The Purple Monster

So over a year or more ago my step-mother-in-law and I were on a trip to Georgia to visit my brother-in-laws family and we went to some local quilt shops. She had recently asked if I would make her a quilt for her bed and I had agreed. She got her first glimpse of batiks and she fell in love. This started us grabbing bits and pieces of purples as we came across them.

She liked a variety of designs and shades. She wasn't particular about the pattern so I chose one from the first Turning Twenty book that was published. It took fat quarters, assembled a block, chopped it up, and resewed it to give it a mixed up look. 

Now in all honesty I am not a fan of batiks and I don't love purple enough to make an entire quilt of it. Isn't it amazing what we will do for our in-laws?? lol

Once I had it all arranged I made sure that I pieced it all before our move so that nothing would get misplaced.

Old House

New house

I added on thin and thick borders and mitered the corners. The finished top size was 85 inches by 85 inches. Lovely and big. 

My lovely MIL wanted the backing to be jersey. I bought a purple king size jersey sheet set. I kept the flat sheet for the back of the quilt. I used some light interfacing to try and take some of the stretch out of it. I did the best I could-lol It was no easy job! I used Pellon Soft & Warm as the batting and used my island to baste the quilt. 

I got some dappled purple for the binding and away I went.

That's the finished project. It is hard to tell but I diamond quilted the inside. Stitched in the ditch around the thin border and then continuous line quilted the thick border. I couldn't wash it as it was too big for my washer. My MIL did when she got it and threw it right on her bed. I think she likes it!!

And now I hope it's a VERY long time before I have to make another purple quilt!!

Take care and happy sewing!!
~Kim

A little bit of show and tale!

So in the past couple of weeks I have finished 3 quilts. I figured now is a good time to share them since they have been received (well all but one but the receiver knows about it!!) And then I started getting the pictures off my phone and realized that I made a 4th one last fall and never blogged about it. Maybe this should be multiple blogs but I think I can manage with one post. 

The first is the one from last fall. Hubby's cousin was expecting her first child and she wanted a custom quilt. They live in TX and are big Longhorns fans. She wanted something western but not cute-sy and she liked the colors blue and green. After sketching I came up with an idea and went for it. 

 I did the math and made it strip by strip. And pieced it together.....

Good thing Texas isn't too curvy!!

I used Pellon Batting and a fun fleece backing. 

I'm not sure why I didn't take a better picture of it but in the middle of the state, I quilted the Longhorn sign and then quilted around it until it became wavy lines. The rest was quilted on the diagonal.

I think that he enjoyed it!!

The next quilt was also a custom order. She wanted pink and grey in chevrons and dots and loved sock monkeys. Plus a name on it.

Some sketching....

And then whipping it up!

 The name is appliqued on and the monkey is a combination of applique and hand sewing. This was the basis for the monkey. I didn't use a real bow because I wanted it to be baby-safe!

Here's the finished product.

I used Pellon batting as usual and quilted the chevrons with vertical lines and quilted diagonals with the dots. I did a simple echo around her name and the monkey. Baby is due soon and I can't wait to see pics of her on it!

This next one was a quickie for my cousins baby shower. I hadn't planned on making it but I found this super cute Minky (yes I said that word) panel of the Cat in the Hat and coordinating backing so I had to throw this together!!

 I have heard of stories from others about sewing with Minky and I will never do it again! I don't care how soft it is!!! It made such a mess that I trimmed it outside. And then, with a layer of Pellon batting, it was so thick that I had to cut it down in order to bind it. Such a pain in so many ways.

 I quilted it in Aurifil black and a matching shade of blue. I outlined the cat and then sewed wavy lines between the lines of text. So stinking cute and a day project but Minky is BAD!!! lol

I have decided that this post is getting a little long so I will stop here and continue on with the Purple Monster of a Quilt in the next post!!!

Stay warm and keep on creating!!

~K

My Purse Palooza Bag!!

Announcing Purse Palooza 2013!!

I am happy to be participating in Purse Palooza this year with a special purse sewing pattern review! Here's how the event works:

1. Every weekday from September 30th - October 25th, there are 2 amazing guest bloggers scheduled to share with you a purse sewing pattern review. None of the purses reviewed from the event last year are being reviewed again, so these will be fresh sewing pattern reviews! The review will contain detailed information about what I thought about the sewing pattern, modifications I made, what kind of interfacing I used, and more! Get inspired!

