Pink and Barbara

Mystery Quilt part two!

Hi!

Here is part 2 of the mystery quilt! I hope you enjoyed the first part! Now we are going to use the really small scraps...so get you scraps and rotary cutter out!

Mystery Quilt part 2 English

Mystery Quilt part 2 Swedish

Happy sewing!

Hugs

Barbara

Mystery Quilt part one!

Welcome to the mystery quilt for the spring of 2012!

Waiting for Spring Quilt

Maybe you are like me and waiting for the spring. You might also have some scraps lying around. So join me for this mystery quilt and let’s wait for spring together!

Because this is going to be a mystery quilt, some things will be a surprise until the end. You will get a new clue every 2 weeks, and a total of 4 times. So after 2 months you will have all the clues.

 Some things I can tell you:

We will be making a lap quilt: 126 x172 cm or 49x67 inch

The quilt is made out of 2 different blocks and they are 4,5 inch each.

The quilt will be playing with light and dark, so you need to split you scraps into light and dark. (I recommend the light to be very light like a background fabric. I used all my beige fabrics since my dark fabrics are my pastels. Use the same kind of color contrasts if you were making a quilt with star blocks)

The technique I will be describing is for the machine but I will be giving finished sizes so you can make it by hand if you want.

We will be starting with cutting the biggest pieces and work our way down to smaller and smaller scraps. The biggest piece you need is of your dark fabrics: 3x8 inch. The smallest pieces are 1 inch. Please note: when you are cutting your scraps, try and cut in a way so that you can keep pieces left that are as long as possible.  For the next clue you will need to cut strips and it would be a shame if you can’t use your scraps later!

All the sizes are with a ¼ inch seam allowance.

Since we are working with scraps you will need to make an insane amount of pieces sometimes. But the result is worth it!

Here is the pattern in ENGLISH and SWEDISH

I hope you will join me! Please leave a comment if you do...would be so much fun to know how many people are joining..*s*

Barbara

ps: the picture is not part of the quilt but a small hint...

 

 

Triangle Bag tutorial

Hi!

This is a tutorial on how to make the small triangle bag. The bag is perfect for your sock-knitting or quilting supplies.

What you need is:

Your sewing machine and sewing supplies like: needles, thread so on..

Outside fabric: 35 x 25 cm  (14 x10 inch)

Inside fabric: 35 x 30 cm  (14 x 12 inch)

A zipper that you can take apart that is 27 cm (11 inch) long. 

Optional: interfacing so you can make your bag more sturdy. I used a light one since I use the bag to take with me in my handbag and I don't want it to get too heavy.

Step 1

Attach you interfacing on the outside fabric. Cut your inside fabric into a 35 x 25 cm piece (14 x 10 inch). (The leftovers will be used later) Cut your inside and outside fabric in 2 pieces. So you will get 2 pieces that are 17,5 x 25 cm (7 x 10 inch) of the outside and inside fabric.

Step 2

Mark your outside fabric by laying your fabric on your work surface putting the 2 pieces together which you just have cut apart. On the cut make a mark 1.5 inch inwards on each side like in the picture above.

Step 3

Take your outside fabric and place it on you work surface with the right side facing up. 

Take your zipper apart and put it with the "teeth" of the zipper on the fabric facing down and pin it in place. Do the same with the second part of the zipper. (see photo)

Step 4

Layer the inside fabric over the zipper and outside fabric like in the picture. Pin it into place,  right sides of the fabric on each-other like in the picture. 

Step 5

Now sew the zipper into place from mark to mark as in the picture ( I am showing you the outside fabric with the black interfacing on it and the white thread so you are able to see it in the picture)

Step 6

From the leftover piece of the inside fabric cut  2 rectangles that are  5 x 7.5 cm ( 2 x 3 inch). Fold this so you will get 5 x 3.75 cm (2 x 1 1/2 inch) pieces.

Step 7

Open the 2 fabric pieces with the zipper and finger-press it so that it looks the way it should. Now put the zipper-pull back in. Hereby creating one big fabric piece with a zipper in the middle.

Step 8

After you have put the zipper-pull in you will have room between the edge of the fabric and where the zipper is sewn in. Slide the 2 pieces of folded fabric in and pin it into place. 

