Free: August 2011 Archives
So I was cruising the Martha Stewart Craft site a few weeks ago and stumbled upon this Lunch Bag Tutorial featuring oil cloth. I knew it would be perfect for our Dorm Days series and coupled with Anna Maria Horner's Laminated Cotton it could easily be adapted for a college student, middle or high school student. It is also a fun way to get motivated to start bringing your own lunch to the work place if you are rebudgeting or pack snacks for a mom on the go or for road trip snacks to reduced fighting. These bags are super easy and the impact is high. You could make a dozen in one day to give to friends and family for fast Christmas gifts or fill them with candles, lotions and homemade goods as teacher and caregiver presents.
My lunch bag was so fast and fun. I used Anna Maria Horner's laminated cotton for all exterior panels and followed the instructions here. If you are thinking to save time by skipping the topstitching, DON'T. It gives structure along with a finishing detail. You can finger press the seams before you topstitch to help keep the fold since you don't want to use pins. I also used a basting stitch as my topstitching because the longer stitch helped my machine run over the laminate easier. I also recommend making a cotton lining using the same directions as the exterior only with wrong sides together. By not attaching the lining to the top of the bag, it can be removed for washing. OR you could use Insul-Bright batting between the exterior and lining to turn your lunch bag into an insulated lunch bag, perfect for yogurts, meats and cheeses.
Don't forget to add a closure at the top. You can go with a clip like Martha or some Velcro like me. Grommets and a ribbon are also a pretty option along with buttons. Go crazy and have fun since these are so quick and simple and infinity useful!
Fabric.com is excited to announce our Camp Quiltalong
contest where you could win of one of three prizes valuing over $1500! The
price of entry is to "Like" AccuQuilt, Fabric.com, and Fons &
Porter on Facebook. Go to the link below to check out these fabulous prizes!
Contest runs until August 29th. Good luck! http://www.accuquilt.com/indianblocks
Even though we're just almost through "Back To School" it's not too early to think about Halloween! These little ghosties are a cinch to make. All you need is cheese cloth and heavy starch, balloons and cups, felt, glue and string.
1. 1. Blow the balloons up about 3- 4'' in diameter; place each in a tall cup.
2. 2. Take an 8-9'' square of cheese cloth, spray heavy starch and drape it over the balloon-cup structure. Just keep spraying heavy starch till it is fully saturated and form your ghost, pull some threads to make it a little tattered and wait for it to dry. (about an hour or so)
3. 3. Before popping the balloon out from underneath your ghost, glue little felt eyes to give it some life (or lack thereof right? It's a ghost)
4. 4. Attach thread, fishing line, twine, whathaveyou, and hang them up over a hallway, chandelier, or goodie table!
Embroidery hoops are not just for embroidery anymore! They are a fast, inexpensive, easy and cool way to hang your favorite fabrics or festive appliqués on the wall. Instead of using Halloween-printed fabrics, I used fabrics from the Kona Elegance collection. The tonal jacquard flourish design is perfect for a touch of sophistication! We have a variety of silhouette templates to use with 12'' Embroidery Hoops or you could even draw your own!
Before cutting out my fabric shapes, I applied Pellon Wonder Under. This made it so much easier to cut out my shapes, and applying them to the background fabric was a breeze. Wonder Under is absolutely true to its name- this stuff is awesome for crafts and appliqué. Just iron, cut, peal, and iron again. Boom. No sewing involved (unless you really want to). More detailed instruction come with the packaging. For the owl frame- I made the branch by cutting a 3'' wide strip of brown cotton print fabric, twisted it, and hand-sewed it to the motif to create a little dimension and texture.
Halloween crafts can be so fun for kids and fun for decorating. They can be as easy as starched cheese cloth or even bundling/draping some festive fabric like this glitter tulle over a table or banister.
Everyone has one these days but if you are anything like me more often than not you don't have a pocket to spare for your MP3 player. Some of my lady clothes just don't offer the pocket space I need to take my tunes with me and some don't offer pockets at all. I tried keeping mine in my bra for a while but then the hot weather hit and that just didn't work out any more. So I vowed for Back to School I would design a great arm band for my MP3 player that I could wear with any outfit to anywhere. I use it walking with my stroller, going to the grocery store, gardening, cleaning, etc. The great thing about my MP3 Go Band is that many activities that previously were 'no-no's for my MP3 player in the pocket (it would fall out) are now back on!
To create your own takes a little bit of time, a little bit of fabric and Velcro but leads to much freedom. These are great for college kids who need an MP3 player to catch up on lectures, language lessons or just music to listen to while they trek from one end of campus to the other. As a mom, I love it as a companion for long walks, household chores and a break while running errands. But really these are great gifts for anyone in the family. You can download your own MP3 Go Band pattern below by clicking on the picture.
