December 30, 2020
It’s been a hot minute
I’m not even gonna try to explain the last 3 years. Ok, just a little…
I have been stuck in fucking blog purgatory, not writing what comes to mind because a) as a blogger, I should be taking beautifully staged and professionally edited photos, not writing random thoughts from my bathtub at 4 am. I’m in my bathtub at 4 am and not taking pictures of my toes. Just no! We can deal with that, no?
There was at least one more point about my reluctance to blog. I can’t think of it right now, so moving on!
I’m doing my best to write stories my way and ignore other people’s expectations. Yah! You included. … I tell stories; I paint with words; I play with fabric; I have no interest in seo or influencing; I cuss like a fucking sailor on shore leave in a logging camp; the only pictures I take are crappy ones of my cats, and my neighbours’ plants; I can never find a pair of scissors when I need one.
My bath water is getting too cold, so I’m off to find a square foot on my bed and join the slumber party. Oh hell! I’m not even editing this post. Maybe tomorrow… And that is still a no on bathtub pics. Hard no!
Have a good night or good day wherever you are! And wear a goddamn mask ffs!
Cbeers!
January 4, 2018
Mom’s Wedding Dress
The Universe is messing with me, and that ish is not funny! Well, not that funny… yet. Let’s go all the way back to last May so I can tell you what happened…
My cousins in Jamaica invited my parents (his aunt and uncle) to their daughter’s wedding to take place in November. Yes, November. Mom said to me, “I have to get a new dress to wear to the wedding. If you can make me one, that would be so nice, but I can always go down to the mall and buy one.” (From now on, I will refer to said dress as the Wedding Dress, so try not to get confused. My mom was not the one getting married. Dad would surely object.)
It worked out that we had 6 months, yes 6 whole months, to find the material and pattern, and get my slow-ass self to sew it. Remember the wedding is still 6 months out. 6 months!!! … How many months?? You got it. S.I.X.
Oh! I need to mention here that I’m still terrified to sew with knits. Everyone tells me knits are forgiving. Toward me, they’re not. This will come back to bite me later in my story.
And the hunt was on for the perfect fabric and the perfect pattern. The fabric had to be bold, but not too busy; light but not transparent; good quality but not expensive. The pattern had a slightly longer list of requirements:
- calf length or longer
- pleats or gathers at the waist
- short to three-quarter length sleeves
- no frou-frou except ruffles; ruffles are always good.
- no elastic in the waist (on account of the heat and humidity)
- modest neckline
- large armscye (pronounced arm-sigh or arms-eye)
Long story short-ish, I searched through fabric store after fabric store in Montreal and online. I did find a very pretty coral linen blend at Fabricville/Fabricland’s website. But the last time I’d ordered from them, I got a piece of trash, so I couldn’t bring myself to click that checkout button without having had my hands on the fabric first. And that’s how an entire season and a half passed with no fabric purchase.
At one point I sent Mom a photo of a satiny embroidered blue thing, and she texted back, “You want me to wear ants to the wedding?!” I looked again at the picture and sure enough, bad lighting + bad angle + phone camera = embroidery ants.
While the great fabric quest was on, I bought several patterns, none of which was just right. That was from the myriad rejected photos of pattern covers I sent my mom. So, not much luck in the pattern department either.
These guys made it to the finals before they got cut
As a pre-emptive backup, I bought this Vogue pattern on sale, although I would have had to do some modifications. I love hacking bags and accessories, but I’m still insecure about hacking clothing patterns.
Still in the running (Photo credit: Vogue website product description)
And then! Two things happened serendipitously. My BBF made some time to drive me out of town to Club Tissus, the huge fabric store in the middle of nowhere. Two hours later, after several mysteriously falling racks and a giggle-inducing “flipping” incident at the cutting table, I walked out of there with a lovely coral printed knit (remember I don’t do knits) and a couple more patterns that looked like they would work for the Wedding Dress (plus, you know, lots of notions I didn’t need.)
That rack didn’t see it coming!
