Tag: sewing

Posted on in sewing

Two Everyday Totes

Goodbye 2017 and thank you for the many lessons over the past year!

One of my goals is to be busier and I wanted to make something special for my Aunt, a person I admire greatly from her loving and proactive spirit. After puttering around their website, I found Purl Soho’s “Everyday Tote” pattern.

I made my own binding using Cotton + Steel’s “Fiskers” in lavender.

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The pattern calls for some beautiful cotton webbing handles, but I decided to use some of the extra canvas to make handles. I also put binding on one tote’s handles, and really like the look.

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The sewing took under an hour for each bag. I used a combo of Aurifil thread and Gutermann.

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Cricket loves the camera.

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The contrast between the gold corduroy and the blue canvas is one of my favorite parts of each tote.

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I ran out of the Cotton + Steel binding and found some of this extra binding, and though why not? I’m pretty happy with the pop of color and how it adds more to the tote’s character.

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I highly recommend this, and any pattern, from Purl Soho!

Thanks for stopping by all year. It has been a monumental year for Brambleton Threads. This year we not only became an LLC, had our first gallery showing, but also completed a successful Kickstarter.  We are grateful for the continued support on the blogging communties, Twitter, and from Kickstarter.

For any new eyes stopping by, thank you and enjoy!

Have a calm and safe end of the year.

 

Posted on in Embroidery, Household, sewing, Tutorial

Tea Towel Tutorial

I wanted to have a little gift for a couple whose engagement party we were attending, and tea towels were the first thing to come to mind. Tea towels spruce up any kitchen and are a nice way to use up fabric from the stash.

Finished Size: 16″ x 24″ ***As you will see the size of the towel is adjustable. If you have a favorite tea towel, measure that one and add the seam allowances to the measurements. Or if you have a FQ (18″ x 22″) than you can use that after squaring it up, but it’ll be a bit shorter in length.

 

Materials for Two Tea Towels

  • 1/2 yard of fabric or two fat quarters (the length of these towels will be shorter)
  • machine or hand sewing supplies
  • ruler
  • rotary cutter and/or scissors
  • pins
  • iron
  • thread (I use Auriful)
  • embroidery floss (I use DMC)
  • embroidery needle

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Here is the Costco bought towel I based my tea towel on.

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First I measured this towel to find the dimensions.

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I added a 1/2″ seam allowance on each length and an 1″ on the width. ***Use these seam allowances if you’re using a fat quarter or a custom size.

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  1. After pressing the fabric cut 2) 26″ x 17″ pieces.
  2. On each length side, turn and press a 1/4″ of fabric. Repeat this step twice for each cut piece of fabric.

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3. Now that each side of the length is folded over 1/4″ twice, pin each side in place.

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4. Sew 1/8″ away from the edge on both lengths. I’m using a 2mm stitch length here.

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5. Sew 1/4″ away from the edge of both lengths, creating a parallel line to the first.  Now the lengths should be completely sewn.

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6. Turn to the width edges. Press and fold each width edge 1/2″, and then fold and press it 1/2″ again, pinning the edge to hold it in place until sewing. Repeat this on the other width.

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7. Sew 1/8″ in from the edge on both widths.

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8. Sew a 1/4″ from the edge on both widths.

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9. Trim up any loose threads. Admire your tea towels!

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10. This is a prefect item to embellish. I went for a little spot in each of the bottom right corners. You might want to put your initials or maybe an important date.

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Thanks for stopping by! Hope you make some awesome towels.

Posted on in sewing

Creating Creation

Exciting things have been happening and that energy spawned a new quilt design. Here is sample number one.

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The idea for this quilt top happened after I’d cut out triangles from fat quarters, sewed those in to hexagons, and looked at the results. The results are a blend of the past and the present. While I was sewing it up my grandma filtered through my thoughts, and this is a quilt inspired by her.

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Cut out triangles for sample quilt top two.

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My supervisor stopped in to make sure all arranging was up to snuff.

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Problem solving looks classic here.

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What have you been making?

Posted on in Household, Quilting, sewing, Uncategorized

Colorful Quilt Top

This quilt is an amalgamation of cloth, time, patterns, and my brain. I started making this quilt for a class using The Rabbit Factory’s Homespun Hill. The pieced blocks were fun and quick to put together. The color palette is dewy grass.

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I modified this quilt top by adding Carolyn Friedlander‘s Creativebug Polk block.  I’ve done some paper-piecing, and found this exercise to be helpful and inspiring. Paper-piecing is a great stash buster. Creativebug provides excellent instructions, visually and in print format (I’m big a fan!).

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The quilt top has batiks, prints, solids, and paper-pieced blocks. The fabric on hand became this quilt; in the past year my taste, knowledge, and understanding of fabric has become more robust, and I’m happy to see some old fabrics being incorporated into a quilt and removed from the stash. Sarah Watts’ Honeymoon made it in and some batiks my auntie gifted to me. I’m partial to Sarah Watts round lines.

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Honestly, sitting close to this quilt top since April, I don’t know if I’m ready to look at it as a whole. And really, it isn’t complete, because I have to add quilting, backing, and binding. Overall, I like the movement and the quilt top.

What did you make over the weekend?

 

Posted on in Free-Motion, Quilting, sewing

Scraps Tote

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This tote first started coming together in April, but was set aside for other projects. It caught my eye the other day. I scoped out the previous work, and found I was at the final steps of construction. The instructions are from The School of Sewing.

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Free motion quilting is the best, and I love working on improving my skills.

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Most of the scraps came from a baby quilt I finished in March.

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The fabric scraps are mostly from Lizzy House’s line Natural History. A great line with playful fabrics that I love.

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What have you been working on? Thanks for stopping by.

Posted on in Appliqué, Quilting, sewing

Applique Strips Basted

Basting after pinning applique pieces is one of my favorite parts of the craft and I like that the turned edges seem smoother when compared with my turning-on-the-line only applique. Basting may seem like it’ll away time from stitching, but trust me, it doesn’t, and I don’t worry about being stuck with needles. I love all parts of needle-turn applique.

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Pattern Name & Author: Aerial Grove & Carolyn Friedlander

Right before I started this I stopped myself from working on a needle-turn applique project I wasn’t enjoying. The project and I did not mesh creatively and when I realized this it was an easy decision to move on. Now I’m stitching away happily.

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I recently (today) had guests, and one was my sewing auntie; she helped applique one strip and I’m finishing up the second. When I first saw this quilt pattern I was excited to start working on it. The pattern is fun, graceful, and lends itself to great amounts of color play.

Have any projects you’ve moved on from?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on in Appliqué, Hand Sewing, Quilting, Uncategorized

Summer Colors

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The morning light is soft, warm, and surprising. With all of the resettling here I surprised myself by cutting out squares for applique on a quilt top. The color palette is warm with pinks and oranges highlighted by blues, greens, and purples. Looking up from under the water reminds me of summer, and for me these colors reflect the interplay between sun and sea.

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Posted on in Appliqué, Hand Sewing, Quilting

Prepping to Applique

I find prepping applique pieces relaxing. After today’s beautiful sunrise, not unlike these colors, I am ready to get to work basting. A couple of quilts are in my future for the new apartment, because we moved when we were only staying for vacation: life has a natural flow and I can’t, and don’t want to, stop it.

The printed fabric is Kim Anderson’s Tidal Lace from Windham Fabrics. I picked it up at Super Buzzy last time I was in California. Both fabric and store are amazing.

What have you been making lately?

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