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!
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!
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.
I started this skinny table runner a few months ago, but I only finish hand quilt it yesterday. Well, as usual, a lot of distractions along the way. The day before yesterday after I finished my wallet's orders I thought I'll start another Kawandi pillow but then I saw this runner and thought " let's get this done first!"
Still in my favorite design from Suzuko Koseki's book and quilted it in kawandi style. I want to make a bigger one but not sure if I can do the hand quilting. And I'd love to hand quilt it. For now, it will be on my bucket list. I will practice more now.
By the way, if you watch Margareth Fabrizio's video that I mentioned in the previous blog post, I saw that she was holding a small pillow when she was quilting and I also saw the Siddi ladies were doing the same. I thought maybe that will make my hand /palm less painful (I have a CTS problem). So I decided to make one and have been practicing when I was working on this table runner. And yes, my hand feels more comfortable. It takes a little time to get used to it but I liked it.
Now that is done, I can start the Kawandi Pillow that I want to start. Somehow doing Kawandi is relaxing and I can sit and just sew without worrying about anything else.
Ah, today I learned a new saying from one of the dramas "sometimes we have to walk slow, to let our body catch up with our soul". I did some googling and found this article by Beth Bruno "Be Still; Your Soul is Trying to Catch Up With You" on Medium. Here are a few lines that I can totally relate to:
"Sometimes life comes at us so fast and furious we have no time to sit with our souls and check-in." Beth Bruno
"Remember that your list will still be there tomorrow. And many of the things on it can wait. In fact, some things on that list don’t matter at all, when you really examine them. But your soul needs you. And you need it. Take time to reconnect as often as you can. You will be glad you did. - Beth Bruno"
Finally, I finished the Kawandi QAL! I said that I am not good at following QAL but this time I did it and I am pretty proud of myself. Even though the quilt is not big, but this is the first bigger quilt that I pieced and quilted by hand. The finished size is about 19" x 42".
If you're on Instagram, you can see all the progress I put up in my Instagram Stories. Especially when I do the motif. I really love the motif and upon seeing Brinda Ma'am's kawandi, I really want to learn more about making the motif.
I learn a lot of things while working on this Kawandi table runner.
1. Batting or no batting?
Well, if you following the Kawandi Quilt hashtag on Instagram, you can see the Kawandi are making a comeback in a big way this past year! Many that I saw are using batting and so I wanted to try. But the problem is I ended up with a bulky batting in the center as I am finishing it. I thought I should not have a problem as I've done many small quilts which I quilt the Kawandi Style, including this Batik quilt.
For this table runner, as it is done in the quilt as you go style, I found that the batting - or least the needle punched batting that I used, is stretched in the process. Which did not occur in the quilts that I made using pieced top. So, I carefully cut the batting and overlap it. This solves the problem!
So, my vote will be no batting! Also, working without batting like in the first Kawandi I did during the workshop is so much easier on my fingers. Also, it will be a perfect summer quilt!
2. Don't worry too much!
Brinda Ma'am keeps reminding us to let go. Let go of the urge to do perfectly matched colors, the even stitches, perfectly straight lines. The Kawandi is about embracing imperfections and being proud of them! In the end, your quilt will reflect your personality. Your mood while you're making the quilt, your state of mind. I did unpick lines of stitches in the beginning, as I go along, slowly I was able to accept that it is OK if the stitch length is not even, it is OK to reinforce the stitches even if it looks odd.
Imperfectly Perfect
Learning Kawandi, first, we must unlearn all about quilt making, be it the color theory, the matching seam, the quarter-inch seam, etc. Don't worry, it will turn out unique and beautiful!
In this table runner, I mostly use leftover fabrics from making fabric bundles in the shop and also, a few pieces from my kurtas' sleeves. During summer, I usually cut off the sleeves of my quarter or long sleeve kurtas and keep the cut pieces.
I recorded a video as I was working on this quilt for my own record as well as a reference. In the video, you will see how I bury the tread in different ways. Do check out the video and let me know if you have any questions. If you want to learn to make Kawandi Quilt, you can contact Brinda Ma'am via her Facebook Page.
Now, I have one small Kawandi WIP and thinking of starting a bigger one, maybe a single-size quilt. It's going to be a long-term project. I really enjoy doing the hand quilting and wonder why took me so long to try it.
Here are some 9980 hours to mastering hand quilting 😃
I'm a big fan of Suzuko Koseki and I collected a few of her books. The one I particularly love and want to learn from is the Modern Quilts book. It has an interesting quilt pattern from simple to complicated ones, or at least it looks complicated to me :D.
In these 2 mini quilts, I am using Indian Handloom fabrics in high contrast colors. I was not sure in the beginning but once done, they turned out really pretty. Sometimes, we have to try something out of our comfort zone!
The book only gave dimension of the block but not really gave instructions. But I supposed it was to be pieced in half circle. So I did with this teal and orange one.
I made another one which I cut 5" square and piece quarter circle block. I don't know if this is the correct term :D.
I called these block my Moonshine and valentine - just because it the shape remind me of the moon and I was watching C-Drama with the same title. Johnny Huang is stunning in the drama 💙!
