Pillowcase Tutorial

This is more of a guide than a true tutorial. It is also as much for myself as it is for you.

Supplies

  • Fabric (3 different if you want trim, two different if you will not use trim)
    • Main body: 3/4-1 yard
    • Cuff: 1/3 yard
    • Trim (accent fabric): 1/8 yard (will be way too much, but you can find a strip wide enough in your fabric collection, if you don’t want to buy fabric for this part. This is optional. You can make fabulous pillowcases without trim.
  • Basic sewing kit
  • Rotary cutting kit
  • Pins or Wonderclips
  • Thread
  • Sewing machine
  • 1/4″ foot
  • Ironing kit

Cut

  • Trim: 1.5″x width of fabric (WOF) strip
  • Cuff: 12″x WOF strip
  • Main body: 27″x WOF

In the example below the following fabrics are used:

  • Trim: lime green
  • Cuff: black with white dots
  • Main body: red with white motifs

Prepare

  • Press your trim in half the long way, so you end up with a piece that is 3/4″ wide and WOF long.
  • Lay cuff fabric right side up on your worktable (or ironing board).
  • Lay your main body fabric right side up on top of the cuff fabric. Cut edge is up, selvedges are hanging down.
  • 3 Layers Ready to Roll
    3 Layers Ready to Roll

    Lay trim fabric on top.

  • Roll up Main Body Fabric
    Roll up Main Body Fabric

    Fold main body fabric up towards trim, keeping it well away from where you will be sewing.

  • Bring cuff fabric up and around main body fabric.
  • Line up all parts and pin
    Line up all parts and pin

    As you lay the cuff fabric on top of the trim, line up the edges of all the pieces you have layered and pin them all together. You will end up with a tube filled with fabric. The tube will look like a burrito with the cuff fabric forming the flour tortilla. All of the other fabric will be wrapped inside it.

  • Burrito completely pinned
    Burrito completely pinned

    Nota Bene: the selvedges are NOT pinned

Sew

  • Sew 'burrito'
    Sew ‘burrito’

    Take your burrito to the sewing machine and position it so that the pinned edge is underneath the presser foot.

  • Starting sewing, stopping after a few stitches and backstitching, then continuing on until the entire seam is complete.
  • Pull out pins as you sew
  • Backstitch at the end to secure the seam.
Burrito Sewn
Burrito Sewn

Prepare #2

  • Pull Filling Out of Burrito
    Pull Filling Out of Burrito

    Carefully pull all the ‘filling’ out of the burrito so that you have a piece where the cuff, trim and main body are all sewed together.

  • First seam sewn; case on ironing board
    First seam sewn; case on ironing board

    Lay the piece flat on the ironing board with the cuff fully on the ironing board and the main body hanging down the front.

  • Press Towards the Cuff
    Press Towards the Cuff

    Press, carefully smoothing the fold of the cuff away from the trim and the main body, so it is neat and tidy.

  • Fold the piece in half with WRONG sides together. The RIGHT side will be facing towards you (you will be able to see the right side)
  • The selvedges will now be touching each other.
  • Trim the main body after measuring 28″. That is the measurement of the main body fabric and does not include the cuff or trim. If you were to open the piece, your main body would be WOF x 28″. You can adjust the 28″ to fit the size of your pillows.
  • Pin at strategic points

Sew #2

This step will start the process of making a French seam (completely encloses the seam with no raw edges).

  • Using a 1/8″ seam allowance (or smaller), start sewing at the top of the cuff, down the side. I sew it this way to have the best chance at matching up the trim.
  • After a few stitches, stop and backstitch the top. This is important because the top seam will get a lot of wear from stuffing the pillow in and out.
  • Remove pins as you get close to them.
  • Stop at the corner and backstitch, then turn and sew the bottom of the pillowcase closed.
First Step French Seam
First Step French Seam

Prepare #3

  • Press the seam from the right side.
  • Sew from wrong side
    Sew from wrong side

    Turn the pillowcase inside out so the wrong side of the fabric is showing.

  • Place the full bottom of the pillowcase on the ironing board
  • Smooth the fullness of the pillowcase towards the seam.
  • Press the seam so it is neat and tidy.
  • Repeat with the side.

Sew #3

This is the section where you create a French Seam, which means that you will encase the raw edge of the previous seam.

  • Starting at the cuff again, sew with a 1/4″ or larger seam along the side. You want to use a seam allowance large enough so that the entire raw edge that you sewed int he previous step is encased.
  • After a few stitches, stop and backstitch the top. This will further reinforce the top seam, so it can withstand the wear and tear from stuffing the pillow in and pulling it out.
  • Sew down the side neatly as this seam will be seen
  • Remove pins as you get close to them.
  • Stop at the corner and turn and sew the bottom of the pillowcase closed.
  • Backstitch neatly at the edge of the bottom.
Sewn French Seam
Sewn French Seam

Finish

  • Press the seam from the wrong side.
  • Turn the pillowcase right side out.
  • Place the bottom of the pillowcase on the ironing board with the seam away from you
  • Smooth the fullness of the pillowcase towards the bottom seam.
  • Press the seam so it is neat and tidy. I often press starting on the main body of the pillowcase and moving the iron towards the seam.
  • Repeat with the side.
  • Shake out your pillowcase and show it off!
Finished Pillowcase
Finished Pillowcase

Good job!

