by Sherri Sylvester | Feb 7, 2013
I have the “stuff” to make 3 quilts right now. I am working on these quilts using this pattern by Denyse Schmidt for my kids, and a t-shirt quilt for my husband. He has a bunch of shirts he doesn’t wear but can’t get rid of, so this quilt has been in the works for about 6 months now. I think I will post the progress of these quilts as I go so I feel as if I am getting somewhere!
Since I posted the fabric for my girls’ quilts I have found the last few pieces of fabric for my oldest’s quilt, followed by a photo of the fabric palette all together.
In the meantime I am working on the quilt for my youngest. I have three letters finished so far. I’m not crazy about the florescent green stripe on the top of the “E” – but I’m hoping it will blend in, or I’ll have to make another one.
Since I am a bit of an organizer (read – perfectionist, logic nut, order freak) I have decided on a method for making the lettering that won’t make my brain hurt from lack of order and also saves me from having to make creative decisions while cutting out the seven-zillionth tiny piece for the lettering.
I have created 2 fabric stacks, one green one for the letter backgrounds and 1 purple one for the lettering itself. I am then using the fabrics (in stack order from top to bottom) to cut out each numbered pattern piece for the quilt in order before sewing them together. The pattern pieces are numbered in the order you should sew them in, so you can see how the logic saves my brain a lot of work.
The whole process just requires that you follow the rules, and when your fabric stack is finished, flip it over and start again. (I know – perfectionist, logic nut, order freak!) It is saving me from going crazy thinking about how I might accidentally use one fabric more than another or piece two things together that look too much the same. (I will note here that anyone in my family or who knows me well is on the floor laughing by now at how ridiculously true this is of me. I really, really like to be organized!)
Fabric Stacks.
Cut out letter pattern pieces.
That’s all for now. I did think that if I made one letter every day I would be finished by the end of March… I should really start that!
by Sherri Sylvester | Feb 5, 2013
Quick note here – you all need to buy this! The Sew Fab ePattern Sale is on at Sew Much Ado (and other places I imagine). I found this yesterday and I am buying it! This is one amazing sale, I have been waiting for the perfect time to buy quite a few of these patterns – and it looks like I have waited long enough!
I actually looked up this exact pattern for kids pj’s from Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop. I think it could easily translate into some wearable day-time shirts too. The Sidekick Suitcase has been on my list (and my pinterest) for a while – maybe now I can get up the courage to make them!
I ran into patterns by Figgy’s a while ago and am crazy about them. They actually have a bit of modern trendy style, and the photos and fabrics are really great! I like these pants (and shorts) in particular – but the open back on the dress – it makes the creative in me go nuts! Now, if I altered it to have an empire waist… and added few more ruffled layers on the bottom… While you are at it, check out her idea for the Figgy’s Kids Foundation.
Bought the patterns yet? Now sign up for the contest! (Scroll about halfway down the post.) There are more amazing things you can win than I know how to talk about. We could be here all day!
(Note: I am not getting paid to say this – I think it’s a great deal and want you to know about it too!)
by Sherri Sylvester | Feb 4, 2013
First, I have to say thanks to my husband for picking the right team! The Ravens won last night in a very exciting game (despite the 1/2 hour power outage). The Superbowl is a very big deal at our house. Actually, I should say – Football is a very big deal at our house. Each one of us has our own team and the girl’s teams were chosen by whomever won the Superbowl the first time they “watched” it! I can’t say that we all watch the games – but it is a bit of a fun rivalry, and our girls love it.
This year we had decided that we were too busy, and didn’t care as much as usual, so we weren’t going to make our usual DIY shirts for the Superbowl. (Un)Fortunately on Saturday I got a bit nostalgic and decided we should do it anyhow. The “Un” part is that of course now I was up late and it is still very busy in our house – the work keeps pouring in for our business! However, I am really happy with them, so here you are…
DIY Superbowl Shirts {Go Ravens!}
This will be my oldest daughters 5th Superbowl, and therefore, her 5th Superbowl shirt. I was wondering the other day what we are going to do with them once we have to stop making them because she won’t wear them anymore! Maybe a t-shirt quilt?
To make these I used 2 black kids’ $5 shirts and a small purple women’s tank on clearance for $3. I also had a piece of black knit material and a spare white t-shirt stashed that I used for the mandatory skirt on the larger shirt and the white stripes on the smaller one.
