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:: July 30, 2007 Diaper Bag
I finished something! It took many weeks of cutting and sewing in small spurts. The pattern is Amy Butler's Nappy Bag, and this is the fifth time I've made it, the first time for myself. I was never sure if it made a good, functional diaper bag, but it definitely does. Some notes on the pattern: • It's wide rather than tall. The bag I was using before was tall, and it sucks to dig down into it to find things. It's key to have just a single stratum of diapers, blankets, burp cloths, etc. It's roomy and has six big interior pockets to organize everything. • If you wanted to take it to the next level, you could line it or make the whole thing out of waterproof fabric, say, oilcloth? I'm not sure the pattern is suitable for that, but it's worth a shot. • I wasn't sure the optional changing pad included in the pattern would be a waste of time -- now that I have a baby, I can assure you it isn't. More often than not a public restroom does not have a changing area, and you have to lay the baby on whatever germy surface is around, or in the back of your car. Even if a public restroom has a changing table, you don't want the baby laying right on it, and the changing table liner dispenser is always empty. I skipped the changing pad cover, though. • The pattern calls for these two bottle pockets, but since I'm breastfeeding I skipped them. We do use bottles, but pumped milk needs to be kept in a little cooler so I couldn't really use them anyway. The fabric -- I saw Maitreya's little handbag made from a napkin bought on sale at Anthropologie and lusted after the fabric. I went to my local store while extremely pregnant and found a whole huge tablecloth of the stuff! If you have a future or current mom in your life, this is an easy and semi-quick pattern to make as a gift. You could also stock it with some essentials: • diapers, of course -- if the baby is cloth diapered an extra cover is always appreciated, I love these Needs change as the baby gets older, of course. There are many lists out there on the internet, just Google "packing diaper bag." posted by in Baby , Sewing :: Comments (17) :: link :: December 31, 2006 Grocery Bag Dispenser Tutorial
I made and gifted a handful of these grocery bag dispenser-things to go with some more hot mitts I made from the Denyse Schmidt book. They are VERY easy and quick -- and so close in spirit to the toilet paper cozy-type grandma crafts that I hesitated drawing up a tutorial for them, but what the hey.
Prepare a rectangle of fabric, approximately 18" by 30". Mine is pieced. The measurements do NOT have to be exact by any means! You can also use dishtowels, embellish the right side as you wish with embroidery, ribbon, buttons, etc.
Fold in top edge, so that wrong sides are together, approximately 1/4" and iron. Again, measurements do not matter as long as it is even all the way across.
Fold over again to encase raw edge and iron down again. Do not sew top edge at this point. This will just make it easier to sew once it's in tube form.
Bust out some elastic. I do not measure the exact amount but you will need a length that measures at least the width of the body fabric to make things easy on you. This elastic is 1/2" wide, so I will need to fold the fabric in (wrong sides together) and press a little more than 3/4" to allow for a 1/4" seam plus room for the elastic. Again, you can eyeball this.
Sew in 1/4" from raw edge.
Attach a safety pin to end of elastic and feed through the tube you just made.
Sew the elastic in where it comes out the other end a little more than 1/4" from the edge, then trim the excess elastic off.
Bunch the fabric toward the edge you just sewed. Again, no measurements -- maybe down to about half of the unstretched width? Then sew in the other side of the elastic and trim.
Turn the fabric right sides together, pin (matching seams), then sew a 1/4" or so seam. Make sure top edge is unfolded.
Turn inside out (so the right side is now on the outside). Fold in along those creases you pressed in steps 2-3. Topstitch around the outside so that it catches the edge around the inside.
Make a handle for the top. For mine I cut a 2 1/2" by 17" piece of fabric, folded in half right sides together, turned inside out with a loop turner, then pressed again. You can also use ribbon for your handle to make things easier. Another option: Forget steps 2-3 & 10, leave top edge raw and bind with some bias binding, creating a loop on one side for hanging.
