"Peace, Puff, Afro, Love" Fabric and the Urbanista Bag with Vegan Pleather

After making fabric to celebrate the beautiful hair embraced by my daughter, I decided to make some more. In fact, because of her excitement and the enthusiasm shared by my reader friends, I have been bubbling with inspiration. I want to design all the fabric and make all the things!

                   

My most recent print is this "Peace, Puff, Afro, Love" design on 60-inch grey duck canvas. The base is airbrush painted and the accents are hand-stamped for added texture.

The canvas is a prefect weight for bag-making, I searched my stash for a candidate to showcase the print. The Urbanista Hobo by Cheryl Kuczek fit the bill because of its size and no distracting exterior pockets.

This choice also gave me an chance to use the Paradsio pleather kits that I got the same time I got the pattern. Aren't they yummy!

I met Cheryl at Quilt Market a few years ago. I was drawn to her fun patterns and she and I have developed a friendship since. Her patterns are written with a lot of explanation and detail for the novice. I prefer short bullet directions followed by an illustration to show me what to do. These text heavy steps are not a deterrent to making this great bag, but are different from commercial patterns. I find it best to read through them first and highlight the relevant sewing steps. Cheryl is a very approachable designer happy to answer email questions. She also provides online guidance on her blog  and includes tutorials on the following topics:

• How to sew a pleather/vinyl strap
• The Versatility of Binding
• The Gospel of Pleather

Many independent bag patterns give dimensions from which you make the pattern. I am so happy to not have to spend time on this step because the main pattern piece is included. I have made MANY bags by Noodlehead, Sew Demented and Amy Butler. They all have their high points and low points. I love the construction details unique to this bag. The body is stabilized with fleece and muslin instead of fusible fleece, or Shape flex and interfacing. I really like this time and cost-saving feature. With the other methods, no matter how I well fused, I have had these layers separate over time and use of the bags and it is very frustrating. With this method, the bag has structure, flexibility and weight that is not floppy or heavy.

Exterior fabric, lining, muslin and fleece 

There are six roomy contrast pockets inside the bag. I made mine without the contrast. The construction of the pockets gives added stability and support because they are secured in the side seams.

The bag is accented with pleather on the base, straps, binding and strap slots.  I sewed this bag completely on my home sewing machine with a regular needle and regular foot. There are suggestions for sewing pleather, but I didn't find I needed them. They are easy to work with.

Pleather base before attaching

Strap in process. Use clips and not pins which leave permanent marks.

The installation of the top binding is brilliant! I won't give it away here, but it is wonderful. I wish I had made this bag when I got the pattern in November. The binding would have saved me so much headache. I made three Noodlehead Maker totes last Fall. The hand-sewing of the binding was a beast! I wish I knew this method before starting. 

I applied three double cap rivets to each strap rather than add buttons and buttonholes. I would also suggest heavy-duty snaps or button studs to allow the strap to be swapped out with others.

When the bag was all made, I was worried that the pleather was too stiff and that the binding wouldn't droop like a hobo should. After wearing it for a day, it softened wonderfully and feels great. 

 I love the strap slot and riveted handle.

                      

Considering the capacity of the bag, I am really pleased with how comfortable it is to wear. The pattern does not include a magnetic snap closure so I added one to the lining before attaching the exterior.

It is the perfect size for a busy mom as demonstrated here by my friend Lisa 

This pattern is available for purchase  in Cheryl's store.

My "Peace, Puff, Afro, Love" fabric is available in my Etsy Store in limited quantities and less than Spoonflower rates. I have also listed the "Puff Diva" fabric. All the fabric is hand painted by me and each is unique. Grab them while you can and make someone's day!

Happy Sewing,

Bianca

Machine Sewn Reverse Applique Wrap using Terial Magic

I have discovered magic, Terial Magic that is.

At Quilt Market last Fall I was introduced to Terial Magic a liquid fabric stabilizer that makes knits behave like a woven. I was so excited to hear what this product could do that I participated in a live product demo. Seeing the potential for speedy reverse applique I shared my plan with Laurie, the demonstrator and brand manger. She asked if I would be interested in a collaboration to show how I would use the product.

Today, I am the guest blogger on the Terial Arts blog. Pop over there to see the steps I took to make this fast and easy reverse applique project.

What I love is, the treated fabric becomes stiff after the application of the Terial Magic allowing the wrap to be sewn on a home sewing machine. This drastically reduces the time and effort involved in completing a project like this without hand-sewing. 

To further test the possibilities of this stabilizer, I sewed the motifs using silver metallic thread. I loaded it as normal and took no precautions against twisting, breaking or bobbin tangles I have heard occurs with metallic thread. There were no issues at all with the treated fabric! 

