Make a Mugrug from the Dwelling Quilt Pattern

September 19, 2015September 20, 20151 Comment

When Holly Gets Quilty asked for pattern testers for her newest Dwelling Quilt pattern, I couldn’t help but get involved. I first became familiar with Holly’s patterns through her Squash Blossom pattern I used in the Squash Blossom Bouquet mini. She makes the most gorgeous quilts and I love how her patterns are so nice and clean…as well as beginner friendly. And this paper-piecing pattern does not disappoint!

When I received the pattern, I decided to first make the smaller of the two blocks offered. It measures 4 3/4″ x 5 3/4″ unfinished and I thought it would make for the cutest little mugrug.

As a single block on its own, I wanted to fussy cut all of the pieces and bring out the literal design to resemble a home. I dug back into the Cotton + Steel archives and pulled out some Homebody and Hatbox. These fabrics created the most ideal walls, roof, street and even a little garden!

1 1/4″ strips were added all around the block to give a little more area to the block. I wanted enough room for my larger mugs and even for a little snack 😉 Riley Blake’s newsprint is my favorite text print (out of print, of course…but if someone wants to share any, let me know!) and it goes with the whole house theme, right?

I used a scrap of cotton batting and more Cotton + Steel for the back to complete the quilt sandwich. Since you know I’m a straight line quilter, I just cross-hatched the mugrug a 1/4″ apart in a diamond pattern with Auriful 2030 and ….

To finish, you know C + S had to be using in the binding too. Since this was such a small project, I used Cut to Pieces glue binding method to secure the binding into place without the use of Wonder Clips. It was fast and I top-stitched the binding all around. I can never get even amounts of the back binding with “stitch-in-the ditch” method, so I sewed about 1/8″ inward to help me with my OCD…

This was a nice quick project you could have completed in an afternoon. Holly’s Dwelling Quilt pattern is simple and pre-cutting the pieces (measurements provided!) will help cut down on quilt time. Are you ready to make your mug rug?!?

Check out these Instagram hashtags for more inspiration: #DwellingQuilt #HollyGetsQuiltyPatterns

Hugs and Stitches,

Cristy

What to Do When You Forget to Pre-Wash High Contrast Colored Fabrics (in a Quilt)

September 10, 20159 Comments

After picking the high contrast fabrics for one of my latest quilts AND after cutting into it AND after piecing it…I realized I should have pre-washed it! How was I going to prevent bleeding on my project???

When I thought to pair magenta, black and white fabrics together in my recent Jacks Quilt, the thought of pre-washing never crossed my mind. For quilts, I am not a pre-washer and so I went about my normal way cutting and piecing until it hit me…that all the saturated colors could bleed onto all of that white! I wanted to cry in that moment because there was NO way I was going to buy new fabric and start over. My pockets and my sanity wouldn’t allow it since I had cut hundreds of pieces already. I couldn’t wash all the small pieces I had because the threads would fray and there would be considerable size distortion…

I know there is a divided camp among those who always pre-wash fabrics no matter what and those who don’t. Personally, I don’t wash because I DO love that crinkly texture after a quilt is finished and then laundered. Also, many times I make quilts that will be photographed and need that crisp color that is fresh off the bolt. Which side of camp do you belong to?

So off I went to find out how I could prevent any bleeding from occurring. I consulted with a few quilty friends and good ol’ Google to see what was out there. Synthrapol kept coming up as the go-to detergent to help dyes from re-depositing back onto the quilt. I also received many recommendations to Shout Color Catchers for this dilemma and to use in pre-washing going forward. I decided why not try both products since I didn’t want to chance ruining my new quilt?

I followed the instructions on the bottle of Synthrapol to use only 1 tablespoon for my quilt without any additional detergents. I did add two Color Catchers into the load as well. Why two? I figured the magenta and black fabrics held such strong pigments that two catchers might be needed. As you can see, both Color Catchers did their jobs and caught a good bit of dye (Sigh of relief!)

The quilt came out without any bleeding…which I was still astonished to see despite my efforts. The image about is after washing. You can see there were no runs with the magenta or the black dyes onto the white. Hallelujah!!!

