Author / Connie Smith

by Connie Smith

Fabric Guidelines and Tips!

I’ve written tips on this blog, and I’ve written about fabrics. Truthfully though, some of the most sensible pieces of advice I think you can give a person just diving into the world of sewing are about fabric. While it might be easy to fall into the mindset of simply looking for patterns and colors, there’s more to consider in regards to your fabric choices—particularly for those of us with potential baby-steps skills with sewing. Those details, as it were, can have severe impacts on the ease or difficulty of putting together your first quilt, pillow, shirt, etc. For this particular post, I’ll focus on one specific kind of project: Patchwork Quilts.

Running the risk of making this read like a high-school, three-point essay, I’ll still stick to my idea here in saying that there are at least three fabric details worth considering before beginning your first patchwork quilt: Type, stretchiness and size.

1) Type:

Can words honestly express how big of a deal the type of fabric you pick can be? Well, let’s look at it logically. Through Amazon, you can buy these pieces of material:

Which one, just by looks, seems to be the most agreeable to work with? If you chose the owl-including Door #2, you would be correct!

Of course, that was an easy example since lace just looks like it would be a pain, but even choosing silk or satin as your first fabrics could prove a regretted decision. They’re slick, and that easy-to-slide quality could lead to stitching that is too wavy to be precise.

A good first-fabric, in my opinion, is cotton. It’s simple, but it stays where you put it more than silk or satin, which could lead to more accurate stitching with less hassle. A better product that’s simpler to come by could be in your hands and on your sewing-resume just by picking the right fabric!

Another detail worth considering in type is *you* personally. Example: I have potential issues with polyester—like sneezing—so that’s probably not the way I should go!

Some fabrics have more give than others seem to have.

Some fabrics have more give than others seem to have.

2) Stretchiness:

Some fabrics have more give than others seem to have. That doesn’t mean you should necessarily rule out every piece of material for the rest of your life that has a stretchy quality, but it’s something worth noting as you pick out fabrics. If you’re making a quilt, a stretchy piece of material that’s beneath a non-stretchy one could be an issue.

Example: If Block A is non-stretchy and is above stretchy Block B, the end result could be that Block B *has* to be stretched out to match Block A’s size. Say you measured Block B’s fabric by *having* it stretched out. That decision, if your blocks are the same size, would lead to the need to keep Block B’s fabric stretched for it to reach the same end-line as Block A. That, in turn, could lead to a scrunchy detail for your quilt that you don’t care for because the material condensed back into its original form.

Trust me! Few things are as disappointing on a quilt you made as seeing lines that are obviously not straight and blocks that are clearly mismatched in size! Speaking of size…

3) Size:

Last but not least, the size of your material matters, and I’m not talking about how much you get from your fabric store. I’m talking about block sizes. It really pays to think about where you want your overall product to go, and in two particular ways for this idea: How complex you want your product to appear, and how difficult you want your journey toward a final product to be. Once you find the answers to those questions, you might be closer to deciding on a block size for your patchwork quilt.

For instance, if you want something that looks really complex, smaller pieces of material might be your friend. Think of it like a puzzle. If your puzzle has one hundred pieces, you might have an easier, quicker time finishing it than a puzzle with fifteen hundred pieces, but the fifteen-hundred-piece product might look more impressive to someone who notices it. It’s the same principle with patchwork quilts. Even though tiny squares can look impressive, there’s more time that goes into making smaller squares into that large final product. It might look better if you get it right, but be ready for some effort!

If you want something that’s easier, you might think of having larger squares—like ten inches. The final product could look particularly amateurish though *because* the quilt squares are so large. Without some kind of embellishment for the patches, the simplicity might make your product seem less impressive.

For those reasons, you might want to decide on a combination of impressiveness and ease for your first quilt—maybe 8 inches. They’re large enough blocks to be easy to work with, but with the material that would be taken up while sewing the patches together, the final product might look more professional. Sounds like a potential win/win!

One final tip about size: Once you select one, you might think of buying pre-cut fabric squares in that size for your quilt. It’ll ease up your first-quilt process, and maybe you can get enough confidence with their help to give you fuel to keep going in your quilting journey!

I Sew! You Sew! We Sew!
by Connie Smith

I Sew! You Sew! We Sew!

When I was a little girl, music was a group experience in my family. Clearly, that would be the case if we were members of a band or something, and we certainly had some musically inclined folks in our circle. I, more’s the pity, only ever learned to play a number of simple tunes on a recorder and very—very—minimal details of a guitar. With that lack of musical ability, I wasn’t exactly going to grab some drumsticks and make awesome music with anyone!

Old school—fifties and sixties, and maybe even some from the decades before those.

Old school—fifties and sixties, and maybe even some from the decades before those.

So the band element isn’t what I mean about music being a group experience. What I *do* mean is that my parents had this floor model record player, and it wasn’t all that odd for us to sit around said player while old school country and rock played from it. And by old school, I mean old school—fifties and sixties, and maybe even some from the decades before those. That idea of group music-listening continued as I grew older, taking shape in sitting around with my brother while he played 80s rock and such. In case anyone wants a reason as to why my music collection might seem outdated, I think I’ve given you a direction to consider to find the reason!

The point is that we’re the type of people who can sit and talk about music or play music together, and it’s not too weird of an occurrence. In fact, it’s kind of normal.

Back in the Day…

Even in my high school art class, working on projects was a group experience because the classroom was arranged in such a relaxed way. We were allowed to talk with one another while we worked, so we basically ended up chatting and working in small groups—and I might have broken out a Disney tune or so along the way.

