Quilting in the Rain

This bag is great for toting stuff around during your summer endeavors. This is a quick and easy bag with limited sewing involved. Pick out a cute fabric pattern and make one yourself!

Materials:

• 1 yard of fabric (36X44 inches). I used 100% cotton; you can use heavier fabric for a thicker bag.
• ¼ yard of fabric. This will be the lining of the bag straps.
• Eyelet kit (size 7/16”). You will need 4 eyelets.

For this project, start and end all your stitches with a backstitch.

Step 1 – Fold your yard of fabric in half once, then again
Your yard of fabric should measure approx. 36”x44”. With wrong sides facing together, fold the yard of fabric in half width-wise so that it measures 36”x22”, press flat with an iron. Then, fold it in half width-wise again so that it measures 18”x22”, press flat with an iron.

Step 2 – Cut fabric for the straps
Along the 18” non-folded side, cut a 3 inch strip as shown below. After unfolding the strip, it will give you 2 36” long strips. Set these aside to be used later for your bag straps.

Step 3 – Pin and sew the raw, non-folded edges
After cutting the 3” strip, the main folded piece should measure approx. 18”x19”. There should be two sides that have raw, non-folded edges. As shown below, pin these sides down to keep in place and then sew a ¼” seam along both sides.

Step 4 – Create the ‘base’ of your bag
At this point your folded piece of fabric should look more bag-like: 3 closed sides (1 side is the main fold, and the other 2 sides you stitched closed in step 3), and an open side with folded edges. Follow the 4 steps below to form the base of the bag:

1. Position the bag so the opening is at the top. On the bottom LEFT corner of the bag, mark a line 3” over and 3” high, as shown below. This marked line should be parallel with the sides of your bag. Flip the bag over and mark the same line (3” over and 3” high) in the same corner.
   

2. As shown in the 1st picture below, puff the corner of the bag out so you can see both lines previously marked. Align the marks so that they connect to form a straight line. Press the corner puff flat with an iron. As shown in the 2nd picture below, sew along the line.
   

3. Repeat step 1 and 2 above, but on the bottom RIGHT corner of the bag.
   
4. As shown below, trim the left and right corners off. Don’t trim too close to the stitch (when you trim, leave at least ¼” of space between the stitch and your cut).
   

Step 5 – Turn the bag inside out, press flat. Install Eyelets
As shown in the first picture below, turn the bag inside out and press flat with an iron. Install the eyelets, 2 on each side of the bag. I placed the eyelets 4” over and 2” down from each side. There should be easy instructions on the back of the eyelet kit on how to install (you will need a hammer, and a sturdy/hard surface to hammer on).

Step 6 – Make the straps, and you’re DONE!
From Step 2, you should have two 3”x36” long strips. From the ¼ yard of fabric, cut 2 more 3”x36” long strips to line the strips cut from step 2. With right sides facing together, pair 2 strips together and pin to keep in place. Sew a ¼” seam along the perimeter, leaving one 3” side open. Turn inside out through the opening (it helps to use a ruler). Press flat with an iron. Close the 3” opening by folding a ¼” seam inward, press flat, and then top stitch with your sewing machine. As shown below, finish the strap by top-stitching a ¼” seam along the perimeter.

Take one strap and put each end through an eyelet on one side of the bag, then tie each end of the strap with a single knot. Do the same with the other strap, but on the other side of the bag.

YAY! You’re done!!

I made this organizer as a wedding gift for a friend of mine. It has three deep pockets and a smaller pocket at the top. The smaller pocket has three compartments within it, as shown in the 2nd picture above. This organizer is great to hang by your door for organizing mail, or in your office or crafts room for organizing miscellaneous things you don’t want misplaced. It’s fairly simple to make! Below is the tutorial.

Materials:

• 1.5 yards of Home Decor fabric (home decorator fabric is thicker in weight, and measures 58”x36”/yard)
• Double stick fusible tape
• Extra-Large Eyelet kit. (You will need 2 eyelets)

Step 1 – Cut fabric for the front and back panel

Cut 2 34”x17” panels. One panel will be the front of your organizer, and the other will be the back.

Step 2 – Cut fabric for the 4 pockets

For the three deep pockets, cut 3 18”x17”rectangles.
For the small pocket, cut 1 8”x17” rectangle.

Step 3 – Fold pockets in half, press, stitch a seam.

Do the following two steps for all 4 pockets:

1. Fold each pocket in half width-wise so the 17” side is the length. Press with an iron.

   

2. On the folded side, stitch a ¼” seam along the fold.

   

Now you should have 4 pockets, 3 measuring 9”x17” and 1 measuring 4”x17”. All pockets should have a ¼” seam along the folded length.

