On the Move With Jane

Hi, I’m Wendy from Sewing in the Wendy City, and I’m thrilled to be back with my fourth tutorial at Moda Bake Shop!

I came up with this idea because I was planning teacher gifts for Christmas for my kids’ teachers. I wanted to make handmade items, all different, from one line of fabric.  A layer cake is a great way to do this, and Fairy Tale Friends is so darling and has so much variety that you can’t go wrong!

One layer cake has enough layers for 5 bags.  Then each bag requires a yard of fabric for the handles, lining and strips down the front and back.

1 layer cake of American Jane “Fairy Tale Friends”

1 yard of 21606 – 11 (red argyle) for lining and handles

Thread for topstitching

Batting scraps:

   1 piece of batting approximately 34″ x 20″

   2 strips of batting approximately 45″ x 1.5″

Choose your 7 favorite layers.  One layer cake (plus some yardage) will make 5 bags!

Cut each layer cake into 3 pieces:
two 4″ x 10″
one 2″ x 10″

Choose 10 of the 4″ x 10″ pieces to use, and then cut the remaining larger pieces into half so that the measure 2″ x 10″

You will need: 10 4″ x 10″ cuts and 12 2″ x 10″ cuts

Divide the 4″ pieces into 2 groups of 5 and sew together.

Sew all the 2″ pieces together, then cut in half so that you have 2 identical long pieces.

 From your yardage, cut 2 1.5″ strips width of fabric and 2 4″ strips width of fabric.

Cut the narrower pieces in half, then arrange as pictured.

Sew them together, and then baste onto a piece of batting approximately 34 x 20.  I used spray baste to do this.  You do not need a backing fabric in this quilt sandwich.

Quilt as desired.

Once the outside is quilted, trim off the excess batting and square it up.

Time to make straps.
Cut 2 1.5″ strips of batting approximately 45″ long.

 Find the strips of yardage you cut earlier at 4″ wide.   Fold over one long edge 1/4″ and press.

Pin to the batting, with the raw (not folded over) edge lined up with the edge of the batting and the right side facing the batting.

Sew the length of the batting.  A walking foot is helpful here if you have one.

This seems complicated but really isn’t, so hang in there with me. After you make that seam, fold the fabric over so that the right side is out and the raw edge is inside. Press. Then wrap the fabric all the way around the batting like this….

 So that it meets up.  Pin it.  Press it.

Sew as close as you can to that folded edge all the way down the strap.  Then sew on the other side so that the strap has a seam close to each edge.  I added one more down the middle.

Cut both straps to the same length, and then fold up the raw edge twice and stitch to secure.  It may be helpful to measure on yourself or on a bag you like to determine the length of straps you want.  Mine were 40″ long.

Give the bag some shape

With right sides together, sew the side seam of the bag so that you have a tube.

 Then match the panels of yardage and pin, and then sew the bottom seam.

To gusset the corners, pinch the bottom corners of the bag and pin approximately 3″ from the tip of the triangle you created.  Sew where the pins are.

When you do this on both sides, your bag will stand up!  Please note that the side seam is not actually on the side, it’s on one corner.

And here’s what it looks like on the inside.

Time to make lining

Cut a piece of the yardage that is 18″ by 32.5″.

With right sides together, sew the side seam.  Then sew the bottom seam.  Gusset the corners here as well, but be sure that the flaps go outside instead of inside so that they will be hidden between the outer bag and the lining.  The right side of the lining should not have any raw edges showing.

Unlike the outer bag, the side seam stays on the side.

Put the lining inside the bag.

Line up the top raw edges, pin and sew.

Center the straps on the outside of the bag and pin.

Stitch all the way through the bag and lining.

To finish off the bag, cut one more strip of yardage, 2.75″ x width of fabric.  We are basically going to put binding on the top of the bag.  Fold it in half lengthwise and press.  Align the raw edges with the top of the bag on the inside and sew 1/4″ from the top.  Fold it over to the outside and topstitch along the folded edge.

A cute tote bag, suitable for carrying lots of stuff lots of places.

Thanks so much for reading!  Want to win a set of my extra layer cakes to make your own tote?  Stop by my blog and take a look!

Wendy Poling
{sewinginthewendycity.blogspot.com}

Simple Drawstring Bag

Have your kids lost their lunch bags yet?  Mine have.  Not permanently lost, mind you, just lost in the morning when I am rushing to make lunches.  My solution:  more lunch bags.   🙂   You will be able to make two simple drawstring bags out of one fat quarter and some ribbon in about a half hour.  I do have to admit that some lunches are a tight squeeze into these bags, so if you tend to use Tupperware, or pack large lunches, you many want to make your bags larger.

One fat quarter of fabric (18 x 22 inches).
About 48 inches of 5/8 inch ribbon

 Cut the fat quarter into two 8.5 x 21 inch rectangles.  Each rectangle will make one drawstring bag.