Notes

  • Width of fabric means from selvedge to selvedge. Example: If you cut a strip 1.5″ wide for the trim, there will be a piece of the selvedge on each end of the strip.
  • Main body: I straighten a 1 yard piece of fabric and cut it to size AFTER I sew on the trim and the cuff. This leaves me with a strip about 6″ wide, but it keeps me from getting confused about which side is up.
  • Main body: the selvedges will be on the sides. Do not sew the trim and cuff to the selvedge.
  • Main body: I trim the selvedges from the sides after I sew the cuff and trim on.
  • I have used trim sizes from piping to 1″ cut. You can make the trim whatever size gets you the look you want.

Resources

  • Twiddletails tutorial – I like the burrito method. Print out these directions and use them as a guide. Most of the way I make my pillowcases are from this tutorial
  • Gift Post #2-2013 Pillowcases – see Amy’s comment

Smokin’ Hot Pillowcase

Smokin' Hot Pillowcase - full
Smokin’ Hot Pillowcase – full

My last effort with a pillowcase was frustrating. Amy left a comment that really helped me make this one. Except for messing up the French Seam and having to rip it out, this pillowcase went together really well.

Amy said that the selvedges go on the side of the pillowcase. What I did was leave the selvedges on until I had sewn the first seam and used the numbers and other directions from the Twiddletails tutorial. Sometimes a comment as simple as that can really help (which is why your comments really matter!!!).

I am not sure I bought this fabric for a pillowcase or for a pillowcase for my nephew who is off at college, but I washed this fabric and decided that I was neglecting the poor soul.I like to make things and send them to my nieces and nephews who are off at college. You have seen a quilt or two that have gone off to colleges around the country. I have also made pillowcases and have a few other items on my list to make as gifts. Yes, pillowcases, I am sure get strange looks from their recipients, but I don’t care. They are good vehicles for fun fabrics. Where else could you use hot sauce fabric?

Smokin' Hot Pillowcase - folded
Smokin’ Hot Pillowcase – folded

After I finished the top and back for Super Secret Project #4, I decided to tackle the pillowcase. I am really glad it went together easily, because I don’t think I could have taken another frustrating pillowcase experience.

It would have been a shame, too, because I probably would have given up on pillowcases and I really can’t think of another way to use fun fabrics like this.

I really am completely thrilled at how this one came out. It came together really easily and even the trim is matched up pretty well. No, I didn’t match the pattern of the fabric. That is a fight for another day.

I hope this pillowcase doesn’t look too Halloween-y

Smokin' Hot Pillowcase - matching seams
Smokin’ Hot Pillowcase – matching seams

Sewing Machines….Blergh

There is good and bad in my sewing world lately.

The Good:

  • plenty of fabric
  • good projects on which to work
  • finishes
  • more fabric
  • nice IRL quilt friends
  • #Twilters

The Bad:

  • #$%^&*(@## sewing machine

Yes, my 9K stopped sewing again last week.

“Really?”, you ask.

After a string of curses, not directed at you, “Yes,” I say.

What is the problem? I don’t know. I just stopped zigzagging in the middle of my ATCs a week ago. Since something was stuck under the feed dogs last time I had in the shop, I took off the sole plate and cleaned out everything that looked linty and like it didn’t belong. I didn’t see anything scary looking. I put it all back together and it sewed again.

Hooray, I thought, it was just a recommended stoppage to avoid permanent damage. I was happy.

For about 5 minutes, then it stopped again. I took off the sole plate again and nothing was in there. Well, the area I could see was clean.

I was done.

Backup Machine on top of cabinet
Backup Machine on top of cabinet

I got out the backup machine and put the 9K on the floor in timeout. Saturday I went and picked up the insert. Perfect timing, because I am thinking of quilting the Wonky Nine Patch.

Also, I have been waking up in the morning with tingly fingers and wrists (old injury that flares when I am naughty), which I know is from not having my machine flush with the table. I see a lot of people sewing without their machine flush and I envy them, because it makes for so much more versatility when they sew. They can go anywhere and sew. I can sew for a very limited time without the machine being flush with the table or I suffer.

Why have I been sewing like this, you ask? Denial? No, I MUST sew. I must get the creativity out of my body or I will probably explode.

