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Wine Coasters - Tutorial

It's party time! December is full of holiday events and family get togethers, and with them comes the ever present problem of figuring out which glass is yours. Especially if you've already had a drink or two :) 

Wine charms are the classic solution, but they don't protect your furniture (and they're not as fun to make).

Why not make yourself, or your host a set of wine coasters? I'll show you how.

I got carried away with holiday spirit, and made two different styles of wine coasters. A stitched and cut wool set (above), and a fun mixed print fabric set (below). Both styles are quick to make and use minimal materials.

The wool coasters are made with one pack of 5" WoolWerks squares, and some contrasting thread. I love how they turned out!

I used the Merry n Bright color-way for my set. Each package has enough squares to make five coasters. I used two of my squares to test out stitch patterns, so my set only has four coasters. 

To make the coasters, print the template and stitch through the paper along the pattern (1). Once you've removed the paper (2) all you need to do is trim (3-4), cut your bottom circle, and glue the two together. 

For full, detailed, instructions download the free Wooly Wine Coasters pattern. Materials: WoolWerks 5" pre-felted wool squares, thread, craft glue. 

We carry four color-ways of WoolWerks so you can go crazy making coasters and still have unique combinations. 

Use a small (14mm) rotary cutter and a sharp pair of pointed tip scissors. They will greatly improve your results, and mood. We won't talk about what was said, when I tried cutting my circle out with a large rotary cutter. Also, be sure to use a good quality glue that is made for fabric. Ordinary glue will soak into the wool and not hold the two layers together. 

The fabric coasters are even easier to make than the wool. In simplest terms: you cut 5 circles, sew one seam, clip and flip. I think that qualifies as easy, but they don't look it!

Depending on the fabric combination you choose, the coasters can look modern, classic, or funky. You can choose fabrics to match a theme (holiday, birthday, etc.), your favorite colors, or coordinate with your decor.

We sold out of the fat quarter bundle I used in my coasters, but there are so many options that would look great. 

We have some fun holiday 6 packs, sophisticated white Christmas 6 packs, and a number of beautiful non-holiday options. 

For full, detailed, instructions download the free Fabric Wine Coasters  pattern. Materials: 6 fat quarters, 15" x 20" cotton batting, & thread. 

If you found this post in our December 1st Advent Calendar Newsletter... Hi, So glad you came! Don't forget that materials featured in advent calendar newsletters are 10% off for that day only. 

If you found this post, but don't get our newsletters, and want to, sign up here. December 1st, 2018 only, all materials linked in this post are 10% off. 

Cheers,

Samantha

 

 

 

 

 

7 Things I Wish I Knew When I First Started Knitting

Recently, I was reflecting on when I first started knitting and what I have learned since then.  Here are 7 things that I really wish I had known when I first started that would have made me more successful in the beginning.

 

 

Gauge matters!

    When I first started knitting I never took a gauge, I didn’t know to care.  The I tried to knit my first pair of socks (they were hilariously bad, for more reasons than just the bad gauge) and when my socks didn’t fit I couldn’t figure out why.  I had followed the pattern exactly, but they were WAY too big.  If I had taken the time to take a gauge I would have known to change my needles so they might have fit (at least better anyway).

 

Invest in good needles:

    When I first started knitting I used whatever needles I could find or that were given to me.  This was great when I was starting, but as I got better I found that I could work faster and with a more consistent gauge if I used good quality needles.  My thoughts on needle    purchases are that I would rather buy a good tool that will last me a lifetime than a product that I won’t love in a year.  Plus, you reuse needles, and rarely reuse yarn.

 

 

Not all yarn is created equal:

    When I first started, I had no idea about plys or fiber content and what fibers lend themselves to which kinds of projects.  Granted, this knowledge comes with time, but I wish that I had known that I did not know this.  I used whatever I had for whatever project I had in mind. This means I have made socks (that didn’t last) out of single ply yarn and I attempted to make a bag out of lace weight yarn.  I also didn’t know about different weights of yarn and hurt my hands trying to use worsted weight yarn for socks on a tiny needle (see again gauge). 

