Oh, Fransson!

In case of emergency . . .

I've been loving all the first aid kit bags that I've seen popping up all over the place, particularly those made by my friend, Jen. So, when I needed a smallish gift for a swap, I decided that a first aid bag would be a good idea. 

I made the bag using Style C (large) from my Perfect Zip Bags pattern. For the front of the bag, I used natural linen and pieced a little red cross.

For the back of the bag, I did some embroidery (and applique).

Still a little bit shaky, but it's getting better!

Are you wondering why this first aid bag has pictures of scissors and a needle?

That's because it's a sewing room first aid bag! It has bandaids and burn cream for the sewer, but also a lint roller, stain remover pen, fray check, seam tape, and a glue stick for projects. 

This swap had some monetary limitations but, without those, I might also have added a spare seam ripper, thread snips, tweezers, etc. You know, all those things that can so easily be misplaced, but that you might need in an emergency.

I'm pretty sure that I'm going to have to make one for myself now!

Sandwich Boards

6 sheets of plywood = $63.00

2 rolls of duct tape = $12.00

90 self-adhesive vinyl tiles = $67.50

Making a quilt sandwich without moving my dining room furniture = priceless

My house is small. My garage is also small, but it's theoretically big enough for sandwiching and pin basting quilts. The problem is the concrete floor, which is resistant to blue tape, awkward for pin basting, and, most importantly, impossible to get clean enough to ensure that a quilt won't get dirty or dusty (believe me, I've tried).

We don't store our cars in the garage, but putting down a permanent floor on top of the concrete is still out of the question. So, I decided to build a "fake floor" that could be assembled or disassembled whenever it needed to be. My checklist looked like this:

• Must be easy to clean.
• Must be sturdy enough that we can walk on it if it's left on the garage floor.
• Must be substantial enough that it won't shift around when it's being used.
• Must be able to be laid down or taken up quickly and easily by one person.
• Must be able to be stored in a relatively small space.
• Must be able to be moved to another location.

Before I talk about how I made my panels, I need to offer a disclaimer. I am not a construction expert. I built these panels based on what made sense to me. They obviously aren't a real or permanent flooring system -- just something to make my quilting life easier.

Okay, let's go! 

After a recon mission to Home Depot, I decided that my best option would be some kind of plywood. I picked the stuff pictured above because it was the least expensive. I wanted the combined area to be 9' x 10', so I decided to have 6 pieces of wood cut to 3' x 5' each. That seemed to me like few enough pieces in a manageable size.

Because the edges of the wood were kind of jaggedy, I covered them with duct tape. This may or may not have been a terrible idea, but I really wanted to avoid jaggedy edges that might get all covered in dust bunnies and other random debris. 

Note: If I were doing this again, I would be more mindful of how much duct tape I was putting at each corner, as it sometimes made it hard to get the tiles to lay completely flat.

I used 12" x 12" self-adhesive vinyl tiles. These tiles are pretty much like big stickers -- just peel the backing away and stick them on! As floor covering goes, they're also quite inexpensive. The downside is that they are UGLY. The fake wood tiles seemed to be the least objectionable, and were also much smoother than the fake tile and fake stone ones, so I bought 90.

Note: If I were doing this again, I would have bought a few extra. I had to reposition a couple of tiles and it was NOT easy to put them back after they had been peeled off the wood.

I worked in rows, covering each piece of wood with 15 tiles. Because the combined area of the tiles was the same as the area of the wood, I had to be very careful to start by lining the tiles up exactly with the edges.

Here's one of the finished panels.

Here they are together on the garage floor. 

These remind me a little of those temporary dance floors at weddings. I guess it's time for a dance party in the garage! (Don't think for a second that I won't hang a disco ball and put that into effect at my next party.)

And here they are in action. The panels were pretty dusty by the time I got them all put together, but I just ran a Swiffer mop across the top and they were ready to go! 

