Buttercream and a Sewing Machine: sewing

Showing posts with label sewing. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Tutorial: Quick & Easy Burp Cloths

In case you didn't know, my husband and I are expecting our first little one sometime in the next month. I have been doing lots of baby sewing projects, but it feels like they have mostly been for other people's babies (we have moved past the season of wedding gifts, and now it is the season of baby gifts - do you know what I'm saying?). We don't know if we are having a girl or a boy yet, so with the sea of neutral, I am waiting to make some gender specific items until after the baby is born.

But, there are some things that I know we need before I can make correct color choices - and one of those things is burp cloths. Now, I haven't had a lot of babies spit up on me before, but I've heard it can be messy :). So, I decided to make a few burp cloths to get us started. And, I thought since I was already making them I might as well show you how I did it :).

Warning: I don't actually have a baby yet, so I am guessing at the level of absorbency needed (which I hear varies baby-to-baby). I also averaged out the many sizes of burp cloths that people seem to enjoy to make a size that made sense for me and the fabric I had on hand. The general idea of the burp cloth can be modified to fit your fabric needs.

So, I started with some very cute fabrics (Oh Boy! by David Walker) and a white towel. Everyone has an extra towel lying around, so I used one that we rarely pull out of the closet. This project would also be great for a well-loved towel that has some salvageable parts - or you maybe could use a hand towel!

#1 - Cut two 18"x7" rectangles (one from the outer fabric, one from the towel).

#2 - Using a bowl, round all four corners of each rectangle.

#3 - Pin the rectangles right-sides together, and sew around the burp cloth (I used a 1/4" seam allowance). Leave a 2"-3" opening along one of the straight edges.

#4 - Clip little triangles out of the rounded corners.

#5 - Turn right-side-out and press. Pin the opening closed.

#6 - Sew a small seam allowance around the entire burp cloth (I sewed this at 1/8").

#7 - And, you are done! See, it was a quick & easy burp cloth!

The fun part is all of the cute colors you can make them in!

Now - I have a question for all of the people out there who regularly grab a burp cloth.

How many do you need to start with?

I know it probably depends on how many times a week you do laundry - but,

How many do you go through in a day?

Thanks for reading!

Other fun baby projects:
Baby Kimono Shoes
Baby Log Cabin Tag Quilt
Bopple Ball

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Monday, March 12, 2012

Block of the Month 2011

I decided to spend a little bit of my Christmas money from 2010 in order to participate in the block of the month club at my local quilt store in 2011. For $20, I bought the pattern and the first block. As long as I came to one of the 'classes' (a.k.a. "we are going to try and sell you all of the new patterns and fabrics we got at the store in the last month") and had my block completed from the previous month, I received the next month's block free. I could choose between Civil War, Kansas Troubles, or batik fabrics.

I chose batik fabrics.

Each block involved different colors of batik fabrics, but the center of all of the blocks was a solid black square. I stretched myself and learned new techniques to make blocks I had never made before. I definitely learned a lot last year!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

After I finished the last block, I worked on piecing together the quilt. I chose to use black and white for sashing and star points between the blocks. I was hoping to blend in the black centers of each block.

When quilted, it will be a lap-sized quilt for our living room.

I don't love all of the black, and I am sad that it looks like the sampler it is (although I don't know what I expected). I am planning on backing it in a minky fabric, so I know it will get lots of use.

I chose not to do the block of the month for 2012, because after paying the initial fee, for the finishing fabrics, and for the gas each month, I realized I could make a quilt that I really want to make. I have thought about building my stash of fabrics this year and making blocks from The Farmer's Wife. But, I haven't decided for sure yet.

Have you ever participated in a block of the month before? What did you think? Would you do it again?

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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Tutorial: Zippered Anything Pouch

If you haven't noticed, some of my favorite things to sew are clutches and purses. I love that you can use fun fabrics and make a useful item. I also love that you don't have to know someones size in order to give a personalized gift!

A friend of mine showed me a pouch similar to this one that she had bought for around $15 dollars. She said she would love to have more of the same pouch and wanted to sew them herself. I took some measurements of the pouch she had, and based the project off of that (I condensed the size just a little bit so I could use two fat quarters of fabric). The fun part is, you can use the general steps for this pouch and make it whatever size you want to! If you need something to hold a few toiletry items for traveling, measure the length of your toothbrush and make sure it will fit.

It is a perfect pouch for keeping toys together...

...for art supplies to keep little (or big) hands busy...

...or to keep your newest craft project all together and clean for mobility!

I hope you have as much fun making your zippered pouch as I did.

