Adventures in Casting: Promotional Hexagon Pins

Posted on February 18, 2015 by jesseesuem

QuiltCon is tomorrow, woohoo! I’m both excited and a little freaked out. I’m not use to traveling alone anymore and the weather isn’t the greatest in Maryland right now (winter hit us late!). For the first time ever I’m done all my projects and packed early. Who am I?!? I even properly photographed it all. What!?! Don’t get to use to this though, who knows how long this will last. Anyway…

There is this fun little tradition at QuiltCon I learned about, where people get 1″ buttons made with their name/business name/etc on them and they go around swapping with other people. They show them off on handmade lanyards or bags the whole trip. It’s a fun way of networking and helps break the ice when your meeting internet friends in real life for the first time. Absolutely brilliant!

I wanted to partake, and was about to go searching for my 1″ button machine, when the little light bulb over my head went off. Why not cast some pins? I had been trying to give myself some excuses to pour plastic again, because I really missed it. Perfect. I ordered some plastic and silicone and started making mock up designs. This was in early January.

I settled on a simple 1″ hexagon (because I REALLY love sewing hexagons) that I would just attach to my already designed business cards. I made a bunch of duplicate molds so I could cast a bunch of colors quickly. This was about the time that I also decided to make the quilty necklaces and soot sprites, because “why not? I already have the supplies”. If I had a quarter for every time I thought that…

I made around 200 of them, and will be bringing 150 with me to QuiltCon. The rest with be held on to for the shop and for myself. So if you’re not attending, keep an eye on this here blog for a shop update announcement.

I decided that it would be fun to make a little hashtag to go along with this project. So if you’re on Instagram or twitter, check out #askmeaboutmyhexies to see the process behind these pieces. Of course I had to go one step further and make myself a pin to go on my bags (shown above), and then one more step and start a contest…

For anyone going to QuiltCon who gets one of these pins: Take a photo of you, your bag, your pet, your friend or anyone else wearing one of these glittery hexies and tag me @jessee_artschooldropout with the hashtag #showmeyourglitterhexies for a chance to win a matching set of hexagon hairpins, necklace and ring! (I’ll have photos of the prize when I get home) I will take entries until the end of March, just to give everyone a chance.

I’m really hoping this helps me be more social. Sometimes I get super anxious around a lot of people, and I really want to make the most of my trip. So if you see me walking around, please come say hi and “Ask Me About My Hexies”, no need to have pins to swap, saying hello is enough!

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My Alison Glass and Andover Super Tote

Posted on February 17, 2015 by jesseesuem

I’m back now, with round TWO of the QuiltCon Super Totes! I talked a bit about the first one last week, so I won’t go into full detail with this one since it’s pretty similar… maybe.

The pattern is the Super Tote by Noodlehead. It’s $8 and can be purchased in her shop. It is seriously the perfect bag! It has a few customization options and goes together rather quickly.

This bag is part of a promotion going on to show off Alison Glass’ Handcrafted fabrics at QuiltCon called ‘Share Your Handcrafted’. Handcrafted is a newer line by Alison that is a form of Batik, which means each and every yard is unique and has slight differences. Alison explains the story, process and more on her own blog. It’s a good read.

Andover Fabrics so generously sent over a bundle of Handcrafted and some more Sunprint 2015 fabric (because they know how much I love that stuff) for this project. I then used Andover black chambray for the sides, various strap pieces and for the top section of the interior. Chambray is a little on the thinner side (since it’s main use is apparel) so I used extra interfacing to stabilize it a bit more.

This bag lays a bit different than the first one I made, mostly because of the different weight fabrics. I like that. It helps me justify the fact that I made TWO bags for one trip. One is a bit stiff with loads of open pockets and one is a bit more relaxed with a bunch of zipper pockets. PERFECT!

I just had to photograph these awesome gussets again! They make the bag roomy, but not too bulky, plus they just look so neat! I had purchased this Anxiety patch from the New Woodsman and felt like it looked at home on the bags strap. My husband said it made it look more punk. Ha!

I was unable to get a good photo of the front inside pocket, but it’s exactly the same as my last super tote. I was inspired by From the Blue Chair to add a little organizer inside to help keep my phone and such close at hand.

Now here’s where the two bags differ, a bunch. I did not add a main zipper closure, instead I left it open and free. To help keep things organized a bit more and secure valuables (since theres no top zipper) I added TWO zipper pockets inside, one on each side. I even made them extra fancy by having one magenta and one plum. oooooh. I also only included one divided elastic pocket, instead of two, this time because I didn’t think I needed them.

