Weekend Update

I have a few crappy cell phone pictures for a quick update of the little bit of crafting I accomplished this weekend.

1) Schoolhouse Tunic Sew-Along
As I've previously mentioned, Rebecca from Sew Festive Handmade is hosting a sew-along using Sew Liberated's Schoolhouse Tunic pattern.  Last week's task was sizing and cutting.  After reading Rebecca's post about 7 times, I finally worked up the nerve and dove in.  I'm not 100% sure about the size I chose - all of my measurements seemed to fall in a difference size - so I just picked one that seemed like it would fit my bust and hips best. It might end up being a bit too big, but I figure that's better than too small.  I can always bring it in a bit if it's turning out too large during the construction.  I also lengthened the skirt and sleeves, so we'll see how that worked out.  I definitely added way too much length, but again, better too long than too short.
 

The second post that covers bodice and sleeve construction is scheduled for today, so maybe by next weekend I'll have the top half of a garment!

2) Mustache Mug Rug
My brother's birthday is this coming weekend.  He's not necessarily a lover of handmade gifts (he's also not a regular reader of my blog, so no spoiler here), so I got him a nice sweater, but I just felt wrong not including anything handmade in the box.  So I made this awesome little mug rug.  I've been wanting to try applique, and we already know I'm obsessed with mustaches (as long as they're not on my boyfriend's face), so this was the result.

I figured a quick, easy project drawing from my scrap bin was best, considering there's a 95% chance this will never get used.  But I still like it.  I figured it could be fun for his bedside table or to keep on his desk at work (something cheery to lighten up his stiff, humorless law office [that's my own assumption of his working environment]).  Most likely it will end up as a short-lived chew toy for the dog, but oh well.  I still had fun making it!

3) English Paper Piecing
This weekend I attended my second meeting of the DC Modern Quilt Guild.  It was a small turnout - I imagine most people were at Sewing Summit - but it was really fun!  Every third meeting is outside on the National Mall, so we work on hand piecing projects. I'd never hand pieced before, but I figured this was the best opportunity to learn, so I grabbed my copy of Hexa-Go-Go by Tacha Bruecher and headed off.  Most of our time was spent ogling quilts by Frederick and Elle, but I did have time to make 5 hexagons.  Not much, but it's (hopefully) the start of something great (what, I'm not quite sure yet, but we'll see).

 
4) Boyfriend Sweater

After months of leaving it idle, I've started working on my boyfriend sweater again.  I'm about halfway done with the body (for the second time).  This go around I'm paying more attention - trying it on more to make sure that it's fitting me correctly rather than just blindly following the pattern.  I made some good progress at my local yarn store's monthly outdoor knit yesterday - good thing the weather was so nice!

Herringbone Pillows

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I LOVE herringbone.  I think it's an awesome, classic pattern.  My favorite pair of shoes have a herringbone print.  Anyway, when I saw this quilt on the Modern Quilt Guild's 100 Days of Modern Quilting series, I knew I had to make it.  Around the same time I found that inspiration, I learned that a good friend from high school was moving in with her boyfriend in a new city, so I of course needed to make a housewarming gift.  Thus, these herringbone pillows were born!

I first blogged about these a few weeks ago during WIP Wednesday.  After finishing a few other projects and getting a new walking foot, I was finally able to complete these pillows just in time for my friend to come visit.  

I quilted each pillow with simple straight lines in the sashing.  I was thinking about doing lines similar to that in the inspiration quilt, but I decided I liked the simplicity of this design better.  It allows the colors and pattern to stand out more than the quilting, which is what I was going for.  (I was also a bit short on time and needed a quilting design I could finish pretty quickly).

Sorry for the shadows - I was on a tight schedule to take photos before I gave the pillows away, so I had to make due with the lighting I had.

I backed the pillows in an offset shade of blue and finished each with a matching flap-covered zipper and hand-binding (my first time hand binding anything - I rather liked the process once I got the hang of it).  Just to mix things up, I finished one pillow in turquoise and the other in chartreuse.

A few things I learned during this process:

1) How to install zippers in pillows
2) Hand binding
3) How to correctly use my walking foot
4) That strip piecing is a great option (I was originally thinking about individually piecing each little herringbone part, but instead strip pieced them and then sliced them up on the bias - SUCH a better idea, I'm sure.  I can't even imagine how many headaches with stretching and mismatched corners I avoided).