I am so thrilled with the end result. This wrap stitched up quickly and could be done in a week of evenings with no stress.

 Be sure to visit the Terial Magic page to find out how you can make your own.

Happy Sewing,
Bianca

Make The Fabric Your Own: PR Sewing Bee Round 2

So I have advanced to Round 2 of the PR Sewing Bee. The challenge for this round is, to "add surface embellishments to existing fabric... then make a garment out of the fabric(s) that you embellished." We have 10 days to complete the garment, photograph it and write the review. Obviously, hand embellishing a jersey knit garment is the first thing that came to my mind. 

The time crunch is a limitation, but if there is a round for me to do well, it is this one. I decided to make a reversible "Texas Springer" ;p cardigan using Mccalls 6844. I have made this twice before, so I did not have to cut the pattern or worry about fit issues. I decided to use a stencil I used once before to future save time. I decided to combine hand-sewn and machine sewn elements to add texture and interest.

I immediately got to work on my airbrushing, cutting and stitching. I have been sewing in every free moment of this week! I am ahead of the deadline and oh so tired! I have a long list of "must dos" to tackle, so I had to hustle on this one. 

  

I  used navy blue for the exterior, light blue for the reverse and green and white for the interior reverse applique exposures. Don't miss this, I used two colors under the blue! This is completely new to me and I have not seen it done before anywhere else (granted, I have not been looking), but isn't it AWESOME?!

The main base layer is green and the white areas are achieved with circular inserts placed strategically behind some of the pointed flowers. I then machine stitched them in place before adding the green layer. This layer is secured by hand-sewing around the flowers before cutting the centers out.  

With all of the loose thread ends from the hand sewing, the inside needed to be lined. I decided to make the cardigan reversible. I added an applique feature to the reverse side along with exposing the seams and cutting a rag texture into them. 

Just as cool on the flip side.

Applique on the reverse side.

A little shoulder interest.

 I have written a full review for the contest, that can be read here.

Happy Sewing,
Bianca

Reverse Appliqué Jersey Dress: The Great Pattern Review Sewing Bee- Round # 3

So I, along with 24 other contestants, have advanced to the next round of the The Great Pattern Review Sewing Bee- Round #3. For this project, we have been given the Winter Street Dress, to make a dress using two knit fabrics. Both fabrics should be knits (printed or solid colors). There is no limit on how much or how little of the 2nd fabric you use, as long as its visible and enhances the garment.

Winter Street Dress Courtesy of Pattern Review

On my initial reading of this project and the rules, I have to say I was enthused. I am NOT a fan of PDF patterns with all of the cutting and pasting together. (I think I may have mentioned that a million times before). Additionally, though others look great in it, I am not a fan of this style of dress. I don't think the is waistline flattering on me. I do love the sleeve variations especially the slight flounce. Given a choice however, I would not have not have chosen this pattern.

  

Given my reticence about this round, I chose to rely on my old favorite sewing technique of hand-sewing jersey knit fabric. I thought the requirement to use two knit fabrics made this an awesome candidate for reverse applique. I briefly considered making my stencil, as I have done before. Given the time constraints, I decided against it. I recently purchased another fabulous home decor stencil from the same company that I used to make my Moroccan Halter and Tank top.  I had yet to use it and thought this would be a great opportunity.

Stencil image

                     

The rules allow you to modify the pattern in any way you like. I was really excited about that. I wanted to accentuate the lattice work in the stencil. The front and back of the dress are cut as two pieces with box pleats. I decided to make the front and back pieces one continuous silhouette and eliminate the pleats. I have never done this type of modification to a pattern. I have a large  pattern stash. If I want a pattern in a specific style I simply look in my stash and find one that works. 

I thought the path of least resistance would be to change the pattern rather than working with the cut fabric. After downloading and cutting the pattern (grrr), I prepared it for my modification. I simply chose to pleat the skirt portion of the pattern and tape it to the upper bodies of the front and back pieces. This way I got the pattern to the size I wanted while eliminating the pleats.

I cut the medium to begin with, but graded down to the small.  My dress is constructed in a double layer of 100% jersey knit in cream and light green. The front cream layer of the fabric is airbrushed painted in an opaque gold paint. I stenciled the front in 4 sections with 30 minutes drying time between each painting. You can read about my airbrush in this long ago post.

Airbrushed along the edges because the centers will be removed.

Fabric stenciled in for sections and covered to prevent over spray.

Two hours later, it is all dry

This dress is embellished with the reverse applique technique. To achieve this effect, I basted the stenciled front to the green under layer at the arms and neckline. Using white button and craft thread, I hand-stitched along the outside of the stenciled shapes through the two layers of fabric.

Once the entire front was stitched, I cut the center of the shapes leaving about a 1/4 inch or so of the gold painted area.

