Ode to an Owl

Since I last updated my dear little blog, I've made: a purse, a quilt block, an apron, and a scarf. Needless to say... I've got some catching up to do on here!  A personal family emergency has come up that's made it absolutely necessary to keep myself distracted, so - Blog time it is!


Today, I'll be discussing the purse and quilt block. (I feel like I'm addressing a class or something, weird.) If it hasn't been obvious before, I'll spell it out for you - I have a thing with owls. While waiting for the one-and-only bathroom at JoAnn's (really?  Is that wise when they have sales???) I happened to be standing next to the aisle that has iron-ons. There was an adorable owl, in design, but I didn't like the colors, the size, or the price. So... I took a picture of it with my phone (that's probably a no-no, oops) and decided I would play around with it at home.

Apparently, I liked him so much that I used him twice!

I've had a purse pattern that I had been wanting to make for a little while. It's inside a book called Sew Liberated. Forgive me, but I don't have it near by to give you the author's name. It had an oversize flower print for the interior lining of the purse, and they cut out one of those flowers and used it as an applique on the front of the purse. I decided to go with two of my loves - trees and owls. I bought the cute-yet-simple tree fabric from Fourth Corner Quilts. The exterior is a wanna-be-wool suiting from JoAnn.

To use the picture from my phone, and turn it into a workable applique design, I worked a little Photoshop magic. I uploaded the picture to my computer. Resized the image. Changed it from color to black and white, and then printed it out. Then I used this miracle product called Steam-A-Seam 2 (I have no clue what happened to poor old Steam-A-Seam that it needed to be updated and cast to the side, but I'm sticking with it's updated version). You trace the design on one side of the Steam-A-Seam, then iron that on to the fabric... I've totally lost you, huh?  I'll show you some time, if you ask me nicely. 

As for the quilt block, I used the same owl design, but I used fabrics from 2010 Western Washington Quilt Shop Hop. For info on this year's hop, you can click here. With 2010's shop hop, there were 54 quilt shops in Western Washington (hence the oh-so-creative name of the event) that each design an 8.5" quilt block using, and inspired by, a set of fabric that was produced by In The Beginning Fabrics in Seattle. (Supplemented by additional fabrics by ClothWorks.) If you go to their store during the hop, they give the pattern for the block, along with a few little pieces of the fabric, for free!While I was slaving away, answering back-to-back calls at a T-Mobile call center, my parents drove to each and every one of those 54 stores! Mom got herself a set of blocks, and my Dad was sweet enough to go into each store along the way, so that I would end up with a set as well. So, since July of last year, I've been plugging away at them from time to time, learning new techniques along the way. (I'm also gaining admiration for the generosity of some stores, and a deep loathing sensation for the intricate detail some shopowers inflict on their poor, unsuspecting patrons.) I am determined that I will make all 54 blocks, but then the problem is, how to set those blocks in a quilt. It's not an easily divisble number, as far as quilts are concerned. I decided that I would design two of my own blocks to bring the grand total to 56, then I'll set the blocks seven across and eight down. (That will undoubtedly make more sense when I post a picture of the completed product.)  This quilt block, with the owl applique, is one of those two blocks! I'm actually pretty proud of myself for getting this one done!



Apparently, Being Sick Works for Me...

This past Saturday, while dealing with the medicated fogginess of a head cold, I completed not one, but TWO sewing projects! 

One was the apron, pictured to the left. The other was a large purse. Admittedly, I had the fabric all cut out for the apron, and the purse almost completely finished, prior to Saturday, but it still makes me feel better to think that I made two things in one day. It's alllllll about bragging rights, even if I'm just bragging to myself!  ;-)

The apron was made following another one of the Simplicity patterns I bought during that Presidents' Day Sale at JoAnn. (I'll update the post once I hunt down the pattern number.) The pattern itself is pretty cute, it comes with three size options (adult, child, and doll) for each of the three apron styles it shows. Hopefully that will come in handy sometime in my future. 