Pin one side of handle to inside top edge, turn to right side, and sew in. Repeat with other side. Finished! Now stuff the top with all those stray grocery bags and pull them out the bottom when you need one. This tutorial is also on Flickr. posted by in Finished Projects , Patterns , Sewing :: Comments (12) :: link :: June 10, 2006 Oilcloth Bag
I made this bag yesterday to take to the pool -- it's perfect for toting your damp things post-swimming. I also made the same bag, smaller and without a handle, to use as a car trash receptacle. Hooray for function! And hooray for quick and satisfying projects. I'd forgotten what it's like to start and finish something in the same day. posted by in Finished Projects , Purses and Bags , Sewing :: Comments (3) :: link :: April 8, 2006 Welcome Homie, Janome!
My sewing machine came home today! All City Sewing Machine Service RULES. It's like having a new machine. The sqeaking and laboring evolved so gradually that I hadn't even realized what bad shape it was in. And for some reason I had a psychological block against taking it in for a tune-up, I think because of this old thread on Sew Wrong (too bad the comments don't work anymore) ... basically I had it lodged in my memory that tuneups are a ripoff, but I was so spectacularly wrong. Now, on to finishing my Block Swap blocks (turns out the deadline was extended anyway) and binding my Day at the Beach quilt. Cue Al Hirt's Java and have a happy dance! posted by in Sewing :: Comments (4) :: link :: April 4, 2006 Help!
My sewing machine is making extremely unpleasant screechy noises as it sews and feels like it's having a hard go of it when the needle is coming down. I suspect it needs oil but I lost the manual a while ago and don't know how to do it. (No, the manual is not available online.) And my blockswap blocks (3 down, the rest still in pieces) must be sent by Friday! Are there general principles of machine oiling, or are machines too different from one another to diagnose sight unseen? I've unscrewed the covers to take a look inside but don't know where the problem spot could be. I've already tried de-linting. Sigh. update: Anonymous asked in the comments what my machine is -- it's a Janome 4612 Travelmate with a front-loader bobbin. Thanks everyone! update #2: I took the machine to All City Sewing Machine Service. The shop is old school -- one of the very few holdouts from South Congress' days of crack dealing and x-rated theaters, so I appreciate that. The proprietor said he'd have it for me in a day or two, and gave me a free pen. My local Janome shop takes weeks, and that's what I thought I was facing, hence the small panic. Thanks for the responses everyone -- I will compile them into a post at some point. posted by in Sewing :: Comments (8) :: link :: April 2, 2006 In Search Of: Piecing Perfection
Triple-check your sewing machine tension. Here are nice instructions for balancing tension. There used to be a great, comprehensive guide at this link, but it seems to have vanished. You know your tension is off if you can see the top thread on the bottom or vice-versa, or the fabric on either side of the seam is wavy right out of the machine. Use a walking foot for piecing. You know how your pieces go into the machine perfectly lined up, but end up with one end hanging out over the other? To combat this the The Modern Quilt Workshop book suggests using a walking foot. This foot is essential for quilting, but it can also prevent your fabric from shifting around during simple piecing. Every little misalignment adds up and conspires to screw you up big time as you assemble the quilt top into larger and larger units. Or use a 1/4" foot for piecing. This foot has a little barrier on the right edge that prevents your seam from straying from the sacred quarter-inch. My walking foot only has a slit through which you can eyeball the edge of the fabric, and that's harder to control. The 1/4" foot keeps the seams consistent but you give up the even feed the walking foot affords. Fashion a pressing board on which to press out your seams and blocks. My ironing board is too narrow and kinda lumpy, which make it hard to get blocks nice and flat. I got a big piece of MDF from the hardware store, staple-gunned one thin layer of batting to it, followed by a layer of fabric. (The board will double as a portable design wall for quilting or a blocking board for knitting projects.) Press, don't iron. I still do not have the