by Sherri Sylvester | Oct 1, 2014
Quiet Bookers Rejoice! We’re back on track and here is the latest Pattern & Tutorial. If you are new, you can find everything you need to know on the Sew-Along page.
This page is fun and helps with the ever-tricky task of learning how to fasten buttons. The little ladybug buttons both work so the flower can move around as desired. I drew on a few “flying” lines with a fabric marker to make everything more fun and add a bit of movement. This page is a tad feminine. If you need an idea for a boy, I have used rocket-ship fabric for the background in the past and attached the moon instead of a flower, the string was attached near the edge of the page.
Ready to go?
You will need:
- Background Fabric: 1 piece quilting cotton exactly 9″x9″ square
- Page Interfacing: 1 piece exactly 9″x9″ square, medium weight fusible interfacing (you will have this from your Week 1 shopping list)
- Flower: 10″ wide x 5″ high quilting cotton
- Embellishments: flowers, mushrooms, be creative!
- Bugs: 2 ladybug/bee/butterfly buttons
- Stems/Grass: extra-wide rick-rack, about 1/2 yard/metre
- Leaves: Green 3/8″ wide ribbon, less than 1/2 yard/metre
- Flower Pot/Dirt: 9″ wide by 4.5″ high brown scrap fabric
- Ribbon Tab: 3 1/2″ long for the side tab
- 5″ x 5″ piece of Fusible Fleece/Heavyweight interfacing for the flower
- Fabric marker (optional)
- Small Safety Pin
- Flower Pattern Piece -> Click here to download
Before we begin/Important Notes:
- 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.
- 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.
- Fuse the 9″ square fusible onto your 9″ square background fabric.
Here We Go:
- Cut out your flower fabric. Also cut 1 piece of fusible fleece/interfacing and apply it to one flower piece. Place the two flower pieces wrong sides together and insert the rick-rack stem in between the layers at the “bottom” of the flower. Use a wide zig-zag or fancy stitch to sew the flower and stem together while finishing the edges. Double-stitch where the rick-rack is inserted to make sure it is securely attached.
- Make a buttonhole large enough for the bug button to fit through easily. When in doubt, make it larger, so it’s not as tricky for little fingers.
- Prep your flowerpot/dirt by folding it in half lengthwise and pressing it well.
- Lay your leaves/flowers and embellishments out on your background square. Cut several pieces about 4″ long from your 3/8″ ribbon to use as leaves. Also cut appropriate lengths of rick-rack for stems or grass as per your layout. The stems should be long enough to reach the bottom of your page. Make leaves by twisting and folding the ribbon so the ends meet. Place them under the stems with the ends hidden beneath the rick-rack. You can fray-check or (carefully) burn the ends so they do not fray. (Note: refer to the “Important Information” section to ensure your design is far enough away from all edges.)
- Mark the placement of the large flower stem, the flowerpot/dirt and the buttons, set them aside. Stitch all other pieces onto the background using matching thread and decorative stitches if desired. Ensure everything is securely stitched, just in case a child decides to chew on it!
- Stitch the leaves to your large flower stem carefully, leaving the bottom few inches free of stitching. These will be hidden underneath the flowerpot/dirt.
- Place the flowerpot/dirt over the bottom of your background. Stitch across the top with a tidy/decorative stitch. Stitch the sides and bottom with a basting stitch or use a glue stick to hold all of the raw edges in place.
- Attach your buttons very securely. I used embroidery floss and stitched each button at least 4 times, knotting each stitch individually. Again, small children might chew on this!
- Draw some “flying” lines with fabric marker near the bugs. Heat set them if possible, being careful not to melt the embellishments!
- Fold the 3 1/2″ matching ribbon tab in half and use the small safety pin to attach it to your page so it does not get lost.
See you next week with a new Quiet Book tutorial!
by Sherri Sylvester | Sep 25, 2014
When Deborah from Sprouting Jube Jube (pattern made by Allison, EM Patterns) offered a chance to be on this Pattern Tour I couldn’t say no. Even when a sleeveless dress in our September weather is a little risky! The back of this dress is just amazing and I’m so happy I got the chance to sew it. There’s a giveaway and a discount code for you too.
