Blog | Stitchin' Post

Pincushions - Pretty Experiments

Every crafter needs a pincushion, or two, or three. Even more than that, crafters need a way to experiment. You can't grow or improve as a quilter without trying new techniques, patterns, and colorways. A small project, like a pincushion, can free you to experiment without the commitment and cost of a larger project. Smaller projects can also be a way to fit creating into our busy lives. Make a pincushion as an easy way to try that technique you've been wondering about, or to work with a new mix of colors. Jump in and play.

Besides feeding your creative self, pincushions make a wonderful gift. Making them for gifts also provides you with a very respectable reason to spend time sewing. "I'm sorry I can't do the laundry, I have to make a gift for the Secret Santa exchange!" Your spouse can't possibly complain about that. 

You can make pincushions from just about anything, including scraps, but we're going to take a look at two books. Pin Pals by Carrie Nelson and Bowl Me Over by Debbie Busby each offer many creative options and fun projects. We enjoyed both books so much, we used them as the project for one of our recent staff meetings. Everyone got a pattern and a set of fabric, and we went to town sewing and chatting. Most weren't quite finished during the staff meeting (too much talking), but all are relatively short projects and each book has as range of project difficulty and techniques to choose from. 

Pin Pals has 40 different patterns. These aren't your grandma's tomatoes, there is a little bit of everything in this book! Experiment with curves, applique, traditional blocks, strip piecing, triangles, precision piecing and hexies. We made the patterns: Solid Checkerboard, Random Strips, DNA, Ohio Star, Spokes, Beach Houses, Fresh-Cut Cube, and Bear Paw.

Bowl Me Over is a book of 37 "little pillows" and even more ideas. Projects are made from cotton and wool with embroidery stitches and wool applique. Fill a bowl with them, stack them on a shelf, or make them pincushions. If you've ever considered trying embroidery or applique this book is a wonderful way to get your feet wet. Debbie gives the reader thorough instructions for each project, but also offers general instructions and ideas to make your own variations. We made patterns: Welcome to Our Neck of the Woods, Be Strong, Nighttime Forest, and Little Cabin in the Woods.

Want more pincushion ideas? Check out our Pincushion Pinterest board. 

Now that you've made a pincushion, or ten, you need to fill it. In theory this is pretty simple, but in practice can be frustrating. 

First pick a filling. You can fill one with any number of things: rice, sand, sawdust or pellets. However, you will get the best results with a combination of poly-fil and crushed walnut shells. Use the poly-fill in corners, points and curves, then add the walnut shells for weight and firmness. 

Add your poly-fil first and using a tool like the Purple Thang push the stuffing firmly into all corners, other shapes, or edges you want to keep crisp. Then use a narrow neck funnel to add the crushed walnut shells until your pincushion is full and firm. Be sure to pause and give your cushion a shake to settle the shells, then continue adding more shells. You can also use the end of your funnel to push the shells into the corners and help them settle so you can fully fill your pincushion. Here's a quick video of us filling a pincushion.

 

You can find all the supplies you need for this project at Stitchin Post. 

Pin Pals Kit - Pin Pals Book - Bowl Me Over Book - Crushed Walnut Shells - Wool - Needles

Be sure to sign up for our newsletters to receive all the information about this project and all the other 12 Projects of Christmas. 

Stitchin' Post's The 12 Projects of Christmas is a newsletter event. Each week starting in October we've selected a fun and fast project, perfect for gifting or holiday decorating. Every project is designed and selected by our experts to make it easy for you to find and craft stylish useful items everyone will love.

Lucy & Logan - Freezer Paper Method for Machine Stitched Faces

Instead of 12 days of Christmas, we decided to do the holidays maker style with The 12 Projects of Christmas. We're starting a bit early, releasing a project a week, so there is plenty of time for crafting and for enjoying all the other seasonal events and celebrations during the holidays.

Let's kick off our crafting season with a great gift for kids. Lucy & Logan, adorable cat and dog stuffies, are sure to bring smiles Christmas morning or anytime. Enjoy making a few or gift a Lucy & Logan kit. Then you can spend time together teaching them how to make one for themselves.