I flipped over to the back of the quilt to see if there might be any bleeding there as well. It was completely clear! The Synthrapol and Shout Color Catchers worked!

Although I’m glad this all worked out, my lesson has been learned to pre-wash high-contrast fabrics next time. I plan to still use these products for washing all quilts afterwards…just in case 😉 What do you use to wash your quilts???

Hugs and Stitches,

Cristy

***I was not sponsored for the content of this post. All opinions and experiences are my own and have not been influenced by third parties.

***This post may contain affiliate links. The nominal compensation helps keep this site safe and running.

Fabri-Quilt New Block Blog Hop – Hanging Flags Tutorial

September 1, 2015September 10, 201526 Comments

What’s better than being part of the 2015 New Quilt Bloggers? It’s that, PLUS the chance to play with some beautiful Fabri-Quilt Prairie Cloth Solid Fabrics AND take part in a few charity quilts! ~~There are GIVEAWAYS happening today through Thursday!!!~~ (Scroll down for details.)

Our gracious hosts, Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl, Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs, Stephanie @Late Night Quilter and Terri Ann @Childlike Fascination, along with Fabri-Quilt have provided the opportunity for over 60 of us to develop a custom block with this gorgeous Summer Watermelon bundle of Coral, White, Aqua, Chartreuse, Turquoise, and Lapis Blue.

We were all challenged to create a 12″ (12.5″ unfinished) quilt block with only these 6 fat-eighths and use at least 3 colors. We needed to provide a full tutorial for all of our cyber quilty friends and make them in time for this hop 😉

The task seemed easy enough…until I had to settle down on my plan. Do I go simple or complex? Paper-piece or traditional piecing? Use all of the colors? Maybe not…but which ones then? I had so many ideas but only so much fabric…

But then I came upon this image of vintage dinnerware from a local upscale thrift shop downtown called Grandview Mercantile. It was screaming, “Make me into a quilt!” and…I said, “Yes.” 😉 I love the idea of stacking the geese (triangles) right on top of one another with the sashing. It is a simple design for a beginner (both for quilter and for author!)

For this exercise, I decided on a diagonal layout of the geese since this block was going to be one of many in the charity quilts. The spaced out color would be more versatile than my initial assymetrical idea. I still plan to make a full quilt like the dinnerware eventually…

Block instructions:

Gather the following fat-eighths: Fabri-Quilt White, Coral, Chartreuse, Lapis Blue, & Aqua ***It is recommended that you launder these fabrics BEFORE cutting to ensure accurate sizing on your block***
Print 2 Paper-piecing pattern sheets (4 Flying geese templates total) –> Hanging Flags Bock_Geese Template
Use 1/4″ seam allowance

Cut the following:

(1) 3.75″ HSTs of each color (4 total)
(2) 3″ x 8.5″ of white
(8) 3.5″ Half-Square Triangles (HSTs) of white
(2) 3 x 2.5″ of white
(2) 3″ x 6.5″ of white
(1) 1″ x 12.5″ strip of ea color

Paper-piece with flying geese template

Take one color triangle and place it behind the printed “1” so that there is 1/4″ seam allowance all around the triangle. *It’s ok if there extra which hangs beyond the template. It will be trimmed later.

Pin in place (This helps the HST from shifting)

Take a white triangle and match up to edge of color fabric. Sew into place on line underneath where fabric overlaps. Flip it out and press.

Do the same on the other side of the color triangle

Trim excess fabric. Flying Geese should measure 3″ x 4.5″ (including seam allowance)

Assemble the block as shown:

Attach the sides to the geese to make (4) 3″ x 12.5″ strips. I still have the paper intact at this point. You can remove at anytime, but I kept them on to sew the sides to keep the geese more stable.

Add the matching sashing to geese strips. *Go slow and stead to ensure nice straight lines

Sew all strips together. Iron seams in toward sashing. Give the block a final press.

Voila! You have made the Hanging Flags Block 🙂

vAriations:

For more information on the Fabri-Quilt New Block Hop:

*~~There is an additional Giveaway on Fabri-Quilt’s block today~~. Check them out by clicking the image below.

To see more blocks using this same bundle, head over to the following blogs:

(These are all amazing designs…Enjoy the block hop and the chance to win some of this fabric on Cheryl’s page!)

