Inspiration for some pieces comes from the strangest places. I love the surprising way an idea is born out of something as simple as a late night conversation before sleeping.

This is a table runner I’ve been working on for a couple of weeks and the way it came about is something I really love.

I’d had the idea that I wanted to make a small quilt for Alice for Christmas, just something she can carry around and snuggle underneath and I knew I’d want to make it in a style called Stacked Coins – long strips of rectangular shapes I’d seen around the place and admired.

It made sense to learn about the design before launching into a proper quilt, so late one night I said to Sean that I thought I’d have a go at maybe a cushion cover, to see how it would look. Sleepily he said ‘why don’t you try a table runner instead? Nice long rows would suit that.’

It struck me as the most obvious idea and not for the first time, I was delighted that he is the kind of person who shares ideas and inspiration with me, despite having no particular interest, skill or inclination in sewing. When I was making my black and white quilt, he spent a Sunday morning with me moving squares around until we got their placement right. He’s got a good eye.

The top came together very quickly. One day’s work. The quilting and hand sewing of the binding took longer and now that I’ve done it, there are things I’ll do differently when the time comes for Alice’s quilt. I got away with some stuff on this piece that I wouldn’t do for a quilt that’ll be dragged around the house, washed repeatedly and generally well loved. I’ll make sure with Alice’s quilt that I do all the quilting stitches in one colour, to avoid the stopping and starting at the tops and bottoms of the panels. I’m not thrilled with how messy that is (up close – you can’t see it in the photos well. It’s not the look of it that concerns me so much as the security of the stitching).

But that’s why I gave this a go in something that won’t be so tossed around. I feel ready for the challenge of the bigger piece for Alice now and I’ve got some beautiful Moda Charm Squares to make it. Incidentally, these strips are also Moda charm squares from the Luna Notte collection.

If it looks a little wobbly it’s because I haven’t ironed it yet. It’s just come off the clothes horse from drying and I kinda like the crinkly look. I’m thinking if I press it too much it’ll flatten out in a way that won’t look as interesting.

I love how it looks on my table which, miraculously, is tidy today. I wanted a nice stage for the photos and, more importantly, somewhere for my parents to sit when they visit this weekend, arriving in time for dinner tonight. Sometimes, the sewing and papers just have to be put away.

Perhaps having such a lovely runner will mean I’ll try harder to keep the table clear. Maybe. I can try.

Finally, the original design I used as inspiration, but which looks very little like what I came up with, is the Stacked Coins Baby Quilt on the Moda Bake Shop.  I’m loving the way I’m learning to see an idea and then make it my own. It’s something I don’t quite manage in knitting, but in sewing it seems somehow a little easier.

Bells

Really, you should never say never. There are things I do know know I’ll never do, but more often than not saying I won’t do something seems to mean that eventually I will. Like quilting.

Over a decade ago, my re-entry to the world of making stuff came via cross stitch. I don’t do it any more but I look back on those few years quite fondly. I remember the day I was wandering around a cross stitch shop out at Gold Creek with my friend Catriona, a mad keen stitcher, probably for the umpteenth time. That day, possibly out of a desire to make such visits more than just an exercise in standing around waiting, I chose a little cross stitch for myself. It was a sunflower (a perennial favourite) and I remember feeling kind of shy about buying it, like I didn’t want to admit to anyone that I was going to do something like cross stitch.

I gave it a go and found the neat little stitches and the colours so satisfying. The maker in me was re-born. Fast forward a couple of years and knitting took over. Skip a few more years and sewing took hold.

Today, all three met up in one place. The thing I made today didn’t actually involve any knitting so it’s perhaps a stretch to include knitting in this little story. But as I’m learning to sew, I like to think the last eight years of being a dedicated knitter have trained me in the act of counting, weighing, measuring and making.

The result is this cushion. In spite of its faults, I’m really proud of it.

The centrepiece is a cross stitch design I think I made about a decade ago. It may have even been the last cross stitch I did. Over the years, it’s floated around, showing up when I’m digging through stuff and I’ve always thought it should become a cushion. I kind of hoped my mum would make it into a cushion. Little did I know that one day I’d have the skills to do it myself!

