Jennifer - By the Yard®

Spend All Day Sewing… and Don’t Feel Bad About It!

When I was in the seventh grade, my English class was given an assignment for one evening to write the first draft of some paper – I have completely forgotten what the topic was. I’ve always been a pretty prolific writer so I thought, “This shouldn’t take too long.” I’d have plenty of time to do what I really wanted to do first and that was work on this cute stuffed kitty that I’d been dreaming of. I had seen this stuffed animal in a local gift shop, and I had no money, but I did have plenty of felt. Back in those days I was really into making stuffed animals. I already had tons of them so my mother didn’t want to waste (her words, not mine) any more money on more stuffed animals, but she couldn’t stop me from making them! In this case, all I had to do what whip out a quick pattern – I always made mine out of old paper bags – cut out the felt and stitch him up. He was barely 4” tall, how long could this really take? Suffice it to say, it took a while.

My mom had this annoying grandfather clock on the fireplace mantle, and it kept chiming away as the hours ticked loudly by. I knew it would be dinner soon, I hadn’t finished the kitty and I hadn’t even started on the paper. What to do? I did the only thing that I could: I kept working on the stuffed animal. I can’t remember if I finished the kitty that day or not, but I distinctly remember the creeping sense of guilt I had for not working on the paper. Eventually it became so loud that I had to actually get down to working on the paper. I remember that the paper turned out terrible. Back in those pre-computer days, we were required to write with blue pen on white paper and my paper had scribbles and cross-outs all over it. I was pretty ashamed of how bad it turned out, but it was getting late and I didn’t have time to start over. I comforted myself in the knowledge that this was supposed to be a first draft and I’d have time to redeem myself later in the final draft. Technically, that didn’t work out either because my final draft ended up being so different than the initial draft that my teacher discounted my grade because of that seemingly small fact. I guess the purpose of the assignment was to learn how to write a draft.

You would think that after this harrowing experience with my seventh-grade English grade on the line I would have learned better than to put work in favor of sewing. I’m proud to say some 40 plus years later I have not. In fact, I have even skipped work in order to finish an important sewing project. That is a topic for another day. All I have to say about it at this point is: you should do what you like and never feel bad about it. Work on the cool sewing project today. Work will always be there for you tomorrow.

It Took Me Six Years to Make This Birthday Gift

My best friend and I have been doing the handmade birthday gift thing since the mid-eighties. We were broke college students then but we both knew how to sew (Thanks, Moms!) so handmade was the only way to go. As the years rolled by, we gained more income but less time due to kids and work but neither of us was willing to give up the tradition. As a result, birthday gifts became hilariously late. I have a June birthday and she has a January birthday. There have been years when we gave each other’s gift on the other one’s actual birthday. So, when I talk about taking six years to finish a gift, that’s not a joke, that’s a historical accuracy!

Originally, I was planning on making a lined bag from this particular Alexander Henry print which is a total match for the recipient’s interests (bunnies!), but I never could settle on the right fabric for the lining. I finally found the perfect matching lining around year 2, then later accidentally gave it away around year 4 when I was culling the fabric pile and donating fabrics to an aspiring bag maker. Of course, this lining debacle is not the only reason this gift is six years late, but it’s what I’m going with right now.

Then, as fate would have it, I bought a new Viking serger last weekend. Or should I say: I finally mustered the courage to part with $600 for another sewing machine that I don’t really “need”. In the back of my mind, I’d been working up a “zero waste” project bag pattern as a way to dispatch with my monstrous fabric stash. It turns out my friend is also really interested in zero waste sewing. It was fate. The added bonus was the serger’s nice, encapsulated seams… I no longer needed the lining! The bunny fabric finally met its match and my friend’s birthday gift is only going to be seven months (and six years) late.

A Trip to the Long Arm

There has been a lot written about how long it takes to make a quilt top, but I wonder has anyone ever investigated the time it takes to get through the actual quilting stage? A friend recently asked me to “finish” a quilt for her. I got roped into this situation because she had a vintage sewing machine that she was looking to re-home. I wanted it for my “collection” (that is a subject of a blog post for some other day…) so I innocently asked, “How much to you want for it?”. I was unprepared for her reply. She said she wanted me to finish a quilt she had started over twenty years ago. I could not believe she had a quilt lying around for over twenty years that she somehow could not get around to quilting… until I remembered my log cabin Christmas quilt top with the light mint holly leaves and cranberry poinsettias. Figuring I was in no position to judge, I agreed. This was a mistake.

I picked up the sewing machine along with a big bundle of quilt parts in multiple bags. The quilt top was hopelessly wrinkled and creased from decades of storage. Moreover, she had included the highest loft batting I’d ever seen. Firefighters could use this stuff to jump off buildings. Her original intention was to make a tied quilt. She had done a beautiful job on the quilt top and after what seemed like hours of pressing, I could not imagine finishing it as a tied quilt. I felt like it just wouldn’t do the quilt justice and it seemed like an afront to all the work she and I had already put in, not to mention what I still had to do. This decision certainly had nothing to do with the fact that there is not a flat surface in my house big enough to lay out a queen-sized quilt sandwich.

I did the only logical thing: I took it to the long arm at the local quilt shop. I paid for the quilting myself, it was more than worth the money to avoid wrestling with all that super fluffy batting. I replaced it with some low loft Warm & Natural that I purchased at the quilt shop. I just couldn’t risk the quilt coming out as looking mediocre and, gasp, “homemade”. I’ll save the fluffy stuff for insulating my air conditioning ducts. After waiting a fair amount of time (those long armers are busy!), I took her home and bound her myself. I find binding to be the fun part, the bellwether of being almost done! I have to say, she looks spectacular. I’m so inspired at this point that I may even finish that log cabin in time for this year’s Christmas!

