March's Across The Pond Sew Along Project!

Across The Pond  Sew Along Project for March!

It is March 1st, and Amanda,  at The Patchsmith,  has introduced our project for our monthly  Across The Pond Sew Along.         It is the Charm Square Scarf !  

Courtesy of Moda Bake Shop

This is a Moda Bakeshop pattern,  designed by Trish , of  Notes of Sincerity , and it is available for FREE ! 

 It's a fun pattern, that will allow you to sew up a beautiful scarf , giving  you time to go around and WEAR it outside  (while looking for new fabric?!  )

Link for the  free pattern:    Charm Square Scarf Tutorial

Amanda shows her beautiful scarf on her blog post today.  Isn't it so pretty!

Amanda's  Charm Square Scarf  

Lea  (the model in Amanda's family) is showing  us her beautiful scarf!

Amy,  from  Amy Made That!  ,  and I will be making her own scarves soon.  We'll be posting them  in our Across The Pond Flickr group.  

You can hop on over there before you begin your project, and see if anybody has any helpful hints , tips or  pictures in the discussions.  I like getting a 'heads up' that can save me time and energy!    You will see the other projects that friends, and your 'future friends', have made.   I have met so many talented quilters  and found their blogs from our group. I love seeing our past projects posted when somebody finds time to make their project ... there's no expiration dates!

What are you waiting for?   Grab a pile of fabric and  charm squares and dream up your scarf!  Just  ...... Sew it,   snap it,  upload it!!

I'm off to my sewing room!

           Look for my giveway.....  starting next Friday .... I'm participating in the

                                        Beat The Winter Blues   Blog Hop Party , at Quilting Gallery,

                                        along with MANY other bloggers who have their giveaways!

Sewing Machine Cover

Making a sewing machine cover

A few months ago, I joined in with a charm swap group, that was called Shades of Grey.  (No, it wasn't a book club!!)

I  sent in a yard of gray fabric, cut up into 56 charms ( 5" x 5" squares.) You can see some photos of many of the different fabrics that were sent in, at this Shades of Grey Flickr group.

 Ellie Q, the group moderator,  got all of our charms,  sorted them all out, and mailed back the assortment of 56 different charms squares , all  in Shades of Grey !

I had been waiting to make something with these pretty charms, but didn't find the right fabrics to use with them... until last week.   I found some ultra -cute DS Quilts  Collections  Farm Stand Dots Yellow.  It has the bigger cream dots, and all of those little polka dots in gray. 

DS Quilts Collections Farm Stand Dots Yellow

A yellow square is paired with  a gray square

I decided to make a block of HST (half square triangles).  I diagonally cut the 5" squares through the center, stacked a yellow triangle on top of a gray triangle (right sides together), and sewed them together with a scant 1/4 " seam on the long side.  They trimmed up to be 4 1/2" squares.

Next, I played around with the arrangement of the squares, and liked it this way.  I sewed 8 squares together, and added a  2 " sash on the top and bottom, and 2 1/2 "  sash on the left and the right sides.

This block is now 21 1/2 " wide by  11 1/2 " tall.

 I realized that it would make a pretty and graphic  front side of a sewing machine cover.  So I sewed up 8 more squares the same way, to be used for  the back main panel.
I ironed on  Pellon Fusible Fleece FF 987 to each section on the back , and quilted  some diagonal lines by machine.

 My Topaz  sewing machine is 21" wide x 11" high x 9" deep.

I decided to make a gusset, in order to connect the front piece to the back piece, that would cover the whole top of the machine.
I took my tape measure and found that it was 41 " from end to end from the table.  This is the gusset length.

Measuring the length needed for the gusset.  41 "
I made it 9 1/2 "  wide.

  The gusset width is the depth of the sewing machine plus 1/2 ".  That becomes  9 1/2 " for my machine.
  I ironed FF to the back of the gusset piece,and  quilted  it with some diagonal stitches.

I made a  simple fabric handle, from a charm HST block (Didn't want to waste any!)

 I ironed 1/4" raw edges folded over on left and right sides WS to WS , made an ironed center crease , folded  top raw edge  in toward the  center crease and ironed it ,  folded the other raw edge up to the center crease and ironed it, and  then folded the top onto the bottom sections, and topstitched  on all 4 sides.

After I fold the lower edge up to the center crease, I fold down the top half onto the bottom half.  Then topstitched on all 4 sides.

The handle is  now 1 " wide x 5 " long.  I just sewed it onto the center, middle of the gusset, with an X in a box, on each end. 

The handle is attached to the gusset center

The gusset piece (attached to the front panel here )  is 9 1/2 " tall  x  42 " long

I made sure that the gusset edges were all caught
in  the seams.

 Next,  I attached the back main  piece to the other raw edge of the gusset.

The gusset is attached to the front and the back sections now

I decided to make my lining  simple.... 2 pieces (front and back)  and a gusset.  I made the lining piece    a bit longer than the outer fabric.  This extra fabric will then become the 'binding' edge  that will show on the front, after pulling out  the bag through a gap in the lining.