On the back, I used glace cotton fabric in dark teal and I love the texture of the finished quilt. They turned out very soft. The trivets finished at 8" x 8" and it's just the perfect size for anything. From mug rug, doily, trivets, or even for indoor plant mat.
I am still curious about the block and plan to make more but using poplin cotton instead of handloom fabrics. Although handloom colors are gorgeous, it's a bit too stiff for circle piecing. Maybe I can do better with cotton or Bali Batiks!
I bought this local brand needle Jyoti Needles before I did the Kantha Workshop. I was skeptical in the beginning but the shop owner didn't have Pony Needle when I went. And guess what? It turned out really good and all the needles are sharp. I always have a problem with Pony Needle for hand sewing my wallet. But this one turned out better than Pony. I may need to stock up now.
I am still doing the quilting based on the Kawandi Quilt as I really love it. I plan to make more small kawandi quilts too, but it may take a while before I finally get down to make it. I have a few UFO quilts that I want to finish. Most of them are small quilts and a few single bed quilts.
If you want to know how I did the quilting, I uploaded a small video on my Youtube Channel. It was recorded during my first Instagram Live. You can watch it here.
Thank you for stopping by, I hope you enjoy your visit!
As you know, I really enjoy making simple and small quilts. And since I took the Kawandi Quilt Workshop last month, I've been hook to hand quilting. I have many small patchworks waiting to be made into something, but always got sidetracked. Well, I always have several projects going on besides working on orders. But you know what? Working in something you love is a great mood booster. And no, you don't have to follow so and so design or style or trend. Just simply do what you're happy to do. Even if it's a simple project.
Last week I finally open my UFO/WIP bins and started working on small hand quilting projects and I am so happy with the result. In the Kawandi workshop last month, Saba told us about big stitch quilting (check out this post), which apparently trending now. I looked up about it on Pinterest and it's basically running stitch hand quilting like sashiko, Kantha, boro, and kawandi. Now, there is more than just running stitch! All those arts have a significant style and history behind it. And I'm so happy I'll be learning more about Kantha in next month's Workshop with Brinda Ma'am. so stay tuned and make sure to subscribe to my blog :D.
I've been procrastinating about re-opening my small quilt shop on Etsy and finally a few days ago I did it! Wish me luck and if you have a little time, do check it out and favorite the shop! Thanks!!
Right now, I only listed ready to ship items. Mostly are mug rugs and coasters! I really love the rectangular coasters. I used solid color at the back, so it will have a unique design and make it reversible!
The coasters come in a set of 2 and since the gifting season is here if you buy 3, I offer free Express Shipping (5-7 days delivery)! The offer is also valid in my Handmade Shop.
What happened during Vacation Mode?
Well, if you also thinking of re-opening your Etsy shop after a long hiatus like me, there are a few things you have to keep in mind.
Your shop will still appear if someone searches for your exact shop name, but will not appear as an auto-suggestion in Search or other shopping tools.
Your items won’t appear in Search.
And when you re-open your shop, it's basically like starting a new shop. What I noticed tho, my products still WON'T appear in searches for at least 24 hours after I activated the shop. Well, I used to put my fabric shop and handmade shop on vacation mode when I travel for a month or two, but I always able to bounce back within a few days.
I think it's because the shop was not active for a long period of time, and during that time many changes have happened in Etsy, and all my previous data sort of deindexed. Now, I will have to work from scratch again! How exciting is that! :D
Now, how to get your shop up and running again after a long vacation mode?
I've been reading a few blogs and articles and I'm trying out a few things right now. When I checked my stats, I still have visitors every month even though it's very minimal. The visit mostly comes from my other shops.
Here are a few things I am doing now:
Edit my shop - fill up all the shop policy, announcement, about info, etc
Editing the listing photos. If you have stock of your previous products, you can retake the photos, editing the title, tags, and description.
Adding new products at least one every day! If you have many items to list, DO NOT list them all at once. By listing one or a few products each day, your shop will get a little booster in search placement.
Post shop updates every day and
Share it on Social Media as much as you can. Using Etsy social media updates comes with a link to your listing. It's very convenient instead of copy-paste the link from the browser.
If you have a blog, it's a good time to post about it too (like what I am doing now).
If you have a small budget to spare, you can consider using Etsy Ads, starts with a minimum amount, and increase it as needed.
I've seen an increase in views and visit since yesterday and hopefully will hear a ka-ching soon :D
If you're thinking of opening an Etsy shop, use this LINK to get 40 free listings!
Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do. Pele
I finally finished a couple of mug rugs. I've been making these in between doing my wallet orders. I really love making these small quilts and it's a quick gift to make.
I used cotton batting and quilted them on my new Jack F4 sewing machine. I am not very fond of FMQ and always prefer quilting using my walking foot. The best thing of using industrial machine for quilting is I don't need to change the foot at all!! The foot works wonderfully from piecing the mulmul fabric to quilting it!
And one big news is I start listing my small quilts in Etsy. I opened another Etsy Shop (it's called Chezvies Quilts) since it is completely different product line than my Handmade wallet, it is always wiser to have a separate shop. The price is reasonable and it's free shipping for India! Please take a look at my new shop. I hope I will be able to share my love for quilting with you all!
.heic)