**If you want to make a wider drawstring bag, cut 1/3 of a yard into two 12 x 22 inch pieces**

Zig zag along the long edges of the rectangle to prevent fraying.  I set my stitch length to 2 and my width to 3.5.

Fold the rectangle in half, right sides together, so that the two unfinished edges are touching.  On one side, measure down 2 inches and mark with two pins.  Pin both sides as needed.

 Starting at the pins, stitch down to the bottom of the fabric with a 1/2 seam allowance.  Back stitch at the top and bottom.  On the other side, stitch from the unfinished top down to the bottom.

 Clip off the bottom corners at an angle.

 Press the seam allowances open.  This is how the side that was started 2 inches down should look.

Turn under the unfinished top 1/4 inch and iron.

Turn down again approximately 3/4 inch.  Iron and pin in place.

Remove the table from the machine to make it easier to sew around the top of the bag.

Starting at the notch, sew an 1/8 of an inch away from the turned over edge.  Back stitch at the beginning and end.

Pin the longest pin you have through one end of approximately 24 inches of ribbon.

Thread the safety pin and ribbon through the open notched side of the bag.  Push the pin through until it exits the other side.

Pull the ribbon through until it is even on both ends and knot.

Pull the ribbon to test out it’s gathering skills.  Trim ribbon if necessary.

Two cute drawstring bags, perfect for carrying lunches or a variety of “special stuff.”

Leila Gardunia
{sewnbyleila.blogspot.com}

Jack’s Hills Quilt

I came up with the idea for this quilt after making my first scrap quilt: a string quilt. I decided to add white and make half square triangles with the string blocks, which led to a quilt that looked very similar to a roman stripe.

I have a very special treat for you guys…an interview with the one and only Sandy Klop of American Jane fabrics on my blog, The Tulip Patch!

I will be making a twin-size quilt by adding borders.  If you prefer to leave off the borders, you will have a 54.75x 73 lap quilt (requiring 1/2 yard binding and 3 1/4 backing).  Add borders as shown for a 70.75″x 89″ quilt. 

1 Jelly Roll, Fairy Tale Friends
24 solid layer cake squares (if using yardage, 2 yards)
5/8 yard binding
2/3 yard inner border
2.25 yards outer border
5 1/3 yards backing (I will be using 2.25 yards from two of the short story multi stripes as well as 1/3 yard of another print)
24 10″ squares of paper for foundation piecing (you can also use layer cake squares if you prefer using fabric as your foundation).  You can cut these from large sheets of paper or leftover newspaper.

Cut 22 squares of paper 10″x10″ (the cardboard from your layer cake will make a great template, too).

Draw a diagonal line across the center of your quilt.  Draw another line 1.25″ away from the first line. 

Use a glue stick and place glue on either side of the center line.

Place a jelly roll strip across the middle (lining up one edge with that outer pencil mark). Cut off excess.

Lower your stitch length to around 1.5.

Place a second jelly roll strip right side down on both sides your other strip and sew down each edge.

Press out, trim off excess.  You can easily make this scrappy, but I mirrored my strips instead.  Either way is fine…just do whatever you prefer that day. Continue until you have 3 jelly roll strips on either side of the center strip.

Turn over and trim off excess, using your paper as your guide.

Now mark a diagonal line through the center of each of the 24 10″ squares of solid.  Lay your 10″ square on top of your pieced square.

I ran my pencil line perpendicular to the jelly roll strips.

Sew a line 1/4″ away from both sides of the drawn line. 

Cut along the drawn line.

Remove your paper pieces.  They will tear way like notebook paper.  Just like a perforated notebook, bending the perforations will help you remove the paper more easily.

Set your seam.

And press open.  Press your seam to the dark side. These blocks should be 9 1/8″ finished (9 5/8″ unfinished).  I didn’t trim them down, I jut cut off the dog-eared corners.  Because of the paper piecing, everything was very accurate already.

You can now change your stitch length back to normal. Arrange in 6×8 grid.  These blocks can be arranged in any way that a half square triangle could (zigzags, pinwheels, etc).   I added a 2.5″ (unfinished) stop border and a 6.5″ (unfinished) outer border. 

 

For my backing I used 2.25-yard sections of 2 of the multi-stripe prints from this line.  It was a little shy so I added 1/3 yard of another print (cut into 2 6.5″x WOF sections and pieced together to make a 6.5″x80 section).  This makes a nice turn down detail for the bed.   This is honestly my favorite type of backing- I have backed many quilts in the various American Jane multi-stripes.  It’s interesting but doesn’t require all of the work of a heavily pieced backing plus you don’t have to fight extra seams when quilting.

It looks so nice turned down on a freshly made bed with this little detail!