I had some apprehension about the seams between the panels, but I didn't have any problems sandwiching this quilt. The panels stayed put, even as I crawled around on them. In fact, it was the easiest sandwiching experience I've had in a while!

I'll let you know how they hold up over time, but I have to say that I'm pretty darn excited about them right now!

Fifty Cent Weights

Today I made three cute little weights for my sewing room.  It's a project I've been meaning to do for a while, and I'm glad to finally have it done.

So why do I need tiny weights in my sewing room?  Mainly to keep big cuts of fabric from sliding off my table while I'm trying to cut them.  I thought about buying a set of pattern weights, but I think these are prettier (with the bonus of matching my sewing room).

The weights are also good for keeping piles of cut fabric or templates in one place if a breeze from an open window keeps blowing them off your work table.

My weights measure about 2.5" x 2.5" and are each weighted with 50 pennies.  There's a little tutorial below so, if you have runaway fabric and a change jar, you too can make these simple weights.

Here's what you'll need:

• 50 pennies
• 2 flannel* squares 3.5" x 3.5" for interlining
• 1 fabric square 3.5" x 3.5" for top
• 2 fabric rectangles 3.5" x 2.25" for back

*I used flannel because I had it and thought it would be less bulky than batting.  You could probably use batting scraps instead.  It may just result in a chunkier-looking weight.

Keeping right side facing up, place the 3.5" x 3.5" fabric square on top of one of the flannel squares.  Set aside.  (This will be the top of the weight.)

Place the right sides of the 2 fabric rectangles together.  Sew together along long (3.5") side, using a half-inch seam allowance, leaving a 1.5" opening for turning, and backstitching each time you start and stop.

Press seam open.

Cut remaining flannel square in half and tuck one half under each side of the pressed-open seam allowance.  Pin flannel in place and stitch along both sides of the seam, through all layers, as shown above.

This will be the bottom of the weight.  Square up to 3.5" x 3.5" to match the top.

Place the right sides of the top and bottom together, pin, and sew around all four sides, using a half-inch seam allowance and backstitching at each corner.

Trim excess bulk from corners, turn right side out, and press.

Now comes the fun part!  Fill the weight with 50 pennies.  Keep in mind that pennies are generally pretty dirty.  Do what you can to keep them from touching the fabric on the outside of the weight.

Once the pennies are in place, hand stitch the opening closed.

And that's it.  Your weight is finished.  No more fabric on the floor!

Making a Design Wall (for any space!)

As someone with a fair amount of fancy quilting tools on hand, I would say that my design wall is possibly my favorite of them all.  I use it to preview fabric swatches, to organize blocks and to keep my latest project from becoming a wrestling arena for my cats. 

Here's an action shot of my large design wall, which measures about 96" x 96".  As you can see in the photo, it's a great place for staging block arrangements. 

So, how does a design wall work?  Basically, it's a larger version of a children's felt story board.  A rigid base is wrapped in a "sticky" material to create a surface that fabric can both stick to and be removed from with ease. 

For my design walls, I started with foam insulation, which can be purchased in sheets from Home Depot.  I like the foam insulation because, while it's rigid enough to stay flat, it's also lightweight enough to be portable.  (So, even if you don't have a dedicated sewing room, you can make a smaller version that can be easily tucked away in a closet or under a bed when not in use.)  If you use foam insulation, you'll also be able to pin notes or whatnot to your design wall, just like a big bulletin board! 

For my large design wall, I used two big sheets of foam insulation, each about 48" x 96".  The pieces I bought had tongue and groove sides, so I was able to slide the two sheets together and tape them in place before I wrapped them in batting (creating one really big wall).  Alternately, I could have wrapped the two pieces separately so they could be used side-by-side or tucked behind one another when less space was needed. 

If you go to a place like Home Depot, you'll find a wide array of insulation types.  I like to stick with pieces that are about an inch thick.  I've found that's thick enough for the finished walls to stand on their own, without being too bulky.  If you're looking for a more substantial wall, you may want to go with a thicker product.

