Batik Quilted Purses/Makeup Bags/Pencil Cases

Here's a photo of four of the finished cases. Two made with a black zipper and two made with a white zipper. The cases measure 8x7 inches or 21x 18cms.

To construct the cases I've sewn together 9 strips of batik fabric approx 2 inches wide. Then I've quilted the fabric with a plain print fabric on one side (with the batting in between). I've done some random quilting with purple thread which is actually a lot of fun to do.

I've then folded over the edges by ironing them (which are going to be the seams which I sew the zipper along) and sewn them down neatly.

I've used a 25cm zip on these, and the extra little bit just tucks into the case.

Before I attempted this project I had never sewn in a zipper. To work out how to do it, I watched a few being done on YouTube before I went ahead and did it myself.

Like most things, I would recommend pinning everything! I would also suggest that you sew on the zipper before sewing up the sides of the bag, just to make it easier to line up the metal edges of where the zip will go and also to allow for being able to manoeuvre the case around the sewing machine.
Try to work out where the seam will go for the sides of the case and then allow for the metal stoppers of the zip to finish just where you finish the seam for the side. This way when the case is complete the zip will close completely.

I've also made myself a camera case out of the same strips of fabric, for that I just added a draw string instead of a zip.

Papillion Quilt

Papillon Quilt

This is a quilt that I finished in March 2010 and it was my second finished quilt.

When I saw this quilt in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine, I couldn't wait for an excuse to make it. Then a girlfriend of mine told me that she was about to have a baby girl...

The pattern for this quilt is from Australian Better Homes and Gardens Magazine February 2008, Pages 26, 165-166. The quilt pattern is called Papillon.

The butterfly and birds are temporarily secured to the quilt with Vliesofix before they are quilted on. I did each one at a time, as I have been told that it can come off and make a mess if it's not sewn.

Some of the fabrics in this quilt are vintage Australian flora prints. Note the Sturt Desert Pea in two of the different fabrics.

Note the original border that I had for the quilt. It was a mix of cotton and poly cotton and I found that it stretched too much as I was working with it, so I removed it and added the plain homespun purple fabric instead. I think that comparing the two, in the end I made the best choice. The plain purple 'frames' the quilt nicely, whereas the purple patterned fabric is too busy.

This is actually the best photo that I have of the butterflies close up, the rest were too blurry or the light wasn't right. (Note to self, take better photos of my quilts and lots of them!)

It's hard to see, but with the butterflies I haven't just sewn them on in any of the standard applique styles. I've actually sewn all over the butterfly as if to mimic the veins of the insect.

Again this photo shows the original border that I had on the quilt.

 I had this quilt professionally quilted by the same lady who did my first quilt (and a few more later on). The quilted pattern is flowers with hearts as the leaves. On the top the quilt the thread used was variegated green, yellow, blue and red and on the bottom side of the quilt the thread was pink to blend in with the backing fabric.

The binding is pink homespun fabric which I thought would contrast with the purple borders on the front and the light pink butterfly fabric I've used as the backing.

The back of the quilt. Thought I'd be a bit quirky and add an extra butterfly so it didn't look too boring.