Tuesday, July 10, 2012

WIP and a Finish (YAY!)

Happy Tuesday! Softball league has started at work, and we won our game last night! Yay! This weekend, and a little of last week, I got some sewing in. First, I tried sewing a pouch using The Plaid Scottie's box pouch tutorial. I tried it in the "pencil case" size and I completely failed at it. My supposedly fusable interfacing did not "fuse", so I was not really able to grab and smish the (very small) corners as per the directions. I will be trying this again in a larger size, and sewing the interfacing in (since it doesn't want to iron transfer). I'm so embarrassed of the result I'm not even going to show a picture of it.

So here's my first finish:
I did successfully sew this (I think) really cute zipper pouch out of some extra Reunion (by Sweetwater) charm squares I had lying around. I did this without a pattern, but learning the basic construction from the aforementioned tutorial by the Plaid Scottie.


The little hand stitched circle came later, out of boredom, and though the stitches are wobbly, it is secure so I think it's a good first try. The circle is a scrap of Good Fortune by Kate Spain.


The back...


and the interior! This is my favorite part. The bag is wide enough to carry my work cell, my home cell, and my work ID. Perfect for carrying around the office/campus without bringing a purse!

And now the epic WIP- my paint chip quilt. 

The main struggle with this quilt is my complete lack of work space. In this picture, you can see that the main body of the quilt is kind of stuck on my computer monitor/keyboard, making it really difficult to move through the machine. I am not only struggling with the typical machine neck problem, but my desk too!


Also check out my classy Viking Husqvarna 400 Computer. Clunky, huh? It works well, but if anyone knows where I can buy feet or bobbins (standard size bobbins don't fit this bad boy!) please let me know. I really want to buy a FMQ foot (see previous post, Singer Inspiration vs Reality, for details on my quest to get a machine to work at all so I can try FMQ). 

Another fun action shot of my cramped space: 

Should I move my machine to my boyfriends? He has an entire room he has designated as my craft room - but that would mean I couldn't sew in the middle of the night with my cats! It would be a ton more room- he has several tables set up for me already (what a sweety!).

And here is a sneak peak of how the back is looking with the color chips outlined:
Cute, right? I'm loving it!

Have a good day!


Linking with Quilt Story Fabric Tuesday and WIP Wednesday on Freshly Pieced

8 comments:

  1. lOOKS PERFECT! looks like a great size. kx

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  2. Oh, I feel your pain!! That was me 2.5 years ago when I started quilting. Now I have a great machine and a dedicated sewing room, but I sure struggled during those early days. Maybe you could do your piecing at home, and your quilting at your wonderful boyfriends!

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    1. What a good idea! maybe I can give hexies another try; my cats sure love them !

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  3. I really like the zipper pouch!
    Bobbins I can't help with, but with regard for your presser foot issue...if I'm not mistaken, you should be able to use generic presser feet on a Husqvarna sewing machine. The Brother quilting foot for my machine is $40-50 (depending on the store), but I bought a generic one for about $13 on amazon and it works great. The only difference is the package it came in. (Maybe the foot for the Singer of Doom will fit?)

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    1. That's good to know! My major problem with this model of sewing machine is that it wasn't listed on any of the Husqvarna standard feet. Having now measured the various components, I am pretty sure that a generic will fit!!! So exciting. Unfortunately the Singer of Doom's seems to be about 1/2 an inch taller than the foot space allows, so Amazon, here I come! Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. Great pouch, you can never have to many! And can't wait to see how the quilt turns out, it's coming along great!

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    1. Thanks for the encouragement! I'm working hard to finish the quilt quickly. Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. That quilt is going to be amazing!

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