Of Fabric and Very Thick Books

Posted by Claire on Sep 15 2013

Once, while abroad, Mark Twain was amused to read of his death in the papers. His response was famously dry and oft repeated. “The reports of my death,” he cabled back to the US, “are premature.”

I get how he was feeling, though. Like Mr. Twain said, reports of my blogging death are premature. But I know I’ve been MIA for a while – I’ve had the emails to prove it. And for regular readers, I’m afraid the situation isn’t going to get much better for a while yet. That’s because two weeks ago, I embarked on a long planned for PhD in English Literature.

I am, once again, a full time student. Other than the fact that I feel old when I walk across campus (that’s old enough to remember what it felt like to be 18 and be vaguely wistful while being simultaneously old enough to know I like my life and the path I’ve taken to get where I am now without regrets), I’m loving my classes and the decision to go back was definitely the right one.

Unfortunately, the workload is intense and leaves little time for crafts and sewing. I eked out a little time at the end of the summer working on some smocking, but it’s been sent away and I forgot to get any pics. I’ve anemically pressed ahead with Shiny Brite and have somewhere in the range of 27 6 1/2″ blocks done (only90 some odd to go!).

I dropped off Power of 4 and a Christmas surprise quilt that you haven’t seen (because the recipient is a reader of the blog :)) at Alison’s but because she hurt her wrist over the summer, neither Spring Bouquet or my Carrie Nelson log cabin quilt are ready for binding yet.

In fact, the only thing I’ve been able to do consistently it seems is buy fabric. Funny how easy that is! But I fell in love with Kate and Birdie Paper’s Winter’s Lane and decided to fill my already bulging stash with a few more (a lot more) yardage.

Winter's Lane

On the plus side, I didn’t buy the whole line; I decided instead to skip the poinsettas and keep the focus on the birds and the berries. For my pattern I chose Oh, My Tangled Stars, from Border Creek Station. She’s a Canadian quilt designer; the blues and reds were perfect for the Winter’s Lane prints.

Oh My Tangled Stars

Now, the big question is will I actually get time to sew it up?

Err, sure I will. Once I’ve finished my readings, my seminars, a couple of essays, my research and some teensy-weensy grant applications, spent some time with the family, deked the producers of ‘How Clean Is Your House?”, who keep begging for an interview, and squeezed in a few paltry hours of sleep, it’s number 74 on my to-do list. Right after the 1930s quilt that I need to cut out, and Shiny Brite, which I need to finish and a small Kim Diehl lap quilt, and my smocking correspondence course, which I signed up for in June a fit of optimistic madness.

I promise I will do my best to post when I can. But I am determined to knock this degree out of the park, if it is humanly possible. And that means my focus until April is necessarily on my books, and not *sob* my sewing machine.

So if I can’t sew, I’d love to know what you’re making. I will live vicariously through you folks. All I can say is thank god for Pinterest. It keeps the withdrawal symptoms to a manageable level of shakes!

Shiny Brite Update #1

Posted by Claire on Jul 27 2013

Ever wondered what 960 triangles look like?

Wonder no more.

I’ve finally emerged from my earth-tone, vintage inspired phase and am enjoying working with the fun colours in Shiny Brite. Of course, my output has dropped dramatically since school got out. It’s a little difficult to focus on your hobbies when you’ve got work and two active boys to keep up with but I’m squeezing time here and there and progress is being made.

Check out the binding in the lower left corner. It’s a perfect pink and white candy stripe – I was thrilled when I finally found it online. I’m even using it in the blocks, too.

I’m enlarging the overall size of the quilt to twin (Carrie’s version is a mini quilt, smaller even than crib size) but the finished block size is remaining the same at 6″.

I’d expected to start this quilt back in June but a mathematical error on my part (when will I learn that shortcuts that appear brilliant at 11pm are never as good as they appear the next morning?) meant that I cut about a third of the triangles at the wrong angle. Grrr. I was angry at myself and the fabric and set them aside and worked on other projects until I could re-collect the fabrics that I needed for this quilt.

Happily for me, the angle that I’d originally cut the triangles at was larger than the correct angle and I was able to salvage the fabric that I’d thought wasted which put me in a much better mood to tackle this quilt.

