Thread Riding Hood

Simple Fat Quarter Skirt {a tutorial}

by | Apr 8, 2014

I have way too many fat quarters and I don’t quilt (yet!).  I have seen many tutorials for fat quarter skirts, but I hadn’t really found one I was happy with. I love that you can use one fat quarter to make a simple skirt for a very small child, but as they get older the skirt may fit, but it ends up too short. I worked this tutorial out a few weeks ago.  I was teaching my friend’s daughter a bit about her new sewing machine and seeing me teach someone else to sew was enough for my daughter to want to make something herself. The simple two fat quarter skirt was born! It is very easy to sew, so as long as you can stitch a straight line you’ll be fine. This was a good project to do with my daughter (she’s six), though she got a bit tired of finishing all of the seams properly!

Today also has the advantage of being the second day of Kids Clothes Week (sew 1 hour a day for your kids each day this week) and I’m fully ready and on board! I’ve even got my patterns printed and some of the fabric cut.

Though I finished these fat quarter skirts on Sunday I think I will post them on the KCW blog anyhow, I also need to stitch up some knit skirts that have been waiting for over a month now, two Easter dresses (very important!) and I am hoping to finish a pair of jeans for my youngest who has been asking to “match Mommy” for quite some time.

I don’t think I’ll finish it all in 1 hour a week – so I’m trying to dedicate the whole week to the process instead. Of course there are normal other things going on… ha! Who am I kidding – I’ll likely be lucky to finish one or two of my ideas but hopefully I will surprise myself!

Want to make the skirts? I’ve included all of the steps you need below as a free tutorial. The fat quarter skirt has a great contrast band at the bottom, and an easy to sew separate casing. Use non-roll elastic for a more comfortable fit.

The Fat Quarter Skirt PDF Pattern is Now Available!

Purchasing this fully tested skirt pattern gives you access to 5 sizes, child’s 2-6, to create a skirt that is 9-11 1/2″ (23-30cm) long. Expect lots of tips and tricks throughout, a glossary of terms, recommended best practices and instructions geared towards an absolute beginner. This pattern is truly a quick sew – allow yourself just 1-3 hours to finish, including your fabric cutting time. It’s also a great stash-buster, requiring only 2 fat quarters and a length of elastic… things you probably already have in your stash! To find out more about the pattern, click here.

Purchase the Fat Quarter Skirt PDF Pattern – $8.50 CDN

Discount Code:

Thank you for your support!

Please email me if you have any questions, sherri@threadridinghood.com, and I’ll do my best to help you out. And of course, I’d love to see your creations! You can share your projects on Twitter and Instagram @sherrisylvester with the hashtags #fatquarterskirt #alongforthreadride or #threadridinghood, or post them on the Thread Riding Hood Facebook page. (As usual, this tutorial is for personal/charitable use only – thanks!)

