Amy Butler's In Stitches: More Than 25 Simple and Stylish Sewing Projects (2 page)

Here are some other great fabric care tips I’ve learned along the way:

• You can put discolored cotton and linens through a series of long-term baths in Biz detergent. The process could take several days or weeks, depending on how stained the fabric is. Leave it in the initial bath for a week, agitating regularly. If needed, follow with a second bath for another week. This technique is especially good for yellowed whites.

• Don’t put bleach directly on stains; it will turn the fabric yellow. Instead soak soiled or yellowed linens in RIT Bright White or in a solution of water and hydrogen peroxide.

• Dark draperies, bark cloth, and fine textiles like velvet and non-colorfast embroidered work should be professionally cleaned.

• Bleach tablecloths and bed linens by spraying them with water and lemon juice. Lay them flat in the sunshine to dry. Avoid hanging heavy items on lines, since this would stretch the fibers.

• Wash small quilting scraps and other small pieces in a bound cotton bag or pillowcase to keep them from getting torn.

• Don’t put crochet or lace in the washing machine! If it’s stained or needs brightening, wash it by hand using any of the whitening techniques listed above. Air dry it on a flat surface, keeping it taut to retain its shape.

• Dry clean silk and wool. You can also use Woolite and cold water for wool blankets, laying them flat to dry.

• Not everything needs an arduous cleaning. With some fabrics that have become yellow in storage, you may be able to get away with just a gentle machine washing by cutting away any discolored edges. There’s likely good material toward the center.

• Sunlight is hard on fabric, just like it is on your skin! Pillows and other textiles left near windows and outdoors will lose their luster quickly, so keep them away from direct sunlight.

• Be sure to press your fabrics before beginning any project to ensure proper measurements and cuts!

Depending on your mood, your personal tastes, and what’s available, you’ll likely use a combination of new and vintage textiles in both light and heavy weights. The wearable garments, as well as a few of the kitchen and bedroom projects, should be constructed using mainly finer dress fabrics and quilting-weight cottons or linens. The pieces that will get a lot of wear, like those for the living room and home office, will need fabrics made for use in home decorating. Use your judgment about how much use the item will get.

Pay heed to the combinations of textures in your projects as well. A beefy wool tweed might look a bit odd alongside a delicate cotton. In addition, the two types of fibers tend to sew up differently, which could cause unwanted puckering or folds—not to mention the fact that you’d have a finished project made of fabrics with conflicting washing needs.

Embellishment is key to making your project sing. While you’re searching for sumptuous, one-of-a-kind fabrics at garage sales, antique shops, and the like, you’ll want to also watch for vintage and new buttons, beads, ribbons, and trims. Vintage French ribbon, Indian trims, and English buttons can bring an old-world charm to modern designs. Jewelry can also be a fantastic source of adornments for your sewn pieces. I often steal from my jewelry stash to tweak a cute bag or pillow cover. So make sure to check out beading shops, craft and hobby stores, and ethnic shops for groovy, stylish accents.

With their rich colors and varied textures, fabric accessories are probably the most stylish and versatile way to bring personality to your living spaces. Bold, cutting-edge artwork on your walls is great, but you can’t snuggle up under a painting on a rainy night like you can with a patchwork throw or fluffy pillow. Endlessly flexible, fabric artwork can be tossed about in different arrangements and can even move from room to room when the redecorating urge strikes.

DECORATIVE PATCHWORK THROW

FINISHED SIZE: 54″ WIDE × 72″ LONG

Sturdy, soft, colorful, and comfy, this throw is made with heavier home-decor-weight fabrics for increased warmth and coziness. But you don’t have to keep it on your couch—it makes a great wall hanging, or even an extra-special picnic blanket.

FABRICS AND SUPPLIES

• 2 yards (44″-wide) heavyweight cotton fabric (“fabric A”)

• 1 yard each of 9 coordinating (44″-wide) heavyweight cotton fabrics (“fabrics B through J”; you will have fabric left over from some of these pieces to use for another project.)

• 3
¹
/
₄
yards (44″-wide) muslin for the foundation

• 1 package (81″ × 96″) cotton batting

• 4
¹
/
₂
yards (44″-wide) heavyweight cotton fabric for the backing and bias binding (This fabric should coordinate with the fabrics A through J used on the front of the throw.)

• Coordinating cotton thread

• Yardstick or ruler

• Chalk pencil or fabric marker

• Masking tape

• Scissors

• Approximately 30 large safety pins

• Straight pins

• Hand sewing needle

NOTES

• All seams are
¹
/
₂
″ unless otherwise stated. (The
¹
/
₂
″ seam allowance is included in all cutting measurements.)

• The sample shown was created using a heavy cotton fabric. We do not suggest using lightweight cotton, since some prints may show through after additional blocks are placed over them.

• Preshrink your fabric by washing, drying, and pressing it before starting your project.

