Hana Patchwork Cushion

Would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me? That would be really special; especially in the early afternoon and I'd have some delicious shortbread cookies around and scones,too. Gosh, I ran out of homemade jams and maybe you can bring yours to share.  I will have patchwork cushions made for each chair and probably make all the placemats for each. I'll bring out precious tea set that Julie got me two Christmas ago, Fine hand-painted China tea pot and cups.  Sounds good?

I have this Hana patchwork Cushion made last week and waited for the pillow insert to arrive this week. If you followed me over Instagram Story last week {the last few photos that I snapped from the phone}, you know that I was pretty excited about putting this patchwork piece together.

I planned on making the cushion in a scrappy style and though simple tiny patchwork would be perfect. I particularly love earthy tone lately, so decided to go with more brown and wood colors for the patchwork piece. As I went through the scrap boxes I picked out mostly browns, dirt black, yellows, greens and just few blue tones to give some fun factors to the patchwork.  Each tiny patchwork is cut in 1" strips then 2" wide.

I didn't second myself to hand quilt this patchwork piece, as I think the recipient would treasure  these tiny stitches.  Since, I have a piece of unbleached muslin in the back for the patchwork it got a little thicker and bulky to hand quilt on. I tried to give even stitches so it has consistency look and nice texture!

For the cushion backing, I used a chestnut brown linen for the backing. I love how linen gives a nice and elegant finish look and touch for the cushion. Also it is very soft and just match the patchwork top nicely! It finished a little larger than 16"x16". I used a 18"x18" pillow insert to make it puffy look.

You can find Hana Patchwork tutorial {here}. The only modification that I made was I kept the tiny patchwork pieces in rows and didn't turn it in a diagonal direction. For hand quilting tutorial, you can find {here}.

I love rainy days for making tiny patchworks now. The rain seriously pour hard on the thunderstorm days.  It is not the best kind of afternoon for quick grocery run, but guess what? I made the quick run for grocery that afternoon, betweens rains. I had a large umbrella accompanied me, and totally think a pair of rain boots would really help out in the places that got flooded.

These days, it is just beautiful in Big Apple City! Today is the last day of school for my S, so late! I see her is ready for school break and getting ready for some sleep in time.

More later...

xxc

Patchwork delight

This week, between projects, I managed to make a small scrappy style patchwork zippered pouch. It has been a while since I used to make them for the shop. This patchwork pouch is an add on to a parcel that will be ship next week.

These prints are some of my favorites and I particular love the versatile prints play good contrast in the pouch! Thanks to the new walking foot tool, the quilting lines turnout even, I keep on 3 m.m. on the stitch length setting, but think that 4 m.m. will work well, too. I'll give it a try next time and let you know how I like it.

I've added the feedsack fabrics Julie brought to me in her recent visit to the feedsack box. Don't you think feedsack fabrics present some humble colors and gorgeous designs? Oh, maybe it is time for another feedsack appliqué work.  I have the design print out and am ready for a little appliqué piece for this summer sewing project.

{Thank You} for all the words of wisdoms and loves that you sent. Simply made me warm and loved by many of you that I have not met. But you are here, my neighbors (smile). Life is not all perfect and cheerful and some of the day is not as easy as I like. I try my best to be honest and share what I am comfortable with you. Mostly, will be lots sewing and good time, enjoy!

xxc

kin-cha-ku making

Summer, is here! We've experienced a couple days of summer heat here in the city.  As I sat in the workroom and have had the windows open last few weeks. I could hear neighbors' a/c have been running most of the days.  I was debating if I should turn on ours? I waited till yesterday when the workroom turned into a sweat shop and lightly headache from the summer heat came down on me,  the apartment temperature was reached 88 degrees by 10a.m. !  I had moved myself to the kitchen where is cooler and kept water bottles near by...  Oh.. Today is a much better day; few hours of summer shower that cool off the roof top and the roads, lightly summer breeze comes into  the workroom windows as I am writing the post.

Yesterday, I managed to pieced and hand-quilted this custom {kin-cha-ku} and finished up this morning. It is always really fun to custom patchwork pieces for someone. This is first time, that I was requested for darker, dirt a like, and browns colors. It definitely is different from other requests.