On Saturday I showed it to my mum and her immediate response was that it should form the centre of a log cabin design, something I’ve wanted to try for a while.

The stars aligned after that. On Sunday morning I was possessed by an almost ravenous desire to build a blue and gold log cabin design around it and it turned out I had just the scraps in my stash ready to go. You Tube is a wonderful thing. All the tutorials I needed were right there and by lunch time I had my cushion front done.

This afternoon I quilted it and added some backing of curtain fabric I picked up in a remnants pile at an upholstery shop. Most importantly, I overcame my fear of zips today and added one, again thanks to a You Tube tutorial.

It’s flawed though. The dark blue outer border is unbalanced. The ends of the zip aren’t neat. Some of my quilting is not precise. But I’m just going to lighten up and love it for what it is, something I designed and made by myself, out of a piece of work I made before I was thirty.

Younger me and older me are stitched into something that didn’t exist a few days ago, bringing me full circle to the beginning and the wonder that the last decade has been, with all the ups and downs, the lessons and the hardships and the joys.

That’s why I love making stuff. There are stories and memories and dreams worked into the fabric, making history into something tangible, three dimensional. You can’t beat that.

Bells

A project that combines new skill learning with using up stuff from the stash is a winner right? Even more so if it’s something that ticks those boxes and that I’ll use, is how I feel about the bag I made earlier this week.

Sewing and I haven’t seen eye to eye recently. After a run of successful projects, the bottom fell out of my sewing mojo. I felt like the magic of those early months where I was learning and having fun came to an abrupt halt. Everything felt wooden, stilted. It got me down.

So when I was standing on the precipice of a week off, I didn’t plan any sewing that involved garments. If a bag or other practical item doesn’t turn out perfectly it doesn’t matter, it’d probably still be something I’d use. It was a way to ease back in.

I chose a bag designed by a woman whose work I’ve used before. Remember the quilted hot water bottle cover? Yeah, her. Here it is.

On reflection, the fabrics I chose make it look a little old fashioned. Rose florals will do that, I guess. It’s not quite the funky-adorably-handmade thing I imagined but it’s mine and I made it and I like it. I especially like the ruffled middle section. I didn’t think I’d be able to pull that off but I did. It’s also not quite as pink as it looks here. (Don’t worry RoseRed, I’m not turning into a pink girlie girl!).

Here’s the ruffle section up close.

It’s all stash fabric. The Moda charm squares, in Luna Notte, I’ve had since almost the first month I started sewing (last year). The black linen of the base and handles came from a remnants sale at Cleggs in Melbourne in June. The lining was also an early purchase.

The lining. Yes. It’s not the same red. I kinda knew that when I was planning it but I’ve ached to use it and thought it would be that flash of funky red print the bag needed. It’s not the same kind of red at all and I could have used something better suited. I’ll get over it. Although to be honest in the photos the lining looks like a better match for the red in the squares than it does in real life.

I learned to use fusible interfacing in the handles and interior of this bag. I’d been afraid of it for so long but it was easy! And the effect is so worth it! Between a sturdy linen outer, interfacing and batting between the layers, the bag has a nice smooshy yet solid feel to it.

So I think this will be the bag I carry to work with extras in it that don’t fit in my handbag. Like knitting. And lunch. An umbrella. That sort of thing. The one I’m using is just too small. Or perhaps I’m just carrying too much stuff. It’s been said before.

I’ll leave you with the shawl I recently mentioned. My new, exciting project that’s been in the planning stage for some weeks. In November my baby brother is getting married and I’m wearing a blue Mad Men style dress. I wanted something delicate to go over my shoulders, particularly in the evening. So I’m knitting a Lilac Leaf Shawl from one of my favourite books – Knitted Lace of Estonia. Two days of having a head cold and spending a lot of time on the couch and it’s going swimmingly.

It feels good to be back in Estonia.

Bells