A quilted lunch bag and a bevy of bookmarks
Jamie asked me to make her a lunch bag. One the one hand, she wanted it to be roomy enough to hold her water bottle, sandwich, fruit, and salad. And then she didn’t want it to be too “fat.” That is, too deep. She wants to carry it in her backpack. I decided to give her all that, in her favorite colors, and added a couple of side pockets and a back pocket for her e-reader. It turned out so cute, I obviously had to write up the pattern.
When I make projects like this one, I end up with a few quilted scraps that have started to pile up. They are really too small for anything, but then too big to throw out. So I decided to spend an hour embellishing, and ended up with a nice little pile of bookmarks. For very brief instructions, go here.
These are to be shared. And I’ll keep at least one for myself. This is my favorite one. (:
For these and other back-to-school projects, just follow the links on our website front page.
10 Household Tips
As I went to put this cereal box in the recycling bin I noticed it had writing on it in English.
Now that seems unusual in a Spanish-speaking country. The sides of the box, with the usual list of ingredients and recipes is in Spanish. And then this indication that explains it all:
The back of the box features 10 household tips. All in English. I am wondering if anybody every really reads these. So I do. Some of them I actually knew. Others I didn’t. (How exactly does an apple hinder potatoes from sprouting?) Go ahead. Click on the picture if you really want to read them all.
Upon reaching the last tip, I grow concerned. This sounds fantastic. But if baby wipes are strong enough to remove something as strong as motor oil, would we really want to use them on a baby’s bum???
What’s for lunch?
Hmmm… how many of these do you think I can eat?
Actually, most have been given away, and some have been frozen. Only one container left in the refrigerator. I think we can manage. In another couple of weeks we will be picking again…
Figs anyone? Or how to go out of your mind trying to find ways to use them
You wouldn’t know it from looking at it. It isn’t even that big. But this little tree in our back yard spits out figs faster than a tennis ball machine. Literally. My mom had the leaves trimmed off for easier picking. Bags and bags have been given away to any friend willing to take them. And there are still more to be picked.
So they’re coming out our ears. I’ve got a big (humongous!) pot soaking, ready to be converted into fig preserves later this afternoon. Some will go to Jared, and I’ll try to convince Jono and Jamie to eat some, too. Most of them I’m just going to force on my sewing circle friends tomorrow. (They swore they loved them last time… now they’re in for it!)
These I’m trying to figure out how to freeze. And then how to use them. And don’t forget there are more to be picked soon.
HELP! Are you a fig lover? Want some? How about some recipes to help me out here? My mom loves Fig Newtons. Do you have a good recipe for them? Maybe I can convince her to live off them for a couple of months. Any help will be deeply appreciated!!!!
10-Minute Sandwich Wrap
During August we have been featuring Back-to-School projects on our website. If you haven’t been by in a while, make sure to stop in and check out these projects. All of them are super-easy and oh, so quick to make!
A couple of weeks ago I made lunch pockets for all my school age “kids.” This includes Jamie. Her class schedule is always hectic, but this year she is taking an extra full load. This means that often the only time for lunch is while walking from one class to another. Hence the pockets, making it easy to hold a sandwich while running down corridors.
But then every now and then she has enough time to sit outside and enjoy lunch at her favorite “quiet place,” down by the pond. So for those occasions, when she is able to spread out, I decided she would need a dual-purpose wrap. This one she can carry her sandwich in, and then spread out as a place mat. Pretty cool, right?
In sewing time, this little project took less than ten minutes to make. So, what are you waiting for? Run on over to our website for the tutorial, and start making these for your family, too! (And then show us some pics of your pretty, pretty fabrics! (:)
Lovely Larkspurs
August was the month to share a (member) tutorial on 3D larkspurs, as part of our Dimensional Flower BOM series. Normally I post the technique, with step-by-step photos of the process. Then there are times such as this one that I feel compelled to complete a project with the finished samples. So today I “threw” this mini-quilt together.
I started out making the background with my favorite collage technique. I use all kinds of small scraps, thread, ribbons… whatever is lying around at a given moment.
I use decorative stitching to hold all the pieces down and quilt the piece at the same time.
It is best to quilt the piece first, before adding dimensional elements.
I just love the way this little project turned out. Finished size is 6 x 8 inches.
Machine Quilting: What Works for me
Since I spent quite some time machine quilting Alexia and Julian’s quilts over the last couple of weeks before their departure, I thought I’d share a little of my learning process in this area. This might be of more interest for those of you who, like me, live in countries were quilting supplies are not readily available, and where we are especially limited in our choices of sewing machines. Maybe you will find my tips useful. 
