Category Archives: Sewing

Auction quilt

Posted in Kids, Sewing, Stuff to make by

Because I have passed on attending my daughter’s school auction four years in a row, I donated a handmade baby quilt made-to-order, to assuage my guilt. It has been really interesting making something to another person’s taste. Teal, gray, and black? Really? I tried for some red, some orange, some yellow, but the quilt recipient knows what she wants. So, here is a bad picture of the quilt top, before sewing it up. It’s much more traditional than something I would usually make, but have to say I’m pretty pleased. It looks so quilty!

The pattern is adapted from Quilting for Peace. I love this book, and the principle behind it. This is as close as I’ve come to a charity quilt, but I’m inspired!

Dare to Be Square

Posted in Kids, Sewing, Stuff to make by

Where have I been?? I’ve been crafting away but sadly cannot figure out how to download from my old camera to my new mac. So sad and frustrating. But I did make a gorgeous play mat for my friend who is expecting a baby in July. I modified the “Pokey the Play Mat” pattern from Boo Davis’s book Dare to Be Square. The colors are really appealing for a baby–bright but not harsh. Plus, I had almost all the same fabrics that she used, on hand–scary! Her pattern has a cute snail face; mine is just the log cabin square. Why? Because I don’t like snails. Sorry garden molluscs.

I highly recommend this book if you are looking  for a modern approach to quilting. Boo Davis makes heavy metal inspired quilts (really), so go figure. But she still respects the skills and traditions of old-fashioned quilting, which is a really appealing mix. I also like how she uses simple, traditional patterns, like a log cabin, and transforms them with the use of color and clever graphic design to make something totally modern. She also has a wicked sense of humor.

Origami and Quilts for Japan

Posted in Boston, Sewing by

This is what I’ve been up to this week: folding paper! Specifically, cranes–for a “1,000 crane” fundraiser at my son Zeke’s preschool for those affected by the recent earthquake in Japan.

Maybe you are making origami strawberries (like this one we bought at another Japan fundraiser at Abe’s elementary school)  

or contributing in another way, but if you are a quilter, Gather Here, the fabric store/stitch lounge at 370 Broadway in Cambridge is offering a couple of novel ways to join the effort for Japan:

  • Stock up on your favorite Japanese fabrics (including Kokka, Echino, Kiyohara) and the store will donate 25% of your purchase to Red Cross.
  •  Join Gather Here’s quilter’s bee for Japan, the last meeting of which is this Sunday, April 17, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the shop. (Oh, and if you do read this post by Virginia: I am not the “very nice lady” named Margaret that she mentions. I am definitely another Margaret.)

Virginia also posted about an effort by Quilter’s Newsletter to gather quilts from Amerian quilters for those in need in Japan. If you have a quilt (any size, baby to adult) you’d like to send, the information is here. The deadline is April 30.

One-Hour Pillow and Other (Small) Adventures

Posted in Boston, Kids, Sewing, Stuff to make by

I curbed my craftiest ambitions this week after one of the fabric-painted robot tees that I made last week emerged from the washer: a smudged, sorry schmatte. What happened? I swear I followed directions (I think). And still here is this mottled t-shirt-now-dust rag. Tragedy. Or at least, very minor disappointment.  

Moving on: I’ve been meaning to make a pillow cover with some of this flower print I bought at a yard sale. I had a 22 x 22″ pillow insert, low goals, and about one hour, so I stuck with an envelope-style enclosure. I (more or less) followed the instructions at Cottage Magpie, which I thought were very good with excellent, helpful photos. I’m actually really proud of the piping (which I bought pre-made–so why the pride?). But the piping was fun to sew (zipper foot!) and it gives the pillow its essential pillowness, I think.

My other small adventure: sewing covers for the ugly blue mattress and pillow that came with the IKEA doll bed I bought for my neice and nephew. (Why does IKEA favor retina-searing shades of blue?) I also sewed a doll blanket to go on top. (For Boston locals: I bought the big polka-dot print from Fabric Corner, a sewing shop on the corner of Mass Ave. & Mill Street in Arlington, which has a lovely fabric selection & kind, friendly staff.) Following Brigit’s doll quilt post, I just sewed regular seams and turned inside out (although I added a layer of quilt batting and didn’t do the quilter’s knots).

 

But my biggest–and tiniest–achievement of the week? Figuring out how to do that tricky little stitch to close up seams. The stitch is sometimes called an invisible stitch, which makes it impossible to visualize, right? Whereas when the stitch is called a ladder stitch (visual here), it loses all its terrible mystery and becomes possible, and really not that hard.

Simple housetop placemats

Posted in Sewing, Stuff to make by

If you’re new to quilting, placemats are a great way to test out designs and practice your skills on a small  scale. Tricky techniques like joining the two ends of the binding are hard to perfect if you only get to try it when you finish a full-size quilt.

I played around with some more complicated pattern ideas, but ended up with this simple housetop pattern in solid colors–which, creative ambition aside, is the type of pattern that appeals to me. I also applied some tips I picked up from Quilters’ Academy–a dreary looking but incredibly informative book that I checked out from my local library. Many recently published books on quilting focus on the fun side of the craft–making clean, modern designs–but breeze over some of the really nerdy aspects. Starch is not mentioned. However, a hardcore quilting tome like Quilters’ Academy, volume 1 (!), goes into minute detail about how to plan, measure, cut, and stitch. Whether you like intricate or super simple patterns, getting these steps right can make even a small project like a placemat turn out just like you envisioned. I made the backs in a simple stripe pattern.