Ready for the garden!

Last night I went to a Ladies' Crafting Night at a local church, hosted by my next door neighbor. While most of the other ladies there were doing scrapbooking, I hauled my sewing machine, pressing board, iron, fabric, pattern and all the other associated paraphernalia and worked on making something for me.
One of the projects that's been high on my ever-growing list is an apron I can wear in the garden to hold the harvest. I'm starting to have that issue now, with the asparagus harvest: we're picking about two pounds of asparagus every few days, and it's just inconvenient having to lug a bowl or basket out with me to put the spears in.
But a regular apron, with a solid fabric pocket, wouldn't work... The pocket would collect dirt and bugs. So I knew I'd have to make one.
For a starting point, I pulled Butterick 5506 from my stash:

The apron had the right shape, so I used it as a jumping-off point. I wasn't interested in having all those pockets, though... I just wanted one larger one.

So here's the result, finished in just over three hours:

(Yep, that's our garden... lots of work, but so rewarding! It measures about 75 feet wide by 150 feet long, and has a high fence all around to keep the deer out.)
The pocket is made of a sport mesh left over from making the inside pouches for Diana's first aid kit.

The edges were bound with bias tape (it's hard to see, but I made the tape out of a quilting cotton with a pea pod motif), and the pocket was sewn onto the apron with two lines of stitching to keep it secure. My hope is that the mesh will let the dirt fall out, so I don't have to wash the apron much.

My favorite part, though, is the design I added to the bib:

Believe it or not, this was done with my Silhouette Cameo! I used three different colors of heat transfer material. And it was so easy! I created the design, cut it out, and ironed it on. The hardest part was choosing the fonts. I can see doing a lot of this in the future; this was the first time I'd tried it.
The pattern also included a cute floppy-brimmed hat, which I'm going to make soon to go along with the apron. Yet another project for the list!
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to put my apron on and head out to the garden. The beans have sprouted and I need to put in the trellis so they have something to climb onto.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Hardly sewing, but still...

Today I tackled a project that had been staring me in the face every single bloody morning for the past several years.
This is my "dressing area," located in what used to be a teeny tiny half bath, which was attached to a little bedroom that (we think) was occupied by the "Chief of Staff" for the household help, back in the day when this place had a full-time staff of ten (I wish!). About six years ago we took out the bath, created a doorway, and turned the tiny bedroom into a walk-in closet. What was left of the bathroom space (where the commode was) was really too small to do anything with, so I appropriated it for a dressing table.

Here's the issue. The bedroom is on the east side of the house. For part of the year, the sun rises in just the right spot to shine through the window over my dressing table and send a shaft of brilliant light right smack across the center of my pillow.
So much for sleeping late on those mornings.
Hanging some kind of shade has been in the back of my mind for quite a long time now, and today I finally decided to just go ahead and make something -- anything! -- so I could possibly enjoy some extra morning shut-eye.
As is usually the case for projects like this, it was quickly done, leading me to kick myself for not having done it sooner. But no matter; it's up, and we'll see this weekend whether it makes a difference in letting me sleep in.

Project Details

The interior of the window measured 18" x 54", so that was the target size for the shade. I didn't want anything complicated; I just made a long shade, lined with blackout, with a sleeve at the top to run a tension rod through. I then put a second tension rod about halfway down the window and draped the shade over it to create a single fold.
Before going to bed, I will pull the bottom of the shade free of the second tension rod, so it will lay flat the length of the window. In the morning, I'll just pull it up and over the rod again.
There was only one line of sewing (the top edge) in the whole project, too! Everything else was bonded with Sealah tape (which is fabulous stuff). Even the bullion trim was attached with the tape... mostly because I'm not 100% certain I like it. It's left over from a project from years ago, so everything here is entirely from my stash. The gold fabric is left over from doing the bedroom a few years back, and I was happy to discover that I have enough of it left to do shades for the main room as well.
So, gradually, the bedroom is getting decorated. Eventually, more of the windows in the house will get shades or draperies, which will also help with energy efficiency and comfort throughout the year.

Cut Fabric with a Silhouette Cameo? YES!

It's no surprise that I love my Silhouette Cameo cutter. I keep finding new ways to use it! The latest discovery is that I can cut fabric on it, without having to fuse the fabric to an interfacing first! This is great, because interfacing permanently changes the hand of the fabric, and sometimes I just don't want that. But cutting fabric without it can result in a snarled mess. So what's the answer?

You need a Secret Weapon:

Good old-fashioned spray starch!

