Chocolate, Fabric and Patchwork.

Free Quilt binding tutorial

2011-12-05T03:15:28Z

I am testing a new way to offer free tutorials to my followers. I’d love to get feedback from you as to how you found accessing this free quilt binding tutorial by Pat Bravo from Art Gallery Fabrics . Pat has explained how to achieve continuous binding using a method that I hadn’t seen before. To download your copy simply click this link.

Art Gallery fabrics are available from Chocolate Coated Patchwork. They are high quality fabrics and add a beautiful feel to quilts and bags.

Polar bear fabric and a great girl’s pinafore tutorial.

2011-08-07T10:40:35Z

Merryn outgrowing a pinafore.

I have always loved this pinafore of Merryn’s, you can see that she is outgrowing rapidly. I was really happy to stumble across a tutorial over at the Smashed Peas and Carrots blog to make a new one. Merryn was very taken with the Arctic Animals fabric when it arrived. I think that the Polar Bear is what takes her interest.

I printed out the pattern from Smashed Peas and Carrots and made some adjustments. The tutorial pattern is for a 6-12 month old and Merryn is 2. It was easy to adjust, although I think I need to increase one more measurement. I think it took me about 1.5 hours to cut it out and sew it together as per the tutorial. I am really impressed with how it finished and Merryn now calls it her Poly Bear Dress as she pats the front!

Polar Bear pinafore dress

It is such a versatile pattern. A short or long sleeve shirt underneath with pants or shorts makes it suitable for almost any weather. You could also line it with fleece or flanel to make it even warmer.

There are a couple of other fabric that I have in stock that I think would work really well. I have a couple of nieces so I might have to make a couple. Potential fabric choices:

Eden patchwork fabric from Moda

Paisley Party Fabric - Michael Miller

meadow friends fabric- Moda

Another tutorial for a similar dress, this one is a bigger size. I haven’t tried it though.

And the winner of the giveaway is…

2011-07-03T23:39:00Z

Fabric covered notebooks.

Thanks to everyone who entered our journal kits giveaway. Random.org has decreed that comments 6 and 8 are the winners.

#6 = Lisa who said: “I love blogs because they are a great source of inspiration and knowledge. I’ve found so many useful things reading blogs and I love your covers. I plan on making a few for myself.”

#8 = Christine who said: “I subscribed! What I love about blogs is the information I learn….the great pictures/videos some of you do, and seeing the amazing creativeness some of you do/have!!!!!!!!!”

Could you both make contact so that I can mail out your package. Each kit contains a notebook and batik strips so that you can make your own covered journal. First in gets to choose a colour from the photo in the giveaway post. There is a “contact us” tab above or send your details to info[at]chocolate-coated.com.

If you want to make your own. Head over to the giveaway post where there is a tutorial setting out exactly how I made mine.

A giveaway and a tutorial for a fabric covered notebook.

2011-06-24T10:53:41Z

Fabric covered notebooks

I’ve made a few of these notebooks now. They are great fun and make nice gifts. The same principles can be used for ring binders and diaries. I covered some ring binders with food themed fabrics for recipe books for a couple of my family cooks. They were well received. I use the notebooks for workshops, computer notes and day to day to do lists. I thought that I would share with you my method of making these as well as giving 2 readers the opportunity to make their own. I have compiled a video to work with the blog post.

Making these notebooks is an easy process. It is also open to using any number of fabrics or orphan patchwork blocks. For the tutorial I am simplifying the requirements but feel free to run with your scrap box or stash. You will need:

A notebook/diary with a sturdy cover;
Fabric, 3 x 6.5″ strips is enough for the inner and outer for an A4 size book;
General sewing supplies including ruler and rotary cutter;
Pen and paper;
Some sewing experience.

A quarter inch seam allowance is factored into the cutting instructions.

