Sewing Up Some Magical Make Believe

Featured ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ 7 Comments

#booksleeve, #bookish, #sewing, #anotiontosew

Yep, it’s time for some Christmas prep. But before we get to the sewing dear readers, I want to share a story with you.

When I was a little girl growing up in Wyoming, our local library was located downtown. We lived in a subdivision toward the outer edge of town. Although my dad was an avid reader, he preferred to buy his books, so my parents were not ones to frequent the library,. Therefore, my trips to the library were few and far between, and I only received books as gifts for Christmas. I was a fan of the library because I could check out several books at one time to keep me busy reading for several weeks. The bookmobile would make a stop in our neighborhood once a month. It was an imaginary world at my fingertips every month. I like fiction. It takes me away from reality and gives my imagination encouragement to run. So when our local news reported that a new Barnes and Noble recently opened in a nearby town, I was all on board to travel over there to check it out.

IMHO, it is one of the nicest Barnes and Noble stores I’ve ever visited. It is updated with a modern mid-century vibe. The book sections are not lined up in rows, but rather they are organized in groups, with seating in each section. And the cafe is equipped with plentiful seating. While there, we picked up several books for our youngest granddaughter for Christmas. That purchase started me down my sewing rabbit hole (or unicorn flight, as the case may be). And for those of you who are wondering, yes, I purchased a couple books for myself as well. I am into the cozy mysteries.

I’ve been noticing book sleeves all over social media lately. My granddaughter is all about unicorns right now. So I stitched up a couple book sleeves for her new books. The cotton poplin fabric is from Spoonflower. It was pretty much a perfect weight fabric for this project. I used Kona cotton for the purple lining and I sandwiched By Annie Soft and Stable Foam between the outer fabric and the lining. I quilted straight lines on the smaller (8″ x 10″) book sleeve; and I left the larger (10″ x 12″) book sleeve plain, without quilting.

To add another item to her bookish Christmas gift, I made a small boxy bag with some of the leftover fabric.

I again used foam between the outer fabric and the lining, but the lining is PLU food safe fabric.

I will buy some fun, little goodies such as crayons, markers, colored pencils, erasers, bookmarks, etc. to fill her bag. But since the lining is food safe PLU, she can have mom help her wipe down the inside with warm soapy water and she can carry snacks inside her boxy bag.

The inside does not have any raw edges and is easy to clean.

The ends of the bag have a small pull tab to make it easier for her to zip and unzip her bag.

Remember, sewing friends, if you are gifting handmade items this Christmas, it is not too early to start sewing those gifts! Let me know what you are planning to sew for the special people in your life.

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What’s Sewing On – January 2024

Featured ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ 6 Comments

Hello Sewers! I bid farewell to 2023 and ushered in 2024 with this last-minute machine embroidery, small table runner. I needed a small table runner in Christmas-themed colors for my entryway table, so I used the December Kimberbell ME Time monthly embroidery shipment to put together this little table runner. I did not follow the instructions for any of the included projects because I had to make this one to fit my entry table. I embroidered 12 of the small (4″) blocks to assemble three 8″ blocks for my table runner. I added sashing and borders to finish it off, and I am quite pleased with it. It is the perfect size.

To machine quilt all the layers together, I outlined the blocks and borders with a straight stitch, and then I used this scallop stitch on top of the borders.

All of the fabric is from the December kit. I completed this little runner on Christmas Eve.

Michaels had a great sale on these storage cases that I like to use to organize the fabric that I have cut to prep for my quilt making projects. They were $2.99 each, so I picked up several to add to my supply.

This is how I like to use the storage containers. I cut all the pieces for my quilty project and then stack them in the container so they are ready to go when I have a chance to sit down and sew.

These are the pieces I need for a YouTube sew along in which I am participating this year. It is hosted by Laura at Sew Very Easy. The quilt is a mystery. We do not know as we sew each month what it looks like. I am making the scrappy version using fabrics that I already had in my stash. All of the fabric is by Lori Holt except the solid red (which is Kona cotton) and the white background fabric (which is Basin Feedsacks by Stacy West).

