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Cotton and Linen

Category Archives: Fabric

Welcome Spring?

18 Friday Feb 2011

Posted by Bonnie in Fabric, Quilt Along, Sewing Projects

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I was awakened this morning to the sounds of beautiful music. A harbinger of spring? I won’t get my hopes up just yet as it is still only February but at +7 degrees I welcomed the renditions that were offered up by my feathered friend. I apologize for the clarity of the picture but he was perched far from my window.

There has been much sewing of late but no finished products to show off so I will present some ongoing projects as a hint at things to come.

I told you about the Cherry Hill Quilt Along that I’m participating in. There are five of us that gather on Friday mornings to work our way through the weekly instructions that are doled out. So far we have cut our pieces and done some piecing. Here are some pics of the progress…

That’s Astrid on the left.  Next is Pam, our host, from MadAboutPatchwork. Then Millie and Sandra. Yours truly is behind the lens.

 

Above are my columns ready to sew together.

Here’s a few more tidbits to tantalize…

And finally some new fabric to add to my growing stash.

I have a house full of company on the way. I’m very excited!
Have a great weekend!



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Black Friday Shopping Spree

26 Friday Nov 2010

Posted by Bonnie in Fabric, Rose Cottage, Sanibel

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Well I may not live south of the border but I’m taking advantage of a great sale over at Mad About Patchwork. Pam is having a 40% off sale on two of her lines. Sanibel by Heather Mulder Peterson for Henry Glass & Co. and Rose Cottage by Laurie Bird also for Henry Glass & Co. I’ve got a couple of other goodies to pick up as well.

Sanibel

Rose Cottage

Happy Friday Everyone!


Dye Your Own Fabric

23 Tuesday Nov 2010

Posted by Bonnie in Hand Dyed Fabric

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The possibility of dyeing my own cloth to create a unique print has been fascinating me lately, especially the process of batik. I love the muted and earthy tones you can coax out of ordinary vegetation. While digging through my sewing room I came across some yarns that I had hand-dyed many years ago in a workshop. I had forgotten all about them until their recent discovery. These yarns show a small sampling of some of the colours available with found material.

Eco Batik T, a recent addition to the blogging world, has set a goal of explaining the art of making batik naturally with just beeswax and vegetation.

I also love the rich bold colours accessible with chemical dyes. I have researched many books on the subject but so far one stands out. Fibre Artist Malka Dubrawsky of A Stitch in Dye hand dyes cotton fabric to create her quilts and other beautiful accessories. (You’ll find her in my blogroll on the sidebar.) Her book ‘Color Your Cloth, A Quilter’s Guide to Dyeing and Patterning Fabric’ is a wonderful source that explains how easy it is to set up and use a home workshop to dye your own fabric. I would urge anyone interested in this field to invest in her book as an invaluable resource.

Torn Silk

15 Monday Nov 2010

Posted by Bonnie in Bohemian Silk Bag, Sewing Projects, Silk

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Sometimes I think I should have named this venture Cotton and Linen and Silk since silk is also one of my favourite fabrics. Perhaps even my most favourite although I do not sew with it very often. It’s not really a practical fabric for every day use but that’s what makes it so special when you do use it. Like in today’s project.

My sister celebrated her birthday yesterday and I made her a special gift of a Bohemian Silk Bag. There is some background that you should know about this bag. Some of the silk fabric I used was a multi-coloured dupioni silk remnant from a prom dress of my sisters from many moons ago. I found the piece in my Mother’s stash several years ago and scooped it up knowing that I would someday find a special use for it. The other thing you should know is that we have some Scottish blood in us. We grew up to the sound of the bagpipes and to this day whenever I hear the pipes it brings a tear to my eye in memory of my father, an accomplished piper. For this reason, I chose a “plaid” effect for my pattern.

My inspiration for the bag was born from the book ‘Silk Unraveled’ by Lorna Moffatt. In it, Lorna elaborates on her use of torn silk strips which she transforms into all manner of imaginitive creations. To take a piece of precious dupioni silk and literally rip it into strips takes great courage. Lorna has perfected her courageous craft.

From the bundle of silk you see above I have ripped my pieces in preparation for the bag. At this stage, I only knew that I wanted to make a bag. I had no idea what would emerge as a final ‘pattern’.

I chose a gold dupioni silk as the background to the strips. The gold pieces and the lining are cut approximately 8 ” by 10″. I then began experimenting with the pieces until the ‘plaid’ emerged as the favoured pattern. I also chose to put one horizontal strip along the back near the bottom to add interest.

