This weekend in sewing....

You'll be shocked to see I made three more postcards.
These all show off fabric I painted during a thickened dyes workshop. I can't wait to send these out.  This gets me to 20 of my goal of 34 before my 34th birthday.  I want to spend time tomorrow to do a more involved collage one, they can't all just be 1 piece of fabric.  But these fabrics are some of my favorite, so I love showing them off.

In the mail this week I got the postcards I ordered from Moo.com  They are seriously awesome and I can't wait to send them out, though postcrossing has been a bit of a disapointment so far. I know it takes a long time for cards to reach international destinations, but the one I sent to someone in the US hasn't been registered. But every card I sent to someone on ravelry the same day has been recieved!  However, I joined a postcard swap group on ravelry; so maybe that will be more reliable.

I also started a Craftsy class called "Sewing with Fleece".  I mainly wanted a little more step by step to make a fleece jacket (though I bet I could have figured it out...) While waiting to arrive, I did the first project- a hat.  The hat is comfy and warm, and I like the way my hair curls, but I think it highlights that I have a big head....  Still, I've had this ice skate fleece forever, so it was exciting to use it.  So what do you think? Can I wear it in public?

Also, the winner of the postcard drawing was Shecki.  I will contact you and get it mailed to you if you would like it.

Faux quilted fabric postcard tutorial

Here's another tutorial on a different style of postcard- this one is the faux quilted look.
Mine isn't perfect, because nothing I make is- but the video includes a few tips to help yours look closer to perfect (if that matters to you). The number one hint is to measure you fabric, something I didn't do, and to pay more careful attention to where you are stitching. 



I like a quick and easy project more than I like a perfect product most of the time.  As long as you aren't looking super close up like the camera is, I think this looks pretty good!

Enjoy!

Fabric Postcard Tutorial

I made a video tutorial to show you how to make a simple fabric postcard.



The ones I've posted on previous days I've used either wonder-under fusible or a gluestick to secure fabric and then sewed it down. In this video, I highlight one really beautiful piece of fabric instead.

Do you want to recieve the postcard I made in the video? Comment below by January 2nd 2016 and I will pick someone (out of a hat) to send it to.

Make sure you are not a "no reply" blogger so I can get in touch with you to get your address if you are selected.
Here's a tutorial to check: http://morefromyourblog.com/no-reply-blogger-how-to-fix-this/
Chances are if you are a no-reply blogger you don't even know it!  (Or leave your email address if you are one on purpose and still want to enter.)

International readers are welcome to enter as well!

Fabric postcards

My apologies for the months between posts. I don't know if anyone still reads, but if they do- I am going to try harder in the new year to post interesting things.

Things got very hard here since my last post.  In October we found out that the baby had a very rare (and extremely large) chromosomal deletion. Then in November we lost him.  I delivered Sean still on November 12. Needless to say, things have been very difficult. His life would have been full of an unbelievable number of challenges that we know this is for the best, but every morning that I wake up without my little boy I just feel empty.

In an effort to try to add a little happiness to my life, I've started making quilted fabric postcards to mail out for postcard swaps. (I'll post if I get any cards back!)

The first three I made using fused scraps. My favorite is the woven one!

Have you ever made a fabric postcard?  I'm told I can mail them with a normal stamp (not a postcard stamp- it's too little), but well, I have my doubts.  I will let you know if I hear they made it to their destination.  I hope to make a tutorial on how to make them soon.

Fat Quarter Shop 12-pound Grab Bag Review

I recently ordered a grab bag from fatquartershop.com.  If you read my other grab bag review (from Craft Connection), you'll know I was disappointed- a lot of the fabric was poor quality and it didn't amount to much savings per yard.

This review is the opposite of that. I bought a 12-pound grab bag from Fat Quarter Shop. The UPS label said it weighed 13 pounds- so they did a great job filling this box up!

This box doesn't look that big...

http://www.fatquartershop.com/12-pound-fabric-grab-bag
It cost $78.99 with shipping, so not cheap (right now though there is a coupon code ddapron, I believe- It would have saved me $14!!! but I looked all over for a week before I ordered and couldn't find a code. Now I'm kicking myself of course.)

