Art, Craft and Needlework, March, 2013

[Ivy]

Booksaver, Over at PWYC for Saturday the 16th (today), I asked you what you sewed, if it was for charity, so you don't need to answer me over there. I know now. I should have come here first, I guess!

I've been trying and trying to make up my mind what potholders, hot pads and/or dishcloths to crochet a neighbor-friend for her b-day. I think I've finally made my mind up to do a hot pad with several dishcloths because I've made her potholders before.....

But then I think, maybe she just uses sponges so why don't I make the hot pad and some square potholders, because I made her potholders before, which she loves, which are more decorative....

So I don't know what to do. She cooks a LOT and hot pads and potholders are more needed and would be more used than dishcloths. Okay! I answered my own confusing questions!

[BookSaver]

I see that I contradicted myself on page 1 about the blouse pattern. Is it complicated or not? Well, the sewing itself is not complicated because it's mostly straight lines to combine a bunch of squares.

The pattern is complicated because the squares have to go together in a particular order so that when the combination is rotated during the process, the squares turn into diamonds and it all automatically transforms into a blouse with sleeves. Plus there are variations with the way the fabric drapes, depending on how many times the squares are twisted before sewing.

Plus there's not a definitive measurement of how big the squares have to be cut to start with, or how to do the opening for the head. So ... test #1 was fine around my shoulders, bust and arms, but because it was too long that made it tight around my hips.

I used the template in the pattern to cut hole for the neck, but it was too small to pull over my head. I put a tape measure around the neck of the Tshirt I was wearing and tried to match it, but in the end that ended up seeming a little too large.

I wrote a bunch of notes to keep with the pattern for test #2. I'm not sure when I'll be able to get back to it. That will probably be a long enough time that I'll have to start over and study the pattern directions again.

Ivy ~ Normally I would have spent at least 1 of the days sewing for charity, but this time I just did for myself.

[Ivy]

Booksaver, It is a good thing when we do things for ourselves. We're important, too. We do so much for others, sometimes, we forget to do for ourselves. I'm glad you sewed for yourself, too.

I believe I've finally decided to make a hot pad and 1 pair of practical potholders for our dneighbor-friend for her b-day. I've made both patterns before, so I'm familiar with them, and I know they're homemade, but she's quite the cook and baker, is always in the kitchen (when she's not exercising or in the garden or working outdoors), and the kitchen yarns I have will match her kitchen, too. She has light grey walls, a black fridge, etc... and white counters. My kitchen yarn is Dalmatian, black, white, and pastel grey. The hardest part is deciding which to choose for white pattern. I'm such a "fickle pickle" sometimes! I'll do something, then think I should have done something else entirely.

I have a question: When a person, who isn't actually a quilter, starts..... Since I have 4" x 4" squares of prints pre-cut, should I put solids with them when I start sewing them together? I have plenty of solid scraps, I can cut with the rotary cutter. I was thinking about doing a 9-patch with solids and prints, instead of all prints, which might look too "busy". I want to make a little lap robe for myself. I have the fiberfill in the roll and the material, which goes on the back. But I don't know how to do binding. I know how to go buy binding and do it that way though. It's an idea. If I do my own binding, do I need to cut it into bias strips or can I cut it with the grain, to make it easier for myself? Cutting on the diagonal and making my own binding just sounds way too hard to me.

[Harriet]

Ivy, you just want to have contrast so that your pattern shows, that's the basic thing. Contrast can come from prints against solids, yes. Or from medium/large prints against small prints. Or from color against contrasting color. Or from dark/medium against light or dark against medium/light. I'd say lay the fabrics out before you stitch and see it if looks pleasing to you.

Binding - bias-cut binding is only "needed" if you are binding around curves, or if you will be showing your work for judging and would like the added difficulty of creating a bias binding to be taken into account in the judging. Otherwise you can certainly choose a straight binding, which some people believe has been shown to be just as long-wearing as bias. (The conventional wisdom is that bias is a little more hard-wearing because the edge-wear is more evenly distributed - hey, maybe it is.) I almost always cut straight binding and would recommend it for first quilts. You can find good tutorials on the net or in magazines/books to show you how.

What are our other quiltmakers' and seamstresses' thoughts on Ivy's purchased binding idea? Harmony, BookSaver, Sunny, Nancy, Emptynester and especally the most important seamstress ... ... I have found it to look too wide except on large quilts, but still there is the convenience.

I certainly applaud the idea of choosing pre-cut variety squares for a first quilt. Actually, that was my choice for the baby quilt I made for dniece who has turned 4, and I wasn't making a first quilt then, just working against a bit of deadline and wanting a simple design (some other fabrics were cut diagonally). It turned out great and kept me from feeling pressure. Of course, the thing to remember is that the piecing of a quilt is approximately 1/3 of the hands-on time involved and the quilting 2/3, and the quilting can take even more percentage, depending. So do enjoy those steps in the piecing, they are so much fun, and if something isn't a "short-cut", that is forgiven because of the enjoyment.

BookSaver, THANK YOU for reports on days of sewing enjoyment. Loooooove it. I will read about the blouse again, but I think I have the concept. You know that is expanding your brain, right? (smiling but truth) Do tell about the slippers. For you? What fabric choice? Do you have an image/pattern to which you could link us?

[Ivy]

Harriet, Thank you for all that information. I have oodles of books here on quilting, so will be able to find directions for the straight edge binding. I think it'd look nicer than bias tape for a lap robe.

I made a Wheelburst Hot Pad for my friend in variegated Dalmatian colors for 1 strand together with a white strand. It's very pretty.