Supplies:

Two Fat Quarters (one for the outer fabric and one for the lining)

Two - 11" x 10.5" pieces of fusible fleece or batting

One - 10" zipper (use this tutorial to help you get the right length of zipper)

Basic sewing supplies (thread, sewing machine, scissors, etc.)

Directions:

#1 - Cut each fat quarter into two 11" x 10.5" rectangles.
*If you are using fusbile fleece, press it to the back of your outer fabric or your lining fabric now.

#2 - Layer your outer fabric and lining fabric right sides together. Center the zipper between these two layers along the top edge, facing the outer fabric (it should be about 1/4" from each edge). If using batting - place the batting on top of all of the layers. Sew across the top edge.

#3 - Layer your other piece of outer fabric and lining fabric with right sides together. Center the raw edge of the zipper between these two layers along the top edge, facing the other outer fabric (it should be about 1/4" from the left and right edge). If using batting - place the batting on top of all of the layers. Sew across the top edge (sewing through 4 layers - including the batting/fusbile fleece).

#4 - Lay your fabrics out so the zipper is in the center. On the left side of the zipper should be one piece of lining fabric, one piece of the batting, and one piece of the outer fabric. The same three layers should be on the right side of the zipper. Sew next to each side of the zipper.

#5 - Open your zipper about halfway. Lay your pouch so the outer fabric is facing right sides together on one side of the zipper, and your lining fabric is facing right sides together on the other side of the zipper. The batting can be placed either with the lining or with the outer fabric (I placed it with the lining). Sew around the pouch, leaving a 2"-3" opening along one side of the lining. Be careful not to sew the edges of your zipper as you sew around the pouch.

#6 - Optional: Make box corners. There are several ways to do this (so do what is comfortable for you). I lay my corner flat, so the seam is running down the middle. Line up your ruler so the center seam line and the edge of the fabric is at a 45 degree angle. I measured 2.5" across and drew a line.

#7 - Sew along this line, and cut off the corner about 1/4" from the seam line. Repeat with the other bottom corner on the outer fabric, as well as the two bottom corners on the lining fabric. This will give your pouch a flat bottom.

#8 - Turn the pouch right side out.

#9 - Sew the opening in the lining closed by handstitching or using a small seam allowance.

#10 - Enjoy your Zippered Anything Pouch!

What are you going to put inside?

Other fun clutches and purses you can sew:
Fabric Strip Clutch
Red Wool Purse

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Monday, March 5, 2012

Winner's Bouquet Quilt

For the last couple of years, I have received the best birthday present from my parents. I get to pick out the pattern and fabric to make a quilt! The rules are simple: I must finish the top of my birthday quilt from last year in order to get more fabric for my birthday this year. It keeps me focused on a project for a period of time - especially when there are so many projects that I can't wait to get my hands on!

This pattern is called Winner's Bouquet, and it is by Atkinson Design. It costs about $30 for the pattern because it includes the plastic template pieces. I also purchased a 45mm rotary cutter to use with the templates.

I have been trying to break my habit of always being drawn to the same style of fabrics (usually batiks), and I have been expanding into more novelty prints. I chose all blues, greens, and browns for this quilt. When unfolded on my bed, it kind of makes me eyes pop out because I feel like it is really bright. So, often times, I have it folded as a bed runner at the end of my bed. I am trying really hard to expand my color palette though!

This quilt is king size! I literally poked myself in the neck with pins as I was feeding this thing through my sewing machine. It is a beast!

It is also one of my first attempts sewing curved seams. The blocks themselves were pretty easy to assemble, as there is only five pieces of fabric within each block. They did require pinning in order to make sure all of the seams lined up correctly.

I like the look of having the light blue run throughout the quilt and in the inner border. I feel as though it almost makes it look like a window.

I think what makes this quilt is the stitching that I did on top. My grandma has a long-arm sewing machine, so we always have fun picking out how we want to sew our newest quilt. I feel like 90% of our quilts end up being a stipple stitch, but I knew on this quilt I wanted to do something that shows off each block. We chose to do a puzzle piece design. I think it just completes the quilt!

We measured the length of each block and divided it by two. We cut a half circle with a diameter that was half the length of the block. I traced across a row on the quilt, placing the template on one side of the block seam and then flipping it upside down and placing it on the other side of the block seam. I would then sew across an entire row on the quilt (12 blocks wide), sewing the curves like a wave from one end of the quilt to the other.

Once I completed all of the wavy lines going across the width of the quilt, we took it out of the long-arm machine. We put it back in the machine so now I could go across the quilt with wavy lines the long way (also 12 blocks long).