Remember the Crazies in Spark #4? I think Doubt is related, but the Crazies prevents us from doing things while Doubt makes **me** think I can’t do something and should just continue on as I am. Doubt prevents me from taking risks. Not knowing the outcome is scary.
Bloomston says we have to trust the process. She says to “befriend your doubt…. Maybe even nicely ask your doubt to leave.” (pg.65). Hhmm. I have never tried this. She says that “When we are trying to get rid of something, we expend a lot of energy and we are unwittingly feeding it.” (pg.65). This is interesting and really makes me stop and think. If I have doubts, are they creating other doubts – inviting their friends to the party?
Bloomston has four ways of removing doubt: Rituals, Music, Affirmations and Talismans. Rituals spoke to me most. We do not “…have enough rituals in our modern culture…” (pg.65). To each his own, but I feel this is true for myself. I have created some quiltmaking rituals:
I turn on all of the switches and things in the same order.
I check all of my tools: are they in the right place? Are there any issues I need to resolve?
then I get started with the step I have set up unless I have been working through a construction problem in my mind and am ready to tackle it.
When I finish for the day, I always set up the next step so I can get started right away when I have a moment.
Perhaps I have more rituals, but I will have to think about what they are.
Carrie Bloomston describes a talisman as “…an object believed to contain certain magical properties that may provide good luck or fortune.” (pg.66). I definitely have talismen. I have a little shrine of photos of people closest to me. In that same space I have some objects that I care about: a shell, a smooth glass heart, some rocks with words – courage, peace, healing – carved into them. I also have a rotating ATC and a few other things there as well. There are a few places where I have placed things I care about. I guess these all could be called mini-shrines. I never really thought about it because I have created these instinctively, but these are my talismen.
What are your rituals?
What are your talismen?
Nota bene: we are working through Carrie Bloomston’s book, The Little Spark. Buy it. Support the artist. There is a lot more to each spark than what I am writing and the original chapters will help you. Go buy Carrie Bloomston’s book, so you get the full benefit of her fabulousness! You can see my book review, which is what started this flight of fancy.
You can find the last spark on the blog several weeks ago.
I suppose that is what has to happen at some point. I know I mitigate massive bouts of cutting by breaking it up, but occasionally, I can’t get away from it.
Triple Star background fabric
In addition to everything else I did at Sew Day, I also cut background squares for the Triple Star.
This was a task I really needed to do to make anymore progress on the piece, but was also reluctant to do due to space considerations. At Sew Day, I commandeered a large mat and table. I was able to lay out the book, the finished pieces, my rulers and still have space to cut. It was great and I got the job done quickly.
I still have foreground fabric to cut as I have been focusing my cutting on the 2.5″ x 6.5″ rectangles and using the Alison Glass Sun Prints layer cake. Before I can do much more I need to cut some of the smaller foreground pieces from other pieces. I don’t want to make a one fabric line quilt. I want it to be more controlled scrappy like the version I saw at Back Porch.
Triple Star Rectangle-Spikes
I did a little piecing using the pieces I cut and they are looking good so far. I am using the Janome 6600, which I talked about yesterday. They came out perfectly. There was no fighting with the machine. I used the “flippy corners” method and the machine did not eat the corners. It was a relatively painless experience.
I seriously DO NOT want to collect sewing machines. To me, sewing machines are a tool that I plan to use. That being said, I do have my great grandmother’s Necchi, which I had repaired, but only used a few times as a sewing machine. It is currently being used as a night table* in my bedroom. I don’t really have a place to set it up, so, for now, it is a night table.
Janome DC5100
I also have the DC5100, which I purchased as an upgrade to take to classes. I had the Janome Jem for awhile and really liked it. Great stitch quality, easy to use, a few more than basic stitches. Very workable for classes. Still, I wanted a little more, so I bought this one, which I used on and off as my main machine while struggling with problems with the 9k.
Janome 9K back from the shop – June 2016
I also have a Janome 9000, which was the first Janome electronic machine. It is 20 years; I bought it the year before the YM was born thinking it would last me forever. I couldn’t even begin to conceive of the fabulous features new machines would come out with when I bought it. Also, I didn’t count on wear and tear. As you know from recent posts, it is showing its age.
