by Sherri Sylvester | Sep 24, 2014
This has turned into a very information-based post week. But don’t fear, I get to share a couple of amazing dresses and a new giveaway with you tomorrow! (P.S. Word is they might be made with some of my newly acquired Cotton + Steel!)
Post No. 2 for this week is all about who won the LE CLUB September Bundle from Fridays Off Fabric Shop. First, though, I’d like to remind you that you can sign up to get a bundle every month from Fridays Off with their new subscription program. Sweet deal!
And, on to the winner… Congratulations to Donna from Calgary, Alberta. (As chosen randomly by the Rafflecopter widget.) She’s going to be the proud new owner of the first Le Club bundle, just as soon as it arrives in the mail. Have fun adding it to your stash Donna!
If you didn’t win, you can help to console yourself by purchasing the bundle from the Fridays Off shop. (And trust me, it helps!) Back tomorrow morning.
by Sherri Sylvester | Sep 15, 2014
You know how the most exciting thing (pretty much ever) is getting that package in the mail. You know the one – it has your name on it and it’s from the fabric shop you recently placed an order with? To top things off, you know there’s a carefully curated surprise bundle inside! Now – how would you like to get one of those every month from Fridays Off Fabric Shop? (Oh yeah!)
I know this feeling well because Fridays Off owner, Alanna, sent me the September Le Club Bundle to play with. (Woot, woot!) I could not wait to see what she included in the bundle, and of course, I was not disappointed. It’s a great mix of summery orange and yellow with splashes of lime, navy and blue. (Of course, it also has the requisite amount of gray mixed in!) I’m so excited because Alanna is giving away a bundle as well, so one of you will be able to play too! Check out the end of this post for your chance to enter to win. If you can’t wait and need it now, you can also purchase the bundle from her shop.
More about Le Club? It is a brand new fabric subscription program shipping to Canada, started this September by Fridays Off Fabric Shop. Sign up and you will receive a new bundle every month! Then you can stalk your mailbox and wait in suspense until you can open the package and see what has arrived. Oh so much fun! You can even choose “The Full Stash” of 12 fat quarters or “The Half Stash” of 6 fat quarters – perfect for building your fabric collection. Now all you need is the perfect fat quarter mini quilt pattern for it – any ideas?!
To enter to win the bundle, use the Rafflecopter widget below. There are options for entry even if you don’t use social media, so give it a shot! The giveaway will be open for Canadian residents only, from September 15 – Monday, September 22, 2014 at midnight EST.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Reader Feedback: What colours and fabrics would you use if you were to curate a fabric subscription bundle?
* Please note, I received the September Le Club Bundle as compensation for writing this post. As always, all opinions are my own, and I would not recommend something I did not love! *
by Sherri Sylvester | Sep 12, 2014
I’m so excited to tell you all about an amazing event I am fortunate to be part of, happening September 26-28th in Toronto. I had a super “eeekkk!” moment a few months ago, when Esmari from Warp and Weft asked me to be part of her first ever Warp & Weft Weekend. This weekend will showcase the work of surface designer, Elizabeth Olwen, and will be hosted by RE:Style Studio in their workshop space. (And I promise all of this has to do with gorgeous fabric and sewing!)
It just so happens that Elizabeth lives in Toronto as well. Who, aside from her other amazing clients, designs beautiful fabric for Cloud 9! Her second collection Wildwood is set to be released around the end of this month and people, it is so gorgeous! I have had the AMAZING opportunity to sew with pre-released yardage from Wildwood and to design a project specifically inspired by it. (Just pinched myself, not dreaming!) And so… (drumroll please) I get to introduce the Forest Glen Satchel to you! I’m going to be teaching this project as a workshop during the weekend and you all are invited to join in.
The Forest Glen Satchel workshop will be taught on the Saturday, September 27th during the event’s Creative Sewing Afternoon Tea. SOOoooo great! Each satchel sewn will be made using the new Wildwood collection. This means that if you come to the workshop you are able to leave with a finished Satchel in one of three Wildwood collection combinations chosen by Elizabeth! If you’d like to sign up to attend the workshop, please click over to the Warp & Weft Weekend event site to register. (But wait, there’s more!)
