Popcorn pouches and other things

6 / 12 / 196 / 12 / 19

I recently made some pouches, Popcorn Pouches to be specific. These cute little projects were super fast and easy to make. I saw them on Instagram one day last week, bought the pattern, and made two of them the very next day (in two hours). And one more since then! The pattern is by Amista Baker at Hilltop Custom Designs and comes as a pdf download.

Popcorn Pouches made by Julie Cefalu. Pattern by Amista Baker at Hilltop Custom Designs. — Popcorn Pouches made by Julie Cefalu
Pattern by Hilltop Custom Designs

The pattern gives you four size options. I made the small and medium pouches. The medium size would be perfect to hold a rotary cutter and more. If you look at them from the side, they really do look like microwaveable popcorn pouches.

The binding strips at both ends of the pouch can be stitched all by machine or finished by hand. I used the machine method on the medium sized pouch and the hand method on the smaller pouch. On the front side, I like the look of the machine stitching, but on the back side, I like the look of hand stitching. Sorry, no pics of the back side.

I used some fat quarters from a collection called Wonder by Carrie Bloomston for Windham Fabrics. They’ve been in my stash for a while and I’ve been waiting for the perfect project to come along. These pouches are great for using up fat quarters.

The other thing I’ve been working on is a ‘random color placement version’ of the Disappearing 9-patch quilt. I need to work ahead of the quilt-along schedule (which starts on Saturday, June 15!) for a variety of reasons, but mostly because I’ll be making two quilts while most of you will be making one.

I have three projects going on right now, and the disappearing 9-patch is so simple that I can work on it in between the other projects and still get quite a bit done. This is what my work space looked like on Monday (freakishly clean, too).

My sewing machine set up for the Disappearing 9-patch quilt along @ The Crafty Quilter

I’ve made some progress on this month’s UFO project which is my Save The Bees quilt from last year. How are you guys doing on your unfinished project? It’s still the first half of the month and there’s plenty of time to get something crossed off your UFO & WIP list.

The temperature where I live (the bay area of California) has been hovering around 100 degrees and upward for the past three days which is kind of rare for us. It was 93 degrees at 7:30 pm last night! We just don’t know what to do with such heat; I feel like everything is going to melt (including me). Fortunately, we had air conditioning installed during our recent remodel. For the first time, I have a cool space to hang out in during a heat wave. Cooper stays chill inside, too!

Cooper is chillin inside while the temps are hot outside. Photo from The Crafty Quilter.

I hope you guys are enjoying each day no matter what the temperature is. Happy quilting!

Getting ready for the Disappearing 9-patch QAL

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Let’s get a little head start on the Disappearing 9-patch Quilt Along with some fabric guidelines. It doesn’t officially start until June 15, but I thought I would give you an idea of how many squares you’ll need and some quilt-size options.

Disappearing 9-patch QAL @ The Crafty Quilter. Get a head start with the fabric requirements and think about the color placement for each block.

We will be using 5″ squares as the base of the 9-patch for this quilt along. I won’t be giving instructions or amounts for any other starting square sizes. When all nine 5″ squares are sewn together, you’ll have a 14″ (unfinished) 9-patch.

Each 9-patch block will be cut into (4) 6 1/2 ” squares (finished). These will then be rearranged and sewn together to create a Disappearing 9-patch block that measures 13″ (finished).

Color placement

Before we go any further, I need to discuss color placement options which will effect the look of each quilt and the type (color) of 5″ squares you’ll need. When you cut the 9-patch into four sections, the 5″ squares that are placed in the corners will remain whole. The middle-side squares will get cut in half and the center square will get cut into fourths.

You can create a more “controlled” Disappearing 9-patch block if you keep all of the corner squares a medium to dark color, all of the middle-side squares a light color and all of the center squares a dark color. (You could also switch light and dark for the middle-side and center squares). You can choose a monochromatic color scheme as I have in the mock-up below, or you can use a variety of colors for the corner squares and still maintain the controlled look with the middle-side squares remaining similar in color (as well as the center squares).

You can also sew each 9-patch block together very randomly without regard to color placement. In this case, I DO suggest that your 5″ squares have a range of color values from light to dark, but it doesn’t matter where they land in the 9-patch. Pictured below is a partial quilt made up of disappearing 9-patch blocks that were randomly sewn together.

The original 9-patch blocks were made with a color scheme of red, cream and blue and they were randomly sewn together. Within each 9-patch, I tried to get a variety of light, medium and dark color values, but I din’t worry about what position they landed in. Below are several examples of my starting 9-patch blocks.

For the quilt along, I’ve chosen to use two charm packs of Mama’s Cottage by April Rosenthal for Moda Fabrics and two charm packs of Bella Solids in white (only one is pictured). I’m going to use a controlled color placement, but I still haven’t decided on what color to use for the center squares.

This project works REALLY well with charm packs (pre-cut 5″ squares) or layer cakes (pre-cut 10″ squares). It’s also a great way to use up your scraps or fabric stash, and cut your own 5″ squares.

Fabric requirements

Below is a table of different quilt sizes – it does NOT include borders. It only includes the number of 13″ Disappearing 9-patch blocks required along with the number of 5″ squares needed to make that amount. Notice that I’ve divided the total number of 5″ squares into white, color and center dark categories; use this if you’re choosing the controlled color arrangement. If you’re choosing a random color placement, then you only need to look at the total number of 5″ squares required.

