Sewing – Page 13 – Sew Becky Jo

April 6, 2013April 4, 2013

Fabrics A to Z by Dana Willard Review

I went out to Boring, Oregon to hang with my family and the chickens for Easter this year – now that’s a real Easter egg hunt: hanging around a bunch of hens that have free range on a few acres!

My mom had told me she picked up a fabric reference books for me a couple weeks prior….she knows of my fabric habits. As much as I love the remnant bins, they’re not always labeled accurately, if at all, and when you’re donated a box from an attic, it’s anyone’s guess as to what is in it.

So when I got out there for Easter, had already laid out on the lawn for an hour and leafed through the book, I finally really looked at the cover….

Of course. It’s Dana Willard. THE Dana Willard of MADE fame. I used her shirt tutorial for the DIY baby clothes, etc. Yeah, so of course it’s great.

I love how it’s set up – it’s clean, concise, categorized by type and has little fast icons up top for what you’d use each fabric for…So often these kinds of guides are verbose, cumbersome and boooorrrring. You know what happens when I get a book like that? I skim it and miss something important or stress on something that is actually not important.

No, this book is perfect.

So perfect, in fact, I used it right away.

In a gifted box, I found this beauty. I didn’t do a burn test (to see if there’s a synthetic in it that melts), but I’m confident it’s cotton from the shrinkage in the wash and the feel. I love the rose, mauve and gray colorway – a muted feminine look to it.

I have no idea how old it is…I know it’s not particularly recent. The selvage isn’t marked with a label. It can’t be a Walmart fabric because I know it was purchased in Oregon and Walmart is too new to Oregon for this to be purchased there….I thought it might be at first because it was pretty stiff/scratchy until I washed it. It softened up quite a bit after washing. So, all of that, it remains a bit of a mystery. According to the Dana Guide (yes, I’m renaming it – my name is better), it fits well enough into the voile or lawn category for me. You can see here, held up to the light, how breezy/sheer it is:

There’s just under 3 yards – not made any better by this lovely hack job off the bolt-curve, so, I’ll have to do some creative fabric use to plan around those missing inches…

I decided Hazel and I need some matching spring blouses out of it, so I downloaded the free Sorbetto pattern from Colette Patterns. I have the Laurel I purchased, but after quilting so much lately, this will get me back into seamstress mode before I attack the Laurel.

I’ll be sharing more of course as I go. For 2 blouses, I need 3 yards, and with that missing chunk that is actually missing on both ends, it will be interesting.

April 5, 2013April 4, 2013

Viking Quilter’s Presser Foot Kit

Since I’ve signed up for a few quilting classes and joined the Portland Modern Quilt Guild, I bought the Viking Sapphire Quilter’s Presser Foot Kit. I was mostly looking to add on a walking foot, like I tried to get earlier, but it was less expensive to get the whole kit. Go figure.

It came with a walking foot, a 1/4 inch plastic piecing foot and an open-circle, spring free motion quilting foot. I thought I would be ho-hum about the walking foot, and really into the new FMQ foot, but I’m actually reversed on that.

The walking foot is substantial.

It should have come with a longer bolt to attach it to the machine shank, I’m a bit irked about that, but it works really well. I’ll have to hunt down a longer bolt – right now it stays on if I tighten it down perfectly, but I don’t trust it….there’s just no way there’s enough threads of the bolt in there to sustain it for any lengthy period.

It sure makes for pretty and easy stitching though. These are the feather blocks I’ve been working on, pattern by Anna Maria Horner.

I have no idea what those blocks will be turned into; it has batting and stiff canvas as the backing ala Oh, Fransson!, thinking I’ll want a bag or a dust cover for my KitchenAid or something.

Then there’s the spring tension FMQ foot.

I’ve never had a problem with my original FMQ foot….here next to it and I’ve used previously in a few projects….

but it seems like everyone else uses these spring-loaded ones, so I thought I’d give it a whirl.

It’s….well, it…it makes me scream “WTF??” a LOT.

It will work great…

And then suddenly my upper tension will go just crazy, like the tension disks are stuck together and will not adjust down no matter what. I didn’t take any photos of the craziness it did on my feather blocks…I just ripped out the crazy stitches put it away before I cried.

But then I used it in class….we intentionally used contrasting threads to watch the tension. I was using 50 wt cotton yellow and gray on white muslin and cotton low-loft batting…

Then, there’s the back…see what I mean by WTF?

So, then I moved back to my little clip on plastic foot….and it was fine.

So…I don’t now. There’s an entire Yahoo Sapphire Group and I swear 90% of the threads (no pun intended) are on this topic alone – the tension and the FMQ foot. I’m seriously considering a Juki for quilting by this time next year….I will not put up with a machine not performing its function. Ms. Viking may just turn into a garment only machine if she keeps this up.

