What I have been working on lately

I am really trying to finish up a few old projects in between starting new ones.  I don’t ever seem to be at a loss for something to sew.

SONY DSC

I finished up this quilt for a graduation gift for our good friends daughter who was graduating from highschool  She said she wanted a teal color and this is what I came up with.  The pattern is Mellow from Natalia Bonner and Kathleen Whiting’s book, Modern One-Block quilts.  SONY DSC

These are pretty big blocks and they sewed up quicker than you would think.SONY DSC

This is a duffle bag I made out of fabrics from the Michael Miller Modern Quilt Guild challenge.  I started with a Simplicity pattern and then added a shoulder strap, the zipper pocket and a few other pockets.  It really was a fun project to do with the quilt as you go style.  I was able to incorporate all the fabrics.036 - Copy

This was a journal cover I made entirely from scraps.  It was a challenge at our modern quilt guild to take some scraps and make something of them for the next meeting.  We all then swapped our creative treasures.  I belong to the Detroit Area Modern (DAM) Quilt Guild.SONY DSC

Here is another journal cover i just finished.  I am really liking these small pieced figures and then the small channel quilting to set it off.

SONY DSC

I love this little apple!  And that is the latest finished little quilty things.

In My Studio: Making the best fleece neck pillows ever

I discovered a FREE PATTERN at http://www.sew4home.com for the best little neck pillow ever!    It looks like a big dog bone!

I made one out of some leftover fleece and it sewed up so nice and was sooooo soft.   I dug out a huge bag of fleece scraps and took it up to our cottage in northern Michigan for the weekend.  It was cool and rainy…a perfect day for sewing.  Here is a peek into my weekend of work.

SONY DSC

Here is part of my pile-o-fleece dumped out on the bed.

SONY DSC

I started just cutting out as many pillows as I could.

SONY DSC

Here is my glorious stack of pillows all cut out.  These are my brilliant idea for christmas gifts for everyone this year.

SONY DSC

I wanted to leave one pillow at the cottage, so I stitched up the sides of this cute little sheep that matches my robe.

There are no fabric stores very handy by the cottage, so what to do to stuff my pillow?

SONY DSC

How about a $2 pillow from the only local store, Kmart.  So yes, I cut open that pillow and used the stuffing for my little relaxing neck pillow.

SONY DSC

So I stuffed that little pillow full of my ingenious stuffing.

SONY DSC

Here is my little pillow all stuffed and ready to be stitched closed.

I grabbed the rest of my pillows to take home to sew whenever a need a little break.  I think the family will be delighted with these gifts and I destashed a huge amount of fleece.  I even kept a small pile of the scraps to use just like felt for applique, there were so many colors.

What fun things do you make with your fleece scraps?