Category Archives: Sewing Projects

Quilt no. 2

I couldn’t help myself. The day after my last day at work, I started making another quilt. I have been looking around online at different quilts people have made, and when I stumbled across a pattern similar to this one, I knew it was one I could easily do.

   

This time around, I really tried to shop for fabrics that would “match.” I picked 3 colors – blue (light and dark), purple and coral. Together, I think the fabrics created a very cohesive quilt.

Quickly and easily, I created the squares that make up majority of the quilt. Each row was made up of 13 squares (26 triangles) with a total of 5 rows in the quilt. I laid out each square before stitching them together to make sure no 2 fabrics would be right next to each other.

With the rows of squares complete, I then attached the rows of purple fabric.

After choosing a back fabric (a grey, floral print), I attached the 3 layers (back fabric, batting and front fabric) and began the quilting process. I chose to simply quilt straight lines, along each row and outlining each triangle.

   

I created the binding using scraps from the triangles and simply sewed together a 2″x 276″ strip, attaching it with a 1/2 inch seam allowance on the front and top stitching on the back.

I purchased batting that was more plush than my previous quilt, and I think my cat very much approves of this decision.

Dimensions:

  • Quilt = 60 inches x 78 inches
  • Rows = 6.5 inches x 78 inches
  • Triangles = 6.5 inches –> 6.5 x 6.5 inch squares
  • Binding = 2 inch x 276 inch strip (with a 1/2 inch seam allowance)
  • 1/4 inch seam allowance

Quilted American Flag

Weeks after making a quilt, I can’t help but want to make another one. And with leftover fabric from my patriotic napkins, I decided to make a small, yet very festive, decorative quilt.

Sorry, but I didn’t take any pictures as I made the flag since the project started out on a whim. But shoot, didn’t it turn out pretty adorable! (I love the embroidery detail. It really makes it look more hand-quilted, though it is definitely machine-quilted!)

  

Once I finished the flag, I dug up an abandoned canvas, grabbed a stapler and mounted it!

  

Which brings me to the finished product…

 

For a patriotic picnic

With the 4th of July only days away, I wanted to make something “festive,” but I knew I didn’t have enough time to make something big/time consuming. So the idea of napkins seemed simple and easy to make – and trust me, it was! The idea of making the pinwheel design had been floating around my head ever since I made an quilt, and I managed to find this video that made it so easy to make!

  

I started by cutting out 13.5 inch squares from both fabrics. Then I arranged both squares with the right sides facing in and sewed a continuous seam (with a 1/4 inch seam allowance) along all 4 sides.

  

Next, I cut 2 diagonal lines. This created 4 squares with perfect half triangles. I then arranged it into the pinwheel design.

  

Next I sewed together the squares 2 at a time. Then the final 2 rectangles (making sure the center seams were aligned).

      With the top side done, I cut out a back piece from a navy blue fabric. Like before, I created a seam around all the edges, leaving about an inch so I could flip the fabric right side out.

As the final touch, I sewed a seam along the edgse of the finished napkin, securing everything in place.

And with that, it’s done. I made 6 napkins in about 2 hours – again, SO EASY!

 

 

Sewing a simple bag

Even after making my quilt, I still had a lot of extra fabric lying around from earlier projects. With work, I haven’t had much spare time to drive to the fabric store, so I started thinking about different projects I could do with the scraps.
A pencil pouch seemed like something I could easily do. I didn’t really have a plan going in to it (so at times I had to take out stitches and try again) But once I figured it out, I realized this project is so easy, it could be mass produced.

I started off with the fabric. I cut two 10×5.5 inch rectangles of two different fabrics (the blue fabric acting as an lining. I also bought a 9 inch zipper.

Even though the goal was to make a simple pencil pouch, I still wanted it to be something special. So I pull out some embroidery thread to add a 3D element!

   

With that finished, I began the sewing! Lining up the two fabrics and arranging the zipper on top (right sides facing in), I attached the zipper to the fabric.

Rearranged it and did the same for the other two pieces of fabric (again, with the right sides always facing in. In the end, the zipper should be attached and look like this…

I sewed two more seams on either side of the zipper(using a 1/4 inch allowance), and then, placing the right sides together again, I sewed along the rectangle, creating the pouch.

Flip everything around, and it turns out like this. My sewing skills were far from perfect on this project, but the fact is, the project turned out functional (so it’s a successful one). And I love the embroidery detail. It really makes it something special!

Finishing my Quilt

Wahoo! After 2 weeks of cutting and sewing, my quilt is finally finished!Finishing the quilt was a lot more simple than I first thought it would be. Once quilted, I simply cut off the access fabric around the edges and purchased a 5/8 yard cut of fabric for the binding.

With the fabric I bought, I initially cut 6 strips (for my 60×60 inch square quilt) 3 inches wide. But then I realized I didn’t want the binding to be that thick, so I recut them into 2.5 inch wide strips.

Once cut, I sewed the 6 strips together. Then taking my quilt and putting the right sides together, I sewed the strip to the edges of the quilt (using a 1/2 inch sewing allowance).

For the corners, I found this awesome blog that explains a super easy way to sew them down. (see here)

Next, with the edges sewn in place, flip the fabric over to the back side of the quilt. Use an iron to press the back edge in place (flipping the seam under to create a smooth edge). Then thread a needle and whip stitch the binding in place.

Knot off the thread, and you’re done!

Quilting Time

With the top layer of my quilt finally finished, it is time to move on to the next step – Quilting!My math was a little off, but somehow I managed to finish with a perfect 60 inch square for my top layer. It is not what I necessarily planned for, but it means I have plenty of batting and fabric for the back layer.

