Everything You Need to Know about the Controlled Chaos Scrap Quilt

January 28, 2016

 

Controlled Chaos - a free scrap quilt pattern from Shiny Happy World

I’m completely in love with the Controlled Chaos scrap quilt!

A lot of you are too, because I’ve been getting a lot of emails asking about it lately. 🙂 It’s about time to put all the links together into one handy place!

I’m still working on the quilting, so this is a work in progress. I’ll update it with new info as I get closer to finishing and post more details. 🙂 Read all about the finished quilt here!

The Blocks

Click on the image to jump to the instructions for that block.

The Quilting

I used Big Stitch Quilting for this quilt, all by hand.

Controlled Chaos - a free scrap quilt pattern from Shiny Happy World

I find it helpful for a project like this, where every block will be quilted a little differently, to establish “rules” for the overall quilt. For this quilt, my stitching within each block runs parallel to the edges of the block. My quilting in the sashing is zigzag angles. I think it helps set that sashing off as different, so it frames the blocks better.

The Tutorials

These are all general tutorials you can use for any quilt project, but they’re especially helpful for the Controlled Chaos quilt.

Choosing Colors (part of the Block #3 instructions)

Cutting Small Squares from Scraps

How to Chain Piece

How to Join Pieced Strips

How to Add Sashing to a Quilt

How to Layer and Baste a Quilt

Big Stitch Quilting

How to Bind a Quilt

There it is! Everything you need to make your own Controlled Chaos Quilt! Of course yours will look totally different because your scrap bins are filled with your favorite colors – the ones you go to again and again. Sew them up into a beauty like this! đŸ™‚

Happy quilting!

Best,
Wendi
Wendi Gratz from Shiny Happy World

Hand Quilting without Marking – video tutorial

January 27, 2016
Hand Quilting without Marking - a video tutorial from Shiny Happy World

In this video I show how to do more intricate hand quilting without marking.

I get really nervous about marking on my quilts.

Temporary markers (like water-soluble pens) disappear quickly in the humidity here.

Chalk marks disappear quickly in the time a quilt gets moved around on my sofa while I quilt it.

And the idea of marking on my quilts with anything permanent gives me the willies.

So pretty much as soon as I started quilting, I started looking for ways to do it without marking on my quilt at all. 🙂

In this video I show you the two techniques I use over and over again.

I use painters tape as a guide for all straight lines. Those can be parallel lines, squares, diamonds, stars – anything made of straight lines.

For curves I cut the shape out of felt and stitch along the edge.

Easy peasy!

Here are all my posts about layering and basting your quilt, and the final round of quilting.

Here are all my posts about hand quilting and Big Stitch quilting. I don’t use these techniques with fusible applique or Quilt As You Go, but I LOVE using Big Stitch Quilting with my cheater fabric.

Finished with this topic?

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

Move on to the lessons about binding and finishing your quilt.

Happy quilting!

How to Hand Quilt – video

January 22, 2016
Cover image for a post about how to hand quilt. Shows two short rows of traditional running stitch hand quilting on a muslin background fabric. Text reads: Hand Quilting Basics

Learn how to hand quilt. It’s easy, relaxing, and goes faster than you think it will.

In this video you’ll learn all the basics of hand quilting – from the tools you need to the mechanics of how to do the stitch. There are two methods you’ll see people use – stabbing and rocking. I’m a rocker – gathering up several stitches with each pass of the needle.

Some people are very concerned with the number of stitches per inch. As I mentioned in the video – I am not. 🙂

If you want to get smaller stitches, work towards it gradually. This stitch feels awkward the first time you try it – and it’s even more awkward if you’re using a very tiny needle. I recommend starting with a pack of needles that includes several sizes. Start with the largest and work with that until you feel comfortable, then start moving to smaller and smaller needles – sticking with each size until you feel comfortable with it. When you’re happy with the length of your stitches – stay with that needle size.

There’s a post with links to sources for all my favorite supplies (including that square frame) here.

There’s a video here showing how I position everything when I do hand quilting on the couch.

