Beflowered...Quilted!

Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed your holiday! I'm just popping in quickly to show you a quilt that I made the top for, a couple of months ago. I tested the Beflowered quilt pattern for Amanda Murphy Design (I *love* all of her patterns!). You can see my original post about this quilt here.

I gave this quilt to my mom for Christmas. I snipped the last threads off of it, oh, about an hour before lunch on Christmas Day. lol!!

I'm not sure if you can see by the photo, but I quilted the triangles, 1/4" off each seam. I left the appliqued black flower petals alone. I'm sure it would have looked better with some more creative quilting, but I do like how it turned out. And if you check my original post, you'll see that the quilt did not have straight edges, but more of a large zig-zag edge...I knew I would not have time to finagle the binding on that one, so I trimmed it to be straight before I bound it.

I want to take a minute to thank you for reading my blog this year...I hope you have a happy New Year full of lots of time for sewing! :-) I am not sure how much I will be able to post in January, as I'm working on some new (free) bag patterns for you, to be posted here and on Pellon Projects (I am writing 2 of them as we speak, with plans to finish them in the next 4-6 weeks). And a couple of secret projects, but more on those later in the year. :-)

Christmas Tree Skirt

So! I've finally finished my Christmas tree skirt! I sort of took my time on this one. I've felt slightly lackluster about sewing lately, probably because of all the other things that need to be organized for the holiday. But, Christmas is almost hear, so time to relax and have a cup of hot cocoa.

I used Kim's magnificent tree skirt tutorial for this project. It utilizes the Drunkard's Path blocks.

Fabric - I used 13 different fat quarters for my prints (well, really they were 1/2 yard pieces, but I only used half of each). For the solids, I purchased 4 different 1/2 yard pieces. I had extra left over of the solids, so I used the remnants of those to cut bias strips (each strip I cut at 4"), pieced them together, then used my ruffler foot to make the ruffles (although you can also gather them by machine by running 2 rows of basting and pulling the threads). I had barely enough of the ruffles (in fact, I had to let some ruffle out in order to make it all the way around the circle!). For the backing, I used 1 yard of a candy cane striped fabric. I didn't have any batting on hand, so I used 1 yard of Pellon Thermolam (it's 1-sided fusible, so I fused it onto my tree skirt top and quilted it).

I used my Accuquilt GO! Baby to cut the fabric for this project, although you can certainly use any Drunkard's Path template (they are 3-1/2" squares that finish up at 7" blocks when piecing 4 together).

Pattern Pieces - There were no pattern pieces, although I did borrow my grandmother's tree skirt to trace it onto newspaper so that I could transfer the markings to my tree skirt after I had pieced it.

Illustrations/Instructions - Kim has a lot of photos in her tutorial, which is really helpful. I had a great time piecing the curved edges, they really do look so wonderful (and not hard!)! These were great blocks for the tree skirt, and I love how the solids look like polka dots and/or ornaments!

Conclusion - Great little quilted project, if you have another quilt under your belt, you'll be fine! It's also a wonderful opportunity to try a new technique!

Merry Christmas to everyone!!

'12 Days of Christmas' Quilt Along...Surprise Linky Party!

This linky is now closed. Krista has drawn a winner, #7 sewfunbymonique!

If you have been following along with the '12 Days of Christmas' Sampler Quilt Along, here is your chance to win a surprise prize!! The lovely Krista has generously donated a 'Bistro' jelly roll to one lucky winner, who will be chosen at random! Thank you so much Krista!!!

What do you have to do to be entered? Well, all I need to see from you is one completed block (if you've completed more, or even the entire quilt, that's fine, just please link up only one photo per person)! Link it up below, and good luck! Linky will be open through Friday. :-)

I hope you all had a wonderful time participating; if you ran out of time, there's always next year to complete the quilt (which I will be doing!!).

GIVEAWAY! Pellon Interfacing

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to the winner, #953 Carla G!

Welcome to everyone participating in Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day! This is one of 2 entries that I have for you (I also have a Heather Ross Bag Giveaway Here).

If you know me, you'll know I *love* interfacing. I mean, I really really love it!! I wrote a post on interfacing over the summer. As far as sewing supplies go, interfacings probably account for about 50% of my Joann Fabrics purchases. ;-) That is why it brings me great pleasure to give away this lot of Pellon interfacing products!!

Most fabric stores carry Pellon interfacing by-the-yard, but did you know you can also purchase it in handy packages? They are available in independent fabric stores now, and will be in larger stores, such as Joann Fabrics, by February.

