Oh, Fransson!

Thursday Wristlet

This is what happens when I start working on a something in the middle of the night!  I had intended to make today's wristlets out of some great Alexander Henry Home Dec fabric, but I couldn't find where I'd put it.  While looking for the fabric (which I just bought last week!) I ran across a set of rainbow colored strips that I cut out back in November when I made Olivia's pencil roll.  One thing led to another and this is the result.  It's Style C1, about an inch taller than normal with the front and back panels patchwork pieced with natural linen sashing.

  

Here's the back.

And a detail of the zipper.

 

I like the idea of the patchwork strap a lot better than the execution.  With all those seam allowances, it got a little bumpy!  I'm going to have to work with this to see if I can't come up with a better method.

 

This one has a black and white lining (Alexander Henry's Necco) and no pocket.

Tomorrow's wristlets will be the standard versions from the pattern, which now includes an expanded strap-making section.  I'm very excited for the pattern debut and the announcement of the giveaway winners!

Wednesday Wristlet

It's really bugging me that the satin bias tape strip on the right is wonky, but I've decided to post the photo anyway!  Today's wristlet is Style A1 again, but with several modifications.

I substituted the interlining for fusible fleece, so that I could make the back from quilted satin.

I've been getting lots of questions about where to buy hardware.  For the purposes of this pattern/tutorial I used only hardware I could find at JoAnn.  These consist of d-rings, which are sold in packs of four on the notions wall, and swivel hooks and split rings, which are with the jewelry supplies.  I'm not sure what kind of jewelry gets made with swivel hooks and split rings, but that's where JoAnn keeps them.  (Do boondoogle keychains count as jewelry?)  Anyway, since I know that the right hardware isn't always easy to find, I'm also including with the pattern instructions for a "hardware free" handle, which I used on this wristlet.

My final modification was to patchwork piece the front panel and embellish it with satin bias tape and a yo-yo and vintage button detail. 

I was happy to discover how well this Amy Butler Charm fabric went with the Kaufman Hot Couturier that I used for the exterior!

This is the kind of fusible fleece I use.  Despite the claim on the package that it's the "same great product as on [the] bolt" my experience, regardless of where I buy it, has been that the stuff on the bolt is much thicker and makes for kind of shapeless bags.  The stuff in the packages like this is usually pretty thin (about the same thickness but slightly lighter weight than wool felt) which I like because you can get a quilted detail without having your bag look like it's made out of a baby blanket.  I'm sure that you really can buy this variety of fusible fleece on the bolt somewhere.  I just haven't ever seen it. 

 

So there's Wednesday's wristlet.  Thank you, everyone, for all your kind comments this week.  I was amazed how many of you entered the giveaway and will be announcing the winners this Friday.  Stay tuned!

Tuesday Wristlet

Today's wristlets are made in Style B2 (the smaller version of B1, which I made on Saturday).  I made them with some really fabulous dupioni silk that I found at Josephine's last week.  These are about 4" tall by 8" wide and about 1.5" deep.  The only change I've made to the pattern is to fuse a strip of black and white printed cotton to the front.  Each side of the strip covered in different widths of some black silk dupioni bias tape that I made.  The black and white print on the yellow bag is Alexander Henry's "What's Your Number?".

In addition to the yellow, I also made one in bright turquoise, with a Kaufman Night & Day print.

And one in red with Alexander Henry's "In Crowd."  (Don't you hate it when you realize later that there's a piece of lint in your photo?  There's a piece of lint in this photo.)

 

Each one is lined in the same fabric used on the front and each has a small pocket.

This style has a simple loop strap, secured to the side of the bag with a d-ring.

I used black zippers for a little bit of contrast.

And here they are all together.  I just love the way the dupioni looks with the black and white prints!

Monday Wristlet

Today we have the third and final wristlet shape, Style C.  Style C has boxed corners, which means it can stand on its own.  This would also be a good shape for a makeup bag.  The one pictured above is C2, and it about 4" x 7" and a little less than 2" deep.  (I love the bias-cut handle on this one!)

