Category Archives: Product Info

Chunky Wee Bag goes to market

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Spring Quilt Market begins on Thursday in Portland! I’m going to Market, but not in a booth – I’ll be there running around, so if you need to meet up with me just email me to make some arrangements. I’d love to meet you!

I’m sure you’ve been reading about everyone’s last minute preparations in the blog rolls this week, and my studio has not escaped the insanity.

I spent last week hustling through some Chunky Wee Bags. The good folks at Andover sent some fabrics to play with from their new Poppy Modern and KITSCHenette lines.

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Sorry for the “ironing board in the studio” shot… I was hustling to get ‘em in the mail!

I made a couple of bags for the sweet Hoffman Fabrics folks too – but I don’t see the fabric on their website so I won’t let the cat out of the bag just yet -I’ll show you the photo once I get the go ahead. I’ll give you a hint though… humming birds!

You will also find another Chunky Wee Bag in the Brewer booth – it’s one from the pattern cover, made from Melody Miller’s fabulous Viewmaster Reel fabric. I should have bought way more of that when I had the chance!

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If you spot one of my bags at Quilt Market (or you’ve made one yourself), please snap a photo of you with the bag and post it to my FB Page. Be goofy if you like! We’ll do something fun with them when I get back from Market, and give some goodies away!

Image of View master fabric from here.

Paper-piecing hack – slip sliding away!

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I was paper-piecing in the studio last week, and ran into that pesky problem of getting one of the bottom pieces folded back on itself ONE TOO MANY TIMES. Harrumph. Nothing like holding the seam ripper endlessly to make you reach for the chocolate. Mind you… like I need an excuse to reach for the chocolate :-)

So as I munched on said chocolate (the wonderful 70% Super Smooth Belgian Mini Bars from Trader Joe’s) I pondered a way to end the “under-folding.” Not that I like having problems to solve, but I find solving these kind of puzzles fun.

I thought that a slicker surface might help – slick enough that nothing at all could drag the fabric and pull it out of place. And lo and behold, I just happened to have a Supreme Slider*  in the studio.

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They are designed to give you a more slippery surface when doing free-motion quilting, but lo and behold, they do the same for paper-piecing.

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I put the edge right up in front of the feed dogs and yep… worked like a charm. I might even buy a second one and cut out the feed dog hole to fit. The only downside I’ve found thus far is that I can’t see the bobbin run out (it’s a top loader) – but even when I can see it I forget about it until I’ve sewn a mile or two on empty, so that hardly registers as a complaint.

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And while we’re looking at my machine, did you notice anything different? Yep, that’s not my beloved Janome 6500 – it’s her new sister, a Janome 8900 QCP. I got a chance to be in partnership with Janome, and signed up in a heartbeat borrow this girl. We’re having fun getting acquainted, and I’m looking forward to doing some machine quilting with all eleven inches of harp space. I’ll be designing some new stuff for Janome, so watch this space.

OK… back to the studio! What are your favorite paper-piecing tricks?

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*I’m not a rep for the Supreme Slider – just a fan!

Quarter inch, SCHMuarter inch!

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Ah, the quarter inch seam allowance. The holy grail of quilting. Love or hate it, embrace it or ignore it – it can be friend or foe. For those of you who do most projects with a healthy dose of improv, this puppy might not be high on your list of things to master. But if you make things that need to fit together, getting a grip on it is a good thing. Master it well and you’ll never have to worry about it again.

Any time you add mastery to your craft, you get more room in your creative practice to play rather than fight with your skills or tools. No matter how much improvisational piecing you do, it will never hurt you to have a reliably accurate 1/4” seam in your arsenal.

Like most of us, I got my first intro the the quarter inch seam via a piece of carefully placed masking tape in my first quilting class. Which, once I had removed it to reload the bobbin, never got back to exactly the same place again. Harrumph.

I struggled with this on my old Kenmore until I bought my first Janome machine, which came with an exciting little widget called a Quarter Inch Foot. It has a flange down the side of the foot (see below). I was prepared to never miss the corners of a block ever again, expecting the heavens to open and harps to thrum, but alas… it didn’t make a perfect seam no matter which needle position I used – I was always a thread under or over. Bah.

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So I grumbled about this to my quilt teacher, the fabulous Marilyn George. Marilyn was a wonderful teacher for newbies – utterly unflappable and full of humor – and full of all sorts of solutions as only a seasoned quilter would be. (Marilyn… all of this is *still* your fault!).