Of course, if you only have a little bit of space, you can always make a smaller design "wall" like the one I made today.  I used a 24" x 48" piece of insulation for my base and Warm and White batting for my wrap.  Some people like to use flannel, but I find that low-loft cotton batting like Warm and White is "stickier".  It's also readily available in wide sizes, which makes it nice for wrapping larger walls.

Start by cutting a piece of batting about 4" larger on all sides than your piece of insulation (wider if your insulation is more than 1" thick).  On a floor or large table, center your insulation on your cut batting.  Most insulation comes with a whole bunch of brightly-colored words on one side, so make sure you're laying the plain white side onto your batting! 

Starting in the center of one side, pull the batting tightly toward the back, using a staple gun to secure it in place.  It can be tricky to staple into foam and you may have to try a couple of times before you get it to work just right.  Apply a good amount of pressure, even if that means you're denting the insulation as you staple.  Repeat on the opposite side, stretching the batting smoothly

Reinforce the edges of the batting by covering them with tape, as shown above.  I used mailing tape here, but duct tape would be a much better and more durable choice, particularly if you plan to move your wall around a lot.  Make sure that your tape both covers all of your staples and extends at least an inch beyond the edge of the batting (onto the insulation).  Use more than one piece of tape, if necessary.

Repeat this process with the other two sides, tucking batting in at the corners, as shown above.

Reinforce the last two edges with tape.

And that's it, your design wall is complete!

I hung this little design wall in a very low-tech way by digging a small hole into the back of the insulation and hanging it on a nail.  The insulation is very lightweight, and the batting sort of grabs the textured wall, so it's surprisingly stable!

My larger design wall rests on the ground, leaning against the wall of my sewing room.  The top is attached to the wall with wide, sticky-backed Velcro.  

Please keep in mind that this is just one of many ways to make a design wall.  I've found this method to be easy and durable, but you may find that another method or other materials work better for you.

I'll leave you with this photo of some yummy fabric.  It's Art Gallery's Pure Elements solids and Oval Elements blenders.  I'm hoping to have a chance to try them out this weekend.

Sewing Room Update

 
Things aren't quite perfect yet, but the room is finally functional again! 

ETA: The yellow sideboard is from IKEA.  I use it to hide all of my electronics (printer, wireless router, cameras, etc.) and also stuff like interfacing and notions that I don't use every day.

I put in a little cabinet for my thread, so it won't get dusty.  It's just a bathroom cabinet from Target.  I substituted the provided country-style wooden handle with a black vintage button.

 
I wanted the room to be as bright as possible, so I took out the wooden blinds and other curtain hardware and replaced them with a simple cable system from IKEA that allows the curtains to be pulled entirely out of the way of the windows. 

The curtains are really just 2-yard lengths of fabric (Andrea Victoria from Riley Blake, purchased at Fabric Depot) hemmed on all sides.

I have a stack of cutting mats that have been ruined by keeping my pressing board on the table next to them.  (The nearby steam eventually causes the edges of the mats to warp.)  So, when I was fixing things up, I decided to "build" a better pressing table that would be separate from the table with my mat.  I used my set of IKEA adjustable table legs to make my smallest table taller, so that it can straddle the larger table I use for cutting.  Then, I wrapped it in batting and fabric, securing everything underneath with my staple gun.  This setup will also allow the tables to be pulled farther apart if more table space is needed.   

ETA: The pressing table isn't on wheels, but it's really light and easy to move.

 

Okay, please don't look too closely at this half of the room, as it's still a mess.   But, look at my giant design wall!  It's much lighter-weight than my older one, made from two sheets of poly-foam insulation, nestled and taped together and then wrapped in Warm and White batting (stapled to the back and raw edges secured with tape).  It measures about 93" tall and 96" wide.  This is fully twice as wide as my old wall!

