The Big Projects for 2013 - You can do it!

Happy New Year everybody and welcome back!

This year I am challenging you and me for that matter to make something a little bit bigger than our usual Sunday project, we are going to make two items... well pretty big items, we are going to make (drum roll) a fabric quilt or a knitted Afghan over the year.  I have every faith in you and your skills, so this post is all about prep.

Now I know what you are thinking... Ros this is going to sooo expensive, don't you know about the recession?  Well tell me about it people, this is why the quilt is going to be quilt as you go, as well as being a scrap sampler quilt, which means we will do two blocks a month, a plain block and a patterned block and we will quilt them as we go along, so there will be no big backing to do.  And did I mention, you will learn a new and mysterious language?

The Afghan will be a little bit different too, it will be reversible... yep, that is right, which ever way you look at it, it will look the same.  It will be knitted on big needles, so it will not so much grow as race off your needles... I promise and remember I had my Firefighters and Braille badge when I was in the Girl Guides, so you can trust me!

What will I need to have and be able to do to make the quilt?

Right let's talk about the skillset... can you do Maths?  Scared, OK, can you do sums and read a clock, yes?  Well, then you can do this, it will be a cinch!  Can you sew straight?  Can you use an iron?  Did you answer yes, then how come your house is not covered in quilts? You can definitely do this.

This is just a selection of my fat quarter... and one of the odds and ends bags...

Next, do you have a bag(s) of scraps that are too small to be a fat quarters (Ros, you are using language, what is a fat quarter?  It is a piece of fabric 22"wide by 18" long, ie, a quarter of a yard) but just too big to throw away?  Or do you have a stash of fat quarters (a stash is a hoard by any other name, it's what you have to have to make your life complete) that are just begging to be released.
Now, you have to make a choice about backing, is it going to be the same colour for each block (the square or section) but remember you will only be doing two squares a month, so you really only need to buy a metre of backing and front every couple of months.

So you will need cotton fabric, batting / wadding, rotary cutter, quilting ruler, cutting mat, thread, a water soluble pen or pencil, fish knife, washi tape, sewing machine and then you will be ready to make a start.

This was my very first quilt - a hand sewn Amish quilt

I am going to use black as my main fabric (yep, I know I swore I would never work with the dark side of the palette again) as it will make any fabric that I use sing and pop out.  However, if you want to do this make sure that your wadding / batting is black.  Why? Because if you use white wadding it will beard (great term) which means that little white flecks will spread through your cotton just like an old man's beard not a pretty look!

But don't worry, I know that not everyone will want to make a quilt but you can try out any of the techniques to make smaller projects like cushions / pillows, tote bags, place mats.

Hang on a minute, what will it look like, well do you know something, I just don't know, here is my work book, I can see it in my mind's eye and I will be making it alongside you... so don't just read this jump on it for the ride!

And this Afghan, what do I need for that?

Can you knit and purl? Can you count?  Then you can definitely make an Afghan and this one is going to be special as it will look the same both ways.

I am making mine in three colours, grey, cream and red and we will be knitting up 12" x 12" squares... they will knit up really quickly and I aim to have squares that will knit up in an evening.

We will join them together with a crochet stitch and it will look fabulous, as well as being snuggly.

I am going to be working with 5 balls in each colour of Jarol's Sweet Briar Chunky, a pair of 6mm needles... and a cable needle, cos we know how to do reversible cables already, don't we team?

Just remember all we are doing is making a mess of knots with sticks and string... and even children, cats and kittens can do that!

Anyway this is how it will roll, the first Sunday of the month, will be our quilting date and two weeks later is our knitting date... except this month, cos we quilt next Sunday.

In case you are worried, we will still be doing other fun crafty projects on the other Sundays... I still owe you a tutorial for an Etui box, don't I?

Just a little plea before we finish, I know that many of you will immediately start looking on the internet but if you can, please remember that your local yarn and fabric shop need your support too, these are tough times people and we all need to support our local shops.

And the good news now, is that Handmade Monday has returned from its Christmas hols... and you just know that the team on there will have done something amazing in the break!

Hearts and Stripes for Those Who ♥ The 4th of July - A Pillow Tutorial

A couple of weeks ago I had an idea of making a stylised flag cushion for my American readers to celebrate  the 4th of July inspired by my  Jubilee cushion/pillow but dear reader, it is a minefield fraught with giving offence but I was undeterred and came up with a compromise based on the Stars and Stripes but with a twist and I hope you like it.  It is loosely based on one of the early US flags, designed by Francis Hopkinson.

I started to think about what I love about the USA and here is my list... in no way exhaustive but a small sampler and here goes... I love Ella Fitzgerald and the Gershwins, the Beach Boys, New York and New Orleans, Gone with the Wind and Walt Disney's animation, the Golden Gate Bridge, Zabar's Deli in New York, The Grand Canyon, Amish quilts, Billie Jean King and John McEnroe, MASH, Wall Street Journal, Cole Porter, the Statue of Liberty, salt beef sandwiches at Katz's, pumpkin pie, Thomas Edison, the Oscars and the list goes on.

Let's get started with the following:


3 red and white fat quarters
Half a yard of Blue cotton fabric
Selection of fabric scraps
Bondaweb
Rotary cutter and mat
Pins, scissors, cotton and thread
Iron and Ironing board
Cushion pad
Fish knife
Cushion pad - I used one measuring 12" x 20"
Small heart shaped pastry cutter
Buttons


Start by ironing all your fabric, the red and white fabric are going to form your stripes of which there are 13, cut six in white and five in red measuring 1.5" wide by 21.25" long then cut two 1.75"wide by 21.25" long... this is important as these strips will be at the top and bottom of your cushion.