Host – Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs

Josi @Avocado Quilts
Stephanie @Quilt’n Party
Cristy @Love You Sew
Sarah @Sarah Goer Quilts
Shelly @The Carpenter’s Daughter Who Quilts
Jayne @Twiggy & Opal
Sharla @Thistle Thicket Studio
Adrian @Making It – Family Food Quilts Crafts
Julie @Pink Doxies
Sarah @123 Quilt
Jane @Jolly and Delilah Quilts
Carrie @The Zen Quilter

***The blog hop was sponsored and fabric was provided by Fabri-Quilts. All opinions and block design are my own and have not been influenced by outside parties.

Padded Laptop Case Tutorial

August 23, 2015July 8, 20199 Comments

Today, I’m going to share my own pattern for a padded laptop case. Every time I’ve had to travel, I’ve thought of how much I needed a cover for my MacBook. But with our recent trip to the lake, I actually made one…the night before we left…in true procrastinator style. How many times have you done something like that???

*Please read through all steps before starting. Cutting dimensions are based on a 13″ Apple Macbook Pro (approx. 12.75″L x 9″W x 0.75″H)

Supplies:

1/2 yd of Exterior Fabric
1/2 yd of Lining Fabric
1/2 yd of Pellon Flex-Foam or Annie’s Soft & Stable
1/4 yd of Mid to Heavyweight Interfacing
1 set of Magnetic Snaps
3 sets of KAM Snaps
Coordinating Thread
Rotary Cutter and Cutting Board
Fabric Scissors

If you follow me on IG, I made my personal one with Alison Glass‘s Geometry in Sunset (as shown) but with Mercury in blue as the pocket and the Historical Fiction in Gold print for the lining. Luckily, my niece saw what I made and wanted one for her very own. How did she know I also wanted to write a tutorial? She selected Geometry and I had a bunch of Historical Fiction in Strawberry in my stash to match. I love this vibrant combination.

Cutting Requirements:

*Please note all measurements are for a 13″ Apple Macbook Pro.

Cut from Exterior Fabric (L x W):
- Front – 15.75″ x 10.75″
- Back – 15.75″ x 16.25″
- Pocket – 17.75″ x 18.75″
Lining – 15.75″ x 26.5″
Interfacing – 17.25″ x 9″
Flex-Foam 15.25″ x 26″ (not pictured)

Instructions:

Lay Pocket right-side facing down (17.75″ at the top) and fuse the interfacing to the bottom half according to the manufacturer’s instructions. There should be a 1/4″ seam allowance all around the interfacing.

Fold the pocket in half, wrong sides together, so the interfacing is sandwiched in between the Pocket fabric. Press with iron and sew a 1/2″ seam along the fold to keep all pieces in place. Set aside.

Take the Exterior Back fabric and hold it with the 15.75″ side along the top. Measure 3″ in from both of the top corners and mark.

Connect the two marks and cut off each corner.

Repeat for the lining and Flex-Foam.

Center the Lining (wrong side) on top of Flex-Foam and baste the two layers together. Set aside. TIP: Baste from the center out toward the edges. This helps pull the lining taut.

Center the pocket on the right-side of the Exterior Back. Take the over-hang fabric and make a pleat approximately 1″ in (so it doesn’t get sewn into the lining later on.) [Edited to add: Repeat on other side.] Baste the pocket onto the Exterior Back with a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Sew the Exterior Front to the Exterior Back/Pocket right sides together on the short side creating the entire exterior cover.

Open and press seam open. Exterior should look like picture above.

From the top of the Lining, fold the sides together to find the center. Mark down 1.25″ and attach the magnetic snap according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

On the bottom of the Completed Exterior, find the center. Mark down 2.5″ from that point to attach the other half of the snap set. TIP: Fuse a piece of scrap interfacing on the wrong side of the fabric where you will attach the snap. This helps provide a layer of durability.

With right sides together, sew the Exterior to the Lining with 3/8″ seam allowance leaving approximately 5″ opening to turn. Notch the corners. Remove basting threads.

Turn the Laptop cover out and push out the corners. Press well.

Sew a square around the magnetic snaps with about 1/4″ clearance all around. This helps secure the snap into place.

