Indigo Dying

I have always wanted to try indigo shibori dying. So when my sister-in-law Rachel suggested we have a dying party, I was all for it!

We had it all planned for a weekend when the whole family would be in town. She and my mother-in-law brought white cotton to make quilts and some knit fabric. Some of the other siblings dyed various items, like shirts and socks. I brought some white dish towels and white burp rags.

We spent the morning scouring Pinterest to find inspiration and learn the different techniques. My technique of choice: dip dying! I recently attended a bridal shower where the table settings were topped with a beautiful indigo dip dyed linen napkin. I fell in love! The napkins were so simple, yet they made such a huge impact. I wanted to create that same look with my dish towels and burp rags.

I used flour sack kitchen towels. They are my favorite kind to use in my kitchen because they are super thin but still absorbent and have such a fresh, clean appearance. They are so simple and go with any style. 

The dip dye method turned out so cute! I used a few of my old, semi-stained towels (just to spruce them up) and a few brand new ones, too. 

I only dipped them two or three inches on both ends. The fabric only sat in the dye for a few seconds and the color still came out so vibrant and dark!  

This shibori dyed towel was one of my favorites. I folded the towel like an accordion. Once I had a square stack of folded fabric, I secured wooden blocks on the top and bottom with rubber bands. Then we used a c-clamp (for lack of a better option) to secure it real tight. Once it was dipped, untied and unfolded, the result showed a square pattern with the uncovered edges dyed blue. So pretty!
I'm all about white/mostly-white stuff around my house. Maybe not practical, but oh so pretty.

We have a burp rag laying across multiple pieces of furniture at our house. They might as well be cute!

The burp rags were so quick. I had a huge stack of thin, plain white burp rags that had hardly ever been used. Now that they are dip dyed, I use them all the time. 

You can see Rachel's post with more pictures and a cute video here to see the cute patterns and techniques that everyone else tried. 

Ruffle Sleeve Tee

All of the sleeve details this year have been so cool. I've seen bell, ruffled, trumpet, flutter, bishop, dropped bishop, and lantern sleeves. I have been wanting to make myself a top with bell sleeves since Spring!

Bodice front, bodice back, sleeve, and ruffle patterns

As I go through my fabric stash, it is getting harder and harder to find usable pieces. Most of my fabric is in smaller pieces, so sometimes I have to get creative with how I use a piece or pair multiple pieces together in one project.
In this case, I didn't have enough of the white fabric for the ruffle detail on the sleeve. Since that ruffle detail is the most important part of the design, I couldn't just remove that from the plans.
I used a white ribbing fabric for the ruffled sleeve.



Each pattern piece was cut on the fold. I measured the ruffle detail to be a 2:1 ratio to the sleeve. I always reference this ruffle ratio guide when sewing with ruffles. The ratio used can make a big difference in the overall look of the project.

Love the side slit look

Ruffle detail

I love the way the two different fabrics look together. I love the ruffle sleeve and the ribbing fabric adds even more interest to the sleeves. I also left the ruffle hem unfinished because the fabric was so thin, I didn't want a hem to affect the drape. I added a facing to the neckline rather than incorporating more ribbing fabric. It gives it a less casual look and has a very clean finish.

I can't wait to try another fun sleeve detail on my next project. I've got big plans for sleeves!

French Terry Shorts Remake

When Peter was super tiny, I bought him these shorts in a 3-6 month size, hoping they would fit him for the summer months. However, despite the fact that he is only five months old, Peter is already comfortably fitting into 12-18 month clothes. Needless to say, we are in need of some bigger shorts. (This project was on my to-do list on this post.)

I love these shorts I got at Cotton On Kids. They are so cute and comfortable and they are made of french terry fabric. Peter is so comfortable in them!

Peter's curious little hand exploring my pattern making station

I traced the small shorts, added about a half inch to each side, added more for seam allowance, and cut out my pattern. I know a half inch added on all sides is a lot to add, but I wanted these shorts to fit him for a long time, and the shorts I traced were a few sizes too small.





The shorts ended up fitting him great! The fabric I used is so soft and stretchy. I used the wrong side of the fabric for the waistband to match the cuffed hem on the legs.
I will definitely use this pattern again and possibly draft a larger size as well for when Peter outgrows this size. 

Reminiscing: High School T-Shirt Quilt

My first big project a few months after getting my first sewing machine for Christmas 2007 was a t-shirt quilt. I was beginning my senior year of high school and I had SO MANY T-SHIRTS that I would never wear again after high school. Throughout the course of middle school and high school I accumulated a lot of shirts in out school colors: green, white, and black.
I remember being pretty excited to graduate high school. Even though I had no use for these t-shirts anymore, we wanted to figure out a way to save them or repurpose them. A t-shirt quilt was perfect!



My friend Sadie and I got to work cutting all of our t-shirts into squares to make quilts. I didn't know much about sewing at that point and I forgot to take seam allowance into consideration, so I cut 12 inch squares which ended up being about 10 inch squares once sewn together.

I wanted my blanket to be oversized. I was sick of throw blankets that were only 5 ft. long. It turned out to be a little smaller than a twin blanket.

I love how comfortable this blanket is! The t-shirts were all soft and worn in, so the blanket is, too. For the backing I used a super dense fleece fabric that makes the blanket so heavy and warm. I was unable to find fleece fabric wide enough, so I had to do a little bit of piecing together, but it is hardly noticeable. I did not include batting because I figured it was already heavy and thick enough without it. Each corner is reinforced with a yarn knot.

Yarn knot at each corner

There are a few things I would have done differently. It would have looked better if each knit square was reinforced with interfacing. It would have taken away the stretch of the fabric and given it more structure.
I also would have made it the size of a standard twin quilt.

For years now this blanket has been my go-to for everything! It has spent most of its life in the trunk of my car and comes along on every beach trip.
Each time I use this blanket, so many memories come back to me about going to football games, serving on class council, the ongoing rivalry between Bonita and San Dimas, and the dreaded P.E. classes. I am so glad I chose to keep these shirts and repurpose them.

Nana's Pink Quilt: A Work in Progress

The third quilt featured in my "Unfinished Quilts" series (the other two here and here)!

Around the same time Oma gave me her two unfinished quilts, my Nana gave me one as well. 

I'm not sure when she started this one, but I'm guessing it was in the 80s or 90s. 

She did manage to finish the tiny pillow that matches, but very few of the squares are attached. As shown in the pattern she sketched in the bottom right corner, she imagined the blocks creating a step pattern. 

The fabric is a lightweight cotton that is super thin and soft. I think I would back this one with a matching bright pink fabric and possibly the binding as well. 

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