Lay the fabric wrong-side-up on your work surface and give it a good, long spray with the starch. You want to really saturate the fabric.

Let it soak in for a few seconds, then lay a press cloth on top (to protect your iron) and press the fabric, using the hottest setting you can. Since this is quilting cotton, I've got my Rowenta cranked up to maximum. Don't use steam!

When it's dry, spray it again and press it again. Make sure it's absolutely bone-dry.

The whole idea is to stabilize the fibers in the fabric so they are cut by the blade, rather than stretching and snagging on it. Spraying the back side of the fabric and using the press cloth helps minimize the shine from the starch.

Here's the fabric before starching:

And here it is after. I'm holding the pieces the same way, so you can see clearly that the treated fabric is much stiffer!

Now you need to adhere the fabric to the cutting mat. Make sure the fabric is entirely within the adhesive area; you don't want any stray threads floating around while the mat is going through the machine.

Here is trick #2: Use a hard, flat object and burnish the fabric to the cutting mat, making sure to get the whole piece of fabric bound tightly to the mat.

Now, load the mat into the machine.

Bring up your design in the Silhouette software. Make sure the design fits on the fabric. It's also best to allow about an inch of space between the design and the edge of the fabric, to help prevent snagging.

Here are the settings to use:

• Fabric Cutting Blade (the blue one)
• Fabric Cotton Print
• Speed = 4
• Knife Depth = 3

Send the design on its way to the machine and let it do its thing!

 

 When it's done, unload the mat and peel off the excess fabric. Then you can carefully remove your perfectly-cut design!

 

After you finish your project, the starch in the cut pieces will wash out when you first launder it.

So there you are! Go ahead and cut out your fabric on your Silhouette without having to buy expensive stabilizers or permanently change the hand of the fabric! Let me know if you try this method, and how it works for you!

Disclaimer

I haven't done this type of project a lot, but every time I've tried it, it's come out just fine. As the saying goes, Your Mileage May Vary. This method doesn't seem to be officially approved by Silhouette, so I have no idea if it will void the warranty if there are issues.

Apron Tool Holder

One of the challenges of being a home inspector is how to carry the various tools I use on the job: flashlight, circuit testers, camera, thermometer, pens, etc., etc. I couldn't keep everything in my pants pockets, although I did try (and ended up dropping my nice expensive flashlight into a toilet as I leaned over to peer into the tank).
I posted my dilemma on a home inspectors' forum and someone suggested I get a tool apron, like carpenters use. So I went to Home Depot and searched through their offerings, not finding anything suitable. Even an online search didn't yield anything.
Then a lightbulb went off, and I remembered this:

This is the old workroom apron I made years ago when I was still doing window treatments. It was made using a pattern from Kitty Stein, and as you can see from the general condition of the apron, it was well-used. But would it work with inspection tools? I tested it and decided that, with a few modifications in pocket sizes and placement, it would work fine.

The only problem was, I couldn't find the pattern. It is probably somewhere in the sewing room, but I'm afraid it was probably purged sometime during one of the last two moves. But no matter; I traced the existing apron and recreated the three pieces as best I could.

And here's the finished product, loaded and ready to go:

Of course I embroidered it with the company logo!
The green fabric is cotton duck cloth. Since it wasn't quite as heavyweight as the canvas I used for the old apron, I backed the pieces with my old standby, drapery lining, just to give the pocket panels a little more body. Construction was simple: pocket pieces were pinned wrong sides together and bound with bias tape along the top edge. I sewed some channels just in the bottom pocket, then more extending to the second tier. Then the three panels were sewn together along the outer curve, and then the outer edge was covered with bias tape.
To wear the belt, I attached 2" belting to the back of the apron with a few lines of stitches and put in a parachute buckle.

All I need to add to the belt is a loop for my flashlight, and I'll be ready for action!
The belt will get its first "field test" at this afternoon's inspection. I'm pretty confident that it will be up to the task, and I won't have to worry about dropping stuff anymore!

Finally, the Corduroy Skirt

I'm sure you've heard the joke about the guy who brings his film to a one-hour processing place. They tell him it'll be ready next week. "But your sign says one hour!" the man protests. "Yes," they tell him, "but your hour doesn't come up until next week."

That's kind of how it went with this skirt.

