Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
Last weekend I made a bag for the door prize at today’s meeting. I used the Jane Market Tote for the pattern again. This is a practical pattern that isn’t too big and goes together relatively quickly. I spent about 3 hours from finding the pattern to clipping the last thread.
It is scrappy green. I chose green for St. Patrick’s Day. I thought it would be fun to have green/St. Patrick’s Day as a theme.
I chose to make it scrappy so I could use up some smaller pieces of green.
LillyElla designer, Nicole, has a new project out, Butterfly Effect. LillyElla is the designer of the Mini Maker Case and also the Undercover Maker Mat. I do like her projects. Pink Door has fabric packs, papers, and acrylic templates.
I need another EPP Project (or any project???) like I need another hole in my head, but I am still very tempted. My friend, Lindsay, is working on Smitten and I love to see the progress she is making. Of course, she takes it with her places and works out in by bits while she is out. I never really go anywhere where that would work. I have the half-hexie project I haven’t worked on in months. Also, I have La Passacaglia papers and templates waiting for me to make into something.
It would be stupid to spend money on this new temptation, but I am still tempted.
My first attempt at putting the exterior of the Superbloom Tote together was unsuccessful. I was disappointed and distraught. I left the bag for much too long and considered not finishing it.
Briefly, I thought about quitting.
This was a terrible idea, because I have other fabric that I want to use to make another one. AND the fussy cutting I did with the Linework fabric is fantastic. The fussy cutting on those side pockets was fantastic. Finally, after mulling a lot, I realized that I had been working on the bag without the benefit of the video. Many of Sara Lawson’s pattern packs come with the pattern and a video. The video is very helpful. She has improved the videos by tagging them to steps in the pattern. I was able to navigate right to putting the exterior together easily.
Watching the video really helped and I was able to get over the hump of adding the side pockets and the straps to the exterior. There was one step I did a little wrong, so I had some ripping to do, but it came out really well.
I am well on my way!
Next is the lining.
As soon as I move the X Quilt off the design wall, I moved all the HSTs leftover from the X Quilt on to my large design wall. I wanted to play around with layout a little bit.
I had to squeeze it on to my small design wall to show it to you before. I wanted to see how it would look with a little space between the columns, which is what you see above. I am not sure I like it. I kind of like the way the pieces look right next to each other.
It is also a little bit of an odd shape in this configuration. I need to think about whether it matters or not.
As I mentioned, Tim was working on the plaid donation quilt when I left him the other day. He sent me a picture of the finished top and a detail (left).
I like what he did with the designs in the piecing. He has a good eye for quilting designs.
I also like this design quite a bit and plan to make another donation quilt using the Block Party pattern.
The guild has started another Sew Happy Hour on Fridays. This one will be devoted to WIPs or group projects though, knowing the guild, people can work on whatever they want. Maria has designated the next date as a time to make Japanese aprons.
A Japanese apron is, apparently, an apron with no ties that crosses in the back. Maria sent a great article on different Japanese Apron patterns, which I mentioned in the most recent V&S post. I chose the Tessuti pattern, which is free, mostly because it was the first one I saw.
The first thing I had to do was print about 1,000 pages of pattern. Then I had to glue and tape it all together. Usually, I will buy the pattern to avoid this step, but the the shipping was from Australia, making the free pattern $40 or so. I couldn’t justify the cost even with the ink, tape, glue and my time. I have to say that the designer did a good job labeling the pieces so it was easy to put together.
After I had the pattern together, I traced it onto tracing paper. This required me pulling out my sewing cabinet, so I could flip up the back. I had one of those cardboard cutting mats people used to use for cutting out garment patterns, but it wandered off somewhere and I couldn’t find it. I just the opportunity of having the back up to also trace my Westchester Dolman Top pattern. I’m glad I thought of that since tracing the pattern to the right size was what was holding me up with that project.
Once those tasks were done, I could start cutting out the fabric. I am using one of the new Philip Jacobs Chrysanthemum prints I bought a few weeks ago. I think this is the same print I used for my sewing machine cover. I think they color the same designs in different ways for new collections.
I chose a white with black dots for the other side. Probably not the most practical choice, but I’ll use the flower print for the front.
I plan to make this reversible. Alison and I talked about how that would work at the last Sew Happy hour so I have an idea in my head on how to do it now.
I finished the X Quilt top and back and took it to Colleen last week.
I am pretty pleased with the way this came out, though I think I would like to try the pattern with different fabrics. The Pop Parade fabrics are not clear enough. Also, I think I needed to choose fabrics with larger designs. While the viewer gets a surprise when coming close too the quilt, I think the large size of some of the pieces would have more impact if the motifs were large or had more contrast.
I do like the different sizes of the Xes. I think that is really good design.
The size of the Xes really used a lot of fabric, too. The quilt and back took 10 yards. If I need to make progress on fabric usage, this is the quilt I will make.
