Interweave_Stitch_Magazine_-_Spring_2015

INCLUDES

30+ patterns

32 THAT

projects

creating with fabric + thread kit inspired by

AMY BUTLER and more on SewDaily.com!

POP

CREATE THIS

BRIGHT + EASY

YO-YO PILLOW PAGE 58

sewing with

STRIPES PAGE 22

TULA PINK Check out her life + new video series

BONUS PATTERN INSERT

PAGE 16

cheers to

SUMMER

THE LAST WEEK OF FEBRUARY, I WENT TO MISSOURI TO VISIT TULA PINK’S STUDIO AND HOME. We were there scouting out a brilliant video series that will be released in the late summer/early fall, and I completely fell in love with Tula’s digs and was equally charmed by Tula herself. Anyone who has met this incredibly talented fabric designer is completely won over by her warmth and sense of humor. In this issue’s Artist Profile, you will get a peek into Tula’s life and home as well. Plus, we have two projects featuring Tula’s new, lush fabrics: the Elizabeth Tote and the On-the-Go Charger Kit. The Charger Kit is available as a project kit, which includes the precut “Bumble” fabrics by Tula so that you can get the exact look you see here in the magazine.

Other fantastic kits in this issue include the Bloom Voile Pillow in Amy Butler’s gorgeous “Glow” fabrics, as featured on our cover, and the Charm Pack Plus One Baby Quilt by Liz and Elizabeth Evans. You can learn how to make the Charm Pack Plus One Baby Quilt in a video, too, that features Liz and Elizabeth, and make the One-Seam Maxi Skirt alongside designer Caroline Hulse in her video as well.

All of these extra kits and videos are available in the Sew Daily Shop, as are the instructions for the Shifting Plaids pattern-less skirt I designed and sewed for this issue, shown here. I just love this Lotta Jansdotter “Follie” fabric by Windham, and with just a waist measurement and easy pleating techniques, you can create a simple couture big gingham skirt for yourself. Visit shop.sewdaily.com for this and many other amazing modern sewing projects, plus many of the projects featured in this issue. And if you want to learn how to make the skirt, using the Lotta fabric, come take a class with me at the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo in Worcester, Mass. (April 16–18). Hope to see you there!

I know you’ll enjoy these stunning projects for summer. That warm weather is right around the corner. I promise!

Happy stitching (and happy summer)!

amber eden

Editor, Stitch/SewDaily.com

love rt? i this sttek rn-less!

It's pa ily.com shop.sewda

coming soon!

Watch for our supersized FALL issue of Stitch, packed with fabulous projects and much more!

on sale

July 2015 2

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TAKE

from the Originator of

FREE UPDATES FOR EMBROIDERY SOFTWARE

CONTROL OF YOUR DESIGNS!

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flutter dress page 57 page 43

16 FEATURES

16

LINZEE KULL MCCRAY

22

contents

artist profile: tula pink

technique spotlight: the hype around stripes LINDA TURNER GRIEPENTROG

30

book excerpt 50 fat quarter makes

34

material world: textiles in america VERONICA GRAHAM

page 65

DEPARTMENTS 2

editor’s note

15

wish list

8

what’s new + cool

108

resources

12

sew boutique

112

sew inspired: finding inspiration Southern-style

katwise transforms cable knits into coveted works of art

ALEX WOODBURY

LINDA TURNER GRIEPENTROG

34

bound by a common thread VERONICA GRAHAM

fighting the ebola crisis with wedding gowns VERONICA GRAHAM

get the kit! ily.com shop.sewda

boys pullover bowling shirt page 45

on-the-go charger kit page 62 4

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ON THE COVER: Bloom Voile Pillow, page 58

HAVING A MID-CENTURY MOMENT Classic designs of the 1950s and '60s get fresh and fun updates in these 6 sunny projects.

42

a-line mini dress

43

mod beach tote

44

45

ALEXIA ABEGG

JIL CAPPUCCIO

46

LAURA JAQUINTO

’50s-inspired lawn chair

KAREN SCHAPHORST

boys pullover bowling shirt

47

laurel canyon bag

MICHELLE FREEDMAN

beatnik art book

’50s-inspired lawn chair page 44

LINDA TURNER GRIEPENTROG

projects

BIG ON STRIPES

vegas dream table runner page 66

Simple lines reach new heights with these 7 graphic projects.

48

smocked sunshine pillow

49

woven waves table runner

REBEKAH CANAVAN

KEVIN KOSBAB

50 51

futuristic rain cape

EMILY LI MANDRI

color blocked and bias bound skirt

smocked sunshine pillow page 48 53

ELIZABETH EVANS AND LIZ EVANS

KHRISTAL JOUETT

52

one-seam maxi skirt CAROLINE HULSE

striped paper bag waist skirt

54

inspired inspiration board EMILY BRECLAW

POP PRINTS Gorgeous colors come to life in these 7 eye-catching projects.

56

elizabeth tote

57

flutter dress

58 59

60

These 5 sizzling projects amp up your sewing with some much-needed voltage.

DORIS RUSHING

64

SHARON THORNTON

bloom voile pillow

65

MELISSA PEDA

charm pack plus one baby quilt

ELIZABETH EVANS AND LIZ EVANS

66

churn dash on point pillow

67

62

bright eyes tunic

KHRISTAL JOUETT

on-the-go charger kit

NIKI MEINERS

starlite motel tribute

KEVIN KOSBAB

kitschy polaroid snapshot pillows

KRISJE DEAL

CINDY LUBY

61

ELECTRIC CITY

get the kit!

charm pack plus one baby quilt page 59

68

vegas dream table runner

RIANE MENARDI

retro camper appliqué pillow

STEPHANIE WOODSON

desert galaxy quilt

MICHELLE FREEDMAN

shop.sewdaily.c om

5 sewdaily.com *

Shop Stitch Digital Back Issues!

CONTENT STRATEGIST, SEWING GROUP Ellen March

Amber Eden Veronica Graham TECHNICAL EDITOR Eliane Pinto FREELANCE TECHNICAL EDITORS Linda Turner Griepentrog, Bernie Kulisek CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Susan Beal, Gretchen Hirsch, Kevin Kosbab, Linda Lee, Linzee Kull McCray EDITOR

MANAGING EDITOR

_______________

Larissa Davis Kate Binder DESIGNER Megan Sabourin PHOTOGRAPHY Jack Deutsch unless otherwise credited PHOTO STYLIST Natasha Senko HAIR & MAKEUP Greg Clark ILLUSTRATION Ann Swanson ART DIRECTOR

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

_______________

Mary-Evelyn Dalton maryeveholder@comcast.net, 615-297-3639 AD TRAFFICKER Cari Ullom ONLINE MARKETING Brianne Whitt

ADVERTISING MANAGER

Interweave Stitch (ISSN: 2160-6838 [print] and 2164-9375 [online]) is published four times per year by Interweave, a division of F+W Media, Inc., 4868 Innovation Dr., Ft. Follins, CO, 80525-5576. (970) 669-7672.

All contents of this issue of Interweave Stitch are copyrighted by F+W Media, Inc. 2014. All rights reserved.

Projects and information are for inspiration and personal use only. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited, except by permission of the publisher. Interweave Stitch does not recommend, approve, or endorse any of the advertisers, p ­ roducts, services, or views advertised in Interweave Stitch. Nor does Interweave Stitch evaluate the advertisers’ claims in any way. You should, therefore, use your own judgment in e­ valu­a ting the advertisers, products, services, and views a­ dvertised in Interweave Stitch .

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6

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sewdaily.com • interweave.com • fwcommunity.com

The Serger Continues

There was a time when the idea of a home computer was a pipedream. Same with sergers, only clothing manufacturers had them. That is until Baby Lock got a little rebellious and put sergers into the hands of sewers everywhere. Soon after, beautifully finished edges emerged from home sewers nationwide.

Baby Lock has kept the serger revolution going. Only Baby Lock offers 5” to the right of the needle, no tensions, threading with the push of a button, and freedom to thread in any order. And these days Baby Lock sergers do much more than finish edges. They’re great for decorative techniques, quilting, and much more.

If you want state-of-the-art performance, there’s only one name to trust. The name innovative sewers have trusted since the 60s — Baby Lock.

April is National Serger Month Visit www.NationalSergerMonth.com New Videos and Projects babylock.com

sewing room Editors' picks for products, tools, books + notions

what’s new + cool

Made from organic cotton, these linen ribbons by KAWASAKI RIBBON CO. are easily turned into flowers. Simply cut a length of ribbon, pull the thread ends, and tie them together for a delicate floral embellishment. etsy.com/shop/kawaiiribbon, $21 per spool (5.4 yd per spool)

RENAISSANCE RIBBONS are a Stitch office favorite every time a new collection is available. The vibrant colors and patterns in “Violette” by Amy Butler and “Dowry” by Anna Maria Horner are perfect for adding oomph to any project. retail.renaissanceribbons.com, Price varies by print, sold by the yard

8

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sewing room

Pattern markings take patience and a steady hand to nail on the first try, but Clover’s new AIR ERASABLE

MARKERS WITH ERASER

let you measure twice, thrice—as many times as it takes to make the cut. clover-usa.com (available in fine, extra fine, and thick tip), $7.25

Australian quilter Jen Kingwell’s first-ever fabric collection GARDENVALE is named for and inspired by the neighborhood in Melbourne where her quilt shop is located.

The lively mix of stripes, dots, and florals is sure to put you in a good mood.

Available in quilting-weight cotton, modafabrics.com

Leah Duncan captures life in her Austin, Texas neighborhood in MORNING WALK. Yellows, peaches, and blues put a modern twist on Southwestern style.

Available in cotton, voile, and knit, artgalleryfabrics.com

9 sewdaily.com *

how-to

Electric City

Starlite Motel Tribute

by KEVIN KOSBAB

{from page 64}

PATTERN INSERT

— Nylon beading thread to coordinate with the Background fabric — Seed beads (shown: transparent glass with inside-luster yellow) — 1/8 yd ultra-firm double-sided fusible interfacing — One 2" × 2" square heavyweight fusible interfacing — 1/8 yd fusible web — One 8" × 10" self-adhesive needlework mounting board — Tailor’s awl — Handsewing needles for embroidery, Appliqué, and beading — Temporary basting glue — One 8" × 10" picture frame

FINISHED SIZE 8" × 10"

NOTES

FABRIC — Background: 9" × 12" linen or cotton (shown: black) — Assorted scraps of solid cottons for Appliqués

OTHER SUPPLIES — Templates, provided on insert: — Template (A) — Template (B) — Template (C) — Template (D)

— For couching the wrapped wire, the manufacturer recommends one strand of matching embroidery floss. For the sample, fine matching silk threads were used instead; other fine threads in matching colors are other options.

— If ultra-firm interfacing that’s fusible is unavailable, use a sewin version and spray adhesive to secure the fabric. Thin cardboard could also be used as an alternative.

CUT THE FOUNDATIONS 1 From the ultra-firm fusible

interfacing, cut one each of the following:

— Template (E)

— One 2" × 8" rectangle for the Signpost

— Template (F)

— One Template (A)

— Template (G)

— One Template (B)

— Template (H)

2 Trace Templates (C), (D), (E), (F),

— Embroidery Template (I) — Thread-wrapped wire for couching (shown: turquoise, pink, and peach) — Black embroidery floss — Coordinating strong, fine thread for Appliqué (such as no. 100 silk thread) — Thread to match each color of wrapped wire 100

* stitch

(G), and (H) onto the paper side of the fusible web, leaving about 1/2" between shapes. Cut Template (C) away from the others, leaving a 1/4" margin around all traced lines.

3 From the heavyweight fusible interfacing, cut:

— One 1 3/4" × 7/8" rectangle

PREPARE THE FOUNDATIONS 4 Following the manufacturer’s

instructions, fuse the pieces to ultrafirm interfacing to the wrong side of the cotton scraps, making sure there’s at least 1/2" of fabric beyond each edge of the interfacing shapes (1/4" for Template B). Trim away any excess fabric beyond this margin.

5 Wrap the margins of fabric to the

wrong side of the interfacing and secure by fusing with the tip of the iron. Fold the outer corners over first to make sure they’re covered; snip the fabric at each inner corner to allow it to ease against the edges of the interfacing. For the smaller star Template (B), use basting glue to hold the edges in place.

6 Following the manufacturer’s

instructions, fuse the traced fusible web onto cotton scraps—one color for Template (C) and another for Templates (D) through (H). Cut each shape out along the traced lines.

7 Referring to the project photo,

position the (C) piece on the (A) piece and the (D) through (H) pieces on the Signpost, and fuse in place.

8 Fuse the piece of 1 3/4" × 7/8"

heavyweight interfacing to the wrong side of a cotton scrap. Trim the short ends of the fabric flush with the interfacing. Trim the long edges of the fabric about 1/4" beyond the interfacing, then fold these margins to the wrong side of the interfacing and press to hold the crease.

COUCH THE NEON LETTERS Note: The following process is used for each segment of the lettering; a single length of wrapped wire is used for the script-style “Starlite” text, while the “MOTEL” letters are each one or two segments of wire to outline the shape of the letter. Do not cut the wire until the segment is almost completed. Leave a small gap between the starting and ending points of the “MOTEL” letters to further suggest neon tubes. (figures 1 and 2)

9 Pierce the background fabric and

interfacing where the wire will start.

If necessary, enlarge the hole (e.g.

how-to

y Couch three wrapped wires across the small star, from point to point, crossing in the center. The starting and ending points should be in the background fabric just beyond the points.

figure 1

u Using a beading needle and the

nylon thread, sew beads all around the large star, following the shape of the surrounding wire, attaching each bead with a backstitch. Space the beads about 3/16" apart. Sew a bead at each point of the small star in the same way.

with a heavy tapestry needle) so the wire can be pushed through it from the front. Push about 1/2" of the wire to the wrong side and fold it back against the interfacing. From the right side, fold the wire down onto the surface and begin shaping it around the letter form.

FINISH THE PICTURE i Press any creases out of the

0 Thread a needle with thread to

match the wire, bring it up through the wrong side of the interfacing next to the wire, and take a stitch over the wire and back through the interfacing to begin couching it in place. Take a couple stitches around the tail of the wire on the wrong side to secure it.

- Continue gently bending the wire

into the letter shapes, couching it down about every 1/4" (or closer as necessary to secure bends). To form script text, fold the wire back on itself (somewhat like actual neon light tubes are bent into complex shapes). To make abrupt corners, it’s helpful to bend the wire around a needle placed in the interfacing temporarily; sharper points can be made by pinching the wire corner with tweezers. The awl can also help nudge the wire into position and smooth the curves.

= Stop couching about 3/4" from

where the wire should end and trim the wire, leaving enough length to complete the segment plus a tail for the back. Pierce a hole at the endpoint, guide the end of the wire through it, and bend it back on the wrong side. Reshape the wire on the front as necessary, then finish couching and secure the wire tail on the wrong side.

EMBROIDER THE “SLEEP TIGHT” SIGN q Transfer the Embroidery Template (I) to the fabric-wrapped interfacing from step 8.

background fabric, being careful not to iron the dimensional pieces.

figure 2

w Using one strand of black

embroidery floss, embroider the letters using backstitches for the straight and curved sections and lazy-daisy stitches for the loops. For the dot on the “i,” make a star from three crossed straight stitches.

APPLIQUÉ THE PIECES e Referring to the project photo,

arrange the Signpost, large and small stars, and the embroidered sign on the background fabric. Make sure the raw ends of the embroidered sign are tucked behind the Signpost and the large star. Hold each piece in place with small dabs of basting glue.

r Hand sew each piece to the

background fabric with standard hand-appliqué stitches using matching thread. Because the pieces will be fixed to a rigid backing, stitches can be farther apart than for appliqué on a quilt or garment; tacking the larger pieces down every 1/4" is plenty.

EMBELLISH THE PICTURE t Using the same process as for

couching the letters, couch a wrapped wire around the perimeter of the large star. At each inside corner of the star, form a small extra point in the wire, as shown in the project photo.

o Peel the protective paper partially away from the backing board and adhere the background fabric right side up on the board, aligning the bottom of the Signpost with the bottom of the board. Smooth the picture onto the board, removing the paper to work in sections.

p Fold the raw edges of the

background fabric to the back of the mounting board. Tape them to the back of the board to hold them in place.

[ Remove the glass from the picture

frame so the dimension of the picture will show. Insert the picture into the frame.

SOURCES SUPPLIES Couching wire, DMC Color Infusions Memory Thread, dmc-usa. com; Fusible interfacing, Pellon Peltex 72, shop.sewdaily.com

KEVIN KOSBAB is a contributing editor to Stitch magazine. He designs sewing and quilting projects with a mid-century modern flavor for magazines and his own pattern line, Feed Dog Designs (feeddog.net). His book The Quilter’s Appliqué Workshop (Interweave, 2014) offers instruction for hand and machine techniques, fun quilted projects, and inspiration for exploring the possibilities of appliqué.

101 sewdaily.com *

how-to panel, lining up the raw edges and overlapping the first back panel piece in the center. Pin along the outer edges.

Kitschy Polaroid Snapshot Pillows

e Stitch along the outer edge using

a 1/2" seam allowance. Press and clip the corners.

by KRISJE DEAL

{from page 65}

FINISH THE PILLOW r Turn the pillowcase right side out and insert the pillow form.

KRISJE DEAL has a fine art background

ASSEMBLE THE FRONT 5 Pin each Front A 2" × 4" piece to

the short edges of the Polaroid fabric with right sides together. Stitch and press open.

FABRIC — Front A: 1/4 yd cotton — Front B: 1/4 yd cotton — Back: 1/4 yd cotton or flannel — Polaroid: 1/4 yd white cotton

OTHER SUPPLIES — Iron-on transfer paper — Matching thread — Rotary cutter — Ruler — Iron — One 12" x 12" square pillow insert

FINISHED SIZE 12" × 12" square

7 Pin each Front B 3" × 8" piece to

2 From the Front B fabric, cut: — Two 3" × 8" rectangles — Two 3" × 13" rectangles

3 From the Back fabric, cut: — Two 9" × 13" rectangles

4 From the Polaroid fabric, cut: — One 4" × 5" rectangle

{from page 66}

to the long edges of the pieced front with right sides together. Stitch and press open.

CREATE THE IRON-ON TRANSFER 9 Print a digital image onto the ironon transfer paper. Cut the image to a 3" × 3" square.

0 Remove the paper backing and

- Iron the image onto the fabric

— Two 2½" × 8" rectangles

by RIANE MENARDI

8 Pin each Front B 3" × 13" piece

— Press all seams open.

— Two 2" × 4" rectangles

Vegas Dream Table Runner

the sides of the pieced front with right sides together. Stitch and press open.

— All seam allowances are 1/4" unless otherwise noted.

CUT THE FABRIC 1 From the Front A fabric, cut:

* stitch

the long edges of the Polaroid fabric with right sides together. Stitch and press open.

center the image onto the white Polaroid rectangle, 1/4" from the top edge, left side, and right side, and 1" from the bottom edge.

NOTES

102

6 Pin each Front A 2 1/2" × 8" piece to

and loves all things creative. When she is not creating, she can be found teaching Kundalini yoga in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Visit her at sewlongsweetheart. wordpress.com.

following the manufacturer’s directions.

ASSEMBLE THE BACK = Fold under one long edge of the

Back panel piece 1/2" toward the wrong side and press. Fold again 1/2" and press. Pin and sew along the edge.

q Repeat with the second Back panel.

w Place the first Back panel on top

of the pieced front panel with the right sides together, lining up the raw edges. Repeat with the second Back

FABRIC — Building: 6 fat quarters of coordinating solids and prints — Accent: 1½ yd gray fabric — Sky: 3/4 yd dark blue fabric

OTHER SUPPLIES — Sashiko thread or pearl cotton for hand stitching — Sashiko needle or embroidery needle — 1 yd cotton batting — Hand-quilting thread to attach binding

FINISHED SIZE 72" × 17"

how-to

NOTES — All seam allowances are 1/4" unless otherwise noted.

— Pre-wash and iron all fabrics before cutting.

— Press all seams open unless otherwise noted.

— WOF = width of fabric — This is a great project for busting through a fabric stash. Find bright, coordinating colors, or use neutrals and a few pops of color for a subtle statement.

CUT THE FABRIC 1 Trim each Building fat quarter to 20" × 14" rectangles.

2 From the Sky fabric, cut: — Six 20" × 6" rectangles — Three 2" × WOF strips for binding

3 From the Accent fabric, cut: — Nine 8 1/2" × 2 1/2" rectangles — Two 37" × 19" rectangles for Backing — Two 2" × WOF strips for the Sidewalk

4 From the batting, cut: — One 73" × 18" rectangle

SEW THE SKYLINE 5 With right sides together, sew one Sky 20" × 6" rectangle to one 20" × 14" Building, matching the 20" sides. Set aside.

6 Continue sewing all Building

pieces to all 20" × 6" Sky rectangles.

7 From the pieced sets, cut them

into vertical strips varying in width from 1 1/2" to 4".

8 Arrange the strips side by side

as desired. Stagger the strips a few inches apart so the colored Sky fabrics form a skyline. Pin in place and sew the strips together to form improv-style blocks, about nine to 10 strips per block.

9 Square up each block by trimming

excess from the Sky pieces first. Then cut the blocks to 15 1/2" wide.

0 Once all blocks are squared up, sew the blocks together. Trim to 72" × 15 1/2".

SEW THE SIDEWALK - With right sides together, sew the two 2" × WOF Sidewalk pieces along the short 2" ends.

= Pin the Sidewalk piece to the

bottom of the skyline piece and sew in place to finish the table runner quilt top.

QUILT THE TABLE RUNNER q Form a quilt sandwich with the

backing right side down, batting, and quilt top right side up.

w Pin or baste in place. e Using sashiko thread or pearl

RIANE MENARDI is a writer and sewist from Des Moines, Iowa whose work has been featured in Fresh Quilts. When she’s not sewing or hand-quilting, you can find her sipping craft beer, doing yoga, or attempting to organize her messy studio. Find more of Riane’s work at vesselquilts.com.

Retro Camper Appliqué Pillow

PATTERN INSERT

by STEPHANIE WOODSON

{from page 67}

cotton, hand-stitch the outline of the skyline in the gutter and stitch two to three running lines along the length of the gray fabric.

BIND AND FINISH r Square up the edges and trim

away any excess batting and backing.

t Sew the binding strips together on

the bias and press in half, lengthwise.

Trim the dark blue binding to 103" in length.

y Starting 2" from the bottom edge

FABRIC

(where the gray fabric meets the buildings), sew the binding to the table runner. Continue around to the opposite edge, 2" above the bottom.

Straight stitch the gray binding to the blue binding, matching the change in binding to the change in fabric on the table runner. Continue sewing binding around the table runner and stitch the blue binding to the gray binding in the same fashion on the opposite side. Trim any excess binding material and hand-stitch the binding to the back to finish.

