilted funky squares throughout and 'phantom' lines connecting the Kona Pepper strips.  Still my favorite is the 1/4" lines that go through the grey!



The back is always the best way to show quilting!  For someone who can't verbalize clearly, having the visual helps! 

 

You're probably wondering what was the design suppose to look like, what was the piece I forgot about.  Was it really that big of a deal?

This is the quilt design:

The missing piece is seen better in the block.  The diagonal black line.  That darn little piece!  I think if that piece had been included everything could have connected better.  How will I be sure?  Guess I'll have to make it again!  

Live, learn and move on!   I will make the design again to prove to myself I can do it!  

That's my story!  Next time the ending will be different!  The next one will be as designed and go according to plan!  

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