Going Zakka Style...

Hi everyone

Things have been a little Zakka Style around here.  I really loved the look of the Zakka Style book and wasn't disappointed when it arrived.  I had been keeping up with the Zakka Style Sew Along and getting inspired to actually make something from this book.

I have been pouring over it deciding what to make.  In the end, the sewing kit with pin cushion won!!

 
I really enjoyed making these.  It was fun picking out the colours and they were easy to make.  The instructions were clear so I didn't spend hours trying to understand them, always a bonus here!!

I didn't stop at just one, I ended up making 4 of them in total.  Mine is the green, that being my favourite colour.

These are going to make great little gifts I think.

I have linked up to

This week's finishes...

This week has been rather productive but not a lot to show for it just yet.

I am starting my first sewing course on Tuesday which I am very excited about.  The course covers patchwork so I am hoping to pick up a few tips on how to do things better.  I received my list of class requirements last week and have got everything ready to go.  When I looked at what I needed to take I decided I was going to need to something to carry it all.  A tote bag it was.  I have made a few bags since starting sewing but am no expert so I was really happy with myself when I made the tote (lined) without needing to refer to any tutorials or patterns.  I've learnt something :)

Everything fits very nicely!

On one side I made a pocket to hold my purse and phone.

On the other side the pocket will hold my rotary cutter and cottons.

The other finish this week was the Firefly quilt from a few weeks ago.  I was waiting for my new sewing machine before i quilted this one.  Well I have my new machine which was a lot sooner than expected but I am thoroughly enjoying it.  When we have some nicer weather I will take some photos and share some thoughts on it.  For now here is the quilt.  You can find the tutorial at Canoe Ridge Creations.

It has been a dreary day so the photos are a little dark.  This time I did wacky lines all over the quilt.  I kept them fairly well spaced so the quilt would still be soft.  The binding was completed with left over fabric from the quilt top.

I couldn't believe how much easier it was to quilt and also bind with my new machine.

I've got a few works in progress which I'll share Wednesday.  As well as another finish that I didn't get time to photograph.

I am linking to Sew Monday

Holiday Tutorial on Quilt Story - Scented Pillows

I was lucky enough to have a guest post featured on Quilt Story as part of their Holiday Tutorials series.  Each Thursday through to December you'll find a new tutorial by a range of great bloggers.

The Holiday Tutorials at Quilt Story are not to be missed! 

October 4th: Kerry from verrykerryberry (Hexagon Handle Holder)

October 11th: Amber from A Little Bit Biased (Holly Berry Pillow Cover)

October 18th: Darlene from Sew Cal Gal (12 Pocket Bag)

October 25th: Kirsty from Handmade by Kirsty (Scented Pillows)

November 1st: Jesse from Messy Jesse

November 8th: Tabatha from Bending Pins

November 15th: Ali from a.squared.w

November 22nd: Happy Thanksgiving!

November 29th: Karen from Sew Well Maide

December 6th: Pennie from Tuppence Ha'Penny Quilts


My tutorial is for scented pillows which are very easy and a quick stocking filler.  These are great for putting in drawers or if you scent it with lavender they can assist with sleep and relaxation.

Materials:
Fabric Scraps
Ribbon (if you want to make a ribbon pillow)
Coordinating Thread
Water Soluble Pen (optional)
1 lb or 450g Rice (uncooked)
Essential Oils

For the pillow:
Cut 2 pieces of fabric 51/2"x31/2"

For patchwork:  Cut 4 pieces 11/4"x11/2"  (or if you are making a few pillows, cut strips of 11/4" wide)

For stripes:  Cut 2 pieces 11/2"x31/2"

For ribbon:  Cut 2 lengths at 31/2"

Step 1:  Mix uncooked rice with 15 drops of essential oils in a zip lock bag.  Allow the rice to sit for a couple of hours to dry.

Step 2. Sew patchwork or stripes together.  For patchwork sew the 11/2" edges together and press seams.  For stripes sew 31/2" edges together and press seams. (seam allowance is 1/4" throughout)

Step 3.  With your pen mark each long side 1/4" in from edge and press along that line.