— Main: One fat quarter each (or ½ yd) of four different colored quilting-weight cottons

SOURCES

— Door (C)

FABRIC Robert

— Wheel (D)

Kaufman, Kona Cotton Solids in Water, Coral, Corn Yellow, and Leprechaun, robertkaufman.com; Michael Miller, Cotton Couture Pink, michaelmillerfabrics.com; Robert Kaufman, “Architextures” by Carolyn Friedlander in Fern, robertkaufman. com; Cotton + Steel, Cotton + Steel Basics “Netorious” in Cloud Silver (Metallic) and “Moonlit” by Rashida Coleman-Hale in Gnome Pants in Indigo, cottonandsteelfabrics.com

— Accent: Scraps of quilting-weight cotton for the windows, door, and wheel — 16" × 16" square of quilting-weight cotton for quilt back

OTHER SUPPLIES — Templates, provided on insert: — Camper Body (A) — Camper Base (B)

— Left Window (E) — Propane Tank (F) — Hitch (G) — Right Window (H) — One 16" × 16" square of quilt batting — One 16" × 16" pillow form — One package of white piping — ½ yd paper-backed fusible web

103 sewdaily.com *

how-to

— ¼ yd medium-weight fusible onesided interfacing — Matching thread — Iron — Marking pen

FINISHED SIZE 16" × 16" square

CUT THE FABRIC 1 From the Main fabrics, cut: — Two 9" × 17" rectangles for the front panel — Two 11 1/2" × 17" rectangles for the back

2 Trace Templates (B), (C), (D), (E),

(F), (G), and (H) onto the fusible web, and iron them to the Accent fabrics.

From the Accent fabrics, cut: — One Camper Body (A) Note: Apply fusible interfacing to the wrong side after cutting this piece.

— One Camper Base (B) — One Door (C) — One Wheel (D) — One Left Window (E) — One Propane Tank (F) — One Hitch (G) — One Right Window (H) Note: If opting to not use fusible web, be sure to reverse Templates (B), (E), and (G) before cutting.

ASSEMBLE THE PILLOW PIECES 3 For each back rectangle along the long side, press under a ½" hem and then over ½" again to leave no raw edges. Press and stitch along the edge to secure.

4 For each front piece, sew right

sides together along the long sides with ½" seam allowance. Press the seam open.

5 Layer the batting and quilt backing behind the color-blocked top and safety pin or baste together. Use a marking pen to mark a diagonal line across the front from corner to corner, and then every 2" on both sides of that diagonal line.

6 Sew along each line, quilting the front. Erase all marking pen lines.

104

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ASSEMBLE THE APPLIQUÉ 7 Iron the Camper Base to the

Camper Body, aligning edges. Then layer both windows and the door on top and iron on. Straight stitch a scant ¼" along the edge of each window and door.

Desert Galaxy Quilt

by MICHELLE FREEDMAN AND JOLENE KNIGHT

{from page 68}

PATTERN INSERT

8 Position the camper centered on

the pillow, and tuck the wheel and hitch into place. Iron the wheel and hitch in place and pin the camper.

Iron the propane tank in place.

Straight stitch a scant ¼" along the edge of the hitch, propane tank, and wheel.

9 Straight stitch a scant ¼" along

the edge of the camper, securing the entire appliqué.

ASSEMBLE THE PILLOW 0 Attach the piping on the pillow

front, keeping edges aligned and clipping the corners slightly to stay flush with the shape.

- Lay the pillow front right side

up and overlap the pillow back rectangles right sides down. Pin and sew completely around all four sides, staying as close to the piping as possible.

= Turn the pillow form right side

out through the envelope opening, pushing the corners out. Insert the pillow form and fluff.

SOURCES FABRIC Michael

Miller, Cotton Couture in Malibu, michaelmillerfabrics.com; Clothworks, American Made Brand in Dark Eggplant and Dark Aqua, clothworks.com; FreeSpirit, Designer Solids in Spark Gold, freespiritfabric. com SUPPLIES Fusible

web, Pellon Wonder Under, shop.sewdaily.com STEPHANIE WOODSON discovered a

passion for sewing while she was pregnant and blogs about her sewing projects, kids crafts, and DIY pursuits at swoodsonsays.com.

FABRIC — Fabric 1: 5/8 yd quilting-weight cotton (shown: yellow) — Fabric 2: 5/8 yd quilting-weight cotton (shown: light blue) — Fabric 3: 5/8 yd quilting-weight cotton (shown: pink) — Background: 3½ yd quilting-weight cotton (shown: white) — Backing: 4 yd quilting-weight cotton (shown: blue) — Binding: ½ yd

OTHER SUPPLIES — Templates, provided on insert: — Template (1A) — Template (2A) — Template (3A) — Template (1B) — Template (2B) — Template (3B) — Batting, 72" × 90" (or twin sized) — Bent-arm safety pins — Fabric marking pencil or chalk — Rotary cutter, rigid acrylic ruler, and self-healing mat — 1/4" foot and walking foot for sewing machine — Pressing spray — Template plastic or cardboard — Matching thread

how-to FINISHED SIZE 58" × 65"

NOTES — All seam allowances are 1/4" unless otherwise noted.

— Press curved seams toward the Template (B) pieces and all other seams open.

— Use a machine stitch length of 2mm to 2.5mm and a 70/11 microtex machine needle for piecing.

figure 1

— WOF = width of fabric — Trim selvages before cutting the fabric.

— The quilt blocks are made from piecing four quarter circle units together. There are many different techniques to stitch curves; try using pins and finding the centers of each piece by folding it in half and finger pressing a crease.

CUT THE FABRIC 1 Trace the quarter circle template pieces onto template plastic or cardboard and cut them out.

2 Refer to the Cutting Guide to cut the following pieces:

CUTTING GUIDE

QUANTITY

figure 2

3 Before stitching, apply fabric spray or spray starch to each curved piece, and press for added stability.

PIECE THE BLOCKS 4 Fold a Background Template (1A) in half and pin mark the center fold of the curved edge. Repeat with the other templates.

5 Place a Template (1A)/(1B) pair

TEMPLATE/SIZE

FABRIC

Template (1A)

Background (White) 20

Template (2A)

Background (White) 16

Template (3A)

Background (White) 20

91/2" × 131/2"

Background (White) 1

91/2" × 181/2"

Background (White) 1

(Template 1A and Template 1B) right sides together. Start by pinning the centers together, then pin the top and bottom edges, and then pin in between using an even amount of ease. (figure 1)

91/2" × 28"

Background (White) 1

6 With the Template (1A) piece on

91/2" × 321/2"

Background (White) 1

121/2" × 151/2"

Background (White) 1

Fabric 2 (Blue) 8

the bottom and a Template (1B) on top, stitch together using a scant ¼" seam and a small (2.5) stitch length.

Go slowly and remove the pins as you go.

Fabric 3 (Pink) 8

7 Press seam allowances toward the

Template (1B) Fabric 1 (Yellow) 4

Template (2B) Fabric 1 (Yellow) 8

Fabric 2 (Blue) 4

Fabric 3 (Pink) 4

Template (3B) Fabric 1 (Yellow) 4 Fabric 2 (Blue)

8

Fabric 3 (Pink) 8 Binding 21/2" × WOF Fabric 3 (Pink) 6

figure 3

ASSEMBLE THE QUILT TOP 9 Assemble the blocks as shown

in figure 2. Four units make up one block.

0 Press the center seams from

each of the stitched pairs open. Pin the units together so that the seam intersections match, and stitch.

Background Template (1A) pieces.

Use a pressing spray for this step as well. Clip curves every ½".

- Stitch the blocks together and

8 Make twenty Template (1A)/(1B)

= Press the seams open. Pin the

pairs, sixteen Template (2A)/(2B) pairs, and twenty Template (3A)/(3B) pairs.

attach the white Background strips to form each row, following figure 3. rows together and pin carefully, matching the seam intersections and the top and bottom edges. Stitch the rows together. (figure 4)

105 sewdaily.com *

how-to

figure 5

figure 4

q Cut the backing fabric into

two 2 yd lengths. Remove the selvages and sew the panels together along the long trimmed edge. Trim the backing so it is at least 4" larger than the quilt top on all sides.

w Make a quilt sandwich: Place the

quilt back on a flat surface, wrong side up. Smooth out any wrinkles and tape the four sides down, keeping the fabric taut, but not stretching it.

Center the batting on the backing.

Lay the quilt top, centered, on top of the batting and backing. Starting in the center and working out, pin baste every 4"–5" to secure, smoothing as you go.

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e Quilt as desired. The sample

shown uses a combination of straight line quilting for the background and a rotated figure eight in each star.

SUPPLIES Pressing

spray, Flatter by Soak, soakwash.com MICHELLE FREEDMAN is an Oregon-

backing fabric and bind using the preferred method of choice. The sample shown has a double fold binding made from 2 1/2" Ă— WOF strips pieced together.

based designer and author with a passion for sewing. Her work has been featured in a variety of magazines and books including Stitch magazine. Michelle is a staff member and instructor at Modern Domestic and is the past-president of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild. Read about her creative endeavors on her blog designcamppdx.blogspot.com.

SOURCES

JOLENE KNIGHT has collaborated with

(figure 5)

r Trim any excess batting and

FABRIC Andover Fabrics, Metallic Chambray in Chalice and Sun Print Ink

by Alison Glass, andoverfabrics.com

Michelle on several awesome quilt projects.

She can be found at the helm of her Gammil longarm in Portland, Oregon, and online at goodknightquilts.com.

Mollie Makes pillows Mollie Makes machine embroidery Mollie Makes table runners Mollie Makes ribbon embroidery Mollie Makes ornaments Mollie Makes bargello

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Discover more than 15 contemporary embroidery projects from an international range of experts who will demonstrate the different ways in which the techniques and stitches can be used.

Mollie Makes Embroidery | 160 pages | $19.99 | Paperback | SRN: 14QM05

Order your copy now at

www.interweavestore.com/sewing or by calling 866-949-1646

RESOURCES WHAT’S NEW + COOL

PAGE 8 RENAISSANCE RIBBONS retail.renaissanceribbons.com

WISH LIST

PAGE 15 SPARTAN SANDALS etsy.com/shop/ElinaLinardaki

BRACELET etsy.com/shop/EPUU

AIR ERASABLE MARKERS WITH ERASER clover-usa.com

HAND-PAINTED PILLOW etsy.com/shop/BoundbyEmilyMagone

LINDA TURNER GRIEPENTROG sewnwrite@aol.com

RESIN RINGS etsy.com/shop/Resity

CAROLINE HULSE sewcaroline.com

FEATURES

LAURA JAQUINTO laura@baumtextile.com

GARDENVALE BY JEN KINGWELL modafabrics.com MORNING WALK BY LEAH DUNCAN artgalleryfabrics.com STITCH WEAR PLAY shop.sewdaily.com ARTFULLY EMBROIDERED shop.sewdaily.com ALABAMA STUDIO SEWING PATTERNS alabamachanin.com HOW TO SPEAK FLUENT SEWING ctpub.com

SEW BOUTIQUE

PAGE 12 KATWISE TRANSFORMS CABLE KNITS INTO COVETED WORKS OF ART Linda Turner Griepentrog sewnwrite@aol.com

BOUND BY A COMMON THREAD; FIGHTING THE EBOLA CRISIS WITH WEDDING GOWNS Veronica Graham veronica.graham@fwcommunity.com

MICHELLE FREEDMAN designcamppdx.blogspot.com

PAGE 16 ARTIST PROFILE: TULA PINK Linzee Kull McCray linzee.mccray@gmail.com

KHRISTAL JOUETT kypsee@knology.net

PAGE 22 TECHNIQUE SPOTLIGHT: THE HYPE AROUND STRIPES Linda Turner Griepentrog sewnwrite@aol.com

EMILY LI MANDRI emily.limandri@gmail.com

PAGE 34 MATERIAL WORLD: TEXTILES IN AMERICA Veronica Graham veronica.graham@fwcommunity.com

SEW INSPIRED

PAGE 112 SWEET HOME ALABAMA CHANIN Alex Woodbury alex@projectsewingworkshop.com

PROJECT DESIGNERS ALEXIA ABEGG alexiaabegg@yahoo.com

EMILY BRECLAW thecaffeinatedquilter.com REBEKAH CANAVAN rebekah.canavan@gmail.com JIL CAPPUCCIO jilcappuccio.com

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ELIZABETH EVANS AND LIZ EVANS simplesimonandco.com

KAWASAKI RIBBON CO. etsy.com/shop/kawaiiribbon

CAMP WORKROOM SOCIAL campworkroomsocial.com

108

KRISJE DEAL sewlongsweetheart.wordpress.com

KEVIN KOSBAB feeddog.net

CINDY LUBY acluby@verizon.net RIANE MENARDI vesselquilts.com NIKI MEINERS 365daysofcrafts.com MELISSA PEDA 100billionstars.com/blog DORIS RUSHING quiltmamma@aol.com KAREN SCHAPHORST karen@schaphorst.com SHARON THORNTON sharonthornton28104@gmail.com STEPHANIE WOODSON swoodsonsays.com

sewing room

bookshelf Vintage embroidery gets a modern redux in ARTFULLY EMBROIDERED by Naoko Shimoda. Traditional Japanese and western motifs are revived with color and embellishment for adding a handmade touch to a variety of handbags, as well as book and journal covers. shop.sewdaily.com, $24.99

buy this book ! shop.sew daily.com

HOW TO SPEAK FLUENT SEWING by Christine Haynes is your new sewing dictionary. “Fluent Sewing” answers the “how” and “why” as well as the “what the heck is that?” for the more than 300 words and phrases included. ctpub.com, $22.95

Alabama Chanin designer Natalie Chanin is making it easier than ever to get her signature style by releasing every pattern from her first three books in ALABAMA STUDIO SEWING PATTERNS. All of the patterns come on a CD with the book, and the book includes new techniques for altering and customizing the patterns for your best fit. alabamachanin.com, $35

Create children’s clothes that are both cute and practical with the projects in STITCH WEAR PLAY

by Mariko Nakamura. The 20 projects (full-size paper patterns included) are for boys and girls ages 3 to 8, cover every season, and are meant to withstand whatever adventure your active little one may encounter. shop.sewdaily.com, $24.99

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buy this book ! shop.sew daily.com

Spend a weekend sewing in the heart of the Catskills this October at CAMP WORKROOM SOCIAL, a sewing retreat focused on contemporary apparel and style.

From Oct. 16-19, learn pattern making, dressmaking, and fit for your body and style while being inspired by the beautiful mountain setting. campworkroomsocial.com, $825

YOUR NEXT

Modern Project

AWAITS!

From placemats, to yoga mat carriers, to quilts, and more, you'll have a modern sewing project to create and use in every part of life.

Stitch Modern Sewing Projects | 49 pages | $11.99 | eBook | SRN: EP5850

Order your copy now at www.interweavestore.com/sewing or by calling 866-949-1646

advertiser index

marketplace

c Coats & Clark

21

Crafters Market

40

Crafty Planet

111

KITS

d Dear Stella c/o Timeless Treasures

1

FABRICS

i Interweave Books/ Artfully Embroidered

PATTERNS

33

NOTIONS/TOOLS

Interweave Books/ 107 Mollie Makes Embroidery Interweave DVDs/ Design and Print Your Own Fabric

89

Interweave E-Projects/ Beautiful Bedrooms

55

Original Sewing & Quilt Expo

Interweave E-Projects/ Modern Sewing Projects

110

r

Interweave Store

79

C4

63

Martingale & Co. Michael Miller Fabrics

CLASSES 3

GIFTS 111

See what we have in store for you.

Sew Wonders

99

www.sewitup.com

6

740 Grapevine Hwy, Hurst, TX 76054 817-514-6061

Stitch Digital Issues

69

t

m 11 C3

PUBLICATIONS

Sew It Up Stitch Back Issues

k Keepsake Quilting

RNK Distributing

109

s

j Janome America Inc

EMBELLISHMENTS

o

Tacony Corporation Timeless Treasures

7 C2

sewing web connection fabric shops The Material Girls www.materialgirlquilt.com (313) 561-1111 Fabrics for the artist in you.

111 sewdaily.com *

sew inspired

SOUTHERN

daily.com

“Alabama Studio Sewing Patterns,” Natalie Chanin, Published by Abrams Books | STC Craft, Photographs by Rinne Allen, Robert Rausch, and Abraham Rowe, Illustrations by Sun Young Park

finding inspiration

buy this book ! shop.sew

STYLE

One sewist’s life-changing weekend Essay ALEX WOODBURY I CAN HONESTLY SAY I’VE NOT BEEN AS CREATIVELY INSPIRED as when I stepped foot into the Alabama Chanin workshop a year and a half ago. My mother and I signed up for our first weekend workshop with the company in late August 2013, and from start to finish I was Instagramming, dreaming, chatting it up with the creative locals, and envisioning philanthropic fashion pursuits of my own.

There was nothing extremely stellar about the situation from the outside looking in. It was off the beaten path in Florence, Ala., in a warehouse building. Nothing screamed high-maintenance or showy.

When my mom and I pulled up to the side door from our drive down from Nashville, we said to each other, “Well, I hope this is a good deal.” Once the door opened, it was like a fresh wind of inspiration and excellence immediately hit us.

We were bombarded with racks of clothes; hanging fixtures being showcased in their truest form; hand-embellished sample booklets; books, dishes, and accessories featuring southern style. It’s as if each crevice of the space was looked over and asked of it, “Does this scream ‘Alabama Chanin?’”

Alabama Chanin positions itself as a lifestyle brand—so much more than fashion and organic knit. The Alabama Chanin weekend stirred up in me a greater desire to build something beautiful with my life and brand. To see Natalie blend

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helping people and the trade of craft and sewing so practically and beautifully made me realize that my dream was possible. The experience gave me the ability to breathe on my dream and pursue my own love for people and sewing. My company, Project Sewing Workshop, was formed in July of 2014, and was the result of life experience that echoed that of Alabama Chanin, and my time with Project Lydia, where I was teaching underprivileged women in Africa to sew. To see Natalie’s dreams become reality has made me realize that mine can, too. People are hungry for positive world change; to be a part of something that makes a difference and shifts atmospheres.

I only want to build on the principles

exemplified through Natalie Chanin, and hopefully forge my own path of influence in my creative work.

ALEX WOODBURY is owner and designer

of Project Sewing Workshop, a pattern development company that produces sewing products for every nation. She also works as Education Manager for Original Sewing & Quilt Expo, host to sewing shows across the U.S. Alex has traveled to Africa where she taught underprivileged women to sew through Project Lydia. Her heartbeat is to see the underprivileged empowered through the trade of sewing.

got

FABRIC?

tips +tricks

think sew!

SEE THE FULL SEWING BASICS ON SEWDAILY.COM

PATTERN INSERT GUIDE

A quick reference to the full-size patterns on the insert.

LAYOUT, MARKING + CUTTING GUIDELINES 1 The pattern insert features overlapping patterns, so you

Make the best bags ever! Select from 12 patterns in an appealing range of styles, including a pleated clutch, large market bag, trendy hipster bag, and hobo bag. Learn how-to techniques.

may not want to cut patterns or templates directly from the insert. Instead, use pattern paper (or other paper such as newsprint) or pattern tracing cloth to trace the pattern pieces you need from the insert and then cut out your traced pieces.

Regular office paper may be used for small templates that will fit. If necessary, use a light box or bright window for tracing.

By Susan Dunlop | $26.99

2If you are cutting pattern pieces on the fold or cutting two of

3All pattern markings should be on the wrong side of the

fabric unless otherwise noted.

4Lay the pattern pieces on the fabric as close together as pos-

sible. Double-check that all pattern pieces cut “on the fold” are placed on the fold.

5Make sure all pattern pieces are placed on the fabric with

the grainline running parallel to the lengthwise grain unless a bias grainline is present or as otherwise noted.

6Use weights to hold the pattern pieces down and use pins to

secure the corners as needed.

7Cut pieces slowly and carefully.

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Connect with us!

11 sewdaily.com *

Katwise transforms cable knits into coveted works of art Text LINDA TURNER GRIEPENTROG NESTLED IN THE WOODS near Woodstock, N.Y., is a house like no other—a kaleidoscope of colors perched on a hillside. Herein lives Kat O’Sullivan, painter, seamstress, and Etsy sweater goddess. The house is affectionately called Calico, but to Kat the more honest name is the House that Sweaters Built.

Inside, the house is filled with sweaters, sweaters, and more sweaters, all awaiting their new life as eclectic coats, hoodies, and arm warmers that Kat serges and sells within minutes on her Etsy site, Katwise (etsy.com/shop/katwise).

“After sewing with calicos and velvets for years, I drifted more toward knits. They are so liberating, particularly if you are a slapdash seamstress like myself,” Kat says.

“I paint with a wide brush, and I am much more into the grand gesture of a garment rather than its teensy details. Sweaters are a perfect medium to incorporate fantastic textures and a sense of gravitas without having to agonize over small finishing details.”

Kat’s creations are all first-come, first-serve. About 50 coats, hoodies, arm warmers, and more are available at a time on Kat’s shop, and each garment sells for up to $450 to buyers who are quick enough on the draw. Shoppers are notified about new items coming to Kat’s shop through Facebook, first several weeks in advance, and then just minutes beforehand. If you’re not online at just the right moment, you risk missing out altogether.

One Technicolor coat takes about 20 sweaters to make, depending on the size—the hum of Juki sergers is ongoing in Kat’s sewing attic. She starts by sorting her vast sweater collection into groups of

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All photos courtesy of Kat O'Sullivan

sew boutique

From inspiring people to hot trends, check out the news from around the sewing world.

Top left: One sweater coat takes up to 20 sweaters on average.

Bottom left: Kat's vast collection of thrift shop sweaters.

Above: Kat's home, called Calico, is painted to reflect her colorful aesthetic.

about 50, with group names like “Island of Misfit Sweaters,” “Sweater Night Fever,” and “Hundred Years Ago Collection.” Her sweaters come from thrift stores from the Adirondacks to the Poconos to the Berkshires. “It is a big, time-consuming part of my job, but luckily I adore thrift shopping, so it always feels like a treat to leave my sewing machine for a bit,” Kat says.

While she admits to no formal sewing training, and finishing high school at age 15 so she could travel and follow the Grateful Dead, Kat’s motto is, “Being a weirdo is a gift,” and she thinks of herself as a gypsy who makes patchwork clothes.

She’s been upcycling clothes for more than 20 years, hearkening back to her days on the road with the Dead selling patchwork creations.

Hanging out with her serger isn’t Kat’s entire existence. She’s traveled to more than 100 countries, and not in traditional

jet-setting style—she’s hitchhiked to Timbuktu, floated the Amazon, and begged for rides on a trip from Ecuador to New York with a kitten in tow. She’s been known to leave colorful murals and paintings along the way for her new friends to enjoy, too. There are also occasional road trips in the psychedelic painted bus that once served as Kat’s residence when she was a struggling street vendor in New York City, hardly noticeable next to her house.