 

A notion case is a must:

    I didn’t know about all the notions that I would ultimately end up buying and using regularly so I had no idea that a case is a great idea. I keep my stitch markers, little scissors, tapestry needles, yarn scraps (you never know what you’ll need), tape measure, cable needles, needle gauge, crochet hook, and a pencil in my little knitting tin (you could use anything).  This also makes it easy when I travel to grab my whole tin and I know that I will be prepared for anything that happens while away from my living room. 

 

 

There are no mistakes:

    When I first started knitting, like many others, I found giant holes in my knitting and weird amounts of stitches.  Sure, when I started these seemed like the end of the world and I needed to rip everything out and start over.  I wish I had kept my first project and not frogged it so I could look back and see how far I’ve come.  What I learned years later was that all those “mistakes” I would come to do intentionally.

 

Be fearless:

    This goes with the last lesson, but to not be afraid if something is too difficult and try it anyway.  I did not learn and get better by only staying in my comfort zone.  Challenging yourself is the best way to get better at something!

 

Ask for help!

    I was so scared to ask for help and face someone’s judgement that I didn’t know how to knit the second row (true story, just move that needle to your left hand again and keep going!).  But I was lucky to have a great local yarn store that could answer my questions.  I wish I had gone and asked more questions early on.

 

BONUS!

Buy enough yarn for your project

    I cannot tell you how many times I have looked at a pattern and thought to myself “Oh, I only need 1 ball for this!”.  This is not true! Look at how many yards are in the recommended yarn versus what you are actually using because some skeins have 500 yds and some have 90 yds.  I also learned that it is much easier to return a skein that was not used than it is to find the same yarn, in the same color, and forget about finding the same dye lot!  I learned that it was so much easier to just buy enough from the get go.

 

Happy knitting!

 

Katie

 

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Fun with Kaufman Pre-cuts

If you love pre-cuts as much as we do...you are going to be so excited about the wonderful pre-cut bundles and rolls that we are featuring from Robert Kaufman.

These beautiful Fat Quarter bundles are gorgeous in color-story. From left to right we have Burning Up, Pretty Peonies, Sweet Peas, Field of Iris and Slate Rock. Each color bundle has 22 (18" x 22") fat quarters for a total of 5.5 yards of glorious color!

 

I am pretty sure there are some Jaybird patterns perfect for these! You know how that girl loves Fat Quarters.

These little lovelies are "Skinny Strips" ...there's always a "skinny" one in the group, right? Well these rolls are 1 1/2" x 41" strips totaling 2.8 yards. But let me tell you a little secret about these "skinny" gals. They are absolutely PERFECT for sashing.

 Just look at how Jackie utilized the white strips in her Tula100 quilt. And she didn't have to cut any strips!

 These "beafy" guys are the Roll-up (2 1/2") strip. We could go on and on about all the wonderful things you can do with 2 1/2" strips...first there are Jaybird rulers! next..fantastic for binding. But we digress.

And not to be forgotten...the always popular 5" charm squares and 10" squares

Available in black, ash, neutral, silent film, dark, bright and pastel.

Leave the cutting to Kaufman and enjoy your sewing!

 

 

 

Creating your own Sochi Olympic Quilt

Sochi Olympic Quilt

Click the link above to see our favorite site explaining the process and design of the Sochi Olympic Quilt

 

Like everyone else in the quilting world I too was obsessed with the Sochi Diamonds.  The more I watched the Olympic events the more I wanted a pattern for the Olympic quilt. I searched the internet for a pattern.  Found lots of "posers" but not the actual quilt. So I decided if I wanted the quilt I would have to design my own.

I was thinking that maybe some of our blog followers might like to also design one. I’m going to show you how I design my quilts. A diamond quilt is not for the faint of heart.  It requires a bit of thought but you can do it.

 

The first thing you will need are supplies for designing. Graph paper, pencil, eraser, pen, drafting ruler and template plastic rotary cutter with paper cutting blade, mat and ruler.