One of the patterns bought at Club Tissus (Photo credit: McCall’s website product description.)
The second thing that happened right around then was that Blackbird Fabrics in BC got some new prints in stock and I fell in love with this pretty camel-coloured floral. (Yes, the colour is “camel” and not “caramel”.)Â Caroline, the owner, checked my pattern (the Vogue one above) and assured me that this adorable polyester crepe would work well with it. (Check out Caroline’s podcast at Love to Sew.)
Polyester just got delicious! (Photo used with permission of Blackbird Fabrics)
I love the content and care label attached. (All fabric sellers should do this, even when you buy in store.)
I had used fabrics from Blackbird before and loved them, so I was willing to put my Poly-Prejudice aside and trust that it would not behave badly like the traditional Poly-Crap. I ordered some.
There I was at the end of September with two acceptable, but not quite perfect, fabric/pattern combinations.
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- Pattern and Fabric for WD1
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- Pattern for WD2
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- Fabric for WD2
I just needed to cut and sew, and my mom would have two dresses to choose from. I was feeling pretty confident. But, cats! (The least they could have done is make sure I didn’t get all blurry photos. Jerks!)
Rapscallions!
Helpers will help, and knits will flip.
And then I forgot to flip the pattern so I cut the left and right bodice the same. (What is up with this fabric and flipping, man?!?)
Two perfectly cut identical pieces
Forgot to flip the flip
They needed to be mirror image and wouldn’t you know it, I didn’t have enough fabric to recut the piece all in one. I had to resort to cutting up the pattern and cobbling pieces together.
Slashed pattern
Now halfway through October, I had to face the fact that I could only do one dress, if that. Hey! why not go ahead and pick the knit one that you have no experience with, Marsh? Yeah, let’s do that! (Mumble, mumble… stupid, uncooperative… mumble… slipping and sliding… flippin’…)
Then mom had a brilliant thought. I would do as much as I could in the time that I had, and she would take it to her very talented dressmaker cousin in Jamaica to finish. Whoohoo! She is so understanding, and it helped me feel a teeny bit better when I was only able to get halfway through the knit dress (McCall’s pattern) and got stuck because I couldn’t make heads nor tails of the instructions. (I did, however, keep track of the tops and bottoms of the pattern bits.)
I reluctantly packaged both un-dresses with the required notions and matching thread, and delivered them safely to Mom’s suitcase. Her cousin could figure it out from there. (Ok, I did feel a ton of guilt and shame, and general misery because I couldn’t deliver what I’d promised. Still not over it, but…)
So, the half-made Wedding Dress 1 and the un-begun Wedding Dress 2 got to the cousin. Cousin Jean didn’t have time to do both, but she agreed to finish WD1. But guess what! Mom tried on the pieces that I had already assembled and the flippin’ armscye was too small, aaaand there wasn’t enough leftover fabric to cut new sleeves. (Whaaaaa!) Skillful Cousin Jean found a solution (I have no idea what) and got it all sorted. Mom wore the imperfect Wedding Dress to the perfect tropical wedding mid-November. (No photos of the finished WD1.)
Now comes the twist to the plot. You thought the story was over, didn’t you? You know better…
Two weeks ago, I got the regular newsletter from Blackbird Fabrics. More new prints had arrived. And, in the mix, was a sweet little viscose thing in two colour ways. As soon as I saw it, I knew that was the perfect fabric we had been searching for. I sent the link to Mom and she squeaked with delight, at least I think it was a squeak. She agreed it was the perfect fabric. Too bad the wedding was 6 weeks ago.
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- Isn’t this delicious? It’s like a strawberry-melon sorbet with candy sprinkles. (Photo used with permission of Blackbird Fabrics)
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- The black is for my stash. (Photo used with permission of Blackbird Fabrics.)
Also last week, Patricia (naughty elf!) from Sew Far North got me looking at the Boxing Week sales at Designer Stitch. That’s where I tripped over this pattern, the Kristen dress. Are you freakin kidding me?
