My Method for Putting Away The Leftovers – Once The Quilt is Finished!

Heya Friends!

I’m working on packing up my temporary sewing area at the dining room table.  It’s been a fun few months at my new location but it is now time to pack it all up and bring it back upstairs.  I’m nearly able to get up and down the stairs (almost the whole way with out peg-legging) so I’m sorting the scraps that can be saved, folding fabric to get put away and tossing anything that I have no idea what to do with from the Little Wheels Project.

Here is just some of the pile of strips, scraps and leftovers.

I thought you all might want to know my method for  putting all of this away so it not only has a home but is ready for the next project.  Just what does one do with all this leftover?

The first thing I do is sort out all the ‘strings’ and the ‘crumbs’.  Strings are all those long strips of fabric that are less than 2″ wide and are the wacky cuts you make when squaring up. a piece of fabric.  I put those in a ‘String’ basket.Then the ‘crumbs’ go into a ‘Crumb’ basket.  Crumbs are all those oddly shaped pieces that are just too big to throw away.  Things like strings that end up less than 12 inches, rectangles, squares that aren’t square, spare triangles, odd ends of fat quarters…things like that.It all gets tossed into the crumb basket..Every now and then I’ll sit down with one of these baskets and make up some crumb blocks or some string blocks.  These blocks can be quite useful, remember this one below?  I used crumbs and scrap batting earlier this year to make my car organizer…I know eventually I’ll have enough crumb squares to put together a full size quilt but little projects like this, those are fun too!

I had some leftover 3-7/8″ strips and since this was a new size for me, those got their own baggie…The larger pieces of fabrics were re-folded,And the leftover batting that was too small for anything, along with any fabric too small to save…Went into the recycle bin…

That’s just a paper bag that will go into the bin.  The 100% cotton fibers will biodegrade just nicely.

And that’s it!  Ready to start the next project!

~Cathy

Related articles

• Vintage Green Strings (thoughtandfound.wordpress.com)
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It’s another t-shirt braid!

That’s right, I couldn’t resist the temptation to do another t-shirt braid.

I just have to figure out how I can run this through the machine to make it go so much faster.

I did an experiment just to see if what I was thinking would work.

I braided off several feet and set up the machine for a zig-zag stitch. Well it’s not that difficult but I did have trouble keeping the edges together.  There’s a few gaps where the stitches didn’t catch and when I took it off the machine I must have pulled too tightly as the braids start to roll up the sides.  I think you can see that here.

But much much faster!  Wow!  As if I’m surprised, right?  Oh Nelly!  I have to do it again. (Can you get addicted to t-shirt braiding?  Is that possible?)

This time, instead of trying to do this braiding/sewing as I go I’ve selected about 12 t-shirts and have been braiding one long rope.  When I get done with the braiding step my vision is to just sit at the machine and go round and round zig-zagging until I am completely finished!

I think it will take me a few days to finish the braid so aren’t you excited with me to see how this comes out? I love the guessing of how the color combinations will work together.

Stay tuned!

~Cathy

The Rug Is Done!

The braided t-shirt rug is all finished!  I put the last stitch in this afternoon.  I decided I wasn’t going to go an extra round of three more t-shirts as my hand was beginning to hurt from all the hand stitching.  It was really becoming a nuisance, with some sharp pain,  so I stopped.

As for the hand stitching I started out using a carpet thread and stab stitching.

You can see the carpet thread to the right in the above photo.  Later on I decided to switch to a smaller diameter of thread so ended up using a quilting thread.  Both were challenging but I do find that the carpet thread portion appears to be holding a little better.  I was probably the way I sewed it and not necessarily the thread.

In the beginning…you can see how much of my stitching shows up on the right side.  I was stab stitching the braid from the right side.  After a few rounds you can also see my progress…eventually getting it to be a little hidden.

For the change in thread I found it faster to sew from the wrong side and basically whip stitch the braid at every turn of the braid. You can see a little bit of that here.  To end the rug I wove the three ropes back into the loops, cut and whip stitched in place. I think next time I make one of these rugs I’m going to try and figure out how I can sew the braids together by machine.  Always the researcher that I am I found this little movie on Youtube…look at how fast these rugs are made and LOOK at the sewing being done to put the rug together.  This is Thorndike Mills and make sure you watch to the end and see the HUGE sewing tables.  WOW!

I am so there!

~Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

~Cathy

How about some Irish Colors for my rug?

Oh Heya!

Seeing that I missed Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday to inspire me with some color combinations, I’m taking my next cue for the rug from St. Patrick’s Day!

Three more t-shirts got cut up last night and the rug is getting bigger…

For the braiding, I’ve been sitting in front of the TV and wrapping the long cord around my feet.  I’ll have to get a photo of that…it is quite ingenious of me if I do say so!  Ha ha!

I did have a bit of an issue though.  You see, when I started my coil I was just doing it in my lap.  Now that the coil is getting bigger I’ve moved to the table.  It’s a good thing because keeping it on the table I’m able to see if the rug will lie flat.  Well…my middle that I started kept popping up and out of shape.  It just wasn’t going to work.  So guess what?

Yes…I had to rip and remove about 6 inches!

Amazing just how much this was off.

So Step 2: Sew the coil on a FLAT surface!

