Figment Reversible, Double Purse or Bag

Finished, with the light side out	Finished, the dark side out	Showing the double sided bag
fBag cut out, pieced top	Stitching in the interfacing and darts	Putting it all together
Putting it all together - 2	Making the bag 2-sided	Stitching and turning
Continuing the 'Build'	Getting ready to add the strap/band

 

Child-sized Take Along

My child-sized take along. A handy thing for a young person to have, to keep their toys stowed and together. This is the first one of these I've made, and it's imperfect, but I learned a lot along the way. First, I wouldn't use flannel again. It's a left over from mask making, so I used it here. Second, I won't 'fold-in' space in pockets again.

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  Hang it anywhere

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  Folds up neatly

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  The fold area and pockets

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  Laid flat, you can see the roominess

Here's how I built it. Or how I would, were I not using scraps. The interior fabric needs to be a strong enough fabric to take a beating and hold itself together, in shape. I like the pre-quilted fabric for that, or an upholstery fabric. The exterior and pockets should be a fun fabric. My bag is 12x24ish, though I will make the next 16x28-30". Before sewing, fold the interior fabric in half, and then pin up from the fold 1", this is the bottom of the brief case, and should not have a pocket anywhere in this space.

1st Pocket: Interior fabric only! My strip here is 4-1/2" high and 21" long, with elastic zig-zagged along the top and then hemmed. I laid it on the edge of the interior fabric, pinning it on at the 1/2" mark. Then with a quilt ruler, pinned it down at every 1-1/2", using my thumb (though anything else would also work) inside as a spacing quide, before pinning each 1-1/2" pocket. After pinning, I sewed the individual pocket seams down, leaving a 1/2" at the bottom to fold under. Once all the 'side seams' were in, I folded under the bottom, creating a fold in each individual pocket, and sewed it down. What I learned and what I will do different next time: 

1. I should have used a pencil and marked exactly where the top of each pocket should align on the quilted fabric, I will next time to keep it straighter. 

2. I will put in two lines of wide stitching along the bottom, to gather the bottom when hemming, rather than folding it.

2nd Pocket: Interior fabric only! This pocket is 9" tall and 15" wide, with an inset zipper. I put the zipper in 2" from the top, hemmed the pocket all the way around 1/4" deep, and then ironed in a one inch double fold all around, matched the sides so that they were all the way to the edge, then sewed it down.

What I learned and what I will do different next time: 

1. I will put in two lines of wide stitching along all four sides, to gather the bottom when hemming, rather than folding it.

2. I wont hem first, I will hem as I go, on future projects.

3. I will have to use a pencil and marked exactly where the top and bottom of each gathered seam of the pocket should align on the quilted fabric, to keep it straight. 

3rd/Whole side Pocket: Interior fabric only! This pocket is 15" x 15".  Learning from the first two, this one has double seam, wide stitch gathering along all four sides. It also has an inset zipper (both zippers are 9"). First, gather the top and the bottom so that they are both flush with the sides of the interior piece. I pinned 1/2" up from the bottom fold for this side (up from the 1" fold taken along the bottom, setting in a 1/4 hem as I went, and stitched it down, then do the same about 1-1/2 inch from the top of that side. Then gather the sides so that they fit the pockets size and stitch them in 1/4-1/2" from the sides, being sure the fabric is flush with the sides of the quilted fabric. Having the binding over all the fabrics (pockets and outside) helps make them stronger and looks neater.

Lay the pocketed side down, and then lay the exterior fabric with the pattern up together, and zig-zag along the edge. This makes it easier to add the binding. The binding goes on next, I used prepackaged here, but usually make my own. 

Finally, make two handles of the exterior and pocket fabric by taking 16"x1 or 2" (depends how much fabric you like to fold under) strips, folding under and sewing down along one side. Center (about 4" from each end) the  these straps 1 to 1-1/2" into the fabric and sew along the bottom, top and both sides, and then add a couple of X's to be sure that they stay affixed (remember, this is for a child, and they are not known for the delicacy with which they handle things.)

Making Squares look like Circles

Block 1, busy!

Block 2, very simple

I have made this pattern in a king, queen and twin-sized quilts. I love that two blocks (on the right and left) create this curving, moving artistry. 

There are only 4 different squares in the 2 blocks. I used a lot of different colors, patters, fabrics in these quilts, and patterned whites and creams to help those colors pop. 

Of course, you have to get close to see the colors, because the pattern almost overwhelms the individual blocks!

