Quilted table mat

Posted in Holiday, Sewing, Stuff to make by

My dining room table is weirdly sensitive to water. One droplet and the surface blanches like it’s seen a ghost. So for Thanksgiving, I needed something to keep my table happy. A quilted table mat was the perfect opportunity to try out a cross pattern, a simple nine-square. Easy, peasy–at least in theory. The fabrics are an irregular stripe from Leisl Gibson’s lovely City Weekend collection, and a tiny dot. I really love how these patterns work together.

Less happily, the stumpy crosses on the end were not intentional. I used my presser foot as a guide to sew my 3/8″ seams, which, it turns out, left them all a smidge too narrow. That smidge, compounded over several seams, left  my center panel longer than the top and bottom sashes. Rather than ripping out the seams and adjusting (which actually wouldn’t have been that hard), I lopped off the long ends.  Hence, it’s just a little wonky. On the bright side, I learned where to place the fabric for a perfect 3/8″ seam in the future, just peeking out from the presser foot on my machine.

And, I have something cheerful for my table. I made these place mats and napkins this summer, during a red and blue period. Not a very autumnal palette for my Thanksgiving table, but patriotic! And, in the spirit of being nontraditional, I am serving chocolate cake for dessert–yum!

Pajamas recycled into soft blocks

Posted in Free Tutorials, Kids, Recycled materials, Sewing, Stuff to make by

You may be able to throw away your old, favorite polka-dot p.j.s. Or use them as a dust rag. But I don’t have that kind of resolve. Plus, I don’t dust that often. So, I stashed them away.

Conveniently, my friend Megan decided to get pregnant. Babies are the best excuse for making things that are not really useful but are pleasing. Like soft blocks. And old p.j.s offer the perfect fabric for them: cotton softened by sleep.

For complete instructions on how to make soft blocks, a downloadable pdf is available here: How to Make Soft Blocks

Here is the end result: chubby cotton blocks!

 

Izmylov

Posted in Fabric printing, Kids, Stuff to make by

Onesies: what haven’t I done to those tiny T-shirts? I’ve embroidered, tie-dyed, and appliqued them. Once I put one on my cat. What can I say? They’re appealing and make great baby gifts. This time, for my friend Megan and her baby-to-be, I personalized some with fabric paint and freezer paper stencils.

Izmylov (is my love) is a faux Russian name that Megan loves. No worries. She didn’t really name the baby that.

I stenciled onto freezer paper and cut out the letters with an X-acto. Then I ironed the freezer paper onto the T-shirt (shiny side down) and painted in the letters with fabric paint. The freezer paper adheres so nicely to the fabric that the lines come out clean. After the paint dries comes the fun part: peeling back the freezer paper! (You will gasp at your own craftiness.) Don’t forget to heat the fabric paint with an iron at the end. This will help avoid laundry meltdowns.

It was so easy, I made one for everyone.

Hot off the presses! Megan’s latest addition:

Bunny’s wardrobe

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

I have to confess that I adore my daughter’s bunny rabbit. So when she asked me to make Bunny a new dress, I was only too happy to oblige. The dress is made with Mary Flanagan wool felt, which is more flexible and cozy than other felts. Bunny looked so cute in her new attire, who could blame me for suggesting that she might need a cardigan for the chilly days ahead? Pretty soon Bunny had a sweet little cardi made from koigu premium merino. Most of the supplies came from my favorite store–purl soho (www.purlsoho.com/purl). Oh, and Bunny is sitting on a doll’s quilt I made using a left over block from my very first quilt. 

Origami paper sketches

Posted in Paper, Sewing, Stuff to make by

I use origami paper (in solid colors) all the time, for cards and wrapping gifts, mostly.  But, I recently came up with the idea of using origami paper to test out ideas for quilts, and it is immensely gratifying.  All those late-night musings–what about a cross pattern? I wonder, instead of sleeping–I can now take for a quick test drive without touching my sewing machine. I try not to think or fuss too much when I put these sketches together–hoping for a happy inspiration. I haven’t found my perfect pattern yet, but here are some basic house top patterns with a cross in the center, for a little more interest, plus a fancy stripe. The crosses seem to make people think of disaster, but I still kind of like them.