rostitchery

quickie kitchen towel upgrade

from time to time i get a kitchen towel that has a little bit of ribbon sewn into the corner. 

 

all this time i've been thinking it was only useful for hanging the towel on a hook or on a knob, but none of our cabinets have knobs, they have handles.  so i've just been hanging the towels on the door handles or the oven door handle, but they fall off and that bugs me.  and then today, it hit me:

pass the beribboned corner behind the handle.

 

thread the opposite corner thru the ribbon.

 

pull the towel thru and admire the non-falling-off majesty.

 

so for the rest of the evening i will be adding ribbons to the corners of any kitchen towel that doesn't have one.

 

*this is going to be added to all future hostess gifts, or at least the ones that include kitchen towels.  what genius ideas are you working on?

secret project and a cool trick

it is september already!  this is national sewing month in the states, and despite the fact that life has thrown me several curves recently, i am going to do my best to post every day this month.  i'm not promising these posts will be good, but they will be published.  :)

today i worked on a secret project—i can’t tell you what it is or show it to you yet because the recipient of the gift sometimes reads this blog.  so instead i’ll show you a nifty trick i used to complete the gift.

the project required corners, and since this is for someone i love, i decided to go all out, skip the serger and make mitered corners on the sewing machine.  since i can’t show them to you, here is a paperized version of it.

press one edge to the finished width.

 

press the next edge to the finished width.

 

press again so that each raw edge meets the folds.

 

this is where the point of the corner will be when you are finished.

 

fold diagonally to create a crease that you will use for reference. 

 

open, then fold the point toward the center, not quite all the way to the finished point location, making sure the reference crease is lined up--thus, making a new, different reference crease.

 

this will be the second and final reference crease.

 

cut along the crease you just created.

 

fold the cut edge so that the finished point location is on the fold.

 

refold each raw edge, then refold again to enclose.

 

the folds should meet neatly with no overlap or gap.

 

stitch as close to the folded edge as possible.

 

SRC:  the fabric i used today came from my stash so long ago that i honestly believe it might pre-date my marriage!  so i’m going to say it is at least 18 years old, and it was one yard of fabric.  i used almost all of it today, and will use the rest tomorrow to complete the other item that goes with the gift.  so for this project i’m counting 180 points for age and 20 points for not defaulting to a serger rolled edge.  200 points for me and there are still points available for the rest of this fabric!

 

*what kinds of things are you working on these days?  anything you can talk about? 

handmade business cards

this is what i mean by hit-and-run crafting.

these are business cards that i cut out of boxes that were going to the recycling bin.  they are 2" x 3.5" each—standard business card size--and they are blank on the back.

i stash a few in my wallet—this one is one of my favorites.

 

when i need to give out a card i hand-write on the back only the info that is relevant--my name and phone number or email address or blog URL.  usually i also put on it something that explains to the recipient why he/she has a piece of cardboard in her purse, such as  "MAMA of ella", or "square foot gardening consultant".

 

to cut them i’ve been using a paper trimmer but i'm thinking in the future i might just cut them by hand—making them even more clearly “handmade”.

 

*most everything is hit-and-run here these days.  a lot of it requires jars.  some of it requires a lot of jars.

dorkington tote bag

it is the end of the school year which is a very hectic time here, and although i have several creative projects in the works, there hasn't been a lot of crafting going on.  

however, martha came to the rescue with a project that i could easily sqeeeze into a lunch break.  you know i love martha, and if martha says to do it, i do it.  what martha told me to do today was to make this pillowcase tote bag. 

 

my pillowcase had a flap inside, the kind intended to fold over a pillow and hold it in place:

 

so when i cut the pillowcase to make the bag i sewed a few vertical lines thru this flap to make pockets.  there was a little piece of the flap left at the top of the opposite strap—i just trimmed that off.

 

also, when i sewed the overlaps of the bag together, i left the inside overlaps unsewn, to create additional pockets.  i’ll let you know if i like that enough to leave it or if it ends up bothering me so much that i just go ahead and sew them closed.