“It took me 15 years of laboring in obscurity before I had any momentum at all,” says Kat. “If it is something that you really want to do, you need to have faith and just keep chugging along, learning new things, making good choices, and being prepared to have a lot of lean years.

It’s worth it in the end.”

For more information about Kat and a link to her Etsy site, visit KATWISE.COM.

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Evans and Liz Evans

Bound by a common thread

Meet the Elizabeths behind Simple Simon and Company Text VERONICA GRAHAM WHEN YOU’RE BOTH TEACHERS, you marry brothers, end up with the same name, and share a love of sewing, what other choice do you have than to go into business together?

Elizabeth C. Evans (who goes by Elizabeth) and Elizabeth S. Evans (who goes by Liz) are the Utah-based sisters-inlaw behind Simple Simon and Company (simplesimonandco.com). Together they create anything from quilts to little girls’ Audrey Hepburn costumes and teach the world how to sew along with them.

“We always wish we could get everybody in a room and help each other and talk and interact with people, so the blog is the next best thing, this little online classroom we can have going on all the time,” Liz says.

Liz and Elizabeth became family first and partners in sewing second. Elizabeth married her husband in 2000, older brother to Liz’s husband, whom she married in 1998. They bonded over their teaching careers and then becoming stay at home moms. Swapping patterns and projects over family dinners led to appearances at craft fairs, which prompted them to create simplesimonandco.com to share their work with their customers and each other.

Five years ago, Liz came up with the experiment that would propel Simple Simon and Company: Sew a project and blog about it for 30 days in a row.

“It was addicting,” Liz says. “I didn’t think we’d make it more than halfway through the month, but we realized there was more than enough material.”

Says Elizabeth: “That 30 turned into 60, then into a year, and here we are five years this year since that experiment started.”

The Elizabeths hang their hats on both garment sewing and quilting, walking

Above: Liz and Elizabeth have teamed up to produce a host of videos, including the Striped Paper Bag Waist Skirt in this issue, on shop.sewdaily.com.

Get Liz and Elizabeth's how-to videos ON SHOP.S

EWDAILY.CO

the line between two worlds that they say don’t always interact. Their projects and tutorials also grow along with their kids.

“We’ve kind of come full circle,” Elizabeth says. “Liz started with quilting. We both had boys first, and then after our girls were born we threw ourselves into garment sewing. It’s so fun to sew for a girl—not that it’s not for a boy—but we loved making dresses and skirts, and over the last couple years we’ve come back to adding that quilting aspect into garment sewing.”

Life as stay at home moms is also a huge part of Simple Simon and Company. They share their trials and triumphs in a weekly blog series titled “The Art of Homemaking,” a friendly jab at the standards to which stay at home moms once held themselves (it’s also a book from the 1960s). Says Liz: “It’s actually what’s formed a lot of connections with the women who are sewing along with us. They’re in a lot of the situations we’re in. We’ve formed personal relationships with our readers.”

This year Liz and Elizabeth will add fabric designer, pattern maker, and author to their list of credentials. “Four Corners,” their first collection from Riley Blake Designs, will make its debut in August, in both apparel and quilting-weight cottons.

Their first girls’ dress patterns and how-to book are also in the works for either this

M

year or 2016. You can also sew two of their projects in this issue—the Striped Paper Bag Waist Skirt on page 53, and the Charm Pack Plus One Baby Quilt on page 59— and even sew these projects along with them in their videos by the same name on shop.sewdaily.com.

Liz and Elizabeth each learned to sew in different ways, but it reflects the way they balance each other out. Liz resisted anything to do with sewing and crafting until she begrudgingly went to a quilting class with her mom eight years ago. Growing up she actually got herself kicked out of home ec by switching the other students’ pedal feeds. “Never in a million years would I have guessed that I would have willingly chosen to make the decisions I have and be happy about it,” Liz says of her life now.

Elizabeth, however, excelled at sewing in home ec, and though it fell to the wayside for other teen-aged activities, she returned to it as an adult, realizing how much she’d missed it. “Eleven years ago I started back into sewing and haven’t stopped. I call it my thing that can’t be undone. There are always dishes and laundry to do, but sewing, that creative process, whether it’s for 10 minutes or a couple hours, it’s my thing that will stay.”

For more about Liz and Elizabeth, visit SIMPLESIMONANDCO.COM.

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SILK ORGANZA, DUCHESS SATIN, CHANTILLY LACE—Jill Andrews loves designing wedding gowns for the chance to play with the most indulgent, luxurious fabrics the textile world has to offer.

Nowadays the Baltimore-based designer’s medium of choice is Tychem, a synthetic and decidedly less romantic material used for healthcare worker suits instead of blushing brides.

“There’s definitely a change of pace there,” Jill says, but adds that knowing how well-respected Tychem is in the healthcare world is a nice touch.

Jill is using her sewing skills to help Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Bioengineering and Innovation create a new and improved suit for healthcare workers treating Ebola patients in West Africa. They entered the prototype they developed last fall in the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (U.S. AID) Grand Challenge to Fight Ebola, a government-sponsored contest looking for new ideas to stop the Ebola outbreak affecting hundreds of thousands of people.

In December, their suit was one of three ideas selected out of the more than 1,500 entries for consideration for mass production. U.S. AID hopes to outfit healthcare workers in the suit this month.

“I had no idea it would go this far. I just knew that I could help,” Andrews says.

“We all worked together, and everybody’s ideas were valuable on this important mission to help save lives.”

Designing wedding gowns since her fashion school days, Jill heard about the Grand Challenge from a friend working at Johns Hopkins. The school put out a call for anyone and everyone who could potentially help their researchers create a new suit that could better protect healthcare workers from the very disease they were fighting to contain. One of the

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Photo courtesy of Johns Hopkins University

Text VERONICA GRAHAM

All photos courtesy of Jill Andrews unless noted.

FIGHTING THE EBOLA CRISIS WITH WEDDING GOWNS

Top: One of Jill's wedding gown creations.

Right: Jill sewing one of the many prototypes created during the initial Grand Challenge weekend.

Bottom: One of Jill's group members models the initial suit patterns she drafted.

professions the university was looking for were soft goods makers—in other words, sewists.

Jill felt compelled to apply for both professional and personal reasons, she says. On top of being a skilled seamstress, “I have two close friends who are Liberian.

It's something very much on my mind.”

Back when Jill was building up her wedding gown business, she also worked in costume design. “I’ve made really complicated gowns for women that had to do tricks like stand on their heads, and for ice skaters and dancers, so I’m familiar with movement and what bodies need to perform certain actions,” Jill says. That background ended up being exactly what Johns Hopkins needed; she was one of 65

applicants selected to participate, the only sewist among them.

During the initial brainstorming weekend, Jill’s group worked on creating a suit that could be taken on and off without exposing healthcare workers to patients’ contagious bodily fluids. The end result is a suit that can be shed like second-skin with little use of the hands. Key to the suit’s removal is a facemask integrated into its hood so that workers don’t have to bring their hands up to their face. “Every time workers bring their hands up to their face, there’s a major chance of contamination,” Andrews says.

For every idea the group came up with that weekend, it was Jill who brought it to life on the sewing machine. Jill says a steady stream of participants would line up at her machine with a pattern to draft or sew. “To skip that part where you’re saying, ‘Imagine this without the duct tape,’ and go one step further and say, ‘Now just imagine that seam is bonded,’ it’s easier to make that jump.”

At press time, the prototype suit Jill and her team created was still with U.S. AID; Jill expected her team would be called upon to help finalize the plans for mass production. In the meantime, Jill says it’s back to business as usual at her shop. “If somebody wants me to redesign hospital gowns, I’m there, but I’m sticking to wedding gowns,” Andrews says. “I’ll have to do one out of Tychem someday.”

wishlist

1 | Ocean blue with flecks of copper, wear this custommade resin ring individually or stacked.

Resin Rings, etsy.com/shop/Resity, $24

summer ELIXIR

2 | Sandals are one of our favorite summer staples, so what’s better than a pair of authentic Spartan Sandals straight from Greece? This handmade Spartan Sandal is made out of genuine leather and adorned with semi-precious stones, crystals, and colorful pom poms. Spartan Sandals, etsy.com/shop/ ElinaLinardaki, $125.46

MIX UP YOUR OCEAN BLUES WITH EXOTIC ACCENTS 3 | This accent

pillow showcases a

4 | Rich in color with its jewel-toned tassels and jacquard ribbon, this Brass Cuff is a true statement piece that encompasses just the right dose of bold. Cuff Bracelet, etsy.com/shop/EPUU, $50

beautifully handpainted dandelion with seeds blowing in the wind, in a blue watercolor wash. Measuring at 16" × 16", it’s a great work of art for your bedroom.

Hand-painted Dandelion Pillow, etsy.com/shop/ BoundbyEmilyMagone, $60

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profile

making it real text LINZEE KULL MCCRAY

Tula Pink’s New Video Series Opens the Door to a Designer’s Life

s t i k r o f k o o L and products FROMDATILUY.LCOAM

ON SEW

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Maintaining her Tula-vision isn’t always easy, but she says it’s essential.

“I rely on my instincts while designing, but letting myself do that was a learning process,” she says. “I set a pretty high standard, and it took me a long time to figure out that I don’t have to be everything to everyone. I just have to be the best version of me that I can be. When I trust my gut and my ability, rather than overthinking things, people respond.”

This commitment to her vision is fostered by a rich internal imagination, fed by her love of stories. “I’m a total narrative person,” she says, drawn in by books, movies, and long, detailed TV shows. “I love biographies, science fiction, kid’s books, adult books, and immersing myself in all kinds of alternate realities. Really, that’s what my fabric lines are all about.”

To see those alternate realities come to life is the underpinning plot of her “reality” series.

She’s also inspired by patterns of the Victorian era, but Tula’s designs give those historically intertwined shapes a wry

All photos courtesy of Tula Pink

TULA PINK LIVES TO WORK AND LOVES EVERY MINUTE OF IT. That’s the story she plans to tell in her yet-to-be-named video series debuting in late summer 2015. By her own admission, she’s a workaholic.

Up to six days a week, Tula’s bent over her sewing machine, computer, or drawing table, creating quilts, writing books, or designing her next line of imaginatively illustrated fabric. When she does take time off from work she frequently fills those hours with more of the same. “On weekends I go down the path less traveled, sewing with solids instead of my prints or stitching something complicated or difficult,” she says. Even though she’s off-duty, she’s still exploring color and playing with shapes, and the results inevitably appear in her commercial work.

“Taking time off is hard when you’re crazypassionate about what you do.”

It’s just this passion that Tula wants to share as she takes her audience on a journey through a season of designing her upcoming fabric line, “Eden.” The series, created in partnership with F+W Media, parent company to Stitch magazine, is set to film in June on location in her fantastic St. Joseph, Mo. studio and home. Tula’s goal is to pull back the curtain on the reality of what it takes to be a designer, and hopefully inspire others along the way.

A designer’s life is a lot more hard work than glamour. It’s been nearly 10 years since Tula started exercising said crazy passion in the fabric industry. Previously she worked as an exhibition designer for museums and a graphic designer in the Los Angeles music industry. But at night and on weekends, with her aunt and cousin, she was quilting. In 2007 at her mother’s urging, she sent some designs to Moda, and within weeks her first fabric was in production. She created six lines for them, and in 2010 began designing for FreeSpirit, for whom she’s designed nine lines, with four more in production. Tula’s fabrics are a distinctive melding of her love of drawing, offbeat narratives, and bright, fresh colors.

Viewers will get an inside peek at Tula’s renovated St. Joseph, Mo. barn that serves as her home and studio. Every aspect, including her workspace (top) and storage and organization system (above), reflects her unique color sense.

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Top: The prints from Tula’s current “Elizabeth” fabric line incorporate both historical style and modern, unexpected embellishments.

The Elizabeth Tote on page 56 also features “Elizabeth” fabrics.

Left: Tula’s bright and bold quilts liven up the Missouri landscape where she calls home.

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twist, substituting bats and octopi for the more traditional decorative flourishes. “I love little details and get very caught up in them,” she says. “It’s about balancing the design with the details that tell the story and making it a Tula Pink print.” While designing fabric, she keeps her previous line in a place of prominence, with the goal of making the next line even better.

Fabric lines used to be designed anonymously, but social media and changes in the fabric industry mean that sewists-in-the-know now follow designers, eagerly anticipating their next lines. These days, a celebrity culture has engulfed the fabric design world—Tula can’t take two steps across the Quilt Market floor without a fan stopping her. But even those who wait on the edge of their sewing chairs for their favorite designer’s latest creations don’t know everything that goes into the process. “Designers typically put out two major lines each year, and we work on them for six months,” says Tula. “This series will let people see that there’s really a person sitting in a room thinking about the designs. We’ll cover everything from the idea phase to drafting the images digitally to figuring out the color palette to designing a booth for Quilt Market.”

The videos are set in Tula’s home, a renovated, 150-year-old, three-story brick barn set on two acres. Her studio is on the

Tula’s Butterfly Quilt pattern is shown here in her “Acacia” collection.

second floor, and she lives on the third.

Her mother and brother work with her, running the I Heart Tula Pink fabric and pattern shop from the first floor. She calls the house a three-dimensional art project, having altered and adorned nearly every surface, often with something that has a “cheeky factor.”

Viewers will have a unique opportunity to experience that cheeky décor. “I have a collection of busts of America’s founding fathers that I’ve painted all different colors—there’s a pink Lincoln, an aqua Washington, and a couple of Jeffersons in yellow and gold,” she says. “And, I have books everywhere. I never thought I’d fill this space when I moved in a year-and-ahalf ago, but I’m like a goldfish who grows to the size of its tank.”

In addition to her turn before the cameras, Tula’s got numerous other projects on tap. She teaches and speaks around the globe about her work and as an ambassador for Bernina sewing machines, which released a Tula Pink

machine in March. Her fabric designs are being reproduced in coloring book form (including five never-before-seen designs), and she and Angela Walters, the renowned machine quilter with whom she’s partnered for years, will collaborate on a book. Fans can look for the likes of these and other Tula products on sewdaily.com.

Through the many episodes of the series, Tula will continue telling her story—real or imagined—through fabric.

“Whether they sew garments or bags or quilts, what brings people to sewing is fabric,” she says. “It’s the core of it all.”

LINZEE KULL MCCRAY is a writer and

editor with a focus on textiles and crafts. She’s a contributing editor for Stitch magazine and the author of Art Quilts in the Midwest. She loves to read, write, sew, and knit. Find her on Instagram and Twitter at @seamswrite.

AVAILABLE NOW at shop.sewdaily.com

100 Modern Quilt Blocks Tula Pink’s City Sampler

by Tula Pink

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BINDING WITH MITERED CORNERS If using double-layer binding (option B above) follow the alternate italicized instructions in parentheses wherever you see them.

Open the binding and press ½" to the wrong side at one short end (refold the binding at the center crease and proceed). Starting with the folded-under end of the binding, place it near the center of the first edge of the project to be bound, matching the raw edges, SEE THE FULL SEWING BASICS ON SEWDAILY.COM and pin in place. Begin sewing near the center of one edge, along the first crease (at the appropriate distance from the raw edge), leaving Cutting Bias Strips several inches of the binding fabric free DIAGONAL SEAMS at the beginning. Stop sewing ¼" before FOR JOINING STRIPS reaching the corner, backtack, and cut the Lay two strips right sides together, at right threads. Rotate the project 90 degrees to angles. The area where the strips overlap CUTTING STRAIGHT STRIPS position it for sewing the next side. Fold the forms a square.

Sew diagonally across the binding fabric up, away from the project, at Cut strips on the crosswise grain, from square as shown above.

Trim the excess a 45-degree angle (1), then fold it back down selvedge to selvedge, cutting to the width indifabric ¼" away from the seam line and press along the Cutting Bias project Strips raw edge (2). This forms a cated in the project instructions. Use a rotary the seam allowances open. Repeat to join all miter at the corner. Stitch the second side, cutter and straightedge to obtain a straight the strips, forming one long fabric band. beginning at the project raw edge (2) and cut. Remove the selvedges and join the strips ending ¼" from the next corner, as before. with diagonal seams.

Continue as established until you have comFolding pletedBinding the last corner. Continue stitching until you are a few inches from the beginning edge of the binding fabric. Overlap the CUTTING BIAS STRIPS pressed beginning edge of the binding by ½" Cut strips to the width indicated in the (or overlap more as necessary for security) project instructions. Fold one cut end of the and trim the working edge to fit. Finish sewfabric to meet one selvedge, forming Folding Binding ing the binding (opening the center fold and a fold at a 45-degree angle to the selvedge. tucking the raw edge inside the pressed end of With the fabric placed on a self-healing mat, the binding strip). Refold the binding along all cut off the fold with a rotary cutter, using a the creases and then fold it over the project straightedge as a guide to make a straight raw edges to the back, enclosing the raw cut. With the straightedge and rotary cutter, edges (there are no creases to worry about cut strips to the appropriate width. Join the with option B). The of the binding Attaching Binding withfolded Miterededge Corners strips with diagonal seams. strip should just cover the stitches visible on Folding Binding FOLD BINDING the project back. Slip-stitch the binding in place, tucking in the corners to complete the A. Double-fold Binding This option will Strips as you go (3). create binding that is similar to packaged Cutting Biasmiters double-fold bias tape/binding.

Fold the Cutting Bias Strips Cutting Bias Strips Attaching strip in half lengthwise, with wrong Binding sides with Mitered Corners together; press. Open up the fold and then fold each long edge toward the wrong side, so that the raw edges meet in the middle 1 (1). Refold the binding along the existing center crease, enclosing the raw edges (2), and press again.

2 1 B. Double-layer Attaching Binding with Mitered Corners Binding This option creates a double-thickness binding with only one fold. This binding is often favored by quilters. Fold the strip in half lengthwise Folding Binding with wrong sides together; press.

Folding Binding

tips +tricks

CREATE BINDING

Folding Binding

2

1

Attaching Binding with Mitered Corners

Attaching Binding with Mitered Corners

2 Attaching Binding with Mitered Corners

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3

© 2015 Coats & Clark. All rights reserved. Coats & Clark is a registered trademark.

1

figure 21

2

Pattern Design Courtesy of Angela Wolf. www.angelawolfpatterns.com 15-008

1

figure 2

MAKING A YO-YO 1 With a fabric marking tool, trace your template onto the wrong side of the yo-yo fabric and cut along the traced line. Repeat to cut the desired number of yo-yo circles.

2 With the wrong side of the yo-yo circle facing up, fold over ¼" along the edge of your circle. With a handsewing needle and thread, sew a running stitch through both layers of fabric, about 1⁄16–1⁄8" from the edge. Make sure your thread is long enough to go around the perimeter of the circle with a bit to spare (figure 1).

Note: The stitch length determines the size of the center opening in your finished yo-yo. Longer stitches make a more tightly gathered center, while shorter stitches will make the opening larger (which is perfect if you intend to sew a button in the center).

3 Gently pull your thread until the edges gather in the center (figure 2).

Continue tightening until the center is tightly gathered. Make a couple of stitches to secure the gathers, then tie a knot.

4 Flatten the yo-yo with your hand to make it lie flat, with the gathered center on top.

My Color. My Look.

My Thread.

Featuring Dual Duty XP ®All Purpose Thread

makeitcoats.com

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technique spotlight

hype stripes the

How to work with lines of all kinds, including six different techniques

Text LINDA TURNER GRIEPENTROG

around

Diamond Patchwork Pillow from the Stitch Home eBook, shop.sewdaily.com (see page 26).

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Striped Paper Bag Waist Skirt, page 53. Video on shop.sewdaily.com

Futuristic Rain Cape, page 50.

Striped prints

IF YOU’RE CAPTIVATED BY THE IDEA OF STRIPES, but feeling a little unsure about how to work with them, fear not. Stripes are easy to conquer, and a few basic sewing principles will have you wanting more time to play with these linear lovelies.

STRIPE SAVVY Stripes can be found in both woven and knitted fabrics. They can be created along with the fabric (i.e. woven in or knitted in), or printed on the fabric surface later.

If the lines are printed, there will be a visible right and wrong side to the fabric’s appearance; woven stripes appear the same on both sides of the fabric.

Look for striped patterning in three directions on the fabric: vertical, horizontal, or diagonal. The lines can be clear and distinct like candy canes, or have a bit of wave or wiggle.

Some print fabrics—“stripe cousins”— need to be treated like stripes for matching, even though they’re not traditional stripes in the crisp, lined sense.

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technique spotlight

Even stripes (left), and uneven stripes (right)

As if the direction weren’t enough of a variable, stripes also can be classified as even or uneven. Even stripes are symmetrical from left to right of any line in the patterning. Uneven stripes differ from right to left of any given line, with color placement and/or stripe widths.

The easiest way to tell the true character of any stripe is to visualize a center line in the stripes, then look left and right for symmetry (or not). Or, fold the fabric right sides together and fold back the upper edge at a 45-degree angle; if the stripes match, it’s even; if not, it’s uneven. (figure 1)

figure 2

figure 1

figure 3

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CUTTING CUES Generally speaking, select patterns with the fewest seams possible, and avoid curved seams and darts, which distort the stripe lines—unless, of course, you want to showcase them or play with line direction.

Some garment patterns are shown in stripes; others caution, “not suitable for stripes.”

If making clothing from a striped fabric, match as many of the seams as possible—particularly center front and center back, and the side seams. If it’s an even stripe, a double layer of fabric can be cut at one time, but for uneven, it’s best to cut a single layer.

Pin the fabric layers together carefully, matching the stripes in the underlayer to those in the top layer. Depending on the fabric and the distance between stripes, every stripe may need to be pinned for perfect alignment. When laying out the pattern, match adjoining seams to exactly the same stripe. Remember to match stripes at the seamline, not at the cutting line. (figure 2) One easy way to ensure a match is to draw the stripe lines onto the pattern piece. (figure 3) This is especially helpful for matching pockets or other interior pieces.

Place any dominant horizontal stripes along the hemline or lower edge of a garment, rather than across the hipline or bustline.

Photo courtesy of Nancy’s Notions

SEWING SMARTS

Walking foot Fork pins

If a garment is cut to match, it should match when sewn, but care is needed to ensure that outcome. Careful pinning is essential, and in some instances it’s wise to hand baste to ensure perfect alignment.

Since fabric has a tendency to shift as seams are sewn, a walking foot can be helpful to prevent distortion as it keeps both layers of the seam moving at the same speed.

Two helpful notions for stripe superiority are fork pins and Dritz Wash Away water-soluble basting tape. Fork pins offer two parallel shafts to hold stripes in place—a little extra security from just a standard pin.

Basting tape is used to hold the seamline firmly in place for stitching, and a perfect match. To use basting tape, press under the seam allowance on the top layer of the fabric. Place the tape just inside the seamline on the adjacent piece. Remove the protective paper from the tape, and adhere the layers together with a perfect stripe match. Then fold the seam right sides together and stitch along the seamline. The tape can be stitched through if needed, without gumming up the needle.

