Wayside Sewing Blog

So, in my attempt to be a more prolific blogger, here is another new entry (not daily but hey twice in a month is doing well for me).

I love to be creative, sewing is probably one of my top two passions – tied with cooking & baking. A close third is painting. When it comes to fabric, paints open a lot of options not available with off the shelf printed fabrics. I recently saw a photo that I found breathtaking and I wanted to transfer it to fabric. I considered many options for doing it and decided that I would have to try small samples of some of the more promising ones before deciding the best course of action.

The photo is of a flower, not my typical subject matter. Since I didn’t have lots of fabrics in my stash in the colors I needed – I decided to hit the store and see what I could find that would work. As I reviewed my choices I came to realize that part of what I loved about the photo was the soft gradation of the colors across the petals with very subtle changes as the color moved along the the petals. Most of the prints and batiks seemed harsh compared to the photo. So for the first technique I am using inks and paints to make fabrics in just the right colors that I want. I do not want to paint a picture of the photo but I want a selection of fabrics that will give me the wide range of colors I need. Once I have these I will put them together using snip art to create my test.

Paints aren’t just for new projects…some one came in to the shop the other day with a very old quilt that needed repairing. We could find fabrics in our reproductions that were the right style of print but because of aging the whites just wouldn’t match. Instead of giving up we sent her home with some tea dye and the right print. She added just a hint of the tea dye to the fabric to get an almost perfect match. You wouldn’t know it was patched. Not long after, I found a quilt I was making was turning out to blue for me, so I used paints to touch up some of the prints with a beautiful lilac. It made all the difference in the world to the finished quilt. You don’t have to be an artist to add paints to a print. Paints don’t just have to be used for painting a picture, remember you can use inks/dies/paints to touch up an almost perfect fabric.

I’ll let you know how the painted fabrics work out with the snip art. It was popular a while ago, but the effects are still beautiful. Add some steam-a-seam (or other fusible) to the back of the fabrics. Snip the fabric into small pieces (less than 1″ in size) and lay them out to form your design. Iron them in place and quilt to add dimension. We’ll see how this works for the test petal before moving on to a free form foundation pieced approach next.

I’ll keep you posted.

In the mean time, here is a photo and the wall hanging I made from it using painted fabrics with thread painting for the trees/rocks/dock/clouds and quilting for dimension. Don’t you have a photo that would look great in fabric too?

People are always talking to me about their next project, and ideas are always swirling around in my brain. For the next month I am going to make an effort to pick one idea/question a day and pass along the idea to those of you who have signed up (patiently waiting) to follow.

Todays idea came out of a conversation with someone who just got started with quilting. She wanted to work on her techniques but she also wanted to have fun and actually create something. She didn’t have a pattern in mind, didn’t have a size, or a need….so where to start.

We started with a package of TaDa’s (these are like Thangles or any of a number of products for quickly making lots of half squares) and one background fabric. With these in hand, now came the fun part. Picking out lots of fat quarters and fat eigths (she could have gone off the bolt, but all she needed was small pieces, a great project for you scrappy quilters). The colors had to be pleasing together but they were never going to touch, so nothing had to be perfect.

So what was the plan?

TaDa’s are a fusible interfacing that you iron on to the back of your fabric. You can use the entire piece or you can cut out a section that includes just the number of half squares as you need. In our case we were working with 16 half squares per block she was going to make. A 2×8 piece of TaDa 2″ squares is about 5″ x 16″ and will fit easily on a fat eigth, or use a long strip the width of the fabric and it will fit on a straight eigth.

The background fabric was cut into sections that would give 16 finished squares each (she choose to use a 2″ finished square) and the blocks were going to be 4 rows x 4 columns (16-patches). Each of the background pieces would be paired with one of the decorative fabrics and 16 half squares made (sew on the dotted line, cut on the solid lines, and leave the interfacing where it is).

Once there are 16 squares for each block, now comes the designing. Arrange the squares in any way you want until you have a pleasing effect, and sew them together to complete a block.

Make as many blocks as you want, based on the fabric you have, the size you finally decide it will be, or just when you feel like you need no more practice.

Once the blocks are done, we’ll pick a sashing fabric, and then a border to complete the project.

