Jelly Roll Madness

I have been holding off posting these photos waiting on the release of the second issue of Classic Sewing Magazine.  I am so very pleased that my project has been chosen for the cover.  A big thank- you to Kathy and Phyllis for working so hard to produce this wonderful magazine,  

I know very little about the giant quilting world but have been having a bit of fun with jelly rolls.  A jelly roll is forty, 2 1/2" by 45"strips of coordinated fabric all rolled up in a cute little package.  They  look like this and are so much fun to work with.

  The first version of the jacket and dress came to life on a visit to Becky's Barn (www.beckybarn.blogspot.com) in Tennessee.  Becky (a completely fabulous quilter and all around great person) runs this wonderful retreat space with a quilting shop attached.  'Regent Street' from Moda immediately caught my eye and the first jelly roll jacket and dress was planned.  Unfortunately,  because fabric groups turn over so very quickly in the quilting world this particular group is no longer available. But the good news is new and lovely collections are always on the horizon.

On a teaching trip to Oregon I was lucky enough to have the perfect model and her perfect photographer mom volunteer to model and photograph the project. Many thanks to Gwen and her talented mom Virginia for these lovely photos. We never dreamed in the short time they were taken that the cover of a magazine was in the future for Gwen.   

I have made the project up in two other Moda collections.  There seems to be endless possibilities for placement of the different coordinating strips so each jelly roll will produce a unique result in the hands of each individual stitcher.  You are the designer.  The following photos are 'Hello Darling' and 'Hi-De-Ho' both from Moda.  Both of these collections are currently available in quilt shops,

I have just added kits on my Etsy site (www.etsy.com/shop/gaildoane) for the following collections;

Summerfest (May 2016), Backyard Roses (May 2016), and Fresh Market (June 2016) will be added as they become available.  

You can get a much better look at the fabrics in the various collections by going to www.unitednotions.com and typing the collection name in the search bar for the Moda collections and www.rileyblakedesigns.com for the Riley Blake collectons.

If you happen to have a stash of jelly rolls pull one out and give this project a try - one jelly roll will make up to a size 10 jacket with enough scraps left over for the trim on the angel sleeve, back belt, and scalloped hem of the dress.  Keep stitching!

P.S    Sneak peek of what's happening in my sewing room.  Kitty Grace.... more Liberty of London love.

Thank You Kathy and Phyllis

It is an honor to have had my project chosen for the cover garment of the premier issue of Classic Sewing.  Thanks to Kathy and Phyllis, this publication is top quality and such a needed addition to our little heirloom sewing world. Bravo ladies!

After a bit of a scramble (because the magazine actually released EARLY!!!!) project kits are up on my Etsy site (www.etsy.com/shop/gaildoane) in a choice of three colors.

My submission for the next issue is stitched/drafted/photographed/instructions written/and shipped!!! Ta da!

Strawberry Thief - The Liberty Obsession Continues

       My obsession with Liberty continues.  Current project is a jacket/smocked dress combination.

The jacket is constructed with Liberty of London 

Strawberry Thief from their classic line.  I channel quilted the body and sleeves of the jacket to a layer of 'Warm and Natural' which gave it  a lovely bit of body but not a lot of extra weight. The two  center pleated patch pockets are piped with lime 1/32" micro check and bound with navy pique.  I did a fair amount of fussy cutting to keep the birds all lined up and facing the right direction.  

The turn up on the sleeve will allow for at least an extra year of growth room.  Three turned bias loops over covered buttons secure the asymmetric closure on the front of the jacket.

The back yoke of the jacket is quilted on a diagonal 1" grid and the center back pleat give a nice swing shape to the jacket when worn over the dress.

The matching navy pique smocked dress has a scalloped yoke, sleeve and hemline.  

Twenty two  4 1/2" scallops give the hemline a nice weight and serious twirl factor.

I am thinking I might use this quilting technique to make a Liberty jacket for myself.  It opens up lots of options for some of the under two yard cuts I have been hoarding for more than a few years (even the 36" wide ones!)

Master Class - Details, Details, Details

I am lucky enough to be asked to teach private classes every so often.  Inevitably the ladies in these small groups end up becoming my trusted friends.  As these classes tend to become annual events there is always the desire to move up a notch or two in difficulty with the planned class project.  This year I have designed  the quintessential little  English girl's outfit - a smocked Liberty print dress and matching wool dress coat. It definitely falls into the category of 'master' or advanced class ranking.

