I wanted to post this in case you need a quick Mother’s Day gift idea. They sew up super quick, both because they are flat and because there is no hand sewing. The small one can even be made from a single fat quarter. These would also be awesome end of the year teacher gifts! The pattern has two sizes and you can find it right here.

Now, if I’d thought ahead I would have cut into the fabric differently to keep the pattern going all the same way. It’s just for me so I don’t really care, but I’ll think about that harder next time!

I made this yesterday, to replace a very old one that pretty much goes everywhere with me. I keep a pouch in my purse with my chapstick and hair elastics and all those little things that get lost in the bottom of my bag, that way when I switch purses I have fewer things to transfer.

 

I’ve been wanting to try some of these batting alternatives for a while now. I bought two brands: Soft & Stable and inn-control. They are foam, similar to what’s inside of a Vera Bradley bag, about 1/8″ thick with a knitted fabric on both sides. The inn-control that I bought happened to be 2-sided fusible, which I didn’t realize when I purchased it. Fusible wouldn’t be my first choice after all the issues that I’ve had with fusible fleece, but it’s perfect for these types of zippered pouches so that’s what I made. So far I haven’t found the wrinkling to be too offensive, but I’ll carry it around for a few days and see. And possibly wash it, just to see what happens. I’m most interested in the weight/feel/thickness of it. I did not use fusible interfacing at all, just a sandwich of lining fabric, the inn-control and the main fabric. I also used a zipit long pull zipper.

I’m usually obsessed with finished edges (as in, lined bags with no need to overlock) but since this was more about testing out the batting, I figured I could get away with it. Plus, I got to play with my cool new Bernina #2A overlock foot. :)

 

It wrinkled a little bit as I turned it right side out, but as soon as I pressed it flat again the wrinkles came out. It has a really nice weight that would work very well for a gadget cover or maybe even a camera bag or a structured, gusseted bag. I did cut it smaller so there was less bulk in the seams, and that seemed to work out really well. I can’t wait to make something else with it.

UPDATE: So, I washed it and it did that same pucker/wrinkle that fusible fleece does, but it pressed out quite nicely. I would say don’t use the fusible if you’re making a shaped totebag that you can’t press flat, but for these little zippered pouches it’s fine!

Almost pants! Pattern is Kwik Sew 3315

I’ve been taking a class at the local quilt shop to learn how to make jeans. I haven’t made any clothes before (well, not without balling up the fabric with the tissue paper commercial pattern and tossing it in the garbage) so I thought this would be fun. The class is four sessions, and last week we got the pockets attached and fly finished to the point where they are almost pants.

The fabric is nearly black, lightweight stretch denim. It’s really hard to take pictures of but I did my best. The first photo is probably the most accurate – color wise. I will post again when they are finished. They still need a waistband, belt loops, side seams and the bottom hem.

 

Front pockets and fly

We used fun fabric for the pocket linings, since it’s better quality than muslin and you can’t see it anyway. The fly was a challenge but certainly not impossible. It was nice to have someone to walk us through it the first time.

 

Front fly, crazy pocket linings

I opted not to stitch a decoration onto the back pockets because the fabric is so dark to begin with and I wasn’t using contrasting thread. You could really have some fun with the pockets, though.

 

Back pockets

The yoke back was interesting – the grain is the opposite from the rest of the pants. The waist is kind of high, so I’m not sure how they will fit, but this is a technique class not a fitting class. We still have to attach the waist band so I have no idea how that will factor in. Has anyone made this pattern before? How did it turn out?

 

Inside

The fly really confused me for a minute, but we figured it out. It’s so nice to have someone to check your work the first time, so you can rip it out before going too far :)

 

Inside - pocket linings

We are not using the serger for this project. I’m just using the basic, built in overlock stitch on my machine with a Bernina 2A overlock foot. Then we pressed the seams to the side and topstitched.

 

Overlocked seams

So, we’ll see how they turn out! I will let you all know in a few weeks!

  

 I’m dropping this one in the mail for a friend. I think it will brighten her day! :)

 

This is just a mini-tutorial. I have only focused on the parts that are different than the circle pouch, so I have not included every step. Please reference that post for more instructions. This is definitely more tricky than the circle pouch because of the shape, but it only uses little bits of fabric so if you mess one up, no big deal!

Download the PDF with the pattern pieces HERE. You’ll need:
Four 5″ squares of fabric
Two 5″ squares of batting
One 2″ square of fabric
One nylon zip at least 6″ long (longer is great)

Pay close attention to the grain direction while cutting out your pieces. Following the grain helps the pouch to not get stretched out along the zipper.

