A Continuation of Sorts

When announcing the end of Project Remnant Redo, I may have mentioned that we were going off of another similar tangent. Here’s the link for our new blog Crafting in the 21st Century, if you’d care to check us out and see what we’re up to.

We’re still crafting, but with a different slant, and with a different WordPress platform that will allow more creativity (and also a bigger learning curve than the eminent WordPress.com, that figures out all the code for you behind the scenes!)

Shifting into Holiday Awareness Gear

Labor Day Weekend is practically upon us. And you know what that means, don’t you?

holiday fabric stash

Time to plan some sewing projects for gifts.
Tricia, in our knitting group, has been bringing it up for weeks now, and I’m just now getting on the bandwagon.

Hopefully I’ll get to some of the things I’ve intended to make for years. Hopefully the sewing machine doesn’t go on the fritz and put a kibosh on all my sewing for the holidays. I’ll just do what I can do and see where it goes from there.

Meanwhile, I’m almost at the end of week 2 of the new diet and exercise regime, and so far I haven’t blogged about any of the results.

TYT for short

The diet has definitely sent me into a culture shock. Actually, the whole program, which I joined at the urging of one of my yoga buddies, has made a major difference in day-to-day living.

1) We had to pay to join it, so I feel some accountability to make it work
2) On the first day, they took a 3D image of us that “knows” our measurements. I looked at the image of me in the email they sent and said, “No, that’s not me, that’s some middle-aged fat lady.” But it was exactly me, unfortunately.
3) For the first 2 weeks it’s a 1000 calorie-a-day eating plan.
4) The meal plan is very exact. You don’t make choices out of millions of things that could add up to the allotted amount of calories per meal; the percentage amount of carbs, proteins, etc. are factored in and you don’t tweak that. You eat what’s on the list. Every day. Day after day.
5) I’m drinking WAAAY more water per day than I’ve ever done before.
6) Exercise sessions twice a week for 30 minutes each are intense.

So far the outcome is that I don’t spend a third of my time, energy, and brain power interacting with food. Truly, before, I was planning meals, shopping for food, cooking, cleaning up, thinking about eating, going out to eat, trying to decide which restaurant, and on and on. Now, there’s a noticeable void.

I went on Pinterest and “unfollowed” all the food blogs that are broadcasting to me those scrumptious images of peach cobbler, enchilada casserole buried under pounds of melted cheese, chocolate-covered crispy bacon.

I guess with all the diets I’ve followed in the past, I really don’t know how I’m supposed to eat to keep from gaining weight. I’ve tried low-carb and been half-dead with no energy but still not losing weight, and low-carb is contraindicated by the friendly neighborhood urologist. This plan doesn’t sap my energy as much. I have lost a bit of weight. The plan is for 6 weeks. We will see how it goes: so far, so good.

An Easy Little Remnant Quilt

Of all kinds of quilting, I like the easy ones the best. You might not win the prize at the county fair for making one, but little quilts can be memorable, and provide hours of comfy relaxation.

I had this patchwork remnant from JoAnn’s in the stash for a long time. Whenever I see a patchwork remnant, I get it, because it represents added work, and therefore value. So the retail price of this sort of pieced-together fabric is about $25 per yard. Half-price as a remnant, the finished product makes it look like you did a lot of measuring and ironing and seam-clipping, but we know the truth. And if the truth doesn’t set you free, at least it gives you a reduced price for using a remnant.

lap quilt

I used a plain piece of flannel as a near-match in color. And I happened to have a small bit of batting in the stash that was pretty close to the exact size (ended up trimming off about an inch, what are the odds of that?) I chose to “channel-quilt” the top, backing, and batting sandwich. Why? By channel-quilting, I mean I stitched in the ditch from the top one way, so that I traced the patchwork squares by either their tops and bottoms, or their sides, not both, to outline rows rather than squares. I figured if I tried to outline all the individual squares there was more possibility for puckers. As it was, I only had to rip out a few feet of stitching and re-do it, and that’s a pretty good result for me.