So Marilyn tut-tutted, and pulled a funny little foot out of my box of bits. “Behold the Adjustable Blind Hem Foot,” she said. I had ignored this foot because I thought it was for hemming pants, and I knew now that once I started quilting, such mending was supposed to be beneath me.

It’s an odd looking foot… it has a rolly wheel on one side (the adjustable bit) and a pretty healthy bumper that helps hold the edge of the fabric straight. After a few seams of fussing it into EXACTLY the right place and a dab of superglue on the wheel to stop it from moving, I had the perfect quarter inch foot – and I’ve been using it for some 20 years across three different Janomes!

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And that big bumper extends further forward of the needle than the flange of the other foot, so I get my fabric aligned straighter and earlier as it approaches the needle. Having the bumper also means I don’t have to keep an eagle eye on my fabric wandering past the edge of the type of foot that doesn’t have a flange. This makes not only for accuracy, but for some serious speed too (helloooo efficiency!). Yes, I know… we’ve talked about this… it’s not all about how fast you can go. But if you can go faster with more accuracy, you get to make more stuff. And I really like making more stuff.

So here are some hints on how to set this foot up:

1. First find the Adjustable Blind Hem foot for your machine style. They tend to come standard with the higher end Janomes, and aren’t too expensive at all for the lower ones ($18 on Amazon at the moment). I imagine that all brands have one – or might have a foot that will clip to the Janome version. There should be a rolling wheel and a bumper.

2. Move your needle position to the LEFT, and roll the bumper about a 1/4” to the RIGHT of the needle. Now take a look at the set up, and make sure that your feed dogs are somewhat centered between the two. If they aren’t close to center, they could pull the fabric sideways – but we’ll be testing this so get close to centered for now. Use a ruler, and set up the space between the needle and bumper for a hair less than a 1/4” (that hair is taken up in the bend of the fabric at the seam when you press it open, so always start just under).

3. Accurately cut some swatches of fabric that are 1 1/2” wide, and 2 1/2” long. Make at least a dozen as we’ll be playing with some tiny adjustments here, and we don’t need to play with the seam ripper at the same time – ripping them apart can make them distort, so let’s use fresh swatches for this exercise.

4. Sew 2 of these swatches together along the 2 1/2” side. Press closed to set the stitches, and then press open.

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5. Place the ruler over these two pieces, and make sure that the result is a piece that is EXACTLY 2 1/2” wide.

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6. If it isn’t EXACT, adjust the bumper and sew two fresh swatches until you get it. While you are doing this, make sure that the fabric is tracking straight through the feed dogs. If it isn’t, then move the needle position and bumper together and re-test.

Don’t be discouraged if this takes a few goes. It’s worth it. Cut more swatches if you have to.

7. Now that you have it… one final test: sew 4 swatches together. This shows the accuracy better… one thread off on one seam might not show up but across three will be quite visible. Again, adjust and re-test until you are happy.

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8. Put a drop of superglue on the wheel, and make note of the needle position. If you have a label maker, this is a good time to write that needle position on a label and stick it to your machine.

9. Go make a nice cup of tea (or your fave beverage). Sit back and admire your handiwork. You won’t have to re-do this until you buy your next machine!

Process – tools!

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If you recall, one of the things I pointed out in my original post about process was my desire for efficiency. I like to feel that I waste as little time/fabric/money/regret as possible so as to allow room for more. “More what?” you may ask. More of everything… more time, more groovy things made or designed, more play, more freedom, more future… a little existentialist perhaps, but there you have it! MORE.

In concrete terms, efficiency becomes a big deal in how I choose my tools. So here’s what I use, and why I chose them (and I have no affiliations so this is not an infomercial!). And I would love to hear about your faves in the comments – you might be turning me onto my next big tool crush!

Before I get going – a quick word about labels… if you ever take your sewing kit on the road, be sure to mark your name on EVERYTHING. It makes for saner retreats and workshops, and less misunderstandings about whose ruler is getting passed around. I use Sharpie pens on most things (especially the rulers so that there is no label obscuring the one section of the ruler I’m bound to be looking at). And when I’m not using Sharpie I use ribbons (which will make sense once you see the pix). Mostly ORANGE ribbons. Like you needed to be told that!

So let’s start at the cutting table..