Style C1 is slightly larger, about 5" x 8" and a little more than 2" deep.  Both were made with pieces of  vintage pillowcases and sheets from the swap.  My only variation from the pattern was piecing the front and back panels from two different vertical strips of fabric.  I sewed a piece of rick-rack into the seam between the two.  (I think I also came up with a tricky way to put rick-rack into the seams and that technique will be featured in an upcoming Vintage Sheet Project.)

One end of the handle is attached to a d-ring on the side of the bag.  The other end has a clasp hook that can be removed from the d-ring in order to loop the strap around a larger bag/strap.  If you wanted you could also attach the clasp to the zipper pull, like on Style A.

These wristlets also have a small interior pocket.

And here they are side-by-side.  I was really happy with the way these fabrics looked together!

Since several people have asked, I wanted to mention that my labels are definitely not anything to write home about.  They're just printed on ink-jet fabric pages I got at JoAnn.  (In fact, if anyone has a recommendation for nice short-run woven labels, I would love to hear about it!) 

Sunday Wristlet

Today's wristlets were made using the Style A1 and A2 patterns.  The only change I made was to add a strip of bias-cut plaid fabric trimmed in rick rack to the exterior panels.  I backed the plaid with lightweight fusible webbing before cutting and sewing it, so that it wouldn't warp.  I embellished the finished panels with a felt flower and vintage buttons.  The solid brownish black fabric is Obsidian Net of Jewels, which is a nice fabric, but I think next time I do this style I'll use corduroy or wool for the solid part.  (Probably corduroy.  I have a bunch of it sitting around with nothing to do!)

A1 is approximately 5" x 9".

A2 is approximately 4" x 7".  (I adore that dark green vintage button!)

Both have a thin strap, one end of which is attached to the left side of the bag and one end of which has a small clasp hook that clips on to a split ring attached to the zipper pull.

This strap style makes it possible to secure the wristlet around a strap or loop on a larger bag.  It also makes for very easy opening and closing of the zipper (using the strap as a zipper pull).

Both styles also have a small slip pocket inside.

These last two days' wristlets have been very Fall-oriented, so tomorrow's is going to be more summery.  After all, it isn't Fall just yet!

Saturday Wristlet

Today's wristlet is based on Style B1 of the pattern, which has a slightly rounded bottom shaped by darts.  The only change I made was to piece the front and back panels so the top and bottom were made with different fabrics. 

For the top part of the bag (and the handle) I used a Kaufman floral print.  For the bottom, I used brown suiting fabric.  I sewed the top and bottom fabrics together before I did any cutting.  Then I drew a horizontal line on my pattern piece so I could line it up with the seam between the two fabrics to make sure the front and back panels would match up.

I embellished the front with a vintage button.

This view has a small card/cash pocket on the inside.  I made the lining from a Chocolate Lollipop print.

This view also has a simple loop wrist strap that's secured to the bag with a small d-ring.  (As much as it pains me to use anything metallic gold, I had to admit that the "gold" d-ring looked better with these colors than silver.)

This finished bag measures about five inches tall, by 10 inches wide, by two inches deep.  I'm really pleased with the way this one turned out, but I'm also eager to make up the one for Sunday.  Tune in tomorrow to see how it turns out!

Horray for Zip Wristlets: Giveaway

I've spent the past few days finishing up a new pdf pattern/tutorial for my Etsy shop.  Wristlets Three Ways will debut August 1 and will feature step-by-step photo instructions for three styles of zip wristlets, each in two sizes.  To celebrate, I plan to post every day for the next week (Saturday through Friday) about a different wristlet that I made using the pattern. 

I'll also be giving away three copies of the pattern.  To enter the giveaway, just comment on this post.  I'll keep comments open until 10:00 pm (Pacific) on Sunday.  Winners will be announced Friday, August 1.

This is going to be fun!