To Sew this (check below for sizing information), you will need:
  • 2 fat quarters (18″x22″, pre-washed and ironed)
  • 3/4″ elastic (non-roll recommended, length 1″ longer than your child’s waist measurement)
  • matching thread
  • safety pin
  • measurements as per instructions below
  • your normal sewing supplies
Before you begin:
  • Measurements needed: 1) Your child’s waist measurement, 2) The desired length of the skirt – measure from the waist down to the desired length.
  • Will this skirt fit my child? This tutorial uses 2 fat quarters – 22″ wide by 18″ high (after they are pre-washed). Measure around your child’s waist and then their hips. If the separate measurements are both between 15″ and 27″ this tutorial should work to fit your child. If the hips are slightly larger you should be fine as well, the fullness and loose fit of the skirt allow for some extra room. Also check the desired length of the skirt – the longest you can make this (when working with two fat quarters) is about 11.5″.
  • My child is too small, what should I do? The main reason this may not fit is the width of the fabric. If your child is very small, and the width is more than triple their waist measurement, the fabric will become bulky in the casing area making it impossible to gather it small enough to fit your child. Instead of using the full width of the fat quarter, use a width that equals the waist measurement of your child. (ex. Waist = 18″, use two 18″ wide pieces of fabric as indicated when cutting)
  • My child is too large, what should I do? You will need to account for the extra fabric needed and ignore the cutting instructions. The main instructions will work fine once you have your pieces cut. Your main skirt should be as wide as your child’s waist measurement (use two pieces as indicated in the cutting directions). The contrast band can be any height you’d like, so: double the desired height and add 1/2″ for seam allowances. The width of the casing (which is always 2″ high) and contrast band are the same as the main skirt width.
Here we go – Cutting your fabric:
  1. Casing Height: The casing pieces will always be 2″ high so the 3/4″ elastic will fit through them. Cut two pieces from your contrast band/casing fat quarter that are 2″ high.
  2. Contrast Band: You now have a fat quarter that is approximately 14″ high by 22″ wide. You need to get two contrast bands from this piece. To calculate how high you would like the contrast band, double the desired height and add 1/2″ for seam allowances. Example: If the desired contrast band height is 3″ – double that to get 6″ and add 1/2″ for seam allowances. This gives you a contrast band height of 6 1/2″. You need two bands, so the total fabric height needed is 13″. This will fit within the 14″ of fabric you have left after cutting the casings. If it does not fit, choose a smaller contrast band height – when working with a fat quarter, the height of the contrast band fabric pieces cannot exceed 7″.  I cut my 6 year old’s contrast band at 5 1/2″ (for a 2 1/2″ desired height) and my almost 4 year old’s at 4 1/2″ (for a 2″ desired height). 
  3. Main Skirt: Find the desired length of your skirt (“Before you begin, Measurements needed” above) and subtract the desired contrast band height. Add 1/2″ to this height to account for seam allowances. You will need two main skirt pieces. Example: If the desired skirt length is 9″, and the contrast band height is 2″, the skirt length will need to be 7″. Add 1/2″ for seam allowances to get a main skirt height of 7 1/2″. You will need two main skirt pieces, so the total height needed is 15″. This will fit within the 18″ fat quarter height. If it does not fit, choose a shorter skirt length – when working with a fat quarter, the height of the main skirt cannot exceed 9″. I cut my 6 year old’s main skirt at 9″ and my almost 4 year old’s at 8″. 
Here we go – Sewing the skirt:
  1. Prepare the casing, main skirt & contrast band:(a) Place each matching fabric piece right sides together. Pin the short ends. (b) Stitch with a 1/4″ seam. (c) Finish the seam allowance with pinking shears or a zig-zag stitch. Press the seam open or to one side. You will now have 3 tubes of fabric. 
  2. Prepare the contrast band: Fold the tube sides in half lengthwise with the wrong sides together, matching raw edges. You will have a large tube with right sides showing on both sides, one folded edge and one raw edge.
  3. Add the contrast band hem: (a) Place the contrast band tube over the bottom of the main skirt matching the seams and raw edges. Pin. (b) Stitch with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Finish the edges with pinking shears or a zig-zag stitch. (c) Press the seam up towards the main skirt. Top-stitch along the bottom of the main skirt aprox. 1/8″ away from the edge of the contrast band.
  4. Add the casing: (a) Place the casing tube over the top of the main skirt matching the seams and raw edges. Pin. (b) Stitch with a 1/4″ seam allowance. (c) Iron the casing up from the main skirt. Iron the raw edge of the casing under 1/4″ all around. (d) Fold the casing over at the seam line around the main skirt top edge. Press well. (e) Pin the bottom edge of the casing. Mark a 2″ opening along the casing bottom, I like to use 2 pins to indicate the ends of my opening. (f) Stitch around the bottom of the casing about 1/8″ away from the bottom edge. Begin and end on either side of your marked opening.
  5. Insert the Elastic: (a) Attach a safety pin to one end of your elastic. Use the safety pin to thread the 3/4″ wide elastic through the casing. (b) Use a safety pin to secure the elastic and try it on your child if possible to check the size. Cut to size, leaving 1/2″ for seam allowances. (c) Overlap the ends of the elastic by 1/2″ and pin. Stitch over the overlapped area with a zig-zag stitch to secure. (d) Pin and stitch the casing opening closed.
  6. Finishing the Skirt: (a) Even out the elastic through the casing so the gathering is relatively equal. (b) Pin through the elastic and casing at each side seam. (c) Stitch from the top to the bottom of the casing along the seam line (stitch in the ditch). This will secure the elastic and help prevent it from rolling.

