Tangram Book - Tutorial Review

From Sew Mama Sew's blog:

Quilt Blocks Tangram Block Tutorial (link here)

Quick Summary:
- Great instructions with helpful pictures

Pros: 
- Fairly quick project for a "beginner-intermediate" level sewer.  I had the main part of the book done in less than an hour and the shapes within another thirty minutes.  Truth be told, I was having fun making the shapes out of my fabric scraps and lost track of time.  I'm guessing the "thirty minutes."
- For a relatively easy project, the results are impressive to gift recipients and their guests.

Cons:
- The tutorial was made with a specific fabric line/design in mind.  The main part of the book was easy to make with alternate fabric.  However, when it came to the tangrams, that was not so easy.  It took more mind power to figure out squares, triangles, rectangles, etc and their dimensions to ensure that they truly worked as a tangram. I went to another pattern I had and used it's templates.

Results:

Monogrammed Cups - Success

Just before Christmas I found some cute, but too plain, mugs on clearance and knew exactly what I would do:

Monogrammed cups!

I used the following pin as a resource from Design Mom (link here)

It really is an easy, fun project.  I wasn't too worried about the letters looking "professional" and I just free-handed my letters.  I didn't really want to work with graphite paper as the tutorial suggested.

I followed the tutorial and I loved the results!  I was so proud of how the letters looked almost exactly like the ones in their photo.

Then I forgot to take a picture before I wrapped them as gifts.  And then I forgot to take pictures again when the happy recipient opened them on Christmas morning.  Photo fail.

As far as I know the mugs are working well. I'm more curious to see how long the lettering lasts...

Happy Pinning!
Kate

Chevron High Waisted Skirt

A few months ago (ahem, one year to be exact), I pinned a high waisted skirt tutorial on Pinterest.  I was so excited I bought the fabric within a few days and the zipper just after.

Doesn't the skirt look adorable?!?

And then life got a little crazy as our family faced an adventure or two last year.  I refocused my energy on quilting until yesterday.

This week required more time commuting as a project was out of town.  This commute ate all of my sewing and quilting time, not to mention my energy.  I was in need of a quick and easy project and behold, the skirt!

I used Riley Blake's chevron print fabric in grey and the tutorial from The Big Oak Tree found here.

I highly recommend this tutorial!  For a person whose sewing skills can be limited to straight-line quilting, I was hesitant to try a skirt.  This tutorial featured a lot of straight lines.  The only difficult part, was the zipper, but I muscled my way through.

I am very happy with the results!  And I have never gotten more compliments on a skirt, ever.

Happy Pinning!

Kate