Bags, stitcheries, and other random works

Well, my god daughter's jacket is now well and truly done and on its way to the Portland area. I hope it gets there in time for her birthday next week! I added a few goodies into the package as belated b-day gifts for her mother -- so I'm sure I'll hear when it gets there! You can also see here a few of the fabrics I bought last weekend. I mentioned that I had broken my no-buy June vow, here are three of the lovelies. Normally, this wouldn't bother me at all -- I'm not sure buying a gift for a fellow quilter counts as breaking my no-buy pledge. I mean, they're not for ME. But, well, I may have bought some fabrics for myself as well. Just a few. I'll get some photos and fess up properly. In my defense -- it was a sale. A really great sale. And I had an additional percentage off coupon. Oh, and an additional percentage off the next day too. Ok, I'm incorrigible!

On the plus side, now that the jacket is done and gone, I have a few other projects I managed to work on. The first is a bag I made in my first ever quilt class. I've been quilting for six years now (about -- give or take) and I have been meaning to take a class for ages. The new LQS I mentioned awhile ago had a class to make these little bags. I figured it would be a fun and painless way to dive into the whole class thing. I was right. I had a great time at the class and I ended up with a cute purse. And, despite the temptation to buy new fabric for the class, these beauties came straight out of my stash.

Did I learn anything new in the class? Yes and no -- I did put in a magnetic snap for the first time, and a new technique for dealing with the interfacing in the straps. Otherwise, not much new -- but it did tell me that my vague idea to take an absolute beginner course is probably not a good choice. Now if only a quilt shop would offer a -- yes, you've been quilting for awhile but how about a class that can fill in the gaps in your self-taught quilting education -- class. On the plus side, while talking with the owner during the class, I got an invite to demo the clover yo-yo makers (which I LOVE btw) at their "grand opening" celebration. So, I got to spend last Saturday doing my demo thing. That was a ton of fun, and by the end of my demo the shop had sold out of all of their stock of the darned things. I don't know if it had much to do with me -- but I had a great time talking with other quilters and showing off a product I love. Oh, and did I mention the 30% of discount I got on anything I purchased that day? Yeah -- that would be a reason I fell off the no-buy wagon. Other than total lack of self-control of course.

I've also been plugging away at my Christmas quilt. I have a few of the blocks 1/2 done and the fabric colors look sooo good together! I can't wait to have more done and move on to the next step. I've also been working on the embroidery for this one. I finished the boy elf (yes, he still needs to be ironed, but hey, I washed out the iron on transfer pencil) to go with his sister and am now working on the other little ones I'm going to sprinkle into the quilt. I've also changed my mind about some basic design things with this one, so I am going to need to go and buy another charm square pack or two to get the size top I want. Originally I was going to do a 3 x4 block design with borders, but now I think I'm going to do a 4 x 5 block layout. Still not sure about the borders, but I have the feeling I'm going to leave them off.

Other than that -- not much to report here at casa de cornfields. I've been busy working on the paid research gig and trying to get some quilting time in as well. The little one is reluctantly taking her nap and the sound of the computer is making her stir, so I think I'm off to go put together more Christmas blocks. Have a great day!

Promises to keep, or, Drawstring Bags Tutorial

Awhile ago (oh my, has it already been more than a month? time flies when you are having fun!) Tracey over at ozcountryquilting mum asked me how I constructed these little drawstring bags. I said I would put another one together and take some photos and post them. Well, I've finally gotten around to doing it! But, I did have a bit of a quandry -- I made the bags from a pattern I found in a Quilts and More magazine. Copyrighted. Not able to publish all of the info to my blog. Crap. (btw -- if anyone is interested in copyright issues and how they can impact creativity and the sharing and creation of new ideas I HIGHLY recommend this book. Surprisingly readable and available for a free download. And yes, I am a geek like that). So, what's a girl to do? Well -- while the exact measurements are copyrighted material -- the general methods for putting together a round bottomed drawstring bag can't really be. I mean, really, they've been around for ages and ages -- soooo -- do some math, make some adjustments -- and come up with a tutorial to create one of your own in any size you please! Works for me!

Materials required: Depends on the size of your bag really. Two fabrics, enough of each to get the size rectangles and circles you need. For the measurements given here -- two pieces of fabric 14" x wof. 2 yards of cording. Pretty thin stuff -- think I'm using 5/8" cotton stuff. General sewing supplies.

