Printing by Hand: A Modern Guide to Printing with Handmade Stamps, Stencils and Silk Screens by Lena Corwin is a fabulous resource for various methods of fabric printing. The author offers some beautifully modern designs and some gorgeous project ideas not to metion such easy to understand instructions that even a super-novice will be printing in no time!

But either way, I did find this really great quilted frame idea. It would be so cute as is for a baby’s room or done in chic op-art fabric could work in more contemporary settings. Either way, I just love when quilting is done in the unexpected!

Denyse Schmidt Quilts are quite simply, fabulous. She has taken this piece of American Craft History and totally modernized it. And now you can learn how to create your own cool quilt with her improvisational piecing workshops.

You can Sew!

Project Linus is a fantastic organization that distributes hand-made blankets to kids who are really ill, traumatized or otherwise in need. They have lots of pattern ideas on their site as well as all the info you need to get your creation into the little hands of someone who would love it.

Since they started in 1995, they have distributed over two million blankets to children in need.

Now, that’s a lot of sewing talent put to good use!

Just when you thought you could toss out those teensy scraps, along comes a little idea to use them up. (“Waste not/Want not”)

Cut your scraps into 1 ½” squares making sure you have a front and a back. Iron a 1 ¼” square fusible web such as Wonder Under between them and get set to embellish them with buttons, lace, charms, yarns, ribbons or anything you have lying around.  You can machine embroider them, paint them, bead them or leave them plain. If you have bits of border or triangles left over from quilting, these would be perfect to join together for our “mini quilts”.

 These little tags can be used for package decorations, card embellishments, scrapbooking, or even a hanging mobile if you have enough. This is micro-art!

Shapes are more difficult to work with such as starts or hearts, but not impossible. Just be sure to use a stiffer interfacing in between the front and back to keep it stabilized while you embellish it.

Finish the edges with zigzag, couched on ribbons or yarn or pink them and sew
a straight stitch 1/8” in from the edge.

Here are a few more ideas to clean out those closets.

Sweaters

·         Shrunken wool—Here’s something you once may have cried about, but can now rejoice over. That expensive sweater you splurged on that could now fit your poodle, can now be made into a great hat and mitten set. Or hat, if only that big. Trace a hat you already have onto paper. Cut out two of the same using the hem as the bottom of the hat, adding ½inch seam allowance to the sides.  If you unsure if the sweater will run or not, run a narrow zigzag just inside the cutting line on your sewing machine before you cut it out.  After you cut it out, just place the two halves  right sides together, and zigzag or serge around it. If you have enough for mittens or have more than one sweater, trace around the outline of your hand, leaving lots of seam allowance, trust me here.  Don’t forget you need to make 4 halves, two for each hand. Stitch around, turn right side out and enjoy your sweater! Oh, if you have no other use for it, put it on your dog.

·         Scarf—use bits of sweaters and  make a patchwork scarf joining the random pieces together with a zigzag or serge stitch. I would make it wide enough to fold in half lengthwise, stitch down and turn inside out so you can’t see any of the seams, plus it will be warmer.  Unravel some of the yarn from any remnants and make fringe for the ends.

·         Bag—make a cool bag. Cut off the sleeves and stitch them shut rights side together. Stitch straight across the top of the shoulders including the neck edge. Turn upside-down so the bottom is now the top and you have the beginnings of a bag. You can then use the sleeves for handles, or use jean legs for something funky. You can add pockets from scraps of whatever you have. If the sweater has a loose knit to it, you may want to line it. Think of a contrasting colour that may show through for extra funkiness!

·         Stuffed animals—what do you do with disco leopard print sweater that was off one shoulder? Make a stuffed leopard, what else?  Make a stuffed elephant for something different? Get creative, who doesn’t want a pink striped dog?

http://www.auctionfabric.com/

I get together with friends and having to balance my iron on top of something as I try to get it home has always been a challenge. Of course, if I was organized, I would  stop sewing a few minutes earlier to  let it cool, but hey, who wants to give up precious sewing minutes? Get creative with it! I put a few little pockets on the outside, you can never have too many!

