--Meredith
I spent an evening recently with one of the owners of MD, Michelle. In her living room was a stunning patchwork pillow. When I asked about it, she mentioned using Nancy Zieman's Lone Star template and techniques and how easy it was.
Oh yeah...I had been eyeing that at Bolt! Tucked over with rulers, this unassuming wonder had caught me eye recently. I was especially intrigued considering how gift-making season is upon us. I have to be honest about myself as a quilter--I'm no math wizard. In fact, I downright hate all that nitty-gritty technical thinking and planning. If someone can do the hard part (aka math), well then all the better. With such a traditional shape, I think playing around with highly graphic or super contemporary prints help make this seem fresh. Bolt still has some of Jay McCarroll's Habitat line, which I think would be totally awesome and I am super tempted to pick a few cuts to make another. Because it was, in fact, easy piecing.
To start playing around, I pulled some solids from my stash in various shades of red and purple. I used this Kaffe Fassett print to help inform the selection. People (including myself!) love his sense of color and pattern and the selection at the store right now does not disappoint!
Deciding layout is key, and for this particular exercise I plan to either lay matching colors together or color-wheel them around the star. To be determined! I figured I could start with the intial piecing and decide later.
There are multiple sizes on the templates so no need to choose one and trace. They're all right there every time! Cut a strip the dimension requested and use the template to mark and sub-cut into the size and shape needed.
This "no pivoting" method means constructing only with straight lines. As with all quilting, seam allowance and proper pressing are key to ensuring seam lines meet up.
I'm hoping this will be worthy enough to give to either my sister-in-law or HER sister, both of whom I'll be seeing this holiday season. Maybe I'll love it so much, it'll stay on my couch!
--gina
I'm so excited! When I walked in the store yesterday to snap my pics for this post I was overjoyed (really, I do get quite giddy over fabric) to see all these big, beautiful rolls from the Outside Oslo line by Jessica Jones. Even though the line was available a while back, I thought it best to wait until we had a little more room. The line is printed on a canvas, making it the perfect fabric for upholstery and other home dec projects as well as bags, like that awesome Carpet Bag that Meredith is teaching!
We've also received in quite a few different patterns in the past week, including the brand-spankin'-new Colette and Oliver + S designs. Two new pattern lines to the store are apparel patterns, Sewaholic by Tasia up in BC and Sarah Jane embroidery patterns. We'll be expanding our "embroidery center" soon with more thread choices. Stay tuned!
--Melissa
There is a whiff of home improvement in the air come August in Portland. Folks like to get things done while there's still a bit of summer left. While scraping and painting our exterior trim is on our list, I'm just as happy (well-- MORE happy) to accomplish some sprucing inside the house.
We recently got in Lisa Stickley's, Made at Home: a Guide to Simple Sewing (North Light Books). I picked it up initially because I liked Lisa's drawings as they reminded me a little of Lauren Child's Charlie and Lola books (which I also really like). The 30 plus projects are lovely-- simple enough for those of us starting out and full of ideas for those of us looking for inspiration. Lisa details the differences between a cafe curtain and how to sew a proper drape. My favourite projects include an ottoman and a door "draft excluder" shaped like an alligator. Lisa is an accomplished textile and surface designer based in London.
Alabama Studio Style has been here for a while, but I'm not sure we gave it the attention it deserved. This is Natalie Chanin's follow up book to Alabama Stitch Book, and includes more detailed garment construction and detail, but also quite a few stunning home dec projects. I now have the urge to string a new chair, re-cover all my pillows with super soft jersey, and stencil AND SEW onto my coffee table. This book goes farther tha Alabama Stitch in explaining texture and detailing fabric printing and dying, in addition to more patterns and stencil designs.
But we're just getting started-- Bolt carries a stack of books to get you going on everything from slipcovering your sofa to upcycling failed fabric projects into beautiful and useful things for your home.
--Melissa
I was able to work behind the counter during the sale weekend and it was really inspiring to learn what people were planning with their purchases. There were a good number of pillowcases on people's minds, which got me thinking about my own, neglected pillows and the organic, cotton sheeting from Robert Kaufman. In fact, this is a great project for all of our organics (many of which are on our sale rack, by the way). Our sheeting is 57" inches wide and comes in white and natural (on order and in soon). It's price point is very reasonable and while soft, it will soften further the more I wash it. With as little as 5/8 yard you can redress your pillow in a crisp, new case.
For this project, cut one length of sheeting 20" wide and two strips of printed fabric 20" by 9". Adjust these measurements to fit your own pillows. Mine are standard sized. I used a Dan Stiles print (from organic company Birch) for my print. Attach the print to the short ends of the sheeting, press the seam allowance towards the print, then fold the entire piece in half (short ends and right sides together) and stitch up both edges. This is a great time to practice french seams if you are so inclined.
To hem your pillows, fold and press the raw edge of the case 1/4". Then, with wrong sides together, fold again halving your printed edge and bringing the edge of the fabric just to your previous stitching line. Pin and press. Topstitch close to your previous stitching line, making sure to sew through all the layers and to remove pins as you go.
