Sewing and stash building

I began working on my Pretty Little Pouch Swap late last night. My partner requested something bright, without a great deal of direction otherwise. I have been wanting to try the Feather Bed pattern by Anna Maria Horner, which was released as a free pattern with her Field Study line of fabric recently (see them at Hawthorne Threads here). Of course, her pattern calls for large feathers – much larger than one could make into a pouch. So, I scaled the pattern pieces down quite a bit (the feather portion here is roughly 9 inches) by taking her measurements and multiplying them by 0.6. Because I was working with such small feather portions, I decided the piecing would go more smoothly if I used a very lightweight fusible interfacing. This did in fact make thing easier and I was happy to be able to squeeze a little bit of Nicey Jane selvedge on there as well! The background fabric is Kona cotton in coal, which I chose because it makes the colors pop.

Now I’m left wondering what to do for the backside. Something pieced, I’m sure. And fun. Then it will be adding fusible fleece and doing some hand quilting around the feather likely. When finished, this will be a long, short pouch. My partner didn’t have a specific use listed for her pouch, so I’m certainly hoping that this is something she will both be able to use and love. Either way, it was very good to get back to the sewing machine.

I don’t have a dedicated studio space here, as the bedrooms are taken up by children, so I am left to sewing on the dining room table. While the table functions just fine for eating at, it’s a bit wobbly when it comes to sewing atop it, so I ordered a new dining table set, which should be sturdier and arriving in the next couple of weeks. Ah, the costs of sewing!

I recently stocked up on some basic blenders in grays and blacks when Fabric.com had a 20 percent off coupon. I am always a sucker for polka dots, especially the Ta Da Dot by Michael Miller, and the Metro Living Circles on the bottom are another stash favorite. I did treat myself to two novelty camera prints – one vintage/antique cameras (which my boyfriend and I collect) and another more modern 35-mm and digital camera print. Both of the boys need quilts for their twin beds, and are requesting dark colors, so the plan for their quilts is gray, black and pops of color here and there. These stash builders will likely get pulled for their quilts once I decide where I want to go with them.