Great British Sewing Bee

Shayla, at Raggie Girls, has started a Great British Sewing Bee inspired by the recent show on BBS.  I may have to join her.

I just discovered the show and have really enjoyed it.  The judges and the competitors are wonderful and, I will admit, I love the accents.  From a seamstress point of view, the challenges are interesting.  Some are relatively straightforward and some are just downright challenging.  It’s inspiring to see the many different ideas come out of a single challenge.

I really like the variety of skills the competitors bring.  Some have many of the couture finishing skills in place, and some have unique skills that give them a totally different perspective.  I love that Mark makes historical costumes.  How fun is that?

If you haven’t seen it, you can go to YouTube and watch the episodes.  If you like to sew, you will really enjoy this series.  I hope they keep it going!

 

 

“Big Techniques from Small Scraps” with Sarah Fielke

If you haven’t taken a look at Craftsy.com, you have GOT to check it out.  I have taken quite a few of their sewing and quilting classes and can confidently say their classes are well worth the money.  And then there is the fact that once you have bought the class you can watch it as often as you like and they don’t expire.  It’s just a great resource.

One of my most recent classes is Sarah Fielke’s (The Last Piece blog) “Big Techniques from Small Scraps“.   I recently read a couple posts that raved about Sarah’s needle turn appliqué technique and I really wanted to give it a try.  Craftsy just ran some of their classes on sale, as they often do , and I signed up for Sarah’s class.  I’ve gone through two thirds of her class which covered applique and deconstructive piecing.  The class goes on to cover improv curves and working with 60 degree rulers.  Sarah does a wonderful job describing her techniques and has some wonderful ideas for using scrap fabrics.

This is my first attempt at Sarah’s needle turn technique.  It was surprisingly quick and I’ve really enjoyed it.  I did make one mistake and used a fabric glue.  Unfortunately it was a permanent glue!  Live and learn.  I think I will get away with it on this piece, but I will know better next time.

The pale green leaves on the two tulips(?) and the yellow tulip are too light for my taste.  I plan to hand quilt this piece, which is pretty much a first for me.  I will use thread to add color to those areas and perhaps add legs and feet to the bird.  I have really enjoyed the process.

I’m considering treating this as a center to a medallion quilt.  As of today, this class is still on sale.  You should check it out.

Tell me, have you taken an online class or workshop you would recommend?  I’m always looking something new to learn.

String Fever and Scrap Busting

I have been in serious scrap and stash busting mode.  When I saw that Rachel at Stitched in Color started a Scrap Attack {String Fever}, I jumped right in.  Good excuse to hit my bucket of strip scraps.  I wanted something easy that I didn’t have to think too much about.  Using Excel, I laid out a 12″ block as below.

Then moved that block to Illustrator to mock up a quilt.

In this diagram, I am assuming 6″ width strips.  The layout shows how many 1″ strips I can layout before beginning to shorten the strips.  If I’m working with 1 – 1.5″ strips, I can cut 7″ strips (if I started over, I would start with 8″ strips to allow more room) and have a width for a 12″+ block.  If the strips are 2″ or more then they also need to be longer to allow for the 45° angle.  As the strip sets are sewn together, each strip will be offset approximately the width of the strip.  A 1.5″ strip would be offset from the edge of the previous strip by the same amount.  To be honest, the safest way for me to sew these and have good cuts is to use my binder ruler and mark the 45° degree as I sew the strips together.

Binding ruler with 45 degree angle.

The diagram shows a herringbone type join.  I’m actually sewing those in a straight 45° angle.  You can see my first finished block here.  Notice how narrow the two center strips appear.  I would have done better to start with longer basic strips so I could have worked toward a 6″ wide sewn strip, but I still like it.  I’m using different width strips and it’s going to be totally scrappy.

 

 

 

 

This will make a dent in my scrap box, but I’ve got a ways to go.  Do you have any suggestions for quick, scrappy quilts?  I need ideas!

Happy quilting!

 

Sewing Companion

 

 
A few months ago, I found a tutorial on Popular Patchwork by Brenda Dean called the Simple Sewing Companion.  As I’m getting ready for QuiltCon, I actually got the incentive to put it together.  It was really easy to put together.  It was a bit smaller than I expected.  The scissors shown here are small embroidery snips and fit perfectly in their slot.  I cut down the business card / needle case I created to fit in one of the slots.  It will easily fit in a pocket of a purse or bag.

Melanie, at the Patchwork Robin, also created this case.  You should check it out.

 

 

‘Business’ Cards for QuiltCon

I wanted a few cards with my blog and guild information for QuiltCon.  Of course, I’ve waited till the last minute to get them put together, but I’ve finally got a plan.

The cards are tent style with my blog info on one side and the Northeast Louisiana Modern Quilt Guild info on the other.

I created the graphics using PhotoShop and laid the cards out in Word to print on card stock.

And inside is felt to hold needles.  I love things that are actually useful.

I plan to use these during meet and greets for the modern quilt guilds and PileOFabric’s Skill Builder group.

QuiltCon’s getting close!  What are you doing to get ready?

Trying to reorganize my sewing room ….

So today I’ve been trying to reorganize my sewing room.  Let me tell you, that’s a job!  I wish I had thought to photo the room before I started.  Based on the chaos that still exists, you can probably imagine how bad it was.  Here are a couple of photos as it is now after working all day.

Juki DDL 8700H

The reason for rearranging the sewing room is the impending arrival of my new baby.  I just purchased a Juki DDL 8700H to work with vinyl and heavier fabrics.  I’ve been recovering exercise equipment for a local gym and it’s putting a strain on my small Bernina.   Since we don’t have a local Juki dealer, I shopped online and found SewingGold.com.  They were one of the few shops that actually answered their phone and spoke with confidence and knowledge about the machines.  They dealt with multiple emails and phone calls with courtesy and patience.  Great customer service

I’ve cleared a space on one wall for the table and setup.  I am wall to wall in this room!  It would be great if I learned to actually throw things away once in a while.  I also need to learn to stop buying fabric!!

My Bernina 820 is sitting on a folding table and I’m really thinking I need to upgrade the setup.  I wish I lived near an Ikea, but I may have to make my own.  We’ll see …

I hope you do a better job of organizing than I do.  If you have any great tips, please let me know.