Janome 6600
My friend has moved to Scotland, mostly. She left last week, but will be back later this week to clear up a few things. She suggested that I buy her Janome 6600. I really wasn’t in the market for a new machine except that I sort of am. I need something that will go through multiple layers of bag construction (remember my fight with the Boxcar Tote?) and generally be a workhorse. It isn’t the fancy machine that is the Janome 15k, but it is a new machine (to me) and has a lot of good features I want. She also will give me a payment plan and is allowing me to try it out.
I brought it home and sat it on my floor for a week. When I realized I needed to decide in a week, I knew I needed to get on it. I started to prepare to sew after Sew Day on Saturday and decided that I wasn’t allowed to sew until I set up the machine. I put it into my table and started to use it. I had to read the book to thread and wind bobbins. It isn’t that different from other machines, but is a little different.
I really like it.
It is smooth running.
It fits in my table, though not super well.
Great stitch quality.
Not too loud.
Doesn’t eat triangle corners.
It has an integrated walking foot, which I haven’t tried, but plan to soon.
The bad part is that I got both of my other Janomes serviced recently. The 9k is running better than it ever has. Angie, from the Sewing Machine Place, noticed that the feed dogs were acting strange and now the machine is feeding and not acting up at all. Figures, right? It knew I was planning on replacing it.
Stay tuned.
*It is a truly awesome night table, as on it I can keep a big stack of magazines, a smaller stack of books, a small container of pens, post-it notes, etc, a small vase of flowers, a clock, a box of cough drops, a bottle of water and a few other things.
Belinda was making blocks for a donation quilt. I thought the design was great. It was great for all quilts, but especially for donation quilts.
The rectangles are 2.5″ x 4.5″, which is a size I am cutting for two future quilts, so not unfamiliar to me. The blocks can be made from any size rectangle as long as the rectangles are proportional.
Belinda used a Bali Pop, which looked really great. I thought that cutting rectangles from a variety of fabrics as I cut other fabrics up for my projects would be interesting as well – a scrappy look.
I figure that the blocks are about 12×12 finished, so making 9 would make a good sized donation quilt. I’ll see about making one once I have the other two, which are in process, finished.
Sew Day was Saturday and, as usual, it was great. My guild has such a nice, caring group of people. I feel so fortunate.
Thanksgiving Style Sew Day Setup
We have started to just put out a few tables and then let people add tables as they arrive. The day is very informal and people come and go as schedules permit. This also makes cleanup easier. If we don’t put out tables that go unused, we have less to put away.
Recently we have started to use a “Thanksgiving” configuration for the tables. This means one long table. It is hilarious and wonderful as well.
White – will be Sawtooth Star Legs
I took stuff to cut, though I did consider bringing my sewing machine for a minute. I am working on a database for a client and my neck and shoulders need to be pampered, so I just brought cutting. I didn’t even get through all the cutting I brought, but I did get A LOT done, which was great.
I cut some white to make the Flying Geese for my next Sawtooth Star donation top. I liked the one I made before and wanted to make one a little larger this time. All the blocks are made, but I needed to cut some backgrounds for the Flying Geese. I also need to cut some colored squares, but one thing at a time. I didn’t have the wherewithall to pull out many prints to bring. These are supposed to be from scraps, according to Jaye rules. I want to go through my scrap bins and find pieces I can use before I cut into yardage. I need 5.75″ squares, which I am unlikely to find in my scrap bins as my scraps are generally smaller, but you never know. It’s worth a look.
I chatted with Tim quite a bit. He has Janome machines, too. I always tease him about getting his 15k repaired. He had some issues free motion quilting and is now a little scared of the machine. I might go with him to get it repaired to act as moral support.
Tim also claims that he is going to make the Poolside Tote, so I am kind of waiting for him, but I want to get it done to test out the 6600 (more on that later), so he has better get busy.
Mary was fluttering around setting up and helping people in her wonderful way. We chatted about the outfits I saw at the Heard Museum recently. The Retreat Committee met. I am signed up and can’t wait to see what they have in store for us. Gerre came. It was great to see her. Rhonda is finishing a super secret project. I can’t wait to share it with you all.