Each animal can each be made in two sizes with a variety of suitable fabrics. Make a pair in flannel (like we did) for a special little one. Try one in school colors for older kids. You can even make a few for your favorite furry friends from canvas or denim. Although, Teyla likes the flannel ones just fine. 

The kitty below is one of the original Lucys, made from corduroy. Quilting cotton, light denim, linen, fleece, or even old clothing could all be used. 

No matter what options you choose, the key to any adorable plushy is the face. Luckily, sewing a cute face is easier than you think, and we're going to show you how to get great results with your sewing machine, even if you can't draw.

The pattern includs a face illustration to trace, and suggests you trace the face onto your fabric with a fabric pen or chalk marker. Then you sew your face with your machine or hand stitch. That method is a fine option, but can be difficult on darker fabrics. Tracing or drawing your face on freezer paper is foolproof, no matter your fabric color or type. Let's look at how to do it...

First, place your freezer paper over the pattern and trace the face as is or use the pattern face as a guideline for feature location and draw in your own face. The nice thing about this method is that you can keep tracing, or drawing, faces until you have exactly the face you want. In the pictures, Lucy's (the small cat) face was traced from the pattern and for Logan's (the bigger dog) face the pattern was used as a guideline. His nose is rounder and his eyes were changed slightly. Use a pen that is the same, or close to, the color of thread you plan to use to stitch the face (unless you're stitching in white) to draw the pattern. Color in the nose and irises. Be sure to draw on the matte (top side) of the freezer paper. 

Once drawn, cut around your face so it will fit on your cut fabric body. Place your freezer paper face on the right side of your body piece, with shiny side down, centered on the head.

Press the freezer paper to the fabric, holding the iron for a few seconds. Your interfacing should already be on the wrong side of your head (see above). Don't use double sided fusible web, or you will end up fusing your animal to your ironing board!

You're ready to sew. Use a free motion, or walking foot (pictured), and follow the lines drawn filling in the nose and irises with a back and forth (walking foot) or circular (free motion foot) stitch. Be sure you stitch over each drawn line twice so the face will be clear. Back-tack at the start and end of any stitching. 

All that's left is to tear away the freezer paper. Use your seam ripper to get any small pieces of paper remaining. Don't worry about removing the paper from the nose or irises. That's why we colored it in. The paper helps those areas look more solid and you don't have to spend an hour picking out little white scraps. Win-win! 

Keep following the pattern from here and in no time you'll have a new cuddly cutie. 

Find all the supplies you need for this project at Stitchin' Post. 

Lucy & Logan Kits  -  Lucy & Logan Pattern  -  Farmhouse Flannel  -  All Fabric

Be sure to sign up for our newsletters to receive all the information about this project and all the other 12 Projects of Christmas. 

Stitchin' Post's The 12 Projects of Christmas is a newsletter event. Each week starting in October we've selected a fun and fast project, perfect for gifting or holiday decorating. Every project is designed and selected by our experts to make it easy for you to find and craft stylish useful items everyone will love. 

Schoolhouse Tunic Three Ways

As the weather changes, many of us are yearning to spend more time outdoors. While the urge to stay in and nest may be waning, the urge to create is still strong. Shorter projects are the answer for a lot of us, and apparel projects have the added bonus of enhancing our warm weather wardrobe. 

If you're already a dedicated handmade wardrobe proponent, you recognize the benefits of having clothes made to your exact size and style. If you haven't tried making clothes for yourself recently, give it a try. There are so many beautiful, flattering, and well written indie patterns available these days that there is something suitable for everyone. 

The Schoolhouse Tunic from Sew Liberated is a great example of current apparel patterns, and one of our favorites. It's such a versatile and flattering pattern. The pattern is well written, easy to follow, and quick to make up. 

Our first sample shirt is made from lightweight cotton and uses the shorter length. The white with black pin dots is so classy--perfect for work with a skirt, or style it more casually with a pair of jeans. 

The fabric shown is out of stock, but any lightweight cotton will work. The fabrics from the Warp & Weft collection are lighter weight and have a nice drape, they would be great options. 

Next, we made the tunic length in double gauze. This shirt screams spring! The double gauze is a wonderful fabric to wear, so soft and great drape without being clingy. 

