Charley Harper Swap pt 2: Outgoing

The #charleyharpersewnstudio swap wrapped up at the beginning of April. My partner finally got the package yesterday (it took 3 weeks to get from Winnipeg to Tennessee - ridiculous!) My partner said that her favourite prints are Foxsimilies, Family owlbum, and Mice Invasion. So I incorporated all of them into the package I sent.

A Charley Harper label to hint at what's inside!

First, the mini quilt. I waffled back and forth about what I wanted to do, until inspiration hit in the shower (where I do all my best thinking). I decided to recreate Family Owlbum as the main feature of the quilt. 

The original artwork

The owls were pretty challenging. I combined a few different techniques to achieve the final project. I used English Paper Piecing to make the large eyes and the baby owls. I used machine and hand applique to attach all the small parts, and embroidery to draw around the eyes. 

The owl family

I used needle turn applique to attach the portrait to the centre of a cream panel, and added four circles of the feathers fabric around the owls. Then I framed the whole thing using the twigs fabric as the corners. 

The front, before quilting

On the back, I attached a label made to look like a Charley Harper nest. 

This is my favourtie label ever

I wanted to make the circles really pop, so I left them unquilted, and did some free motion stiples around them on the cream fabric. And I did straight line quilting in the frame. I attempted machine binding for the first time for this project, because I wanted to try using a decorative stitch on the binding.  I prefer hand binding.  Maybe I'm just not very good at machine binding, but I wasn't thrilled with how it turned out.  

After quilting

Free motion stiples

Binding closeup

Love the pop!

In hindsight, I wish I would have centred the quilt label on the back to coincide with the owl on the front. It ended up half in and half out of the stiples, which I think is less than ideal. 

The back, post quilting

I made a few extras to include with the mini quilt. I made a needle book featuring Foxsimilies during my stay at 52 Quilters.

Those elephants were perfect for the inside!

I made a needleminder from the ladybug fabric.

And I made a pincushion/jar from the Mice Invasion fabric.

Jar and button courtesy of Grandma's hoarding!

I loved putting this package together for my partner. I enjoy Charley Harper's artwork so much, so it was a lot of fun to get to interact with it like this. Thanks Sewn Studio for hosting this super fun swap!

If you liked this post, you may be interested to see what I received in this swap!

Charley Harper Swap pt1: Incoming

And if you love reading about my love for Charley Harper, here's a few other gems for you.

Feelin' Good on a Wednesday: Charley Harper Love!

The Charley Harper Conundrum

The Charley Harper Resolution

Charley Harper Swap pt 1: Incoming

The #charleyharpersewnstudio swap wrapped up on the first of the month, and I received my parcel this week!

Eeee! Happy mail day!

I was blown away by the beauty of the mini quilt I found inside. 

The front

I love way she laid out the giraffe

And the fantastic hand quilting!

And these amazing cross stitched birds!!

The back

The label

The full package

She also included a few extras for me! She made a beautiful pin cushion and scissor fob, and she painted a magnet for me with one of the quotes I used for #wordsofwisdomwith52q during my stay at 52 Quilters. Her calligraphy is just gorgeous!

So beautiful!

She also sent some chocolates, which lasted a hot minute. So delicious. 

This package was such a delight to receive, and I am so happy that I participated in this swap. I've said it before (and I'm sure I'll say it again), I love Charley Harper!!

Just keep zipping: another pouch and a free pattern

After loving my last zippy bag, I realized I should probably make one for myself. I need a pouch to keep my knitting/crochet notions in to replace the ziploc bag currently in use. I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again, but isn't it funny how us crafty people make nice things for others, but neglect ourselves?

Nice and big for all my knitting needs

I decided to treat myself. I wanted to feature a Tula Pink raccoon on one side, but I couldn't find a pattern that worked to keep the whole animal intact (who wants to cut off a raccoon's tail?!). So I made one! This was my first attempt to design a foundation paper pieced pattern, and after lots of false starts, and some drawing in the steam on the shower door, I figured out what I wanted to do. 

I love that little face!

Then I chose fabrics that coordinated, and set to work sewing. When I finished, I was so proud that it worked!

It's perfect!

With the front side done, it was time to think about the other side. I was thinking originally to do another postcard, but this bag is larger, so the stamps looked dwarfed on the page. I decided instead to use a print from the Brambleberry Ridge line, paired with a cream solid on which to do some embroidery. I embroidered my name, and appliquéd a little Lizzy House cat. 

It has my name on it.... I guess I get to keep it!