I had one package of brown quilt binding in the stash, but I knew that wouldn’t be enough. So when I went to the store to get another one, I saw this luscious chocolate brown satin blanket binding, and I splurged for that. At $7.49 per 4.75 yard package (of course, I applied a 40 or 50% off coupon to that), it’s not cheap but one whole package was exactly enough. What are the odds?

I was thinking it would make a nice baby gift, but it seems to have a more sophisticated look to it. And I also messed up a bit on sewing down the corners of the binding, and added several rows of visible brown stitching at that corner (which would horrify my mom, no doubt) where it shouldn’t have had to be seen if I’d placed the entire binding on correctly to begin with. So I reasoned, not good enough for a gift, but good enough for us. The cats like it.

Zig-zag Weekly Photo Challenge

Cary Quilting Co. (Cary, NC)

For more WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Zig-zag look here.

Things that make you go “MMMMMM…made in America…mmmmm”

I got an email from the Gainesville Handweavers Guild to be on the lookout for a new, made-in-America quilting cotton fabric. AMB’s web site said that the fabric could be found at a couple of shops in the NC – SC area where I happened to be for a few days, visiting while a family member attended Evolution2014 in Raleigh.

Quilt Shop in Cary, NC

I stopped by here and snagged some fat quarters of the American Made Brand fabric, which my email said is from cotton grown in Arkansas, milled in SC…and then apparently marketed out of Seattle.

While in the vicinity of Raleigh, I was by no means subject to any sort of sensory deprivation. The beautiful sights, flavors, and atmosphere had me swooning with summer joy!

View of our hotel from inside the Raleigh Convention Center

Convention Center artwork

For more art on display at the center, click here.

Raleigh Convention Center

One regret: the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo is coming to Raleigh, right here at the Convention Center, this weekend, and I will be long gone by then! If only…woulda, coulda, shoulda….sniffle…

We got take-out from The Pit, a famous North Carolina Barbecue place that has been featured on Man V. Food and Bobby Flay’s Throwdown. My favorite: the mashed potatoes with spicy gravy. Another: Soul Rolls, a deep-fried egg roll stuffed with smooth, piquant, mellow-seasoned chopped pork and collard greens and tender-crisp shredded carrots. We sampled a lot of delicious food in this town.

So what do you think about AMB: American-Made Brand fabric? Everyone I’ve spoken to about it is excited that there’s an American-made cotton quilting fabric on the market now. Is anyone up to their Farm-to-Fabric challenge? Hurry, there’s a deadline to register.

Remnants With Heart

I wanted to treat my new rubbery yoga mat better than the old one, so it will last longer. The insert with it suggested keeping it in a bag when not in use, not out in the car in extreme heat or cold, with the sun bearing down on it through the windshield.

 

I thought I remembered seeing an article in a recent Easy Quilts mag for a quilted yoga bag. Ah, yes! There it is.

Oh, wait a minute, I think I have a Sewing for Dummies pattern for a yoga bag. Here it is.

Easy Quilts bag

Dummies bags pattern

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So which one should I make? And what remnants should I use to make it?

possibility for the mag bag

I like this outdoor fabric

this quilted remnant is just what the Dummies ordered

other pre-quilted possibilities

 

 

I could have used the lavender and blue and quilted my own, like the magazine pattern showed….or I could use some pre-quilted fabric and save time and effort.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had 3 remnants to choose from: the blue and yellow patterned piece looked just like the Dummies pattern, and rather passé if you ask me. I spent at least a day mulling it over. Could I actually show up anywhere in public with that? Er, no.

