Overnight / Laundry Bags

This was a fun scrap project for my friend's nieces and nephew.  The often go on sleepovers, so we thought they would enjoy having a good-sized bag to use for overnights now and for laundry when they go off to college. I let my friend raid my scrap collection, so she picked the fabrics for the bags. Since it was so close to Christmas, I went ahead and did all the sewing to save time.

The first bag was for a mature 12-year old. I actually had used these fabrics together before for my own laundry bag  (which I apparently never posted). We added in a few more teals and golds to make enough scraps for the bag.

This bag was also for a 12-year old girl, but she likes cats and everything princess.

I didn't have any scraps of pink long enough for a strap and the top drawstring, so I used a glittery batik that had mostly the right colors.

The last bag was for a 7-year-old boy. He loves monkeying around, so it seemed natural to give him a monkey bag.

With all three bags, I did different sized patches for the majority of the bag. I used one piece of fabric for the top drawstring so that it would be stronger and less likely to rip out with opening and closing all the time.

All three have the same interior, an unbleached muslin.  I am a fan of light colored linings for bags because it makes it easier to see what is inside.

Once I finished, I wanted one for me. It was a fun project, and I smile every time the kids are visiting their Auntie and they have their bags.

Netbook Bag

 This is a new design I tried for a friend for Christmas last year. She had a netbook bag she used as both a purse and a computer bag that she loved, but it was falling apart. I actually repaired it a few months before a mutual friend suggested that I simply make her a new one.

She is a huge coffee fan, so I picked a coffee themed cotton for the interior, and a red microsuede for the exterior. Just like her old bag, I used velcro to fasten all the little pockets.

 I put a compartment in front for all the little accessories that come with having a computer.

And a long thin pocket in back for papers and other such things.

Overall, it turned out nice, and is only as big as a netbook. I am thinking of making one for me, so I can stop putting my netbook into a huge laptop bag.

Amanda's Baby Quilt

 

I think I will always be working on a baby quilt. And I have to say, I love it. This one was a self-imposed challenge. I don't have much extra cash, and I wanted to make a nice quilt for my cousin's new baby, who was just born and needs a name. Anyway, my challenge was to make a new quilt unlike any I have done using only scraps.

I love this lamb fabric for a boy, and I had a fair bit left from this quilt, so I was looking for fabric to match. The green was an accident. I happened to have some fabric from a bear quilt out as well and was seeing if I could make a match, when I noticed that the blue, aqua and green were all the same fabric print and looked rather nice together. On the down side, I had less than a quarter yard of each, so I needed something else to go with it. I found the fluffy white material left over from a lamb quilt I made a few months ago, and it seemed to be perfect. I like making quilts that have some texture for a baby. It gives them something interesting to touch while they play or sleep on the quilt.

My biggest challenge was the backing. I dug and dug thinking I would never find a fabric that both worked and that I had enough of, but then I found this one. It isn't quite the same as the other vine print, but it was close enough in color and design that I thought it was perfect. I just finished with some green DMC thread, and I think it turned out great!

(30 x 40 Squares and Stripes, Finished 7-17-14)

Deb's Purse

This was a long-over-due present for my aunt Deb. About eight years ago, I found this wonderful pattern called "The Bow-Tucks Purse". I tried it and fell in love with it. I asked my aunt if she wanted one, and she did, so we went out and picked fabric.

Somehow, I managed to make at least 8-10 more bow-tucks purses without ever doing this one. I even gave her one, but this fabric just sat.

So, eight years over due, I finally sat down and made it up for her,

I put ribbon along the inner pocket to make it pop a little.

Deb likes purses with long handles. I also played around with iridescent thread on the quilting. It makes for a rather playful accent.

Sangita's Bookmark

While on chemo, I was often too tired to quilt. I also had a ton of appointments with hours in waiting rooms. So, I taught myself how to do shuttle tatting. I really enjoy the rhythm of it, and it is by far the easiest craft I have found to take with me. I can fit everything I need in a sandwich-baggie and it doesn't add too much weight to my purse. I'll post some more tatting later.

