Five little zippered pouches

Posted on April 8, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

A couple weeks before Aurora was born, some friends hosted a brunch for me. Because this is baby #3 for me, I was really humbled that they still wanted to have a baby “sprinkle” in my honor. It’s always nice to have a reason to get together with your girl friends, I guess! I decided to make them each a little hostess gift.

Because I decided on this project late, these are simple, “no frills” zip pouches. Just outside, lining, and a fun colored zipper.

They are each about 8 x 4.5 inches, if I remember correctly, so they will work well for a little wallet or cosmetic bag or a place to keep smaller items in a larger bag.

I tried to choose the fabrics that reminded me of each friend, or that I already knew they liked. I hope they enjoy their little bit of handmade fun!

How to make a pretty checkbook cover

Posted on January 22, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

There’s no reason why those “everyday things” can’t be lovely to look at, is there?

Maybe you don’t write a lot of checks anymore, but as a parent of little ones, I certainly do (preschool tuition, dance class, soccer). For all of those, checks are the best way to complete the transaction. When my new checks came in this week, I decided I just didn’t want to carry around that blah, dark blue, flimsy plastic cover that comes along with them.

So I made one out of a favorite fabric. It took less than 40 minutes. Here’s how you can make one, too!

Supplies

You’ll need a fabric for the outside and the lining and a fabric for the pockets. You can use the same if you are so inclined. I used the flimsy, plastic cover to measure the size. It is 6-3/8 inches wide and 6-7/8 inches long when opened.

From outside/lining fabric cut: (2) 6-7/8 x 7-3/8 inch rectangles

From fusible interfacing cut: (1) 6-1/2 x 7 inch rectangle

For pockets:
From fabric cut: (2) 6-7/8 x 6-1/2 inch rectangles
From fusible interfacing cut: (2) 6-1/2 x 6 inch rectangles

Directions

Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the outside and wrong side of the pockets according to the directions. I left the lining without interfacing, but if you want a stiffer cover, just cut another piece.

Optional: round the corners. You could leave them crisp and pointy, but I chose to round mine. You don’t want to cut off much of the area of your cover, so trace a small diameter circular object.

Fold each of the pockets in half so that they are 6-7/8 x 3-1/4 inches.

Edge stitch along the folded edge of each pocket.

Align the pockets on the right side of the lining so that the raw edges match up and the folded edges are toward the center.

Place the outside piece, right side down, on top of the lining and pockets. Pin in place. Round the corners of the other layers. Sew around the perimeter with a 1/4 inch seam allowance, leaving a large opening for turning the cover right side out. (I actually left most of one side open so it would be easier to turn with all the interfacing.)

TIP: As you round those tightly rounded corners, go slowly. Move a stitch or two at a time, then lift the presser foot, leave the needle in the fabric, and turn the piece. And repeat.

Notch the corners to reduce bulk.

Turn the checkbook cover right side out through the opening. Poke out each corner. Iron flat, tucking the seam allowances of the opening under to press.

Edge stitch all the way around, enclosing the opening in the process. Again, so slowly, a stitch at a time, as you move around the rounded corners.

Well done! Something pretty for your everyday!

Custom “fill in the blank” tote

Posted on January 14, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

I had a request for a bag that a 3-year-old child could be involved in “designing”.

Mary wanted to purchase a bag for her daughter and have her granddaughter add some artwork to it. She said that she had some fabric that she wanted me to use in the construction of the bag and that she would sew on some patches later with her granddaughter’s drawings.

When I went to pick up her fabric, I realized it was a heavy weight fabric, like I would use on the inside of one of my totes.

I suddenly had a brilliant idea. I would use her fabric on the inside of the bag.

Fill in the blank tote inside

The next day, I brought selections of a few different color combinations to show Mary. She chose the one you see in the photos, and I created a patchwork bag that included several patches of white fabric. She could purchase some fabric markers and guide her granddaughter in adding artwork before she gave the bag to her daughter. It would save her the trouble of sewing on patches later.

The bag includes “blank canvas” patches of various sizes, and I was sure to include one that would be large enough for a 3-year-old’s handprint (I used my 4-year-old as a model. Handy that I had one of those around!)

Fill in the blank tote side 2

There’s plenty of room for drawings on the front and more on the back!

Fill in the blank tote

The bag has a small accessories pocket for all those small things the recipient wants to find easily.

Fill in the blank tote: zipper pocket Fill in the blank tote: pocket I’ve requested a photo of this bag when it’s “finished” with the art embellishments. This was a fun project for me, I can’t wait to see the final version.

Happy mail

Posted on January 11, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

When we arrived home last week after two weeks away, I had mail waiting for me. Unfortunately, the post office had already closed for the day, so on Monday, I finally got to go pick up my “happy mail.” I love when I’ve been away and come home to exciting things in my mailbox.