Still no finished projects quite yet. The Peacock binding is finished almost puts me back in the black in terms of fabric usage. I have to make the sleeve and that should take some yardage as well. My fabric used list is still really suffering from being away from my sewing machine, tempting new quilt shops and just generally fabulous fabrics.
Finished 2017 Non-Quilt Projects
While finished quilts are thin on the ground, as you know, I have been sewing and I have finished a number of small projects. I am working on quilts, but I plan to make more small projects this year.
In Process
The ‘In Process’ is used to denote projects on which I am actively working or pretending to stitch. I try not to put away projects, because that will ensure I never work on them.
City Sampler – blocks all made. Need to sash the blocks and finish putting the top together. Due to some issues I had with my seam allowance, some of the blocks are smaller than others, so I will have to adjust them in some way – either adding a piece or two to the block or with sashing. I have the sashing fabric and it is washed, so the only thing stopping me from getting going is time and other projects.
Dots & Stripes HST Quilt (or Something) – half square triangle blocks are made. I have to lay them out and see what is what with them.
En Provence – I finished the the third clue and plan to cut more Peaky and spikes at Craft Night for the next clue.
FOTY 2016 – I knew it was time to start arranging it and didn’t realize I was stalled until I saw Ellsworth Kelly’s Spectrum Colors Arranged by Chance, 1951-53. Now I am excited again about it, so it is closer to the top of the list. 6 months into the year and I need to get on it.
Lobster – I still have more stitching to do and then I need to quilt it.
Triple Star: I am cutting out the pieces in between other projects.
Under the Sea: class project; like the design and am happier with the colors. I worked on it a little at Craft Night recently.
Still WIPs
I still have WIPs. Who doesn’t, after all? A project in the ‘UFO’ category means I am stalled. A nicer way of saying UFO is a WIP. The list is a lot shorter and the projects are newer, for the most part.
Aqua-Red Sampler – I need to lay the blocks out and put the piece together.
BAMaQG IRR – this was never on the list before, but I have clearly been working on it for a long time. I think the last time I even really thought about it was in June of 2016 when Ruth returned it to me. The last post has some good ideas about what I need to do next.
Octagon 9 Patch: It is ready to put together. I could have used it as leaders and enders for a number of different projects I have going, but I didn’t. Not sure what I am waiting for. Do I want to lay out the blocks more carefully? I actually have a plan for it, so I should get on it. I should do a lot of things.
The Tarts Come to Tea: I still haven’t worked on this since April 2011, though, I did bring it to the 2017 CQFA Retreat as a potential project. It is still in a prominent location so I have easy access. I just signed up for the BAMaQG retreat, so perhaps that will be the time.
Pointillist Palette #4: Fourth is a series of 6 quilts; needs tiny square patches sewn together. No progress.
Pies and Points from Victoria Findlay Wolfe class. No further progress. I did wash the background fabric I found when I went to Portland, so I am ready to cut. I need to focus on this and it is not up high enough on the list yet.
Self Portrait: started in 2006 at a class at Quilting Adventures in Richmond, Virginia. As mentioned my career counselor breathed new life into this project for me. She asked a simple question and the end result was inspiration for this piece, but I kind of lost steam again after printing images on paper to try out different designs. Lately, I have stopped feeling like I need to finish this piece. I am not ready to give up on it yet. I think it really needs major surgery.
Carpenter’s Wheel – I took this to Colleen’s last week and am waiting for her to get back to me. I am hoping it will take less time than the Peacock.
In Quilting Process
Thanksgiving tablemat – I started quilting this piece at the 2017 CQFA Retreat. I made good progress, but it isn’t finished yet. Another BAMaQG retreat project?
Theoretically, the Tarts Come to Tea is in the quilting process, though I haven’t worked on it in a while. It did come with me to Retreat and almost made it high enough on the list to get some love.
Binding
Peacock Quilt – finished quilting; have to pick up from my quilter, so I can bind.
Hunting and Gathering
30 Something: I am still cutting 1.5 inch squares. I am pretty sure I have the 800 I need, but I am not ready to sew these yet, so whenever I have a chance I cut more. It will give me choice when the time comes. I’ll have to think up a new name, too.
Blue Gradation Quilt: cutting 2.5 inch x 4.5 inch blue rectangles
Blue Lemonade: cutting blue, green, purple 2 inch squares. I used a lot of these squares for En Provence, so I will need to cut more.