Sew seven strips together using a1/4" seam allowance, starting with one of the wide strips alternating them, red then white.  Iron both seams into the red fabric, when you are quilting with darker fabrics always iron towards the darker fabric so it will not show through on the light fabric.

Cut a square of 9" wide x 7.75" long, place it 12.75" from the left hand side and trim away the excess strips and set them aside... I will think of something to make from them soon I promise!  Now sew them together using a 1/4" seam allowance.

Using the pastry cutter as a stencil cut out 13 hearts from the Bondaweb and from your fabric scraps... I used multi-coloured floral fabric to reflect the way in which so many people from different countries started a new life in the US.  Iron the Bondaweb onto the reverse of the fabric hearts.  Now place them onto the blue square, as follows, three then two, then three and two and in the last row the final three.  

Iron the hearts into place and top stitch them into place with a contrasting thread.

Continue sewing the strips onto the oblong you have created ending with the wider red stripe... You have created the front of your cushion... we are on the home straight!

Next you need to cut out two pieces of fabric, one piece should be 8 5/8" wide x 13 1/4" long, the other piece is 18 5/8" x 13 1/4".  Fold over two inches of fabric from top to bottom on each piece and press it, now fold over 1/4" and sew it under to create a neat edge.

Using the larger piece of fabric we are going to place the buttonholes on the piece of fabric which is folded over,  make sure that they are equally spaced.  Mark the spot with a pin and use your buttonhole foot and button stitch to sew it into place.  I usually have a practice before I start on a scrap of fabric I am using to make sure that my tension and stitch size are OK... it is a lot easier to get it wrong on a scrap than on the real thing... and as my machine decided to hiccough when I was sewing mine, I promise it a right Royal or even Presidential pain in the proverbial!

Pin the button holed piece of fabric onto the front with right sides facing and then place the smaller piece of fabric on top, as this is the piece you will sew your buttons onto.  I find it easier when sewing together quilted seams to put in my pins horizontally so that the seams do not roll or pucker.


Sew around the cushion using a 5/8" seam (this is wider than the seams that we have used before), as the cotton was fraying a tad too  much for my liking, I used pinking shears to neaten them.  Cut across the corners to reduce bulk and turn the cushion inside out, use your fish knife to poke out the corners and iron your cushion.  

Finish off by sewing your buttons into place and insert your cushion pad.

And there you have it, your very own  I ♥ 4th of July cushion, especially for all of you who read my blog from the US... a very Happy 4th of July to you all!


Now I do have some exciting news to share with you but I will tell you about it when the postman deliver the package... and I am afraid it will mean more tutorials...


So without more ado, let's head over to Handmade Monday and see if we can find any other makes for the holiday.

Ragtime Christmas Wreath - Christmas Tutorial no.10

Right, from the get go I am going to tell you this is not what I had planned for this weekend but I went on a trip to Hobbycraft looking for a flower loom but could not find one.  However, I did find a polystyrene wreath which I had been after for a while because I wanted to make a slightly different sort of rag wreath this year.  I think that this might be a great hit with the children over half term if you do the fabric cutting in advance and it looks equally good on your front door or hung inside to match your colour scheme.  The other great thing is that this wreath can be used for a number of years and by carefully storing the fabrics you can recycle it throughout the year - which means you will be green without an ounce of greenery!

(Ros confesses - I never have a colour scheme for Christmas, in fact I totally suspend taste so that everything in my Christmas decs box can be used... be honest how else would I find a spot for my salt dough Christmas sheep?)

You will need the following:

A polystyrene wreath or a florist's Oasis wreath

Selection of Christmas fat quarters or other fabric scraps - remember you will be cutting them in squares of 2.5" x 2.5" for smaller wreaths and 3" x 3" for larger wreaths

A chopstick or screwdriver (preferably Phillips)

A metre of Christmas Ribbon

Glue gun (optional)

Iron and Ironing board (go on you know we are using fabric)

Rotary cutter with a pinking wheel or a pair of pinking shears

Cutting mat and ruler

Select your fabrics and iron them - I know it may seem silly to do this when you are going to chop the fabric up but it will give your wreath a much finer and professional finish.

Use your rotary cutter cut out 2.5" or 3" strips, then lay the strips on top of each other and cut across them to make square which are  2.5" x 2.5" for smaller wreaths and 3" x 3" for larger wreaths.  My wreath is about 13.5" in diameter and I used three strips of nine different fat quarters (usually 22" long) cut in 2.5 x 2.5" square and I was struggling at the end to find a space for all the squares.

Now the next bit is down to your artistic eye and design bent... you may want to stripe it, mix it, make it in all one colour.

Take first square and place the piece of fabric with the right side against the point of your chopstick or Phillips and push it into your wreath - yes, it really is that easy.  

Now if you are worried that the fabric will not stay put, dip the tip into a little blob of warm glue... if you use another glue make sure it does not contain a solvent because it will dissolve your wreath!

Continue to build up the squares until none of the wreath shows.  

Take your ribbon and cut out at least a metre.

Double it up, place the ribbon behind the wreath, bring the loop under the wreath and pull the ends of the ribbon through the loop.

Now go and hang it on your front door... and wait for the carol singers to arrive on the doorstep... to admire it!

And now it is time to go over to Wendy's Handmade Monday and see what everyone else has been up to during the past week.  Wendy is coming up to her 100,000th hit... let's see if we can push her through to the other side!

If you want the other traditional strip rag wreath, take a look here.