Friends, Family, and Wool

Remember the delicious wool felt I bought at Stony Brook? Well, I made these adorable mug rugs. See the tiny leaves, those were scraps that VGF Carol put in my Tabletop Thread Catcher during the PTQG meeting in early September. I just couldn't let them be thrown away. No, I had to return them to her. She now has two mug rugs for when we sew together. 

My trip to New Jersey to see my Mom went fast. We celebrated her 88th birthday early: shopping, dining out, talking, and just visiting. She was a working mom at a time when most moms did not work outside the home. So, I cherish just being able to spend time with her. She has a very dear friend, Angelo. He will be 101 years old on October 21st. Don't they look cute together? She visits him most days at the nursing home. 

I said my good-byes to Mom on Tuesday morning and headed north for a visit with my college roommate and her family. We've kept in touch for 30 years, but don't often see each other. So, this was a real treat. 
 One day to visit, and I was on the road again. 
Tomorrow was a work day.

This is Cheri of Pins & Needles wearing the hat I made for her from the book Pumpkins and Spice by Terri Degenkolb. 

   While I was away, they displayed it on a vintage wire hat stand next to the book. 

She hand dyes felted wool to get some totally awesome colors.
Just look at these! The first hat I made was a bright orange with brown. It was gorgeous. Unfortunately, it didn't fit my head. So, VGF Wes is now the proud owner of an orange wool hat. I did enlarge the pattern and made another one that fits. Next, a hat for Mom to match her jacket.

Til next time,
Mary

Batting Pin Cushions

Do you find that batting scraps are multiplying when you leave the room? I know I do. What was once a small bag has now become a very large tote stuffed with scraps. These are not the large usable pieces. No, these are the less than 4” wide strips that we trim from the edges after we have quilted our quilt. So, here is what I am doing with them.

These lovely little pin cushions are made from rolled cotton batting strips which are covered with felted wool scraps. I have added some embellishments to the tops, but they can be left plain as well. They make wonderful gifts for your friends. So, if you’d like to see how I make them, read on. But I will warn you, this is a long post.

First, decide how tall you want your pincushion to be. I make mine between 1.5 and 3 inches tall, depending on the width of the strip. Trim the strips to your desired width. 

 I now have 4 strips and a very small pile of scraps. 

Hmmm, what to do with those?

Next, I decide how thick the pin cushion will be. For me, this is determined by the size of my Fiskars paper cutting template.

I cut two circles from a cereal box or similar weight paper board. These will become the bottom of my pin cushion.

Begin by rolling one of the narrow ends of the batting strip. You want this to be snug, but not so tight as to stretch the batting out of shape.  

 Continue rolling, keeping one side even, until the diameter of the roll is the same as the paper board circles cut previously.  Place the batting roll, even side down, on the table and tamp down the top. 

This will make the bottom flat. The top side can be a bit uneven.

 Now, it’s time to select our fabric. I like to choose a darker fabric for the bottom. My top fabric is usually lighter in color with minimal design. I found that even a subtle plaid competed with my embellishments. For the sides, anything goes. These were the fabrics I choose for the Pumpkin pin cushion.

  Measure the height and circumference of the batting roll.

 Add 1 inch to the height measurement and 1/2 inch to the circumference. Cut the side fabric to these dimensions. 

 Whip stitch one end of the side fabric to the batting roll. Wrap the fabric around the roll, folding under 1/4 inch at the unattached end.

Sew the folded end to the side fabric.

Thread the needle, double strand, and knot at the end. Run a gathering stitch around the top, 1/4 inch from the edge. Pull the threads to gather the fabric. Secure. Repeat for the bottom end of the batting roll. 

 Take the two paper board circles and glue them together.

Cut a circle of batting using the paperboard circles as a template. Baste the batting circle to the wrong side of the fabric that will be the top of your pin cushion. The stitching should be very close to the edge of the batting.

The basting stitches on the right side will indicate where the batting circle is. This is important if you plan to embellish the top. Keep your designs within the circle. Trim the fabric leaving 1/2” around the edge.

 Cut one or two small batting circles the size of the opening left after gathering the side fabric. (black circle) Set these aside for later. Embellish the top at this point. Once the top is finished, run a double strand gathering stitch 1/4 inch from the edge.