You can find your materials here:
Not only was I totally pumped
to have a go at the new HotPatterns
Download before it hits the net but I was also pumped because I love knit
tops. I am not a big ironing fan (though I do love a good pressed seam), so
wrinkle free and knit tops are big populators of my wardrobe. After I saw how
many pieces it took to create a Fringe
Festival top I was even more excited. But that was all a candle flame
compared to the sun of my excitement once I finally tried on my top! I don't
know if it is the fit of HotPatterns or the style or an equal combination of
both but few pattern makers final pieces make me feel as satisfied at
HotPatterns once the project is complete. The Fringe Festival is no different.
This top was quick and easy
and coupled with the grey Tencel
Jersey Knit that I used the fit was easy but sexy. The fabric drapes nicely
and the cut is perfectly shaped to cling (slightly) in all the right places and
gently bunch right at the hips. One of the bonuses I noticed concerning the hip
bunching is that when I bent over, kneeled or squatted down, I did not feel exposed.
Even with the lowest jeans, the extra long hem line gives you coverage when you
need it and the ruching hides any tummy troubles when standing.
I decided to modify it with a
dupioni
scarf and crochet trim. I wanted to braid the scarf in the knit fabric but
given my deadline I couldn't make it work to satisfy me so I practiced my
crochet skills instead. I used the given pattern piece to make the dupioni
scarf and used a simple crochet decorative edge that I found in one of my
stitch books. The crochet edging is working in Berroco Vintage in Pumpkin which
really stands out against the teal
silk and neutral grey of the top. With the casual sexiness of the cut of
the top coupled with the elegant silk
and lace edging this top is perfect of a date night, pair with a cropped tuxedo
jacket for a cocktail party or worn with grey wool pants for office wear.
Sometimes it takes a little something out of the ordinary to create some excitement in a familiar hobby. My knitting habit goes in waves, sometime ebbing and sometimes tsunamis of excitement. The bigger waves are created when I discover a new technique, stitch or medium that just gets my juices flowing. This assignment definitely got the juices flowing. This week I was knitting with fabric and it was eye-opening. Not only is it a quick knit (insert eye rolling here) but it was very different. "Oh course", you might say, "you are not knitting with yarn. Duh... that's different"! But it was different in other ways too. #1 Tension was easy so I just let the strand hang loose. It didn't flow through my hand like yarn and the knotted ends caught on my fingers. Even with my massive US 17, the gauge was tight. I think you could even knit with some US 19's. Knitting with fabric is an awesome way to use every last bit of fabric- so waste not, want not. Knitting with fabric is the PERFECT way to round out your Christmas list as well. Not just because it is quick but because you can knit rugs, bath mats, trivets, dog beds, picnic blankets, nap mats and more stout articles that one is always in need of. When using quilting cotton, these projects are very absorbent and cushy. Here's how to get started (tension relief ahead)
Using either remnants or whole pieces of fabric, clip into your selvedges about ½ in. in, in 1 in. increments. Pull apart the strips (the clips just get each strip started). Knot each strip together and roll up into rag balls (you can also purchase rag balls on eBay, but rolling them up is good fun for stray children who would otherwise be making messes). Start knitting!
You can organize your fabric strips into color families to knit project in certain colors to make stripes or a solid piece. If you choose fabric that features a print, your finished piece will have a variegated look but you can still choose dominate colors. Try knitting a lace pattern for an interesting entry way rug or knit it up in muslin for a Christmas snowflake using a doily pattern. Have fun thinking outside the box while creating a one-of-a-kind gift for a loved one! I'm making a bath mat for my little one's bathroom using 3 stripes of quilting cotton, 2 of blue and one of pink. To make one stripe, I cast on 10 sts using my Lantern Moon US 17 needles and am knitting to 24 in. and then bind off. Repeat for the other 2 stripes and then stitch the 3 together using a mattress stitch or crochet them together using a size 17 hook. It will be super cozy on her little toes.
The classic story begins: So I was surfing the 'net' a few weeks ago when I found this tutorial...
I would say that 50% of my blog projects start with the above sentence, but not all end with this sentence: As soon as I saw this project I had to make it IMMEDIATELY!
Most projects I look forward to, most I love to shop for and some I stay up late to work on. A select few get my heart pumping and my brain spinning. This is one of those projects. I love rugs. I love softness under my toes. I love a block of color, texture or design to make a room. I love how rugs can 'make' a room. Now I can make them too! I knew this would be a great project for our Dorm Days series because it is such an easy project, dorm rugs are often cheap in construction and in design and since you make it, you can make it to size, color and design that fits you.