Like many quilters, I grew up with the dark green Olfa mat, but a couple of years ago I was introduced to a mat made by Fiskars that is pale green on one side and pale yellow on the other – easy to reverse depending on the color of fabric you are working with! A bonus with this mat is it lasts twice as long because once you’ve grooved the heck out of one side you just flip it over.

Also – note the dots in the squares on the yellow surface above. This is some additional alignment help that I’ve come to appreciate.

For rulers, I use Omnigrid and its newer sister Omnigrip, which has scrubby/grippy bits on the underside to help mitigate the slipperies. I prefer the grippy texture and green color of the Omingrip (I seldom use that color of green fabric so it shows up well) but I’ve had my Omingrids a long time with few issues (and I’m too frugal to replace them without good cause). And if you take a look, you’ll see that the Omnigrips also have those extra alignment dots I like. The sizes I use most are 6″ x 24″, 6″ x 12″, 3″ x 18″ and 4″ x 14″. Yes, I know that Creative Grids have the same grippy texture on the back, but most of their rulers are something-and-a-half inches, and I’m not used to that dang HALF (having used whole number sized rulers for twenty odd years). I invariably cut wrong with them because I’m not catching that I aligned the wrong side – which makes for a reduction of efficiency and increase in waste, not to mention a rather grumpy Sam.

However – there is a caveat to just about everything. Behold, above, the Creative Grids yardstick. It’s 2.5″ x 36.5″ and I’m utterly in love with it. Definitely a tool crush. I cut mostly 2.5″ bias binding and this is my go-to ruler for that and any fabric that is 60″ wide. Get one. You can thank me later.

And onto the rotary cutters. Again, I grew up with the original Olfa 45mm cutter and haven’t found a reason to abandon it (and I got to test a bunch of them for the team that is now GenQ Mag so I’m not just being an old-school luddite). I do keep a 60mm version too, and use it for cutting batting, fusible fleece, canvas, and any other thick or weird stuff. I also keep a spare cutter designated for paper. Note that it has different identifying ribbons so that when I grab the handle out of the pot I know which 45mm I’m getting.

One thing I will say, nay SHOUT, about rotary cutters is this: if you are not willing to close the blade yourself when you put it down (or you have hand issues that make it difficult to slide the guard closed), you MUST buy one that will close for you. YOU MUST. You may NOT have blades out in the open. Because getting a bad cut is REALLY inefficient. Not to mention terribly inconvenient. And somewhat embarrassing.

This lovely little goody is another tool crush – a magnetic pincushion by Clover that has a lid. No more putting the pincushion into a Tupperware to take it out of the house. And the lid clips to the bottom when you need it open. Swoon! My only complaint is that it doesn’t come in ORANGE. What were they thinking?

Clover also makes the best seam ripper in town – this one consistently wins magazine test drives for its nice fine point and a good sharp blade. I keep a spare new one on hand at all times and toss the one next to the machine as soon as it starts snagging (and then buy another new one to keep spare). I think I had my first seam ripper for a decade, never realizing that they need to be replaced periodically!

Last tool for this post – a small pair of scissors. These are by Fiskars, but I know that they are being made by several companies now. I use them at the machine to trim threads from the surface of a quilt when I am quilting. That little bend keeps me from snicking a cut into the fabric.

Hmmm…. I spy a purple ribbon. Heresy! Must change that!

The “You Made Me Clean My Studio” Sale!

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There’s nothing like outing the mess in your studio to make you clean it up – it’s right up there with inviting people over to dinner so that you’ll clean house! As I was looking through the photos to add to the previous posts, I got the urge to sort out some of the stuff that was really beginning to bother me. Looks like I’m not the only one that happens to!

The things that were weighing on me the most were the tallest piles. The boxes on top of my book case were beginning to feel like they were looming over me, like Snoopy doing his vulture impression. And the rack was just out of control… piled high and beginning to shift and wobble… you know how it is – touch one thing and the whole mess tries to jump into your lap.

So – I gave myself an afternoon to improve the space… I waited until I had the right amount of ruthless coursing through my veins, put on dusty clothes and some righteous Motown tunes and got busy! I tossed a couple of bags of trash, donated a couple bags of things I was no longer using to my sewing pals, and relocated 4 boxes to the garage. Now I feel like I can actually breathe! This is what I have now:

Just taking down all the big dark items from the top of the bookshelf allowed more light into the room.