This fabric was all top quality, first rate fabric. Name brands like Michael Miller, Timeless Treasures, Moda.  Almost everything was yardage - selvedge to selvedge cuts. So little of it was other cuts, I actually didn't include them in my totals.

Non-selvage cuts: one 10" square, one 1/3 yd x 1/2 yd rectangle, two 6.5" x 10.5" rectangles.

So what about the rest? There were 75 pieces. They ranged from 5" to 32". The length I got the most of was 18", with 20 pieces. The second most common length was 23", with 9 pieces. And the third most common was 16", with 6 pieces. Typing out this paragraph makes me want to break out my Fathom statistical software. I could tell you all kinds of statistics about the fabric lengths (such as the average length being 16.5" inches, or the median being 18"- which as I already pointed out is the mode.  Do you want to know how many are within 1 standard deviation?)

This stack really doesn't SEEM that big...

But that would be boring.  More interesting might be to know that in all I got 34.3 yards of fabric. Which means the price works out to $2.30 per yard.  Since all of it is great quality useable fabric, I'm pretty happy with this. Even the designs I won't use will be great backings for small wall quilts. (My wall quilts always have absurd backs.)

And even more interesting might be pictures of the fabric:
Polka Dots

 Geometric Prints

 Solids (wish I got more of these!)

 Stripes and Chevrons:

 Floral and Leaves (the second from the left on the bottom row is my favorite fabric- a gorgeous tree print that I just want to frame as is.)

 Novelty fabrics:

 A group I couldn't categorize (I LOVE this peacock!):

 Kids fabrics:

 Another group I couldn't really categorize:

I am just SO in love with this box.  Once I use a quarter or half of it, I might buy another one.  But I think I am going to be really patient and wait for a coupon code!

Craft Connection Scrap Bag Reviews

I just realized I never posted these reviews- I got these scrap bags in October 2013.  Someone on quiltingboard.com had recommend CraftConn.com as a place to get some good scraps. We had just had a guild speaker talk about scrap quilts- and really, I don't have many scraps :(  So I want to build up the collection just a bit.  This definitely helped do that!

Since getting these bags, I actually haven't done any scrap quilts, but I've used a lot of the solid fabrics to back small quilts. Usually it has had to be pieced (often just with itself to make a different dimension), but it has been getting used :)

So here is what I got:

Now let's talk about it is.
I got two 1 lb solid scrap bags ($4.14 each), one 1 lb bright scrap bag ($10.50), and one 1 pound pink scraps bag ($8.00).  Shipping was $12.35.  In retrospect- the bright and pink are kind of expensive because at the time fabric.com's 3 pound scrap bag was $19.99 (though it is now double that), and fatquartershop offers a large grab bag for a lot less per pound (but a higher cost over all).  However, in the case of craftconn, you get what you pay for. The scraps in the bright and pink bag are just much better fabric than the solids. The solids are pretty shabby- many of them are pilling already- right out of the box!  I was pretty disappointed by that.

I figured out that the fabric cost me $2.95 a yard overall.  Since I'm using it, it isn't that bad, but fabric.com often has sale fabric for that price- so I could have just gone and selected a few of those cuts if I want it for backing and test blocks. However, since I wanted a variety of colors and patterns, that wouldn't have worked for me here.

Since I planned to review the scrap bags (and I PLANNED on being more prompt) I measured all the fabric. The bags ranged from 3.2 yards to 3.5 yards each.  I split the shipping cost per box and a pound ranged from $2.06 to $4.12 per yard.

Here is what I got:
Solid bag #1 (1 pound; weighed 1.01 pounds)
17" cut of yellow, pink, green, blue
1 Fat Quarter of blue (very faded, unfortunately)
9.5" cut of black, and two of white
6" cut of black
14" cut of thin muslin
This was 3.2 yards, the bag was $4.14 + $3.09 for shipping or $7.23 total; $2.26 a yard.

Solid bag #2 (1 pound; weighed 15.9 ounces)
17" cut of brown, beige, yellow, pink, green, blue
15" cut of white
11" cut of black
3" scrap of black
This was 3.5 yards, bringing it to $2.06 a yard

Bright bag (1 pound; weighed 15.9 ounces)
16" cut of pink and rainbow
15" cut of stripes, red, and orange
7" cut of green
9" cut of green and dolls
6 Fat Quarters
1 9" square
This was 3 1/3.  The bag plus shipping was $13.59, bringing it to $4.12 a yard.