RE:Style Studio Workshop
The weekend also includes a Maker’s Talk on Friday evening, complete with cocktails. I can’t wait to hear what Elizabeth will say. I have read a bit about why she put this collection together and I can’t wait to hear more! And, as if that wasn’t enough, there is a Trunk Show and Pop-Up shop happening all weekend long in the RE:Style Studio space. The Pop-Up shop will feature Warp & Weft fabric and products, the RE:Style Studio collection and Elizabeth Olwen’s other design products including items from Madison Park Greetings and her Brika prints!
As I read through this I know it sounds a lot like an advertisement, but in all sincerity – this event is one of the most amazing opportunities that has happened in my blog’s life and I am so, SO pleased to be part of it. The people I have been able to meet and interact with through the process have been amazing and encouraging. Most of all I hope that I will be able to meet some of you who live around Toronto. Sign up to attend the Maker’s Talk, drop by the Pop-Up shop or register for the Afternoon Tea Workshop. I’ll be there throughout the weekend!
I would be remiss if I did not thank you all for your amazing comments, advice and reminders on the last post. I am so grateful to have such caring readers and I am so fortunate to be able to journey through my life with you! Thank you!
by Sherri Sylvester | Sep 4, 2014
Wow! I have severely overestimated my ability to get things done and get two kids started in school. Especially since my body decided to let me catch a cold earlier this week! This past few days has been a rush of emotion and busyness, all while trying to get a few things ready for some really fun events coming up soon. More on that another day, suffice to say – I’m just happy to have “finally” posted something new since last week!
At the risk of using almost the same title twice in a row, I have made another mini quilt. (First one here.) This one is made from a little bundle of pre-cuts I received from Daryl at Fabric Spark. These photos were taken at the end of June, believe it or not. I’m feeling a bit behind in letting you know what’s going on around here! Either way, I am so happy with this little quilt. It has lived in our car for the entire (thankfully cool) summer and been loved a lot. We even have to keep track of who’s turn it is to use the “blanket mommy made”! You can tell we don’t have many of those yet!
(P.S. Fabric Spark is running their Mystery Fat Quarter event again – on now until September 14th! Buy the equivalent of one yard of fabric or more and use the code “FQfun” to receive a coordinating “Mystery” fat quarter absolutely free! Click here to visit Fabric Spark and see her great selection. I think you’ll have trouble stopping at 1 yard!)
When I got the pre-cut bundle, little did anyone know it would hold the most perfect number of colours and white squares possible! It almost exactly matched the requirements for the Big Love Quilt by Modern Handcraft for Dear Stella. The only thing it lacked was size, so I made it using a 5.5″ square instead of a 10″ square. So I guess instead of a Big Love quilt, I made a Little Love quilt. (hee hee!) I would love to try this again with another set of fabrics. I’ve got at least 4 bundles stashed that are waiting for quilts and I’ve begun cutting a 5th for something else.
This quilt is made from half square triangles (HST’s), with a few full white squares in the centre of the heart. It was extremely fast to sew up, even for a beginner quilter like me, and I love the results. Actually, I have several heart-related things pinned to my “Quilts I Might Make” Pinterest board, maybe it’s time to do a little round-up? I love that a quilt is an art-piece that you create to keep someone warm and let them know that you love them – so the heart theme is quite appropriate!
I am absolutely in love with the back of this quilt as well. It was nerve-wracking and fun to sort out how to stitch these pieces together so they came out in the positions I wanted them to, but it turned out great I think! I am quite happy with the low-volume modern-ness that it made itself into. And it’s amazing how clean it has stayed, even in the back seat of our car! (Though there was that one incident with the chocolate milk… but thankfully it came out in the wash!)
It is straight-ish line quilted and I used a double layer of fleece blanket for the batting. That amount of fleece would be perfect for a baby play-mat, nice and squishy! Unfortunately, squishy doesn’t really drape over your lap, but it is cozy, and the kids don’t notice things like drape anyhow! The most perfectly coloured binding is the same vintage yellow dot fabric I used to make my youngest’s Easter dress this spring. I love how it picks up on the yellows in the quilt. It’s machine sewn, since I haven’t had the compulsion to hand-stitch a binding on as yet!
