Messy Making, and Confetti Pouches

Since finishing two Diagonal Scrap Quilts (pictures coming soon), I've dug into a new, must-do quilt project.

In January, Central Florida MQG announced the Pick-a-Decade Challenge, due in November. We're to choose a decade - any from 1900 to 2000 - to make a quilt inspired by that decade's color palette and design aesthetic. I've procrastinated about getting started.

The decade I selected is the 1950s because: 1) it's the decade I was born; and, 2) I like the designs popular during that era - starbursts, boomerangs, and atomic-looking shapes.

So off I go, trying to use a few of these colors and the above designs to make a big quilt.

 

Attempting to create the upper right design - a large circle surrounded by spokes with 12 smaller circles. I started by making ¼"-wide bias tape to appliqué around a small circle. What a fail! After consulting with a Central Florida MQG friend about alternate methods for achieving the look I want, I got down to work. What a mess.

The method I'm going with uses white interfacing to back, sew, and "pillowcase" a pink circle (turn it right side out), then fade and machine appliqué the pink circle to a black background. The process is repeated using black interfacing to back, sew, and pillowcase a second circle (turn it right side out) that's then machine appliquéd to the oyster-colored (Painter's Palette) background. It worked!

However, when it was time to appliqué the black circle, I was frustrated to discover I was out of black thread! I appliquéd with charcoal-colored thread instead, and itt doesn't look good.

Today I picked up two spools of black cotton thread from two different local shops. One is Wonderfil Konfetti (50-weight), and the other is Wonderfil Efina 60-weight. Good grief thread is expensive! I paid a little more than $21 for these two spools!

Anyway, I'm ready to make progress on this I-don't-know-where-it's-going, Pick a Decade Challenge.

At Big Cypress Quilters this week, those who participated two weeks ago in making confetti fabric, and turning their 11" X 14" piece into a zipper pouch, were asked to bring their finished pieces for a group photo.

It's great to see what everyone sewed using different pouch patterns.

Cindy couldn't join us, so sent a picture. I know for a fact that Cindy did a little "dumpster diving" at retreat to come up with the black and white piano keyboard print snippets.

Betty covered her confetti with tulle, rather than mesh. It look good too!

If you'd like to make confetti fabric, go here to my blog post to learn how to create it. Then follow one of these three patterns to turn it into a zipper pouch:

1) Simple, envelope-style Zipper Pouch tutorial by MellySews

2) Open Wide Zipper Pouch tutorial by Noodlehead

3) Zipper Pouch with Flat Bottom tutorial by Polkadotchair

On my June 13 blog post, Kara Kwilts suggested using BLACK mesh rather than white mesh on top of fabric snippets, I tried it. And I like it!

Did you note that I used twined fabric to make the zipper pull?

Everyone who saw the black mesh version of the pouch liked it. We all agreed that the mesh color choice may also depend on colors of your fabric snippets. Red mesh on Christmas scraps would be great! In any case, thanks Kara for your suggestion. We like black mesh too!

I finished the black mesh confetti fabric into a Wide Open Zipper Pouch by Noodlehead. 

Oh, and this week I made another round loom knitted cap. I can't help myself! 

This one was knitted on a 41-peg loom, following the Seersucker pattern, here on YouTube.

I hope you've had a productive week! Linda