First attempt at a quilt block: dancing dragonfly

I signed up for the Cheryl Lavon Donation Swap on swap-bot. The idea is for participants to contribute quilt blocks to a quilt which will be donated to the American Cancer Association, in memory of Cheryl. I have never made a quilt block before, but that didn't stop me. Swap-bot is a wonderful excuse to try new things.


I headed to my local library, and found Sue Beever's Dancing Dragonfly Quilts on the shelf (all of the "standard" how-to books had been checked out). I was rather struck by the dragonfly motif and decided I'd give it a go.

Luckily the book has lovely piecing instructions for a beginner like me (although a "beginner like me should" probably have tried something like a traditional 9-piece block for her first go). I'm tempted to buy this book sometime in the future, there are so many lovely photos in it!

Next I headed to Lincraft to pick out some fabrics. I had only a very vague notion of things like quilt colour wheels and appropriate motif sizes. So I ended up grabbing the first four FQ of fabric in earthy tones that tickled my fancy (two green, two brown; three dark, one light) just as I was being shooed out of the shop as it was closing time.

After browsing through the book, I decided I'd try block variation #3, and that I'd give traditional piecing a shot.

Next, I played around with colours in Inkscape and I settled on this layout. I like how it kind of looks like a coconut tree! In retrospect it would have been a good idea to play with colours before buying the fabric. But I wasn't that organised.

Inkscape would be a great program for designing quilt blocks, I may do so one day. (I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here!)

Now, being an impatient newbie, I was sure to run into a few stumbling blocks along the way. First of all I was confused about the size of the block. The book had dimensions for making a 12" block, but the swap requirements said a 12½" block was needed. It took me a bit to realise that they were one and the same - depending on whether you include the ¼" seam allowance around the sides of the block in the size!

The next headache was wrapping my head around the cutting sizes for a traditionally pieced block. The author said that "seam allowances vary with the piece's shape", which confused me as I thought the seam allowance was always ¼". I eventually worked out she was talking about adding an allowance to the length of each the side of the block, not about the distance between the block's finished size and the edge you cut along.

Once I worked these measurement issues out, I decided I want to start cutting RIGHT away, even though I hadn't ironed the material (the ruler squashes it flat!), and couldn't find my rotary cutter (but I have scissors and a disappearing ink pen!). Did I mention being an impatient newbie?

I used my A4 cutting board & 14"x4½" quilting ruler to measure out the pieces and used the angles in the ruler to double-check I had cut out the pieces correctly.

However, I was so busy concentrating on this that I managed to make a different kind of mistake: I cut out three triangles instead of two triangles and two trapezoids... it's obvious that I'm thinking like someone who does layered images, not flat ones! Appliqué, much? I salvaged what I could of the fabric by cutting one of the trapezoids out of the useless triangle.


Finally, I had all my pieces cut out. I gave in and ironed them.

And then I started looking at them, and trying to figure out how they would fit together properly....


Before realising that I needed to take into account the seam allowance... which changes the measurements quite a lot for angled cuts (which I don't usually have anything to do with... I tend to deal with rectangles or curves....)


My machine doesn't seem to do a ¼" seam very easily, so I just marked the seam with my disappearing pen...



... and followed the stitch line with the groove on my sewing foot.


All finished!


Here's a shot of the back! I did as instructed and ironed each seam open before adding the next bit of fabric.


Only one problem... it turned out to be wonky & the wrong size. The seam at the bottom was the worst offender, changing by ¼" from side to side. The right-hand side seam was simply ¼" too short.

I have since trimmed it down to a near-perfect 6" square. I'll think of something to do with it...

Not to be discouraged, I'll be trying again soon, using a different method. Probably the paper-piecing one outlined in the book. And I'll be ironing all my fabrics well before-hand.

At least this was only a quarter of the finished block, so I don't feel like I've lost too much time on this one!

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Related posts:

• Another tiny dotee (made for Cheryl)
• Dragonfly... or coconut tree? (Finished block)

Cycling 65km for a cause!

I've lived in a few different places in Canberra, but I've always commuted by bicycle (or bus for those lazy, sick or rainy days). The photo above was from my daily commute from Cook when I used to live there. I love the signs (especially the top one). This stretch of road was always exciting for the tunnels, hairpin turns (see the mirror just before the tunnel entrance?), and dive-bombing magpies.

Canberra has a great bicycle network, with a mix of on-road cycling lanes and shared (pedestrian/cyclist) off-road paths.

This year, I'm straying from the well-beaten track (to and from Uni). I'll be tackling a nice hilly 65km ride on my trusty commuter bike, organised by the Amy Gillett foundation.

• Check out the route: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/AGF-Canberra-Ride-2010-64km
• Check out the hills: http://www.cyclingprofiles.com.au/HTM/Recreational/REC_AGFCAN201064.htm

If you would like to sponsor me for the ride, please visit

https://www.registernow.com.au/agf/Donate.aspx?F=292
Donations over $2 are fully tax deductible (in Australia)

All money raised will go to supporting the Amy Gillett Foundation’s road safety initiatives:

The Amy Gillett Foundation's primary objective is to reduce the incidence of injury and death caused by the interaction between cyclists and motorists. In doing so, we hope to promote a safe and harmonious relationship of shared respect between the two groups.