Materials:
Kona white, turquoise, chartreuse and royal

Millie's Dresses Go Anywhere

This past weekend, Mr. T and I went to visit some friends in NYC.  LC is one of my best friends from college and a talented sewer herself - she made an awesome bag for me a number of years ago, so I decided to repay the favor and make her one in return.  Plus I probably won't see her for another several months, so this way I could hand deliver her Hanukkah present.  After scouring the interwebs for the perfect pattern, I found the Go Anywhere Bag from Anna at Noodlehead. With a 15 month old baby and all the stuff that goes along with him, a big bag like this was just the thing for LC.

I also had the perfect fabric on hand - Millie's Closet Dresses in Yellow.  I wasn't sure how I felt about this fabric when it first came out, but after looking at it several times, I fell in love.  To me the pattern versus the colors are the perfect blend of 50's and modern.  Plus, I got an awesome deal on it from Pink Castle Fabrics.  The other two fabrics I pulled from my stash.

I'd read a lot of good things about Anna's patterns, and I mostly agree with the reveiws.  The directions were very clear and all of the photos were super helpful.  I also appreciated that she explained in detail how to add a magnetic clasp. I did find two things a bit challenging:

1) On the pattern pieces, all of the outside pieces are referred to as "exterior."  This confused me at first because to me the exterior fabric was the dresses, while the stripes were exterior pocket or something.  I almost started trying to cut all the pattern pieces out of the dresses.

2) The fabric used in the bag made in the pictures was not the same as that of the sample bag presented on the cover and as the finished product.  For me, this just made it a little confusing to determine which piece was which when working on each step.

Because I can't leave well enough alone, I did make a few edits to the bag.  First, though this bag has more than enough pockets, I added another to the inside.  So, in addition to the inside slip pocket called for in the pattern, I included a zippered pocket, for which I used this tutorial from The Busy Bean.

I also changed the slip pocket slightly by making it wider and separating it into two sections.

Lastly, since I was using quilting cotton, I added SF-101 to everything!  Every single inch of fabric (even the welt pocket) in this bag is interfaced. I might have actually added a bit too much because the empty bag is sort of heavy, but hopefully it also means the bag is sturdier and will last longer.  Needless to say, I used way more interfacing than recommended in the pattern.  Thankfully I bought a lot of extra with the idea of having leftovers on hand in case I decided to make an impromptu bag.

All in all, I'm really happy with this project and am already picking out fabric to make one for myself - or maybe Anna's new Sidekick Tote.  I'm more of a cross-body bag person.  Also, when LC's sister (also a sewist) saw it, she was really impressed and is now thinking of making one for herself.  Apparently she'd been eying the pattern and my in-person sample confirmed her desire for one.

After an awesome visit, LC and I had some fun photographing the bag in her backyard:

Pink Castle Fabric

I just had to pop in quickly and say how much I love Pink Castle Fabrics.  I don't have any sponsors, so no one is paying me or giving me anything to say this.  I have just received amazing customer service from Brenda and Jason and see as they continually improve their shop, and I wanted to give them a shout out. 

Examples:

1) I emailed them (and a few other online fabric stores) a few months ago asking for suggestions on a solid to use for a semi-commissioned project, and, in my opinion, they were the only ones who really listened to what I was asking and offered me great suggestions, and for that I ended up buying a good amount of yardage from them. 

2) I just received an email from Pink Castle giving me a 15% off coupon because it's my birthday month.  THAT'S AWESOME! 

3) They're in Ypsilanti, and I went to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, which is just next door, so I'm kind of bias...

Flying Moustaches!

I've been really into making pillows lately.  They're relatively quick and easy (I'm a fan of [semi-] instant gratification), and they allow me to improve my sewing/quilting skills on a smaller scale item.  And I love this pillow.  I sort of want to keep it, but I'll be good and give it to the intended recipient.

I found a fat quarter of this mustache fabric at my (somewhat) LQS, and just had to get it. (I have no clue who the designer, manufacturer is.  There's no info on the selvage and I couldn't find anything online.  Lots of photos of the fabric, but no info - Update: It's Where's My Stash by Alexander Henry Fabrics.).  I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but my friends and I have always had this strange thing about mustaches, so I didn't really have a choice but to buy it.  After thinking about it and staring at the fabric, I decided it would make the perfect pillow for my friend LC and her husband.  They're awesome, and fun, and a bit quirky (they bought lamps from the kids department at Target to decorate their bedroom), so a mustache pillow is right up their alley. Also, they got married a year and a half ago in a very small, family-only ceremony, and I never really got them a gift.  Since Mr. T and I are visiting this weekend, I decided it was the perfect time!