Those are two artistic categories that I’ve treated with group experiences, and I recently had reason to consider making sewing a group experience as well. As of right now, if I’m around people when I sew, it’s potentially because we’re all watching TV or something, and I’m sewing while we watch. I might be in a group, but it’s definitely not group sewing!

Branching Out

This month though, I had a Facebook comment conversation with someone that got me thinking. If music is a group experience in my history, and art was a group experience in my high school class, why not sewing? I did some browsing online, and the idea doesn’t seem like a new one! Apparently, sewing clubs exist! Who knew?

Still, I happen to live in a lesser known area of my state, so the odds that there’s going to be a local sewing club are pretty low. If I want a group sewing experience, I should think about leaning toward the idea of virtually sewing in groups, which is okay because virtual sewing possibilities are evidently out there, even if we have to make them happen ourselves.

That friend I had the comment conversation with.For instance, that friend I had the post conversation with? She claimed that she, like me, wanted to make a rag quilt. Well, if we both want to make rag quilts, why not make them at the same time and compare notes online along the way? It sounds like a good idea to me, and as of right now, we’ve talked about the possibility of doing exactly that next year.

What I want to do for a pattern.

What I want to do for a pattern.

The idea is so intriguing to me!!! I even have a possible idea of what I want to do for a pattern, and it looks something like this Craftsy project, but with a more equal-block style:

 

Beyond my personal idea for my own quilt, I also have an idea of expanding this situation beyond just two people, or at least trying to. You see, I’ve decided that what would be even more awesome is if this could somehow become a bigger thing—like if more people decided to make a rag quilt around that time, and it became something that included dozens of people. This notion, in fact, is so intriguing that I’m putting it on my goals list for 2017. The official goal would read something like this:

Create an organized sewing project, promote it online, and hopefully engage a number of people in the endeavor.

Let’s Collaborate

Even if I only gained five people who would be willing to partake through Twitter promotion and such, that’s five people to discuss my rag quilt with beyond what I already have! That idea of comradery is hard to pass up, and it isn’t something I necessarily considered before that series of Facebook comments. Something that simple got my thought process going, and I want to run with it!

So, dear reader(s) that I hope are out there, keep an eye out for future posts regarding specifics about this event. I want to plan things out right in order to ideally get good results, so I’m not going to throw out a specific date without that proper planning. But unless things change and the plan shifts, the rag quilt virtual extravaganza is happening! And I’m looking forward to the possibilities!

What do you guys think? Interested in the event? Even if you aren’t, have you ever sewn in groups? Details, guys! Details!

Book Promoting for the Crafty Author
by Connie Smith

Book Promoting for the Crafty Author

I have a number of creative outlets, guys. I like to sew, quilt, bake, design floral arrangements…

I’ve of fallen in love with the idea of freelance writing.

I’ve of fallen in love with the idea of freelance writing.

But my number one creative outlet is writing. That’s one of the reasons why having this blog opportunity fits so well with my personality and interests. I get to dabble in one category of creative endeavor and learn about it while exercising my number-one creative passion by writing about it. It’s a pretty awesome system, honestly, and I’ve kind of fallen in love with the idea of freelance writing because of it.

What would be awesome though is if I could make a living as an author, which is something that I’ve been putting efforts toward. I’ve been working on and publishing books since at least 2013, and I’ve learned a thing or two about what to do in regards to marketing and such. Not enough to make me a best seller, mind you, but I’ve learned enough to be in better shape than I was when my first book was released in 2013!

I’ve learned enough to be in better shape than I was when my first book was released in 2013!

I’ve learned enough to be in better shape than I was when my first book was released in 2013!

In the Beginning…

That first book is being re-released by a publisher, and I want to do things right this time around by applying what I know. What I *do* know is that there are steps in marketing that can attract an audience, and giveaways happen to be one of those options. In fact, I recently finished a giveaway on Goodreads for this very copy of one book I wrote. Maybe you’ve heard of it? Jivin’ Tango? Oh well… 🙂

Importance of Planning

I recently finished a giveaway on Goodreads for this very copy of one book I wrote, Jivin' Tango.

I recently finished a giveaway on Goodreads for this very copy of one book I wrote, Jivin’ Tango.

The point—and this is what brings us to the theme of this blog—is that I’ve been trying to think outside of the box for things that I could create for the upcoming book releases that would make for awesome giveaway items. And I think I might actually have come up with some ideas for the process! You see, this upcoming re-released trilogy is a fantasy series that includes essences of a number of mythical creatures—fairies, dragons, vampires, mermaids, werewolves, genies, etc.—and that leaves a whole lot of territory to dive into for the world of sewing and quilting. Why? Because fantasy is a big deal these days, and it isn’t hard to come up with fabric to fit the category!

 

I figure though that one detail that I should consider is pacing and speed. It would be crazy-awesome to make a crazy-awesome quilt and give it away, but I need to consider other factors. For instance, in order to have these books available for sale next year, there’s more editing I need to go through for each and forms to finish/start filling out, not to mention other why-am-I-an-adult tasks I need to address for life in general. To put that detail plainly, I just might not have the time (or the skill at this point) to make that crazy-awesome quilt by a January release date, which I think is when the first book is scheduled to come out.

Giveaways Galore

So what are some things I would have time for before that first book’s release? Well, there are the obvious options, like totes and wall hangings that would allow for simple makes (I hope!). I could also make a set of throw pillows, scarves, place mats, table runners, oven mitts, purses, bookmarks… Thank you, Google and sites I found via Google, for the ideas!

