This Week in the Studio

My sister-in-law picked up her "Hey Mercedes" bag from Sara Lawson's Windy City Bags.

Of course I had to make myself one, too.

Only one side of the bag has an outer pocket.  There are two zippered pockets inside.

Adding the gusset/bottom of a constrasting fabric worked well.

Meanwhile, it's t-shirt quilt time.  This is the second one I have done for this mom.  The first was for her older son, the hockey nut.  This younger son is all about firefighting. 

All the bits are connected and currently at Terri and Frank's being longarmed. 

Yesterday at the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild meeting, we did our pin cushion swap.  This is what I received from Iris, and I love it.  Victorians thought tomatoes ensured prosperity and warded off evil spirits.  Since tomatoes are seasonal, the sewing community co-opted this symbol for their pin cushions!  I love the strawberry filled with emery sand so I can keep my needles sharp. 

Thanks to Melissa, I learned how to make this pin cushion and did one for my partner Sue R in Marcia Derse fabrics but forgot to photograph it.  This "practice" pin cushion has been gifted to guild buddy Mary.  

It's time to turn to and get into Easter mode - lots of lamb cake baking this week and minimal sewing. Which for this week is fine. This will be a time for some creative ideas to percolate.

The Chicago MQG Retreat at Siena Center

Eleven 6" rows of every color in the spectrum.  My design wall is 7' across and 8' down.  So this quilt - whether the background is black or light - will be spectacular and big.  I'm pretty happy to get this in process - its been an unstarted project for over 4 years. 

 The other project I started is something that will hang in my living room.  It's a smaller version of the Elliptical Drunkard's Path in a much narrower colorway. 

The weekend was a good one for many reasons - beautiful setting, excellent table mates, wonderful friends, great walking weather, and tons of creativity. But one of the things I loved most was working on my mom's 1948 Singer Featherweight - it's the machine I learned to sew on. I even took it to college with me in my sophomore year at Milligan. It is the perfect machine for piecing. I will for sure do the entire Elliptical Drunkard's Path on this machine. It will never be good for quilting or going through thicknesses, like purse straps, but it is a honey of a machine for piecing and I was glad to remaking my acquaintance with it!

Today in the Studio: A Picture Post

Using these peppered shot cottons and a smaller version of my elliptical drunkard's path template to make a 40" by 45" wall hanging for my living room.

Packing up "Jazz Piano" to gift to the Siena Center for one of their auctions or for their gift shop.  Since I started this piece there in 2014 and it has yet to be claimed, this seems appropriate.

Packing a prepackaged set of Jinny Beyer palette fabrics to make something.  There's the picture of the suggested project.  Also taking my bag of Allison Glass leftovers from our Ann Arbor Modern Quilt Guild Swap.  Just in case...

Finishing today - I hope, among the madness of packing for the weekend retreat in Racine - these two Hey Mercedes bags from Sara Lawson's 2nd book, Windy City Bags.  

Rejoicing in the completion of this scrappy Log Cabin project

Really Stepping Out of my Safe Zone

 (forgive the rather long introduction of how I came to evaluate the Craftsy Class on Essential Techniques for Sewing Knits...)

I am a quilter who also loves - thanks to Sara Lawson's various bag patterns and books - to make bags and purses.   Sara unwittingly pointed me into a new direction - wanting to make clothing - when she created a new fabric line, Jungle Avenue.  I saw Dotted Boulevard in a knit and thought it would make a great something.  So I bought three yards.  And this lovely fabric has been sitting in my studio for the past two years, being very very patient.  In full disclosure I must admit that I am no stranger to Craftsy and have bought clothing patterns and kits there during this time, all with the three yards of Dotted Boulevard in mind. See below.

This past winter I bought a knit top, perfect for outdoor walking in the spring and fall.  It was super on-sale - and also several inches too long.   And I still didn't know how to work with knits. When Sara asked if I would take a Craftsy class and evaluate it, it took me just a few minutes to find the Essential Techniques for Sewing Knits knits.

My goals in taking this class were to be able to hem my sports top using my regular sewing machine,
make a t-shirt and/or a dress, and figure out what to do with my Dotted Boulevard knit.  And I definitely reached these first two goals.

This class was divided into five chapters - 1) Different Knits  2) Cutting and Marking Patterns 3) Hemming Knits  4) Garment Details, and 5) Sewing a V-neck Binding.   Look!  Chapter 3 - just what I wanted!  I did watch all five chapters in order, and each one was more than useful.  I am a genius with quilting cottons but knew nothing about knits.  Something basic like cutting out pattern pieces one at a time rather than in multiple layers (like you would do with quilting) was good for me to learn.  So was you should not pin pattern pieces but instead use weights.  After Chapter Three I had to start putting into practice what I was learning. 

marking the folding and pinning lines - using double-sided fusible to stabilize the hem while sewing

I don't have a serger and don't intend to get one. So I was thrilled to learn how to use a double needle, which all of our machines are capable of using. On the fabric top there are two parallel rows of stitches. But on the bottom side there is a zig-zag stitch, perfect for hemming knits.  One of the instructors was very clear to use the appropriate needle, one with a ball point end.  The hem on my purchased top turned out very well.