So what will she have learned….
1) how to sew on a line – very helpful when it comes time to actually quilt the finished project
2) how to cut more accurately, lots of squares to be cut apart, and the better you get at cutting the more successful your future projects will be
3) how to match up seam allowances, with lots of 16-patch blocks to make, you’ll have plenty of intersections to piece
4) how to press a block and determine direction for seam allowances for the flatest blocks and the cleanest finish
5) block design
6) sample quilt layout and color coordination and selection

I am sure there is a lot more in there that she can learn, but what a fun way to start with just a package of something like TaDa’s and turn them into a quilt without all the excess planning.

REMEMBER:
Pick a background
Pick a color scheme for the quilt
Start making your squares
Design and stitch the block
Sashe the blocks
Add a border
Quilt & bind
Enjoy what you’ve learned

Some times practice makes perfect, but I’m hoping she finds that this project means practice makes a picture perfect quilt.

So, the other day I wanted to make some buttonholes and I was thinking about all those times that I tried to get them lined up just right and realized that though I had a fairly good success rate, perfect placement had alluded me. So what is a girl to do?

I turned to my trusty embroidery machine and realized that I could place the buttonholes using my embroidery system into the hoop and align them any way I wanted. Using the template that came with the hoop, it was easy to make sure that the edge of the fabric was perfectly straight before starting the stitchout. It could not have been easier.

But…not everyone has an embroidery unit, the buttonholes I made had great decorations around them that made they truely standout; so the question still persists, how to get great buttonholes without the embroidery machine?

The biggest thing to remember, in my opinion, is that a sample is worth its’ weight in gold. So how do you do it….start by marking your fabric. You’ll need a line to work from so that all your buttonholes start on the same line. I then recommend an oversized “I” be placed on the line at even intervals to mark the placement of the buttonholes. The top and bottom of the I reflect the bartacks at the top and bottom of the buttonhole and the center stem of the I is the cut line for opening the completed buttonhole. The reason you use an oversized “I” (with an extra long top and bottom) is so that you can see the markings even with the buttonhole foot on your machine. Make sure that the top and bottom of the I are wider than your presser foot.

The next part depends on if you have a manual or automatic buttonholer. With your markings on the fabrc, I recommend the Sewline marking pencil or their new air erasable pen, you are ready to get started. Make your sample and determine if your buttonholes are sewn towards you or away from you. Armed with this information you are ready to line up your buttonhole foot with the intersection of the top bar of the I and the center stem centered under the foot. If you are using a manual buttonholer you will have to tell your machine (push a button or turn a knob) when it is time to turn around. The turn around needs to be done when the bottom bar of the I is centered under the foot. For both automatic and manual machines make sure that the center stem of the I stays centered under the foot so that your buttonholes will all be parallel. The extra long top and bottom lines make it simpler to see when you are getting to the ends of the buttonhole, this is very important for people with manual buttonholers.

So that was a bit to comprehend in one sitting, the best way to get it to sink in is to actually try using the technique yourself. Keep in mind that the buttonholes will not be any more accurate than your marks are, so mark with care. Consider using a buttonhole placement tool or a grid marker for perfect evenly spaced placement lines.

A simple project to let you try out this technique is to make yourself a cute button front blouse, or how about adding a row of buttons to a purse as a closure, you could even add a flap to a a simple tote bag and dress it up with a row of decorative and festive colored buttonholes and buttons for a tote that can double as a purse.

Give it a try, you may find that with practice your fear of making a row of matching and aligning buttonholes is quickly a thing of the past.

Is it still fair to call it a block of the month program when we have you make more than just 1 each month? My feeling is as long as they are all the same it’s like at the 10 items or less line at the grocery store. Three of the same item count as 1; at least that is my story and I am sticking to it.

This year we have lots of different types of block of the month (BOM) programs going on. We decided to try doing a few different ones to figure out which ones people liked and to see about having a club for every one.

So why do people joing BOM clubs? There are a number of reasons people do it, the better question is “Is a Block Of the Month program right for me?”.

Toi decided about a BOM program I suggest you consider your answers to the following questions and let these help you determine what’s right for you.