I cut my batting like 1/4″ smaller around the outside edges.

Line up the Front Left pieces as shown, with the zipper pull to the left. Place the lining fabric right side up, zipper on top right side up, then outside fabric right side down and batting on top. Sew with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Trim batting out of this seam. (Again, for more detailed photos, see the original post.) Click for a larger photo.

Then place the Front Right pieces as shown, with the zipper pull to the left. Place the lining fabric right side up, zipper on top right side up, then outside fabric right side down and batting on top. Sew with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Trim batting out of this seam.

Fold all pieces back away from the zipper and press, careful not to melt that zip. Topstitch.

OPEN ZIP HALF WAY. Tack zipper. Press and sew the tab (again… reference the original post). Fold in half, place as shown with raw edges to the outside. Tack in place.

Cut off the ends of the zip (optional, you could do it later). Sandwich the batting and place the sandwich right sides together. Sew around with a 3/8″ seam allowance. Pay attention to the point at the bottom and the curve at the top. Take one or two stitches straight across in each spot before pivoting, as shown. (Click to zoom.)

Clip the seams. Apply fray block to the point, curve and edges of the zipper and overlock the portion where the zipper opens. I made tiny clips at the top curve, but if you do then definitely apply fray block and possibly go back and sew over that curved part of the seam a second time. This is a tricky curve to get flat.

Turn right sides out and press well.

 Topstitch and add a split ring!

“MMm, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup…I would love to hear more about the jeans you are making. Thanks!”

So Jessica, I think WordPress was channelling my 13 year old self when it picked you, because that was always my favorite! The place we went to called it “Elephant Tracks.” I mostly stick to vanilla these days – but that was definitely my #1 favorite as a kid. (We spent summers in Wisconsin, loving ice cream was kind of required!)

Thank you to everyone who entered and to everyone who reads my blog! You are all awesome. If you enjoy the giveaways, I will happily do more. I know giveaways can be a hassle but I try to make them as easy as possible for everyone involved, so let me know!

Do you think he likes it?

I have other things I need to be working on, but do you ever get those ideas that get in your head and you just can’t move on until you try them? Usually it’s enough to write them down on my insane “to sew” list but these just had to be made.

LAZY. Sleeping on the modeling job.

Loki has this boring, ugly tan colored throw sized comforter that he likes to snuggle with. I’ve had the idea to make him a little comforter for a while now but I couldn’t figure out the batting part of it. The LQS’s don’t have high-loft batting and the kind from JoAnn’s all says “quilt 2-4 inches apart” which I did not want to do. The last time I saw my aunt who knows these things, I asked her about this and she said it’s fine to quilt it less than that. Awesome.

Snoozin' in his new comforter.

I got this adorable twin sheet set at Target for $15.

I literally folded the flat sheet in half and cut the batting to size. I didn’t even cut off the hems. I sewed the sides right sides together, folded the long end under 1/2 using the existing hem as a guide, shoved the batting in and sewed it shut. The only problem I had was getting two layers of batting under the tiny arm of my machine. The highest loft I could find was 1/2-3/4″ and I wanted it to be thicker than that. Doubling it was not such a good idea. :) But it’s fine, and cute, and they love it.

I will make a tutorial for this if you really want it, but it’s so easy you probably don’t even need one. Let me know. I have more sheets. (I know, the first step is admitting you have a problem.) I admit, I am a teeny bit concerned about how this will wash up. I’m going to wash it tomorrow and I’ll let you all know! **UPDATE: It washed up fine with no bunching or separating or anything from the batting. I wash blankets constantly so I’ll see if it holds up for a few washings and then make more!**

He can't even wait 'til it's finished.

The other *fun* thing I made was this little appliquéd earbud pouch. Next time I will make the symbol smaller so I can topstitch it, but it was fun to fangirl a little bit for one of my favorite shows. (It’s the Stargate Earth symbol.) The symbol I found online was actually really skinny, since it’s just an A with a circle on top, so I started from scratch in illustrator and made it a little fatter so it would be easier to sew. If I ever make it to a convention (Fan Expo Toronto is on my “I really want to go” list) I think it would be fun to put this on the front of the 2 Zip Hipster.

Stargate Earbud Pouch

FYI Kona Premium Jet Black is awesome for black appliques. Now, back to my regularly scheduled To Do list!