Of all of these possibilities, for whatever reason, throw pillows and totes seem like the most intriguing options. So, I’m thinking that these could be my primary targets for the first two book releases. For the third, most delayed option, I’m thinking either a quilt or a wall hanging might suffice. If that’s the case, here’s my schedule:

January—Within the Essence (The Division: Book One)—Throw Pillows

February—Through the Ashes (The Division: Book Two)—Tote

March—Beyond the Hope (The Division: Book Three)—Quilt/Wall Hanging

It’s worth noting that I haven’t tried to make a pillow since childhood, and I’ve never done a tote before. With those things in mind, there might be some complications and project switching since I have a limited time frame to work with. If I can’t make one work, something might need to be changed!

Theme is Key

The most connected detail though is to make sure there’s that fantasy link. Otherwise, my theme is gone, and I might as well be sending out paper plate bunnies or something, no matter how impressive the final products are. For that quality, I’m thinking I’ll select three of the mythical creatures that are connected to this trilogy—one for each project. Personally, I’d love to make a quilt out of this material (I love fairies!), and I think throw pillows out of material that’s something like this could be awesome. Beyond the fairy and dragon, I could go with a mermaid concept for the tote, using scaled fabric and charms. The potential problem though would be that, if these were successful, at least two of out three of them I might want to keep!

Honestly, I’ve been looking for ways to blend in these hobbies so that I can have some crossover details, and this feels like a great opportunity! I can improve my sewing and expand my experience in the field while promoting my number-one creative endeavor of writing. How isn’t that a win-win?

I’d be interested in any tips for projects I could do for one of these book releases, if you have a different idea than what I posted! Feedback, guys!

by Connie Smith

The Deconstruction (And Reconstruction) of Hello Kitty

Let’s same I’m thrifty, shall we? I like shopping at the Goodwill, and I’ve been known to make my way over to the clearance section in the clothes department of a non-Goodwill store. It’s a theme that’s pretty easy to spot if you look through my posts from the past. I reuse material, and updating my sewing supplies is something that I found reason to put on my 2017 goals list because I haven’t invested too much into it. I can be a bit of penny-pincher if the situation calls for it, so it’s no real shock that so much of my sewing experience involves reusing and repurposing.

Today, I offer you yet another example of that reusing and repurposing.

The bottom half in particular caught my interest.

The bottom half in particular caught my interest.

You see, I have a niece who had this Hello Kitty dress. Personally, I don’t get the interest in Hello Kitty—I’m more of a Tinker Bell kind of girl—but after the dress ended up getting ripped, my thoughts got to rolling about what could be done with the material that was left over. The bottom half in particular caught my interest. Even if I don’t particularly care for Hello Kitty myself, the material was colorful enough and in good enough shape, if you overlooked the rip, that it seemed a waste to just toss it out. My niece, after all, deserves her Hello Kitty attire!

In the end, the answer seemed simple. If the bottom half of the dress was salvageable, then a skirt was the perfect option! The white material underneath it was still in decently good shape, so I could use that like it’d been used for the dress itself. All I needed to do was plan, cut, figure, and reassemble.

Cutting was relatively easy when it came to the bottom half because I didn’t worry too much about getting straight edges. If I needed straight edges, I could do a touch-up job later. As it turned out, I wouldn’t I have to because the material was designed in a way that there wasn’t one side that specifically needed to be on the top or the bottom. See how Hello Kitty is in two different directions in the earlier picture? I could just use the more raggedy-edged side to fold over the elastic I would eventually use, and no one would see it anyway. The bottom part of the dress could be the actual line that was company-given by design.

The raggedy edges where the tear had been, I felt, could use hemming, so I saw to that. I wasn’t sure if I actually needed both sides to be hemmed, but since I was figuring it out as I went along, it seemed better to be safe than sorry! Once both sides were hemmed, I was ready to pin the Hello Kitty material onto the underlying fabric.

I opted to tack the end of the colored material to the section of Hello Kitty material beneath it.

I opted to tack the end of the colored material to the section of Hello Kitty material beneath it.

So I did! But as I’d already noticed, there was a bit of a design issue that would require an executive decision. You see, this Hello Kitty material was asymmetrical, meaning if I pinned it evenly at the top of the white material, the bottom of the Hello Kitty piece wouldn’t be even. My options then included either hemming the bottom for a symmetric look, or embracing the quirkiness of the not-so-symmetric hem.

In the end, I decided to go with the easier but more distinguishable option of letting the hem be asymmetric. I also made another executive decision to not cut off the extra side-to-side material once the white material had been completely covered. Instead, I opted to tack the end of the colored material to the section of Hello Kitty material beneath it, so the final result would seem more like a wrap-around skirt.

Once that step was finished, the top looked something like this.

Once that step was finished, the top looked something like this.

Once I’d made those decisions, sewn the raggedy edges where the tear had been on the dress, sewed all layers of material at the top, and tacked the material for that wrap-around look, all I had to do was add in the elastic. The process involved a one-section-at-a-time strategy of folding the top portion of material over the elastic, sewing so that the material overlapped the entire width of elastic, then moving to the next section—bit by bit, and at times pushing and pulling the elastic and/or fabric so that the entire top portion of the skirt was encasing that tiny piece of elastic. Once that step was finished, the top looked something like this.

And there you have it!

And there you have it!

And with that step completed, the skirt was done!

And there you have it! A Hello Kitty skirt from the remnants of a Hello Kitty dress! I still have the top portion of the dress that could be used for something, but who knows? Maybe it’ll become a part of a project, and maybe it won’t 🙂

What do you guys think??? Like? Hate? Something in between? Let me know!

Let's Make Some Goals!
by Connie Smith

Let’s Make Some Goals!

Once upon a time, I attempted the 101 goals in 1001 days challenge. Ever heard of it? Basically, you come up with 101 goals (at least, that’s the goal—you can decide whether or not that pun was intended!) and you give yourself 1001 days to finish up said goals. It’s a fairly simple idea, and I was intrigued enough to come up with that many things and start on working toward success for the list.

