Archive for April 2013

New Addition: Ribbons and more!

I often look for inspirations from traditional quilt blocks, and my newest ribbons blocks were sparked by traditional bow tie blocks. Long time ago, my mom made a beautiful lap quilt with just the bow tie blocks, and I wish I had a picture to share it with you. I used to think that they look a bit like dog bones (sorry mom!) especially for they are positioned diagonally. Here is a picture of a bow tie quilt that I found on the web. It is made by Twin Fibers, and it's just lovely. The color combination reminds me of my mom's bow tie quilt too. 


Here are my ribbons. I think they will look so cute on a little girl's quilt. 

 

And just to be a tease, here is something I am currently working on. 
It's going to be a collection of chairs, something I've been wanting to do for a while. 
In case you are curious, I start drafting my patterns on AutoCad or Rhino. I like that they got grids to snap my points to, and I can be very accurate with measurements. Then I take my line drawings to Adobe Illustrator to play with colors and patterns and add labels at the end. It is a process I am accustomed to from studying interior design, and I really enjoy doing it. I am aware of quilt software like Electric Quilt and Quilt Assistant, and I imagine they would work similarly. I say take advantage of skills you got. Whatever works for you! 

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New Addition: Antique Key #2

Revisiting the earlier project and giving a second thought on how to do it differently is always a good idea. I have a special attachment to the Antique Key pattern since it was the first paper pieced pattern that I ever designed.  When I designed this pattern, I looked up many pictures of antique keys and came up with the most simplified version. 




But I remember thinking that there are so many different ways you can design a key. So I finally came up with the second antique key block. This one is just as easy to make as the first one, and they are equal in size. Collect some keys and make beautiful projects with them. 

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Free Pattern: Piano Keyboard

I created this pattern on a whim last night. It is a fairly easy project since it is composed only of rectangles. You can adjust the length of this quilt if you intend to cover up your keyboard, or you can even add more rows and make it into a bigger quilt. I would use different shades and patterns of black and white fabrics to make this quilt eclectic. This pattern is available to download under "Free Downloads." Enjoy! 

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New Addition: Diamond Variations

Diamond Variations is my first block that is purely geometric. I was inspired by traditional log cabin blocks. You can develop tons of different arrangements by playing with color and pattern choices. You also have two options to juxtapose either square blocks or triangle blocks. 

  

I love seeing the gradient of one colorway, but don't limit yourself to this option! Here are some other examples of what you can do with this block. 


I completed two projects with this pattern. The first one is a zipper wristlet. I love how it turned out, and this guy goes everywhere I go these days. If you want to learn how to make a basic zipper wristlet, check out this video by The Crafty Gemini.

 

My second project was a pot holder/ hot pad. I chose bright contrasting solid colors for this project. As you can see, if you decide to echo quilt this pattern, you would really be emphasizing the diamond shapes. 


I am planning to make a bigger blanket quilt with this pattern. I hope you are inspired to start a project too!

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Geometric paper piecing

My very first paper pieced project was a Marine Compass block that I found online. You can find this block at a website called Quilting on the Square, which has an extensive collection of compass blocks for free. What I love about this project is that you make four of the same block, rotate them, put them together, and you end up with this beautiful compass. 


Carol Doak, Peggy Martin, and many other wonderful quilters create paper pieced blocks that are based on this principle. 

  

I think that this method has a lot of potential for designing a quilt, and it is something I am exploring right now. Here is a teaser of the pattern that is coming soon. 

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New Addition: Dining room block

My background in interior design and habitual visits to websites like pintrest and tumblr finally inspired me to make this dining room pattern. I was originally going to draw just the ceiling lamp, but I decided that completing a room would make it more interesting. 


You have probably seen ceiling lamps such as the ones in my pattern, but here is a real lamp that has a similar style. It definitely has a retro feel to it.
Pendant No.6822 by Quorum
I am a big fan of mid-century modern design, and the colors I chose for this mini quilt have that reference. You could safely say my favorite color combination is red and teal. I envisioned this pattern to be used for a small wall hanging or a pillow cover, but I can also imagine it being inserted into a bigger quilt. I might decide to make another pattern of an interior space in the future. Please let me know if you have an idea of a room that you would like to transform to a quilt pattern! 

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Happy Caturday!

My husband told me about an online forum that encourages people to post cat pictures on Saturday and calls it a "Caturday."  So I thought, why don't I share some pictures of my lovable cat on Saturday as well? Here is Coccolithophore. He will turn 1 year old coming May. He has always been a very active kitty, and he loves to follow me around. 


This is from a while back when I was taking pictures of my Aloe Vera block. Cocco enjoys going out to the balcony, but we have to watch him since he has jumped down a couple times from our 2nd level apartment. I caught him in action and managed to stop this time. 



Cocco passing through my camera lens as always.



Look whom I found right after I emptied my trash basket?


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New Addition: Stapler block

If you have ever watched the movie, "Office Space," you will remember how obsessive Milton was with his red stapler. I can't blame him. A stapler is a fun object to work with. 

  Office Space (1999)

So here is my stapler block. I am planning to make a small wall quilt with 4 of these staplers, and I will hang it right next to my desk. I want to get some fabrics that have notebook graphics and use them for the border. 

Because I adore well designed stationery objects, I did a little research on staplers. I will share some of my favorite ones.

Stampler by Suck UK (£12.00)
What is a Stampler? It stamps a smiley face while it staples! 
It really jazzes up a stapler's job, doesn't it?
Stapler Dog Red by Kikkerland ($6.00)
I love how simple and clever this design is. 


Eco Staple Free Stapler Cubed by Made by Humans ($12.99)
What's cool about this one is that it doesn't use metal staples. Instead, it cuts out a tiny strip of paper and uses it to "stitch up." It only binds up to 4 pages, but regardless it is genius! 

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Papers for Foundation Piecing

I have been looking for thin and lightweight papers to do paper piecing with, but it seems like every store I go to, there are only 20 lbs papers or heavier weight kinds. So, I finally decided to give it a go with papers for foundation piecing. I ordered the product below which was available through Amazon for $6.95 and came with 100 pages. The paper is grey-ish and feels like a very thin newspaper.


I have a HP Photosmart 6510 printer, and there were few times I got ink smudges when I printed with these papers, but they were nothing too bad to interfere with seeing the patterns. With these papers, I skipped the step of puncturing the lines with a sewing machine before constructing my pattern. Papers seem to tear pretty well at the end, so I am satisfied with it. I am still going to be on the lookout for regular printer papers that are light weight though. 

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New Addition: Mushrooms block

Today I added a Fairy-tale Mushrooms block to my etsy and craftsy stores. I wanted to create a pattern that complements my Snail block, and these mushrooms are well suited to that role. I imagine this block fitting nicely in a baby blanket or decorating a nursery.




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