A laptop sleeve

I made this laptop sleeve in sewing class Tuesday (yesterday!). The instructions came from the book, One-Yard Wonders, which I purchased from our instructor. She ordered a batch, knowing many of us would want one.

Another woman in the class was making a bag from the same book, and had made a grocery sack from it the previous week. We agreed that the author is biased in favor of bias tape and puts it everywhere. There are cases where it's a great addition but in some cases it simply is not the best idea. For example, two of the seams inside my bag (the other long side is a fold) are encased in bias tape. It makes it bulky and I could have achieved a better result with a different kind of finish seam.

The sleeve can be individualized not only by the choice of fabric(s) but also by the addition of appliques (which are actually called for in the pattern but which I did not add) and by the pattern one chooses to use in "quilting" the case. I did a variation of a zigzag pattern that I think adds to the overall appearance:

This type project also lends itself well to recycling fabric from other sources. I think used denim would be great here, for example, or even old curtains.

Addendum, Feb. 11: In the middle of the night I woke thinking about how to sew this with lining so that the two parts are sewn together at the top and then turned. For some reason I couldn't think how this was done, although I have made bags this way, so I turned to my patterns to find one that used this technique. It's simple:

* Sew three sides of the bag (attaching batting if needed), leaving the top open.

* Sew three sides of the lining, leaving top open and leaving an opening in one of the seams for turning.

* Place lining and bag together, right sides together, and sew top. turn.

This is how I will do the next one. If I want to finish the seams on the bag and lining I can, of course, but they will not be visible.

Pillowcases for Valentine's Day

The Tuesday before yesterday I made two pillowcases for one of my daughters, for Valentine's Day. I had read directions for pillowcases online and in a book so I had the general idea how to make a simple pair. To make these special, I decided to applique hearts on the "cuffs" of the pillowcases. I cut out hearts freehand, ironed them on using Steam-A-Seam 2 (no, I get no money for this endorsement!), then used an applique stitch around the edges.

It didn't go entirely as planned.

Initially, after I cut out the "cuff" part from the white cotton, I ironed and sewed hearts on it, then realized I had placed them in the wrong place. Once folded, they would not be in the right place. I started over, and this turned out to be a good thing.

After I cut out another cuff piece the sewing teacher came by and I told her what I was doing. She suggested that I use different stitches, better for appliques. For some reason I had not thought of this and was using a simple tight zigzag. The zigzag is fine but if you have a nice applique stitch how much nicer it can be! (Click on the pictures above to see the stitch up close.) But more than that, I realized I had not looked in my sewing manual for "how to do appliques". I did so, and learned about the "open toe" foot. This is a presser foot that is empty in the middle, allowing me to see clearly exactly where the needle is sewing. I could then do the stitches far more accurately and with greater confidence. I can see myself using this foot more often for situations where the exact placement of the stitch is important.

A Cheater Pillow

Here is the situation:

1. When I sew I keep the scraps. I save them in a plastic box. That box has been getting really full.

2. I have too many T-shirts. I hate to give them away because there are memories behind so many of them. But I need to lighten the load.

So I turned to my handy Generation T book for the instructions to make a pillow from a T-shirt. The instructions are really simple, so I'll simply describe them here:

Cut the largest square you can from the T-shirt, cutting through both layers. Cut a fringe all around, two inches deep, each fringe piece about 1/2" wide, plus or minus. Tie front and back fringe pieces together, using double knots, leaving an opening to stuff. Stuff with whatever you have available. In my case, the fabric scraps. Then tie the rest of the fringes. My pillow is lumpy and a bit heavy but I think that's fine. And there is no sewing involved in this project so maybe it doesn't exactly fit the blog, but where else can I brag about it?

The diapers are going out

I finished the twelve diapers I committed myself to making and I am packing them to send to my daughter and son-in-law. I could have sent them a couple of days ago but wanted to get some diaper covers into the box. It is looking like I may not find any in my town, though, so I am going to go ahead and send the box. I can order covers to follow or send them later if I do find them.

I got the pattern from my sewing teacher, who has had it since the 1990s. Here are instructions for a similar diaper, and this website has lots of links to diaper patterns and info on making your own. Here is a nice pdf pattern, a bit more complicated than the one I used but it looks like the directions are good. There is a lot of information out there for those who are interested.

The pattern I used is simple. The elastic is sewn in, no casing, the edges are finished by some kind of overcast stitch (those with sergers have a little advantage but most machines can do something suitable). The extra-thick pad is sewn inside. Our teacher also suggested sewing an extra pad from fleece where it can do the most good: connect with the poop. "The poop just slides off", she says. And it would, wouldn't it? Fleece has water-resistant qualities. I'm not entirely sure if the fleece addition would get in the way of the water-absorbing inner layer. In any case, I added the fleece pad to two of the diapers. Jury's still out, seems to me.