Sew a 1/4″ seam along the bottom edge of the laptop case.

Fold the front of the cover up along the sewn seam and clip into place. Starting from one bottom corner, sew all around the case with 1/8″ seam allowance to create the main compartment for the laptop.

Follow the pleat on the pocket and finger press the fabric to mark where you will attach the KAM snaps. The female and male ends will be right next to each other.

This will secure the pleat but gives the pocket more room to hold your cords and other goodies. Repeat on the other pleat.

Find the center of the pocket and add one more snap about 1/2″ down from the opening. Find where the snap meets the body of the case, mark and add the other snap. The pocket opening should lie completely flat when all snaps are fastened.

And there you have it – a beautiful cushioned case for your baby to travel!

Please let me know if you have any questions (I’m new to pattern writing) and please tag me on Instagram if you make one. #loveyousewlaptopcase #loveyousewpatterns

Happy Sewing!

Cristy

This post may contain affiliate links for which I do receive a small compensation…It helps me keep this site running 🙂

Aeroplane Bag: Pattern Review with Vinyl & Satin

August 21, 2015April 10, 20177 Comments

I know there are a ton of pattern reviews on Sew Sweetness‘ beloved Aeroplane Bag, but I REALLY love how the gold metallic vinyl (pleather), bold stripes and teal satin turned out! I was debating if it deserved a post, but after so much love on IG, I decided to share what I made and what I learned on the way 🙂

This fabric pull was inspired by my good friend over at Platopoo. We made a crafty trade – she made me some awesome vinyl cut t-shirts and I would make her a custom bag. I love a good barter…don’t you??? Well, her business cards are black and white stripes with some gold accents and I wanted to kick up this bag a notch, so we came up with this great combination:

Since I was using the vinyl for the bottom and straps, there were a few adjustments that had to be made:

Omit the strap interfacing
Cut 2 straps to 1.5″ width. Since the WOF (width of fabric) on the vinyl is 54″, the straps were then cut to 42″ in length
TIP: Take one 1.5″ x 42″ strap and sew it onto a larger piece of vinyl. Sew with 1/8″ seam allowance. Trim the excess of the larger piece to size. Repeat with 2nd strap. (This allows you to have even top and bottom strap pieces.)
Be sure to use your walking foot to not stretch out the vinyl
Edges of the straps will be raw. You can use some permanent fabric glue or Fray-Check to “seal” the sides if you wish. Some vinyls do fray the slightest bit over time…

Another detail to amp up this bag was the zipper. I found this great black one with brass teeth at JoAnn’s as well. It matches perfectly with the pleather and adds that extra professional look.

TIP – I used my walking foot to topstitch over the zipper. There is quite a lot of volume between the exterior, lining and Flex-Foam (used in place of Soft & Stable.) This allowed me to get more even stitches without having to tug on the fabric as much.

Additionally, I cut off 1/4″ by about 8″ of scrap vinyl to add a pull on the zipper. Again, this little detail helps make the bag look more polished and pulls in more of the metallic look. Plus, those little pulls are never long enough!

Do you like the satin interior? I am digging this pop of color and the change in texture for the interior. I also love the 14″ zippered pockets. They are generous in size to hide lots of goodies. The only thing I wished I had were brass zippers for these pockets. (I got the wrong size from the store and was not going back anytime soon…I was already there twice in one week!) They would have completed the look, for sure…

TIP – Cut the Shape-Flex larger than the interior pattern and fuse it onto the satin before cutting. The satin is delicate and can unravel pretty easily. It is easier to handle if you iron the interfacing on first.

I love the wide opening of this design. There is ample space to get your weekend gear into this bag….and this is just the “regular” size. I can’t wait to try out the “long” pattern!

This was a fun project but definitely at the confident beginner to intermediate level. Be sure to check if your machine can handle up to 6 layers of vinyl and Peltex at a time. I have a Juki TL-2010Q that can sew through with a Heavy Duty Organ Needle, but I still broke one needle in the process!

It’s going to be sad when I have to part with this baby, but at least I can make more 😉

The Newest Aeroplane Bag Fan,

Cristy

This post may contain affiliate links for which I do receive a small compensation…It helps me keep this site running 🙂