More Burp Cloths

I found this picture of some burp cloths I made a few years ago for a baby gift and thought I would add them to the one I posted last week.  These were a little simpler as I only bound the edges with a fabric strip.  They were for a momma with a silly sense of humor.  You really can create something fitting to the personality of your friends.  Tina recently posted pictures on Facebook of some darling ones she made with jungle animals and ruffled edges.  I hope these inspire you to try some for your next baby gift.

My posts have been less frequent in the past couple of weeks.  Life has been on a crazy-busy schedule with some travel and a long term project on my work table.  I'm hoping to get cracking again after spring break.  Watch for my Bag of the Week post coming tomorrow.  It will make you think of spring!

Simple Gifts

A friend (though not a close friend) has a new baby and I wanted to make a little gift to send to her.  I stitched up this burp cloth with the baby’s name and added some binding and a little ruffle to make it more special.  This couldn’t be easier.  First, I preshrunk the cloth diaper and trimmed the ends to make them square.  I embroidered the baby’s name on one end and bound the other end with a fabric strip.  I made a ruffle and sewed it to the end with the name and then covered the seam with another fabric strip (these strips were cut on the straight of grain).  One trick I have adopted when sewing trim strips like this is to use a decorative stitch to do the final stitching.  In this case I used a serpentine stitch which easily catches both front and back edges of the trim strip without having to worry too much about what is going on underneath.

My friend Kathy once talked to me about the obligation that comes with receiving gifts.  She notes that sometimes a gift is not worth receiving because the gratitude that the giver expects in return is emotionally not worth it.  Or sometimes the recipient is an acquaintance where an elaborate gift would be inappropriate, might even make them uncomfortable.  Other times the situation doesn’t warrant a big gift.  I am always on the lookout for small, simple gifts for those times that you want to tell someone you are thinking about them.    I would love to start a dialog here and have you share ideas for simple but lovely gifts for these occasions, babies, weddings, hostess gifts.  Please share in the comments section.

Bag of the Week 10

The Picksac

Like last week’s bag, this week’s selection was designed by Barbara Randle and is called the Picksac.   The instructions and pattern for this bag can be found in Barbara’s book Crazy Quilting with Attitude. 

The body of the bag is created from a solid piece of fabric, in this case, an ivory and navy toile.  The front and back of the purse have pockets that were pieced from a variety of denim prints.  A single handle, large button and tassel complete the bag.

The bag is lined with a medium weight denim, and the difference between the weight of the inner and outer fabrics created a neat piping effect along the top edge.  In fact, this look was created simply by favoring the heavier lining fabric slightly when pressing the edge.

After writing about Barbara’s two books last week I noticed one for sale at one of my favorite discount book sites, www.hamiltonbook.com.  More Crazy Quilting with Attitude  is on sale here for a mere $4.95.  This is a beautiful and inspiring book, one you will be pleased to add to your collection.

Love my new Threads

The current issue of Threads (No. 148) really wowed me.  For a while now, the creators of this magazine have been trying to settle into a niche that appeals to both novice and veteran sewers alike.  They went through a period where many long-time subscribers gave up on them as the focus shifted from advanced sewing subjects toward something that would appeal to the huge new group of sewers coming onto the scene.  They have finally really hit the perfect balance, in my opinion.   There are articles in this current issue that really enthrall me and have me wishing I could start on a new project right this second.  There is also material that is helpful to new sewers while acting as a fine refresher for the rest of us.

It is hard to choose my favorite articles – they are all wonderful.  In Seam Challenge by Sarah Opdahl, the winners of the 2009 Threads Challenge to the members of the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals (ASDP) (formerly known as PACC) are revealed along with their STUNNING creations.  This challenge invited ASDP members to explore the possibilities of seams in any way they chose.  The results are fantastic, and as an added bonus, Judith Neukam shares with us the techniques used for creating these unique seams.

Next on my fav list is Mirror-image appliqué by Kathy Barnard and Amelia Johanson.  Kathy and Amelia are the editors of Sew Beautiful magazine, put out by the Martha Pullen Company.  You may have noticed from some of my previous posts that I am a huge fan of Martha and Co. (the other Martha).  This article details how to create a perfectly symmetric mirror image appliqué and applies the result to a stunning black and white halter dress with delicate machine embroidery.  I can imagine using the techniques shared in this article for so many projects.  It also reminded me of a jacket that has been on my to-do list for years now which incorporates some of the same techniques.  Maybe it’s time to once again pull out that project and get started on it.

Claire Shaeffer has come up with a winner, a cardigan jacket which looks like your comfiest sweater mated with a boutique stunner.  This versatile little number is crafted from wool gauze, and Claire walks you through the entire process from creating the pattern to the simple construction techniques that pull this beauty together.  I love the feminine ruffle that finishes all edges and hems and am already plotting which piece of fabric in my stash I should use.

I could go on and on:  the pattern review full of new ideas for spring; the article on machine embroidery cutwork using FiberEtch; choosing colors with Mary Ray (one of my favorite teachers); ombré dyeing; Kenneth King’s fitting instruction; even the tips mailed in by readers seemed particularly clever in this issue.  I could go on but I think you should get your own copy and see for yourself.

Bag of the Week 9

Gondola by Barbara Randle

The vernal equinox might be another two weeks away but I am sure wishing for a little breath of spring.  So I pulled out one of my cheeriest purses for this week’s bag.  This is one of several designs I have made by Barbara Randle.  

Barbara is best known for her modern take on crazy quilting.  She is the author of two books, Crazy Quilting with Attitude and More Crazy Quilting with Attitude, and offers classes throughout the country as well as from her home in Birmingham, AL.  Her designs are fresh, modern and full of color.  She likes to use a black/cream colored print in her work which really makes the colors POP!  Her technique is not hard to master and the embellishing portion is loads of fun.  Barbara also has several patterns available through the Vogue Pattern company.

This bag is similar to Barbara’s Gondola Purse.  I made this bag while attending Martha Pullen’s School of Art Fashion.  Barbara designed this bag for the event and came with lots of kits in all sorts of color choices.  I chose colors that I love but that were a little outside of my comfort zone just to challenge myself a bit.  The fabric pieces, largely silk, were pieced onto a canvas foundation and then embellished with couched fibers and decorative stitches.  The lining, in two cheery colors, lime green and turquoise, has lots of pockets for organization.

This was a really fun purse to create and is also fun to carry.  It gets lots of attention!  Watch for several other B. Randle Designs to show up as a Bag of the Week in the future.