Be sure to wash & dry this fabric before you cut it! Double gauze can shrink quite a bit. It also helps to press and starch your fabric before cutting. The extra stability will make it much easier to work with and minimize stretching while you sew. 

Our last top is a fun one. It's made from three coordinating fabrics and has three quarter sleeves. The fabric is heavier weight than the previous fabrics that gives the tunic more of a dress feel.

Schoolhouse Tunic is a real wardrobe staple. The style is flattering for just about everyone and can be easily altered. The pattern comes with two lengths, but it would look wonderful as a below the knee dress as well. Besides altering the length, try different sleeve lengths, or no sleeves at all. You could also add button and loop closures, or make a tie at the neck. 

Try mixing up your fabric too. The pattern is suitable for lightweight linens, lawn, double gauze, cotton and more. It would be easy to add a contrasting band at the bottom or where the bodice meets the skirt. Another option would be to add contrasting trim to neck and sleeve edges. You could even use multiple fabrics for a patchwork look or stripes like our last version. There are so many options, you could make a dozen of these and no one would realize it was from the same pattern. 

If you're interested in creating your own version we've selected some suitable fabrics to inspire you...

Organic Yarn Dyed Linen from Birch Fabrics 

Harriot Wovens by Carolyn Friedlander 

Double Gauze from Kokka

Mariner Cloth from Alison Glass

Alchemy of Fabric - Ombre Surprise

Our April Alchemy fabric selection is Gelato from Maywood Studios. This fabric is a beautiful ombre that transitions from dark to light to dark, from selvage to selvage, with tone on tone lines. Photos can't do it justice. 

The rich colors and visual texture make this fabric the perfect blender, but it can also be the star of the show.

We paired Gelato with Kona Cotton in black and white for this Polanco quilt. This pattern puts the focus on the color and how it transitions. Stunning!

This pattern really shines a light on the ombre effect in the fabric. You can achieve the same effect, with other strip friendly patterns like Birch Bark or Flora.

Patterns like Cranberry Chutney and Preppy Pod, that have large pieces of fabric would also be a good choice to showcase the ombre colors. 

Want to show off the ombre without committing to an entire quilt? Try a fat quarter apron.

You can also fussy cut Gelato to feature the exact color, or blend, you want. Prefect for quilts like Arctic Feathers or Himalyan Pink.

Add some of this months companion fabrics and you'll have a great mix to work with for either quilt.

From top left our fabrics are: Heath in Eggplant, Quantum in 8957-O, sold out, Quantum 8960-E, Heath in Berry, French Press 8888-Y1, All Squared Up in Scout, Grid 50403, French Press 8888-B, and Treasure Hunt

Looking for just the right smaller project to show off your fabric? 

What about a Lisa the Unicorn pillow? That mane would be fantastic in Gelato.

An adorable animal stuffie? Any little one would be thrilled to have one of their own to cuddle.

Try Pincushion Party from Jen Kingwell Collective. The four sizes and 15 appliqué designs are ideal for experimenting with color, or getting a quick sewing fix. Plus they are darn cute!

Whatever you choose to do, don't forget to share it with us. Use #stitchinpost on Instagram or tag stitchinpostor on Facebook. 

Meet Becky Van Verst...

Read more about Becky's upcoming classes or signup online here. 

Dreaming In Color with Jean Wells

What a magical concept! This year my goal is to be more of an explorer when it comes to my life in art. I will be writing a monthly blog sharing ideas that I hope will inspire your confidence when it comes to working with color in your projects.

Right after Christmas my newly upholstered studio chair was delivered. The chair really needed a small rectangular pillow to be comfortable to sit in so I went to work. I determined that a four inch repeat of squares would work in the space I had. Then comes the fun part, choosing a color as well as fabrics. I started with indigo blues and wanted to find an accent color. 

This is where the “dreaming” starts. What to put with the rich indigo blues to make them sing? The color vocabulary that I work with in the classroom consists of descriptive words that are opposites...

