Archive | weekend projects

Hunt Quilt Along: Let’s Get Started.

By carolyn friedlander on May 2, 2019 in Featured on Home, my patterns, Quilt Along, weekend projects | Comments: 21

Hunt Quilt Along: Let’s Get Started.

Are you ready for another Quilt Along? I am.

The format of this Quilt Along will be a little different from some of the Quilt Alongs I’ve hosted before. I’m always a fan of finding the right solution for the task at hand, and with Hunt, I thought I’d shape things a little bit differently. Instead of a weekly adventure for a set number of weeks, I’m breaking this Quilt Along down in to 2 parts. First will be a 4-week series that’ll highlight the project in a few different ways. After that, we’ll adventure on to the second part which will be a series of monthly check-ins over the next year.

I know, speaking of the next year sounds a little crazy, but I’m thinking this timeframe can be really good. I’m sure you have many other things on your plate, and rather than feel like we’re adding one big thing to it, I want this to feel like something fun and low-pressure that will carry you through and make you feel good. Taking things one month at a time feels like a good pace to me, whether you’re striving for a big project at the end or something much smaller. This schedule will help support that adjustability, while also giving us something to stay inspired with and excited about. In this first 4 weeks I’ll talk about different ways to break up your project and how to set monthly goals. I even have a special planner to help you get there…because I’m a nerd and like that kind of stuff.

Sound good?

Let me know what you think!

Next week, we’ll dive a bit deeper into the project. In the meantime you can read up about some of my Hunt projects here, here and here, as well as grab a copy of the pattern (here or at your favorite quilt shop) and the templates (if you’d like).

Thanks for reading along, and I’m excited to have you join in!

Comments: 21 | Leave a comment

Sunrise Pillow Shams

By carolyn friedlander on April 25, 2019 in fabric, Featured on Home, my patterns, weekend projects | Comments: 0

I made some Sunrise Pillow shams for some friends.

Something keeps me coming back to the mini blocks of this project. There are 2 different mini sizes included with the pattern, and I love making both of them. In this project, I used the smallest of them (or block C in the pattern).

One nice thing about mini blocks is that they are extremely scrap friendly. I like putting scraps to use–it feels efficient and also productive, like you’re cleaning too by getting rid of a pile. Plus it’s always magical when surprising fabric combinations find their way to each other, which I feel happens more often when you’re working from a pile of scraps.

These shams were a gift for some friends that were getting married. I liked the symbolism of new beginnings with the block, and I liked incorporating many of my fabrics as well as little bits of Liberty fabrics since one of the recipients loves Liberty too. As for the color palette, I wanted something neutral but also with some life. When I make a gift for someone, I try to hone in on colors that the recipient loves, as well make something that is somewhat versatile. A neutral palette can be great for that.

After piecing the blocks, I sewed them together and added a border to create the right size for the shams that I was going for. I believe these are on 18″ pillow forms.

Then I did some straight-line quilting, added some piping, and finished them with an envelope-style back for slipping the shams on and off.

Usually when I’m working on something scrappy, I’ll wait until all of my blocks are pieced before deciding on a border. Here a print from Polk was just what I wanted to finish them off, and a print from Friedlander worked well on the back.

There we have it–a set of shams for some friends!

Fabric(s): Mostly mine from many collections and some Liberty of London too

Pattern: Sunrise Quilt (I used the bonus Mini block C.)

Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

Harriot String Bag and Bucket Totes.

By carolyn friedlander on March 14, 2019 in fabric, Featured on Home, patterns, weekend projects | Comments: 0

Harriot String Bag and Bucket Totes.

For the Harriot release, I tried out a couple of new bag patterns. First up is the String Bag pattern by Green Pepper Patterns–a pattern company that I’ve mostly seen at Joann. They have a huge variety of designs, and I was curious to give one a try.

On the String Bag pattern, I made the Small size, which is actually a pretty handy size. I didn’t want one that was too big or too small, maybe one that could hold a pair of shoes for going to the gym. This is the perfect size for that, and I love that it is fully lined.

One thing that I really liked about this design was the front, zippered pocket. It gave me an opportunity to play with and feature the scallop.

This gray version is the most subtle of the scallops, and I like the results, especially paired with the brown zipper and drawstring.

I will admit that the instructions were a little hairy at times. If you’re new to making bags, there were a few parts that weren’t the clearest, and I do remember tweaking a few aspects to suit my taste. But in the end, I’m pleased with the outcome.

Next up are a couple of versions of another pattern that I wanted to try, the Finch Bucket Tote by Stitch Mischief. I’ve been doing a little bit of knitting lately, and this seemed like a worthwhile project to check out.

I made two versions, mostly because I couldn’t decide on just one!

Both make use of a couple of the different yarn dyed wovens in the collection as well as some screenprints.

I always like a bag that has lots of fabric opportunities as well as extra details like the corded drawstring and webbing strap on this one.

The inside of the bag has a nice, flat bottom, and the sides feature a wrap-around pocket.

On the other version, I used the scallop for the pocket.

Even though the finished size for these bags is clearly listed, they still seemed to surprise me a bit by how big they are. They are a little too big if you’re knitting socks, but easily large enough for a sweater or any other big project you have in the works.