Let’s see… calf length? Can be arranged. Pleats or gathers? Check! Sleeves (not long)? Check! Ruffles? Yes! No elastic? Yup! Modest neckline? Present! And just look at the size of those armscyes! (You can’t really see the size of the armscyes so trust me, they’re big. I asked.)
Kristen dress in red. Oh myyyyyy!
Just look at those perfectly placed ruffles!
Other bene”fits” to this pattern: Princess seams and a choice of cup sizes — two things that help get the perfect fit.
I bought it! Now that I had the perfect pattern and the perfect fabric, Mom casually reminded me that her birthday is in 6 (that number again!) weeks. And guess what she wants. That’s right; she wants a Kristen dress made with coral Open Floral Viscose Crepe that is even juicier when you get your hands on it. Could this be my chance to redeem myself? Possibly.
Patricia frolicking in her version of the Kristen dress:
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- Naughty elf
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- Patricia frolicking
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- in the
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- Kristen dress
Don’t be fooled by her charming smile. She’s still a naughty elf!
So now on top of all the no-sew-slow-sewing that goes on around here, we’re adding a birthday dress to the pile. And Wedding Dress 2 is on its way back to languish in UFO purgatory with my other bright ideas.
Why, oh, why didn’t I find the pattern and the fabric last summer? It would have saved Mom and me a lot of angst, not to mention dough. I suppose I better get to printing and cutting so 6 more months from now, I’m not still working on the Birthday Dress. That would just be tragic.
Maybe one day next year I’ll think back on this and laugh and laugh… For now, Universe, you go right on ahead and amuse yourself at my expense.
Cheers
PS. Visit the Canadian Directory of Sewing and Craft Businesses
PPS. I loved saying, “the size of the armscyes.”
Note: Photos of the Kristen dress are all used with permission of Designer Stitch.
Tags: Blackbird Fabrics, crepe, Designer Stitch, Dress, Kristin pattern, wedding dress
August 21, 2017
Hey! Wash Where You’re Going!
To pre-wash or not to pre-wash? This question comes up almost daily in beginner sewing forums and chat groups. Everybody’s looking for a definitive answer that will close the case for good. So here I come to tell you: Wash where you’re going!
A good general rule of thumb is to do with it whatever it will go through in its lifetime. If it’s going to become a hobo bag that gets tossed in the laundry, wash it. If it’s going to get treated with Scotchguard and never ever come in contact with water, don’t prewash. If the garment is going to be dry cleaned, take the fabric to the cleaners. If you expect a teenager to wear it until it’s covered in grime and doodles then toss it in the trash, just go ahead and toss it in the trash… oh wait! No, I mean, maybe just pre-wash it because it will be the only time it gets washed.
But then you have all the exceptions…
Reasons to pre-wash:
- Allergies and sensitivities, yours as you’re sewing, or the customer’s. The sizing (liquid treatment) they put on new fabrics can wreak havoc with some people’s sinuses and skin.
- The ick factor. Where did the fabric come from? How was it stored? What else has been lying on it?
- Colour transfer. Indigo denim will rub off on other clothes and furniture if it isn’t pre-washed thoroughly. So will some of the hand-dyed exotic fabric. (I once bought a cute little cross-body bag from some village artisans in Vietnam. I came home with every article of clothing stained with a diagonal green stripe across my chest.)
- Preshrinking. It’s tragic indeed when you carefully make your garment or accessory, only to wear it once. Almost as cataclysmic as the time the new king-sized duvet cover became a queen.
Reasons not to pre-wash:
- You need the sizing to keep the fabric from becoming a Slip’n’Slide. Sometimes your satiny soft goodness can be unmanageable on the cutting board and machine, so it helps to leave the sizing in until you’re done working with it.
- You’re working with leather or one of its variations. (Do not ask me how I know!)
- Your washing machine is broken.
- Sheep shrink. But you can still have them dry cleaned. And if you’ve ever hand-washed a sheep…
- Laziness. (I haven’t confirmed this, but I heard it’s a valid reason. One that’s usually followed by regret.)
Personally, I won’t work with any fabric I can’t wash*. I love doing laundry. Good times.
