Cabin fever

I’ve been playing around with log cabin blocks this month as I offered to write July’s instructions for the online block of the month club I’ve been following.

June’s BOM involved some improv curves which I found a bit challenging. Each of the sub-blocks were only 5” unfinished, so the curves were quite tight in places. I decided to cut everything oversized and trim to size so I could concentrate on the curves and not have to worry about exact seam allowances.

In contrast to the curves, I’ve gone back to straight seams for July’s BOM and have used wide and narrow pieces in a log cabin block to show the different effects that can be achieved with just the one block.
 

I had not really realised the versatility of this block as, until now, my only experience of it was making a single large block in a school needlework class many years ago. Now I’ve seen what can be done with it, I won’t be leaving it as long before making more.

If anyone wants to try making the blue and white blocks, the instructions are available as a pdf file.

Becoming partial to partial seams

As I mentioned last month, I have been following an online block of the month club, but when May's block was posted I felt the need to modify it a little.

The original block used a very clever technique of cutting and inserting strips to create a lattice effect. Unfortunately, I knew I would prefer an even effect of "over and under" rather than the uneven effect this creates.

Uneven Weave

I don't have any fancy quilt design programmes but by drawing the block sections in PowerPoint, I came up with a construction method that used partial seams and would give an even weave effect.

Even Weave

Other members of the BOM club also wanted this effect and so I prepared a tutorial which I have now posted in my Projects/Tutorials section. Getting the even weave effect is a bit more complicated than the method for the original block, but partial seams are a very useful technique and hopefully the instructions make it clear which part to stitch, which part to leave open, and when to close the seam.

Please don't be put off by partial seams - give them ago and you might find them useful when trying to work out how to assemble other designs. Now I've conquered partial seams, I next need to tackle my fear of Y seams.

Lucy Locket's Hidden Pocket

I’m always slightly annoyed by the general lack of an inside pocket on women’s jackets and coats. So much so, that on many of my coats I have inserted a zipped pocket between the lining and facing. Seeing as I needed to add such a pocket to a jacket recently, I took photos while I was sewing and have written a tutorial showing how to add this hidden pocket to a lined jacket or coat.

If you choose a zip that matches the inside of the coat or jacket, then the pocket is almost hidden when closed. The pocket fabric can be as matching or as contrasting as you like. For this pocket I used some silk and stabilised it with a light weight iron-on interfacing, though if you use quilting cotton or a similar fabric, interfacing would not be needed.

These pockets are not suitable for carrying anything too heavy, but can cope with a passport and boarding card or a set of keys or similar. If your coat or jacket has buttons, the size of the pocket may be limited by the distance between the buttons as these are often sewn on through the outer layer and the facing. My jacket had a zip, so I wasn't limited to a certain size and made my pocket to fit my passport.

 
The tutorial can be found as a pdf file in my Project/Tutorials section.

If you do use this tutorial to add a pocket and find any of the instructions unclear, please get in contact and I will try to help.

Flying the Flag (a Pattern for an EPP Union Jack)

A few posts ago I blogged about my competition entries for the Uttoxeter Quilt and Stitch Village. The Union Jack made of EPP hexagons was for the special category of British Royalty celebrating the longest serving monarchs, hence the inclusion of the royal cyphers for Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II.

By the magic of Photoshop, I can show you how the flag would look without these cyphers (much easier than making another!). 

 

If you would like to make one yourself, details of the number of hexagons, finished sizes, and the pattern for this English paper pieced Union Jack can now be found in the projects/tutorials section of this blog. The pattern was designed so that it remained as true as possible, when using hexagons, to the correct aspect ratio of the flag and also to the relative widths of the various sections (if you want to know more about this, click here). You may wish to modify the pattern so that is is more suited for snuggling under than flying from a flag pole.

Simple sewing to make the heart sing

After feeling rather ambivalent about the quilt I finished recently, I was in need of some pick-me-up sewing and so I made the decision to cut into my stash of Liberty lawn. Earlier in the year in the Liberty sale I treated myself to a leather cosmetics case embossed with the Ianthe pattern. This little pouch is far too nice to risk any make up spillages and instead I use it for my hexagon sewing kit. I needed a small needlecase and scissor cosy for the kit and decided to make them out of the same print.

This was such a satisfying little project using hexagons cut from card, wadding offcuts, Liberty lawn and felt. They took less than an hour to make and, unlike the quilt, I love them. The needlecase is just big enough to take some piecing needles and a larger needle for burying thread ends, whereas the scissor cosy is the ideal size for my thread snipping scissors and holds them securely in place thanks to a hidden press stud.

