This is for Sudip and Pallavi's little miracle, just born! Luckily I had this fish fabric, which seemed to be just right for a little boy! I liked the lack of symmetry of the squares and enjoyed making them like that!
Forays into Watercolour Painting
Monday, August 26, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Sufi's Cushions
So finally I am posting something again. Goodness knows where the time goes, but it flies and I suddenly realise there is a lot of sharing left to do!. So here goes
I wanted to make something special for Sufi as she started school, and entered another phase in her life, a mile stone! What does one give a little girl who seems to have everything...I thought of a backpack, but she has a favourite one, so that was out. Nitasha told me she had recently introduced Sufi to Polly Dunbar's books called Tilly and her friends. (www.tillyandfriends.com/). They are an amazing read and Sufi has totally identified herself with Tilly and the animal friends are all alive. So I decided to create them in fabric on a set of small 10 inch cushions. She was so delighted, and its reward enough to see her lining them all up and chatting with them, carrying them around....so much fun!
I didn't have the books so looked up the characters on the net...drew them on graph paper first and then transferred them on to soft interfacing and then on to fabric. I did all the detail by hand in simple stem stitch and attached them on to the cushions in blanket stitch. I loved the soothing effect of sewing precisely by hand! I used a little bit of fabric paint for things like Hector's pink cheeks and Pretty Pru's eye shadow! The images are simple with not too much detail, and I can see why Sufi has related to the characters so well. I am pleased with these as I seem to have got the image the way they are in the book.
Cant seem to straighten the pictures!
I wanted to make something special for Sufi as she started school, and entered another phase in her life, a mile stone! What does one give a little girl who seems to have everything...I thought of a backpack, but she has a favourite one, so that was out. Nitasha told me she had recently introduced Sufi to Polly Dunbar's books called Tilly and her friends. (www.tillyandfriends.com/). They are an amazing read and Sufi has totally identified herself with Tilly and the animal friends are all alive. So I decided to create them in fabric on a set of small 10 inch cushions. She was so delighted, and its reward enough to see her lining them all up and chatting with them, carrying them around....so much fun!
I didn't have the books so looked up the characters on the net...drew them on graph paper first and then transferred them on to soft interfacing and then on to fabric. I did all the detail by hand in simple stem stitch and attached them on to the cushions in blanket stitch. I loved the soothing effect of sewing precisely by hand! I used a little bit of fabric paint for things like Hector's pink cheeks and Pretty Pru's eye shadow! The images are simple with not too much detail, and I can see why Sufi has related to the characters so well. I am pleased with these as I seem to have got the image the way they are in the book.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Tina's Blocks!
Finally Tina's 2 shoe blocks are ready! The sneakers for the Desi Bee and the juthi for the Africa Bee! This is my last block for the Desi Bee! I had fun making them both...and used 2 different techniques, which was fun! Applique is something I like to do so that was easy. I also got the chance to practice Karen's technique!
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
And yet another bag!
Yet another bag....I liked the blue and red combination and followed a simple pattern. I used the cotton batting I had got for the quilts....and am not happy with it. It is too soft and ideal for quilts but not such a good idea for bags that need to stand on their own. Hmmmmm.....going to have to find something else! Anyway its a nice soft bag measuring 12" X 11".
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Pocket bag!
To continue with my latest craze to make bags, here is another one with 6 pockets! The instructions were clear and the bag worked out exactly! http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/projects-ideas/bags-pillows/free-bag-patterns_ss_a.html .It is smaller than I anticipated, but a great pattern as the pockets on both sides, 3 each, make it really convenient.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
bag no 2!
Here's another bag! This is for my mother! I had a whole lot of a border left over from some fabric....I cut them into strips ans then sewed them all together, and followed the same steps as the previous one!
This making of bags is becoming addictive!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Bags and Totes, here I come!
I have been thinking of quick quilted presents, and have been looking at bags and totes! So I started by making one for myself from a link Sandhya sent me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7i6Wrl4rZ8). Such an easy pattern!
The girls have immediately decided they want one each, in fact Nishka's message was.....'for yourself? Ahem'!!!!
The pattern asked for charm packs, but since I don't have those, I cut 5" squares from scraps and the bag was ready. Once I had cut my 'charm squares', the sewing took about 3 hours which really is a quick gift. I changed it a little and added an inside pocket and a button to close the top.
Lessons learnt:
1. If using handloom fabrics (which I use all the time and like it the best), then make sure they are well starched or they shift and lose shape, especially during the quilting process. As you can see in the picture, some of the squares are a little up and down!
2. Make sure the lining is a slightly thick poplin of a close weave. This helps the bag to hold the shape, especially if you have added a pocket!
3. Use a slightly stiff batting as this too helps keep the shape. I used a synthetic batting I had got in Bangkok, and this worked well!
I think this blog is going to see a lot of Bags of various kinds!
The girls have immediately decided they want one each, in fact Nishka's message was.....'for yourself? Ahem'!!!!
The pattern asked for charm packs, but since I don't have those, I cut 5" squares from scraps and the bag was ready. Once I had cut my 'charm squares', the sewing took about 3 hours which really is a quick gift. I changed it a little and added an inside pocket and a button to close the top.
Lessons learnt:
1. If using handloom fabrics (which I use all the time and like it the best), then make sure they are well starched or they shift and lose shape, especially during the quilting process. As you can see in the picture, some of the squares are a little up and down!
2. Make sure the lining is a slightly thick poplin of a close weave. This helps the bag to hold the shape, especially if you have added a pocket!
3. Use a slightly stiff batting as this too helps keep the shape. I used a synthetic batting I had got in Bangkok, and this worked well!
I think this blog is going to see a lot of Bags of various kinds!
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