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:: July 13, 2011 More Baby Sewing
More baby sewing ... a new Boppy cover made out of the transistor radio print from Melody Miller's Ruby Star Rising. I just seam-ripped apart the original cover and used it as a pattern to make this one, complete with the bias gusset in the inside of the "C". Not that linen-cotton stretches all that much on the bias. I was compelled to make this even didn't even use the Boppy much the first time around. I guess it's more useful for propping up the baby for photos than as a nursing pillow, hence the need to cover it with a fabric I love. posted by in Baby , Finished Projects :: Comments (0) :: link :: July 6, 2011 Onesies and Snaps
More knits!
(The belly snuck in the frame) I graduated from T-shirts to onesies. First, I used this tutorial from Omi Creates (which I quickly realized would be too big for a newborn) so I switched to a pattern in my stash, the Hau Hau bodysuit from Ottobre 3/2010. I also sewed a couple matching hats using this tutorial from Tie Dye Diva. I have always wanted to make boy clothes from this Jay McCarroll knit, and I love the orange/burgundy combo! The coordinating Freespirit baby rib knits are great too.
They shipped quickly and the tool was really easy to learn. A cosmetically damaged snap plier comes with 400 free snaps, 300 size 20s and 100 size 16s -- it turns out the size 20s are way too hardcore for onesies so I have to be really careful opening them or they'll stretch the hell out of the fabric. The size 16s are perfect, though.
With all these extra snaps I'm thinking I'll snapify our dozens of prefolds. Will I actually use them, though, is another question. I'm sorry, I'm weak. Next? Finishing up two quilts from Dare to Be Square, and I've cut out a new cover for a Boppy pillow. Nesty sewing is so much fun. posted by in Baby :: Comments (3) :: link :: June 24, 2011 I Really Do Sew.
I can't believe it's been two years since I updated this blog. That's just ridiculous! In my mind Dioramarama is still fully operational, though now that I look at it the software and functionality and design is hopelessly outdated and I realize former readers and passersby would consider it dormant. True Up has truly achieved a corporate takeover of my mind and heart and time! Anyway. I do still sew, I swear! And now that I am expecting child #2 any day now, I've been in a sewing flurry. Same thing happened with Otto -- nesting city. So I wanted to document those projects here before going back into hibernation. For starts, my first experience with sewing knits: the Envelope Tee from Meg McElwee's new book Growing Up Sew Liberated
This project is a great intro to knits and applying T-shirt ribbing. Here are some things I learned: - Knits really do shrink. A LOT. I ordered half-yards of several solid colors, and after washing they were closer to 1/4-1/3 yard. So always order more than what the pattern calls for. But in this case, maybe Meg wrote it into the pattern -- there was still plenty of room to cut out all the pattern pieces for the smallest (0-6 month) size. AND, there I will probably be able to get two more tees out of that half-yard cut. - I didn't think I really liked the look of the zig-zag stitch, but it's growing on me. I do have a serger but it doesn't have a coverstitch and I didn't feel like setting it up just for the sake of finishing seams. - I put ribbing on the sleeves too because I like ringer Ts. That was kind of the whole point of this sewing adventure.
- I had some problems with the main (gray) fabric stretching and the neck gaping, but it still came out well in the end. I think that's because it's a baby rib knit -- for your first knit venture maybe jersey or interlock is best. Maybe it'll tighten back up after washing? - Meg calls for ball-point pins (to pin the pattern pieces to the fabric, and for applying the ribbing, etc.). I asked on Facebook if I could get away with regular pins, and the overwhelming response was yes (most people, even experienced knit-sewists, didn't even know ball-point pins existed). I didn't have any issues with runs or lingering pinholes, though it is harder to get those points through the knits than it is with wovens. - This ribbing technique leaves an unfinished edge on the inside, which is not supposed to ravel. Still, I want to try the other ribbing technique she has in the book, the one for the crossover tee. I went a little crazy with the knit ordering. Even though this was a pretty easy and quick project, I think I may have been a bit overambitious thinking I could sew a half dozen of these guys before D-Day. Well, there's always after.
