june {recap}

June was busy, hot, noisy (thanks to three non stop chattering little people out of school), and lots of fun (thanks to the same three non stop chattering little people). Surprisingly, it was also quite a productive month, too.

I loved working on all these different projects. I was not in a mood for a lot of big quilting, so I concentrated on smaller projects instead.

Oh, I really, really enjoy making pillows these days. And bags, too. They are pretty fast to make, and great for their almost instant gratification factor. I also tried a new technique - painting with fabric , as well as made my share of felt stuffed animals.

How about you? What have you been up to these days? Do tell!

Here's to another fun and creative month for all of us. Enjoy your day.
Svetlana

 

QAYG patchwork bag {a la 1/4 inch mark}

So, I made yet another bag.

After seeing Chase's gorgeous patchwork bags, pouches and totes I just HAD TO make one myself.

I started off with this stack of fabrics plus my overflowing basket full of scraps.

This was the first block I made, nicely trimmed and patiently waiting to be made into a bag. I did not get a chance to take a picture of the second block, it was getting late by then and I just wanted to sew, no stopping, not even to take some pictures.

I used Monaluna fabric I had in my stash for the lining (I love the feel of this fabric, it's a little sturdier than a regular quilter's weight fabric). I installed a zipper pocket using contrasting yellow zipper for some pop of color and I used two magnetic snaps to keep my treasures safely inside. This is probably insane, but does not this look like some cute face looking at you? with those snappy eyes and zippery mouth? I know, insane!

This is the inside of the bag (no face on this side). I love this navy polka dotty fabric from Lucy's Crab Shack collection. I usually don't go for dark blues, but this one is almost blackish, very pretty.

I'm quite happy with the way this bag turned out and I already have plans for another qayg patchwork tote bag. If you'd like to make one yourself, Chase has some great posts on her blog showing the whole process.

Hope you have an enjoyable day. We are going to be house bound all day as the temperatures are in the 100s and the heat warnings are sounding out everywhere. I'm planning on getting a lot of cleaning done, my children will be so "thrilled".

Svetlana

let's get acquainted! blog hop

Hello, welcome everyone!

Today I'm excited to be a part of Let's get acquainted blog hop organized by Beth of Plum and June. She is doing an amazing job of bringing together many wonderfully talented bloggers and their readers through this blog hop.  I hope you'll stop by her blog too, as we both share this day to introduce ourselves.

So, let's get acquainted, shall we? My name is Svetlana Sotak (yes, that's where the name of my blog comes from) and I've been sewing for almost 2 years. I first started making bags and pillows and then graduated to quilts. I totally hated making my first quilt in December 2010 - let's just say I will never attempt to baste a twin sized quilt using pins. Thankfully I discovered a 505 spray for basting and my attitude towards quilts changed drastically. Now I can't stop making them. Here are some of my very favorite quilts. As you can see, I love bright colors combined with nice, crisp white fabric.

Beth suggested some fun questions, so here we go:

How long have you been quilting? about 18 months
Favorite quilting tip(s)? precision, precision, precision!!! A proper 1/4" seam can save a lot of heartache.
Favorite blogging tip(s)? Don't try to be someone else. Just be yourself, that's enough.
Favorite fabric? Oh, I have so many. Right now I'm crushing on anything and everything Denyse Schmidt.
Favorite craft book? Now, that might be even harder than choosing fabric. Books by Suzuko Koseki are some of my favorites.
Favorite children's book? The Lorax
Favorite quilting tool? rotary cutter and mat
Favorite TV show while sewing? Criminal Minds or Big Bang Theory
Binding? by hand or machine? machine
If I'd only - what you wish you knew about blogging before you started your blog? That not everyone will like everything I make all the time. And, people do unfollow blogs sometimes, that's just part of life and I had to learn how not to let it ruin my day or be too discouraging.

Today I'd like to share my tutorial for a child's backpack that was originally posted on Sew, mama, sew! blog. Please click on the link to be taken to the tutorial.

I love how easy and versatile this backpack is. I've actually made a few more of them for my children. Here's another one I made for my son (Echino is a perfect weight fabric for this backpack).

My daughters are a little older (9 and 12) so I made theirs without the front pocket. Again, Echino fabric worked great.

Please let me know if you have any questions. And, don't forget to hop on over to Beth's blog to see an amazingly fun project she has for you.

Enjoy your day. Svetlana

cupcakes pillow

Happy Monday, everyone!

Just popping in to let you know that today I have a guest post over at my friend Karen's Listen to the Birds Sing blog.

I'm sharing the process of making this cupcake pillow. Please hop on over, I know you'll enjoy seeing all Karen's wonderful creations. She's one amazingly talented lady.

Hope you have a great Monday. Svetlana

pillow talk swap

I have just finished making a pillow for my partner in the Pillow Talk Swap 8.

Oh, I had a blast!!! You know what? I think I finally figured out what approach works for me when it comes to swaps. Previously I made a mistake of sticking to my partner's mosaic more than was needed and it felt more like I was trying to copy somebody else's work instead of just being inspired by it and come up with something that was totally my own. And that was not fun.

This time I made up my mind to look at the mosaic, notice what colors or line of fabric as well as style of quilting my partner likes and that was it. No effort to replicate one of the pillows in the mosaic!

After some brainstorming and blog browsing I decided to go with paper piecing, using Tamiko's tutorial , for all those courthouse steps blocks and I made my own template for the block in the middle. I used some fabrics that I knew my partner liked but I also added some that were my all time favorites, too.

I used washi fabric in coal to frame the blocks (thank you for all your wonderful and helpful input in my previous post). I love how it complements that black print fabric in the middle, yet it does not overpower all the other blocks.

Finished size of the pillow is 18" x 18" and it has a zipper closure. I truly love the way it turned out and hope that my partner will feel the same way.

Thanks for stopping by, friends. Svetlana

 

more cupcakes

A little bit of Suzuko Koseki (thanks, Elnora), Denyse Schmidt, Malka's "cupcakes", and some hand quilting - that's what I'm playing with today.

Thanks for stopping by. Wishing you all a lovely and relaxing weekend.

Svetlana

simple patchwork

I needed some simple patchwork therapy last night. I pulled tons of fabric from my stash (because I was not really sure what color combo I was going to go with) and got to work.

My main inspiration came from Rita's fabulous simple patchwork quilts. I have to admit, deciding what fabric to go with was quite difficult for me. I wanted to make a boy quilt, so no flowers or girly motifs were allowed.

At the end I decided to go with green, blue, black, gray and white with touches of yellow color combo. I think it's so fresh looking, yet boyish at the same time.

Can't wait until this evening when I'm hoping to get into more happy, bright patchwork.

This is totally random, but have you seen these? They are 4 fat quarters each by Denyse Schmidt and they come as one piece of fabric. How amazing is that? I totally, totally love them. I found them at my local JoAnn store and they cost about as much as a yard of fabric would. Ingenious! It only feeds more into my DS obsession.

Well, we're off to enjoy another very hot and windy summer day. Hope yours is full of fun, too.

Svetlana