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To Prewash or Not to Prewash

January 13, 2016

This is a weirdly divisive question in the quilt world.

It’s also one of the most common questions I get. Do you prewash your fabric?

Yes.

Mostly.

How’s that for a definitive answer?

Let me clarify. . .

I prewash all quilting cottons. Always. They go straight into the laundry hamper when I buy them and they’re not allowed into my sewing room until I wash them.

Why?

I have had bad experiences with the fusible adhesive not sticking to fabric because of the sizing in it.

I have had dark colors bleed onto light colors in a finished quilt, washed for the first time. (Absolutely heartbreaking!)

I have had shrink issues with doll clothes where the fabric puckers badly along the seams because it had not been prewashed.

Sure – most fabrics won’t cause these problems if they haven’t been prewashed. But some do! And you never know which will be the problems until AFTER the heartbreak.

Prewash!

I prewash all knits and flannels.

They have more of a tendency to shrink than wovens and I want to get that shrink out of the way. I’m getting ready to start handsewing some clothes for myself (using this fabulous book my husband got me) and I definitely don’t want those to shrink after the fact.

I don’t prewash faux fur, satin, polar fleece or cuddle fleece.

They don’t have shrink issues. I’ve never had any of them bleed. The ones I buy never seem to be coated with excessive sizing so they don’t feel icky. There’s no real reason to prewash them.

I don’t really use any other fabrics – so I have no advice to give about rayons, voiles, challis, etc.

One more note. . .

A lot of people say they don’t prewash quilting cottons because they like the crinkle effect they get after washing. I’ve found that I get plenty of crinkle – even with prewashed fabric – by using cotton batting. I use Warm & Natural brand 100% cotton batting and I do NOT prewash it.

Want quick access to a bunch of other posts about fabric?

Quilt Sizes and Supplies Needed – I do all the math for six common quilt sizes
How to Choose Fabric for a Quilt
My Favorite Batting – why it’s the only one I’ll use

Here are links to all the posts about cutting your blocks.

Here are links to all the posts about quilting your blocks.

Finished with this topic?

Return to the Let’s Make a Quilt main Table of Contents.

Move on to the lessons about how to applique.

Happy stitching!

Using Stretchy Knit Fabric for a Rag Doll

January 8, 2016

As soon as I wrote this post about sewing softies with stretchy knits, I started getting questions about using knits to make Dress Up Bunch rag dolls. I decided to give it a try and the answer is YES!

With a couple of caveats. 🙂

Everything in the post about stuffed animals applies to rag dolls.

Test your fabric with a universal needle and prepare to switch to a stretch or ballpoint needle if needed.
Do not overstuff.

The Do Not Overstuff rule is especially important for rag dolls. If you stuff them too fat, they won’t be able to fit into the regular Dress Up Bunch clothing patterns!

The knit fabric will change the proportions of your doll a bit – she’ll be a little wider. You can see the difference here between the knit Poppy (purple hair) and the woven Poppy (copper hair).

I was super careful not to overstuff, but you can see that the knit Poppy still has a slightly wider head.

The other thing to keep in mind is that you’ll also want to use a knit fabric for the hair. If you use felt hair with the knit skin, the hair will not stretch but the face will and it will look like her face is bulging out from under her hair. Not cute. 🙁

I used this peat solid from Cloud9 Fabrics for the hair, and a very high quality Waldorf doll skin fabric in tan (from Weir Crafts) for the body.

So you need to be extra careful with the stuffing, but the finished doll is incredibly soft and cuddly in a way that you can only achieve with knit fabric. Give it a try!

Update – I added a new post here showing a Dress Up Bunch doll made with Cuddle Fleece – and it has an overview of all the specialty fabrics I’ve used for these dolls over the years. Go take a look!

Happy sewing!

Best,
Wendi

The Dress Up Bunch is a collection of cute and cuddly rag dolls. Get patterns for the dolls, plus all their fun outfits and accessories!

How to Add an Opening for Dolls with Wagging Tails

December 17, 2015

Most of the Dress Up Bunch dolls are human, but a few of them are critters with tails. And those tails need wagging room! Here’s how to add an opening to any pants or skirt pattern for the Dress Up Bunch dolls.

