"sheep happens" bag: a tutorial

Awhile back, I picked up a set of some cute Japanese polka dot fabric, with some sheep in the polka dots.  Right away, I was thinking these prints would be perfect for a knitting project bag (or any type of project for that matter).

With the end of the school year drawing near, I have decided to make some gifts for my kids' teachers, one of which is a knitter!  I decided to use this fabric to make a drawstring bag, and give a skein of pretty sock yarn along with it.  I named the bag the "sheep happens" bag, and it turned out so nicely that I thought I would make a tutorial to share with you here!

The bag is made of linen and cotton on the outside, and is lined with cotton.  It is round bottomed, therefore can sit nicely on its own without toppling over, and the drawstring closure doubles as a handle.  It came together quickly, and is the perfect size for small projects.

And here is how you can make your own!


Materials:

fat quarter of linen or home dec fabric for outer
fat quarter of cotton for inner
30" of pretty ribbon, 3/4" wide
Thread, etc


Cut:

6" x 21" of sheep fabric
6" x 21" of linen, sub cut into a 4" x 21" piece and a 2" x 21" piece
11" x 21" of lining
two circles of 6.5" diameter, one of each outer and lining fabrics (I used a bowl as a template)

Assembly: 
NOTE:  I used 1/4 seams, not the traditional 1/2" for bags.  Because I am a quilter, after all ;)

1. Sew outer pieces, right sides together, along long sides such that the 4" strip is on the top, and the sheep piece is in the centre.  Press seams.

2. Fold outer and lining, right sides together so that short raw edges are aligned.
For lining, sew along short side to make tube.
For outer piece, do the same, but stop sewing 3" from top.  Backstitch.  Leave 1" gap, and sew remainder of side to top.  Flip to right side, finger press seams at gap away from hole, and sew short lines on either side of the hole to secure.  This will be where the drawstring ribbon exits.

3. Press outer and lining tubes in half, and then in half again.  Press along bottom edge to mark quarters.  Do the same with the circle pieces (see photo).

4.  Align circles with bottom of tubes, right sides together,  matching and pinning the four creases around the circle.

5. Sew circles to tubes, working fabric from tube along circle's curve and ensuring that all 4 pinned corners line up.

6.  Insert outer, right side out, into lining, wrong side out (i.e. right sides will be facing each other).  Ensure side seams for the outer and lining are aligned.  Pin, if desired.

7.  Sew along top, leaving 2" hole for inverting.

8. Turn bag right side out and press top seam.  Top stitch along top, close to the edge, to close the hole.  Also topstitch on either side of ribbon hole to make channel for the ribbon as shown.

9.  Turn edges of ends of ribbon over and stitch to prevent fraying.  Secure large safety pin to one end and insert into hole.

10. Using your fingers, pull safety pin along the channel until the ribbon emerges out the other side.  Tie ribbon ends into a knot.

Ta da!  You have yourself a Sheep Happens project bag.  Now go make something else to stick in it!!


Giveaway: 

Wanna win a sheep happens bag?  I am giving one away on Instagram today, Friday June 20.  Come check out my feed for details (kristieocd).  If you aren't on IG, leave a comment here before 3 PM (Central time) and I will enter you. Have a great Friday!

a quilt for a Christmas gift

Last Christmas, that is.

(just a wee bit behind)

I have the best parents ever.  And they have waited sooooo patiently for this!  Of all the people in my life, they are two of the most important.  So I guess the delay was partly that I wanted a quilt for them that I liked, and I knew THEY would like.  So I gifted them an unfinished quilt for Christmas last year. But as much as I liked the quilt, it just wasn't them.  Then I couldn't decide how to quilt it.  Then I hated the quilting. Then I was too lazy to pick out the quilting and do it again.  In short, I started to hate that darn quilt, and didn't want to send those bad vibes over to my folks' house.

So I finally got a fire under my arse and started over again.  My mom is not a girly-girl (and obviously, either is my dad), and their home is decorated mostly in taupes and navies.  I decided that Cara's free Urban Lattice quilt pattern was the perfect fit for them.

I made a few modifications- I did 10" blocks instead of 12", so it finishes at about 60' by 70". And I just cut the pieces with a homemade template and pieced them without the paper, because I got lazy after a few blocks.  Not totally perfect, but that is when you fall back on a parent's unconditional love ;)

I used linen as my base, which I love using for texture and also for the weight- it feels substantial to snuggle under, and softens with each washing.  I did my sashing in navy linen, and then used a variety of browns, navies and aquas from my stash for the top. The binding is hand stitched, a bias stripe from Riley Blake.