BUILDING IN BODY

Basting tape

If striped fabric is in need of a little more body than it has coming off the bolt, consider using spray starch or a starch alternative like Mary Ellen’s Best Press before cutting and sewing. The extra body can be helpful to the sewing process to ensure accurate alignment.

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technique spotlight

SIX WAYS TO PLAY Once comfortable with basic stripe sewing and matching, it’s time to think outside the lines, so to speak, and start playing with the stripes.

1 PLAYING WITH PATCHWORK Slicing a large striped fabric across the stripes and staggering the positioning for resewing is a quick way to create an intricately pieced look, without the hassle of working with tiny pieces. Just pin securely for perfect alignment and onlookers will have to get close to see your ingenuity.

Using stripe blocks in alternating directions creates a basket-weave look similar to a simple four-patch, and there’s no matching. That same four-patch can take on a different persona by cutting the squares on the bias.

Striped fabrics make a wonderful frame for a simple quilt block—use them in alternating directions for more interest.

Slicing and reassembling

Patchwork stripes

Patchwork stripes on the bias

Home

Another way to play with this technique is making striped patchwork diamonds. Just swap the patches cut on the bias so that the two “V’s” connect along the inside. We did just that for the Diamond Patchwork Pillow in our Stitch Home eBook—buy it in the Sew Daily shop and give it a try!

shop.sewdaily.com

Featuring NEVER SEEN BEFORE PROJECTS!

1

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WITH STRIPES 2 AT AN ANGLE

Add a little fun to a garment by changing the direction of stripes on a yoke, pocket, cuff, collar, or other small portion. On a vertical stripe, create a pocket or yoke with horizontal striping. Bias stripes are often used as a design element.

To change the direction of a pattern grainline, simply redraw it in the new direction. To get a 45-degree bias line, fold the pattern piece so the original grainline is at a right angle to itself, and redraw the line. (figure 4) To create a chevron, like at the center front of a skirt, redraw the grainline at an angle and cut both skirt fronts on the exact same fabric stripe. The chevron stripes can face up or down, depending on how you cut them, and they can be at any angle, though 45 degrees is the most common slant.

figure 4

Chevron stripes

3 BINDING/PIPING

One place to showcase stripes is on trims, like binding and piping. Use them crosswise across the trim width, lengthwise along the trim, or on the bias for more fun and a totally different look. If you’re going around a curve using a woven fabric, bias is a must to avoid puckering. If the stripe is knit, cut it crosswise or on the bias for the best stretch.

Binding placed lengthwise (left), crosswise (middle), and on the bias (right)

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technique spotlight

4 SIZE WISE

Another fun stripe technique is to mix up different sizes of stripes in the same color combination. For example, showcase a narrow red and white stripe in a section of a T-shirt made from a wider stripe in the same color combo.

Mixing differently-sized stripes

5 STITCHING PATTERNS

A striped fabric makes a perfect canvas for using the decorative stitches on a sewing machine. There’s no marking, just follow the lines with the edge of the presser foot.

On lightweight fabrics, add a stabilizer behind them to prevent puckering as you stitch.

Decorative stitching along the lines

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6 TUCKING TACTICS

One big advantage of striped fabric is that you can follow the lines to make pleats or tucks, and doing so can create some clever color illusions. Pleating (either stitched or unstitched) along color lines can create the look of a solid color until there’s movement, when the other stripe color(s) appear.

Or, pre-pleat striped fabric before cutting out a project or garment section (more fabric will be needed to accommodate the take-up from the pleating process).

Stitched tucks can be used very successfully on a striped fabric to showcase a waistline or other narrow portion of a project, such as a cuff. The stitched portion appears as one color while the released ends showcase more color(s), depending on the stripe.

Folding and pressing stitched tucks in alternate directions creates yet another study in color. Stitch them in place for a permanent hold. This color wave is great for the front of a pillow, or when done on a smaller scale, for the front of a garment.

Using a twin needle and tightened top tension, stitch down a narrow stripe to create a raised pintuck or ribbed look. Twin needles come in several spacings, from 1.6 mm to 9 mm between needles, so likely something will fit most any stripe.

Pleating

Stitched tucks

Alternately stitched tucks

LINDA TURNER GRIEPENTROG is

the owner of G Wiz Creative Services in Bend, Oregon. She writes, edits, and designs for several companies in the sewing, craft, and quilting industries. She also leads fabric shopping tours to Hong Kong for the American Sewing Guild and will be leaving again in Fall 2016. Contact her at gwizdesigns@aol.com.

Raised pintucks

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BOOK EXCERPT

50 Fat Quarter Makes Fifty Sewing Projects Made Using Fat Quarters by various contributors; edited by Ame Verso

DOWNLOAD THE TEMPLATES FOR THIS PROJECT AT SEWDAILY.COM/STITCHPATTERNS

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David & Charles/F+W $24.99 Available at shop.sewdaily.com

D AY C A M I S O L E Y N TOP SUN ---Louise Horler This pretty camisole top is perfect for wearing whilst lounging in a deckchair on a hot day.

Easy to make by cutting the armholes from two fat quarters, seaming together and adding binding and tie straps, it is sure to become a staple of your summer wardrobe.

MATERIALS

◆

5 Turn the top inside out and iron. Machine

on the top left and top right corners of the front

sew from the bottom of the armhole to

and back fat quarters and cut around.

the bottom of the fabric, this time using a

4 fat quarters of fabric in coordinating colours: 1 for front, 1 for back, 2 for bias binding

2 To make the elastic casing, fold the top

3

of the fabric over by ⁄8in (1cm) towards the

6 To make bias binding for the arm straps,

2 pieces of 8½in (22cm) length, ¾in (2cm) width elastic

back and iron. Fold over another 1in (2.5cm)

fold one of the remaining fat quarters

and iron again. Machine stitch close to the

diagonally in half and iron. Cut along this

edge along the bottom of the casing, making

line and use as a guide to measure, then

reinforcing stitches at the beginning and end.

cut 2in (5cm) wide strips of fabric. You will

3 Use a safety pin to thread the elastic

need approximately 41½in (105cm) of bias

through the casing. Hold the end of the elastic

binding for each strap.

at the end of the casing on the right-hand

7 Cut all the short ends of the strips to

side and stitch up and down to keep it in

make sure they are straight. Place one strip

place. Repeat at the left-hand side to make a

horizontally, pattern side up, and another strip

gathered top band. Repeat on the other side.

on top, pattern side down, at a 90 degree

4 Sew the sides using a French seam. Place

angle. Sew across the overlapping square

the fabric pieces together with the pattern

diagonally from left to right (see Fig 1). Cut

on both sides facing outwards. Pin from the

off the excess fabric triangle and open the

bottom of the armhole to the bottom of the

fabric up to form a continuous strip of bias

fabric and machine sew close to the edge.

binding. Turn over the binding and iron any

Repeat on the other side.

seams open.

3

⁄8in (1cm) seam allowance.

Top Tip

w Se

Figg 1 Pattern side up

PIECE SOME STRIPS TOGETHER TO GET THE LENGTH OF THE BIAS BINDING.

Pattern side down

◆

1 Place the armhole patterns (see Templates)

4 Fat Quarters

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Top Tip WHEN SEWING THE BIAS BINDING IN PLACE, STITCH AS CLOSE TO THE EDGES AS POSSIBLE.

8 Fold the binding in half lengthways and

10 Repeat Steps 6–8 to make 41in (104cm)

iron. Open up and fold each side into the

more bias binding from the final fat quarter.

middle and iron again. To finish, fold in half

Sandwich the bottom of the top in the bias

and iron again.

binding and pin around, then machine sew,

9 Make two pieces of the same length for the

slightly overlapping at one of the seams for

ties and find the middle point. Starting at the

a neat finish.

middle of the armhole, sandwich the fabric between the bias binding and pin. Pin up each side of the armhole until you reach the top of each strap end. Machine sew from the top of the strap down along the armhole and up to the other end of the strap. Repeat for the other side of the top.

- 80 -

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4 Fat Quarters

Vintage Embroidery Designs WITH A MODERN TWIST Artfully Embroidered reinvents vintage embroidery through a modern aesthetic. Traditional Japanese and western motifs are made new with color and embellishment, and 25 embroidered patterns demonstrate the beauty of the traditional designs while keeping the projects fresh and modern-looking for today’s sewists.

Artfully Embroidered | 120 pages | $24.99 | Paperback | SRN: 14SW04

Order your copy now at www.interweavestore.com/sewing or by calling 866-949-1646

textiles in

America Down but never out, U.S. textiles are staging their grand comeback

text VERONICA GRAHAM

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Photo courtesy of Premier Prints

DISAPPEARING ACT Once the spark that started the Industrial Revolution, the U.S. textile industry’s near-fatal blows came in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Free trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement of 1994 opened the door to textile and apparel production in Mexico. Asian currencies dropped in value around the same time, calling manufacturers of all

kinds overseas. The U.S. lost 5.7 million manufacturing jobs in the 2000s according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“It obviously had a devastating effect on our industry in general,” says Jim Hopkins, vice president of sales at Hamrick Mills, an apparel and industrial textiles mill in Gaffney, South Carolina. Hopkins began his career in textile sales in 1982 with mill giant J.P. Stevens of Norma Rae fame. He joined Hamrick in 2003 when he felt the end was imminent for J.P. Stevens.

J.P. Stevens would be bought up in 1988, file for bankruptcy in 1991 and ’97, and ultimately fold in 2003.

Business at Hamrick was reasonably good when Hopkins came on board—not what it once was, but not terrible, he says.

Hamrick Mills survived by expanding the types of textiles it produced, and by avoiding debt, which Hopkins thinks largely sealed other mills’ fates. “Large companies at the time had a feeling that they needed to control more of the supply

American Made Brand starts with fresh-picked cotton (top) and ends up as solid-colored fabric for quilting (right). Left: Premier Prints' fabrics are all printed in Sherman, Mississippi.

All photos courtesy of Clothworks unless otherwise noted

Photo courtesy of Premier Prints

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO MAKE FABRIC FROM START TO FINISH ENTIRELY IN THE UNITED STATES? Ted Hoffman posed that question in 2007 when he bought Clothworks, Seattlebased makers of quilting cottons. It took him the next seven years to finally find an answer in the American Made Brand, a line of solids that boasts an all-U.S. “farm to fabric” process.

“A lot of fabrics say they’re finished here, but the cotton has been grown in China, or the greige goods were manufactured in Pakistan,” Hoffman says.

“Our mission really was to set out and connect all of those dots.”

Making textiles in the U.S. didn’t present that kind of challenge until the last 20 to 25 years, when cheaper costs lured the industry overseas. From 2000 to 2009, more than 650 textile mills closed, putting more than 400,000 people out of work.

But now, more companies are bringing their business back home to American mills that are competing with their foreign counterparts in price and working hard to outpace them in quality and innovation.

U.S. textile mills received more than $1 billion in new investment last year, according to National Council of Textile Organizations president Auggie Tantillo, and the U.S. is now the third-largest exporter of textiles in the world.

“I think there is a very legit and sincere level of optimism in the industry that I haven’t seen in years,” Tantillo says. “I don’t want to get too comfortable or believe that it’s going to be that we permanently turned a corner here, but this industry is healthy. It is growing.”

chain and began buying either suppliers or customers for more control and improved profitability,” Hopkins says. “When they were unable to pay the banks during down times, they ultimately went out of business.”

SPUN IN THE USA The few players left in business were ill-equipped for quilting cotton when Hoffman started working on the American Made Brand, he says. Since most of the quilting world was and still does take its business to Japan and Korea, Hoffman had to convince his weavers, spinners, and dyers that he was committed to the product, even investing in the needed tools and infrastructure. “It’s an economic decision everyone has to make—what technology do I need to make products that get the largest margin,” Hoffman says.

Clothworks’ other fabric lines are made in Japan. Hoffman says doing business there is relatively straightforward. The

35 sewdaily.com *

In Sherman, Mississippi, family-owned fabric makers Premier Prints are testing the overseas sales markets less than 30 years after their start in upholstery fabric, with customers already established in Japan.

Premier Prints started in 1991, focusing exclusively on decking fabric that furniture companies could customize. The niche product fared well, even during the ’90s, says fabric designer Clint Wright. Wright joined Premier in 1999, just as the company decided to expand into home décor cotton prints. Eventually the decking fabric dropped off and the cotton prints expanded to more than 1,500 for both apparel and décor.

36

* stitch

Once cotton is picked (top left), it’s baled and sent to the textile mill (top right).

The cotton is then separated into threads (middle left and right) that are woven into greige (pronounced “gray”) goods (bottom left) to be dyed and printed (bottom right).

Photo courtesy of Premier Prints

GOING GLOBAL

All photos courtesy of Clothworks unless otherwise noted.

product is reliable, and the price is steady, outside of a cotton shortage in Asia that spiked prices a few years ago, he says. “In Japan I don’t have to specify to them every single time the weight of the yarn and how it should be spun, and is it combed or carded or rim spun. All of those different things, I don’t have to determine that every time because the yards are already available in the right formulation I need.”

Coming up with the American Made Brand took more trial and error, Hoffman says, “and some cajoling of the vendors to go off spinner or off loom, convincing them to do something different.” They worked backward, starting with the finished product and pulling it apart to find dyers, weavers, spinners, yarn, and cotton.

Their suppliers are all based in the South (Hoffman declined to name his specific vendors). They stuck with solid colors for both their recent resurgence in popularity and longer shelf life.

American Made Brand launched last year, and Hoffman says sales so far are justifying the experiment. He doesn’t have to travel as much to his vendors to oversee things, and the brand added more colors this year. Hoffman says he’s taking things one step at a time when it comes to the line’s potential, though. “We’re a relatively small company, so we’re focusing on doing stuff right.”

Photo courtesy of Premier Prints

“We started doing cotton prints imported from Turkmenistan, and as time went on, we wanted to do them in the USA,” Wright says. Shipments started taking longer to arrive, and the quality was hit or miss, with more misses than hits coming in. “Once you get it, it’s yours. We always had to work more hours to make the fabric work.”

Premier started looking for mills in the Carolinas to handle their fabrics. They called on the older, once-thriving mills whose looms were now silent. “We put them to work,” Wright says. “We had to pay more per yard for the fabric, but it was worth it. We knew what was going to be produced, we could go at any time to see how much product we had on hand, and we were able to schedule better.” Wright also declined to name Premier’s vendors specifically, but he says the cost to make their fabrics in the U.S. is maybe “10 to 20 cents more per yard” than it would be to do business overseas again. “It’s pennies, really.”

Now, Premier Prints is hoping to sell their fabrics outside the U.S. They already have about four customers in Japan who make five to six orders a year for their smaller, trendier fabric stores. Wright says the shipping is easy, with only a couple custom forms to fill out, and that their customers handle shipping costs. “They’re excited it’s from the U.S. [in Japan]. They’re all about the country and the style.” At a recent textile show in Germany, though, reaction to American-made fabrics was mixed, Wright says. “It’s something we’re studying right now, how easy will it be, and will we be competitive.”

Trade agreements once spelled doom for U.S. textiles, but Tantillo believes a new trade agreement on the horizon could better protect the industry and even open up opportunities abroad. If passed, the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) would erase export taxes between the 12 countries currently at the negotiating table, including the U.S., Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. Tantillo says the key would need to be a strong

Premier Prints is testing the global waters with its colorful prints, with several customers already secured in Japan.

rule-of-origin; goods exported tax-free within the 12 countries should be sourced and made within those 12 countries.

Otherwise, countries like Vietnam could keep sourcing their materials from China, already the world’s largest exporter of goods to the U.S. “China has enough access and enough advantages getting into the U.S. market. They don’t need another,” Tantillo says.

STAYING (AHEAD OF) THE COURSE To keep U.S. textiles around for the long haul will take job stability, Tantillo says.

The industry currently employs 500,000 people, about half of what it used to thanks to advances in technology. But that rate has held over the last four years. “We had to stop the hemorrhaging,” Tantillo says.

At Hamrick, Hopkins says the process is still labor intensive and that costs savings come on the equipment side of things. The company is even in a hiring phase, offering

inexperienced workers on the job training.

“It’s not a bad place to be,” Hopkins says.

“We have customers who come visit us regularly who’d never been inside a manufacturing factory in the U.S. at all, and the first words out of their mouths was, ‘I’m amazed at how clean it is and nice it is in this building.’”

And, like most makers and creators of the world, U.S. textile producers are always trying to come up with the latest and greatest. “We try to set ourselves apart, with different colors, different designs than what most people do,” Wright says of Premier Prints. Being able to declare your fabrics “Made in the USA” doesn’t hurt either. “[American Made Brand] goes from farm to fabric, and it’s not just made here but grown here, so to say that very succinctly is what makes us different,” Hoffman says. “It became a real passion for me to do this, and I’m glad I had that passion.”

37 sewdaily.com *

1764

James Hargreaves invents the Spinning Jenny to spin eight threads at once.

1793

Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin, a machine for removing cotton seeds.

1820s

Teen-aged girls working for The Boston Manufacturing Company mills, receiving room and board and schooling as part of their wages, become known as “Mill Girls.”

1897

The Lowell Textile school opens up to train mill workers in cotton and wool production, and textile design and dyeing. The school goes on to become the first University of Massachusetts campus.

Mill girls

Spinning Jenny

AMERICAN 1789

Samuel Slater moves to the U.S. from England to open his own cotton mill. He ends up opening America’s first water-powered textile mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

38

* stitch

1813

Francis Cabot Lowell starts the Boston Manufacturing Company and opens the first American textile factory in Waltham, Massachusetts. The company would expand to build mills in Lowell and Lawrence, Mass.

1846

Hilaire de Chardonnet of France invents rayon, the world’s first textile made of synthetic fibers.

First called artificial silk, it won’t be called rayon until 1924.

1912

Tens of thousands of mill workers in Lawrence, Mass. join the Industrial Workers of the World union and go on strike against the American Woolen Company, protesting low pay, long hours, and unsafe and dirty working conditions.

Known as the Bread and Roses strike, it lasted for two months until American Woolen Company agreed to most of the workers’ demands.

1974

Crystal Lee Sutton, a towel folder making less than $3 an hour, gets fired for convincing her coworkers at the J.P. Stevens textile plant in Roanoke, North Carolina, to unionize. She represents J.P. Stevens in the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union.

1979

Actress Sally Field wins an Oscar for portraying Sutton in the movie Norma Rae. The scene where Field writes the word “union” on a cardboard sign, stands up on her table and holds it up for all to see is said to be exactly how Sutton exited J.P. Stevens when she was fired.

TEXTILE HISTORY 1900

Textile mills shift from New England to the south in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, including the first mill run on electricity.

1958

DuPont chemist Joseph Shivers creates Spandex (mixing up the letters in “expands”), which stretches up to five times its size without losing its elasticity.

1977

Courts ordered J.P. Stevens to give Sutton back her job and lost wages.

1994

The North American Free Trade Agreement passes, sending American textile production to Mexico and spurring the movement of manufacturing overseas.

Spandex (also known as Lycra)

PHOTOS: istockphoto.com

39 sewdaily.com *

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projects

hot

some like it

Feel the heat this season with these 32 high impact projects.

We’re Having A Mid-Century Moment, playfully winking at the past with cheerful takes on mod styles. Sewing outside the lines is welcome in Big on Stripes. Bold, bright colors jump off the page in Pop Prints and Electric City—let their kaleidoscopic projects inspire you to have fun sewing all summer long.

41

a-line mini dress Flattering on every shape and form, the shift dress is a closet staple in any century.

Channel your inner Twiggy with this dress’s Peter Pan collar and playful use of color.

DESIGNED BY Alexia Abegg [project instructions on page 70]

Having a

Mid-Century M ment

Classic designs of the 1950s and ’60s get fresh and fun updates in these 6 sunny projects.

42

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mod beach tote Reminiscing about childhood summers?

Perhaps you had a large tote like this one to load with beach towels, sunscreen, books, a change of clothes, and anything else you wanted to bring to the beach. Sling it over your shoulder and hit the sand with your bucket and shovel.

DESIGNED BY Laura Jaquinto [project instructions on page 71]

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’50s-inspired lawn chair Don’t scrap that old lawn chair. Create a one-of-a-kind vintage look that will breathe new life into a classic chair.

Instead of using purchased webbing in boring colors, use fabric and paint the aluminum white for a fresh look.

44

* stitch

DESIGNED BY Karen Schaphorst [project instructions on page 73]

boys pullover bowling shirt Make your little man stand out in this excellent version of his dad’s favorite swingin’ shirt. This boys shirt has a great little fit to it—sew him a new one for every day of the week.

DESIGNED BY Jil Cappuccio [project instructions on page 74]

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laurel canyon bag Add a bit of California canyon vibe to your wardrobe with this laid-back, casual bag. The fun reversible style is roomy enough to hold all you need for an afternoon hike and sleek enough for a swinging party—plus it has an easy-to-stitch zipper pocket for extra security. Embellish it with your favorite vintage buttons and beads for a personal touch.

DESIGNED BY Michelle Freedman [project instructions on page 75]

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beatnik art book Find a book with a great cover at a library bag sale and give it new life as a handbag. It’s easy when using a readymade handle, a favorite fabric, and a little ingenuity. Tuck in your tablet and a few essentials and you’re good to go.

Give “book bag” a whole new meaning.

DESIGNED BY Linda Turner Griepentrog [project instructions on page 77]

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BIG on smocked sunshine pillow

stripes

This cheerful pillow features a faux smocking technique highlighted by bold ombrĂŠ color.

Bright fabric strips are cinched at regular intervals with handtied knots to create a gorgeous smocked texture in a palette of warm summery hues.

DESIGNED BY Rebekah Canavan [project instructions on page 80]

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* stitch

Simple lines reach new heights with these 7 graphic projects.

woven waves table runner Humble bias tapes are energized into a spiraling wave design filled with movement. Freeform placement and simple techniques make for an easy but one-of-a-kind project.

DESIGNED BY Kevin Kosbab [project instructions on page 81]

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futuristic rain cape This is a fun and unique project for someone looking for an alternative to a raincoat and umbrella. Create your own printed vinyl by hand-drawing with permanent markers. This cape features metallic gold stripes, but draw to your heart’s desire.

DESIGNED BY Emily Li Mandri [project instructions on page 83]

50

* stitch

color blocked and bias bound skirt This fun mini skirt calls to the late 1960s with blocks of bright colors and a pop art feel. Enjoy these mom and daughter skirts for a day of summer fun. Or, take the skirts into fall with light wool in gray and black, paired with boots or opaque hose and flats.

DESIGNED BY Khristal Jouett [project instructions on page 84]

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one-seam maxi skirt Learn how to sew a simple, one-seam maxi skirt that is the perfect jumping off point for sewing all kinds of things out of knits. This project is so fast, wear it the same afternoon it’s made.

