Tag Archives: machine sewing

Of Projects Past

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It’s impossible to buy exactly the amount of fabric you need for a project. There will always be scraps, unless you’re making a perfectly rectangular item that uses up all the fabric straight off the bolt. For every other project though, there are bits and pieces of various sizes that aren’t used in the item itself. Or just leftovers because I bought more fabric than necessary.

I decided to use some of these old scraps to make two different projects – the Skirt of Projects Past and the Shirt of Projects Past.

I liked (a) not buying new fabric and just recycling and (b) making something super colorful with weird, wonderful patterns. Most of this fabric I bought a year ago to make ties and neck warmers, and they generally have the same size print. And it was all cotton from Joann, so I wasn’t worried about weird shrinkage or anything.

The skirt is made with strips sewn together, alternating print and black (from the Trapper Keeper). Then I cut out approximate semicircles, which created a front and back. I sewed one side together and installed a zipper on the other side. The waistband isn’t as sturdy as I’d like, in projects after this I used elastic inside the waistband just to hold it closer to the body.

I used a modified Lekala #5446 Classical Blouse pattern for the top. I added a pocket using foundation piecing, adding layer after layer to get a pocket sized piece of fabric. I love the overall look of this top, but the collar opening leaves something to be desired, it’s a bit stiff and falls open strangely when buttoned.

Shirt completed March 30, 2019. Skirt completed Jan 10, 2019.

Trapper Keeper!

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I made this little Trapper Keeper / Portfolio for one of my friends for our Secret Santa exchange. I wanted something that could hold a notebook or tablet, pens, some papers, and business cards.

I based my design on Choly Knight’s free portfolio pattern, including using the hardcovers off an old textbook for the reinforced covers. And I used Choly Knight’s free journal pattern to do the pleats for the pens on the left panel, which was my first time doing pleats! I made the side panels separately, then sewed them to the inner fabric. Then I put the outer fabric and inner fabric together, right sides together, sewed around and flipped it right side out. All I had to do then was sew the opening together and it was done!

Project completed December 6, 2018.

Jelly Roll Rugs!

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These are some mini jelly roll rugs 🙂 A jelly roll (technically trademarked by Moda Fabrics) is a roll of 2.5″ x 44″ strips of a fabric collection, and usually has 40-ish strips. I modified the RJ Designs Jelly Roll Rug pattern to use 20 strips for each rug so they’d turn out to be doorway-ish-sized. The assembly is super easy, all the strips are sewn together, and then you fold and sew precut batting strips into the long strip of fabric. So then you have a long strip of fabric folded around batting, and swirl that around itself to make the rug. It was a bit fiddly but I used my walking foot on the machine to help guide the fabric through evenly. Apparently if you use the whole roll, or even two rolls, for one rug you can get a supersized jelly roll rug, which I might make for my living room.

The fabric line I used is called All Weather Friend by Moda Fabrics. I gave one to a couple for their wedding, and “all weather friend” describes marriage perfectly! 🙂

Tutorial here. Project completed June 18, 2019