EDITED thursday, 19 may, to add:  the verdict is in--the additional pockets are irritating. i sewed them closed.

for the SRC:  10 points for using a pillowcase from my stash—10 points for actually making the darn thing—and 25 points for the dorkitude of now having a bag that goes with the dance bag ella made last fall from the other pillowcase (45 points total):

 

*i found some cool chrome extensions that let me post to my blogs very easily from anywhere on the web!  hopefully this will help me post more regularly as well. i'll be trying them out this week--so if the posts look or feel a little different/weird, please bear with me!  and feel free to suggest extensions or widgets you like--i'm always up for trying something new!

attack of the muu-muu

last week, ella and i found some cute sheets at the thrift store that i knew would be perfect for spring dresses.  ella is in a yellow phase right now, so i started with the one that was like a watercolor garden.

 

and she knew exactly what kind of dress she wanted--a pillowcase dress (her favorite type—i’ve made at least a dozen for her over the years).  i cut one panel full width of the sheet, split it into a front and back piece, and proceeded as usual. it is kind of big right now, but that just leaves growing room.

 

then i cut my dress.  i started by taking measurements from this very cute dress which i found for a very cute price at one of the cutest stores i know, cato, which we finally have in nashville.

 

and i cut the remainder of the sheet to the exact size of the dress, but i didn't put in the waist elastic because i wanted it lower than empire--i wanted to try it on first then place the waist where my true waist is. 

 

worn like this, it is very comfy but completely unflattering for my "motherly" figure. as i described it to some friends, worn with a pair of flip-flops it makes me look like every female filipino i know.

howevah, it was so comfy like this that i decided i didn't want a permanent waistline in it after all.  so i pieced together the last scraps from the sheet to make a sash and now i love it.

 

this is the best part--the sash is long enough to make a bow in back.

 

if you’d like to make your own cute muu-muu, just follow the steps in my post about the 2-in-1 nursing top—just make the top part long enough for a dress.  if i ever find myself in need of a nursing outfit again, i might even cut this dress in two and make a 2-in-1 out of it.  ;)

 

*originally this dress felt like a big FAIL, but i'm glad i didn't give up on it.  what projects do you have that might be salvaged or have been salvaged?  if you'll share a link in a comment or send me a picture with a little description, i'll feature you in a post later this week!

super quick drawstring bags

the current craft hope project is a safe childbirth supply kit for konbit sante in haiti.  craft hope's mission is to send handmade items to those in need, as a gesture of goodwill and hope in a human-to-human context.  for this project they are asking for handmade tote bags to send the birthing kits in.  this is how i'm making the bags for my local craft hope group.

my bag is serged for speed of construction.  the pithy instructions are this:  trim and serge finish corners—fold and serge casing—fold and serge side seams.  four short edges and four short seams.  you should be able to construct a single bag in less than 15 minutes.  if you work assembly line fashion--cutting all your pieces at once, doing each step all at once, etc.--i believe even a beginner should be able to construct several bags an hour.

for those who will be using a sewing machine i have included alternate instructions at the end of this post.

this bag will hold a one-gallon ziplock brand bag as called for the konbit sante project description.  if you use a different brand of bag, please measure it and adjust the tote bag measurements if needed.

set your machine for a 4-thread balanced stitch, short-ish length, wide-ish width. the exact settings will depend on your machine, so consult your manual and make a few samples to check your settings.

for each bag, cut a rectangle of fabric 12 1/2" wide by 30" long.  on each short edge mark 1” in and 2” down from the corner, mark a line, then trim.  serge finish these trimmed corners.

 

form the casing as follows:  fold the short edges to the INSIDE, aligning the edge with the bottom of the serged corner, then fold this casing to the OUTSIDE with the raw edge on top.  serge this edge, fold and all.  this stitches the casing and finishes the raw edge in one pass.

 

press the casing up and the seam allowance down.

 

fold the bag in half with the right sides together, casing edges and side seams even, and stitch the sides closed.  start the seam from the casing edge and stitch toward the bottom fold--that way you can be sure the top edges will match.

tip #1:  deal with the loose serger tails as you stitch:  when you start the seam, lift your presser foot and pull the threads just enough to free them from the stitch fingers.  then bring them around to the front, under and to the right of the presser foot.