Temperature = Warm – Cool

Intensity = Dull – Bright

Value = Light – Dark

Opposites on the color wheel (red and green, blue and orange, yellow and violet )

In looking at the vocabulary words, I knew that I needed to add something brighter and/or lighter, as the blues I chose are darker. During the composition process I always try to “audition” colors as well as styles of prints. You never know which one will feel right to you. It feels like any of the combinations below would work to me. I am a firm believer that we know when it feels right.

One of the walls in my studio is a lime type of green, so I selected green as the accent. Besides color, I looked for prints that might have an area where I could add some decorative running stitches.

To make a similar pillow, you will need a few supplies in addition to the fabric. The fabrics are backed with a light weight, woven, fusible interfacing (Pellon Shapeflex SF101) which gives the cotton fabrics some body. I like to use size 8 Perle Eleganza thread and the Clover Gold Eye Embroidery Needles (Art No. 235) for hand stitched details. These needles stay sharper, and really travel through the fabric well. The only other supply needed is polyfil stuffing.

Pillow Instructions:

1. Choose fabrics for squares. Cut squares 4 ½” or larger if your finished pillow size can handle a larger square. Cut interfacing squares the same size and follow manufacturer’s instructions and fuse to the wrong side of the fabric squares. If you choose you can add running stitches to accentuate some of the design features on the printed fabric.

 

 

2. Arrange the squares in a pleasing manner and using a ¼” seam allowance, stitch the squares together in row 1, then row 2, etc. until all of the rows are finished. Press the seam allowances open. Join row 1 to row 2 etc. Press.
   
   
3. Cut backing the same size as the pillow front. Place the right sides of the pillow and backing together. Pin around the edges. Using a ¼” seam allowance stitch around the edges leaving a 4” wide opening to turn the pillow to the right side. Back-stitch at the beginning and ends of the seams.

4. Trim the excess fabric off each corner. Turn inside out gently pushing the corners out with a medium size knitting needle or dull pencil. Lightly press the front and back of the pillow.

5. To stuff the pillow, pull small wads of stuffing out of the bag and insert into the pillow through the opening. Every so often push stuffing into the corners. As you stuff the pillow keep pushing to the edges as well for a tight finish.
   
   
6. When it is stuffed to your liking hand stitch the two sides of the opening together.

Happy Sewing,

Jean

 

Croatia - January 2019 Alchemy of Fabric

If you can't get away from winter by traveling to sunnier shores this month's Alchemy of Fabric collection, Croatia, can make you feel as if you have. 

This collection is full of sun drenched color and vibrancy! The fabric feels full of life and energy. 

I can see these fabrics as a cute box bag, or a bright luggage tag, or so many other things. We settled on placemats for our project. Placemats are such a useful project, and a great way to add a bit of color and fun to your décor without a long term commitment, or needing to worry about coordinating with all your decor.

We made two placemats and two napkins from Valori's pattern. 

Placemats can be made from three fat quarters, and napkins require one fat quarter each. If you want to make a set, like ours, you will need extra fabric. 

You can find all of the Croatia collection fabrics and the ten coordinating companion fabrics here. 

What will you make? 

-Samantha

D.I.Y. Fabric Chain Tutorial

Half the fun of Christmas is decorating. Every year, the day after Thanksgiving, my daughter and I make a big batch of Chex Mix, put on Christmas carols and go to town transforming the house for the holiday.

I have my fair share of store-bought decorations, but my favorites are the ones someone made. One year my son brought home a red, green, and liberally glittered paper chain from school. Like all mothers, I proudly put it on the tree, and secretly thought it was hideous.

It got me thinking about how it could be something beautiful, though. I pulled out some red and green felt and made my own version. My son is grown now, but I’m still hanging my felt chain every year, and every year someone asks me where I bought it.

I made a new chain for the shop this year using wool flannel. I stuck with traditional red and green, then added a bit of grey wool and metallic thread to spiff it up. I love the old school kitsch of the chain, with the sophistication of the wool and the tiny bit of sparkle. Classy and fun. 

To make your own chain, you need three wool fat eighths (or more), fabric glue, and heavy thread or embroidery floss.

You don’t have to stick with the traditional red and green, or even three colors. Try red and gold, blue and silver, or go for a monochromatic color scheme with 3-5 shades of the same color. Have fun with it.

