Mooned

No sooner did I drive in my driveway from my road trip when my favorite niece and her D.H. arrived for a visit. 
You've met Desiree in previous posts...HERE, HERE and HERE.  

She and Kevin came to town to visit Joy (my baby sister) and me, to celebrate Joy's birthday
AND because Paducah is in the total-eclipse pathway.  HERE

 

Total Eclipse BBQ party...with homemade ice cream!

It was totally cool....I wish we'd been in an area for a longer "block out" time. Paducah had only about 2.5 minutes.

A trip to downtown Paducah for lunch and shopping, with a stop at Muppin's Sewing Emporium (my home-away-from-home these days.)  And, of course, we purchased fabric for a new project.  It is an easy one*, and we have already started it ...
with a plan for finishing, via Zoom.

Introducing the Coffin Handbag by Seamingly Wicked. HERE

Here is Muppins' sample using Tula Pink fabric; Night Shade Deja Vu Coven. 
For the person in your life who likes this sort of style.  

Honestly, made from a different fabric, it would not be so "goth."

Cut all the pieces.

We made plastic cutting templates using the cutting mats found in the kitchen section at the Dollar Tree.

Organize everything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zippers are assembled...the zipper itself was easy...adding the pulls was a bit painful.  If I were going to make this bag again...and I might...it would be worth it to buy a zipper jig.

Watch the  zipper pull YouTube Video before you waste a bunch of time..This video was very helpful. HERE

The designer of this bag assembles it differently than I would, so I will reach out to Cheryl and see how she assembled it.  HERE is the video for assembling the bag.  HERE is a video for an alternative assembly option....Stay tuned. 

This will be a Quinceañera** gift for Gabrielle, one of the grands. 
I think this is a cute bag for a teen.  (I hope Gabbz thinks so.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Well, not so easy, as it turns out.

*Quinceañera, the celebration of a girl's 15th birthday, marking her passage from girlhood to womanhood, although I hard think 15 is a WOMAN....she is still a baby in my book.  HERE

Getting Started Series: All About Fabric

I LOVE fabric.  I know I'm not alone.  When my children were young I'd ask them "do you want to go to heaven?"
Then, off we'd go to the fabric shop.

There are so many talented people designing and producing so many beautiful fabrics;  it is impossible to name them all.  A few of my personal favorites:  Moda, Kaffee Fassett, Tula Pink, Grunge, Amy Butler, Robert Kaufman.  The list is a long one.

I will say from the outset, for me this is the hardest part of making a quilt, choosing my fabric.  Just a couple days ago I spent over $100 on fabric for a baby quilt....got it home, then changed my mind!  I decided on an entirely different pattern, which means different fabrics. (Not all was lost, the fabrics I bought have been re-assigned to finish other quilts-in-process. And the new pattern will be completed with fat quarters, pieces and scraps I already have.)

Sorry to say, I cannot help you choose just the right fabric for your project.  But, here are a couple of tips for choosing "good" fabric.

*Learn to read the end of the bolt.

What you see:  The manufacturer, the designer (usually), fabric line name, fabric dimensions, fabric content, care instructions and price.  For quilting we are usually looking for 100% cotton.

The fabric selvage also has helpful information. (The selvage is the tightly woven edge of a fabric. It prevents the side edges of the fabric from raveling or fraying. Don't use the selvage in your project!)

 
The Selvage will show the designer, name of fabric and a color code.  I use to think this color code was used for coordinating fabrics.  As in, choose other fabric colors that match this code.  Actually it shows the order in which the color was added to this fabric.  (Between you and me and the fence post, I do still use it to pick coordinating fabrics.)

One last word on selvages.  Save them; at least until your project is finished.  On more than one occasion I've run short of a particular fabric and had to hunt the internet to find more.  It sure helps if you know the designer, fabric line and color. (Some creative people use them to make all manner of items, search Pinterest.)

*Get to know your local, independent fabric shops.  Spend time browsing and chatting up the sales people.  People who work in these shops are generally sewers of some type and probably LOVE fabric as much as you do.  They usually have lots of  displays and ideas (and classes!).  They will help you audition fabrics for your project.

* Buy quality.  I know some people will swear they buy "off brand" fabrics and never have any trouble with fading or shrinking...and I know other people who were really sorry.  That door swings both ways.  For me, I almost never buy fabric from a big-box store, unless it is for something like Christmas stockings or a project that will not be washed.

...that brings to mind the age-old question:  "To wash, or not to wash..." your fabrics before use.  Some people do and some people don't.  I mostly don't when quilting, but I do when sewing garments. 

To get to know fabrics, designers and local quilt shops, look for an organized shop-hop.  Many areas have annual hops with prizes and give-aways.

This one is in Southern California Click HERE

If  you can't find an organized hop, make your own.  My fellow quilter, The Other Charlotte, and I have done several, all on our own.  One we did last year; we hopped from Spokane, WA down to Orange County, CA.  Click HERE.

I hope I was able to give you some useful ideas about fabric.

Happy sewing to all, and to all a good day!