Patchwork Fabric Basket

Hello Friends! It's been too long hasn't it?! Well, I hope your all doing great because I have something I'd like to share with you.
I've found myself going back to reading blogs, and then the inevitable blog write-ups were missed as well. I just find them necessary in my daily routine. They help with inspiration, take me away from everyday life situations, and provide a much needed tonic in the sense that I feel much less stress.

So here I am, ready to share a fun patchwork tutorial. It's been a long time, and I've only written 2 tutorials. One of them needing revamping! There's about a million awesome tutorials out there for these baskets, but since I had a number of questions I'm going to show you how I did it. Try not to be to critical of my work. I personally believe in courtesy & nice friendly help with a smile :). I feel these days it's all about bad attitude, no smiles or greetings, and having the last word, but ..well anyway, let's just play nice!!




This fabric basket was inspired by one I ran across on Pinterest created by nanaCompany. She made one for Tasha Noel's quilt market booth a few years back. I shot her an email to find out what size blocks she had used, as well as other info. Well, she was so sweet to respond she doesn't have a tutorial up, but hopes to soon. She gave me links to other tutorials, but I just couldn't find one to suite my needs. Now, even though mine isn't perfect, I've since decided to try it out on my own. I'll include a ton of photos to help further explain the steps. Beware, if your new to sewing, this might seem daunting! I'd say this is more for the intermediate quilter. Apologies for such a long post.
OK Ready??

PATCHWORK BASKET TUTORIAL

Materials needed:

Thirty-Six 2 1/2" X 2 1/2" squares for outside shell.

One 6 1/2″ X 25″ fabric for lining.

Two 6 1/2″ X 6 1/2″ One for the bottom lining, one for the bottom outside shell.

One 6 1/2″ X 6 1/2″ and One 6 1/2″ X 25″ pieces for Batting.

One 2 1/4" X 26 1/2" piece for Binding.

**Please note all seams are 1/4" unless otherwise noted.


INSTRUCTIONS:

Gather your 36 2.5"X 2.5" squares, and lay them out in your desired pattern. If your wanting a checkered look, like mine, lay out two blocks like the one on the left, and two other blocks, like the one on the right in the bottom photograph..






Once you have them laid out, this is where a design wall or design board comes in handy, you can just move 3 blocks over. Leaving one block next to your machine. If you don't have a such a space, not to worry! Simply gather one block at a time, keeping each row in order. Like so..




Top row, left to right goes on top. Second row, left to right goes in the middle, and third row left to right goes on bottom. Clip together using wonder clips, paper clips or even large pins. If you have to stop, and worry about mixing them up, simply put each pinned block in a zip lock bag & number them 1-4.

Starting with the top row. Sew Three 2.5"X 2.5" blocks together side by side, using a 1/4" seam allowance.







Repeat with the next two rows. Pressing the seams correctly is vital for the proper outcome of the outer shell. 1st & 3rd rows, press center block seams outwards, 2nd row center block, press seams inward. Does that make sense? ...Press them just like in the photo below...




Now we're going to sew the rows together. Butt up the first two rows next to each, and flip the 1st row onto the 2nd. Nesting the seams together, and pin! Like this..




I know I didn't pin, but you can see what I mean by nesting the seams together here ;). Your going to sew these rows together on the pinned side. Double check and make sure your sewing the right side. It'll save you from having to use the seam ripper! (Yeah, that was me!) Repeat with the last row. Your finished block should now measure 6.5"X 6.5" and look like this..




Set it aside and Don't press yet! Repeat for the next three blocks, and warm up your iron. I'll wait..

...(elevator music comes to mind here. The Girl from Ipanema perhaps?)...

All done?!! Awesome, let's keep going!

We're going to finish pressing our blocks! This step also helps nest the finished blocks for great alignment! Press them like so..




These are alternating blocks with seams pressed towards the center, and the remaining alternating blocks with the seams pressed outward. Nest together just like your rows, pin sides together, and sew. Press these seams open.

Repeat the process, and continue adding the next two blocks. When your finished, you should have a long row like this..





Lay your finished outer shell, right side up, on top of your batting. Quilt as desired and trim carefully.







Now is also a good time to quilt the 6.5"X 6.5" bottom outer shell piece as well. Simply lay the fabric right side up on top of your batting, quilt, and trim..