Megan Grace's Quilt

I love teaching others how to sew. I've had the chance now to teach two little girls how to make a quilt. Megan Grace was 10 when we worked on this quilt together. I did the rotary cutting, but she did all the sewing on the top.  She also picked out the fabric herself.

This was one of the projects affected by my illness though, so I ended up doing the finishing work for her (sewing the top to the bottom and doing the ties, etc.). I really think she did a wonderful job. This was her first time using a sewing machine. She told me that the quilt would be for her doll, Magic.

Oh, what a year!

 

Some may have noticed that I abruptly stopped posting after stating that I was ill. This was a bit of an understatement. I was diagnosed with breast and thyroid cancer and have been busy with treatments and everything else that being seriously ill causes. I am still not 100% yet. In fact, I still have thyroid cancer, though hopefully the surgery later this week will take care of that. While I was in chemo and radiation and recovering from surgeries, I did craft a little, and I hope to post pictures of what I did. I also took an art class (2D design/drawing), so I have some art to post as well.

A-Z Challenge

Due to health reasons, I can't keep up with the A-Z Challenge this year. I'll likely finish the challenge when I feel better. Good luck to everyone!

Log Cabin

By far, my favorite block is the Log Cabin. It all started when my college roommate wanted to learn how to quilt and asked me to join her in a star quilt class. She also picked up this book:

The class was a bust, but the book was perfect! If I hadn't tried my second quilt, a twin sized log cabin, I likely would not be a quilter. I hated cutting out all the little triangles for the star quilt, but I loved the strip quilting method.


Since then, Log Cabins have remained my favorite. They are fast and easy, finding colors is fun, and they offer a lot of variety in the layout phase.

A pinwheel layout for my aunt Deb.

A barn raising layout for a colorful mini quilt.

A very small tester to see if the colors work well. I don't have the final quilt's picture because it was before I had a digital camera. I call this quilt my blue willow quilt because it looks just like the china pattern.

I had some fun quilting this one... I wasn't very good at it, but I gave it a shot!

Other "l" words included a set of coffee can luminarias I tin-punched and painted (I'll likely blog about them eventually), and lace.

Knitting

Knitting is something I do on occasion. I don't have any pictures of the items I've knit, so here is a picture that is similar to a dishcloth pattern I use.

I would not call myself an expert knitter. I can read a pattern and mostly succeed with small projects, but that's about it. My problem isn't really my lack of skill, but rather my lack of practice. It's just that most patterns one can knit are also available to people who crochet. Anyone "in the know" can clearly spot a pattern that has been knit versus one that was crocheted, but for the most part, the average person can't tell. So, the reason I'm bad at knitting is that I really enjoy crocheting. I feel like I can go faster (always a plus for me), and I stress out less about crocheting. Why is knitting stressful? At any given time, the knitter has to keep track of 60-300+ loops. If even one loop is lost, the project may unravel and look bad. Recovering a lost loop is possible, but not easy. On the other hand, crocheting only has one main loop and normally around 6 or so if the crocheter happens to be in the middle of a stitch. More loops are sometimes needed for really crazy projects, but typically a crocheter uses only about 4 at a time. If a loop is dropped, the crocheter can pull out the stitch until there is only one loop and start again. It is basically impossible for a huge mishap to occur while crocheting (unless a dog or cat is involved, and they chew through an already crocheted part).

This is my first crocheted afghan. I  don't often take pictures of finished crochet projects because I often view them as utilitarian rather than artistic.

Jelly Rolls

Jelly rolls, like fat quarters, are a cut of fabric. They get their name from the way they are often packaged- all rolled up.

Normally jelly rolls come with a dozen different colors adding up to 40 strips of fabric. The average jelly roll strip is 2.5" x 44".

  

There are lots of books available that give instructions for making a jelly roll quilt. I haven't tried one yet, but I would like to someday.

Iridescent Thread

Iridescent thread can add a new dimension to your sewing project, or it can be a major pain. I think attitude plays a big role, but really, the needle plays the largest role.