As I continue along my sewing adventure, I'm starting to notice that, even when I'm following a pattern, I still have my own style...  And that's totally okay. There's always fabric choices, and that instantly makes a pattern/project your own because YOU'RE the one that chose them. While on the topic of the fabric choice, I have to pause to gush over the main fabric for this apron. This past fall, I was soaking up some creative energy at Fourth Corner Quilts when I came across this fantastic Halloween print. I adored the colors, LOVED the owls, and bought two yards of it on the spot, without knowing specifically what I would use it for.  To me, when it's paired with the citrus-y polka dot, it looks much-more-Spring and far-less-Halloween.  Wouldn't you agree?

Back to the style thing... On a purse I made last summer, I messed up the first time I did my edge stitching. This may be hard to picture without, well... a picture, but when I first attempted to attach my lining fabric to my exterior fabric, I didn't catch all of the lining fabric in the seam. Instead of taking it out and doing it over (the RIGHT way) I made another parallel seam, about a quarter inch away. That fixed the problem, with the added bonus that I really liked how it looked!  I found myself making those parallel edge seams on this apron too, even though it didn't call for it. I like how it makes the stitching part of the "look" instead of just some necessity that has to be dealt with. I think this is now becoming part of my own signature style.

On to the Purse!!!

One thing I figured out pretty quick is that I adore Amy Butler!  If you don't know her work, you really ought to check out her website.  I'm in love with her bold fabrics, and her patterns make me feel like a sewing wiz!  Even the most complicated projects, and trust me, this purse was not a walk in the park, (for me) are made totally managable with her step-by-step picture instructions. She sells many individual patterns, but this is from her book Style Stitches. It's the Cosmo Bag. I'm not even joking, I have plans to make about 75% of the purses that are in that book!  This is a really big purse. I'm talking HUGE!  This past Sunday, I used it, instead of my typical Women's Conference tote bag, to haul all my primary stuff to church (ie, Primary songbook, binder, dry erase markers, magnets, Mint Truffle Hershey Kisses, you know... the essentials). AgaIn, all the fabric for this project came from Fourth Corner Quilts.

In this next picture, it's a little easier to see the red batik used for the lining, along with the big black button (that I got at JoAnn). I mentioned earlier that the purse was almost completely finished before this past weekend. Yeah... Sheepishly I have to admit that I only had one seam to finish (the inside of one of the handles) and it sat, uncompleted and lonely, in the studio for about two months. I had finished the same seam on the other handle, and it took me those two months before I got up the courage/insanity to finish the other side. Okay, fine!  I had lots of other stuff I had to work on, some of a time-sensitive nature, that delayed the process, but still. You get the idea.

Next up? 

I'm going to knock out some more blocks from the 2010 Western Washington Quilt Shop Hop. Stay tuned!  I should have some pictures up tomorrow!

Seven - No EIGHT Yellow Birdies on an Apron!

EXTRA! EXTRA!  READ ALL ABOUT IT! 

Receiving my incoming tax returns + Presidents Day Sale at JoAnn = 28 new Simplicity patterns and 1 completed apron!

What can I say?  Patterns are part of my sewing addiction, but buying them isn't always cheap.  The regular price for patterns can be anywhere from $15 to $30+, so Mom and I have devised an ingenius plan... Whenever we happen to be at JoAnn, if it's not too crowded and we aren't in a hurry, we look at patterns. The last time we did this, we wrote down the numbers for the patterns we wanted, and decided to wait until there was a sale. Sure enough! 

Our patience was rewarded! 

The Presidents Day sale had Simplicity patterns 5 for $5, limit 10!  Between the two of us, and more than one trip, we got 28 new patterns. According to our receipts, we saved about $425 on those patterns alone!  Totally ridiculous, right?!  I have to confess something... Of those 28 patterns, 11 of them were for aprons! 

