A little project for your aching back!

I have a lumbar support pillow that I bought at Aveda years ago.  I like to use it in the small of my back.  It is plain, looks just like unbleached muslin with no embellishments.  My daughter also likes it.  I thought I would improve on it and make one that my daughter would love.  I cut two pieces of fabric 5 1/2" wide x 17 inches long.  I wanted the fabric to be more substantial, so I added some batting and just did parallel rows of stitching in a varigated thread.  Once that was done I just put right sides together and stitched leaving an opening for beans.


Here is my daughter's adorable lumbar pillow!!  She really likes
peace signs.  In the foreground there is also a little coaster that I made for her.
Don't you just love my Ginghers in this picture too?

We used navy beans to fill it because that is what I had in my pantry.  The cool thing about these is that you can microwave them for a minute or two and and then place on your aching neck or whatever area ails you it conforms to your body.  Instant Relief. 

I plan on making another pillow this week with the following changes.  I am going to use piping for a more polished look and round the corners to make it easier to insert the petite piping.  I would also leave the opening off center so I could fill it half way and run a stitch halfway down the piece.  
Hope you all love this little project.  It would make a great gift for a graduating senior or a teacher's gift.  I keep one in my house and another in my car.  You never know when your back or neck will start aching.

Happy Sewing! 
Kris

Spring Napkins with Mitered Corners

I saw this fabric on-line recently and it was speaking to me!!  Hmmmmmm....  Hello, we are your new spring napkins!!  The fabric is Oval Elements by Pat Bravo for Art Gallery Fabrics.  I bought the fabric at this Etsy shop!  Nicole and Sue were super nice and from the time I purchased until I received, was only 3 days.



Here are all fourteen colors of the Oval Elements by Pat Bravo for
Art Gallery Fabrics.  Yummy!!  I have photographed it here on my mantel
with some Bunnies and Sheep!



I love these dots and think that they are just scrumptious. Of course, I am having a love affair with dots and believe that they are the perfect neutral.

I bought a yard of each of the 14 colors.  I just love these colors and they just remind me so much of Spring, jelly beans and Easter candy, spring flowers and little girls in their smocked dresses.  I actually wish I had more than a yard each.




These are the colors that I am going to use to make the napkins.  Look
for the post tomorrow with the completed napkins.

I like my napkins big.  If the fabric is 45" wide then I can get two from wof.  Each square will be 22". I found an excellent tutorial about mitered corners here.  This tutorial teaches you the concepts and you just have to determine how big you want your turn under or hem to be.  I like mine about 3/4 - 1". 

The other super important thing is to stitch really close to the edge.  Nothing says homemade like stitching 1/8 of an inch or more from the edge.  This is a skill worth practicing. 

The only other thing left to talk about is if you are going to pull a thread to cut these or will you use your rotary cutter and cut a 22" square?  I am divided on this.  I worked in a drapery workroom in high school and we pulled threads on everthing except prints.  I sometimes do when making napkins because if the print is too far off grain they are hard to iron into submission. 

On these napkins I am just going to cut them with my rotary cutter.  I am making 8 for me and 8 for my sister and I want to pop them in the mail tomorrow.

Happy Sewing!!

Kris

Block of the Month - Hidden Stars

I wanted to share something that I am working on that I think that you are going to like.  My LQS has a BOM from Marti Michell.  At first I had a little trepidation on working on this as it is a little too traditional of a quilt for me.  But........I did want to work with templates.  Plus, I would be picking out my own fabric.  Hmmmmmmm..........

I happen to be in love with Amy Butler Fabrics and thought that this would be a great time to bring them out.

Aren't these just the yummiest group of fabrics.  They span several of Amy's collections but the colors are all meant to work together.  They would be challenging fabrics to work with because of the size of the pieces in the block, but, oh so very cute!!

The pattern that we are piecing cannot be purchased from Marti Michell's website.  It is meant to be made as a BOM.  It requires two sets of templates, which are made with exceptional eye to detail.  All of the corners have been cut so that you will not have any cat ears after piecing.  I also chose to buy the Half Square Triangle Ruler to make the triangles easier to cut.

I have finished the first block for class 2, which is next week.  Two things that I learned after  making this block.

• My background fabric is really light and very hard to distinguish the right from the wrong side.  In couturier sewing the tailor always makes marks on the wrong side of the fabric.  This is not a bad idea.  One that I will be using from now on as I sewed one piece in upside down.
• My aching arm after the first class from toting in all of my yardage to pick just a teeny tiny bit for my block was plain crazy.  I cut fat quarters from all of my yardage and steamed it all here at home so that I don't have to spend my class time doing that.  Now I only have to take a little bit of fabric to class.

This is all of the fabric that I will not be carrying to class!!

Now.............Drum roll please!!!

Here is my completed first block!!



I have a Flickr group for all of the ladies that are participating in this BOM.  It is called Quilter's Workshop Sampler Studio. The link is here.  Please feel free to share your blocks, fabrics, comments or whatever.

If you are interested in being able to participate in this BOM, please contact either Sam or Diana at The Quilter's Workshop, here.  Patterns are provided and are made to be kept in a binder.

More to come about what else I am working on.  Since I am unemployed, most of my days are about sewing (after looking for a JOB).

Happy sewing!  Peace

Kris