Step 9

Sew a nice seam over the zipper and by doing that sewing the folded fabric in.

So now you should have a piece of fabric with a zipper in the middle.

Step 10

Fold the fabric: right sides together of the outside fabric and the right side of the inside fabric on each-other. Like in the picture. Sew around the 2 short sides and on long side. So 3 sides only..not all 4 sides. (don't mind the marked square in this picture it will be explained in the next step)

Step 11

Mark a corner 6.5 x 6.5 cm  ( 2,5 inch) as in the picture and cut it out. You need to cut out 2 corners opposite of each-other. These corners are the corners that are sewn. So one corner of the outside and one corner of the inside fabric) You still have one side of the bag that is not sewn.

 

The last 2 steps are shown in these clips because you need to turn the fabrics different ways which is hard to explain in just text.

Step 12

Part 1

part 2

 

Step 13

You will take the left-over piece of the inside fabric and fold it so you will get a nice piece of fabric to put over the last sewn seam like in the picture.

I hope this is clear enough so you can make this nice triangle bag!

Have fun!

Barbara

 

Download problems?

Hi!

I have gotten 2 email from ladies who were not able to download the free pattern. I have let other people test to download it but they didn't have any problems so I don't know why it is not working for some of you. You do need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader programm for it that can read PDF files.

But if you were not able to download and you have Acrobat Reader send me an email and I will sent it to you: [email protected]

Hugs Barbara

 

Free Pattern: Baby Bird Quilt

I made a new quilt called: Baby Bird Quilt Pattern. You can download it for free here.

You can use the pattern to make it in any size. You can turn it in to a baby quilt or make it into a wall hanging for baby cards like I did here:

I made it out of fabrics I had in my stash and selected for the baby room since we don't know if it is going to be a boy or girl.

Here is a close-up of the birds:

You can turn it into a wall hanging by adding small clothespins:

So please download the pattern to make your own quilt. If you make a quilt, I would love to see a picture of leave me a comment if you liked the pattern!

Enjoy 

Barbara

And the winner is...

The big winner of the give away was Ruth..... Gail, Valerie, Stephanie, Marian and Teresa got their prizes as well...

Everybody got this pattern for the draw sting bags:

The quilt on the background is my new quilt pattern called: Love Letters. You can buy the kit at Quilt it  & Dotty. The pattern will be available soon on my etsy-site as well!

Thank you all again!

2 super bag tips

Hi!

I was going to post a tutorial on a bag here but I haven't gotten around to it jet, but thought I would share my 2 best bag tips:

Tip nr 1:

If you want to have nice straight and sturdy handles on your bag, this is the best and easiest way to do it. It is a stabilizer that is normally used in pants for making a good waistband. But it works even better for bags. You just iron it on the fabric, fold it and put it under the machine:

Tip nr 2

If you would like you bag to have a bottom that doesn't sag you can use this method:

Take a piece of cardboard. Say the bottom of your bag is 15 inch long and 10 inch wide. You will need a piece of cardboard that is 15 inch long and 20 inch wide. Fold the cardboard in half (lengthwise) and put it in your bag to see if it fits. Adjust it if you need too.

Take a piece of fabric ( taking a piece in the same fabric as the inside of the bag looks nicest) put the cardboard on it and just cut around it...about one 1inch around it.

Take some glue and just glue the edges of the fabric to the "inside" of the cardboard. As you can see you don't have to be so precise when doing this:

Then fold it and take it too your sewing machine and sew around the edges and you have a nice bottom.

Most sewing machines won't have a problem with sewing this, but be careful, let the machine do the work so don't pull the cardboard or your needle will break, just gently help the cardboard in the sewing machine.

One thing I like about this method it that you can take this bottom out of your bag...put your bag into the washing machine and put the bottom back in again.

The finished look:

So these are my best tips. Let me know if you used them and you were happy with the result. It is always nice to know that if you write these things down that people actually read and use them ;-)))

Okay back to my knitting...It is getting obsessive...:-)

A new tutorial...

Here on left side of the blog under the section Tutorials and tips there is a new tutorial.

I have been working on my bag for the bag swap. I am hoping to put the bag together on Sunday and then add a tutorial and some tips on making bags...

Hope you like them!

Have a nice weekend!