Baby Bear

I need something to do during the holidays when I will be visiting family so I am taking my freshly repaired sewing machine to make a baby quilt for my first great-grandchild, a boy.  He is arriving in March so I have plenty of time.  It will be a fleece, rag quilt that looks like a bear.

Teddy bear baby blanket.

I ordered a pattern from an Etsy site and am so disappointed.  The pattern isn't exactly like this photo, but close enough.  The directions are sketchy and there is no photo.  It was advertised as a book (I thought), but came as two typewritten pages of "directions" and a big sheet with the the pattern pieces drawn out.  Fortunately, I have been sewing since the beginning of time and will make adjustments as I go along.  I have figured out how to make a rag quilt from U-tube tutorials.  I picked up a bunch of fleece that will give this baby lots to look at, and the rag seam edging will give texture for his little fingers to feel.  The backing is a soft, green...quiet and peaceful for those times when he needs quiet and less stimulation.  I can pack all my stuff into my Tuto bag with my machine, and my knitting needs will fit in there too.

Lots of fleece.

Until I looked at the above photo I didn't realize I had gotten two fabrics with dog paws.  I was mostly looking for bright colors.  It will fit right in though because the family has three dogs!  I should be able to give this to them for Christmas.

What are you thankful for this week?  I am thankful, among other things, for my large family.  They are so much fun, so caring and so loving.

Eat lots of turkey, trimmings and pie, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Pressing Sheets

I promised a reader a recap of my experiences with ironing sheets so here goes.

1.  Flannel cloth
Early in my sewing life I had a piece of flannel that I stored on the crossed legs of the ironing board (I still have it!!).  That was my pressing cloth and it was great for laying on top of the "good" fabric to press out wrinkles or adhere a repair patch to my jeans.  It works well, but cannot do some things that I now require of a pressing sheet.

Flannel

2. Pressing sheet of undetermined content.
Joann's sells several brands of heat resistant pressing cloths.  They look like some that I purchased and I don't like.  Looking at the packaging pictured on the Internet I can't figure out the content.  They look like some sort of plastic, but of course don't melt.  However, with use they rumple up and I don't like them for creating something like a big flower or animal like Lady dog (scroll down to last week's post).  I want my sheet to lay and stay perfectly flat.  The rumply ones have their uses, like the flannel cloth, but mostly they stay in the drawer.

Undetermined content.

3.  Silicone sheet
My silicone sheet is 18 x 20 inches.  It lays flat and I can adhere fabrics (with fusible on the back) to it.  Then I can peel the fused fabric off without damage, ready to iron onto a background.  I was looking to buy a new one and cannot find it.  So onward.

Silicone.  Can only show a peek because Lady dog is lounging on it.

4.  Teflon coated fiberglass.
These are the ones that I find most available on the Internet.  I have two pieces about 5 x 7 inches that came with Bo-Nash fusing repair powder.  They are very useful for small pieces, but are too small for a major project.  They are brown in color, but you can see through them easily, and really well on a lightbox.  I see that Amazon is selling large sheets of this material 16 x 20 inches in packs of at least 3 sheets.  I am sold and will be putting in my order.

Teflon sheets

A good ironing sheet is a must if you plan to create a large project of fused pieces.  It is well worth the money and will last for years...unless you accidently cut it with your scissors.  Don't laugh.  I have done it, but so far not with my good silicone one.  I've only cut the ones I don't like.  Good way to get rid of them I guess.

Sew or fuse some happy seams this week.  I wish you lots of fun ironing little pieces if you are so inclined.

Onward Dog

My Lady dog is progressing.  You can't see the plexiglass extension table set-up very well, but it holds it all together.  A freezer paper pattern sits on the clear table.  A silicone ironing sheet sits on top of the pattern and they are held on with office clamps.  Tape will do the job as well.  I can put a flattened Ott light under the table if I need to see the lines more clearly.

Set-up for fusing.

Here is sweet Lady dog so far.  The sharp edges of fabric will eventually be softened by quilting.

I lightly tack the fusible-backed fabric to the see-through ironing sheet, which lies over the paper pattern.  When all the pieces are in place I will move the ironing sheet to the ironing board for a good, solid pressing.  Then the dog will peel off the silicone in one big piece ready to iron onto a background.  I might just incorporate background fabric while it is still on the ironing sheet.  That works too.

Today I will explain how to get all those different pieces of fabric fused and cut with very little waste.  I have a big stash, but still hate throwing anything into the wastebasket.

1.  Cut the piece carefully from the freezer paper pattern.  Set it aside.

TIP:  These pieces are easy to lose.  I often pin them to my pincushion so they can't fly away while I am fussing with fabric and fusable.









2.  Cut a piece of fusible a bit bigger (1/4 inch or so) than the freezer paper pattern piece you just cut out.  I usually cut a rectangle or circle...something quick and easy to cut.  Both fusible (paper side up) and pattern piece are right side up.








3.  Choose the area of fabric you want for this piece and fuse the fusible to the back.  Leave the paper on for now.

TIP:  I use Soft Fuse, which has paper on only one side.  If you use fusible with paper on both front and back, you will have to take the bottom piece of paper off to fuse to the fabric.

4.  Cut from the back closely around the edges of the fusible.  You leave the back paper on so you can see where to cut.  This way you don't have any fabric with unseen fusible left on it.


TIP:  Those clippers are fabulous.  I got them in the gardening department of Home Depot.  Not expensive. Super sharp.  Super points.

5.  With fusing side down lay the freezer paper pattern shiny side down on the fabric.  Press to adhere and cut a about 1/16 inch larger than the paper pattern.

TIP:  Do all the ironing on a silicone ironing sheet.  That fusible stuff has a way a getting out and messing up your ironing cover.







6.  Now you can pull the fusible paper and the pattern piece off.  Your fabric piece is ready to tack to the silicone sheet in its proper place on the dog (or whatever creature you choose to make).




I end up with holes in fabric, but very little lands in the wastebasket and only a few small pieces are left with fusible on the back, which I use as I go along for the the tiny pieces that I need.

TIP:  Save all your freezer paper pattern pieces in a container.  Sometimes the fabric I choose doesn't look right and I need to pull it off and cut it again out of a different fabric.  It is a three ring circus finding the right piece, but it is in there somewhere!

Sew some happy seams this week.  I wish you a week of fabric immersion and contained fusible.