I've always pull fabrics out as the request came in, so I hold on good ideas on the colors as I dig through fabrics boxes. The next morning before getting fabrics cut, I would work on prints around each other and do more adding and subtracting prints. It works out really well for getting fabric pulls.

Within this kin-cha-ku, I mainly used Suzuko Koseki fabrics for the bag and accompanied some versatile prints from the years of collecting. These colors are rich and versatile from each other. I break down from all the dark and brown prints by using some light colors to give some contrast in between. I particularly love how the tiny hand-quilting stitches could vivid being seen from darker prints.

This kin-cha-ku is being wrapped among with other handmade pieces and ready to be post this week. I used the tiny scraps and made a greeting card to go along with the outgoing post, so it might bring up smiles to the person.

Pattern: Kin-Cha-Ku 
Quilting: Hand-quilting tutorial 

I worked on {this quilt} over the weekend. It is being basted and ready for quilting. Just need to find a raining day to work on the quilting and a good audio book to accompany me. Soon, I will be able share this quilt with you and why it waited almost three years to finish up as  supposed have it done three years ago.

Do you have any sewing projects line up for the summer days? I have a list of quilts that would like finish up before starting a new quilt, very attempting for making new quilts.

more later...

xxc

From Ocean Wave...+ a pillow

The pillow inserts arrived before the weekend. I was able to insert it into the new pillow I made from the {Scrappy Style Ocean Wave Quilt} and show it to Julie.  The pillow turns out really nice and was quilted on the new sewing tool that I recently purchased.

I went for a genetic walking foot that actually is doing pretty great job on straight quilting and give a nice even stitches. I've really enjoy how I can walk in curve lines and the pieces are not being shift.  I test on a couple pieces and adjust space between lines which is lovely! It actually was tricky to put on the walking foot the first few times and now I've gotten quicker. It took a few try and fail to find the proper stitch length for it. I used 3.5 m.m. when use walking foot for machine quilting.  

The Ocean Wave quilt's backing is not ready, but the machine quilting pattern has already pick out. I am still working on ideas of the quilt backing and decided if I need to go something bold and versatile or something simple since the quilt top is already complex on its own. Maybe a little bit of both? I have to admitted that the quilt backing is a different process for me over the time...

Anyhow, the pillow!! Don't you love how the remaining scraps turned into something fun? I had originally though I could use the scraps to make two pillow shames for standard pillow, but it was only enough for making one 16"x16" square pillow.

The pillow top was quilted 1/4" away from the seam in a diagonal direction first then stitched straight up and down closed to the seam. For the binding, I went to the scrap bin and pick out a couple pieces of 2.5" wide stripes (narrow down to 2.25" wide) and joined them together to make the length enough for the pillow. For the backing, it was an old scrip print from Michael Miller Fabric (2011?).

For the pillow closure style, I didn't think envelop style was the one that I am aiming for. As I was in NOHO a few weeks ago, I went in a Crate and Barrel store and was checking in their pillow section. I love so many zipper closure styles they have there and came home try a few and love this one the most. So, I called it a C.B. pillow closure style!

The pillow inserts that I purchased is from {here}. The pillow insert  puffs up nicely and  I would say medium firm. Now, I am looking forward to accomplish the quilt soon!

xxc

Swift May

may 31, 2017

Last Day of May? I haven't had time to sit down today to write the post before June arrives and now, before intercom buzz I am sitting down with a big glass of water.  I don't have much finish patchwork, but lots work in progress {most of them are waiting for supplies/parts to arrive}. I've also playing a new sewing toy lately, but I'll save it for next post or so. The #cornfieldquilt is coming along really well. I tried to make two blocks a day, but it didn't happen throughout the weeks. It seems like I could only committed to make 4 a week now and sometimes 2, rather than 7 ( and that was the goal). I am hoping to make time and get 16 small blocks into one large patchwork soon! That would really help me to visually to see the quilt top scale and how the arrangement turns out! This will be a heavy quilt, can you tell with all the seams?

Over the long and rainy weekend, I made a rhubarb cheese cake, the best! It was such a trouble finding rhubarb around the grocery stores here. It was always the easiest ingredient for me to get while lived in Midwest. My friends grow rhubarbs in the their yards and I could always ask them if I could pick some and take home!  Oh, it is not the same around the city! I had travelled far away to find them and some grocery store didn't know about it? I found them at the Union square's farmer's market and got a good two pounds of them to take home. I used one pound for the cake and freeze the another pound. I would like to get another two pounds next time when I travel to the city. Rhubarb strawberry crumble just sounds so delicious at the moment, serves in warm with a scoop or two ice cream, yum!