The case and cosy are quick to sew and can be made from scraps. I'll add a full tutorial to the projects section in the next few weeks, but in the mean time here are some basic instructions. It is easy to make any size of hexagon using a compass and ruler so for this project you don't need die-cut hexagons.

1. The size of the hexagon should be determined by the scissors and should be such that a corner (vertex) of the hexagon sits within a ring of the handle and the points of the scissors are within the hexagon.
2. Cut two hexagons from thin card and use these as templates to cut your outer fabric, wadding and felt. The outer fabric should be 1 cm larger on all sides than the hexagon, the wadding a few millimetres larger than the hexagon, and the felt a few millimetres smaller than the hexagon.
3. Glue the wadding to the card and thread baste the outer fabric to the hexagon, placing it over the wadding and taking care to stitch through only the fabric seam allowances and not the card. The stitches should be as far from the edge as possible to ensure that they are hidden by the felt.
   Glue or stitch the felt to cover the seam allowances. If using glue for the needlecase, it is advisable to only apply glue to the edge of the felt as it is easier to insert needles if the centre is not stuck down.
4. For the needlecase, with outer fabrics together, whip stitch along one side to form a hinge.
5. Stitch a press stud to the felt on the opposite side of the hinge (optional).
6. For the scissor cosy, stitch a press stud to one corner of the felt. With the felt linings together, whip stitch along four sides, ensuring that the press stud is in the centre of the open sides.

i-Padded: an updated tutorial for a mini iPad case.

Hello if you've found me via the Sewing Directory. Have a look around and I hope to see you again :-)

A few months ago, Fiona from the Sewing Directory sent me a few FQs of Art Gallery fabrics and asked me to write a tutorial for a case for a mini iPad. I paired the FQs with some fabrics from my stash and revised last year’s iPad case project into a fully illustrated, step by step tutorial with a full size pdf pattern.

The new and improved tutorial is now on the Sewing Directory so why not head over and take a look (and check out all the other information that is on this fantastic resource). The updated pattern and instructions can also be found in my projects/tutorials section of this blog.

Simply Solids Egg-stravaganza

A few weeks ago, I was egg-tremely egg-cited when my idea of egg cosies was picked by Simply Solids for their Scraptastic Challenge.

Details of how to make these cosies are now on the Simply Solids blog and I've created a tutorial as a pdf file on Google Drive (the photos may look a little odd in the Google Drive preview, but the original quality is maintained if you download the file).  It is also available in my Projects/Tutorials section of this blog.

The tutorial uses foundation piecing, but the pattern template can be used to make a very simple cosy if you need a children’s project for the Easter holidays. Just cut four pieces from felt, stitch together with running stitch, and trim the edges with pinking shears.

Simply Solids run the Scraptastic Challenge each month - if you'd like to have a go at making something from a Kona Scrap pack, leave your ideas in a comment on their blog. The winner receives a Kona Scrap pack and a guest spot on the blog where you write a mini tutorial for your make.

Thin Cut Marmalade

At the start of the year, I decided to try to only sew from stash and was then faced with having to make not one, but two quilts for a friend’s new baby and the newly promoted “big sister”.

“Big sister” had moved to her own bedroom in preparation for the new arrival and had chosen a pink, green and white floral colour scheme when her room was redecorated.  Luckily I had plenty of FQs in ditsy florals that I could use and a small amount of a pinkish marbled solid. For the new arrival, I wanted use some of the charm squares I had in my stash along with a sunny yellow solid I picked up on holiday last year.

I used the Marmalade Squares (Two) quilt pattern from Moda as a starting point, but adapted the measurements to make a rectangular quilt that would make the best use of 60" wide fleece that I had for the backing. I reduced the amount of solid to fit my available fabric and I also simplified the pattern by using half charm squares in the narrow bands rather than a mix of squares and rectangles.

I backed both quilts with pink, starry fleece and quilted them with Aurifil 50 wt using a serpentine stitch in a grid pattern. I used a matching thread in the needle for each quilt and variegated pink in the bobbin for both quilts.

I think my favourite part of these quilts is the basket weave square in the top left corner. Since working out how to do partial seams, I love this method of adding a totally symetrical border (though if you look closely, the layouts on the two quilts are not the same).

Now these quilts are finished and delivered, I'll double check my measurements and then put the amendments to the original Moda pattern in my projects/tutorials section .

Update: My modifications to the original pattern are now available in the projects/tutorials section.