Embroidered iPhone Case

Whew! What a busy summer we have had. Much traveling and many visitors and a few projects here and there.... My 21 year old red-headed step-daughter (yes, I am truly blessed with a red-headed step child!) came down for a visit recently and this iPhone tote is one of the projects we made while she was here. She chose the design, we embroidered it onto a scrap of canvas, and the end result is the bag you see below. The bag is just big enough for her iPhone, can hang on her tote bag, protect her phone in the bottom of her nonexistent purse, or hang from a belt loop should she choose to do so. I made two different size ties so she can use whichever one fits the task. We didn't have a pattern and just made it up as we went along... For essentially no investment we ended up with a great, usable item. And I ended up with a really good idea....

Quilted Laptop Bag - Great Scrap Buster!

My Summer Scrap Busting has continued, and here is my latest project. I was getting ready to travel up to New York to see my grandtots and naturally I need to take my laptop with me. My laptop bag had broken on our last trip and I had yet to buy a new one because I just couldn't find one I liked. Every bag I looked at weighed a ton and was soooo much bigger than I needed. That landed me back in my sewing room, looking at my fabric. Basically I made two quilted rectangles and sewed some pockets in, made a strap, attached it to the larger rectangle, folded the whole thing in half, sewed and bound the side seams and this is what I got.

I can't tell you how many compliments I got in the airports. Honest. And this didn't take me more than a couple hours. More scraps gone, and another useful item that I actually like.

Scrappy Pineapple Beach Bag!

UPDATE 3/12/2010: I have uploaded the FREE 6 Inch Paper Piecing Pineapple Block Pattern to the previous post - it can be found here:  Free 6 inch Paper Piecing Pineapple Block Pattern

So here is what I made using my "Chip Basket" of scraps. A super huge beach bag that was made entirely out of scraps. First I made 19 six inch paper pieced pineapple quilt blocks using 100% scraps - and small scraps at that! The blocks made quite a dent in my Chip Basket and the lid is now neatly back on the container that was overflowing less than two weeks ago. For absolutely no new cost I have a very functional, very cute, large tote bag that is big enough to hold a beach blanket and at least three beach towels. In the photo below it has three large towels in it with room for much more!

I had exactly one yard of the lime green fabric, and that became the backing of each section of the stipple quilted beach bag. I pieced the batting from scraps by giving each piece a clean cut, butting them together and then zig-zagging them into larger pieces. This diminished the pile of batting scraps I had stacked up. I covered some ugly olive drab cotton webbing I had with some purple strips of fabric I had left over from a previous project, and that became the handles. Even the binding used up bias binding pieces I had leftover from Quilted Toddler Bibs I have made as gifts and for pattern cover photo shots.

I took this photo to give you some idea of how large the bag is. I really love how colorful, bright and happy it turned out! Oh, and I covered the inside seams with seam binding made from the lime green fabric - still from that same yard of fabric.

Here's the bottom of the bag.

And these pouches are made from four patch blocks I never used from a block swap. I put webbing straps on the back of each bag which will allow them to be snapped onto the pole that runs up the dash of our boat. The red one is for my husband and the purple one is for me. It will keep our wallets, phones, camera, ID's, etc., handy, safe and secure while we are out on the boat... yet more scraps used up! I just had to share this project and give everyone ideas regarding their scraps. The fun part of this project for me was that I literally didn't buy a single new item to complete this. I just kept digging until I found what I needed to complete it! Dig into your scrap buckets and start sewing! What can you come up with?

UPDATE 3/12/2010: I have uploaded the FREE 6 Inch Paper Piecing Pineapple Block Pattern to my previous post.. You will find it at the end of that post.

Scrappy Pineapple Quilt Blocks

UPDATE 3/12/2010: I have uploaded the FREE 6 Inch Paper Piecing Pineapple Block Pattern to end of this post.

What you see above is my "Chip Basket." That's what I call the little container that I throw all my scrap bits of fabric and odd half square triangles, wonky strips and any other little leftover fabric pieces that accumulate as I piece together quilts. I even save those first cuts of yardage you are left with after you square the fabric up prior to rotary cutting. Either way, we all have these little scraps. As you can see by the photo my Chips had grown too large for the container I was keeping them in and this past weekend I thought I should go purchase a larger bin. "HOGWASH," I said out loud, as I quickly came to my senses! I decided right then that I would start using them up!

The Scrappy Pineapple Block to the left is what I came up with. I vowed to myself, and now to all of my online quilting buddies, that I will make one of these blocks every single day, no matter what, until I can at least put the lid back on the Chip Basket without having to sit on it to get it latched. Believe me, the bin can't stand that level of abuse...

I was given the most marvelous gift from my Quilt Guild secret pal recently and that helped me decide what direction I wanted to go. She had bought for me the June Tailor Perfect Piecing Transparent, Blank Foundation Sheets for paper piecing. This is a marvelous product, let me tell you! I stuck it in my printer, and it printed up the block lickity split. It is so easy to use, you can see right through it without having to hold it up to the light, and it tears away like butter but only when you are ready to tear it off! The photo to the right shows a block before I sewed on the scraps.

