Everyday Party

I fell in love with Everyday Party at first sight. This collection is one part girly, one part retro, and all parts adorable. I can't thank my friends at Birch Fabrics enough for sending me a bundle to play with this week.

I went looking for a pattern that would nicely showcase these lively prints and finally decided to enlarge Rita Hodge's lovely Jacob's Ladder pattern from Pretty in Patchwork Doll Quilts by Cathy Gaubert. It made me smile to return to this title, one of the first sewing books I ever purchased, and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for small projects that are relatively quick to make but that will also introduce you to new quilting techniques.

Everyday Party looks so springlike to me that I also added two Kona solids -- Tarragon and Grass -- to complement the prints with a little green. This quilt turned out exactly the way I hoped it would. I adore the vintage look of these colors together and the simplicity of the design and quilting. It's been pouring rain here for the past few days, but I ducked outside for a few minutes this evening during a short break in the downpour to take photos. Bless my sweet dad who stood holding this quilt in a chilly drizzle so that I could get my blog post written tonight!

The quilt is backed in two prints from the collection: Everyday Quilt and Everyday Main. For binding, I used the Meadow Floral print which is a dark blue green. Though I wasn't sure at first if it would work against the solid greens I had used in the quilt, it ended up blending together with them perfectly.

When I first sat down with these fabrics, I envisioned making a tea party quilt that the girls could use in their imaginary play. Halfway through my sewing, I realized that Mouse had outgrown her previous bed quilts and really needed a new one, so I readjusted the size to fit her little bed. She's been dancing around my sewing table for the past few days with excitement over her new quilt. I even let her sit on my lap and stitch a bit of the quilting with me. After this evening's brief photo shoot, I brought the quilt out and wrapped her up in it -- much to her delight. "Thank you for making me this quilt, Mommy," she sighed as she snuggled down into the layers. "I'm going to keep it forever and ever and ever and ever...for a long time!"

Rainbow Patch Baby Quilt

After patiently waiting for me to tie up some loose ends over the past few months, this little baby quilt finally came out of the Work In Progress basket yesterday. So many times I leave something unfinished for weeks on end when it would only take an hour or two to wrap up the project, and this was definitely one of those cases. I am so glad to have this quilt done at last!

When I make a project for little ones, I try to pull in as much color and visual interest as I can. This quilt ended up being a sort of scrappy rainbow -- hence the name -- and I love that it also works as an I-Spy quilt. I pulled out a lot of my favorite fabric designers for this one: Heather Ross, Lizzy House, Anna Maria Horner, and so on. There are also quite a few alphabet prints mixed in there too for fun.

The quilt is backed in a red and white dot print by Bonnie and Camille and is bound in a black and white Heath print from Alexander Henry. I wanted to have a black based print to frame the colorful quilt top, and this sketchy fabric makes a perfect binding. I used a zig zag stitch on my machine to make some randomly spaced wavy lines across the quilt, so much fun for little fingers to trace.

Baby quilts are always such a joy to sew. I love to pray for the new mommy and baby as I make a quilt that I know will be a part of both their lives. It also brings back so many memories of holding my three daughters when they were newborns. As difficult as those early years were -- and they were tough! -- I will never forget the wonder of snuggling my cheek against their soft little baby faces. This quilt will be winging its way across the ocean to my sweet friend Jodi in Australia tomorrow, and all my love goes with it.

Community

a peek at Road to California 2014

When I started blogging at the end of 2011, all of my connection with the quilting community was online. It really wasn't until I attended last year's Road to California Quilt Show that I got to see some of these people in person, and it was a powerful thing. Whether these people were into traditional quilting, modern quilting, or something in between, it didn't really matter. All of us found joy in using a needle and thread to make beautiful things, and this gave us something in common.

Cindy, me, Deborah -- love these ladies...