The good part for me was that sewing these diapers was easy enough that it became almost rote for me and I did not get impatient with how much I had to do or how long it takes. It takes maybe a half hour. I don't think I finished one straight through without interruption so I can't say for sure.

I am hoping my daughter and son-in-law like them enough to ask for more! I think I can get more creative as I go along.

Shopping Cart Seat Cover

View from front

and side

In my class last Tuesday I started a shopping cart seat cover, using a "Sewing for Dummies" pattern. Oddly, the directions are not as clear as one might expect for a pattern intended for dummies...there were a couple of places in there when I had to go over the directions several times and I actually got started wrong before I realized it. A few more illustrations would have helped.

The following day, Wednesday, I finished the cover. It was not as difficult as I expected it to be and I am very pleased with it.

That's elastic around the top facing, by the way. That way it stays when you drape it over the handle and around. There are other patterns that are more like ruffles, which may be a little easier.

Sewing class starts again

Today began the new sewing classes. In the morning Intermediate, the same class as last time. In the afternoon, Home Dec, a class that features patterns and instructions for home decorating projects. Today we received patterns for some window coverings and place mats plus table runners. I looked through the notions required for a window shade I liked and decided instead that I might want to make table runners and place mats. Many window coverings require a lot of parts! Oh, and because they finally arrived, we also got another baby pattern, one intended for last semester's baby class.

But of course that's for the future, for future classes. I had to show up today with some kind of project in mind, and I did. I decided on diapers. Yes, they are out of style these days, have been, in fact, since my children were babies, but I believe in cloth diapers. And Linda gave us a pattern for some cool ones last semester. That is the pattern I used. I made two today and I am excited about making more. I figure I will make a nice dozen of different patterns and include some diaper covers (either some I make or store-bought) and send them off to my daughter the foster mom. And her husband the foster dad. They might find them cute enough to use, to justify having to wash them.

As usual, the class was lively with what Linda's husband characterizes as "cackling", as in "hens cackling". He can say what he likes, of course. The cackling that goes on here is fresh and often very funny. Linda had stories. She always has stories. Others had stories, too, including one of being a "bad grandma". Bad Grandmas let their grandchildren get in harm's way or get messes in their hair. That sort of thing.

Next week some class members will bring lasagna, salad, dessert. I figure I'll bring the vegan lasagna but haven't figured out just which version yet. Linda pretty much always brings salads from her garden and I always eat those.

A Burlap Crate Cover

My daughter thought it would be great to have a cover for her dog Bella's crate. The purpose is to limit distractions, give Bella a chance to calm down, to protect her from cold and heat (when outside). Note: the crate is never used for long periods of time. She also thinks of it as her own space, her little retreat, because positive things usually happen for her when she is inside (she gets treats).

So my daughter asked if I could make a cover for the crate. We went to a fabric store and she liked burlap because it breathes, can let air through yet provide some insulating qualities, and because the fabric is inexpensive. I had never sewn with burlap before so this was a learning experience for me.

The cover design is as simple as it can be. It covers the top and three sides. I cut out pieces for each of the sides, larger by two inches than the actual size of the parts, and sewed them together.

Two things about burlap: it is loosely woven and therefore shrinks, and it ravels easily. Did you know that "ravel" and "unravel" mean the same thing?

Washing burlap: My first goal was to prevent later shrinkage if the cover has to be washed. Normally this is no deal. You just wash it and then cut it out. But I wasn't sure what would happen to burlap if I washed it. I looked online and found conflicting advice. I finally went with advice that mirrored my own guess: washed with cold water, dried on a gentle setting. This worked. The fabric shrank but was still clearly burlap.

I realized then how uneven the weaving is and wondered how best to cut it straight. Of course there was some raveling that happened in the washing process, too. Good to make sure you have a bit more fabric than you think you need.

Cutting burlap: I managed to cut it fairly straight, essentially ignoring weaving lines, with scissors. If I sew with burlap again I think I'll use a rotary cutter for straighter lines, however.

I marked the pieces with a nonpermanent marking pen and began to sew. Of course it was quickly apparent that the seams would ravel and I needed to do something about that. So I used an overcast stitch on all seams, which quickly used up more thread than I had expected, of course. An alternative would have been to use bias tape.

Seam width: I planned on 1/2" seams because that's what I normally use (when not using a paper pattern). I soon realized that the rapid raveling is good reason to plan for generous seams. I'd suggest 5/8" or larger.

Finally, I finished the raw edges with double-fold bias tape and that was that. A very simple cover, no fancy touches. Some options we considered: velcro removable front piece, air vent on top. Didn't seem to be necessary in this case. The cover seems to be doing the job and I learned enough about burlap to use it again, so it was a success all around.