Cheers
PS. I’m interested in hearing other reasons not to pre-wash. Do you have any?
* Exceptions include leather (oops!) and cork.
Tags: dry clean, fabric, laundry, pre-washing
May 8, 2017
The Good Shears
Internet meme. Creator unknown, or else they would be credited.
I don’t know who the guy in the picture is or what TV show he’s from, but who’s gonna argue with him and his pistol? He and his buddies have been riding around the internet telling people that you can’t cut anything but fabric with your special sewing shears or the world as we know it will come to an abrupt halt.
Well, I’ve had it up to my hair roots with this scissor protectionism, which by the way, is similar to the one that hair stylists have about their “hair scissors”. (Something this dude desperately needs.) But hair stylists actually have just cause for inflicting egregious harm on anyone who cuts fabric or paper with their scissors. The design of hair scissors is different, and the construction methods do make them more fragile and prone to dulling.
Sewists have been making the same claim for I don’t know how long. Presumably, paper dulls the scissor blades more than fabric does. Why is that? Is there something to it? Is there any proof that the apocalypse is nigh if you should accidentally cut through your pattern paper with the good shears? It so happens that those assertions are mostly wrong. (I was going to say “horse caca” but you know, sensitive readers and all…)
I’ve spent over a year — off and on — trying to find some kind of evidence to support our righteous indignation at having our precious scissors sullied by the grubby hands of our spouses and children. This is the result of way too many research hours.
Content & Shape
(Kinda almost technical, so feel free to skip this section)
Aside from the plastic handles, scissors are made from 2 kinds of alloy. Carbon steel is 1% carbon and 99% iron, and plated with either nickel or chromium for rustproofing. Stainless steel has about 10% chromium added to to the iron and carbon to prevent rusting. (Yes, that required a little math.) Nothing exciting there, except that they amount to some pretty solid alloys that can stand up to a little pressed wood pulp.
I checked to see if the shape of the blades could have anything to do with the dulling. Let’s just say I got hopelessly lost among the German, Japanese, honed, non-honed, convex, bevelled, serrated, micro-serrated, and lord knows what else that had my eyes double-crossed. I’m not even sure any of us need to know that in order to buy and use quality scissors. But there it is! And no, the shape has nothing to do with paper vs. fabric either.
Primary Research
Like I said, I searched the internet for more than a year, trying to find some evidence that killing your family over sewing shears is justifiable. I couldn’t find much written about it so my friend, Rochelle, conducted some tests of various scissors floating around her house. I even asked someone I know with a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering. They’re not exactly the most scientific research methods, but I think quite adequate for these purposes. (I wasn’t about to set up a metallurgy lab for this. That’s going too far!) Anyway, here’s what we found.
Does anyone know the combination?
Findings
(Skip to this part)
The need to treat your shears like “The One Ring to Rule Them All“ (my precioussssss) is only a partial myth. I did find that it’s not a good idea to cut gummy, gooey substances like, um, glue… or tape. Obviously these will leave icky residue all over your blades. Then you’ll have something else to clean. It is also strongly discouraged to cut through hard metals with your sewing scissors. Try that and dull blades will be the least of your problems.
With regular (or irregular) use, there will be wear and tear on your scissors, no matter what you’re cutting. The harder the substance you cut through, the more dulling effect it has. That’s reasonable, right? So, some fabrics will actually dull your blades faster than paper. The fibres in silk organza, for instance, are stronger than those in paper and need more force to break… essentially, your kids cutting paper or cardboard doesn’t dull your blades any faster than you chopping up those old 1990s dungarees to make a handbag. It takes years to make any significant difference in sharpness.
What you do need to watch out for is someone using it to cut sheet metal in the garage. (Yes, husbands, I’m glaring at you!) This is just cause for hubby-cide, unless they take responsibility for getting them professionally sharpened again. Other metals and hard plastics will give your blades a run for their money.
