I’m using the publish later feature on WordPress for this post. By the time it appears this cupcake will have made its way to the intended receipient. I want to get this post written while I’m thinking about it, but I know Lisa reads what I write. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a post date available for Christmas gifts, so they just appeared at the intended time? (Only 79 days now until Christmas )
I put the last stitch in this cupcake last night and glued the stand together. I have at least one more to make.
These were given as gifts this morning so now I can show them here without the recipients seeing them ahead of time.
I’m really not getting to too many creative projects now that school is back in session. I am finding that I still like Algebra. Maybe I should go back to school and be a Math major — or maybe not.
My sister and brother-in-law celebrated their 19th anniversary this week. She posted some pictures on Facebook and I lifted them to show here.
Other than preping a classroom (including painting it) I haven’t accomplished much on the creative side in the last couple weeks. Since Sheila posted her pictures I thought I’d show you what I was working on a little over 19 years ago.
Sheila and David Wedding Party
I made all the dresses for the wedding party + my mom’s dress.
Bible Boy and Flower Girl
Including a miniature of the bride’s dress for the flower girl. (The flower girl was changed after rehearsal the night before. The original did not want to do it. These two are cousins.)
I did the dresses from 3000 miles away while I worked full time. I was living on the East Coast and everyone else was on the west coast. I got one fitting on my sister at her college graduation. It was fortunate everything fit as well as it did. Then I flew in a week early to do the cake.
Sheila and David Wedding Cake
This cake had four different flavors and various fillings.
By the end of the wedding I was just a little ticked at my sister. I was there that week working like crazy and all she wanted to do was sleep. Turned out she had mono which gives her a very good excuse. By the time I finished working on this wedding I swore I wouldn’t do another until my daughter got married. I didn’t end up with any girls so it looks like I’m off the hook!
After I finished the piecing on the Simple Gifts quilt, I looked at the UFO list for some more straight forward sewing. I wanted something I could work on when I need a short break from customer quilts. While the UFO list is long, there isn’t as much to work on as one might think. 26 of the items on that list are waiting for quilting. I did spot two things — the tapestry purses. I put them away when they were about half finished. I was probably cleaning up for some meeting. It turns out I can’t count, either that or things are multiplying. When I pulled them out there were three instead of two. Anyway it didn’t take long, now they are finished.
There isn’t a pattern for these. I took a class at the then Bernina store and the directions came from that. I think I started these assembly line fashion about 3 years ago.
Today saw me in the kitchen again — not! However, I did make another cupcake. I took pictures along the way, so here is a short tutorial. The pattern again is from Taylor Made Designs. I did some things a little different than suggested by the directions.
The pattern called for cutting the fabric pieces and the interfacing separately. For pieces this small I prefer to interface the fabric first, then cut the fabric and interfacing as one piece.
After cutting out the pieces the first step was to stack the two bottom circles on top of each other, draw a line down the middle and then partially stitch each end of the line. The circles are then folded onto themselves to create the opening for turning and stuffing the cupcake. I really liked this idea.
The ends of the side piece are stitched together and pressed open. The side piece is folded in half with the seamline on one end and a fold on the other. Mark the fold with a pin. These two points will be matched to the seams on the bottom piece. I put pins just in those two points and then stitched. It is easiest to stitch if the circle is against the bed of the machine. This is not particularly hard to do, however it is necessary to take one’s time. I put the needle down and would then adjust my pieces every three or four stitches. It may be necessary to make small clips in the seam allowance of the side piece as you go.
Here is a picture after the two sections are stitched together.
Embellishments for the top of the cupcake are added before the top is sewn to the base. There is a pattern for a yo-yo included in the instructions. I prefer to make my yo-yos using the Clover yo-yo maker. I have already posted a tutorial on using the yo-yo maker here so I won’t cover that again.
Once the embellishments are stitched to the top it is time to gather the edges of the top piece. Usually patterns tell you to use a long basting stitch. If you have ever been frustrated by the thread breaking while pulling up those stitches, this tip is for you. Working in the seam allowance stitch a narrow zig zag over gimp. Do not stitch through the gimp. The gimp is much stronger and will not break while pulling up the gathers.
Divide both the top and bottom pieces into quarters and mark with pins. Then pull up the gathers in the top to match the base. Stitch the two pieces together. Again take your time! It isn’t that far around the cupcake so slow down and adjust the pieces as needed when stitching them together.
Once the pieces are stitched together turn the cupcake right side out through the bottom and stuff. The pattern has good directions so I’m not going to cover that. Once it is stuffed stitch the opening shut by hand.