I am by no means an expert machine quilter. In fact, most of the time I tend to enjoy hand quilting over machine quilting ( I find it soooo relaxing). However, I am the first to admit that were I to hand quilt all my projects, I would really be limited as to the number I would be able to finish. So particularly when it comes to large quilts, as of late I have opted for machine quilting. The more I machine quilt, the more I realize how much practice, practice, practice is involved for slow improvements to take place. But there are so many other variables involved, too. Such as… the sewing machine you use. Read my post on that here. For the time being, I am going to leave the sewing machine issue out of the discussion, and focus on what really does work for me.
THE QUILT SANDWICH
While quilting several large quilts over the last year and going through the usual safety pin basting, I finally made the final move and have committed to spray basting. I don’t know why it took me so long. Cost is one factor, true. But then, so is my time. I am now spray basting all my quilts, and I will never, never go back to any other type of basting.
I have also resolved the problem of dealing with the bulk of a large quilt on a domestic sewing machine. I now divide and quilt all my large quilts in thirds:
1. I cut my backing fabric and batting about 4-5 inches larger than the quilt top all around. I lay down my layers in the usual order: backing, batting, and quilt top. (It helps to work on a large table for this, and I am fortunate to have one precisely for this purpose.) Starting from one of the sides, I fold back about a third of the quilt top. I then cut only the batting – I use a curvy “S” shaped motion for this. I remove the outside piece of the batting and fold the quilt top back down, over the backing. (Note: before removing the pieces of batting, I make sure to label them so I know which side is up, and can later fit them in without problems.)
2. I proceed exactly the same way (step 1, above) for the second side. After removing the batting, I continue to fold the quilt top back, until about the center of the quilt. I also fold the batting back and spray the backing with basting spray. I turn the batting down, and make sure it is sticking down right to the wavy edge onto the backing. I then spray baste the batting, and then fold the quilt top back down over it and smooth it out. I repeat this procedure for the first side.
3. I now turn the whole quilt over, so that the backing is facing up, and I smooth the fabric out. I lightly spray the outside edges of the backing and fold it over onto the quilt top. This is just to help keep the top and backing from flapping around.
3. Do you get the picture? At this point I have batting sandwiched only along the middle (center) third of the quilt. So I proceed to quilt that section. Once finished, I lay the quilt back down on the table and fold one of the sides of the quilt top back. I fit the piece of batting on that side, making sure the edges meet snuggly along the curved edge. In this case, I spray baste the batting first, then bring the quilt top back down over it, and smooth it out. I then turn the quilt over, lift the backing off and back, spray the batting, and bring the backing back down, smoothing it along all the way. I proceed to quilt that side, and then repeat for the other side (last third of the quilt).
GETTING A GRIP
When I first started machine quilting I found I couldn’t do it for too long of a sitting because my shoulders would start to ache from pushing and shoving a heavy quilt around. Eventually I started reading about what other quilters were doing and found time after time the recommendation to use quilting gloves. Now, there was no way I could find any specialty gloves here, but I did find a rubber-coated pair at the Home and Garden center, and was ecstatic to find they helped Oh, so much!
And then last year I was able to purchase the Supreme Slider and the Quilting Halo. Hallelujah! Well… almost. I still had problems with the drag of the quilt, and twice the Slider actually slid and folded over, and before I knew it, I had stitched through it. That problem has been resolved by taping it down before I lay the quilt over it. (Although it is kind of a pain with a top loading bobbin… oh, well.)
The Quilt Halo has been another issue. I found it limited my movements for larger quilting designs, so I finally decided to do without it for large quilts. I do use it for smaller projects, however, and in these cases I really like it and the fact that it gives me better control over my hand movements. And I do use it on larger quilts for the borders, for the same reason – a better grip when I’m running out of fabric on which to hold onto.
I did start to get uncomfortable with using the gloves, which is the main reason why I invested in the Quilt Halo. All the on and off of the gloves was driving me batty (have you ever tried to thread a needle wearing gloves?). And then one day, quite by chance, I happened to place the mat I use under the sewing machine (to keep it from sliding around) on top of a project. When I tried to slide it off… it gripped it instead. Do you know this stuff? This is what I am using now, instead of gloves.
When I machine quilt, I tend to hold the excess fabric/batting in my right hand…
And then grip the quilt with the piece of mat in my left hand…
And this is the most comfortable I have felt so far with my machine quilting! I hope you will find something useful in these tips. It works for me!
A weekend to catch up!
