Fancy Feet Sewing Challenge: March 2013

March's challenge is all about those tricky sewing machine feet that sit in our sewing boxes and never get used.  Come on, you know you're guilty!  Every machine comes with a variety of feet, but few sewists do anything more than switch between the zig-zag and zipper feet.  Here's your chance!

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Check out this Bad-boy!
A Ruffler Foot

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This one has a lovely conch shell spiral!
Binder Foot

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Looks like a FMQ foot, right?
Wrong!
Open Toe Darning Foot

Dr. Suess's Foot Book comes to mind while I'm writing this post.  My, what a lot of funny feet there are!

Hello and welcome to the Fancy Feet Sewing Challenge!  This sewing challenge is open to everyone whether you publish a blog or not.  This will be the 10th sewing challenge I've hosted.  The first 4 challenges were co-hosted with Keren from sew la vie!  Keren and I began these sewing events with the purpose of creating a collective learning experience for a group of kindred spirits.  We wanted the challenges to be about inspiration and improvement of sewing skills rather than a competition.  Those ideals hold true today.

You'll probably enjoy these challenges if you can answer yes to a few of these questions:

Does the theme of the challenge appeal to you?

Do you have a free afternoon (or 2) during the month of the challenge?

Do you want to improve your sewing skills or expand your sewing knowledge?

Would you like to connect with other participants from all over the world?

Are you more apt to finish a project if you have a deadline?

Please read the simple challenge guidelines:

1. Choose a sewing machine foot that puts you out of your sewing comfort zone and learn how to use it.
2. Complete a small project utilizing said foot.  Don't shoot yourself in the foot (ha!) by choosing a difficult, time-consuming project.  Your challenge won't be met if you can't complete it by the deadline.
3. Photograph your project.  Bloggers submit their entry by writing a post about their experience.  Non-bloggers submit their entry by emailing me their photos and I'll post on their behalf.  
4. A just for fun poll will be conducted concerning the finished projects.  Winners of the poll with receive bragging rights and fancy blog badges.

Here's the challenge timeline:

• Now through March 31st.  All projects must be submitted.  That means bloggers will have posted and non-bloggers will have emailed me.
• April 1-30th.  Just-for-fun poll takes place.
• Mid April.  A new challenge for May will be announced.
• The beginning of May.  Poll winners announced and bragging rights established.

Visit my FAQ page HERE.

Grab a button and spread the word!

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I like to make a Pinterest inspiration board for every challenge.

All the challenge participants can be added as contributors.  

It's an easy way to share links, techniques, and ideas.

March's challenge board:

Fancy Seams Sewing Challenge

Previous challenge pinboards:

Curved Seams Challenge

Ring You Neck Inspiration Motherboard!

Fab Folds Sewing Challenge

2-in-1 Sewing Challenge

Garment Sewing Challenge

Solids-Only Tote Challenge

Naughty Notions Challenge

Typography Challenge

Be sure to scroll through and answer all the questions:

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

Before you click away, I'd like to invite you to join in my current sewing/craft challenge.  

Quilted Tote Bag Tutorial

My Curved Seams Challenge project is finally done!  I posted about the beginning stages of my project HERE.  I used a great tutorial by Leanne at She Can Quilt.  Leanne also includes a video--how nice is that!!!

So I made my own template, followed Leanne's instructions, made 8 drunkard's path blocks, sewed them into 2 big blocks, and then bordered the blocks with 4 inches of grey fabric.  Here's a pic of my 2 panels:

They were rather large 20" square panels, one for each side of my tote.  

Now, I have blogged about quilted totes before HERE.  I gave pretty good instructions on how to assemble the totes, but I came up with some new tricks in constructing this newest tote, so I thought I'd share them with you.  

If you'd like to have a flat bottom on a tote without adding a separate gusset, you have to match the side seams to the bottom center and stitch through the corners.  I explained this step in detail on my previous quilted tote tutorial.  You can see from the pic below that the overall shape of the bag changes drastically according to how much corner you cut off:

 When you start with square or rectangle front and back panels, the resulting shape of the bag is no longer square or rectangular after you create the bottom this way.  The top opening will always be wider than the width of the bottom.  HOWEVER, if you start with a trapezoidal (triangle with it's head chopped off) you can end up with a rectangular tote bag with a nice flat bottom!

