Being Real

Last week I talked by phone with my friend Stephanie who asked me to do an episode of her popular Modern Sewciety podcast about what brought me to the decision to retire from professional sewing. As someone who had struggled with these issues herself, she felt that it was an important conversation to have, and I'm so glad she did. We spent over an hour sharing our hearts about the joys and challenges of this work. Being real . . . it seems to be the theme that's guiding this new season. Real conversations about real things with real people in real life. It's messy and difficult sometimes, but it's what we've got. It's who we are. And it's so much better to look at that reality than to try to be something we're not. So pour yourself a cup of tea, pick up your favorite slow sewing project, and settle in with the link right here for some good, honest conversation with friends.

On another note, it's been almost a year since I started working on my scrappy linen log cabin quilt (Sunny Day Supply is actually getting ready to host another round of their annual log cabin sew along that got me started on this one!), but I finally finished it last week just in time to gift it to my niece for her first birthday today. I absolutely love this quilt, and as hard as it is to let it go, I'm so happy that it's going to her.

For months, I was stumped on the quilting. I tried both machine and hand quilting several times, but I always wound up pulling the stitches out when they didn't look quite right. After getting so much wonderful encouragement from friends on Instagram to finish it up, I decided to do the simplest quilting possible on my machine, and it finally worked. The linen had to be handled carefully at times, as it does like to stretch a bit, but it came together in the end.

The back of the quilt is a Melody Miller print, back from her solo Ruby Star days, which I've always loved. I added a tag on the back with my niece's name and mine, which I embroidered by hand. It takes a little extra time, but for something special and personal like this, it's so worth it. The quilt is bound in a rainbow striped canvas print from IKEA that I've been saving for years. I like the touch of whimsy that it adds to the border, and it makes a wonderful frame for the whole project.

This quilt is absolutely packed full of favorite prints that I've been collecting since my very first year of sewing. It almost feels like a time capsule of the past eight years. I love it so much. I hope that every time my niece wraps herself up in it, she'll remember -- as I've always told my girls since they were little -- that she's all wrapped up in our love too.

Rabbit Trails

One of my favorite paintings is a piece of concept art that Mary Blair created for Disney's Alice in Wonderland. I ran across it once when I was doing research on her, and when a tiny version of the painting printed out along with the text, I framed it. At first glance, it looks like a soft wooded landscape...until you look closely near the lower right edge to see a glimpse of the white rabbit hurrying off on his way, the sight that sent Alice running off on her great adventure. I've often thought that this painting reminds me so much of the way I tackle my creative pursuits. I seem to follow all the white rabbits that come across my trail.

I've been playing along with the Sunny Day Supply Log Cabin Sew Along on Instagram (#sunnylogcabinsal) since last week, and it's been such a relaxing, enjoyable project for me. I decided to make my quilt entirely from my linen and canvas stash, prints I've been collecting for years but don't use as often as I should.

I cut 3" squares from a darling teatime print for my centers and then cut a whole bunch of 1 1/2" wide strips for the rest. I wanted the quilt to have a light, airy look to it, so I pulled in a lot of neutrals to balance out the colors.

Every block felt like a new adventure to me as I lay out centers and strips on my cutting mat and played with placement as you can see above. I had no idea where I was going with each one until I finally settled on something that felt right. Sometimes I would have everything in place and then get another idea and pull it all to pieces to follow that white rabbit, which almost always seemed to lead me to better things.

My original plan was to make 9 blocks, but after sewing together 4, that white rabbit came running past me, and I had to follow it. I played around with different arrangements of blocks and strips and center squares, and this was the result. It's a small quilt, only 40" square, but packed full of fabrics that I love.

I haven't decided yet if I'm going to quilt this one by hand or by machine, but that's okay. There's time. That's what I love about this sort of sewing. It doesn't matter where you go with it or how you get there or what time it takes you, just so long as you're having fun.

Tiger Tracks Satchel

Three hours.

That's how long it took me from the moment I found a package from Hawthorne Threads in the mailbox all the way up until I put the finishing touches on this little satchel bag. When I laid eyes on Alexia Abegg's adorable linen tigers for Cotton + Steel, I just couldn't wait to start sewing.