The Caliti Convertible Clutch, a free tutorial I wrote, uses 3 different kinds of Pellon interfacing!

Here is what is included in the Pellon prize package, for one lucky winner!!

1. Pellon #926 Extra-Firm Stabilizer, 15" x 2 yards
     This is great for bags or other accessories like eyeglass cases! This one is a sew-in interfacing.
2. Pellon #806 Stitch-n-Tear, 15" x 3 yards
     This is used for applique or machine embroidery; it supports your fabric as you stitch, and then it tears
     away.
3. Pellon #906F Fusible Sheerweight, 15" x 3 yards
     This is great for making a facing in a dress or blouse, or any sheer or light fabrics!
4. Pellon #725, 15" x 3 yards
     This is a paper-backed fusible web. I'm getting ready to use some in a cardigan (for the cuffs/collars), but you can also use it for quilting (applique, etc.).
5. Pellon #EK150 Batting and Seam Tape, 1-1/2" x 30 yards
     Wonderful for joining misc. pieces of batting together (awesome!!) and strengthening seams in clothing.
6. Pellon #807 Wonder-Web, 5/8" x 20 yards
     Makes hemming pants or skirts really easy!
7. Pellon #805 Wonder Under, 5/8" x 20 yards
     This one is a paper-backed web, again, great for hemming!
8. Pellon #EK150, 1-1/2" x 10 yards
     This one is a knit, but you can also use it for joining batting too!

This prize pack from Pellon contains a whopping 91 yards of product, with a retail value of over $55!

If you have used Pellon before, or haven't but have been meaning to, this prize pack would be a great way to learn how to incorporate new interfacings into your sewing projects!
   

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE PELLON GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY! Heather Ross Madison Bag!

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to the winner, #61 Duff!

Hello everyone!! Thank you for stopping by, and welcome to the newcomers! This is one of 2 offerings (my giveaway for Pellon Interfacing is here) that I have for the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!

This is the Madison Bag that I made earlier in the year, from Heather Ross fabrics from the Far Far Away lines. It would make a great Christmas gift for someone, or something nice just to keep for yourself!

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!

Hello Kitty Circle Skirt

My daughter really loves ballerina skirts and things that are girly, so I decided to make her a skirt for Christmas. Kids are sort of fickle with their tastes, and I had purchased this Christmas Hello Kitty fabric last year on clearance at Joann's, not even knowing that she would love Hello Kitty this year or that it would be the current hot thing. ;-) I guess I got lucky! I used this cute pattern by Favorite Things called Little Hip Skirts. I got the pattern for my birthday last week.

Fabric - The pattern for childrens' size 4 took 1 yard of the main fabric, and I also made the 'Double Skirt' option, and I used some contrasting red china silk that I got from fabric.com for around $2. The pattern also calls for elastic for the waistline.

Pattern Pieces - There are several skirt options, including a pleated skirt and a button-down skirt. I chose the basic circle skirt, which had 2 pattern pieces (the skirt and the waistband). The circle skirt has 4 panels (although I think I might have liked to cut the panel on the fold for 2 pieces, so that my print would have continued on through the front of the skirt instead of being chopped up by each of the 4 panels).

Illustrations/Instructions - This is a very easy pattern, and there were only a few steps to follow. There were a few illustrations to go along with the steps, so I had no problem with it.

I decided to topstitch snowflakes at the hem of the skirt, with one of the decorative stitches on my machine (which I don't often use!).

The only thing I didn't like about it was that the waistband was quite thick, and the elastic much thinner than the width of the waistband, so after the elastic is inserted, the waistband sort of pushes away from the body at the top. If I made the skirt again, I would probably adjust the waistband to be only slightly wider than the actual elastic, so that the entire waistband hugged the body (in doing so, the length of the skirt would probably have to be adjusted as well).

Conclusion - Great pattern and easy to follow; I like that there were several options to make the skirt look different. The skirt sizes are from toddler through teen (approx. 90lb.), so this one pattern will make skirts for many sizes. This would be appropriate for a beginner.

No Money for Fabric?

Via Pat Bravo

Sorry for the mindless post, but hopefully it will brighten your day. :-)

Teflon Iron Plate

While I was working on a bag project last week (which required a lot of fusible interfacing and tons of ironing), I had the pleasure to try out this handy little gadget. I had never heard of it before, but it's called Iron Safe. This is what it looks like in the package:

Basically, it's a Teflon-coated plate that will slide on to most irons. There is a spring attached that slips right over the sole of your iron to hold it in place. The plate helps a lot because it doesn't scorch the fabric, it doesn't stick to the fabric, and it keeps your iron nice and clean (especially if you accidentally get the fusible side of the interfacing up against the iron, which will make it all sticky! Yuck!).