ETA: The board is just leaning against the wall.  It probably just looks awkward because it's covering a window, whose sill makes it stick out a bit.  Unfortunately, this was the only way I could put in such a big wall.

 
Here, you can see my new closet shelving and cool flower lamp, which makes my sewing machine table and fabric closet nice and bright at night.

 

With my old setup, I felt like I was always having to move a hundred things off the machine table whenever it was time to quilt.  Hopefully the wall shelf I put in will make things easier.  It sits just low enough for me to reach when I'm sitting at the machine, so all my sewing accoutrements can live up there until I need them.  Now the only thing on the table is my machine, my iPod dock, and my scrap jar!

ETA: I don't like having my machine right in front of the window because I keep my windows open so much and don't want my machine to get extra dirty or, in rare instances, wet, from the open window.  There's really plenty of light everywhere in the room (you can see the windows out in the hall too) and the light I just hung over the table it more than enough at night.

 

I think the cats approve.

Many Layers of Paint

That's what it took to cover the formerly-red walls in this room. 

The new paint is very light gray.  I wanted to go with white, but it looked bad with the white molding and door frames.  The gray is lovely though.

ETA: Paint is Behr Burnished Clay

And I finally got one of these lamps (which I had been wanting for years)!

I still have a lot of work to do, so I'll probably be posting about several sewing room-related projects this week.

Totally Unexpected

I am not a thrift store person.  While I love the idea of revamping old stuff, thrift stores generally make me cough incessantly and want to wash my hands about 100 times.  However, I was out visiting some yesterday afternoon, in search of something I needed for a project.  I decided, kind of randomly, to stop at the Goodwill near my house (the one near 185th/Tanasbourne). 

I don't expect much from Portland-area thrift stores.  They never seem to have the awesome stuff that people I see online seem to find.  (Certainly nothing as great as those mythic "tag sales" Martha Stewart is always talking about!)  I expect even less from the ones on the westside but, under a pile of random crap, I saw what I thought was a retro mini desk.  Perfect for a laptop desk in my new sewing room!

 
As I got closer I thought: Wow, that desk is very small.  Is it supposed to be for a child?  Then, after moving all of the stuff off the top of it, I realized that, duh!, it was a sewing machine cabinet.  At this point, it honestly didn't occur to me that there would really be a machine in there.  I was just thinking that the fact that it was an old sewing machine cabinet made it an even better choice as a desk for my sewing room.

Then I opened it up and, not only was there a machine in there, it was sporty and pink!

 
I looked in the drawers and found that they contained: the original manual, an incredible exploded diagram with every last screw in the machine labeled, and an assortment of feet (including a ruffler, an invisible zipper foot, and a darning foot).  For $39.99, I wasn't going to pass it up. 

Here's what I think I know about the machine . . .

 

It's a Nelco R-1000.  Made in Japan for Nelco Sewing Machine Corp of New York.  From what I gather, this isn't a brand that collectors get too excited about.  It seems there are many more Japanese-made machines from the post WWII period than domestic machines like Singers.  The information I've been able to find is sketchy, but I get the impression that Nelco machines were specifically-designed to be knock-offs of Necchis and Elnas (hence the name).  

Nelco has quite the interesting history.  Unfortunately, as one might expect, Necchi and Elna's reaction to the Nelco brand seems to have been less than positive.

 

I can't find any date on the machine or in the manual, but the inside of the cabinet is stamped "Jul 27 1965."  I found an illustration of a later model in this ad from a 1969 magazine, so that timing seems about right for the machine. 

 
It looks like the machine was purchased from Oden's Sewing Store in Omaha.  (Which I prefer to think of as being run by Greg Oden.)  I, of course, have no idea how it found its way out here! 