Step 4.  With one piece of pillow fabric, right side up, pin patchwork 21/4" in from the left side and top stitch along each side. Or for the stripes, pin 2" in from the left side and top stitch along each side.

For the ribbon I placed the first strip 11/2" in from the left edge and allowed 1/4" gap in between.

Step 5.  Pin pillow fabric, good sides together, and mark 3/4" in from each edge on one short end.  This will be your guide on where to start and end stitching.  Sew from top right corner around to your other pin.

Step 6.  Trim corners off and turn out the right way.  You can use a stuffing tool or a chopstick as I do to push your corners out.

Step 7.  Press pillow, making sure the opening is pressed inwards.

Step 8.  Add scented rice to the pillow.  I used approx 1/4 cup.

 

Step 9.  Lastly, top stitch around the outside of the bag, ensure that the opening is caught in the top stitch to seal the pillow.  When you reach each corner give the pillow a shake and move the rice to the opposite corner.

Then all that's left to do is wrap your pillows.

Quilt Story Holiday Tutorial - Scented Pillows

Today I am lucky enough to have a guest post featured on Quilt Story as part of their Holiday Tutorials series.  Each Thursday through to December you'll find a new tutorial by a range of great bloggers.


Please take time to have a look!

My tutorial is for these cute scented pillows.  Great for stocking fillers.

The Holiday Tutorials at Quilt Story are not to be missed! 

October 4th: Kerry from verrykerryberry (Hexagon Handle Holder)

October 11th: Amber from A Little Bit Biased (Holly Berry Pillow Cover)

October 18th: Darlene from Sew Cal Gal (12 Pocket Bag)

October 25th: Kirsty from Handmade by Kirsty (Scented Pillows)

November 1st: Jesse from Messy Jesse

November 8th: Tabatha from Bending Pins

November 15th: Ali from a.squared.w

November 22nd: Happy Thanksgiving!

November 29th: Karen from Sew Well Maide

December 6th: Pennie from Tuppence Ha'Penny Quilts

Lots of cutting...

Hi, how is your week going?  It is all go here with another couple of quilts underway.

Firstly, I have finally cut into my 'The Birds and The Bees by Tula Pink' collection.  It is now cut into 360 pieces of glorious colour.  I searched for ideas on using this fabric for a while.  I wanted something that I could really show off the fabric design.  In the end I took a look at Tula Pink's book and found the Dream Weaver quilt design.  I felt this design was perfect to show off the larger prints and to allow as much detail in the fabric to come through.  It is amazing the small details in this collection when you look closely at it.

I have the fabrics laid out in the order they are going to be sewn.

I have managed to get blocks of 3 sewn together so far.  I am really eager to get back in the sewing room to get these sewn into columns.

Then I have the HSTs which I shared last week.  I have made a start and have 2 HSTs sewn together.  It is tricky getting the corners to align exactly.  I did a lot of unpicking and in the end moved on to another project.  I know I will have to go back to them, and I will.  I just think I am going to have to do this in small periods of time.  I find unpicking frustrating and to spend a day doing that will drive my crazy. 

So this is how it turned out the majority of the time, always a couple of millimetres out.

And this was as close as I could get them.  It's still not perfect but I am happy enough with it.

That's all for today.  I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their week!

I am linking up at Freshly Pieced:

One finished skirt

What a great weekend, my husband was home and we had no plans.  It's nice to have those weekends occassionally.

This weekend I decided I'd try out this skirt that's been on my radar for a while. No pattern to cut out and made exactly to your measurements.

It's called the domesticated skirt and the tutorial can be found at Sew a Straight Line.

I think these skirts would also be great for travelling.  Get one side dirty, turn it around the other way and your ready to go for the rest of the day.

The fabric was a great buy from my local discount fabric shop.  I was surprised to find Liberty of London and Anna Maria Horner fabrics there and for only $7.95/mtr.

Sunday we took a trip up to the Sunshine Coast, it was such a beautiful day!

 View of Sunshine Beach

I have linked to

Not a lot getting done...