DESIGNED BY Caroline Hulse [project instructions on page 86] Sew along with us on sewdaily.com

get the

how-to ! videailoy.com

shop.sewd

52

* stitch

striped paper bag waist skirt Skirts with pockets are hard to resist.

Add in a paper-bag-top-style ruffle around the waist, and a breezy basic becomes something special. Let this fun and flirty skirt take center stage in a simple tank or chambray shirt.

DESIGNED BY Elizabeth Evans and Liz Evans [project instructions on page 86]

get the

how-to video! shop.s

ewdaily.com

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inspired inspiration board Recreate the iconic style of 1960s artist Piet Mondrian with this fun and simple inspiration board with clear vinyl pockets. Easy piecing, straight-line quilting, and clever embellishments make this a masterpiece you can create in an afternoon.

DESIGNED BY Emily Breclaw [project instructions on page 87]

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* stitch

Best of Stitch: Beautiful Bedrooms

Brighten up your boudoir with twenty sewing projects!

Order today at www.interweavestore.com/sewing

POP prints Gorgeous colors come to life in these 7 eye-catching projects.

elizabeth tote Simple stitching and quilting create a stunning tote that can be proudly carried at work and while at play. The design is perfect for showcasing a favorite fabric collection, like the Tula Pink “Elizabeth� collection shown.

DESIGNED BY Doris Rushing [project instructions on page 90]

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flutter dress Whimsical and smooth-flowing, this beautiful Joel Dewberry-inspired dress can be made from voile, lightweight cotton, silk, taffeta, satin, or organza, and in solids, prints, patterns, or florals.

Each layer of petals and panels blossoms, showing the beauty of the fabric.

DESIGNED BY Sharon Thornton [project instructions on page 91]

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bloom voile pillow Bring a touch of whimsy to your home décor with this Amy Butler-inspired voile pillow cover, made with Amy’s “Glow” fabrics. Ruffles and yo-yos provide plenty of texture and interest, making it a great statement piece for any room.

DESIGNED BY Melissa Peda (based on Amy Butler’s Bloom Quilt) [project instructions on page 93]

t get this ki y b d e r i p s n i ! r e l t u B y Am om shop.sewdaily.c

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charm pack plus one baby quilt Piecing a full-sized quilt can seem like a daunting task, so start with a baby quilt. This darling plus quilt will walk you through the basics of how to layout, construct, and bind a simple quilt from start to finish.

DESIGNED BY Elizabeth Evans and Liz Evans [project instructions on page 94]

get the kit & video! s hop.sewdaily.co m

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churn dash on point pillow The churn dash is a very traditional block. By turning the block on point and using Kaffe Fassett Collective fabrics it takes on a modern look. The addition of triangles to the sides frames the block.

DESIGNED BY Cindy Luby [project instructions on page 95]

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bright eyes tunic Bedtime rituals are basics for children.

Add this precious tunic and a good book to your child’s nightly routine.

This lovely tunic can be made in a number of fabrics to suit the season, from summery voile to snuggly flannel.

DESIGNED BY Khristal Jouett [project instructions on page 97]

61

on-the-go charger kit Charging up cell phones, laptops, and tablets can be a challenge when traveling. Keeping the cords together and in a safe place are made easier with this clever cord keeper and outlet hanger, sewn in stylish Tula Pink “Bumble� prints.

DESIGNED BY Niki Meiners [project instructions on page 98]

get ! t i k e h t om shop.sewdaily.c

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Find Your Style at KeepsakeQuilting.com Hundreds of fabrics, precuts and kits For a limited time use code COQ10 to save 10% on your first order

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Electric City These 5 sizzling projects amp up your sewing with some much-needed voltage.

starlite motel tribute Get your home ready for neon nights. This dimensional appliquĂŠd artwork uses couching and beading to portray the glittering lights of a vintage motel sign on the strip.

DESIGNED BY Kevin Kosbab [project instructions on page 100]

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kitschy polaroid snapshot pillows A love for photography and an admiration for ’50s-era relics shapes these throw pillows to truly capture a moment in time. Iron-on transfer paper and personal photographs are used to create the polaroid-like image on top of white fabric. Vibrant and contrasting colors bring a playful energy to this project.

DESIGNED BY Krisje Deal [project instructions on page 102]

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vegas dream table runner Inspired by the bold, bright world of Las Vegas at night, this table runner makes like a dream—especially with eye-catching colors and improvised piecing. Dusted with hand-stitching that makes the skyline pop, this one-of-a-kind piece is ready for show time.

66

* stitch

DESIGNED BY Riane Menardi [project instructions on page 102]

retro camper appliquĂŠ pillow A raw edge, retro camper appliquĂŠ brings a bit of kitsch to your couch. Vibrant colors pop with subtle quilting and white piping to brighten any room.

DESIGNED BY Stephanie Woodson [project instructions on page 103]

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desert galaxy quilt Bright neon lights sparkling across a vast desert landscape inspired this fun and modern quilt. Bold, graphic design uses three different sizes of quarter-circle blocks to create the stars, which are assembled in a vertical layout. Try your luck at curved piecing and let your skills shine.

DESIGNED BY Michelle Freedman [project instructions on page 104]

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GET YOUR MOD SEWING ON THE GO! There's nothing quite like brilliant on-screen color to bring sewing projects to life. Did you know that you can get Stitch magazine on your tablet and take it with you? You'll have the full issue with 30+ projects with live links to even more sewing resources, plus the amazing world of modern sewing products in the Sew Daily Shop.

FIND YOUR MOBILE MODERN SEWING RESOURCE: http://digital.interweave.com/stitch.aspx

Rainbow Connection Dress featured in SEW NEWS June/July 2015

how-to

Having a

Mid-Century M ment

FINISHED SIZE

center of the Upper Front Dress “V” to the center point of the Lower Front Dress. Working from the center out, pin the front seam until the side seams are reached.

by ALEXIA ABEGG

NOTES — All seam allowances are ½" unless otherwise noted.

— Finish all seam edges with a serger, a zigzag stitch, over edge stitch, or pinking.

CUT THE FABRIC 1 From the Main fabric, cut: —One Lower Front Dress (B), on fold —One Back Dress (C), on fold —One Front Facing (D), on fold —One Back Facing (E), on fold

2 From the Contrast A fabric, cut: —One Upper Front Dress (A), on fold

3 From the Contrast B fabric, cut: DOWNLOAD THE FULL-SIZE PATTERN FOR THIS PROJECT AT SEWDAILY.COM/STITCHPATTERNS

—Two Collar (F)

4 From the Interfacing, cut: —One Collar (F)

FABRIC

—One Front Facing (D), on fold

—Main: 2 1/3 yd cotton, 45"

—One Back Facing (E), on fold

—Contrast A: 5/8 yd cotton, 45" —Contrast B: 1/3 yd cotton, 45"

OTHER SUPPLIES —Templates, downloadable: —Upper Front Dress (A) —Lower Front Dress (B) —Back Dress (C) —Front Facing (D) —Back Facing (E) —Collar (F) —1 1/8 yd Fusible Interfacing, 20" —Thread —Iron —Ruler —Scissors —Cutting mat —Pins

70

* stitch

Dress. Press darts down toward the bottom of the piece.

0 With right sides together, pin the

A-Line Mini Dress {from page 42}

ASSEMBLE THE FRONT 9 Stitch the darts on the Upper Front

PREPARE THE PIECES 5 Fuse interfacing to the Collar, Front Facing, and Back Facing.

6 Fuse a small piece of interfacing to the wrong side of the inverted “V” of the Upper Front Dress, making sure to fuse part of the actual seam line.

With a small stitch, stay stitch the inverted “V” of the Upper Front Dress, 1" before and after the “V.” Clip to the “V,” but not through the stitching line.

(figure 1)

7 On the Lower Front Dress, stay

stitch the center point, 1" before and after the point.

8 Mark dart placement on all pieces.

- With the Upper Front Dress on

top, stitch from one side seam to the center of the inverted “V.” Pivot, and then sew toward the remaining side seam. Press the seam toward the neck.

ASSEMBLE THE COLLAR = With right sides together, stitch

the outer edge of the Collar seam using a 1/4" seam allowance. Clip curved seams and turn the Collar inside out. Finger roll the seam until flat, and then press. Baste the inner neck edge closed, using a ¼" seam allowance.

ATTACH THE COLLAR TO THE DRESS q Pin, then stitch the shoulder

seams of the completed front dress to the shoulder seams of the Back Dress. Press the seam open. Note: It’s not necessary to finish the seam edge.

w Starting at the front neck notch,

pin the Collar to the neck opening, matching notches to the shoulder seams and center back neck. Baste the Collar to the neck opening, using a scant 3/8" seam allowance.

e Pin, then stitch the shoulder

seams of the Front Facing and Back Facing. Press the seams open.

Note: It’s not necessary to finish the seam edge.

r With right sides together, align

the Front Facing and Back Facing neck edge with the dress neck edge, sandwiching the collar in between.

Pin, and then stitch, using a 3/8" seam allowance. Clip the seam every ½".

t Flip the facing to the wrong side

of the dress. Pulling the Collar away from the dress, press the neck seam with the tip of the iron.

how-to

Mod Beach Tote

by LAURA JAQUINTO

PATTERN INSERT

{from page 43}

upper front dress (A)

clip here

FABRIC

figure 1

y Topstitch 1/8" around the neck

opening, keeping the Collar out of the way, all the way around the neck.

Press again.

FINISH THE DRESS u With wrong sides together, reach

in between the facing and dress and pull the shoulder seam until the right sides of the armhole edges are able to be put together. Stitch from the bottom of the armhole to the shoulder seam. Pull the shoulder seam back in place. One half of the armhole is done now. Repeat this step for the other half of the armhole.

Repeat these steps for the other armhole.

i With armholes finished, finger roll

the armhole edges slightly toward the inside of the dress. Press.

o With right sides together, pin the side seams, including the facing underarm seam. Starting at the hem, stitch the side seam toward the armhole, including the facing underarm seam. Press side seams toward the back of the dress.

p Flip the facing to the inside of the

armhole. Stitch in the ditch, along the

— Main: 1/2 yd quilting-weight cotton (shown: Buttercup Yellow) seam line, catching the facing inside the dress.

— Contrast: 5/8 yd quilting-weight cotton (shown: Buttercup Yellow)

[ Press ¼" under on the hem edge.

— Accent/Lining: 1 1/4 yd (shown: Berry Fuschia)

Press another ¾". Topstitch the hem a scant ¾" from the folded edge of the hem. Press flat.

SOURCES FABRIC Cotton

+ Steel, Bespoke collection, Double Gauze, cottonandsteelfabrics.com ALEXIA MARCELLE ABEGG is a

co-founder of Cotton + Steel, and Green Bee Design and Patterns. She has always been fascinated with the art of sewing and studied fashion and fine arts in college. Alexia and her husband, artist and fabric designer Rob Bancroft, live in Nashville with their two dogs.

She currently divides her time among creating sewing patterns, teaching, making art, and writing.

OTHER SUPPLIES —Template, provided on insert: —Oval (A) — Fusible Fleece —1 1/8 yd -1 1/2 yd cotton cord, 3/4" diameter —One 16" zipper —Removable fabric marker —Zipper foot —Optional: Tube turner FINISHED SIZE 10" × 14" × 19 1/4" (excluding handle) NOTES — All seam allowances are 1/4" unless otherwise noted.

CUT THE FABRIC 1 From the Main fabric, cut: — Two 13 3/4" × 19 3/4" rectangles for upper bag

2 From the Contrast fabric, cut:

71 sewdaily.com *

how-to

1" 1"

1¼"

1¼"

figure 3 figure 1

figure 2

figure 4

figure 5 figure 6

— One Oval (A), on the fold, for the bag bottom —Two 7" × 19 3/4" strips for lower bag —Two 2 1/4" × 4" rectangles for handle wrappers

3 From the Accent/Lining fabric, cut: —One Oval (A), on the fold, for the bag bottom —Two 1 3/8" × 22 1/2" strips for handles — Two 3" × 4 1/4" rectangles for handle loops — Two 193/4" × 201/4" rectangles for lining

4 From the Fusible Fleece, cut: —One Oval (A), on the fold, for the bag bottom — Two 19 3/4" × 20 1/4" rectangles for the bag body — Two 1 1/2" × 4 1/4" strips for handle loops

PREPARE THE BAG BODY 5 On both Main Upper Bag pieces and

the large Lining rectangle, cut out a 1" square at the two upper corners. (figure 1)

72

* stitch

3 2¾" 2 ⁄4"

6 With right sides together, stitch the

Upper Bag to the Lower Bag. Press seam allowance open. Repeat for the other side.

7 Trim 1/2" off one long edge of both

Fleece Bag Body pieces. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, fuse the Fleece Bag Body to the wrong side of the pieced bag sections, leaving 1/2" at the upper edge without Fleece.

INSERT THE ZIPPER 8 With right sides together, stitch the

upper bag opening closed 11/4" on each end, and baste the center. (figure 2)

9 Mark a zipper placement line 1/4" on each side of the center opening and then square off the end. Mark a “V” 1/2" long at each end.

0 Remove the basting along the seam

and cut along the “V” lines.

- Fold the opening back along the

marked lines and press.

= Center the zipper under the

opening and pin to hold in place.

q Stitch around the opening close to

the edge, and again 1/4" from the first stitching. (figure 3)

MAKE THE HANDLE w Sew the short ends of the Handles

together; press the seam open. Fold right sides together to sew a long tube. Turn the tube right side out.

e Insert the cord into the tube. Trim

the Handle tube leaving a 1/4" seam beyond the cord length. Fold back the Handle end seam allowance to expose the raw edge of the cord on each end.

Overlap the cord edge 1/4" and zigzag the ends together. (figure 4)

r Turn under the Handle end seam

allowances and hand-stitch together to finish the circle.

MAKE THE HANDLE LOOPS t Fuse one edge of the 3" × 41/4"

Accent fabric to one 1 1/2" × 4 1/4" fusible fleece strip. Repeat for the second piece. With right sides together, fold the long edges together. Machine stitch, turn, and press flat.

how-to

y Fold the strip over the Handle

covering the joint seam and pin edges together. Stitch 1/8" from the end, closing the opening. (figure 5) Pin to the bag end at the top opening, centered over the seam. Repeat for the other handle loop.

u With right sides together, join the bag side seam. Press the seam open. i On the cutout corner, fold the edges right sides together, centering over the Handle Loop. Stitch the seam and press. Repeat for the other side. Note: Make sure the Handle Loop is flat and that the Handle hasn’t twisted.

LAURA JAQUINTO made her first coat on

the sewing machine at 8 years old, which lead to a BFA in Apparel Design from RISD. She is currently the creative director for the fabric collections at Windham Fabrics, which feeds her passion for sewing and designing.

’50s-Inspired Lawn Chair

by KAREN SCHAPHORST

{from page 44}

ATTACH THE BOTTOM p With the bag turned wrong side out,

the upper edge, stitch the seam closed 1" on each end. Press the seam open.

Fold the upper opening center under 1/4" on each side and press flat.

] Join the Bottom oval to the bag

body Lining as done for the outside of the bag.

\ Stitch the top cutouts right sides

together, centering the seam over the top seam. Turn and press.

a With wrong sides together, slip the Lining into the bag. Line up the side seams and pin the lining to the bottom of the bag in a few places. Hand-stitch in place.

FABRIC — Main: 1 1/2 yd × 7" wide cotton print fabric

3 In a well-ventilated area, paint

the chair frame following the manufacturer’s instructions. Allow the chair to dry completely.

CUT THE FABRIC 5 From the Main fabric, cut: — Required length of fabric × 7" wide strips to make enough straps to cover the chair

— A dozen or more coordinating prints in either canvas or heavy woven fabric

6 From the Fusible Interfacing, cut:

OTHER SUPPLIES

CREATE THE STRAPS 7 With right sides together, fold

—Lawn chair — Can of spray paint suitable for aluminum — Heavyweight iron-on Fusible Interfacing —Scissors —Measuring Tape —Straight pins —Thread

s At the top, pin the Lining to the bag around each side of the zipper. Handstitch in place.

—Fabric marking pen

SOURCES

—Screwdriver

FABRIC Windham Fabrics, “Follies”

by Lotta Jansdotter in Buttercup Yellow and Berry Fuschia, windhamfabrics.com

painting by making sure there is no dust or residue.

horizontal strap on a flat surface, piecing together the cut webbing.

Using a tape measure, measure a length of the old webbing. If the webbing is too stretched out or unusable, measure the length and width of the chair frame, wrapping tape around the frame to measure from screw hole to screw hole.

Add 2" for wrapping fabric around frame. Note: Be sure to pull the tape measure taut for accuracy.

one side of the handle 2 3/4" from the end and wrap as tightly as possible.

Fold under the upper edge and pin in place. Hand-stitch the edge closed.

Repeat for the other side of the handle. (figure 6)

LINE THE BAG [ Stitch the Lining side edges, and on

2 Clean the chair to prepare it for

MEASURE THE STRAP LENGTH 4 Place one vertical and one

o Fold the Handle Wrapper around

pin the Bottom to the bag, matching notches to each side seam. Press seams flat and turn the bag right side out.

webbing. Remove pins or screws with the screwdriver and save.

Note: Replacement parts can be purchased from a hardware store.

—Awl —Rubber mallet or hammer —Iron and ironing board

PREPARE THE CHAIR 1 Remove the old webbing from

the chair using scissors to cut the

— Required length of Interfacing × 3" wide strips, enough for each strap

the fabric lengthwise with cut edges even; press.

8 Fuse the Interfacing with the

lengthwise edge aligned and with the pressed mark, leaving a 1/2" seam allowance free. (figure 1)

9 With right sides together, stitch

along the lengthwise edge using 1/2" seams.

0 Turn right side out and press.

- If clips are used, press under 1/4" at the end, and either glue, fuse, or slipstitch in place. Fold 3/4" of the strap around the clip, and mark. Using an Awl or the tip of a screw, punch a hole at the marking for inserting the clip.

Repeat for the opposite end. If screws

73 sewdaily.com *

how-to Fig 1

g1

Fig 2

Fig 2

Boys Pullover Bowling Shirt

by JIL CAPPUCCIO

{from page 45}

figure 1

Pressing line

pressing line

Pressing line

figure Fig 22 2 Fig

ig 11 Fig DOWNLOAD THE FULL-SIZE PATTERN FOR THIS PROJECT AT SEWDAILY.COM/STITCHPATTERNS

FABRIC —Main: 7/8 yd cotton, 45" —Contrast: 5/8 yd cotton, 45"

OTHER SUPPLIES —Templates, downloadable: figure 3

figure 4

are used, fold the end of the strap to the wrong side, forming a right angle; fold again, forming a triangle. Make a hole 1/2" from the point using an Awl or the tip of a screw. Repeat at the opposite end. (figure 2)

This will ensure the straps will be taut when the chair is open. (figure 3)

WEAVE THE STRAPS = Beginning at the top of the chair,

attach the vertical strap to the frame, securing it with the pin or screw that was removed prior. Note: The tail of the clip should be facing up for proper installation. Bring the end of the strap down, making sure to go under (behind) the metal bar at the center of the frame.

q Loop the end around the frame,

pulling tightly. Secure with a pin or screw on the underside. Continue attaching all vertical straps. Note: When installing vertical straps, try folding the chair during installation.

74

* stitch

w After the vertical straps are in

place, attach the horizontal straps, weaving them first over and then under. The second row will be under and over weaving. Keep alternating the under-over pattern. Attach the ends to the frame, making sure to pull the straps taut. (figure 4)

SOURCES FABRIC FreeSpirit, “Folk Song” by Anna Maria Horner, freespiritfabric .com

KAREN SCHAPHORST began her career

in New York City working for various pattern, fabric, and sewing machine companies. She has authored several books on sewing for the home, sewing machine use, and sewing tip books. Currently she has a home-based window treatment and home fashions business. She resides in Charlotte, North Carolina.

—Side Front (A) —Center Front (B) —Back (C) —Sleeve (D) —Collar (E) —Front Placket Interfacing (F) —Buttonhole Template (G) —5/8 yd fusible interfacing —Four to five shirt buttons —8" matching bias tape, ¼ yard

FINISHED SIZE

how-to

NOTES

JIL CAPPUCCIO has been a seamstress, a

designer, and a shopkeeper for more than 20 years. She has also been a Stitch contributor since its start. She now happily lives in Northern California with her family. Visit her at jilcappuccio.com.

— All seam allowances are 1/2" unless otherwise noted.

— Zigzag, pink, overcast, or serge all raw edges.

— Press all seams open unless otherwise noted.

Laurel Canyon Bag

CUT THE FABRIC: 1 From the Main fabric, cut:

by MICHELLE FREEDMAN

{from page 46}

—Two Side Front (A)

PATTERN INSERT

—One Back (C), on the fold —Two Sleeve (D) —One Collar (E), on the fold

2 From the Contrast fabric, cut: —Two Center Front (B)

0 Pin, and then stitch, the front side

—Two Front Placket Interfacing (F)

seam to the back side seam. Pin the sleeve edges. Stitch from hem to sleeve hem. Press the seam toward the back of the garment.

PREPARE THE PIECES 4 Fuse interfacing pieces to the half

ATTACH THE COLLAR - Pin, and then baste, the collar to

ASSEMBLE THE FRONT 5 With right sides together, pin,

= Fold back the facing right sides

3 From the Interfacing, cut: —One half Collar (E), on the fold

Collar and facing edge of the Center Front.

and then stitch the Side Front to the Center Front pieces, matching notches. Press the seams toward the body. Set aside.

ASSEMBLE THE COLLAR 6 Fold the Collar lengthwise, with

right sides together, and then stitch the short ends using a ¼" seam.

7 Turn the collar right side out,

being sure to poke out the points.

Press the collar flat. Baste the neck edge closed.

ASSEMBLE THE BODY AND SLEEVES 8 Stitch the Back to the shirt Front at the shoulders. Press the seams toward the back.

9 Pin the Sleeve to the armhole, matching the shoulder seam to the Sleeve notch. Starting from the underarm, attach the Sleeve to the body. Note: Stitching with the body on top and the sleeve on the bottom will allow the feed dogs to help with the ease. Repeat for the other sleeve.

Press the seams toward the sleeves.

the shirt, matching notches at the front, shoulder seam, and center back neck edge.

together, sandwich all layers together, and then stitch the collar to the shirt using a ¼" seam allowance.

Clip the seam to, but not through, the stitches, every ½".

q Take the bias tape and stitch along the back neckline between shoulder seams, extending ½" beyond each seam and trimming off the excess as needed.

w Flip the facings to the inside of

the shirt, being sure to poke out the points at the facing front. Finish the back neck by top stitching along the edge of the bias tape, catching the edge of the facing shoulder seam.

FINISH THE SHIRT e Serge the raw edges of the sleeve

hem and bottom hem. Fold the bottom hem and sleeve hems 7/8" and press.

Stitch hems ¾" from the folded edge.

r Use the Buttonhole Template to

mark buttonholes on the left front placket. Note: Button markings may not be the correct length for your buttons.