I’ll keep coiling.  Tomorrow I’ll try and show you all my foot braid holder technique and how I’m actually sewing this together.  It’s seriously nothing fancy but you might want to know!

~Cathy

 

More Stash Bustin! Making A Rug With All Those T-Shirts!

They just keep coming. Even though I give plenty of them away, the closets just keep getting stuffed with those t-shirts!
Here’s a whole bunch of them pulled right from the drawers.

Even though there’s still more to give away I’m tempted to see if I can’t make use of some of these and turn them into something else.

Let’s stick with something easy.  Let’s try a braided t-shirt rug!  From what I can tell from youtube and etsy it looks like it might be super duper easy!

This will be my very first attempt so I’ll try and post this how-to as I go…you’ll learn as I learn!

STEP 1: Make the T-Shirt Yarn.  Each t-shirt can make a continuous piece of yarn the is 2″ wide by 20 or more feet long!

Start by laying the t-shirt flat on a cutting mat.

Then cut off the hem at the bottom and score strips from one edge BUT NOT THROUGH the other edge 2″ apart.

Go all the way up the shirt until you can’t go anymore — usually just under the armpit.  Here you can see that I was able to score 7 strips.  Not bad!

Next, open up the un-cut side.  You’ll then start at one end and slice the beginning on a diagonal.

Then continue the diagonal cut to eventually yield one long continuous piece of 2″ wide material!

Now, here’s the cool part.  Start stretching!  Really stretch the fabric.  It will lengthen and curl the raw edge into itself!

Now braid some strands together and swirl them into a circle.

Stitch together the braids and you’ll have the start of a rug!

This is as far as I got yesterday.  So far this represents 4 t-shirts!  I have so many to cut up and can’t wait to see how this comes out!

Isn’t this cool?

~Cathy

Scrap Attack Project – Martha’s Tomato Pincushion

I’ve been researching ideas of things to do with scrap material — things besides quilting of course!

For my first in a series of projects I chose to make some pincushions.  This first pincushion is the classic Tomato and the project I’m following is from Martha Stewart.

I’ll link to her post here so if you want to check out all her little scrumptious examples please do.  There is also a video of her kinda quickly showing us how these are made that I just realized — oops!  That would have been helpful!!!

The instructions aren’t the greatest from the printed version, and I ran into a few issues myself, but I figured it out and am ready to show you how it’s done, or at least my interpretation.

First, take a piece of 8-1/2″ x 11″ paper — just any old piece that you have on hand and fold it in half lengthwise.  Then cut it on the crease.  Next, measure down 8-1/2″ and fold the edge to this point and cut.

You now have a template that is 8-1/2″ x 4-1/4″.  Draw a diagonal line from one of the corners to the center crease — this will give you your bias grain line.  Find some scrap and cut out your fabric.

Then follow the instructions or video to stitch the side seam and then gather around the bottom edge.

Turn inside out and stuff! I am using leftover poly quilt batting.  I cut off a piece of batting and pulled it apart to make the lofty bits.

Get it all in there. Stuff, stuff, stuff!  You want to make it quite firm!

Then gather the top edge and pull to gather it all in.  I used hand quilting thread for the gathering in case you are wondering.  This thread was a little bit tougher then just ordinary sewing thread!

Then I used a buttonhole thread to make the segments.

I started at the top, went down through the middle to the bottom then up and around.

This is where some trouble began.  The bottom seam allowance of the tomato started to come back through the bottom.  So to fix I sorted through my button stash.

And sewed a button to the bottom.

I tied off at the top and then found some green felt in my scraps.

The instructions say to trace the stem pattern, well I couldn’t figure out where the template was for the green stem so I just made my own.  I cut out a circle of felt the diameter of the top of my tomato and then snipped out the leaves.

Then all I needed to do was glue on the top!

I used Aleen’s White Glue but I’m sure any white glue will work just fine.  And viola!  A Blue Tomato!

This project was super quick!  From start to finish it only took me about an hour…and that’s with having to make the pattern and figuring out how to fix the bottom and make the green leaves!

So easy I highly recommend every sewist make their own!

~Cathy

Quiltville’s Roll Roll Cotton Boll – Part 4 – Skipping Around

I’m skipping around.

I have only completed 6 of the Prickly Pear blocks.  That’s 6 out of 30!  Yikes.

Those Prickly Pears are kinda of a pain to put together.  There are a lot of seams and I have to steam open a lot of them in order for the block to lay flat and go together properly.  It just takes a long time.

I decided to go ahead and start assembling them to the string blocks.  Just random order of course.  I think it is coming along really quite nicely.  It is BUSY!  There is so much going on…and a lot of seams.  This is FOR CERTAIN going to go to a long arm quilter when this gets pieced.  I can’t even imagine trying to quilt it!

In the mean time my crumb basket is overflowing!  I have been running crumbs together through the machine as leader/enders and pulled out a little mini diversion project to try and get some of them finished into something!

Looky here!  It’s a little car organizer that hangs on a seat.  Super quick and easy, although the instructions in the pattern envelope were not that stellar and there’s a divider middle organizer that doesn’t fit…

This is Simplicity pattern #2553 if you are interested in making one.

I like it!~  Almost finished, just need to sew on the straps and put it in the car.

Alright…I’m back to the sewing table.  Blocks 7, 8, and 9 need to get finished!

~Cathy