Well, I’d better go now, I’ve got lots of things on the list to do tonight! Amazing how time flies by. First up… clean the house! (Today’s Trivia Question: How many times can you use the word love in a post? A: 11!)
by Sherri Sylvester | Aug 27, 2014
A few months ago Lindsay from Stay Home Fabrics asked me if I could create a tutorial using fabric from her online shop. Of course, more fabric? How could I resist! And it’s even more fun because she’s selling a kit for my mini quilt in her shop. It’s times like these that I LOVE being a blogger, Yippee! Lindsay also has provided a discount code for you to use in her shop (Thanks Lindsay!), use the code “sewhappy” to get 15% off your entire purchase! (Valid until Sept 3, 2014)
When I received the Lovelorn 5″ charm pack from her I sat on my living room floor and set those 49 squares into about a dozen combinations before I sorted out the arched design. But it still needed something fun, so I added a scalloped edge to the bottom of the quilt. Just in case the fabrics weren’t feminine enough on their own! I can see it being used for a baby’s quilt or playmat or a toddler cuddle quilt. For older kids (like mine), keep it in the car for cold winter days when their legs need a bit of extra warmth – think dresses in Canadian winters!
Don’t be fooled by the scalloped border, this mini quilt is very simple to make. It finishes at around 31″ square, and is sewn “pillowcase style” so it doesn’t require a binding. I didn’t even use a walking foot to quilt it! This project is easily finished within a day, so it would be a perfect quick shower or new baby gift. I think an advanced beginner would have no problems finishing this quilt, provided that you have some experience sewing curves.
Before we get to the tutorial, and just in case you need something to spend your 15% discount on, (like we all need a discount to force us to buy new fabric?!), Lindsay just posted some new fabric in her store for you! Here are just a few from the new Indelible collection by Katarina Roccella for Art Gallery. (Click the photos below to visit the listing in the Stay Home Fabrics shop.)
Ready to make a quilt?
You will need:
Before you begin:
- Since you are using a charm pack, there is no need to pre-wash your fabrics. I washed my quilt before I took these photos and it came out just fine.
- Print and cut out the Scalloped Edge Pattern Piece, check the 1″ square to make sure it is the correct size. Make sure to use the “actual size” setting when printing it out.
- Double-check to make sure you know how to sew an accurate and consistent 1/4″ seam on your machine. Here’s a good tutorial on accurate 1/4″ seams.
Here’s how to make it:
- Begin by finding a flat area (floor or table-top) to lay out your pre-cut charm squares. Follow the diagrams below to lay the pieces out in the correct order. When you finish, you will have a square 7 pieces high by 7 pieces wide. Make sure all of your one-direction fabrics are facing in the same direction!
- Next, stack your fabrics in order into piles (one for each row) with the left-most charm square on the top of the pile. I keep track of this left-most square by placing a pin on the left side of it. This also helps to keep track of which way “up” the quilt rows go together, since it can be simple to accidentally reverse a row by placing it upside-down. The pinned square is always on the left of the quilt.
- Stitch your rows together by placing each fabric square right-sides-together with its adjacent square and sewing a 1/4″ seam. Then add the next adjacent square to the first two and so on. When you finish you will have 7 rows pieced together. Since the rows are in piles, begin by placing the top square right-sides-together (RST) with the square underneath it, stitch, then add the next square etc…
- Press all of your seams open or to the side.
- Now we can sew our rows together to create the quilt top. Match the adjacent raw edges of each row in order, just like you did with the charm squares and stitch them together with a 1/4″ seam. I like to pin at each seam, to make sure they match up. Here is a good tutorial on matching quilt seams. Press all of your seams open or to the side.
- Now you should have an aproximately 33″ square quilt top. (Congratulations!) Go ahead and square up the quilt top. Here is a good tutorial on squaring up a quilt. (They square it after it is quilted, but we need to do this step now because we are not binding this quilt.)