Pink Bag (1 pound; weighed 15.9 ounces)
5"- one cut
17"- 2 cuts
2 Fat Quarters
14 Fat Eighths
This was 3 1/3 yards. The bag was a total of $11.09, making it $3.33 a yard.


So overall- I can use what I got, but I don't plan to buy a grab bag from this place again. The solids were crappy fabric, and the other fabrics were too expensive for unknowns.

More Fabric...

I actually got this quite some time ago. Before I sprained my wrist and put my sewing to a halt I planned on doing a block a week- so I needed some good quilting fabric that would go together. I had a credit with connecting threads, so I picked up a few lines of clearance fabric to do that. The three in the lower right are 3 yards each- enough to do most of the back of a quilt. I have lots of piecing fabric, but a lot less for backing...

So now I'm back to mostly healthy, I'm going to see if I can use the rotary cutter again. But, this project will likely need to be put off a bit longer. I need to quilt the top I made for my Mom, and my sister has asked me to do a few projects (she clearly needs a sewing machine. It is clear she wants to be a crafty Mom.)

Fabric Splurge...

So Fabric Mart http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif is known for their fabric bundles. Usually the 10-yard bundles are $15, or sometimes they are free with a $75 purchase. Even though I spent $50 on this order (with shipping- they charge $8 flate rate), $75 is sometimes kind of hard to hit there, because they have such a weird selection- you just never know what might be in stock.

But one day on facebook, I saw their bundles were half price! 10 yards of who knows what for only $7.50? I'm in!

Now, with $8 shipping, I can't just buy bundles- because I might not get anything useable. So I threw in a few other things.

Here are my purchases:


25-invisible zipper bundle ($15)
I got 10 large zippers, 8 medium, and 9 small. That's 27 zippers! Bonus.
Lucky I just got an invisible zipper foot for my machine. Per zipper, this is a great deal. Especially since I got lots of long ones- they can always be cut if I end up needing smaller ones.

I also ordered 2 fabric yardages-
First, 2 yards Marc Jacobs (ooh- designer!) flannel. I'm wondering how this will wash, because right now, it just doesn't really feel like flannel. The plan was pajama pants for Kevin, but it feels like a warm winter shirt from Nordstroms, not pajama pants. I can't use it for a shirt though because 1) I'm not that good and 2) did you see the colors? Kevin will never wear it. Even if I tell him it is Marc Jacobs. It was $3.99 a yard. I've found it on other sites for $15 a yard!

The second yardage is 3 yards striped stretch poly/cotton for $1.99/yd. I want to use it to make a Lisette t-shirt dress. I'm a bit nervous because 1)I've never used stripes and 2)the dress does not call for stretch fabric. I'm hoping this means I can just cut it a little smaller, and not that the dress will stretch and sag out on me.

And then come the bundles. Holy crap. 10 yards is a lot of fabric. And for the most part, I have no idea what this stuff is, or what I could do with it. The good news is I got a lot of stretch stuff- that can easily turn into tops. I can get $15 worth of useable stuff out of this no problem.


So up first, bundle #1. Keep in mind, this all cost $7.50.