Sheet Swap Wrapup

As of Saturday morning, all sheet swap packages were in the mail.  I want to thank everyone who played.  It's been a fabulous swap and I hope you'll all have fun with your fat quarters!

I also wanted to respond to the many, many requests I've been getting for a second round.  Unfortunately, this is just not something I can do right now.  The swap was a lot of fun, but it was also a huge investment in time and I simply don't have enough to spare for a second round.  (I also think I should give my mail carrier a break.  She had to put up with a lot during this swap!)

I really appreciate everyone's enthusiasm though, and I hope you'll be able to get some use out of the vintage sheet projects I'll be posting.  The next one will go up on August 4.

Vintage Sheet Project 2: Rec Room Pillows

These pillows are a little busy.  Okay.  They're a lot busy, but I still love them.  I wanted to use some of my more outrageous floral sheets to create something that captured the essence of a 1970's rec room.  I used this great Joel Dewberry faux-bois fabric and pieced it in strips to simulate wood paneling.  Then, I backed the pillows in furry fleece to give the look of a funky shag carpet.

I ended up making one 18" and one 24" pillow.  I made the covers the same size as the pillows, so they fit snugly without being too tight.  As much as I've loved the bamboo batting and bamboo stuffing I've been using, I was not a big fan of the bamboo pillow forms I used for these.  They're a little too heavy and the stuffing kind of pulls together in the center, leaving the corners a bit wrinkly.

Here is a printable guide to cutting and piecing the pillow top: Download RecRoomPanel.pdf (10.7K)  

Besides the materials listed for the top, you'll need an 18" or 24" pillow form and about 5/8 yard (for an 18" pillow) or 3/4 yard (for a 24" pillow) of muslin and furry fleece.  I'm suggesting slightly wider pieces of furry fleece than you might think you'd need because it can be cumbersome to cut and I've found that having just a touch more can save a lot of time and trouble.

Once each pillow top was pieced, I used it as a guide to cut two pieces of muslin the same size.  I then secured one of them to the wrong side of the pieced top by zig-zag stitching around the outside edge.

I next laid the second piece of muslin on the wrong side of a piece of furry fleece, pinned it securely and cut the furry fleece to the same size.  (Basically, I used it as a pattern piece.)  Keeping the two layers pinned together, I zig-zag stitched around the edges, securing the muslin to the fleece and cutting down on shedding.  The furry fleece does shed a lot, but only along the raw edges.  Once you pillow is finished and de-linted, it shouldn't shed any more.

I finished the pillow by pinning the right sides of the pieced front and furry fleece back together and closing three sides with a 1/4" seam.  I also closed about two inches in from each corner on the fourth (open) side to make it so I didn't have to hand-stitch the corners. 

Then, I clipped the corners, turned the cover right-side-out and pushed out the corners with a chopstick.  I put the pillow form inside and finished by hand stitching the open side closed.  Once the pillow is finished it will probably be covered in lint from the furry fleece.  I found that my lint roller wasn't really up to the task of removing it all and had better luck with my vacuum cleaner (which I had to get out anyway to get all the fleecy bits off the carpet in my sewing room). 

All in all, this was a pretty easy project.  I liked the piecing arrangement so well that I'm now planning a quilt that will start with the same formation but continue the faux-bois sashing and concentric squares of pieced squares outward.  I'll post a picture when it's done.

If you end up making one of these, please post a photo in my Flickr Pool. 

Blue and Green Plates

This afternoon, I started working on the first of eight quilts I have planned for my vintage sheet fat quarters.  (That's right.  Eight.  I am fully aware that I am crazy.)  This one is going to have three sizes of Dresden Plates on a pieced background of blue and green chambray. 

This is my first-ever Dresden Plate!  You can see where it's a little wonky at the top, but I think the quilting will cover it up alright.  I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to do the centers yet.  I'll probably go with the traditional circles out of scraps from the chambray.

These blocks are kind of fussy to put together -- lots of steps -- but I think the finished quilt will look pretty cool (both literally and figuratively).