My machine ready for the twin needle

Just like purse making, it all starts with cutting out the pattern pieces

My sporty athletic top (not the look I was going for) on the bottom, and a striped tunic.  I'm proud of the workmanship on these sleeves and the necks. The top is Rowe's Tunic/Top, and the grey stripe dress is The Bess Top by Imagine Gnats. 

Yoke detail from the back of the shirt

This Craftsy class gave me a context for knits and the skills and tips needed to work with them.   Like anything else, working with knits is a skill;  I'm confident I'll continue to improve this skill, especially since I can go back to any of the lessons at any time.  The first top I did is the one to the left.  That neckline was a traditional v-binding, and it went very well.  However, the grey-stiped dress did not have a pattern piece for the neckline - directions said to bind with bias.  But something said in Lesson 4 came back to me:  the neckline binding is 7/8" of the finished neckline.  And using this little gem, the neckline on the grey dress worked quite well!

So next week, perhaps I will use the shirt pattern with the interesting yoking, using a solid black knit for the sleeves and neck and add pockets and turn Dotted Boulevard into a summer dress with pockets.  Perhaps.  If I can drag myself away from the two Hey, Mercedes bags I've started.  At least I know I can!  This Craftsy class was a huge success! 

Top 10 of Quilty Procrastination

 10.  Finish basting the cheery scrappy Log Cabin and make the binding.

9. Retype my log-in and password cheat sheet.

 8. Study what's on the design wall, a piece named "Carolyn Friedlander meets Yoshiko Jinzenji.  I know I want to sashiko quilt this piece.  I just don't know how. 

7.  Talk myself out of doing the machine quilting on the Scrappy Log Cabin, like right now.  I really like doing straight line machine quilting with my walking foot.  (Of course I would prefer to have this quilt long-armed, but My Answer is Yes really drained my long-arming account....).  Quilting this quilt will be my reward for doing the Knit class evaluation.

6.  Dither about which fabrics to use for the sleeves on the back of the Elliptical Drunkard's Path and My Answer is Yes.   I don't want to use fabrics I love, but I also don't want to use dorky fabrics (***For cry eye, Donna, these are just sleeves for the back of a quilt...***)  Remember to tell Jacquie G how much you rely on her Quilt Sleeve tutorial.

5.  Start a new project box for The Chicago Modern Quilt Guild Medallion Sew-A-Long.

4.  Rearrange the studio tables.

3.  Vacuum.  Seriously.

2. Wonder if John's sisters weren't right when they questioned why I wanted to work with knits and do clothing...

1.  Blog about what I am not doing.  Not only do I have several kits of knits and clothing patterns, I have told Sara Lawson I would be a guest blogger at Sew Sweetness on March 7.  My topic is the evaluation of a chosen class from Craftsy,  Essential Techniques for Sewing Knits.  I've watched 3/5th of the class and have learned a lot.  And it's time to put what I've learned into practice.  But I'm dragging my feet.  Perhaps tomorrow....

Basting, Sleeving, and Gifting

 Steps for basting my scrappy log cabin:

1.  Prepare backing from various leftover fabrics
2. Spread on the studio floor
3.  Call John to help arrange the batting and top
4.  Put the studio tables together lengthwise (love those locking casters)
5.  Gently fold the whole shebang together, transfer it to the tables,  and begin the pinning process

Once this quilt is basted, I need to put it aside and return to my knit project and put two sleeves on quilts that will be displayed at the International Quilt Festival in Rosemont in April.  My Elliptical Drunkard's Path and My Answer is Yes were both accepted - I'm pretty happy about this!  Since sleeving involves hand sewing, I think that's what I'll do at this Saturday's Chicago Modern Quilt Guild Sew-In in Lockport.

My sister-in-law Kim told me that my great nieces are requesting little purses, and she gave me the dimension and asked for Velcro closures.  But the Velcro was giving me fits - it was just too gummy.  So I went the magnetic snap route.  And kind of like with snaps, there's a bit of dyslexia that happens.  But, the three are done.  I hope the girls gives the ickiest one to Isla - she's only 4 and won't notice it's poorly made! 

Two Sloan Travel Bags, Completed

 

These Sloan Travel Bags (pattern by Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness) are completed, and I am very pleased with them.  Our trip to New Zealand last spring was of the nature and hiking variety, not the shopping kind.  We did run across one fabric store outside of Auckland which seemed to special in Civil War reproduction fabrics.  And I pretty much reconciled myself to not finding any fabrics indicative of New Zealand.  However, on the South Island in the relatively small town of Oamaru which we went to for the penguin nests, I found a fabric shop directly across the street from our "Fawlty Tower"-esque hotel.  And here were a handful of New Zealand fabrics.  The black and white one represents the various weaving patterns the Maori used.  The red-black-cream fabric uses Maori symbols.  Can you see the black-and-white ferny fabric on the side of the red/black/cream bag?  Ferns are ubiquitous, and there are some kiwis hidden among the frond.  The outer pockets on both bags are a black-on-black print featuring fern fronds. That one highly-saturated red became the pockets in the lining of both bags. 