Here is the back of two blocks. See how easy it is to see through and thus to work with? It is a gift from the quilting Gods, in my humble opinion.

And here are Saturday and Sundays blocks, even sewn together. I have put the free 6 inch Paper Piecing Pineapple Block on the end of this post for everyone to use. Dig into YOUR scrap bins and make something bright, happy and useful today!

(you can scroll to the bottom of the embedded pdf file and click on "download" to print...)

Pineapple block 6 inch

Recycled Clothing and Stash Busting

In an earlier post I mentioned that I had gone searching for a few bibs I had made. While searching, I stumbled on a box of clothing that I had saved for future projects. Had no idea what I was going to use them for, but I knew the fabric was just too good not to use. What you see on the left is the back of a wonderful linen tank top that I got bleach on the front of. I loved the rust color and the weight of the fabric, so I decided to make a purse out of it.

I embroidered two simple designs on the fabric, cut out a big rectangle, cut the lining from another very old linen shirt, threw a zipper in, hung an old bead from the zipper, and I had the purse that you see at the top of this post. The purse was literally made from two old, useless, discarded shirts!

I was so pleased with the first one that I got to digging, and found some old purple velvet, embroidered two designs on it and ended up with the bag you see on the right.

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Then I found some black velvet and yes, you guessed it. I made a black bag. I just couldn't stop - these are just too easy! So, the reason I am posting photos of these items is to remind everyone that from our stash and Goodwill bag, we can really make some useful, beautiful items for little to no investment!

Yes, I am a bit Obsessive Compulsive, so I made one more bag. This one is made from a small scrap of blue canvas I have had for years and years. It was so dusty I had to take it outside and shake it like mad before I could even iron it! Was it worth the bother? I sure think so!

One Thing Led to Another...

You know how one thing just leads to another? Well today, for me, is a perfect example of how this happens and even the best laid plans can go astray. It all started last week when I stopped by my favorite fabric shop in Key West, The Seam Shoppe. It is located on Truman Ave and I have been going there for 15 years. That store always puts a skip in my step - they have the best batiks and island prints anywhere! As luck would have it they carry my Quilted Toddler Bib pattern and I needed to stop by and pick up some fabric to use to make a sample bib for them to display in their shop. The bib to the right is the sample I made for their store. Then, as is often the case when I begin to sew, one thing led to another, and another, and another, and that's why I didn't get any laundry done today.... isn't it?

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While I was sewing the sample for The Seam Shoppe, I remembered the fabulous citrus fabric I had bought there a while back and I decided to make my darling Granddaughter, Lucy, a bib with the remains of that fabric. Isn't it grand?

Here is the back. I love it!

And then, as luck would have it, I had just enough left over to make Lucy TWO "drool bibs." Here is one of them.

And when I finished the drool bibs, I remembered the fabric I had left over from the aprons I made my daughter and her girls for Mother's Day, and, well, that led to this bib here on the right ------->

Then I remembered another sample I had made for a machine embroidery website, so I started digging through boxes until I found that bib so I could include it with the other bibs I had made today. I couldn't send the box without this one in it, right? You wouldn't believe the stuff I found while hunting for this bib.... but that's another post entirely...

So all of that is why I didn't get any laundry done today. Or dusting. Or bookwork. Or the newest pattern uploaded to the Library of Congress. One thing just led to another...

Hey! How did Lucy's photo get on here? Now that it's on here, I certainly can't delete it.... Isn't she darling? Just look at those eyelashes!

Swap Blocks!

I have definitely been busy working on swap blocks for my local guild, The Procrastinating Quilters. The gals that run the swap sure keep us in stitches (couldn't resist!). The Flip Flop blocks really caught my interest, since that is my shoe of choice.

I generally make 12 blocks to swap, and then 12 to keep, but with the Flip Flops I did three of each, keeping one of each set of three for myself. If that didn't make sense, what I meant to say was that I made six for myself and 12 to swap. When I get the 12 swapped blocks back I will make more for myself, filling in with Flip Flops that are the "missing" color or style that I think my quilt needs. I machine embroidered all the embellishments onto each block. That's why there are only 18 total blocks. Machine embroiderers will understand the design placement nightmare I created for myself with that one....
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.....I liked the paisley the best...


And my goal this month is to use up some of my green stash, because it is taking over the house. I tried to use only green fabric for the flips. Somehow, after I was done the green section seemed to have gotten larger. Go figure.

Each time we swap there is an appliqued block pattern and a pieced block pattern. For this months swap I decided to do both. The pieced block was to be red, white and blue and as luck would have it I know someone who has his birthday on the 4th of July. Odd thing is, I have never made him a quilt. So, below are the 24 blocks that shall be the beginning of the "Little Fire Cracker Quilt." I have some paper piecing patterns, and some other cute red, white and blue blocks that I am going to scramble up and use to make my little fire cracker his quilt.... one day.