The inside of this bag isn’t as pretty as the last one. I messed up a bit on the inside gusset. Instead of sewing with a 1/2″ seam allowance, I used a 1/4″. So I added some extra pleats on the side to make up for the extra 1″ total going around. Plus I forgot to iron it all before attached them outside and inside pieces. whoops.

The outside design was totally a trial and error situation. I had those hexagon templates laying around for months waiting to be turned into something else. Then when I laid them out in my original configuration I had pieces covering the white triangles, which I did not like. So I moved pieces around, made new hexagons, etc etc, until I was happy with the outcome! I like how it kind of looks like a city with mountains in the background. It’s unique, just the way I like things.

I’m saving this bag for Saturday at QuiltCon, because I want it to be all fresh and pretty looking.So if you’re walking around that day, look for the girl with purple hair holding this bag!!

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My First Noodlehead Super Tote

Posted on February 13, 2015 by jesseesuem

QuiltCon is less than a week away and I just now finished my first sewing project for the trip! I had this crazy plan to make two tote bags (one featuring my fabric and one as part of a contest/promotion that I’ll talk about later), a drawstring bag, a makeup bag, a zipper pouch, a dress, a brooch, and a 100 or so hexagon pins to hand out. Whew, yep, crazy lady here. Most of the projects are about 75% done, which is pretty impressive for me. I’m normally a “the night before a trip and I am still sewing and refuse to sleep until I get on the plane” type of girl. I think I was just too excited about all of this selfish sewing!

Ok, now let’s actually talk about the bag I keep showing photos of! This is the most intricate bag I have ever sewn from a pattern. Do you see those gusseted sides? Normally when I need a tote bag I just throw some squares and some straps together and call it a day. This is QuiltCon though! I will be surrounded by loads of other talented people who appreciate what goes into such projects. So no thrown together bags for this event.

Instead I made a Super Tote using a pattern I bought from Noodlehead. The pattern cost $8 and is worth every single penny.

As for the fabric I used my own designs printed by Spoonflower for the front, straps and zipper pieces (if theres any interest I’ll put them up in the shop next month). The sides, lining and top front piece are from Carolyn Friedlander’s Architextures line through Robert Kaufman fabrics. There is also a hint of Alison Glass’s Grove fabric in beet as an organizer in the front pocket. All of the hexagons were actually taken from another project I’m working on and the fabrics are by different people. The shiny fabric around the hexagons and used as zipper ends is a glossy black oilcloth I bought years ago for embroidered collages I use to make. There is also a bunch of heavier weight interfacing used that helps give the bag its shape and strength. Overall, I think all these fabrics blended so well together and really show my personal taste!

This inside of this bag was actually really hard to photograph! It was so dreary here and I just couldn’t seem to show just how spacious and versatile it is! I altered the inside pattern slightly by adding a zippered pocket on one side. This was to securely hold my inhaler, medication and anything else I truly can’t live without. Plus I like to have these items separated from everything else so theres no digging around, freaking out, while having an attack.

The rest of the divided gathered/elastic pockets were part of the pattern. They are perfect for an event like Quiltcon where I’ll be picking up random bits and pieces all weekend and I’ll be able to divide them up and not just have a mound of crap on the bottom of my bag. Plus I’m taking a workshop one of the days, so this way i can keep my supplies separated from anything else I buy or am given.

This bag also has two options when it comes to the main zipper on the top. You can either have a zipper, or not have one! I chose to add the zipper to this bag, and omit it on the second one (purely because I forgot to buy a second zipper) The instructions made it so easy to install it, which has made me way more comfortable with the idea of always adding a zipper. (I already have plans to make loads more of these bags)

The front pocket was even harder to photograph than the inside! It’s so slim and flat, it just wouldn’t stay open. As with the interior of the bag, I also altered this part a little to fit my needs. I had seen on the From A Blue Chair blog where Kati added a small organizer type of pocket inside the front pocket. It was brilliant! (you should check out her post too! She did a few other alterations that were great and worth reading about!) So I used a super bright purple fabric and stitched up three dividers to help me hold my phone, business cards and extra pens (or business cards I’m given). This way I can get to all of those items super fast without taking the bag off my shoulder.

As you can see, I used a magnetic closure to secure the pocket when not in use. The pattern suggests this option, velcro or nothing at all. I think the magentic closure looks best. Thats just my opinion though.

I think thats it. Who knew I could type so much about one bag? Wait until I start talking about the next bag!! Hahaha.

If you will be at QuiltCon, please look out for a girl with purple hair, carrying this bag! If you see me, please come say hi. I have some sparkly goodies for anyone who does.

