Sounds like fun! If you want help with designing it, I'd love to be opinionated on that topic. I'd offer help with its construction, but it's gonna be a while before I have time for my own sewing projects. :)
Well, so, the problem is, that Sewfisticated was (is!) selling cotton batik scraps at $2/yd. And so I bought, I dunno, 15-20 yd of the stuff, but it's in .5/1/1.5/2 yd pieces?
Some of them might become new pillowcases. One of them has a heart pattern on it and clearly needs to become some kind of hipster boxers. And the rest is... I dunno, quilt?
I am at a loss here, since I barely know what thread is, but I was in the damn store and failed my self-control roll when faced with large quantities of cheap and pretty batik.
Ah! I think I know those batiks, because they tempt me too when I go into SewFisticated. There was one that was fuchsia shapes on a purple background that I almost bought... but I'm pretty good about not impulse-buying fabric unless I can come up with a viable plan for what I'm going to do with it.
Here are some really easy traditional quilt designs you can use as inspiration for your design: http://www.quiltjudge.com/Images/bars.jpg http://www.stellarubinantiques.com/items/1073948/enlargement1073948sra.html http://tinyurl.com/b74lzl9 http://tinyurl.com/a69c9pk
You're a geek, I'm sure you can figure out how big a quilt you can reasonably make with the fabric you have, and then use graph paper (or a graphics program of some sort) to plan the design. Just remember to take seam allowance into consideration: you'll need half an inch at each edge of each of your cut pieces of fabric.
Once you have a design, I can probably walk you through sewing it together. If you have access to a sewing machine, an iron, and a decent pair of scissors, then I can do so by email. If not, we can maybe figure out a time when you can come use my sewing room.
When you say you barely know what thread is, do you mean you've never even sewn a button on a shirt, or do you mean you did a bit of hand-sewing at summer camp when you were nine, or do you mean you've tried using a sewing machine but you're a perfectionist so it was frustrating...? I ask because a quilt can be a very ambitious project for a beginning sewer. You might stand more of a chance of actually finishing your project if you start with a relatively small pieced thing, like an 18x24" quilt to hang on the wall, or a 15x15" one to use as a decorative pillow cover -- and then if you still feel like sewing, embark on a larger quilt.
Your name came up at dinner on Monday and I meant to update you on this, but I forgot until just now:
I went and bought a pattern. juldea is going to stitch these things together in order to make this pattern work. It is going to be one of the more awesome garments ever. http://www.simplicity.com/p-2235-men-teen-costumes.aspx
Ah cool: a Coat of Many Colors! Indeed, not subtle -- but I look forward to seeing it!
I have a suggestion: since your batiks are much lighter-weight than the fabrics that the pattern designer had in mind, you might want to line at least the skirt if not the whole coat with something heavier, so it drapes nicely instead of just bunching up or sticking to you.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2013-03-01 08:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-01 08:53 am (UTC)It's so weird to be making something that gradually takes over and makes itself! Quilts don't do that...
no subject
Date: 2013-03-01 12:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-01 07:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-01 08:19 pm (UTC)Some of them might become new pillowcases. One of them has a heart pattern on it and clearly needs to become some kind of hipster boxers. And the rest is... I dunno, quilt?
I am at a loss here, since I barely know what thread is, but I was in the damn store and failed my self-control roll when faced with large quantities of cheap and pretty batik.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-02 01:09 am (UTC)Here are some really easy traditional quilt designs you can use as inspiration for your design:
http://www.quiltjudge.com/Images/bars.jpg
http://www.stellarubinantiques.com/items/1073948/enlargement1073948sra.html
http://tinyurl.com/b74lzl9
http://tinyurl.com/a69c9pk
You're a geek, I'm sure you can figure out how big a quilt you can reasonably make with the fabric you have, and then use graph paper (or a graphics program of some sort) to plan the design. Just remember to take seam allowance into consideration: you'll need half an inch at each edge of each of your cut pieces of fabric.
Once you have a design, I can probably walk you through sewing it together. If you have access to a sewing machine, an iron, and a decent pair of scissors, then I can do so by email. If not, we can maybe figure out a time when you can come use my sewing room.
When you say you barely know what thread is, do you mean you've never even sewn a button on a shirt, or do you mean you did a bit of hand-sewing at summer camp when you were nine, or do you mean you've tried using a sewing machine but you're a perfectionist so it was frustrating...? I ask because a quilt can be a very ambitious project for a beginning sewer. You might stand more of a chance of actually finishing your project if you start with a relatively small pieced thing, like an 18x24" quilt to hang on the wall, or a 15x15" one to use as a decorative pillow cover -- and then if you still feel like sewing, embark on a larger quilt.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-29 11:42 pm (UTC)I went and bought a pattern.
Subtlety is perhaps not my strong suit.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-30 01:12 pm (UTC)I have a suggestion: since your batiks are much lighter-weight than the fabrics that the pattern designer had in mind, you might want to line at least the skirt if not the whole coat with something heavier, so it drapes nicely instead of just bunching up or sticking to you.