Ricochet and Away!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Scarf: Rolled Hem Foot

This month's sewing challenge is kicking my butt! The rolled hem foot I chose to work with is a tricky little thing that I can't seem to get a handle on. Plus, my photography skills...well please accept my usual apologies. I think I'm loosing my blogging mojo! Not that I had much to brag about in the first place!

Anyway, March's sewing challenge is to try a new sewing machine foot. I choose the rolled hem foot. I took it out once many years ago and it was a disaster. So I decided to do a bit more research and really try to master the foot. I started out practicing on a thin cotton print. You may recognize it, I used it to make my maxi dress.

After stitching about 5 inches, I was really getting the hang on it.

I stitched the length of the scrap of fabric and proclaimed myself a master!

What went wrong so many years ago when I first used this lovely foot?

So, enter the scarf fabric. I bought this Red Tag (clearance sale) fabric at JoAnn's a couple weeks ago with making a scarf in mind. At $3 a yard and me only buying 18 inches, it was a bargain!

The fabric itself is red and green paisley on a navy blue background with thin stripes of gold metallic thread. You can see it draped over my sewing machine below and notice how sheer it is.

Once I squared up the fabric (not an easy task with this thin fabric) I pressed a 3/8 inch hem along the edges. Then, using my trusty rolled hem foot, I started stitching. The results were less than stellar. Only about 20% of the hem was a perfect double fold. The rest was only a single fold. Maybe you can see in the photo below how the second fold didn't catch.

I considered trimming off the offending hem and trying again, but in the end just decided to live with it. I got out my lighter and singed the fraying edges that didn't get folded into the hem. I don't know how it will hold up in the long run, but for now I'm not too worried about the hem coming undone and the fabric unraveling all over the place. Here's a look at the length of the scarf. You can also see how I rounded the corner on the end:

I had both my kids take a crack at photographing me wearing the scarf. While I'm sure they did their best, the results were pretty blurry. Here's the well-edited best of the bunch:

In conclusion, I believe that my rolled hem foot has limitations when it comes to fine, sheer fabrics. I have some thin jersey that would make a great scarf as well....but I'm not sure if I'll try to hem it or just leave the raw edges. Hmmmm, decision, decisions!

What is your experience with rolled hem feet? Any tips on working with sheer fabrics?

Visit March's sewing challenge homepage 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.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Gift Idea: Potted Tulip Bulbs

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of iBulb for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Spring does not come early in Montana. Here we are in March and there's not a crocus to be seen much less a daffodil. Tulips won't be around until May, and the lilies won't show until June. And before we know it, September's here and the leaves on the trees are turning. Those are the reasons why Montanans are such big fans of forcing bulbs indoors. That is the only way we can enjoy traditional spring blooms in March.

Don't get me wrong though, we love all bulbs and rhizomes outdoors as well. They are so tolerant of our extreme climate. The are perennials, meaning they come back year after year. Plus they are so pretty. Right?

My favorites for forcing indoors or planting in beds are tulips. They come in every hue from the brightest white to the deepest, nearly black, purples. Bulbs are readily available at hardware and grocery stores, as well as garden centers and flower shops. I can't resist the potted bulbs they set out near the cash registers at my local grocery store.

Tulip bulbs make great gifts. They are very easy to grow. The reason being because of the hardy nature of bulbs in general. A bulb contains all the nutrients it needs to stay alive underground throughout the winter. So a potted bulb just needs a little water an non-freezing temps to sprout and bloom. No fertilizing or strategically placed windows required. I've seen potted bulbs blooming in interior office cubicles and bathrooms with teeny-tiny windows.

Check out this cute gift idea I found on Pinterest:

Source: Uploaded by user via Dig Drop Done on Pinterest

I would love this type of gift for Mother's Day! (hint-hint) A pair of stylish galoshes filled with bulbs and gardening tools would make a great present for anyone with a spring birthday. How about you? What's your favorite spring flower? Your favorite color of tulip?

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Winners: Curved Seams Challenge!

We spent the month of January working on projects that include curved flat seams. And we spent the month of February voting on our favorite projects. Please visit the voting page and check out the finished projects. You'll see that choosing a favorite was very difficult considering the high quality of the entries.

I'd like to take a minute to thank all the participants who make these challenges so darn fun. Everyone has always been such a good sport and so open to new concepts and techniques. Everyone has been so forgiving of my screw-ups and patient when I'm not able to stay right on top of things. You all inspire me so much and make this whole sewing/blogging experience more rewarding than I ever imagined.

Thank you!!!!

Without further ado, let's hear a round of applause for the entry that received the most votes:

Pam from Threading My Way made a dress featuring wavy curved seams in the skirt.
She blogged about it HERE.
Congrats on winning the gold badge.
Your bragging rights are fully instated!

The silver badge goes to:

Fiona from Celtic Thistle Stitches completed a two-sided tablecloth.
I attempted to brighten/lighten this photo, so the colors aren't true--apologies!
See the original photos in Fiona's blog post HERE.
Congrats on winning the silver badge.
Feel free to brag away!

And our bronze badge goes to:

Caroline at Artfully Caroline was able to finish 2 curved seams projects. She blogged about them HERE.
The first project was this pretty pillow using the drunkard's path quilt block.
Congrats on winning the bronze badge.
Bragging rights are yours!

If you're interested in honing your sewing skills, meeting crafty folks from all over the world, and/or trying sewing new, please consider joining March's challenge:

Happy crafting big hugs from Montana,

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

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Mini Tudor Rose

It's been too long since I've posted! Truth be told, I've been looking for a job (besides wifing and momming and blogging) pretty diligently since the beginning of the year. I am pretty picky about when and where I work, so it has been a tedious and time-consuming process. I managed to get a position in the school system as a paraeducator substitute which I'm fairly pleased with. I'm hoping for a permanent para position in the future. I'm on call starting this week, and I'm so excited to try something in the "outside world".

I've haven't been sewing much, but I did find the time to create this little girl's handbag. I got a special request for mother daughter matching Tudor rose purses and couldn't pass it up. The mother's version is going to be a bit more chic with a zebra print paired with the red velvet.

If you're interested, I have several posts about this Tudor rose pattern which you can find under the tag "tudor rose" in the side bar. Or you can go directly to my tutorial HERE.

I deviated from the original design by omitting the inner leaves and adding some heart-shaped quilting to the inner petals. The center is created with canadian smocking. I've finally used that particular method of smocking enough that I don't have to refer to the instructions any longer!

I made the flower and the front and back of the bag first. Next, I stitched the flower to the front. Then, I stitched together the front and back panel, right sides together. Last, I finished the seams with bias tape.

The back and lining are just plain jane simple, but with all the fuss and muss of the rose, I didn't want to overly tax myself!

What have you been sewing lately?

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.

Monday, February 18, 2013

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!

[source]
Check out this Bad-boy!
A Ruffler Foot

[source]
This one has a lovely conch shell spiral!
Binder Foot

[source]
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:

Choose a sewing machine foot that puts you out of your sewing comfort zone and learn how to use it.
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.
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.
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.