Backup machine flush in cabinet
Backup machine flush in cabinet

My backup machine is ok. It is a good machine and it is working, which is a bonus, but it doesn’t have a knee lift. I don’t know it as well, so I always have to go hunting for various stitches and feet. It isn’t my 9K, which I do love.

The insert is nice, though it is a little strange to be able to see down under the machine. As of this writing, I haven’t sewn with it yet and I don’t know how that will be.

Raising the backup machine
Raising the backup machine

The bed of the the backup machine isn’t as tall as the 9K, so I had to boost it up to make it flush with the acrylic insert/table. I used the wooden closing insert (see picture above) and a magazine to get it to the right height. I might add some clamps to the whole assemblage if the slickness of the magazine makes the machine move around.

I took the 9K to Serge-a-Lot, my new best friend sewing store, after Sherri invited me to do so. She assured me that her man, Brad, could work on my machine. She came through with the insert and if Brad can’t fix the machine, then I am no worse off. She did see that the feed dogs weren’t advancing when she turned the fly wheel, so I didn’t come across like a complete lunatic. Of course, when we put thread in it in the store, the machine sewed fine.  WTF? I told her to service it if she thought it needed it.

I am thinking that a new machine is in my future sooner than I had hoped. I hope Serge-a-Lot can get it running and that it can give me a few more years of service. I don’t know, though. I better start saving my pennies.

All I can say is BLERGH!!!

May 2014 CQFA Meeting

The CQFA meeting was last Saturday (May 3) and was quite lively.

Workshop Work
Workshop Work

Jennifer is a graphic facilitator/graphic recorder and she led a workshop about “from drawing to art quilt.” I did a graphic recording course with hopes of moving into that profession, but I didn’t pursue it and wish I had the opportunity to do so. Still, my skills came in handy in this class because I can draw basic shapes relatively quickly. I am not sure I got what was intended out of the class, but I did get some inspiration. I have been thinking of the ongoing placemat challenge and I drew out a design that has been in my head for it.

Art Journal Workshop Notes & Sketches
Art Journal Workshop Notes & Sketches

We did some work in our art journals/sketchbooks as part of the workshop and that was fun. I got some ideas down that have been in my head. They are not perfect or fabric ready, but they are down and I can see them with my eyes and not just my mind’s eye. I have a start and can see a little way down the path. Also, I just found it fun to work in my journal. I don’t do it enough.

Art Journal Workshop Notes & Sketches
Art Journal Workshop Notes & Sketches

Jen gave out some handouts and one of them had a quick sketch of mountains, which I found interesting.

She suggested working with fat markers (e.g. see the round arrow) and I found that hard, so I switched to the pens with which I normally write (see purple drawings on the right). She had a point about the fat markers, which was you couldn’t put in a lot of detail and you filled the page faster. Both are true. I still like my thin pen better. I wonder how I would feel with a fat pen if the tip was different?

Of course, we had the ATC exchange, which I talked about.

Marie told us about some upcoming events at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles:

May 18 – Quilt National Opening

May 24 – Royal School of Textiles speaker on dyeing, but not the how-to. She will speak on the societal, social and the geo-political effects on dyeing, how colors came about etc.

June 14 – beading lecture by a pre-eminent beadist (is that a word?).

Marie reported that these events are a way to engage more with members. Some of the CQFA members said that, while they couldn’t always attend the lectures and events, they went to the website more and read more of the emails, which is a good thing. Check the website for more details.

The Library show planning is in process. I have been out of the loop for a few months due to some personal issues and am not quite sure what is going on. I may withdraw my piece. We will see.

Diane Carver Place Mat Challenge
Diane Carver Place Mat Challenge

Show and tell was great. Maureen is using a gelli plate to print on fabric and some of her prints were gorgeous. Diane did the placemat challenge and I like the way the pieces stand up from the background.

Virginia is working on her piece for the show and the piecing is amazing. It is large, too.

 

I showed Fresh Fruit and Fabric of the Year 2012. I worked on FOTY 2012 at the retreat last year and people gave me some nice compliments. Someone suggested that I have a show of all the FOTY quilts when I get a few more under my belt. I would really like to do that. I’ll have to work on it once I get a larger stock of quilts.

Finished: Fresh Fruit

As I mentioned, I got two quilts back from Colleen at the same time.  I just finished the sleeve on the second, which means the whole quilt is finished. Yes, I finished Fresh Fruit. 😉

I like this quilt and think it is very pretty. Do you see how there is continuity across the quilt with fabrics in different colorways? I think that the design could be used very effectively with other fabrics, even if they were not different colorways of the same line. Of course, I am thinking about Philip Jacobs fabrics and dots.

Fresh Fruit front
Fresh Fruit front

The sad part of this quilt is that I barely remember making it. I should have called this quilt Cinderella, as it is beautiful, but shoved to the side, in a way, like fairy tale step children. The design was from a pattern and I used same fabric as the pattern. I did the whole thing as leaders and enders, I didn’t quilt it. The most time I spent on it was on the back, the sleeve and the binding. It feels weird, but it is true.

