Sew and Tell - Holiday Recap

Why is it that every year I tell myself that I will start sewing presents early, only to get caught on December 23 frantically handsewing the last pieces close?  I guess I like to live under pressure, and I sure got plenty of that this year.  But it was well worth the trouble because I am glad of what I made and the little presents were appreciated by the recipients.

I made this simple bag for my sister Nathalie, who likes birds and purple.  The pattern is from a French book called "Tout en patch..." by Corinne Crasbercu, and you can see what it's all about here.  My sister and I actually exchanged our handmade gifts, she made some lovely crocheted items for me.

I couldn't resist the urge of making yet another of those lovely patchwork baskets from Pink Penguin.  This one, my fourth, was for my mother, and I filled it with japanese paper scraps for her scrapbooking and cardmaking, and with a few cross-stitched ornaments that I had made.

I also made her a couple of laundry bags (also from "Tout en patch...") that she will get to use in her upcoming trip to Cuba.

And as if I wasn't busy enough with the gift making, I decided on a whim to make a couple of chinese puzzles that we used in a game at our Christmas party.  They don't look like much, but trust me, they were a lot of work!

Want to see what everyone else made in December?  Hit the Sew and Tell button on my sidebar and find out on Amy's blog!

Sylvie

A New Year, a Challenge and other fun things

You may have noticed  a new button at the top of my sidebar, Craft Book Challenge.  Liesl from Liesl Made has challenged us to use our craft books and make at least one project from them every month for the year to come.  I think it's brilliant.  I have a small collection of craft books, but I've only used 4 or 5 of them so far, so I've decided to join in and see if I can keep up.  I will start with a bag pattern found in Seams to Me, by Anna Maria Horner.  I've already got the pattern cut out and the fabrics chosen, so hopefully I can make it in January.  I'll keep you posted on that.  You can check out the challenge here and join in too, it will be a lot of fun.

And if you need some more inspiration to get you started in 2011, check out this great compilation of tutorials made by Ursula at Muffins and More.  I know I've already bookmarked a few to try out in the coming months.

To start the New Year with some colors, I've made a new pair of pillowcases with fun patterns.  After last year's cows, let me present you my new monkeys!  I've used the very easy and quick tube method to make these.

And lastly, to answer Susanne's question, the mosaics in my previous post were made using a little software called Collage Creator.  It is meant for scrapbooking and is very easy to use.  You can download it for free here

I'll see you all later with new crafting projects!

Sylvie.

2010 in pictures

While browsing through the pictures I've taken over the year 2010, I came to think that it might be nice to show them here.  I have made three mosaics (sorry for the quality, they were made quickly as I have to get ready for tonight's party), one as a review of this year's craft projects, one of my garden, and another one of places I've been to this year.

Hope you enjoy this little journey in what really makes Maevy's Corner!

All these projects can be found in earlier posts. 

Flowers include, in order, lilac, sunflower, wild red cherry, gaillardia, rose, black-eyed susan, hosta and lupine.

1. Birding in Parc du Bic; 2. Old building in Bois-de-Coulonge; 3. Rodeo in Ste-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier; 4.  The lake at Duchesnay; 5. A rainbow seen from my porch; 6. A street in Old Quebec; 7. The view in fall, from my rooftop; 8. The marsh at Cacouna; 9. Fontaine de Tourny, downtown Quebec; 10. Gardens at Domaine Joly; 11. Beachfront houses in Ste-Luce; 12. Sunset on Ste-Luce.

See you all in 2011, wishing you all the best!

Sylvie

Handmade decorations

I know I am coming a little late with these, but as I was gifting them to my mom for Christmas, I couldn't show them earlier.  They are just simple designs cross-stitched on Aïda and backed with red cotton, but they make fancy decorations.  The designs come from an old Christmas edition of Marianne magazine. 

Best wishes for the New Year!

Sylvie

The Final Cut

Remember my quilt top?  I finished it in August and four months later it still is just that.  A quilt top.  

I received a few weeks ago the fabric that I'll use as backing, pictured above, right, and seriously, I can't believe that it took me all these months to finally make a decision about this backing fabric.  I have been so fussy about it, and it could have kept going on, the hesitation, the constant "what if I find something better".

The only reason why I decided to buy this fabric now is that the store was down to 4 1/2 yards and I needed four.  I got scared that they would sell out and I'd be back to my starting point of having no idea what fabric to use.  Because this Valori Wells Del Hi Pom Pom was the only remaining option on my list.

I am still not convinced that it is the best match to my quilt top, but at least the fabric is gorgeous and bold enough to get some attention.

My plan when I received the fabric was to baste the quilt over that weekend and have it ready for hand quilting during the holidays.  However, as I write these lines, the fabric is still waiting, unwashed and uncut.