Cut out all the pieces as normal.

When you come to the part of the pattern where you sew the center back seam, jump in with these steps. . .

Measure down the center back seam 2 inches and mark with a pin.

Measure down 1 3/4 inches from that pin and mark with another pin.

Sew from the top to the first pin with a normal stitch length. Sew the space between the pins with a longer stitch length – the longest you can set on your machine. Switch back to the regular stitch length and sew the rest of the seam.

Make sure you backstitch (with the normal stitch length) a bit at the top and bottom of the section of long stitches. You’re going to cut those big stitches and this will keep the rest of the regular stitches from unraveling.

Press the seam allowance open.

Sew a tiny little rectangle around the section of long stitches to reinforce that opening.

(You’ll want to use matching thread, of course.)

Use a seam ripper to cut the large stitches inside that reinforced rectangle.

And voila! You have an opening for the tail! Continue with the rest of the pattern instructions.

This works for pants and shorts (as shown above) or with a skirt.

If you’re making Pip the Cat, Squeak the Mouse, or Spot the Dog this is a method you can use to adapt any of the clothing patterns to fit their tails. Have fun with it!

Happy stitching!

Best,
Wendi

Quilting the Controlled Chaos Quilt

December 15, 2015

I’ve been having so much fun quilting the Controlled Chaos scrap quilt. 🙂

I’m doing some big stitch quilting and I love the way it looks and the texture it adds!

I’ve got a series of hand quilting videos.

basic hand quilting
quilting without marking
big stitch quilting (what I’m doing for this quilt and what you see in that photo)

You can find all the old posts about this quilt – including a tutorial for each block and how to add the sashing – here.

Happy stitching!

Best,
Wendi

Free Bulky Hat Pattern + Bulky Rainbow Samplers!

December 11, 2015

Stitch up a quick and easy rainbow hat using bulky yarn!

Free Download: Easy Bulky Hat Pattern

I wrote up a quickie pattern for you that shows off the wonderful texture and colors in this yarn!

It’s a free pattern, and you can download the pdf, here.

You can knit the entire hat with one 16″ circular… no need to switch to double points!

The hat is sized to fit a woman’s medium (21″ head circumference), but is pretty stretchy, so you can probably fit it on a slightly larger one!

Ready for some rainbow fun?

Download your Easy Bulky Hat pattern. I can’t wait to see yours!

Use Stretchy Knit Fabric to Make Extra Soft Stuffed Animals

December 7, 2015

Did you know that you can use stretchy knit fabric to make extra cuddly and soft stuffed animals?

You can! And even though sewing with knits has a bad reputation – it’s really not any harder than sewing with woven fabrics.

Cloud 9 Fabrics – makers of all-gorgeous, all-organic fabric – recently released a line of deliciously soft knit fabrics perfect for comfy clothing, cozy pajamas, and cuddly soft stuffed animals. (That’s their adorable photo up there with the cozy jammie pants.)

They exhibited those knits at Quilt Market this fall and asked me to use them to make some squishy stuffed animals to add to their display. Fun!

I’ve used knits to make softies before (mostly old T-shirts to make Bartholomew Bunnies) and they make exceptionally soft stuffed animals. For this batch I decided to use patterns I had designed with fleece in mind. I love how they turned out!

My favorite is Franklin the Fat Cat made in an awesome striped knit that really accented his fatness. 🙂

Munch was also easy and fun and I liked playing with the different coordinating prints for him.

Benson Bunny was a little trickier.

See how his shape nips in a little around the neck? He’s not one roundish shape like Franklin and Munch – and that’s what makes him slightly tricky. He’s not hard to sew – that’s easy. It’s the stuffing where you have to be careful.

Like I said – the sewing is easy. I have a whole video here about sewing stretch fabric with a regular machine, but it really comes down to just two things. Use the right needle and don’t stretch it while you sew.

What’s the right needle? Well – I sewed these guys all with a basic universal needle – and that’s usually what I start with. Sew a little test seam on some scraps and take a close look. Usually everything looks just fine and you can move on to your real project, but sometimes there are potential problems.

