Turning Twenty goes ‘Zany’

March 31, 2008October 26, 2008Leave a comment

I was looking at some recent models that have gone up in Hancock Fabrics stores, and was surprised to find one that had used the “Turning Twenty” book series – right after I put up my posts on the books!

But what really captured my attention was the bright, colorful, and somewhat wacky prints that were used. Then I realized these fabrics were all part of one collection, the new ‘Zany Garden’ fabric collection in Hancock Fabrics stores now. So I thought this was a great time to tell you a bit about those fabrics, and to show off some items that have been made with them.

First, the quilt. You can see why it captured my attention! Just imagine this as a quilt for a young teen girl – or for a woman who wants something other than the traditional color choices we often see. The colors are bold and exciting, and while the patterns don’t seem to go together at all – they really do work in harmony when brought together.

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Here are some closeups of the quilt, the first one actually shows two of the quilt blocks in the picture. Can you see how they work together?

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As you can see, the patterns are simple enough to work into almost any quilt that needs a ‘pop’ of color.

Another place I have recently seen these fabrics is in an apron. The pattern is by Simplicity, pattern #3818.
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This picture shows a better close-up of the fabric detail. (Stripes are not easy to photograph well for a computer!)

And this picture (taken at a bad angle, I know) shows the Zany Garden fabrics used in a night-shirt and sleeping bag. Pattern: Kwik Sew #3551

These are a few of the ideas I’ve seen for this collection, but there is so much more that could be done. A quilted book cover or small bag for a book that you frequently carry with you, a memo board for the game room, almost any type of accessory for a playroom for the preschool crowd! There are so many ideas – have you seen these fabrics yet? If so, have you made anything? We’d love to see some pictures!
Sheila Reinke, Heart of Sewing
Sheila

DYK (Did You Know) – Gütermann Thread

March 26, 2008October 26, 20084 Comments

D.Y.K. – Did You Know?

When I present at a seminar or speak with a large group of people about sewing, there seem to always be questions about thread. What type of thread did I use, why did I choose this type of thread, or what type of thread is best for this project?
So, I thought that today’s post I would tell you about the thread I used on a recent project – the Super Stars quilt from the Strip Happy book by Donna Kinsey.
Below are close-up pictures of the stitching from the quilt:

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This was done using my long-arm quilting machine, keep in mind that if you are using a long-arm quilting machine, you would probably want to purchase the larger spool size, as it will not need to be changed as often. There is also a smaller size available for regular sewing machines.
Take care when purchasing Gütermann threads, they also make thread for hand-sewing, which is NOT recommended for sewing machines.
The threads mentioned below are some of the threads made by Gütermann, and are the styles that I am most familiar with because they are carried in Hancock Fabrics stores.

Gütermann Natural Cotton Thread
- A fine, yet strong, thread with a silky luster
- Designed for those who prefer sewing with natural fibers
- Can be used for hand or machine stitching
- 100% Mercerized Cotton
- Recommended needle for machine sewing: size 12 or 14.
- Available in two lengths:
  - 100 meters (110 yards)
  - 800 meters (875 yards) – this length is great for quilters using long-arm machines
- Available in over 100 shades

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Gütermann Hand Quilting Thread
- A fine, yet strong, thread
- Has a waxed finish giving it extra strength and to prevent tangling
- Is suitable for hand sewing ONLY
- 100% Cotton
- Length 200 meters (220 yards)
- Available in 22 popular colors

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Gütermann Varigated Threads
- 100% Cotton
- Length 800 meters (875 yards)
- Available in 10 popular colors
- Great for quilters with long-arm machines
- Can be used in any sewing application where the stitching will be a visual part of the project

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Why should I use cotton thread in my quilting? – the cotton thread will move more easily with your cotton fabrics. Using a thread of the same material allows the stitches to stretch and shrink normally as the cotton fibers of the quilt do.

What is the best way to thread the needle? – With Gütermann threads it is advised that you cut the thread at an angle to thread your needles – never moisten the end of the thread.

How do I know I have the correct thread tension? – When looking at a finished line of stitching, you should not be able to see the loop between the upper and lower threads anywhere in your fabric. It should blend into the grain of the fabric naturally.