All done! I hope the little person who gets this skirt is super happy. They are great for twirling (just a hint!).

Quiet Book Sew-Along: Purse/Pocket Photo Album Page – Materials & Printable Pattern {week 6}

by | Apr 3, 2014

Ready for the next Quiet Book Sew-Along Page? This week we are gathering materials and cutting out everything we need for the Purse/Pocket Photo Album page. I decided to add a new version of this page because I am trying to create a unisex book. Everyone wears jeans – so a little jean pocket seemed the best way to go! Next week will cover making the Pocket with the mini Photo Album and the week after will be the tutorial for making the Purse version.

The mini Photo Album can hold up to 12 photos. Each little vinyl pocket is double-sided and the little square photos are so cute. I filled the new album with pictures of when my girls were little, because babies love looking at other babies! When I made the original quiet book, I put a photo of each relative in the book, so my youngest could learn to recognize their faces. (If you are just starting find all the information you need on this Sew-Along page.)

Shopping List:

I recommend that the background for this page be a quilting cotton weight so it is not too thick later when you stitch the pages together. Make sure to get the materials needed for both versions as well as the materials needed for your chosen page version. The pattern pieces are provided under the materials listing and directions for cutting below that. If you’d like, print out the pattern pieces now so you can cut them out as you go. If you chose to make this book with the cohesive look, you will need to use your cohesive fabric for the background of this page.

Materials needed for both versions:

  1. PATTERN PIECES:
    1. Click here for the Purse version pattern pieces
    2. Click here for the Pocket version pattern pieces
  2. Page Background
    1. Option 1: 3 piece ombré background – Top & Bottom pieces: 3 1/4″ high x 9″ wide + Middle piece: 3 1/2″ high x 9″ wide
    2. Option 2: 1 piece 9″x9″
  3. Page Interfacing: 1 piece 9″x9″ square, medium weight fusible interfacing (*all interfacing is from your Week 1 shopping list)
  4. Album Outer/Lining: 2 pcs 3.5” x 7”
  5. Album Vinyl: 2 3/4” x 5 3/4”, cut 1 for every 2 photos you have (I used 12 gauge, 8 gauge would be fine as well)
  6. Album Batting: 2 pcs of low loft batting, 2.75” x 3”
  7. Album Interfacing: 2 pcs 3 1/2” x 7” medium weight fusible interfacing *
  8. Album Photos: 2 1/4″ square
  9. Ribbon: 8″ long to attach the album to the purse/pocket
  10. Ribbon: 3 1/2″ for the side tab

Materials needed for Purse Version Only:

  1. Purse Outer/Lining: 2 pieces, 7 1/2” wide x 6” high
  2. Purse Outer Interfacing: 1 piece, 7 1/2” x 6” – medium weight fusible interfacing *
  3. Ribbon: 1 piece, 7″ – to embellish top edge of purse
  4. Ribbon: 2 pieces, 2″ each – for purse loops
  5. Metal Hoops: 2 pieces, 1″ diameter
  6. Purse Handle: 1 piece 8″ x 2″
  7. Purse Handle Interfacing: 1 piece 8″ x 2″ – medium weight fusible interfacing *

Materials needed for Pocket Materials Only:

  1. Pocket Outer/Lining: 2 pieces, 6 1/2” wide x 7” high
  2. Pocket Outer Interfacing: 1 piece, 6 1/2” x 7” – medium weight fusible interfacing *

Before you begin: 

  • Print out the pattern piece pdf on letter size (8.5″ x 11″) or A4 paper. Important: Do not select “fit to page” when printing, make sure you print at the original size. Once you have printed the pages, measure the 1″ test square to ensure the pattern is the correct size.