I’m taking a “Make your own jeans” class at the local quilt shop. While I was there I picked up this lovely giveaway prize! It’s a Moda Kate Spain Good Fortune Jelly Roll. You know you want it! :D

I wanted to post the giveaway at 500 Facebook fans, but since I just randomly chose that as a milestone, I decided to post it now! (It’s at 490 right now, close enough!) You don’t have to follow me on Facebook to enter, and you most certainly don’t have to follow my insane fangirling over on Twitter, although Twitter is a whole lot of fun and we laugh like crazy over there so join me if you want (and tweet me so I can follow you back!)

I’m working on a few different fun projects that I’ll write about soon, but in the mean time leave a comment below to enter to win! Any comment will do – maybe tell me… your favorite ice cream flavor. :) I’ll close comments TUESDAY night! (Midnight-ish CST) One comment per person and the winner will be randomly chosen by WordPress.

I’d also like to thank my two new sponsors! The fabulous Fat Quarter Shop and Zipit on Etsy. Two of my very favorite shops. Thank you so much for sponsoring me. I can’t even express how awesome that feels. Go visit them and buy lots of fabric and zippers!

A couple weeks ago I attended an event there called “Cabin Fever” which was a presentation on what’s new in fabric (Good Fortune, of course!) and about their classes. They had giveaways and lunch and I spent the whole morning surrounded by fabric and people just as excited about it as I was. It was SO much fun. I bought a layer cake, some yardage and some stretch denim for Beth’s upcoming Make Your Own Jeans class. I’m so excited to learn how to make something completely out of my comfort zone! I also bought one Superior Threads King Tut quilting thread and got another one in my goodie bag. They said that this thread is absolutely the best, so I will try it out and let you all know what I think! We also got a cute little Creative Grids ruler. This brand of ruler has little grips on the back so I’m really excited to try it.

Then last Friday I went to Bernina Club. They let us try out a bunch of different feet – including the roller foot, a couple different applique feet and some others. I had SO.MUCH.FUN. Now, we were supposed to make this little cargo bag, but we were also encouraged to try out the feet and decorative stitches on the machine. I kind of took the opportunity to just go crazy and sew without being perfect and keeping track of what I was doing. I HIGHLY recommend doing this and I seriously need to do it more often. Sewing for me isn’t just sewing, it’s work – keeping track of everything, making small adjustments to patterns, taking step-by-step photos and that sort of thing. Here, we got our instructions and then we just got to PLAY. I loved it. It was so refreshing. I’m going back next week to try the gathering and piping feet. I was really hoping that I would like the roller foot, which can be used for not-quite-free-motion and it’s more versatile than a walking foot. I can see its uses (thick fabric, especially) but I’m simply not any good at free motion, whether it’s controlled or not. I took a long-arm class last year and I was horrible at it. I have no skill at all – which makes sense – I’m more technical than artistic. So while the roller foot was a bust for me, I did discover a lovely clear applique foot that I had to have :)

So I ended up totally wasting thread with those decorative stitches but it was really fun. I messed up my project (the back side was supposed to be quilted, well my quilting looks like a 3rd grader did it) but they sent us home with the instructions so we can make another bag if we want to. The next project is a pillow that I *really* like so I won’t mess that one up. I’ve done piping but it will be nice to do it with the piping foot and not winging it with a zipper foot, plus I’ve *always* wanted to try a gathering foot and I suspect that one will be coming home with me.

Also – Beth may have helped solve or at least improve my photo issues. I will play more with it tomorrow! I had a really fun weekend and the weather is supposed to be AMAZING this week, so bring on Monday!

I know how to use my camera. I finally broke down and bought inexpensive photo lights. I bought backdrop paper. I moved my room around so my photo station can stay set up most of the time. All of these things should equal awesome photos but I’m getting basically a gray background with washed out colors. I can mess with the contrast and levels a bit in Aperture or Photoshop, but if I go too far it looks fake. This is the histogram that I’m getting. See how it’s all clipped at the top? Is that causing the problem? The other issue is that I don’t have daylight where it’s set up now (it was too easy to trip on the equipment in the hallway) and I think the quality of light, while bright, just isn’t as good. The colors aren’t as true. But they shouldn’t be so washed out.

Photo setup - iPhone pic (camera is on the tripod)

My goal is to only need to crop and do minor adjustments, so I spent a ton of time playing with the whole setup and all the settings on the camera and I was able to get some pretty decent shots of the Good Fortune Two Zip Hipster that I made, so I re-did the previously awful photo for the Two Zip Hipster cover. I realize purple with a white zip may not be the best choice for a cover photo, so I will wait for a sunny day and take an “action” shot outside (which helps to show the size of the bag anyway) and if I’m still not happy I will just make one in a different fabric. I really do love my new bag! :D

Soon – more fun things :) Promise. And feel free to bug me about it!