If you’re skipping stitches, switch to a stretch needle. It has a longer scarf (the groove that the thread rests in) and that helps prevent skipped stitches.

If you’re getting runs or snags in your fabric, switch to a ballpoint or jersey needle. It has a slightly blunt tip that makes the needle slide between the fibers instead of poking into them.

Those are the two potential problems to sewing with knits – both easily fixed with a new needle.

But the stuffing! The stuffing is where you really have to be careful. A softie made with woven fabric can sometimes be lumpy and bumpy – and that problem is a million times worse with stretch fabric where the fabric will just stretch around any lumpy stuffing. You must keep things smooth as you go. Also – usually understuffing is a problem with softies – but if you make them with knits you need to be careful of overstuffing. Use just enough stuffing to fill out the shape and keep it very smooth as you go.

That’s it! Use the right needle, don’t stretch the fabric while you sew, and keep things smooth while you stuff. The yummy Cloud 9 knits I used to make these cuties is in shops now. Make an extra squishy and soft stuffed animal today!

Happy sewing!

Best,
Wendi

How to Add Sashing to a Quilt

December 2, 2015

(This post is about adding sashing to a regular quilt. Click here for specific instructions about adding sashing to a Quilt As You Go quilt.)

I don’t usually add sashing or borders to my quilts, but Controlled Chaos isn’t a typical quilt for me. I went back and forth for a long time, debating the need for sashing. Sashing finally won for two reasons. . .

I like that each little block is its own composition. In some ways I liked those compositions blending into each other and creating new shapes, but ultimately I decided I like the look of a little frame around each piece.
The thought of matching all those seams (necessary if I went without sashing) made me weep.

So – sashing it is!

Adding sashing isn’t hard – just think of it as another skinny block between each of the bigger blocks. Skip the border (for now) and just think about the strips in the quilt’s interior.

We’ll start with adding the vertical strips.

I decided to make the sashing strips the same width as one finished square in the block. I think that’s a good general guideline for balance. That meant cutting them 2″ wide. If you used 1/4″ seam allowance for your sewing, the finished blocks should be 15.5″ square, so cut 15 strips each 2″ wide x 15.5″ long.

Start assembling the rows of your quilt by alternating blocks with sashing strips. Here’s one row.

How to Add Sashing to a Quilt - a tutorial from Shiny Happy World

Repeat until you have all five rows.

One quick tip. The problem most people have when adding sashing is that the strip is the wrong length by the time they get to the end of the line of stitching. The longer the seam, the more likely (and worse) the problem is.

Using a walking foot when you sew will help prevent this, but the best way is good old-fashioned pinning.

Start by folding your strip in half and marking the center with a pin.
Match the center of the strip to the center of the block and pin.
Match the ends of the strip with the edges of the block and pin.
Fill in the rest of the length with pins until it’s all secure and evenly distributed.
Sew the seam.

Your strip and your block should still be perfectly lined up when you get to the end of the seam.

I wrote a whole post about what I call “Divide and Conquer” for pinning long seams here.

End tip. 🙂

Now you need to sew all five rows together with strips in between them, plus strips at the top and bottom for those borders.

Cut those strips 2″ wide x 65″ wide. You’ll need six.

When you sew your rows together, it should look something like this.

Use that same pinning tip to keep everything lined up.

All you need now are the final strips for the side borders. Cut them 2″ wide x 84.5″ long. You’ll need two.

Sew those strips to the sides and your quilt top is finished!

Now layer, baste, quilt and bind as usual.

Here’s mine, all basted and ready for quilting.

I’m going to hand quilt this with big stitches and fat thread. I can’t wait to get started!

You can see all the posts about the Controlled Chaos scrap quilt here.

Find links to all the posts about pattern size and layouts here.

Quilt Sizes and Supplies Needed

Play with Your Layouts – Multiple Possibilities for One Quilt Pattern

Sashing

How to Make Applique Bust Out of Its Frame

Alternate or Broken Grid layouts (adding half and double blocks)

How to Make an Applique Rag Quilt

How to Make a Polaroid Quilt

How to Make a Wonky Churn Dash Frame for Any Block

Finished with this topic?

