mystery quilt

Beginning of a new quilt means lot of fun and happiness.. this time my cause for this excitement are little raggedy scraps. For a long time I was occupied with one project or other and couldn't really do anything about their growing population except for keeping one lazy eye on them and waiting.

I love looking at scrap quilts full of life and containing many fond memories and stories for their quilter. It is perfect timing that Sandy announced a mystery quilt along with scraps called 'Scrapitude'. This quilt pattern is created by Sandy's talented friend Charlotte. If you like to know more details, please visit her blog. Instructions are given once a month with a break in busy December, so it should be manageable to do.

I got to the point of sorting the scraps and cutting some squares.. still a looongggg way to go for this queen size quilt ;)

Along with other odd pieces that I have, I plan to use this adorable charm pack from Nanette to soften the color palette and add more variety. I am choosing a white background to bring a sense of calm to the quilt. It is my first time doing a mystery quilt, I hope I learn to be more flexible and go with the flow with this exercise. Flickr group for the quilt along is here.

Thank you Charlotte, Sandy for giving a purpose and a second life to my scraps ( ' v ' )

I have been admiring Sandy and her lighthearted Podcast 'Quilting for the rest of us' for sometime. Sandy's voice is warm and friendly and very comforting to listen to. I feel like she is one of the gifts that I got from this blogging community. 

Wish you a Happy Autumn, friends!

pencil case

When it comes to color pencils and crayons, Camel was the popular brand in our school days. Every year their watercolors box used to come out in the market with a new packaging and a colorful picture on the tin case. My old Camel box almost rusted but still cheerful, is the inspiration for the pencil case I made for the zakka along.

I paper pieced these pencils with the pattern in 'Patchwork please' book.  But I made some error while tracing the pattern and the outside pencils turned out wider than they should be. I used up the only scrap piece I had of this teal color dots which I really liked. So I just left it as it is. I am telling myself this is a variety pack  : /

The empty space in the center was calling for a label, so I stamped the letters with black ink and appliqued a heart with no. 5 that I found on a selvage. I wanted to imitate the happy pictures we usually see on packages, so I embroidered an apple with a tiny stem. The only thing left is to stamp the name of this Pencil case's owner next to the apple.

Camel of course is the mascot for Camel company. So I applique'd him on the back. It came from a Japanese fabric and the shawl on top of the camel has sparkly embellishments which is so cute! 

This camel looked somewhat lonely and lost and he was very much in need of a friend, so I added a tag on the side with 3 dots that almost form a face. In time I hope they will get to know each other and look much happier than they appear now..

Lining fabric is this blue striped yarn dyed fabric. It has a very organic feel to it. I used a fusible fleece inside for cushioning. 

I am sad to say this probably is my last project in the Zakka along. There are still few tempting projects like bags and quilts that I haven't made yet but I am feeling satisfied with the amazing versions of these projects I see in the Flickr group. If I get a chance anytime soon, I would love to attempt Ayumi's envelope quilt that I have been drooling over, ever since I got this book.

I feel incredibly lucky to take part in this sew along as I met so many new friends and learnt so much through them. Thanks so much for cheering me on and keeping me company all along. 

I cannot express in words how much I appreciate your encouragement and kindness ( ' v ' )

Thank you, Ayumi, Debbie and Lindsey for your selfless efforts and devotion to every part of this wonderful event and for bringing a spring in my step these past few months :)

pink and blue

How was your long weekend? We ended up with a ton of eggplants and tomatoes from our visit to a farm, so we tried some new recipes which luckily turned out well. We also had our fill of ice cream before it gets any more chilly here.

Cooking on a holiday is relaxing, isn't it?!  I wonder what these mom and daughter are planning for their menu? I see some yummy ingredients in their fridge!

Soup is simmering.. timer for the Casserole is set and a candle seems to be glowing brightly on their table, that means dinner is almost ready for this hungry bunny!

Watching the flowers grow taller and taller with each round was fun! Hiding a butterfly and bunny among the wilderness was thrilling! I wish our real kitchen resembled a little bit like this though!

On the back is this 30's print fabric. I used a Japanese linen for the center and the flower fabric is by Megumi Sakakibara. Binding fabric is a linen type gauze fabric by Ecrulat. This hexagon trivet is a paper piecing pattern and wasn't too hard to make. Even the instructions for the binding were very clear.

This week's Zakka project is a travel pouch, roomy and convenient to pack all the necessities for a trip. On the front and back is patchwork with triangles. I varied the layout slightly on each side but the fabrics are the same. Sticking with the theme, I picked some travel fabrics to make this pouch.

The tags on the side also have teeny tiny cars ;)

Inside is this bicycle fabric that Kalyan got me as a surprise present last year. He got a small packet of fabrics that are probably too cute for his taste and he said that the shop lady was very helpful too. I am thankful to both of them and couldn't be more happy with their combined efforts in choosing perfect fabrics!

These patterns are from Ayumi's book, Patchwork please.

I am excited that this is a short week and before we know Friday will be almost here! Have a happy week! (* v *)