Lastly, it came with a plastic 1/4″ piecing foot. It’s too bad that it’s plastic, but I have to admit, I like it. I’d almost rather switch feet than remember to move the needle to the 1/4″ and back…Ms. Viking resets its needle position all too often, so this is a nice tool. I like the metal guide that comes down and keeps me in place. I like it a lot.

This photo was taken before I forgot I changed to a zig-zag stitch on something else and left this foot on…and put the microtex/sharp needle right through the plastic…so…that hole is a little wider now.

So….there’s my novella on the Viking Quilt Kit for now. I’ll let you know if that spring foot gets me mad enough to chuck it.

April 4, 2013

Anna Maria Horner’s Feather Block

No one can resist the Feather Block by Anna Maria Horner. It’s whimsical and sophisticated at the same time. It can be used for dedicated fabric or to go through leftover fabric. It has a lot of pieces….but it’s pretty simple.

I have some free motion quilting to practice, but I wanted to practice on things that I was going to use and not just muslin or scrap batting sandwiches. Dangerous? Yes. So…I compromised and made practice blocks to practice quilt on. It all makes sense in my head.

Mom went to McMinnville, Oregon with her BFF to go to antique shops and quilting shops, etc. I love McMinnville. It may be my favorite town in all of Oregon. How can you not LOVE a town that has a sexy Ben Franklin statue?

Hahahaha. Ew.

Really I do love McMinnville. Mom went to Boersma’s and brought me back a bag of scraps….that doesn’t read nearly as cool as it is…

Big old bag of really high quality scraps. HAHAHA. She’s going to read this….she knows I love it and that I appreciate it!

Anywho, it was a perfect, already matched up stash to try out the feather block. Most of the fabric was already in perfect width strips for strip-piecing together.

Ms. Horner’s site has the link to the PDF pattern with instructions. Isn’t that SO GENEROUS? I went to FedEx/Kinkos and had them print the pattern pages (2) on 80 lb. card stock so that I’d have a sturdy template for my rotary cutter for a whopping $0.43.

It was really easy, by the way…just walk into Kinkos, ask them their email, email the link from your smart phone, and ask them to print the last two pages on card stock (80 lbs is technically cover stock, if I recall, but whatever – ask for 80 lb weight paper). You can email on their website or whatever, but I find it so much easier to just walk in. No toner/printer/paper fuss. I kept the instructions up on my iPad while I was working. Easy.

The instructions are for strips of width of fabric as if you’re cutting strips from a fat quarter or what-have-you, but you can finagle scraps just fine. Sorry about low light photo, whoopsie….but see the lines on the pattern Anna put on? That made it super easy to get the ‘feathers’ lined up so when you piece it, they’re at the same angle to the edge.

So, yeah. I started with a Kona Bone/neutral, and tinkered with a bit of teal. I prefer the teal….but if I was going to do a big scrappy quilt and use up all my mismatched scraps, I’d probably stick to the neutral.

Anna Maria Horner's Feather Blocks — Anna Maria Horner’s Feather Blocks

March 28, 2013

Easter Dresses And Other Delusions

Theoretically I should be joining the rest of sewing/crafting/quilting bloggerverse and making Easter dresses for my girls and some sort of pastel tie for my boys and man.

That’s just not going to happen.

It’s not that I don’t love making dresses, it’s that I know when I’ve taken on plenty already. Oh, and I’ve taken on plenty.

I’ve got a ‘day job’ that requires at least 50 hours a week not including commute time. It’s a pretty intense job at times that pays alright and gives my family amazing medical insurance – so I kinda have to do that.

There’s also the whole 4 kids thing ranging from 18 yrs to 13 months.

AND I’ve started my first of many sewing classes. The first to start is the Free Motion Quilting series at Montavilla by Billie Whipple. She’s great. I suspect it will be fun seeing the difference between Billie’s style and the FMQ class I have next month at Modern Domestic. The class at Montavilla is a series of 6 – 2 hour classes. It is so generous of people such as Billie to give their time and knowledge. She’s been quilting for such a long time and has so much experience to give. It’s great. That and my Lordie does she have a feisty sense of humor! That is just perfect for me!

I also have some sort of delusional dream that while doing all of this, I’m going to enter a couple dresses into the Colette Laurel pattern competition.

Colette's Laurel Pattern — Colette’s Laurel Pattern

I’ve started what I’m calling the Julia Prototype. I got a bunch of long sleeve t-shirts on clearance at Target and inspired by some friends from The PDX Breeders Club, I’m making some “semi-homemade” Star Wars dresses.

It’s not quite done. That skirt is just pinned to the top and needs to be serged and top-stitched together still. I’m pretty happy with it though – especially considering I did NO planning and just winged it.

So, back to being an Easter slacker.

I went to Old Navy instead.

