Weekend Sewing/Quilting Projects

Hi, I hope everyone had a great week. I have a couple things to share with you today that I am working on as projects this weekend.

I have my Zen Gardens Bento Box quilt basted and have it half quilted or the length of the quilt top. I have decided to do some straight line stitching in a plaid type pattern. I am sure there are numerous ways to quilt this kind of top. I needed something that would be fairly quick to accomplish as I am on a short undetermined schedule. Our friend who will receive the quilt is moving out of state at the end of the month and I was not given a definite time she would be able to visit to receive her quilt. I did not want to mail it to her. I also decided to go with a lighter alternative to batting since she is moving from Iowa to Arizona. I am using a cotton sheet as batting. It is stitching up nicely with a 100/16 needle. I generally sew and quilt with a 90/14 but since I am stitching through 3 layers of cotton I decided to go up a size. The walking foot is working nicely over all the seams this quilt has.

Quilting Design Mockup using Paint program

I am quilting top and bottom with gray thread and the pattern is showing nicely on the black backing fabric. I took extra care to attempt to make sure my red crosses I pieced ended up in straight rows across the back. So far it looks good.

I am looking at starting a new quilt project. My friend Jan over at The Colorful Fabriholic posted a tutorial on how to make a neat plus quilt. It uses 3.5 inch squares and that really caught my attention since I recently came into 150 red 3.5 inch squares when I accidentally cut my strips into squares instead of the long rectangles needed for the Midnight Mystery Quiltalong that Meadow Mist Designs is currently holding. I have had numerous squares and strips of black and white print fabrics leftover from making my Charming quilt top and my Broken Frames finished quilt.

Future Plus quilt project

My print strips are leftover from fat eighths and I will have just enough width to get my 3.5 inch squares. I have thirty prints and should be able to cut 6 squares from each strip. So that gives me 180 print squares and 150 red solid squares.  Jan used 437 squares in her quilt. I have a stack of 157 5 inch squares that are in the same prints plus some extras that were also in my two previous quilts. I had originally wanted to keep them for another quilt, but my strips here will only make 30 print pluses. Hopefully there are multiples of some prints so I can make additional print pluses.

Black and White prints by Moda

White and Black prints by Moda

Gray and White prints by Moda

I am going to finally get my design wall made and put up so that I can utilize it to arrange all the squares to build the various plus blocks.

I have one non quilting sewing project that I want to get started on this weekend. I have been wanting a new purse to carry and I really prefer the cross body style of bags. I have seen numerous versions and have not been able to decide on just one pattern so I hope to combine the ideas of a couple I like to make a bag that will work for me.

Crossbody Purse project supplies

I have a remnant of a soft brushed canvas that has been in my stash many years. It is 30 by 60 inches. I have three colors of webbing as possible straps, and three shades of leather remnants. I bought a 3 pound package of leather remnants at Hobby Lobby. They are nice sized pieces and all seemed to be light enough weight that I will be able to sew on them with my domestic home machine with a leather needle of course.

Vintage print brushed denim/ painters canvas cloth

I am thinking of adding some of the painters canvas tarp cloth I found at Walmart as a coordinating fabric. I have two shades of denim blue thread that I could do some free motion quilting on for detail.

Gray, dark navy and creamy butter colored leather remnants from Hobby Lobby

I bought two of the 3 pound bags of leather remnants and got many pieces of black, gray, navy, cream and maroon leather. The bag sells for $8.95 and I used the 40% off coupon for a better deal. Many leather projects will be in the future for my daughter and myself.

Purse strap choices

My purse strap choices in tan twill and brown and bright blue nylon webbing.

I should be able to complete my Zen Gardens quilt tomorrow. I am going to be binding it in red. I am looking forward to seeing it finished. I will begin cutting fabrics for the plus quilt top and work out some purse ideas.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Happy Sewing,

Shelley