For two pillowcases I needed 1 1/4 yard of sheeting and half a yard of print. I got enough for four, though, because I just couldn't resist the tree print, also from Birch.
Amy brought in the start of these super cool pillowcases that she's putting together using a classic notebook cover print for the main case and an embroidered edge piece for the hem. These make FANTASTIC gifts-- switch up the fabric and you have presents to cover birthday parties, wedding showers and hostess gifts.
--Melissa
Thank you for another fantastic sale weekend! The store is almost all put back together complete with a nice selection of sale fabric. I'm working on some Easter/spring related crafts considering we're half way through April and Spring might finally be showing up! I've talked about Scandinavian Needlecraft by Clare Youngs before, and couldn't help but pull it out to make some baskets for this weekend's chocolate bunny hunt.
This is a low tech project, requiring only felt, embroidery thread, and basic sewing tools. The pattern calls for enlarging the template by 200 or more percent, but I opted to make a mini version using the pattern at scale. After I cut out the basket, I used a water soluble pen to sketch my design and embroidery thread to stitch it all together. Bolt carries craft felt, small sheets of 100% wool felt, and a wool rayon blend. I used the latter. It has a lovely hand and it is thick and durable. Lots of folks come in to the store looking for larger quantities of 100% wool and industrial wool felt. Both of these items tend to be incredibly cost prohibitive for a store our size to carry. While the wool blend might not be what you're looking for, it is lovely to work with and I encourage folks to give it a try.
This is a fast project, and it's a good thing-- once the sun comes out here in Portland, it gets harder to stay indoors! Thank goodness for chilly evenings and quick crafting.
I thought it might be too late in the game to start going with some quilts, but I was wrong! Here's a quick way to make something lovely for someone in your life that might need warming up. I chose shot cottons for their vibrant colours and for the way they wash-- the slightly lower thread count makes them shrink a little more than average quilting cotton, leaving the finished project super soft. Also, because they are shot cottons, they are woven with different colour threads in the same family, so after you pull it out of the dryer, the fabric takes on a silky sheen.
Of course, this project would look great with just about any print. I made a similar one from large scale floral cottons. It reminds me of the best kind of wallpaper.
For this project I used:
- 3 yards shot cotton, cut into fat quarters (approx. 18 by 22" for each square)
- 2 yards 90" cotton batting
- 4 yards backing fabric (if you position your quarters vertically, you'll have a long, skinny quilt and will only need 3 yards backing)
- Enough fabric for 2 1/2" binding.
- yard stick or long ruler
- tailors chalk or water soluble pen
- safety pins or needle and thread for basting
Trim and square your fabric into equal rectangles. Lay out in a pleasing way. Sew together individual rectangles in rows, press seams open, then piece the rows together matching the corners. Press top. You are done with the top!
Piece your back together so that your dimensions are slightly larger than your quilt top. Press. Make a quilt sandwich. I tape my backing fabric, wrong side up, to the floor. Then I layer my cotton batting and trim it to the size of the backing fabric. Finally, I line up my quilt top up on the top so that the backing fabric shows around all four sides. Pin or baste the whole thing together.
For my quilting lines, I used a ruler and tailor's chalk to draw in zigzag lines across the rectangles. This made the quilting a little interesting and a lot quick!
To bind the quilt, I sewed together strips of 2 1/2" fabric together to equal the dimensions of the quilt (a few inches longer than 260"). Machine stitch binding down on one side and either hand stitch or machine stitch the binding down on the back side. Here's a machine stitch tutorial from last year. You tube is full of great how-tos on mitered corners and hand stitched binding!
You are finished! This took me an evening to prep and piece, a nap time to pin and bind, and another (long-ish) evening to hand stitch the binding down. You might try tying the sandwich together, instead of quilting it if that seems too daunting. The simple shape would look fantastic with gridded tying.
I mentioned that we had Betz White's Make New or Make Do pattern line, which includes these adorable "Whimsical Holiday Ornaments". Hannah volunteered to sew two of three up for us. She used a combination of wool felt and recycled fabric and what she did not hand sew, she used Liquid Stitch to adhere pieces together.
Every time I stop in the store I see someone leaving with a coordinating stack of wool felt. It is so cheerful! The rayon/wool blend is user friendly, soft, and will last much longer without pilling than the craft (polyester) felt. Check out Betz's blog for a super sweet Ice Cream Cone Ornament tutorial and a rundown of gift ideas from her book Sewing Green.
Elizabeth Hartman's Practical Guide to Patchwork is here and ready for you to take home. It details 12 quilt projects (with palette variations for each) and gives step-by-step instructions for techniques like binding and machine quilting. This is a fantastic book for someone who would like to learn how to piece and quilt, but doesn't know where to start. It's also a great book to own for a quilter who needs some fresh inspiration-- still planning on knocking out a couple of quilts for the holidays? Start here. Or pair it with a stack of solid and print fat quarters and you've made your own quilt kit to give away (or keep!).