  

I purchased 3 1/2 yards of a 44″ light purple, striped fabric for the bottom layer. To make it work, I simply cut it in half (two 65 inch long pieces) and sewed them together to make a 65 x 88 inch rectangle.

After laying out my batting, I used a quilt basting spray to help baste the quilt together. I learned about the adhesive in my research, and it is actually pretty cool. The point of using it is to make sure the different layers don’t shift around as I quilt the whole thing together, but the instructions say that the adhesive dissolves after going through the wash.

I used the adhesive for both sides. Doing one at a time, I sprayed the adhesive outside, and then with the help of my Mom and Dad, I had one (sometimes two) people holding up the fabric while I smoothed it out on top of the batting.

(My mom took some action shots…)

When I had everything in place, I attached safety pins all around the quilt just to be sure that everything would stay in place.

Then let the quilting begin. I had big dreams about using an embroidery foot to quilt a swirling pattern, but the foot was never purchased so I’m stuck with straight lines. I decided to simply sew along the seams of the rectangle patchwork.

Stay tuned for the finished piece!!

I am making a quilt!

My roommate said it best when I texted her the good news. “Well, of course you are,” she said. It’s been a goal of mine to make a quilt since I was a senior in high school. The only problem was, I had no idea where to start.

So with a sewing machine finally in my procession, I told myself that this summer was going to be the season. No matter how many tests and trials it would take, I am going to make a quilt. But before I bought any batting, I did a lot of research. I got books from the library, watched YouTube videos, but it was a magazine my mom bought me that finally made everything click. I am a complete newbie to quilting, so I realized I needed to follow some sort of pattern. I found this brick style quilt in that magazine, and with a few alterations to their plan, I had one of my own in the making.

Quilt Making (Part 1): Picking and Cutting Fabric

I quickly learned that quilting can be expensive if you plan to purchase all your fabric. So I embraced the patchwork idea by using scraps I had leftover. Plus I went to 3 different fabric stores to dig through their scrap fabric bins. The only fabric I really spent money on was a couple fat squares of fabric (basically packaged scrap pieces, all measuring around 18×22 inches). Usually priced around $1.99, but I found a store that had them on sale for 99 cent.

None of my fabrics “match” but I chose subtle, muted prints to make sure that nothing clashes.

For my brick style quilt, I cut 4×8.5 inch rectangles. I started off measuring and cutting with a ruler, but it just took too long. So I got smart and made a template. It definitely sped the process along.

Once I had all the rectangles cut out, I began layout out the pieces and mapping out my quilt. (I did this 4 rows at a time. Mapping them out and then sewing it together.)

Sewing them together is simple. Simply use a straight stitch to sew together the rows and iron down the seams.

Once the row is established, you can start pinning and sewing the rows together (using a straight stitch) and start growing the quilt vertically.

And with that, you and I are off to a great start.

A place for the knife, fork and spoon

One day, my Mom and I were walking around stores in downtown Homewood and found these place mats made out of burlap. Of course, I looked at them and thought the price tag was way too high when I could easily make it myself. So I stored that idea and pulled it out for this past Mother’s Day.

Thanks to a very informative trip to JoAnn Fabrics one day, I finally learned the easiest way to cut burlap. (see technique here)

  

For the place mats, I cut a 15×20 inch rectangle. Once cut, I wanted to create a frilled edge, so I peeled away a few strings (about an inch along the edge). But then to make sure the edge wouldn’t continue to unravel past the point I wanted, I used ModPodge to secure the edge.

The place mat I saw in the store had painted on two parentheses, as so that they would surround the plate. I liked this idea a lot, but I didn’t want to flat out copy the place mat I saw in the store, so I decided to change up the design using the basics – the knife, fork and spoon. I cut out a template first out of basic computer paper and used a sharpie to outline the design on the burlap.

Then I simply painted over the template I made. I started with layer of paint that was very similar in color with the burlap (thinking that if I didn’t like it, the mistake could easily blend in). Then I added a second layer using a bright white paint.

Which brings us to the finished product…

  

Style Your Sole

As a part of Spring Fling, SAC hosted a Toms Style Your Sole party. An event where people could pre-order a pair of white, canvas Toms, and then pick them up and decorate them on the night of the event. It was a huge success. We sold 150 pairs of shoes, and on the night of the event, people were creating some pretty amazing, customized shoes. Of course, I ordered a pair, but being way too busy, I simply let them sit on my desk… until tonight.

Ta da! I feel like it would be no surprise that I chose a stars/constellation theme. And I am so excited in how they turned out.

Step one – get rid of all the white. And how appropriate that the color was called “Midnight Blue.”

Step two – splatter paint. I used this to create the effect of the millions of stars that are out there in the universe. For the color, I chose a silver, metallic paint.

Step three – embroider the stars. On the left shoe, I keep it simple by adding stars here and there (with a shooting star, of course). And then the right shoe highlighted the Orion constellation (one of my favorites).

  

I am simply obsessed with them!

Flags of Spring

I stand by the fact that the easiest decorations for a party/event are flags. Last week was THE Samford event I have been planning since the beginning of this year – Spring Fling. It is basically a week full of free food and activities for Samford students to enjoy. And being one of the people in charge or planning and executing the event, I will admit, I made sure it had my signature on it.

The project was really simple. At Walmart, I purchased packs of spring colored cotton fabric. I cut them into squares, trying to keep the sizes consistent. Once cut out, I used the overcast stitch around the edges, simply to make sure the fabric wouldn’t unravel in the wind.

Then I took basic twine, purchased again from Walmart, and sewed the flag and the twine in place using my zipper foot.

I was lucky enough to work on this project mostly at home – where my work space is much more spacious, but this project is simple enough that I could have easily pulled it off in the small confines of my dorm room.

Simple and beautiful!