Current Projects

Posted on February 13, 2013 by oliver's fancy

I have been very busy doing a little of this and a little of that…not enough to share an entire post about each thing so I thought I’d give a bit of a collage of all my random projects.

First off, I have ventured into girly world with my hoops and onesies. After completing a custom Etsy order for a special little girl’s room, I used some of the scraps to make some onesies for a friend’s baby shower. I am loving this look and I think you might see some more girly stuff in my Etsy shop from here on out…not changing who I am but expanding a bit so I don’t lose out on an audience I am not currently reaching.

I also completed another figure 8 scarf as a birthday present for my aunt. I have tweaked this pattern so that it is now super easy and such a fun little present! Really must make one of these for myself soon! This one was made in a cotton/linen blend fabric and I really love the weight and feel of it.

I tried out Anna’s new pattern– the divided basket- to see if I want to sell these in the future… It ended up being the perfect container for the balls and books we purchased for a friend’s little man’s first birthday party. I need a few more practice rounds with this pattern to work out some kinks, but I’m thinking it’s a go. I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

A custom quilt order has begun taking shape. The client gave me a color range of whites, dark purples, and apple greens and allowed me free range in fabric choices. I love projects like this because I don’t have to stress about what the client wants and can just have fun putting things together.

Last, but not least, I have completed the quilt back for the guestbook quilt! Woo Hoo! This is a huge weight on my mind right now and I am so happy that I have made progress on it. Next step, get some 505 spray and attempt quilting… you will definitely be updated on how that monumental step goes!

Etsy Shop Focus

Posted on January 31, 2013 by oliver's fancy

I thought I would take a minute today to let you know about one of my new favorite Etsy shops- Meadow Mist Designs. This shop is run by Cheryl Brickey, who just happens to be the newest member of our Greenville chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild. I have been wanting a cute pincushion for a while, but have had too much going on to make one myself. At our last GMQG meeting, Cheryl happened to mention she sold them on etsy. I immediately checked out her shop and was so happy with what I found that it took me a week to decide on what I wanted. Look at some of her shop goodies!

Source: etsy.com via Brooke on Pinterest

In the end, I contacted Cheryl directly to ask for a pincushion with all Lotta Jansdotter fabrics. She put together the perfect pairing of fabrics and also made me a needle book and a thread catcher. Look at how cute they are! Excuse the fact that I took this picture in a poorly lighted room…We all like instagram pics every once in a while, right? 🙂

She doesn’t have the needle book or thread catcher up on her shop but I’m sure if you asked nicely, she might be willing to start selling those too! 🙂 This is not a paid endorsement in any way. I just love finding new etsy shops that are affordable and have good craftsmanship, and I thought you might also appreciate the knowledge!

Open Wide Zippered Pouch- a Tutorial Review

Posted on September 17, 2012 by oliver's fancy

A while back I saw Anna from Noodlehead had posted a tutorial for a zipper pouch with an open mouth. I loved that idea but couldn’t think of a good enough reason for me to make another pouch. Until today, that is. 🙂 I have a sweet cousin turning 13 tomorrow, and I wanted to make her something special for her birthday. She loves to draw, and I had an epiphany last night that an open wide pouch would be perfect to hold some art supplies on the go.

The hardest part of this pouch construction was deciding which fabrics to use. My cousin is not super girly so I didn’t want anything too pink. I love the combo I decided on- artsy and cute, but not over the top. Aren’t those birds great?

My thoughts on this tutorial: It’s very well written with lots of pictures to help explain the directions. The one part I struggled with was on the top-stitching around the zipper pull. I ended up seam ripping and doing that little part over again. I also wasn’t super careful to get my gussets exactly even so there’s a bit of fudging on the lining inside to have everything meet up- totally me rushing it (Little Man woke up early from his nap and I rushed to finish it before getting him out of bed) and nothing to do with her instructions. Other than that, super easy and fun. Now I really want to try a few of her other patterns/tutorials. Have you seen the gathered clutch, zippy wallet, and the 241 tote to name a few?

Wristlet Zipper Purse: AKA the present that came 3 months late

Posted on September 6, 2012 by oliver's fancy

Got another project crossed off my list this week! My little cousin (who is not so little anymore at 14!) had a birthday back in June and I have been meaning to make her a present all summer. Oops, time just kinda slipped by! I decided that better late than never was a good philosophy to adopt and determined to finish her present this week. Remember this book I talked about when I finished my chevron purse?

Part of the reason I bought this book was that I thought it would be great to have for gift ideas. And I was right! It has tons of different purse/wallet style options. My cousin has a little wristlet purse already so I knew she would like that style, and it seemed an easy pattern. It was, indeed, a fairly quick sew.

My thoughts on this book. I love this book for the pattern ideas and sizing help, but I find the directions a bit confusing or unclear at times. Having made quite a few zippered pouches already, I changed the directions around a bit to do it my own way because their way did not work well for me. However, not having to figure out math in my head when I go to make a project makes this book well worth it for me! I also love the little fun details they provide- like the pleats on this wristlet.

I used a chevron fabric (picked up at Jo-Ann’s a while back) and Kona cotton for the outer fabric. The lining is from Anna Maria Horner’s Innocent Crush line. All materials were from my stash so in my mind this was a “free” project. 🙂 Love it when that happens! I also like the little fun pop the lining gives when you open the bag. I gave the bag to my cousin last night and she was thrilled! Turns out she was needing a new purse. See, I waited to make it until I knew she needed it. 😉

Now onto the next item on my WIP list: the guestbook quilt for my sister-in-law= from the wedding in May. Hmmn, procrastination problem, anyone?

Figure 8 Scarf

Posted on September 4, 2012 by oliver's fancy

Remember that scarf I have on my weekend plans? Well it was finished in plenty of time and turned out to be a very easy project! I knew you would want to see pictures so I have some for you tonight. 🙂

I used Anna Maria Horner’s tutorial as a basis for this scarf with a few changes. She calls for 18×72 inch cuts of fabric. I thought 18 inches would be a little wide for my purposes, so I cut the fabrics 10×72 and am so glad I did! Exactly the result I wanted! I used a Valorie Wells voile and backed it with some shot cotton. The original tutorial used voile backed with velveteen. Since we live in the South where it stays warm into the fall, I wanted to use a lightweight fabric- hence the shot cotton.

Other than those 2 changes, I followed the tutorial and found it very straightforward. I bought some voile yardage a few months back with the purpose of trying out this scarf and plan on whipping up a few more of these to have as my go-to gift. I think I have enough fabric for 3-4 more, so I hope my friends and family like blue. 🙂 If you need some handmade Christmas gift ideas, this is a great one to have in your inventory. Who doesn’t appreciate a new scarf?

My sister-in-law was very happy with the scarf and wore it the next day so I could get some blog pics! Check out the palm trees in the background. I am sad that we are just far enough north to not have palms growing around town…such a great tree!