P.S.: Everytime I look at that last photo all I can think of is Alec Baldwin in 30 Rock asking “It’s weird. What do I do with my arms?”

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Appliqued Home Sweet Home Banner for Silhouette America

Posted on February 10, 2015 by jesseesuem

Last month on the Silhouette America blog I shared a very informative post on how I made the above Home Sweet Home banner!

The fabric I used is from Alison Glass’ line Sunprint, and is from Andover Fabrics who sent me the fabric to try out!

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A Stenciled Dress for the Holidays (or Everyday) for Silhouette America

Posted on December 29, 2014 by jesseesuem

Last week I shared an adorable dress on the Silhouette blog that I made CT. I used their free shape of the day as part of the 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway.

It was a cute tree that had a slight Scandinavian look to it. I can only picture it in white for some reason, but I bet it could be used in many ways. I painted a border of them on the bottom of a dress I made using their stencil vinyl.

The dress is made using Made By Rae’s Geranium Dress pattern and the fabric is Andover Fabric’s chambray in black.

I am so in love with this dress and I want to make so many more! The pattern has 3 options for sleeves, 2 options for the skirt (pleated or gathered), 3 neckline options AND an optional pocket! Plus you can make it as a dress OR a top. Seriously, SO MANY OPTIONS. Plus it went together in just two hours on my first try and the instructions were so easy. It fit her really well too! I can see CT’s closest packed full of these within a year, you guys will be so sick of seeing them, maybe…

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#MakeADalekMakeAFriend / Doctor Who Swap: The Pieces I Made!

Posted on December 8, 2014 by jesseesuem

Last week I shared the package I received as part of the #MakeADalekMakeAFriend Doctor Who swap I participated in. This week I am sharing the pieces I made for my partner!

I wanted to try something new and different for this swap, because you know, I HAD to! I’ve seen many Doctor Who inspired quilts and I really wanted my partner to have something a little different. So I opened up EQ7 and designed a ROUND mini quilt. It was a bit different AND it helped feed my urge to sew more curved seams.

I printed out my pattern as a template, which was a first for me. I’ve never pieced using a bunch of separate templates. I’m use to paper piecing or basic shape piecing. I loved the outcome, but I’m not sure if I’m sold on the technique yet. I’ll keep trying though, because maybe the timing just wasn’t right. haha.

Anyway, back to the mini quilt… It is 16″ across and I used fabrics found in my stash, with the exception of the Tardis. I had to order some Kona Cotton in Royal for that piece. I used my Silhouette Cameo and some Sewable Interfacing to make the applique, and some Dark Fabric Tshirt Heat Transfer for the Police Box sign. I am in love with the way the Tardis came out!

I wanted to go the next step and personalize the quilt with my partners name in Gallifreyan (the language of the Time Lords/The Doctor). I downloaded a “translator” and uploaded the image into my embroidery software. I then embroidered it onto the quilt at a random spot on the bottom left corner. I was so excited about this part, well, until I posted about it on Instagram and was kindly told it wasn’t written correctly!!!! It was embroidered with several layers of lines so removing it would most likely ruin that section of the quilt. I was upset, but figured it would make for a funny story when I wrote this blog post! I even wrote my swap partner a little note explaining it all.

After the embroidery fiasco, I went ahead and quilted it all just using straight lines that radiate from the “name” using the same thread.

I then bound the entire piece using bias cut binding, that was hand sewn on the back. It’s the same binding I used on the Quilted Table Topper from last week. I just loved it on that piece so much, I had to use it again. It’s perfect!

I felt awful about the incorrect name on the quilt, so I went ahead and tried another a more reputable translator and went through the process again. This time I just made a super mini quilt and bound it like any other piece. I’m still not sure if the name is right, but I figured the effort would be well received? maybe?

I also included a Tardis pin, a Tardis topped pen and a reversible Weeping Angels Necklace I found online. The necklace is super neat! One side is the angel covering it’s eyes, the other side is all evil like. Ugh, I am not a fan of those angels!

My partner received her package over the weekend, and it seems like she really loved it! It was so much fun to make and I love any reason to step outside my creative comfort zone. If another one of these swaps ever comes up again, I’m totally signing up ASAP!

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Category Archives: Sewing

Adventures in Casting: Promotional Hexagon Pins

My First Noodlehead Super Tote

Appliqued Home Sweet Home Banner for Silhouette America

A Stenciled Dress for the Holidays (or Everyday) for Silhouette America

#MakeADalekMakeAFriend / Doctor Who Swap: The Pieces I Made!