There was this mini quilt with three mini-mini quilts on the line. The siding on the house is really cool because the fabric is folded to make that effect.

mini quilt with quilts

And do you recognize this little girl on the swing from a previous quilt block I received? I laughed out loud when I saw her again!

mini mini quilt

Cool beadwork in the tree. Reminds me of the cherry blossoms here in Virginia in the spring!

Mini quilt beading

Next package: a little fabric bundle that I won in the Bee a {Modern} Swapper group for “most creative packaging.” The package may or may not have had some other goodies including some Ghirardelli chocolate which may or may not be already gone. Ooops. I love the grays and will be able to use them to make some more of those English paper pieced rose stars I was working on. And the reds are a welcome addition because I have a serious lack in my fabric stash!

Happy mail: fabric bundle

And hey! Another mini! After years of having no fabric art in my sewing space, my walls are going to be so (sew) pretty! I love how the pink binding picks up the pink in the birdie.

Mini quilt bird in tree

There was one more, but I didn’t get a photo of that. I won a giveaway on the Sew, Mama, Sew giveaway day from Happy in Red. It is three really beautiful skeins of yarn and a crochet hook. I don’t crochet, but I really want to learn. 2013 goal? I think so.

What to do when your quilt is attacked by a toddler wielding a dry erase marker

Posted on December 18, 2012 by sewingbymoonlight

I had just finished my mini quilt for the Bee a {Modern} Swapper swap.

Patchwork and birds mini quilt

I had solved my conundrum over what to do about quilting around the bird in the middle of the quilt.

I had finished the quilting around the rest of the quilt.

The only think I had left to do was to attach the binding and send the quilt off to its new home. I was pleased to be finished, so I brought the quilt downstairs to take a photo. Before I could return my pretty mini quilt to the sewing room to add the finishing touches, disaster struck in the form of a 2-year-old who had gotten her hands on a dry erase marker.

The horror!!

Here’s a tip: dry erase marker is more or less permanent on fabric. Do not ever allow a child to unleash her “creative additions” on your quilting project with dry erase marker. At least give her a washable marker or an ink pen. I’m sure those would come out easier than this, which, did not come out at all!

In case you were curious, here is the list of various cleaners and chemicals I used on the marker in an attempt to remove it. Oxiclean MaxForce laundry stain remover, Resolve carpet cleaner, extended soak in oxyclean, Mr. Clean magic eraser, extra concentrated oxyclean, nail polish remover, pure acetone, vinegar, rubbing alcohol, bleach pen, mineral spirits, and Greased Lightning cleaner. Hmmm … I think that’s all. I received several other suggestions that I did not try (Murphy’s oil soap, hairspray, rotten milk), but really, I think I covered the spectrum of chemical reaction that could have removed it.

When it became clear that I would not be able to remove the marker, I made a plan to cover it. I traced the edges of the various sections of the quilt and marked where the damage was. When I had finished that, I drew out an appliqué pattern to cover it.

Then it was just a matter of creating the actual fabric appliqué. To keep with the style I had already started in the center of my quilt and have a piece large enough to cover all the damage, I ended doing raw edge appliqué on two dozen little leaves, a large tree, a bird, and three flowers. Phew!

But we’ll call it a success.

There is one bit of marker left that I could have covered with a different arrangement of the leaves, but I’m leaving it uncovered as a remind of what I went through with this project.

I finished it off with some aqua Ta Dots for the binding.

You can see on the back where I added the appliqué after the quilt was already together, but since this is a wall hanging, you’ll never even notice.

Tree in the Sunset mini quilt

Posted on December 14, 2012 by sewingbymoonlight

I joined a mini quilt swap through the Flickr group Bee a {Modern} Swapper. The result was actually TWO mini quilts because the first one was damaged by a 2-year-old wielding a dry erase marker (note: dry erase marker on fabric is PERMANENT!). I have now creatively covered the marker, but there was so much of time and tears in that quilt that I couldn’t bear to give it away.

So with less than a week to go before the mailing deadline, I made a new one! I showed you part of it the other day, along with a couple extras I included in the package. But I didn’t want the color scheme to ruin the surprise for the recipient, so I waited to show you the whole thing. Since the package has been delivered, here is mini quilt #2.

My partner was Tiffany, for whom I made the spider web blocks last month. As a result, I knew she was going to be working on a quilt for her home with a purple, orange and brown color scheme. I used my tree from the first mini and her color palette as my inspiration.