Regardless of whether or not you choose to donate, please keep an eye out for cyclists on the roads wherever you live!

Thanks for reading, I'll be back to the regular crafty posts soon.

Everything tastes better wrapped in puff pastry!

I recently picked up Vegan Yum Yum's book after spotting it at a local book-store. That very night, I tried a creamy pasta recipe. The next night, I tried the apple strudel.

It was amazing. The recipe was simple, and the result was divine. I hadn't cooked with puff pastry in ages... The experience reminded me of the first time I tried deep fried goat's cheese. I was in heaven. Other types of cheeses were tried. For a while I was coating everything in eggs and breadcrumbs and frying it.

My boyfriend even rolled up chicken curry and rice leftovers into little balls to batter and fry. Oh yes.

The other night, I made a simple rice and veg sauce dinner. I was also craving puff pastry. So I spread out a layer of rice on a sheet of puff pastry, then a layer of sauce, rolled it up and baked it.


It was amazing, if a little funny looking. It's true... everything tastes better wrapped in puff pastry!

Padded external hard drive organiser

My little sister just turned 21. She likes to write stories. She also just lost her primary USB, with data on it which she didn't have saved anywhere else (partly because she had run out of space on her laptop).

From there, the idea for her present blossomed (and then reached fruition very quickly.... ahh, deadlines!)

First of all, I bought her a 320GB external hard drive. I promptly decided that she needed a pretty case to keep it & the cable in, and a pen & pad for spontaneous writing.... I was happy to finally have a project to use my Little Red Riding Hood FQ from Kokka.

I was inspired by all the handy organising rolls I had seen floating around. Here are some links to such tutorials, in no particular order, in case you want to make your own:

• Roll-up crochet hook case tutorial @ PlanetJune
  
• Crochet project roll tutorial @ Sew,Mama,Sew! by Thornberry
• Passport organiser @ Dollar Store Crafts
• Take-along placemat @ Patchwork and other sewing projects
• Fold-up crayon pouch @ Nested
• Keep on rollin' @ Skip to my Lou
• (Sewing) Class roll @ You Sew, Girl!
  

I didn't end up using any of them in particular... I just winged it. First of all I played around with some fabric & pins, sketching possible layouts at the same time.


I decided I wanted the hard drive & accessories to sit neatly in a row, whereas I wanted the book to be able to be opened without needing to take it out. I guesstimated some dimensions for all the pieces I'd need.

As I would only have one shot at the cutting & assembling, I took the unprecedented step (for me!) of testing my pattern with some scrap material first (in this case an old sheet). I cut and pinned and uhmed and ahhed and finally adjusted the final pattern piece sizes.


As you can see, I decided to have a huge top flap to stop the hard drive from falling out. I also decided to sew in a layer of bamboo batting to protect it a little bit form bumps and scratches.


My original design had a thin strip of fabric running through the spirals of the book and clipping at the top - this would stop the book from moving around too much. In the end though, the pocket was tight enough that it wasn't necessary.


I had planned to have the roll close using a pair of cute wooden buttons. Two disastrous button-hole attempts later, and I gave up on that idea. Hello, velcro!


Luckily I'd made the closing strap extra long, and I simply trimmed it back after each attempt, folded under the new raw edge and sewed it shut again. Velcro is far easier to use anyway... though it's not as pretty having the extra sew line for it showing on the strap.

Also, sewing the second piece of velcro onto the main part (behind the pocket where the external drive is) was pretty difficult as I'd already sewn everything up. It had to be done mostly by hand.

My sister loved it, and I wouldn't mind having something similar myself. Why is my hard drive roaming around somewhere, getting scratched & losing its cable? Why don't I ever make things for myself? I seem to get most creative when creating for others. And now that I've "done" the external drive case, I'm sure I'll be looking to try something new for my next project....

Elegant Morsbag

I know I have been posting rather a lot of Morsbags recently, but I just wanted to share this one. It was a gift for a friend's birthday.

For some reason, the fabric & colours remind me of the sort of charming photos that appear on Tiny Happy (or so I'd like to think - check out the link if you haven't already, it's very inspiring).


The fabric is lovely and mildly stretchy. My sister brought it back from Nepal, along with a bunch of other off-cuts left over from clothes she had made for her over there.

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Related posts: Morsbags

Happy Valentine's day to 15 strangers

The Morsbags crew coordinated a mass handout for Valentine's day. I decided to participate, seeing it as a good excuse to put a dent into the pile fabric I've been acquiring from the local op-shop. And I work so much better to deadlines!

I churned out a whopping 15 bags, which I posted into random letterboxes around my area late last night with a little note saying "Happy Valentine's day" & explaining what Morsbags are. Admittedly, the plan is flawed... who checks their mail on a Sunday?


Here are the bags, neatly stacked up on my desk... which is looking deceptively clean! Note my new pincushion from Ivory Blush Roses & lovely painting from DeadpanAlley... yay!