I had help from inexperienced quilt holders in taking the photo. They were tired after the front, so the back isn’t straight.

Fresh Fruit back
Fresh Fruit back

Happy Blogiversary

China Cake Plate
China Cake Plate

I started this blog in 2005 – 9 years ago, if you are counting. I have written over 2900 posts, some good, some bad. I have 4,600+ images in my Media Library. I write about a lot of stuff including:

Idea Cloud
Idea Cloud

I have 74 items marked as being about a completed project.

Thanks for reading all this time and for commenting on my projects and posts. Without you, why should I bother?

 

Check out the creative prompt, which was posted yesterday for those of you keeping track.

Creative Prompt #257: Orchid

The prompt is being posted early this week, because there will be a special post tomorrow.

Radiant Orchid: Pantone 2014 Color of the Year

Phalaenopsis orchid

Fairmont Orchid, Hawai’i

San Francisco Orchid Society

Orchids at Palm Court is a superior fine dining restaurant that offers gourmet, fancy meals inside the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza.

The Orchid was the name given to a DHARMA Initiative station dedicated to exotic matter research, namely time travel, under the guise of being a botanical research station. The true station was located in an underground chamber beneath a greenhouse, and drew energy for its experiments from the same anomalous energy source as the frozen wheel. The Orchid was located several hours north or northwest of the survivors’ camp, and was found fairly close to the remnants of the statue of Taweret. (Lostpedia)

The Mid-America Orchid Congress

Town of Orchid, Florida

Orchid Grey

The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession

Black Orchid

Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (movie)

the Zodiac Sessions by Orchid

purple Dendrobium orchids

The Orchid House by Lucinda Riley

Keiki Power Pro Orchid Plant Cloning Paste (really???)

Black Orchid by Tom Ford

Orchid by DaySmart software

Dancing Orchid in Chaos (Amazon Instant Video)

Butterly Orchid

Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog.

We are also talking about this on Twitter. Use the hashtag #CPP

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to  post your responses. I created this spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses.

Definition: “Orchidaceae is a diverse and widespread family of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and often fragrant, commonly known as the orchid family. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species, found in 880 genera.[2][3] Selecting which of the two families is larger is still under debate, as concrete numbers on such enormous families are constantly in flux. Regardless, the number of orchid species nearly equals the number of bony fishes and more than twice the number of bird species, and about four times the number of mammal species. The family also encompasses about 6–11% of all seed plants.[4] The largest genera are Bulbophyllum (2,000 species), Epidendrum (1,500 species), Dendrobium (1,400 species) and Pleurothallis (1,000 species).

The family also includes Vanilla (the genus of the vanilla plant), Orchis (type genus), and many commonly cultivated plants such as Phalaenopsis and Cattleya. Moreover, since the introduction of tropical species into cultivation in the 19th century, horticulturists have produced more than 100,000 hybrids and cultivars.”

Vanilla is a kind of orchid!

Orchid Cellmark is one of the world’s largest and most experienced AABB accredited DNA Paternity testing laboratories

May ATCs for CQFA

My ATC work this month didn’t go as smoothly as I would have liked, but I am disavowing responsibility, because my Janome 9K is acting up again. I was able to finish them on the backup machine, but there are some differences so they don’t look as professional as I would like. I might do a special whine post later abut the &^%$* machine, but now I just don’t want to get into it.

May 2014 ATCs
May 2014 ATCs

I decided to do some more leaves, similar to last meeting’s ATCs, so I could donate one to the ATC collection for the guild show. I had enough time and enough interfacing cut, so I went for broke. There are some similarities to last month’s leaves, but some differences as well.

I used my last of a piece of thickish thread for the stems. Someone told me it was from saris, but I don’t remember where I got it and don’t know. I had to couch it on the cards.

I am really pleased that I had enough time. I didn’t start until Friday at midday. Friday is kind of last minute and I don’t know why I wait that long, but I felt like I wasn’t racing the clock. I just worked along and the cards came together well. I didn’t do any embellishment, but I also didn’t feel like the pieces needed it this time.

All May ATCs
All May ATCs

There were a lot of participants in the ATC challenge this month and I got a nice group of cards to keep.

The most unusual award goes to Sue who is experimenting with cookie decorating (lower right). The cookie decorating description doesn’t even begin to do justice those these mini-works of art. I didn’t take any because I would have just been tempted to eat them.

Angela is doing some interesting things with mixed media. Her work (cards directly to the left of my leaves) is on fabric, but she is painting or dyeing and stamping.

Bron did some renditions of the Golden Gate Bridge.

I love Maureen’s spirals as well (far right).

Everybody did a great job.

All in all it was a really great exchange and I look forward to the next one.