So, I trimmed each of my panels so the top width was 4 inches shorter than the bottom width.  Or more simply put, I cut from the bottom corner to a mark 2 in. from the top corner on each side.  Was that simpler?    Perhaps this picture will be more helpful: 

I made the sandwich of the top panel, the batting, and the lining panel for each side, and then I machine quilted through all the layers.  The first panel I quilted in concentric circles.  I loved the effect, but all the stopping and starting was tedious.  On the other side I made one big spiral instead.  The effect was just as good and the quilting went much faster:

Another something new I tried with this tote was to add an interior pocket.  You can see the stitching on the outside of the bag, but I didn't think it was too distracting.  The alternative was to stitch it in by hand and I wasn't up for that.  Here's a couple pics of the pocket:

Next, I trimmed up the panels and attached them right sides together with bias tape.  I finished the top edge of each panel first, and then placed the panels together and finished the side and bottom seams.  I didn't bother with neat finishes on the bottom corners because I was just going to cut them off later anyway:

Here's some pics of how finished the corner seams.  Let me know if you have questions:

I added the handles, and the tote was done!  The most trying part was the quilting.  I have no patience for quilting and it ruins my back.  The best part was finally getting to try out some curved seams!  So here are the glamour shots of the finished tote.  I even pulled it inside out so you could see the inside.  I love the pallet and the mix of patterns.  I was into black and browns for a while, but grey is definitely my new favorite neutral.  I just love it with everything!

Here's a good shot taken by Mr. Ricochet.  You can see that starting with the trapezoidal shaped front and back panels resulted in a very rectangular-shaped bag:

You can learn about the Curved Seams Sewing Challenge here:

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

Before you click away, I'd like to invite you to join in my current sewing/craft challenge.

Since this whole curved seams thing is new to me, I'm linking up to Celtic Thistle Stitches' New to Me in 2013 link-up party!  It's a great party to share what you've learned and get inspired by others' projects.

Curved Seams Challenge WIP Update

 I gave myself the deadline of Jan. 15th to come up with a project for my Curved Seams Challenge.  Yesterday, Jan. 14th (one whole day early!), I decided to make a quilted tote bag.  I even finished the front and back panels.  They turned out pretty funky.  They will not be everyone's cup of tea, but they sure are mine!  If you've been reading for a while, you know how much I love the color green, and how I love to experiment with mixing prints.  I'm already excited about this tote and I probably still have 2 more afternoons of work to do on it.

I've been so obsessed with the drunkard's path quilt block that I just had to try it out for myself.  I experimented a bit with scrap fabrics, trying to find the easiest way to create the template myself.  I figured it out eventually, made these:

Then came time to pick out the fabrics.  I had some nice quilting fabric in a rich solid green so I started with that.  I added a stripey green pillowcase, some shiny/slinky polyester in a '70s print, and a bright yellow solid that used to be the curtains in my son's nursery.  Hindsight is 20/20 and I never should have added the silky print.  I don't know what I was thinking.  OK, I know what I was thinking!  The print was so retro and cool and the colors were perfect.....I figured I could MAKE it work.  I tied it all together with a heavy weight grey cotton fabric.  Green is my favorite color, but grey is my favorite neutral!  I'll use the grey for the bottom, sides and handles.  

The first thing I did to MAKE the silky fabric work, was to add some lightweight fusible interfacing.  My reasoning was that it would then only have one slippery side.  My logic was faulty, of course.  Sewing is all about placing right sides together, and the slippery side is right in this instance.  

The silky fabric is synthetic and doesn't like the hot iron I needed to press the cotton fabrics down.  It also got all bunchy and puckered up on the curved seams.  I'm guessing this was because the top and bottom fabrics weren't feeding at the same rates.  Probably I should have used my walking foot....  Again, hindsight is 20/20.

In spite of the wonky seams, I pressed on and finished two 16 inch square panels that will make up the front and back of my tote.  The puckering won't be so noticeable once the panels have been quilted.  I hope....

I'm going right to the sewing room after I post this, so I can start on the quilting.  I'm thinking concentric circles....but I'm apt to change my mind.

There are still two weeks of challenge time left.  If you'd like to give it a go or read the guidelines, click this button:

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

Before you click away, I'd like to invite you to join in my current sewing/craft challenge.