 

70.75″x89″ quilt, perfect for story time, bedtime, and jump starting your aspiring career in the lucrative field of quilt modeling (because hand modeling is obviously out!).

Now if you want to read a little more about the lady behind these fabrics, pop on over to The Tulip Patch.

Mary Lane Brown
{The Tulip Patch}

Tic Tac Toe Play Quilt

Hi!  I’m Cherie from SEW and So Quilts.  I am SO excited to bring you my first project for the Bake Shop!  I’ve seen a few different play quilts for kids, and since my girls love Tic Tac Toe, I thought that this would make a great pattern, especially for rainy days or days when it is too hot to play outside (I think heat index during the summer in Southern Mississippi is 115) 🙂  This is a quick project and would make a great gift for a little special someone!

One Layer Cake of Fairy Tale Friends by American Jane
One yard of Bella Snow
Two Yards of solid or small print (I used a small orange dot) for binding, backing, and block corners.
18 inches of transfer webbing
Filling: rice or plastic pellets

Step 1

To begin, select 2 sets of 3 pieces from your layer cake to become your beanbags.  You will need ten 5-inch squares of each color to make 5 beanbags of each color.  I picked these particular prints because the layer cake had 3 of the small red dot and two of the small orange dot.  I then used a small scrap of orange dot (also used for backing, binding, and corners) to cut an additional two pieces to become the fifth bag.  If you didn’t want to use the exact same print, you could use similar prints in the same colorway.  The colors should be different enough to separate player A from player B 🙂

With right sides together, sew around the borders of each one, leaving a small opening that will allow you to turn your fabric.

Once all the squares are sew, turn your bags, fill with rice or plastic pellets, and hand stitch close.  Place these to the side, and you’re ready to move on to your quilt.

Step 2

Select 8 prints to be used for the 2.5-inch blocks around each letter. I used prints that were different from the binding and backing. Here you can see that I auditioned lots of combinations until I found a few that were pleasing to the eye.

Cut each piece into four 2.5-inch strips.  You will need 30 strips total (you will have two extra strips leftover for scraps).

 

Step 3

Using various combinations of your fabric, sew together 10 sets of 3 strips–chain piecing saves so much time with this step.  (The image shows one set of 3) 

Now cut three 2.5-inch strips by width of fabric (WOF) from your solid/small print.  Sub cut these strips into 10-inch pieces for a total of eight 2.5-inch by 10-inch strips (there will be half of a strip left over).  From the 10 sets pieced above, take 5 of them and add the small print/solid to the top and bottom.

You will now have 5 sets of 3 and 5 sets of 5.

Step 4

Now cut each of your ten sets into four 2.5-inch strips.

Now you are ready to assemble your letter blocks!

Step 5

It’s time to make your letter blocks!  Cut nine 6.5-inch squares from your Bella solid that will become the center of your block.  Place these to the side while you work on your letters.

Using any word processing program, type your words “TIC TAC TOE” and resize to 4 inches tall.  I used Microsoft Word and used WordArt for the letters.  I made three individual blocks for each word and sized the box at 4 inches x 9 inches. This allowed me to fit each letter comfortably within each block as well as make the best use of space within the layer cake piece.  When printing, be sure to “mirror” your words.  They should look something like this:

Trace your letters onto fusible webbing.  I cut approximately 1/4 inches outside and inside the letters to minimize the amount of fusing in the quilt itself.  This helps to keep the letters soft.  Apply your webbing to your fabric per the manufacturer’s instructions, and then cut your letters out on your traced lines.

Once cut, fuse the letters onto your Bella Solid fabric.  Using a zigzag or decorative applique stitch, sew around each letter to secure it to your block.

Step 6

Apply your strips to each side, first sewing your sets of 3 to opposite sides, then adding your strips of five to the other side.

Now that your blocks are done, it’s time to add the sashing. 

Step 7

From your Bella Solid, cut eight 2.5-inch strips by WOF. 

Sub cut TWO of these into six 2.5 inch by 10.5 inch pieces to place between your blocks (there will be an extra half strip that won’t be used). Sash between the first and second and second and third letters in each row (vertical).  Be sure to avoid sashing BEFORE your first block and AFTER your last block, as you will add these borders at the end.

For sashing between the rows, measure your quilt at three different points (top, middle, bottom) to determine the width of your sashing (mine measured 34 3/4 inches).  Use 4 of your 2.5-inch by WOF strips and cut to your measurement.  Sew all rows together, sewing your sashing on top of the first row, between your rows of letters, and below your bottom row.  This picture helps to demonstrate the piecing:

Once all the rows are pieced, measure for the side border (mine measured at 38 3/4 inches).  Cut the remaining 2 of your 2.5-inch by WOF strips to your measurement.  Sew each side onto your quilt, and your top is done!