 

place your work right under the presser foot, right at the needles.  lower the presser foot and begin serging.  the thread tail will be integrated into the seam as you stitch.

 

to finish the seam, stop at the very edge of your work, lift the presser foot, and flip the work over.  again place the edge right up to the needles, lower the presser foot, then serge for an inch or two.  trim the tails flush with the finished edge.

 

turn the bag right side out and insert the drawstrings.  i like to use two drawstrings, threaded opposite directions (see picture at the top of this post), but you can use just one to conserve materials.  cut the string twice the width of the finished bag plus enough to make a tie.  for this bag i used strings that were 28”.

 

tip #2:  to turn sharp corners, fold the seam allowance flat and place your point turner exactly on the corner.  hold all this in place while you turn your work right side out.  the corner will be sharp and square.

 

if you are using a sewing machine instead of a serger, proceed as follows:

instead of trimming the corners, fold them to the inside along the trim line, then fold the corner under again, enclosing the raw edges.

stitch these corner folds to make a narrow-hemmed edge.

press the short edges of the rectangle under 1/4", then fold again so the fold is aligned with the bottom of the finished corners as in the serged version.  stitch the fold in place to create a casing.

sew the sides using a french seam:  fold the bag RIGHT SIDES OUT and stitch the side seams using a 1/4" seam allowance.  press the seam, then fold the bag WRONG SIDE OUT, and stitch the seam again using 3/8" seam allowance. this encases the raw edges and creates a finished seam inside the bag.

i am committing to make 10 of these bags for my local craft hope konbit sante group.  i might make a few more, just for gifts. these make great bread bags, fresh veggie storage bags, shoe bags, etc.

 

*if you're making items for the craft hope konbit sante project, you might also like my tutorial on quick dollies to include in the kit.  instead of max and ruby, i'm going to have ella draw a dolly to use. 

three small successes, and one big one

the sushi scarf is done.

the hallowig is done.

the secret santa gift is done.

and, the magazine article is done.  :)

surprise!

you can run out to your local magazine-procuring establishment and get a copy, or you can enter to win a copy directly from threads.  either way, i think you’ll enjoy every project in this issue.

and those of you who have known me online all these many years will be pleased to note the presence of capital letters throughout my entire article.  :)  thank you threads magazine!

it's not nice to fool mother nature, but it is fun

ella deliberates about her halloween costume in silence, and once she has decided, she is committed.  this year, she decided to be mother nature.

by the time she announced her decision she had already figured out exactly what she wanted her costume to look like (on the ELLA echo you can read more about the symbolism of each element of this costume).

she knew exactly what each part should be made of—she wanted the top to be fleece because last year she FROZE while trick-or-treating in her indian dress (i think i forgot to post about that costume).  she had a blue chiffon skirt in her dress-up box so all we needed after our fabric trip to joanns were the embellishments.

we found all the flowers and leaves we needed at the dollar-tree-i-love-that-place, and we had the rest of the stuff we needed in the art room.  i drafted a top using the child’s play patternmaking program from wild ginger software but you could just as easily use a sweatshirt with the ribbing cut off the bottom and sleeves. 

following her sketch, we hot glued flowers on the top, then embellished them with buttons and glitter glue.

for the sleeves we added some petals and leaves and of course, more glitter glue.

i hand sewed felt fish to the skirt, that way i can remove them after halloween and the skirt can go back to being a ballerina tutu/mermaid hair/cat bed.

for the headpiece, i cut a cardboard shape and then painted on strips of glue and heavily sprinkled them with each glitter color.  i then hot glued the rainbow to a headband and put flower petals and blossoms to cover the edge.

we got the mask at joanns when we bought the fleece.  ella painted it green then we hot glued the flower to one side and i outlined the edges with more glitter glue.

and for the final touch, i cut up a net bath scrubber from the dollar-tree-i-love-that-place and hot glued strips of it to the back of the headpiece to make a waterfall. (it was pure luck that the piece of cardboard i found for the headpiece was green on one side!)  the netting sparkles when light hits it, but i might just add a few sea coins to it just for fun.