If you’re interested in upsizing Shiny Brite to twin-sized, here’s the math I used to enlarge it:

I’ve decided on a 10 block by 12 block centre. (60″ x 72″) (I may decrease that to 9 x 11 blocks when I’ve got it laid out but it will depend on how wide I end up making the final borders – I like a generous twin) As a result of my plans, I needed to make 120 finished blocks. Each block uses eight triangles, for a total of 960.

Completely by luck, I ended up with thirty different fabrics (6 different prints of five different colours: browns, creams, pinks, turquoise and bright greens). 30 divides amazingly well into 960; I had to cut 32 triangles of each colour. Carrie includes a paper template with the pattern. I printed two copies and taped them to my smallest clear ruler. It made cutting the triangles easier although a thousand of anything gets pretty tiresome after a while 🙂

If you’re collecting fabrics yourself, a fat quarter cut into four 3 1/2″ x 21″ strips will yield 32 triangles comfortably. For yardage, I found 8-9″ sufficient. From that, I cut two 3 1/2″ x WOF strips before subcutting the triangles.

I’ve finished chain piecing the first step, putting the triangles into pairs. They make a very large pile on my ironing board.

Here’s one scrappy kaleidoscope block, because I was impatient to see what it would look like. Only 119 to go!

The Quick Quilt Project that Wasn’t

Posted by Claire on Jul 18 2013

This is the “Power of Four” from the Fon’s and Porter’s May/June 2013 Love of Quilting. The designer is Tony Jacobson.

When I saw it in the magazine, I was immediately drawn to the muted palette and strong, modern lines. It would make a perfect gift for my brother. No fuss, no muss.

Fons & Porter Power of Four quilt

Or so I thought…

The fabrics in the sample quilt all came from FreeSpirit’s Parson Gray (grey, people, it’s spelled g-r-e-y!). That’s where the hassle began. Because no one online store had all of the fabrics used in the quilt and no one local carried them either. Somebody had the Anasi in the blue colourway, but not the Wind print. Somebody else had Clouds but not the others. It would have meant ordering from three different shops and paying a fortune for shipping. So I compromised and ordered as much as I could from Hawthorne Threads, figuring that I could find a brown and dark navy print myself.

(BTW The pictures aren’t fabulous, since I took them outside. Shadows and light and dappled trees are great for picnics, but not quilting pictures. Unfortunately, we’re in the midst of renos right now (for those folks who know us, they know we’re always reno-ing something :)) but since this is a pretty major project that involves much of our second floor, our whole house is boxes and tools and a drywall lift in the dining room, which means there is absolutely no space to lay out a quilt top for good photos. It’s outside or nothing for the next little while.)

I hunted around and between Joann’s and a couple of local shops, found what I needed.

Then I started cutting and that’s when my headaches really began because I quickly realized that if I wanted my large patterns to match, as the designer recommends, I would have needed to order lot more of the Parson Gray fabrics than Jacobson lists in the materials. The repeats are big and trying to match the prints eats fabric. The yardage amounts were fine for the all over prints (the feather sand the dark blue mottle) that I chose myself but the Parson Gray numbers were way off. If you’re making this quilt, I recommend at least 1/4-3/8″ yard more of each of the Parson Gray fabrics. For the dark blue wave that’s used to create the woven pattern, get half a yard more, if you’re planning on using it for the binding, too. Otherwise you will run short.

I ended up having to order half a yard more of Clouds (the big circle print) from Warp and Weft, just to finish the darn top. By this point I was pretty cross and when it turned out that I managed to misplace one of the medium Anasia print rectangles, and didn’t have any more that I could cut it from, I wanted to bin the sucker. Everything seemed to be going wrong. How could I sail through something as complicated as Spring Bouquet and be in such a bother about a bunch of ruddy squares?

However, I gave myself the evening off and finally came up with a solution for that missing block. Can you see what I did to fix the problem?

I pieced it. See, what I ended up doing was cannibalizing the backing, which was made of the same colourway and print and trimming off a narrow strip. I couldn’t just cut off 4 1/2″ inches otherwise it would have been too tight for Allison to mount on her long arm machine. So I cut a narrow strip, matched the pattern and sewed it together before cutting a new rectangle. Takes fussy cutting to a new level but I was able to spare myself the expense of another mail order and nobody will ever notice once everything’s quilted. Hopefully.

In the end, I spent about a week running around for fabrics and about six hours actually sewing. That’s not a great ratio. But it is done and I will be dropping it off at Allison’s this week. Sometimes, that’s enough.

