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Thursday 6 March 2014

Two Great Tutorials

A bit of Craft Research. This is what I get to do when I'm too tired, busy, or uninspired to actually work on something.


I highly recommend this book on English Paper Piecing (EPP). It is full of EPP projects, and the lady who made this book - Jessica Alexandrakis - uses really beautiful color combinations and has fun ideas for ways to use paper pieces in patterns, from handbag applique to a "travel quilt" that is made up of star blocks that were hand-stitched in different locations.

I also discovered a tutorial on sewing Pogaji , or seams that have no raw edge, inside or out. I think this is how my lost quilt was made. I loved this quilt, it was my picnic blanket, and I lent it to someone at a Farmer's Market. It was strong and durable and I miss it!

David asleep in our picnic quilt


I'm going to make a copy. I have the fabric ("like new" recycled pants and wool dresses in dark colors) and lots of hot pink thread for the zig-zags. I just couldn't figure out how it was all put together, with random piecing on both sides, and overlapping seams. Pogaji?

The Pogaji Tutorial is at The Silly BooDilly. Other unique tutorials, like methods of treating and distressing fabric, how to finish a quilt with no binding, etc, are over at her craft blog.

And the last wonderful tutorial I found lately was for a sweet little Mini Dresden Plate. This tutorial says that it is for a brooch, but it would make a beautiful little pincushion, like the one found on this post by Allison at Cluck Cluck Sew.

There! A little craft fix until I have some more energy to sew.

And for a little Throwback Thursday, here are some photos of the Project Linus blanket that I got at the hospital when my son was born.


Project Linus is just one of many groups that collect and distribute handmade blankets. I sped to the hospital towards the end of a long labor and the midwife told me not to bring anything (what sort of dumb advice was that? I packed a bag!) so I didn't even have clothes for my new baby.


The sweet ladies at St. Joseph's found some little clothes and this beautiful crocheted blanket that I will forever treasure as a keepsake.


So if you have donated a blanket, know that they do end up being wonderful gifts that make people feel better and are appreciated and valued! I want to make a baby quilt for this same group that gave a blanket to me.

This woman holding my baby is the faerie that flitted into my life to help me get through childbirth, my amazing doula, Lisa.

This past week I witnessed two joyful births and attended a very sad funeral.

Do you meditate when you make things? I usually do and being creative is my favorite therapy.

 I have some sewing to do!

1 comment:

  1. Lovely and lost quilt, so sad, but there are lots of jeans to make a new one! Thanks for all the new links, now I know what Pogaji is. Very cool to know Carli

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