 

 

 

 

 

The others: ho-hum solid brown and ho-hum solid off-white. The off-white would certainly get dog-dirty in a little while. So I guess I’ll go with the brown.

the chosen fabrics

 

Just to make it a little matchy-matchy with the green mat, I added a green remnant fabric strap (the pattern wants you to use 1 1/8 yards of webbing for the strap) and some green embroidery. This is a heart chakra symbol, traditionally in the color green. Embroidery from Urban Threads.

a little length of brown twill tape made a great tie

finished yoga bag

Now for the Zero to Hero Day 18 post, about connecting with social networks. I do connect with a few of them, but I must confess that I’m not comfortable connecting with them all. For instance, Twitter. I found that I’d been hacked in some fashion and the connection may have possibly been facilitated through a Twitter encounter. Facebook friends are alerted on FB when I post, but I prefer that unscreened people who view my blog through search terms don’t have access to my FB page. I think I’m as connected as I want to be. 🙂

Walker Tote Bag from Remnants

I visited a relative recently, who is living in an assisted living apartment building. She lives on a way upper floor, and I noticed that when she goes down to get the mail, she would hold the letters in one hand while trying to maneuver her walker at the same time. After I got home, a subsequent search of the Internet revealed that lots of creative sewists have posted many awesome free patterns for “walker bags;” I had plenty of designs to choose from!

I picked this one from Debbie Colgrove at About.com. I liked it because it has pockets, looks like it holds its shape, and has sturdy straps to attach it. I snagged some collegiate sports fabric while I was in the vicinity, knowing that it’s football season and boy, does she love football! Of course, in my remnant bin I happened to have some pre-quilted fabric for the body of the tote, which the pattern called for, in a relatively decent color match! I thought personalizing it would be a nice touch, and I love the script lettering in bold crimson red (I didn’t say Crimson Tide, here, slow down, buddy.)

machine embroidery on the pre-quilted remnant

The bag’s wide top straps button over the upper bar of the walker. It also has two bottom straps that can be fastened to the walker legs by lacing through D-rings. Hmmm, I just might have some D-rings in the old button box here—wait, here are some! Just the right size, too (1-inch)!

D-rings

The best way to sew those D-rings to the straps was with a narrow zipper foot. That foot is a trouper!

Narrow Zipper Foot to the rescue

Er, pay no attention to the fact that you only see one D-ring in this pic: I had to rip out the seam because I forgot to insert TWO D-rings onto each strap. No biggie: I also have a LOVELY seam ripper that gets more use than any other attachment!

finished bag

I had buttons galore to choose from, stashed.

Thank you so much, Ms. Colgrove of About.com, for the wonderful free pattern. The changes to the original pattern that I made were the embroidery and the center button: I sewed a velcro strip inside rather than adding another button right over the embroidered name. Why? Because I thought the button might detract from the embroidery and make it look even more off-center than it is. Plus, I don’t have the greatest button-hole making capability with my machine and my teeth were already grinding plenty enough enamel after making two buttonholes and having to trim bird nests off the underside of the buttonholes and repair with a satin stitch. 🙂

The only other little quirks I noticed with the pattern were that it directs you to do something with one side of the body: if you personalize it with a name, it does make a difference which side you do some things to, like attaching the straps. And in attaching the top straps, it directs you to place them 2″ away from the seam but the picture shows 2 1/2″ from the seam. I chose the 2 1/2″ distance. I thought the collegiate fabric added a nice touch, what do you think? An elderly person has seen lots of purty flowers in their lifetime, but what’s not to love about a touchdown? Northern Illinois University actually played the Florida State Seminoles last year in the Orange Bowl. At the time, we were all saying “NIU who?” But it looks like a pretty good little football team!

Reviewing Ruby

I read the blog Sew Mama Sew, and decided to participate in Mama’s
Sewing Machine Reviews as currently featured. Good idea, I really like to read sewing machine reviews that are real testimonials that aren’t being presented for purposes of commissioned sales or something like that.

What brand and model do you have? Husqvarna Viking Ruby

How long have you had it? about 3 years

How much does that machine cost (approximately)? about $5K

What types of things do you sew? quilting, machine embroidery, clothing, bags, pillows, home dec, hats, toys

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get? I sew at least one project a week. I sew a lot of fleece things, which generate lots of lint, so she gets some wear and tear.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name? I adored Ruby until I had to put her in the shop, and she stayed in there for more than 90 days, all during November and December; that really put a damper on my holiday sewing plans last year!