Aprons, really?!  Yes... I am a bit transfixed by them at this point in time. I have good reasons, I swear!  (At least, they sound good to my all-too-often non-sensical brain.) I usually don't have to worry about if they'll fit or not, as most of them come with adjustable straps in the back (a HUGE benefit to a woman that's working on losing weight). They're a great way to showcase newly found favorite fabrics - such as this one. (I ADORE the occasional little yellow bird that peppers this fantastic home dec fabric I found at JoAnn, ALSO on sale - SCORE!!) Finally, the variety of aprons out there really helps me to learn new techniques, without having to commit to a seemingly-impossible headache-in-the-making.

This apron was a breeze to put together!  I made it, start to finish, this past Saturday. I even did a couple things that the pattern didn't call for, to put my own touch on it. I flat felled the seams along the shoulder and side (see previous post - see!  SHE CAN BE TAUGHT!) and I embellished the pockets with a few buttons (again, part of the JoAnn sale!). My plan is to make several new aprons that I can use interchangeably in association with my calling at church.  I'm the Primary Chorister, and the kids, especially those in Nursey, get a kick out of finding out what I have hiding in the pockets of my apron.  I wore this apron, my latest creation, during Primary yesterday. My favorite part?  One of the little girls was so entranced by the new apron, that she came up and asked to count all the birdies on it. According to Erika, there were seven. I had a trick up my sleeve, err, in my pocket, though!  One of the birds is on the fabric behind one of the sewn-on pockets, so there are actually

eight little birdies on the apron.

Green Birdies on a Sling??

Okay... So one of my FOREMOST goals with this whole sewing adventure is to learn the techniques and processes that I need to be able to see something and recreate it, without a pattern or some wise sewing guru (ie, Mom) standing over my shoulder - telling me how it's done.

Don't get me wrong...

Without the help and wisdom of those that have gone before me, I would be a ship lost at sea. I fully intend to gather as much light and knowledge as I can along the way.

Enter the baby sling!!! Chrissy (an awesomely-fantastic friend of mine) showed me this cute baby sling she found online. She asked if I thought I might be able to make something like it. I glanced at it, and with bravado that I was unaware that I possessed, I instantly said, "Why, of course I can make this!  It would be mere child's play!!!" Well... I most likely didn't use those exact words, but I was pretty darn confident. There was this nagging problem, though. I had two little hurdles to overcome... 1 - I'd never completed a flat felled seam before. 2 - I didn't have a pattern for the measurements of the sling.

Ultimately, this was the perfect project for facing both of those challenges. After years of off-and-on piece-quilting, I'm a whiz with a rotary cutter. I measured twice, cut the fabric once. I did a little mental figuring here and there. Chrissy said that she wished her original sling was a little smaller, so I took that in account as well (I'm good like that).  The sling is pretty much a glorified tube, or a modified pillow case that's open on both ends, however you want to look at it. So the pattern portion of the events was a total non-issue. Now, the flat felled seams intimidated me, I'll admit it.

For those that don't know the difference between a "flat felled seam" and a regular seam, let me give you an example... Grab a pair of your favorite jeans. That seam that runs from the bottom of the zipper in the front, down and around and back up between your two back pockets?  It has two parallel lines of thread?  That's a flat felled seam. It's meant to be more durable than a regular seam, like that one that runs down the side of your jeans. Mom did a great job of explaining how to sew it in simple, uncomplicated terms, as to not set off my internal panic alarms (which were totally poised and ready to go).

The end result:  The seams weren't perfectly straight or even, I'm still working on that, but... If I do say so myself, the baby sling turned out cute and, my favorite part, absolutely functional!!!  I even made one improvement on the original. I added an interior flanel lining (that's the striped fabric you see) to the bottom two-thirds.
Lessons learned: How to flat fell a seam, and a little more confidence in my ability to make something from scratch. I gave it to Chrissy, as a belated birthday present, and as thanks for giving me the challenge in the first place.
YEAH FOR CONQUERING SOME FEARS!!!