Aeroplane Bags

2. Even more exciting...THERE WILL BE A GIVEAWAY EVERY WEEKDAY DURING THE EVENT! That's right, 20 GIVEAWAYS! 

3. At the end of the event, you will get a chance to show me your purse in order to win some amazing prizes! Of course, international entries are welcome too!

Dot Dot Dash Bag

Pattern Review Schedule
All About Bag Interfacing

September 30 - Sara - Sew Sweetness (Serendipity Studio - Media Frenzy Camera Bag)

                       Kim - My Go-Go Life (Sew Sweetness Lilium Laptop Bag)

October 1 -       Samantha - At Home with Mrs. H. (Chris. W. Sugar and Spice Bag)

                       Rachael - Imagine Gnats (Bari J. Green Living Bag)

October 2 -       Anna - Charmed Liebling (Studio Kat Tandem Tote)

                       Mary - Mary on Lake Pulaski (Primitive Pieces Ewe Old Bags)

October 3 -       Lindsay - Lindsay Sews (Diaper Bag)

                       Joanna - Tutinella (Oliver + S Messenger Bag)

October 4 -       Andrea - Mouse in my Pocket (Michelle Patterns Pleated Wristlet)

                       Elena - Hot Pink Stitches (Sewing Rabbit Tote)

                       Angela - AngelaB (Amy Butler Sophia Bag)

October 7 -       Tiffany - This Crafty Fox (Two Peas Ava Bag)

                        Lana Parks - Moments of Sanity in a Crazy World (Dog Under My Desk Two Zip Hipster)

October 8 -        Allegory - A Thousand Needles (Sew Sweetness Aeroplane Bag)

                        Gina - Gina Pina (Echino Gathered Bag)

October 9 -        Katy - Imagingermonkey (Made By Rae Lickety Split Bag)

                        Ali - a2w (Melly and Me Sleepover Bag)

October 10 -      AnneMarie - Gen X Quilters (Michelle Patterns Strap Clutch)

                        Jaye - Art Quiltmaker (Oliver+S Day in the Park Backpack)

October 11 -      Kim - Kim's Krafts (Charlie's Aunt Anglia Bag)

                        Kerry - very kerry berry (Carolyn Friedlander/Noodlehead Social Tote)

October 14 -      Katie - Swim Bike Quilt (Style Stitches Origami Bag)

                        Amy - Diary of a Quilter (Noodlehead Divided Basket)

October 15 -      DeeAnn (Rebecca Lambert Corduroy Patchwork Bag)

                        R0ssie - Fresh Modern Quilts (Lotta Jansdotter Gardening Tote)

October 16 -      Elizabeth - Don't Call Me Betsy (Noodlehead Super Tote)

                        Laura - Quokka Quilts (Moonshine Designs Bella Bag)

October 17 -      Cindy - Raspberry Sunshine (AMH Right Turn Bag)

                        Emily - EmmmyLizzzy (Pleated Beauty from Bend the Rules Sewing)

October 18 -      Jess - Elven Garden (Emmaline Necessary Clutch)

                        Brenda - Pink Castle Fabrics (Green Bee Vera Bag)

October 21 -      Katy - The Littlest Thistle (Momma Hear Me Roar Tohoku Tote)

                        Joanna - Shape Moth (Emmaline Boyd St. Bowling Bag)

October 22 -      Penny - Sew Take a Hike (Patchwork Bag by Akemi Shibata)

                        Corinna - Another Thing Off the List (Amy Butler Belle Bag)

October 23 -      Teresa - Crinkle Dreams (Drop Top Messenger Bag from Stitch Magazine)

                        Natasha - House Full of Nicholes (Dog Under My Desk Daytripper)

October 24 -      Kay - Miss Print (Amy Butler Birdie Sling)

                        Terri - Sew Fantastic (Michelle Patterns Inset Zipper Clutch)

October 25 -      Emily - Mommy's Naptime (Duffle Bag)

                        Julianna - Sewing Under the Rainbow (Studio Kat Gadabout Bag)

Lapin Noir Bag

Contest Rules

1. Check out all the purse pattern reviews throughout the month and get inspired to sew up a purse of your own!

2. Link up your completed purse on the Purse Palooza 2013 page BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 30th AND NOVEMBER 11th. Your purse must be created and photographed between those dates; purses made prior to September 30, 2013 will be disqualified. The purse may be of your own design, or made from a sewing pattern. You can link from Flickr, your blog post, or wherever else you host your photos.

3. There is no limit to how many purses you may enter, as long as they were made between September 30th and November 11th. Only one link-up per purse please.

