Now that you know that you can create kaleidoscope blocks even from small pieces of fabric (see yesterday's blog post), if you have more fabric at hand I think it is great to use it to add some borders or even backing to your quilt - just to show the original fabric. I joined a few orphan blocks into a little piece, I layered it with batting and did a little quilting, just to keep the layers … [Read more...]
Kaleidoscope quilt patterns made easy
Have you seen my latest kaleidoscope quilt patterns? If this technique is new to you, check out the patterns then come back here for a few tips. When you say KALEIDOSCOPE, you say PATTERN REPEAT. A pattern repeat is the design that repeats on fabric, lengthwise and crosswise, so it has a certain length and width. Depending on how many repeats you have on your fabric, you can create different … [Read more...]
How to sew double sided fabric napkins with mitered corners- tutorial
Learn how to sew double sided fabric napkins with mitered corners; this project is fun, quick, easy and you will be able to use beautiful fabrics from your stash. You can make them in any size, depending on the size of the fabrics you have at hand. If you have fat quarters from the same fabric collection, you can mix patterns as you want and you will make beautiful double sided … [Read more...]
Tips for sewing bags
Is the technique used to sew my latest pouch and bag patterns complicated? If you are asking this question, here is the answer, from a message received from one of my customers: What a well-written pattern! You made the rather complex instructions clear and easy to follow and understand. Beautiful work - Karen! I think anyone, even a beginner, can sew anything, as long as she/he is good at … [Read more...]
How to reinforce the bottom of a bag
Have you seen my latest pouch and bag patterns? In spite of the sophisticated look, these are not hard to sew patterns and actually, there are not too many steps involved! The bag pattern includes instructions on how to add a stiff bottom insert to the bag- very easy... You can reinforce the bottom of a bag in other ways as well, here is what else I made for this pattern- I did all the … [Read more...]
How to use interfacing scraps
It does not matter if you stitch big items like bags or small things like pouches, if you sew a lot, you end up with a lot of interfacing scraps that are too small to be useful and too big to throw them to the trash. For these bags made with my latest patterns I used Decovil light interfacing and my pile of scraps is growing by the day. What to do with them? You might like: Batting, … [Read more...]
How to remove plastic snaps
Lately I use a lot the plastic snaps for closing my pouches and sometimes I make mistakes (usually, pieces of the snap installed on the wrong side of the piece or snaps that do not close easily, due to an imperfect installation). So those snaps must be removed; there are removal dies that fit the plies used for inserting the snaps, but I don't have these dies. So I had to find something else to do … [Read more...]
Tip for inserting snaps
Have you seen my latest pouch patterns? Many of them require two snaps for closure... I used to hate this step of installing two snaps. Measure once, measure twice and still many times I end up with snaps inserted in the wrong place. Even if it is only an 1/8'' error, you bet it is visible and ruins your work... There is an easy way to prevent this and to transform this step in the finishing … [Read more...]
A trick you must know
You probably know very well this sewing sequence: Sew along the edges at..., leaving a gap in the seam. Turn the piece right side out. Close the gap! Many times we don't pay too much attention to this final seam, because it is hidden (like the final seam in the lining of a bag or pouch). But sometimes the way you finish this seam matters. For my latest patterns I had to make many pieces like … [Read more...]
My favorite interfacings for pouches
There is a problem with the interfacing we use for pouches: there are too many on the market and it is hard to find the best one for a specific project. That's why it is easier to find out what works for others, buy those products and try them yourself. Each project is unique and what works for one could ruin another one. But in time, with practice, you will find a few favorites. I have in the … [Read more...]
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