Some UFO Finds and Finishes. Fabric Box Tutorial

As I continue to look through all my sewing boxes I have discovered some projects from quite a while back.
I had some pot holders and a double glove and two single gloves made with puppy fabric and I used wool fabric as the heat resistant insides. When they got too grubby and were a few years old I picked them apart to get the wool fabric out and started making them over with owl fabric. I finished the pot holders and one glove and nearly finished the double glove. I found the double glove again with the long piece in owl fabric and the two single pieces still with puppy fabric. I decided that out of the box and into the kitchen again was better than thinking about changing out the puppy fabric. It was a done deal when I found a good length of bias strip all ready to go in my little box of binding left overs.

Then I found a cute little scissor holder that I made several years ago. You can get the free pattern from my blog post of Jan 2012.
I used sticky velcro dots to velcro it to my sewing machine. I had to sew the dot on the fabric. Now I can look at it all the time.

Next was two sets of 10" squares ready to make into little boxes. The original boxes turned out very little but I decided to make these two a bit bigger so they would be more useful. I now have a pretty thread catcher and a reel saver (I tend to knock them off or they roll off). I like to have my most used cottons just next to me.

Start with two 10" squares and put interfacing on the back of each.

With right sides together stitch all around except for a gap on one side for turning. Press the seam allowance down along the gap. Trim the corners.

Turn and press.

Fold up and pin the gap side and the other side.

Stitch close to the edge.

Bag the corners. Measure down the seam lines from the corners 2 1/2" and put in a pin. I then ruled a line in pencil.

Stitch straight across the corners level with the pin.

Stitch along the edges at each corner.

Stitch along the bottom edges and this holds the bagged corner pieces flat.

I am thinking a strip of rick rack braid sewn around the top edge will look nice as well as make the top edge a bit firmer. I will do that when I find my rick rack braid. I found the ribbons but now I can't remember where the rick rack is. I am starting up a big box for ribbons and braids and laces. Soon they will all be in one place. Yay!

When I was looking for the carrot scissor holder pattern I realised that I have quite a few free patterns from over the years. Have a look through. Here is the link to all my posts with the label 'free pattern'.

Happy Quilting and Crafting,
Val

Some Domestic Sewing - Market Bags

This morning I stood at door to my sewing room and sighed. I don't even feel comfortable showing you a picture of it. I am determined to look at everything before it is put away so setting up my sewing room is quite a task.
There is no rush though and I am quite enjoying finding 'lost' projects or fabrics that were bought for a particular project that was never started. I have a lot of little projects that need attention as I go through the boxes.

Yesterday it was a tiny triangle thread catcher that was fabric triangles with wadding. I stitched it up and still have to put two more buttons on it. When I finish it it will go on my bedside table to hold my earring studs when I take them off before bed. I don't always wear earrings but I hate it when they roll of the table before I get to put them back in the jewellery case.

Now for a market bag.

Today I came across the curtain fabric samples that I bought cheap from a curtain shop. I made one market bag from them years ago. Now, instead of putting them in a box, I am making more bags. I have finished one and the second one is ready to be sewn. There is more that I haven't cut off, hanging in the wardrobe but I think that can wait until my sewing room is tidy.

I used a green bag to get an approximate size. I was able to cut off a 4" strip for the handles. My rectangles for each side of the bag are 59cm wide by 41cm down. I used two pieces wrong sides together for each side to make it really strong.

I pressed each short handle piece in half, opened it out, then pressed the edges into the centre and folded it down the centre again. I opened it out then stitched each strip together to make one long strip. I then folded it as I stitched the open edge then the folded edge. I used 233 cm of handle strip. This is a standard way to make handles.

I stitched the bottom seam with two rows. I then turned down 2.5cm across each top edge and stitched it down 14cm in from each side. The side sections will get turned down after I do the side seams.

I layed out the handle strip so it went all the way around and joined up under the bottom of the bag. Between the outside edges of the handles measured 21cm and the length of the handle sticking over the top of the bag was 38cm so I could get two handle sets out of my strip.
(There is not much table space in my room at the moment!)