When using iridescent thread in cross stitch, it often looks like the picture above. It can tangle horribly, and if it comes in a cross stitch kit, it is often shorter than the typical length of thread I prefer to use. In addition to tangling, this is made of a plasticy material that can stretch out and break. The needle can also cut it if the eye is too sharp. On the other hand, the finished design has a lovely sparkle. It is perfect for snow, faerie wings, and twinkling stars. I actually really love the finished look, so it is worth the pain of doing the stitching.

Quilters and machine embroiders also use iridescent thread. It is easier to manage when sold on a spool, but there are still many problems one runs into when using it. The needle can cut the thread if the eye is too sharp. I recommend using a special machine embroidery needle. Even with the needle, some threads shred too easily. The other common technique is sewing from the wrong side with the iridescent thread on the bobbin. Then the thread never goes through the eye, and is much less likely to shred. This technique is difficult to do on a quilt that follows the lines, but it works great on over-all patterns. Often, people will quilt it twice if they want to follow the lines... once with a basting thread on the right side, and one with the iridescent thread in the bobbin on the wrong side, following the basting lines. Again, it's a pain, but on a small project it might be worth it.

Half Square Triangle

School has been crazy, so it's catch up time!

"Half square triangles" is another one of those funny quilting terms. It basically means a quilt block where the block is cut in half on the diagonal creating two triangles. This "Lady in the Lake" block features one large half square triangle surrounded by 16 smaller half square triangles.

I was going to explain how to cut and sew a half square triangle, but I'll let you read all about it here:

www.patchwork-and-quilting.com

When I've been unsure that my measurements were right, they steered me in the right direction!

Grocery Sacks

For a couple of summers, I tried making and selling grocery sacks at the farmer's market. In that time, I sold one, gave one to a nice gal who gave me a bunch of veggies and sold 18 to family members. So, I generally don't make grocery sacks anymore. The problem is that there are too many cool sacks already on the market, and after paying for the supplies, I can't price them high enough to make up for my time. No one wants to pay $8-15 for a grocery sack.

I really do love using them though. Because they are made from twill or 2 layers of cotton, they are very sturdy and very washable. I used colored twill tape for the handles, so they are also very sturdy and make it easy to carry a bunch at a time. They are deceptively huge. I used a half yard of fabric on each, so they open up to approximately 40" circumference. My biggest problem is that when I take them to the store, the baggers will fill the full enough that I have a hard time lifting them. The bags can handle it, but I can't. I tested the bags when I first made them, and I could carry a 35 lb bag of cat litter in them without a problem. I didn't bother testing further because who carries more than 35 lbs in a grocery sack?

I based my design on the typical plastic bag-  folded on the sides and gathered on the bottom. This allowed me to use the salvage edge for the side seam. Then I used a french seam on the bottom (that would have mad a good "F" word too). A French seam involves sewing once with the bad sides together, turning the fabric, trimming, and then sewing the normal way with the good sides together. By doing this, the seam is totally encapsulated and basically can't ravel. I turned the top down by 1 inch, using a rolled hem, so there are absolutely no edges that can ravel. I was really proud of my design, and I get lots of people at the store telling me "you should sell those!" I just smile and nod and say, "Yes, I should."

Fat Quarter

 Most quilters know what a fat quarter is, but it can be somewhat confusing for a first-time quilter. Here are the basics. Quilting fabric tends to be around 42-45" wide and is normally sold by the yard. Quilts often don't take a full yard of some fabrics, so quilters will ask for part of a yard. When asking for a quarter of a yard, the quilter will end up with a piece of fabric that looks like the darker section on this yard of fabric:

So, the quilter ends up with a piece that is about 45" long and 9" wide. This may work for some patterns, but not all, so the fat quarter was invented. This cut of fabric is almost never done off of the bolt. Instead, the store will cut a half yard of fabric and then cut it in half again the other way like this:

The fat quarter ends up being 18" wide and about 22" long. Then the quilter has the same amount of fabric in square inches, but the shape is much more likely to work for more designs.

There are lots of quilting books dedicated to quilting with fat quarters. I've not worked with them much beyond making purses, but I did do this fat quarter quilt with both fat quarters and scraps.

Other F words I considered included fabric, felting, fusible fabric, fleece, and feed dogs. Check back again on Monday for more A-Z challenge posts!