I think I finished writing the list. But I did not finish accomplishing the goals on that list.

I later tried again. Some of the goals might’ve been new. Some might’ve been on the earlier list. Still, I made a list (I think it was full!) and started over.

Again, I didn’t finish with that whole accomplishing-thing.

Even though I might loooove making lists (Nerd? Probably!), I don’t think I’ll ever make a 101-in-1001 list and see the process through. Why? A couple of things are worth mentioning for reasons.

One is that I don’t know what I’ll want to do in over two years. I might know big things, maybe even *some* small things, but to commit myself to 101 things that’ll fit my plans approximately 2.74 years from now? Doubts are reasonable!

Congratulations graduate!

Congratulations graduate!

Also, while going through the process earlier, I found that my goals changed, and my beginning list didn’t really fit at a certain point. Possible example: I think I was working on my MA in Ancient & Classical History for the beginning of one list, maybe both. I never got that degree, but I did end up getting a fancy MA in English and Creative Writing. The school I graduated from even sent me this little guy for social media potential. Lucky me!

The point? I accomplished something, but not what I named if I specified what I wanted an advanced degree in. Things change, and my lists might not have kept up with those things.

And even if the changing goals wasn’t an issue, who actually has 101 things they want to do at any given moment? I might have to make a few things up or stretch my imagination to come up with that many goals—which could heighten the chance that I won’t want to continue with said goals. A scrambled-after goal isn’t necessarily the strongest one. I mean, if I didn’t *seriously* want to do something in the first place and had to think waaaaay outside of the box to come up with it, why make an extended effort to accomplish it? Am I right?

I bring this up because, while I don’t feel like I’m overly good at committing tiny goals to myself for the so-distant future, I do still have goals. Beyond that detail, I also like the idea of giving myself a cut-off for those goals. And, as I said, I like making lists like this!

So… I’m going to do another one! This time though, instead of having such an extended time period of a 101-list of potentially made-up goals, I’m going to focus on something more foreseeable and sizable. The smaller the time span, the less time there is for goals to change. The smaller the number or goals, the higher priority they have to be before they make the list (and the smaller the chance that I made them up as fillers!). Combined, the scenario could make my list more doable and successful. Maybe. Possibly. Hopefully? 🙂

An early step of this process is clearly to come up with that list. And no, I don’t have a finished list to hand to you. Instead, I’m announcing that this will be a concept that will likely pop up on blog posts in the future. This list and these goals won’t be the focus of all future posts, but they might show up as casual “Hey! New Goal!” mentions. If you see one of those at some point, reading this post will have given you a warning about what’s going on!

In early 2017, I plan to have a specific, finished list of quilting/sewing goals to tend to during the year. One year at a time, maybe a dozen goals at a time, seems more like a potential recipe for success than scrambling for something to list and pretending what I want will stay what I want for a long time. I can focus on what I do want to do, and take it in small enough batches that could lessen the likelihood that my interests will do a one-eighty!

But I do have a goal or six to start off with, so my list has already begun! Want to read the goals so far? Here you go!

  • Make a rag quilt – Why do I adore these things soooo much? I’ve never even owned one that I specifically remember, but I’m so interested in making my own. I’m thinking of a conversation-heart design for sentimental reasons, but I guess I can work out the ends and outs of specifics at a later time!

    Behold! The Christmas purse I bought. Isn't it fun?

    Behold! The Christmas purse I bought. Isn’t it fun?

  • Make a Halloween purse – It can be a pretty big holiday person (I already have a Christmas purse I bought!), and I’d love something that I made myself to carry around during the month of October. I don’t know that I’ve ever made any kind of purse, so the whole experience could be new—maybe challenging. Even if I make one this year, I could make a more challenging one next year.
  • Make quilts or blankets for all who know me as an aunt – This goal in itself could be handful, but I think it might be worth the effort. They’re pretty awesome kids, after all!
  • Make a patchwork piece of clothing – Like with the rag quilt, it might be hard to tell why this idea intrigues me like it does. I do like patchwork things though, so why not make a patchwork design I can wear to the store for people to see? Easier to show off that way! 🙂
  • Go through all of the free Craftsy classes for quilts and sewing – I’ve already improved my technique because of the video I watched, so browsing the rest of them might be a good idea. Who knows how much I could learn from them, or how much better my sewing/quilting could become because of them? Let’s find out!A pre-assembled sewing kit and a Muppet tote with fabric in it.
  • Improve my sewing tools collection and organization – Not saying this is all I have in the way of tools and organization, but this is a pretty decent percentage: A pre-assembled sewing kit and a Muppet tote with fabric in it. Even when added to the other things I have, I could use an upgrade! Why not tend to that next year, too!

Six goals to start off, and months left to build! Hopefully, the months leading up to 2017 can help me gain ideas through projects and posts.

Any ideas from you guys? If so, post a comment!

by Connie Smith

The Sewing Needle Controversy

I have a freebie calendar hanging on my wall. Well, actually, I got the calendar in the mail from a business that I’ve done quiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiite a bit of shopping through, so I guess “freebie” might be a stretch. Maybe “reward” would work better? Though if they wanted to reward me, cheesecake might’ve been the better option…

In any event, the calendar has random holidays listed, like July’s “Thread the Needle Day.” Personally, I’m not sure I ever knew that there was such a thing as a day set aside for something as small as threading a needle, but hey! If the calendar says it, let’s go with it!

Threading the needle is an action related to a topic that’s somewhat un-nice for me. That un-niceness isn’t because I can’t thread a needle, but the very idea of needles can be a bit daunting to me—and not just because I may or may not have a tendency to accidentally stab myself with needles and straight pins. Blood, sweat, and tears might be a bit more literal for me in that regard than for other people!