Did an all over stipple for quilting, because I love the crinkly effect, and honestly, I suck at straight line quilting.  I truly do.  And it just accentuates any imperfections in my piecing.  Truth.  So there you have it.

For the back, I did a big block.  Kinda like it.  But sewing 30" blocks on the bias was not my brightest idea.  All is well that ends well!

My Dad's birthday was yesterday, so that gave me the perfect opportunity (read: motivation, deadline) to give them the quilt.  They loved it, of course.  Because they are the best parents ever :)

Now it's time to work on my sister's Christmas quilt (gifted Christmas 2011....oops!).

Tutorial: Cheater Cathedral Windows

I think Cathedral windows have to rank right up there with my favorite quilt blocks. They are simply gorgeous. But, when I read tutorials explaining the crazy fabric origami skills required to make a single window....yah, I am just too lazy for that racket, I admit it flat out. So, I decided to find a slacker way to cheat.

The great thing about this method is that as the blocks are joined, the backings have a finished appearance as the technique is similar to rag quilting. Also, the finishing of each block to produce the windows sews through the layers, so it doubles as quilting. If you are making a quilt, you can add batting between the layers, however even without, this would make a nice, light weight throw.

Note: While traditional cathedral windows finish up with the window in a diamond orientation, the cheater method finishes square- you can get the traditional arrangement easily by setting the blocks on point.

Here's what you do!

Each finished cheater cathedral window block will measure 3 inches by 3 inches.

To make each window, you will need to cut two 5" circles, one for the backing that will overlap at the sides, and the "feature fabric" that will be seen "in" the window. I used My Go! Baby with the circle cutting die and had the 100+ circles required for my pillow tops cut up in no time! For the grey backing I cut 5.5" strips of WOF and cross cut into 5.5" squares, stacked them into the Go! Baby and away I went. For my feature fabrics, I used scraps of my Nicey Jane from this quilt and sent them through. The Go! Baby can cut 6 layers of quilting at a time, so it was very quick and efficient. I was very happy with the performance. Wish I had been able to use this for the bazillion individually cut circles for my mixed sushi quilt!!

There are two ways to sew each block. Use whichever you are comfortable with- I did a combination of both to try them out and found them equally successful (though I personally preferred Method A).

Method A:
1. Placing wrong sides together, sew entire edge, using 1/4 inch seam.

2. Cut a slit on the feature fabric side, about 1 inch in length, and 1/2 inch from the sewn seam. Be very careful to only cut through the one layer of fabric!! Also, if you are using a directional fabric, think of how it will be oriented and make sure the slit is on the side or top, not the corner area.

3. Use the slit hole to turn the fabrics so they are right side out, pushing seams out from inside to make nice round edges.

4. Press.

5. Set aside for assembly (see below).


Method B:
1. Placing wrong sides together, sew with 1/4 inch seam but leave a 1 inch space.

2. Use hole to turn fabrics so they are right sides out, pushing seams out from inside to make nice round edges.

3. Press, folding over open area to make the outer perimeter a smooth circle shape.

4. Set aside for assembly (see below).


Assembly
You are now ready to join the circles together to make your windows.

1. Make a 3 inch square template from plastic or card stock. Center it on your circle block and use a fabric marker or pencil to trace (these lines will be covered once sewn).



2. Take 2 circles and align, back parts facing, so line on front of each are lined up.

3. Sew along this line as shown.


4. Continue to add blocks to end of row. Your rows should look like this:

5. Line up rows and sew together. You will have a block with edges all turned upwards like so:


Finishing:
1. Press the upturned edges as shown, to overlap on their own block.

If using Method A, note how the slits will now be concealed:

2. Top stitch by hand or machine, close to edge.


You are finished!

Check out the finished backing as mentioned above:


Now use your block of windows to make something beautiful- a quilt, placemats, or as I did, pillows! I will be doing a second tutorial on the construction of the pillows themselves this week :)


Feel free to email me with any questions or clarifications at:
obsessivecraftingdisorder {at} yahoo {dot} ca

And if you make some of your own cathedrals using my tutorial, be sure to add some photos to my Flickr group! Please. It is pretty lonely over there.....{sigh}

Hope you enjoyed "cheating" along with me :)

A clutch for a gardener

When Amy saw my Denyse Schmidt clutches and asked if I wanted to do a swap, I knew this was my chance for get an awesome goodie from her- as if I could refuse! She made me a gorgeous "kidlet" using her very own adorable printed fabric. In return, I wanted to make a clutch just right for her. And, if you follow her blog you will know she is also quite the gardener. What is better than a flower?