I returned to Road to CA last month, and the feeling was back only stronger. This time I got to meet up with some blogging friends in person, enjoying a precious half hour with Cindy and Deborah to chat face to face. It was also wonderful to meet the incredible ladies behind Fabricworm and Birch Fabrics in person after communicating with them by email for months -- in fact I had so much fun talking, that I didn't take time for a decent photo. I left that day with sore feet and a light heart, feeling so happy to be a part of this community of quilters.

Mary, Gayle, Michelle & Pat -- just a few members of the group

Then this past Sunday I was looking over Keri's e-newsletter from The Quilt Loft fabric shop in Upland, and I was thrilled to see that Friends of the Modern Quilt Guild was starting an Inland Empire chapter and holding their first meeting at her shop on Monday night. What a joy it was to spend some time with other ladies who love to sew! We have come with different life backgrounds and sewing experiences, but in essentials, we were all the same: a desire to grow in our craft and a willingness to share with and encourage each other. I have great hopes for this group and am so grateful to Michelle for getting it started. If any of you live nearby, please come! We'll be meeting up on the second Monday of every month at 6pm. The website is still under construction, but you can find it here.

no makeup, no jewelry, no stylist, and not much sleep...just me as I type this blog post

The events of the past month have made me think a lot about community. We all say that we want to be part of one, but the reality of this can be so different from what we imagine. To have a community, you have to have people, and people are not always what we want them to be. That seems so obvious, but it can be a hard reality to deal with at times. Many bloggers have written about the importance of getting beyond the "perfect" image of our blogs and sewing room photos, but I think we also struggle with getting beyond the glossy image we have of each other as people. As much as we know that our friends aren't perfect, we kind of want them to be sometimes. In fact, we sort of want to be that way ourselves. Once we get past those first impressions and start seeing the flaws, the annoying habits, the issues where we disagree (sometimes strongly), it's so easy to drift away from each other and into those cliques that we all despise. What started out as a great adventure in sisterhood once again ends up being little more than another version of the high school lunch room.

I don't have any grand solutions to the problem, but I've decided to adopt two new rules of thumb when dealing with people in my community (sewing or otherwise) this year:

1. Let people be who they are. I always think of that scene from Pride & Prejudice (the Colin Firth version, of course) when Lizzie is angry with her friend Charlotte for marrying the ridiculous Mr. Collins just to secure a home for herself, insisting that she and her sister Jane would never do such a thing. "But, Lizzie," Jane insists, "not everyone is the same!" How often I have had to remind myself this. Give people space to be themselves, even if it's not exactly what you would prefer them to be. It's okay to disagree on some things. It's okay to like different things. We can be ourselves and still be friends.

2. Give people grace when they need it. There are days when I'm grouchy or depressed or feeling like a flop in one area of my life or another. In those moments I need someone who cares enough to put up with me and love me anyway. The members of our community need that same grace. Everyone says something they regret from time to time. All of us want to feel like we belong -- even when we sometimes secretly don't feel like we really do. In those moments, we need to be ready to give each other the grace that says, "We care about you. You matter to us."  And yes, this means not only having a heart that's willing to embrace our friends on their bad days. It means having the courage to be kind to the difficult person in our community (you know who I mean -- yes, that person) who, truth be told, may need your kindness more than anyone else in the room, even if they don't seem to deserve or appreciate it. While there are definitely a few people out there who enjoy being a pain, most people are doing the best they can...just like you.

It's not going to create utopia overnight, but I really believe that practicing (not just preaching) these two standards will go a long way toward bringing a little more love into our sewing communities -- both online and in person. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject. How do we make our communities stronger? How do we make them a place where people truly feel like they belong?

April Showers Case

I picked up a great preschool quiz set at Costco last night which will be perfect for Bear, and you know what that means...a new case for me to sew! I've been sneaking glances at my April Showers layer cake for the past few weeks, just dying to make something with those lovely new prints. Today I finally broke them out and paired them with some luscious Momo Mochi Dots in Teal. I'm already planning to order more of these gorgeous linen prints in other colors.