Begin by measuring your notebook. A tape measure wrapped around whilst the book is closed will give you the most accurate measurement. Write down both dimensions eg: A = 17″ long B = 12″ high. Add .75″ to each. A1 = 17.75″, B1 = 12.75″

Measuring your notebook

Piece or cut fabric to suit the A1 and B1 Dimensions. I used improvisational piecing with 6.5″ strips. (our Batik Sampler rolls are perfect). First I stacked my strips and slashed and pieced to get the centre section. I then added strips to the top and bottom. It still wasn’t quite big enough so I stacked and slashed to add the pink. On other occasions I have made 9 patch blocks and randomly pieced strips to bring it up to size.

Pieced notebook outer.

Now to create the inner. Refer back to the A & B measurements that you wrote down earlier. Start with measurement A and divide by 3. eg; 17 / 3 = 5.7, round to 5.75. Now add .5″ for seams = 6.25″, write it down. Now refer back to the A1 & B1 measurements, note the B1 measurement, 12.75″. Cut 3 pieces 6.25″x 12.75″. If using three 6.5″strips one from each looks nice.

Nominate a centre, left and right

Fold and press a .25″ turn over on one long side of the left and right fabric and both sides of the centre fabric.

Inner fabrics ready for sewing.

Sewn down the turn over. Consider using a contrasting thread or decorative stitch on the left and right pieces as you will see these each time you use your notebook.

Turn over sewn down.

Place your pressed outer face up. Place the inner pieces on top, face down, raw edges aligned. Pin.

Outer, right side up. Inner right side down.

Sew the pieces together around the outside. Clip the corners.

Sewing finished

Turn your cover right sides out and press. Encourage your seams to sit flat and even. Insert your notebook. The centre panel will sit behind the book. The left and right will hold the cover in place.

Insert the notebook using the left and right to hold it in place.

Now change it up by trying different fabrics, different sized notebooks or an orphan block or two. The centre inner piece is not a bad place to hide those fabrics that you don’t really like. If you want a notebook with a softer cover consider using an iron on batting and quilting the outer. Do this before you trim it to the A1 & B1 dimensions. A walking foot would also be a good option when you sew the inner and outer pieces together.

Now for the giveaway, there are 2 parts.

First, subscribe to my blog using the RSS feed or GoogleFriend Connect (upper left hand side of post).

Secondly, post a comment sharing what you enjoy most about Blogs.

There are two sets of notebook and batik fabrics to be given away to a lucky two subscribers. A random number generator will be used to draw the winner on 1st July at 8:00pm AEST.

Happy stitching!

Giveaway prize. You get to choose the colour.

Subscribe in a reader

I made it myself…

2011-06-20T06:40:05Z

Matching bag and skirt using Reflections Fabric

When I was at the Australasian Quilt Convention I discovered Nicole Mallalieu Designs. I purchased Nicole’s book You Sew Girl. I have sewn a number of the items in the book and I have enjoyed everyone of them. I now have some new ensembles in my wardobe. I have used Nicole’s patterns for the City bag, panel skirt and shirt. I used a green denim suiting as my base fabric. I then used the Reflections Hydrangea fabric for the panel on the skirt and the bag flap. I used the Reflections Vine Fabric for the bag lining and the Reflections Ivy fabric for the bag handle.

City Bag detail.

My next ensemble started with a purple denim suiting. The colour is warm and has a glow about it. I used the Yugyoka yellow fabric for the panel in the skirt and the panel in the bag. This is the first bag that I have designed by myself.

Panel skirt and bag combination

I have found all of Nicole’s patterns easy to follow. She gives a great base for you then personalise your garments. Her book also includes patterns for belts, I’ve made 2, zipper pouches, hats and other bags.

How to bind a quilt.

2011-06-10T22:26:14Z

: A double quilt binding

The binding on a quilt is often the finishing step. For some it is a delight as it means that the quilt is finished and can now be used. For others it can be delayed as it is a task not enjoyed. Since I have been quilting I have used various methods of binding quilts and I am still finding methods that I have not yet tried. The variations in binding are numerous. There are single bindings and double bindings, bias bindings and straight bindings, continuous bindings and joined bindings. Some bindings are attached by sewing machine only, others employ some hand sewing. I thought that I would share with you a collection of resources that go over some of the different methods of binding quilts. You will find that once you have a range of methods you will be able to choose a method that suits your project, work style and resources.