March 23, 2013March 22, 2013

Artistic Director Hates The Props

I really wanted to take some photos of the Octavia scarf and 3 farmer’s market bags while the rare spring Pacific NW sun was out.

My artistic director had other plans…plans for a really cute mess and modeling with the props.

March 22, 2013March 22, 2013

Farmer’s Market Bags – Bias Tape Pockets

When I grabbed the peachy pinky bicycle fabric and the pink Kona, I just got 2 yards each because it was a spontaneous purchase and wasn’t sure what to do with it. I knew I plenty of other matching fabric anyway. So, after the infinity scarves, I went with this grouping to make 3 more farmer’s market bags.

I didn’t quite have enough of each Kona shown to make the bags match and that’s fine. There are 2 bags with the pink bag lining and white pocket lining, and 1 bag with the cream/cream.

What I DID learn this time around is that my binding foot is PERFECT for this project. A little bit of cream bias tape to top the pockets – 3 sets, making 6 total pockets, would appear to be a pain but with magical binding foot it was a breeze.

I just chain-stitched them all together. Once the foot and bias tape was set up, it was just a matter of feeding in each pocket top (after the lining was sewing on of course). It’s kind of like making banners. Or, bunting, I suppose is popular to say now. Thanks a lot Downton Abbey.

make sure fabric doesn't snag on foot — make sure fabric doesn’t snag on foot

I cut the bias tape a little over an inch from the end and just let it feed through.

Then easy peasy snip them apart. The edges get sewn into the bag sides, so it’s really not a fussy add-on.

Later, after the kids went to bed, I finished the bags up while Robert took action shots.

March 21, 2013

How To Iron Pellon

As I’m finishing up these farmer’s market bags, based on the Fresh Lemon’s design again,

I thought I’d share my Pellon epiphany.

Stabilizers and I have our moments. I think you have to get a ‘feel’ for them. Er, I think I have to get a feel for them. I think I’m getting it. Steam-A-Seam, I press for a long, long, long time. Think…slow roasting a marshmallow. Takes time to make it gooey and sticky. Pellon on the other hand is more of a quick, hot steam…but not too quick…but the great thing with Pellon, so far, is that I can flip it over and see how I’m doing.

This helps me get a feel for it and how I’m doing. I’m getting better.

Good thing Oh, Fransson! has put up this bag with a pattern tease.

I will be getting that pattern and obsessing over that next.

BTW, while I’m on the topic of the incredible Ms. Elizabeth Hartman, if you go to her blog and pour over her posts and books, you can see why I’ve signed up for her two upcoming classes at Modern Domestic.

So, when I mentioned upcoming classes, it makes more sense now, huh? There’s a LOT of other classes at MD that I’d like…but it’s a bit of a trek for me from deep SE PDX to NE PDX and child finagling, so this was a good leaping off point. I need to observe/learn some more FMQ and I’ve not done text quilt blocks…that’s going to be fun.

The art-cycle class would be fascinating and I would love the quilt frame basics class…but I think I’ve got enough on my plate for now. Oh, and I want to get the new pattern released from Colette at MD this week too…..so, yeah, that’s enough.

March 21, 2013October 3, 2014

How To Infinity Scarf for Octavia With Cheater Flat-Felled Seam

Gosh…I’ve known Octavia Hunter now for…well, 4 years? 5 years? It’s a long story, but in a nutshell, I got to do some work for her and I’ve been spoiled with A LOT of really great portraits and an amazing friend.

More than that, though, Octavia is naturally talented. I’ve watched her shoot many times, and she makes it seem so effortless…there’s no fussing with lighting or her cameras, at least that the subject is aware of, and she comes up with amazing shots. Octavia can pull so much emotion out of a person in a portrait. She’s truly gifted.

She’s sooo talented, she ALSO works for Bent Image Labs. Yeah. She’s kind of a big deal.

Octavia is a beautiful red-head and an avid bicyclist…so, when I saw the bicycle fabric in peach and pink, I decided she had to have it.

It was kismet that the fabric was out on that shelf waiting for me.

The infinity scarf was the perfect answer. The quilting cottons are a bit stiffer than woven fabrics intended for apparel and certainly more than a knit, plus with the infinity design…it can’t come off as she’s flying down Portland streets on her bike! The stiffer fabric will hold it’s shape up against her face if she needs or down against her chest in layers.

I cut the bicycle fabric and the pink solid Kona 14″ wide and fabric width long (44″) then trimmed the selvedges.

That’s a good approximation. My first was a bit wider and a smidge longer…I think this is a better length for bike riding.

Sew the lengths, right sides together to make a hollow-ended tube. Press down and top-stitch to keep it from puffing open after washing/drying.

When that is done, you’re ready to put in a cheater’s flat-felled seam. A cheater’s flat-felled seam is a French seam pressed and sewn down, aka top-stitched. It’s easy, convenient, and there’s less fuss than an actual flat-felled seam.