The case has a cherry red zipper and is lined with a collage print from the Ecletic Elements collection. This fabric is such a fabulous neutral -- I have yet to find a print that doesn't look great beside it.

The four workbooks and star quiz pen all fit neatly inside with room to spare. I like that this case will grow with the girls. Later on it will be perfect for holding a sketch pad and art supplies. For now it's helping me keep school clutter at bay...and making me happy every time I see it.

Frolic Head Scarves

When my friends at Birch Fabrics sent me some of Rebekah Ginda's Frolic collection, my daughters fell completely in love. These colorful prints seem destined for children's clothing and accessories, so I decided to turn the little stack of fabric into head scarves for my girls.

I recently used an Amazon gift card that I got for Christmas to buy a few new sewing books, including the newly revised Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. This book is such a pleasure to read -- I just love the photos and illustrations on every page. Her pattern for Jane's Head Scarf is a perfect choice when you're looking for a quick finish. It took me all of an hour to make three scarves -- even with the endless interruptions that come with a busy household.

I changed the measurements slightly for each girl to insure a snug -- but not too snug -- fit. The pattern came together very easily, and we were all delighted with the results.

Frolic is a darling collection, but if I had to pick a favorite print, it would be Tulip Toss.

Those sweet little flowers just feel like a breath of spring.

Crafty Traveler Blog Hop

There's nothing I love better than checking out new bag tutorials, so I was thrilled when my friend Jennifer of Ellison Lane Quilts invited me to share my latest tutorial as a part of her wonderful Crafty Traveler Blog Hop. Spring and summer are still a few months away, and now is the time to start making bags for our upcoming vacations. I can't wait to start making a list of all the new bags I need to try!

So...the Ellie Travel Case. This little bag is small but mighty and absolutely perfect for carrying cosmetics or toiletries on your next trip. It also works great as a traveling sewing bag, just the right size for a project on the go. You'll find all the instructions for making a case of your own right here. The lovely people at Riley Blake Designs shared some of Lori Holt's upcoming Vintage Happy collection with me to make this version of my bag, and I love the way these prints fit the retro look that I was going for. One isn't enough, of course, so I'm hoping to make another case soon...

I've already seen a few Ellie Cases pop up on Instagram, and I've heard that there are more to come. If you make one, I'd absolutely love to see it. Be sure to tag me @fabricmutt and add the hashtag #ellietravelcase so I can take a peek at your creations!

 The Crafty Traveler Blog Hop runs from February 3 to March 12. Link-up your travel handmade project March 6-12 for a chance to win one of three great prizes! (US only) 

#1: Free Spirit Fabric, Crafty Traveler Tote supplies and Dritz rotary cutter. 

#2: Box of 50 Coats Threads

#3: Pellon Prize Pack (Interfacing & Batting) 

To enter to win simply link up your project at ellisonlane.com on March 6. Please link from a new blog post but your project can be anything you've made to travel handmade within the last 6 months. You may also link from Flickr or Threadbias. 

Blog Hop Schedule

2/3:  Patchwork Posse & Fabric Mutt

2/6: Random Thoughts Do or Di

2/10: Golden Willow Quilts

2/13: Between Quilts & The Sewing Chick

2/17: May Chappell & Modern Handcraft

2/20: Bryan House Quilts & Love By Hand 

2/24: Petit Lyons & Sew Many Possibilities 

2/27: Owen's Olivia

3/3: Old Red Barn Co.  & Go Go Kim

3/6: Link-up opens at www.ellisonlane.com 

3/13: Winner's announced! 

 Thanks so much for stopping by!

Ellie Travel Case Tutorial

When I shared my new travel cases last month, I received a lot of requests for a pattern, so I decided to write up a free tutorial for all of you to use. The tutorial bag is sort of a hybrid of the original two bags -- it's the size of the smaller one with the extended zipper of the second one. Because the bag is smaller, you can actually get by with just batting and fusible interfacing to strengthen the sides, but the pattern can easily be enlarged with the addition of a stronger layer of interfacing if you want to go bigger. Play around with it and have fun!