ATCs are 2.5″ x 3.5″. You don’t have to make them out of fabric. Some of the cards the CQFA people trade are partially paper. I like mine stiff, thus all of the interfacing.

Russian Rubix Again

4 Russian Rubix blocks
4 Russian Rubix blocks

Susan is back in action and that means I need to get back to the Russian Rubix. I haven’t been completely ignoring this project, but I haven’t been as focused as I need to be. I haven’t completely been ignoring the project, though.

I am working on the Super Secret Project #4 and I am at the point where I really need to keep things in order so I am piecing parts of the Russian Rubix in between the SSP#4 parts.

I was thinking about combinations of colors as well. In each block there are 8 octagons. I was wondering, as I mentioned, if I should put more cool than warm colors (and visa versa) or if I should put all cools in one or equal out the warms and cools. In the end, I don’t think it matters very much, because there will be many blocks and many opportunities for combinations of colors, temperatures and fabrics.

It is going very quickly. I thought of sewing octagons in some sort of orderly fashion, but then I didn’t. I don’t want to sew all of the patches at once, because I want to see blocks  as well as parts.

Russian Rubix posts:

Tale of Two Cities Blocks – Finally

City Sampler by Tula Pink
City Sampler by Tula Pink

City Sampler by Tula Pink is block book that was written/designed in 2013. The project has been all over Twitter, Instagram, Flickr and other social media outlets as quiltmakers make the blocks, the quilts and share them. BAMQG has just started a project using this book in one of the small groups. So far, I have only seen a few blocks and some members seemed to imply Instagram would be better for sharing than Flickr. I am not a huge user of Instagram and don’t find the way the app crops photos to be appealing, but whatever. My view is probably the old fart quiltmaker view.

Julie got the book for me, as I mentioned, and we agreed to do the project as a way of doing something together while she is in China. One of us thought of the name Tale of Two Cities and I decided to be inspired by the colors of winter here. I haven’t selected all of the fabrics, but there are a lot of blues and greens and they are very clear.

I have been feeling bad that I haven’t done the blocks until now. I finally got busy and I knew that once I started, I wouldn’t be able to stop.

City Sampler block No.1
City Sampler block No.1

The first group of blocks shown in the book are crosses. These are, or feel like, log cabin blocks. I admire log cabin quilts and the variety of layouts possible with the log cabin block style. That being said, I don’t like making log cabin blocks. The strips make me crazy. I don’t know why. Strips are fine, but somehow sewing these types of blocks makes me crazy.

City Sampler block No.2
City Sampler block No.2

The group of cross blocks are part of the City Sampler, which is a group of 100 blocks. I said I was going to participate in the project, so I am making the cross blocks. There are 15 of them and not all have a log cabin-y feel when I sew them, so I can suck up the ones I don’t like making. After making 5 of the blocks, I found that they go together quickly.

No.2 (all the blocks are numbered and there is a spot where you can fill in the name) looks the most like a log cabin. I took the opportunity to fussy cut some motifs from one of the prints. This will provide a surprise for those who decide to look closer at the quilt. This is the one that set my nerves on edge, because of the small pieces. The others, so far, have had larger pieces.

All of the blocks are 6″, which contributes to the small size of the pieces. When I say “larger pieces” I mean that the pieces are relatively larger.

City Sampler block No.5
City Sampler block No.5

I don’t know if these are all original blocks. I haven’t taken the time to look through The Quilter’s Album of Patchwork Patterns (have you bought yours yet??) or the Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns (or the BlockBase equivalent). I might at some point.

I know I added 3 browns to my original group of fabrics. I used the brown dot in No.5 and the corners might be too much brown. It is hard to tell with only a few blocks, but I can always make this block over if the corners look like big holes in the middle of the quilt. After making this block, I decided I would use the brown in less prominent areas of the quilt and for smaller pieces.

City Sampler block No.4
City Sampler block No.4

I used this idea for block No.4.

I cut very small brown pieces to see how the idea would work. This block has all new fabrics except for the brown. I used the brown in small pieces, as I said. I want to use it as an anchor to relate No.4 to the other blocks. The blues are subtle.

A word about the octopus. Tula Pink put out that octopus print as part of the Salt Water line. I thought the print was amusing, so I bought a fat quarter. I am going to sprinkle it into the quilt, but I am not planning on making this a Tula Pink quilt. If I had to assign this quilt a theme it would be either blue or calm.

City Sampler block No.3
City Sampler block No.3

Block No.3 is another one where I could use fussy cutting. I skipped it initially as I was waiting for the Thomas Knauer Asbury fabrics to arrive and be washed. Instead of going through with that plan, I pulled some fabrics out of my scrap bin and used those.

I am not sure I like this block with the others, but I am reserving judgment until I get more blocks and see if they fit my theme and how they look with the other blocks.

I think I will use a lot of fabrics in this quilt, so I am trying to use as many fabrics as I want, but also trying to use them in multiple blocks so that there is some continuity.

