When Lindsay asked me to take part in a blog hop for Craft Book month over at Craft Buds I immediately pulled a stack of books I’ve got projects marked in. It was a decent stack.
And these are only the ones I had hanging out in my bedroom, it doesn’t count the stack in my studio that are all marked.
Since I had knitting on my mind, I decided to focus on a couple of knitting books that got me out of my “I can knit a mean scarf and nothing else” phase.
Just wanted to share the episode of Quilter’s Newsletter TV I was filmed for at Quilt Market!
click to view the video at quiltersnewsletter.com
Check it out… if for no other reason than because I was having a really good hair day. Or… to be a little more informed about the EZ Dresden Quilting Challenge. You’ve got about a month left to work on your projects! Are you going to be ready to enter September 1-6?
I’m hosting WIP Wednesday today over at Freshly Pieced. Head over for details on what I’ve been up to.
And the winner of the typewriter pouch is Patti!
She said, “Fantastic and helpful tutorial! Thanks so much. I would someday love to get up the nerve to attempt English Paper Piecing. Sigh! thanks for the chance to win this gorgeous pouch. I don’t have any of the typewriter fabric!”
I’ve sent you an email to get your information and I will get it right out to you.
Tags: WIP
Originally posted on Sew Sweetness as part of Purse Palooza.
The Perfectly Pleated Clutch is one of many projects in Amy Butler’s Style Stitches book. I’ll be honest, I’ve had this book on my shelf for over a year and have had every intention of sewing a few projects. I’m glad Sara provided me the kick in the butt to actually get one done.
Tags: clutch, review, sewing, style stitches, zippers
This one came about specifically with a trip to Disneyland in mind. You’ve got to take your phone and wallet with you, but there are all those rides where you get splashed, so here’s my solution: a small pouch you can sling over your shoulder, it fits your phone and a card wallet, plus chapstick and lip gloss. And the best part? It’s lined with vinyl to protect your stuff from splashing water. Now, it’s not water-proof. Don’t go dropping it in a pond and then get mad at me when your phone is ruined. But it will keep it safe from Splash Mountain.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a lot of little things filling my purse. I love these little zipper pouches to keep those things a little more organized. In fact, wanting a pouch like this was the reason I started sewing in the first place. I’ve been making these little pouches for almost three years and I’m happy to share exactly how I make “Monica” now, with perfect end tabs on the zipper. And if you make it through this, there’s a giveaway at the end.
Here’s what you need:
Here’s part 2 of the invisible zipper post. (Really should have been done yesterday but a clogged kitchen sink took priority.)
Using an invisible zipper foot will unroll the coils for you as you sew. The biggest (really the only) difference in using your regular zipper foot is that you will have to unroll the coils and iron them flat on your own. So start by unzipping the zipper and ironing the coils flat.
Next, line up your zipper according to your pattern directions, laying it right sides together and lining up the edge of the tape with the edge of your fabric.
Tags: invisible zipper, sewing, tutorial, zipper
Oh yes, the dreaded invisible zipper. It’s so scary… until you realize that with the right tool it’s actually the easiest zipper you can install. Seriously, I could type “get an invisible zipper foot” and practically be done!
Many machines have an invisible zipper foot available. If you’ll be doing this a lot, I recommend checking it out for your machine. If you are doing the occasional invisible zipper, just buy this one.
image via coats and clark
Really, it’s like $2 and you can pick it up in the zipper isle. I’ll show you how to use it.
You know when you buy a zipper and there are instructions on that little cardboard piece it’s attached to? Here are some (hopefully) more clear instructions for that type of zipper insertion.
I’ll show you on a pillow back, but it’s the same idea for a skirt – with one additional step I’ve got a diagram for.
Start with your piece of fabric and cut wherever you want your zipper. I like mine offset, probably for the sheer fact that then if it’s not right in the middle it won’t bug me later. Or, it’s more aesthetically pleasing this way?! I cut around 3.5-4″ from the bottom.
This is the first zipper I figured out. And I did it some crazy hard way for way too long. Then I had a flash of brilliance and figured out this way. Turns out, I should have been doing this all along. But hey, I taught myself most of what I know in sewing, since I was unwilling to learn when I was younger, so I still feel pretty good about figuring this out.
Here we go.
You’ll need:
One zipper
Fabric for pocket
Basic sewing supplies
Whatever you’re adding the welt pocket to. I took these pictures as I was adding a 7″ zipper inside my houndstooth tote.
Tags: tutorial, welt pocket, zipper