Here are all my posts about layering and basting your quilt, and the final round of quilting.

Here are all my posts about hand quilting and Big Stitch quilting. I don’t use these techniques with fusible applique or Quilt As You Go, but I LOVE using Big Stitch Quilting with my cheater fabric.

Finished with this topic?

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

Move on to the lessons about binding and finishing your quilt.

Happy stitching!

Using a Glue Stick to Hold AppliquĂŠ Pieces

January 18, 2016

Fabric glue sticks are handy!

Using a fabric glue stick to hold appliquĂŠ pieces in place while I sew has been one of my best discoveries ever.

Maybe a bunch of you do this already?

I have a very fraught relationship with glue. There are the glues that make your paper bubble and warp. The glues that seep beyond where you put them on fabric. The glues that stick your fingers together. The glues that don’t really stick like they should.

I have glue issues.

Usually my strategy is to come up with a solution that doesn’t involve glue – like this method for hooping finished embroidery pieces.

But last year I started using glue to hold my appliquĂŠ bits in place and I fell in love!

Let me count the ways. . .

  1. Fabric glue sticks are designed for use with fabric. They don’t seep through, and they’ll soften up after washing. They’re perfect for a temporary hold.
  2. They work really well on slightly napped fabrics like velvet and cuddle fleece. The beaver bits on that face you see above didn’t shift a smidge while I sewed them on with the machine.
  3. I especially love using fabric glue for hand appliquĂŠ. Pins distort the fabric and – even worse – my thread was constantly getting hung up on them. With the fabric glue stick I can position all the pieces right where I want them, stick them in place, and then whipstitch away. Everything stays perfectly flat and I never catch my thread on a pin. Joy!

I tried a few brands and they all worked well, but I’m carrying this one in my shop because it works well and is a great price. 🙂

If you have ways that you use fabric glue sticks, I’d love to hear them!

Happy stitching!

Best,
Wendi
That's me!

To Prewash or Not to Prewash

January 13, 2016
Do You Need to Prewash Your Fabric?

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?

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

Using Stretchy Knit Fabrics to Make a Rag Doll - Tips from Shiny Happy World

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!

Using Stretchy Knit Fabrics to Make a Rag Doll - Tips from Shiny Happy World

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).

Using Stretchy Knit Fabrics to Make a Rag Doll - Tips from Shiny Happy World

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
That's me!

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

How to Add an Opening for Wagging Tails - a tutorial from Shiny Happy World

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.

How to Add an Opening for Wagging Tails - a tutorial from Shiny Happy World

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.

How to Add an Opening for Wagging Tails - a tutorial from Shiny Happy World

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

How to Add an Opening for Wagging Tails - a tutorial from Shiny Happy World

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

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

How to Add an Opening for Wagging Tails - a tutorial from Shiny Happy World

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.

How to Add an Opening for Wagging Tails - a tutorial from Shiny Happy World

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
That's me!

Quilting the Controlled Chaos Quilt

December 15, 2015

Quilting the Controlled Chaos Quilt

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!

Quilting the Controlled Chaos Quilt

I’ve got a series of hand quilting videos.

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
That's me!

Free Bulky Hat Pattern + Bulky Rainbow Samplers!

December 11, 2015

 

bulky yarn sampler freshstitches

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!

Freshstitches bulky hat

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!

Easy Bulky Hat Freshstitches

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!

zig zag banner

Ready for some rainbow fun?

bulky yarn sampler freshstitches

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

Use stretchy knit fabric to make extra soft stuffed animals - tips and tricks from Shiny Happy World

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. 🙂

Use stretchy knit fabric to make extra soft stuffed animals - tips and tricks from Shiny Happy World

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

Use stretchy knit fabric to make extra soft stuffed animals - tips and tricks from Shiny Happy World

Benson Bunny was a little trickier.

Use stretchy knit fabric to make extra soft stuffed animals - tips and tricks from Shiny Happy World

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.

Use stretchy knit fabric to make extra soft stuffed animals - tips and tricks from Shiny Happy World

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
That's me!