Scalloped Collar Tutorial

Posted by Claire on Jun 27 2013

One of the details that I really enjoyed sewing on my recently completed 1950s cherry print dress was the scalloped sailor collar. I finished the edges with narrow piping, which helps to define the edge of the collar and set it off from the dress fabric.

This tutorial will show you how to sew piped scallops. The examples show a collar but you can use piped scallops to good effect on a hem, around a sleeve cuff or even down the centre front of a garment. Lots of possibilities for personalization. 🙂

Here’s what you’ll need:

1″ wide bias strips (for garments with 3/8″ seam allowances) or 1 1/2″ strips (for garments with 5/8″ s.a.)
#3 crochet cotton or similar fine piping cord
lightweight interfacing appropriate to your fabric
sewing thread in two colours – one to match the bias strips, the other to match the collar or garment fabric
pins
sewing needles or fabric basting glue
tracing wheel and dressmaker’s tracing paper
pin tuck foot to fit your sewing machine
iron

Directions

1. With thread that matches the bias strips, make the mini-piping by encasing the #3 crochet cotton inside the bias strip (L 1.8-2.0). The raw edges of the bias strips should meet and your stitching should be approximately a needle-width (1/32″) from the filling. Keep the crochet cotton in the centre grove of the pintuck foot as you stitch. Make enough piping to fit the circumference of your project.

2. Now, prepare your fabric. Cut two pieces of fabric at least 2-3″ larger on all sides than the pattern piece. Interface the wrong side of one of the pieces with a lightweight knit or German interfacing. You want to add stability, not stiffness.

3. Lay the non-interfaced fabric square out, right side up. Lay the dressmaker’s tracing paper on top, chalk side down. Lay the pattern piece on top. Carefully pin the layers together.

Tip: If you are drawing the scallops yourself, it is easier to stitch scallops that have a wide, shallow profile. Scallops or curves that are very tight or very small will require you to stop and pivot frequently and it make be difficult to create distinct points where the scallops meet if the angle is too acute. If you are using a pattern that already has pattern piece(s) with scallops and are finding them difficult to navigate, redraw the scallops until they are sized so that you are comfortable sewing them. The scallops on the vintage collar were approximately 1/2″ deep and 1 3/4″ wide.

4. Trace all the cutting and sewing lines with the marking wheel. Transfer any notches or alignment indicators, too. Tip: If your pattern doesn’t indicate the sewing line, mark it with a pencil and a ruler on the pattern before tracing it off.

Here is a close-up of the marked scallops, ready for the piping to be laid on.

5. Beginning at the mid-point, pin the piping in place. The piping should just cover the sewing line; the raw edges should meet the cutting line. You will need to notch the piping so that it will lie smoothly around the curves. Cut up to but not through the stitching every 3/8″ or so (it will vary depending on the size of your scallops). At the sharp points, pinch the piping hard to create a distinct point and overlap the tabs, pinning in place. Take your time laying out the piping.

6. Now, baste the piping in place. You can use a needle and thread and stitch a line of running stitch to secure the piping. Alternatively, if you have it on hand, Roxanne’s Glue Baste-It works very well and has a very precise, durable hold. I used Roxanne’s. If you don’t have the specialty basting glue, go with the needle and thread method; a regular glue stick will not be secure enough. You will be manipulating this fabric block a lot during the stitching and you don’t want the piping to move as you pivot and navigate. When you have finished basting the piping, it will look like this.

7. Stitch the piping down using your pintuck foot. (L 1.8-2.0) If you have a needle down function, engage it. Lift the foot and pivot as necessary to follow the curves, letting the piping ride in the centre groove. At the points, stitch into the corner as closely as possible. Leave the needle in the fabric, lift the foot and pivot to meet the next scallop.

8. This is what the scallops will look like from the wrong side after they have been stitched down. You can see the sharp point at the intersection of each scallop.

9. Lay the interfaced fabric square out, with the fabric side facing up. Lay the piped layer on top, wrong side up, so that the piping is sandwiched in between. Pin the two layers together.

10. Change your thread to match the garment fabric. With the pin tuck foot still in place, move your needle position so that it is approximately 1 /16″ to the left (the number of increments will depend on the sensitivity of your machine). Stitch around the scallops. (L 1.8-2.0) The piping should ride in the centre groove and your stitching line should be just outside the stitching line that secured the piping. Lift and pivot as necessary to get the smoothest line.