To make my rug, I followed High-Heeled Foot in Door's awesome DIY Chevron Rug tutorial which calls for:
2 yds of home decor fabric
One 6x9 ft canvas drop cloth
One 5x8 ft rug gripper
Tacky Glue Spray
Size 14 needle
This tutorial was really well done and assembly was easy. You do need a significant area of clean floor space to lay everything out and a heck of a lot of spray starch to get all the wrinkles out of the drop cloth. I would recommend using the more expensive rug gripper that has more gripper surface and less holes and applying the same tacky glue spray trick to attach the gripper to the drop cloth as for attaching the fabric to the drop cloth. Don't flip over or sew until the tacky spray glue has dried. I suggest this because the gripper slips around and bunches a lot when sewing.
I used Valori Wells Wrenly Twill Home Décor weight fabric (2 yds) and this busy pattern lends itself well to piecing should you want as bigger rug. It will also hide spills or dirt which I am counting on since it is beneath my eat-in kitchen table. I like the print so much I am going to make a big rug by ordering 6 yds of fabric, cutting it in half and stitching them side by side to make more of a 9 x 9 rug for my dining room. Also, the amount of rug gripper I cut off would make the perfect size for a runner. This fabric rug is really customizable for any and all sizes. The rug feels nice underfoot with just a little plushness and stays in place very well. I am impressed with how well it turned out and how well it seems to be functioning as a rug.
Check out all of our Free Spirit fabrics to create your own Design Fabric Rug!
P.s. Of course my kitchen always looks like this and I didn't set the table just for you ;)
Here is a great, quick Halloween mask pattern for our readers to get in the spirit of All Hallow's Eve before the rush really hits. Your kids are probably already planning their costumes and perhaps can't even decide what they will be. With the ease of this pattern, you can create several masks for them to 'try on' an idea to help the decision making go faster so you can order your patterns and fabric to get started!
Materials for 1 black cat mask:
1 piece of black eco-felt
¼ yd of quilting cotton in a Halloween print
Eye Mask pattern from Prudent Baby (reduced to fit your child's face. I reduced mine 20% to 6 in. wide)
1 spool of coordinating thread
Ear Pattern (See PDF download below)
After you have cut out your pattern piece, lay your quilting cotton face down and place your felt on top. Cut out 1 of the mask pattern piece and two ear pieces. Cut out two 4 in. by 12 in. from quilting cotton for mask ties.
Pin your mask pieces together and using a medium zig zag stitch, sew around the bottom of the mask, leaving the sides and top open. Set mask aside.
Assemble your ear by pinning them together and zig zagging around the ears. Place your ear between your mask layers (on above each eye) and pin in place. Repeat for 2nd ear. Zig zag across the top of your mask, set aside.
With right sides together, fold your ties in half lengthwise and sew a ½ in. seam across one short side and down the long side. Repeat for other tie. Trim your corners, turn and press. Insert your ties on either side of the mask in the side openings, pin in place. Zig zag your mask sides.
Trace a spool of thread onto your mask for eye holes. You can gently hold your mask on your child's face to mark the eye hole placement. Choose a spool big enough to accommodate your eyes and you know it will be big enough for your child. Cut out each eye hole, pin around the hole and zig zag around each eye hole. Trim any loose threads as needed.
You can add embroidery details or contrasting thread to highlight your ears. With the quilting cotton lining, you know these masks will be comfy enough for hours of play, giving you much needed quality sewing machine time.
A concrete cube is what awaits many collegiates this fall and nothing distracts more from studying than a blank canvas. Given the various rules and contrasts on decorating dorms is it tricky to put your signature on a room that you will spend the next 4 years (5, 6 or 7 years, who am I to judge a major-a-semester student). It may be necessary to break the rules or at least work around them.
One of my favorite mediums to use as wall art is plates. I understand that ceramic plates and college students may not jive; you can pick them up cheap at a thrift store or use this technique on another solid surface it will create a project just as fun. What you need is a cool plate, some equally cool lightweight fabric, a silhouette (I use coloring sheets because of their big, detail less shapes are great for negative art), and some decoupage medium. Trace the silhouette onto your fabric and carefully cut it out. Use some decoupage medium to glue the fabric onto the plate and then slather more medium over the entire surface of the plate. Allow to dry and then use a plate hanger to hang (you can try some 3M hooks for concrete walls). You might also try the decoupage medium right on the walls. In a small spot out-of-view, test to make sure but I am reasonably certain that the medium will peel off of concrete. This project will add some spicy details to a dorm fridge, microwave, book covers, trash cans or storage containers.
There are many other awesome fabric wall art projects out on the web to try in conjunction with my fabric art project. Anna Maria Horner on the Martha Stewart Show used fabric, canvas and paint to create trendy hip wall art. Here is another tutorial using embroidery hoops and quilting cotton. Or you can just cover canvas frames with your favorite fabrics for big, bold color accents.