self-control for this, but it might be the most important tip here. Lay the iron on top, hold, lift, move, put the iron down again, lather, rinse, repeat. Back-and-forth ironing can distort the fabric. Trim your blocks down. AFTER pressing. It is smart, when possible, to make your blocks a little larger than the pattern calls for then trim down to the final size. When your blocks are not exactly the same size, you're forced to do all this easing to get seams to match, which causes those waves and puckers we're trying to avoid. Be aware of seam pressing and pinning issues. I have always pressed my seams open, stuck a pin through the middle of both seams (or at least tried to), and sewn over the pins. Sewing over pins is bad not only because of the danger aspect but also because it can distort your seam line. According to the Modern Quilt Workshop book there is no reason to press your seams to one side. I discovered one possible reason, and that is this trick. The action of the presser foot and feed dogs press opposing seams together. It must take some practice though, because I haven't gotten it to work for me yet. Backtracking a little: my beginning sewing teacher said that, when pinning, you should not lift the fabric from underneath with your hand, that the pin should do all the work. Lifting the fabric causes misalignment and distortion. Like pressing vs. ironing, this practice is mighty difficult to adopt. If you have any more advice to add, please comment! posted by in Quilting , Sewing , _____-Alongs :: Comments (14) :: link :: March 14, 2006 A Fabric Order, and Some DSQ Thoughts
This haul from Reproduction Fabrics arrived recently. It was my first time ordering from them, and I can heartily recommend them. For one, they stock some Japanese imports that I haven't seen elsewhere, and some of these were discounted. The fabric arrived quickly. I had ordered two yards of the blue print up top there, intending it for some quilt backing, and they called me shortly afterward to tell me that they only had two smaller chunks of the fabric, and did I still want it? I got the message too late -- we're SO bad with checking our voice mail -- by the time I heard the message the package had arrived already, with an extra 1/3 yard to make up for the problem. Isn't that nice? --- Jane and Liesl have some recent posts on Denyse Schmidt that resonated with me. They talk about the disconnect of having patterns for DS's loose, improvisational quilting methods, likewise having a fabric line that is coordinated in a traditional fashion when her aesthetic is very much more serindipidous. I agree with both of them, but I don't mind the disconnect at all. I have been kind of bothered by the fact that I'm making two quilts out of the DS Quilts book and following the patterns almost exactly, down to the colors and everything. If you will allow me the pretention of quoting myself, here is a comment I wrote to Sarah a while ago in response to her post about a creative slump she found herself in: I've been feeling that way a lot lately -- that I should be doing more than just following other people's patterns. Especially down to the letter, with the same colors or quilting patterns or whatever, like I tend to do. Some I guess would define following patterns vs. improvisation/"coloring outside the lines"/making something original as the line between craft and art. If so, it's OK to "just" be a crafter, right? I'm telling myself that, anyway. I figure that it's still valuable for learning, and when I've gained enough of experience, my own ideas will come naturally I'll have the skills to make them reality. So yeah. When I started quilting, I had aspirations to do grand, improvisational things, but quickly found myself overwhelmed, paralyzed by options, and lacking the solid basic construction skills and/or courage to carry anything out. I bet that some people with the same level of experience have aspirations to do grand improvisational things, then go forth and do them. But for someone like me, the DS Quilts book, with its improvisational quilts distilled down to patterns, is perfect. By mimicking, I am learning things that I will be able to take into my own original patterns. Sure, I am ending up with what, as Liesl says, "a quirky, off-center quilt block which will match everyone else's quirky, off-center quilt blocks," but I love the original quirky, off center block so much that I wanted it for myself. Besides, I don't