I named this bag after the heroine in one of my favorite old movies, It Happened One Night starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. Ellie Andrews (Colbert) is a spoiled little rich girl who recruits a wise cracking reporter (Gable) to help her get back to her gigolo groom against the wishes of her father. This charming falling-in-love-while-on-a-road-trip story was actually the first of its kind and is only one of three movies in history to receive all five of the big academy awards. Don't let the 1934 film date fool you -- the witty dialogue holds up surprisingly well for a modern audience. Give it a try on your next movie night...

The final size of this bag is 7.5" square, but because it's also 4.5" deep, it can hold a ton of stuff. My sister let me enjoy a Yes to Carrots shopping spree for my birthday, and almost all of my goodies were able to fit inside with room to spare. This case makes a perfect cosmetics or toiletries bag and doubles as a cute little purse for a night out. A big thank you goes out to my friends at Riley Blake Fabrics who sent me these beautiful prints from the upcoming Vintage Happy collection by Lori Holt to use in this tutorial. I absolutely love these retro prints!

This bag now has a permanent home with my dear friend Tamie, who actually deserved a gold medal for saying to me the other day, "Just drop your kids off at my house for a few hours so you can work on your book. No problem!" Did I mention that Tamie already has eight children?

Okay, who's ready to sew?

Materials:

(2) 7 1/2 x 12" cotton print for the exterior main panel
(2) 5 x 12" linen for the exterior accent
(2) 12 x 12" cotton print for the bag lining
(2) 12 x 12" fusible interfacing to reinforce the lining (I used Pellon Craft Fuse)
(2) 12 x 12" batting to reinforce the exterior (you can attach regular batting with adhesive basting spray or
                    just use fusible batting)
(2) 2 1/2 x 13" linen for the handles
(2) 2 1/2 x 13" fusible interfacing to reinforce the handles (again, I used Pellon Craft Fuse)
(2) 1 1/2 x 3 1/2" linen for zipper tabs
(1) 16" zipper
coordinating thread
Clover clips or clothespins

*All seams are 1/4" unless otherwise noted.

1. Make the exterior. Stack a 7 1/2 x 12" exterior piece on top of a 5 x 12" linen accent piece with their right sides together, lining them up along a 12" side. Stitch along the 12" side and then press the seam open. Repeat with the other two exterior pieces. Fuse the batting to the wrong side of both these exterior pieces and then top stitch 1/4" below the seam on the linen accent piece. Cut 2 1/4" squares out of all four corners on both exterior pieces.

2. Make the lining. Fuse interfacing to the wrong side of the lining pieces. Cut 2 1/4" squares out of all four corners on both lining pieces.

3. Make the handles. Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the linen. Fold the handle piece in half, press, and unfold it. Now fold the two halves in half to meet at the center line, press, and refold on the original fold line. Hold the long edges of the handle together with Clover clips or clothespins, however leave 2" on each short of the handle unfolded (see picture above). Sew 1/8" from the open side of each of the handles, stopping 2" from each short end and backstitching. Fold the short ends of the handles in 1/4" toward the wrong side of the fabric, press, and then fold another 1/4". Clip the short ends of the handles to keep the fold in place until you're ready to attach them.

4. Attach the handles to the exterior. You can change the placement of your handles depending on how narrow a handle loop you prefer. I pinned my handles to the exterior pieces about 1 1/4" from the side of the cutout square and 1 1/4" below the bottom of the cutout square in the corner of each exterior piece (see photo above). Use a pencil or fabric pen to mark a rectangle at the bottom of each end of the handle.

Sew over the rectangle and then sew an X in the middle of each rectangle. Repeat with the other handle and other exterior piece.

5. Box the top corners of the bag. Press the two sides of one of the cutout squares in the upper corners of the exterior together (right sides of fabric touching), and sew a 1/4" seam along that line to sew them together (see the picture above). Repeat with the other cutout squares in the upper corners of the exterior and lining. Do NOT do this with the squares on the lower corners of either the exterior or lining -- those will be a little different.