The issue I’m bringing into the conversation today is the fact that there are SO MANY needles, and I end up sticking to a preferred one. I couldn’t even tell you what size my current sewing needle is. It was just selected by my preferred method of sewing needle selection, which is basically something like this:

“Which one is gonna be the easiest to get the thread through? Maybe this one? Okay, that’s my needle!”

Effective, no? Well, the process hasn’t left me in too dire straights as of yet, but I’m inclined to believe that there’s supposed to be more to choosing your needle than that one tiny factor. I suppose though that I’m a person of habit, and I use needles and thread without really considering the other factors that should potentially go into selecting those kinds of elements.

I’m a rebel sewer like that, I guess? Or maybe the reason is something a lot less shades-and-leather-jacket sounding. Maybe I just don’t know those other factors, and I’m too lazy to figure them out.

Large holes in used fabric.

Large holes in used fabric.

Which is bad, because while the flaw hasn’t left me in too dire straights, as I said earlier, it is the possible culprit as to why some of the thin fabric on my current project has visible holes that seem larger than they should be where the needle and thread went through. That thin fabric, by the way, also happens to be used since I’m making this quilt out of old clothes. Especially for a project as tedious as this one, maybe I should’ve been more careful about how I chose my sewing needle. The material is fragile from use, and having fabric damaged in the process of making a quilt or blanket before it ever becomes that quilt or blanket is disappointing.

Look how well some of my corners are turning out this time!

Look how well some of my corners are turning out this time!

On a side note though, look how well some of my corners are turning out this time! The change is directly connected to that online class I shared on my last post, so you might want to check it out (Kesser, n.d.)! You live and learn, I suppose, and what I’ve learned since my last blanket/quilt project has helped me better put together this one. Maybe that I-need-to-be-more-careful-about-needles thing can help on me the next project in like manner. Then, perhaps someday down the road, I can have a quilt or a blanket that doesn’t have such easily avoided mistakes! Maybe it’s one lesson at a time, one realized mistake at a time 🙂

SEW-lutions Guidelines: Your Guide to Successful Sewing

SEW-lutions Guidelines: Your Guide to Successful Sewing

Luckily though, like with learning about my sewing machine without the printed instructions, there is assistance online to help me with this needle selection problem. One source is this PDF file that takes a hand-sewer through certain kinds of needles that could be used for projects.

Another idea would be to visit a sewing shop, the really nice kind with people who are willing to help and are capable of helping customers with these sorts of issues—instead of the one that I currently use (that will remain nameless because I’m thoughtful like that) where I might do well to find someone to cut some fabric for me. I’ve actually heard about a local shop that I could try, and if I do, I’ll try to remember to take mental notes—with exquisite mental penmanship—for a later post about my first-ever, non-department-store, non-online, sewing-material-and-tools-buying experience!

All in all though… Thread the Needle Day? Maybe I should celebrate Learn Your Needle Day first even if I have to pick a random date and assign it that name myself! If anyone has any tips for this process, be sure to leave them in the comments! I—and maybe other readers—would appreciate the input!

I guess a moral of this post’s story could be that not everyone knows everything about a subject, and sometimes a bit of research could go a long way in helping to make our projects the best that they can be. Like I might have said about my sewing machine on an earlier post, if I don’t know my tools for the craft well enough to accurately use them, I’m putting myself at a disadvantage. I can’t apply the most effective techniques, so I can’t expect the most professional results. And it takes *me* to do my homework to learn those techniques. So, dear self, do your homework on sewing needles! Then next Thread the Needle day, you could have a party hat and streamers. And that piece of cheesecake the store didn’t reward you with.

What about you guys? Do you have a particular area in sewing or quilting that just seems daunting to you?

Reference:

Kesser, G. (n.d.) “Piece, Patch, Quilt: Basic Quiltmaking Skills.” Craftsy.com. Retrieved from www.craftsy.com/project/course/piece-patch-quilt-quiltmaking-skills/369

Finding the Fabrics
by Connie Smith

Finding the Fabrics

Sometimes, little decisions can make big impacts. Details that are minute and all but brushed aside as secondary could really have an effect on a life. Or in this case, a project! I’ve said before on this very blog that quilting is not baking, and it’s true! While I can guesstimate with my baking ingredients, specifics can be a serious deal when partaking in a sewing-related hobby. I’ve already covered that general topic, but for this blog post, I’d like to funnel that idea to one particular concept. That detail is picking out your fabrics for a project that requires more than one design of material.

In the world of sewing, matching isn’t the goal. Complementing is.

Now, I’m not saying that people don’t take this consideration seriously. I’m saying that in a world where you can find all kinds of free patterns online for sewing projects, this step is worth considering just as much as finding that right pattern, and that maybe there’s less help in regards to learning how to select a fabric set than—for instance— learning how to operate your sewing machine. After all, your fabric might not come with instructions or a series of recommendations for other fabrics to blend together into one project!

Gail Kesser helps you pick our your fabrics in her Craftsy series.

Gail Kesser helps you pick our your fabrics in her Craftsy series.

Luckily though, you don’t have to be completely alone in the matter! There are certain options for help—like asking friends, particularly ones who are involved with sewing. Likewise, you can find assistance online. Some of the best advice I’ve gotten in regards to picking out quilting fabrics came from a free class on Craftsy.com. The class was called “Piece, Patch, Quilt: Basic Quiltmaking Skills,” and in it, Gail Kesser—the instructor—has an entire section based on fabric selections called “Choosing Your Fabrics.”