Next, sew the ends of the long rectangular pieces, right sides together, to create a 'tube' of sorts. Do this for the the outer shell, and the lining. Now pin the outer quilted shell to the bottom quilted 6 1/2″ X 6 1/2″ square, right sides together! Repeat for the lining pieces as well.

Sew all the way around the edges..




It can get tricky. Just keep your pieces aligned, and go slow!!







You should have two almost finished basket pieces, that look like this..




Turn the outer shell right side out...




And turn the lining right side in..



Next, push the lining inside the outer shell basket. Line up the edges, & push in the corners. DO Not Stretch the fabrics, as this may cause warping. Set aside.

We're in the home stretch people! Pat yourself on the back ;D Yay!

Last we're going to attach the binding. It's just like binding a quilt, or mini, or mug rug etc... On this step it's a matter of preference. If you don't know how to attach a binding, there's a ton a great tutorials out there for that! To save time, And because I forgot to take photos of this step, I'll explain as best I can!

I attached my binding to the inside if the basket first, and used wonder clips to hold it place, around the perimeter. I folded in the ends of the binding, placed one inside the other & clipped it down. Then I sewed all the way around the edges..







Last I flipped the binding over the edge. Used wonder clips to hold it down, and machine stitched about an 1/8" from the edge of the binding. On the outside of the basket..




TADA!! One finished patchwork basket!!!

I hope you liked this tutorial!! Be sure to tag me on all your finished baskets, I'd love to see them all!! ;D


xoxo,
Veronica

Cherished AMH Voile Quilt

There's a project I've been dying to share with you all. If you follow me on any of my social media sites, you may have notice I made a AMH Voile quilt a while back.

I started with some squares Kelly of Kelbysew sent me last year for a swap we did. Let me just say, voile is something I've never sewn with. I heard stories of the material being really slippery and hard to handle.

My experience yielded a completely different opinion. The fabric was slick, but I had no issues with it slipping out of place. In fact, it went beautifully! Really quick. Never mind I was working with my absolute favorite fabric designer, and of course I thought the fabrics were gorgeous!

Before I knew it, I had the squares sewn together and I was basting away! It went so quickly, the next thing I knew I was quilting my gorgeous project. Talk about excited!

Then Viola!!!

Isn't it gorgeous?! I was so in love with this quilt, that I took it with me on our road trip back home to TX. It happened to be Mother's Day weekend, which so happened to also be my birthday!

I arrived at my Moma's home, we hugged, we chatted, we cried. It had been over 2 very long years since I had last seen her, or my sisters. It was so wonderful to spend both Mothers Day and my Birthday with my family. Best and most memorable Birthday I have ever had!

Well guess what happened then? This..

My cherished & very first Anna Maria Horner voile quilt, now lives with my Moma. Really miss this beauty, but I'm so happy I had a chance to share this with someone I love! Guess I better get to making another one!

A Bit of Rambling

Hello You,

I find myself sewing so much these days, that I hardly have any time left for anything else.
Is that a bad thing? I think not. I love sewing. My husband loves that I sew. So do most of my friends and relatives. It's creative, it's fun, and it really seems to fill a need - in the sense that it helps relieve stress & brings a sort of calmness to a hectic day. It also seems as though my sewing skills are now much improved as of late. I've even had a few commissioned projects I'm proud to have been asked to be a part of.  Sewing, it seems, is my therapy. It's here to stay for me :).

I used to find that when I would type up a post, it would help relieve much of my stress. What's changed? Well, my computer isn't up and running. It hasn't been for quite some time now. Which has since made me more dependent on my social media sites via my cell phone. SO EASY. In turn though, blogging isn't at the top of my list. I never really got it to take off on the first place, but I do still admire fellow bloggers who are so much more dedicated to this than I have been. I still log on, & read all of the blogs I follow. Thank you for that!

I've been wanting to share more photos here, but still have to figure out how to add photos from my iPad  ^_^. Yet another venture I have to master. Though I do love it so, I'm sure it'll take me a little while to figure it out.

So mean while, you can still find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, & Flickr. All linked in the column with all the cute colorful buttons ;D. Stop in, say Hi, and don't forget to follow me! I'll be back!

xoxo,

Veronica 

;D

Felicity Needle-Books

Well, I have to admit I'm not the best blogger in the world. My time, these days, are mostly spent with Samy. He's actually sitting right next to me right now. Lol. Clearly he's not receiving the attention he's thinking he's entitled to ;D Silly willy. That being said, I don't blog nearly as much as I want.