Tree in the Sunset mini quilt

My free motion quilting definitely leaves much to be desired, and I’m working on it. I used this mini to practice some new stitches. I hope Tiffany can overlook the imperfections of this beginner. I added some pointy blades of grass and tried out a modified tree bark design that I learned from Leah Day’s free motion quilting site.

Tree in the Sunset mini quilt: Grass and tree bark quilting

The fabric for the sunset sky is something I fell in love with when looking for a fabric for another project. I believe it’s by Hoffman Fabrics.

Tree in the Sunset mini quilt: close up

I used a variegated thread for the quilting in the sky, which I think complements the sunset vibe nicely.

Tree in the Sunset mini quilt: variegated thread quilting I love how the quilting looks on the back, especially the tree.

Tree in the Sunset mini quilt: back, close up of quilting

More fun finishes at Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday and Finish It Up Friday.

All wrapped up

Posted on December 11, 2012 by sewingbymoonlight

The mailing deadline for the Bee a {Modern} Swapper mini quilt/Secret Santa swap was yesterday.

After deciding that I was going to keep my original project and start over completely with less than a week to go before the deadline, I was happy to have shipped my package on time! The original mini was the one that was attacked by my marker-weilding toddler. I literally cried over that quilt. And I probably spent as much time trying to remove the marker as I did making it in the first place. After all we’d been through, I just couldn’t give her away.

But I was still in the swap, which meant: Quick! Make a new mini quilt. I can’t show the whole thing yet because the color scheme will give away my partner, but here’s what I came up with.

I love the quilting in the sunset sky. I used a variegated poly thread by Aurifil that my friend Kim gave me to try out.

More details on this mini quilt after my partner receives it!

I also included a little bit of fabric and some cute extras for my partner: A string block zippy pouch and a cute little pin cushion.

But I must admit, I’m almost as thrilled about the packaging as I am about the gifts inside. One of group leaders, Katherine, issued the challenge to come up with some creative packaging for our swap gifts.

I wrapped the gifts in plain paper and tied them with some cute ribbon.

And then ….

(drumroll please … )

Oh, I amuse myself! Happy holidays.

Mei tai finish: 2d zoo and lime

Posted on November 2, 2012 by sewingbymoonlight

My cousin asked to make her a mei tai for a friend. The baby shower is tomorrow, and by the time we decided on fabric and I had procured all the supplies (I need to go out and buy fabric for the straps), I was not left with much time to finish. Mei tais take a pretty significant time investment as far as sewing time goes, and well, my sewing time is limited.

I’m happy to say, I finished this up late Wednesday night, and it was in the mail first thing yesterday morning, priority. It’s supposed to arrive tomorrow.

Kathleen liked this 2d Zoo fabric from Alexander Henry, which I paired with navy twill for the straps.

With the sleeping hood up, you can see that the solid lime on the reverse pairs nicely with some of the animals in the print.

With a reversible mei tai like this, it’s sometimes nice to have a “fun” print on one side and a simpler choice for the reverse, like a coordinating solid or stripe.

With this one, I used navy thread to match the straps and added a little bit of interest with the contrast stitching.

Happy babywearing!

This one definitely fits into the “Thank Goodness It’s Finished!” category. I’m happy I got in the mail just in time; now if the post office will just hold up their end of the deal!

The laundry basket project

Posted on October 21, 2012 by sewingbymoonlight

When one has demonstrated some sewing talent, there are sometimes requests for help with unexpected projects.

A friend has a frame that sets on some wheels and holds a bag, which she uses to cart her laundry from her house to her line. The old bag had started to rip along one of the corners, so she asked me if I could help her construct a new one.

I used a home dec weight fabric, hoping that it would last longer than the previous laundry cart bag, which was made with a lighter weight fabric. I also doubled the thickness where the bag attaches to the frame.

The previous bag was permanently sewn to the frame, but I wanted to make this one removable in case she wanted to take it off and wash it. I used long strips of 1.5 inch velcro. Since I didn’t presently have a load of wet laundry to see if the velcro would hold, I used a small child instead. It seems to work.

The velcro is simply attached to the outside of the bag, and the upper sections fold over the frame to secure.

And my friend has her laundry cart back in action.

Just a little clutch

Posted on October 16, 2012 by sewingbymoonlight

A quick clutch ordered as a gift for a new mom. I must say, as a mom myself, this clutch is perfect for keeping all the “mom stuff” separate from all the “baby stuff.” I have a clutch with just this design that I slide right in the top of my diaper bag.

And I’m completely crushing on the yellow and gray combination right now. Love! Plus, those chevrons. Seriously, what’s not to like? I certainly hope the recipient agrees!

The accent and lining on this clutch are organic cotton, part of the Cut Out & Keep line by Cloud9 Fabrics. An inside zipper pocket is a great place to stash all those little items!