So you know I'm trying to make a deluxe, patchwork and quilted sleepsack for the Baby. I've got a pretty big chunk of the strip-pieced patchwork stuff made up, but I've been a little apprehensive about cutting into it. Its not the most difficult patchwork pattern, but its still quite time intensive and it would be a shame to waste it if I didn't know what I was doing. So I decided to make a practice sleep sack, out of some stripy material, to get the same effect that I was going for, but without the same risk factor of using my nice patchwork. And boy, am I glad that I did! Because I made A LOT of mistakes. And, on the bright side I learned a ton. But I'll tell you, it was not always easy going. I was going to list all the mistakes I made, but it would be a long, and boring post that does not make for interesting reading. It was one of my first experiences with 'fussy' cutting, that is, where the pattern has to line up, because I was using striped fabric to make a garment with a chevron in it. So I needed to cut the fabric on the bias (a 45 degree angle) and make them mirror images. This took a couple of tries. And some swearing. Anyhow, here is a picture of the finished project, so that you can see what I'm talking about.
It turned out pretty nicely, and I'm quite proud of myself, but it was a week of evenings full of trial and error and sweating it out over my poor tired little sewing machine. I chose to use a vintage bedsheet for the outside fabric. Its a pretty common sheet pattern, I find it all the time and have it in a lot of different colours. (Its a vertical stripe with an attached floral border at the top in the same colours) This particular yellow colour scheme is not my favourite, so I was willing to use it for my potential screw up. (incidentally, there is an olive green and turquoise version of this bed sheet that I LOVE and have used for so many different projects [its in the picture of the baby in his crib here] and if any of you find it as you are thrifting about, I will gladly swap you for it).
I lined it as well, just with some plain cotton flannel, and I quilted through both layers, along about every forth stripe of the chevron. Here is a shot where you can see the inside.
So, mistake/lesson number 9 was that when you quilt through something cut on the bias, even if the support is cut on the grain, there WILL be stretching. And if there is going to be stretch, you'd like it to be consistent for both halves of the item you are trying to join together. See, I had both halves of the front, and on the one half I quilted from the outside to the middle join, but then, for the other side I did the opposite and quilted from the middle join to the outside. So this is what I ended up with.
Doh. See how the top edges don't join up. Zut alors. Anyhow, since I was winging it and making the whole pattern up anyways, I just trimmed the one down to match the other. And learned a lesson about quilting on the bias that I will implement when I make the second one.
Here are some pictures of the Baby modeling the finished sleepsack.
He was in a pretty good mood when we did this. And its a nice room-y sleepsack, so he was able to wriggle around a lot and even crawl and pull himself up to standing.
Its pretty cute, when he gets himself to a standing position, he can still kind of shuffle around. He looks a lot like Maggie from the Simpson's.
This is a nice little detail - the placket/tab that folds down over the zipper has velcro on the back, so that the rough zipper end does not scratch his sweet little chin. And I went out of my way to make sure that it had the chevron pattern as well. It took me three tries. Don't even ask. As Hubs observed my muttered obscenities over try number three, he helpfully pointed out that I was putting a lot of effort into something that was going to spend 98% of its use-time in the dark. Humph. I still say the effort is worth it. It gives me a huge amount of satisfaction to zip him into this at night. I know that he is safe and warm, and metaphorically wrapped in my love. Making something useful is such a concrete way of expressing your love for someone. Its like I can keep him warm even when I am not in the room with him.
And here he is demonstrating the zipper function. It zips from the top to the bottom, as that way, if he's wet in the middle of the night, he can be changed without being gotten completely out of the sack. Its a function that he's almost too old for, because its so rare that he goes through his diaper anymore, but wouldn't you know it, the very first time he used this, he christened it by peeing through all three layers of diaper, clothing and sleep sack. Like the baby version of smashing open a bottle of champagne on a ship. I took it as a compliment.
Hello, It's Elizabeth of Creative Breathing. I have had such a lovely time looking through your Days of Children. Sweetness beyond words. In search of your little Gnome, I smiled at each abandoned furniture photo. I love these in between moments that are so often overlooked. Your sewing is fresh and modern, your words filled with pride. Your little Gnome begins my morning with such a smile. Thank you so much for sharing and visiting my Gnome Party. Elizabeth
Posted by: Elizabeth | 01/23/2010 at 12:02 PM
Wow, this is awesome! It looks pretty perfect to me. I love the preciseness of it, though you'll probably laugh at that, knowing things I don't. I love too that you used a zipper instead of snaps or velcro.
I agree that all the time spent was worth it for how much you learned. Imagine how pissed you'd have been had you made those mistakes on your good material!!
So I thought of you this afternoon and I'll tell you why.
C and I and Lucy went for another romp through the woods today and I came across this amazing bag that had been dumped there. It was frozen but I have an eye for nice things so I checked it out, and it was in PERFECT shape, even the handles and strap, not cracked or anything. Not only that but the material was wool or at least wool-like and it was a CHAPS, Ralph Lauren travel bag! I wondered if someone nicked it and then freaked out and dumped it.
Anyway, I loved the brown, sort of houndstooth pattern. (I actually found the bag online, too!) I would have brought it home and thawed and washed it or cleaned it, except it had what I think was a squirrel's nest in it and it smelled of animal urine. Damn. Also, I didn't have a camera, which made me think of you and your abandoned couch photos.
Posted by: steph | 01/23/2010 at 04:27 PM
That is awesome Steph. I love finding abandoned things, and I wish you got a photo! Especially with a squirrels nest. Bonus! Bummer that it could not have been salvaged. I've been known to bring home scarves and mitts that I found on the street and, provided they withstand a wash with scaldingly hot water and strong soap, I will wear them. Not quite to that extreme, my favourite t-shirt is one that mysteriously was left in my apartment in MTL after a particularly fun party. Its so perfectly worn in, and I love it, even though it is of dubious provenance.
Posted by: finger thumb | 01/24/2010 at 10:43 PM
And thank you Elizabeth! Such kind words. I should have called my blog 'Day's of Children' its such a lovely and evocative name! Keep the Gnome Party rockin'.
Posted by: finger thumb | 01/25/2010 at 11:06 PM
One time, on a walk down at the waterfront here, I found a knitted cap, the kind that sort of sags at the back but that had a little visor-thing (this sounds stupid, but do you know what I mean?) at the front. It looks homemade. I took it home and washed it and now I wear it!
Posted by: steph | 01/26/2010 at 12:03 AM
I love how this turned out...I've always shied away from bias cutting, because I'm not always the most accurate crafter. The chevron looks so good the way you pieced it!
Posted by: Rebekah | 01/26/2010 at 01:25 PM
Thanks Rebekah. Its my first foray into fussy cutting. I'm so happy with the results that I might do more.
And Steph, I totally know what you mean by that hat. I have one like it. And I also have a scarf that I found all encrusted with dirt on a street in Montreal, but I washed it and it is a very soft black scarf that I got tons of use out of until I lost it. I hope someone else finds it and it keeps having a life of use.
Posted by: finger thumb | 01/28/2010 at 11:17 PM
I love the tab detail, as the sleepsack I just made for my little guy does rub a bit, and the tab is a much more elegant solution than just quickly sewing some fleece over the top. Although I'll have to try with snaps, as he loves to pull apart things already, velcro being his favorite. Does the quilting add a lot of weight/warmth to it during the night, enough so than with just a sleeper and sack he stays pretty toasty?
Posted by: Becky | 01/29/2010 at 01:51 PM