The intended purpose of a quilt can be considered when deciding which binding method to use. A quilt that is going to be used alot, perhaps dragged around by a child and laundered with some regularity needs a hardy binding. A double binding, probably a bias binding would suit well. A continuous binding attached by sewing machine is also going to be a quicker option. A quilt that is going to be hung on the wall and seldom laundered would be fine with a single binding. If you have long pieces of fabric a binding cut on the straight would also be fine.

Continuous bindings are great if you have smaller pieces of fabric left over from the piecing. You can piece them together to form a rectangle and use that piece to create the binding. It is then possible to have a scrappy but coordinated binding on your quilt. Over at Buzzville there is a great tutorial by Kelly Stevens on continuous bias bindings which provides a forumla for generating that first rectangle so that you will have enough binding for your quilt. Pat Bravo from ArtGallery Fabrics provides another variation for obtaining continuous bias binding.

Continuous Bias Binding by Pat Bravo. Full tutorial on her blog

So now that you know how to creat your own bias binding what about straight binding? Straight binding is exactly that, binding strips that are cut on the straight. For a single binding 1.5″ strips cut across or even down the length of the fabric. For a double binding 2.5″ strips cut across or down the length of the fabric. You’ll need to piece the strips together to gain a length that will go all of the way around the quilt plus about 15″ for joining that last piece. That last join can be achieved in a number of ways. Alicia’s Attic has a YouTube video that shows a great trick for getting a hidden binding end. The Missouri Star Quilt Co also has a great YouTube Tutorial for attaching your double binding with mitred corners.

Pat Sloan uses Aurifil thread and attaches her binding by machine. Her YouTube Tutorial goes over her method using a decorative stitch and those tricky corners.

Arty Farty Poppies quilt - Lara Gibbons

An art quilt or wall hanging provides another option, facing a quilt here is a link from Serendipty Quilts. A facing can not be seen from the front and is often used on an art quilt or wall hanging so that it doesn’t detract from the design.

I hope now you have a good overview of some different binding methods. Binding can be a really nice design feature, use a colour to frame the quilt. Use a contrasting colour to provide an additional highlight. There are so many options. Don’t forget to include you label when you bind your quilt!

So how do you bind your quilts?

I’ve been busy sewing and attending craft fairs.

2011-06-06T10:34:09Z

I have been slack with the blogs posts of late. I could offer several excuses but I thought I would just share with you what I have been doing.

Most recently I have returned from Craft Alive in Bendigo. A few of the traders I have exhibited with at other events but there were many that were new to me. Carli Hill’s work really impressed me. Her speciality is lamp working. In layman’s terms she makes beads and jewellery from glass. I think I could have come home with half of her display but I behaved myself and came home with a pendant that has a tiny frog and gecko on a pond setting. I love it.

I have also been sewing. Currently I am about to quilt a smallish quilt for the Sydney trade fair. I can’t share it just yet but the kids have been having great fun with the fabric pieces. Merryn can be heard “tooting” as she walks past (okay it has a train theme). I have also sewn a skirt, a top and 2 bags from Nicole Mallalieu’s book, You Sew Girl. Now that I have sewn those I can’t wait to sew more. I really like her style and her patterns are easy to achieve.

A bag for Merryn from Nicole's purse pattern

Bag from a Nicole Mallalieu pattern

I’ve got a stack of fabrics ready to use in Kate Conklin’s Sierra’s Forest pattern. I have sewn a sample that I have shown you before in the robotics quilt. This next one is a girl’s version of this quilt. Hopefully the next few weeks will give me an opportunity to do some more work at the sewing machine. I am sure that you will like it.

And of course there was AQC a month ago now. I can’t believe how the time has flown.

I will make all attempts to post more regularly. Until next time.

A quick pieced quilt back.

2011-06-06T10:27:31Z

There a couple of options for quilt backs, you can piece one from patchwork fabrics which are generally 1.12m or use quilt backs that are generally 2.54m wide. Using quilt backs is great if your quilt has at least one of the dimensions over 2 metres. If your quilt is smaller, perhaps a cot quilt or throw quilt you might find that the fabric required for the quilt back is just wider than the 1.12m. To piece a back you could buy 2 lengths of the same fabric and join them. Your back will be wider than you need but it will be uniform in colour and texture. I have another option which I love. It is easy and gives a back that is also a feature.