I'm going to tell you a little secret, before I tried this out, I probably ironed about 50% of the time with my iron against the wrong side of the fabric, and no presser cloth. I just like to see what I'm ironing. Of course, there are times when I absolutely had to use a presser cloth, such as when ironing on certain types of interfacing to fabric; for instance, there's really no way to fuse fleece or Peltex to fabric with it up against your iron, as it just won't glide across the interfacing.

Even if you don't use interfacing for projects, Iron Safe is really great because it eliminates the presser cloth completely. I really would rather not use a presser cloth when I am pressing seams open (such as for a quilt), because I like to make sure the fabric is taut enough so that I'm not accidentally pressing creases into the front of the quilt (or other project). I just have to see it.

Also, some apparel fabrics should not be touching an iron when you are ironing them, pressing darts, etc.

I was really happy to find Iron Safe, and I've already thrown out my presser cloth (which, after about 5 years of use, looks like I took it outside and swirled it around in the mud; I was going to say something else about it, but that would be quite inappropriate). At about $10, it's totally worth it. You can find Iron Safe here if you're interested!

Starting my Christmas Tree Skirt

We're actually going to have a full-sized AND real Christmas tree this year, so I was really excited to make a tree skirt! I said that we cannot buy the tree until the skirt is done. ;-)

For the tree skirt, I'm using this pattern from Kim at My Go-Go Life. Isn't her skirt awesome?? I got all my fabrics cut tonight (above), all ready to go in my Accuquilt GO! Baby with the Drunkard's Path die. The 'circles' will be the 4 solids in the left of the photo, and the rest will be the prints I cut out (the back of the skirt will be the candy-cane striped fabric in the bottom of the photo, I have a 1-yard piece for that). I was also thinking about doing ruffles, but I will probably wait until I finish piecing to decide on the fabric for that.

Kim's tree skirt

Curve Master presser foot

Instead of pinning all those curved edges together, I'll be using my Curve Master presser foot that I won on auction on eBay...can't wait to use it and I'll let you know how it goes!!

Need a New Sewing Machine?

If you need a new sewing machine, check out this Brother CS6000i, now on Lightning Deal from Amazon and 65% off at just $154 plus free shipping. Check out the reviews...they are very plentiful, and majority are really good! This time of year in particular, I love Amazon and I love Slick Deals. I have a Brother sewing machine, I believe it is on a similar level to this one, and I just adore it.

Tutorial: Caliti Convertible Clutch

I'm excited to bring you this clutch pattern! It converts from a tote into a clutch, with beautiful circle handles. I wrote this pattern for Pellon Projects; it uses 3 different kinds of interfacing, which will give you a chance to get familiar with each.

This pattern is appropriate for intermediate level sewing. It features inner pockets, a magnetic closure, and a metal buckle. You will also be required to make one buttonhole.

ALL SEAM ALLOWANCES ARE 1/2" UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE BEGINNING.


Printable Instructions and Pattern Pieces

Finished size: 13" tall by 10" long (unfolded), 7" tall by 10" long (folded)

SUPPLIES


- 1/4 yard (or a fat quarter) exterior fabric
- 2/3 yard interior fabric
- 1/2 yard side accent/handle fabric
- 2 yards Pellon SF-101 fusible woven interfacing
- 1/2 yard Pellon Fusible Fleece
- 1/2 yard Pellon Decor-Bond
- magnetic snap
- metal buckle with tongue (I used the Dritz 1-5/8" fashion buckle)
- coordinating thread
- hand sewing needle


STEP 1 ~ CUT OUT YOUR FABRIC


From the Exterior Fabric


1a. Cut 2 pieces, each measuring 8" x 11". These will be your Exterior Main Panels.

From the Interior Fabric


1b. Cut 2 pieces, each measuring 11" x 11". These will be your Interior Main Panels.

1c. Cut 4 pieces, each measuring 11" x 6". These will be the Pockets.

From the Accent Fabric


1d. Cut 4 pieces, each measuring 2" x 11". These will be the Side Panels.

1e. Cut 2 pieces, each measuring 2" x 3". These will be the Bottom Strap pieces.

1f. Using the Top Strap piece that you printed out, cut 2 pieces from the Accent Fabric.

1g. Using the Handle pattern piece that you printed out, cut 4 pieces from the Accent Fabric.

From the Pellon SF-101 Fusible Woven Interfacing


1h. Repeat Step 1a. through Step 1g.