Things are happening a little slow around here with the next project.  I did however get my HSTs pressed and cut into 4" squares, which took a lot longer than I expected.  If those squares are out there is no hope I'll end up with the quilt I'm hoping for so everything is crossed!

Now I just need to get them to the sewing machine!!

And this is what I'm hoping to accomplish.

This is my very rough sketch and how I've worked out how much fabric and HSTs I was going to need.  I think it's one of those things that only makes sense to you :)

I decided I liked the colours from the top drawing so my solids are fairly close to this.  I also decided after looking at the drawing that it didn't look quite right with ending the chevron on the down so I have added another column on the end.

Hopefully I'll get some good progress on this over the weekend.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

I am linking up at Freshly Pieced:

In the Kitchen - Ginger Tapioca Brulee

Well not much sewing happened over the weekend but I did do some cooking.

I am in love with Tapioca puddings.  The love affair started years ago and has continued with a few different flavours.

My favourite at the moment is with ginger.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup tapioca pearls
11/2 cups milk
11/2 cups coconut milk
1 vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste)
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon chopped crystallised ginger
200 ml thickened cream

1.  Place the tapioca pearls in a medium saucepan with milk, coconut milk and vanilla bean.

2.  Place over medium heat and stir continuously for the first few minutes and regularly after that.  It will take about 20 minutes for the tapioca to cook to tender.  The mixture will start to look like porridge when it is close to ready.

The tapioca expands when being cooked and will end up translucent.

3.  When tapioca is almost cooked remove the vanilla bean (if you used a whole one) add crystallised ginger and sugar, combine well.

4.  Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature and then add thickened cream.

5.  Divide mixture between 6 small bowls and smooth the tops.  Add 1 tablespoon of sugar over the top and using a blow torch to caramelise.  If you don't have a blow torch you can place under a grill that's been preheated to high.  Set aside for 2-3 mins to harden, then serve.

Field Study Tiles

Hello and welcome to the weekend.

I started back at work this week so I haven't been all that productive in the sewing room.  I'm really missing the time I had to get stuck into projects.

I spent my nights this week hand stitching the latest quilt which was inspired by Loulouthi Tiles from Rachel at Stitched in Color.

The front is using Anna Maria Horner's Field Study collection with Michael Miller's Cotton Couture in Vanilla.

The back has been made up of left over fabrics.
 

I hand stitched around the largest tiles with 3 coordinating cottons as per Rachel's tutorial.  I then continued by hand stitching around random squares.

I continued using the Field Study fabrics for the binding and for a drawstring bag.

I really like to make drawstring bags for the quilts I make.  I think it just makes a nice way to keep them during summer

This quilt is going to a lovely lady friend (she's like a second mum) for her 60th birthday.  I hope she enjoys it.


And on a totally random subject...Scrap metal Roosters

I have been wanting to get some chickens but we are worried about what they'll do to the new lawn.  So for now I have a scrap metal rooster which is great.  The hardware has a full selection of barnyard animals which are so cute.  I am very keen to get a sheep as well but I am happy with the rooster for now.

I have linked up to

Mini Magoo

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

I managed to get Mini Magoo finished at last.  It was a busy weekend with my husband's birthday but I was determined to finish this project off.

They are very cute, I think I'll make more in the future.

I have linked up to

Tabitha Bag

Hello, welcome to Friday!!  I hope everyone has a good weekend lined up.

I have a busy one coming up with my husband's birthday (Happy Birthday babe!) on Monday and two family lunches across the weekend.

This week I finished up a couple of Tabitha Bags.  Once I got started they were really quite easy thanks to the excellent instructions that come with the pattern.  The first one took me a while because I had to read every instruction twice and then some a few more times to make sure I was doing it right.  I was aiming for no unpicking!!

So here they are.  I'm really happy with them.

 

 

The green one has already replaced my previous bag.  I really love this Amy Butler fabric.  I could make so many things out of it.

I have been wanting to sew an apron for a long while now.  I made this one for my mum which was fairly easy with it only being a half apron.  I'm going to try a full apron next.

That's all for today, I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

I have linked to