I like to piece my back using fabrics from the project and/or fabrics from my stash that fit with the theme. I collect fabric cuts on special and fabrics that are tone on tone or have small patterns. (left overs from generous pattern requirements are also good). I like pieces that are between 20cm – 50cm wide. When piecing a back I arrange as many widths of these fabrics as I need to achieve one dimension of the quilt plus 4” for quilting. For the project that I have photographed I needed 2 wide pieces and 1 narrower one. I lay them on the floor. To those fabrics I add a collection of fabrics that match the theme. Usually off cuts from the project or stray fat 1/8s and fat ¼ are good.

I calculate the distance that I need to gain. I started with a fabric width (1.12m) and needed to gain another 8 inches. For comfort sake I will round to 10 inches, you can be more precise and calculate all seam allowances if you wish. I work with one width at a time. I slice this piece across using a ruler but at a random interval. I then insert a strip the same length as the width of my large piece from the smaller pieces of fabric that I collected. On occasion I have pieced them from the project off cuts. Keeping in mind that I need to gain 10 inches, I add another strip. You can see from the photo that sometimes I add this strip to the one I have just sewn and other times I cut across and insert it elsewhere in the width. When you have gained the 10 inches on each strip sew the lengths together and press flat. You now have a colourful pieced back. It will be a talking point and has used some of your stash or projects off cuts with ease.

Quick pieced quilt back

Edit: I found this recent tutorial on the Robert Kaufman blog on the same topic. There are some great photos and a hint for labels…

Kaleidescope class with Jenny Bowker

2011-03-16T10:53:19Z

I am booked into a kaleidescope quilt class with Jenny Bowker over the weekend. I saw this class listed at AQC a couple of years ago but missed out on it. I now have the opportunity to take the class on retreat with Riviera Quilters. I am planning to take my batik fabrics which I have been collecting over a number of years. My only decision now is whether to restrict the colour palette. If I do narrow the colour selection I am likely to with blues and greens but I am also interested in going with a black and grey/black palette. Jenny’s quilt Gleaming Cohorts has a lot of movement which I am interested in having in my quilt. A blue/green palette with such movement would be very oceanic. In a grey/black/red palette it would fire/flames. I have until Friday to make a decision.

A John Watts Quilter, Janome 1600P and several quilt tops.

2011-03-11T00:29:24Z

John Watts Quilter and Janome 1600P combination

A few years ago Mum and I went shares in a John Watts Quilter and Janome 1600P combination. I can’t say that I have ever been truly happy with the set up. I have spent hours unpicking and re-threading trying to find the right thread/needle combination. Recently I sliced the leader cloths lengthwise and added zippers. This has saved my back. I can now pin the quilt to the leader cloths on the floor or table and then just zip them onto the frame.

The other night I spent at least 25 minutes adjusting tension etc after suffering thread breakages. I finally changed the thread. The frustrating thing is that I was using the same brand of thread that I used with success for my last quilt I just changed the colour. I finally got to a point with the new thread where I could quilt a full run across the quilt, most of the time, without a break. After a while I was victim to skipped stitches but only when I travelled one direction. Surfing the web I see that there are a number of people that have suffered the same types of issues with this combination.

Home Quilting Systems is a Yahoo Group that has alot of information about quilting at home in general, but also about particular systems. For me it means that I have been able to print out a couple of cheat sheets detailing best thread/needle combinations. I have a couple of tops that I am trying to get done for AQC so I will use this information as a starting point. I have ordered a couple of different threads to try. I also ordered a walking foot for the Janome 1600P. If the next combination that I try doesn’t work I will pull the machine off the frame and at least I can achieve some straight line quilting with the walking foot. The frame can then be used for basting. I have lost far too much time with this set up to want to invest much more.

Merryn inspecting the Fire Patchwork Quilt

Above, The Fire version of the Fire and Ice Quilt kit.