Scrap Pillows

I know I've mentioned this before, but I generally dislike fabric scraps. I typically give them away because I can't handle the clutter. But recently I was going through my scrap box and realized that I had a bit of an attachment to some of them, so I whipped up a few pillows! I really love how these turned out, and I think I've found a new use for my favorite scraps.

This first pillow started with the grey flea market fancy print:

I love practicing my free motion quilting on pillows. This paisley pattern is one of my favorites for small projects.

More quilting:

The back is a herringbone print with a contrast trim (idea shamelessly borrowed from here):

Finished size is about 11" square.

And the second pillow started with the robot fabric:

I like the way this quilting has a "circuit" feel to it. Typically when I quilt in a square meander, I don't cross my lines. I saw this quilting style over here and decided to give it a shot! It was fun to do, and I think it would be great on a guy quilt.

For the back I used a monkey print by Melly and Me and a pink print. Another contrast trim, too!

Finished size is about 12" square.
I'm sure there will be more pillows to come! I even started making some fun monochrome blocks from my scraps. Addy loves choosing the scraps piece by and piece and it keeps the blocks more random than if I were to choose the prints! She wants to make a quilt for us to use, so it may be awhile before those blocks pop up on here, though.
I have lots more to blog about, but things may be quiet around here for a few weeks. Addy and I will be heading back to Illinois for a few weeks, and I have a lot of prep work before the trip. I hope to be back at it soon after our trip, though! I'm working on writing the pattern for my tote bag, and I'm still planning a giveaway to help me name the tote. Stay tuned!
And lastly, I've decided to list a few things on etsy again! Items will slowly start trickling into the shop, wish me luck!

Donkeys in Wellies

I have been holding onto a fat quarter of some Laurie Wisburn donkey fabric for a few years now. This was a fabric that she printed through Spoonflower, long before Jack and Jenny came out. I always intended to make a cheerful table runner from this print, much like the Christmas versions that I made a few years back. Then a few weeks ago I decided to make a simple plus sign quilt, featuring the donkeys! The colors in the donkey print offered such a great variety that it was the perfect starting point for this quilt.

 

All of the fabric came from my stash (yay!), and I had just enough of a few of these prints. I love when that happens! I also learned that this quilt design is great for mixing prints that wouldn't normally go well together. As a whole, the prints make such a great effect!

 

The quilting is an all over meander, and the binding (machine stitched) is from Backyard Baby. This is one of the BEST shades of orange. The backing is a rainbow stripe.

 

Finished size is 42" x 60".

It was hard to let go of this quilt, but right now it is in the local shop, Happenstance.

Pillows inspired by "Quilting Modern"

I'm not sure if I've mentioned the new book, Quilting Modern, before. I know Katie from the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild, although I didn't actually meet her until the book was well underway. She is tons of fun, and so inspiring! As I read through my copy of the book, I really felt like a little bit of Katie went into each project and technique.
Jacquie is equally as inspiring! Her blog was one of the very first quilt blogs that I ever followed, and even as my tastes change and my blogger roll reflexes that, I don't think I will EVER tire of Jacquie's work. I haven't met her in person, but she's very sweet over email!
I buy very few books, especially sight unseen. But I knew that this book would be a hit, so I preordered it - and I was not disappointed! What I love so much about this book is that it is a collection of modern quilting techniques before it is a pattern book. There are directions for creating the quilts in the book, but there are also fabulous descriptions of techniques and other layouts using the techniques.Oh, and I can't forget the section that covers quilting designs - who doesn't need more quilting inspiration?!
The first project that I made was with stitch and flip triangles. I wanted to make a pillow for a friend as a birthday gift, so I thought this would be a fun time to try out the technique.

I used linen for the center of the pillow and hand embroidered a G for my friend's last name:

Straight line quilting:

I used a brown for the binding and one of my most favorite prints for the back:

Fabrics on the front are from Outfoxed by Lizzy House (orange) and It's a Hoot by Momo (teal).
Back fabric is from Weekends by Erin McMorris.
I also tried the slice and dice technique in the book, and made this pillow for Felicity (she blogged about it here!):

On the back I used a cheerful raindrop fabric. She does live in Vancouver, after all. :)

Fabrics on the front are linen (from JoAnn's) and Quilter's Linen in lime and azure, I think. I really love the quilter's linen because it has the stability of a quilting cotton with the visual texture of linen. It washes up really well, and I don't mind at all that it's not real linen!
On the back I used a print from Summersault by Eric McMorris.
I can't wait to use some of these techniques in larger projects. The stitch and flip triangles are especially appealing to me, because they create so many different layouts!

Exciting News!

If you are in or around the Saratoga Springs, NY area, come out to Beekman Street tonight for the second First Friday Art Walk! There is a cute little shop on Beekman called Happenstance. where I've started to sell bags and quilts. I will also have a photo album of previous quilts that I've made, in the event that someone is interested in a custom quilt. I will be at the shop tonight from 6-8, so stop by and say hi!

Here are a few of the tote bags that I added to the shop:

 

Exterior is Lizzy House Pearl bracelet and AMH Loulouthi laminate. Lining is FMF. I'm playing around with different styles, this tote has fusible fleece and quilting on the main body:

This is one of my favorites. The Heirloom laminate pairs so well with the Ruby body and FMF lining!

The striped body of this tote is made from an IKEA ottoman cover that I picked up for something like $2.50! I used the wrong side of the fabric, because I like the more subtle stripe.

I couldn't resist this fabric when I found it - in the home dec section of JoAnn's!

So fun! And the home dec weight is prefect for this bag. I may need to search for a laminate to pair with this print!

Some FMF paired with more Heirloom laminate!

I almost kept this one for myself!

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All of these totes were created the same way I made my Echino tote. All of the totes have a magnetic closure, outer pocket that is divided into two sections, and an interior zip pocket. Now all this tote needs is a name! I'm thinking of doing a giveaway next week in return for naming suggestions. Stay tuned, and start thinking of tote names!

I also have a few small quilts in the shop right now along with some quilted pillows. But I'll save those for another post. Have a great weekend, everyone!

The My Memories giveaway is now closed and the winner has been notified. Thanks for playing along!