Cutting Instructions:

  • Pre-wash (if possible, a baby might be chewing on this book!) and iron your fabric well before beginning.
  1. Cut 2 of either the purse or pocket using the printable pattern piece provided in the materials listing.
  2. Cut each piece of fabric, interfacing or ribbon as it is noted in the materials listing.

Your pieces should match the drawings below – check the photo that matches your desired version.

Purse Version

Pocket Version

That’s it for this week. See you next week to put together the pocket version!

Quiet Book Sew-Along: Mitten Page – Printable Pattern & Tutorial {week 5}

by | Mar 21, 2014

Hi again all! We’re back again with week 5 of the Quiet Book Sew-Along. This page is really fast to put together, so – if you didn’t get your materials ready last week go and get them now and let’s get sewing. This will be our second finish. With 2 pages under your belt we are 1/6th of our way through the pages already! (Am I the only one that thinks like that!?)

One important thing to note – you will need 1 piece of ribbon 3 1/2″ long for the side tab. I forgot to add this to the shopping list in week #4. I like to match the tab to my page as much as possible, so you could use the extra length you have available after stitching your photo edging ribbon. You will have plenty.

Here is my finished Mitten Sew-Along page, beside the original quiet book’s mitten page for comparison. Ready? Let’s go! (PS. Did you see the cute Geekly Retro Telly fabric I got from Double Decker Fabric?! Love it!)

You will need:

  • 1 Small Safety Pin (to hold on the side tab ribbon)
  • Thread: 2 colours that match your photo edging ribbon and your mitten fabric
  • your normal sewing gear, including a ruler, iron and washable fabric marker
  • School Glue Stick
  • Clear/Masking/Washi Tape
  • Mitten Page Pattern Pieces (click to download the 2 page pdf)


Before we begin/Important Notes:

  • Download and print the pattern pieces pdf on letter size (8.5″ x 11″) or A4 paper. It will have 2 pages. Important: Make sure scaling is set to ”None” or “Actual Size” when printing. Once you have printed the page, measure the 1″ test square (it should measure 1″ in both directions) to ensure the pattern pieces will be the correct size.
  • When you are sewing this book it is good to remember that some of the edges will be covered after the book is completed and sewn together. 1/2″ on the top edge of your page and 3/4″ on each side edge will not show in the final project.
  • Remember to use your iron liberally when you are sewing this book. It is going to be a work of art when you are done! Since it is thick and some of the pages will not be iron-able once you are finished with them it is advisable to take all of the care you can to remove wrinkles so they are not accidentally permanent in your final book.

Cutting Your Fabric:

  • Pre-wash (if possible, a baby might be chewing on this book!) and iron your fabric well before beginning.
  • Cut your vinyl piece using the pattern on page 2 of the pattern piece pdf. I found the easiest way to cut it out was to tape it down on top of the untrimmed pattern page and trace the lines with a ruler. Then I used scissors to cut out the vinyl piece along the traced lines.

  • Cut your mitten pieces according to the pattern page. You will need 2 pieces. Be sure to mark the dot near the thumb on the wrong side of one of your pieces.
  • Cut your cuff ribbing to size – leave the height at 3″, cut the width down to 8″.


Here we go:

Mitten Prep: (1) Place mitten fabric right sides together and pin. (2) With the “marked dot” side up – stitch around the curved edges with a 1/4″ seam allowance starting on the thumb side and leaving the straight bottom edge (cuff) unsewn. ** When sewing the inside edge of the thumb, continue sewing down to the marked dot, pivot, and then continue up the side of the mitten to the cuff edge. (3) Trim your edges with pinking shears or notch your curves. Carefully cut almost to the marked dot – do not cut through your seam! – to open up the thumb area for turning. (4) Turn your mitten right side out, push out all of the edges and press flat. Set aside.

Mitten Cuff: (5) Fold your cuff ribbing wrong sides together so the short edges are aligned and pin. (6) Stitch the short end with a 1/2″ seam allowance. (7) Turn your cuff circle right side out and fold in half lengthwise. (8) Lay the cuff flat with the seam at the left edge. Mark the opposite right edge with a pin.