Of course, I could not make just one dress, there had to be one for each of my girls. I was all ready to make two gorgeous bow-backed dresses, when my oldest informed me that she liked the simplified version better. You know how it is when you are almost seven – it is very important to make your own fashion choices! I’m so glad she did, because I got to make both versions. And, as it turns out – I really like the simplified one as well. It’s very pretty and has the same twirl factor as the more showy version – win, win for everyone!
I am especially excited because I ordered my first yardage of Cotton + Steel especially for these dresses from Fabric Spark! You can see all of the fabrics I ordered in this photo (love, love the arrows!) The pink and blue are from the Basics collection – XOXO in Pink Cheeks and XOXO in Toy Boat Gold. That’s right – the dress has metallic gold X’s all over it – Gorgeous! Definitely my favorite out of the three prints. The underskirt of my youngest’s dress is Hide and Seek – Lions in Gold and Teal – oh my! My kids each picked the fabric for their dress, and it was so much fun looking through the options with them. I’ve really got to try that again!
I would label this pattern as an intermediate level pattern – mostly for the zipper installation, and partially because I found myself using my prior dress-making knowledge quite a bit throughout. Though, saying that, the simplified version would be great for a confident beginner. The fit is good and follows the sizing chart exactly, it even has a little extra wiggle “they will grow over the winter”-room around the bodice so the dresses should fit next year as well! I also cheated a tad to make the back flounce stay where I wanted by tacking each fold in place underneath where it doesn’t show. Perfect!
Enough from me already. The discount and giveaway are below, and you can visit all of the other lovely bloggers on the tour for more inspiration. There are some amazing dresses out there. (and a top too!)
September 22 ~ Sofilantjes – From a Box – Golden Rippy
September 23 ~ Friends Stitched Together – Project Destash– Simple and Trendy
September 24 ~ Call Ajaire – Crooked Whimsy – Giggles & Beans – Sews ‘n Bows
September 25 ~ The Adventures of Captain X and the Gingerbear Princess – Once Upon a Sewing Machine – and Me!
September 26 ~ Pienkel – Made by Sara – Rebel & Malice – Shaffer Sisters
September 27 ~ Sewing Sober – Lulu & Celeste – Climbing the Willow
Deborah and Allison are providing a discount for the Secret Garden Dress during the tour this week (Ends September 27th, 2014). Use the code “SGTOUR25” to save 25%! Visit EM Patterns, Etsy or Craftsy to buy the pattern.
Here’s your chance to win the Secret Garden Dress pattern and a whole lot more! Sponsored by:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
* The Secret Garden Dress pattern was given to me as part of the tour. As always, all opinions are my own. *
by Sherri Sylvester | Sep 22, 2014
So – you thought I’d never get back to the Quiet Book Sew Along? I know, I’m really not being consistent with these posts, I apologize. I seem to have treated it like a lot of other projects I take on – it gets done on time, but generally very close to the deadline! (Taking on too many projects and procrastination much?)
But, have no fear! We have exactly enough weeks left to finish by the end of November, I’m just going to change the format a little.
We’ve gotten through 6 pages (7 tutorials) – halfway there – so we have 6 pages left to make with 2 tutorials on finishing the book. Here’s a list what we have left to finish. Never-mind the names… I’ll come up with something better when I actually post them!
- Tie the Shoe
- Puzzle Match-Up
- Put the Teddy Bear to Bed
- Button the Flowers in Place
- Fasten the Belt Buckle
- Road with Cars
- Sew the Pages Together
- Sew the Cover & Assemble
The plan is to start next week or the week after with one page/assembly tutorial posted per week until we are done on the last week of November. In early December I am hoping to be able to post a pattern PDF of the entire Quiet Book. The tutorial will still be available, but the PDF will be much easier to follow and will have all pattern pieces and page instructions in one tidy place. Plus, it will look pretty! Bonus!
I hope you’ll forgive my tardiness and come back and sew the last few weeks. I’d love to post some finished projects here in December! Email me and we’ll sort it out.
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 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. *
