Category: Quilting

DIY Plastic Grocery Bag Holder

March 15, 2014

Although I carry my own fabric shopping bags to the grocery store, I actually don’t mind getting plastic grocery sacks.  Why?  They serve multiple uses in my house – mostly to dispose of super messy items (like used paintbrushes) and to pick up after Boomer when we go for a walk.

The pantry in my current house is wide and narrow – unlike the deep pantry in my previous home. The plastic crate I used to house plastic grocery bags for nearly a decade no longer works.

grocerysackholderoriginalOne of the books I picked up at the public library during a recent visit was 101 One Yard Wonders Fabric by Fabric.  As I thumbed through the book, I noticed a plastic grocery sack project.  Inspired, I unearthed the home dec samples I’d been gifted last summer and sure enough, I found some that were just the right size and weight for the project.  I kinda/sorta followed the directions on the first one and was pleased with how it turned out, but I needed a slimmer/longer one.

Fabrication requirements for my version:

1/2 yard mid-to-heavy weight cotton fabric OR a fat quarter OR a 26″x26″ home dec sample
3/8″ or 1/2″ elastic (non roll works best, but use what you have on hand)
Thread to match

Sewing Directions:

– Cut fabric into a 17″x23″ rectangle  (or 17″ x however long the FQ “long” side is)

Make tube
– Fold fabric right sides together with the 23″ sides meeting.  This will give you a long, narrow tube.
– Stitch side seam, using 1/2″ seam allowance (optional:  finish raw edges of seam allowance)
– Press seam open.

Make casing for elastic
– Turn up a 1-1/4″ hem on each end of the tube. Press.
– Open hem back out and press up  1/4″.
– Turn the now 1″ hem back up on each end of the tube.  Press.
– Pin the hem in place.
– Edge stitch near the fold all the way around the casing.
– Stitch the other side of the casing, leaving a 2″ opening at the starting/stopping point for elastic insertion.
Hint:  Using a free arm makes this process much easier as does setting your seam guide for 7/8″ when stitching the “hem” side.

Insert elastic
– Cut a 15″ piece of elastic.
– On your cutting mat, make a mark 3″ from the left side.  Now measure over 8-1/2″ and make another mark.
– Insert elastic into casing.
– Overlap elastic ends at marks so that elastic lies flat (make sure it isn’t twisted in casing).
– Sew elastic together along mark (straight stitch or zig zag in place back and forth several times).
– Trim away excess elastic.
– Stitch opening closed (you might have to persuade the fabric to lie flat).

Make strap
– Cut 3″x23″ rectangle
– Press up 1/2″ hem on each short end of the rectangle.
– Fold rectangle in half lengthwise wrong sides together.  Press.
– Open rectangle out.   Fold each long side in so that it just meets inside the crease.  Press along folded edge.
– Fold rectangle in half again lengthwise.
– Match edges and edge-stitch all the way around the strap (can skip lengthwise fold if you wish).

Attach strap
– Decide which way you want your bag to hang.  Make note of the top end.
– Locate the seam on the inside of the top casing.   You will place the strap ends on either side of this seam (inside the bag on top of the elastic and casing).
– Place the strap ends so there is about 1/2″ of space between the seam and the edge of either strap end.
– Pin in place.  Edge-stitch strap in place.  To add a custom look and strength to your project, sew an “X” in the middle of the square where you sewed the strap down.

Place bag into service
– Stuff with 20-30 plastic bags, hang in pantry and enjoy.

Managing your sewing & quilting library collection

March 10, 2014

Much discussion went back and forth on the CREATE2014 ICAP board about managing our personal magazine collections.  I think a lot of it has to do with how one utilizes magazines in his/her creative arts endeavors.  I use magazines for inspiration and ideas.  I keep them for about 3-6 months and either (1) pass the magazine along to a quilty friend or (2) tear out the pages that inspire me.  These pages are either filed away or encased in a plastic holder and put in a 3 ring binder.  I take the remaining parts to school for use in various student projects.