City Sampler/Tale of Two Cities Posts

FOTY 2014 – Early May

FOTY 2014 - early May
FOTY 2014 – early May

Lately I have been plowing through a lot of washed fabric. Most of it is blues and greens, which is good for my Blue[berry] Lemonade project and means that the FOTY 2014 will have a lot of blues and greens like the previous versions in the series.

I am a little more excited about cutting for FOTY 2014 now that FOTY 2012 is done. I am really pleased with how FOTY 2012 came out and now I am hoping future versions come out even better.

FOTY 2013? Yes, I will get to it soon.

May To Do List

I have done nothing on this list. Bleah! Having a list is good, but it doesn’t make the work get done. I have been stitching on sleeves, which I probably should have put on the list, but didn’t. I’ll try harder for next month.

To Do List:

  1. Sew white on black wavy line 8 pointed star
  2. Layer, baste Christmas table runner
  3. Quilt Christmas table runner
  4. Quilt/stitch fish postcard
  5. Wash fabric AKA The Great Unwashed (I am guessing this will never be off the list, but a girl can dream) ;-) – I did wash and press another bunch of fabric. It made more of a difference than I expected and I had some fun doing it. I still have a lot to do.
  6. Make stiff bucket or box for TP in main bath
  7. Make stiff bucket or box for TP in second bath
  8. Dragon Box (gift)
  9. Anna Maria Horner Multi-tasker tote (gift-due Holiday 2013- oops)
  10. Make 3 notepad covers (gifts)
  11. Day in the Park backpack variation
  12. Petrillo bag #2

To see the 26 Projects Lists, which list quilt WIPS, visit the March Current Projects update. Last month’s to Do List is a little longer.

 

Completed items since November 4, 2013 (prior to this month’s list)

  • Sew on sleeve for Original Bullseye
  • Kelly’s Brown Round Robin
  • Pillow from cake tea towel
  • Try plain square for center of Russian Rubix blocks
  • Hand sew bottom opening in Shopping bag for BAMQG
  • Finish binding on T-Shirt quilt
  • Secret Santa gift for BAMQG
  • Kathleen’s Round Robin
  • Make sleeve for Original Bullseye
  • Finish sewing triangles for Scrapitude
  • Take apart Ribbon Star and resew
  • Color Group donation quilt
  • Binding for Color Group donation quilt
  • Make shopping bag for BAMQG
  • Sew coffee patch to red bag
  • Sew coffee patch to bathrobe
  • Sew green and red striped 8 pointed star (probably should include an item called “find background template for 8 pointed star!)
  • Scrap Lab backpack
  • Make binding for Disappearing Pinwheel

Creative Prompt #256: Moon

Moon, 2009 movie

Selene, moon goddess: “In Greek mythology, Selene (Greek ?????? [sel???n??]moon‘;) is the goddess of the moon. She is the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, and sister of the sun-god Helios, and of Eos, goddess of the dawn. She drives her moon chariot across the heavens. Several lovers are attributed to her in various myths, including Zeus, Pan, and the mortal Endymion. In classical times, Selene was often identified with Artemis, much as her brother, Helios, was identified with Apollo.[1] Both Selene and Artemis were also associated with Hecate, and all three were regarded as lunar goddesses, although only Selene was regarded as the personification of the moon itself. Her Roman equivalent is Luna.[2]” (Wikipedia)

Mansions on the Moon

Harvest Moon

Lunar deities

Half Moon Bay

Goodnight Moon

Ban Ki Moon

Valley of the Moon, Tucson, Az – Valley of the Moon is a unique area built by George Phar Legler in the 1920s for the purpose of bringing mental and spiritual relaxation for visitors to the site.

moon rise

Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog.

We are also talking about this on Twitter. Use the hashtag #CPP

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to  post your responses. I created this spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses.

Blood moon

Po, Mayan moon goddess: “The traditional Mayas generally assume the moon to be female, and the moon’s phases are accordingly conceived as the stages of a woman’s life. The Maya moon goddess wields great influence in many areas. Being in the image of a woman, she is associated with sexuality and procreation, fertility and growth, not only of human beings, but also of the vegetation and the crops. Since growth can also cause all sorts of ailments, the moon goddess is also a goddess of disease. Everywhere in Mesoamerica, including the Mayan area, she is specifically associated with water, be it wells, rainfall, or the rainy season. In the codices, she has a terrestrial counterpart in goddess I.” (Wikipedia)

blue moon

waxing moon

waning moon

lunar eclipse

Definition: “The Moon is the Earth’s only natural satellite. Although not the largest natural satellite in the Solar System, it is the largest relative to the size of the planet it orbits and, of those satellites whose densities are known, the second most dense.” (Wikipedia)

Google Moon

The Moonies

crescent moon

howl at the moon

new moon

Moonpie

Man in the Moon

Rev. Moon

orbit the moon

Moon Area School district

Shooting the Moon by Frances O’Roark Dowell

The moon and the stars

full moon

The dual slide guitars of Delta Moon carry the listener deep into the heart of the American South, where sinuous Mississippi blues meets the gritty backwoods.