I originally made the muslin last August. August!! Seven whole months ago! It didn't take me much longer than that to brew the actual person who would be wearing said skirt. But I am so fortunate that she understood, and hounded me constantly waited patiently until the skirt rose to the top of the to-do list.
One of the reasons for the delay was that I hadn't found the right fabric for the final wool skirt. So she asked whether I could make a shorter version out of two yards of fine wale corduroy I picked up at Waechter's in Asheville last October. Okay, sure. So I redrafted the skirt shorter and with more flare. To get it out of the two yards without it being too short for her liking, I ended up making a contrasting facing. Hand-sewing that in place was quite a production, as the final hem sweep ended up being about eight feet. This is a very flippy skirt!
However, the work was well worth it, as Diana tried it on with glee and proceeded to do pirouettes in the yard.

The original idea was to add pockets to the skirt, but it's so full that they probably wouldn't lie right, so she agreed to omit them.

The faced hem really helps it stand out. The corduroy actually has a very soft drape. The facing was a black knit, stabilized with a lightweight fusible to help it hold its shape.

The facing was drafted by copying the bottom 2.5 inches of each skirt gore, stitching the pieces end to end, and sewing it onto the bottom edge of the skirt. It was then turned up and hand-stitched to the skirt, using itty-bitty stitches. Corduroy does NOT hide stitches well.

But yay, it's done, and now I can get started on the real skirt: a fully-lined camel. At my current production rate, it ought to be ready by Christmas.

Non-Sewing: Don't Blink!

We're finally getting some snow here in Maryland (it's been two years since our last measurable snowfall!), and my daughter Diana got the day off from work since the cat clinic where she works was closed for the day. So she and her fiance Alex took advantage of the opportunity to have some fun!

However... Should I now be scared to open the door?

Doctor. Who fans will appreciate this one the most.

Yes, indeed, that is a Weeping (Snow) Angel.

Diana also made a Snow Cat to keep it company.

Anyone want a pattern?

The last project I started at the ASG Retreat was Timber Lane Press's Pocket Tote. I made this bag some years ago and came across the pattern while choosing projects for the retreat. I remembered liking the bag the last time I made it, so added it to my project pile.

Cutting the pattern out and getting the first 75% done was no problem at all. But I didn't get to finish it at the retreat, so brought it home to finish it in the sewing room. Today I finally got the last of the thing done and I swear, I'm never making this bag again.
Don't get me wrong; it's a very nice pattern, but the last assembly steps are just murder on my machines!! I went through more needles than for just about any other project; I even broke a Jeans needle on the final stitching. During the final assembly, where you are attaching the binding to the outer seam, there are points where you are trying to plow through 11 layers of fabric and 4 layers of batting!! I could barely get my presser foot high enough to get the layers underneath. Much to my surprise, my industrial didn't have the oomph to get through the layers. I was able to complete the machine sewing on my Viking 1+; with every stitch the light dimmed and there were a few spots where my machine simply said "Nuh-uh, not doing a stitch there!" and I would have to advance it just a wee bit so it could take the stitch.
But it's done. The last bit of sewing is done by hand (stitching down the binding that covers the edges), and I finished it this evening.
Here's the front of the bag:

I did the embroidery for the front pocket on my Designer 1 before I left for the retreat, but that was the only prep work. All the pieces are machine-quilted, and I did free-motion quilting around the house and person in the logo. I actually do like how it looks on the pocket.

The back has the same pocket as the front, only without embroidery. You can see the white chalklines I used to keep the meander quilting reasonably straight; I used tailor's chalk which is waxy, and I hope the marks will eventually fade away!

The inside has a nice selection of pockets.

Yes, I used my standard drapery lining as the interior fabric.
The pattern instructions call for one zippered interior pocket, but I added a second one. Also, the instructions call for sewing it down along the top edge, but I like the option of having it serve as both an open pocket and a zippered pocket. There are also two elastic-topped pockets for water bottles and such on the inside.
The instructions for sewing the handles are strange: it calls for sewing a tube of fabric, then sewing a tube of batting, and threading the batting into the tube. I tried that and it totally didn't work; I couldn't get the padding to slide into the tube! I struggled for half an hour and finally gave up; I ended up cutting strips 4x the final strap width, placing padding in the center half, then folding the strip in half and then folding the raw ends to meet the center fold, and edgestitching to hold it all together. It worked fine.

I'm not sure how to make something like this easier to complete, unless it would be by using a thinner fabric. I used a bottomweight twill (the same one I used for the Professional Tote), because I like to have durable fabrics for my tote bags. The pattern calls for Warm & Natural batting between the layers, but I used my heavy western flannel drapery interlining because that's what I still have a bolt of. I'm not sure if it's that much heavier than W&N but I'd have to check.

Anyway, I'm going to find this pattern a new home so it doesn't rise to the surface again in six or seven years and tempt me to tackle it again. Any takers?