Quality Test Results
Another thing I found was that there are crappy scissors, good scissors and great scissors. (No, no! You don’t have to tell me how smart I am.) And the brand doesn’t necessarily tell you much about the quality. (Check out the photos of Rochelle’s testing below and make of it what you will.)
Rochelle grabbed 3 pairs of the scissors she has about the house. One was a Kai that has been “used over 30 years as kitchen shears, cutting everything from fabric to plastic to wood to food to wire… used and abused, never sharpened”. The second is a 2-year-old Westcott that’s been used exclusively for paper. The third one… well, the third one should be used as a fireplace poker because it’s not cutting it as scissors.
Abused Kitchen Kai
Kai snips through one layer of knit fabric with ease
And it also cuts 6 layers with no problem
Now Kai zips through one layer of home decor fabric
Still easy going with 6 layers of home decor
Paper Westcott
Westcott paper scissors takes on one layer of poly knit.
Even 6 layers of polyester knit are still no match for the paper scissors
Westcott handles itself with one layer of home decor fabric
And Westcott scissors are still holding their own with 6 layers of home dec
The Westcott Poker
Rochelle: “Won’t cut Six layers stretch polyester, in one snip. Grabs and twists. (Ah, look at the gap in those blades!)Â Didn’t even mar the polyester snaggy fabric.”
Test conclusions:
“The Westcott had a crisper feel and sound, but both scissors cut equally well, no twisting or tearing. One snip went through fabric cleanly, no excessive pressure required.”
If two pairs of (the 3) scissors, at different price points, can perform so well after years of cutting everything but fabric, why are we so worried about using our special shears to cut out our patterns?
My own unbranded sewing scissors are 20+ years old and have been through some hard times where they were forced to go through paper, tape, plastic packaging, styrofoam, aluminum foil … Oh! And what’s up with people recommending that you sharpen your blades by cutting through aluminum foil? Isn’t that worse than paper? How can you sharpen and dull your blades at the same time? I’m not even going to hurt my brain thinking that through… Right! So, yeah, despite all the abuse, I’ve only had my scissors sharpened once and they’re still my favourite.
A Little Mind Bend
Sewing teachers tell their students over and over that you can’t use your sewing scissors to cut paper, and students take their word for it. Why do we keep believing what we’ve been told, even if we see no evidence of it? In short, mental habit. Belief perseverance is a phenomenon that parents and marketers use on us all the time. Simply put, the more often we are exposed to statements, the more we tend to believe them. (That’s why you feel like you have to Just Do It if you put on a pair of Nikes.) Anyway, because we have heard the advice to lock up our shears so often, we don’t think to question it. It just is, and we do it. Researchers also call this the “tenacity method” of knowledge acquisition. That is, hanging onto certain ideas and beliefs just because they’ve been labelled as facts and accepted by “everybody” for a long time. People, we have been duped by our own repetition.
Let’s say goodbye to this meme and all her pals.
My Conclusion
We don’t need to keep the good shears under lock and key. The worst thing that can happen to them is that they get lost because, frankly, they do have a lousy sense of direction. It’s ok to cut the pattern paper with them. Just don’t let them migrate into the garage or the kids’ backpacks. (That will be the last time you see them.) You don’t need to dismember your family members for cutting crimes.
I can’t tell anyone not to believe the myth, but I can live dangerously and cut my paper patterns and vinyl bits with my sewing scissors. Whatever you believe, it doesn’t hurt to occasionally have your blades sharpened by a professional — no matter what you use them for.  Spread the word that the Good Shears aren’t in any grave danger. Go on and cut something!
PS. If you want to learn more about how we adopt and perpetuate myths despite evidence to the contrary, do a search for the Tenacity Method of Acquiring Knowledge.
Sources
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Scissors.html
http://www.precisionsharpening.net/about_scissors
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Scissors
Tags: fabric scissors, memes, myth, shears
December 19, 2016
Paint-a-Pet
Apparently paint and pets do mix. The last time my BFF and I tried to mix them, things went a little awry. We did our best to turn her little fluffy pooch, Watson, into a panda with some black food dye. (Blame Kung-Fu Panda.)
