Crazy Quilts - Denim

I know that I have told you in the past that I volunteer for a charity called Project Linus.  Since the horrific tornado that tore through Joplin, Missouri, I have been working like crazy to make quilts for my charity.  I am now even signed up to do the quilting for the blanket drive on June 25, 2011.  I am very excited to see what all of those wonderful ladies have come up with for this blanket drive!

One of the nice things about belonging to Project Linus is that we get a lot of donations of fabric and other things that help us make these blankets.  We have recently received several boxes of denim jeans and have been at a loss as to what we were going to do with them.  Some of them were stained and we couldn't drop them off at the Goodwill store, so I suggested that we cut out the parts that weren't stained and patch them together into crazy quilts!

The first attempt that I made wasn't as successful as I had hoped it would be.  I used and old twin sized quilt as my guide and started laying the denim pieces on top of the old quilt, but when I started sewing the pieces together, they were all crooked.  So I had to come up with a different plan. . .

How to make a denim crazy quilt without pulling out your hair:
Supplies:
Sewing machine
Thread
Seam ripper
12x12 Quilters square (optional, but highly recommended)
Rotary Cuter and Mat
Old denim jeans
Scrap fabric

The first thing I did was to cut the denim up and lay it out on the table.  I then sewed the pieces together and then used my 12 x 12 quilters square to straighten out the edges.

1. Denim Scraps for Crazy Quilt

2. Denim scraps sewn together.

Use the quilters square to "square" the fabric making a 12x12 inch square.

The next step is pretty simple.  You are going to use scrap fabric to cover up the seams and applique it to the top using either a zig zag stitch, or if you have a machine that does decorative stitches, then use that to edge the fabric.  First you will need to cut the strips down to approximately 1 inch in width.  You can cut them wider or more narrow if you prefer.

As you can see, these are two different quilts.  The one on the left was made using the squaring method and the one on the right was made using the other method that I mentioned above.  Both are great examples of how to lay the fabric on top of the denim and applique it down.

Once you have the desired amount of finished squares for the size of quilt you are making, sew the squares together making sure that the pattern is pleasing to the eye.

Square method.

Layout method mentioned above.  This method is a huge pain in the butt, but it makes a cool looking quilt

You can use either the tie method or the sewing method for quilting.  I used the tie method because denim is very thick, but if you would like to sew it, I recommend "stitch in the ditch" (ie: sew in or near the seams of your squares) and sew very slowly using a needle made for use with denim.

I hope you have enjoyed this project.  I wish you the best of luck on your project.

Happy Sewing!!!

Yo-Yos, Yo-Yos And More Yo-Yos!

Now that you have a million yo-yos made, I know you are wondering "What do I do with all these Yo-Yos?".  Well here is one idea.  These bags were pre-made and bought from Wal-mart.  The yo-yos were made using the small yo-you maker and then they were tacked onto the front of the bags.  These bags are great for the book store, library, small grocery run, etc. 

All you need to do is find a bag that you like,
use a chalk pencil or washable fabric marker to draw a design that you like and then start tacking the yo-yos to the front of the bag!  It is a very simple project that can be done while watching your favorite show or a weekend project with the kid!  They will love making these and then taking them to school to show their friends! 

Happy sewing!

History Of Sewing Machines

I started this blog because I have had several family members and friends ask me to teach them how to sew and specifically quilt. I find it interesting that they all say, "I can't sew" or "I can't quilt" and claim that it would be just too hard to do. I think this is because they are looking at the finished products that other people have sewn in the past and then just make that assumption that it is just too hard to do.

I on the other hand see things that I find interesting or intriguing and I think to myself "I can do that" and then I fly by the seat of my pants until I figure it out. I am not smarter or more talented than any of the friends or family that want to learn how to sew, I just don't take NO for an answer.

During the time that I was considering starting this blog I became interested in how sewing began. We all know that it started with the necessity to cover our bodies and protect ourselves from the elements. The earliest forms of sewing have been traced back to the Palaeolithic Era more commonly known as the Stone Age. During this time people used bones as needles and sewed together hides using various animal parts as their thread such as intestines and veins.

As with everything, sewing evolved over time, but the notion of modern day sewing with a machine was not realized until the 1800s. The first patent for the "sewing machine" was issued in 1755 to a German man named Charles Weisenthal, however it is unknown if he ever built a successful sewing machine. History shows that in 1834 an American named Walter Hunt invented the first sewing machine, however he never patented it.because he was afraid it would cause unemployment for dressmakers, tailors and the other textile trades that used the sewing skill to make a living.

In 1846 a patent was issued to another American by the name of Elias Howe, however he had trouble with his patent and in developing interest in the sewing machine. In 1850 Isaac Singer built the first successful sewing machine designed for commercial use and a patent war ensued when Mr. Howe sued Singer for patent infringement. Howe's patent was upheld by the courts and Singer was ordered to pay royalties to Elias Howe.

Today you can buy sewing machines made by several different manufacturers such as Singer , Babylock, Pfaff , Gammil and many more and almost all of them make specialty machines that embroider, quilt and sew many different specialty stitches.

In this blog we will explore many different types of sewing from hand-stitched embroidery and cross stitching to machine sewing garments and quilt piecing and using a quilting machine to finish a pre-pieced quilt. I will add written instructions along with video for you to follow along with and learn this fantastic skill.

Please let me know if you have any requests or if you have a specific sewing skill that you would like to learn and I will try to incorporate it as soon as possible.