Working on PHD's (Projects Half-Done): Rudolf

 Hello, everyone.

Today I resumed work on one of the PHD items in the sewing studio: half-circle folded Christmas napkins.

They're cute, but I suspect they're better suited to being a just-for-grins table setting, not for actual wiping of mouths. Though the bright busy candy-canes print on the back side might conceal a little in the way of spots, I think the half circle shape would be hard to get used to using.

On the right, the completed one. This was a Sewing Club project recently. 

On the left, the other one. (I had cut out two sets of half circles before the club meeting.)

Placement: I used the thumbtack alignment trick from the tee shirt project and the bicycle tote project after marking the center of the design thru a small hole in the paper with chalk. Then fiddled the needle to go exactly where the thumbtack had pierced the light blue dot. If one uses that trick, one must be very careful of the point sticking up through the stabilizer! But it gets the centers aligned.

I think Rudolf didn't draw up as much on this second one. I used two thicknesses of Polymesh as well as the Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy that the fabric was floated on. And used a scrap of Sulky Solvy topper as well!

All materials were from stash.

I can stop here and just use these two napkins for decorating...that rather appeals to me. As opposed to cutting out more half circles and fiddling with the placement and stuff. 

A little travel accessory

 Hello, everyone.

Taking a break from road trip notes, because it looks like I need to track down more pictures.

There was a short rest at home before running up to Houston for a family event. A chance to relax by doing a little embroidery project! I was looking at the Hatch free embroidery designs, which like a number of other free assortments help me to learn new techniques for my embroidery machine.

This was the result:

The patchwork design is one of the Hatch freebies. It's a sample design from LindyG, a bit of Victorian style "crazy quilting." There was an open spot for a monogram, I put a flower there. It came out a little too big, next time I try this I will think ahead and pick something else.

The original was for a notebook cover, very pretty, but I don't have much use for them. I used it on a lingerie bag for travel instead. Call this a trial run for Christmas giving!

It's important to think about balance when choosing the applique fabrics and placing them. The method is in-the-hoop applique, like many of the blocks in the Kimberbell Jingle All The Way quilt that I attended a Block of the Month class to make. (Actually, the JATW quilt isn't quite finished yet. The top is done, except for the decorations that go on at the end, but it needs to be quilted and bound.)

Printing out an extra copy of the template is recommended, so you have an example of how they will go together even after you cut out pieces of paper to label your fabric chunks with. This is a good pattern for non-busy scraps.

I used a poly duck fabric and backed the embroidery with Polymesh for stability. (Removed the extra Polymesh at the end.) There is a lining as well, some quilting cotton, to cover the stitches.

Zipper was from stash, as well as the various colored bits of quilting fabric for the applique and the threads.

A new finish

 Hello, everyone.

Today's post is a new finish, but it's also a stash item. And a rough-draft of a future garment.

This is a cardigan from a prior year's Burda Style (July 2019, number 103) with a shorter length--the design original length looked a lot like "commune clothes" when tried out--and with the sleeve enlarged to accommodate my non-stick-figure arms. 

I guess the way to keep a long, long cardigan from looking like that is to use the shown metallic knit in the magazine photos. Or to be 5'10 or over, weigh 107 pounds and combine it with skinny pants and high heels. The cardigan's more usable at this length because like most people I go places in cars while wearing sweaters or jackets. 😉 And at this length a person isn't constrained to wear spike heels and leggings with it.

Detail of the new sleeve. I tried to keep the wider lower sleeve from the design as much as possible, while opening up the upper arm. I kept the armhole seam length from changing by following the directions in one of my fitting/alterations books to open a cross shaped cut inside the seam line and pull it apart until the needed width was achieved. This was a first time for me!

The fabric is an ice-blue poly or rayon with spandex knit that has been lying around the place for a while. I am thrilled to have used up some of it.

For the seams I used the canned "stretch" slanted-zigzag on my sewing machine. It's a useful stitch, but it works a LOT better if it's sewn on a more stabilized knit--I interfaced the sewn bits all over the place with a knit type interfacing.

This was a test drive for using the beautiful piece of gray knit I got from EmmaOneSock to make a cardigan with. 