I kind of lost my mind after watching the Free Spirit Facebook Live with Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably.
The top fabric is Brocade Peony. This is a different color way from a similar fabric I bought a couple of years ago. I used it in the 4 Zip Organizer and also in the All Rolled Up Tote as the lining and love the design. I like the Crimson colorway (left) even more. I can’t wait to figure out something fabulous to use it for.
I bought the irises thinking I might make a bag for my aunt. Her birthday is on the 21st and she adores irises. I wasn’t really thinking about time in a logical way and I just don’t think I will have the time to make something before then.
I bought the Feathers on a whim. I only have a yard and will have to think of something that suits the design to make.
I finished piecing the top and back of the X Quilt.
I started the backing on Saturday night (after finishing the Retreat Pouch) by pulling some of my Philip Jacobs prints. Then I realized that I wanted to use up the Pop Parade prints, which would take a lot longer since I didn’t have very large pieces. I compromised and used one large PJ piece and the rest are Pop Parade. I worked on the backing all day on Sunday, finishing just before it was time to make dinner.
I still have a lot of Pop Parade fabric left, so I will make an improv donation quilt in addition to the HST donation quilt. I could use the improv piece for the backing. We’ll see.
I have been looking at these HSTs as I sew other projects.
I think this piece looks a lot better in these fabrics than the X Quilt. Don’t get me wrong, I like the X quilt. I just think it would have looked better if I used larger prints.
I think I will probably sew it in this configuration. Perhaps I am just used to it, but I do like how the eye moves around the piece.
I made another Retreat Pouch the other day. I cut up the fabric when I went to visit Tim, then decided to sew the pouch on Saturday.
I am ridiculously pleased at how this Retreat Pouch came together. I think it looks great!
It is also a great project. Once the pieces are cut the bag goes together in a couple of hours. I think I talked about this before.
First, I love the fabric. This fabric is one of Anna Maria’s Hindsight prints. I received it in one of the Modern Handmade subscription boxes I received last year. Can you believe how lucky I got on the cutting? It looks like I intended to match the flower on either side of the zipper.
I really wanted to make the larger size, but one fat quarter is not enough to make one pouch, so I resorted to this size again. I bought two frames in each size, so I can choose some different fabrics that I have in larger quantities to make the larger version.
Second, the sewing went very well and the pouch looks professionally sewn. I am pleased with how the zipper ended up looking based on the instructions. I went an extra step by pinning the zipper down rather than holding it while I sewed and I think that helped. I knew where to pin it because I measured. I think this is another version of ‘veering’ the zipper that I have talked about with the Cotton Candy Pouches and the UCAB 45 degree angle technique.
Third, turning the pouch using the interior zipper pocket was a smooth process. Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness has a tutorial. I don’t know why I don’t add these pockets for turning all the time.
This is not part of the pattern, but it is easy to add to any pouch or bag. I had to think carefully about the size because of the boxed corner. Despite my care, I still think the bottom of the pocket goes below the curve on the bottom of the pouch. I don’t think it really matters. For the moment I don’t know what I will put in that interior pocket.
I say this is an easy pocket to put in, but I always need to refer to general directions. I also have Sara Lawson’s Acrylic Zipper Pocket Template (no affiliation) and that makes the marking super speedy. I also saw one by Piera (no affiliation), which includes purse feet measurements as well.
I did watch the video before I sewed the first Retreat Pouch. I vowed to watch it again before making this one, but I didn’t. I don’t know why because it is a good resource.
I put my new Snap Setter and all of my Snap Setter Supplies in this pouch.
Here are a few more pictures of the zipper.
I wrote about the eye mask I made for myself in January. At the same time I made two others and this is the second one, which I delivered to Gerre for International Women’s Day. It went with the Purse Organizer.
These eye masks are simple and quick to make assuming you have some rice on hand. I want to try adding some lavender, but don’t have any so I haven’t done that yet.
I showed this pouch briefly after I made it at New Year’s. The other day, I sent it off to Gerre to celebrate International Women’s Day (same day as her birthday, but she doesn’t celebrate her birthday anymore).
I want to make sure she knows she is remembered and valued so I try to whip something up at each holiday. This was the second of the Purse Organizers that I made, but the other one is for a gift in May. Look for the post then.
I struggled more with the construction of this pouch than I did on the first one, partially because I made some changes. One was to sew the two zipper slip pockets at the same time rather than with some other steps in between as the pattern says. That may have been a mistake as I had to do some ripping.
I am not a huge fan of her method of constructing the inside [regular] slip pockets. They seem too thick to me and I may try and construct them using a different method next time.
The pattern also neglects to remind the maker to clip the corners. OR I didn’t see that instruction. Not clipping the seam allowances made poking out the bottom corners on the first Purse Organizer difficult and the corners didn’t look that great. For this pouch, I rounded the corners using a 2 inch circle template** and they came out a little better. I am not sure if that change impacts the usefulness of the pouch. For example, Svetlana’s picture shows the inside can hold a tablet. Since I don’t have a tablet this size, I don’t know if the rounded corners will change the size so the tablet will no longer fit.