    

The dress is constructed form Liberty of London tana lawn 'Wiltshire' which is one of their classic prints that stays available for several years rather than just one season.  The smocked sections on each side of the box pleated center front panel run right up into the shoulder seam and are backed with 'baby' interfacing to plump up the pleats and give a more structured appearance.  It does require a 32 row pleater to prepare the side panels for hand smocking.

The piped collar features a dark navy overlay of cotton pique which coordinates with the covered buttons at the sides of the center front panel. The lower ten rows are surface smocked with rows of trellis stitch and the upper portion is back smocked to show off the beauty of the 'Wiltshire' print in it's altered, pleated state,  Chunky bullion roses (three strands of floss) are centered between the sets of trellis stitch.

The back of the dress is finished off with a piped modified sash that ties into a flat self bow.  I did not want the bulk of a traditional tied sash under the dress coat.

The coat has a traditional look but is modified with added fullness in the side panels to accommodate the fullness of the smocked dress worn underneath.  French dark navy blue Italian wool flannel is a perfect weight for a little girl's coat.  The upper body and sleeves and completely interlined with 'baby' interfacing but the lower front and back sections are not interlined to allow for gathering up the wool into the bodice front and back.  

I tried using fusible hair canvas which was something new (to me!) for the full front panels and the collar.  I was very pleased with the results and would definitely recommend it  for children's tailored garments as it does not need any pad stitching to hold it in place.   The next photo shows a peek inside the half finished coat with the hair canvas in place on the front panels, the 'baby interfacing used as an interlining for the remaining upper portion of the coat and the shoulder pads in place.  

The front of the coat closes with machine buttonholes and self covered embroidered buttons to coordinate with the embroidery on the collar of the coat and the print of the dress.

A generous box pleat at the center back  allows for extra fullness in the lower portion of the coat.  A decorative shaped half belt embellished with a bullion rose and a bit of feather stitch accents the back waistline. 

The coat is fully lined with flannel back satin for additional warmth without adding too much bulk. The lower hemline is padded out with strips of bias cut fusible woven interfacing and the raw edge bound with scraps left over from the coordinating dress.  It is all covered up with the lining but I still know its in there!

I am going to have my students choose from three colorways in the Wiltshire print which all coordinate beautifully with the dark French navy coat.

The project will be sized 4, 6, and 8.  The sample dress and coat shown are a size 4.  I am going to try making the coat up in cotton pique which could be a good  weight for all my southern friends who would have no use whatsoever for a wool coat. You can click on any of the photos for a (frighteningly) enhanced close up view.

Gotta Love A New Gadget and a Double Piping Tutorial

We sewing ladies are great collectors and everyone loves a new gadget.  These scallop rulers might not be new on the market but they are new to me.  I wanted to try a project that would feature what this little gem will do.  I am sure they were developed for the quilt market but I can think of lots of places I might use them in the embellishment of children's garments.  

The ruler and the 'pusher' are sold separately and come in 1/2", 3/4", 1", 1 1/2", and 2" sizes.  I used the 2" size for this project.

The ruler allows you to quite simply mark and stitch two straight grain strips of fabric together (I used raspberry and aqua 1/32" micro check) and end up with a double scallop border.  I gathered it up for the angel sleeve and applied it flat around the hemline.  It gave a very nice reversible effect on the angel sleeve.

The project would be great for someone just learning to smock because of the small amount of basic trellis stitch smocking on the center panel.  I don't love the way fine pine pique looks pleated on the cross grain (parallel to the selvage) so I took the liberty of turning my center panel and pleating it along the lengthwise grain so the rib in the pique runs horizontal rather than vertical. It's O.K to beak the 'rules' sometimes.

The other interesting design feature on this project is the double piping.  There are several possible ways to make double piping and on this project I used the following method. 

I sew with a Pfaff  and prefer to use a center groove open toe applique foot for making piping.  It has the perfect size little groove right down the center to hold the cord and allows for multiple needle position adjustment.  It is also a very short foot which helps when going around curves.   If you want to end up with double piping that has a 3/8" seam allowance start with a 1" wide bias strip for the outer color.  Wrap the bias around the cord and stitch with a basting stitch one stitch width away from the cord.

For the inner color cut the bias strip 7/8" wide.  Right sides together and raw edges even lay the inner color on top of the outer color stitched piping.  Use the same foot and needle position to stitch through all layers right on top of the stitching line from the previous step.   

Lay a second piece of cord right next to the stitching line and using the same foot and needle position wrap the inner color over the second cord and stitch one stitch width away from the cord.  

You will end up with a 3/8" seam allowance.  When the double piping is applied to the garment move the needle position in one click closer to the cord to ensure the original stitching lines from the construction of the double piping do not show.