My favorite part of the bag-making process:  the outer bag and lining bag ready for the magic!

This bag has a wide zippered closure at the top. 

Two zippered pockets on the inside, two pockets on each end, and a fob for a key, a feature which I think is a necessity in a travel bag.

The two outer pockets with a magnetic snap

Meanwhile, this scrappy log cabin is in one big piece, and I have decided to do an inner yellow border and then an outer piano key border.  I've done this once before and remember loving the look.  And if it's one thing I have, it's more scraps.  There's a little reminder in the bottom corner of this picture that I need to get moving on this knit clothing project.  Maybe not this week, but certainly next!

6.5" logs awaiting assembly for the piano key outer border

Bags in Process

Did you see this fabulous Sloan Travel Bag I finished a few weeks ago?  I love how it turned out and decided to use these fabrics I bought in New Zealand last spring to make two more bags.  These fabrics are based on Maori designs, and I was thrilled to find them in Oamaru on the South Island .  This bag is 19" x 15" by 7" and perfect for travel.  But - and this is a pretty big but - it has a lot of parts.  I have spent two days cutting the outer, lining, and interfacings.  There are 7 pockets - 3 with zippers and two with snapping flaps.  The bag itself has a zipper closure.  But here's the other but:  the payoff is a big one.  These bags are designed well (thank you, Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness), absolutely practical,  and meant to last. 

My bolt of Soft and Stable ready for cutting

In some ways purse and bag making is like doing a jigsaw puzzle.  Which fabrics to use and how to use them are part of the fun.  First you have to make the pieces and then you have to figure out how to assemble them.  Good thing I have always liked puzzles! 

A couple of little zip pouches, just to use my machine on these days of cutting and interfacing.  Fellow retired English teacher Carol got the bag with commas.  She was pretty happy with it. 

Scrappy Log Cabin in Process

I have scraps.  My scraps have scraps.  Seriously, I have several baskets of scraps.  And every so often I use them.  This project is one of them.  But don't confuse a scrap project with a crap project.  I have done some fabulous things with scraps.  Long-time friends Ed and Marge (John and I taught with Ed at Farragut, and then Ed and I were transferred to Englewood HS together) just bought a home in Wisconsin, and this quilt is for their new place.  Marge likes bright and cheery and is fairly traditional.  So, what a great opportunity to use some of my scraps and revisit what is perhaps my favorite quilt block of all time - the log cabin.  These blocks above have  3" center because I found a stack of blue blocks that were 3.5"   Using 2.5" for the width of each log, the finished block is 11.5" square.  There are 10 blue-yellow, 10 green-blue, and 10 yellow-green blocks.  As I was putting these blocks together, I began to realize that the greens and blues are darker than I intended.  So here's how I first put these blocks on the design wall:

I left two inches between the blocks and auditioned some yellow sashing in the upper left corner and a green floral sashing in the upper right corner.  Sashing would be more work but would also create a bigger quilt.  This arrangement creates a diagonal design - sort of.  Then I began to think about group the blocks to create on-point squares:

Can you see the blue and green clusters?  I can't because the yellow dominates.  So I decided to go with letter the yellows be the star.

At the first QuiltCon in 2014 I heard Heather Grant give a talk about the growth and development of modern quilting, and she observed that the affordable digital camera has been an absolute game changer.  And she's right.  What a luxury it is to be able to look at these design changes and be thoughtful about what I want to do next.

My decision - although I will take a day to let all this percolate - is to go with the first design and use yellow to sash and separate these blocks.  Although I did think about incorporating some purple:

Maybe it's time to get Marge involved in the decision-making...

The Die is Cast

For almost two years I have had three yards of a knit print - Dotted Boulevard, an Art Galley Jungle Avenue knit designed by Sara Lawson.  I even bought some patterns.  But truly I don't know how to work with knits.  When I muttered something about being unsure how to finish knit seams, several friends told me to google and look for tutorials.   A great idea but I haven't done it yet.  Meanwhile, Craftsy had several end-of-the-year sales that were too good to pass up.  And I bought the above - patterns with fabrics.  And seriously, each kit was under $25.  I do want to tackle these, but I haven't had great success with clothing in the past.  And I'm the one who just cut up two jackets and turned them into purses. 

Over the weekend Sara Lawson emailed and asked if I would be a guest blogger at Sew Sweetness in March, evaluating a class of my choice from Craftsy.  I looked at the classes, and - amazing coincidence - there are several involving sewing with knits.  The one that appeals to me the most is Essential Techniques for Sewing Knits.  So, the die is cast. 

My plan for February:

1. take/watch the class and apply what I've learned to the patterns/kits I bought
2. document/photograph the process
3. evaluate the class
4. write the blog entry in time for the March 7 posting

Ok!  We've got a plan!