In one of the drawers, I found a plastic ruler with a 1977 calendar on one side and the address of a (now-defunct) bank on the other.  The bank address would have been maybe 1-2 miles from the Goodwill where I purchased the machine.  That, and the fact that the machine appears to be in wonderful condition leads me to speculate that between 1977 and when it was taken to the Goodwill last Saturday, it may have just been sitting in a house in Oak Hills or Rock Creek. 

In the photo above, you can see the buttons for adjusting the position of the feed dogs up or down.  There's even an intermediate feed dog setting for sewing fine fabrics.  Besides a bunch of crazy decorative stitches that I will probably never use, the machine does a regular zigzag and an automatic four-step buttonhole.

 
I guess the best news is that it works beautifully -- both fast and quiet!  I'm going to have to play around with it a bit, but I think this may be a machine that I can actually use for non-quilting projects. 

I plan to refinish the cabinet (and I do still plan to use it as a laptop desk when I'm not sewing) but I'm not sure about the metal handles.  I can't decide whether they'll look better once the cabinet is refinished, whether I should try painting them silver, or whether I should attempt to find replacements.  I'm guessing that finding replacements may be difficult, since they look like kind of an odd size, but I have some time to think about it.

If you'd like to see more pictures, please check out my Flickr set. 

Step One (of Many)

My sewing room has been completely dismantled during the past few weeks, as I get ready to paint and make a number of improvements.  The first (which I wanted to do before painting in order to get all the fabric out of the way) was to install some new shelving in my closet. 

For the time being, all my fabric is nicely organized in bins according to color.  I have separate sets of bins for solids and prints.

 
Of course, cleaning out all of my fabric meant that I had to deal with my scraps.  I have been diligently saving small scraps during the past few months and, as you can see from the photo above, I've accumulated quite a few.  The problem is that I have no plan for them.  I just think they're really pretty!

Now, before you think that I'm crazy, I should tell you that the above scraps are the "after" piles.  I did go through and save most anything that I didn't have or couldn't get more of. 

A lot of the pieces here are extras that were cut for now-finished projects.  A lot of them are pieces that I cut for projects that didn't end up happening.  A lot of them are just regular leftovers.  There are a few weirdly-shaped pieces but almost everything here is square or rectangle with a clean rotary-cut edge. 

 

They're just so pretty aren't they?  It makes me wish that I had a project for them, but I don't.

Can you use them?  I would love to send them to someone who can.  Unfortunately, because this is a BIG box of fabric, it's going to have to go to someone in the US.   

So, if you have a use for these scraps, please tell me about it in the comments.  I'll select a winner on Saturday morning!

So Much Better

I guess this post could also be called "Before and After."

Here's the before.  It's the famous Square 'n [ ' ] Blocker.  As you can see, it was looking a little gross.  I was going to buy a new one, but decided I would save the money and just re-cover it.  After all, I have no use for that grid on the top.  It's all warped from being ironed on all the time anyway!

The inside looked even worse!  Weirdly, the fiberboard base was shrink-wrapped in plastic (which was all melted and mangled from being ironed on constantly).  I'm guessing the plastic is intended as some kind of moisture guard, but I took it off.  It had obviously been failing badly already, and there had never been any evidence that moisture had been getting on the table beneath it. 

Anyway, I wrapped the top in two layers of Warm and White and a big piece of Anna Maria Horner's Drawing Room fabric (the home dec weight).  I was a little hesitant to use such pretty fabric for something that is just going to look gross and mangled after a couple of months, but I figured that it was doing me no good sitting in the closet! 

A [wo]man, a plan, an inexpensive TV tray: new pressing board!

 
This is not what I intended to do this morning. 

I walked up to Walgreens to get some index cards and there, on the office supply aisle, was a big pile of wooden TV trays on sale for $9.99.  I saw them and thought, "I could use one of these to make a little pressing table to sit next to my sewing machine table!" but, for some reason, I resisted.  I continued with my errands, but I couldn't stop thinking about the tables.  So, before I went home, I went back to Walgreens and bought one. 