I spend a lot of time at this desk, with Uni work spread out everywhere one day, and then my trusty sewing machine out the next. As you can imagine, I spend a lot of time unpacking things and packing them back up. I look forward to the day when I might have a dedicated sliver of space for arty crafty activities!


So does my housemate, I'm sure, as from time to time our living room becomes an extension of my workshop. (Note the lovely retro red pincushion I bought from Ginpins...)

Most of the bags I made were from old pillow cases, but I made a few more from tea-towels.


I ended up making another bag from a horse tea towel, extending it with the same fabric I used for Eugene's body! The handles were sourced from a pillowcase.


The other tea-towel bag features Australian wattle and is "extended" at the top rather than the bottom. This one will actually be sent to someone overseas (via sendsomething) rather than put into a local letterbox.

I wish you all a lovely Sunday, whatever you have planned!

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Related posts: Morsbags, Recycling old pillowcases into Morsbags, Morsbags from tea towels, Pin cushion from Ivory Blush Roses, Eugene wants a hug

Magazine Collage ATCs

Hot on the heels of my junk mail collages, I participated in a Magazine Collage ATC Swap over on swap-bot.

I spent a while poring over old Frankie Magazines to find inspiration, which wasn't hard because it's full of cute and quirky backgrounds, drawings, photos & articles :)

The process went something like this:

1. Rip out magazine pages with interesting pics
2. Carefully cut out around individual pics with an exacto knife & cut out various background prints
   
3. Spend an hour or so rearranging all the little pieces around on a blank ATC until happy with the arangement
4. Desperately try and glue all the pieces down whilst keeping them in place
5. Look at all the bits and pieces which didn't make the cut... and repeat steps 3&4
   

As you can see in the pics above, I actually cut out an ATC-sized piece from the magazine's cover to use as the 'blank' canvas.


And we all know I'm a sucker for coordination, so the card & envelope also had to be made from Frankie magazine cut-outs!

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• Related post: Tutorial: envelopes from recycled paper

Pin cushion from Ivory Blush Roses

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During the great lucky streak of '09, I picked up this gorgeous pin cushion from a give-away over at Ivory Blush Roses. I love it & use it all the time... it's a great size & the colours remind me of a grassy knoll. So cute!

She has a great tutorial on how to make your own pincushions, using CDs as bases! I love the fact that old CDs have been used in this piece, and have a secret urge to peek inside and see what CDs are in there.

I first stumbled upon Ivory Blush Roses through her crazy quilting.

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This jellyfish, in particular, tickled my fancy!

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I like the chocolate creams in this piece too. There are many many more examples of crazy-quilted blocks over on her site.

Other lovely photographs from her site include:

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Yarn that looks good enough to eat, and...

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...sweet collections like the crocks and shells pictured above.

If you pop over to say hi, don't forget to check out her other tutorials too!

Dhal with a twist

I like dhal. It's a tasty, colourful, cheap, nutritious, easy, dish to make. I prefer to make it as a side for curries, veg, etc., but sometimes I'm too tired or lazy to cook more than one dish.

Dhal with rice can be a touch on the bland side, so I was delighted to see that Vegan Dad had posted a recipe for dhal with a twist: Tarka Dhal.

Now my photo looks pretty different to his, and I did adjust the recipe slightly.

I didn't have sweet onions, so I just used a red onion and added a teaspoon of brown sugar to take the edge off its taste. I also added a teaspoon of chilli flakes to the tomato mixture. It was super punchy, so I didn't miss the garam masala which I usually add to dhal :)

Red lemur bag!

This bag was dreamt up as an entry for the Morsbag forum's Animal morsbag competition. Life got in the way, and I hadn't even started it when the competition finished. It didn't stop me making it anyway... after all, I'd already sketched it out and chosen the fabrics!


And here's the sketch. After cutting out the red fluffy bits for the sides of the face, I realised how unevenly sized they were... just like in the sketch! Something to remember if you just plan on enlarging & cutting out a hand-sketched pattern without thinking about it too much. Make sure it's right first!

Why a Lemur? I wanted to do something red and fluffy, as I have a stash of bright red fake fur. I was originally going to make an orang-outang bag, but after looking at many cute photos, I settled on a red lemur instead.

Shared under a cc-by license
{source: photojenni}

Something about those eyes!

I started by making the face out of felt. I then cut out each layer of the body and blanket stitched everything together (with a trip of orange felt between the edges of body pieces to make them stand out a little more).

This furry felty lemur was quite heavy, and I was worried that the bag would hang to one side and sag at the front. Especially since the spotty fabric was old thin stuff I'd picked up at the local op-shop! This was exacerbated by the fact that the design had it sitting to one side of the bag (so that the tail could be the handle! Yay!). I ended modifying the original Morsbag pattern by adding a layer of bamboo batting & lining it with more spotty fabric inside. It doesn't hang lopsidedly at all.

I think the end result is part cute, part craftastrophe... Suffice to say, it doesn't see the outside of the house much! We hang it off a doorknob to keep all our other cloth shopping bags in and to startle unsuspecting guests!

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Related posts: Morsbags