From the Pellon Fusible Fleece


1i. Repeat Step 1a. and Step 1b. Also cut two 2" x 2" squares from the fleece.

From the Pellon Decor-Bond


1j. Cut 8 pieces from the Handle pattern piece. Trim the Handle by approximately 1/4" on all edges (except trim by 1/2" in the inner circle) in order to reduce bulk in the seam allowance.

1k. Cut 8 pieces, each measuring 2" x 11".


STEP 2 ~ FUSE YOUR FABRICS


2a. Take 1 Exterior Main Panel and one of the corresponding fusible woven interfacing pieces. Fuse the woven interfacing to the wrong side of the Exterior Main Panel using manufacturer instructions. Then, fuse the fusible fleece to the interfaced side of the Exterior Main Panel. Repeat for the other Exterior Main Panel.

2b. Repeat Step 2a. for both Interior Main Panels.

2c. Take one Bottom Strap Piece and one of the corresponding fusible woven interfacing pieces. Fuse. Repeat for the remaining Bottom Strap Piece, both of the Top Strap Pieces, and each of the Pockets.

2d. Take one Handle Piece and one of the corresponding fusible woven interfacing pieces. Fuse. Then, fuse a Decor Bond Handle piece to the interfaced side of the Handle. Repeat so that you have fused a total of 2 pieces of Decor Bond to the Handle. Repeat this step for the remaining Handle pieces, and also for all of the Side Panels.


STEP 3 ~ ASSEMBLE THE INTERIOR

3a. Take 2 of the Pocket pieces and place them, right sides together. Sew along one 11" edge. Press seam open.

3b. Turn the Pocket so it is wrong sides together. Press again along the sewn edge so that it lies flat. Topstitch 1/4" from the edge.

3c. Repeat Step 3a. and Step 3b. for the 2 remaining Pocket pieces.

3d. Take one of the Interior Main Panels, right side facing you. Lay one Pocket with the raw edge even with the bottom of the Interior Main Panel. Pin, then baste along the raw edges of the Pocket (you will not baste the sewn edge of the Pocket). Repeat for the remaining Interior Main Panel and Pocket.

3e. Take one of the Handle Pieces. Sew along 1 long edge, pivoting through the curve, approximately 1/4" from the raw edge of the fabric. Also sew 1/2" along the inside circle of the Handle. Clip the 'valley' of the fabric with slits, and notch the 'peak' of the fabric with small v's, approximately every 1/2". Be sure not to cut in to your stitching.

3f. Turn your iron on. Using your fingers, turn the fabric to the wrong side at your stitches, then slowly ease along your fabric with your iron. It is especially important to press the inside circle very well.

3g. Repeat Step 3e. and Step 3f. for all 4 Handle pieces (set 2 of the Handles aside for the exterior).

3h. Take one Interior Main Panel and measure down 3/4" from the top (the pocket will be at the bottom). Make a mark on the top left and top right corners. Align the bottom straight edges of the Handle along the marks that you made, and pin to the Interior Main Panel. Edgestitch on the Handle along the long pressed edge, 1/8" from the edge. You will not stitch the inside circle of the Handle at this time. 

3i. Trim inside the inner circle of the Handle where the Interior Main Panel is sticking out. You'll want to flip it over to the wrong side and trim an additional 1/2" away.

3j. Repeat Step 3h. and Step 3i. for the other Interior Main Panel and Handle.


STEP 4 ~ INSTALL THE MAGNETIC SNAP

4a. Take 1 Interior Main Panel piece and 1 of the fleece squares that you cut in Step 1i. Take the washer from one of the prongs and mark the prong placement with a fabric marker or chalk, approximately in the center of the Thermolam. Cut small slits at the marks. The reason that you are using the fleece is that it will help to reinforce your fabric against the pull from the magnetic snap every time you open and shut the clutch.

4b. On the Interior Main Panel piece, make a mark that is centered, and 8" up from the bottom of the Interior Main Panel.

4c. With the snap washer in the middle of the mark on the Interior Main Panel, mark the prong placement with a fabric marker or chalk. Cut small slits at the marks.


Helpful Hint: I like to put a dab of Fray Check on the slits that were cut. I feel this helps the fabric hold up a bit better under the stress of the magnetic snap.

4d. Slide the prongs of the snap through the right side of the Interior Main Panel. Place the fleece square, then the washer, over the prongs. Close the prongs outward (use pliers with a piece of scrap fabric over the metal, if you need to), making sure they lie flat.

4e. Repeat Steps 4a. through 4d. to attach the other half of the snap to the other Interior Main Panel.