FABRIC — Main: 7/8 yd cotton bark cloth or medium-weight cotton canvas (shown: Sunburst Blue) — Reverse: 7/8 yd cotton bark cloth or medium-weight cotton canvas (shown: Quadrant Pink) — Pocket Lining: One fat quarter (or 1/2 yd) solid medium-weight cotton broadcloth (shown: Sprout)

OTHER SUPPLIES —Templates, provided on insert: —Bag (A) —Bag Strap (B) —3 yd Fusible Interfacing, 20" wide —One 7" zipper —Fabric-safe marker or chalk — Rotary cutter, rigid acrylic ruler, and self-healing mat.

—Optional: Walking foot —Pressing spray —1/4" double stick zipper tape —Matching thread

75 sewdaily.com *

how-to

2½" ⅜"

7¼"

figure 2

figure 1

FINISHED SIZE 58" × 65"

NOTES — All seam allowances are 1/2" unless otherwise noted.

— Press curved seams toward the Bag Strap (B) pieces and all other seams open.

— Use a machine stitch length of 2.5mm-3mm and an 80/12 machine needle.

— Trim selvages before cutting the fabric.

figure 3

figure 4

— To wear the bag, tuck the long strap through the short strap and sling over one shoulder.

MAKE THE BAG 5 Fuse the interfacing to the wrong

of the rectangle, clipping into the corners to create a triangle cut at each end. (figure 1)

CUT THE FABRIC 1 From the Main fabirc, cut: —Two Bag (A) —Two Bag Strap (B) —One 3 1/2" × 5" rectangle

2 From the Reverse fabric, cut: —Two Bag (A) —Two Bag Strap (B)

3 From Pocket Lining fabric, cut: —One 10" × 20" rectangle

4 From the Fusible Interfacing, cut: —Four Bag (A) —Four Bag Strap (B)

76

* stitch

side of each Main and Reverse Bag and Bag Strap piece.

6 Mark the darts on the interfacing

side of the bag pieces. Fold and pin the darts in place. Stitch the darts on the Main Bag pieces. Press toward the sides for one Main Bag piece and toward the center for the other Main Bag piece. Repeat on the Reverse Bag pieces.

7 Place the Pocket Lining right sides together with the front Main Bag piece. Mark a rectangular box 3/8" tall, 7 1/4" wide, and 2 1/2" down from the top. Stitch around the rectangle. Cut through all layers down the center

8 Pull the zipper Pocket Lining

through the rectangle to the wrong side of the Main Bag. Press the rectangle well, making sure that the lining fabric does not show on the exterior bag side. Attach the double stick tape to the right side of the zipper, aligning it with the edge of the zipper tape. Center the zipper in the rectangle opening with the zipper pull on the left side. Finger press the zipper in place. Topstitch around the rectangle through all layers. Note: Lengthen the stitch to 3mm if needed.

9 Fold the lining in half up to the top edge of the Bag. Stitch the sides of

how-to

Beatnik Art Book

by LINDA TURNER GRIEPENTROG

{from page 47}

the lining closed, making sure not to stitch through the Main Bag. Create tucks at the top edge to close the pocket at the top and baste. (figure 2)

figure 5

FABRIC

0 Attach the Bag Straps to the Main and Reverse Bag pieces. Match the notches labeled A on the pattern pieces. Note: Make sure to do the opposite side on the Interior piece.

This bag has one long strap and one short one.

- Stitch the Main Bag pieces right

sides together along the outer edges.

Press the seam open. Repeat on the Reverse pieces. (figure 3)

= Place the Reverse inside the

Main bag, right sides together. Pin and stitch around the straps and top edges, leaving the top of the straps open at the top. Leave a 2" opening on the short straps at the top edges and an opening at the lower curve on the opposite side of the zipper for turning. (figure 4)

q Turn the bag right side out

through the opening and press.

Stitch the short strap ends together by matching the seam and stitching around the opening on the inside of the strap. Edgestitch the opening closed.

w Baste the pleats in the long strap.

Stitch the 3 1/2" × 5" rectangle into a tube, matching the 3 1/2" ends.

Fold the ends in and press. Pin the strap ends inside the fabric tube and topstitch around in a rectangle.

(figure 5)

—Lining: 5/8 yd quilting-weight cotton

e Finish the bag by topstitching all

around the top and strap. Optional: Personalize the bag with vintage buttons or beads. Follow the designs in the fabric for inspiration, or create designs by layering the buttons.

SOURCES FABRIC Cloud9

Fabrics, “Time Warp”

by Jessica Jones in Sunburst Blue and Quadrant Pink, and Cirrus Solids in Sprout, cloud9fabrics.com SUPPLIES Fusible

interfacing, Pellon, SF101 Shape-Flex, shop.sewdaily. com. Pressing spray, Flatter by Soak, soakwash.com; Zipper tape, Washaway Wonder tape by Dritz, shop.sewdaily.com MICHELLE FREEDMAN is an Oregon-

based designer and author with a passion for sewing. Her work has been featured in a variety of magazines and books including Stitch magazine. Michelle is a staff member and instructor at Modern Domestic and is the past-president of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild. Read about her creative endeavors on her blog designcamppdx.blogspot.com.

Note: Yardage will vary depending on book size. Create the patterns first, then measure for fabric required.

OTHER SUPPLIES — Hard-bound book with an attractive cover — Ready-made purse handles, proportionate to book size —Poster board —Utility knife —Glue —Matching thread —Spring clips —Pattern paper —Fabric-safe marker —Optional: Spray polyurethane finish

FINISHED SIZE Depends on book size; sample book is 10" × 14"

NOTES — All seam allowances are 1/4" unless otherwise noted.

— Allow the glue to dry thoroughly between each construction step; use clamps to hold pieces in place.

— Depending on the handle type, ribbon may be needed to attach it to the bag. If so, sandwich the ribbon

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how-to

between the book cover and the Lining during construction.

— Optional: Add a pocket to one or both sides of the Lining before covering the Poster board. Add a tab or ties to the top for added security.

MAKE THE PATTERN 1 Remove the book pages using the utility knife. Trim carefully to avoid damage to the spine. Note: Save the pages for another project—paper collage, decoupage, ephemera, etc.

If desired, spray the book cover with polyurethane to help preserve it.

2 Stand the book cover on end and

open the covers to about a 70 degree angle. (figure 1) Trace the resulting triangle shape onto pattern paper, and add 1" to the sides and lower edges to make the End pattern.

3 Measure the book cover and trace the shape onto pattern paper to create the Lining pattern. Note: The spine width is not included in this measurement, only the cover.

4 Measure the book spine and trace the rectangle onto pattern paper.

CUT THE FABRIC 5 From the Poster board, cut: —Two Lining —One Spine

6 From the Lining fabric, cut: —Four End —Two Lining, plus 1" on all edges —One Spine, plus 1" on all edges

ASSEMBLE THE ENDS 7 Stitch two End pieces right sides together on all edges, leaving an opening for turning along one long edge. Repeat for the second End. Turn both End pieces right side out and press edges.

PREPARE THE LINING 8 Lay the Lining face down on a

tabletop. Center the Poster board Lining over the rectangle wrong side. Pull the fabric edges taut over the Poster board and glue in place.

Repeat for the second Lining.

9 Repeat step 8 for the Spine.

78

* stitch

70 degree angle figure 1

ASSEMBLE THE BAG 0 Fold and press each End in half

widthwise; edgestitch the fold to form a hinge.

- Glue each End in place on the

inside book cover, with the narrow end at the spine and allowing a 1/2" overlap with the cover edge; keep the hinge facing the bag inside.

= Glue each Lining in place on the inside book cover, overlapping the sides of each End glued in step 11.

q Carefully glue the Spine in place in the lower bag area.

ATTACH THE HANDLES w Center the handles along the bag

upper edge, positioning as desired based on the handle type. Glue to the Lining (or book cover) on both the bag front and back.

SOURCES SUPPLIES Glue, E6000 Permanent Craft Adhesive, shop.sewdaily.com

LINDA TURNER GRIEPENTROG owns

G Wiz Creative Services in Bend, Oregon, where she lives with her husband (a longarm quilter) and three dogs. She writes, edits, and designs for several companies in the sewing and quilting industry. She also leads fabric shopping tours to Hong Kong for the American Sewing Guild. Contact her at gwizdesigns@aol.com.

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sewdaily

sewing made modern.

how-to

BIG on

3/8"

3/8" 3/8" 3/8" 3/8" 3/8" 3/8" 3/8" 3/8" 3/8" 3/8" 3/8" 3/8" 3/8"

stripes

21/4"

11/2" 11/2"

Smocked Sunshine Pillow

11/2"

by REBEKAH CANAVAN

11/2"

{from page 48}

11/2" 11/2"

21/4"

figure 1

FINISHED SIZE 12" × 16"

NOTES — All seam allowances are ½" unless otherwise noted.

FABRIC — Fabric 1: 1/3 yd quilting-weight cotton, 45" (shown: red)

CUT THE FABRIC 1 From Fabric 1, cut: — One 1½" × 45" strip

— Fabric 2: 1/8 yd quilting-weight cotton, 45" (shown: orange)

— One 5" × 16½" rectangle for Backing

— Fabric 3: 1/8 yd quilting-weight cotton, 45" (shown: light orange)

— One 9½" × 16½" rectangle for Backing

— One fat quarter of linen fabric

2 From Fabric 2, cut:

OTHER SUPPLIES —¾" bias tape maker — One 16" zipper in coordinating color —One 12" × 16" Pillow Form — One skein coordinating embroidery floss —Small tapestry needle —Coordinating thread —Fabric-safe marker — Liquid seam sealant, such as Fray Check —Rotary mat, cutter, and acrylic ruler

80

* stitch

— Two 1½" × 45" strips

3 From Fabric 3, cut: —Two 1½" × 45" strips

4 From the linen fabric, cut: — One 13½" × 19" rectangle for Pillow Front

MAKE THE DECORATIVE FABRIC STRIPS 5 Feed the 1½" strips through the

¾" bias tape maker and press so that the long raw edges of each strip fold inward and meet in the middle on the back of the strip.

6 Cut the strips into 13½" lengths.

You will need a total of three from Fabric 1, six from Fabric 2, and six from Fabric 3.

SEW THE DECORATIVE STRIPS TO THE PILLOW FRONT 7 Find the vertical midline of the linen Pillow Front, and pin one of the Fabric 1 strips onto the midline.

8 Working out from the middle, pin

the rest of the decorative strips to the Pillow Front in the ombré pattern.

Leave a 3/8" space between each of the strips. (figure 1)

9 Using coordinating thread, stitch the decorative strips to the pillow front with stitch lines 1/8" from the folded edges of each strip.

CINCH THE DECORATIVE STRIPS 0 With a fabric-safe marker,

measure down 2¼" from the top of the Pillow Front and mark. Repeat for every other strip.

- Measure down 1½" from the first

row of marks and make a mark on an alternating strip as shown in figure 1.

= Continue to measure down 1½"

and mark the alternating groups of

how-to

Woven Waves Table Runner

by KEVIN KOSBAB

{from page 49}

figure 2

strips, until there are seven rows of marks. (figure 1)

q Using the tapestry needle,

weave small lengths of embroidery floss (approximately 4") under the decorative strips at each of the marks made on the Pillow Front. Slide the needle between the decorative strips and the Pillow Front fabric at each of the points marked with the fabric marker. Note: Be careful to not let the needle pierce the fabric.

w Tie the embroidery floss pieces in

tight square knots, cinching the fabric strips at each of the marks.

e Secure the knots by putting a drop of Fray Check on each one.

r When the Fray Check is dry, trim the tails of each knot down to ¼".

t Trim the Pillow Front down to

12½" × 16½". Be sure to trim the Pillow Front evenly so that the strips remain centered in the panel.

Optional: Zigzag or serge the raw edges.

MAKE THE ZIPPERED PILLOW BACK y With right sides together, stitch

the long edge of the 9½" × 16½" Backing rectangle to the long edge of the zipper using a ¼" seam.

u Press the fabric away from the zipper and topstitch 1/8" from the pressed fold.

i Iron one long edge of the 5" ×

16½" Backing rectangle under by 1".

o Line up the long raw edge of the

5" × 16½" rectangle that was ironed under with the remaining exposed edge of the zipper. The right side of the zipper should face the 1" of

fabric that is folded under. Stitch the zipper to the fabric ¼" from the top of the zipper (¾" above the fold of the fabric). Sew through both layers of the folded fabric and the zipper tape. The folded fabric will form a flap concealing the zipper on the back of the pillow. (figure 2)

p Trim the pillow Back down so that when the zipper is closed it is a 12½" × 16½" rectangle. Optional: Zigzag or serge the raw edges

ASSEMBLE THE PILLOW [ Open the zipper and pin the Pillow

FABRIC Fabrics are 45" wide — Main: 3/8 yd yarn-dyed cotton (shown: dark blue-green)

Front and pillow Back right sides together. Stitch all the way around the edge of the pillow.

— Accent: 1/2 yd each of seven coordinating yarn-dyed cottons (shown: yellows, greens, aquas, and blues)

] Clip the corners and turn the

—1/2 yd Backing fabric

pillow right side out.

\ Insert the pillow form and zip closed.

SOURCES SUPPLIES ¾"

bias tape maker, Clover, clover-mfg.com; Embroidery floss, DMC, dmc-usa.com; Fray Check, Dritz, shop.sewdaily.com; Pillow form, FairfielD, fairfieldworld.com; Zipper, Coats, makeitcoats.com REBEKAH CANAVAN is the author of the

sewing and crafting blog twinkleandtwine. com. She began her career as a public school art teacher with Teach for America and is now a stay-at-home mom. Rebekah has a wonderful husband who doesn’t mind her “quick stops"— at fabric shops.

—1/4 yd Binding fabric

OTHER SUPPLIES —14" × 36" batting —1/4" and 3/8" bias tape makers —Coordinating threads — Lightweight cotton thread to match Background fabric —Clear monofilament thread — Sharp sewing machine needle, size 60/8 —Open-toe presser foot —Appliqué basting glue —Pins —Safety pins or quilt basting spray

FINISHED SIZE 12" × 34½"

NOTES — All seam allowances are 1/4" unless otherwise noted.

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how-to

figure 1

figure 2

figure 3

figure 4

— Feel free to vary the position of the bias tapes; the abstract design is flexible and forgiving.

— Four bias strips ½" wide (two each from two fabrics)

— Check the bias tape maker instructions to confirm the widths to cut the bias strips.

—One 16" × 38" rectangle

— The bias tapes could also be hand appliquéd to the background if preferred.

—WOF= Width of fabric

CUT THE FABRIC 1 From the Main fabric, cut: — One 12" × 34½" rectangle for Background

2 From the Accent fabrics, cut: — Ten bias strips 3/4" wide (two each from five fabrics)

82

* stitch

3 From the Backing fabric, cut: 4 From the Binding fabric, cut: —Three 2" × WOF strips

PREPARE THE BIAS STRIPS 5 Join the two bias strips of each

fabric using diagonal seams (see Sewing Basics on sewdaily.com) to make a total of seven long bias strips.

Press the seam allowances open and trim away the extending dog ears.

6 Following the manufacturer’s

instructions, pull the bias strips through the bias tape makers to fold their edges under. Use the 1/4" tape maker for the ½" wide strips and the 3/8" tape maker for the 3/4" strips.

ARRANGE THE BIAS TAPES 7 Fold the Background rectangle in half lengthwise and press lightly to mark the center. Open.

8 Starting from the left-hand end of

the Background rectangle and leaving a tail of a few inches, pin one of the 3/8" wide bias tapes parallel to the crease and slightly above it. Bend the bias tape up away from the crease, down over it, then up and parallel to the crease and below it at the righthand end of the background. (figure 1)

9 Pin a second 3/8" wide bias strip to the Background, starting below and finishing above the crease. Bend the tape into curves generally following the first tape, weaving the tape alternately over and under the first.

(figure 2)

how-to

0 Pin a third 3/8" wide bias strip to

the Background, starting above and ending below the first tape. Bend the tape into curves generally opposing the first tape, again weaving the tape alternately over and under the previous tapes. (figure 3)

- Continue pinning the remaining

bias tapes onto the Background one at a time, varying the positions of the waves and distance they rise and fall above the center crease to build a balanced composition. Note: Weave the tapes generally over and under one another alternately, varying the sequence as desired. For the sample, the 1/4" wide tapes were applied last and arranged to look like they were rolling around the previous tapes.

(figure 4)

= Examine the overall layout and

adjust and re-pin any sections that appear too dense or too loose.

q Secure the bias tapes to the

Background with small dabs of basting glue, removing the pins as you go. This will ensure the composition remains as planned while sewing.

with a walking foot. Note: Quilting with thread a shade darker than the background fabric also helps the background recede so the bias tapes are emphasized.

w Trim the excess batting and

Backing flush with the runner top.

e Join the binding strips with

diagonal seams and bind the runner with double-layer binding (see Sewing Basics).

KEVIN KOSBAB presents more ideas for woven bias tape appliqué in his book The Quilter’s Appliqué Workshop (Interweave, 2014). He is also a contributing editor to Stitch magazine and designs sewing and quilting projects with a mid-century modern flavor for magazines and his own pattern line, Feed Dog Designs (feeddog.net).

Futuristic Rain Cape

by EMILY LI MANDRI

{from page 50}

FINISH THE RUNNER e Layer the Backing wrong side up,

— Two Permapaque pigment markers in metallic gold (Sharpie would work as well) —Rubbing alcohol —Cotton balls — One 32" plastic tooth open separating zipper —One ¼" wide safety pin —Two cord end stoppers —Yardstick —Matching thread —Binder clips —Zipper foot

NOTES — All seam allowances are ½" unless otherwise noted.

— For easier sewing, use a Teflon foot and Teflon zipper foot so the vinyl glides smoothly through the machine.

— Use binder clips instead of pins to avoid piercing holes in the vinyl.

— This project uses french seams.

Use the binder clips to keep the plastic pieces together where necessary.

FINISHED SIZE One size fits all

DOWNLOAD THE FULL-SIZE PATTERN FOR THIS PROJECT AT SEWDAILY.COM/STITCHPATTERNS

CUT THE FABRIC 1 From the vinyl, cut: —Two Hood (A)

FABRIC

the batting, and the runner top right side up. Baste the layers together with safety pins or basting spray.

—Main: 21/4 yd clear vinyl, 54"; 4 gauge

r Quilt as desired. To help the

—Templates, downloadable:

bias tapes pop out, the sample was first free-motion quilted in the Background just next to each bias tape edge. The Background was then quilted in dense parallel lines

— 1½ yd cord, ¼" (for the hood drawstring)

—Vinyl doesn’t have a grain line.

APPLIQUÉ THE BIAS TAPES w Install the size 60/8 needle and

open-toe presser foot on the sewing machine. With clear monofilament in the needle and lightweight cotton thread in the bobbin, stitch a short, narrow zigzag (0.5–1 mm wide, 1–1.5 mm long) along all edges of the bias tapes. The left swing of the needle should fall a thread or two inside the tape, while the right swing falls in the background fabric just next to the tape. Secure the ends of the stitching lines with several shorter stitches or the machine’s locking stitch.

— 6 yd bias tape single fold, 1" (or ½" bias tape double fold)

OTHER SUPPLIES: —Hood (A) —Back (B) —Front (C)

—One Back (B), on the fold —Two Front (C)

MARK THE STRIPES 2 Starting with the Back piece,

find the center back by folding the Back in half and marking the center line at the top and bottom with the marker. Note: If a mistake is

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how-to

skinny ¼" seam on the top sides of the cape. Turn the cape right sides in and sew a ¼" seam along top sides, ensuring the inside seam edge is completely encased with the new seam.

Color Blocked and Bias Bound Skirt

by KHRISTAL JOUETT

{from page 51}

9 Attach the hood to the cape,

matching up the centerback, shoulder seams, and front seams.

With right sides out, sew a skinny ¼" seam along the neckline. Turn right sides in and sew a ¼" seam along the neckline.

0 Fold over the vinyl on the front made, don’t panic—use a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol to erase the mark. Unfold the piece, and use the yardstick to connect the top and bottom marks and draw the first vertical line.

3 Continue to mark the rest of the

lines 1" apart, drawing the lines parallel to the center line. The side of the vinyl with the drawn stripes is the right side (outside) of the garment.

4 Let markings air dry for five minutes.

5 Place each Front piece on top of

the Back right sides out, matching edges. Use the stripes from the Back as a placement guide for drawing the stripes on the Front pieces so the stripes match at the seams. Let air dry for five minutes.

6 Lay the Hood pieces flat, matching edges. Instead of drawing vertical stripes on the hood, draw stripes at a 45 degree angle so the lines create a chevron effect. Once the stripes are complete on one side of one Hood piece, turn it over and use its stripes as a placement guide for drawing the stripes on the second Hood piece so the stripes will match at the seams.

Let markings air dry for five minutes.

SEW THE CAPE 7 With right sides out, sew a skinny

¼" seam (a hair less then ¼") along the back edge of the Hood pieces.

Turn right sides in, and sew a ¼" seam along the back of the hood.

8 Place the Front pieces on top of the Back right sides out, matching edges. With right sides out, sew a 84

* stitch

center seams ½", and, following the manucaturer’s instructions, insert the zipper. Make sure the zipper starts ½" down from the top of the hood, leaving space for the bias tape edge and drawstring. The bottom of the zipper should align with the bottom edge of the cape.

- Fold the bias tape edge over ¼"

and clip it to the bottom of the cape so the starting edge aligns with the front center seam where the zipper is attached, and the bias tape encases the vinyl edge with ½" of bias tape on each side of the vinyl. Sew the bias tape to the cape edge, securing both layers of the tape as you sew. Repeat folding over the bias tape ¼" on the other front side of the bottom of the cape for a final ½" strip along the cape edge.

= Attach bias tape edging to the

hood. Fold the bias tape edge over ¼" at the front center on either side.

q Attach the safety pin to one end of

the cord and push it through the tube along the hood edge until it comes out the other side opening. Adjust the cord so it’s the same length on each side. Thread a stopper on each end of the cord and tie the ends with a knot to secure them.

EMILY LI MANDRI is a clothing designer

living in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Obsessed with outerwear and unconventional materials, she loves experimenting with new techniques to create contemporary wearable statement pieces. In her free time she enjoys bike rides, yoga, and exploring all NYC has to offer.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL-SIZE PATTERN FOR THIS PROJECT AT SEWDAILY.COM/STITCHPATTERNS

FABRIC Fabrics are either broad cloth, twill, denim, or skirt-weight wool, and 44" wide — FF1: 2/3 yd (shown: green) — FF2: 2/3 yd (shown: blue) — FF3: 2 yd (shown: yellow) — FF4: 1/3 yd (shown: dark blue) Note: The fabric for the girl’s skirt can be cut with the women’s skirt using no extra yardage. If cutting the girl’s skirt alone, see separate yardage referenced in the downloadable.