Pink Gradation Quilt: cutting 2.5 inch x 4.5 inch pink rectangles
Spin Wheel: really not started, but supplies gathered. I probably have enough fabrics and just need to decide to start.
Windmill quilt: Still hunting and gathering. I am supposed to be cutting a variety of greys for the background. I bought a new template, so I should be able to get going again
Other
Stepping Stones #3 using the Macaron pre-cuts from Hoffman. I have all the fabric in pre-cuts and am just waiting for space (and desire) in my schedule.
The latest ColorPlay photo is another of the pressed glass photos from May. I thought it would be fun to play with some pinks and whites to see what I came up with. I really do like the actual items, especially those white cake stands. I might have bought one if I hadn’t been flying home from Indiana, and I had space in my cupboard at home. I also like the variety of items they had. You can see bowls, pitchers, salt & pepper shakers, candy dishes and more in addition to the cake stands.
While manipulating the first one, I realized that my dreams of creamy whites and blush pinks were going to come to nothing with this photo. Again with the preponderance of neutrals. Sigh.
I know. I know. The lens doesn’t see the world as our eyes do. I just have to find a photo that creates beautiful palettes.
ColorPlay: Pressed Glass #3 – default
So the default palette was dark. I think the palette would be good for an on-the-market/for sale house interior, but not for a quilt. At least not for one of my quilts.
Cynthia W made a comment on another post about a pop of color, which made me think. While looking at the default photo, I looked for the pop of color. I think, in this case (right, default palette) it is the light blue – Kona Fog. I don’t really consider that a *pop*, but in this context it is.
ColorPlay: Pressed Glass #3 – n.2
Of course, I tried again. I really tried to get some bright colors in the palette.
I sort of succeeded.
The Primrose and Cinnamon are fairly bright and the Primrose is definitely the *pop* color in this palette with Cinnamon doing some propping up. I have to say that the Moss does nothing for me. I think of the Ash as a background color. I really don’t know what to think about the Cobblestone or Taupe. They are too beige for me and not my colors.
ColorPlay: Pressed Glass #3 – n.3
Yep. You guessed it. Around a I went again for another try.
This palette is even worse in terms of dead. If I had to pick a *pop* color, I would be hard pressed to do so.
Perhaps the Seafoam? It is such a wimpy color, how can it pop? The Oyster is the background in my mind with the Cobblestone, Stone, Taupe and Sable boring me to death.
ColorPlay: Pressed Glass #3 – n.4
I decided on one last try.
I didn’t make much of an effort. I was tired of this photo, so I just went for an easy palette.
Funnily enough, this one is much better than any of the others. There are a couple of reddish/pink tones plus the Steel works very well with them. It isn’t great, but I do think that working with the photo made me get to this palette.
The Palette Builder is a great and fun tool. Try it out! Let me know if you make anything with any of these palettes.
Pink Castle Fabrics has a June Roundup of free patterns.
Sara at Sew Sweetness is now posting about pattern hacks of her patterns. As you know, I love the Petrillo Bag and have made several including hacking the pattern. She has never made mention of my pattern hacks, though I did let her know. I was trying to stay true to her pattern. I guess I am not famous enough or I should have been bolder.
The Covered in Love block drive ends today, but you can probably sew really fast and send a block OR make a whole quilt and send it in. Keep this in mind when you are looking for a charity project. She does these block drives every other month or so.
Want a new Block of the Month? Sign up for Jacquelynne Steves I Love Home BOM.
Threaded Bandit is hosting a Feathered Star QAL. It started on June 25, but you can still catch up if you get busy right away. Get the patterns at her site.
This HST tutorial looks very similar to mine. She has a better name and more easily understood chart.
Tutorial prices range between $14.95 and $49.95 with some content being free. Pre-packaged kits from the Fat Quarter Shop and Missouri Star Quilts Co. are available to students at an additional charge. (Learning to make fabric slippers and booties may have just solved all out gift-giving dilemmas).