I also used freezer paper to make a stencil for the Raven’s logo, and painted them on with fabric paint. If you have not used freezer paper for stencils you should definitely look it up. It is really fun to work with. Here’s a good tutorial.
A good night’s work – and definitely worth all of the effort because almost everyone else at the party was cheering for the 49ers!
by Sherri Sylvester | Feb 1, 2013
Alright, so, think back about 6 days…. Saturday…. right – you were on your computer super excited to check out the tutorial I promised and…. nothing, no new tutorial. I know, you were devastated… Sorry about that, Let’s try again!
Before we begin, my youngest daughter is on a kick that everything is Super Super SUPER { Insert Word Here}. So that is the inspiration for today’s title, kids are good for that!
I have seen tutorials for these online – so it’s nothing new. But I did photograph this thing like crazy, so it may be the most detailed tutorial out there now! Also, I have included instructions on how to fussy-cut your fabric so the part you want to see shows up where you want it when you are done!
Also, this is a super super SUPER good (I know, don’t wear it out!) project for beginners. It requires being able to cut squares and sew straight lines. It is even easier if you use a charm pack {Pre-cut 5″ fabric squares}.
You will need: 5 pieces of 5″ square fabric, iron, pins, sewing machine, scissors
1) Cut your fabric into 5″ squares – 4 for the front and 1 for the back. If you want to fussy-cut the square, make sure the image you want to show on the front of your finished coaster fits within an imaginary 2.5″ square in one of the corners (see the photo).
2) You should now have 4 fabric squares for the front and 1 fabric square for the back.
3) Iron the front fabric squares in half.
4) Now you should have this:
5) Start arranging your newly ironed rectangles together for sewing, place your first rectangle flat on your table with the ironed edge on the bottom.
6) Place the second rectangle on top of the first with the ironed edge to the right side.
7) Place the third rectangle on top of the second with the ironed edge on the top.
8) Place the 4th rectangle on top of the third and under the first (see photo) with the ironed edge to the left side.
9) You should now have a square again. The way the fabric looks now is how you will see it when you are finished. If you have fussy-cut your fabric, make sure your fussy-cut portion is showing where you want it. If not, move the fabric pieces around and follow steps 5-8 again until it is right.
10) Pin the backing square over your stack of rectangles, right side down. Pin all 4 corners and make sure all of the sides are even.
11) Stitch around the square with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Note to beginners: Stop 1/4 ” away from all of your corners with your needle down, pick up your presser foot, pivot your fabric, lower your presser foot and begin to sew down the next side.
12) Trim the corners of your coaster. This removes bulk and the coaster will have sharper corners when you turn it.
13) This is the hardest step to write down, but trust me on this one… See where the ironed edges of your fabric meet in the middle? Pull on one of the pieces and it will create an opening. Turn your coaster inside out through that opening… here’s a photo.
14) Now, push out all of your corners with a crochet hook, knitting needle, the end of your scissors, a pencil (be careful not to push too hard, they are pointy!).
15) Iron your coaster.
16) Done!
Now you can choose to make a whole set of colour-coded coasters for your family.
Line them up on the counter and never guess who’s glass was who’s again! Trust me, it saves a lot dishes, you don’t need to grab a new glass each time!
by Sherri Sylvester | Jan 29, 2013
Okay, so I completely missed posting the tutorial on Saturday… {Sorry}. I had the busiest sewing related weekend that I can remember having since making my daughter’s coat! After that I began and am in the midst of the busiest work related week I have had in a long time. I am actively trying to find time to post the tutorial {Promise}!
In the meantime, here is a short note about something super exciting – I have photos of 3 Speedy Tote-Able Towels that weren’t made by me! I received a comment from Marilyn on my tutorial post, where she also left her email address. I was able to email her and ask if she used the tutorial and if I could have some photos to share with you, and she was kind enough to send me some!
She sent a very sweet note in her email, “Yes, I did make some towels, 3 in fact for the kids to take to swimming lessons and I love how they came out and how easy they are for the kids to carry. … Thanks for the great tutorial – it really made the whole process very easy.”
I also found out that she lives in George, which is in the Western Cape in South Africa. Blogging from Canada, it is fun that we can find each other despite the distance. It is amazing that we are all so connected online, it makes the world a lot smaller!
Thanks for taking time out to send these Marilyn, I really appreciate it!