Front of dress stitched with the centers removed.

I even like the back of the stitched panel.

Next, I sewed the front to back at the shoulders and side seams on my machine with regular thread. I checked the fit, and adjusted it at the side seams for a closer fit at the bust and waist. I serged the seams for a clean finish, pressed them to the back and felled them down with hand-stitches. A leather thimble was crucial to aid in sewing through six layers of fabric with the thick thread. 

The neckline of the dress is trimmed with 1.5 inch jersey bias binding folded in half. The binding was pinned, basted, and then secured with a hand-stitched herringbone stitch. This stitch was made using button and craft thread. The hem of the dress and sleeves are left raw and will curl in time.

Here is the completed dress:

Sleeve Detail

Solid back

Herringbone stitch on the neckline.

We are asked to explain why our garment should advance to the next round. Here is what I said:

This dress looks great on the many people who have made and reviewed it. I however, did not purchase this pattern because the front and back pleats and two piece front is not my style. I feel my modification is true to the original design while making it more appealing to those who passed on it for the same reasons I did. The fact that the modification is an easy fix further bolsters the appeal to those who may now be interested.

I made a largely hand-sewn garment in a fairly short time. I have made hand-sewn garments over the course of many months with impressive results. I am pleased that I was able to complete this dress with pattern modifications in a matter of days. I know many people have wanted to venture into hand-sewing projects, but are intimidated by the time commitment and perceived difficulty. I feel this project may inspire someone to see it is manageable and may encourage them to try something new. An impressive project focuses on the creator, while an inspiring project focuses back to the observer. I hope this dress achieves both of those things qualifying me for the next round. 

I am happy with this dress. I love the feel of the double layers of jersey. I am pleased with the way color scheme worked together. The sleeves are adorable and the length is perfect straight from the pattern. I love the texture of the reverse applique in this large scale motif. I will make this again. What do you think of an ombre dyed bottom layer?

We do not get feedback from the judges as to why we advance or are eliminated. I do not know where I stand. The results for this round will be announced in one week. I will let you know how I do on the Thanksimadethem Facebook Page.

Happy sewing,
Bianca

New Airbrush, New possibilities

After making many A.C. garments I am happy to report that I finally have an airbrush to improve my fabric painting! In the past, I have used aerosol spray fabric paint and pump paints to color my fabric. Some times I have had favorable results, other times not so much.

Paints I have used in the past.

Results with sprayed fabric paint a bit spotty, but functional.

The results with these methods has been okay, but I was really looking for a new, better way to paint. This quality of painting limited my ability to create design that exposed the entire stencil shape as in negative reverse applique. So, I added a Master Airbrush to my Amazon wishlist and received one for a Christmas gift from my Mother-in- law.

This little number came as a kit with all I needed to get painting including the Createx airbrush paint. I am a firm believer that if you can read, you can learn anything. If the instructions are provided, one can learn many new skills. The problem was the instructions with airbrushes are woefully lacking. I guess the manufacturers assume, if you are buying an airbrush, you know what you are doing right out of the box!

The first issue I had was with attaching the regulator to the compressor. It did not say this, but if after you screw it on, it does not tighten vertically, you are to use a wrench to loosen the bolt so that it comes out further. Once you do this, try again until you can adjust it vertically. (I do not know how this is done. I returned the first airbrush to amazon because that was not explained and I thought it was a defect.I had the same problem with this one so I called tech support and they explained what needed to happen. I took this one to my neighborhood Habour Freight tools and they fixed it for me). I thought this solved my problem, and I could begin spraying, but I was wrong.

I had another "problem". Every time I turned it on, within a few seconds the motor would shut off. I Googled it, checked message boards, and watched YouTube videos, but nothing made sense to me. Finally, after avoiding it for days I called tech support AGAIN to see what was up. Turns out, it was doing just what it was supposed to do! The motor runs when you turn it on and then it shuts off when the appropriate PSI range is reached! That is when you begin to spray! You can keep spraying while it builds more pressure as you go. I thought it was broken, but it was just doing what it was supposed to. I am so glad I called!

I got to spraying my new Alabama Chanin Anna's Garden Stencil!

 

Look at the difference in the paint quality! I am so pleased with the results! This was my first time ever using an airbrush and I am so excited!

Look at the quality of the paint on these panels!

I have been dreaming of a fitted tank dress from the most recent A.C book. I have a delicious sea foam green jersey that I will use as a top layer. I painted with white and am unsure of the backing layer. I am not sure if I want bold contrast or muted similarity. I am also on the fence about whether I want it to be reverse appliqued or regular applique. It would be a shame to cut all that paint away for reverse applique! I have a few projects in the works so I have a bit of time to decide on that. More to come!

Happy sewing!