Project: Leasa

Using The Good Stuff

After posting the first challenge for SewMyStash2017 (read HERE), there was a lot of enthusiasm! But, there certainly was some hesitation and anxiety about committing to using those beauties. So, I thought an encouraging blog post was needed!

First: Don’t think of it as cutting up, screwing up, or ruining your most treasured fabric! You need to think about how awesome it will be to enjoy them in a new form… including how nice it will be for others to enjoy them, too! You are a great sewist! You like your work, others like your work… there are not many projects that you made that turned out to be total shit. Seriously. So, lets look at some great ways to decide what you’re going to make.

Pinteresting… One of the first things I do when I need ideas is to search Pinterest. If I have fabric I want to use (in MY case I plan to cut up my precious Heather Ross fabrics) I begin my searching there with keywords like “heather ross, briar rose, quilt, bag, etc”. If you haven’t done this, try it! You might be surprised how many results you get!

Pocket Friends! The Instagram community is so very awesome and supportive! Talk to your followers and get ideas from them! You can also search the hashtags of your fabric you intend to use and see what others have made. Same as the keywords in Pinterest, try different hashtags to maximize your inspiration!

Go To Your Library! I’m talking about your sewing book library… but the public library is great too! We all have sewing books that have not been used to their max. Why not pick something from there? Maybe challenge yourself further and chose the “ugliest” quilt in the book! Perhaps your beauties with that pattern will be phenomenal!

Don’t Wear Them. For this challenge, I suggest NOT making a garment. These are your most cherished hoards and apparel will fade and get worn out over time. Stick to quilts, pillows, mini quilts/tapestries, and even bags.

Strengths Over New. Go with what you know or are good at. This is not the time to try new techniques. I’m not saying to sew using only patterns you know, just not to tackle paper piecing if you’ve never done it. Stick to basics and/or your common skill set and look for new ways to execute them. But, don’t underestimate the power of a simple half-square triangle quilt.

Show It Off! Do make sure you consider the motif sizes of the prints on your fabric! You don’t want to make micro cuts into large shapes/flowers/cuties. Whatever you chose should show off why you like the fabric so much!

Use What is There. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need to go to your local fabric shop in order to do this. That might seem obvious, but I still want to say it. Probably, you can get through this challenge with other fabric from your stash to support the faves in your chosen project. Batting, quilt backing, notions are exceptions. And maybe a little bit of coordinating solids if desperate. Curate a masterpiece!

You CAN do this! And I feel pretty sure you’re going to be glad you did!

Love, Leasa

Featured SewMyStash

SewMyStash2017.. and Happy New Year!

Post author By Leasa
Post date January 10, 2017
1 Comment on SewMyStash2017.. and Happy New Year!

Welcome to a new year! I hope everyone, personally, had a great 2016! It was a little bumpy for society as a whole, but at my house it was an awesome year! We welcomed Ruby Rae at the end of June, if you didn’t already know! She is happy, healthy, and as adorable as can be! The whole family adores her.

How did your stash sewing go last year?? For me, not as well as I hoped. My pregnancy made me more tired this time and I didn’t find much time to sew. To be honest, I think my stash grew a little more since I did less sewing! So, if you didn’t do so well, don’t beat yourself up! You are in good company 😉

Lets dive right into 2017 with the first challenge! I posted it over on Instagram, which will be the main platform for SewMyStash2017. What you can find here on the website is tips, links, and info on helping you through the challenges… extra stuff. I also wont be doing link ups here like I have in previous years. It will be too difficult to keep track of both areas.

The first challenge is to pick your FAVORITE fabric bundle and cut right into it for a project now! Its time for us to stop waiting to use those lovelies! There are too many great fabric lines always coming out.. you need to clear space so you can gather new favorites. Post a photo on Instagram and declare what you are going to make. I have given until the end of February for this challenge so that people have time to make quilt tops if they want. I will probably do a giveaway as well.

There may also be a weekend challenge for Valentines day, but I will give more info as that gets closer.

Thanks for playing along!

Cheers!
Leasa

Finished Projects How-To or Review SewMyStash

Making Baskets: Or how I learned that I should follow directions.

Post author By Leasa
Post date March 4, 2016
7 Comments on Making Baskets: Or how I learned that I should follow directions.

We are (slowly) starting to prepare for baby girl by getting the house, and specifically, her room ready. I saw we had a need for a few modern and goodlooking baskets for a cabinet outside her room. Well, everything Anna Graham of Noodlehead creates is both modern and goodlooking. I’ve had my eye on the baskets in her book for a while, so I decided to take the plunge.

I’m not sure why I thought my provisions to her pattern and instructions were going to work out better…. I guess I was feeling confident.

I decided to make 3 baskets at once so it was a lot of cutting. The cutting went well, but I had trouble when it came to sewing the side panels to the wall. You are instructed to clip the long wall pattern where the side panel is curved, in order to ease it into a curve shape too. This was a pain in the ass. After much swearing, time and sweat, I ended up putting a pleat in the side panels at the curve. It worked out ok I think.

Next, I sewed the outside and lining all together as instructed, and then I came to my first modification. I decided to do my handles differently. I wanted 1 handle on the front, like a drawer, instead of 2 on the sides near the top. The instructions said to use the double sided interfacing to stablize the side panels, and then attach the handles. But since I wanted my handle on the front, I decided it would be better to stablize all the sides, and basically complete the basket, and then attach my handle.