Anyway, I saw this book on the Leisure Arts website a while back and put it on my wish list. Recently Leisure Arts offered any book they publish to their affiliates, if said affiliates would do a review. (They didn’t ask for a positive review, mind you. They asked for a review and I take that as “bad is just as good as good.”)
I asked them for Paint-A-Pet, a paint by numbers art book by Linda Gillum. The book arrived and I sat there looking at it and wondering what manner of evil made me pick that — I can’t paint. I’ve tried! And the numbers won’t help, because … well, just because I suck at painting.
Enter the aforementioned BFF, Iris. She’s practising her art, and perfecting various techniques. I already think she’s perfectly imperfect and if I could put up her artwork everywhere I go, I would be so happy. But she won’t let me.
Well, she thought this book was perfect for her to work on her animals in watercolour. And she agreed to review the book for me. Here she is, folks — Iris King!
Paint-A-Pet by Linda Gillum
Published by: Leisure Arts
The Paint-A-Pet book is a fun and very easy to use book of animal designs!
The formatting, from book cover, to table of contents to the individual page designs, are super clear and visually pleasing to the eye.
There is a great variety of animals and several levels of difficulty created from the number of colours that go into one design. This makes it so that a person of any artistic level can have fun with these designs!
The instructions on how to execute each design are super simple and easy to follow.
Tracing
I tried using a makeshift light table to trace the template on to water colour paper without having to use transfer paper, however the lines of the page behind made it a little hard to do. A work around could simply be photocopying it and then using the light table. In any case, I was still able to trace most of it and eyeball the rest.
All traced! I did it with a water-colour pencil so that it would just blend in with my water colours in the next step.
Painting
I then used watercolours and followed the “paint-by-numbers” guide, which was great! I had the freedom to use whatever colour I wanted but didn’t have to think about where they needed to go.
Then I finished it off with a black ink brush pen to create my own look.
Lastly, I was inspired by the book to create my own background so I added blue & purple watercolour splatters. and some brush lettering!
I really enjoyed using this book and can’t wait to get even more creative with my next piece! And I highly recommend it to all the pet-lover-artists out there!
Iris
Gifts and products for your home with original artwork by Iris can be found at https://society6.com/irisking.
The book, published by Leisure Arts, is here.
Guess who gets to keep that book and have fun with watercolours. Yeah, not me. And in case you were wondering what happened to Watson the Pink Panda Pooch, the little guy had to live like this for several weeks. Let’s just say it was all “interesting”.
Pink Panda. Don’t judge, man! He loved it.
Cheers!
PS. No animals were harmed or traumatized in the Pink Panda episode. He thought he was having a day at the spaw.
PPS. You can find more or Iris King’s art at Society 6
SaveSave
Tags: animals, drawing, painting, Pink Panda
December 18, 2016
Go Pho Ga Yourself!
Can you cook? Wait! better question: are you an adventurous cook?
I’m pretty damned good in the kitchen, even if I have to say it myself. I love to play with my food (and I don’t mean like the cafeteria food fights in high school.)Â To be honest, one of the reasons I loved my ex was that he was willing to eat any kind of experiment I put in front of him. Now it’s your turn to try something new with me.
My fellow blogger and friend, Michelle, has already posted about this cooking adventure here, and Naomi from Barely Beige will post next weekend. But guess what! All three posts are teasers for what we have coming up in January. This is your invitation to join our journey to Vietnam — virtually.
Join us for What??
We’re cooking our way through the Craftsy course Vietnamese Classics: Pho, Noodles & Beyond with Andrea Nguyen. Each of us is making a different dish and we’d love it if you cooked along with us. If you already have the class, leave comments below to let me know how you’re getting on and what you think of it. In case you don’t have it yet and would still like to cook up some nomnoms with us, you can grab your pho class here for 50% off with this coupon code: c3c57576-6579-46df-b07b-f
Preparing for a night of pho-ing
While I was in the Asian market with my BFF shopping for ingredients and unwittingly assaulting other customers with sweet potatoes, I did pick up one of the nearly-essential tools for a good pho experience. It’s a vertical noodle strainer that is exactly like this one on Amazon. One other almost-critical tool is a “scum skimmer” that they didn’t have in-store, so I ordered one for next to nothing from eBay. It will get here before mid January, just in time for me to do this again. Yes, you need a scum skimmer in your pho-ing life, believe me!