How to Turn Any Space into a Sewing Room

A sewing room of any size is a luxury that only a few can afford. Maybe all of your spare rooms have tiny humans living in them, or perhaps you live in an apartment, a dorm or even a trendy “tiny house”. You don’t need a dedicated room in order to have a space to create. You can carve out a portion of an existing room or you can make your sewing setup portable – easy to put up, take down then stow away. Here are some suggestions:

Carve out a portion of an existing room – Be sure to choose a space that doesn’t have carpet. You are going to be dropping lots of pins and needles, not to mention the endless rain of thread and little fabric bits. A smooth surface is going to be much easier to keep clean.
Not the bedroom – I speak from past experience when I say, “don’t use your bedroom for sewing”. This is a bad choice because of the likely probability of stepping on pins with bare feet. Additionally, it’s pretty much the most used room in the house: you are going to be tripping over half-finished projects all the time.
Invest in a sewing machine cabinet – Hide in plain sight with an inexpensive sewing machine cabinet. They all have a mechanism to fold away the machine when not in use. My mother had a fancy dining room that housed a sewing machine cabinet for over 30 years. She had a space for fancy dinners a few times a year and a place to sew nearly every day.
Repurpose office furniture – Computer desks are great for turning into a compact sewing space. They hold a lot of equipment in a small space, they usually have lots of cabinets and shelving and they always have cut-outs for wiring. They are inexpensive and available everywhere.
Smart Storage – The bulk of items that will take up your sewing space is your fabric stash! It need not live in the same space as your sewing machine. All the big box stores have under-the-bed storage bins (some even have wheels!) that will hold a tremendous amount of fabric, notions and patterns. Cute storage crates can hold fabric and patterns, and fit on any bookcase.
Dual Purpose – The best cutting table in the world is, believe it or not, the kitchen island, which is a very popular construct in many living spaces today. Using it for cutting will also give you good reason to clean it off now and then!

Does Fabric Collecting Count?

Sometimes I wonder if I’m a quilter or a fabric collector. I now own more fabric than I’ll be able to stitch together in my lifetime, yet I still find myself buying more. In chatting with other quilters and fabric artists, I find I am not alone. We all seem to collect way more fabric than we are using, but is this necessarily a bad thing? Should we be apologetic about our fabric accumulation? Are we too distracted or too lazy to sew it all up or have we inadvertently stumbled upon another hobby in its own right?

Quilting is a textile craft that involves stitching together layers of fabric to produce a finished product such as bedding or decorative items. Quilters use various techniques including patchwork, appliqué, and paper piecing to create visually appealing designs. Quilting requires sewing skills and knowledge of different quilting techniques, as well as the use of specialized tools like rotary cutters, rulers, and sewing machines.

Fabric collecting, on the other hand, involves the accumulation of fabric pieces or yardage for personal enjoyment, aesthetic appreciation, or future use. Fabric collectors often have a passion for textiles, colors, patterns, and designs. They seek out fabrics that catch their interest, including vintage fabrics, rare prints, designer fabrics, or fabrics from different cultures. Fabric collectors may source their fabrics from various places, such as fabric stores, online shops, flea markets, estate sales, or even by repurposing old garments or linens. The collected fabrics are typically stored and displayed, often organized by type, color, or theme. Fabric collecting does not necessarily involve the act of sewing or creating quilts, but collected fabrics may eventually be used for quilting or other sewing projects, presuming of course that the collector could bare to part with them!

In summary, quilting is a specific textile craft, whereas fabric collecting is more focused on the acquisition and appreciation of textiles. It is just as valid as any other hobby such as collecting stamps, baseball cards, dolls, or any of the myriad of oddball things people have been known to collect. So don’t be shy the next time you buy that fabric for the sole purpose of just putting it in your stash!

Quilting on the Kitchen Table – Just Roll with It

When I was a kid, the kitchen table was the hub of our home. Of course, we enjoyed all of our meals there, but countless other activities took place as well. Homework, science projects, model building, and craft projects of all kinds shared this space. Sewing projects, on the other hand, were the stuff of the living room floor. It was carpeted, plenty big enough and, as my mom would have it, immaculately clean.

Now that I’m running my own home, the living room floor is neither big enough nor clean enough to host a sewing project, so kitchen table it is. But what happens when it’s dinnertime and your project is not even close to being done? In Mom’s house, the table was always to be cleaned off minutes before 6pm, whether you were done with that model volcano or not. At my house, I can be more flexible but still, that quilt is at least two more weeks (or more?) in the making. What to do?

Eating in the living room is always an option, but in the instance that more civility is required, try just rolling it up! Start by laying down a tablecloth before you begin your project. Not the good one for holidays, the simple cotton one that won’t mind getting poked with pins. When it’s time to claim your table back, fetch one of your wrapping paper tubes – one of the big 4’ ones. It’s OK if it’s still covered in wrapping paper. You can still use that later. Start at the short end of the tablecloth and just roll your quilt up around the tube, with all your project pieces laid out on the tablecloth just as they are. Be sure to take out any quilt rulers first! Now stash the roll out of sight until your next spate of quilting. When unrolled your project will be relatively unwrinkled and all the pieces will be laid out just as you had them!

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