For my defense, I was working on Christmas presents at the time, and they had to be finished before the quilt.

Fabric Basket Tutorial

Here is - finally! - a tutorial for my little FQ fabric basket.  The incredible response I've had to my giveaway has given me the small push I needed to sit down and write it.  So here it is, hopefully clear enough to be understood, but if anything is missing, please let me know and I will try to clarify.

FQ FABRIC BASKET TUTORIAL

Material needed:
Coordinated fabric scraps (fat eights work well for the sides)
Thin polyester batting (cotton and bamboo are not stiff enough)
Non-woven, heavy weight sew-on interfacing
Two yards of ribbon
Matching or contrasting thread
Vanishing-ink fabric marker
Plastic Ruler
Hand-sewing needle
Scissors
Rotary cutter (optional)
Cutting mat (optional)
Sewing machine (optional)

Cutting List:

From the outside fabric (here the black and green fabric)
2 pieces of 13" X 4" for long sides
2 pieces of 51/2" X 4" for short ends

From the inside fabric (here the green dots)

2 pieces of 13" X 4" for long sides

2 pieces of 51/2" X 4" for short ends

From the bottom fabric (here the floral)

2 pieces of 13" X 51/2"

From the batting:

2 pieces of 13" X 4"

2 pieces of 51/2" X 4"

1 piece of 13" X 51/2"

From the interfacing:

2 pieces of 13" X 4"

2 pieces of 51/2" X 4"

1 piece of 13" X 51/2"

From the ribbon:

8 pieces of 7" long

Once you have chosen your fabrics, iron each piece and cut according to cutting list above.  I have used two coordinated fat eights for the sides, but any scraps will do.  It would even be fun to have all different sides.

What you choose to use as batting and interfacing will determine the sturdiness of your basket.  I wanted a clean look, but I don't plan on moving this basket around much, sot extra sturdiness was not necessary.  I have tried different combinations and this light batting with the thick interfacing is what gave me the most satisfying result.  However, if you need something sturdier, inserting plastic canvas might be a better option.  In that case, you would need to leave larger openings when you sew around each side.

Step-by-step how-to


1.  As we have four layers for each four sides of the basket (inside fabric, batting, interfacing and outside fabric), we will quilt three of them together to give stability and add a little interest.  The quilting may be done differently than what I do, a simple cross pattern, but from experience I would recommend to avoid vertical or horizontal lines as they make a bend in the side of the basket and make it lose its shape.  So, this being said, take a small piece of the outside fabric, and using a ruler and a fabric marker, trace an X from corner to corner.  Repeat for the other small piece of outside fabric.  For the two long pieces of outside fabric, trace two Xs, from corner to middle of long side.

2.  Now what you need to do is a “sandwich” with one piece of batting, one piece of interfacing, and one piece of outside fabric on top, right side facing up.

3.  Quilt the three layers on the X that you have marked, either by machine or by hand.  Repeat for the three other sides.

4.  Now is time to add the inside fabric and the ribbons to the “sandwich”.  Place a quilted piece of outside fabric on your work table, outside fabric facing up.  Position two pieces of ribbon, one on either side, at 1” from the top.

5.  Then, lay the inside fabric over, wrong side facing up, and pin everything in place, making sure that the loose ends of ribbons will not get caught in the seam.

6.  Sew around the “sandwich”, leaving a 2” opening on the bottom side, i.e. the long side farther from the ribbons.  Clip corners.

7.  Turn right side out and repeat for all three other sides, and for the bottom part, omitting the ribbons on this last one.

8.  Iron flat all pieces and hand sew the openings.

9.  Now is time to assemble the sides to the bottom of the basket.  Place the bottom on your work table, inside up ( I chose the quilted side to be inside the basket, but you could choose otherwise, it won’t make much of a difference).  Take one side of your basket and lay it on the bottom piece, outside up, aligning the bottom sides of both pieces.  Pin in place.  Hand sew both pieces together.

10.  Repeat for other three sides.

11.  Tie the ribbons in the corners and you have a finished basket!

Giveaway Winners

Oh, this was a fun giveaway day, or should I say week?  I've enjoyed reading comments and I am thrilled to have had 300 entries, plus a bunch of new followers.  Welcome to all of you new readers.

Many commenters have requested a tutorial for my fabric basket, and that was just what I needed to convince me of doing one.  So check back in the next few days and I will have it posted right here.

Now, to the winners - 'cause really that's the reason you're here today, right?

Names were picked at random, with the help of my boyfriend, and the lucky ones are:

Carol, who won the ready-made basket

and

Kerry , who won the kit.

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all who entered!  Stay tuned for the basket tutorial!

Sylvie