Step 1. Cut out all patchwork pieces from fabrics A through J.

a.
Measure and mark the dimensions below directly onto the
Wrong
side of the fabric, using a yardstick and a chalk pencil. Using your scissors, cut out all of the pieces following the marked lines on the fabric.
(
FIGURE 4B
)

FROM FABRIC A

• Cut 1 each. A-1: 10″ × 11″, A-2: 7″ × 9″, A-3: 21″ × 37″

FROM FABRIC B

• Cut 1 each. B-1: 7″ × 6″, B-2: 20″ × 5″, B-3: 25″ × 11″

FROM FABRIC C

• Cut 1 each. C-1: 22″ × 22″, C-2: 25″ × 6″

FROM FABRIC D

• Cut 1 each. D-1: 7″ × 18″, D-2: 11″ × 19″

FROM FABRIC E

• Cut 1 each. E-1: 9″ × 17″, E-2: 21″ × 28″

FROM FABRIC F

• Cut 1 each. F-1: 7″ × 8″, F-2: 7″ × 12″, F-3: 25″ × 9″

FROM FABRIC G

• Cut 1 each. G-1: 11″ × 11″, G-2: 9″ × 16″, G-3: 15″ × 11″

FROM FABRIC H

• Cut 1 each. H-1: 9″ × 18″, H-2: 20″ × 12″, H-3: 10″ × 16″

FROM FABRIC I

• Cut 1 each. I-1: 14″ × 18″, I-2: 7″ × 5″

FROM FABRIC J

• Cut 1. J-1: 26″ × 28″

b.
In order to keep your pieces organized, mark each piece by writing the name of the piece (A-1, C-2, and so on) on a small piece of masking tape and attaching it to the piece of fabric as it is cut.

Step 2. Cut the muslin foundation, the batting, and the fabric backing.

a.
Cut 2 lengths of the muslin, each 58″ long. Attach the 2 pieces by stitching a
¹
/
₄
″ seam along one long selvage edge
*
. Now, mark and cut a piece of the joined muslin you created to measure 58″ × 76″.

*
See page 171
for an explanation of a selvage edge.

b.
Measure, mark, and cut a piece of cotton batting to measure 58″ × 76″.

c.
Now, as in step 2a, cut and join the 2 lengths of the heavyweight cotton fabric for the backing, and then mark and cut the joined fabric to measure 58″ × 76″.

Step 3. Prepare the patchwork pieces for the throw.

a.
First, using patchwork pieces A-2, C-2, E-1, F-1, G-1, G-2, and H-3, fold under
¹
/
₂
″ toward the
Wrong
side of the fabric on all 4 raw edges and press. These pieces will be the second layer of pieces that you will stitch onto the throw. Set them aside for now.

b.
Then, refer to the pressing guide diagram
(
FIGURE 3B
)
. Each patchwork piece is shown in its approximate position. The dotted lines in the diagram indicate an unfinished, raw edge. The solid lines indicate a finished, folded, and pressed edge. Be careful to align each patchwork piece in the proper direction, as shown in
FIGURE 3B
. On each patchwork piece needing a pressed edge, first fold under
¹
/
₂
″ toward the
Wrong
side of the fabric and then press. Continue pressing all the patchwork pieces needing a
¹
/
₂
″ folded edge before moving on to step 4.

Step 4. Place and attach the first layer of patchwork pieces.

a.
Spread the 58″ × 76″ piece of muslin on a hard, flat surface, either an uncarpeted floor or a large table. The muslin will be used as a foundation on which to create the Decorative Patchwork Throw. It does not matter whether the muslin faces
Right
side up or down.

b.
Then, referring to
FIGURE 4B
, lay the patchwork pieces, with the
Right
sides facing up, on the muslin in the positions shown in the diagram. Place the pieces 2″ from the edges of the muslin. The unfinished raw edges of the patchwork pieces will be placed under the pressed edges of adjoining patchwork pieces. To do this, overlay the pressed edge of each patchwork piece, covering
¹
/
₂
″ of the unfinished raw edge of the piece next to it. For example, in the top left corner of the throw, the folded and pressed edges of D-1 and H-1 will be placed so that they overlap the raw edge of piece I-1 by
¹
/
₂
″.
(
FIGURE 4B
)

c.
Continue placing the first layer of patchwork pieces until all pieces shown in the diagram are in place. There will be approximately 2″ of muslin showing on each edge.

NOTE:
Reserve the 7 pieces you pressed in step 3a. They will be the second layer of the throw.

d.
Once you have the first layer of patchwork pieces in place, you are ready to begin securing them to the muslin foundation. Using large safety pins, secure the patchwork pieces in place.

e.
Now, machine stitch each pressed edge, stitching close to the folded edge and backstitching at each end. Stitch through all layers. As you stitch the folded, pressed edges, the
¹
/
₂
″ seam allowance of the hidden raw edge under it will also be stitched in place.

FIGURE 3B

PATCHWORK DIAGRAM A

PRESSING GUIDE