As much as I love print products, I have personally moved the bulk of my magazine subscriptions to a digital format where available.  I read them on my NOOK HD or on my MacBook Pro using a NOOK or Kindle app. Most, if not all of the electronic publications, offer pattern pages on their websites for a free download.  I do have a handful of magazines that are intact and remain part of my permanent collection.  These are housed magazine bins that you can buy at any office supply store or IKEA.

Every so often, it is essential that you cull your books and magazines.  If not, your reading matter stash is going to rival the fabric stash!  Yes, I hate to get rid of books as much as the next person, but it’s an essential part in the care and feeding of a collection. Donate items to your quilt guild, ASG chapter or Friends of the public library.  Gift the books to newbie stitchers. Trade the books in at a place like Charles & 2nd or McCray’s books so you can buy other books.  Donate the books to Goodwill.  Try to sell them on Etsy or Ebay.  If the book is dog chewed, mildewed or otherwise falling apart – please do everyone a favor and throw it in the trash!I

As I work as a children’s librarian in my day job, it should come as no surprise that I have one bookcase full of nothing but sewing and quilting titles.  I weeded my collection prior to our move last summer.  Last month, I donated a number of older titles to my quilt guild’s fledgling library.  I will probably donate more after spring break.  My books are cataloged using Library Thing.  They are arranged on the shelf by subject – general quilting, machine quilting, kids sewing, garment sewing, business, home dec, techniques, etc.  No way am I going to put Dewey numbers on the books!

My personal collection also includes a handful of vintage sewing books that I collect as a hobby.  One of the classes I’d love to take is an archival course on antique book repair.  That’s not something that was taught via distance learning when I was in library school.  You Tube is great for general repairs, but antique books are a little trickier.

 

Mosaic T-Shirt Quilt Revealed!

December 27, 2013

mosaic tshirt quilt

FINALLY!

I can post a picture of the full-size mosaic t-shirt quilt I made as a Christmas present for my friend’s daughter, who is a Georgia Tech cheerleader.

The Too Cool T-Shirt Quilt by Andrea Funk was my inspiration for this quilt.  You can buy a copy of her book here if you want to DIY.  Be forewarned that this style of quilt is a LOT more labor intensive than a traditional grid-style t-shirt quilt.  That’s why they cost more (in case you are looking to hire someone to make it for your special someone).

How mine differs from the book:

~ Every bit of t-shirt fabric is backed with fusible interfacing.
~ Batting is Pellon’s Nature’s Touch, which has a soft hand.
~ Each block is individually quilted in a meander style (per customer’s request) with top thread color changed to mach the t-shirt.

A friend who makes t-shirt quilts like this on a full-time basis (she is a franchisee) warned me that the quilt would be extremely heavy to quilt because of the fusible interfacing.  It was.  I quilted it over a weekend and by Sunday afternoon, my hands were so sore from gripping the fabric that I could hardly write my name.  (Note to self:  remember this is why you prefer stadium/throw size and smaller quilts!)

I’m not going to give away any secrets in the book;  but one tip I will share is that if you think you’ll make more than one quilt in this style, it’s a great idea to invest in your own set of acrylic templates.  If you are like most quilters, you probably already have the square rulers in your stash (4-1/2″, 8-1/2″ and 12-1/2″ – perhaps the 16-1/2″ too).   I found a local supplier, Professional Plastics, who was willing to cut the remaining templates to size for me (about $50 including tax).   The templates were ready for pick-up the next day.

My end-of-year purchases included completing my set of templates for the mosaic style t-shirt quilt (so I can keep my other rulers separate) and a bolt of woven fusible interfacing (Pellon SF-101).  Another friend has promised to bring me a batch of sorority shirts  for me to make into a throw size mosaic t-shirt quilt when I return to work in January.