What features does your machine have that work well for you? the machine embroidery feature works very well most of the time. I traded up for Ruby; I had a Viking Topaz 20 before, and I didn’t have as good an experience with her and machine embroidery, or maybe I was more of a novice when I had that machine. But Ruby seems definitely more smooth and accomplished than her predecessor Topaz 20. I like the automatic thread cutter button. I have many specialty feet to experiment with; some work better than others.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? She sometimes shreds thread as it runs from the spool through all those mechanisms down into the needle. The shop employees will say it’s because you used cheap thread, however, it happens with all different brands from time to time. Yes, it’s worse with cheap thread (Coats and Clark), but it has happened with their favorite brands to recommend, too (Robison-Anton rayon and Madeira). Sometimes she produces bird-nesting underneath seams and I can really find no apparent reason. I re-thread the machine and maybe or maybe not will have more bird-nesting. I re-thread again and no bird-nesting. Maybe there is a little burr inside that mysterious thread path. When the repair guy tries it, it doesn’t bird-nest for him, of course.

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why? I don’t think they make this machine anymore, the new model that replaced it is the Ruby Deluxe. When I attended training classes for using my new Ruby, one of the class members had a problem with her machine from Day 1; she asked for a replacement machine and they wouldn’t give her one because she had bought a floor model machine. When mine was in the shop for 90 days, the problem was the motor. I think that if I buy another machine, I will research a lot and not buy a Viking next time, even though I have tons of accessories for a Viking. I bought the Viking from a local shop, so that I could be sure of ongoing maintenance and tech support, but I was disappointed in the customer service during that crisis when she stopped working so soon after purchase. They had promised to keep me updated, but I had to initiate every query. I had to borrow back my old mechanical Janome from someone I’d lent it to for basic sewing during the time Ruby was in the shop, and the Janome was a champ. The next town south of me (an hour’s drive) has a Janome shop. Good customer service means a lot to me.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine? Cost, reputation of company, tech support, customer service, buttonhole making capability, training opportunities.

Do you have a dream machine? I once dreamed of trading up to a Husqvarna Viking Diamond Deluxe, but I don’t think the features are worth double the cost of my Ruby.

I also have a Brother serger for overlocking seams, a Husqvarna Viking serger that I mostly use for coverstitch, and an old Singer Merrittlock serger that I haven’t been able to get working, plus a little collection of toy sewing machines.

Ruby

Weekly Photo Challenge: Inside (with remnants)

Nappy time mat

I’m combining a remnant project with this week’s photo challenge, the better to

“help you meet your blogging goals and give you another way to take part in Post a Day / Post a Week. Everyone is welcome to participate, even if your blog isn’t about photography.”

see more Weekly Photo Challenge here.

Pinterest has troves of adorable nap mats for babies and toddlers, and I want to make one, or two, or more… But after looking at tutorials, I decided my project was best going to come about through eye-balling and sew-as-I-go shenanigans.

snuggly fabrics

Deciding to make a sewing project has everything to do with the fabric remnants I have on hand. I like to buy remnants of minky fabric whenever I see them in the bin, because Soft & Comfy minky is $14.99 per yard if not on sale for 1/2 price as a remnant. This red minky matched perfectly with the Yo-Gabba-Gabba cotton print. I had a remnant piece of quilt batting, which I used double thickness because I wanted a cushiony mat. I also had a 12″ x 16″ pillow form in the stash. I used a strip of red cotton flannel remnant to seal up the end of mat, like a large, fat, quilt binding.

