by Sherri Sylvester | Dec 2, 2014
First… the bad news? I didn’t finish the Quiet Book Sew-Along on time. I am not sure if anyone is sewing along? (Not to make anyone feel bad in any way. I’m pretty excited to finish it up and be able to offer a pdf download for the whole thing!) Instead of finishing the Sew-Along, I took the weekend off. It has been a very long time since I “ignored” the blog and it felt amazing to do some home stuff – so, thank you! We did a bunch of family stuff and got some baking done instead. Yum!
If you are sewing along and have need of the last two installments please let me know and I will finish up right away. I want to finish it up, but the last page takes a bit longer than the others and I’m not feeling inspired quite yet. I do have all of the materials, pattern pieces and a bit of the instructions finished, so it will be soon! Promise!
In the meantime, I’ve got tons of fun stuff on the go – a mini version of the Forest Glen Satchel will be sent to testers in the week or so (I hope!). I’ve also got a fun project I worked on with Cloud9 Fabrics (eeeek!) that I’ll share once it comes out on their site. The bark cloth was fun to work with and the line is a new-and-coming-soon collection called Time Warp from Jessica Jones. I’ve also gotten my Christmas gifts started – but no photos until after the holidays for those!
By way of admin, the winners of the Forest Glen Satchel pattern and the $50 Gift Certificate from Duncan & Kate have been announced on their respective posts for a week or so now. You can follow the links to their posts to see who won. If you have won and haven’t received an email or prize, please let me know and I’ll take care of it right away. Congratulations to Debbie, Katherine, Kelsey and Megan!
The 10% discount from Duncan & Kate Fabrics is still going! Use the code “THREADRIDINGHOOD10″ to get 10% off your purchase. This discount is valid until December 10th, 2014.
The real reason I started writing this post is because I made a super-cute bag a few weeks ago and wanted to share it! I’ve hung onto the free Tutu Bag pattern from Ric Rac for quite a while now. I don’t remember how I found it, but I knew it would be useful someday. Wouldn’t you know it, a tutu-loving girl came up on our birthday party list. This bag makes such a great handmade gift, and it doesn’t take too long to make, or a lot of fabric – so it’s perfect!
I ended up changing two things from the original bag. I chose to add one handle instead of two. Since I thought it might be easier to carry around that way. I also made the bag substantially smaller from the original – about 130% size instead of 200% as indicated in the pattern. The original bag would be great to carrying gear to ballet class, this one is easier to use for playing. Apparently this was the birthday girl’s favorite gift – hooray!
The girls decided to make their own gifts as well – to go with it. My youngest and I collaborated to make a baby doll blanket using some Ann Kelle – Girlfriends I got from Double Decker Fabric a while ago. It’s quilted with an “A”, for the birthday girls’ first initial. The frog fabric was a Fabricland purchase from a few years ago when I made tote-able towels as a birthday giveaway. (If you click over, just ignore the pre-practice photography!)
My oldest was inspired to write a book for our friend, a dictionary detailing the differences between dresses and tutus. This after hearing that she likes dress-up and tutus, of course! We printed out her text and she drew the pictures. The book is put together with some jewellery findings, washi tape and ribbon – because all good books need ribbon. I’m pretty proud of her for being so inventive!
Thanks for finishing up such a random post! Lots to cover and fun stuff going on. See you again soon! (PS. Don’t forget to enter the Fabric Spark giveaway! You can enter to win 1 of 3 Thread Riding Hood pattern kits, ends Tuesday Dec 2nd!)
Reader Feedback: What projects have you been finishing up lately?
by Sherri Sylvester | Nov 25, 2014
This is the second of two patterns I’ve created in partnership with Fabric Spark. They were sold as kits at the Fall Creativ Festival this year and now I am releasing the pdf version to be sold in my pattern shop as well!
PURCHASE the Reusable Lunch Bag PDF Pattern – $6.00
This Reusable Lunch Bag Pattern was created as a beginner-friendly pattern. It’s paper-sack shape is reminiscent of school days and skipping ropes. Sturdier than a paper sack however, this lunch bag is made from laminated cotton. Fully lined, fully wipe-able and easy to clean. The pattern includes lots of Tips and Tricks for sewing laminated cotton in case you need them. Each instruction is well written, with minimal cutting and simple construction. This lunch bag is just the right size to fit a lunch bag, drink and side dish or dessert. It would make a great stocking stuffer or party give-away goodie bag. Fill it with snacks for a road trip or walk to the park.
Here is what you can expect when you purchase the instant PDF Pattern download:
- A 6 page PDF pattern e-book with instructions and lots of photos to help you through each step.
- Simple, detailed instructions and a glossary to help with sewing terms.
- Over 21 full colour photos to illustrate the step-by-step process.
- Granny’s Sewing Basket – highlights Notes and Tips to make sewing this lunch bag faster and easier! (introduction to Granny)
- Large seam allowance icons throughout, no more searching when you forget.
- Check boxes in all lists and for each step, for those of you who love to keep track of your progress!
- This pattern includes a limited production seller’s license.
Supplies needed to complete the Reusable Lunch Bag:
- 1/2 yard/metre or 1 piece exactly 14″ x 41″
- 3″ length of hook and loop tape
- matching thread
- paperclips (to hold fabric in lieu of pins)
Ready to make sew up a lunch bag?
PURCHASE the Reusable Lunch Bag Instant Download PDF – $6.00
If you would like to purchase a kit to compete your project,
please visit Fabric Spark to see available laminate options.
