The Best of Five in 2023

 

Here we are again at the end of 2023. Looking back, there were a lot of things going on. Even though I didn't write as much as I intended to do at the beginning of the year, but I accomplished one thing from my bucket list which is to reach 10K subscribers on my YouTube Channel!  

However, the blog is still very important to me as this is where everything started. Now, once again I join Meadow Mist Best of 2023 Linky Party to reminiscence how's 2023 had been. Let's get started! 

Here are the 5 best posts of 2023

1. Scrappy Patchwork Pouch

I love making stuff from scrap fabrics. I made a few last year and have a whole bunch of scrappy panels in my PhD bin which hopefully I can make into something in 2024. 

2.  Scrappy Wallet Video Tutorial

Another scrappy project! This time I made these small scrappy wallets and made a video tutorial too. These small pouches are very handy to use and also make a great gift! 

Small Quilted Wallet

3. 36 patch Block For Quilting Bee

After years, I finally participated in another quilting bee at Desi Quilters Facebook group. It was fun to make a few blocks every month and I learned a few things along the way. This will be another quilt to complete next year! 

4.  Patchwork Quilt Wallet

Another list that is ticked off from my bucket list is to start making a patchwork wallet.  I'm looking forward to making more patchwork wallets in 2024. Insha Allah. 

Patchwork Quilt Wallets

5. Kodomo Kids Wallet

This simple kodomo wallet is one of the most popular with my customers. It's so easy to make and kids love them. 

Alice in Wonderland & Red Riding Hood Wallet

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog, reading, and leaving comments. I may not be as regular as I'd like to be, but I hope I will be able to share more meaningful content in 2024.

Here wishing you a great creative year ahead, I'm looking forward to reading your stories too (even though I may not always leave any comments, but I enjoy reading blog posts!)

Happy New Year! 

Elvira

More Patchwork Wallets

Red Patchwork Wallet

Hello,

For the past couple of weeks, I have been having fun making small wallets. I made more patchwork wallets too using scraps from other wallets like the one I shared in my previous post. I think I am keeping one of them for myself as I haven't changed my wallet in the past 3 years.

Last week I made 3 wallets in brown color. One was patchwork and the other two were from patchwork print fabric.

Nuno Small Wallets

Well, creating your own patchwork panel is more fun of course, because we can mix and match whatever we fancy. Someone asked me on Instagram how to mix and match colors for patchwork. I think the best is to follow your instinct. At the end of the day, the patchwork that you created is a reflection of who you are, an extension of yourself as a crafter.

For me, sometimes it takes me 5 minutes to come up with the combo that I like, sometimes it takes a few days and a few patchwork tops that I am not happy with (that will go to my orphan block bin).

Brown Patchwork Wallet

Enough space for cards, coins, and note bills

Beige Patchwork Wallet

Inside combo with polka dots

Here is another patchwork wallet I made using Rosie Wallet patterns. When making a quilted wallet, we need to adjust the combination of interfacing that we use. I talked about it in this Video. It may take you a couple of trials and errors before you find the combo that you like. Everyone has personal choices. Just do what you like best!

Rosie Wallet

Making these patchwork wallets is addictive! Sometimes when I feel uninspired, I just dig into my scrap bin and make small patchwork panels. Many of them are still in my WIP bin. They are in various sizes. Now I have to find a suitable project for them.

That's all for today, have a nice day!

Happy Sewing!

Elvira

Doll Quilts

 

Blue Doll Quilt

Hello,

It's been a month since my last blog post. In the past few weeks, I've been having fun making doll quilts and even trying to make a few accessories. I always love making small quilts and wondering what else I can use them besides the usual mug rugs or coasters. I started reading blogs and watching videos on doll quilt making. And decided to try it. 

I started making mini patchwork pillows from scrap. Those are 1:12 scale pillows. So much fun to make. The best part is I can use my leftover batting for the insert. 

I looked up on YouTube for a DIY doll bed. OMG, there are just so many of them with different ideas, from using ice cream sticks to using cardboard and twigs. 