Mitten Cuff: (9) Place the cuff circle over the mitten cuff with the raw edges lined up. Match the cuff side seam to a mitten side seam. Match the pin in the cuff to the other mitten side seam. (10) Stretch the cuff to match the mitten cuff edge while matching up and pinning the remaining edges. (11) Stitch around the raw edges with a 1/2″ seam allowance. Use a stretch stitch (as in the photo) or a long, narrow zig-zag to allow for some stretching. (12) Neaten your raw edge by trimming close to the seam and/or zig-zaging over the raw edges to prevent fraying.

Make the vinyl pocket frame: (13) Apply the 9″x9″ fusible interfacing to the back of your backing fabric. Find and mark (with a removable fabric marker) a 4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ square in the centre of your backing fabric. (14) Line the left and right sides and bottom of the vinyl with the box. I applied a very thin line of glue to the 3 edges with my glue stick to hold it in place. Make sure the glue does not extend farther than 1/4″ in from each edge. (15) **The ribbon will cover the 3 edges of the vinyl that is within the marked box area only.** Fold down 1/2″ at one end of your ribbon – pin or use a glue stick to hold it in place.  Pin the ribbon over the vinyl, beginning with the folded edge. Line up the outside edge of the ribbon and the vinyl, making sure the ribbon covers the vinyl so it does not show. Do not pin the vinyl where it will show because the pins will leave holes. Miter the corners as you go around. When you reach the end, leave 1/2″ of ribbon when trimming. Pin and fold that end under as well. (16) Stitch over the ribbon with a wide zig-zag or 2 rows of straight stitching to attach.

Finishing the Page: (17) Place the mitten, making sure it is covering the framed vinyl. Make sure to allow 1/2″ on the top edge of your page and 3/4″ on each side edge because they will not show in the final project. (18) Stitch the far right side of your mitten to the page. I stitched a 3″ seam about 1/8″ away from the edge. (See the photo) Before stitching, check to see if the seam area is on top of the right side of your frame – if it is, move your mitten over a bit, so you don’t accidentally stitch over the vinyl. (19) Place your photo in the vinyl pocket. (20) Fold and crease the remaining vinyl down into the pocket and behind the photo to enclose it and (hopefully) prevent any tampering! If it does not fit into the pocket, taper the edges a bit more until it will fold flat. If the vinyl will not crease easily, hold an iron close to (but not touching!) the vinyl to heat it up a bit, then crease it carefully while it is more pliable. Remove your fabric markings.

Finish with the Ribbon: (21) Use your small safety pin to attach the ribbon tab to your finished page. Since this is a long Sew-Along you would hate to lose it!

You are finished page #2! Post it on our Flickr page so we can see it – or check this page for more quiet book sharing ideas – Pretty please? I’m so curious!

Quiet Book Sew-Along: Mitten Page – Materials List {week 4}

by | Mar 13, 2014

Welcome back to Week 4! Today we will start our second page with the materials listing. It’s the Mitten Page – another simple one! And I thought we should complete the peek-a-boo theme we started with the House Page, kids love surprises! Of course faces are especially interesting to the little ones, and having a photo of themselves (or any other random baby!) is very exciting.

The mitten on this page is large enough that I can fit my hand in it. I liked this feature when my daughter was younger, since I could show her how to use it and we could play together. The vinyl photo pocket is created in a way that allows the photo to be changes by you, not the little fingers you are making the book for! Ready to get started? (If you are just starting find all the information you need on this Sew-Along page.)

Before I go into the details – here is your shopping list for Week 4. (Click the list, Print it, Find your fabrics!) I’m loving how scrappy this is, it’s emptying my scrap bin little by little! If you chose to make this book with the cohesive look, you will need to use your cohesive fabric for the background of this page. ** Update: You will also need a small piece of ribbon for the side tab! It is not on the list as I missed it the first go-round. Cut 1 piece 3 1/2″ long, or use the extra length from your photo edging ribbon.