Thanks to DD2 for making phone photos for me!

The tee shirt is my spiffy Montana merino one from Duckworth. 

The Stabilizer Holder in action

 Hello, everyone.

I hung up the stabilizer holder and loaded it up! (Used a more utilitarian hanging method than the pattern, it doesn't bother me to see a naked dowel.)

The round "cans" of stabilizer rolls fit (almost) perfectly. Only one or two of the thick ones need to be eased into their pocket. The shadows on the right are from the thread spool racks on the adjacent area. 

This freed up part of the tiny shelf where the stabilizers were previously stuffed. Though I do need to scrounge around the house for an unclaimed basket for loose bits of things that are still there so nothing falls out the open back of the kit shelf.

On another note, last fall the sewing club had an iron-on applique project and I didn't finish it at the time. Things were just busy that month. It sat in the closet in its project bag for lo these many moons and recently was pulled out and finished.

Very fall-y, don't y'all think? It's spending its days on the kitchen table between meals for a little while, then it will go into storage until next year. 

For the interested readers, there is outline quilting around the pumpkin pieces, done with the walking foot, not freestyle. The pumpkin segments were outlined with a decorative stitch on the sewing machine in orange thread. And the binding is a straight grain strip cut from another orange blend and sewed on by machine. The runner was a project featured by the Heat n Bond people. 

A little project, embroidered and sewn

Hello, everyone.

Recently I noticed that the poly lense wiping cloth that came with some pair of glasses or another, and lives in my purse, had lost its clear plastic case. It was just sitting there, possibly collecting grit to scratch the lenses with. That won't do.

There is an assortment of poly satin fabric in the stash. I picked out a color and decided to embroider a small motif onto the small bag. (Wanted to have a larger one on the front and a smaller one on the flap.)

There is a small flower in the included files of my Janome MC500e and I decided to do it in red, white and blue on navy blue satin. I used iron on woven stabilizer as the sole stabilizer, and topper on the surface. (Pellon Shape-Flex, which is iron-on, stable, and light weight.) Possibly there should have also been some cutaway as well? there is a bit of rippling.

The front of the pouch. 

Inside view with the cleaning cloth.

View of the flap from outside. The flap design was shrunk a bit in the planning stage with the software.

The hem was done with a decorative stitch on my (made by Janome) Kenmore computerized sewing machine. 

The project came out reasonably well and would make a nice stocking stuffer. 

This sewing machine is one of the older computerized type, where there is pre-stored info that you select from, but no availability to add more via computer cable. 

It works well, but it has no adjustment for the presser foot pressure. "It's automatic!" as the trendy marketing people say. (More like, it's preset to one level and you had better like it.) Other than that quibble, I like it. This machine was why my newer sewing machine was also made by Janome: HD3000 not in some cool color but in the basic white. 

 

Test stitching on something new

Hello, everyone.

A little while back I encountered a free embroidery pattern on the internet. (And now I can't remember where it was.) It was a "primitive" style angel, and the photo showed an angel stuffed toy made with Minky-type fabric. There was the stitch file, right there, and a link to the maker's blog, which drew a blank. So, being in the mood to experiment, I downloaded the stitch file. 

Opened the file in the embroidery software that came with my Janome MC500 and printed out the alignment page. Also I put it into the thumb drive. 

Loaded the file into the embroidery machine. Dug around in the info provided there. It had 11 colors of thread. Each color had a color spot next to it and a nominated Janome thread color. I don't have that brand of thread in the house, so I went by the color chips and approximated the colors.

Having no instructions for the project, I used the instructions for the OESD Minkee Pals which are about the same size and look to have similar ground fabric.

This helped me to decide on stabilizer and topper. It also allowed me to try out the other pattern, which I had bought the package with the idea of making gifts, and see how I like the construction method.

A close-up of the little angel.

At the top right, part of my notes on which colors go to what. I think I misread the color that ended up on the little face, the chip looked like bright pink and probably should have been some shade of beige/tan/flesh tone. There was a pair of final colors that was a bit confusing: a speck of green that seems to have no purpose, and after adding the back fabric to the top of the sewn material in the hoop an outline stitch. This was spec'd as charcoal gray on my screen and probably should have been the same pale pink as the first outline stitch, as the charcoal shows at the interior corners of the shape. 