In that lesson, Kesser advises the virtual student to choose a “mommy fabric” (Kesser, n.d., Lesson #3), then “walk it around the store” (Kesser, n.d., Lesson #3) to find fabrics that work well with the initial choice. Honestly, I don’t know that there’s better advice when it comes to putting together an entire quilt—or any other project with multiple types of fabric—but I’d like to expand on the overall idea just a bit. Maybe someone reading this post can look at the mentioned video for help, and possibly get a pointer or two from me as well 🙂

So, here are some thoughts to chew on!

Picking out a series of fabrics to use in one cohesive work isn’t about making sure they match in the traditional sense. The situation isn’t like you’re planning an outfit to wear. When deciding on your clothes for the day, you might consider a list of details to make sure everything works together because the result is supposed to match. In the world of sewing, matching isn’t the goal. Complementing is. That idea of complementing can come in the form of sticking with similar colors, or even embracing an overall theme your pieces all agree with, so to speak. As long as it’s a unified idea or connected imagery throughout, you’re good to go!

The quilting-for-kids project my niece got for her birthday.

The quilting-for-kids project my niece got for her birthday.

Don’t believe me? Even the people who created this quilting-for-kids project my niece got for her birthday knew that sometimes it isn’t about matching. This design is about complementing, or holding on to one specific theme—like the collection of different colors that my niece can put together!

This concept might seem unimportant, but it isn’t since the distinction is so clear. Think of it this way. If you were picking out an outfit for a typical day, you might not go with a floral pattern top and a polka dot bottom, even if both of them are pink. Why? Because while pink might match pink, the designs don’t match. That disconnect isn’t necessarily okay when putting together an outfit, but when sewing? All you need to do is check out a set of pre-cut shapes to find evidence that the same guidelines don’t apply to the hobby of sewing. All in all, it doesn’t matter if your fabrics match like your outfit would. They can vary in design, and even color, so long as they complement one another in some way.

And that aspect of the situation, my friends, leaves a whole lot of room for exploration and gives you plenty of room to make a design that’s all your own. To be truthful, that detail might be one of my favorite things about quilting and sewing. Whatever I come up with, it’s my design, I made it myself, and no one else likely has one like it. That feeling… That’s an okay thing!

This image is based off of Dr. Seuss’s Fox in Socks, but I didn’t stop with socks! This fox is my “(Dressed Up) Fox in Socks” that was made by taking a general idea, and putting a hat and red attire on him.

This image is based off of Dr. Seuss’s Fox in Socks, but I didn’t stop with socks! This fox is my “(Dressed Up) Fox in Socks” that was made by taking a general idea, and putting a hat and red attire on him.

Anyway, a sewer or a quilter should really take charge in this detail, and maybe push it to unique, individual places. As an example, consider the work of art I created on the Paint program that came with my computer. This image is based off of Dr. Seuss’s Fox in Socks, but I didn’t stop with socks! This fox is my “(Dressed Up) Fox in Socks” that was made by taking a general idea, and putting a hat and red attire on him. It started off simple—just socks from the story—and imagination took it further. Disclaimer: I’m not saying this Paint project is actually impressive—just that it shows how a theme can grow with some thought and creativity!

That’s the kind of pushing I’m referring to when picking out fabrics. Consider what you’re going for, find that beginning fabric, and think outside of the box enough to choose those complementary fabrics to create a breathtaking piece of art. Don’t stay with the easy options all the time! Push yourself, because sometimes the unexpected and the outside-of-the-box things can be a whole lot of fun!

This post might be more centered around quilting, but it could be applied to different areas of sewing (or crocheting, or knitting…) that involve material. A purse that’s going to have more than one fabric, for example, could be planned out with the same guidelines. Any time you’re blending fabrics together, think it through to come up with a cohesive, beautiful work. Complement those designs and colors, or stick to a theme from start to finish. Either way, your work would come out cohesive with your final product being a one-of-a-kind gem that’s beautiful and looks just as put together as a well-planned outfit—just with different rules!

Reference:
Kesser, G. (n.d.) “Piece, Patch, Quilt: Basic Quiltmaking Skills.” Craftsy.com. Retrieved from www.craftsy.com/project/course/piece-patch-quilt-quiltmaking-skills/369
by Connie Smith

Blending Interests with Hobbies

Last time, I wrote about the art bug biting, and I’d like to continue with that theme this week. Why? Because when he does bite, it’s relevant to uncover what form of the virus you were infected with, and any particular interest you can bring into that hobby or artistic area.

Everyone isn’t involved with every artistic pursuit just because he or she was bitten by said art bug. Whereas one person might be a wonderful painter, another might excel at photography. One person who is awesome at sketching might be terrible at music, while a musician might not be able to draw a believable landscape. For this post, I’ll refer to this as the Artistic Division of Labor, or ADOL. Sound good? Okay!

ADOL can be driven by skill, in that someone might simply have a talent for a specific division. Maybe someone has been good at sculpting since his or her Play-Doh years, and that skill has grown in the years that followed. If such is the case, it wouldn’t be too surprising to find that said person was well-known among family and friends for that ability.

In other situations, eventual interest might lead to artistic pursuits, and that interest might be something a person has to explore to define. If that doesn’t make sense, hang on! I’m about to give you a real-world example—from my own life!

The inspirational snowball bush. So many flowers!

The inspirational snowball bush. So many flowers!

I remember picking flowers when I was younger, though they were admittedly mostly (if not completely) wildflowers. As far as actual gardening goes, one or two of the adults close to me at the time had some kind of flowers planted in a more deliberate fashion than renegade weeds springing up. Even now, my mom has this snowball bush in her front yard, which is flower-ish enough to make this post, and pretty enough when it’s in-bloom to catch my interest. Either way—whether wild or chosen—flowers were a part of my childhood, and I decided I was going to try my hand at flower gardening not too long ago. I got flowers from a store, planted them, watered them, and let them grow. And they were doing okay!

