zusje b: juli 2014

woensdag 23 juli 2014

drunkards path - a first in curvey sewing

Sewing curves is a scary thing. Not only to me, but to lots of people it seems. But Lotje has set a challenge for us in the comfort circle to make a variation on the drunkards path block. Using low volumes and solid black. I made templates using a bowl and made the four parts of the block to big so I could cut them back to be more accurate. But there are lots of templates for sale I think, if you would make a whole quilt of it. Red pepper quilts has recently made a beauty with it. She also explains sewing the block without pins, which of course caught my eye immediately. It worked fine, so I could really recommend it. You can find the tutorial here.

Lotje told us we could very the size of the black dots. I am really curious how this will work out in a whole quilt! Good luck with it Lotje!

See you soon!Pin It

zaterdag 19 juli 2014

Hot Town, Summer in the city

Too hot to do anything at all in holland. I can't even write this without sweat running along my back!

I've finally purchased the Noodlehead "divided basket" pattern, after seeing and loving it a gazillion times on blogs I love and the internet. I try not to buy patterns until I will make them immediately, because I have lots I have never even touched. But I wanted to make a gift for my niece who had a new baby and got started right away and used fabric and filling from my stash. The fabric I used is a remake from the mailbags our national post company used when we still had one.

Now I will fill it up with some goodies and we will go to visit the babe soon.

Yesterday the children's summer break started and we celebrated on the beach!

Maybe we will go again this weekend since it is so hot, bu t it will be very busy, so maybe I will setup a mini pool in the backyard instead.

See you soon!Pin It

zaterdag 12 juli 2014

Serve - Sugar block club

I've made the July block for the Sugar block club. It is called "Serve". The titles are meant to inspire and contemplate a little, this one doesn't ring with me directly. I'm not a serving person, as in following, obedient. Though you can interpret the term in many ways. In the meaning: knowing my obligations and keeping them, I think I generally do, except when in really obnoxious moods, which I have only seldom. Do you?

I have a zip lock bag containing the fabrics I have chosen for this quilt and the finished blocks and I take it out once a month. I'm not usually such a structured person, I don't usually plan out fabrics for an entire quilt. But I really like how this combo is working out. I do think there will be more months than fabric, so I have to figure out how to deal with that. Maybe mix in some more now, so I won't have to make the last blocks in different fabrics. The solids I can reorder I think.

This block was partly paper pieced. I love all the secondary patterns!

Here is a little mosaic with all 6 blocks. My friend Nicolette taught me how to make them over at bighugelabs and I am addicted ever since.

See you soon

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woensdag 9 juli 2014

Teachers gifts

Since the weather is dreadful today, Morritz and I were making some perler beads teachers gifts. The end of the school year is coming near (at 100 miles an hour it seems) do it's a good time to start. We've made them before but as mothers day gifts, for which they serve very well too! We will probably fill them with some candy, or maybe some soapish things. This little tray is very versatile!

The making is of is very simple. You just choose a nicely shaped, heat resistant dish or bowl. You use oil ore baking spray to line it. After that you pour in pearler beads and use your hands to flatten them out into 1 layer. When doing that beads will go up the sides so you get a bowlish form. When to your liking put in a hot (as hot as you can) oven and it takes about ten minutes for the perler beads to melt into one another, just keep checking. Let it cool of and you can take your new bowl out of the other one. Use different shapes for different effects, you could also use one or a selection of colors, but I love the no sweat cheerful effect of using a scoop of a big mixed Ikea pot of perler beads.

Speaking of cheerful and colorful, I'm getting in the mood for my summer holiday sewing. Maybe you know we were accompanied by my scrappy hexies for the last three camping holidays and I think I have now reached a quarter of a queen sized quilt. My Alexander will get it when we retire I promised, so I'm on schedule.