How can I prevent tangles? – If you are hand sewing, use Gütermann’s Hand Quilting thread. The waxed finish is designed to prevent tangles.

Is it important to pull the thread off of the spool in a particular direction? – because of the way the thread is spun onto the spool, Gütermann recommends if the spool is upright, the Gütermann name should be at the top. If it is laying horizontal, the Gütermann name should be to the right.

What are the washing instructions? – Can be washed in hot water (not over 200º F) and ironed with an iron on high – or as appropriate for your fabric. May be dry-cleaned using any solvent except Trichloroethylene.

What does Mercerized mean? – According to a standard dictionary: To treat (cotton thread) with sodium hydroxide so as to shrink the fiber and increase its color absorption and luster.
Sheila Reinke, Heart of Sewing
Sheila

FREE Pattern – Chenille Placemats

March 21, 2008September 6, 20182 Comments

For today’s chenille project, I used osnaburg.

What is osnaburg? Well, dictionaries define it as “a type of coarse, heavy cloth, originally of linen and now of cotton; used in making sacks, work clothes, etc.”
It can be found in the muslins of your local fabric store, it is a loosely woven cloth that works very nicely for making chenille. Many sewers consider it an inexpensive alternative to linen in home décor projects.

1. I began with 6 layers of osnaburg, 45” x 28”, layered on top of one another.

Picture of osnaburg, after channels have been stitched.

1. Next, I cut 8 blue stars and 8 red stars (there will be four stars on each placemat) out of a solid cotton fabric.
  - Note: Make sure to cut the stars from your fabric so that when you lay out your placemat the channels will run along the bias of the star pattern. If your channels don’t run along the bias of the appliqué – it will fall apart in the wash.
2. I kept my fabric in one large piece (all four placemats will be made from this one piece), so before placing the stars I wanted to determine the size of the placemats. My small Olfa rotary cutter mat is 12” x 18”, with a ½” edge around the mat. I decided this 13” x 19” size would be perfect, so using a washable fabric pencil, I marked out my placemats with the mat as a template. (The lines do appear in this picture, but may be difficult to make out.)
3. Determine the layout for your stars, and place them onto each of the placemats – don’t forget that the channels need to run on the bias of the stars as well as the osnaburg fabric.
4. Pin your stars down onto the layers of osnaburg, do not use any type of wonder-under or quilt basting spray to hold the stars in place, that will only cause you to gum up your chenille cutter when cutting the channels.

The picture above shows the layout of the stars, please note that in this picture I have already stitched the channels and begun cutting them.

1. You are now dealing with 7 layers of fabric, which can be a bit difficult for many machines.
  - To keep the fabric from shifting too much as you work, I suggest using a walking foot. The walking foot has a set of feed dogs just like you have on your sewing machine. This enables you to have a set of feed dogs under the fabric and a set over the fabric helping to feed the fabric more even. Hancock Fabrics carries these both a low shank and a high shank option.

walking foot

Now that you have the walking foot on your machine (hopefully!), you can begin the channel stitching. As with all my other projects, I began by drawing one line that ran through the center of the fabric along the bias. I stitched along that line, and then used the edge of my walking foot to follow the line of that stitch and when placing the next line. This made my channels approximately ½” apart.

- After all the channels are stitched, use your Olfa Chenille Cutter to cut through four layers of the osnaburg and the star appliqués.

- Now it is time to cut your placemats apart and bind them.

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- Wash – Dry – Enjoy!

Once again, a picture really doesn’t show how very soft this finished piece is

Note: if you want a more ‘full’ look for your appliqués, you will need to put three layers of the appliqué fabric down on top of the osnaburg (and yes, you would still use 6 layers of osnaburg – so you would be channel stitching through 9 total layers of fabric in places where your appliqué appeared).

What are some other ideas for this type of chenille? I’ve seen a beautiful jacket made from chenilled osnaburg, and just think of the look of a chenille quilt square in a quilt made with fabrics of different textures, and of course you could do all sorts of different appliqués and get a great look. Just imagine, chenille trees on placemats, chenille birthday presents on placemats, chenille flowers on placemats…
Sheila Reinke, Heart of Sewing
Sheila