1) do you like the finished quilt?
2) What is included in the cost of the BOM program? blocks, sashing, borders …
3) Do you have to finish the blocks each month to get the next one, and if you do, will you have the time each month to do this?
4) Have you seen a sample of the directions and the type of kits provided so you can determine if they work for you? and can you get excess fabric if you do make a mistake? How much will this cost?
5) When does it meet and if you miss a meeting (if it isn’t a pick-up any day club) what penalties may be applied?

These are just a few of the items to consider, but they should help. So, why isn’t the complexity of the blocks one of the key deciding factors? Because I believe that a primary goal of any BOM program should be to help you expand your quilting skills and if the directions are good and you like the teacher, what better way to learn a little bit each month. If a block comes out poorly, just replace it. Most BOM programs are some form of sampler quilt, this makes it easy to substitute in a new block if one of yours doesn’t come out well.

So, next time you see a BOM program, consider joining. They can be quite fun and a gret way to expand your skill set.

For those who have made it by the shop recently, you would have noticed the addition of Elna sewing machines to our great line-up of quality sewing machines.

Why Elna? this is probably the most common question we have gotten of late. We already carried two of the best brands on the market, both Husqvarna Vikinig and Bernina offer so much to their customers….but there was still a void that many of you asked us to help fill. With the loss of the Elna dealership in Framingham a few years back many loyal Elna enthusiasts were looking for support, supplies and upgrades for their Elna machines. The best way to serve our customers was to listen to what they were asking for. So, we spoke to Janome of America (Elna’s parent company) and made arrangements to bring in their wonderful machines. Believe it or not you can get a color touch screen sewing & embroidery combination machine from Elna for a price that’s hard to beat.

Stop by and see what we’ve done with the store, check out the Elna machines. We keep on trying to bring you what you need to make your sewing experience fun.

We continue to carry and support: Bernina, Husqvarna Viking, Singer and Elna serger, sewing and embroidery machines.

Thanks to everyone for a wonderful year. Happy New Year to you and yours.

It is hard to believe it has been 3 years since we opened our doors, and now it is almost 2011. So much has happened in the past few years, we have met many wonderful new people, learned so much from all of them, and tried to bring new and exciting things to the store and our classes. So what do I have to share this week?

How about you give yourself a new sewing challange for the New Year. Not every challange has to be complex the goal is to get yourself to try something you might not have if it weren’t for the challange. For this one you are challanging yourself to work without a plan and after cutting pieceing smaller elements you then layout and use what you have. It has some of the difficulities of workion

Take 3 coordinating fabrics in a light, medium and dark (they can be any colors with a variety of scale prints or solids). A fat quarter of each will be enough. Give it a chance.

Cut four 4 1/2″ squares from each
Cut four 5 1/4″ square from each
Cut eight 2 1/2″ squares from each

Draw a line from corner to corner on half of the 5 1/4″ squares. Layer one marked and one unmarked square rights sides together. Sew a seam a quarter inch on either side of the drawn line. Cut on the line. Press the seam allowances to one side. Make twelve 4 1/2″ half square.

Using the full and half squares arrange the pieces into a pleasing design. Use as many of the pieces as you want.

Sew together the pieces to create a small quilt top or pillow case cover. If you feell like donating it, remember we take donations of small (24″ to 32″) quilts for the Brigham and Womans neo-natal care unit.

So, I’ve never (at least as an adult) looked up what Labor Day was all about. It was first observed in September 5, 1882 in New York City. Did you know it all came about because of a labor strike against the Pullman train company? I guess Pullman was going through a resession so cut wages for employees while still demanding 12 hour days. I can understand a companys need to reduce costs, but the gotcha that cause a huge labor dispute was that Pullman operated a company town and though they reduced wages they did not reduce the cost of living in their company town. This lead to a huge strike supported by lots of other unions and finally to then President Cleveland sending in the military to stop the stike. This lead to the deaths of some workers, a crisis in the country and a need to reconcile with the labor unions. The celebration of Labor Day was the congressional answer to apeasing the unions and helping with reconcilliation.

Who knew…and how do this in any way apply to a blog from a sewing enthusiast? I doesn’t, I was just curious. I know that this labor day I can say I am thankful for everyone who does work at the store and all that they bring to it.