 Cut a circle of heat resistant Mylar using the paperboard circles as a template. Karen Kay Buckley’s Perfect Circles can also be used if you have them. Note: The heat resistant Mylar will become distorted if the temperature is too hot. Notice the warping that has occurred because I forgot to turn down the temperature on my iron.

 Place the Mylar circle over the batting on the wrong side of the top. Pull the gathering stitch until it is snug. DO NOT cut or secure the end thread.

Spray some starch in a small container. Using a small stencil brush, dab some of the starch around the edges of the top. DO NOT soak the fabric. You want just enough to give the fabric some memory. Press with an iron set at the correct temperature for the Mylar. Note: Wool takes longer to dry than cotton, so this step takes a bit of time.

Once, the wool is dry and cool, loosen the gathering stitches just enough to slip the Mylar circle out. Carefully, pull the gathering stitches to re-form the circle. Set aside. 

Cut a circle from the bottom fabric 1/2 inch larger than the paperboard circle.

Run a double strand gathering stitch 1/8 inch from the edge.

Pull the gathering stitch and secure the thread. You can press the edges if you like.

Place the bottom cover on the flat even end of the batting roll. With small stitches, attach the cover to the roll, giving a slight tug to pull the two pieces together.

                                          

Place the small batting circle(s) in the top to make it level. Place the top cover on the roll and secure as you did for the bottom.

I completed the top edges with a blanket stitch, one facing up and the other facing down.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial.

Til next time,

Mary

Trip to New Jersey

 This was the view from the top of Cape Cod Hill when I left on Friday. You can barely see the mountain peeking out from the fog. The sun didn’t appear until I reached Freeport, but it stayed with me all the way to New Jersey. Traffic was light, so it was a very pleasant trip.

After a good night’s sleep, Mom and I headed out for a Saturday of shopping and eating. We began at Panera’s with a breakfast of baked egg `soufflé and coffee. I also introduced Mom to Cinnamon Crunch bagels sliced in the bread slicer. She raved about them to everyone. Thanks Wes for introducing me to them.

Michael’s was across the parking lot, so we ventured there. I was looking for wool felt, real wool. None to be found, so on we went.

Next stop, Stony Brook Sew & Vac, my number one place to hang out when I lived in New Jersey.  In its old location, it was only 2 miles from my house so, I could ride my bike there if I wanted. Actually, I was there so much, they decided to let me teach a few classes on making pillow covers. They’ve moved to a new location, bigger and better than ever, about 5 miles south. 

Guess what they had, wool felt, lots of wool felt. I bought a half yard each. Don’t these look delicious? Mug rugs, Penny rugs, and pin cushions here I come!

As I was checking out, my eye caught a table runner hanging from the end of the counter. This was a runner I had made when I first began quilting. I was so excited that they had it displayed.

 After so much shopping, we were hungry again. Mom and I headed over to my favorite Mexican Restaurant, Chapala’s in Hamilton. She’s wearing one of the bibs I made her. Very stylish. It was a good day.

Til next time,
Mary

Ends to Bind

I thought I'd share how I join the ends of my binding when finishing my quilted projects. With this method, there is no measuring, no accidental twisting, and no hand sewing the seam closed. I don't have to move my quilt from the machine, a plus when doing a queen size quilt. I will illustrate with two different color bindings so it is easier to follow. So, lets get started.

Square off both ends of your binding.

Turn down one corner making a 45 degree angle. 

Make sure the edges align and it makes a sharp point. Press.

Open the fold and draw a line along the fold line. 

Refold.

Press the entire length of the binding in half lengthwise.

Beginning with the 45 degree fold end, apply the binding leaving 6-8 inches free at the beginning end. Continue to sew the binding to the quilt as you normally would until you are 12-15 inches from where you began stitching. Now it is time to join the ends, with no measuring.

Overlap the straight end(green) over the 45 degree end(gold). 

I pull slightly on both binding ends so they are snug, not loose.

Fold excess green binding back so it is even with the edge of the gold binding. 

Finger press the fold.

Cut the green binding on the fold.

Place the green binding back on the gold binding.

Carefully, open the green binding keeping the left edges even with the gold edges.

The gold and green ends will be perpendicular to each other. 

Turn over so the gold binding with the drawn line is facing up. 

Pin across the line drawn at the beginning.

Stitch on the line.

Trim to 1/4 inch.

Finger press the seam open.

Fold the binding in half, and you can now sew it to the quilt.

If you found this tutorial helpful, pass it along.

Til next time,
Mary