Step 4 – Measure and mark where the pockets will be sewn

Take the front 34”x17” panel you cut from step 1. Starting from the bottom of the panel and going up, make a mark at 6”, 12” and 25”. Using a ruler and marker, draw a straight line across the width of each measured mark.

Step 5 – Attach the pockets

At the 6” line on the front panel, take a 9”x17” pocket and align the un-stitched side along the marked line. The side of the pocket with the stitched seam should be facing the bottom of the panel. Once you have the un-stitched side of the pocket aligned with the marked line, pin in place and sew a ¼” seam. Do the same for the 12” marked line. At the 25” marked line, do the same but using the 4”x17” pocket.

Flip all 3 pockets over so the seams (stitched from step 3) are facing the top of the panel, as shown below.

As shown below, attach the bottom pocket by aligning the non-stitched side with the bottom of the panel and sew in place using a ~1/8” seam. Unlike the previous step, the side of the pocket with the stitched seam (stitched from step 3) should be facing the top of the panel.

Step 6 – sew the compartments on the 4”x17” pocket

Measure 5” from the left and right side of the pocket, then sew a line to create 3 compartments. When sewing the line, you can use tape to help guide a straight line. Be sure to start and end your stitch with a backstitch.

Step 7 – Press and pin

Using an iron, press all the pockets upward. Then pin all pockets in place as shown below.

Step 8 – Pin in place the backing fabric

As shown in the first picture below, with right sides facing together, lay the back panel on top of the front panel. As shown in the second picture below, pin along the edges to keep the back panel in place. Leave a 7” opening, as designated by the blue tape.

Step 9 – Sew a ¼” seam along the perimeter of the panel, then turn inside-out through the opening

As shown in the first picture below, sew a ¼” seam along the perimeter of the panel, making sure to leave a 7” opening; trim the extra fabric from the corners. As shown in the second picture below, turn inside-out through the 7” opening, and then press flat with an iron.

Step 10 – Close the opening, and stitch a final ¼” seam along the perimeter. Attach eyelets.

As shown in the first picture below, press the 7” opening closed using double-sided fusible tape. As shown in the second picture below, sew a final ¼” seam along the perimeter of the panel.

The final step is to attach the eyelets; simply follow the instructions on the back of the package. From the top left and right corner, I placed the eyelets 2” over and 1” down.

That’s all there is to it! 🙂

As promised from my last post, here is a tutorial for this quilt top. This is one of my favorite quilts! I love the colors, and it’s a very interesting pattern. Try focusing on only the white background – do you see the upside down T’s? This quilt features the popular “T” block – this is a great block because it’s simple to make (it’s made up of half square triangles), and it can be arranged in several different ways (scroll down to Step 7 to see!).

I made this quilt for my cousin Paola who has a baby girl on the way. Paola is due August 28th!

This baby quilt measures about 48”x43”finished, and is made with a total of 30 “T” blocks (shown below). A single block measures 6.5”x6.5”. If you want to make a larger quilt, keep in mind that the materials listed below will make you 30 blocks so simply double the materials for a larger quilt.

(Above: 5 stacks of 6 matching T-blocks. A total of 30 T-blocks)

Materials for quilt top:

• 6 fat quarters , assorted colors for the main block (used for the multi-colored T’s; leftovers used for the border).
• 5 fat quarters for the background (I used white)

Step 1 – Cut fabric for your main blocks
From your 6 fat quarters (assorted colors) choose 5 for the main T-blocks. Set aside the 6th fat quarter; it will be used for the border of your quilt top. Prior to cutting, press all your fabrics with an iron for a wrinkle-free cutting surface.

From each fat quarter, make the following cuts with your rotary cutter and ruler:

• Three 4 7/8 inch squares. (Quick cutting tip: Cut one 4 7/8 x 15 inch rectangle, and from that rectangle cut three 4 7/8 inch squares)
• Fifteen 2 7/8 inch squares. (Quick cutting tip: Cut three 2 7/8 x 15 inch rectangles, and from each rectangle cut five 2 7/8 inch squares)

To speed up this process, I layered my fabrics so I only had to make the above cuts once. Prior to cutting, press your layered fabrics with an iron (it can help keep them in place for cutting).

Note: Get the most out of your fat quarter! When cutting your squares, make your cuts on the left or right-most side of your fat quarter (a fat quarter measures 18×22 inches). You should have roughly 7×18 inches of remaining fabric from each fat quarter. You will use these for your quilt border later.
Step 2 – Cut your background fabric

This step is similar to Step 1, except use your background fabric (5 fat quarters).
From each fat quarter, make the following cuts with your rotary cutter and ruler:

• Three 4-7/8 inch squares. (Quick cutting tip: Cut one 4-7/8 x 15 inch rectangle, and from that rectangle cut three 4-7/8 inch squares)
• Fifteen 2-7/8 inch squares. (Quick cutting tip: Cut three 2-7/8 x 15 inch rectangles, and from each rectangle cut five 2-7/8 inch squares)

Same as the previous step, you can layer your background fabrics to speed up the cutting process.