Now the cake stand. The hardest part about it was finding the pieces. I found the candlestick base at a dollar store and finally found the top plate at Target, it is also a candle holder. Once the pieces are clean, coat the top edge of the bottom piece with glue and carefully center the top plate. Allow to dry. This glue will adhere to glass.
Here we have the finished cupcake. I’m making them for specific people so the colors are according to their preferences.
I don’t usually make lists (other than for grocery shopping), because I can generally remember everything. However, Spring Break has arrived and I made a list. Spending time at school this year has meant I put other things off. Not always because I don’t have time, but because I’m just too tired or not motivated when I get home. I made significant progress on my list today. There is one project I got to mark off the list that I will show here.
Over Thanksgiving break we retiled a bathroom. At that time I said I needed to find the accessories to finish it off. I looked all over town and never found an appropriate shower curtain. I started hunting for fabric and finally found a some in January. After I bought it, it just sat on my cutting table for weeks. Last night I managed to cut the panels and start work. This is the final result today.
A shower curtain is actually a very simple project, but there were a couple things I thought were worth mentioning. I’ve talked before about Sharon Schamber’s binding method using washable school glue. Since watching her video, I’ve found other ways to use the glue as a temporary basting.
The fabric wasn’t wide enough for the whole curtain panel so I needed to match the pattern on the seam. First I cut two matching repeats the length needed for the curtain. Then I decided where I wanted to put the seam so the print matched. I measured from the selvage and pressed down one long edge an equal distance. Next I lined up the print and pinned the layers together. Finally, I glue basted and pressed to hold everything together while I stitched. I was able to stitch in the crease I made with the first pressing and everything matched up beautifully.
On this curtain I also used corded buttonholes. There are a couple of reasons to use corded button holes. In my opinion they look better than non corded buttonholes and they are sturdier. A tutorial on the buttonholes is provided here, in case there is someone out there that isn’t familiar with them. If you have a button hole foot that looks something like one of these, corded button holes are simple. The foot on the left is from my Bernina and the one on the right from my Pfaff. I just happened to use my Pfaff today.
I use gimp to cord my buttonholes, but you could use crochet cotton or pearl cotton expecially if you wanted to match the fabric. The cord hooks over the little prongs on each end of the button hole foot.
Put the foot on the sewing machine and line up the mark for the buttonhole under the foot and between the two lines of cord. Then just stitch as usual. The foot perfectly spaces the cord.
Once the buttonhole is stitched and you take the cord off the foot, it will look like this.
Pull on the tails of the cord to bury the loop in the button hole.
Thread the tails through a large eyed needle (I just happened to use a tapestry needle) and pull them to the back.
Once the tails are on the back tie them in a square knot (right over left, left over right — square knots don’t come untied as easily as granny knots).
Finally cut off the excess gimp tail. You could use some seam sealant on the ends if you wanted.
I run across this pattern from Taylor Made Designs while in Oregon at Christmas. I finally took the time today to sit down and make one of these cute pincushions.
The fabric came from the stash I had on hand. The stand was more difficult. I wandered all over town looking for the appropriate parts. It is made of two different candle holders glued together with E6000 glue. Other than searching for parts the whole project went together quickly. I can see more cupcakes in my future.
I started these guys last Saturday night, too. ( It should be obvious by now I have a short attention span.) I worked on them a little bit each night until early Thursday morning when I put what might be the finishing touches on them.
The pattern is from Sweet Dreams Patterns. I picked it up at some quilt show over the last few years. I realized when I was pulling up the link I have several of the patterns and have already made a few. I also found another one I “need!” I followed the pattern for the most part, but improvised if I didn’t have the correct supplies. The pattern said to sew the buttons on after stuffing the snowmen. I maybe crazy, but I’m not going to that much trouble. I tied bits of pearl cotton through the button holes and glued them on. Also the wire for the ear muffs was just supposed to be a black 16 gauge wire. I didn’t have that, but I did have silver wire and instead of one strand, I wrapped it around the handle of a wooden spoon to make the ear muffs. I thought I was going to have mutiny on my hands when I went to put the second snowman on top of it. All three males in the house were opposed and thought the snowmen should stay separate to save the spring. I vetoed the vote. I bought the pattern because I LIKED the stack! The snowmen are supposed to have twig arms, but I think I like them without. Finally there was supposed to be a rusty tin star on the top hat. Apparently, rusty tin is no longer in. I couldn’t find any anywhere I looked in town. That’s alright, he looks fine without it. So are they finished, probably because I’ll be moving on to something else to fit my attention span.