know anyone in my real life who is doing this kind of work, so I do think I am making something rare and great. In sum: sure there is a disconnect between patterns and the DS style, but having patterns provides a path that some of us need to take to get to a higher level of artistry. As for the fabrics: I guess I did expect a more eclectic line as well. Then again, read Jane's first paragraph. I sometimes wonder if the craftblog world gives us an inflated idea of the demand there is for the Denyse Schmidt/Heather Ross/vintage-retro-modern aesthetic. What do you think? posted by in Fabric , Patterns , Quilting , Sewing , Shops :: Comments (20) :: link :: June 3, 2005 Tie One On
Angry Chicken is starting a monthly, themed apron sew-along called "Tie One On." The first theme is Home on the Range. I've never sewed an apron before, though I have some patterns in the ol' archives. Then in a thrift store today I happened upon the baddest-ass Western-themed fabric you will ever see. I won't reveal it yet, but know that it came in the form of 70s kids' curtains that were starched all to hell, and it involves licensed cartoon characters. So the cosmos are telling me to participate. I think I will use this pattern, which is view E from McCall's in-print pattern 3979:
Here are the rest of its variations:
I also have McCall's 3440, which appears to be out of print:
But they do have a newer retro apron pattern, 4793, which seems perfect for the Tie One On ethos:
And lest you think I'm a whore for McCall's, here are some more interesting in-print apron patterns. Kwik Sew 1797, which might be the least sexy looking of this bunch, but does include an oven mitt pattern: And that's just if you don't feel like going for the real vintage patterns on eBay. posted by in Sewing , _____-Alongs :: Comments (4) :: link :: March 20, 2005 Bags of Bags
I think I've got the basics of bag construction down, but my projects have been pretty plain so far. It's time to move up to embellishment, but I've got an imagination impairment. Fortunately, there is help. Did you know that there are not one but two weblogs dedicated solely to purses? There is The Bag Blog and Purseuing. Likewise, there are two books on handbags (with similar names) that look intriguing: Hip Handbags : Creating & Embellishing 40 Great-Looking Bags by Valerie Schrader, which I thumbed through in a bookstore recently and would very much like to have. It provides a bunch of basic shapes for bags and goes though their construction, then gives detailed instructions on how to embellish/modify the basic pattern to achieve very different looks. And there's The Hip Handbag Book: 20 Easy to Make Totes, Purses and Bags by Sherri Haab, which I know nothing about but looks similar. While I'm on the bag subject, I wanted to give a shout-out to the mesh Mexican Shopping Bag. I have a few of these that I got in Mexico with local tourist attractions printed on them. They can be found in many an import shop in the U.S. for inflated prices, but not so inflated that they're not worth it.
posted by in Books , Purses and Bags , Sewing :: link :: January 13, 2005 Finished Project: Workhorse Tote Bag in Gray and Orange
For this standard-issue tote bag (cf. Jordy Bag), I took a cue from the Amy Butler Nappy Bag pattern and used cotton canvas for the interfacing.
posted by in Finished Projects , Purses and Bags , Sewing :: link :: January 5, 2005 Finished Project: Corduroy Purse
Purse made from vintage corduroy. I didn't use a pattern, but the method came from the gusseted messenger bag tutorial on Craftster. The only thing that bothers me about it is that the strap length puts it in an uncomfortable limbo between a handbag and a shoulder bag. Here is a peek at the lining and pockets:
posted by in Finished Projects , Purses and Bags , Sewing :: link :: July 29, 2004 Toots
Two great tutorials that have recently surfaced: Super Eggplant walks us through standard pillowcases and a Craftster shows us the way of the Zippered Pouch. posted by in Patterns , Sewing :: link :: July 19, 2004 Bias
Bias Tape how-to. Ooh, and piping too. (via Craftster) :: July 15, 2004 Tension
Sewing machine dissonance? Try ... The Complete Guide to Tension Adjusting and :: March 26, 2004 Gusseted Messenger Bag Tutorial
Gusseted messenger bag tutorial posted by in Patterns , Sewing :: link :: February 4, 2004 That Time of the Month
Sew your own menstrual pads.
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