If you need any more information or help throughout the pattern I am always available – please email sherri@threadridinghood.com
by Sherri Sylvester | Sep 17, 2014
Friends of mine had a baby boy a few weeks ago and I found a great “need” to make him a little quilt. Seems that since I have found this new skill of mine I am anxious to spend lots of time quilting, though the faster projects seem to win out. I think I’m going to have to get good at writing progress posts, instead of only posting finished projects!
I also have a great desire to rid myself of my overflowing scrap bin – so, I landed on making an I Spy quilt with over-sized squares. It was really a lot of fun going through my stash and scraps to find the 6″ squares with the most fun boyish prints and kid-friendly designs. I even finally found a good place to use a small piece of my mustache fabric!
The whole thing was inspired by some multi-coloured Origami Sprouts yardage I recently ordered from Double Decker Fabrics and this quilt from Blueberry Patch. The Mixed Bag collection by Studio M for Moda is perfect for kids and works really well in a little boy’s project. I had 1/2 metre, so I used it for the top of the pieced backing. Thankfully I’ve got a little scrap left to stash for another project, it’s so cute! I also had the blue stripey fabric (some Dear Stella from a stashing trip last year). The pieced squares on the back made the other two larger pieces just long enough to fit the length of the quilt.
As I talked about quilts being slow earlier, that’s actually not the case with this one – even though it did take me a month from start to finish. I know this because of the internet (as usual) since I Insta-documented the beginning on August 15th. Sewing the little squares together and piecing the back doesn’t take long, especially on such a small quilt. Even the wonky “graph paper” straight line quilting (does that have a real name?) only took me a few hours. I likely could have finished the whole thing in 6-8 hours had I been able to find one sewing session that long!
I have to admit, that while I was arranging and piecing the front of the quilt I was a bit skeptical and didn’t figure I would like it. Even after straight line quilting it parallel to the long edge it still looked random to me. It was only after I quilted it in the other direction that I started to like it. I think the last lines of quilting brought the whole thing together. I have learned through this process that I like modern “random” quilts (like the amazing ones Cynthia Frenette makes). But I don’t as much like so many random prints and colours pieced together in such large blocks, because they don’t have any semblance of continuity. Even the colourful “scrappy” vibe is hard to find.
Thankfully, with the quilting in place this one has grown on me and I think it will be fun for the baby to lie on and look at – goodness, it’s got enough going on to keep his attention for at least a little while! Anyhow, if the parents hate the busy side, it’s got a lovely toned-down backing that could be used as the front instead.
In other news, some BIG happenings I have neglected to let you know about for tooo long… The results of the Crafting Con Avengers month competition were posted earlier this month and I get to be the proud first place winner! I was so excited when I heard the news and I get to find myself some new patterns from PeekABoo Pattern Shop and something from Fabricworm! Hooray! The kids are still carrying around those bags and there might be a plan to make the little round one into a proper sale-able pattern. (yippee…!) You can see my post about the competition here.
Reader Feedback: What is your favorite new baby sewing project?
*This is not a sponsored post, though this blog is proud to say that Double Decker Fabric is a current sponsor. I wanted to share where I got the fabric from so you could find it if you need some. And… an unrelated note to self, iron the quilt before photographing it next time!
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 | 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 | May 16, 2014
Happy Friday, I hope you have a great weekend planned. We have Monday off for Victoria Day and an extra day to relax is never a bad thing!
Today I’m sharing a quilty something. I’m so excited that my foray into quilting is progressing along nicely. I’m happy to actually have made something substantial – with straight line quilting and a binding and everything! I know that may not seem that amazing to all of you quilters out there – but to me it’s one step closer to actually making a real live actual quilt – the kind you can cozy up with.
I have been stalking Blueberry Patch Cathy’s Wonky Star Table Runner tutorial ever since I saw Cynthia Frenette’s version of it last year. So my plan was to make one for my mom this year some time and Mother’s Day seemed like the best option. I took her out to the local Hobby Lobby for some fabric selecting when we were visiting her in December for Christmas. She loved these green, yellow and red (mostly) batiks and they match with her kitchen colours really well. The natural background she picked is perfect for this table runner. It was pretty fun since she had no idea what I was going to make from it!
I don’t usually work with batiks, but I like how they tend to look “one colour” and more quilty-modern with a solid background I think? The wonky stars are really simple to put together. There’s one in the centre of the 6×6 fabric tray as well. Once I had all the pieces sewn my youngest even had fun helping arrange them. She loves green so maybe that is why they are mostly in the centre area?!
This table runner was made starting with 4.5″ squares. Cathy made hers with 4″ squares – which in hindsight may have been easier. There is not a lot of room for a “full star” block when you use only 3 squares across. I found arranging the “split” star pieces had to be done carefully so the colours still balanced. The quilting was fun too – though I wish I had some Aurafil or other “better” thread to work with. The regular Gütermann I use just doesn’t have the same look. The whole thing is self bound. I made the backing bigger and folded it over to the front and machine-stitched it. It works well, but the quilting has to stop exactly on the edges of the runner or it will show on top of the binding.
There’s a super-cute zakka label on the back. I found them at the Creativ Festival! I will have a review of it (and my stash!) coming next week, I think. I just washed up all of my new fabrics yesterday – doesn’t a wash-tub full of new fabric just make you super-happy?! And then folding it all up into little mini-bolts for my shelf is my favorite. I even cut up some of them yesterday for new Bohemian Babydoll dresses for the kids. Seriously can’t say enough good about this dress/top pattern – it is really quick (with no closures to sew!) and my girls love it. I’ve got fabric for 4 of them on my cutting table right now.
Do you quilt? What do you think of batiks? I’m curious, since it seems everyone generally chooses modern or traditional fabric and then there are batiks…? Since I’m not quilting a lot yet I’m not sure how that works.