Shopping List Details:

I recommend that the background for this page be a quilting cotton weight so it is not too thick later when you stitch the pages together. I made my mitten from flannel, because it is soft, like a mitten! And the mitten cuff is best in a knit fabric, so everything is soft for your little one. Match the fabric’s number in the photo with the description below for more detail.

For each of these fabric pieces I have given you a scrap size that is larger than you will need, except for the fabric background and interfacing – this is noted in the list below.

  1. Page Background – 1 piece (quilting cotton recommended) exactly 9″x9″
  2. Page Interfacing: 1 piece exactly 9″x9″ square, medium weight fusible interfacing (you will have this from your Week 1 shopping list)
  3. Photo Vinyl: 1 piece clear vinyl 5″ x 7″  (I used 12 gauge, but I’m sure 8 gauge would be fine as well)
  4. Photo Edging: 20″ 3/8″ wide ribbon (grosgrain recommended)
  5. Mitten: 1 piece fabric 7″ high x 16″ wide (flannel recommended)
  6. Mitten Cuff: 1 piece 3″ high x 9″ wide (rib knit recommended, a very stretchy knit will do fine as long as it is not very thin)
  7. Baby Photo: 3.75″ x 3.75″

That’s it for this week. Be sure to go out and find the cutest baby you can for the photo! Likely yours?! And, how are you enjoying the sew-along? I’d love to see your finished pages. Please check the Sew-Along page for ways you can share your book.

As usual, please let me know if you have any questions: email sherri@threadridinghood.com or leave a comment.

Quiet Book Sew-Along: House Page – Printable Pattern & Tutorial {week 3}

by | Mar 7, 2014

Welcome Sew-Along Friends, we get to sew this week! Today I have the pattern pieces, cutting list and tutorial so you can finish your first Quiet Book page. I remember feeling a great sense of excitment, accomplishment and beginning when I finished my first page and I hope you will feel the same once we are finished this page. It’s all going to proceed a lot faster now and we’ll be finishing up a page every 2 or 3 weeks!

Here is my finished Sew-Along page, beside the original quiet book page for comparison. Ready? Let’s go!

You will need:

  • 1 Small Safety Pin
  • Thread: 4 colours that match your cloud, sun, house and grass fabric
  • your normal sewing gear, including a ruler and iron
  • House Page Pattern Pieces (click to download the pdf)
Before we begin/Important Notes:
  • Download and print the pattern pieces pdf on letter size (8.5″ x 11″) or A4 paper. Important:Make sure scaling is set to ”None” or “Actual Size” when printing. Once you have printed the page, measure the 1″ test square (it should measure 1″ in both directions) to ensure the pattern pieces will be the correct size.
  • When you are sewing this book it is good to remember that some of the edges will be covered after the book is completed and sewn together. 1/2″ on the top edge of your page and 3/4″ on each side edge will not show in the final project. The illustration below shows these edges.
  • Remember to use your iron liberally when you are sewing this book. It is going to be a work of art when you are done! Since it is thick and some of the pages will not be iron-able once you are finished with them it is advisable to take all of the care you can to remove wrinkles so they are not accidentally permanent in your final book.
Cutting Your Fabric:
  • Check your printed pattern page for a cutting list of all pieces you will need to complete this page.
  • Pre-wash (if possible, a baby might be chewing on this book!) and iron your fabric well before beginning.
  • If you are cutting the cloud shape out of fur it is easiest to trace the pattern piece on the back of your fur fabric and then cut it out. BE SURE to trace the pattern piece upside down so it is facing the correct direction when it is turned over.
  • Cut your pieces according to the list on the pattern page. If possible, cut the pieces that require fusible web/interfacing together with the webbing/interfacing. This will make them exactly the same size and it will be easier to iron them later.
Here we go:
Door Prep: (1) Press the interfacing onto the back of your door fabric. (2) Fold the door in half across the 4″ side, so it is 2″ wide. (3) Stitch across each short end with a 1/4″ seam. (4) Trim your corners and edges if desired. (5) Turn, press well, set aside.
Sky Prep: (6) Lay your sky pieces together in the order you would like. (Note: If you are only using 1 piece for the sky skip to step 12.) (7) Place the top sky piece on top of the middle piece right sides together. Stitch across the top of these pieces with a 1/4″ seam. (8) Iron the seam open. (9) Place the bottom sky piece right sides together with the middle piece. Stitch across the bottom of these pieces with a 1/4″ seam. (10) Iron your seam open. (11) See photo below for a front and back view of your finished sky.
Fuse the Sun: (12) Follow the directions on your fusible web to iron your sun in the top right corner of the sky.
Fuse the House, Peek-A-Boo Fabric and Door: (13) Place the house and cloud fabric (both are backed with fusible web) on your sky where you would like them. Make sure the bottom of the house lines up with the bottom of the sky. (14) Carefully lift the bottom of the house and slip the peek-a-boo fabric (backed with fusible web) into its place under the door. 1/4″ on the sides and top of this piece will be covered by the house shape. (15) Place the door in its place with the open edge to the left. The top and right edges fit into the door shape in your house. 1/4″ on the left side will be covered by the house shape. There will be a 1/4″ between the bottom of the door and the bottom of the sky. (16) Remove the cloud fabric temporarily to avoid melting it. Iron the fusible web, try not to move your pieces by accident. You will be ironing the house, peek-a-boo fabric and the left side of the door. It helps to open the door so you can properly fuse the fabric underneath.
Attach the Grass: (17) Place the grass fabric right sides together along the bottom of your sky/house piece. Stitch along the bottom with a 1/4″ seam. Do not sew over the bottom of the door! You will be sewing right below it. (18) Open up your fabric and iron your seam open. If the door is too high stitch this seam again with a more generous seam allowance until you are happy with the door placement.
Interfacing your Page: (19) Turn your fabric over so the wrong side is facing up. (20) Centre the 9″ square of interfacing you cut over the back and fuse it to your page. Make sure there are no obvious large wrinkles before you fuse everything together, they are hard to get out later!
Attach the Cloud: (21) Place your cloud where you’d like and lightly iron to fuse it to your page. Iron from the BACK of the page, or use a press cloth over the cloud. Be careful not to melt your fleece or fur! (22) Use a close, wide zig-zag (satin stitch) with matching thread, to attach the cloud permanently to your page. If you are using fur, brush the fur to the centre before beginning so you stitch over it as little as possible. You do not need to stitch along the line where the house and cloud meet, we will do this later. (23)  See photo below to see the finished cloud applique.

Applique the Sun: (24) Change your thread to match the sun fabric and use the same satin stitch to finish the rounded edge of the sun.

Applique the House: (25) Change your thread to match your house. Begin stitching around the house in the centre of the right side of the roof. (26) Continue stitching around the house shape until you reach the top of the door. Open the door to avoid stitching over it by accident. (27) Make sure to stitch as close as you can get to the door without stitching over it. (28) Raise your presser foot with the needle in the fabric and close the door. (29)  Turn the corner as usual and continue stitching down the left side of the door and around the house until you reach where you started. (30) Brush the cloud fur (if using) to one side while stitching next to it. See the photo below for a finished view of the house applique.

Satin Stitch the Grass: (31) Change your thread to match the grass. Satin stitch along the edge between the grass and the sky. Stop and re-start stitching to avoid the areas where the house and the grass are already satin stitched together. You will need to open the door to stitch that area. (32) See the photo below for a finished view of the grass stitching.

Apply the Cap Snap: (33/34) Choose the location for your snap carefully and apply it following your manufacturer’s directions. I generally place mine on the far right, centred top to bottom so it looks like a door knob. Please take care when attaching the snap. If it is not attached properly and a child is chewing on the page it may become loose and create a choking hazard.

Finish with the Ribbon: (35) Use your small safety pin to attach the ribbon to your finished page. Since this is a long Sew-Along you would hate to lose it!

Finished! How do you feel?! Put your page somewhere safe or leave it out for a while where you can see it. I’m keeping all of my Quiet Book things together in one of my many handmade bags that doesn’t get nearly enough use. It’s really handy to have it all together.