The channel, which launched with 10 tutorials, will introduce new tutorials and free content every month. (thanks to Stashed for the tip)
Inspiration
Google has a new series of sites about arts and culture. The sites allow users to explore cultural treasures in extraordinary detail. This is a great idea and I immediately started clicking around. I found a Schiaparelli exhibit, which was interesting (have you seen her shoe hat inspired by Salvador Dali?), but I was really looking for some exhibits that I have been interested in and haven’t been able to see. I think the interface is too fancy for me and needs some work. I would like to be able to search for certain things and put them in my own collections. I shouldn’t whine. I am very pleased to be able to see what they have in such great detail. I might not be able to see such detail even visiting in the museum.
I really do love fashion – beyond practical fashion, but wearable. One of the things I liked about the Native Sons is the opportunity to put on a nice dress and some stilettos and go out. One of my life’s regrets is that I am not a better garment maker. I do keep trying, though. Schmetz linked to a video of Balenciaga dresses from the V&A in London being x-rayed. This appeals to me from the making perspective as well as the fashion perspective. I also like the sheer ingeniousness of some of the things Balenciaga designers did that you can’t see. One thing was that they used dress weights in strategic places to make the dresses hang a certain way. I NEVER thought of that. Amazing.
Jackie posted a customer’s Illusion quilt. The pattern has been around for a little while, but this is a really nice version.
Books, Magazines, Media & Events
Michael Miller has a recap of Quilt Market. Included is a really adorable paper doll quilt (pattern forthcoming).
Aurifil also has a couple of recaps of Market. Here is the second.
Sara from Sew Sweetness has a new video channel on YouTube to help you work through her patterns.
Modern Quilts: Designs of the New Century is now available for preorder. The book will ship in December 2017.
Quilters Take Manhattan (QTM) is a three-day event Sept. 15-17 that includes garment district tours, museum and gallery exhibitions, a night on Broadway, a vendor hall, silent auction and raffle prizes. The QTM 2017 keynote speaker is Sherri Lynn Wood, author of The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters: A Guide to Creating, Quilting, and Living Courageously. QTM sponsor Quilt Alliance recently posted an interview with Sherri on its blog.
And this year at QTM, attendees are invited to participate in the Fashion Challenge, By making garments and accessories featuring fabric from the Quilters Take Manhattan collection available at Spoonflower, they have a chance to win prizes.
QTM is an annual fundraising event for the non-profit Quilt Alliance which works to document, preserve and share the stories of quilts and quilters. (thanks to Stashed for the tip)
The non-profit Quilt Alliance is conducting a membership drive through August. Established in 1993, the Quilt Alliance documents, preserves and shares the American quilt heritage. Individuals as well as guilds and small businesses can join. (thanks to Stashed for the tip)
QuiltCon 2018 Classes
QuiltCon registrations opened for members on Monday. I stayed home from the gym in order to register (I went later) and got all of the classes and lectures I wanted. Yay! Will you attend? Take a look at the 2018 QuiltCon show schedule.
BBC Trending, an Internet radio outlet that covers topics being shared on social media, recently discussed political polarization among quilters and the activities of a closed Facebook group that was outed by some of its member who felt the group was going too far. Listen or download here. (thanks to Stashed for the tip)
Fabric, Products & Tools
Buy your No Quilt Bullies notebook from Generation Q. There is no space for bullying in general, but the recent events on FB have brought quilt bullying to the fore. Spread the message.
Quilts Inc has a products spotlight. Apparently they have it every month. The June spotlight includes an interesting trimming ruler from C&T.
In other DYI news, Michaels and Pinterest are working together to offer limited edition Make It Kits. The co-branded kits will be based on popular pins. According to the companies’ announcement, the limited edition kits will be offered first to Michaels Rewards customers through Promoted Pins and a special email offer before they are offered to the public on michaels.com. (thanks to Stashed for the tip)
Tips & Tricks
Riley Blake linked to a chart of bedding dimensions that includes beds and pillows! For those who make pillowcases, this is especially helpful. Scroll down all the way for the full list of dimensions and associated images. Twin beds and baby sizes are not included on the top chart. It was originally posted on U Create.
I finished Gerre’s piece on Sunday. I was almost done on Saturday, but had a bit more to do.
This did not come out as I envisioned, but I still like it. I saw that butterfly and it made me think of Gerre.
On both pieces, I had blocks on the mind. I really didn’t feel Improv in my piecing plan this time, so blocks it was. I had some leftover bits that I didn’t use, so I included them with the packet as well.