I tried making it from cardboard too but not as good as that on YouTube haha! Instead of painting or using fabric to cover the cardboard, I used leftover wallpaper. It did not stick properly tho! I hate working with glue. I try to avoid as much as I can. The bed was OK but it's not good as a photo prop I think. 

DIY Doll Bed from Cardboard

Next, I tried making the armchair following this tutorial. I used an Amazon box and cut them into round shapes. I stacked around 5 pieces of cardboard and then added batting on the top before covering it with fabric. For the sides of the chair, I use double-fold binding to cover it. For the chair back, I used cardboard from the toilet tissue roll! Glueing the fabric is a bit tricky but I managed pretty OK. For the chair legs, I used the satay sticks! I am thinking of getting a thicker stick but have not found any. For the time being, this will do! 

Pink Doll Quilt with Patchwork Pillow

Kantha Doll Quilt 

I made 2 more quilts in Blue. These are 12x12 inches and also come with 2 pillows. For the first one, I made a simple 8-patch using 2.5" squares and then added blue stripe borders. I did hand quilting here using cotton thread and it turned out very soft! 

Blue Doll Quilt with 2 Pillows 

And for the second one, it's just a very simple quilt using 2 pieces of fabric. I used 2 FQ fabrics from block print fabrics  bundle.  

For the front and batting, I cut 12" x 12" and then cut 16" x 16" for the backing fabric. The faux binding is done by machine and then I hand quilt the rest. It's great experimenting. For the faux binding, depends on the finished width you desire, and then multiply that by 4. So if the quilt size is 12x12 inches and you want 1" wide binding, it means 12" + 4" = 16". So you need to cut the backing 16" x 16". 

If you're wondering about the doll bed, I got them from Amazon India (search for Laddu Gopal bed). It's a real wood and comes intact with the mattress so it's pretty heavy. The size is just perfect. 

Block Print Doll Quilt with Pillow

1:12 Scale Doll Pillows 

That's all for today. Thank you for stopping by, leave a comment or two if you happen to be here or have any questions. 

Happy Sewing, 

Elvira

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Scrappy Wallet Video Tutorial

 

Scrappy Mini Purse

Hello,

Over the last month, I've been quite occupied. Although I intended to write blogs on a regular basis, I never got around to doing it. However, with my younger son's half-term exams completed and my elder one returning to college, I finally have some free time to write! 

Today, I just wanted to share with you that I recently made some really cute mini wallets from scraps and even created a tutorial on my YouTube channel! These wallets turned out great and I think they could make awesome gifts, especially with the holiday season coming up. 

I found that using narrow strips with a maximum width of about 1.5" worked best for me. Personally, the narrower the better! All the details on how to do this are provided in the video, but if you prefer to read rather than watch, there's a written tutorial available on my website.

 

When making scrappy patchwork, color combination is crucial. If overwhelmed by choices, it's best to stick to single-color shades or a maximum of two colors, such as pink and green.

I also created a wrist strap that matches! You can find the tutorial for making the wrist strap on my YouTube channel as well. It seems that mini wallets with short lanyards have become quite trendy these days. What about you? What's your favorite scrappy project to work on?

Thank you for stopping by today!

Happy Sewing,

Elvira

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Coasters from Leftover Scrap Fabrics (Video Tutorial)

 Hello,

I wanted to share with you what I recently made - a couple of coasters as gifts. I didn't really feel like sewing, but I needed to make something quick. So, I grabbed the scrap bag under my cutting table and started picking out a few fabrics. I decided to keep it simple and use just one set of colors for the coasters. They turned out pretty nice, and I hope my friend loved them!

These coasters are really easy and quick to make. It takes around 10-15 minutes only. Well, I spent more time picking up the fabrics. I mean, rummaging through scrap bins is really fun, right? I just made some coasters and they were so easy and quick to make! It only took me around 10-15 minutes to finish them. Although, I must admit that I spent more time picking out the fabrics. Going through scrap bins is just so much fun, don't you think?