OTHER SUPPLIES —Templates, downloadable: —Right Front (A) —Left Front (B) —Right Back (C) —Left Back (D) —Left Hip Pocket (E) —Right Hemline Pocket (F) —Front Lining (G) —Back Lining (H) —Thread to match fabric colors —Two ½" to 1" decorative buttons

how-to

—Pressing tools: ham, clapper —One 7" to 9" zipper (5" for the girl’s skirt)

3 From the FF3 fabric, cut: —Two Front Lining (G) —Two Back Lining (H)

FINISHED SIZE

—One Left Hip Pocket (E)

Women’s skirt

—One Right Hemline Pocket (F)

—8 yd bias strips, 2"

4 From the FF4 fabric, cut: — One Right Hemline Pocket (F)

SEW THE SKIRT LINING q Stitch darts. Press the darts

SEW THE SKIRT 5 Stitch darts. Press the darts

w Baste from the waistline down to

— One Left Hip Pocket (E)

toward the center front and center back.

6 Following the manufacturer’s

instructions, insert the zipper into the center back of the skirt.

Girl’s skirt

7 Stitch from the zipper stop to the

top of the hem vent. Baste from the top of the hem vent to the hem edge.

Clip the corner of the vent seam to— but not through—the dot. Press open the center back seam. Press the vent to the left side of the skirt. Topstitch the top of the vent, at a diagonal, through all layers. Note: The girl’s skirt will not have a vent. Stitch from the zipper stop to the hem.

8 Fold and press bias strips so that NOTES — Unless otherwise stated, instructions can be used for both Women and Girl’s skirts.

— All seam allowances are ½" unless otherwise noted.

— Zigzag, overcast, or serge all exposed edges.

—Transfer all pattern markings. Hip pocket markings are approximate.

Actual placement varies depending on the curve of the hip. Place the hip pocket top aligned with the waist notches, then smooth over the hip until flat.

CUT THE FABRIC 1 From the FF1 fabric, cut: —One Right Front (A) —One Left Back (D)

2 From the FF2 fabric, cut: —One Left Front (B) —One Right Back (C)

The lower edge of the Right Hemline Pocket does not have binding. This edge will be bound by the hemline binding. Pin pockets in place on the skirt and edgestitch in place. Stitch the center of the pocket to the hip, and add a decorative button to each pocket.

they form a ½" wide bias binding for a total of 8 yd).

toward the center front and center back. the zipper stop. Stitch from the zipper stop to the top of the hem vent. Baste from the top of the hem vent to the hem edge. Trim off the vent, leaving a ½" seam allowance (as shown on the pattern piece). Press open the center back seam. Remove basting threads.

Fuse the seam allowances open (which are going to be near the hem vent). Note: The girl’s skirt lining will not have a vent. Sew from the zipper stop to the hem.

e Sew the center front and side

seams of the lining. Press open the seams.

ASSEMBLE THE SKIRT AND LINING AND WAISTLINE BINDING r Turn the skirt so that it is right

Right Front and Left Front at the center front seam. Repeat for back pieces.

side out, and turn the lining so that the wrong side is facing out. Place the lining inside of the skirt. Line up the side seams and darts. Baste the skirt and lining together at the waistline.

0 Stitch the side seams of the

t Take basting threads out of the

9 With right sides together, stitch

skirt. Press open the seams. Fuse ½" binding over the side seams and center front seams. Edgestitch the binding in place.

- Check that the skirt length is as desired. The skirt should be the desired length plus ½". Place the lower Right Hemline Pocket prior to sewing the hemline binding. Sew binding onto the hemline so that ½" binding is visible on the right side of the skirt, outlining the hem.

SEW THE POCKETS = Pin the pocket fabric and pocket

lining so that it is open down to the zipper stop. Whipstitch the lining opening around the zipper.

y Sew binding to the waistline

so that ½" of binding outlines the waistline.

KHRISTAL JOUETT is a designer from

North Alabama. She holds a degree in electrical engineering but has enjoyed clothing design from an early age. She has been an avid sewer and crafter since the age of 12 and is inspired by a love of vintage clothing.

lining fabric wrong sides together.

Stitch binding around the inner and outer curves of the pockets. Note:

85 sewdaily.com *

how-to One-Seam Maxi Skirt

by CAROLINE HULSE

{from page 52}

— Use spray starch if your fabric is rolling or hard manage.

—Pin often.

CUT THE FABRIC 1 For the skirt, measure the widest

part of your hips and add 8". This measurement is the width of the skirt.

Cut the Main fabric at this width and leave the length at 54" (or whatever the fabric measures).

2 For the waistband, use an extra strip of the Main fabric and cut:

get the

how-to ! video

.com shop.sewdaily

FABRIC — Main: 1½ -2 yd of striped knit fabric, 54"

OTHER SUPPLIES —Pins — Ballpoint or stretch sewing machine needle — Packages of double stick fusible web —Large safety pin

FINISHED SIZE Made to fit your measurements

NOTES — All seam allowances are 3/8" unless otherwise noted.

—Pre-wash all fabric.

— This project can be sewn on a standard sewing machine or a serger, whichever is preferred.

— If using a regular sewing machine, use a ballpoint or stretch needle for knit fabric. Set your machine to a small zigzag or stretch stitch (stitches should be long and narrow).

— Do not stretch your fabric as you sew (unless instructed to do so).

86

* stitch

—One 10" high × waist measurement minus 1"–2" (depending on how stretchy the fabric is; the stretchier, the smaller) rectangle. Optional: Use a coordinating print for the waistband.

CAROLINE HULSE is a fabric and pattern

designer as well as author of the creative lifestyle blog, SewCaroline.com. Caroline has a passion for handmade fashion and loves designing and sewing clothes that are easy to wear everyday. She resides in Fort Worth, Texas with her husband where she enjoys walking her dog and taking an excessive amount of photos on Instagram (@SewCaroline).

Striped Paper Bag Waist Skirt

by ELIZABETH EVANS AND LIZ EVANS

{from page 53}

SEW THE BACK SEAM 3 Fold the skirt fabric right sides

together, matching the raw edges along the long side, pin in place, and sew.

ADD THE YOGA WAISTBAND 4 Fold the waistband rectangle in

half with wrong sides together. Pin and sew along the short end. With pins, mark the “four corners” of the waistband and mark the “four corners” of the top of the skirt. Align the waistband to the wrong side of the skirt with raw edges up. Match the pins and sew in place, stretching the waistband as you go to fit the skirt.

Fold the sewn edge of the waistband toward the skirt.

FINISH THE SKIRT 5 Try on the skirt, determine the

preferred length, and cut. Either leave the bottom edge raw since knits don’t fray, or use a strip of double stick fusible web around the bottom edge, folding toward the wrong side and using a zigzag stitch to secure it in place.

get the

how-to video!

shop.sewdaily.c om

DOWNLOAD THE FULL-SIZE PATTERN FOR THIS PROJECT AT SEWDAILY.COM/STITCHPATTERNS

FABRIC —Main: 1 1/2–3 yd of 2" striped fabric —1/4 yd of coordinating print for Pocket

OTHER SUPPLIES —Template, downloadable: —Pocket (A) — 1–1 1/2 yd of 1" elastic (3" smaller than your waist measurement) —Tape measure

SOURCES

—Sewing machine

FABRIC Art Gallery Fabrics, “Gleeful”

by Caroline Hulse in Springs Sun knit, artgalleryfabrics.com SUPPLIES Double stick fusible web, Lite Steam-a-Seam 2 by The Warm Company, warmcompany.com

—Thread —Scissors —Rotary cutter —Cutting mat —Cutting ruler —Iron

how-to

the pockets to create side seams for the skirt.

— FF1: ¼ yd yellow quilting-weight cotton

9 Turn the waistband down 31/2"

— FF2: ¼ yd red quilting-weight cotton

and stitch casing lines; solid stitch around the top of skirt 2" down, and then stitch another line 11/4" down from the first stitching line, leaving a 2" opening at the bottom to insert the elastic.

0 Measure elastic 2"–3" smaller

than the waist measurement, cut, and insert into the casing.

- Stitch up the casing. = Turn up the bottom of the skirt FINISHED SIZE Made to fit your measurements

NOTES — All seam allowances are 5/8" unless otherwise noted.

— Zigzag, pink, overcast, or serge all raw edges.

CUT THE FABRIC 1 Using the tape measure, measure

your waist. Record this measurement.

2 Using the tape measure, measure

the desired length for the skirt. Record this measurement.

3 Add 41/2" to the length

measurement, enough to create the paper bag waistband and a small hem (add more for a larger hem allowance if desired).

4 From the Main fabric, cut: —Two waist measurement × length measurement with the 4 1/2" added rectangles for Front Skirt Panel and Back Skirt Panel

½" and press. Turn up ½" again and press. Stitch up the hem.

SOURCES FABRIC Riley Blake Designs, 2" stripes

in red and white, rileyblakedesigns. com

ELIZABETH EVANS and LIZ EVANS

are two girls who married brothers and ended up with the exact same name. Almost five years ago they tried an experiment: start a blog to see if they could come up with a new project to share everyday for one month. At the end of the month they realized that they were going to need more than a mere 30 days, and Simple Simon and Company was born.

Little did they know at that time where their experiment would take them.

Inspired Inspiration Board

by EMILY BRECLAW

{from page 54}

OTHER SUPPLIES — One 4" × 17½" rectangle of vinyl, 4 gauge —24" × 30" Batting — One spool of black ribbon (not wired), 1" — One 20" × 26" artist canvas — Thumbtacks

FINISHED SIZE 20" × 26"

NOTES — All seam allowances are 1/4" unless otherwise noted.

—Press all seams open.

— When topstitching black ribbon, stitch a scant 1/8" in from both sides of the ribbon using black thread.

—FF= Fashion fabric

CUT THE FABRIC 1 From the Main fabric, cut: —One 9" × 20½" rectangle —One 9" × 8" rectangle —One 5" × 9" rectangle

2 From the FF1 fabric, cut: —One 5" × 20½" rectangle

3 From the FF2 fabric, cut: —One 9" × 13" rectangle —One 5" × 12" rectangle

MAKE THE QUILTED BOARD TOP 5 Referring to figure 1 for fabric

—Four Pocket (A)

MAKE THE SKIRT 6 Lay the Front Skirt Panel and Back

placement, stitch the short side of the FF2 9" × 13" rectangle to the long side of the Main 9" × 8" rectangle.

Skirt Panel right sides up. Measure down 5 1/2" from the top of the Front skirt panel and pin the Pocket pieces in place. Pockets should be right side down.

6 Sew the long side of the FF1

5" × 20½" rectangle to the long side of the Main 9" × 20½" rectangle.

7 Sew the pocket pieces in place on

FABRIC

8 Put the panels right sides together

— Main: 1/3 yd white quilting-weight cotton

and sew the side seams, going around

—1/2 yd muslin

4 From the FF3 fabric, cut:

5 From the coordinating print, cut:

all four pockets.

— FF3: ¼ yd blue quilting-weight cotton

7 Sew the short side of the Main

5" × 9" rectangle to the short side of the FF3 5" × 12" rectangle.

87 sewdaily.com *

how-to

e Center the second ribbon over E

C A

B F

D

the seam between the red and white rectangles. Note: This will cover the middle of the vinyl, creating two pockets. Topstitch. Center the third piece of ribbon over the third vertical seam, again covering the short edge of the vinyl and horizontal ribbon edges.

Topstitch.

ASSEMBLE THE BOARD r Place the quilted board top face

figure 1

1/4"

1/4"

down on a large flat surface. Center the artist canvas on top of the quilted board top, face down. Fold the top of the quilted board top over the canvas edge, and pin the top center of the quilted board top to the center of the wooden canvas edge with a thumbtack.

t Fold up the bottom of the quilted figure 2

8 Sew the FF1/Main unit to the FF2/Main unit.

9 Sew the FF3/Main unit to the unit from step 4.

0 Layer the muslin, batting, and the quilt top right side up. Baste. Quilt with vertical lines spaced about 1/4" apart.

ADD THE POCKETS AND RIBBON EMBELLISHMENT - Place the vinyl rectangle on top

of the quilt top so that the long bottom edge of the vinyl overlaps the seam between the red FF2 and Main rectangles by 1/4". (figure 2) Note: The short sides of the vinyl should overlap the vertical seams by 1/4".

= Cut a 17½" piece of black ribbon.

Place it over the bottom edge of the vinyl, overlapping seams by 1/4".

Topstitch.

q Cut a 5" piece of black ribbon.

Center it over the short seam between the blue FF3 and Main rectangles.

Topstitch.

board top over the canvas edge, pulling slightly to stretch the quilt. Pin the quilted board top to the wooden edge of the canvas with a thumbtack at the center of the bottom edge.

y Repeat to pin the centers of the left and right sides.

u Working out from the center, pin

the remainder of each side to the artist canvas, spacing thumbtacks about 2" apart. Fold the corners of the quilted board top over the corners of the canvas. Then fold the sides down, overlapping the quilted board top corner neatly. Pin securely.

SOURCES FABRIC Clothworks, American Made Brand in White #1, Yellow #10, Dark Tomato #81, and Dark Blue #30, clothworks.com

EMILY BRECLAW is a quilt pattern designer, mom of five, and coffee fanatic. She enjoys helping quilters expand their skill sets with patterns involving clear explanations of techniques like y-seams, curves, and nontraditional shapes. Follow along with her quilting adventures at thecaffeinatedquilter.com.

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Join us at Sew Daily, the online community for modern sewists! Discuss sewing techniques and tips, get feedback and help, chat about Stitch, or start a sew-along. You can also upload photos of your work, share information about yourself and your projects, and make friends in the community.

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w Cut three 20½" pieces of black

ribbon. Center one piece over the long seam between the yellow FF1 and Main rectangles, making sure the ribbon overlaps the ribbon and vinyl edge from step 8. Topstitch.

88

* stitch

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how-to

POP prints

Elizabeth Tote

by DORIS RUSHING

{from page 56}

—Topstitch ¼" away from the edge unless otherwise noted.

CUT THE FABRIC 1 From the Focus Fabric, cut with motif centered:

— One 9" × 9" square for the Upper Center Front panel

2 From the Large Floral fabric, cut on straight of grain:

— Two 5½" × 9" rectangles for the Upper Side Front panel — One 9" × 18" rectangle for Upper Back panel

3 From the Medium Stripe fabric, cut on straight of grain:

— Two 8" × 18" rectangles for the Lower Front and Lower Back panels — Two 24" × 4" strips for handles — Two 9" × 1½" strips for the Upper Front Trim panel

4 From the Small Geometric Print, cut on straight of grain:

FABRIC All fabrics are quilting-weight cotton and 45" wide —Focus Fabric: 3/8 yd —Large Floral: ½ yd —Medium Stripe: 1 yd —Small Geometric Print: 1/3 yd

5 From the Lining fabric, cut on straight of grain:

— Two 18" × 15" rectangles — One 6" × 18" rectangle for the bottom support cover

6 From the Fusible Fleece, cut:

OTHER SUPPLIES

ASSEMBLE THE BAG 7 With right sides together, stitch

—Thread to match fabric —Rotary cutter —One 6" × 24" acrylic ruler —One 12" × 12" square acrylic ruler —Heavy cardboard, ½" × 17" —Marking pencil or chalk —Walking foot

FINISHED SIZE 17" × 12" Handles are 24" long

NOTES —All seam allowances are ½" unless otherwise noted.

* stitch

— Two 4½" × 7½" rectangle for the Back Pocket

— Lining: ¾ yd medium geometric print —1/2 yd fusible fleece, 45"

90

— Two 6" × 6" squares for the Front Pocket

—Two 15½" × 18" rectangles

one 5½" × 9" Upper Side Front panel to each side of the Upper Center Front 9" × 9" square. Press seams open.

8 Press in ¼" on each side of the

9" × 1½" strips. Center one strip over each seam of the upper front panel and stitch close to each edge to form the Upper Front Unit.

9 With right sides together, stitch

the Upper Front Unit with an 8" × 18" Lower Front panel. Press seams toward the lower panel. Repeat with the Upper Back and 8" × 18" Lower Back rectangles. Press the seam toward the lower panel.

0 Apply one 15½" × 18" fusible

fleece rectangle to the back of each bag Front and bag Back, following the manufacturer’s instructions.

- Using a walking foot, quilt as

desired. Note: Quilt along each seam of the Upper Front Unit, on each side of the stripes on the Lower Front and Back, and along the joining seams of the Upper Front and Back.

= With right sides together, sew the

bag Front and bag Back together along the sides and bottom. Press seams open. Do not turn the bag right side out.

q Bring side seams and bottom

seams together, forming a triangle.

Measure up 1¼" from the tip of the triangle and mark a line straight across. Stitch on the drawn line.

Stitch again, close to first stitching, and trim seam to ½". Turn the bag right side out.

SEW THE HANDLES w Press the 24" × 4" handles in half.

Fold each outside edge in to meet the crease, and press. Bring the outside folds together and press. Handles should now measure 1" × 24".

Topstitch ¼" away from each long edge.

e Center the ends of the front

handles above the trim on the upper front. Pin the handles in place. Use the placement of the front handles to determine where to place the back handles. Pin, then baste, making sure that the handles are not twisted. Set the outer bag aside.

ASSEMBLE THE POCKETS r With right sides together, stitch

using a ¼" seam around all sides of the 6" × 6" square Front Pocket, leaving an opening to turn right side out. Repeat for the 4½" × 7½" Back Pocket. Turn the pockets right side out, press, and slip-stitch the opening closed (see Sewing Basics).

t Center the Front Pocket about 3"

from the top of the Lining, and pin in place. Repeat for the Back Pocket on the back Lining. Pin in place. Stitch each Pocket in place close to the side and bottom edges. Strengthen the

how-to

Pocket by stitching again, close to the original stitches.

ASSEMBLE THE LINING y With right sides together and

making sure that the pockets are facing the correct way, stitch using a ½" seam along each side and the bottom of the lining, making sure to leave an opening in a side seam for turning. Press the seams open. Do not turn right side out.

36 years in rural North Carolina. Doris enjoys reading, sewing, quilting, decorative painting, and refurbishing old furniture. She occasionally sews samples for Coats and Clark. Email her at quiltmamma@aol.com.

—Left Front Skirt Panel (G) —Right Front Skirt Panel (H) —Left Back Skirt Panel (I) —Right Back Skirt Panel (J) —Right and Left Bottom Petal (K)

Flutter Dress

by SHARON THORNTON

{from page 57}

u With right sides together, bring

—Right and Left Middle Petal (L) —Right Top Petal (M) —Left Top Petal (N) — 14 yd 20" Fusible Interfacing for Bodice —One 18" invisible zipper

the side seams and bottom seams together, forming a triangle. From the point of the triangle, measure up 1¼" and mark a line straight across.

Stitch on the line. Stitch again, close to the first stitching. Trim the seam to ½". Do not turn the bag right side out.

—One hook and eye closure —Dritz Featherlite Boning —Thread —Netting (optional)

FINISHED SIZE

FINISH THE BAG i Place the bag inside the lining,

right sides together and matching side seams. Stitch around the upper edge, using a ½" seam. To reinforce the handles, stitch again across the ends, making sure to stay inside the seam allowance.

o Turn the bag right side out through the opening in the lining. Slipstitch the opening closed. Arrange the lining inside the bag, and press the top edge. Topstitch ¼" away from the edge.

MAKE AND INSERT THE BOTTOM SUPPORT p Press under ½" on one short end

of the 6" × 18" bottom support cover.

Fold the bottom support cover in half, right sides together, so that it measures 3" × 17½". Stitch using a ½" seam along one long and one short side, leaving the folded edge open. Trim the corner and turn right side out. Slip the cardboard inside the cover, and place in the bottom of the bag.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL-SIZE PATTERN FOR THIS PROJECT AT SEWDAILY.COM/STITCHPATTERNS

FABRIC — Main Bodice: 1/2 yd, 45" — Main Petals: Nine fabrics in coordinating colors, 45" (see yields for yardage) — Main Skirt: 37/8 yd all the same fabric, 45" — Lining: 4 yd lining fabric, 45"

OTHER SUPPLIES Templates, downloadable:

NOTES — All seam allowances are 5/8" unless otherwise noted.

— Sew with right sides together unless otherwise noted.

— Finish seam allowances and edges with a serger or zigzag stitch.

— Press open all seam allowances if not finishing with a serger.

CUT THE FABRIC 1 From the nine Main fabrics, cut:

—Center Front Bodice (A)

— One Center Front Panel Skirt (E), on the fold

“Elizabeth” by Tula Pink, westminsterfabrics.com

—Side Front Bodice (B)

— One Right Front Panel Skirt (H)

—Center Back Bodice (C)

SUPPLIES Thread,

Coats and Clark, coatsandclark.com

— One Left Front Panel Skirt (G)

—Side Back Bodice (D)

— Two Center Back Panel Skirt (F)

—Center Front Skirt Panel (E)

— One Right Back Panel Skirt (J)

DORIS RUSHING is a wife, mother, and

—Center Back Skirt Panel (F)

— One Left Back Panel Skirt (I)

SOURCES FABRIC FreeSpirit,

grandmother living with her husband of

91 sewdaily.com *

how-to

— One Center Front Bodice (A), on the fold — Two Side Front Bodice (B) — Two Center Back Bodice (C) — Two Side Back Bodice (D) — One Right and Left Bottom Petal (K) — One Right and Left Middle Petal (L), on the fold — One Right Top Petal (M), on the fold — One Left Top Petal (N)

2 From the Lining fabric, cut: — One Center Front Panel Skirt (E), on the fold — One Right Front Panel Skirt (H) — One Left Front Panel Skirt (G) — Two Center Back Panel Skirt (F) — One Right Back Panel Skirt (J) — One Left Back Panel Skirt (I) — One Center Front Bodice (A), on the fold — Two Side Front Bodice (B) — Two Center Back Bodice (C) — Two Side Back Bodice (D)

3 From the Fusible interfacing, cut: —One Center Front Bodice (A), on the fold —Two Side Front Bodice (B) —Two Center Back Bodice (C) —Two Side Back Bodice (D)

ASSEMBLE THE MAIN BODICE 4 Iron each piece of the fusible

interfacing to the wrong side of each matching main bodice piece. Fuse pieces (A), (B), (C), and (D) to the corresponding main fabric pieces (A), (B), (C), and (D).

ASSEMBLE THE BODICE LINING 8 Sew each lining Side Front Bodice piece to the lining Center Front Bodice matching notches.

9 Sew each lining Side Back Bodice piece to the lining Center Back Bodice pieces, matching notches.

0 Sew lining side back bodice piece to lining side front bodice piece matching notches.

Note: There should be an open seam in center back lining bodice piece for future insert of zipper.

- With right sides together, pin the

main bodice to the lining bodice along the upper edge, matching seams.

Sew along the upper edge. Trim the seam. Turn the lined bodice so that the wrong sides are together, and press out any thickness along the upper edge. Topstitch through both layers ¼" from the top finished edge.