After cutting and labeling (Laura was kind enough to include cut apart labels with the instructions) all my fabric pieces, I add the instruction sheet on top so I know which project is in this container. Laura will post a new section of the mystery quilt each month. If you want to sew up your scraps, come join the fun on the Sew Very Easy YT channel. It is free and it is not too late to start.

I started a quilt from Charm School this month. It will be a WIP for a couple months, I only have 12 of the 42 blocks made so far.

Again, I store all my cut pieces in this handy container from Michaels.

My final quilty start this month is a small mini quilt by Sandy Gervais. I just received my 2024 Limited Edition Cupid Box from Fat Quarter Shop. This is the project included in the box. I am hoping to complete it before Valentine’s Day, but that will remain to be seen. I am still busy painting and making our new (pre-owned) home ours, so that is occupying a lot of my time.

I did manage to stitch up one piece of clothing this month. It is the Toaster Sweater by Sew House Seven. I am not going to do a review of the pattern because I have already done one on my blog. I needed another long sleeve top for winter, and this is one of my favorite patterns.

The fluffy, pink fabric is from Joann Fabrics. It is actually called Pink Fluffy Knit Fabric by POP! At first glance it looks like a bath towel or robe. LOL I believe it is marketed for young girls, but c’mon, who can resist that lovely bubblegum pink color and the softness of this great fabric? It is very fluffy (as the name indicates). I used my rotary cutter to cut the pieces, just as I do for most knits.

I find my serger/overlocker to be invaluable when sewing knits. If you choose to sew something in this fabric, I would recommend you use the extra presser foot lift on your serger to get the fabric up under the presser foot and to get a nice start to your seam to avoid the fabric bunching up as it tries to fit itself up under the presser foot. Other than that, I did not experience any problems sewing this fabric. It can be done with a domestic machine, but it would be beneficial to finish off the seams with a zig zag stitch because this fabric ‘sheds’ little bits of fiber everywhere. I have worn and washed my Toaster Sweater several times since making it, and it does not shed.

Okay, friends, that’s all I have for this month. Are you sewing any seasonal items? If so, I would love to hear what you are sewing right now. Please share with all of us in the comment section. Until next month, Happy Sewing!

Simplicity 9471 – Cropped Pants

Featured ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ 4 Comments

Hello Sewers! I am back today with a review of Simplicity Pattern #9471. The pattern description is: Cropped pants with front zipper and elasticized back waistband, belt carriers and yokes and three pocket variations. Pant hems are wide or pegged with back hem darts.

I made View C which has the pegged hem and ALL the details. Every time I wear these pants, my husband comments about how much he likes them. He says they remind him of a pair that I had when I was in high school. That was in the very early 1980’s!

You can get a better idea of the shape, style, and details of this pattern from Simplicity’s Website

Personally, I like these pants with a bit shorter top. Not a crop top, but definitely shorter than a tunic or tee. The top I am wearing is the Cielo Top by Closet Core Patterns and the fabric I used is from Needle Sharp.

I used a 7 oz. denim fabric from Joann Fabrics. Since the fabric is 100% cotton, I prewashed it in warm water and dried it on high heat before I cut the pattern pieces. After I finished the pants, they seemed just a bit baggy in the waist and hips, but after a couple more washings, the fit is spot on.

The opening of the front pockets falls right about the crease of my leg. They are definitely lower than a standard pair of pants. The front pockets are nice and large, and they are actually at a convenient location.

There are two back pockets and a side leg pocket (kind of like a pair of painter’s pants).

There is a fly front closure. I used a jeans hardware kit for my zipper and button.

The back features an elastic waistband and there are belt carriers around the waistband.

I posted a video review of this pattern on my YouTube channel:

Thank you so much for spending time with me, my friends. Please let me know if you have sewn this pattern, or if you have a favorite crop pant pattern.