11. Trim as close to the second stitching line as possible. Your seam allowance should be approximately 1/8″. Clip the scallop points. Cut right up to the first stitching line. This will ensure the sharpest possible angles when you turn the scallops right side out.

12. This is what the collar looked like after trimming and prior to being turned right sides out. I generally treat the interfaced side as the upper collar and the non-interfaced side as the under-collar, but which side you deem ‘the outside’ will depend on your application.

13. Turn the collar right side out and press. Take your time with this step. Use a point turner or other pointy but dull object like a cuticle stick or chop stick to gently ease the curved scallops into shape. Working from the centre out, I steamed and shaped one side and then the other. At this point, the collar is ready to be inserted into the dress.

14. Here is the finished collar, inserted on the cherry print dress. The scallops are smooth, the piping is fully exposed and the points are crisp.

A Summer Dress with a Cherry on Top

Posted by Claire on Jun 26 2013

I’ve finished another summer dress. Two down and one to go.

Unlike the light pastels of the Farmhouse dress, this dress features a dramatic cherry print on a black and white polka dot background.

I’ve been seeing cherries a lot lately and when I found this fabric on sale at Joann’s this spring, I thought it would be ideal for this project – a vintage styled dress from a vintage pattern.

I don’t sew a lot of vintage patterns but pattern drafting enthusiast that I am, I do collect them. I like to dissect the layouts and I often incorporate ideas I find there into projects I use for my magazine work (the DIY bishop that was featured in Sew Beautiful last summer started its life when I saw an illustration of a honeycomb smocked bishop in a 1940s magazine and started to wonder if I could do something similar).

I used the pattern, Patt-O-Rama 8398, as is. There was no date on the pattern, but I’d guess it’s mid-1950s. The perforated pattern had never been sewn, so despite the fact that it was 60 odd years old, the pieces were pristine. I traced them off and only made two minor changes: I lowered the waistline 3/4″ (my niece is tall and slim) and I added 3 1/2″ to the overall skirt length.

The dress went together very quickly, because it only had six pieces.

The collar was the most involved aspect. I traced the scallops using my marking wheel onto a block of white fabric and then basted the piping in place before stitching it down with my pintuck foot. Then I cut it out and turned and pressed it. Fiddly but not difficult. Edited: See the Scalloped Collar Tutorial here for complete step-by-step directions.

I’d thought about doing a corded edge instead but after trying out some samples, I thought the piping would hold up better to wear and tear.

I don’t often show the inside of my garments (a seam is a seam is a seam :)) but this time, I thought you might find it interesting.

I could have overcast the raw edges or done french seams. But in the end, because the bodice wasn’t lined, I went with something from the period and clean finished most of the seams. It was very straight forward and gave a really flat, inconspicuous finish. I think people should clean finish their seams more often. Maybe I’ll start a club – Sewers for Clean Finishes! Who’s with me?

Only the armscyes were treated differently. Those, I piped and then finished with narrow doubled bias. No bulk, no fuss.

For the hem, I had to deal with the curved circumference of the quarter panels of the circle skirt. That meant folding up the hem was out. Instead, I cut 2 1/2″ bias strips and sewed them in place. Then I understitched and hemstitched the upper edge.

I did experiment with adding crinoline to the hem but it looked too costumey to my eye and I ultimately went without. I wanted my niece to be comfortable wearing this dress and I didn’t think the extra stiffness would be something she’d like. For the same reason, I nixed adding a slip or netting.

Want to know my favourite part of this dress though? It’s not the collar, although I’m really pleased with how it turned out. It’s not the red neck tie, although that’s cute, too.

It’s the buttons.

Perfectly round and cherry-like, they’re the finishing touch on this dress. So you’d think I’d had to search high and low, right? Scour the internet? Spend through the nose? Nope, because even though they’re vintage buttons, fresh off the card, I found the buttons after I’d bought the fabric and I didn’t have to spend a penny on them.

A lady who knows an elderly lady who knows my mother also sews happened to mention in passing that she had some old buttons put aside and would my mom be interested in them? My mom said, “Of course,” thinking there’d be a small tin’s worth of buttons and she could use them on her charity sewing projects.

Three solidly packed grocery bags of buttons later, my mother and I have buttons and buckles in every shade, size and style imaginable. I’d guess there were upwards of twenty five pounds, maybe more. Let’s just say I’m not short on buttons for the foreseeable future!