I used a block from the Kitchen Window quilt to sew up a pillow sham last night. The squares are all scraps of Liberty Tana Lawn purchased over the years at Bolt, and the stripe is a cotton/hemp blend that is currently on the shelves. The whole project sewed up between dinner and baths (and not because I am especially quick or wasn't being interrupted!).
Elizabeth will be celebrating the release of her book at Modern Domestic this Saturday, November 13th at 4pm. You can come, enter giveaways, chat with Elizabeth and stay for the Portland Modern Quilt Guild's open sewing night (only 10 dollars for the evening!).
(The top photo is of one I made last week out of some mid-weight Kokka we have at the store. The bottom photo is of last year's pile. -- Melissa)
This is one of those last-minute-rushing-out-the-door sorts of gifts that you might find yourself needing on your way to your next get together. Square hot pad mitts fit nearly everyone, double as trivets, are easy to sew, and work in a pinch as a cover for a french press. There are a few projects that I like to keep in my back pocket and this is one that is conditional on always having a little Insul-Bright hanging around (so make sure you pick some up next time you're in). Insul-Bright is a fantastic needle punched insulating material that is as easy to work with as quilt batting. It's relatively inexpensive and protects your hands from the heat of a cookie sheet coming straight out of the oven. This man version from Amy will always be my favourite-- and look! It's from 2005. That's practically ancient of days in internet history.
I'm sure that you can probably figure out how to make it by looking at the picture, but just in case...
You only need (and all the measurements can be adjusted to suit, as long as they all match):
- 2 pieces of interior fabric 8 1/2" by 10"
- 2 pieces of interior fabric 8 1/2" by 10"
- 2 pieces of Insul-Bright 8 1/2" by 10"
- 2 pieces of plain flannel/cotton batting (you guessed it) 8 1/2" by 10"
- a length of bias or twill tape about 4" long for a hanging loop
You're sewing together two separate layered rectangles in this way:
- Place one piece of exterior fabric right side down. Put your piece of flannel on top. And then your piece of Insul-Bright. Repeat with other piece of exterior fabric. Take the two stacks, place them right sides together, sandwiching your twill tape loop on the bottom of one of the long sides.
- Sew through the whole stack starting at a long side and leaving an entire short side open. Backstitch at either end to secure. Trim your seam allowance.
- Place the interior rectangles, right side together and sew both long sides, leaving both short sides open. You may want to increase your seam allowance on the interior fabric to account for the bulkiness of the sandwiched exterior.
- Turn the interior right side out and the exterior wrong side out. Put the interior inside the exterior and line up the raw edges. Stitch around entire edge and turn everything the right way around.
- You'll still have that open interior side, so once you have it in properly, pull it out, pinch the raw edges together and stitch it up. Normally I would say handstitch the opening, using a slipstitch, but this is a utilitarian kind of thing that's going to get a lot of wash and wear.
- You're done! You can top stitch (very slowly, it's going to be bulky at the seams) the bottom edge if you like.
This is the kind of thing that you could whip out a whole stack of for just-in-case kinds of gifts. Better yet, make some for yourself.
--Melissa
We are going to be writing a lot about gift making and giving for the next two months, starting off with a project that Amy completed using the Tree Improv tutorial by Malka Dubrowsky. Placemats are indespensible around here, and these are soft, durable and hide a multitude of stains. They get better with every washing!
I love Amy's palette. We've broken up some of the Kaufman Solids fat packs into smaller groupings and individual fat quarters to make it easier to take home solids across color spectrums. We also sell batting by the yard to accomodate smaller (or very large!) quilting projects. This pattern is a jumping off point of a table runner, a pilllow cover, or a cozy throw. We are happily awaiting Malka's new book, Fresh Quilting, (coming to the store in a few weeks) and this project has me thinking quilts again. Big surprise. We have a ton of quilt patterns and books in the store, ranging in skill level from very beginner to very, er, not. Is this the year you learn how to piece patchwork? I hope so.
*Other very gift worthy patterns in the store this week:
- Amy Butler's Honey Bun Poofs. Perfect for all the new bold prints we have on the shelves.
- AND! New embroidery kits from the ever adorable Penguin and Fish.
--Melissa
Gina mentioned that the store was getting in some of the new prints and linens from French General's Kaari Meng for Moda. What is difficult to show you in pictures, is how soft and beautiful the new linen happens to be. It is is pillow case soft with a gorgeous drape. Bolt is also stocking several of the coordinating prints (mostly reds) from the Maison de Garance line, whch are all perfectly seasonally appropriate.
Also new in, are pre-made linen dish towels that come with red embroidery thread and a guide to monogramming. These make special hostess gifts, gift basket liners, and are quick and easy to finish. A little hand made goes a long way-- of course, if you are in the over-achiever category, don't stop at towels! That linen is crying out to be made into special occasion napkins. If you love the ticking stripe and overall aesthetic of French General, make sure to check out their books (also in the store): Handmade Soirees, Treasured Notions and Home Sewn.