All seams are .25" unless otherwise noted.

1. Determine the finished size of the bottom you want. This can be any size circle really. For this project, I chose an 8" finished circle. Add .5" to the finished size. Cut one circle this size (8.5" here) from each of your two fabrics. (and yes, I did partially choose this size because it's the largest one my nifty new circle rotary cutter can make)

2. Here's where the math comes in. You need to determine the size rectangles you need to cut to make the tube that will be the walls and body of the bag. To do this, you will need to calculate the circumference of the unfinished circle you have just cut. The formula for determining the circumference of a circle is:

C = d * pi (or 3.14159 -- sorry -- don't know how to get the nifty pi sign into blogger)

So for my 8.5" unfinished circle: C = 8.5 * 3.14159 = 26.7"

Take this number and divide by 2. (13.35" in this case)

Round this number down to the nearest .5 inch. (for my sample I did NOT do this -- I rounded down to the nearest .25 inch. It worked, but I had to take some tucks when I was sewing the bottom to the lining. So, do as I say, not as I did). Add .5 inch to that number for seam allowances. (or, well, just round up to the nearest .5 inch and that is the cut width of your rectangle -- duh!) So -- for this project, the number is 13.5" for the width of your bag body pieces.

There -- maths all done!

3. Determine the height of your bag. This one is pretty arbitrary and really depends on what you want to fit into the bag. For this particular project, I needed something that would hold wooden train pieces that dd is going to be getting for her birthday (yes, the need for this bag is entirely practical as I don't really want to trip all over them). I decided to cut the pieces at 12" knowing that .5 of that would be taken up in seam allowances and another 1.75 would be taken in the drawstring portion. The other bags are smaller -- smaller base, shorter length, etc.

4. Cut 2 rectangles from EACH fabric the size you need. (in my case -- 13.5" wide by 12" high)

5. Pin the 2 outer bag rectangles rst and mark a line 1" from the top, and 1" below that. Sew the seams on both sides, leaving openings between the two marks, backstitching where you have to break the sewing line. Press the seams open. (and yes, yes, yes -- that is actually my lining fabric -- again, mistakes may have been made, not saying they actually WERE mind you, but do as I say, not as I do)

6. Sew the short sides of the lining rectangles rst, leaving a 3" or so opening for turning the bag. Press the seams open.

7. Take one of your circles and fold in half rst and finger press along the diameter. (this step is not strictly necessary -- but it makes lining up the circle with the tube much easier!)

8. Line up the fold marks with the seams on the bottom of the bag body tube and pin in place. Continue pinning around the circle, lining the edges of the circle with the edges of the tube. Pins should be placed so that the circle is on the bottom when you sew.

9. Using a .25" seam allowance sew the circle to the tube, removing pins and sliding bulk as necessary. Repeat steps 7-9 for the outer bag. Turn outer bag right side out.

10. Place outerbag inside lining bag rst. Matching raw edges and seams, pin together and sew using a .25" seam allowance. Turn the bag through the opening in the lining (you did remember to leave an opening for turning didn't you? I'm only asking because the first time I made one of these I might have forgotten that step for one of them...just maybe mind you). Press the seam at the bag opening.

11. Topstich .75" from the opening of the bag. Topstich another line 1" below the first. (now, again, this assumes you want a .75" 'ruffle' at the top of your bag. These are the measurements I used -- and they work well for a smaller bag -- the larger bag I made here, I might actually choose a larger ruffle -- but that also means you will have to adjust where you leave your openings for your casings in step 5)

12. Slipstitch lining opening closed. (or, if you're like me and figure oh well, it's a lining -- pull the lining partially out and use the machine to quickly run some stitches over it to close it up)

13. Cut your cording into 2 yard long pieces. Using a bodkin (or the ever useful safety pin) thread one of the pieces of cording through the casing you created in step 11. The cording should enter and exit in the same hole. Tie knots at the end of the cording (or be creative and decorative) to secure and keep from fraying. Repeat for the other side.

14. You're done. There is no step 14 -- or, maybe, step back and marvel at the adorable little round bottomed drawstring bag you have created secure in the knowledge you can create one in any size you desire in approximately the time it takes a toddler to take a nap. Yeah, make that one step 14.