I also added the leash so that it could be clipped to another bag. The leash is a useful feature if you are storing things in this pouch. Taking things in and out of a larger bag is better if you have them organized in pouch like thisand are concerned it will fall out.
The good part of this pattern is that makers can adjust the sizes so the Organizers fits the stuff you need to carry around.
I didn’t choose to put the snap on the back pocket, but since I received a snap installation kit for Christmas, I plan to try that out. I thought that back pocket might be good for my journal**. It was a passing thought and I haven’t measured them yet.
I look forward to hearing how it works for her.
**I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
A few days ago, I posted the first part of the tutorial for the first Large Pocket needed to complete the Ultimate Carry All Bag by Natalie Patton.
In order to sew along, you will need:
You can find more information at the following links:
Additional Supplies**
Today we will finish the first of the large pockets.The directions for this step int he pattern start on page 8.
In the first part of this tutorial, we made the P2 pocket. We will continue from where we left off.
Tutorial:
Sew P2 to P1
Take your P1 fabric piece and your P2 pocket.
Measure line 9” down from the top of P1.
Draw a light line with a Sewline** pencil. You can leave the ruler in place and adjust the placement of the pocket using the ruler, if you don’t want to mark your fabric.
Place P2 upside down on top P1. Line up the bottom of P2 with the 9″ line.
Pin the pocket in place.
Remove the ruler, if you haven’t already.
Using a 1/4″ seam allowance, stitch (see red line) across the bottom of the pocket ONLY. You may want to backstitch carefully or tie knots and sink your threads to secure.
N.B. In this picture (right), the pocket is unfinished. On your pocket, you will not need or being using the small clips show on the bottom of the pocket, which is in the middle of P1 in the picture.
Flip the pocket up so you can see the mesh pocket. Clip or pin in place.
Sew down the center of P2 (red line), going over the mesh pocket to secure everything and make the final division in the center of the mesh pocket.
Sew down the sides of the pocket (blue lines). Leave long thread tails at the beginning and end of these securing seams. Pull the threads to the back of the piece and tie the threads off with knots. You can use a backstitch, but tying off the threads will look better in your finished bag.
Add Zipper to Pocket
Lay L1 down face up/right side up.
Lay zipper on top of L1 with zipper pull facing up.
Line up P1 on top of zipper face down/right side down.
Natalie Patton does something really clever with her zipper. She folds the zipper tape at a 45 degree angle and pins it. This makes it look really neat and tidy.
In the pattern (pg.10), she talks a lot about pinning, horizontal pins, etc. I found it to be kind of confusing.
The photo (left) shows how I interpret her instructions. I tried it and it worked for me.
Once you have the zipper tape folded and pinned, continuing layering the last piece of fabric on top.
The edges of the folded zipper tabs stick out a little bit from the side of the piece where you will be sewing. This is ok and how it is supposed to look.
Sew along clipped edge to secure zipper. I use my quarter inch foot, but you can use your zipper foot, if it works for you. Make sure you move the zipper out of the way as you sew so it doesn’t interfere with your seam.
Open up three layers
Top stitch near zipper.
Episode 4 of Natalie’s video is actually pretty good. I like the way she shows installing the zipper.
The confusing part is putting the pieces you have already sewn together with the other side of the zipper. The photo above shows kind of how this looks. This is the step where Natalie talks about opening up the first sewn side like a butterfly (pattern pg.10).
L1 face up/right side up.
Zipper on top of L1 face up/right side up.
P1 on top of zipper face down.
Sew along clipped edge to secure zipper. I use my quarter inch foot, but you can use your zipper foot, if it works for you. Make sure you move the zipper -See red line in the middle of the second side? – out of the way as you sew so it doesn’t interfere with your seam.
Top stitch near zipper.
Make Pleated Bottom
The pleated bottom allows you to more easily store items that are 3 dimensional
Use 1/2″ marking on my Creative Grids ruler, stick the side with 1/2″ marking into the pleat to measure it.
Clip the sides (the ruler should not interfere) to hold it in place.
Remove the ruler.
This is where I add D-rings. In this case, I used leftover bits of doublefold elastic to stand in for a loop.
Sew up the sides. Make sure to catch the loop/D-ring.
Your pocket is now finished.
Resources:
**I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
I finished pressing the rest of the HSTs generated from the X quilt. I have plenty to make a good sized donation quilt. I haven’t done any sewing as I still haven’t finalized the design.
Still no final design, but this is looking pretty good in terms of placement of each HST. I still want to break up the chaos a bit with some background fabric.
Despite not using leaders and enders to make donation blocks, I still seem to be generating some donation quilts, which makes me happy.