Oh, Fransson!

Fabric Love: Yummy Vintage Sheets

 
In anticipation of Katie Jean's Sheet Swap, I decided to inspect my current stash of vintage linens.  I was thrilled to discover that I still have quite a nice variety.  The photo above is of pieces that are either whole pillowcases or larger pieces of sheets. 

 
I also have a nice variety of fat quarters and smaller pieces . . .

 
. . . as well as a big pile of scraps.  I'm going to have to come up with a really great sheet quilt project for the summer.

 
l have to find a good use for these two pieces.  They don't really "go" with the others, but they're both amazing.

It was also great to discover that I have two big sheets that I haven't yet cut into.  I think I'll use these for the swap! 

Saltines and Lemonade

 

That's what I had for dinner.  The pain medicine I'm taking for my leg has completely taken away my appetite, but I have to eat something, so I had saltines and lemonade.  When I wasn't enjoying a well-balanced meal, I was starting a new quilt.

 

I've seen a lot of great zig-zag quilts around lately and decided I wanted to try it out.  I'm sort of using the directions from A Quilt Is Nice, which were based on the directions from The Purl Bee.  I'm using vintage sheets and one stripe of natural linen. 

At this point, I've got the 120 - 5" squares sewn together, cut and pressed into 120 squares made of two pieced triangles.  The next step is to sew the squares together.  I'm sorry about the bad lighting.  I'll post better photos once I'm further along (and when it's daytime).

Finished Rick-Rack Quilt

Click on any of these photos for a larger, clearer version.

Thank you so much for all of your get-well comments on my last post.  I can sort of walk around now and can even bend my knee (big development!) so I've spent the last few hours "up" and am looking to even do some sewing tonight.   

It was beautiful here today, so I was able to get some nice photos of the freshly-finished Rick-Rack Quilt.  In case you don't remember, this is the one I wrote about here.  The quilt top has twenty blocks made with vintage sheets and tablecloths, new polka dot fabric, white linen sashing and red and white striped seersucker binding.

The back is made with strips of delft Kona cotton and a delft and white print from Fabric Depot, the name and manufacturer or which I can't remember.  I spent at least two hours wandering around Fabric Depot before I chose this print but, in the end, I'm quite happy with it.

Because I did the free-motion quilting everywhere but around the rick-rack, there are some lumpy rough-square-shaped bumps on the back, but they were minimized a little when I washed and dried the quilt.

Even though this quilt isn't really my style (as my sister Sarah would say, it's kind of "old-timey") I was very happy with the vintage sheet, rick-rack and polka dot combos -- so much so that I took a photo of each individual block.  If you want to check them out, they're all on Flickr.

So, now it's done and will soon be off to live with old-timey quilt enthusiast, Sarah

How to Make a Charging Basket

 

I used one of my vintage sheet fat quarters and some natural linen and Kona cotton to make this phone charging basket.

 

It's about 8" square and 3.5" tall and is just the right size for my phone, keys, sunglasses, and a few other things. 

 

The inside is made with a quilted, patchwork panel. . .

 

. . . and the outside is covered in the vintage sheet material.

 

If you'd like to make one yourself, here's the tutorial:

Download Charging Basket Tutorial

Note:  If Timtex is unavailable, Peltex makes an acceptable substitute. 

If you make one, please consider posting a photo in my Flickr Group.

Vintage Sheet Project 3: Rick Rack Patchwork Blocks

ETA 10/12/08:  This post talks about how to make the blocks.  For photos of the finished quilt, check out this post.

After the swap, I ended up with several really great fruit and berries fat quarters cut from sheets and tablecloths.  I wanted to make them into something that would highlight the great prints and maintain the retro look of a vintage fruit tablecloth.  I'd been wanting for a while to do a modified log cabin block with rick-rack pieced into the seams and this seemed a perfect project for that.

 

The following directions are for 12.5"  (12" finished) blocks.  To make a quilt top with 20 blocks (4 wide by 5 tall) you'll need:

• 20 - 4" squares fussy cut from vintage sheets and tablecloths.
• 5/8 Yard each of four coordinating polka dot fabrics with colored grounds, cut into 2" strips.  I used Moda's Friends and Flowers in red, yellow, green and blue. 
• Four 2 1/2 yard packages each of Medium Rick Rack in four colors to match your polka dot fabric.  I used Scarlet, Dark Banana, Leaf Green, and Delft.
• 2.5" strips cut from Vintage Linens.  For each block, you'll need two 8" strips and two 11" strips.  (If you're using fat quarters from the swap, I suggest using 10 fat quarters and cutting enough strips for two blocks from each.)

Note 1:  These measurements and fabric amounts are based on my quick-piecing method, which is detailed below.  To save time and guarantee accuracy, I cut all of my strips 1/4" wider and slightly longer than necessary and then trim them to the right size after each seam is sewn.  While I don't find that this wastes an extraordinary amount of fabric, it's probably not the best method for squeezing the absolute most out of your fabric. 

