Monday Muse

The fun little thing I tried this week was the checkbook cover by Crazy Mom Quilts. I probably should have made just a simple one before I dove into a pieced one. But I wanted one with houses to cover my business checks. I thought it would go along with my logo. I didn’t know if I would have time to make two so I just jumped in feet first.

First I took a few 1/2 square triangles out of my triangle drawer. You know all those ones you end up with when you sew a small square onto a rectangle or square and then cut the extra triangle off. Well I usually will mark a line a 1/4 inch from my first seam and then sew a 1/4 inch from that line so I get a free 1/2 square triangle when I cut it off. Then I put it in my 1/2 square triangle drawer for use later. Well anyway I took a few of these and cut them in half so I would have the right angle for roofs for my houses. Then I cut some triangles to put on the other side of the roof. Added a little square and wha la a little house was born. I made three of these added strips between so it measure the right size for Amanda Jean’s checkbook cover.

This is where it would have been helpful if I had made a simple one first. Then I would have known how tall to make the pieced houses. I guess I could have measured my checkbook, but where’s the fun in that? Instead I just sewed fabric on the top and bottom. I knew what size to make the bottom piece because the tutorial said how far to turn that up. But with the top I just added enough to make it the finished size. Well my cordinating fabric came down too far and looked funny above my houses. So I made a pocket to put a pen in to cover that up. Problem solved and now maybe I won’t lose my pen. One can hope.

So here it is. The front…

And the back.

Thanks Amanda Jean for such a great tutorial.