Machine Stippling

I recently finished a very large project, large both in the actual size of the item and the time it took me to complete.  I have been working on a 4-foot by 6-foot banner for a group holding a religious retreat weekend and it has taken me about two months to finish.  I was given a picture of the design that I was being asked to recreate and had fun putting together lots of brightly colored fabrics.  I can’t show you a picture of the completed project just yet – it wouldn’t be fair to post a picture on the internet when no one involved in the weekend has had a chance to see it.  But I will show you a little piece of it because I want to explain how I did the stipple stitching on it.

At the center of the design is a large butterfly.  After fusing the various pieces in place I thought it needed some stitching to add some detail.  Let me tell you right now that I am a lousy machine quilter.  I try, I really do.  I’ve created dozens of projects with free motion quilting but I am never really happy with my work.  I even used to practice by making quilts to donate to charities who gave them to children because I figured the kids didn’t mind if my stitching was not perfect.  I love the look of stippling but again, have never mastered it.  I certainly wasn’t going to attempt it on a 4x6 piece of heavy, pieced canvas.  Instead I used a machine embroidery stipple design (you can find one similar to mine here) and let my embroidery machine do the stippling for me. 

I have used this design so many times and on so many different projects.  This time I had to apply a little creative thinking since I wanted to embroider a butterfly-shaped area instead of a rectangle.  I set up my machine as usual and began by walking through the first several stitches of the design, advancing one stitch at a time to ensure that the stitches fell within the area I wanted to stitch.  I started stitching the design and whenever I got to an edge of the design where I wanted the stitches to stop, I stopped the machine and manually advanced the design a few stitches at a time until the needle was once again within the area I wanted to stitch.  This sounds time consuming and tedious – I certainly thought it was going to be – but I was surprised at how quickly I was able to complete the task.  I had to stitch the design twice, once on the left side of the butterfly and once on the right.

I’m pleased with the way this stitching turned out and am going to store away this idea to use on other projects.  I really have found so many uses for this stippling design – it is probably my most-used file.  Give it a try.

Bag of the Week 34

Girly Girl

I love this little purse.  Hope Yoder never fails to create beautifully elegant patterns with a touch of whimsy and the Girly Girl is no exception.  The 9 ½” tall by 8” wide purse is created using three coordinating prints -- the fabrics I chose come from Sandy Gervais’ collection called Flirtations by Moda.  Details on the purse include an outer pocket with a bias raw edge ruffle and three yoyo hearts, another ruffle at the top opening of the bag, an inner pocket, directions for installing a magnetic snap closure and self-fabric strap with hardware.  The pattern also includes instructions for creating a matching headband. 

Hope’s instructions are always thorough, easy to follow and full of excellent photographs.  She notes that this purse was designed to allow custom embellishments on the many “blank” areas.  I had forgotten how much I love this little bag (this one was sent off as a gift a while back).  I think this would be the perfect purse to carry at an upcoming sewing show I plan to attend.  I think I’ll have to get busy on Version 2.

Bag of the Week 33

Cyane’s Spoonflower Bag

I am very excited about today’s project.  This is a recently completed bag and it has a story to go along with it.

My friend Cyane and I went to college together and I recall being amazed at her extensive pink and green wardrobe (my public school upbringing had never exposed me to this degree of preppiness before).  She was, frankly, one of the preppiest women I knew in school.  She was also very artistic and creative.  This is a purse that I made for her though that is not the end of the story.  You see, Cyane created the fabric for this bag (with a little help from the people over at Spoonflower).

Cyane has a business called Snazzy Frogs where she sells her whimsical drawings and creations.  You can find her at the Charlottesville City market most Saturday mornings and also online.  Not too long ago she discovered Spoonflower, a business based in NC that turned her artwork into printed fabric (just like they can do for you).  One day while we were having lunch she showed me swatches of her fabrics and I loved the one with martini glasses.  I ordered a yard of the print in linen/cotton canvas and set out to make her a bag.  (You can see all of Cyane’s fabrics here or by searching for snazzy frogs on the Spoonflower site).

I debated and debated which pattern to use and finally settled on Simplicity 5606 (OOP).  I fused fleece to the outer bag pieces and added curved, piped pockets to the ends.  I used a white jacket zipper for the closure.  The handles came from All Craft Supplies. 