Fabric Needed: 

This is to finish 9 blocks, 3 x 3. Add or subtract as your need warrants. These are exact numbers, I always add a bit, to be sure I have enough, should I need to make an additional square or two, to keep from having matching squares.
Plain fabric = 1 1/4 yd
Colored fabric= 1 1/4 yd

Cutting instructions: 

Each block finishes at 9". (You could, I suppose, add an inch to each square, design these to finish at 12". It would make for a different quilt, through very similar.) Each square finishes at 3".
4-square = 4-2" squares or 2 strips of 2-2" fabrics, cut into 2" strips, and joined
Full square = 3 1/2" squares
Half-square triangle = 3 1/2" half-square triangles
Triangle square = there are templates you could buy, or not, instructions below

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  3 1/2" and 2" strips for square creation

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  Pieces cut in to shapes to begin building

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  Using template for triangles

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  Adding first side to triangles

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  Iron as they are, then open them out and iron

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  Chain stitching strips for four squares

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  Finished squares

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  Begin building rows for the blocks

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  Rows for one block are ready

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  Building the block, one row at a time

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  Blocks built, and set to begin making sets

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  Sets of blocks being created, then ironed

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  Block sets finished, you can almost see a curve

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  Sewing two sets and it becomes four blocks

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  Left overs for the next quilt

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  After creating the sandwich, ready to quilt

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  All the blocks sewn together, but not quilted (not ironed yet)

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  How I quilted this big, king-sized quilt

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  I use a non-pattered fabric when I want the stitches to show

Triangle Squares without a triangle template:

Begin with a 3 1/2" colored block. You will also need a 2 1/2" x 4" rectangle that you will cut diagonally, creating two angled side pieces. Find the center top of your 3 1/2" block, and pin the wide end of one angled piece to that point, so that your 1/4" seam will be at the center. Pin the other end to the bottom at the edge of the square, leaving space for a 1/4" seam, and sew. Repeat for the other side, press and trim. When putting this sample together, I used a 4 1/2" x 2 1/2" white square, which you can see is too much.

This is a great star point pattern. I know, because I made a quilt with bigger star points just this way.

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  Start with a 3 1/2" square

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  Add diagonally cut 2 1/2" 4" strip (4 1/2" pictured)

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  Sew 1/4" seam to add first diagonal strip

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  Add diagonally cut 2 1/2" 4" strip (4 1/2" pictured)

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  Sew and press the square, trim to 3 1/2"

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  Trim extra fabric behind the diagonal strip to 1/4"

Irish Chain Quilts

My 10 Set Blocks Irish Chain Quilt in Red, White, Blue and Gold

The Irish Chain is probably one of the easiest quilts to do for a first time quilter. All the lines are straight, and yet the design is complex. Below I have included the 'how to' in both gray scale (to make it easy to select different colors for your quilt, and match them to the graphs) and the colors photographed to the left.

Once you have selected your colors, you will want to start creating 2½" strips. For a 4 color quilt like the one here, for 3 sets of blocks (one plain colored and one multiple in each set) you will need the following. Once assembled, the strip sets will be cut into 2 1/2" strip sets. These are for exact measurements, I always get a bit extra, just in case:

4-color quilt:                   For 3 sets of blocks           Multi-color quilt            For 3 sets of blocks

    Color A: 103”x2.5” – 1 yd. at 44”                         Color A: 103”x2.5”                – 1 yd. at 44”

    Color B: 35”x2.5”   – ½ yd. at 44”                         Color B, C, D…: 140”x2.5”  – 1 ½ yd. at 44”

    Color C: 55”x2.5”   – ¾ yd. at 44”           

    Color D: 50”x2.5”   – ¾ yd. at 44”                         The blocks end up at 14" each, so 28" for a set.

   

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  Strip set 1, center strip is the plain color (D, C, B, A, B, C, D)

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  Strip set 2, outside strips are the plain color (A, D, C, B, C, D, A)

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  Strip set 3, 3 center strips are the plain color C, D, A, A, A, D, C)

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  Strip set 4, no plain colors here (C, B, C, D, C, B, C)

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  Strip set 5, 5 center strips are the plain color (D, A, A, A, A, A, D)

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  Strip set 6, there are no plain strips, but must NOT match 4 (D, C, B, C, B, C, D)

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  Strip Set 7, all are the plain color (A, A, A, A, A, A, A)

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  Assembled color block Strip Sets: 1, 6, 4, 2, 4, 6, 1

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  Assembled plain block Strip Sets: 3, 5, 7, 7, 7, 5, 3

Now to see those building blocks in color!

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  Strip set 1, center strip is the plain color (D, C, B, A, B, C, D)

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  Strip set 2, outside strips are the plain color (A, D, C, B, C, D, A)

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  Strip set 3, 3 center strips are the plain color (C, D, A, A, A, D, C)

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  Strip set 4, no plain colors here (C, B, C, D, C, B, C)

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  Strip set 5, 5 center strips are the plain color (D, A, A, A, A, A, D)

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  Strip set 6, no plain strips, but must NOT match 4 (D, C, B, C, B, C, D)

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  Strip Set 7, all are plain color (A, A, A, A, A, A, A)

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  Assembled color block: Strip Sets (2½" wide) 1, 6, 4, 2, 4, 6, 1

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  Assembled plain block Strip Sets (2½" wide): 3, 5, 7, 7, 7, 5, 3

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  Nesting your squares keeps your corners sharp, always pin each corner to keep it from moving

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  Each set of blocks should look like this

Now, specifically to my 10 set block quilt...

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  I built it as quarters, not as I used to do, as a full quilt. It fits in and through the sewing machine better this way.

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  Sewing the sides together, and then the top to the bottom, or the other way around, is done after the quilting or top stitching is finished. I will put together instructions for that in the next blog entry.