I hope this information is helpful; I know some of you like to plan ahead. Remember, there is no need to sign up for this quilt along. I’ll post all of the updates right here so anyone can follow along. Leave a comment if you have any questions. I’ll reply as soon as I can.

I hope you’re having a great day. Thanks for stopping by!

June UFO & WIP prize and my project

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I have a great prize package for the June 2019 UFO & WIP Challenge winner. It includes a bundle of 24 ten-inch squares of Ombre Confetti Metallic by V&Co for Moda, a Clearly Perfect Angles template by New Leaf Stitches and a spool of 50 wt. cotton thread by Aurifil. The entire package is valued at $40 and is sponsored by yours truly.

Are you ready to pick a project to finish this month? If you have a numbered list of UFO’s or WIP’s, and you’re picking a project based on the number given by the APQ UFO Challenge, then you’ll be working on item #10. That is totally optional, but I like this method of choosing a project because it’s a fun surprise each month to find out what you’ll be working on.

This month, I’ll be finishing my Save The Bees quilt from last year’s block of the month with Jacquelynne Steves. Since I’m about to begin this year’s free BOM, Happy Little Things, (as a participating blogger) this summer, I thought it was a good time to get the previous BOM quilt finished. I have the blocks sewn together, and need to add the borders, and then baste, quilt and bind it all together. Oh, I’m always beeehind! Ha!

Save The Bees BOM made by Julie Cefalu at The Crafty Quilter. Designed by Jacquelynne Steves. — Save The Bees quilt, made by Julie Cefalu
Designed by Jacquelynne Steves

If you’re new to my blog, you can find all of the information for the 2019 UFO & WIP Challenge here. I hope you can join me this month as we tackle the unfinished objects (UFO’s) and works in progress (WIP’s) that might be accumulating in your sewing area.

May UFO & WIP Challenge winner

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This is a quick hello and an announcement of the May UFO & WIP challenge winner. You guys had a productive month in May – there were 45 entries! The winning entry (chosen randomly) is number 29, Kathi Clower. Kathi made this beautiful Elephant-themed Oriole Bag (pattern by Sew Sweetness). You can read more about Kathi and her bag at her blog, Design Originals by KC.

May UFO & WIP challenge winner @ The Crafty Quilter is Kathi C. She made this beautiful Oriole Bag with an Elephant theme. — Elephant-themed Oriole Bag by Kathi C.

Congratulations, Kathi! You will be receiving your prize package soon!

Thanks to everyone who participated in May. I saw quite a few patriotic projects last month as well as lots of quilts, table runners, and various other sewing projects. Well done and beautiful – all of them!

I just returned from Austin yesterday. I got to wear my “grandma hat” for three days, and it was a blast! The heat wasn’t too bad, but those darn mosquitoes are vicious! Coming from the bay area of California, I forget that mosquitoes are part of the atmosphere in most parts. Ha! But I love the warm evenings and those lightening bugs are way cool.

I’ll announce this month’s giveaway prize and my project tomorrow. I hope your week is off to a good start!

Sew Thankful Sunday, June 2019

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{I love the idea of “paying it forward”. I think the world would be a better place if we could spread some joy and acknowledgement of good deeds done by others. I try to do that once a month for my Sew Thankful Sunday posts. I highlight some great content that I’ve found on other people’s blogs that I hope will inspire you and reward the originator by bringing traffic to their site. If your blog has been mentioned without your consent, please let me know and I will take you off the current list of featured bloggers.}

For most of us, June means the transformation of Spring into Summer. The days are getting longer and there is plenty of sunshine. You might even find more (or less) time to spend in your sewing room. Today’s Sew Thankful blog post is full of ideas to help you get creative this summer.

Note: If you use Pinterest, please pin from the original source and not this blog post. Remember, you can click on any of the images in this post and it will open up a new tab to the associated link.

If you’re looking for a small and quick project, you’ll love this Pinwheel Pincushion & Mini Pillow Tutorial from Jacquelynne Steves. This is a great way to use those mini charm packs!

2. If you want to try something new, check out this Reverse Applique Tutorial by Allison at Campbell Soup Diary. It’s a technique that’s not often used, but it’s very effective.

Tutorial by Allison @ Campbell Soup Diary

3. Aurifil has come up with some great Father’s Day gifts in their Five for Friday blog post. You have almost two weeks left stitch one of these up!

4. Summer is the perfect time for some Strawberry Cake Muffins! You can find this delicious recipe by Pam at Heartspun Quilts along with her pretty patchwork, of course.

Strawberry Cake Muffins @ Heartspun Quilts

5. Check out these adorable Quilted Leaf Coasters by Sedef at Down Grapevine Lane for Diary of a Quilter. Sedef has the full tutorial using her newest fabric collection, Rhapsody.

6. Does sewing curves have you running in the other direction? Then you’ll appreciate this tutorial on How to Cut, Sew and Square Orange Peel Blocks by Sharon at Color Girl Quilts. She provides two videos that are excellent.

7. I know it’s hard to imagine, but Christmas sewing in the summer is a thing. This Christmas Churns Quilt Tutorial by Alison at Little Bunny Quilts for the Moda Bake Shop will get you in the holiday spirit in a hurry!

8. A new to me blog is Home Made Emily Jane. Emily is a young quilter who loves building community through crafting. You’ll enjoy reading her recent blog post on 9 Tips for Selling Home Made Goods.

9 Tips for Selling Home Made Goods @ Homemade by Emily Jane

There are so many ways to stay creative this month. I hope you found something to inspire you today. Thank you for spending some time here for Sew Thankful Sunday, and Happy Summer!