I've had miniature satchel bags on the brain this month, dreaming up designs and wanting to try them out. This was my first effort, and I have to say, I'm completely smitten with the results. I kept this version very simple and relatively small -- about 9 1/2" x 11" x 2 1/2". The bag is lined in black and white linen Mochi Dots, and I used cotton webbing for the straps. All the stitching is done with Aurifil thread in my favorite shade of gold.

Several of you have asked me on Instagram if I'll be writing a pattern for this one. The answer is yes. Give me a week or two, and I'll have something up on the blog.

And thanks for the encouragement, my friends.

Market Set

Yesterday was my mother-in-law's birthday, and we celebrated by spending several days in San Diego with her and my father-in-law. It was a great little vacation -- lots of fun activities and family time. Before we drove down there on Monday, I sewed up a little gift for her.

I'm a huge fan of anything by Rifle Paper Co., including this adorable shopping list pad which I picked up at Anthropologie. A few prints by Melody Miller, some twill tape and batting, a rubber band, and a wooden button all came together in about an hour to make a simple little carrier that fits nicely inside a purse. I love quick projects like these which can be easily pulled out when I need a nice gift in a hurry.

Happy Birthday, Grandma Mary. We love you!

Overnighter Ellie Travel Case

Ever since I posted my Ellie Travel Case Tutorial, people have been asking if I could share the dimensions for making it bigger. Yesterday I finally sat down to crunch the numbers and sew up a sample, and here it is at last.

Though I adore the straps on the original bag, I changed them in this version. These wider straps make a better anchor for a larger case. The big bag also uses Peltex 70 interfacing by Pellon on the lining. I won't kid you, it's a bear to work with on this project, but the finish is worth it. You'll end up with a seriously structured bag. I used a Melody Miller print for the top panel, charcoal Brussels Washer linen for the bottom panel, and pink Mochi Dots for the bag lining. There are endless ways that you could customize your bag with extra details and pockets if you're in the mood to be creative, but the basic version still makes a great travel case all on its own. Here's the new materials list for the larger size:

• (2) 11 1/2 x 20" linen print for the exterior top panel
• (2) 11 1/2 x 20" batting for the exterior top panel (You can attach regular batting with adhesive basting spray or just use fusible batting.)
• (2) 9 x 20" linen for the exterior bottom panel
• (2) 9 x 20" batting for the exterior bottom panel
• (2) 20 x 20" linen print for the bag lining
• (2) 20 x 20" heavy interfacing to reinforce the lining (I used Pellon's Peltex 70 which I fused to the lining with adhesive basting spray.)
• (2) 1 1/2 x 38" strips of cotton webbing for the handles
• (1) 22" purse zipper with two sliders and a closed bottom (I bought mine at Joann Fabrics.)
• coordinating thread
• Clover clips or clothespins

*All seams are 1/2" except alongside the zipper where they are 1/4" wide.

Follow the same instructions for the original bag with just a few changes:

1. Fuse the batting to the top and bottom exterior panels before you do anything else.

2. Attach the handles to the top exterior panel before you sew the top and bottom exterior panels together. The left handle end is 6" from the left side of the top panel, and the right handle end is 6" from the right side of the top panel. I followed the same procedure for attaching handles that I used in my Ipanema Beach Bag tutorial (minus the outer pocket on this version, though you could add one if you like), sewing 6 1/2" up the handles from the bottom of the exterior panel. I also added a 1" square with an X inside it at the top of the stitching on each side just to keep the handles securely in place. After sewing the two exterior panels together, I topstitched two 1/4" lines below the seam joining them.

3. The squares cut out on the four corners of each exterior panel are 3 1/4" square for this bag size.

4.  I did not make zipper tabs for my zipper this time, but you can if you want to.

5. Go even slower as you sew in the zipper on this bag. The Peltex 70 makes for a tough wrestling match, but you can win if you put your mind to it!

6. I added leather thongs to the ends of my zipper sliders on this bag. I love this easy finishing touch.

That's it! The resulting bag is approximately 9 x 12 x 13. Not quite enough for a weekender, but definitely good for an overnighter...as long as I don't bring my children along, of course. Speaking of which, my husband and I fly off tomorrow for a quick getaway to San Antonio, Texas. You can follow our adventures on Instagram if you're so inclined. I'm not sure that I'll know what to do with myself without three little girls running around...