I made a {Travel Outbound Bag} for my sister's upcoming birthday. The pocket print (Heather Ross fabric) was a gift sent from a kindly friend in early April and I had to made the bag right away. I think my sister will love it! It is really her colors and she'll be able to put pouches that made for her, her big planner book and mini iPad and little notes that she likes to wrote on recycled papers.  She will be able travel back to her room with one bag and not hundreds of items in her arms. I plan to stuff  few little gifts inside the bag, so she can find surprises within each pocket.

This week has been spring cleaning week around here. The workroom has been tidy up a little already and also made a list of supplies that needs to replenish soon. I've also been busy getting the apartment tidy as Julie and Peter will be here for a short visit. As there isn't a guest room for our friends, S is kindly offer her room for them and she will be staying in the workroom where the floor is just big enough for a twin size mattress. I just need to keep my eye out and not letting more sewing pins drop on the floor; keep her safe.  I made two pillow cases for them, new clean vintage sheets and just needed get quilts out for them to use while they are here. They've just text, they'll across the G. Washington Bridge... 

...............they are here... 
(post never hit the publish button) that day.. 


June 4th, 2017

 Lower East Side Tenement Museum 

 National September 11 Memorial & Museum 

 Roosevelt Tramway

 Central Part

 Time Square

 Citi Filed 

The time was fabulous together! We visited a few places together and got on the Roosevelt Tramway where we were above the East River and moving towards to Upper East side. We walked a few Avenues over to the Central Park and stopped for New York Style Bagel, yum!

On the Friday night, we made it to our very first ball game ever! It was a lot fun and new experience. Best to that was the free t-shirt Friday, so we each got a little souvenir to bring home. The night was rather chilly, but watching the ballgame from the upper bleacher with big crowd of people really warm up the soul and the cheering for the team made everything just twice fun and laugh!


Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd;
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, 
I don't care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win, it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game.


The time together always went fast and quick!  I had wished they could stay a few extra days, but they had plan on visiting relatives in New England area and more road-tripping for them. Saying goodbye is always hard,since we never know when we'd see each other again. But when we meet again, there is never a distance between the deep root friendships, cheers!

Scrolling down to the last bit of the post photo, you've probably have already guessed! Julie bought these feedsack fabrics in a Missouri Antique shop, for me! These are just really lovely colors in person and needed a gentle cycle of wash soon! I know that I'll getting back to use feedsack fabrics soon! Another appliqué bouquet or little patchwork making?

Julie and I always have so much to catch up about our plans and ideas about things ahead of us. Talks of parenting, talks of trips, talks of food and gardens and much more. Showing her the workroom and now she has good idea what the workroom space is like. She was amazed how small the place is and fitted all things in one room and of course she loves going through the stashes and seeing projects that she hasn't seen since last year. Julie was so happy to see the Farmer's Wife quilt top  as she would get a photo from me weekly on the progress of the blocks last year.

It is hard just type few words out for this special visit that they made to see us, not just friends, but family to us.  I am truly thankful for our Iowa family where here to check us out!

Our weekend also involved a trip to Bookcon in Javits Center. It was such a treat for S from Lisa who kindly sent the tickets to us. We were able to see what new books coming in the Fall and sitting in the panels with authors and getting to know their process of writing books and how they ship characters together... thank you, Lisa

Shop talk-
Thank you for checking out {Forest Hill Embroidery Pattern+ knit bag sewing}. It is a really great pattern to write and I really enjoy getting it out for you. Also thanks to you whom took time to send me Thank you messages and emails about {squares in square template pattern}. Oh, there's close to 800 of downloads, enjoy making them. I'll be making mini version of them here!

It has been a full and accomplished week around here! This time, I am having a little leftover coffee while write the post. Getting it ready and hit the publish button this time!  I'll need to head out soon and get a few wing nut to secure  the carriage bolts, so the sewing machine is not moving dramatically as it got speed up. It has been a minor issue lately and trouble some on some projects.

more soon!


xxc








SaveSave