But I eventually realized I wasn’t interested enough in the gardening prospect to tend to it as much as a garden should ideally be cared for. Honestly, I don’t know that I watered the flowers at all after that initial amount, and there was little to no chance I was going to trim weeds away from them. At some point, I was told the weeds around them were moving—something that could be bad when you live in territory that has copperheads and rattlesnakes—so goodbye, flowers.

So far, what this situation amounts to is that I had a childhood interest that became an artsy pursuit I actually had the ability to see through, but didn’t have the focus to continue. The result of this predicament might seem simple: I could just give up on my flower-interest and try other ideas for artistic endeavors. The trouble though is that I still like flowers, even if I don’t have the desire to keep a garden healthy and catered to.

A possible solution then would be more along the lines of what I said earlier in this post. I could explore the topic to see if there was any flower-related ADOL that could hold my interest.

As I said in last week’s post, I tried my hand at floral arranging, and that was a fairly decent win for me. Overall, it was an ADOL I was kind of okay at, and one that could hold my interest enough to keep me involved with it. The idea has led into constructing floral arrangements for display outside of the house, as well as around-the-house projects that catch my eye. For instance, a broken down lamp could potentially use a little prettying up!

Is that a busted lamp? Or a new vase...

Is that a busted lamp? Or a new vase…

But that’s a pretty specific category, and if flowers are a particular interest of mine, that idea could surface in an ADOL that isn’t specifically built around floral arrangements and gardening. And they have! In fact, flowers have become a part of two of my primary ADOL pursuits: writing, and sewing/quilting. With writing, more than one set of lyrics I’ve written has incorporated flower and/or garden themes, including a song that a character of mine sings to his girl in Emblazed.

More than one set of lyrics I’ve written has incorporated flower and/or garden themes.

More than one set of lyrics I’ve written has incorporated flower and/or garden themes.

More importantly for this blog, floral options are available in sewing/quilting patterns, and of course there’s a number of fabrics that a person can buy with floral designs—which is okay with me! In fact, my current quilting project has had a floral arrangement design to it, in that every piece that’s been sewn on it so far has been a pattern that has some form of floral quality to it. The overall design, when all is said and done, will be floral-related from top to bottom (minus a potential border and back-overlap).

My current quilting project has had a floral arrangement design to it.

My current quilting project has had a floral arrangement design to it.

All in all, I may not have had the focus or interest to keep a flower garden going, but the world of art is so vast that there are plenty of ADOLs out there to try, and enough room to explore within each to come up with ways to utilize interests that maybe weren’t committed enough to make into their own hobbies.

Bottom line: If you’ve been bitten by the art bug, explore to find your ADOLs, and you can find ways to bring your interests into those ADOLs — even if they seem more fitting for another. For the flower-admirer who doesn’t garden, paint pictures! Make floral quilts! Do floral arrangements! Sculpt a flower! There are options to blend your interests into your art, if you look for them!

When the Art Bug Bites!
by Connie Smith

When the Art Bug Bites!

Once upon a time, I was an academic—almost exclusively. I didn’t do well in the athletic department, and I was a bit too flower-on-the-wall to try my hand at much else. But I rocked that academic thing! I ended up being co-valedictorian of my high school class, and going to college. I did some transferring and made some stupid decisions, but eventually graduated from a university, double-majoring in Speech Communication and History.

That’s right! Two papers!

That’s right! Two papers!

The History part of the degree had me embracing academia maybe more than I ever had. In fact, at one point, I had the stacks of books you can see in this post setting on my bed for what I remember to be a grand total of two papers. That’s right! Two papers!

The thing is though, despite the non-fiction aspect of my life, I had a bit of an art-bug-bite going on. I don’t know the exact moment the bug bit me, but there was a part of me that wanted creativity through the years I was learning about the Ancient World in undergraduate classes. Even when pursuing my BA in History and planning on an advanced education in the field, I considered working at an art museum—academia with an artsy twist. Whatever path my life took, not having art be some part of it might’ve been odd!

A mildly early art-love I remember having was writing, and I’m not entirely convinced that embracing writing wasn’t connected to academia. They tell you to write in school, after all. I mean, sure, I had art classes, but drawing in a non-grid way wasn’t necessarily my forte.

Writing fiction was a creative outlet, and even when I was writing non-fiction, I still felt like it was something I had a knack for.

Writing fiction was a creative outlet, and even when I was writing non-fiction, I still felt like it was something I had a knack for.

Writing though? That one stuck. Writing fiction was a creative outlet, and even when I was writing non-fiction, I still felt like it was something I had a knack for. So if my professional life was going to take an artsy road, having writing as the first step in that journey shouldn’t have been crazy-surprising. Actually, writing has been a driving force for a number of the more artistic career/hobby moves I’ve made in more recent times. Instead of finishing up my MA in Ancient and Classical History, I got my MA in English and Creative Writing, and I have seven published fictional works for sale on Amazon.

Books, Creative Writing education… Basically, I gave the art bug a bit of leverage, and—whether or not it’s a cause-and-effect thing—he’s showing up in more areas of my life than he did in my high school/undergraduate days! Floral arranging has been a non-career activity, and baking (which I think could be creative enough to count!) has become a very real interest of mine as well.

Floral arranging has been a non-career activity.

Floral arranging has been a non-career activity.