 

because it is going to be COLD once the sun goes down on halloween night, there are fleece pants to wear under the skirt, but the afternoons here have been so nice that mother nature doesn’t need them during the day.

two bits of important construction info:

1. for costumes, choose fleece or felt!  no seam finishes required and it has enough weigh to it to give the costume some body.  if you use fleece, put the walking foot on your machine.  (what, you don’t have a walking foot?  GO GET ONE.  you won’t regret it, in fact i use mine for about 75% of all my sewing.  they make them for every machine ever made).
2. learn to love invisible zippers and stock up on the longest ones you can find when they are on sale.  i almost never use a regular zipper anymore, and here’s why:  it doesn’t matter what color i have in my stash, and it doesn’t matter how long they are either.  once they are installed, they are invisible except for the pull and you can just paint that or take it off and use a sliver of fabric for a pull.  i just cut off the excess zipper after i’ve finished the seam.

 

 

ella wore this costume last weekend for the fall festival at her old preschool—she won second place!  my mother asked me what costume won first place but i didn’t know—ella was so excited about winning a prize that she ran over to hug me and i didn’t hear anything after that except “thank you for making this beautiful costume for me, mama!”.  she was so so happy, and seeing her smile made me feel like i was the one who got the biggest prize that day.

*for those who use child’s play, the settings for the top were:  classic dress, back zipper, jewel neck, flared—set in sleeve with sleeve cap height at –0.75”—skirt flare 5, 2” chest ease, skirt length mini. 

 

quilt blocks i have known and loved

 

confession of a patternmaker:  about three days after making my first quilt blocks, i decided that i really did not like cutting to measure.  :D  it's not that i couldn't do it--i had the tools, i had the know-how--but it was really BORING.  every block looked like every other block, and every block looked like everybody else's blocks.

so i gave up doing it that way.  even now, i rarely make a quilt block using a template or cutting to measure--i only do it if i'm working on a project that requires it (which means it is usually not my own project).  instead i cut by eye, or i piece and then cut.

for example, i made these log cabin blocks completely free-hand.  i started with a piece that was more or less square, added a strip that i cut without a ruler, and continued around and around, like usual, but without using any precut or premeasured pieces of fabric.  (i apologize in advance for the low quality of these images--this was the dark ages, when digital cameras first hit the consumer market and cost half a billion dollars--thus these are scans of the actual quilt blocks, not photos).

 

the next block is a variation of the log cabin, it is my version of the pineapple block, which i called "pineapple right side up".  i have no idea why i called it that.  i was in the habit of naming my blocks.

 

some of my favorite blocks for free-hand piecing are houses.  at one point i had so many house blocks that i started giving them away.  these were all made by taking pieces out of my scrap box and piecing them at will.  i'd start with a center piece, usually a door, then add a wall, trim it if necessary, and continue adding bits just like for the log cabin block.  i made many of these to send to my friend tiina who collects quilts for preemies.  these quilts were TINY--each finished quilt was only 15" square.  i have lots of good memories of quilting these backstage during a christmas show.  i hoped the little houses would keep the babies cozy until they were able to go to their real homes.  (tiina, if you see this, i have been thinking about you and pray you are well).

 

    

ocassionally i need or want to make a block for a special project, like the HUG quilts we used to make on the rec.crafts.textiles.quilting newsgroup (the last one i participated in was at least 10 years ago--i see they are still making them!).  this heart block was made for someone i knew only as "singer", a member of the RCTQ group that needed a HUG.  it is pieced freehand, then i did a free-motion embroidery sun on it (from the back, using metallic thread in the bobbin), and i wrote a little message and signed it.

 

these are both moon over the mountain blocks, pieced and then with two different kinds of applique moons.  i don't love these, but i don't hate them either.  i have no idea what i used them for.  LOL

 

  

revisiting these photos makes me think it is time to get out the scraps again.  the little houses were lots of fun and i'm very home-centric these days.

this style of piecing is definitely not for everbody, but if you enjoy a little improvisation, give this a try! you might get hooked too.

