If you missed last Monday’s Creative Talk Radio Show by Pat Sloan – never fear – you can listen to it at: http://toginet.com/shows/creativetalkradio  – click on the 8-23-2010 episode to hear Pat and I talk about bags!

And then comment on the show here and you will automatically be entered to win a free copy of Ready, Set, Go – Baby Necessities to Sew!

Hope you win!  -Kris

In my last post, I mentioned that I would be talking to Pat Sloan about using unusual materials in making bags – here’s a project that may spark your creativity – a Tyvek Tote!

Tyvek (I used the regular home wrap type) is a material which combines the properties of paper, film and fabric – it is strong in dry or wet conditions,  breathes, resists moisture, it’s lightweight and strong. What a great material for a re-usable shopping bag!

Here’s how I made it:

**Before you start: You cannot iron or put Tyvek in a clothes dryer because it will shrink away and “melt” – you will have to decide if this is the right material for you. You can put it in the washer on a cool setting and let it drip dry to clean it.

1. 1. Cut 1 piece of Tyvek and 1 piece of fabric 23″ x 36″.
2. “Pin” right sides together with paper clips and sew all around. I used my walking foot and also decreased my thread tension to achieve a good stitch. I used a 100% poly (good quality) thread and a universal (80) needle – I had no problems with skipping. I also sewed it together with the tyvek on top of the fabric.  Leave an opening to turn.
3. Turn your rectangle right sides out and machine stitch your opening closed.
4. With Tyvek facing inside, match the narrow edges and sew up the sides. Bring the bottom towards the side and box the corners if you like.
5. Topstitch around the top edge, about 1″ down from edge.
6. Add webbing or handles on the outside (instructions for strong Tyvek handles will be in tomorrow’s post).  Voila! A cool shopping bag!

Remember to listen to Pat Sloan’s Creative Talk Radio today at 4:00 PM EST for more fun ideas!

Have fun with this and think outside the bag! -Kris

I wanted to let everyone know that I will be a guest on Pat Sloan’s Creative Talk Radio Show this Monday afternoon! I am so excited! We will be discussing what I like to call “Thinking Outside the Bag” – or unusual materials that you can use to make a better bag!

How can you listen? Click here to listen live on Monday, August 23rd at 4:00 pm. Join the fun! You can also listen after 4:00 – there are instructions on listening on the site.

I will be giving away a copy of my new book, Ready, Set, Go – Baby Necessities to Sew after the interview! To enter, you will need to comment at Pat Sloan’s Corner (which is Pat’s main blog). Look for the entry regarding the interview and comment there and you may win! The deadline for commenting will be the following Friday, August 27th.

Keep on quilting and have a great Friday! -Kris

Ready, Set, Go – Baby Necessities to Sew is here! It’s official!

For the next preview, llet’s take a peek at “Play Date at Grandma’s”! This is a fun section of the book, featuring playthings for baby and a smart and stylish backpack for Grandma. The playthings consist of textural treats made from wovens, knits and ribbons. At left is an example from the book of the “Soft Blankie” – I used a Minkee solid with Blank’s Simply Delicious line which I embellished with ribbon and rick-rack. Simple and quick!

During Spring Quilt Market, I stopped at Shannon Fabric’s booth and fell in love with this bright printed Cuddle line (shown at the right)! I just made up these 3 projects from Play Date with Grandma to show you how cute it is in different fabrics!  I made some changes from the book – for example, since the printed cuddle is so cute, I decided not to use as much quilt fabric (woven) in my projects. Don’t you just love that Jumbo Dot?

I photographed the Ball, Blocks and Blankie on top of the Star Baby Quilt which is part of the “You’re Invited” section of the book. (More on that in another blog post!).

Here is what I learned as I was sewing with Cuddle:

• Use a walking foot, so that your bottom layer does not push out ahead of your top layer!
• Add some zig to your zag! A slight zig zag adds stretch to your seam.
• When adding an applique, interface your cuddle with a light interfacing first then use a stabilizer to add the “oomph” to the back of your Cuddle while stitching.
• I lengthened my normal stitch length to 2.6 mm.
• Use a size 90 Stretch needle.
• Pinning does help as there is some slide with this fabric.
• Smile!

I hope you’ll give my book a try and don’t be afraid to mix fabric types as I did with these baby toys. Your little one will love it!

Happy sewing!  -Kris

Are you looking for sewing patterns for a new baby? My new book, Ready, Set, Go, Baby Necesssities to Sew will be available in August! This morning, I’d like to share some of the details with you!

Ready, Set, Go contains 16 projects that are perfect for your little pumpkin, along with pumpkin’s parents, grandparents and caregivers. The book was designed to appeal to the proficient sewing enthusiast as well as the beginning quilters.

Shown on the left is the Stroll and Go Tote, which is part of the Dad’s Day Out section. This is a stroller caddy that will hold all manner of baby’s needs, as well as a zippered pocket to hold Dad’s frequent coffee buyer’s card! So, if you have an active new Dad on your gift list, go ahead and buy that masculine fabric and whip up a tote, as well as a bottle cover, pacifier holder and don’t forget a coordinating changing pad, and he’ll be ready to go!

I hope I’ve sparked your interest in my new book…more previews starting soon!

I thought I’d share with you some “hot” variations on my Thursday Night Jazz pattern, as a nod to the high temperatures we are experiencing in the Northeast lately! I released the Thurdsay Night Jazz pattern in May, featuring Silk Taffetta on the front cover. However, I have made these up in hot summer colors to show you the versatility and fun you can have with this pattern!

The curvy clutch is my favorite! It takes about 2 hours to make and it is very cute! I did add about 1 inch to the length of the clutch body for this variation, and I did not put in a zipper. I also fussy cut the fabric to get the chevron centered.

I hope you like this variation and give Thursday Night Jazz a try!

Keep quilting!

-Kris

Hello all!

Do you need a little instant gratification in your sewing? Texture Magic fits the bill! I was cutting out a Tuesday Traveler bag this morning and decided to jazz up the cell phone pocket with a little texture. So I cut a front pocket piece (about 1.4 times the height and width of the original pocket) to allow for the Texture Magic. I used a triple stitch zig zag and added rows to the piece at 1” intervals so that it would appear “smocked”. I applied the steam following the manufacturer’s instructions, and voila…a textured front pocket.

A little magic goes a long way with this bag! I think I’ll be using more Texture Magic in the future!
Try it! -Kris

We survived our first Quilt Market! We (my mother, Jean, and I) had a wonderful time and met so many nice people! I have new respect for everyone in the booths – putting up our booth was the first of many adventures that we experienced!

Pardon my absence from the blogging world! We have been busily getting ready for Spring Quilt Market here! Before we leave, I’d like to share a Tuesday Traveler with you! My friend, Mary Anne Murphy made a quilt for our guild’s challenge from her stash, using a print with owls on it. She decided that she needed a matching bag for her entry in the show and here’s what she did!