I am currently working on the Lion Brand 1-hour potholders. I'm using 1 strand pastel grey, 1 strand black, and 1 strand white. I'm not shooting for completing them tonight, as pulling 3 strands into a SC is rather difficult and hard to do on hands. I'll do it in baby steps over a few days. I want to make 2 potholders for her. Then, I'll be done with hers.

After that, I'll make DD another scarf and later, a Dfriend I know loves butterflies, so I'll make her some butterfly dishcloths. I found 2 patterns on-line through Ravelry.

[BookSaver]

Ivy ~ I'm so glad Harriet saw your question and could answer right away. I'm not a quilter so my experience with bindings has been narrow bias binding around a neckline.

That ended up being a challenge with the little mat I just did. I took along a package of bias tape but it was too narrow to wrap around the pre-quilted fabric. I didn't want to take the time to go buy fabric to make wider binding, so I made do by sewing pieces of tape together lengthwise. It worked, sort of, but does not look as neat as I'd like. I could easily cut it off the mat and replace with a wider binding. However, the pockets on the mat are the most useful part and they work fine, so I doubt that I'll take the time to fix the binding. It's just a hurt pride thing that I know I could make it look better.

Harriet ~ Thank you for the encouragement. Honestly, the retreat that I looked forward to for so many months was such a disappointment that I posted here each night to remind myself that I did have a little fun in spite of everything else.

The slippers are to take with me on a trip in August. I don't like walking barefoot in any hotel room, no matter how clean the carpet looks. I want something lightweight and flat since I'll be flying.

I found this really cute pattern online.
The Elle Tie-on Slippers
I used a cotton print, navy with tiny red dots. It was included in a bag-for-$1 at the library fund raiser because half of it was faded by sunlight. I used the faded part as the slipper lining so my version isn't as pretty as the designer's picture, but still cute. They look like little 1940s head wraps on my feet.

The 2nd pair of slippers are from a set of free patterns at wildginger.com called Wild Things. There are some fun accessories in the set. I had plenty of the double-sided pre-quilted fabric left after I made the mat on the first day.

The hardest part of the Wild Ginger patterns is that they print out on 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper that needs to be matched up and taped together to get the full size pattern. That part is fiddly and time consuming.

The blouse pattern is from emmaseabrooke.com and is one of the "origami" series. She has 2 blouses in the series, the original Origami Top and The Stephanie, as well as a 3rd pattern of Origami Dresses with a jacket. I'm sure I'm making it more complicated than it needs to be, but I'm trying to figure out the math and bias draping concepts involved so some day I won't have to sew it all the way to the end before knowing if it's going to fit.

[Nancy]

Re: The binding q. When I did the play pen blanket I did not do binding just sewed it like a pillow case and left a small under 12" opening for turning like a pillow and then pressed it under like for a hem and seamed that.

[Ivy]

Nancy! THANKS! I can do THAT! Easy! I've made pillows before and placemats, too!

I finished 1 of Lion Brand's 1-hour potholders. 3 strands = 1 in black, 1 in pastel grey, and 1 in white. The b-day girl's kitchen colors are pastel grey walls, black appliances and white counters. I made a hot pad in dalmatian and white together. Just 1 more 1-hour potholder and her b-day gift will be done.

Harriet, thanks for the information, too.

And Booksaver, Thanks for that link, too.

[Harmony]

I like reading about all the things you are sewing, Booksaver.

Ivy, I think any binding is ok, the important thing that it is completely filled up with the quilt & batting on both sides, so it's not limp in spots. I cut 1 1/2" strips and sew them together with a mitered seam like the corners of door molding until I have enough to go all the way around. Then I press them in half, the right side out, and sew the raw edges to the raw edge of the quilt on the front, then pull the binding around to the back and slip stitch it to the back. There's lots of tutorials on the internet that show this technique. I like the double binding, it's sturdier and probably wears longer.

I also like prints and solids together. I did that with all my quilts last year. Oh, one thing I did that I liked was used a striped material for the binding. It went against a light blue, and I cut the strips across the stripes so there were little short lines of colors all the way around.

I sorta miss my sewing, but now I'm wondering how I ever had time to do all of that.

[Harriet]

I found a super-helpful explanation of the 3 possible cuts for bindings from the folks at Generations patterns. Cleared it up for me. All 3 are fine to use but a knowledge of binding strength and stability is worth thinking about.

The binding cut that will give the least strength over the life of the quilt, and most possibility of fraying, is a cut lengthwise, or parallel with a fabric's selvage edge. There the fabric is very straight, so might have only one thread taking the wear along the very edge. BUT, it is very stable, so if you have bias pieces at the edge of your straight quilt top, it could actually be stabilizing for them and get them to lie straight. Something to think about.

The next strongest binding would be cut crosswiseof the fabric, at right angle to the selvage, because the fibers will naturally not be as straight, and more than one thread will criss-cross and take the wear. It's pretty stabilizing, too, so it's a good middle-of-the-road choice.

The strongest binding, in theory, would be bias, for no other reason than so many threads crossing at angles over the very edge of your quilt. If one frays, it may not affect any others. BUT, it is least stable, which is why it can curve around a rounded corner of a quilt, that sort of thing, and still lie flat. If you're worried about bias fabric along a straight edge of your quilt top, you wouldn't want to use bias binding because it won't be stabilizing.

The method Nancy described used to be called "birthing" a quilt, because you turn it inside-out and watch the pretty quilt top "birth" through the opening. If you use the word "birthing" to search, I think you'll find tutorials on the net to get the fabric stack right so the batting will turn out inside.

I use Harmony's method, with a little wider strip, most often but have definitely used the one Nancy mentioned. The only quilt I ever had stolen (from dd's 4-year-old program) was turned that way. Sure did miss that quilt.