See you again next week!

Quiet Book Sew-Along: House Page – Materials List {week 2}

by | Feb 27, 2014

Welcome back to Week 2! We get to find the fabric for our first page today. I’m excited to have some of you along for the Flickr ride and many more pinning the Sew-Along on Pinterest. A couple of other exciting things have happened since Week 1’s post.

  • If you missed the Flickr invite you can find out more in this tutorial on how to join Flickr. We’ve got a group page for updates and photos so we can all sew-along together.
  • I’ve created a specific page for the Sew-Along – just click “Sew-Along” at the top of this website. It will detail all of the information you need to know to sew with us and help you keep track with a full post list as they are published. (Including buttons and ideas for sharing your book.)

The first page we will make together is the same one I started the book with when I made the original – the House page with the peek-a-boo snap door. I love the mismatchiness of the sky and stripey/paisley house on this page. My new page is going to be a tad more “civil” looking, but still with a three-tiered sky. (Cohesive Look Sewers Note: You will not need your cohesive page fabric for this page.)

Before I go into the details – here is your scrappy shopping list for Week 2. (Click the list, Print it, Find your fabrics!) If you have a large scrap bin it is likely that you won’t need to by any fabric this week. This page is made up of small pieces of your favorite scraps. (Don’t forget to read the other details below so you don’t miss any information!)

Fabric Details:

For each of these fabric pieces I have given you a scrap size that is larger than you will need EXCEPT for the fussy-cut peek-a-boo scrap that hides behind the door. This piece needs to be cut carefully because the snap you apply will cover part of the fabric – take a look at the page photo above and make sure your fussy-cut scrap has a “snap space” on the centre right side. You don’t want your elephant to end up with a snap for a tusk like mine did!

All of these fabrics (except the cloud fabric) should be quilting cotton weight to get the best look for this page. If the fabrics are too thick they will not work well when they are layered together. Match the fabric’s number in the photo with the description below for more detail. As you can see, I stitched the grass together from lots of small scraps to make a piece of fabric large enough to use, be creative!

  1. Matching ribbon for the “tab” on the side of this page: 3.5″ long (any width)
  2. Fussy-cut peek-a-boo scrap:2 1/4″ wide by 3 1/2″ high
    • Note: 1/4″ on each side of this fussy-cut piece will be hidden under the house edges and will not show
  3. Sun: 3″ square
  4. Cloud: 4″ wide by 3″ high
    • can be made from fleece, fun fur or similar ” fuzzy cloud-like” fabric
  5. Sky: 3 pieces each 10″ wide by 3″ high OR 1 piece 10″ wide by 7″ high
  6. House: 5″ wide by 6″ high
  7. Door: 4 1/2″ wide by 4″ high
  8. Grass: 10″ wide by 4″ high

Other Items:

You will also need a few other things for this page. Again, match up the numbers with the descriptions below for more detail.

  1.  Cap Snap: You will need 1 snap.
    • Use any type of snap, as long as it has a cap you can attach to the front of the door to look like a door knob.
    • Also make sure it can be opened by small fingers, some snaps are heavy duty and can’t be opened by a child.
  2. Door Interfacing: 1 piece 4 1/2″ wide by 4″ high, medium weight fusible interfacing (you have this from your Week 1 shopping list)
  3. Page Interfacing: 1 piece exactly 9″x9″ square, medium weight fusible interfacing (you will have this from your Week 1 shopping list)
  4. Fusible Web: 1 piece each sized the same as the cloud, house, sun and fussy-cut peek-a-boo pieces noted in the fabric list

That’s it for this week! Have fun finding your fabrics. I’ve made a spot for mine in my handy Cynthia Frenette Pouch so they won’t get lost before I stitch them together. I had to fussy-cut my peek-a-boo fabric twice, so I learned… boo! I will provide pattern pieces for cutting next week and we will also sew the whole thing together. As usual, please let me know if you have any questions: email sherri@threadridinghood.com or leave a comment.