Then: I installed the zipper, but forget to top stitch over the zipper.  I sewed up the outside shell and liner before realizing I had missed a step.  I debated just running with it, but I really think that top stitch is the difference between a professional final product and an amateur final project.  So I had to rip stitches (and fabric-oops!), repair fabric holes, top stitch over zipper, re-sew up outside shell and liner, turn right side out, stitch closed hole, and then... Voila! Done!

This couldn't have come together better

And of course, when in doubt, put a bird on it!

An adorable zipper pull

I've very happy with this bag, and just keep petting it. The little details just make it so special to me. 

Hand embroidered name

Applique cat (my favourite!)

Look at that precision!

If you like the pattern for the raccoon side, good news! I am sharing it with you! Click here for a printable template with dimensions. If you use the pattern, please tag me in a picture on Instagram (@_LT_Smash), comment below, or direct me to your blog! Id love to see what you make with it!

Postcards from the city

My mother in law told me that she was wanting a small zippy pouch to hold a few small makeup essentials for on the go. So I made her one!

I just received my Cotton and Steel Club package in the mail this week, and in it was a print with postage stamps on it. 

Postage stamps are second from the top on the right

I thought it would be cute to make a pouch that looked like a postcard using those stamps. 

I used pinking shears to cut out the stamps I wanted to use, then fused them to the base fabric with fusible web. I top stitched over them, then used a couple of the fancy stitches on my machine to "cancel" them. 

Then I hand embroidered her name in the address spot 

I made a strip for the bottom, to look like  the stickers they put on mail if it goes by air. I used a line from the Heartfelt fabric that says "the little things", since that is what the pouch is used for! 

Then for the front of the postcard, I made a city scene with a print of houses, and a wrought iron fence from the Bluebird Park fabric line. 

And last but not least, I finished it off with a pink rose and brass charm for the zipper pull. 

The inside lining coordinates well with the outside colour scheme. 

I love how this bag turned out, and I think I may have to make myself one next! 

Feelin good on a Wednesday: Charley Harper love!

I recently signed up for a Charley Harper themed Instagram swap hosted by Sewn Studio. This has given me lots of opportunities to engage with Charley Harper's art, and hone in on what I love about his work.

A few of my favourite pieces

I put together a few inspiration boards for my partner. 

Happiness is the longing for repetition. - Milan Kundera

Obviously, I love that his work is all about animals and nature. I adore biology, and the world around me. I also love that he has really embraced the beauty in repetition. And that use of repetition highlights the beauty in the anomaly. In nature, no two animals are identical, but within a species they are certainly similar. Charley Harper makes us see what we already know, and shows us the beauty at the heart of it. 

I love Charley Harper's self described minimal realism style. His geometric shapes and bold colours lend themselves well to recreating his art in quilt form. 

Some amazing projects!

And that his art has been shared with the world as fabric is a true gift to us all! (At least, those of us who sew!) In my reading about Charley Harper, I found this quote of his about painting.  I think it is true about all crafts, and is certainly true for quilting.  

I will share what I have put together for my partner soon. It has been a joy interacting with Charley Harper's work, and this swap has just reinforced for me that his art is something I will never tire of. To learn more about Charley Harper and his art, head over to The Charley Harper Art Studio, or visit my Pinterest page to see more of my favourites.

The Alphabetical Laura: Books

Books. God I love them! I love the look of them, I love the feel of them, I love reading them. I love old books and new books, picture books and chapter books, thick books and thin books, fiction books and biographies.

My basement bookshelves

I participate in a bookclub that has been meeting for almost ten years. We take turns choosing books and hosting a monthly meeting to discuss the book and eat snacks (sometimes related to the book, if possible!). At the end, we each rate the book on a scale of 1-6, to eliminate the fence-sitting nature of a 1-5 scale. 

I also challenge myself to read beyond the bookclub. My personal reads fill in the gaps between bookclub books, so I can typically read two books a month, one bookclub, one personal. My yearly reading goal is 24 books. Last year, I managed 33! (I was on medical leave for a few months, so that helped to boost the numbers.)

My main floor bookshelf with all my prettiest books

I know they always say to not judge a book by its cover. But I'm not going to lie, I definitely let cover art influence my attraction to a book. An eye catching cover draws you in, and a beautiful book on the outside has a lot of potential to be a beautiful book on the inside. 

Brian Dettmer's Book Autopsies

My husband and I first started to bond over books. We met during mutual employment at a toy store, and we would talk about reading in the aisles while tidying up at the end of the night. He asked me for a reading recommendation, and I lent him Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughtershouse-Five. Nine years later, he gave me a first edition copy of the book on the morning of our wedding. To this day, one of our favourite date destination is wondering around the bookstore. 

One of my most treasured possessions

It has always been my dream to be an author. I just love books so much, that I want one of my very own! In the meantime, I will keep practicing my writing for the blog, and keep reading (you know, for research....!).