Right Angles

Right Angles: Mitten to Apple original

I finally finished my first HST project, which I'm calling Right Angles.

Right Angles: Mitten to Apple original

I've always loved the look of quilts made with random HSTs, so this was my first attempt at that.

Right Angles: Mitten to Apple original

I don't know about you, but making something 'random' is really hard- I just want there to be a pattern! Since I couldn't fight every natural instinct, there's a little order to the HSTs, but I think overall it looks fairly chaotic.

The quilting is basic - just 1/4" off the seams.

The HSTs are DS Quilt Collections from Joann's, and the batik (framing and backing) are from a quilt shop.

Right Angles: Mitten to Apple original

I love backing quilts with batik - that fabric is so forgiving of spills and stains! I have no problem plopping a batik-backed quilt on the ground for that very reason!

Right Angles: Mitten to Apple original

I'm linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts' Finish It Up Friday - thanks for stopping by!

Right Angles: Mitten to Apple original

Kitchen Drying Mat

Kitchen Drying Mat: Mitten to Apple original

As I've lamented before, space is at a premium in my little NYC apartment. So when I was visiting my family recently, and spotted their dish drying mat, I thought it would be the perfect solution for my urban kitchen.

In an effort to make (rather than buy) this little addition to my kitchen, I headed to my stash and got to work. I started with an old dish towel, which I sliced in half to make two layers of terry cloth. Then I pieced a fun little top with Joann Fabric leftover from another project, before adding a few simple lines of quilting to the mat.

Kitchen Drying Mat: Mitten to Apple original

And after I added a quick, machine-stitched binding, my mat was finished.

So far, I'm loving this little creation! I'm especially please, as not only was I able to fashion something using only materials from my stash/home (that miraculously coordinated pretty well)...

Kitchen Drying Mat: Mitten to Apple original

But my new drying mat is efficient, effective, and puts a smile on my face every time I use it!

I'm linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts' Finish it Up Friday - thanks for stopping by!!

Sewing Machine Cover

The other day, I made a sewing machine cover.

Sewing Machine Cover - Mitten to Apple original

Admittedly, the photo above shows the cover on my machine, but the cover was actually a surprise gift to my mom who lives halfway across the country- she's an amazing crafter and has been sewing beautiful purses recently. I thought a machine cover might come in handy for the times when she wasn't using her machine, but didn't want to put it completely away.

For this project, I wanted to try the "tube" piecing technique (the one where you sew strips into a tube, and then slice them up), so that's where the cover began. I still have a long way to go until the method will be fool-proof for me, but it was good to at least try it once (especially because someday I want to make a scrappy Trip Around the World quilt)!

I added elastic bands to the sides of the cover to keep it on the machine. I'd seen versions of this cover online that used ties, but I thought elastic would be a little easier to slip on and off my mom's machine.

 

I used home decor fabric from Joann's on this project, so it is fairly sturdy. I also used my trusty quilting guide bar to quilt on the diagonal.