I got all the knits from Fabric.com, except the giraffes, which I got at Reprodepot years ago. I am in love with the colors and stripes at NearSea Naturals ... I just have to get through this pile first. posted by in Baby , Sewing :: Comments (5) :: link :: June 12, 2009 Thoughts on Two
OK, it's sad that Otto's first birthday celebration post is right there if you just scroll down a few posts -- but what can I say, he (and this) has kept me plenty busy. Otto is two today! Happy day! Everyone says oh doesn't it goes by so fast, but geez people, this has been the longest two years of my life! But that is good. Anything that slows time down is good. But I also agree with the parental refrain, "the days go slow but the years go fast." Otto has always been a night owl -- these days he wakes around 9:30-10am, naps around 3, and goes to bed at 11. It's that last hour of the day that really drags, and makes me feel every second of the two years! And that time pre-child -- well, that seems like the ancient past. On the other hand we see him getting bigger and seeing new facets of his personality emerge every day, and we're like, "Who is this creature living with us? When did he move in?" In the past year he has gone from a jarhead-looking baby to a blondie to a sandy-headed little guy. The burst of curls in the back of his head (that turned into an undeniable mullet a couple times this year) is just starting to tame down. He has gone from a babbler to a full on talker (his first novel adjective + noun combo happened the other day -- "nekkid mama") which, for linguist/SLP mom, is one of the most miraculous things in the world to witness. We can't wait to have full on conversations with him. The one thing that has not changed is his cheeks. They do not seem to let up. There is so much more, but I will channel that energy into the long-neglected baby book. Also, there are cupcakes to make. Happy birthday, little fellow. We love you more than anything in the universe. posted by in Baby :: Comments (8) :: link :: March 27, 2009 Estate Sale Quilt Top
A quilt top I got at an estate sale a while back. It is all hand-stitched, and amazingly square and flat (though I'm worried about the quality of some of the fabrics -- I'll just have to wash carefully). I'm thinking about how to quilt it. Straight lines in a plaid pattern, maybe? posted by in Quilting :: Comments (9) :: link :: February 7, 2009 Tutorial: Easy Pieced Curves a la Fleming
I created this tutorial ages ago but never posted it for some reason! I had to revisit it to see if I could use it for my Single Girl piecing. I don't think I can for the inner circles, but I can for the outer part of each block. ..... Before taking on the Pie In the Sky Quilt in the Denyse Schmidt Quilts
1. Ingredients: outer background fabric, freezer paper, inner circle fabric*, compass or circle cutter. And, not pictured, glue stick (acid-free, water-soluble, preferably archival quality), your standard everyday sewing supplies
2. Cut a square of freezer paper the same size as your finished block. Fold diagonally both ways to find the center. Draw a circle on the smooth (non-waxed) side the exact size you want your inner circle to be. Standard compasses only draw circles so big -- you can get the tool you see in the picture here at your local hardware store.
3. Cut out the center of the freezer paper. Scrapbooking supply stores might have circle cutters that would make quick work of this, or you can get a somewhat expensive circle rotary cutter at your quilt supply store. These contraptions only go up to about 6" (15cm), though -- for bigger circles you're going to need to hand-cut.
4. With a dry iron, iron the freezer paper, wax side down, to the wrong side of the background fabric. The freezer paper should be good and stuck to your background fabric.
5. Now, cut out the center of the background fabric about 1/2" (1.5cm) from the edge of the freezer paper.
6. Cut "fringe" into the overhanging fabric. Your cuts should end at least 1/8" (0.3 cm) from the edge of the freezer paper.
7. Run a glue stick around the edge of the freezer paper LIGHTLY. You want the minimal amount of glue to tack the fringe down in the next step.
8. Press the fringe out with the tip of your iron (which is still on a no-steam setting). Turn over to the right side to check that curve flows smoothly. If not, lift that area of the fringe and re-tack with the tiniest amount of glue.
9. Now run your glue stick around the edge again right onto the fabric, this time more heavily. It's best to keep the glue on the fabric so that none gets on the paper.
10. Place the glue side down on top of the right side of your inner circle fabric and press, again with a dry iron. The inner circle and outer background fabrics will now be temporarily fused together.
11. Peel the outer background fabric from the freezer paper. Then, pop the freezer paper out. This can be a little tricky. If you did steps 6-9 perfectly it should release easily. It may require some coaxing and ripping. If the inner circle and outer background fabrics come apart in places, just lay right side up on your ironing board, nudge some glue in there, and re-iron.
12. With the block facing right side up now, gather up the outer background fabric into a little bundle. This exposes where you are going to sew -- into the fold between the outer background and inner circle fabrics.