If you make one of these larger cases or decide to go with the original, be sure to tag it #ellietravelcase on Instagram and tag me too @fabricmutt. There are already so many adorable versions of this bag out there, and I look forward to seeing more!

Challenge

Back in March I answered a Creative Troupe Callout by C&T Publishing to make a project using Kraft-tex, a heavy duty art paper. It was quite the challenge deciding what to make, but I finally decided on a portfolio featuring the paper as the outside cover. I added a patchwork detail to the front and fabric binding along the outside edges. Sewing with paper is tricky and not nearly so forgiving as fabric. I had to rip the patchwork piece off my first attempt and try again because when I pulled out some accidental stitches, the holes were still there in the paper to remind me of my mistake. Being super careful with the second attempt had better results.

The inside has pockets for paper, utensils, cards, etc. I used some favorite fabrics for this piece, and I have to admit, it was hard to mail it off to the company knowing that it wouldn't be coming back to me. One of these days I'll have to make another to keep.

Today I'm putting the binding on my second Heather Ross quilt. This one has been in progress for a while, and I'm so happy to be wrapping it up at last. I'll have pictures for you tomorrow, so be sure to stop by!

Bear's Birthday Present

My little Bear will be turning four on Sunday, and my husband's parents are arriving in town any minute to spend the weekend with all of us. There are a hundred things on the to-do list, but I wanted to quickly share the patchwork case I made for Bear's birthday present, which is a Leapfrog Scribble & Write. So many toys and videos are designated "educational" these days, a label which can be widely overused as far as I'm concerned, but all my experience with Leapfrog products has been fantastic. I think we own every one of their dvds, and I can't believe how much my daughters have picked up from them. Mouse has learned all of her letters and their sounds, just by watching "The Letter Factory" a million times.

Using some yarn dyed essex linen in leather, a fat quarter from the Fox Hollow collection, and a few 2.5" patchwork squares, I whipped up a quick gadget case last night. There's a strap so she can carry it around with her, padding to keep the toy cushioned, and velcro for easy access. Best of all, I can give it to her in the case so it doesn't have to be gift wrapped.

Make that ninety-nine things left on the to-do list.

Linking up to Finish It Up Friday.

Timber Mosaic Bag (& Tutorial)

It's been about a year and a half since I started sewing on a regular basis again, and while I've tried lots of different projects, I've learned that one of my favorite things to make is bags. There's something so amazing about making a purse exactly the way you want it to be, and with all of the great fabric and hardware out there, it can look just as good as (and in some cases, even better than) what you can find at the store. I personally love the look of a structured bag, but it can be a little more time consuming than your average tote. My first experience with this style was with my Retro Library Case, and then later I tackled the infamous Weekender. Lately, I've done some more experimenting with my Patchwork Bag and Mosaic Bag, and this week I finally put together a tutorial for making this version, which I'm calling my Timber Mosaic Bag.

For this one I used fabric from the gorgeous Timber and Leaf collection by Sarah Watts which paired perfectly with the leather yarn dyed essex linen I've been saving. I love how the linen reminds me of wood grain against these prints.


The inside of the bag is a light blue print by Denyse Schmidt, and the interior pocket matches the patchwork on the front. This one is large enough to carry a few books along with my usual necessities.

Because this bag is larger, I divided my back pocket into three sections this time. I adore that bear on the back!

A pine cone charm that I bought on sale at Anthropologie was the perfect finishing touch for the zipper.

A few notes before we start the tutorial... This version is larger than my first attempt, coming in at 13" square rather than the 9" square original. It also uses three inch squares for the patchwork instead of the more involved 1.5" squares I used to make the mosaic on my first one. I added a pocket to the inside of this bag as well. These are all details that can be easily adjusted depending on what you want your bag to look like. I find that when you're making a bag with a gusset (that's the material that joins the front and back panels together to make the sides), you have to be willing to go with the flow and keep checking your pieces as you sew to be sure that everything is going to fit right. If mistakes happen -- and they do -- don't panic. You can usually fix things easily by folding material (if a piece is too big) or sewing in an extra piece (if it's too small). While this type of bag can look rather difficult (they scared me to death when I attempted my first one), it's really a pretty straightforward construction job. Just take it a step at a time.