Pin the strips in place and sew. Fold down and press a 1/2″ on the top of the front and back Pin the zipper between the top and the bottom at the top where you have folded the fabric. Sew the zipper in place.  With right sides together sew the front to the back along the sides and the bottom. Turn the bag right side out through the open zipper. The bag is shown with the zipper in and as yet unlined.

The next step is to sew the lining together front and back right sides together leaving the top open with a 1/2″ turned under at the top similar to the bag. Insert the lining into the bag wrong sides together and hand sew the lining to the top edge on the inside of the bag close to the zipper opening.

I chose a burgundy cording to use for the strap and wanted to add some beads to the bottom of each side of the cord for effect.

The beads are attached to the ends of the knotted cord and hand sewn to the sides of the bag.

And the final product!

I’m happy to say that my sister was pleased with her gift.

Pretty Bird

28 Thursday Oct 2010

Posted by Bonnie in Fabric, Michael Miller Fabrics

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Michael Miller

I’ve been busy on a project which I’ll reveal very soon but in the meantime I managed to spend a little more money on some eye candy.

Imagine my delight when I found an online source for current designer fabric in Canada. Now imagine the added bonus that this source is just 15 minutes from my home. I met Pam the owner of MadAboutPatchwork today. We had tea and talked fabric and blogging, then made our way to her “fabric store” in the basement. It was a hard decision what to bring home and what to leave behind.

The selection I chose is part of the Pretty Bird Fabric collection by Michael Miller Fabrics. The designer is Pillow and Maxfield.

I love the beautiful bold colours. I picked up some coordinating Kona Solids to round out the collection. I’m not sure what it will turn into just yet. It will sit on my shelf above the sewing machine tantalizingly until a project reveals itself.

Seeing Yellow

04 Monday Oct 2010

Posted by Bonnie in Fabric, Kaffe Fassett Fabric, My New Sewing Room

≈ 1 Comment

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Kaffe Fassett

A sneak peek at the colour going up in the new sewing room.

The dropcloths are laid, the painting has begun, but oh, the agony. Do you ever feel like everyone and everything is against you when you all you really want to do is get your teeth into a project? It seems life gets in the way and takes over at every turn. It’s been non-stop interruptions throughout this painting project and the job is only half-done.

To appease my creative soul, however, one of the interruptions was a trip to the fabric store. A lovely little quilt shop I’ve only just discovered. Without a specific project in mind I chose to stock up on as many different kinds of fabrics as I could. I stood in front of the fat quarter wall for a good hour pulling out samples and trying patterns and colours together in different colourways. In the end I left with two series that included some Kaffe Fassett and Philip Jacob prints with two meters of co-ordinating plains. It was a very fruitful trip. Oh, and then I decided I needed a new sketchpad to scribble my ideas into. I think it needs a nice fabric covering, don’t you?

Back to the paintbrush…..

Amy Butler Fat Quarters

21 Tuesday Sep 2010

Posted by Bonnie in Amy Butler Fabric, Fabric

≈ 1 Comment

It seems I can find any number of activities that keep me from my sewing. Sick kids, appointments, dirty laundry, making meals. You get the drift. Today’s distraction was a visit to a small town outside of my big town in search of some good home-cooking for breakfast after a visit to the bank. Well the home-cooking wasn’t anything to write home about so I won’t go into those details but I did find a wonderful fabric shop located just across the road. It was a mecca of colour and texture. Lots of wonderful quilting fabric with a wall of gorgeous yarn to boot. I’ll leave the knitting for another day. Much as I like a lovely knitted sweater they take far too long for this novice to complete. I’ll stick to the speed of a sewing machine for now.

The find of the day was some beautiful Amy Butler fabric that I’d been ogling over on the internet. There was more than enough to choose from and I had to keep my purchases down to a dull roar so in the end I picked up some fat quarters to whet my appetite. But now that I know where that little shop lives I’ll be back. Here is a sampling of my meager purchase of the day. Now, what to do with it? Any ideas?

Sailcloth

15 Wednesday Sep 2010

Posted by Bonnie in Fabric, Sailcloth

≈ 1 Comment

I picked up this gorgeous sailcloth today for just $20. There are two sails in the bundle. Aren’t the colours beautiful?

I’ve long thought about making grocery totes with sailcloth so now I have some to experiment with. I stopped in at the local fabric store and picked up some heavy duty thread for the project. There seems to be a little staining on the cloth so I’ll probably give it a good scrub with some bleach and water before I start.

So before you ask, no, I haven’t chosen my ‘first project’ yet. Lots of pondering, lots of searching through that messy sewing room, and life getting in the way.  My sister would love something special for her youngest daughter Bronwyn. And in fact she was the first recipient I thought of for the first venture. Back to the pondering.

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