And more pouches!

I may have a pouch problem...can't escape them lately.  Here was last week's round.   And here's this week...

I'm thinking this could be the reason for my problem. They're just begging to be in a pouch, and so I oblige.

Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts.

Have a great week, happy sewing!

Pretty Pouches

Once again it's instant gratification time, which means more small projects.  I am always in need of gifts this time of year, so  I worked on a few scrappy improv pouches.   These are small, about 8 inches by 6 inches.  They are great to use up scraps of fabric and batting.  I tend to sew right on to the batting with these, cutting the batting to the size I want first.  They're good practice for zippers also.

These were fun spring break sewing!  Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts.  

Mod Block Log Cabin Mini

I love mini quilts because you can work on something new without a lot of commitment in time or materials. In this case I decided to work with some different colors than I would usually put together. I went to my scraps, started to pull and wound up with this bunch of purple, orange, yellow and reds...

... and here's what I came up with...

I love how the round log cabin block looks, it's a nice modern take on a classic.  I used the River Log Cabin pattern in the Mod Block issue of Block magazine from Missouri Star.  I quilted with straight lines, a little closer in the middle and gradually farther apart towards the outside.  I love that I got to experiment with color and quilting for this quick finish!

Linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation and Crazy Mom Quilts.  

Scrappy Pincushions

Another round of pincushions...can't get enough.  These are totally inspired by Amanda Jean from this post.  I used a five inch square of batting and stitched one inch strips right onto the square.  I used crushed walnut shells to fill and also used a layer of Pellon SF101 on the backing square.  I did quilt as you go on one pincushion and quilted a grid on the other two.  They finish up at around 4 inches.

Linking up with crazy mom quilts.

Small Finishes

It's finally starting to feel like Fall here in New York.  The light is changing and so are the trees.  I've been working on some small items this past few weeks, hoping to get some gifts together.  It's been fun having fast finishes.  Also good for using up some scraps.

A small doll quilt:

Some JETS mug rug/coasters for football season:

And a bunch of key fobs:

Linking up with crazy mom quilts.

LIMOD Improv Scrap Swap

My guild had a secret swap this summer where we all brought a bag of scraps, picked one and had to make anything we choose as long as it used improvisation.  The scraps I received were all Kaffe Fassett which I had never worked with before.  It was a real challenge not having a project in mind to start with.  I 'made' fabric using the scraps and sliced and re-sliced the fabric as I went.  Another challenge was that the scraps varied between warm and cool colors.  Once I had a few improv blocks put together I found a fabric that had the same color in all the blocks.  I decided on a table runner for the final project.

 I made a template in a straight line spiral and quilted each block in a different coordinating thread.

I'm pleased with how it turned out.  I love the improv blocks.  I'd like to go further next time on the layout/design of the project.  I think the blocks and runner make the project more traditional and it would be good to keep the improv style with the whole project, not just the block parts.

And here are my scraps in a totally improv design by Kim of Leland Ave Studios....my scraps never looked go good!

Look at this amazing piecing!

Thank you Kim!

Linking up with crazy mom quilts.