MATERIALS

Cotton prints
(9) assorted 3" squares for patchwork front
(1) 8 x 13" for exterior pocket
(2) 13" sqares for interior panels
(1) 6 x 12" for interior pocket
(2) 3 x 23" for zipper lining pieces
(1) 5 x 30" for gusset lining
(2) 2.5 x 50" for inside binding

Linen
(2) 3 x 8" & (2) 3 x 13" for patchwork frame on front exterior panel
(1) 13" square for back exterior panel
(2) 2.5 x 20" for handles
(1) 4.5 x 13" for exterior pocket
(2) 3 x 23" for exterior zipper pieces
(1) 5 x 30" for exterior gusset

Quilt batting or fusible batting (if using regular batting, you'll need an adhesive basting spray glue)
(1) 6 x 13" for exterior pocket
(1) 8" square for patchwork
(2) 13" squares for front and back panels
(2) 3 x 23" for exterior zipper pieces
(1) 5 x 30" for exterior gusset

Sew-in heavy interfacing (I use Peltex 70)
(2) 13" squares for front and back panels

Lighter interfacing (I use Pellon 808 Craft Fuse)
(2) 2.5 x 20" for handles
(1) 6" square for interior pocket
(2) for zipper lining pieces
(1) 5 x 30" for gusset lining

24" zipper
coordinating thread
Clover clips or clothespins

1. Sew together the 3" patchwork squares in a 3 x 3 grid using a 1/4" seam allowance. Attach the patchwork piece to the 8" batting square with basting spray and quilt as desired. Add the 3 x 8" and 3 x 13" linen strips to frame the patchwork using a 1/4" seam allowance. Attach the front panel to the 13" square of batting with basting spray. Quilt 1/4" and 1/2" from the outside edge of the patchwork square.

2. Sew the 4.5 x 13" linen and 8 x 13" cotton print together along a 13" side so that the cotton print is at the top of the piece when they are joined. Fold the cotton print back, wrong sides together, making the top of the cotton print even with the bottom of the linen, forming the outer pocket piece (see photo). Sandwich the 6 x 13" piece of batting between the folded layers and stitch 1/4" below the line where the two fabrics meet and 1/4" below the fold itself. Attach batting to the 13" linen square for the back panel with adhesive spray.

Baste the pocket in place along the bottom edge of the back panel about 1/4" from the edge. Sew one or two lines down the pocket to divide it into sections if desired.

3. Make the interior pocket. Fold the 6 x 12" cotton print piece in half (wrong sides together) so the fold is on the top. Iron the 6 x 6" square of light interfacing to one side, trim the edges, and stitch around the open edges, leaving a large enough opening in the bottom for turning. Turn right side out, press, and topstitch 1/4" from the fold. Tuck in the bottom edges, press, and pin it in place on one of the 13" interior panels, centered and about 3" from the top. Stitch 1/4" from the edges, leaving top open and backstitching at both ends.

4. Finish the outer panels. Attach the 13" heavy sew-in interfacing and interior lining pieces to the front and back panels with basting spray, making certain that each panel has a linen piece showing on the exterior side and the cotton lining print on the interior side (double check twice if you're using directional prints!). Baste 1/4" from the edge all the way around both panels.

5. Make the handles. Fuse the light interfacing to both 2.5 x 20" linen pieces. Fold each piece in half (with interfacing on the inside), press, unfold. Fold the long edges to meet at the center fold, press, fold in half again, and press. Stitch 1/8" from each long side of the handle.

Position a handle on the exterior of each panel with the raw ends poking up about 1/4" over the top edge and with the outside edge of each strap about 3.5" from the outside edge of the panel. Stitch 1/4" from the top edge of the bag over each strap to keep them in place while you work.

6. Make the zipper portion of the gusset. Cut off the ends of the zipper (keeping the sliding pull in the middle!) so that it measures 23".

Fuse light interfacing to the zipper and gusset lining pieces and, and use adhesive spray to attach the batting to the linen for the exterior zipper and gusset pieces.

