Lunch bag and another pillowcase

Look what I threw together in an afternoon with just three fat quarters! A new lunch bag for me(!), with a bottom big enough to hold my plastic containers, so I don't have to put them in on their sides. I sincerely dislike when my food containers leak. 

And it has this handy little drawstring cover on top to hold the contents safely inside and, at the same time, makes the contents discreet. I changed the pattern slightly to accommodate less seams and larger whole fabric pieces, but the design and size are the original.

I can hardly wait for work tomorrow, just so I can pack my lunch. 

And this is the other pillowcase I made, which now surrounds the pillow on the other half of my bed. 

Receipts and a pillowcase

So, while I'm still on the quest to try and use up my fabric scraps and stash, I have found a way to also use up those pesky receipts I get everywhere.

I have been making paper foundation fabric strips.

 Then I take the strips and run them through my Accuquilt cutter and make signature blocks with them.

 By adding some white triangles, I am now in the process of making another scrap happy quilt top.

 And if I add another solid besides the white, it adds another dimension to it.

 Still a work in progress, so I don't know yet how it will look all together.



Another quick and easy project I found is the magic pillowcase. It uses up about a yard of fabric, so it's a great stash buster for larger pieces, and goes together in about an hour.

 I don't have a serger, so it was important to me that there were no exposed seams. I don't want it to fray. Definitely going to make more of these!

Stash busting tumblers and a runner

Have I mentioned how much I love my Accuquilt? 

This top only took me three hours to cut out with my tumbler die and throw together. Made with kids prints and scraps from other quilts. It was a great opportunity to use up bright happy pieces in my stash that I was in love with.

I had so much fun, I decided to make a second, more scrappy, tumbler top. I have a feeling this will be my 'go to' die shape now for larger pieces of leftovers and quick quilts. Maybe, I might even preplan one of these in some new and wonderful fabric line out there... Hmmm...

I also managed to construct this lovely runner made of five inch charm squares in a morning. And by construct, I mean sew squares together, put it together with backing and batting, and stitch in the ditch! It was a fast, easy pattern that I saw on youtube from Jenny Doan of Missouri Star Quilt Company. I just love watching her vidoes. She makes everything so easy.

No measure Bargello

I watched a video on youtube about making a bargello quilt without measuring and it looked surprisingly easy. I have had a book about bargello quilts for years, but never worked up the courage to work on one, because they seem so time intensive. 

I ordered the pattern and I ordered some fabric. I opted for batiks, in bright colors, as that is what I am attracted to, and it all arrived. Time to put the strips together.... But which way?

For two days, I arranged and rearranged the strips, trying to find a pleasing distribution, all the while wondering why I ordered these fabrics... 

In the end I opted for this layout. Then came the choice for backgrounds. I had enough grey or enough white in my stash, so I decided on the grey, thinking I don't want that pink to bleed into white. 

I followed the directions and watched my quilt top grow.

And then it was done. If I want to make it throw size, I can leave it as is; just quilt and bind. Or I can add borders and make it a bed size. Haven't decided yet which I want.