Sunday in the Sewing Room- Charity Quilt

I love to sew! Early on I would sew, mostly my own clothes. I even made my own wedding dress!! Then I discovered quilting..wow, what an eye opener to  me! This encompasses all the things as a child I was drawn to: fractions, shapes, geometry, colour theory, sorting, puzzles, cut and paste, and paper. It’s amazing how I have gone through my creative journey only to discover that the things I loved most in childhood are the things that I revert back to as an adult.

Take a moment and think of your childhood games and activities, what were some of your favourites? (Leave a comment below and share). Our senses play a big part in our creativity. In quilting the feel of the fabric, the colour combinations and the shapes/patterns need to speak to me.

I decided to join a local chapter. I had been cautioned that it was a large group…and it was! I was amazed at the talent and the sharing of that talent within the group. Many quilt guilds give back to the community and this group was no different. The quilts go to 15 different organizations including neonatal blankets.

At my first meeting I came upon a table filled with quilt kit (and I LOVE kits!). I soon found out these kits were to make charity quilts.

I was excited! This kit jumped off the table into my hands..did the polka dots have anything to do with it? Or was it the combination of pink, black and white? I eagerly signed up. One year later here is the finished project ( I never said I was fast!).

 

I love that the pattern was simple to piece together and  ALL the elements for the completion of the quilt were included (great for taking to retreats). The best part is that somewhere, someone will be cuddled under the warmth and love of a handmade quilt. We may never meet, but I am glad that I made the time to create a hug for someone who may need it more than me.

Creatively Yours,

R

 

 

Sweet Summer Treats

  

Bag Lady! That’s me. I love to shop for bags, bag patterns, fabric to make my own bags! I have often been heard saying ” I love this fabric, it would make a great bag!”

I originally bought the donut fabric to create favours for my Mom’s annual quilt retreat. As most fabric lovers can relate, I bought WAAAAY too much fabric. So, what’s a bag lady to do with this leftover fabric, but make a tote bag!

The ice cream fabric was purchased to create a summer mug rug for a swap I participated in.

Last month I was invited to a birthday party and found myself looking for a tote to put the gift in…but all I had was Christmas totes. I set out to create these totes so I am ready for the next summer birthday!

For these bags the inner fabric is simple. I have made quite a few of these bags, sometimes with fun fabric both inside and out and they always get rave reviews. My sister-in-law tells me that it fits A LOT of STUFF!

I created them using:

Outer Fabric -cut 2 @ 13-1/2″ x 14-1/2″

Inner Fabric- cut 2 @ 13-1/2″x 14-1/2″

Handles: 4″ WOF

The tutorial I used was from Skip To My Lou

The bag is reversible. I have made a few adaptations to the original design.

I added pockets to these ones. I have made pockets with multiple slots so that a pen and phone can fit.

I have made them larger or smaller depending on the amount of fabric I have.

The smallest I have made is 12″ x 11″, to fit a standard coil notebook.

Please leave a comment below if you have tried this tutorial, would love to see what others’ are creating.

Creatively Yours,

R