Materials I used:

Leftover strips of fabrics 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches lightweight non-woven interfacing (optional) 5 x 5 inches fabric for backing

As I love making videos, here's the video tutorial to make the coasters!

When it comes to fabric choices, I like to use cotton batting for my larger projects, but for smaller ones, I'll use whatever is available. Recently, I made a pink-green coaster using poly batting, but it turned out a bit flat, even though I didn't quilt it too densely. On the other hand, the blue coasters I made with cotton batting and only quilted along the seams turned out great. In the video, I used block print scrap fabrics, which have different shades of every color. To give my final product more structure, I always use nonwoven lightweight interfacing, but you can skip it if you prefer a different finish.

I have a few more unfinished projects in progress. Follow me on YouTube where I share almost daily updates on my work.

Thank you for stopping by,

Happy Sewing!

Elvira

Quilting Bee Update - February March Blocks

 

Hello,

In the past few months, I am enjoying making blocks for the quilting bee that is going on in the Desi Quilters Group on Facebook. This red quilt as your go block is for Deepti. Oh, I love doing QAYG, and looking at what others have made in the group is really inspiring. This red QAYG block is approximately 14.5 x 14.5 inches unfinished. 

The challenge of making a bee block is when the Queen Bee is only asking for the unfinished block size without specifying what kind of block or what color they prefer. When this happened I tend to choose the traditional blocks. Like this Purple Star Block. Aparna was asking for 101/2 inches block and I am in the mood to do some HST.

I searched on Pinterest and found this star block from Bernina  Summer Sparkle Quilt Along on We All Sew. I thought this will be perfect! 

Made another one using Indonesian Batik

As usual, I recorded the video as I sew just for fun! 

Another block I made is for Revathi. She wanted courthouse steps log cabin block. The log cabin is another fave block of mine and I'm so excited to make this one. Here's what I sent to Revathi. The block is based on THIS tutorial. 

The centerpiece is 3.5" square and the strip is 2" wide. You can cut the fabric strip before sewing them together, or (my preferred method) is just sew and cut later like in THIS video. 

Courthouse Steps Log Cabin for Revathi

And of course, I made a mini version just because I love this pink and blue bundle! The block is 7 x 7 inches unfinished, I think I am going to make a coaster with it. 

This quilting bee is really a great and fun learning experience for me. For some blocks, I made a few and keep, and maybe will assemble them together later on. Meanwhile, I have received all my blocks! I will share them in my next post! I always plan to write regularly but never happened. I really should make an effort to write more.  

Thank you for stopping by today! 

Happy Sewing! 

Elvira

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Scrappy Patchwork Pouch

Hello, 

A few months ago  I made a quick patchwork pouch from block print fabric when I was creating fabric bundles for the shop.  but did not get to share them here on the blog. Cutting fabrics always boost my sewing mood.  And who can resist when you see these beautiful fabrics! 

If you have a lot of scrap fabrics, here is a fun project to make. This project is super easy and it's a great gift to make. Everyone loves patchwork pouches! 

Here's what you need to make the pouch: 

1. Fabric scraps of various prints, sizes, and colors. I am using these fun fabrics. 

2. Scrap Cotton Batting (9" x 13" approx)

3. All Purpose Woven interfacing (7.5" x 12" ) - ( if you are in India, you can get it HERE)

4. Lining Fabrics (7.5" x 12") 

5. All Purpose Zipper #3  - I am using a 9" zipper. 

Now, let's watch the video on how to make this cute quilted-as-you-go pouch. 

Isn't it fun? The pouch turned out very soft and just the perfect size to carry essential makeup! You can whip up this pouch in a few minutes to make a quick gift! Let me know what you think in the comment below.

Thank you for stopping by today!

Happy Sewing

Elvira

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HAND BLOCK PRINT FABRIC BUNDLES

Spring Floral Bundle	Earthy Color Bundle
Indigo Bundle	Blue Pink Floral Bundle