I sorted the chaos on top of the drawers, and put some things in tubs to stop them from getting sloppy or toppling.

And on the rack… several boxes got moved out to the garage, and a couple of others got reworked into different space. I also started working through my “need to quilt these” pile which lives on this rack. WHEW!

There are only two boxes left that need to leave (those two on the bottom left of the rack), and they are currently filled with kits for my shop. So let’s have a SALE! All the kits in my shop are now discounted by 25-30%! And they all include the pattern for free (which is a $10 savings by itself!). So head to the shop and treat yourself to a deal! My studio and I will thank you!

Bag Ladies!

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Yesterday my gang of merry pattern testers and I headed to New Moon Textiles and took over the big classroom to test my latest pattern, a chunky little handbag. I can’t thank my testers enough… they make my designs better!

Thank you to Mary Ellen S, Mary Ellen G, Sandy, Alyssa, Jessica, Minerva, Barbara, Frances, and Noni! And thank you again to New Moon for hosting :-)

Here’s what came out of the classroom – check out the fabulous fabric choices!

And the Orange Robot Bag is MINE!!

 

 

Bring on the new Sass!

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The new Sew Sassy Buttons are now up in the store….

While the first set are being distributed far and wide by great folks that supply quilt stores, these lovelies will remain exclusively here for a while. And the ORANGE version of The Ultimate Power Tool is a limited edition thing… once it’s gone, it’s gone.

As always, if you need a custom or wholesale order just give a shout!

 

And home again!

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Long Beach was a blast – so good to see old friends and make new ones! A huge shout out to the Kickstarter team, and the team both in the booth and behind the scenes (who I will not name for fear I forget to mention someone). You all know who you are! The patterns were well received, and many people left with some of our sass in their bags and on lapels. I learned so much about how to do this next time – and am looking forward to going again (just not anytime soon!!)

I’ve spent the week unpacking and re-organizing and digitizing and uploading. And trying to catch up with all the stuff that goes by the wayside when you get busy trying to hit big dates. And I’ve even managed a much needed nap or two this week!

And so – moving forward! I’ve updated this site with all the new patterns that were available at Long Beach. Pop over to the Patterns tab to see them, and follow the link there if you’d like to purchase. FYI, I have some GREAT kits for some of the new patterns going at a steal (buy the kit and get the pattern FREE).

And lastly, the new Sew Sassy Buttons. I will be making up some new sets in the next couple of weeks so watch this space for when you can get some more sass on!

Make a statement!

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It’s all hands on deck as the days between here and the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach at the end of the month slide by. New patterns are working their way to completion through the efforts of my readers and testers (heroes, every one of ‘em). And then there are the photos to shoot…

Today I shot a couple of rounds of photos of my latest, and to date, most ambitious pattern yet – Blanket Statement. It’s a full alphabet of paper-pieced patterns, right down to the numbers and punctuation. I’ve been noodling on this since last year (my sketchbook says April 20th 2011!) and it’s ready to launch at Long Beach. It’s coming out in two versions to start: one on a clam-shelled CD of PDF files in a trusty pattern bag, and the other as a spiral bound book that will lay flat on a copier for all you folks that don’t like mixing computing with quilting! I will tackle a downloadable option in August.

Why make it paper-pieced? Because it’s the best technique for the job! It was important to me that this alphabet be readable (the first rule of font craft) and so the design demanded some smaller pieces to round out the curves of the round letters. Doing these with templates would be migraine inducing… the whole point of this sewing and quilting game is to have fun, right? While paper-piecing might demand a little more fabric than going the template route, it more than makes up for that in ease of construction (and you don’t have to draft all those templates). You’re not sure how to paper-piece? Well, stop by the booth in Long Beach and the aforementioned heroes and I will show you how!

In the meantime, here’s a picture of the alphabet in all its chunky-funky sass, with Lily, a sweet young lady (and niece of my dear friends Paula and Neil) who graciously offered to model with it in the bright California sun today.

HDS is on Facebook!

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I started this adventure thinking that I would spend the majority of my time designing new patterns and making the samples. I had no idea how much of my time would be spent wrangling with various different software platforms that are integral to getting the word out. Sometimes our dates are good and sweet, sometimes we don’t really agree on how to move forward. Facebook is the latest frontier to conquer, and so here it is – and with much more content to come!