And the idea of quilting has gained my attention, maybe more than any artistic endeavor has besides writing. I see beautiful quilts, and I might get a little disappointed in myself that I’m incapable of making them. But it’s a goal to work toward. I’ve published books. I’ve baked pretty good Reese’s cookies. I’ve used floral arrangements I’ve made for décor. Now, I want to see how far I take this quilting thing.

Right now, I know I’m a quilter/sewer at the lower end of the spectrum, but I didn’t start off writing something that was published. And it isn’t like everything I’ve ever baked or cooked turned out fantastic either. Learning is a process, and I’m glad I have the opportunity to push myself in regards to learning a craft that is of such interest to me. Being able to explore this? It’s kind of a modern dream come true for me!

But does embracing this artistic side so much mean that I suddenly don’t care about academia? Not exactly! There’s still a part of me that misses being in an actual classroom, taking notes, and learning facts about a person or people from the past. I still think art museums can be interesting, and I still wouldn’t be too surprised if I decided to watch some kind of documentary in the future.

SewingMachinesPlus.com has instructions for projects available…

Would I be happy working in a completely academic world? I think even if I tried, I’d probably end up writing verses and baking strawberry milkshake cookies in my spare time! Why? Because when the art-bug bites, you might as well embrace its toxin!

One beauty that comes with taking on quilting and sewing to satisfy that art-bug-bite is that there’s so much information available online—for free!—that can help a person with the trade. For instance, SewingMachinesPlus.com has instructions for projects available through the site, and I’m interested in both the elephant wall hang and the tea party quilt! Other sites offer free patterns for sewing, or free classes about sewing/quilting. And, of course, there’s Youtube to browse and find some helpful videos!

All in all, although it’s a pretty daunting idea to create a complex quilt, there are bits of information available to potentially help me get there, and I can take it one sewing project at a time from here on out. I don’t need to wake up and make a museum-worthy quilt tomorrow. I can just focus on getting better one step at a time, and time will tell how far I get.

Either way, the art-bug’s effect isn’t getting out of my system any time soon, and quilting is another direction to let the toxin flow!

Reuse and Recycle...Material!
by Connie Smith

Reuse and Recycle…Material!

I had this piece of clothing that really wasn’t my style.

I had this piece of clothing that really wasn’t my style.

I’ve heard stories about my grandmother recycling material and such for the sake of future sewing projects. And, no, I’m not going give you a how-to of how to cut up your couch for the reusable material and filling! But the overall idea is a part of the general theme of today’s post: Reusing material for a new purpose.

I had this piece of clothing that really wasn’t my style. It’s the green, flowery one in the picture, and it wasn’t something I felt was *me* enough to wear in public. BUT, it did get the gears in my head turning with possibility. Even though I didn’t want to wear this as a top or a dress, I was convinced it could make a fairly good apron. I decided to keep the material for future cutting/sewing use.

I think it was last week that I got around to working on the project, and the process wasn’t all that difficult. In fact, there’s a tip for new sewers: Keep an eye open for projects that wouldn’t be overly difficult to build your sewing skills. What I had in the beginning with this piece of material just looked like it could be an apron, with the style and the fabric. And, when thinking through how I’d go about turning the clothing into an apron, I realized the steps wouldn’t be that numerous. If you can catch enough finds like this one—things you might have around your house that you’re maybe planning on throwing away—you can reuse material, make projects for little to no money, and improve your sewing with what could amount to baby steps! Sounds like a win to me!

One side of the clothing had the seam along it, so I only had to follow the outline there.

One side of the clothing had the seam along it, so I only had to follow the outline there.

So what were the baby steps for this project? Well, they started with cutting, since I don’t know that I’ve ever seen an apron with a full back on it. One side of the clothing had the seam along it, so I only had to follow the outline there. The other side depended more on my judgment, but I do have a sewing mat and a rotary cutter now to hopefully help make more accurate cuts. Yay, sewing tools!

The material circling the neck could stay in place though, since aprons attach there anyway. That particular curve required a secondary round of cutting, which I’ll blame on my lack of experience with apron-making. I don’t usually have to make the right-place cuts for loops to go around my neck, so I won’t think too harshly about myself for going overboard on the first try. In the end, if you try for an apron, remember the loop should probably be no more than one inch thick once your sewing is finished, and make sure you’re keeping with the same general width range throughout your cutting. Otherwise, your backing might seem bulky overall, or just in parts. Neither is necessarily a good option!

Remember the loop should probably be no more than one inch thick once your sewing is finished.

Remember the loop should probably be no more than one inch thick once your sewing is finished.

Once I was finished with the cutting, I sewed hems along the edges where I’d cut, and used some of the material I’d cut off for straps that I could use for the ties to attach to the waist. Honestly, that task was kind of frustrating since the straps were so small, and the thread kept bunching or wrapping around the fabric. Lesson I could potentially take from this experience: Tiny material should maybe be reserved for later use, like after I’ve gained more experience with sewing!

I sewed hems along the edges where I’d cut, and used some of the material I’d cut off for straps that I could use for the ties to attach to the waist.

I sewed hems along the edges where I’d cut, and used some of the material I’d cut off for straps that I could use for the ties to attach to the waist.

Possible lesson you could take from this experience, if you’re an early sewer: If you’re going to make an apron, start with thicker straps to go around the waist—maybe two inches or a bit more. As far as appearance goes, it might be better for those straps to be a little bulky than for them to have confusing thread patterns. As far as process goes, saving yourself the annoyance of fighting with your thread might be worth the extra material.

One more tip for the road: If you do a project like this one, make sure that when you can, you make use of the hem on the original clothing. It might seem like cheating, but saved effort and thread is saved effort and thread!

All in all, keep an eye out in your own house for things to recycle into sewing projects. You can learn to be a better sewer without breaking your bank account!