I know I am crowing about the tiniest of progress, but I have to take finishes, even semi-finishes, where I can get them.
En Provence Four Patches
I finished Clue 3, which was a surprise, because I thought I would have to cut more 2″ squares to finish more four patches. I thought I had about 40 more to make. They were done and I didn’t figure it out until Sunday when I counted all the 4 patches up and came up with 171. That means I have 3 extra.
I am pleased, but I know the joy will be short-lived since I have to make more Peaky and Spikes next similar to the ones I made before.
I spent most of the day with my in laws cleaning my MIL’s house. She is 91 and lives alone, but needs some extra help now and again. I spent my time cleaning her fridge and running errands for her upstairs. Everyone else worked on the garden except YM who scrubbed her outside stairs and the tunnel to her front door.
The first thing I did when I got home was to take a shower, but after that I had several hours to sew. I decided to leave Sunday all free for something new and to try to cross some to dos off my list.
I had an idea for the Color My Quilt pieces I owe Gerre and Annemarie, so I decided to work on those.
Annemarie’s Color My Quilt Shard
They didn’t go completely as planned. However, I ended up with something I think will work with the other pieces. Annemarie received pieces at the June meeting, which I missed, so I really don’t know what Annemarie’s shards looked like. I hope the apricot I added gave her the look of southwest without the coyotes and saguaros feel of kitschy Southwest.
Christina is spearheading the drive to make a quilt for the nurse who coordinates and founded the Blankets for Babies Project at Stanford. Christina is racking up the hours in front of the sewing machine, but is still a relative newbie, thus she called on me to do some applique’ on this quilt.
Make a Splash from Moda Blog
The quilt, Make a Splash, is a free pattern on the Moda Blog (scroll down as once you click on the pattern an Adobe Acrobat window will open in your browser, so there is no direct link).
Anchor detail
It took me awhile to get it done. With my travel and various things happening, I only got to it last Thursday. I snuck in some time after work to do a bit of applique’. I am pleased that my part is finished and I can hand it off to Christina again. Don’t get me wrong; I am always pleased to help the guild. I just have so much going on right and I felt like I was letting Christina down by not getting it finished. Now it is and I can move on to the 2,000 projects I have going.
Nota bene: Clearly, I have to make sure I have two extra days worth of posts ready to publish before I go on a trip. I returned on Wednesday night from Phoenix, but have been so busy the past two days that I didn’t finish either this post or the ColorPlay postI had planned to post Thursday and Friday. The ColorPlay post will show up eventually and you have something to look forward to reading.
Boxcar Tote Complete
The Boxcar Tote is finished. I bought this pattern from Hawthorne Threads and was pretty excited about the size and shape.
It is a good grocery bag size, though I do think it might be better used as more of a beach bag, carrying swimsuits and towels rather than heavy gallons of milk. It doesn’t have any cell phone pockets or key leashes, so those might be additions to consider later.
Boxcar Tote inside detail
The finished product has two pockets on the outside, one on each side and four pockets on the inside. The pattern pieces were the same, but I divided the inside pockets into two. They might be a little too slim to be useful, but a tablet or clipboard could fit very well.
The white background cactus fabric is a Hawthorne Threads designed fabric. I chose the various cactus motifs because the friends for which it was made now live in Tucson.
Frankly, I am not happy with the outcome. I found the pattern to be well written enough. It is straightforward and clear. I think my inexperience with Decor Bond as well as using a machine with a small throat were both the main parts of my challenges. I almost never give up on a project, but putting the top trim and handles on almost made me give up the whole enterprise. The only reason I didn’t was because I had bought the cactus fabric especially for my friends.
I really like the shape and size of the Boxcar Tote and thought this was a bag that I might want to make as gifts multiple times. I made a huge effort to follow the directions exactly, so I could really get a feel for the pattern. I did get the feeling that the designer may not have much experience with pattern designing for bags. I am not sure why (except for the construction of the bottom), but that was my impression. I do want to try it again with Soft & Stable.
I had several problems:
Construction of main part of bag
Decor Bond interfacing
Construction of handles
application of handles
application of binding
First, the construction of the main bag was in 5 pieces. This means that the bottom was separate. This is an awkward way to construct a bag IMO, because I never feel like the corners are very secure. When I turned the lining right side out I saw severe strain on the corners so I reinforced the stitching again.