13. Sew around the fold line on the fabric. Ms. Fleming recommends a zipper foot for the sewing, but I had a really hard time with that. I found that a transparent plastic foot worked better. The trickiest part is keeping the excess fabric on the left of the needle from bunching up under the feed dogs. Sewing over a lump will mess you up. If you're not good at feeding the fabric smoothly, just pause and lift the feed dogs every so often with the needle down and smooth the left side out.
14. It's going to look ugly coming off the machine. Press on the wrong side and again on the right side and it'll be beautiful.
15. Cut away excess inner circle fabric to leave a 1/4-1/2" seam allowance.
16. Here is what the back of a finished block looks like. On the Pie in the Sky block, the light colored fabric of the pie "crust" dictated that I press the seams toward the darker fabric. But with this technique, pressing the seams in toward the center of the circle yields an applique look; pressing the seams out away from the circle yields a pieced look.
17. Done! Don't you feel mighty? If you are intrigued by the possibilities of this "pinless piecing" technique, be sure to check out the book If you're worried about using glue instead of pins -- that somehow it's cheating or chinzy looking or that's going to ruin your fabric -- seriously, don't worry, give it a test run and you'll see. I entered my Pie in the Sky quilt in a show and the design [not my work] and piecing [using this technique] were the only parts that got praise! I have had the quilt for a while now and the glue has not lingered or seeped through in any way. Since it's water-soluble, as far as I know it all washed out the first time through the laundry. * My inner circle fabric happens to be a circle-in-a-square block that was already pieced using Ms. Fleming's technique**. If you are following the Pie in the Sky pattern from the Denyse Schmidt Quilts book, this technique allowed me to skip the "C" pieces altogether. Using this pinless technique will save you WEEKS of laborious hand-applique. ** In Ms. Fleming's tutorial you use a square of fabric the same size as the finished block for your inner circle fabric. But you can use circles too, e.g. the coral-and-brown pieced "pie" blocks in this pattern. Using a square for the inner circle fabric just gives you a little more leeway with the gluing and sewing. The Pie in the Sky quilt is copyright Denyse Schmidt, of course. posted by in Quilting :: Comments (6) :: link :: October 23, 2008 Best Parent Hack Ever
Using Bryan's height-adjustable drawing table to cut out quilt pieces, out of the baby's reach. Also, teaching the child to clean up after me. posted by in Baby :: Comments (6) :: link :: October 16, 2008 I Am a Longarmer, Feel My Power
Last week I took an introductory longarm quilting class from Duck Soup Quilts here in Austin, run by the lovely Deana Everett Tollerton. After taking the class you can rent her machine to quilt your own quilts. I was so giddy I forgot to take note of the make and model of the machine, but it was very easy to set up and use. You get to say goodbye to basting, more or less, and that is a very good thing. Basting is one of those hurdles that keep my UFOs UFOs. And thank god for stitch regulators, is all I can say. There are certain line types that will take practice to get right if you're working freehand -- any sort of measured, precise curve, for instance. You can use pantographs for this purpose, which are long scrolls with preprinted quilting designs on them that you use to guide the machine, but Deana and I agreed that they're not really our thing. Here are some designs I tried out on my scrap quilt (I pieced together the fabric I dyed somewhat unsuccessfully a while back). It got me thinking that there should be a Flickr group for modern quilting designs, especially all-over, continuous line quilting designs. I don't like many of the standard meander patterns but I don't have too many ideas of my own.
(Seeing a theme here? Get your own signature pattern, and it won't look like a failed attempt at someone else's!)
I can't wait to get back to work on my many unfinished quilt tops. Oh -- the Flickr group! Wham bam, it's done. I'd love to see your ideas, though I suspect this group won't be a chartburner like good old vintage fabrics! posted by in Quilting :: Comments (13) :: link :: August 4, 2008 Wee Wonderfuls Turtle
Joining the Wee Wonderfuls Hand Sewing for Fun Birdie is the Wee Wonderfuls Hand Sewing for Fun Turtle. He was a gift for a turtle-loving baby friend who is no longer a baby. I like how it turned out, and I just love hand stitching with wool felt. posted by in Finished Projects , Sewing :: Comments (13) :: link :: August 1, 2008 Whatever
A little subversive cross stitching, which will be a gift for an ex-co-worker and still-friend as soon as I find the right frame for it. I went straight from the pattern; maybe next time I'll try a full-on workup of "whatever loser." posted by in Finished Projects :: Comments (2) :: link
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