*the first HUG quilt we made on RCTQ was for a member named ruth, who died from cancer so quickly after her diagnosis that we were not able to give it to her.  :(  we gave it to her family.  but we had collected so many quilt blocks, from all over the world, that we were able to make a second quilt, which we raffled off to raise money to help her family defray expenses.  i am honored to say that i was able to participate in about a dozen HUG quilt projects on RCTQ and am currently involved in a new local HUG project that has lead me down this memory lane.

*gwen marston has written a series of books on "liberated quiltmaking" in which she describes the process, as well as the philosophy, of this way of making quilts.  even if you have no interest in following this method, the quilts in her books are really beautiful to look at.

cabled hat on the knifty knitter

 

this is the second piece of the cabled set i made for my friend and then made for myself.  this is a really fast knit--about two hours total!  for the brim i made the very same cabled section that i made for the mittens, this time measuring around my head as i went and stopping when it was just barely long enough--you don't want it fully long enough or it won't fit snugly on your head.  then i put it on the green loom exactly the same way as for the mittens--by picking up stitches all around--and then i knit 19 rows.  sure i could have knit 20 rows but i like the number 19.  :)  i took it off the loom by the gathering method, then the only thing left to do was seam the cabled brim.

now, if you're thinking of making this for a child, you will be tempted to make the cabled section shorter--if you are using round looms to knit your hat, this won't work, you need to make it long enough to go all the way around the loom.  and if you are thinking of using the red loom for a child, i strongly advise you to reconsider--children's heads are not that much smaller than adult heads--my head measures 21.75 inches, ella's measures 21.50!

the only way you can make the hat truly smaller without resorting to the red round loom, is to use one of the long looms and the loom clips to make a custom size.  but in fact i have always made ella's hats on the green loom, since the first time i got looms when she was just barely two years old.

on the other hand, if making this hat for a man you might be tempted to make the cabled section much longer--again, you either need to use the length that fits the green round loom or you need to make a custom loom with the long looms and clips.  i actually did use a long loom for rudi but again, even though he is seemingly a lot bigger than i am, his head only measures 1" more around--so i used 40 pegs which is just four pegs more than the green loom.  

the last piece of this set is a scarf which uses a "new" method for making ribbing!  i'll show you that one next time in a future post.

pleated hem sleeve

a couple of weeks ago i saw a cute blouse in walmart of all places and fell in love with the overlapping pleat on the sleeve.  i couldn't wait to try it at home. it is so simple that even a beginner can do this.

 

using your best-fitting sleeve, trace around the pattern on the seamlines--do not include seam allowances.  do your pattern work on your tracing.

if you are using a long-sleeve pattern, cut the tracing so it has a 1" underarm length (or the length that is most flattering for you). 

 

slash the pattern vertically from the center of the hem to but not thru the sleeve cap--do not worry if the line doesn't go directly to the shoulder point. 

lay your slashed pattern on another sheet of paper, then using the top of the slash line as the pivot point, spread the sleeve apart at the hem--basically you are opening a pie wedge.   the amount to spread depends on how big a pleat you want--the bigger the pleat, the more you spread.  i pivoted 1.75" each side of center. 

tape the pattern in place so you don't lose the pie wedge you just opened, then draw a new hemline--it will be curved because pivoting the sides makes the ends wing up. 

also smooth out the sleeve cap.

 

add seam allowances and a generous hem allowance--deeper hems are give more body to the bottom of the sleeve.  on this blouse i used a 1" hem, in fact i use 1" hems on almost all my short sleeves.  TIP--try using a smaller seam allowance on the sleeve cap--i use 1/4"--but if you do this, make sure to adjust the armscye seam allowances to match.  the narrow seam allowance makes it much easier to match the seam lines on the opposing curves of the sleeve cap and armscye.

i recommend you fold the pleat into place before setting in the sleeve--it is easier to work with when it is flat.  baste it in place so you don't lose the pretty folds, and even go ahead and press up the hem.  then when you have the sleeve set into the armscye you don't have to worry about getting the pleat folded properly.

see--wasn't that easy?  please give it a try, and feel free to come back and brag about your sleeve in the comments, especially if you have a link to a picture of it to share!