Shoot the moon

You too can become the proud owner of a property on the Moon! The Official Web Site for the sale of Lunar property by the Lunar Embassy.

moon boots

Shoot for the Moon

Blue Moon Brewing Company

Moon – Las Vegas Nightclub

Walk on the moon

First men to walk on the moon

Meet Henry

Henry - Wings Open
Henry – Wings Open

How do you like Henry?

I don’t know if his new mom will name him Henry, but he looks like a Henry to me.

Remember the mosaic quilting I showed you at the beginning of the month? Here is what I was working on. I just sent him off and hope his new mom likes him.

His whole body is made from small scraps of brown fabric. The inside of the wings are also mosaic pieced. The beak is made from a scrap of a mango colored solid. The eyes are rather large scraps that also came out of the scrap bin. He is Scrapilicious!

Henry -Wings Closed
Henry -Wings Closed

I saw the pattern (Quilt magazine, October/November 2013) and immediatelyt hought of a friend who was going through a tough time. I wanted to make him, but I don’t want to keep him and I thought he would be perfect for her. It took me awhile to make him and since I have been working on him, things have gotten better for Henry’s new mom.

I did the wings a little differently than the pattern suggested. The pattern said to applique them on, similar to the way the eyes and beak were applied. I thought it would be more fun if the wings had some dimension and it wasn’t that big of a deal to make them move.

The original pattern had the maker using wool scraps and crazy quilting over the seams. I wasn’t about to use wool with all of this cotton laying around. Crazy quilting would be a great idea, but I didn’t want to take the time. As I have mentioned, there is a lot of chaos around my work table right now and I needed to make some headway through it. I am considering making another one soon-ish and may go with the crazy quilting on that one. We will see.

Henry in Process
Henry in Process

I put my cutting table to good use for this project. It is a good thing I cleared off part of it as I would not have had enough space for it.

I stuffed him with schnibbles so he is heavy. I still need to sew a label on to him.

I think he came out adorable.

Various & Sundry 2014 #4

Tips, Tricks & Traps

Need some tips or guidance on sewing laminated fabric (oilcloth)? Check out the Glorious Color tutorial. Thanks to Mark Lipinski for pointing it out.

Do you need help selecting a needle? I really liked the infographic from the Sewing Parts Online blog.

Jackie has some definitions of charms in a recent post, in case you were wondering.

Exhibitions, Articles and Quilt Shows

Cathy Izzo of the City Quilter in NYC reported, in her recent newsletter, about the GRAND CENTRAL CENTENNIAL QUILTS OPENING! It is their joint exhibition with American Patchwork & Quilting magazine and was celebrated in an opening event last Tuesday March 25, 2014. 20 of the 30 quilters represented in the show attended. This is a photo gallery from the party at the NY Transit Museum‘s Gallery at Grand Central Terminal.

The Wall Street Journal published a wonderful feature article on quilting and the Grand Central project last week.

To help everyone spread the word about the GCT exhibit, the City Quilter created an easy to remember web address that provides access to all the key information and links about the Grand Central effort: www.grandcentralquilts.com So you can spread the word, too.

If you are visiting NYC, you can find The City Quilter at 133 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10001 or you can contact them via phone at 212-807-0390.

Our Sunday edition of the San Francisco Chronicle had an article about Joe Cunningham (“Joe the quilter) who will be featured on Craft in America, the PBS series, next week.

Blogs, Quilts and Pretty Things

I have seen a few tie quilts lately that have really made me think that people are getting their creative groove on more and more. Perhaps the financial crisis is really over and creativity isn’t such a luxury anymore? Someone pointed me to the 24 Blocks blog where she shows a couple of tie quilts. I can’t decide whether I like the Dresden Plate or the 3D Tie quilt better.

Amy has post up about making Sara Lawson‘s Aragon Bag. The photos really show different views of the bag , which gave me a better sense of how it looks.

Remember last fall I made a Day in the Park backpack for Sara Lawson’s Purse Palooza? Marisa also made a Day in the Park Backpack. I am curious to see how she likes hers. Hers looks really different from mine. Different fabrics really changes the look.

Our friend, Sara over at Sew Sweetness has a lot of exciting news (she’s moving to WordPress!, for one) on her recent blog post. She may need some help sewing!

I love this quilt by Valerie, which she posted on her blog recently. It reminds me of the donation quilt on which I am working, but takes the idea a bit farther, evolves the idea I have been using a bit. It is also very nice in terms of color and arrangement.

Mom is working on Scrapitude. I posted some photos of a block to her blog since she is dealing with the learning curve of her new phone.