I stitched from the top of the bag, stitching a square before starting down one side of the handle. I stitched a square at the other end and stitched up the other side of the handle. I then finished the other handle section the same.

I then stitched the side seams and finished the top facing.

I decided to bag it to make a 4" base. I zig zagged over the first row of stitching just to make the corners a bit stronger. I also left the corner untrimmed so if the stitching does give way there isn't a hole in the bag.

To give it some nice definition I stitched each fold at the corners and I also stitched along the bottom folds.

Strong enough to hold a watermelon. It is on the bench here but I did test it out.

I need to make one for the doll too :)

This market bag is part of my year of gentle domesticity. I thought Jenny over at Jenny of Elefantz had a great idea to focus on the home this year.

Happy Quilting and Crafting,

Val

Sew Buttons on with your Machine

I made a short tutorial about sewing buttons on using your button foot and your sewing machine. This is such a time saving procedure and very easy to learn.
The tutorial is on my Doll Clothes blog here.

Happy Quilting and Crafting,
Val

Ruffle Roulette

I have spent a few hours trying to get the better of the ruffler foot. I have decided that the variables - tension, stitch length, fabric type and the way I hold my mouth -  make ruffling with the ruffle foot a bit random.

This is what the foot looks like:
You put the fabric to be ruffled under the foot as usual then slide the piece you want to attach it to in the slot.

Here is what I have discovered.

1. The type of fabric makes a huge difference. Just changing from printed quilting cotton to homespun makes a difference.
2. I have narrowed down the possibilities so I only have to do one test run to check if it works.
3. The most you can gather reduces the length by nearly half. So you need at least twice as much length for any project to be sure the ruffled bit will fit on the unruffled bit. Not sure about chiffon. It may ruffle more.
4. You have to guide the fabric with both hands to sew two pieces together. A very light touch with the left hand around the top strip and the right hand around the bottom strip. They tend to move left and right just a fraction otherwise.
5. I also learnt that dolly ruffle skirts need only a little bit of ruffle in each tier or they just stick out funny. I sewed with tension 7 and stitch length 2 (my tension guide goes to 9)
6. You can't fold the fabric and ruffle the raw edges. You need to do a rolled hem on one edge and ruffle the other.

I tried lots of different combinations and several types of fabric and wrote it all down like a science experiment.

My conclusion is that for my machine I will be using the following settings for most light to medium weight fabrics.
To sew a flat piece on while ruffling the bottom piece I will use tension 6 or 7 and stitch length 2.
For just ruffling I will use tension 6 and stitch length 3 or tension 5 or 6 and stitch length 4

I watched several tutorials on how to use the ruffler foot. They said attach it "like this" and "just sew and you get lovely ruffles". There wasn't much about what you could really do with it and how. I hope my little experiment inspires you to get your ruffler foot out and give it a go. I will definitely be using it more. It is so much easier than pulling up the threads and it tends to just sit there without unravelling like the pulled up thread does. There is no need to tie off the ends.

I will be making ruffles on doll skirts and little ruffle strips overlocked on each side and ruffled down the centre to sew on like lace. I may even make a cushion or pillow cover with ruffles one day.

Happy Quilting and Crafting,
Val

A little Heart Needle Book

I was surfing through Pinterest and the sites they lead to and came across a cute little heart needle book. I could see some potential for using applique paper and stiff bag interfacing to make the process suit me.
So, instead of cardboard for the covers I traced my heart onto freezer paper then ironed it onto the piece of stiff handbag interfacing I had on my sewing table. I cut it out then reused the freezer paper to make a second one. I wanted to fuse the fabric to these pieces so I cut out two squares of fusible applique paper and ironed them to the wrong side of my cover fabric then cut around them.