 

When I'm working on repetitive projects, like making quilt blocks, I like to stay in one place as much as possible.  I recently put one of my older cutting mats on the table under my machine, so that I can square up block components as I sew them.  I like to keep my pressing board nearby too but, since it can't go on or near the cutting mat, I've been balancing it on a wooden stool.  This is actually pretty dangerous and stupid because it's easy to knock the whole thing off the stool and onto the floor.  (It's also not nearly high enough -- I'm constantly burning my leg with steam from the iron!)

Anyway, my idea was to make a mini pressing board that could stand on its own without being on top of another table.  The top of the table I got at Walgreens is about 14" x 17-1/2", which is probably a little smaller than ideal, but I suppose that makes it all the more mobile.  I would eventually like to get this rolling organizer from IKEA and turn the top piece into a pressing board before I assemble it.

Incidentally, it was not my plan to have cats in these photos.  They just would not get out of the way!

 
So, if you would like to make your own TV tray pressing board, here's how to do it. . .

Supplies:

Inexpensive Wooden Tray Table

Natural-Fiber Batting: 4 pieces, about 1-1/2" larger than the top of your TV table.  I used scraps of Warm & White and Warm & Natural.

Home-Dec Weight Cotton Fabric: 1 piece, about 3" larger than the top of your TV table.  I used a print from Denyse Schmidt's County Fair. If you want to use regular quilting-weight cotton, include a layer of canvas or twill underneath.

Staple Gun

Pinking Shears or Pinking Blade in Rotary Cutter (optional)

Tack Hammer (optional)

Helper (optional)

Note: My table's top was about 3/4" thick.  You may need more or less fabric and batting, depending on the thickness of the table you're using.  However, it isn't necessary to be precise.  You just need the fabric to be big enough to wrap around the table top and staple in place.  Remember that it's always possible to trim away excess batting and fabric. 

 

Because they will continue to be raw, I pinked the edges of the fabric I was using.  This isn't strictly necessary, but may prevent future fraying.

Press fabric and lay it, wrong side up, on a table.  Center your stack of batting pieces on top of the fabric.

Center your tray table, upside-down, on top of the batting and fabric stack.  (It will be easier if you keep the legs open, as they would be if the table were standing up.)

Starting in the center of one side, pull the fabric to the underside of the table and staple it in place.  If you find it's difficult to simultaneously hold and staple the fabric, ask a friend to do one while you do the other (much as you might ask someone to hold ribbons in place while you prepare to tie a bow).

Move to the opposite side, pull the fabric to the back, gently pulling to make sure that it is stretched, but not strained, across the table top.  Staple in place and repeat, alternating sides and moving out toward the corners, until the fabric has been pulled to the back and stapled on all sides.

Tables like this (including mine) are often made of very hard wood, which can be difficult to staple.  Apply pressure as you staple.  If you find that your staples aren't going all the way in, use a tack hammer to pound them in.

At this point, your corners should still look something like this.

At each corner, pull the fabric toward the table bottom, stretching but not straining it, Staple in place.

Now, fold each side toward the table bottom and staple in place, as shown above.

Once all corners are secure, make a quick inspection of your stapling.  If there are any large stretches without a staple, add more until there are no staple-free stretches of more than about 1-1/2"  If necessary, trim away excess fabric (ideally with pinking shears).

That's it!  Your pressing board is done and ready to use. 

One benefit of making a pressing board from a TV tray is that is can fold up for easy storage.

I hope this was helpful to someone.  I encourage those of you who are are accustomed to alternating time between the ironing board and the sewing machine to give something like a try!

ETA: I fully expect using my steam iron on this pressing board will eventually destroy the finish on the top of the table underneath, but I don't expect that doing so will be hazardous or that it will cause appreciable warping to the wood itself.  If you're concerned about airflow, you could always drill some holes in the top of the table before you cover it.