 

 

I really don’t care what the finished size of the quilt will be.  I can adjust the size later or add a boarder to make it bigger. Next, I tape 4 pieces of graph paper together. Starting in the top left corner, I count the number of squares across the top and down the side (65 x 85). I also have to decide what size I want my main diamonds to be.  I think 8” x 16” would be a good size. I need my paper to be at least 64 squares x 80 squares for the 16” diamond to work and my paper is big enough.  Each square will equal 1”.

 

 

Start in the upper left corner and count over 4 squares mark with a dot. Continue counting across and mark every 8 squares. Mark seven rows and then count another 4 squares and mark. Do the same thing down the side but we’ll start with 8 squares down, mark, 16 squares down, mark, 16 squares down, mark. Until we have marked four rows of 16 squares. Count 8 squares down and mark. This finishes the side. Mark the bottom  the same as the top and the other side the same as the first side. Using the drafting ruler connect the dots to make the quilt rows. I mark my rows with a pen because I do not want the lines to be erased when I move my blocks around within the rows. I have 12 rows.

 

 

Now I need templates to move around in the rows. I’m going to start with the 8” x 16” diamond. On another piece of graph paper make a mark and count down 8 squares, mark. Count down another 8 squares and mark. Go back to the center mark and count 4 squares to the left and mark and 4 squares to the right and mark. Using the drafting ruler connect the outside dots. Now you have a mini 8” x 16” diamond.  I now make either paper or plastic templates. Plastic because I will be using them a lot.

Remember and this is very important. Everything I am doing is a finished size. No seam allowances have been added. I will do that at a later date.

I use the large diamond to cut all my other template shapes from.  If they fit in the diamond they will fit in the quilt. Try not to make to many shapes. You are the one that has to sew them together. I have 9 total shapes. In the photo you will see how I got my shapes.

 

Cutting mini templates. Lay a piece of template plastic (I use scraps of template plastic) on top of the mini diamond and trace around. I cut 8 or 10 of these so I have extras to play with. Cut out with your rotary cutter. Now you can cut different shapes from the large diamonds.

 

 

I work one row at a time. Take the shapes you’ve cut and start laying them in the first row. When you like your layout trace around each shape. Keep doing this until the row is filled. You may find at the end of the rows some of the shapes will spill out. This is alright. After the quilt top is sewn you will trim the extra fabric away.  If you look at the Sochi art work you will notice the points are sometimes cut off. If you want your points to be perfect you will have to do a lot more designing. Me, I want my quilt to look like the Sochi quilt without treading on their trademark.

 

Fill in the entire schematic. Well that was a lot of work!

 

 

 

Next blog will be about enlarging templates to full size and fabric choices.  Enjoy the remaining Olympic events knowing you to will have an Olympic keepsake.

 

 Here's the layout of mine...so far!

Carry Your Sewing Essentials in Style

"Sew on the Go" by Cindy Taylor Oats

has 4 patterns for transporting your sewing tools in STYLE!

 

When Craft Room by Dear Stella hit the floor we knew we had to whip up something fun...and the Notion Tote was the perfect fit.

 

Because, seriously, you have to carry your sewing tools in a case made out of sewing tool fabric!!

 

 We picked the craft room print for the outside, pins for the inside and scissors for the edging...too cute!

 

 

 

 We hope our project brings you inspiration to sew something fun for yourself or a friend.

Happy Sewing!

 

Wishing You Love

 

 

The Heart Towel

We wanted to show you a quick and easy way to make something festive this Valentine's Day. You can apply this technique to virtually any holiday. Our Red and White fabric collection was calling to us!

Following are the steps to make this adorable LOVE (Valentine's Day towel). Just a little something to add a festive mood to your day of LOVE. You might even decide to make a couple extra as gifts.

 

 Using a wide marker write the word Love and draw a small heart

OR print the PDF Pattern provided at the bottom of this page!

If using the PDF, skip to step 3.

 

 Tape the paper to a window, back side of letters facing you.