If I make this bag again, I might try to cut the two sides and the bottom piece out as one. I would have to figure out a way to differentiate the bottom from the sides, but that might help with my construction issues.
Reinforcing the stitching was really hard because I was using my small machine. I really like this machine as it is a workhorse and has a great stitch, but the throat is really small. Since the bag parts were already together, I had no choice but to struggle through trying to cram it through the harp. The Decor Bond isn’t very flexible in the scrunching up kind of way, so it was a huge challenge and my stitching, frankly, sucked.
I didn’t think much about the Decor Bond when I started. I was excited to try a new interfacing and even more excited when I realized how stiff it was. I knew that the bag would stand up quite well using this interfacing.
The first problem I had with Decor Bond was that after fusing it to my fabric, it refused to stay in place. It didn’t come away from the fabric, but kind of wrinkled up the fabric fused to it as I continued to put the bag together. As I said above, the Decor Bond isn’t very flexible in the scrunching up kind of way. This means that as I had the whole bag put together, topstitching the top binding was nearly impossible. I had to keep stopping and starting and moving the bag slightly. There is very little give so I realized that the shape of the Decor Bond is the shape you will end up with.
As I progressed on the bag, I also realized that I would be sewing through multiple layers of the Decor Bond. Fortunately, my machine was ok going through it, but getting the layers under the needle was the problem. A really big problem. Even when I got the pieces under the needle, they would shift and move and really make it hard for me to sew. Part of this was also the inflexibility of the interfacing.
I don’t want to imply that this interfacing is hard like a tabletop. It did bend and flex, but not, as I said, in a scrunching up sort of way. This also caused the machine to stop feeding and stitch in place when the pieces hit the wall and got stuck.
Boxcar Tote Handles
Using the Decor Bond for the handles was a bad idea IMO. Again, I am not an expert Decor Bond user, but they took me about an hour and many tools to turn.
Yes, just to turn!
The Decor Bond was so thick and in such a small space that the turning was more difficult than any other time I have turned handles.
In the photo, left, you can see the wrinklyness of the fabric fused to the Decor Bond that I described above. Yes, I followed the directions.
The good part is that the handles are sturdy.
The worst parts were the application of the handles to the bag and the top stitching of the binding to the edge.
Boxcar Tote handle detail
The pattern showed placement and the standard box/ X-cross configuration of stitching. I could not maneuver the bag enough to get a straight stitch straight across the part of the handle to be sewn to the bag. Part of it was that my machine harp is small and the other part was the that Decor Bond was not very foldable. So, the top stitching on of the handles looks really crappy. 🙁
My final shame is the binding. I am not a huge fan of binding the tops of bags. It is a lot of work and doesn’t always look good if you are trying to stitch it on after the bag is assembled. Part of my problem was that the two sections (Outside bag and lining) were equally stiff and the tops didn’t line up. I had to force them to line up and it was not a good outcome for the bag. I meant to use a larger seam allowance for the lining and forgot. I could have trimmed the top of the lining, but was afraid. I should have done it.
To be fair to the designer, Alexis Abegg of Greenbee Patterns, I looked up some websites that talked about the pattern. The Crafty Planner is also a visual and verbal learner, like me. Her version looks fantastic. I do think she used something else besides Decor Bond, perhaps Soft & Stable.
Nisha Williams made the tote from a kit and wrote about it on the Craftsy blog. I was relieved to see that she had the same sort of challenges with the handles that I had.
I searched the Greenbee blog and did not find any information on this tote. There is no word cloud, so I couldn’t click on totes or bags or anything and try and find it from there. 🙁 The On Holiday Bag they share in their most recent post (2-17-2017) has the same general shape and the same sort of handles.
The recipient loved it, which was great. I really hope it doesn’t fall apart.
Yes, I have started another project, a small one, but another project for which I have to find time.
EPP Travel Kit – Bright and Cheerful
I am making another EPP Pouch like the one I made for Mary. I intend for this one to be much brighter and more cheerful. I also intended for it to be at the point where I could do the hand sewing while I was away, but that didn’t happen.