Lay the scarf down and fold it in half but with a twist so that the facing fabrics do not match.

Sew them together. I used a 1/4″ seam, but it doesn’t really matter. We’re not engineering bridges here. Just sew it and trim it down to 1/8″ if you can. Again, more important to keep it straight than be exact. If you’re more comfortable with larger allowances, it’s all good.

Then fold and press it back over itself – making a seam sandwich.

Stitch over that to keep it closed in there. I just butt my presser foot against it and move my needle over, but some people like to pin a guide or draw a line. Whatever works so that it looks like this on the top side:

and like this on the bottom side:

Press that top-side down flat and stitch it down.

When it’s done, it’s a self-contained fabric burrito-wrap-bento-whatever. It’s all rolled in there and pressed down. It makes for a bit of a stiff seam, but it’s the seam I use for baby-slings – it’s sturdy and will last.

Here’s the scarf, casually draped over the back of a chair….before the baby tore it down….

AND that’s part 1…of…well, there’s more.

And here’s another great photo.

March 20, 2013

How To Get Pins Through Multi-Layers

Getting pins through layers of corduroy for pants or layers of batting and cotton for quilting takes some effort, but not quite as much as when going through Pellon/stabilizers and layers of fabric. I use a trick my mother taught me years ago when diapering my little brothers in cloth diapers and I thought I’d share.

Not the part about cloth diapering my brothers. Not that they’d care – but you might.

If you’re finding that the pins are NOT gliding through the fabric with ease, take the pin, run it through your hair close to your scalp, and try again. Some cloth diapering people keep pins in soap, but that’s such a bother for sewing. It sounds sorta weird, but trust me. It does just enough to glide through the thickest of bundles.

And there you go. Again, my mom is amazing.

March 20, 2013May 11, 2013

Upcoming: More Bags, Infinity Scarves and Modeling

I know I said I wouldn’t get more fabric except solids, but….I had to get the last of this fox fabric, and I’ve been wanting this Birch fois bois…and I happened to have a sewmamasew.com gift card.

sew mama sew fabrics – washed but pre-ironing

I feel so lame writing “fois bois.”

I may have went a little over my gift card, and got this orange plaid to go WITH my mushroom fabric.

But this time, you see, the fabric has plans before it was purchased. I’m addicted to these farmer’s market bags. And I’ve really been wanting an infinity scarf that’s sweeping the interwebs, but all I could find tutorials on was knit instructions….and that fox fabric was just begging me to be worn…by me…

AND….I had to go to Cool Cottons because they had the Star Wars fabric in stock that I need….and walking to the front door, there was a sale rack. I walked right past it. Just right past it. Then….went right back out and grabbed the bicycle fabric…and matching Kona….but I was really good and didn’t buy any of the shot cottons…yet…

Doesn’t this fabric just make you feel spring?

Excuse the wrinkles, I took photos after washing them but before ironing. I was too excited. It could be worse. I’ve been looking at Jukis and cover stitch machines….

Here’s some shots of the first infinity scarf. I experimented on myself….before I made more…so much more. Photos below are by my dear man. He takes great photos….then puts up animated gifs of me making dinner. That’s True Love….the part where I let him do that.

OK, I have ALL of that to show you coming up AND AND AND

I signed up for some classes at Modern Domestic, one at Montavilla and a Jenny Doan lecture. Normally, I’m not a fan of classes, only because I’m too impatient and when I want to learn something I just go find it….but I have my reasons for these particular classes which I’ll expand on later.

That, and most of my lessons in sewing have either been my mom or self-taught, and while that’s great, it’s such a HUGE subject…I know a couple different ways of putting pants together, for example, but I prefer one particular way over the other. That’s barely scratching the surface of techniques, habits and tricks. In fact, I’ve got a trick to share with you right after I post this that I haven’t read anywhere.

Sewing, quilting and embroidery are truly humbling in that I will never know it all….and I love that.

March 16, 2013March 16, 2013

Star Wars Photo Gallery

This post is 50% to show you ideas for licensed fabric and 50% me tootin’ my own horn. I loved these projects so much I picked up 4 yards of the Star Wars schematic fabric in blue/black today from Cool Cottons.

Here’s a gallery of the entire Brody and Jack projects. Enjoy.

This is one of my favorite backs….I’m Watching You….

Jack's Birthday Bucket — Jack’s Birthday Bucket

March 15, 2013March 15, 2013

Zulily Has Burda Sewing Books On Sale!

Zulily has a bunch of sewing books on sale including the Burda Style book that I paid $30 for!!!

I’m going to have a hard time choosing what to get…but I need to brush up on my embroidery. I have a Victorian crazy quilt to finish and a hankering for some framed whimsy.