Step 3 – Pair, cut in half, and pin

At this point, you should have the following cuts:

• Small squares (2-7/8 in.) – 75 squares (assorted colors) and 75 squares (background fabric)
• Large squares (4-7/8 in.) – 15 squares (assorted colors) and 15 squares (background fabric)

Take 2 corresponding squares (same size), one from your colored pile and the other from your background pile. With right sides facing together, align the corners and cut a diagonal line across the middle using a rotary cutter and ruler (Figure 1, below). Pin each triangle half to keep them in place for sewing later. Continue this step until you’ve paired and cut all small and large squares in half (Figure 2, below).

Figure 1

Figure 2

Step 4 – Start sewing!

Sew a ¼” seam along the length of all your triangles (figure 3, below). You can do this quickly by chain piecing (figure 4, below).

Chain piecing is where you continuously sew a ¼” seam, piece after piece, without stopping to clip the thread. Simply stitch a seam on the piece you are sewing. Then, without removing or clipping that piece from your sewing machine, insert the next piece to be stitched. Simply clip the thread between each piece after all the seams have been stitched. It’s an efficient way to sew repetitive pieces.

Figure 3

Figure 4 – chain piecing

Step 5 – Press open the triangles to form squares

At this point, you should have a pile of small and large triangles, each with a ¼” seam stitched along the length. The right sides of the triangles should be facing together, with the seam stitched on the wrong side of the fabric.

Using an iron, press all of your triangles open (figure 5, below) so that the right side of the fabric is now facing up. Pressing the triangles open will form a finished square (figure 6, below). When you press open the triangles, press the seams toward the darker fabric (i.e. I pressed toward the colored fabric to prevent the seam from showing through the white background fabric).

As shown in figure 6 (below), cut the corner tags off for a clean-cut square.

Figure 5 – press open triangles

Figure 6 – snip off tags

Step 6 – Piece together your blocks!

To make one block, you will need 5 small finished squares and 1 large finished square, as shown below (figure 7).

Note (for beginners): When sewing 2 pieces together to form a single unit, use the same method for when you stitched the half square triangles together (i.e. with right sides facing together, align and pin, then sew a ¼” seam. Press open, making sure the seams are pressed in one direction).

Figure 7

1. As shown in figure 8 (below), first sew the three small squares (on the left) together to form a single unit. Next, sew the two small squares (right bottom corner) together to form a single unit. Press open.
   Figure 8
2. As sown in figure 9 (below), sew the right bottom unit to the larger square. Press open.
   Figure 9
3. As shown in figure 10 (below), sew the right unit to the left unit to create a finished T-block.
   Figure 10

Repeat this process until you have a total of 30 T-blocks (you will have 5 stacks of 6 matching T-blocks).

Step 7 – Arrange your blocks

Here’s the fun part! Arrange all 30 blocks however you want them to look for the quilt top. Below (Figure 11a,b) are a couple examples of different ways the T-block can be arranged:

Figure 11a

Figure 11b

For my quilt, I arranged all 30 blocks as shown below (figure 12), in 6 rows of 5 blocks each.

Figure 12

Step 8 – Sew your blocks together to form the quilt top

In each row, sew all five blocks together using a ¼” seam, and press open (as shown in figure 13, below). After you’ve sewn the blocks together in each row, sew the rows together, then press open.

Figure 13

Step 9 – Combine scraps from Step 1 to create a border

Referring back to Step 1, you should have roughly 7×18 inches of remaining fabric from each of your five assorted fat quarters. Trim each of the remaining fabric scraps into 5×18 inch strips. Also, cut your one remaining fat quarter (mentioned in Step 1) into three, 5×22 inch strips. This will give you enough fabric to create a border that is 5” in width.

Use the diagram below (click to enlarge) to create a border using the 5×18 inch and 5×22 inch strips.

Sew together enough strips (should take 2) to create the length of the right and left border pieces (panels A, in diagram). Sew panels A (left and right borders) to the quilt top first, using the same piecing method as above (with right sides facing together, align the fabric and pin along the length to keep it in place, and then sew a ¼” seam. Press open). Lastly, sew together enough strips (should take ~2.5) to create the width of the top and bottom border pieces (panels B, in diagram). Sew panels B (top and bottom borders) to the quilt top, using the same method as above (with right sides facing together, align the fabric and pin along the length to keep it in place, and then sew a ¼” seam. Press open). For a printer friendly version, please click here.