#MakeADalekMakeAFriend / Doctor Who Swap: The Pieces I Made!

#MakeADalekMakeAFriend / Doctor Who Swap: The Pieces I Made! {an Art School dropout's life}Last week I shared the package I received as part of the #MakeADalekMakeAFriend Doctor Who swap I participated in. This week I am sharing the pieces I made for my partner!

I wanted to try something new and different for this swap, because you know, I HAD to! I’ve seen many Doctor Who inspired quilts and I really wanted my partner to have something a little different. So I opened up EQ7 and designed a ROUND mini quilt. It was a bit different AND it helped feed my urge to sew more curved seams.

I printed out my pattern as a template, which was a first for me. I’ve never pieced using a bunch of separate templates. I’m use to paper piecing or basic shape piecing. I loved the outcome, but I’m not sure if I’m sold on the technique yet. I’ll keep trying though, because maybe the timing just wasn’t right. haha.

Anyway, back to the mini quilt… It is 16″ across and I used fabrics found in my stash, with the exception of the Tardis. I had to order some Kona Cotton in Royal for that piece. I used my Silhouette Cameo and some Sewable Interfacing to make the applique, and some Dark Fabric Tshirt Heat Transfer for the Police Box sign. I am in love with the way the Tardis came out!

#MakeADalekMakeAFriend / Doctor Who Swap: The Pieces I Made! {an Art School Dropout's life}#MakeADalekMakeAFriend / Doctor Who Swap: The Pieces I Made! {an Art School Dropout's life}

I wanted to go the next step and personalize the quilt with my partners name in Gallifreyan (the language of the Time Lords/The Doctor). I downloaded a “translator” and uploaded the image into my embroidery software. I then embroidered it onto the quilt at a random spot on the bottom left corner. I was so excited about this part, well, until I posted about it on Instagram and was kindly told it wasn’t written correctly!!!! It was embroidered with several layers of lines so removing it would most likely ruin that section of the quilt. I was upset, but figured it would make for a funny story when I wrote this blog post! I even wrote my swap partner a little note explaining it all.

#MakeADalekMakeAFriend / Doctor Who Swap: The Pieces I Made! {an Art School Dropout's life}After the embroidery fiasco, I went ahead and quilted it all just using straight lines that radiate from the “name” using the same thread.

I then bound the entire piece using bias cut binding, that was hand sewn on the back. It’s the same binding I used on the Quilted Table Topper from last week. I just loved it on that piece so much, I had to use it again. It’s perfect!

#MakeADalekMakeAFriend / Doctor Who Swap: The Pieces I Made! {an Art School Dropout's life}

I felt awful about the incorrect name on the quilt, so I went ahead and tried another a more reputable translator and went through the process again. This time I just made a super mini quilt and bound it like any other piece. I’m still not sure if the name is right, but I figured the effort would be well received? maybe?

#MakeADalekMakeAFriend / Doctor Who Swap: The Pieces I Made! {an Art School dropout's life}I also included a Tardis pin, a Tardis topped pen and a  reversible Weeping Angels Necklace I found online. The necklace is super neat! One side is the angel covering it’s eyes, the other side is all evil like. Ugh, I am not a fan of those angels!

My partner received her package over the weekend, and it seems like she really loved it! It was so much fun to make and I love any reason to step outside my creative comfort zone. If another one of these swaps ever comes up again, I’m totally signing up ASAP!

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A Drunkards Path Pillow: AKA My First Time Piecing Curved Seams

A Drunkards Path Pillow: AKA My First Time Piecing Curved Seams {an Art School dropout's life}A friend of mine celebrated her birthday a couple months ago and I really wanted to make her something neat. I wanted it to be a bit Halloween and a bit everyday casual. I had just bought the smaller Accuquilt Drunkards Path Die and I was itching to try it. I had never pieced a curved seam, so I had no idea if it would actually come out or not.

A Drunkards Path Pillow: AKA My First Time Piecing Curved Seams {an Art School dropout's life} A Drunkards Path Pillow: AKA My First Time Piecing Curved Seams {an Art School dropout's life} A Drunkards Path Pillow: AKA My First Time Piecing Curved Seams {an Art School dropout's life}Well, as you can see, it came out beautifully! So much so, I have been obsessed with sewing curves ever since. (Check back tomorrow and I’ll show you another curved piecing project).

The top is all fabric I had on hand. I love just picking from my Stash for projects like this. It gives it a more homey, scrappy feel. Also, as you can see, I have a thing for buying black and gray fabric, so it was neat seeing them all next to each other.

I quilted the top in the way I normally do, in a 45 degree angle. However this time I only did the corners and let the lines overlap. So there’s lines and squares. To stabilize the middle I also quilted around the middle circle and stitched in the ditch of the middle seams.

A Drunkards Path Pillow: AKA My First Time Piecing Curved Seams {an Art School dropout's life}

The back is Essex Yarn Dyed Linen in Black and is quilted with quick wavy lines. I added a (mostly) invisible zipper as the closure. I’m still getting the hang of zippers.

I also stepped outside my comfort zone and bound the edges instead of having inside seams. I think this may be one of my new favorite ways to finish a pillow! Also, its great for gifts because the recipient can take out the pillow form and just be left with a mini quilt to hang on the wall or something.

A Drunkards Path Pillow: AKA My First Time Piecing Curved Seams {an Art School dropout's life}

Now here’s where I will sound like the biggest jerk. I was planning on giving it to my friend in person soon after her birthday, but then I got super sick (pneumonia) and have been playing catch up since. She should be receiving the pillow in the mail TOMORROW! (oooh, now my friends reading this have to figure out which of them is receiving this pillow!! hahaha. I have a few gifts that just got mailed out, so really it could be any one of you.) I really hope she likes it.

A Drunkards Path Pillow: AKA My First Time Piecing Curved Seams {an Art School dropout's life}

I seriously can not wait until after the holidays, when I have more free time to mess around with this die. There are so many possibilities for these little quarter circles, and I feel like I’m just getting started.

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