Moving on, I wanted to share my fairly new sewing project. If you follow me on any of my social media sites (to your right), you know I've been making countless needle-books using Amy's of nanaCompany needle-book tutorial. I sent them out as part of swap packages and gifts. Well, this was MY, very own, first needle-book version..

 ..Cute Right? Born out of mere accident. I had the stitch-itch, and just wanted to sew. ..something..anything.. Starting out as a mug-rug, next morphing into a checkbook cover - because the dimensions were wrong. Then, out of no where, I cut it in half, sewed the open end closed, and thought hmm. This would make a wonderfully sized needle-book
Before you know it, I was adding wool felt pages, fabric stamps, ribbon ties, and..

TA-DA! The second one was born. I found myself carrying it around all over the apartment. Then *ting*. Yet another epiphany! I thought, i should add a loop. ..Or better yet.. a Grommet!..

Well that worked out splendidly! Now it's portable too. Well lucky me, I felt, because a few people (whom I've admired for such a long time) wanted to swap with me. YAY! This is one I made for Jessica of Euphoria..

..and another for Kelly of  kelbysews..

(with matching looped pincushions - for portability) Aren't they pretty? I've nearly perfected it. Here's my latest version (for myself)..

..which was created to match that beautiful pincushion Kelly made for me. Gorgeous!

So, if your wanting one, and just don't get around to making one for yourself. I have a listing up in my SHOP!

Happy Sewing ;D

<3,

Veronica

~the sewing room swap~

It's been such a long time since I've last blogged, hasn't it (about 2 months or so)? I'm not quite sure why time seems to get away from me. Though I have a sneaking suspicion, it may have something to do with this toddler of mine, pulling on me every minute of everyday ;D!

Newho, I wanted to share my latest project! It was for a flickr group called ~the sewing room swap~. SO FUN! We were each assigned a Secret Partner, and were making one big, and one small item , according to our partners wish list. Who was my partner?? WELL, I'll tell you! It turned out to be Wendi of Prsd4tim2! WOW! LOVE her work! She also happens to be Amanda's mother, of A Crafty Fox. Of which I've been a huge fan of for quite awhile now! Cool. You can imagine my excitement when I figured this out at the end of the project!

Back to the topic at hand. ..Off we went, making goodies for each other! Ready to see what I made for her? Thought so..

TADA!! I chose a sewing machine cover for my large item. I was so nervous making this piece. She had also wanted fabric baskets, but let's not go there! (YET-need practice :D) I couldn't ask any questions without risking giving away who my secret swap partner was. So I started stalking her photo stream. Reading all the threads to figure out what type of machine she had. Next I called around to local shops until I found one that carried it. Lastly, I had one of the representatives measure it (she was so sweet to do so), so I could have (roughly) the correct dimensions for it. I figured, if it doesn't fit, she can snip off the ribbons and make it a mini-quilt for her wall!

After all that, I drafted a pattern, including seam allowances, to get this cute piece sewn up. Whew. :D I did my absolute best in figuring out fabric pulls, patterns, and what quilting method to use. I'm fairly sure this has to be the most involved and forward-thinking project, I've ever had the pleasure of working on. The quilting part of this project alone, had me busy for days. But i LOVE the outcome, don't you?

Next was my small item. I chose a coordinating wonky star pincushion. See how cute it is?..

 

Front

Back

I love the idea of a ribbon tab, in case she wanted to hang it up. Secretly, I also wanted another way to use this tape measure ribbon I've had for awhile. Cute right? I hope you loved it Wendi ;D! I had the best time creating these items for you!!

Wanted to see what I received? Of course you do :D!..

Its a mini quilt and 2 tiny strawberry pincushions from Susi of  Lilla Luise!! Plus a few packages of gummy bears for Samy :D. All the way from Germany!! WOW!!! GERMANY? I've never even been out of the US, let alone out of the Country! This is special for me ;D. The amount of work that went into this mini, is absolutely breathtaking! Each fussy scene is stunning. So much so, it even had my DH staring, feeling, and examining every inch of this piece. (YES) Including the two tiny strawberries. Can I say AWWWESOME!

She even used my favorite fabric designer Anna Maria Horner. I really LOVE this package, and can't say enough wonderful things about it. Thanks SO Much Susi!!

Wasn't that fun?? Hopefully I won't be too much longer posting next time. But if I am, let me just send out a Huge Thank You and Tight Squishy Bear Hug to all of you who are following me! THANK YOU!!

<3,

Veronica