-1 yd brown leaf print - selvage says "Ascher Studio Inc (c)1995 Design 1057" Seems to thin to be quilting cotton. Couldn't find anything about this one.
-1.5 yd blue quilting cotton selvage identifies it as Free Spirit by Westminster Fabrics "Sis Boom Basics". Similar fabric on Fabric Mart sells for $5.99/yd, other website $10.50/yd. This is a keeper for sure! Great quilting cotton
-1.25 yd plaid shirting It's nice. A button up style shirt? Can you do that with this little?
-1 5/8 (not marked, I guessed) yd of this. It says it is quilting cotton, but it is thin and silky- apparently this fabric is called Voile. I like the floral print, but don't know what to use it for- lots of websites show little kid clothes. The selvage says "Little folks (c) 2009 Anna Maria Horner for Free Spirit Westminster Fibers #VAH 05 Little Honey" which made it easy to find exactly what it is. I found one website selling it for $14.95/yd!!! Good deal! (Similar things on Fabric Mart are $5.99/yd)
-1 3/8 yd striped stretch suiting. Not the same consistency as the stretch cotton I got, more fluid, but probably a similar thing, maybe more manmade fibers. This could work for a skirt. Don't think there is enough for pants, though I am quite short...
- 1.25 of some awful purple stuff. No idea what this is. Some sort of manmade fiber. It is a teeny bit stretchy and has some sort of blocky weave to it, might call it pique, but I'm not sure. This will likely go in the donation bag.
- 1.25 of BRIGHT yellow something. Very stretchy, 4-way, but quite firm, like compression fabric (but thicker than most compression garments). Man-made fibers, but not awful, could have been a good fabric, but the color is too much for me. Maybe I could use it for accents if I ever make my skate leggings. It would be good for the ankles...
-1.25 yd of something gray. This might be considered a stretch suiting slight 2-way stretch. Maybe a skirt? Or a jacket? I'll hang onto this, but who knows.

Overall rating of the grab bag: only 1 awful fabric and 1 icky color. Might not know what to do with the stuff, but I'm pretty happy here!


And the second grab bag:

-0.5 yd of a butterfly border print knit. I think this is called ITY. It has a lot of stretch in one direction and a tiny bit in another. This should be just enough to make a sleeveless top. I love it.
-1 yd of something Navy. It's a woven with a balanced weave. Maybe this could be a skirt?
-3/4 yd of a super stretchy pink. I think I have a RTW shirt in this exact material from years ago. It has some damage (looks like glue) on the selvage, but a keeper for sure.
-1 yd of a white embroidered cotton. Could be a cute peasant blouse. Do I wear cute peasant blouses?
-1 yd lilac chiffon. I have almost this exact color in my stash from Hobby Lobby. It will join it.
- 1.5 yd baby blue houndstooth suiting. If this wasn't baby blue I'd be using it for sure. I love houndstooth. But this will go in the donation bag. Why even make this in baby blue? Makes no sense. I wonder if I dyed it if the blue and white would still retain the value difference? I wonder what you dye this with... It doesn't really feel like wool, but I have wool dye...
1 yd- super stretchy gray. Not sure what I'd use this for. But in high school I had a floor length skirt and also a dress made out of similar but shinier material. Unfortunately, I don't have the body I had in high school. See...
-5/8 yd of some navy blue stuff with a circular texture pattern. No idea what I'd do with this. It's stretchy. I don't see it as a shirt. Maybe a skirt with lining? But then the stretch is kind of negated. Probably donate it.
-5/8 yd of a polka dot ITY. Could make a cute top. Maybe a wrap top to wear over a tank top, since it is sheer.
-5/8 yd of pink wool (I think) in a herringbone pattern. The edge of it reminds me of the chanel jackets. Actually this one and the next two would make a cute jacket but there isn't enough of it. Not sure if I can do anything with less than a yard of this type of fabric.
-1 yd blue crazy weave has 5 rows of herringbone, then a weird pattern. Lots of different colors sprinkled into the weave. Again, not sure what to make of this.
-3/4 yd of gray wool (?) This is odd- it is a chevron weave, but in the middle has a decorative detail with a satin stitch and then loose threads kind of like bows (but not bows). Don't think there is enough of this to do anything, but it could be cool. Maybe use for a formal handbag? Do I need a handbag?

Overall, this bag isn't as good as the last, the wool cuts were too small to do anything with. But the stretch fabrics make up for it, and I more than go my money's worth.


So here's the question- when will my wrist be strong enough to use scissors again? I can operate the sewing machine now, but if it isn't already cut, I'm stuck.

Fabric Mart Order

I got my Fabric Mart order in (I actually started this post a week ago... but never got the picture uploaded). I have to say, I’m disappointed. More than I’ve been with any other online fabric order. Perhaps it is because I branched out to try new things… Before I’ve always stuck with quilting cotton and stretch knits. I am thinking about joining their swatch club. Maybe it would be a good idea just to learn what fabrics ARE. More than anything, I was surprised by that!