The lining fabric (a soft, light weight woven plaid) is fused with Décor Bond and features two sets of pockets (two along one side, three along the other).  I sewed in two labels, my Juliet Originals label (which I stitch out on my embroidery machine) and a Spoonflower label that was included with my order.

I have to tell you that this pattern was one of the most difficult bags I have ever sewn.  Setting in the end pieces was extremely difficult and it had to be done four times (two outer and two lining pieces).  In the end it all came together but I spit and fussed my way through it.

You will be seeing this fabric again, hopefully in a few weeks, as I plan to make myself a bag from it as well (thought rest assured I will be using a different pattern!)  I know Cyane is enjoying using her new bag and I hope you enjoyed reading about how it came to be.

Two New Favorites

Tonight I want to tell you about two new products I've just discovered.  The first are MiniCards from Moo.  What are MiniCards, you ask (I wondered, too).  Half the size of a traditional business card, MiniCards are perfect for showcasing some of your work since you can have a different image on each card.  The front of the cards feature a photo of your choice (either your own image or one from Moo's design gallery) while the back contains your contact information (or whatever text you wish).  In order to promote my blog I designed a batch of MiniCards with five images taken from some of my creations.  On the back I listed my name, blog address, phone number and email.  The process was fun and easy (they walk you through the various steps) and I received my cards in about a week.

To give you an idea of what the front of my MiniCards looked like I used the second product I want to tell you about.  Blue Daisy Designs has created a set of Photo Blog Templates which makes it easy to display multiple pictures here on my blog.  Using Photoshop Elements 7.0 I uploaded the five images I used on my MiniCards and placed them into the single image you see above.  I think this will be a great way for me to show a grouping of pictures for a project without having to post multiple pictures.  I can't wait to use these.  Blue Daisy also has a blog where they offer a free sample of their work each Friday and lots of other products in their Etsy store.  Go check them out.

Two new products that will hopefully make my blog prettier and aid in its promotion -- FUN. 

Window Treatments for a Nursery, Part 4

This is the final of four posts on the window treatments I made for my great niece’s nursery.  The first week I covered making your own cornice board.  The second week showed how I constructed the valance which attached to the cornice board.  Last week I shared how to make a Roman shade.  And today I will talk about how I installed each item and put it all together.

The first step was to install the cornice board and this step was completed before I determined the final length for the Roman shade.  Use the angled brackets attached to the bottom of the cornice and drywall anchors to fix the piece to the wall above the window.  I allowed the bottom edge of the bracket to rest on the top window trim which raised the cornice just slightly above the window.  Once it was in place the final shade length could be determined by measuring from the hanging bar to the desired length.

Next came hanging the valance from the cornice.  As you can see in the picture above, the hook side of Velcro has been applied to the top edge of the cornice.  The corresponding loop portion was sewn to the top of the valance.  Hanging is a simple matter of matching the center pleat to the mark made at the cornice center and pressing the valance in place from the center out.  This allows for easy removal of the valance for cleaning.

Finally, the Roman shade is put in place.  Determine which side of the window the cord will draw from and install a cleat on the wall (you may want to wait until after the shades are hung to determine the location of the cleat).  Insert the hanging rod through the casing at the top of the shade and hang in place.  Tie one end of thin drapery cording to the lowest curtain ring on the far side of the shade (the side away from where the draw cord will hang).  The cord is run up through each curtain ring, through the eye hook on the cornice above those rings and then through the other two eye hooks on the cornice board.  Allow a length of cord to remain for pulling the curtain up and cut off the remaining cord.  Repeat this process with each of the rows of curtain rings.  The row furthest from the draw cord will run through 3 eye hooks; the middle row will run through 2 and the row closest to the draw cord will run through only one eye hook.  Pull all of the cords taught and tie together in an overhand knot.  Determine the length of cord needed for drawing and cut off remainder.  Wrap cords around cleat to secure shade in the open position.

I have purchased most of my drapery supplies from Drapery Sewing Supplies.  They have an excellent selection of notions and supplies as well as lots of helpful resources about sewing window treatments. 

Moving on to new projects now!