STEP 5 ~ ASSEMBLE THE EXTERIOR

5a. Take one of your Exterior Main Panels and one Side Panel. With right sides facing, place the Side Panel along the 11" edge on the left-hand side of the Exterior Main Panel. Sew along the 11" edge. Press seam toward the Side Panel. Repeat this step for another Side Panel and the right-hand side of the Exterior Main Panel.

5b. Edgestitch on the Side Panel 1/8" from the seam on the left side of the Exterior. Then edgestitch 1/4" from the stitches that you just made. Sew slowly, and make sure that the seam allowance is underneath your stitching; this will ensure that it gets tacked down securely. Now your Side Panel will have a nice finished look. Repeat for the right side of the Exterior.

5c. Repeat Step 3h. to attach each remaining Handle to each Exterior Main Panel.


STEP 6 ~ ASSEMBLE THE STRAPS/BUCKLE

6a. Take both of your Bottom Strap pieces. Place them right sides together, and stitch along each 3" edge. Turn Bottom Strap right side out and press.

6b. Make a mark on the bottom of one Exterior Main Panel, over 4-7/8" from the left hand edge.

6c. Place your Bottom Strap piece to the right of the mark that you made in Step 6b. One raw edge of the Bottom Strap should be even with the raw edge of the Exterior Main Panel. Slide the metal buckle over the Bottom Strap, then fold the Bottom Strap down so that now both of the raw edges of the Bottom Strap are even with the bottom of the Exterior Main Panel. Pin in place.


6d. Take both of the Top Strap pieces and place them, right sides together. Sew along 3 edges but do not sew the short straight edge.

6e. Trim the seam allowance to 1/4", and clip the corner off, which will help it lie more flat. Turn the Top Strap right sides out and press.

6f. Edgestitch the Top Strap 1/8" from the sewn edges (again, do not sew the straight short edge), being sure to pivot at the corners; then edgestitch the Top Strap 1/4" from what you just sewed.

6g. On the Top Strap piece, make a buttonhole 1-1/2" down from the pointed top corner.

6h. Remove the pin from under the Bottom Strap. Slide the Top Strap piece under the Bottom Strap piece, making sure to re-adjust the buckle. The raw edges of all Strap pieces should be even with the bottom edge of the Exterior Main Panel. Re-pin.

6i. Baste across the bottom of the Exterior Main Panel, attaching the Strap pieces. Sew horizontally right under the metal buckle, as close to the buckle as you are able to (you might want to pop your zipper foot on for this).


STEP 7 ~ ASSEMBLE THE CLUTCH

7a. Take both Interior Main Panels, and place right sides together. Pin along the 3 straight edges. Sew along those 3 straight edges only, with a 5/8" seam. This will help the interior fit more snuggly inside your exterior. Trim the seam allowance to 1/4". Clip the 2 bottom corners, being careful not to cut into your stitching. Leave the Interior wrong side out.

7b. Take both Exterior Main Panels, and place right sides together (you might want to buckle the strap so that it does not get caught in the stitching). Pin along the 3 straight edges. Sew along those 3 straight edges only, with a 1/2" seam. When you get to the part where the straps are, sew slowly or hand crank your needle, and backstitch again (to give the strap added strength). Clip the 2 bottom corners. Press seams open, and turn the Exterior right side out.

7c. Place the Exterior inside of the Interior. Make sure the Handles and the side seams are aligned, then pin in place. Make sure you pin an exterior handle to an interior handle (otherwise you might be sewing the bag shut!).

7d. Sew the top of the Handles, all along the top of the clutch, with a 1/4" seam allowance. Do not stitch the inside circles. Clip the 'valley' of the fabric with slits, and notch the 'peak' of the fabric with small v's, approximately every 1/2". Be sure not to cut in to your stitching.

7e. Turn the clutch right side out through one of the openings. Edgestitch the tops of the handles, 1/4" from the edge, all the way around.

7f. Match the insides of the handles. You should have a nice pressed edge to work with from earlier. Pin the inside circles. Edgestitch the inside circles, 1/4" from the edge. Note: Depending on your machine, you may not be able to sew around the entire inside circle of the handles. I was able to sew half by machine and half by hand. This is the trickiest (and last!) step of the pattern, so take your time...the results will be worth your patience!

CONGRATULATIONS! You're finished!
Give your bag a good pressing for a professional-looking finish. Now you have a tote that collapses into a clutch, held in place with the metal buckle!

If you have any questions about this pattern, feel free to e-mail me directly at sara@sewsweetness.com, or check out my Flickr Group! I would love to see your completed project posted there!