Using my teflon mat (it is actually a non stick teflon sheet meant for the frying pan) I ironed the square of fabric on top of the heart shaped interfacing. I peeled it off the teflon mat and trimmed around it to leave a 1/4 inch allowance to turn in.  I clipped and turned the allowance under. This part wasn't quite as tricky as I thought it might be. I did burn my fingers twice but I didn't get any glue on the iron. It sticks in place beautifully and makes sewing the lining and cover together easy.

I am a machine sewer rather than a hand sewer but it would be possible to make the cover using buttonhole stitch. I also struggle to tizzy things up. I love to look at all the beautiful embroidery and embellishments others use on their projects but can't quite get it all to come together. What I managed on the front of this needle book is about as good as it gets in my craft room but it does lend itself to a nice stitchery on the front or more buttons and beads or applique.

When I cut out the felt hearts I just reused the freezer paper heart two more times. I then trimmed it down to make the two inside hearts. I used the one piece 6 times. I am so glad I discovered freezer paper. When I did I bought a whole role of it. It will probably last me the rest of my life.

Now I have a little needle book to mind a needle when I bring one down to stitch something like a button and it won't get lost in the lounge. The one on Pinterest had a ribbon to tie on the right hand side but I am not much a tying ribbons on needle books.

I know what a pain it is to find just what you need in your carefully filed patterns or 'just draw a heart shape' so I have included the half heart image the same size as I used. Draw a line and trace half onto your freezer paper. Fold on the line and cut out along the half heart line so it ends up symmetrical. Heart shape PDF.

I have put together a few basic photos and instructions in a flickr set. You can look at it here.
If you pin one of the last two pictures  from this blog you can always find it later or you can go to the photo set and pin that. Hover the mouse over the image to see the pin button.

Comment options
Flickr
Pinterest

Happy Quilting and Crafting,
Val

Little Christmas Bits 21

Still a day behind. I have just about run out of steam and was thinking it is time to sit back and relax. But then I saw this log cabin santa pattern. One log cabin square makes two santas.
I used a 2 1/2 inch square to start then used 1 inch strips for logs. It turns out quite large. About a 7 inch square finished.

You can find the picture tutorial here.

My Flickr photo

Check out my Pinterest boards if you have nothing to do today.

Happy Quilting and Crafting,
Val

Quick Apron tutorial and a Gecko Mat with free gecko and leaf designs.

I picked up a couple of cute terry tea towels from Aldi that I new would make good somethings other than tea towels. This one is quick so there is nothing to download.

For the ties cut two 4" wof (from selvedge to selvedge) strips. I sewed then together to make one long strip. I left the selvedges on the tie ends. Make the ties by ironing in half then folding in the raw edges to the centre and folding in half again so the tie is 1" wide.

Sew right around close to the edges starting with the open edge.

Crease a fold in the tea towel then open it out and centre the tie against the fold line. Pin at each end to secure then fold over the tea towel. Pin for sewing.

Sew a rectangle starting along the folded edge about 1/4" in to secure the tie inside the folded tea towel. You are done.

Quick and easy.

Cute and small.

Practical.

What about a stunning gecko mat for the kitchen.

This fabulous gecko comes free from Fat Cat Patterns  I just printed it out and traced it in reverse. The line was dark enough to see through the paper when I turned it over. I had a colourful, tropical print and centred the fusible webbing cut out over the big flower. The background is  13" x 13".

I used machine buttonhole stitch to outline it. Then sprayed some decommissioned bath towel with basting glue and quilted it with some leaves I traced from the fabric.

I used my water soluble pink chalk pencil to draw them on the background.

I quilted, trimmed the edges and machine bound it with the matching tropical fabric.
My tutorial shows how I do the joining of the binding with a bias seam as well as more step by step.

You can pin this post for later.

 

Download the full mat tutorial from my Google Docs.
The leaves are fairly generic so even though I copied them from the fabric I don't think it will matter if I share the outlines here.
2 leaves jpg to download.
2 more leaves jpg to download.

I am linking up with Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts this week.

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Happy Quilting and Crafting,
Val