Nifty Things I Want to Make...

Projects that I actually want to make...

To represent the flipside of my series of posts entitled Nifty Things I'm Never Going to Make, today's topic is a couple of projects that I actually want to make.

So why not just make them and post the results, you might ask?

The issue I have is that it would be difficult to get a decent result without appropriate fabric. And at this (near to end) point of my game, I'm hesitant to buy more fabric, simply because my priority is to use up what I have.

What do I mean about "appropriate" fabric?

image courtesy of Purl Soho...

Have you ever seen sewing projects with citrus or watermelon designs on them? Well, they wouldn't have quite the same impact if we didn't make them out of the right coloured fabrics, would we? Unless — for example — a brown-fleshed watermelon with a purple flowery rind is your thing. (It's like how I had to find some green fabric to make the leaves for my tulips earlier this year.)

There are just some things that are meant to have a certain finished look, otherwise there'd be little point in making them. (At least that's how I feel; YMMV.)

Which brings us to these two projects that are "nifty things I want to make". While not requiring rigid fabric choices like the examples that I just gave, they do need fabrics that combine well to achieve a certain vibe, for lack of a better explanation.

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Both projects are from AGF Studios, which I first featured in a blog post about four years ago. (They being the creators of the famous Tropical Rug.) Both projects are circular pieces of wall art... that I technically don't need, which is yet another hurdle that I'd have to clear, but let's not go there.

The first one is called Magical Moons and the templates provided in the PDF make two sizes, one 15" (38cm) and another 20" (51cm). There are no instructions included with the PDF; the "how to" is provided via a YouTube video.

image courtesy of AGF Studios...

I know what some of you might be thinking right now. What's so hard about finding the right fabric for this?

Well, believe me, I've picked through my stash and no combinations have given me the sense of "ooh, that's it" that I need to go forward.

image courtesy of AGF Studios...

The sky poses a big problem. I have very few pieces of solid colour fabric; in fact, maybe all I have is black and white. I tried laying out the project with a patterned fabric as the sky and it didn't work for me, likely because the stars and the quilting lines need a plain background to truly shine. (I try not to split my infinitives, but that one seemed necessary. ◔ ⌣ ◔)

image courtesy of AGF Studios...

The moon also gives me issues, but of a different sort. Obviously, a lighter, small print design fabric is best. I'm not overly fond of the fox or flower print used in these samples, but I can't argue that they're well suited. The facial features are still easy to pick out in both cases.

Perhaps some of you have better fabrics at your disposal and can undertake this very charming project.

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While Magical Moons was released in 2022, this next one, called Dusky Night, is from the current year. It finishes out to a larger circle, at 30" (76cm).

When I first saw this design, it reminded me of a set of framed prints that hubby and I purchased for our first business office. They were in shades of blue and gray and featured just rolling hills against a sky.

image courtesy of AGF Studios...

As far as making this goes, I'm in the same bind with this project as with the first. My lack of solid coloured fabrics to showcase quilting lines is a hindrance.

That said, this design seems to open up more options. Instead of a moon against a dark sky, one could easily make it a sun against a lighter sky. Instead of leafy shrubs, you could create your own cactus plants. Once you understand how the project goes together — and in this case, there are instructions in the PDF — there's no limit to what you can do to make it your own.

image courtesy of AGF Studios...

What I like about both of these is the free form quilting in the background. Especially on top of solid fabrics, the lines create added texture to the finished item. (And the fact that you can start with just a 15" circle makes them manageable quilting projects.)

image courtesy of AGF Studios...

Another thing that I like about these pieces is that they are really quite simple. They sort of give the impression of being difficult to do, but I really think that just about anyone with a bit of patience can achieve success with them. There aren't a lot of pieces and the quilting isn't regimented by any means; any mistakes — if you would even call them that — would be easy to hide.

This piece would make a statement in a hall or entryway of someone's home. If you have access to the "right" fabrics, why not give it a go?

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So have I piqued your interest with these nifty things that I actually want to make but really can't? I have a future plan to go through my closet to see if any of my clothes can be sacrificed in the name of art. It may be a new angle to explore that is more in line with my current sensibilities. Who knows, perhaps a couple of years down the road, you'll hear from me with a surprise post about it.

If you're interested in either one of these projects, go back to this 2019 post on AGF Studios and scroll down to the bottom. Use the link there to access their listing of free PDFs, which currently encompasses six pages. It's updated every month, but for now, both of these projects can still be found on the landing page.

I don't normally put my main patterns (i.e., ones that are priced above $3) on sale, but two of my older bag patterns are being offered over at Makerist this weekend for only $2: the Hot Hues Convertible Crossbody Fooler Bag and the Bodaciously Basic Bucket Bag. Sale lasts only through this weekend, so be quick if you want them.

'Til next...