Make Your Own Iron Caddy

Iron Caddy For Traveling
Debbie ColgroveHere’s a quick project that will protect your cars synthetic carpet after sewing class, with a pocket for the cord.

Materials Needed

• 19″ Square of cotton fashion fabric
• 19″ square of batting
• 19″ square of Teflon Fabric(silver, heat resistant fabric)
• 14″ by 5″ piece of fabric
• 11″ of 1/4″ soft elastic
• Thread
• Stuffing
• Tape measure or ruler
• Pencil or chalk

Directions

Fold fashion fabric in half and in half again, so that it is folded in quarter.

From the folded corner measure 9″, rotating your ruler to form a 1/4 circle. Join your marks together and cut on the marked line. When unfolded you will have a circle of fabric.

Use the circle as a template to cut out your batting and teflon. Set aside the batting and teflon.

Use the 14″ by 5″ piece of fabric to make a pocket. Fold right sides together so that you have a 7″ by 5″ folded piece. Using 1/2″ seams stitch around cut edges leaving a 1″ area open to turn right side out. Trim corners. Turn right side out. Push out corners. Press flat and press the unstitched area in 1/2″ to match seam line.

From any edge of the cotton fabric fold up an area so that the fold to the edge measures 6 1/2″. Measure 5 1/4″ in along folded edge, from both sides.

Line up pocket with your measured area. Place the open area that you turned the pocket right sides out, towards the center of the circle. Pin in place and stitch close to the pocket edges. Leave open on the long edge that is nearest the circle edge.

Lay batting on table. Lay cotton fabric over batting right side up. Lay teflon fabric on top of fabric shiny side down. Line up all edges. You may pin them together but pins will leave marks in the Teflon. You can paper clip it together and remove the paper clips as you get to that area.

Stitch along edge leaving a 3″ – 4″ area open to turn right sides out. Turn right sides of fabric out. Press flat and press under the unstitched edge.

Stitch 1/2″ on from pressed seam edge, around the entire circle.

Using a safety pin, thread the elastic through the edge of the circle. Overlap the ends of the elastic and stitch to hold them together.

Use a slip stitch to close the open edge.

Tips

I designed these instructions for a standard household iron. You may need to vary the elastic for your iron.

Even though Teflon is heat resistant, please be very careful with a hot iron. Allow it to cool while you pack up everything else.

Although clothes pins are bulky, you can use the spring type to hold fabrics together in place of paper clips.

Insulated Totes For Soda & Water Bottles
Debbie Colgrove
7/7/04

Bring your own beverage to parades and community events and keep them cold.

Here you’ll find insulated bottle totes in various sizes for most popular water and soda bottles. Here is a way to keep that drink cold!

Materials

1. Save those plastic salad boxes with the snap on lids. They stack, they are the right size for fat quarters if you quilt and they are see through. Oh, and they are free! Ask everyone you know to save theirs, you can never have too many. I keep my scraps in them according to whatever whim I feel at the moment. I keep small projects lumped together in them and can reach for them at any given moment when I have a “notion” to work on it.

2. Roll up your fabric and store on shelves that have dividers on them. Make your own dividers with shelf brackets or just stand a piece of wood or an old LP cover between the rolls. Rolled fabric doesn’t crease as much, and trust me, when you pull out that piece in twenty years, you will be glad of that (because that is when it will be in style)

3. Patterns can be stored in large zippered freezer bags that you can purchase at a dollar store. You will never get those pieces back in the envelope, no matter who you are. I also through out all the excess paper, instructions is languages I don’t understand and any pieces I will never use even if it is 20 years in the future. It saves a little space I figure.

4. I was able to find an old wooden cabinet with many mini-draweres at a factory auction that was used to hold parts or something. I painted it brilliant purple and labeled each of the drawers to what they should hold. Inside the drawers I found little baskets and conta

I’m a little tea pad

Square and soft

Filled with stuff to keep me hot

Microwave me till I’m warm

I’m here to set your cup on me

Hope you enjoy this little sewing craft! I have made many with little quilt squares that may have been destined to go elsewhere but didn’t quite make the cut!

http://www.sewingweb.com/Projects/MugMatLois/