I had a great time at our Quilters Anonymous meeting yesterday. Two other members — Lisa and Ann — are also students in Heather’s “Language of Color and Design” class. They shamed me by having their tops almost finished yesterday for our February class. All I had managed by yesterday morning was to cut out the front and back of my vest. Their progress was a huge motivator for me. I came home yesterday afternoon and applied myself to this project. I mentioned my plans for this month in my January 25 post. My plan was to be a little lazy this month. This was only a vest I should be able to finish it in a day.
I have been sewing since I was 4 and following patterns since I was 10, so I expected this to be a cake walk. The pattern included directions for a bookmark to familiarize oneself with the method. I know how to follow directions so I can skip that. WRONG! I had sort of an idea in my head about how this technique was going to work, but the directions weren’t matching up with my preconceived notion and therefore weren’t making sense. So I grabbed some scraps and put together the bookmark. Notice it isn’t finished — can I add it to my UFO list?
So now I understand the technique — onward and upward! This vest pattern requires some serious marking and after talking about a transfer wheel in my Sunday post, I can’t find it or the transfer paper. How long has it been since I’ve sewn garments, anyway? Snips, pins and chalk-0-liner to the rescue and the vest is marked. Then I need to cut strips of fusible web and iron on stabilizer. Good thing I keep a bolt of each on hand. The stabilizer then needs the cutting pattern for the folded portions of the vest traced. Finally, I’m ready to start cutting and folding. I finished that last night.
Couched threads or cords were supposed to be used to hold all those folds and points down. Fortunately, I had some Madeira Glamour (which I can’t find on their website — has it been discontinued?) and Superior Razzle Dazzle threads in the correct colors. I also had one 10 yard package of Boucle which ended up being just enough. All this didn’t fit through the cording foot so I ended up using my Pfaff’s applique foot and it did the job.
Looking at the pattern, I hadn’t realized all the folded pieces were raw edge. The pattern design recommended using Fray Check on all those raw edges. I gave up Fray Check in favor of Fray Block years ago. I’ve found that the Fray Block dries softer and clearer. The draw back last night — I was using so much of it I thought I was going to get high.
When I looked at the pattern there were strips of fabric between the folded sections which I thought were just decorative. They weren’t. They were to cover where the backing fabric were stitched behind the folded windows. I have a nice stash of Batiks so I dug out some blues which help carry the Analogous theme more strongly. I cut the strips out and stitched them then pressed them over bias bars and that was as far as I made it last night.
Fast forward to this morning and I’m ready to add those strips to the vest. The pattern says to baste them, but I don’t want to for a couple of reasons. One reason is it will leave needle holes in the batik and the other is I find it difficult to get long strips straight when basting on the machine. I remembered Sharon Schamber’s video on applying binding using Elmer’s Washable School Glue.
I wasn’t applying binding, but the same concept should work. Besides I bought the pen tip tops for the glue bottles from her at MQS two years ago and hadn’t used them yet. It worked like a charm. A thin strip of glue and then press it with an iron. It held beautifully and was straighter than I ever would have gotten it with basting. I couched cord on top of those strips, then spent way too much time pulling the tails through to the back and tying knots. (While I was doing that, I kept the computer humming downloading digital scrapbooking elements. “Whenever possible multi-task,” seems to be my motto.)
This pattern had darts and I left them where the pattern placed them. It turns out that was a mistake. Apparently, the pattern was drafted for someone younger and perkier than I. Once the darts were in it was time to line the vest. I hadn’t cut out a lining yet so went scrounging for something that would work. I found lining fabric that I apparently purchased for something many years ago. What was it’s intended purpose? Who knows, but I might as well use it. It’s been a long time since I worked with slinky fabrics, but I prevailed.
The vest is finished except the hand sewing the side seams of the lining. I’ll do that while I’m watching a movie sometime in the near future. Here’s how it looks front and back. It isn’t as crooked as it looks in the picture. I was having a hard time getting it to hang and look right.
Now to my title. This is a quote from the back of the pattern, “This pattern may look complicated, but I promise it is NOT. You won’t believe how easy it is . . .” In my mind easy means fast. (Colored emphasis supplied by me.) In this instance that just wasn’t a correct assumption. In the designers defence — she didn’t say it was fast, she said it was easy. I will admit it was easy enough once I did the bookmark to learn the technique. At least the color assignment for this month is pretty much finished and I can get back to customer quilts.
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