If you have never had the chance to come in a meet the staff at Wayside Sewing, you should make an effort to do so. Carole is an amazing quilter, her expertise in is applique work and she does some very beautiful work. Though I have to say her garment work isn’t too shabby either – the dress she recently made for her grand daughter is wonderful. Diane is an embroiderer extraordinaire. This woman can find the perfect spot to add embroidery to anything, and pretty much does. With lots of years of sewing experience under the belt she started to quilt a couple of years back and has combined her love of embroidery with her new found quilting skills to create some great quilts. Sidney may have started as a garment sewing, who does some quilting too, but her claim to fame are the absolutely magnificent pocketbooks that she makes – Vera Bradley eat your heart out. Carolyn simply loves to sew, though embroidery is featured heavily in many of her projects, you never know what she is going to work on next. Personally her embroidered Geisha Girl quilt is one of my favorites. As to me, I sew alot, cloths to home dec to quilting, just like the rest of the staff. I love working at the store and seeing all that you have to bring in and share with us. Your inspiration helps me to find new insight into the projects I’m working on too.

This Labor Day give a moment to think about all that the laborers you meet in your every day lives bring to the enjoyment of your own life and consider saying Thank You the next time a worker does something to make your day even better.

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the beautiful day.

With the Labor Day weekend here I feel like I am on vacation, then I turn around and see that pile of unfinished projects…..how to get through them while still enjoying the effort….that is the true question.

Well you know how you are always getting emails about new classes and new products and half the time you tune them out. What you forget is that most products were invented for a reason, someone like you had an issue, a problem, an idea, a pile of unfinished projects…..something that motivated them to come up with a solution or a better way of doing something. So next time you see an ad or read a newsletter, look for the jem inside, it might just help you get through that next unfinished project.

Next week we have Laura Phillips coming from Anita Goodesign. She is going to be covering lots of new techniques. I don’t know about you but I am interested in what she has to say. Personally I am hoping she’ll spend some time on cutwork. I always thought that cutwork was beautiful but found that the cutting was not my strong suit. For thos that know me, this won’t be much of a surprise. Cutwork requires you to slow down and pay attention to fine details….not my cup of tea. But recently both BERNINA and Husqvarna Viking introduced new cutwork tools to make completing cutwork embroidery easier and more accurate. These tools are actual cutting blades that replace your needle when doing embroidery work, too cool. With these tools now we only need new designs to go with them. I’ve seen the latest from Viking, beautiful, I know there must be more coming.

I also saw some great new pocketbook templates from Nancy and got to thinking how with these easy to use templates it would be simple to embroider a design on a piece of fabric and then use the templates, which you can see through, to center the design under the template for perfect placement when cutting out the pocketbook pattern. I have no idea if this was something Nancy had in mind, but it is a good example of a tool that can help you have more fun with your sewing. It’s also a great way to use your embroidery samples in a new pocketbook project.

Have a great labor day weekend and I hope you’ll sign-up to join Laura Phillips on the 11th.

Holiday Napkin

Well the answer is fairly simple, it takes time to create a gift and if you don’t plan ahead and get started during the summer, you’ll run out of time. This is one reason; the second is that many people take vacation in the summer and what better time to start your holiday projects then during vacation.

We have been getting in lots of Christmas, Holiday and Halloween fabrics over the past two weeks. We are still expecting more but this years crop of new fabrics seem to have one thing in common…they want to appeal to people beyond the holiday season. Nice colors and festive designs, but most of them don’t push it with too many cutesy themes or images so that the projects made with the fabrics can be used for months instead of weeks each year.

When selecting your holiday fabrics, always keep in mind who they are for, how they are to be used/displayed, and what will be made with them. Just because halloween is traditionally black and orange, that doesn’t mean it will go in your daughters new house. If it won’t go and you can’t picture her using it, then consider some of the newer fabrics that use a wider variety of colors and designs to keep the holiday theme without being quite so traditional.  Traditionally colored and designed fabrics still have their place but keep yourself open to the possibilities that are available today.

And, YES we will be having a Christmas in July celebration with our annual $5 fabric sale. Keep watching your email and our website as more exciting offerings to help you prepare for the end of year holidays get announced.

Check out this great link to a free project from Amazing Designs, it’s a nice holiday napkin.