Stack from bottom to top: cotton zipper lining (right side up), zipper (right side up), and linen zipper exterior piece (right side down) -- lining them up along one long end of each piece (see photo). Stitch 1/4" from the edge -- use a zipper foot if you like, though I just use my 1/4" foot for this.

Fold back the linen and lining so that the wrong sides are together and press. Stitch 1/2" quilting lines from the zipper to the edge of the fabric.

Repeat this process with the pieces for the other side of the zipper.

7. Attach the rest of the gusset. Stack from bottom to top: gusset lining (right side up), zipper piece (exterior linen up), and gusset linen exterior (right side down), matching up the raw ends (see photo).

Stitch 1/2" from the end. Flip the gusset pieces so that the wrong sides are facing each other and stitch 1/2" from the end of the zipper (see photo). Repeat on the other side of the zipper and gusset after first checking the length of your pieces around one of the panels. Make sure you're happy with how things are lining up before you attach the rest of the gusset to make the full joining circle.

Quilt the gusset in 1/2" lines that match those on the zipper piece. If you need to take up slack in the gusset due to quilting, just fold the extra fabric and stitch over it.

8. Use Clover clips or clothespins to clip the gusset in place on one panel, centering the zipper on the top of the bag panel so that the ends fall as evenly as possible on the sides. Sew 1/2" all around the bag. Go slowly and carefully, keeping the rest of the bag out of the way as much as possible while you sew. Repeat on the other side, making sure that the zipper is at least half open before you start! Trim the edges down to about 1/4", cutting carefully so that you don't accidentally cut into the panels or gusset.

9. Take both 2.5 x 50" strips, fold them in half lengthwise (wrong sides together), and press them. Take one piece and sew the ends of the strip together to make a full circle, then do the same with the other. Use this to bind the interior raw edges just as you would the edge of a quilt (see my links page if you need help with the binding process). Turn the bag right side out, press, and enjoy!

Thanks for sticking with me through the endless journey that is a tutorial! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment here or email me any time at hjstaples@gmail.com. If you make one for yourself, I'd LOVE to see it. You can upload pictures of your bag -- or anything else you've made from one of my tutorials -- to my blog's flickr group here.

Happy sewing!

Linking up to Fabric Tuesday & Sew Cute Tuesday.

Mosaic Bag

For a while now I've been catching glimpses of beautiful fabric by the talented people at Umbrella Prints, and when I heard that it was time again for their annual trimmings competition, I didn't waste any time ordering myself a packet. It was love at first sight when I opened the package -- such a wonderful collection of scraps to play with!

I went for my drawer of linen scraps to add in a little more variety and ended up cutting a total of forty-nine squares, each one finishing at one inch after they were all sewn together. The mostly low volume design looks like a miniature mosaic to me. Along with the Umbrella Prints, there are fabrics in there by Echino, Melody Miller, and Heather Ross. It was a lot of fun to mix them all up and see how much detail I could fit into such tiny squares as I did my fussy cutting.

I've been planning to write the requested tutorial for the patchwork bag I showed you almost two weeks ago, but I wanted to do a little experimentation with interfacing first. This bag was a great opportunity for that. I love the extra structure that a firmer stabilizer gives to this version. Once again, I used my favorite yarn dyed essex linen in black as the main exterior fabric -- I just can't get enough of that stuff!

The inside is one of Anna Maria Horner's gorgeous Parenthetical Flight prints from her Field Study linens collection. It's incredible to me that as small as this purse is -- nine inches square and just two inches deep -- it holds everything I need to carry with me when I go out. There's space for my new wallet and my triple-zip pouch with room to spare.

I added a double pocket to the back of the bag which turns out to be just the right size for my sunglasses and phone. The largest trimming piece from my packet made a perfect accent, and I lined the pocket with the same fabric I used for the bag interior. For one final touch of whimsy, I added my last paper airplane charm to the zipper, just like the ones I used on my gift pouches last week.

I don't think I've ever carried around a purse so small, but I adore this little bag. It feels like a piece of summer to me, and seeing all the snippets of my past projects in that mosaic just makes me happy. I do believe this bag is going to get a lot of love...

Update: I've written a tutorial for a slightly larger version of this bag which you can find right here. Sew and enjoy!