Step 8

Cut five 2.5-inch strips by WOF of your solid/small print for your binding and sew together into one long strip.  Fold in half to make a double fold binding.

The rest of your small print/solid will become your backing. 

Make your quilt sandwich, and quilt as desired.  I meandered around the entire quilt, avoiding the letters.  Trim the excess, and apply your binding.  

One 38-inch square play quilt with 10 beanbags (5 of each color.

Cherie Wright
{SEWandSoQuilts.blogspot.com}

Fairy Tale Sailboats

Hello all you Moda Bake Shoppers! Penny here from sewtakeahike.

Today, I have a real treat for you all, the Fairy Tale Sailboats quilt!

When I designed this quilt, I wanted to incorporate a few different techniques, so to make the quilt, you will be using template piecing, paper piecing, and raw edge applique. I decided on raw edge applique to give the sails a worn look once the quilt was washed (like the sails have been out at sea in the wind and elements).

One of my other goals was to use all of the fabrics from the line. I mostly succeeded, with the exception of being able to use 3 or 4 of them.

AND, this quilt will leave you with scraps, one of my favorite parts! The only fabrics that you won’t have many scraps from is the backing/border fabric, and the binding fabric.

1 fq bundle of fairy tale friends (I used the print 21608 16 from the bundle for the paper pieced squares between the boats)

1/2 yard binding fabric (I used 21605 21)

2 1/2 yards of border and backing fabric (I used 21605 24)

3 yards of background fabric (I used 21098 78)

60X60″ batting

Template for sails (Right and Left), background (Right and Left) … included in “Printer Friendly Version” at the bottom of the post.

16 each paper piecing templates for each mast and boat.

*NOTES*

• All templates need to be enlarged 200%.
• As you are cutting fabrics from the background templates, paper pieced mast and boat sections, make sure and add 1/4″ seam allowance around each edge (except the boat template. only add 1/4″ seam allowance to the longest top edge).
• The template for the paper pieced mast and boat have already been reversed for you.
• The sails do not need to have a 1/4″ seam allowance added.

1. CUT YOUR FABRIC:

• Using the background fabric, cut 16 pieces from Right background template and 16 pieces from Left background template, making sure to include a 1/4″ seam allowance around each edge.
• Using your choice of prints from the fat quarter bundle, cut 16 right and left sail templates.
• Using the border fabric, cut 6 strips, 3 1/2″ wide.
• Using the binding fabric, cut 6 strips, 2 1/2″ wide.

2. PAPER PIECE THE BOAT AND MAST SECTIONS:

• Using the scraps of background fabric from cutting in step 1, 16 different prints from the fat quarter bundle, and the fabric for the square in the middle of the boats, paper piece 16 boat sections, making sure to leave a 1/4″ seam allowance around the longest top edge only.
• Using your chosen mast fabrics, paper piece 16 mast sections. The shorter end of the mast is the background fabric and the longer end is the mast fabric. Make sure to leave a 1/4″ seam allowance around the edges.

(boats, backgrounds, sails, and masts all in a pretty pile!)

3. SEW THE SECTIONS TOGETHER:

With right sides together, sew a mast section to one of the Left background pieces. Press seam toward the mast.

With right sides together, sew a Left background piece to this section. Press the seam toward the mast.

With right sides together, sew the mast/background section to a boat section. Press the seam towards the boat.

Using a set of sails and one block, place the sails where you would like them and use a few dots of glue to tack them down.

Using a 1/4″ seam, sew the sails to the block.

Trim the block to 12 1/4″, making sure to use the corner of the triangle below the boat as your guide to trim by. (i.e. use the triangle corner to square up the rest of the block, making sure not to trim any of the triangle fabric away so that your square points will all line up when sewing your blocks together.)

*NOTE* I thought this block was going to end up at 12 1/2″ square, however, I couldn’t get a single one of them to be a perfect 12 1/2″, so I adjusted it to 12 1/4″ instead. If you can get your blocks to be a perfect 12 1/2″, then by all means use a 12 1/2″ block instead!

4. ARRANGE AND SEW THE QUILT TOP:

Arrange your blocks to your liking sew them together into groups of 4.

Sew the 4 blocks together and sew the border strips around the outside. (I included the selvedge in the border strips when it was interesting to me.)

5. ASSEMBLE YOUR QUILT

• Piece the back together using the rest of the backing/border fabric and whichever remaining fq fabrics you’d like.
• Make a quilt sandwich and quilt your quilt. (For my quilt, I free motion quilted vertical stripes down the sails, waves in the boat sections, clouds and seagulls in the seam area where the groups of 4 boats were sewn together, and waves in the border section.)
• Bind your quilt.

1 Fairy Tale Sailboats quilt, 55X55.

I hope you enjoy making one for yourself!

Penny Layman
{sewtakeahike}