good folks

New Artist Tote

| terriaw

Remember this 15 minutes of play when I made this large crazy patch block? I had the idea of using it as the front of a big tote.

I am typically a small purse carrying kind of gal, yet I am always wishing I could find a purse big enough to carry my book or my sketch pad. My sister asked me if I could come up with a larger purse design. And many, many other women out there prefer to carry large purses. So I decided to do some sketching again. It’s always fun to get out the big paper and my curved rulers!

I am so proud of how this new design turned out! I am calling it the Artist Tote because it made me feel like an artist while I was creating it. And I feel like an artist carrying it.

(9″ x 12″ sketchbook fits inside vertically or horizontally)

Overall, it measures 12-15 inches wide by 10 inches tall (note, the patchwork block is 12 inches wide but the bag can be stretched to 15 inches with the 3-inch wide gusset), big enough to fit all your regular purse stuff, a book and a sketchpad. It has my signature large pockets inside, one with a zipper closure, and two pockets that are open for slipping in your cell phone or music player.

I used blue suiting fabric for the back and the handle to make it a more durable and professional looking bag.

I added more details, including zig-zag stitching at each seam on the front, a few random chains of color gems sprinkled on the front, and zig-zag stitching on the back, bottom and handle, just for good measure.

It’s not listed in my shop yet, but it will be soon. This is one of several new designs I have been busy making for a new collection to be showcased in my shop very soon. Can’t wait to show you more!

15 Minutes of Play – Crazy Patchwork

| terriaw

I am really enjoying setting aside 15 minutes to work on a new idea, try a new technique, or just mess around with my fabrics and scraps.

Last Friday night, I was feeling unmotivated and unfocused, but I didn’t feel like going to bed at 9:30. So I decided to make Victoria’s crazy patchwork tutorial, a block I’ve always wanted to try. I was excited to find a pile of scrap fabrics left over from this quilt. Since most of my scraps were strips, I ended up with a sort of hybrid crazy patch/wonky log cabin!

I love this idea of creating a new piece of beautiful fabric from treasured bits and pieces. That larger block above ended up being a 16-inch square, and the smaller block below ended up being a 10-inch square block. This was the sneak-peak I gave you earlier this week.

You can see the difference in size of these two blocks here:

I felt so much better having made something fun on a Friday night instead of being lazy, especially since I’m already using the larger block for a new bag experiment, always energizing for me.

Ta Da!

| terriaw

It’s finished! Here is the first quilt I pieced and machine quilted myself!

zigzag on the bench

I used Nettie’s pattern, which I loved. I typically stay away from triangles for fear of matching up those points, but this was a fun quilt to make.

zig zag quilt finished!

I wanted to emphasize the zig zag motion of the quilt so I used Ashley’s quilting technique by following the zig and the zag with lines on each side. 

zig zag folded up

The zig zag quilting makes a nice effect on the back too.

zig zagged quilt backing

I was so anxious to show you pictures of it that I haven’t had time to wash it yet, but I will do that tonight.  I love it and I’m so happy it’s finished!