flannel remnant

hook & loop velcro to fold as a bedroll

In a nutshell, this is how I made the nappy mat.
1) sewed pillow case out of minky to eye-balled dimensions of pillow by sewing one side seam, right sides together, and folding the edge of the other side under and hemming it
2) sewed folded cotton mat fabric to pillow (left side and bottom seams open)
3) sewed minky fabric for blanket onto top of cotton mat fabric at side seam, wrong side of mink to right side of mat fabric (right side of minky facing up, sitting on top of right side of cotton), then sewed fleece binding to raw edges of blanket
4) turned inside out and sewed side seams of mat fabric together, right side of bottom layer of cotton mat fabric to right side of minky with top layer of mat fabric sewed underneath minky
5) turned right-side out, then stuffed quilt batting, folded double, into tube of cotton mat fabric
6) quilted mat fabric layers together by sewing long vertical rows
7) cut a piece of red flannel remnant the dimensions of open bottom of mat; sewed edge to top layer of bottom edge of mat, turned under raw edge and sewed to bottom layer of bottom edge, through all thicknesses. Turned under raw edges and caught them in the seam.
8) sewed on two strips each of hook & loop velcro fastener tapes where the bottom edge of mat met the underside of the nap mat

I like the idea of bedding and toys coming together like this. It reminds me of the Robert Louis Stevenson poem “The Land of Counterpane.”

perhaps my next mat will have this space theme

Deep in the <3 of Texas, with Remnants

Deep in the heart of San Antonio

El Mercado, San Antonio

Any vacation, for a fiber-holic, must include a sojourn to a local craft, hobby, fabric, or yarn shop. We went to Salado, called “The Best Art Town in Texas,” which has over 60 artsy-craftsy shops filled with antiques, home decor, savory adornments, glittering jewelry, food!

Recurring themes and motifs: glitzy crosses of all sizes. Camouflage on clothing, recliners, purses, hats, cars. For women, pink camo. Duck Dynasty. Stars: most buildings have a lone star somewhere.

We sauntered through the shops with wonder and appreciation, taking in their marvelous textures and colors. When we got hot and thirsty, we simmered down with some Texas pizza and calzones, then bought a cute little cake at the Ambrosia Tea Room, to go with the pulled pork sliders D wanted to make for dinner.

raspberry lemonade layer cake

We found http://www.thesewingbasket.com/home.aspx, and I knew right away that place was going to be the new home for my Florida tourist spending money. This little quilt shop was busy! They specialize in cowboy fabrics, and also serve the sewing population around Ft. Hood, one of the world’s largest military bases. The shop was teeming with fabric eye candy; sadly their website doesn’t begin to convey the excitement and thrill that you get when immersed in the atmosphere of this awe-inspiring place. Even my DIL began to believe, with some encouragement from the staff, that she might want to come in and take a sewing class! I love it when someone feels inspired to try sewing!

Being me, I raided the remnant bin of any small bits and pieces of cowboy fabrics, anticipating DH’s delight. He loves to watch Westerns…so much that after looking at the “recents” page on Netflix, I was afraid I might have to schedule an intervention on him. I fear he’s spent more time with 1960’s images of John Wayne than with me :(.

cowboy fabrics from the remnant bin

I also snagged some fabs with military and patriotic themes. (And when I say military, I mean primarily ARMY.)

military fabs

I could kick myself with a spurred boot for not taking a picture of some of the paper-doll quilts hanging up in the back of the shop. I have never seen a photo on the internet that remotely compares with the adorable quilts and blocks I saw there. Quilt block kits were on display, and sign-ups for the classes to make them were all around. I thought vaguely that such things would be available in other places, too, but after doing a search I sadly realized that Texas must have a corner on those darling, over-the-top girly paper doll blocks: little cowgirl outfits and frilly, frothy dresses the likes of which must only be found in these parts. Sad enough that quilt shops in every locale seem to get swallowed up by the big box venues. Oh please, let the creativity go on!

A Sewing Basket had on display several bolts of Texas fabric that will be available for purchase in September. Until then, I’ll have to get busy with all this cloth festooned with boots, saddles, horses and hats and see what comes of it!