- Layer your 33″ square batting with the quilt backing right-side-up on top of it. Now place the quilt top right-side-down on the quilt backing. This is your quilt sandwich. You will need the back and batting to be the same size as the quilt top, so smooth everything down (really well!) and cut away the excess. It is best to use a ruler and rotary cutter for this step, so the quilt stays square.
- Pin well around all four edges of your quilt. It is a good idea to do this right after you square up the quilt and before you move it, since moving the quilt between the cutting and pinning will shift the layers around.
- Mark a 6″ space on one side of the quilt (not on the bottom scalloped edge). Stitch around all four edges of the quilt with a generous 1/4″ seam, leaving the space open for turning. Stitch with the quilt top under your presser foot and the batting next to your feed dogs. Make sure the layers feed evenly through the machine.
- Use the pattern piece to trace the scallops onto the bottom edge of the quilt. Line up the pattern piece so the scallop is even with the seam you just stitched. The edges of the traced scallops will meet at each seam.
- Pin the scalloped edge of the quilt. I pinned once on each side of each curve and at every seam.
- Stitch along your traced scallops, pivoting at each seam to begin the next curve.
- Trim the scalloped edge to 1/4″ and clip all curves. Clip into each pivot point, being careful not to cut your seam! Remove any previous stitches that might be inside of your curved stitching. Clip the two top 90 degree corners of the quilt to reduce bulk.
- Press the seam allowance within your 6″ gap to 1/4″ on both sides – press the batting back as well. This sewing trick is better explained here.
- Turn your quilt right side out, push out all corners and edges. Press well – especially around the edges of the quilt, ensuring they are all even. Pin the opening closed. Take care to ensure the edges match once they are pinned.
- Carefully stitch the opening closed with a ladder stitch. Here is a tutorial on how to hand sew a ladder stitch.
- Smooth out the quilt again on a flat surface and use safety pins to baste the quilt so it is ready for hand quilting. I used safety pins and placed one in the centre of each square. Use more or less depending on what you are comfortable with.
- Top-stitch around the entire edge of the quilt roughly 1/8″-1/4″ from the edge.
- To begin quilting, stitch all the way around the centre dark pink block in the quilt. I used my presser foot as a guide to stitch approximately 1/4″ away from the block on all sides. Move one block away and quilt a larger square around the next, and then 1 more large square around the next set of blocks to finish quilting. Make sure all layers of your quilt are feeding evenly through your machine. If they are not, remove stitching, add more pins and try again.
- Remove your safety pins and you are finished! Give it a wash to make it wonderfully soft and crinkly. Perfect!
I’d love to see your creations! You can share your projects on Twitter and Instagram @sherrisylvester with the hashtag #alongforthreadride or #threadridinghood, or post them on the
Thread Riding Hood Facebook page.
* This is a sponsored post, I was given the fabric from Stay Home Fabrics to complete this project. A always, all opinions are my own. *
by Sherri Sylvester | Jul 22, 2014
And now… back to our regular programming folks! Last week’s giveaways were so much fun and I will be sending out emails to all of the winners today. Thanks again for your comments, I felt so fortunate to be able to find out more about all of you! And especially thanks for the amazing birthday wishes. I had a great day and was spoiled rotten by my husband and kids. I hope you all had as much fun as I did last week!
A while ago I mentioned that I wanted to make the Staple Dress, and what happens? Daryl from Fabric Spark has given me the opportunity to make one! I have had this pattern on my list for over a year, and I LOVE the results. I made a wearable muslin with the regular hem, so I thought that I would change it up and include a tutorial for a drop shirt-tail hem in this pattern review. What is a shirt-tail hem? After some searching I found out it is curved on both sides, like a dress-shirt. And a drop shirt-tail hem is just a bit longer on the back. I really like how it gives the pattern more shape at the hemline.
And, can I say that this is the most comfortable dress I have worn in a long time. It’s perfect for hanging out with the kids – or walking around Quebec city. We did quite a few photo shoots along the way on our vacation last week and it is so nice to have something old and historic in my photo backgrounds! You’ll be seeing more of the city in the next month or so.
