23 Steam Punk Blocks

Reasons I love making Steam Punk Blocks:

• I'm using some of my favourite scraps
• There really isn't any seam matching
• My centres are pretty badly matched, but they are hidden by the circles



 I have made 23 so far - over half way.

The Paper Pieced Home

The first thing I ever paper pieced was the asterix block by Penny Layman so I was a little bit excited when I heard she was writing a book on paper piecing. I was not disappointed!

It is not only filled with fantastic blocks, but there is a great instruction section at the front. Since I first made that asterix block I have done a bit of paper piecing and I absolutely love it, but it is not something that comes naturally to me so I read through all the instructions and it is full of clear diagrams and excellent tips and tricks.





The Paper-Pieced Home: Quilting a Household One Block at a Time

By Penny Layman

Interweave/F+W; $26.99

 

I have some beautiful saucepans I inherited from my Grandmother so as soon as I saw the saucepan block I knew I had to make it.

 I was a little worried as there were so many tiny pieces and you have to make it in several sections, but after reading all the instructions this block went together perfectly.

I enjoyed making it so much I made another.

 The book is not only filled with fantastic blocks, but also has some great projects that use the blocks. These saucepans are set to become hot pads. My Mum has already dropped some not so subtle hints about wanting the blue one so yes Mum I'll get it to you soon!

I have plans to try a few more blocks from the book. The Paper Dress and Giraffe are at the top of the list.



               

You can see more more of Penny's amazing book on the following blogs.

 

3/16       McCall’s Quilting / Sewing Machine Block

3/17       Love of Quilting / Review

3/17       Sandi Sawa Hazlewood  of Crafty Planner / Watering Can Block

3/18       Quilty Pleasure (Quiltmaker blog) / Review

3/18       Imagine Gnats / Rotary Phone Block

3/20       Verykerryberry / Lion Block

3/21       Artisania / Cast-Iron Skillet Block

3/23       Where the Orchids Grow / Lamp Block

3/24       Katie Blakesley of Swim Bike Quilt / Layer Cake Block

3/24       House on Hill Road / Oven Mitt Block

3/24       Lee Heinrich of Freshly Pieced / BBQ Grill Block

3/26       Pink Penguin / Allie-Gator Block

3/26       A Happy Stitch / Giraffe Block

3/27       Bijou Lovely / Jar Block

3/27       Two Little Banshees / Saucepan Block

3/27       Charise Creates / Espresso Mug Block

3/30       Karen Lewis Textiles / Couch Block

3/31       Poppyprint / Clawfoot Tub Block

3/31       One Shabby Chick / Stack of Books Block

3/31       During Quiet Time / Sleeveless Dress Block

4/06       Pat Sloan The Voice of Quilting / Author Podcast Interview



Kwik Sew 3527 and 2704

The onesies I made the twins from Kwik Sew 2704 are probably the most worn things I have ever made so I knew I would be making more as pyjamas for this winter.
I used the same pattern for Eva and Kwik Sew 3527 for Olive. The patterns are nearly the same, the only differences are the crotch piece in 3527 and the size of the zip.
Both are great patterns. I just need a trip to Spotlight to buy some more fleece and I'll be making a couple more.

McCalls 6792

I think the 80s might be missing a shirt. Hope they don't want it back as I'm keeping it. 

 It is McCalls 6792. I thought this would be another very quick top to make, but it took me a bit longer than I thought. The fabric was a bit slippery to it took a while to cut out. I had to unpick the corners of the yellow a few times and they still aren't perfect. This patterns has a lot of ease, it is lucky you can make it up and take it in where you need to before doing the hems. I needed to take it in all over and quite a lot on the lower sleeves. I also gave it some waist shaping on the back seam. The only other change was to do a narrow hem at the neck instead of the facing.

I love this shirt, I'm not sure I need to make another colour block shirt, but maybe I might need a dress in the future.

Ottobre Jeans



The tagged quite a few pages in the latest Ottobre (1/2015). There are some great basics in there. Olive needs jeans so I chose pattern #12 and some stretch denim left over from another project.

 This is a great pattern, they are basically elastic waist pants with pockets on the front and back. They are nice and baggy and look very comfortable to play in.
Olive wasn't feeling very smiley yesterday.

 She did manage to stand still for a few photos.

 I love the orange top stitching.

 And I learnt how to do bar tacks on my machine.

The Paper Pieced Home Sneak Peak

A sneak peak at something I am working on. I love how it is working out. 