ASSEMBLE THE MAIN SKIRT AND SKIRT LINING = Pin the main Side Front Skirt

Panel pieces to the main Center Front Skirt Panel, matching notches. Stitch together.

q Stitch the center back seam of the Center Back Skirt Panel from dot-todot on the back seam.

w Pin the main Right Back Skirt Panel to the main Center Back Skirt Panel, matching notches. Stitch together.

e Pin the main Left Back Skirt Panel to the main Center Back Skirt Panel, matching notches. Stitch together.

r Pin the main skirt side seams and

5 Sew each main Side Front Bodice

the Left Back Skirt Panel together, matching notches . Repeat with the Right Front Skirt Panel and Right Back Skirt Panel. Stitch with right sides together.

6 Sew each main Side Back Bodice

t Repeat steps 12–16 to assemble

piece to the main Center Front Bodice, matching notches.

piece to the main Center Back Bodice pieces, matching notches. Note: There should be an open seam in the Center Back Bodice pieces for future insert of the zipper.

7 Sew the main Side Back Bodice

pieces to the main Side Front Bodice pieces, matching notches.

the skirt lining.

ASSEMBLE THE PETALS y All petal edges must be finished

before assembly. Use a serger finished edge, rolled hem, or satin stitch.

BOTTOM PETALS u Begin attachment of the Bottom Petals—right or left side, order

92

* stitch

does not matter. Match dots on top of the center edge of the Bottom Petal to the main skirt side seam; the wrong side of the Bottom Petal will lay on top of the right side of the main skirt fabric. Pin the upper edge of the Bottom Petal to the main skirt waistline, and baste into place.

Repeat with the other Bottom Petal on the opposite side.

MIDDLE PETALS i Begin attaching the Middle Petals— again, order does not matter. Match the dot on the top center edge of the Middle Petal to the top center edge dot of the Bottom Petal; the wrong side of the Middle Petal will lay on top of the right side of the Bottom Petal fabric.

Pin the upper edge of the Middle Petal to the Bottom Petal and main skirt waistline, and baste through all thickness. Repeat with the other Middle Petal on the opposite side.

RIGHT TOP PETAL o Attach the Right Top Petal to the

Right Middle Petal. Match the dot on the top center edge of the Right Top Petal to the top edge of the Right Middle Petal; the wrong side of the Right Top Petal will lay on top of the right side of the Right Middle Petal fabric. Pin the upper edge of the Right Top Petal to the Right Middle Petal and main skirt waistline, and baste through all thickness.

LEFT TOP PETAL p Attach the Left Top Petal to the left

Middle Petal. Match the dot on the top center edge of the Left Top Petal to the top edge of the Left Middle Petal; the wrong side of the Left Top Petal will lay on top of the right side of the Left Middle Petal fabric. Match the dots to the Left Middle Petal and Right Top Petal at the side seams along the waistline edge. Be sure to match up the center front line of the Left Top Petal to the main skirt center. Pin along the waistline. Baste through all thickness. Staystitch the top edge of the waistline, securing all petals.

MAKE THE BONING a Using the Dritz Featherlite Boning, sew the boning to the side seam

how-to

allowance on the wrong side of the Main Bodice. For additional support, the boning can also be added to both side front and both side back seam allowances.

ATTACH THE MAIN BODICE TO THE MAIN SKIRT s Pin the main bodice to the main

Bloom Voile Pillow

by MELISSA PEDA (based on Amy Butler’s Bloom Quilt Pillow) get this k {from page 58} inspired it b Amy Bu y tler! shop.sewdaily .com

skirt, right sides together, matching the opening of the center back seams and side seams. Stitch both sections together. Press the seam up toward the bodice.

—One 9" × 25" strip —Two 10" half circles

3 From Fabric 3, cut: —One 9" × 25" strip —One 8" circle —Eight 6" × 27" strips

4 From Fabric 4, cut: —Two 21" half circles —One 7" circle —Two 16 1/2" × 25" rectangles

5 From Fabric 5, cut:

ATTACH THE BODICE LINING TO THE SKIRT LINING d Attach the bodice lining to skirt

—One 15" circle

6 From Fabric 6, cut:

lining in same manner as the assembly of the main bodice to the main skirt.

INSERT THE ZIPPER f Open the invisible zipper, and

2 From Fabric 2, cut:

—One 10" circle

7 From Fabric 7, cut: FABRIC —Fabric 1: One fat quarter voile print

—One 7" circle

8 From Fabric 8, cut:

place it face down on the main dress seam allowance, lining zipper teeth up along 5/8" sew line. Pin, and baste the zipper in place. Repeat the process for the other side, being sure to match up the waistline seams. Sew the invisible zipper into place, leaving the lining free. Hand-sew or machine sew the dress lining to the zipper along a 5/8" seam allowance of lining.

Sew the hook and eye closure at the top of the zipper.

—Fabric 2: One fat quarter voile print

—Two 7" circles

—Fabric 3: four fat quarters voile print

MAKE THE PATCHWORK FRONT 9 Sew the three 9" × 25" strips

FINISHING g Hem the bottom of the main

—One 25" × 25" square Fusible fleece

dress and lining with either a serger finished edge stitch, a regular rolled hem, or a hand-sewn hem.

SOURCES FABRIC Westminster Fibers, “Flora Rayon” by Joel Dewberry, westminsterfabrics.com

SHARON THORNTON started sewing

apparel at a very young age, taught by her mother and grandmother. She has degrees in fashion merchandising and marketing and corporate experience with two major New England retailers. She currently operates her own business with a specialty in formal wear construction and modification. She also has many years of experience as a quilter, making quilts for personal use and consignment. Visit her online on LinkedIn or on Facebook at Sew Special Designs.

—Fabric 4: three fat quarters voile print —Fabric 5: One fat quarter voile print —Fabric 6: One fat quarter voile print —Fabric 7: One fat quarter voile solid —Fabric 8: One fat quarter voile solid

OTHER SUPPLIES —One 25" × 25" square muslin —One 24" × 24" square pillow form —Thread —Hand sewing needle

FINISHED SIZE 24" × 24" square

NOTES —All seam allowances are 1/2" unless otherwise noted.

—Patchwork seams may be pressed using method of choice.

CUT THE FABRIC 1 From Fabric 1, cut: —One 9" × 25" strip —Two 15" half circles

together along the 25" lengths to form a 25" × 25" square.

0 Press seams.

- Following the manufacturer’s

instructions, fuse fleece to the wrong side of the patchwork front.

= Baste muslin to the wrong side of the patchwork front.

q Quilt through all layers 3/8" from either side of the seams.

w Mark the center of each side of the pillow front by cutting a small notch in the seam allowance.

MAKE THE YO-YOS e With right sides together, sew

each set of half circles together along the diameter (straight edge).

Treat each circle as one piece for the remainder of the instructions.

r To make the yo-yos, fold the raw edge of each circle under 1/2" to the wrong side and press.

t Using a needle and thread,

hand sew a running stitch around the circle. Keep stitches as even as possible for best results. Pull the thread to gather the yo-yo, and secure with a knot.

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Step 21 looming Voile Pillow Cover - Diagrams

tep 17

how-to

Step 17

tep 14

SUPPLIES Bloom

Quilt pattern by Amy Butler, amybutlerdesign.com/pdfs/ Bloom_Quilt.pdf MELISSA PEDA is a blogger, designer,

Step 21figure 1

Step 22

seamstress/sewist, quilter, and crafter. She strives to encourage and inspire others to create. Her projects have appeared in Sew It All magazine, Generation Q, Stitch and Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks. For more about her creative process and projects, visit her blog at 100billionstars.com/blog.

figure 2

Charm Pack Plus One Baby Quilt

Step 21

tep 17

by ELIZABETH EVANS AND LIZ EVANS

{from page 59}

get the kit & video! sh op.sewdaily.com

figure 4

y Place the yo-yos as desired on the

MAKE THE PILLOW BACK a Fold one short side of the back

quilted pillow front. Pin in place.

u Hand sew the yo-yos to the pillow Step 21 Step 22front. Sew some around the outer edges. Sew others down at varying distances from the center.

MAKE THE RUFFLE i Trim selvedges from the

o With wrong sides together, fold the ruffle with raw edges even. Press the fold.

p Mark the raw edge of the ruffle every 52".

25” along the [ Use a gathering stitch raw edges of the ruffle. Gather the ruffle.

] Match the marks on the ruffle

edge with the marks on the pillow front. Pin, keeping raw edges of the ruffle even with raw edges of the pillow front.

Step 22

\ Sew the ruffle in place.

* stitch

panel under 1/2" to the wrong side and press. Fold under again 1 1/2" to the wrong side. Press and sew in place.

s Repeat for the other back panel.

Step 22d With right sides up, layer the back

6" × 27" strips. Sew the strips together end-to-end to form the ruffle. Press seams.

94

25”

25"

figure 3

panels over each other, overlapping at the center. Baste across the overlap using a scant 1/2" seam allowance.

f Trim back panels to a 25" × 25" square.

FINISH THE PILLOW COVER g Pin the patchwork front to the

pillow back, right sides together.

Be careful to keep the ruffle out of the seam allowance. Sew around all edges.

25” inside out and h Clip corners. Turn press, and insert the pillow form.

SOURCES FABRIC FreeSpirit,

“Glow” voile by Amy Butler, freespiritfabric.com

FABRIC — Main: Three packs of 5" precuts, or two packs of 10" precuts, or ¼ yd each of seven to nine coordinating fabrics —1 yd coordinating print for Backing —¼ yd coordinating print for Binding

OTHER SUPPLIES —1 yd of Batting —Rotary cutter, mat, and ruler

FINISHED SIZE 36" × 36" square

NOTES — All seam allowances are ¼" unless otherwise noted.

—RST= Right sides together

how-to

FINISH THE QUILT r Lay the Backing square right side down, the Batting in the center, and the finished Quilt Top right side up.

Quilt as desired.

t Bind using preferred method (see Sewing Basics).

SOURCES FABRIC Andover Fabrics, Lime Twist collection, andoverfabrics.com

ELIZABETH EVANS and LIZ EVANS

are two girls who married brothers and ended up with the exact same name. Almost five years ago they tried an experiment: start a blog to see if they could come up with a new project to share everyday for one month. At the end of the month, they realized that they were going to need more than a mere 30 days, and Simple Simon and Company was born.

Little did they know at that time where their experiment would take them.

6 Sew the first two blocks to the

second two blocks RST to complete the first half of the first row. Repeat this process to complete the second half of the first row.

Churn Dash On Point Pillow

by CINDY LUBY

{from page 60}

7 Repeat steps 4–6 to create the

remaining seven rows of the quilt.

8 Iron each row.

9 Pin the rows together. Begin by

pinning row 1 to row 2, row 3 to row 4, and so forth, carefully matching seams from each row together.

figure 1

CUT THE FABRIC 1 From both the Backing and Batting fabrics, cut:

— One 36" × 36" square

ASSEMBLE THE QUILT TOP 2 Lay out the Quilt Top using the

Main 5" × 5" squares. The Quilt Top will be eight squares wide by eight squares tall. (figure 1)

3 For the top row, work from left to right to stack up the blocks.

4 Stitch the first two blocks of that row together RST.

5 Sew the second two blocks of that row together RST.

0 Stitch each of the rows together RST to make four double rows.

- Iron down the long seams of each row in the direction of your choice.

= Pin and sew the top two rows

together RST to make the top half of the quilt.

q Pin and sew the bottom two rows

together RST to make the bottom half of the quilt.

w Iron the new long seams down in the direction of your choice.

e Pin and sew the top and bottom

quilt halves together RST, carefully matching the individual block seams.

FABRIC — Main/FF1: Two fat quarters (shown: Tobacco) — Accent: 10" charm pack or 10" × 10" squares in five coordinating colors (shown: reds, Magenta, and Citrus)

OTHER SUPPLIES —1/2 yd fusible fleece —One 14" × 14" square pillow form —One 12" dress zipper (optional)

95 sewdaily.com *

how-to

figure 1

FINISHED SIZE 13" × 13" square

NOTES — All seam allowances are 1/4" unless otherwise noted.

— Seam allowance for the outer edge of the pillow is 1/2".

— Label the five accent fabrics as FF2, FF3, FF4, FF5, and FF6.

CUT THE FABRIC 1 From the Main/FF1 fabric, cut:

figure 3

square. Stitch 1/4" to the left and right of the marked diagonal line. (figure 1) Repeat with the remaining FF1 and FF2 4" × 4" squares.

the zipper pull, stop with the needle down in the fabric. Lift the presser foot and zip up the zipper. Lower the presser foot and continue to stitch.

Unzip the zipper halfway and pin the opposite zipper tape to the pillow Back seam allowance. Begin sewing at the zipper stop. When the stitching reaches the zipper pull, stop with the needle down in the fabric. Lift the presser foot and unzip the zipper.

Lower the presser foot and continue to stitch. Note: Make sure to unzip the zipper before continuing with the next step.

0 Cut the triangles along the marked

—One 15" × 15" square

line. Press the seam allowance toward the spot fabric. Trim the half square triangle blocks to 3 1/2" × 3 1/2".

—One 3 1/2" × 3 1/2" square

- Stitch together a 2" × 3 1/2" FF1

— Three 4" × 4" squares (label FF1), one for Center Block — Four 3 1/2" × 2" rectangles (label FF1)

2 From the FF2 fabric, cut: —Two 4" × 4" squares —Four 3 1/2" × 2" rectangles

3 From the FF3 fabric, cut: — One 9" × 9" square, sub cut in half on the diagonal

4 From the FF4 fabric, cut: — One 9" × 9" square, sub cut in half on the diagonal

5 From the FF5 fabric, cut: — One 9" × 9" square, sub cut in half on the diagonal

6 From the FF6 fabric, cut: — One 9" × 9" square, sub cut in half on the diagonal

7 From the fusible fleece, cut: —Two 15" × 15" squares

MAKE THE PILLOW 8 Mark a diagonal line from the

upper left corner to the lower right corner on the wrong side of the FF2 4" × 4" squares.

9 With right sides together, pair a 96

figure 2

4" × 4" FF2 square with a 4" × 4" FF1

* stitch

rectangle and a 2" × 3 1/2" FF2 rectangle, right sides together. Press the seam allowance toward the spot fabric. Repeat with the remaining FF1 and FF2 2" × 3 1/2" rectangles.

= Lay out the Center Block and

pieces as shown in figure 2. Sew right sides together to assemble the churn dash block.

FINISH THE PILLOW t Pin the pillow Front to the Back

q Sew the large FF3-FF6 half square

y Stitch the pillow along the top and

w Following the manufacturer’s

u Clip the corners on the diagonal. i Press the seams open. Turn the

triangles to the sides of the churn dash block as shown in figure 3.

instructions, fuse the fleece to the wrong side of the pillow Front and Back. Quilt the pillow Front as desired.

e Place the pillow Front and Back

right sides together. Stitch 1 1/2" in from the left and right sides along the lower edge of the pillow. Press the seam open.

r Optional: Insert the zipper with the

following process: Unzip the zipper halfway. Place the right side of the zipper to the right side of the pillow Front seam allowance, lining up the edge of the zipper with the edge of the fabric. Center the zipper between the opening and pin in place. Using a zipper foot, stitch the zipper close to the teeth. When the stitching reaches

along the top and sides. sides.

pillow right side out, using a point turner to gently push out the corners.

o Insert the pillow form. Zip or whipstitch the opening closed.

SOURCES FABRIC Westminster

Fibers, Kaffe Fassett Fall 2014 Collective, westminsterfabrics.com CINDY LUBY lives and works in the Washington, D.C. metro area. She is trained as a commercial seamstress and finds her passion in quilting. Over the years she has taught quilting, garment construction, and English smocking. Her work has also appeared in Sew News magazine and she currently writes their home décor help column.

how-to

Bright Eyes Tunic

by KHRISTAL JOUETT

{from page 61}

FINISHED SIZE

edges together. Repeat for the second sleeve.

6 Open the sleeves and fold each

one right side together, matching the piping seam. Stitch the underarm seams. Press seam allowances open.

7 Turn the Sleeves right side out and press the lower edges.

8 Match the cut edges of the Sleeve NOTES — All seam allowances are 1/2" unless otherwise noted.

— Choose lightweight fabrics such as cotton voile, lawn, batiste, flannel, or T-shirt knit. For very lightweight fabrics, use fusible interfacing behind the yoke to add body.

— Secure piping in place for stitching with water-soluble basting tape.

— For the lower hem, try either a rolled hem, lettuce leaf finish, ruffles, or a circular flounce to create a different look.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL-SIZE PATTERN FOR THIS PROJECT AT SEWDAILY.COM/STITCHPATTERNS

CUT THE FABRIC 1 From the Main fabric, cut: —One Tunic Front (A) —One Tunic Back (B)

FABRIC

2 From the Contrast fabric, cut:

—Main: 11/2 yd print fabric

—Two Front Yoke (C)

— Contrast: 1 yd print cotton fabric

—Two Back Yoke (D)

Note: Extra fabric is included to allow for centering pattern pieces on desired print motifs.

—Four Sleeve (E) (two for Lining)

OTHER SUPPLIES —Templates, downloadable: —Tunic Front (A)

3 From the optional interfacing, cut: —One Front Yoke (C) —One Back Yoke (D)

SEW THE SLEEVES

—Back Yoke (D)

Note: If using interfacing, fuse to one Yoke Front and one Yoke Back before beginning construction; use both as the outer yoke set.

—Sleeve (E)

4 Stitch piping to each Sleeve

—Tunic Back (B) —Front Yoke (C)

—3 yd ready-made piping — Water-soluble basting tape, such as Wonder Tape —Matching thread —Zipper foot — Optional: 1 yd lightweight fusible interfacing

and Sleeve Lining and stitch two rows of gathering stitches along the cap, one at 1/2" and the second at 3/8" from the edges.

ASSEMBLE THE FRONT AND BACK YOKES 9 Attach piping to the lower Front

and Back Yoke edges as done for the Sleeves.

0 Sew the Front and Back Yoke

together at the shoulder seams.

Repeat for the second set to use as Lining.

- With right sides together and

matching shoulder seams, pin the yoke sets together. Stitch around the neckline. Trim seams and clip curves every 1/2", then turn the Yoke right side out. Press. Topstitch the edge.

= Press under 1/2" along the lower edges of the Front and Back Yoke Linings.

ATTACH THE YOKES q With right sides together, pin the tunic front to the Front Yoke lower edge. Following the piping stitching line, sew together the two pieces.

w Sew two lines of gathering stitches along the upper tunic back, 1/2" and 3/8" from the edge.

e Gather the tunic back upper edge

and pin to the piped lower edge of the Back Yoke, distributing the gathers evenly and matching notches. Sew the pieces together following the piping stitching line.

hemline right side, sewing close to the cording and placing the piping cord toward the Sleeve.

r Press the seam allowances toward

5 With right sides together, place

t Hand-stitch the Front and Back

the Sleeve Lining over the piped Sleeve and pin along the piped edge.

Using the previous piping stitching as a guide, stitch the Sleeve lower

the yokes.

Yoke lining lower edges to cover the piped seams.

97 sewdaily.com *

how-to

SEW SIDE SEAMS AND ADD THE SLEEVES y With right sides together, stitch

the tunic front and back side seams.

Finish seam allowances with zigzagging or serging.

u Insert the sleeves, pulling on the gathering threads as needed to fit.

Trim and finish the seam allowance edges.

FINISH THE HEM i Narrowly hem the tunic lower edge.

KHRISTAL JOUETT is a designer from

North Alabama. She has an electrical engineering degree but has enjoyed clothing design from an early age. She has been an avid sewer and crafter since the age of 12 and is inspired by a love of vintage clothing.

On-the-Go Charger Kit

by NIKI MEINERS

—Matching thread —Ruler

9 Sew the hook-and-loop tape to the Cord Keeper.

—Non-stick press cloth

SOURCES

FINISHED SIZE

FABRIC FreeSpirit,

Hanger: 6" × 9" Cord keeper: 3" × 7"

NOTES — All seam allowances are ¼" unless otherwise noted.

CUT THE FABRIC 1 From Fabric 1, cut:

“Bumble” by Tula Pink, westminsterfabrics.com NIKI MEINERS lives in Amberley Village,

Ohio, with her husband, Gary, two children, Maxx and Gigi, and her furry little Keeshond, Cami. When she is not tending to her brood, managing social media, or concocting something in the kitchen, she is in her studio creating. Visit her at 365daysofcrafts.com.

— Two 6 1/2" × 9 1/2" rectangle for Hanger lining and backing — One 4 1/2" × 6 1/2" rectangle for Hanger pocket

2 From Fabric 2, cut: —T wo 3 1/2" × 7 1/2" rectangles for Cord Keeper

3 From heavy interfacing, cut: —One Hanger (A)

PATTERN INSERT

{from page 62} ASSEMBLE THE HANGER

4 Press under ¼" on all edges of

get the kiomt! shop.sewdaily.c

both of the 6 1/2" × 9 1/2" rectangles.

Apply fusible web to the wrong side and fuse to the heavy craft interfacing. Use a press cloth to protect the iron from the adhesive in the opening. After fusing, trim out the opening 1/4" from the edges. Clip the corners and turn under the edges over the interfacing; fuse in place along the opening edges.

5 Edgestitch around the Hanger edges and opening.

FABRIC — Two fat quarters (18" × 21") in coordinating patterns; label as Fabric 1 (shown: Jade), and Fabric 2 (shown: Orb)

OTHER SUPPLIES —Template, provided on insert: —Hanger (A) —Heavy craft interfacing, 6" × 9" —Fusible web, 12" × 18" — 3" Sew-in hook-and-loop tape, 1" wide

98

—Craft knife

* stitch

MAKE THE POCKET 6 Press under 1/4" on all Pocket

edges. Topstitch the upper edge 1/8" from the fold.

7 Align the Pocket on the lower

edge of the hanger and edgestitch the sides and bottom in place. Stitch again 1/8" from the first stitching, backstitching at the upper edges for reinforcement.

MAKE THE CORD KEEPER 8 With right sides together, stitch

around the Cord Keeper edges, leaving an opening for turning. Turn and press the edges. Topstitch the pressed edges.

is now online! Visit sewdaily.com to download a pdf of our expanded sewing basics section. Get techniques, tips + help to all your sewing questions.

STITCH STORY NO 682:

You sew, girl!

Jane has couture tastes on a boxed wine budget. But instead of buying dresses and suits from the expensive labels, she whips up designer-inspired garments using her Skyline S5—a powerful but affordable machine that’s perfect for a girl with a lot of style, but not a lot of dough. Visit your Janome dealer to learn more about the entire Janome line of sewing, embroidery, and quilting machines. To locate the dealer nearest you, please visit Janome.com/Dealers. Or visit Janome.com/StitchStories for friends, projects, and prizes.

WHAT’S NEXT

Skyline S5

a stor y in ever y stitch h

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