 Place the Heat & Bond Lite (paper side up) over the lettering.

 Trace

 

 

Leaving a 1/4" allowance cut out the traced word and heart from the fusible web.

 

Iron, paper side up, to the Wrong side of your applique fabric.

 

 

Now cut out the applique on the drawn line.

 

Carefully peel the paper from the applique.

 

Place on the towel and press.

 

Top stitch around the word and the heart, 1/8" from the raw edge,
and Voila, you are done!

Download LOVEtemplate

 

Enjoy your Valentine's Day!

 

Storage Solutions for Sewing and Knitting

The Beatle Bag - Grab, Go and Sew

by Abbey Lane Quilts

The Beatle Bag is a traveling bag personalized by you. Use it as a sewing kit or for storing all your knitting needs.  But don't stop there...It could also be used for beading, embrodiery, make-up and jewelry.  Want to use it for more than one hobby, we have extra sets of inserts available also.

 Not only do you have pockets for needles and notions but there is a handy pin cushion and 2 pockets for rotary cutter and scissors.

 The velcro tabs that hold in the pocket inserts make it easy to convert your bag. So you can have different sets of notions and then just switch them out... get ready to just grab and go!

 

 

Simple: Fleece blanket edging

Around these parts, you can get into some serious trouble if you are wearing the wrong colors! But in truth this house is divided so we are half Yellow/Green and half Black/Orange.  Whatever color combo you choose make sure it represents OREGON! right?

Well, Jackie, our very quiet OSU lover...HA...I say that very sarcasticly...well she wanted to share a simple fleece blanket edging with you.

Line up your ruler along the selvage edge and cut it off

You just want a clean, straight edge but it doesn't have to be perfect

Next, turn under a 1/2 inch two times, so that the raw edge is securely tucked under and pin

When you get to the corner, you want to turn the fabric in at a 90 degree angle as shown above.

Then continue along the next edge

Once you have pinned the edges down around the outside, Start sewing 1/8" in from the folded edge.

Now, when you get to the corner...

You turn 45 degrees and sew toward the corner, stopping before you reach the outside edge. Then back-tack to the inside edge that you were orginally sewing on. This makes for a nice tacked-down finished corner.

 You can see here that we are using a tool (That Purple Thang) to push the folded edge in as we sew along.

This is what it should look like. The edges are nicely sewn down and the corner is secured as well.

 

 

 ...all wrapped up and ready to go!!

Wrens & Friends- sunshine and picnics

Just last week we received a shipment from Moda called Wrens & Friends. A truly adorable collection that immediately caught our attention and made us think of spring.

 

Yes, I know it isn't even December yet and I'm already thinking about the subsequent season. But in the fabric world, when you see something you like...you grab it! And you find a project later.

Well the fortunate thing is that I immediately thought about taking Wrens & Friends on a picnic. And what would be more perfect than some sweet, adorable placemats and napkins.

Since the Wren (theme) fabric is more of a border print, you can fussy cut the birds and flowers for the center of the placemat and use the remainder for the backing (yea!)

Pick a "friend" fabric for the border of the placemat and a few others for napkins

Of course, we have a pattern for this!!

We hope you find yourself on a picnic with Wrens soon.

Happy sewing.

Exploring: Art Quilt Maps

Art Quilt Maps by Valerie Goodwin

I was so inspired by Valerie Goodwin's process that I hunted down some cotton crinoline (we now carry it at The Stitchin' Post) and tried out a sample. The crinoline is like a layer of stability to work the surface piecing and embellishment on. It gives your piece stability without being bulky or stiff.

This is a new piece I just started, see the crinoline. (I can remember crinoline petticoats as a child!!)

You can see some hand stitching embellishment and some soft body Liquitex paint  that I added. And now I am auditioning the top layer of design elements that will be stitched down (raw edges showing).

This is a very fun process and I want to dive in on a map quilt next. I am in the process of inviting Valerie to teach for us here in Sisters in 2015! Stay tuned!

Happy Exploring, Jean