I don't think I like the "primitive" style. The dot eyes and the half-circle mouth just aren't my thing. The texture on the wings and hair is interesting...blue wings? whatever. It is a cheerful looking little thing, perhaps as a tree ornament or package decoration? All it needs is a little ribbon loop added at the top. Maybe that was why the tiny green line was placed? It's at the top of the halo.

The most key thing I have difficulty with is the method of construction of this stuffed angel--and by extension the stuffed animals in the Minkee Pals pattern set. (Remember, this was copied from the Minkee Pals instructions as an approximation.) The final outline stitches a seam *all the way around* connecting the front to the back. This produces an inside-out angel with no turning opening. The user is supposed to cut a slit into the back fabric and turn through the slit. "It's Minkee, you can just stitch the opening together and it doesn't ravel!" Right. But I was thinking of giving the Minkee Pals to children. 

I put a piece of the trimmed off stabilizer inside the slit after the stuffing was inserted and used it as an interior patch to stabilize baseball stitching and closed the slit that way. 

I'm not sure I'm excited about this. The minky-style fleece and the stabilizer and topping worked out well. (A mesh in the hoop below, the fleece on top and not actually hooped, and Sulky Solvy on top--spray temp glue and tape were involved in this.)  

Maybe it's time to make the first of the Minkee Pals and try a different way of attaching the back to the front. Like using my regular sewing machine to make an outline seam that has a turning opening. With a little flap to tuck in at the opening so it can be sewn shut by hand. 

This was basically the way the coasters went together, except that the instructions there said "hand stitch" and I tucked the flap (just make it while trimming the fabric, they don't say anything about such and idea) into the inside of the coaster, pinned it, and edge stitched all around the edge to close. I think the machine edge stitching won't work as well on the curves and corners of this type of project.

If the Minkee Pal works out, I'll probably do another post on this stuff.

A new project: embroidering onto a knit pocket

Hello, everyone.

There is always something to do around the house if you have a sewing machine. Even more so if you also have an embroidery machine.

DH had requested new sleepwear. As his preferred type isn't in the stores these days, that means sewing.

I found some rayon spandex knit on Fabric.com ( both navy and red solids) and decided that as long as I have these cool gadgets to work with, the chest pocket needed decorating.  I consulted DP, who organizes our sewing club and has much experience with machine embroidery, and also looked at the internet. Found a cute animal--DH likes it--and got to work.

I used wash-and-tear stabilizer on the bottom of the sandwich. Ironed on knit Pro-Sheer Elegance with the grain crossed from the knit grain--this is the part that will remain in the finished garment. Topped with Sulky Solvy, a non-adhesive sheer soluble that I like a lot, to keep the stitches lying nicely on the surface of the knit.

Yes, that is painters' tape holding the Sulky Solvy still on top! It's actually less tacky than my white sewing tape is.

This was the test sew-out of the bull. I mixed up the colors a little, used variegated charcoal where the dark brown is supposed to be, but it came out okay anyway I think.

The little bovine fits into the small 5x5 hoop of my machine, and fits perfectly onto the pocket piece.

Now if I can only find a use for the test project!

Another project from the embroidery machine

Hello, everyone.

Yesterday the embroidery machine got to do some more work: an in-the-hoop pouch with a zipper. The regular sewing machine got to rest this time.

The pouch closed up. The project includes the quilting stitches on the front.

The pouch with zipper open to show the lining. This was a stash buster project all the way: fabric, batting, and zipper.

One thing learned from this, though, it's really important to pay careful attention to the photos and the words of the instructions. I had to redo some things because they were stitched incorrectly. Also learned the hard way that when restarting after a birds nest or similar mess up, it's a good idea to take the hoop bar back to home position and re-position it after doing the "backspace through the messed up stitches" trick.  I have officially broken my first needle on the new machine.