Note 2:  Vintage sheets can be pesky to patchwork piece with.  A lot of them are made with no-wrinkle 50/50 blends that make pressing a crisp fold difficult to impossible.  Because I was planning to free-motion quilt this top, I didn't worry about it on these blocks.  (Because the free-motion quilting will tack everything down.)  If you're doing less quilting, you might consider backing the pieces cut from sheets with muslin or a lightweight fusible interfacing.

If you're making a quilt that will be washed, I suggest pre-washing your rick-rack.  You'll need to first stitch back and forth across the end of each piece to keep it from unraveling.  Wash the rick-rack inside a lingerie bag and put it in the washer and dryer with your other fabrics. 

When your rick-rack comes out of the washer, it will be kind of bumpy looking.  You can press it flat using your iron with a little bit of steam.  

Start by choosing one of the 4" fussy cut squares.  Choose the rick-rack color you'd like to start with and cut four pieces slightly longer than the 4" block.  Adjust your stitch length up and your tension down a step or two and carefully stitch the rick-rack strips to the edges of the square.  Make sure to keep your stitches close to the edge -- not down the center of the rick-rack.  You may need to stop and start your stitching several times as you move the rick rack into the proper position.  Take your time and make sure your needle is in the down position each time you stop. 

Trim the excess rick-rack and thread from corners to form a perfect square. 

Here's where that quick-piecing method comes in . . .  Choose one of your polka dot strips (which have been cut into 2" strips along the width of the fabric).  Cut two strips slightly wider that your square.  Readjust your tension and stitch length (back to normal) and sew one to the top and one to the bottom, using a 1/4" seam allowance.  If your rick-rack is positioned perfectly -- right along the edge of the square -- your seam should run right through the middle.  Press fabric and seams away from the center and use your rotary cutting tools to trim the edges so they line up perfectly with the center square, as shown in the top left photo. 

Now, cut two more strips from your polka dot fabric, this time slightly taller than the block (including the polka dot piecing you just sewed on).  Sew these strips to the left and right sides of the block, again pressing all fabric and seam allowances toward the outside.

Use your rotary cutter and ruler to trim each side of the block so the polka dot strips measure 1 1/2" from the seam where they meet the center square.  You'll be cutting off about 1/4".  Note how, in the top right photo, the grid-lines on the ruler are lined up not only along the right side of the center square, but along the bottom.  This ensures that you not only have straight sides, but also perfect 90% corners.

Repeat the last few steps with your vintage linen strips but, this time, trim the strips to 2" from the seam where they meet the polka dot fabric. 

Once again, increase your stitch length and lower your tension.  Cut four strips of rick-rack slightly longer than the sides of your block and, using the same method your did with the center square, stitch the rick-rack to all four sides.  Trim corners and return machine settings back to "normal."

Using the same method you used before, add polka dot strips to the top and bottom, and then to the left and right sides of the block.  One again, press all seams to the outside and trim the polka dot fabric so that it measures 1 1/2" from the seam where it meets the vintage linen fabric.

Your block is done!

When I made my blocks, I chose the color arrangements so that all four colors (red, yellow, green and blue) would be represented in each block.  I also paired cool colors and warm colors,  The red and yellow polka dot fabrics are used on blocks with the green and blue rick-rack.  The green and blue polka dots are used on blocks with the red and yellow rick rack.

These are my Style A blocks.  Yellow polka dots in the middle and red on the outside.  I did some of the blocks with the green rick-rack on the inside and blue on the outside and some the opposite.  I like how that adds a little more variety.  I made five of these blocks.

 

These are the Style B blocks.  Red on the inside and yellow on the outside with green and blue rick-rack.  I made five of these blocks.

And the Style C Blocks, with blue dots on the inside and green on the outside with alternating red and yellow rick-rack.  I made five of these blocks too.

Finally, here are the Style D Blocks.  Green on the inside and blue on the outside with red and yellow rick-rack.  I made, you guessed it, five of these blocks.

(You can click on the above photos to see the full view.  Typepad's new formatting tools and I haven't been getting along and I can't get these to post without being either tiny or cut-off.)

 

I arranged my blocks four across and five down and sewed them together with 2 1/2" white linen sashing.

I'm currently working on free-motion quilting this project.  It's challenging to avoid the rick-rack, but I'm liking the way it looks!  I'll post photos of the finished product when it's done.  I have some awesome red and white seersucker for the binding that I can't wait to use.

Better Late Than Never?

ODOT (Oregon Department of Transportation) has these billboards up right now that feature a flipped-over car and the tagline "Better Late Than Never."  In very small print on the bottom it says something like "obey the speed limit."  I think I'm a little slow on the uptake because it actually took me quite a long time to figure out the point of that tagline (that it's better to drive more slowly and be late than to get in an accident because you were driving too fast).  My first thought was that ODOT felt it was fortunate the car in the photo had finally flipped over because, otherwise, it might have continued to exceed the speed limit indefinitely.  Like I said, I'm a little slow on the uptake.

I'm also a little slow in getting the next Vintage Sheet Project done.  I'm working on it though and I wanted to show some evidence (above) and give you an estimate of when it will be up (by next Monday)!

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!) 

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).