Lining:   Gusset piece-  1 -  42 " wide x 9 1/2 "  tall
             front and back  2-  20 1/2 "  wide x  11 3/4 " tall
I sewed the gusset to the front side piece, and then the back side.  (No Fusible Fleece)
I left a 5 inch  gap for turning in one of the side seams.

After measuring the outer cover and my lining, I decided to trim off 1 inch all the way around the bottom edge of the cover.  
I then turned the outer cover WRONG SIDE OUT,  and put the lining inside the cover, with RIGHT SIDES  and raw edges TOGETHER.  I pinned the  raw edges together and sewed with 1/4" seam allowance.
I pressed all along the bottom edge,  so that the front now had a "binding" showing, of about 3/4 ".   

The light gray is my  "simple" binding, without the bulk.  Press this and stitch in the ditch

I stitched in the ditch , where the top sashing met the gusset, on each side,  just to anchor the lining to the cover.  You can do as little or as much as you like.  You could also quilt some areas  on the gusset, by hand, to keep the lining from drooping.

Stitching in the ditch all the way around the bottom edge

Last thing to do now!  I  closed up my turning gap , in the side of the lining,  pressed and pinned it, and sewed it by machine.

My Snuggly Sewing Machine Cover

The side view of the gusset

Everything is snuggy and warm inside!

My Gray  Butterfly Fabric,   with butterflies in yellow  fabric

I used yellow thread for quilting accents!

Somebody else sent gray butterfly fabric, too!

My Viking is ready to go... no dust getting inside to her, and she's stylin' !

                  Click on the Printer Friendly  PDF  file link below: 

                  Snuggly Sewing Machine Cover Tutorial

                         

I provided these details in a tutorial style.... in case you would want to try to make your own Snuggly Sewing Machine Cover!      

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. ( Be gentle and patient  ....I am new at creating tutorials.)
           Send me your  pictures if you make one.

I'm off to my sewing room!

Update:    Check out Craft Gossip....   they are talking about this sewing machine cover on March 4 !


Coming in March.....

•          a new Blog Hop Party  hosted by Michelle at Quilting Gallery  , starting March 8, with a giveaway from me!

                                           Beat the Winter Blues

•      another sewing machine cover style designed by me
•       a new (adorable) bag pattern tested, for Samantha of At Home With Mrs H

                                         

Pink and Black

Pink, Black and Buttons

Can something be pretty and elegant, even though it has a "funky" shape?
I say, "Yep!"   Read on, and tell me if you agree....

One of the projects that I worked on this week was making a zippered pouch for Rosa. She wanted something  very specific in size....  about 12 inches high, 9 inches wide, and 6 inches deep. (For traveling to Italy.)

I used the  pattern  Open Wide Zippered Pouch   by Anna of Noodlehead.  These pouches are so fun and functional!  And her tutorial is excellent,  with step by step instructions and pictures , and is free  of charge!

This is the pouch, made to Rosa's measurements.  (Don't  laugh at her funny shape!)

You  might stop laughing when you see how functional this little pouch is, and how much it can hold! And see how pretty she is,  all dressed up in pink and black!!  
The fabrics---  Michael Miller   It's A Girl Thing   Eiffel  Tower Blossom Pink  and  Ta Dot.

                          She can hold a lot , being 12 inches tall and 6 inches deep.  


Rosa also needed a jewelry pouch for traveling.  I found a really cute pattern,  called 8 Pocket Jewelry Pouch on Sew 4 Home .

The original size was a little too small, so I increased the diameter to 21 inches. ( It actually looked like it was going to be TOO big after cutting it.)

The inside layers  .... with pins at the 8 spokes that I stitched outward from the center. This forms the inner  pockets.
I used a lid to sew the bottom circle shape. 

I had to laugh at these two circle pieces. They reminded me of pizza dough, when I was topstitching them, going around the outer edge!

The finished pouch

There is a lot of room inside, and 8 side pockets

The original size is the little cutie on the left.  The big momma size is on the right.  See the beads on the end of the cord?

It was a good thing that I had to make 2 buttonholes for the big travel pouch.  This was good practice for the next project I worked on. 
I had to make 4 buttonholes, and make them function for real buttons to fit inside of them  shiver  in a new project.  (I had to read directions from my machine manual.)

My Test button hole .... Worked Perfectly!!  (The real purse... not so perfectly, but did a re-do.)

Yay!!!  I did it!!!

I can only show you a peek of what I was working on ...  a super cute new bag pattern  made by  Samantha,   of  At Home With Mrs H  !     She is still refining and tweaking the pattern, but after she has released the bag for sale in her etsy shop,  I will be able to show you what I made from her pattern.  


                                                

Two little peeks......

I can't wait to show you the finished bag!



Linking up with:  Can I Get A Whoop Whoop!  @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict
                          Thank Goodness Its Finished Friday   

I'm off to my sewing room!