The solid green corner is a piece of linen, which I backed with iron on interfacing before putting into the project. The iron on interfacing has been working well as the first stabilizing bit in the black linen coasters. It worked well here, too. (It's one of the knit ones on that page.) I used the regular sewing thread (50 wt) instead of embroidery thread as there really isn't any thread visible other than the quilting stitches. The project called for cutaway stabilizer, and I now know that it's maybe a good plan to trim that layer a little more than the others at the end when removing the project from the hoop. Final closing stitches: ladder stitch, by hand.

The small pouch as shown will hold a cell phone, at least some sizes, but I suspect my Otterbox cover doesn't go through the opening very well. YMMV. If, like me, you've abandoned your fat, heavy wallet for a little pouch to hold money and cards, this would work very nicely.

Finished a project

Hello, everyone.

The old Aggie Bag that has been going with me on so many trips is getting a bit old. More to the point, I recently used it on a trip where my only luggage was a backpack, carried on. The Aggie Bag was a big to carry on as the pack, and so I proceeded gingerly down the aircraft aisle with a big round thing held in front, the bag, and a big round thing in back, the pack. It was doable but not really desirable, if y'all know what I mean.

I have been learning about my beautiful gift from Santa (I understand that there is now a newer, bigger version on offer instead) and found a project on Sew4Home to practice the embroidery on. It involved buying new thread...oh boy, more stuff that has to find a home!...and embroidering a design, then using the embroidered fabric in a tote bag. The tote is a good size to hold my tablet, DH's tablet, and some few odds and ends...assuming one also has a waist bag, it will work I think.

Yesterday it was finished.

This is the zipper added to the top, to keep the contents from spilling out all over my feet during a plane flight, and discourage strangers from exploring the bag. It is a purse zipper, from stash. I looked around and used one of the various tutorials to create the zipper facings and attach it. The bulk of the bag made things a bit difficult.

The print used for the sides and the zipper facings is from stash--it's left over from a set of half-circle gathered swags at the Former Abode. Or maybe it was a sample piece left from the decision making at that time? The white used is a fake-linen piece (poly) and I used Stay-Flex for the interfacing. The rest of the interfacing was iron on fleece. Maybe I should have gotten some of the Decor Bond that was recommended. Speaking of bulk under the needle of the sewing machine! But I didn't want to add yet another pile of half-used stuff to the sewing studio.

The embroidered side. It is an open pocket. I lined it with a white on white cotton print, so the lining wouldn't show through the white panel. As y'all can see, I didn't go with the suggested leather handles. (Really? Stiff leather handles for something that has to tuck in by my feet in those tiny airplane seats? Don't think so!) I made straps out of some solid cotton that matches one of the colors in the printed fabric, padded with some iron on fleece, and stitched into the seam between the top edge of the bag and the rest of it.

I also added a zippered pocket on the back side. With only a little bending and folding, boarding passes could fit here. Passport would go with no trouble at all. And of course! the credencial. When ever we get to return to the Camino path, that is! The zipper here is an invisible zipper from stash.

About that new thread: it's Auriful 80 weight cotton. It comes on a wooden spool. Of the three spools I got, one has a snag on the edge. It catches the thread while sewing. And, being very, very thin thread, I had to lower the top tension on the machine a lot to get the project to sew out reasonable well. There are 2 failed attempts now in stash, and DH says they're cute too and look like quilt blocks to him. We'll see what turns up. The stitching pulled in when it was done. And because of the snag and the tension issue, there were a lot of thread breaks. I'm not at all sure this thread is for me.

On the plus side, Fat Quarter Shop had really fast service. (Thread link above is to their site.) And lots of colors of thread, too!

Stash busting: clutch

Hello, everyone.

The ongoing stash usage project has some completions to show. Today's photo is a new clutch, a little large for a clutch really, but it is made from quilted pieces left over from the camera bag project last year. The padding is the foam stabilizer from ByAnnie's.com. It's great stuff, light weight and resilient while giving body to the shape.

This is large enough to hold contingency supplies for the mother of the bride.

The zipper is from the same package of zippers bought for the camera bag project: Zipit.etsy.com. (Still have about 8 to use on that package!)