Hope you enjoyed my little tutorial -- if you make a bag using these instructions, please let me know. I'd love to see a photo of successes and/or hear about any problems I haven't thought about.

Emergency Sewing Break...

There was something nagging at me today. I had my day all planned out, teach class, hold office hours, go home and do homework, play with dd before her bed time, have supper with dh, go back to homework. Nice, neat -- but still, something was missing. It's the end of the month -- guild meeting is next week -- isn't it? A quick check of the newsletter and the short answer is no. Guild is tonight. Ok -- no problem, if I can get enough homework done, I can pick up dd from daycare early -- still get in play time, AND go to my guild meeting, late supper with dh before he leaves for work. Problem solved. If not, I can always just miss this month. Glance at the newsletter to see what's on the schedule for tonight -- hostess/hospitality list (at every guild meeting we have "hostess" gifts, guild members are selected at random from the attendees and they can choose from gifts other members have supplied, who brings the gifts is rotated) -- list of names -- MY name -- Ummm -- ok...problem. Guess I can't miss the meeting, and I have to come up with two or three gifts. Ok, I'm a reasonable adult, I can handle this.

So -- gifts for two or three quilters -- what do quilters like. Umm -- fabric? Yeah, fabric sounds good. Quilters like fabric. (Duh -- you can see my mental processes were not quite catching up to my change in plans here) Fat quarters! That's it -- I mean, it's fabric, quilters can always find a use for fat quarters -- I'll buy a few and package them up nicely. A quick trip to the new LQS (which is as dangerous as I thought it would be -- sorry Nines, no luck that it doesn't suit my taste) Yeah, that will work. So what to do? Wrapping paper? Umm -- nope, don't have anything at home that will work (tons of Christmas and baby stuff, nothing for guild) and I don't want to go to another store. Use fabric scraps to tie around them after they're rolled? Umm -- nah, doesn't seem right somehow. Hey -- wait a second, there was that cute drawstring bag pattern in the new Quilts and More I just saw that featured Heather Bailey's yummy Fresh Cut fabric (which if you haven't seen btw -- check it out, I've been looking for it locally but looks like I'm going to have to order some online). The pattern takes two fat quarters -- is big enough to hold several fat quarters -- seems simple enough -- should be quick and easy -- oh, and the LQS has a cute sample made up of it. I have the magazine at home -- ok, a bag with coordinating fat quarters it is.

So, I spent my afternoon making four little drawstring bags (what, you didn't think I would spend the day sewing and not have one for myself at the end did you?). The weather was wonderful, sun was shining, I opened up the windows and lost myself in the fun of sewing. Of course, they took much longer than I thought. A rush trip to pick up dd (who was tired and cranky) from day care, an emergency trip to the local chain fabric store for cording, a set of plastic Easter eggs for dd (she LOVES those things -- will spend hours pulling them apart and putting them back together and for $.50 I figured it was a small price to pay), a plastic bucket to put eggs in, and a dash home to pull through the drawstrings while dd wants to play with HER bag (let no one say my daughter does not know what she wants) later -- I managed to finish two bags in time for my guild meeting. I even managed to snap a couple of shots of the bags and their accompanying fat quarters as I rushed out the door. I even (kind of) made it to the meeting on time -- really, I was only a couple of minutes late and there were two others who walked in just ahead of me.

Wait a minute -- didn't I say I made FOUR bags? Not two? Well -- yeah, two got done for the meeting, the other two I got back to when I got home. And since I had some extra fabric (did I mention I tend to overbuy fabric?) I decided to make two more. I still have to go back to the local national chain store for more cording for the two in the back.

One will go to the tired cranky toddler who was so upset that one didn't seem to be for her this evening. The one I was going to take to guild will go to a dear friend and fellow quilter (and mother of my goddaughter) as a "I know you're having a tough time right now and you seem like you could use a fabric pick-me-up" gift. One will go to my mother with a suitable Easter-time present in it. And, one will actually go to me!

All in all it was a good day, I didn't get done what I had planned to do at all. But, it was bright and sunny, the windows were open and letting in the warm breezes (and despite the fact that my allergies decided to kick in big time and I'm on a decongestant induced insomnia jag it was worth it), and I got to spend the day doing something I love -- play with fabric that was as bright and sunny as the day was. What more can I ask for?