I had one zipper left, so I made one more gathered clutch. I love making these because they are so fast, and the possibilities are endless! This one went even smoother than the last one. The yellow band with brown borders was inspired by this tutorial for faux piped binding. I can't wait to try out this technique on a quilt!
I'm up to 10 colors! I'm trying to decide if I want to sew some little flowers or something in the middle of each block. I've got some rainbow variegated thread that I've been saving which I think would be perfect for this project. I just have to figure out how and where to use it.
They are from Amy Butler's Love home decor fabric line. I'm hesitant though because that's a lot of money to spend if it's just going to turn out to be a disaster.
Today, I made a gathered clutch using this tutorial by Noodlehead. I love the way it turned out! Notice the top corners this time. I followed her directions, and they turned out perfectly! I also made the seam allowance a little bigger on the liner, and it lays much nicer inside the bag too. The tutorial says to cut a 13"x5.5" piece for the front. I wasn't sure what to expect, so I actually cut a 15"x6.5" piece so that I could square it up after doing the gathering. I think if I wouldn't have done this, the finished piece wouldn't have been big enough because I only had to trim about 1/4" off each side. I think I would do this again in the future. Something else I would do would be to make the lining a little bit bigger, and then trim it after sewing the zipper on and making that top stitch. Mine shifted a little bit in the process. I used quilt batting instead of interfacing. I can't wait to make more of these in different colors!
Today I ventured into the world of zippers to make this cute little bag. I used this tutorial by Flossie Teacakes except I used little mini quilts for the outside. It was really pretty easy. The hardest part was decided which fabrics to use. I just love the diamond quilting I did on the sides. I drew the design on the backside (which you can't see once finished) and followed the lines. I think I'm going to try making another that is a little wider to try to debulk the top corners some and make it lay a little flatter.
This is a little side project I'm working on. I've been cutting up old pajama pants and shorts to make into a quilt. I think it will be soft and snuggly when it's finished. I'm cutting them into 5 inch strips. I'm planning on just doing a simple brick pattern where they are all the same height but are varying widths. It is a little tedious cutting the strips, but I think it will go fast sewing them together. I can't decide whether I want to incorporate the pockets into it.
Gutermann seems to be the thread of choice for many bloggers out there. I went to our local Hancock Fabric store last night to pick up some zippers for another project and I was suprised to see Gutermann threads sitting right there across from the zippers! I bought one to match my Kona natural fabric in my color blocks quilt, so I'll see how it works out. I'm pretty impressed that it is 800 yards long too. That means it should last a while.