I modified the big bloom tutorial by Keyka Lou to size for this bag. I used some of my Rowan shot cotton in pink for the flower, and a mustard colored button from my stash for the center.

Amy loves linen, so I knew this would be a great base for the bag. Inside, I used a big floral print from the Dream On line....I love it :-)

As the clutch is compact of course, I thought to incorporate a little pocket for stashing cash and a couple slots for credit cards and license, to eliminate the need for a wallet. Still room for a lipstick and cell phone, too. But, no, NOT a diaper bag, ladies!

I also chose a frame with loops for attaching a chain so it can be worn over the arm or body when wanting to keep the hands free.

Interfacing is always the bane of my existence, and I had some struggles getting it just right here. I wanted the bag to have lots of body, so I used a fairly stiff interfacing paired with some quilt batting for softness. When inverting the bag and attaching the frame, I had troubles with it bunching and wrinkling....had to take it apart a bit and trim it back to get it right. Not perfect, but much better.

I have packed this clutch with a few little treats and it now on its merry way to its new owner. Hope you enjoy it, Amy!

p.s. And to all my Canadian friends out there....Happy Canada Day!! Grab some Labatt's and and head 'er out to the lake, eh?

My new favorite quilt: Postage stamp complete!

My postage stamp quilt from Rachel's quilt along is all done. I hereby crown it my new favorite!


You can read about the quilt top here and here. I used a Hello Betty jelly roll (original plan was Bliss, but I changed my mind once spying Katie's HB!) paired with strips of linen. I love the combination! And the linen continues to soften with handling and washing. Such a nice texture.

My one hesitation for the quilt along was that my quilt would be like everyone else's. To combat that, I decided that I would spend the time to make an original pieced back:

I had made my quilt top slightly smaller than specified, leaving me with some extra strips to play with. I decided to do something a little more modern on the back, to coordinate but contrast a bit with the very traditional postage stamp style. What would you call this? A lattice? Anyways, I love how it pops against the espresso brown solid! The espresso is also a great backdrop for some good old Canadian snowflakes, as you can see in the photo...they were falling faster than I could wipe them away!
I threw in one square of yellow polka dots, to pick up the subtle yellows in the Hello Betty fabric. Brightens things up!

Quilting. I had originally planned to do diagonal machine quilting. But here's the thing- I knew this would lead to frustration as (a) many of my corners don't match up perfectly and (b) with the diagonal strip pattern on the back, it would likely not be perfectly parallel, which would drive me bonkers. So I kept putting off the quilting. Then, one afternoon, as I was waiting in line at Starbucks (Tall nonfat Tazo Chai Latte with cinnamon), it hit me- how cool would some hand quilting look against the brown? I had 5 minutes, grabbed my tea, sat down and whipped out my trusty "Idea Notebook" with graph paper, and concurrently sketched out a bunch of random boxes and scarfed down a ginger molasses cookie :-) I didn't modify that 5 minute sketch one iota....that is exactly what you see here!
I used Perle 8 thread, in white and yellow- just picked a color randomly for each square. While crappy machine quilting drives me batty, I actually love inconsistencies in hand quilting-gives it all the more the homey feel. So mine is VERY homey ;) It took a while...probably about 20 hours in total over a couple weeks, but well worth it. I absolutely love how all those random squares pop against the back.


To cap it all off, I had the perfect binding on hand- some of my Riley Blake Wheels stash. These teal blue circles were an exact match to the Hello Betty. Happy, bright, perfect.

So to sum it up, here are some quilt stats:

Fabrics: Moda Hello Betty jelly roll, linen, espresso solid from LQS, yellow dot from stash
Finished size: approx 60 inches by 70 inches
Design: Quilt along at p.s. I quilt, back designed by me
Quilted by me, exclusively by hand, using Perle 8 thread in white and yellow
Binding: Riley Blake Wheels line, by hand
Keeping it real: linen was hard to cut in *straight* strips, so some variable size I am sure and a few corners that don't match up....here is a particularly bad example:

That said, considering that I put together the top in just 2 days, I was surprised how many or the corners were bang on:

All in all, I love how this quilt finished up, and it has been happily accepted into our little "quilt family" :-)


Linking up at Sew Modern Monday and Fabric Tuesday at Quiltstory:-)