All of a sudden I feel like I have really fallen behind with work related (and personal!) activities! It seems we took a lot of photos this summer, so before they fall by the wayside I feel I really need to sort through them, trash the bad ones, organize the good ones, print those that really should be printed, etc. And then I need to attend to my website. So that’s what I’ve been at since 6 o’clock this morning. Time for a little break and a little blogging.
As I sorted through the photos I realized that after that whole morning of fun pasta making we never made it a point to take photos of the cooked product! We did have a really nice family farewell lunch to send Julian and Alexia back off to the U.S. Didn’t take the best pictures, but at least there were a couple. And they do bear witness to the fact that everybody LOVED the pasta. Jamie is in trouble now. This family is going to resist buying commercially made pasta from now on!
I have fallen really behind on my Dimensional Flower BOM series! I should have posted the August installment last Monday, and with all the activities over the last two weeks before the kids left, I just didn’t make it. And this whole week has gone by and it is just today that I have been able to make time for this. While I’m at it, I am going to dedicate the rest of the weekend to preparing the tutorials for all the remaining installments through December!
Fantastic Quilt Along, plus a Giveaway
Ok, people, you have only today and tomorrow to enter this one. Christina, from A Few Scraps, will be hosting a free motion quilt along. And she has a wonderful giveaway to promote it.
More importantly, she will share lots of tips on free motion quilting. And I plan to follow along because she uses a vintage sewing machine very much like the one I have, which I love but drives me nuts because of the thread breakage. So I’m hoping she will be addressing some of those issues. I am doing more and more FMQ, and learning to enjoy it, so am really looking forward to this experience!
Are you ready for this?
Hat Parade
Alexia and Julian returned to the U.S. early yesterday morning. And so the day turned out to be incredibly quiet around here. For me, it’s comparable to the sensation of coming back after an extended trip: it takes a few days to get used to the place again and find my bearings. And now the summer is practically over for us. Jamie returns to school tomorrow, and I, too, will be starting new classes. So yesterday and today I’ve been focusing on preparing for that. I also have lots of photos to organize from these last two months with the kids. I will try to share a couple of tutorials of things we have done with them.
Both kids love and collect hats. So over these last two months many evenings were dedicated to making some to add to their respective collections. If you like to knit/crochet, maybe you will like what you see here. (:
This little hat has already taken quite a beating. Julian chose it because of the little pocket in which he can carry “treasures.” This is a Melissa Fallick Pattern, from her book Knitalong. The pattern is still available for free, but I understand it is for a limited time only. You will find it on this page… scroll down to Knitalong for the pdf file.
And here is another super easy, super quick little hat. I liked it because it is a little different, but not complicated at all. Pattern for Quaker Ribbed Bottom Hat can be purchased here.
And then Julian’s favorite hat is this little devil hat (I think it suits him well!). And the kitty hat. Both are from Stitch ‘N Bitch: The Knitter’s Handbook
Both kids wanted alien hats. This pattern is a Polar Knit pattern. (So sorry about this, but while searching for the link found this pattern is no longer listed. A Google search, however, provides a link for the pdf file here.) I found the googly eyes on Alexia’s hat really bobbed around a lot, so I shortened the stems a little on Julian’s. Funny kids.
This little red number is one I have made several times, because it is cute and can be knitted in under two hours. So it makes a nice little gift. This pattern apparently is no longer available, but a similar one (free) can be found at Lion Brand Yarn. You need to create an account for this one and search in the free pattern section for the one titled “Knit Cool Kids Hat.”
Alexia is also a “retro” girl. So she likes cloche-type hats. The first one is a free pattern from Lion Brand Yarn (look for the Ribbon and Flower Cloche), and the second can be found in Knitting Little Luxuries: Beautiful Accessories to Knit
And here’s a little number that’s been circulating in blogland lately. You might have seen it. Pattern from I’m Topsy Turvy!
Since Alexia likes wearing piggy tails occasionally, we thought this was a darling idea and had to be included in her collection. Because of the choice of green yarn, she actually looks like Shrek in it, doesn’t she? Quite unfortunately, this pattern/website no longer seems to be available. All I can tell you is that it is called Nippertails, by Jenn Jarvis.
Alexia also wanted a beret. I kind of liked this variation. Pattern is also from Knitting Little Luxuries: Beautiful Accessories to Knit
And you might remember this little number (the first one I made, while watching World Cup Soccer games). Blogged about here.
Now that Jamie is back and no longer needs her winter clothes, she decided to donate this jingle bell hat I made for her last year. Totally cute. Jingle Bell Hat pattern is from RedHeart.com.
I didn’t make these last two hats, but found them one day at the handicraft market. I thought they were so adorable and knew they had to be part of the kids’ collections!
Hope you enjoyed the show!
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