6. Prepare the zipper. Trim your zipper down to exactly 16" in length, discarding the ends and making sure that your zipper pull is still in the middle. Mark the halfway point on your zipper (8" from the ends) and the halfway point on the top of the exterior and lining pieces (about 3 1/2" from the seams on either side of the top).

7. Make the zipper tabs. Fold the zipper tab pieces in half so that the short ends meet (wrong sides together) and press. Unfold and then fold the short ends in toward the middle about 1/2", pressing them in place.

Place one of the short ends of the zipper right on the middle fold and refold the tab on the original fold, sandwiching the end of the zipper inside the tab. Stitch along the smaller fold of the tab, 1/8" from the zipper (see photo above). Repeat with the other tab on the other end of the zipper.

8. Attach the zipper. Pay careful attention to the photo above during this step. Stack the exterior (right side up), zipper (right side down), and lining (right side down) along the upper edge of the exterior and lining pieces. Match up the center dots on all three pieces and the boxed seams on the exterior and lining. Looking at the photo, you'll notice that this stack looks a little different because the upper corners are boxed, but it's the same concept as stack pieces for a regular zipper installation. Use Clover clips or clothespins to clip the edges in place and sew 1/4" from the edge of the zipper. Where you start sewing will depend on whether or not you want the zipper tabs to show on the sides of your bag. If you want them to show, start sewing about halfway down the zipper tab, all the way around the top opening and stopping about halfway down the other zipper tab. If you'd rather not see the tabs, start at the very top of the tab where it touches the zipper. Backstitch at both ends.

Fold the exterior and lining pieces back from the zipper and press along the zipper (being careful not to melt the zipper itself). Repeat this step on the other side. It will be a little harder this time with the bulk of the other side of the bag getting in the way, but if you go carefully and clip securely, it should be fine.

9. Sew the lining and exterior together. This step sounds strange, but try to keep in mind the image of finishing a typical zipper pouch where you have the lining on one side of the zipper and the exterior on the other side. Refer to the photo as you go along. Unzip the bag at least halfway. Arrange the pieces of the bag so that the lining is sitting with right sides together and the exterior has right sides together as well. There will be an odd looking "crater" in the middle where the zipper is, but don't let it worry you. Start clipping or pinning the lining pieces together, making sure that the cutout squares in the lower corners match up. Do the same on the exterior side of the bag.

10. Start on the lower opening of the lining (between the two cutout squares) and follow the sewing path on the photo above, stitching 1/4" from the edge. Do NOT sew on the cutout squares -- we'll get to that next. The tricky part is where the lining and exterior meet, but don't let it throw you. The zipper tab will stick out a bit between the two sides of the bag. Just stitch along the lining and make a right angle at the turn to the exterior so that you maintain that 1/4" seam there as well. Travel all the way around until you get back to the lower edge of the lining, leaving a gap in the bottom of the lining for turning. Backstitch at both ends.

11. Box the bottom edges of the bag. Take one of the cutout squares in the lining or exterior and press the opposite corners together so that the side and bottom seams match up. Stitch 1/4" from the raw edges. Repeat on the other three cutout corners.

12. Put your hand in through the gap in the lining and through the zipper, grab the exterior, and carefully pull it out through the gap so that the bag is right side out. You can reach through the gap in the lining to poke out the bottom corners of the exterior. Tuck the raw edges down into the gap in the lining and sew the opening closed, about 1/8" from the folded edge.

13. Push the lining into the bag and press the bag as you are able. Fill it up with goodies and enjoy!

If you have any questions about this tutorial, please feel free to send me an email at hjstaples@gmail.com. If you make one of your own, send me a photo or add it to the Inspired by Fabric Mutt flickr group. I'd love to see what you make!

Linking up to Finish It Up Friday for the first time in ages!