For this pillow I also tried a few new things:
1) Added a zipper covered by a flap - this is actually the 3rd zipper I've added to a pillow, but I haven't finished the other two yet, so it's the first completed pillow with a zipper.  I used this tutorial, which I thought explained it really well.  Also, rather than use a narrow cut of fabric to make the flap, I just folded the larger backing piece down.  I think it worked out pretty well.

Excuse the lint.  I did find and use my roller, but apparently I missed a few spots.

2) Piping! - I was pretty nervous about adding piping, but I think it turned out pretty well.  There is definitely some room for improvement, but for my first try, I'm pleased.  Again, I used a tutorial from Sew Mama Sew's website. I thought there were a few areas in which this tutorial could have provided a little more detail, particularly concerning what type of cording to buy (maybe naming some common brands), and also more clarification concerning when to sew to the right and wrong sides of the fabric.  I was halfway through pinning my piping to the wrong side of my pillow top before realizing that I should be pinning to the right side.  As a new sewer, extra details like that are often helpful, but often overlooked by those who have been sewing for a long time.

Even though the tutorial recommends bias cutting the strips to cover cording, I decided to cut along the grain.  Every time I've tried to cut on the bias, I've messed up, so I just decided not to do it.  Also, as I don't have a piping foot, I just used my zipper foot.  I can definitely see how a piping foot would be handy.  I couldn't quite get as close as I wanted to the piping, and then when I sewed the top and bottom together, I definitely got too far away, so you can see threads from the piping covering coming out.  Oh well, it's little touches like these that make it homemade and special!

I was planning on making the entire backing black, but after adding the zipper it was an inch too short.  I added the leftover strip from the fat quarter to add some length and I have to say, I'm really pleased with the result.  It adds an element of surprise and intrigue to the back.  I love that!

Mr. T and I also decided to have some fun with this one...

He wishes he could have a mustache for real, but I won't allow it.  A full facial hair set is fine (even preferred), but mustaches on their own are often creepy.  Especially on Mr. T...

Schoolhouse Tunic Sew-Along

Have you heard about the Sew Liberated Schoolhouse Tunic Sew-Along that Rebecca from Sew Festive Handmade is hosting?  I think I'm going to join.  The only pair of clothing I've ever made is the pajama pants for Mr. T I mentioned the other week. (I've finished them.  I'm just not ready to post the final product.  It's coming soon, though).  And while they're pretty awesome and he loves them, they're not exactly neat or refined.  I want to learn how to make something I can wear in public, and maybe even how to do a french seam!  So, I'm going to take the plunge and do it...

I'm going to go with the dress version.  I think if I can find a good, relatively neutral fabric I'll be able to wear it to work this fall/winter.  Also, I just know I would never wear the shirt no matter what fabric I used, and I don't think I'd wear the tunic with jeans, so hopefully I can find something that works with tights and boots...

Here's the question - what kind of fabric do I use?  Rebecca dedicated a whole post today to fabric selection, but unfortunately it's not really answering any of my questions.  I did look through the Art Gallery she recommended, but all the prints are too busy for me.  I'm thinking of going to JoAnn tomorrow to look around, but I'm worried the quality won't be good...

Any opinions or suggestions for a first time clothes maker?

Thanks!

BEYOND EXCITED!

I'm so excited I just had to post again today!

I ran in to JoAnn during my lunch break today to pick up a few zippers and other odds and ends.  As I was leaving, I happened to walk by the quilting book section, when, out of my periphery I spotted none other than Modern Patchwork by Elizabeth Hartman.  I had to do a double take.  I couldn't believe that JoAnn had it.  (Not sure why - the book just seems slightly out of their league.  I'd also looked for that and several of the other popular, relatively new quilting books out now and have never seen any of them there).

As I approached the counter, I just knew they were going to tell me that it had been placed on the shelf by mistake and it wasn't actually for sale.  I was especially excited because I had a few coupons, so if everything worked out, I was about to get a super good deal on the book (meaning more fabric money to actually make the quilts in it...).

I did quite the happy dance as I rushed outside!  I also immediately texted Mr. T and told him not to order it for my (belated) birthday present.  Ah, I wish I could go home early today and spend the afternoon with EH and my fabric stash!

From http://bokertov.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451bc4a69e2014e8a8f894b970d-800wi