The good thing is Fabric Mart is really inexpensive. Not cheap- most people rave about the quality (and quality isn’t really what I have a problem with). So it was a good lesson, and while I might not buy from Fabric Mart again in the near future, I will likely sew with at least some of what I bought.
Here is the run down. I got 2 yards of everything, except the last thing.I paid $8 in shipping.
Stretch Poplin (Brown) $1.49/yard Stretch Poplin (Purple) $0.74/yard I didn’t really know what Poplin was, but a pattern recommended it for shorts. I got the purple (cheap) for a muslin and the brown (well, still cheap) for the actual shorts. This material is really thin. Not sure how these are going to look. I expect something a little heftier. I’m kind of disappointed.
Trendy Cotton Bold Paisley $2.25/yard In the picture this looked like a cute print. In real life it looks like a grandmother’s couch. YUCK. Muslin material for sure. It also has the hand of quilting cotton, not something I think of for clothes.
Flocked and checks cotton $2.63/yard I underestimated the “checks” of this fabric. It looked nearly solid in one of the photos, and was the fabric I was most excited about. In real life, it looks like gingham and feels like quilters cotton. Not sure if I’ll get a nice skirt out of this or not. Major bummer.
Polyester Charmeuse $1.88/yard So I guess I didn’t know what Charmeuse is, but I didn’t expect it to just look like lining… Maybe this will make a nice blouse, but I’m not sure. It sure is shiny!
Crinkle Chiffon $1.49/yd This is a sheer material, and I hope to use it to make a peasant blouse to wear over a tank top. This one is good.
Polyester Lining $1.49/yd (2 colors, so 4 yards total) Yep, this is poly lining. I’m happy with this.
Trendy Knit Animal Print $1.49/yd. This material is exactly what I wanted- 4-way stretch, nice hand. Problem is, I ordered the wrong thing. This is an ugly as sin multi-animal print. I meant to get solid black. Oops. BUT I am going to use this to make a muslin of a wrap dress I’ve wanted to use expensive fabric I got a few years ago, but have been scared to try. So really, it works out fine.
Quilting Cotton $1.49/yd I saw this and thought “I got orange? I thought I got pink…” But sure enough, I did get orange. This will be just fine for a quilt back. That’s why I got 3 yards. I’m quite happy here.

Connecting Threads!

My Cyber-Sunday order FINALLY arrived! (I'm spoiled by Amazon shipping. I guess 1 week really isn't that bad- remember the days of 6 to 8 weeks?)

I got 4 sets of 12 fat quarters each, 1 10" stack of 24 Christmas fabrics, and then 2 packs of thread for quilting.

I am in love! The fat quarters I got are fabulous. Kevin picked out which ones will be his Kindle cover, and I have some for my Mom's. (Need to get on that! Christmas approaches!)

I embroidered my Dad's Christmas gift today. I need to get going on the things for everyone else. Oh, and do my Stat. project...

Also- internet karma has circled back to me :) Recently, I sent off an envelope of selvages to a blogger making a selvage quilt, sent a book about serging to a woman on ravelry, and mailed off some of my unloved stash yarn to some people on ravelry. Well- I was posting on pattern review asking questions about the Bernina Invisible Zipper foot. A woman offered to mail me hers to "try out"! She said if I liked it I can pay half retail and keep it. Wow! That is really nice.

Stashing away...

I am really trying to NOT become a hoarder. As such, I am going to be transparent about my purchases (Kevin reads the blog...) One of my favorite blogs posts pictures along with prices of her stash. I'm copying her.

This is my order from Fabric.com. I got an additional 20% off the prices listed, and did not pay shipping. I actually ordered everything with a project in mind.

The Bengaline for a skirt, the gray suiting for a jacket, the crepe for a skirt, the seersucker for shorts, and the whites because I am collecting whites to make a pictorial quilt of Elsa (my dog).

I got half a yard each of the white quilting cottons, 1 yard of the seersucker, 1.5 yards of each of the purple suitings (the blue looking one is really more purple), and 2.5 yards of the gray. I now wish I had gotten the Bengaline for a jacket, and the gray for pants. I might use the gray for pants anyway- it is a gorgeous fabric, nice soft hand. Definetly my favorite.