With three fat eighths the finished chain is 16 feet. Plenty long enough to wrap around your tree or hang over your mantle. You could even use one to add some cheer to your office. We wrapped ours around the big pole by the check out counter. 

Materials: Sue Spargo Wool fat eighths in Holly Berry, Avocado, and Charcoal, Dazzle thread, and Aileen’s Tacky Glue. I also used Hiroshima embroidery needles to add my thread accent, and I have to say they are wonderful needles. A real joy to work with.

Instructions: Cut your fat eights into 1” x 6” strips. Place your strips in piles by color. Glue your 1st strip in a circle overlapping the ends about 1 inch. Repeat with all remaining strips, threading your next strip through your last circle and alternating colors, as you add circles to your chain. Using your choice of thread, hand stitch an X on the overlapped portion.

This tutorial is our 12/05/2018 advent calendar feature. Products linked in this post will be 10% off that day only. 

I hope you enjoy this project!

Cheers,

Samantha

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

 

 

 

 

 

Tanglewood - Alchemy of Fabric November

Every year I get a little cocky right before Halloween, and start thinking I'm way ahead of the Christmas game. I mean, it's not even November and I've thought about Christmas gifts, and planned projects, so I must be prepared. Right? Then Halloween happens, and the next thing you know Thanksgiving is a week away, and now I'm not feeling cocky at all. In fact, my feelings are better described as anxious working their way toward panic. Sound familiar? 

This month's Alchemy of Fabric collection and project are going a long way to ease my panic. Journal covers are fast, look great, and make a good gift for almost everyone. They are also a fun way to try out new techniques, test color combinations, and experiment with print mixing. 

The cover uses Valori's Journal Cover pattern (pdf version), three fabrics from the Tanglewood collection, and one companion fabric. I chose to cover a watercolor large landscape journal. With a portable watercolor kit, and a brush, it would be perfect for any art lover. 

For the outside of my cover, I used Soft Sand Premium Linen Bend, Scarlett Shot Cotton, and Praline Mushrooms. The moth is fussy cut from Moth Bouquet. I used fusible stabilizer before cutting it out, and then stitched it to the finished cover. The lining is also Moth Bouquet. 

The pattern has instructions to cover any size book, so your options are endless. You could make a cover for everything from a blank journal, to a fiction book, or even a three ring binder. I'm covering my bullet journal next. 

This month's companion fabrics include some 108" wide denims that are great for this project. You can cover almost any size book without extra seams and the fabrics are durable so your cover will stand up to use. Besides being practical, the heavier fabrics also add texture and dimension. The width makes them easy options for quilt backs and they are a darn good value. 

One of the things I like about this month's fabric selections, and companion fabrics, is that a number of them are fabrics men would like. I think my husband would love a book cover in the crosshatch denim, with a bit of green accent.  

Tanglewood fabrics from top left: 

• Poppy in Misty by Rae Ritchie for Dear Stella
• Mushrooms in Praline by Rae Ritchie for Dear Stella
• Musings by Valori Wells AVW-17320-184 Grid Charcoal
• Shot Cotton in Scarlett by Kaffe Fassett for Free Spirit
• Rabbit Study in Misty by Rae Ritchie for Dear Stella
• Moth Bouquet in Multi by Rae Ritchie for Dear Stella
• Poppy in Gardenia by Rae Ritchie for Dear Stella

 Companion fabrics from top left:

• Sprinkle in Peach for Cotton + Steel
• Quilter's Linen in Forest Green from Robert Kaufman
• Denim Studio Crosshatch Textured Denim in Clouded Horizon for Art Gallery Fabrics
• Forage by Anna Graham AFH-17984-188 Pepper
• Sevenberry Kasuri in Red from Robert Kaufman
• Eclectic Elements Provisions in Sage by Tim Holtz for Free Spirit
• Denim Studio Premium Linen Blend in Soft Sand from Art Gallery Fabrics
• Denim in Cool Foliage from Art Gallery Fabrics
• Nikko 3805 from Diamond Textiles
• Dimples Red for Andover Fabrics

I hope you enjoy this month's collection and project! I'd love to see what you make.

Cheers,

Samantha