DIY Utility Tote

Dear Readers-

I am in love with the large utility totes that are popping up everywhere. I have two of them, but I felt like I needed more...you know the feeling...it is apparent in your  my stash. Anyway, I use my utility totes for EVERYTHING- grocery shopping, Costco, swimming bag, winter stuff bag, hauling around Christmas presents etc. They are amazing...but commercially made bags are expensive. I thought there had to be a cheaper option...so I went searching.

I made two frames. Each frame was about 10inches wide. 

I found a great tutorial by Jill Cataldo, but I couldn't find the metal U-shaped frames that she used locally. When I went to order them online, they were inexpensive (~ $.70/per unit), but when I got to the checkout shipping was around $15. Taking that into account with the cost of the home decor fabric and the webbing strap, it would have been cheaper to just purchase one from Thrity-One.

So out I went to Lowes to see what I could find to make a frame for the bag. My husband has a pipe bender so I purchase a 6ft length of 1/4 inch steel for around $5.50 thinking that I could bend. It was a little heavier than I would have liked, but I gave it a go.

It wasn't difficult to bend the rod into shape, but I had to play with it a bit. I learned that I had to bend it past 90 degrees to get it to actually be 90 degrees. After I had each of the corners, I made sure that there was some overlap on one of the long sides so I could join the two ends. I used duct tape to wrap the joint tightly and cover the ends to help project the fabric from wear.

The bag itself was very easy to make. It went together easily and it was simple enough to change the size of the bag. I think that I will make a few more using Cataldo's pattern, but try to make a different lighter frame...perhaps I'll use the wire hangers that are just taking up space in my closet =)

QAYG 2: Working with Spray Baste

Dear Quilters-

Week 2 of the QAYG is here! If you are like me, then the least favorite part of whole quilting process is the sandwiching quilt together. I hate pinning...the pokes and pricks, the sore callus you get from opening and closing the pins (though my father-in-law made an awesome tool which has helped incredibly) not to mention the pins become a hassle when you are quilting because you constantly have to stop to take them out. I've heard some other quilters talk about using spray basting to speed up the process, so this week I decided to give the 505 Spray Baste a go. 

It went okay. I wouldn't say that it eliminated the hassle, it just changed it. I struggled to get the right amount of spray evenly across the batting. I wouldn't get enough and the backing wouldn't stick to the batting or I would get too much and it was difficult to reposition and smooth out. I also still pinned around the outer edge of the quilt sandwich. 

I would probably use it it again, but am not sure how it would work on larger pieces. 

Anyway- down to the quilting. I picked a curvy overall quilting motif for this block. I was searching through different quilting books I got for Christmas and found that I really liked the Fandangle motif in Christina Cameli's book Step-by-step Free Motion Quilting.  It was pretty similar to the orange peel I did on the last one, so the U shape was familiar, but the addition of the swirl within the U shape was new to me. 

I used the clear vinyl to audition the motif and thought it would work. I tried it different sizes and variations and settled on two passes across the row. One was too big and three was too small. (Just like the three bears right?)

I wanted to practice drawing out the pattern, so I found this great tool called Sketch Toy. It is a free online drawing app...check it out! I played with it for a bit practicing the design I'd chosen. (Click on the pictures to view the methods for each)

My quilting is improving with each little bit of practice...hopefully I can get to the point where it isn't SO nerve racking to start. With each little trick I learn, I know I am one step closer to making that a reality!

Hope you find these tools as useful as I do!!

J