The seersucker is the only thing I'm disappointed in. Maybe this is basic fabric knowledge, but seersucker is all kinds of bumpy/puckery. The pattern suggests it, but I can't imagine shorts made out of this. Not sure what I will do with it instead...

What does 3 pounds of quilting fabric look like?

Well, I don't know because Fabric.com shorted me the weight. LOL!
But the 2 pounds 13 ounces I got sure is pretty!

In my last order of backing fabric, I also threw in an assortment.

Joking about the weight shortage aside- I think the majority of the fabric I got is fantastic. There is actually only one I am displeased with- and it is extreme displeasure. But overall, a great assortment.

I estimated the amounts of each fabric and then looked them up on Fabric.com to see if I could get an idea of the prices. Most are not available anymore (a few were) but other things from their line were still available.



First, my favorite: The Girl Scout Fabric!!! I got 1.5 yards of this. It is Robert Kaufman fabric, and originally cost $8.98/yd, right now other fabrics from this line are $4.49.
Next up, I love the giant flowers. This is "Large Modern Floral" by Michael Miller. It is still available for $8.98/yd. I got 1/2 a yard of it.
Then, I love the Beige/Blue Fabric. This is from the More Antique Treasures line and other fabrics in the line are $5.98/yd. I got 1 yd.
I also love the aprons. They are part of the What's Cooking by Dan Morris line, other fabrics in the line are $7.98/yd. I got 1 yd.
The Tiger is by Timeless Treasures. I couldn't find a price for it.
The first set of Animals is from the Alphabet Soup by Stella Blue line. Other fabrics in this line are $8.98/yd and I got 1 yd.
I also got another animal fabric and called playful pups by Benartex. Other fabrics in the line are $5.98/yd and I got 1 3/4 yds.
The fabrics that did not have anything on the selvage were the maroon plaid (1 yd) and blue plaid (1 yd) - these both feel more like napkins than quilting cotton, the star fabric (1 yd), and the Peach fabric ( 2 yds). The Peach fabric is the only one I don't like. It feels like Chiffon and is completely see through. This is NOT quilting cotton. I realize the fabric just said cotton remnants, but it is in the quilting section, so I feel like it is a reasonable assumption that it is quilting cotton!

Based on these estimates, I think I got 12 3/4 yds. That's $1.57/yd. If I take out the crap 2 yards I got, then it is still only $1.86/yd.
Just on what I found prices for, I got $50 worth of fabric, and then there are the ones I couldn't find prices for!

DEFINITELY a good way to build up a stash! I'll throw another one in an order in the future if I need to bump up to free shipping. I just wish they had a $10 bundle...
If you order a fabric.com bundle- make sure to post what you get!

Huh?

I was waiting for UPS yesterday, I knew that I had a package arriving from fabric.com and was looking forward to getting that big box of fabric-y goodness. I ordered some oil cloth and Insul-Bright so that I could make some of the Lunch Bags from the amazing book with the that title.

After dinner the UPS guy finally pulled up in front of our house. He didn't ring the door bell or do anything to alert me that he had been there (thanks guy) but I saw the truck. And then, on the doorstep, was this:
What in the world? Where is my box of fabric?

Turns out, they ship the oil cloth on bolts. I kind of feel bad, because this order (1/2 yard each of 2 designs of oil cloth, 2 yards of insul-bright batting, and 1 1/2 yards each of two different types of knit fabric, and some shirting) only cost me $30, no shipping costs. I'm not sure fabric.com made any money on me, because this must have cost a lot to ship.

I love it all, and I also got a bias strip maker! The cherry design on the oil cloth is a lot larger than I thought it would be, I thought it was tiny cherries- oops. But I just need it for sandwich wrap linings, so it doesn't really matter. I LOVE the pink slub rayon knit, so we'll have to see how that sews up. The burnt-orange looking rayon knit is kind of a weird fabric, I think it might end up kind of hot and yucky to wear, but the idea is to try all the fabrics I can to see how I like sewing them.

Now I just need to find some time to sew. This week marks the halfway point of my first class at Lesley. I need to get to work on my mid-term paper. It's due tomorrow!