Grilling ginger and onion in the toaster oven
Will you please join us and leave comments for Michelle, Naomi and me letting us know how your pho-ing is going?
And so we leave you to your holidays with visions of Vietnamese pho dancing in your head. Keep warm and raise a glass of something. Cheers!
PS. My first attempt was so good, we ate the whole thing before I remembered to take a picture. I guess I’ll have to do this again. Poor me! 🙂
December 7, 2016
Transfer Embellish Stitch
Greetings, Earthlings,
We have taken your leader. Fear not. We do not intend to destroy your fabric stash, sergers or craft rooms; we only … What do you mean she’s not your leader? … Ok, we’ll do a few tests and toss her back. In the meantime, enjoy…
Jen Fox and Sarah Case here to talk about one of our favorite projects from our new book “Transfer Embellish Stitch: 16 Textile Projects for the Modern Maker“. We are so excited to share this project from the book, which just came out in October with C&T Publishing / Stash Books.
Our book is based on the idea of taking a motif and transferring it onto fabric using a variety of methods (freezer paper stencils, plastic stencils, fusible web, and embroidery transfer paper) and then embellishing the project with a technique such as fabric paint, deColourant, embroidery, appliqué, and reverse appliqué. We provide motifs on a full sized pull out in the back of the book, and we encourage thinking outside the box and mixing and matching the techniques to create a project that is unique to you!
A display of book projects at a local fabric and quilting shop.
Transfer Embellish Stitch has three different categories of projects: Wear, Live, and Give. The storage baskets are in the Give category — they would make such a great gift, either on their own or to hold other gift items as a gift basket. The baskets are so versatile and can be used to corral bath items, small toys, crafts, and more! Think toy cars, balls of yarn, fabric precuts, crafts in progress, socks, hand towels… the list goes on.
The Orbit Storage Basket project from the book Transfer Embellish Stitch.
In the book, we use the “orbit” motif for our baskets. You can use any one of the motifs from the book, or make your own. The orbit motif is repetitive, and can easily be modified to wrap all the way around the basket. Or, choose another motif from the book, and feel free to rearrange elements from the motifs to create your own design, or just use parts and pieces from a motif.
A student makes her own winter themed motif. The top shows her cutting the design out of freezer paper, below is the painted canvas fabric.
The project shows how to make a stencil out of freezer paper. If you haven’t tried this before, it’s an inexpensive and easy way to make a stencil. You trace your design onto the dull paper side of the freezer paper, cut out the pieces to make a stencil, and then iron with the plastic shiny side down on your fabric. The freezer paper sticks to the fabric so that when you paint your motif, the edges stay crisp and clean.
We love the idea of making multiples of the basket and color coding them for different storage needs. You can even get creative with the motifs and make your own custom stencils following the instructions in the book.
Recently, we hosted a class and each person made their own basket. We loved seeing how some people used the motifs we provide in the book exactly, some modified or only used portions of the motifs, and some created their own motifs.
How would you use this storage basket? What motif would you choose, or would you make your own?
Thank you for joining us today to learn about this project from our new book, Transfer Embellish Stitch! You can learn more about us by following the links below.
Instagram:
@case_and_fox @jenfoxstudios @sarahcasedesign
Websites:
www.jenfoxstudios.com
www.sarahcasedesign.com
Hey! what day is it? And why am I feeling so delightfully woozy? … alright, whoever took my amygdala, give it back right now!
PS. Thank you Sara and Jen for this introduction to your book. Love it!
PPS. I’ll be back with my unembellished story of embellishing.
Tags: applique, book, customize, embellishment, embroidery, fabric paint, fabric transfer, freezer paper, stencil