The other day I went to Britex with my mom. She hadn’t been there in awhile and was practically swooning at the thought. Britex is a pretty great place. The amount of fabric is startling. The number of button offerings is insane. They have embroidered and beaded appliques, multitudes of patterns and on and on. Of course, we had to go up to the floor with quiltmaking cottons where I saw one of the octopus prints from the Tula Pink Saltwater collection. This led me to finally watch a video that The Quilt Show posted about Tula Pink’s studio, which further led me to look around her website. I took a look at her blog and was kind of disappointed. I view other blogs through the lens of my own blog. I attempt to post good content that includes why I am doing what I am doing. As a designer, I know that marketing is part of the job and I expect to see posts on new fabric collections, machine endorsements, etc. I also would like to see more about their process. I saw a post Ms. Pink had written about her City Sampler blocks that people out in the world had made, which was wonderful, but in a few years worth of posts, nothing about her process. 🙁 I guess we can’t have everything. There must be something I am not understanding.

Patterns, Projects & Tutorials

Sara of Sew Sweetness also a new backpack pattern out: the Edelweiss Backpack. I haven’t made it, but the pictures show great structure. There are a number of different examples in all different types of fabric so you can get a god idea of what it would look like in any kind of fabric from large scale print to small flowers. The only thing I think is missing from some of Sara’s patterns are covers for the zippers. I don’t know how hard they are, but I think a zipper cover would give added professionalism to already professional looking bags.

Pam, of Hip to be a Square podcast and blog, has a hilarious pattern for a charm holder for your quilt guild nametag/lanyard. It is a great idea and her particular rendition is fun and lighthearted. It also provides inspiration for other versions of Pam’s flasher.

Tools & Supplies

Doodle Designs Coloring Book
Doodle Designs Coloring Book

I saw a book called Doodle Designs Coloring Book in a magazine ad the other day. I remember getting Doodle Art posters as a kid and spending lots of happy hours coloring them. I don’t know what happened to the posters, but the memory of the fun lingers on on in my mind. This book reminds me of that and I want one. The reality is that I probably wouldn’t have time to color it in, so I’ll probably just admire it from afar.

I have been trying to get a new insert for sewing table that will work with my backup machine. I hope to be able to sew on it more comfortably when my main machine is out of commission (cross your fingers that such a situation will not happen often!). What a drama! I thought I had a Horn cabinet, but after going back and forth with the Horn people several times, they finally decided that I do not have a Horn cabinet. My cabinet (who knows what brand?) is outfitted with a Horn lift.

Before I winkled out this nugget of information I visited the Horn dealer in the City. they are terrible. I really don’t like to bash small businesses, but I cannot find anything good about the shop or the service. They have so little interest in any kind of customer service that it makes me think the shop is a front for some kind of illegal operation. I don’t know that, but why have a sewing dealership and not want to sell? Frustrated and feeling like I didn’t need to go to a Horn dealer (the next closest one being about 30 miles away), I called a shop that is near me called Serge-A-Lot. I have driven past it several times on my way to and from picking up the Young Man, so I know it is close. I called on a whim and they were absolutely willing to help me. I was thrilled! I went in the next day with my insert and the ‘blank’ that fits into my sewing table when the lift is completely down. Sherri, the owner, measured and double checked and really helped me. She wasn’t sure if they could make an insert, but said she would contact her vendor and let me know. I sent a long a photo of my table, per her request and she got back to me right away saying she would know in a few days if they couldn’t make one and it might be several weeks to actually get it made. In either case, she promised to keep me in the loop. I haven’t heard back, so I assume I will be getting an insert at some point.

After we finished discussing the insert, she showed me a quilt that was quilted with the embroidery function of the BabyLock (Serge-A-Lot is a BabyLock dealer). She also showed me the vast amount of Floriani thread and stabilizers they carry. These items give me a reason to go and support her shop. I wish it were bigger and had more quilting stuff, but I am happy to have customer service. Perhaps I’ll be able to cross one thing off my ever growing To Do list. Stay tuned!

Quilt World News

Caryl Bryer Fallert and her husband (partner??), Ron, have sold their building in Paducah and will be moving to Port Townsend, Washington. More information is on the news tab of her site. The “home/shop/studio/gallery in Paducah to JoAnne and Jeff Louis, owners of Paper Pieces. http://paperpieces.com/ JoAnne, Jeff, and their staff will be moving  their internet business into our building in early June, and they plan to re-open the shop as soon as they get settled.” Paper Pieces is the company from whom I buy my EPP papers. Paper Pieces will be selling Caryl’s fabric and publications after the transition.

Charlotte Scott has a new podcast published called the Slightly Mad Quilt Lady. I heard about this from Sandy who mentioned it in her episode #154. As of this writing, I haven’t listened to an episode, but it is on my list and I will report back.

And, yes, I have the next design series concept on my list. I’ll get to it soon.