*Note: Besides bags and purses, for this event also acceptable are clutches, backpacks, wallets, etc.

Greenbacks Wallet Trio

Prizes

 

This year, there will be 1st-4th prize winners chosen from all those that submit a purse during the event. There will also be a randomly-drawn winner out of everyone who enters!

1st prize - 4th prize will receive an AWESOME prize pack courtesy of Pat Bravo, genius fabric designer extraordinaire! The prize packs will each include 3 Pat Bravo sewing patterns (La Boheme Skirt, Barcelona Bag, and Capri Bag), a pack of Pat Bravo Aurifil Threads (thread pack may vary, as there are 3 different packs), and 10 Pat Bravo fat quarters (fat quarters may vary).

In addition, the 1st prize - 4th prize winners will also receive a copy of Sara Lawson's new book, Big-City Bags!! The book releases November 5th, and you can pre-order your book now!

Retail value of each prize pack: $127.

There will also be one randomly-drawn winner out of all purses entered, and this winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to my publisher, Martingale (as well as a copy of Big-City Bags!).

Retail value of prize pack: $77.

Judging

Purse Palooza will be judged this year by Kay Whitt of Serendipity Studio. Kay writes the most stylish and fun-to-sew clothing patterns and bag patterns out there.

Thank you to all of the wonderful sponsors that are supporting this event!

Pat Bravo  //  Bari J.  //  Emmaline Bags  //   V. and Co.  //

Chris W. Designs  //  Betz White  //  Amy Butler  //  

Artsy Crafty Babe  //   Charlie's Aunt  //   Noodlehead  //

Dog Under My Desk  //    By Annie's  //  Studio Kat  //  

Handmade with Mrs. H.  //  ModKid  //  Made by Rae  //  Indygo Junction  //  Melly & Me  //  Serendipity Studio  //  Anna Maria Horner  //  Martingale Publishing

Grab a button!!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.sewsweetness.com/2013/09/purse-palooza-2013.html" title="Sew Sweetness"><img src="http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab257/bluemerleboutique/pursepalooza12.jpg" alt="Sew Sweetness" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

 

So when Sara asked me if I wanted to join in on this I was super excited! Of course I said yes and then came the hard part.....choosing a bag that I liked and that hadn't already been done before. Sara passed on a list with a few links in it and I came across a shop that I loved!! It is on Etsy and is by Emma Brennan and is called Charlie's Aunt. She makes vintage inspired purse patterns that are super cute!! I picked the Anglia Bag and love it!!

The next challenge was to find the fabric to use. It calls for wool or other heavy fabric. I wasn't sold on that type of fabric- nothing wrong with it but not quite my style either. I came across this wonderful fabric from Hawthorne Threads and knew it was what I wanted to use. It is called Stamped Flowers in Lime and Leaves in Lime and Navy from the Pure Collection by STOF House Desinger. I then matched it with some Nautical Blue Kona and Aurifil #2784.

This is quilt weight cotton, so to make up for not being as heavy I interfaced it with Pellon 911FF which is my go to for bags. It is a heavy weight interfacing and gives it body. I also used Soft and Stable by Annie instead of the quilted batting to give it extra stability. I used this in the straps, front and back body of the bag, pocket, flap, and tab. I also didn't feel the need to use a false bottom because of the soft and stable.

For the button I used one from my local quilt shop. It was bright red and by Confetti. The snap I used was one I had on-hand and it is in an Onyx finish and is by Everything Mary.

So let's talk about the actual pattern. One thing I liked was that she has a page dedicated to equipment and terms (she uses abbreviations through-out the pattern) and directions for snaps and interfacing. I find it better to have this all in one place instead of in the middle of the pattern. It is easier for those that have more experience to skip over. 

I know that a lot of people really like the full color pictures for each step but I am not one of those. Occasionally I find them helpful but I hate having to use the ink to print them off. Instead of the pictures, she has very simple diagrams that are clear and useful. They are numbered so that they are easy to reference back to. There were actually only 3 pages of directions for the entire bag and they were clear and concise and great. 

The bag itself was really easy to make even though it looks like it might be complicated. It was a little rough flipping the bag ride side out since the top is smaller than the bottom but the Soft and Stable is flexible enough that it can be smooshed up and then ironed back out with no wrinkles! I did have trouble sewing the button on at the end since it was going right on top of the magnetic slap. Not sure how to get around this. I did the best I could and will hope that it doesn't fall off!!