It's from The Paper Pieced Home by Penny Layman.

I'll be sharing the full block next week, but meanwhile check out some other blocks from the book from these wonderful people.

 

The Paper-Pieced Home

Blog Tour Schedule

 

3/16       McCall’s Quilting / Sewing Machine Block

3/17       Love of Quilting / Review

3/17       Sandi Sawa Hazlewood  of Crafty Planner / Watering Can Block

3/18       Quilty Pleasure (Quiltmaker blog) / Review

3/18       Imagine Gnats / Rotary Phone Block

3/20       Verykerryberry / Lion Block

3/21       Artisania / Cast-Iron Skillet Block

3/23       Where the Orchids Grow / Lamp Block

3/24       Katie Blakesley of Swim Bike Quilt / Layer Cake Block

3/24       House on Hill Road / Oven Mitt Block

3/24       Lee Heinrich of Freshly Pieced / BBQ Grill Block

3/26       Pink Penguin / Allie-Gator Block

3/26       A Happy Stitch / Giraffe Block

3/27       Bijou Lovely / Jar Block

3/27       Two Little Banshees / Saucepan Block

3/27       Charise Creates / Espresso Mug Block

3/30       Karen Lewis Textiles / Couch Block

3/31       Poppyprint / Clawfoot Tub Block

3/31       One Shabby Chick / Stack of Books Block

3/31       During Quiet Time / Sleeveless Dress Block

4/06       Pat Sloan The Voice of Quilting / Author Podcast Interview

 

The Paper-Pieced Home: Quilting a Household One Block at a Time

By Penny Layman

Interweave/F+W; $26.99

http://bit.ly/1zClNAv

 

 

 

More Steam Punk Blocks

Two more blocks.

Jenna Cardi

I always have great plans to knit a cardigan over summer so I can wear it in winter, once again things didn't quite go to plan, but luckily I discovered the Jenna Cardi pattern and in one day I have a new cardigan!

To test it out I used some grey/silver very stretchy jersey that was on special at Textile Traders. I cut out the pattern according to my measurements, but I ended up taking it in a bit before I added the bands. I also had to take the sleeves in a bit as they were a bit loose for me. I made the waist length version with the 3/4 length sleeve, I would prefer it a little longer with skirts and jeans and the arms a few inches longer for winter so I have recut the pattern a size smaller with those changes.

Otherwise this was smooth sewing as the pattern was well written and easy to follow. I found some slightly stretchy interfacing in my stash so used that for the button band. I was a little worried about sewing buttonholes on jersey, but I practised on scraps first and didn't have a problem.

So now I just have to learn to make bras and jeans and I won't have to go clothes shopping again!



 

Ottobre 4/2010 Hoodie



My twins love plain zip up hoodies, no patterned fabric, no crazy colours. Grey sweatshirt fabric can be hard to find at my local Spotlight, but I managed to walk in there last year when they were unpacking new bolts so I grabbed a few metres. They did agree to coloured zips so they can tell which hoodie belongs to them.

I used a pattern in Ottobre 4 /2010. I didn't line the hood and altered the shape of the .pocket to eliminate the gathers and binding.

Grace gave it the thumbs up so I'm sure I will be making more.

 



Mini Hudson Pants



Three out of four children are currently wearing a pair of Mini Hudson Pants so this pattern is definitely a winner and goes straight into the tried and true pattern pile.

 

 These are very quick and easy to make especially when you do a few pairs at once. I didn't add the buttonholes and drawstring and I didn't have the right width elastic so I just used what I had and sewed a line of stitching below and above it once I had put it in.



 I think I will be making a pair of Hudson Pants for myself soon.

Jalie 3355 and 3352

If you are looking for money when buying patterns you really can't go past Jalie. Each pattern has sizing for 2yr olds up to adults and they make really good patterns for basics like t-shirts, sweat pants and hoodies.  The patterns come on heavy paper so it's easy to trace of the sizes you need without destroying the pattern.
 We had a few chilly mornings this weekend and I realized Olive needed a few new jumpers. I used Jalie 3355 and some fabric from Spotlight with ribbing from Crafty Mamas.

 

 A few weeks ago I tried Jalie 3352. This pattern has quite a bit of ease which I didn't realize until I made it up with some red and white stripe that came from Spotlight. This fabric doesn't have a lot of drape so looked awful in this pattern and I had to take it in quite a bit to make it wearable.  I really like the shape of it though and the longer back. I will be definitely making some for winter with sleeves.