Return to the Let’s Make a Quilt main Table of Contents.

Move on to the lessons about choosing your fabric.

Happy quilting!

Tutorial: How to Attach Perfectly Positioned Buttons

December 2, 2015

Okay, so you’ve gone through all of that work to knit or crochet a sweater… and now it’s time to attach the buttons. How do you make sure you sew on the buttons in exactly the right spot? I’ll show you how!

All you need is one locking stitch marker.

First, close your sweater so that the button band overlaps exactly how you’d want it closed when finished, with the holey side of the button band on top.

Starting at the bottom (or top), poke your locking stitch marker through the first hole, and attach to the solid side of the button band.

This stitch marker marks where your button will go! Lock the marker.

Notice that the holey side of the button band will pull off… the locking stitch marker goes right through the hole!

Here’s what it looks like:

You want to sew your button directly on top of the locking stitch marker. Read this blog post about sewing on buttons for help.

When you’re finished sewing (or at least have finished the first few, securing stitches), remove the stitch marker. It should just slip out once you unlock it.

Now it’s time for the other buttons! Repeat this trick for each button.

Each time, button up the buttons you’ve already completed so you can ensure they line up properly.

No more wonky button problems!

Sample sweater is Gramps knit using the Rainbow Yarn Sampler Pack.

2015 Christmas Collection

November 23, 2015

The 2015 Christmas Collection is finished! All twelve fun and easy felt ornaments. 🙂

You’ll find two options for it in the shop. . .

The PDF pattern. All twelve patterns in one 85-page PDF. It has each pattern complete – plus the last few pages have all the pattern pieces for all the ornaments grouped for efficient printing. There’s one page to be printed on Sulky Sticky Fabri-solvy and six pages to be printed on freezer paper (grouped by color for easy ironing). Every single piece is labeled so it’s easy to group them back together again.
The PDF pattern + materials kit. It includes 10 sheets of my favorite wool-blend felt, 10 skeins of embroidery thread perfectly matched to the felt, all the pattern pieces printed out on Sulky Sticky Fabri-solvy or freezer paper (depending on what the pattern calls for), and the red and white baker’s twine I used for all the hanging loops. And, of course, you get an instant download of the entire PDF pattern. Handy dandy!

Get the patterns here.

Also – the 2014 collection is available here.

Happy stitching!

Best,
Wendi

Free Snowman Appliqué Pattern

November 20, 2015

This is a super easy snowman appliqué pattern – and free! Here’s how to make him. . .

Step 1

Download the pattern here. Print or trace it onto the paper side of fusible adhesive.

Step 2

Cut a piece of fabric and a piece of batting 11″ square. Layer the fabric over the batting and quilt the two layers together.

Step 3

Roughly cut out all the pieces and fuse them to the wrong side of the fabric.

I used white felt for the snowman head, and Timeless Treasure prints for the rest of the fabrics: charcoal Sketch for the hat, red Pop for the ribbon, orange Sketch for the carrot, and solid black for the eyes.

Step 4

Hold the snowman face up to a window so you can see the face markings through the felt and mark the placement of the eyes, nose and the mouth.

Step 5

Cut out the pieces neatly on the solid lines. Where there’s a dotted line, leave a little extra seam allowance.

Step 6

Peel off the paper backing and layer the pieces on the background block. The bottom edge of the head should line up with the bottom edge of the block. The hat should overlap the top of the head.

Fuse the pieces in place.

Step 7

Stitch the edges of all the pieces down. I like to use a simple straight stitch and black thread.

Step 8

Trim the block to size. Mine is 10 1/2 inches.

Finished!

You can use this pattern to decorate this simple stocking. Or combine it with this free Santa appliqué pattern to make a cute table runner or wall hanging.

Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you don’t miss more free patterns like this one! You’ll also get notifications of new tutorials, sewing tips and tricks, fun videos, yummy recipes, and special discounts.

Happy sewing!

Best,
Wendi

Free Download: Easy Bulky Hat Pattern

Ready for some rainbow fun?

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

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