(Note: the first sew-on of the button lasted about a week. I then re-sewed it on with more stitches and some fray check and glue in intricate places and this seems to have worked. I checked in with the author about this issue and she said that she usually uses a button with a shank on it, which prevents this problem and/or she moves the button so that it is off of the snap area!)

Here is my bag:

I am very impressed with how it came out. The snaps and tab lined up perfectly which is always a plus. I love the colors and the pop of the button.

I am definitively going to have to try some of her other patterns out. When I see them I think of Jacki O. using these bags. 

Thanks for playing along with Purse Palooza! I hope that you have enjoyed seeing everyone's takes on these wonderful bag patterns- I know that I have. And I can't wait to see what everyone makes!!

~Kim

A Gift and a Tutorial All in One!

Last year while living in TX and working at Western Hills Elementary school, one of my dear friends was diagnosed with Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer. I knew that she would be doing a lot of going back and forth to the hospital, I knew that she would need a bag to carry everything in. I scouted around online and found some pretty teal ribbon fabric along with some pretty sparkly butterfly fabric from the same line. I made her this bag.

The handle was long to swing around and there was a pocket on the inside. Another friend of hers (who I had never met) made her a blanket from the same exact fabric!

Not too long ago I heard the news that after a non-cancer related surgery it was found that the cancer was back and had spread. This was very heartbreaking for all of us but I know that if anyone can fight it off a second time it would be her!! 

I knew that I had to make her something else so I racked my brain and talked to her wonderful British husband and he suggested a pillow. Of Course!! I also knew that she liked British shows like me and I just happened to have a Tardis pattern that I had been dying to try. The Tardis is the space ship from Dr.Who which is one of the best shows ever!!

At the same time, I also needed to write a tutorial for the upcoming Craft Market that I am in....

be sure to mark your calendars for this!!

So my tutorial will be for adding a zipper to a pillow cover. I know that a lot of people are afraid of zippers and prefer to do an envelope type cover but I like the zipper....little boys are tempted to stick their hands and stuff in the envelope pillows! 

The first thing you need to do is finish the front and back of the pillow. Size is totally up to you and what you are making. Mine are a finished size of 18 in by 24 in. I accidently got a 24 in zipper instead of a 18 in one but longer is always better than shorter. 

 The next thing you are going to do is line up the bottom edges of the front and back covers, right sides together. 

The draw a line 1/2 in in from the edge across the whole length of the bottom edge.

Then draw a line one inch in from each side.

 Now you will sew along the line you made 1/2 in. in from the bottom. You will sew the first inch with a regular stitch, making sure to back-stitch at the beginning and end of the one inch. When you get past the one inch mark, increase your stitch length to as high as it will go to make a basting stitch.

It should look something like this. I am using a more contrasting thread but you can also use something that blends in. No one will see this part of it anyways.

Now you are going to iron the seam open. See how it sticks up? (Please excuse messy desk in the background!)

Press open the seam so that both sides lay flat and open. 

Now you are going to lay your zipper face down along the crease where the 2 pieces connect.

I like to open the zipper a little so that I know it is inside the area it needs to be. This also helps you to be able to sew the ends down well. 

Then pin the zipper down along the length of it so it doesn't move. You may also mark a 1/2 inch in from the edges on the zipper so that you know where you started basting. 

Then it is time to put your zipper foot on your machine and start sewing around the zipper. I like to do extra back stitching at the ends to make it more sturdy. 

Once I get down to the opposite end as the zipper, I like to  flip it over and clip the threads right on top of the zipper so that I can move the zipper further down and out of the way when I get to the area that I started. 

Here is what is should look like on the front after you have sewn around the zipper! Now remember how I clipped the threads over the zipper pull? Now is the time to clip the rest of the basting stitches and pull the little threads out! (I really hate this part)

This is also the time to cut any over hang you have on your zipper ends.

 Before sewing your pillow closed on the other 3 edges, be sure to open the zipper at least half way!!!! This is very important. It is quite a pain to not open the zipper.....trust me, I have been there!

Sew them together, turn inside out, and stuff with whatever you desire!!!
Doesn't this look nice?!!

As I mentioned, I made this pillow as a comfy pillow. Instead of using a pillow-form, I made my own pillow for the inside. I got some Micro Beads to give it some weight and them I stuffed the rest with Pellon Perfect Loft to give it some comfiness!

Lesli received the pillow and loved it! I hope to be able to add picture of her and the pillow soon!

You can read more about her and her amazing journey here. 

Let me know if you try out my pillow zipper and if you have any questions!!

~Kim