I had a lot of fun choosing my fabric from Fabric Spark’s shop. She has so many great fabrics that work really well for sewing apparel. In the end, I decided to chose one of her Art Gallery fabrics, since this dress looks best in a fabric with a great drape. As usual with Art Gallery I was not disappointed! The selvage says “Feel the Difference” and it does not lie. These fabrics are so smooth and the drape is perfect for clothing. I picked African Palm Indigo from the Safari Moon collection by Frances Newcombe. The colour is so amazing in person. It is a soft blue and totally wearable – and almost the same colour as my eyes… which is a fun bonus! I love the art deco palm trees, and the scale is perfect for a dress.
I got the pattern in my Perfect Pattern Parcel #3 purchase (not available anymore). But lucky for you, Daryl has the Staple Dress pattern available on her site. And, it’s the real deal paper version, so you won’t have to print and assemble the pdf pattern to make it! Now when you are choosing your fabric, you can get the pattern too – hint, hint! The pattern is well written, with lots of tips and hints on how to use elastic thread to shirr the waist, and on lengthening and shortening your dress. You can even move the shirring up or down to suit your natural waistline. And… it has pockets! I was so disappointed when I realized I didn’t take any photos of them. But, they are there and I used them a lot. Don’t you just love a good set of pockets?!
On with the tutorial then… Here is how to alter your pattern pieces and hem the new shaped hemline into a drop shirt-tail hem.
You will need:
How to alter the pattern pieces:
- Cut/trace both front and back pattern pieces in the longest length. The front will be cut on the “straight hem” line and the back will be cut on the “drop hem” line.
- Remember to take into account that there is a 5/8″ hem included in these measurements – whatever you draw will end up 5/8″ shorter when hemmed.
- I already knew that I liked the straight hem dress length, so I used the drop hem length on the back pattern piece as the length for the drop shirt tail. I wanted the top of the hem where the side seam comes together to be a bit shorter than 1 1/2″ above the straight hem length. Draw a 5/8″ wide line at that point on your back side seam, measuring up from the straight hem pattern line. The 5/8″ line gives you room to sew the 5/8″ side seam without stitching into your hemming area.
- Use your curved ruler to draw a curve from the right side of your 5/8″ line (Step 3) down to the drop hem pattern line. Or you can draw it by eye using the curve in the photo as a guide.
- Cut your pattern on the new line.
- Place the Front pattern piece on top of the back pattern piece. It will match from the underarm down to the hem. (The shoulder is a bit higher on the back.)
- Trace the bottom of the back hemline onto a new piece of paper. Also trace the bottom of the front hem.
- Cut the extra paper along the back drop hem line. Place it underneath your front dress pattern piece, matching the traced line so it is correctly placed. Tape. Fold up or cut off the left corner of the original dress front so the new line is visible.
- Now we need to shorten the front hem, creating the “drop” at the back. Draw a straight line at your new height, parallel to the straight portion of the drop hem line (furthest on the right). I drew mine about 2″ up. Cut along the new line.
- Place the cut piece along the bottom of the cut line as a guide, and draw a new curve.
- Cut the front hem line along the new line.
- Cut your fabric using the new pattern pieces.
How to stitch the new hem:
- Follow all directions (up to the hemming instructions) as per the pattern when stitching the dress except when stitching the bottom of the side seam. Leave 5/8″ un-sewn at the bottom of the dress. Make sure to iron your seam open and finish your seam allowances.
- When you get to the hemming instructions continue on here instead. Baste from one side seam to the other along both dress front and dress back hemlines with a 1/4″ seam. Leave long tails at either end of these separate basting lines.
- Press the hem up 5/8″. Pull the long threads (as if you are gathering the fabric) to help ease in and curve the fabric along the hemline. Make sure your curves are neatly pressed, use lots of steam.
- Fold the raw edge under to meet the pressed edge of your hem. Iron again, pin if desired.
- Stitch along the upper edge of the hem, about 1/4″ away from the bottom of the hem. Curve the corners up to a point at the side seam, then continue down the next curve until you have stitched the entire hem.
Enjoy your new dress! And if you have any questions please contact me by email: sherri@threadridinghood.com
** This is a sponsored post and the fabric for the Staple Dress was provided to me at no cost by Fabric Spark. However, as always, all opinions are my own and I will not promote something to you that I do not love myself. **