Let me back up a little and warn you of how scratchy the SF101 interfacing is. It’s really really scratchy. I stuffed them in the way you stuff a pillow into a pillowcase (by grabbing the edge and stiffing your arm inside the case, pulling the pillow) so my arm looked like I had a battle with an angry cat after wrestling 3 long scratchy pieces into 3 baskets. Next, ironing the interfacing to the basket exterior and lining was… frustrating. The lining was a little smaller than the exterior (that was the cutting instructions) so it couldn’t adhere to the interfacing at the curves on the inside. She says in the book not to be fussy about perfection with the interfacing, so I moved on. I closed up the gaps but top stitching all the way around…. because I don’t like blind stitching much. I don’t feel like my hand stitches are very secure.

Side note: I did trim the interfacing a tad because the fit was so snug and was proving to make things even more difficult.

On to the part I saved for last: the handle. Well, the handle didn’t look good on the front, so I just decided do it like the original pattern looks since it was so cute. Now, I had already passed up the handle part of the instructions, but I thought: no biggie! Ummm big biggie. Now that the basket had all its structure and stiff shape, there was no way to sew around the rectangle handle! I couldn’t position the basket up nor down! After kicking myself for about 30 mins and going back and forth on whether I should just not put handles, I figured out a work around. I pinned the handles in place, traced the rectangle shape with my disappearing pen onto the inside lining, and then stitched it from the inside on the 2 long sides. (remember, I couldn’t stitch the short sides because the structured basket couldn’t fit under the sewing machine). Lastly about the handles, I used a soft and flexible leather strap and had no trouble at all sewing through it. Some of the thicker leather might be an issue, but it depends on your machine.

So, there you have it! I hope my descriptions made sense, and if not, hopefully the images helped. In conclusion, my notes on the Baskets in “Handmade Style” are this:

FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!
That being said, I would choose to cut my lining fabric for the wall piece the same size as the exterior, which I hope would give the fabric more room to adhere to the interfacing at the curves. Its only about a 1″ difference, but might make all the difference.
Wear something long sleeve when stuffing the interfacing in between the exterior and lining

I do really love the way the baskets came out and I think I would make them again. They look very modern and have a professional handmade look to them.

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That’s A Wrap… And A Giveaway!

Post author By Leasa
Post date December 16, 2015
4 Comments on That’s A Wrap… And A Giveaway!

Well hello sewers! It’s been a few months since my last post, thanks to the Holidays, but I felt it was important to write a post for the end of the year.

I have to say, I am really impressed with the success of #SewMyStash2015 for all of you! The hashtag on Instagram has over 10,000 posts! I’ve seen countless AMAZING finished projects, commented on more than I can count, and loved every moment of it! Toward the first half of the year, we had a little more steam and started with a few great challenges that were well received! I also was part of Make Modern Magazine‘s March publication sharing the SewMyStash movement in an interview! That was awesome! But the biggest project for SewMyStash was the Mini Quilt Swap. We had over 300 participants! It wrapped up in early November and I think it was successful, though stressful. I definitely have extra respect for swap hosts and swap mamas! (Click HERE for all the SewMyStash2015 blog posts)

What’s the plan for next year…..?

Well, if you all are like me, then I am SURE you still have plenty of stash you didn’t get to! So… we will be continuing SewMyStash into 2016!! Yayyy! I already have a few ideas for challenges and this time I think I will make a calendar ahead so sewers know whats coming up! It would also be great to get a blog hop or guest sewers to keep it going through the summer for me since I should be out of commission for a few months. How does all that sound?

Lastly, I want to celebrate you all on your stash sewing accomplishments! I would love for you to post your 2 most favorite stash-sewing projects in the linky below! You have until December 31st at 11:30pm PST to get your submissions in! There will be giveaways! I will update this post when I have the goodies decided and sorted!

How many projects did you finish? What didn’t you get to? And let me know if you have any ideas for fun group challenges!

Thanks so much for participating and supporting! Let’s keep it going into 2016!

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SewMyStash

Looking Ahead

Oh boy, did we have a hectic August! It tends to be so every year, though, because both my husband and my son’s birthdays are in August… only 2 days apart! We also had a wedding out of town, which was great! And, unfortunately, I had to say good bye to a friend.

My coworker, Ricky Manginsay, passed away from cancer very young. I worked with him every day.. on our team we had our Director Rob Oliver, Ricky as the assistant director, and me as the lead Background artist. It was very emotional for everyone. I am happy to say that we have celebrated him as much as we can since he passed! And I took the opportunity to make something special for him (and his wife), and as a way for me to process/grieve. I’m only sorry I didn’t get to give it to him in person. He died the morning of the day I was to visit with a group of coworkers. I hope, with all my heart, that he may rest in peace and that his friends and family’s suffering is eased.

Sorry for the sad moment..there were a lot of great parts of August! Levi’s 4th birthday (puppy themed), the wedding of friends in Idaho, and how much family we got to spend time with thanks to 2 reunions!

Lets look ahead to the rest of the year! The SewMyStash Mini Quilt Swap is getting close to the ship deadline of Oct 3rd (international) and a final ship deadline of Oct 12th! Its been really fun to see what people have been making! I invite you to browse the hashtag on Instagram: #SewMyStashMiniQuiltSwap

As we have gotten closer to the end of the year, I have begun to panic about how much (read: little) I have sewn my stash. Not as much as I intended, I’m sorry to admit. Oh, I have sewn from stash, but I have not made time to sew my collections that I have been hoarding. And I am not sure how much I can honestly get done with only 3.5 months left in the year! Not to mention the holidays!

Instead, I think I will focus on something a little different, but is still stash sewing. This month I had joined blogger Emily Chapelle of So Damn Domestic in her “30 Day Countdown to Clutter-free” challenge. I am certainly not a hoarder, but I do find that I have copious amounts of clutter around my house. The past few weeks I have been working successfully at reducing this clutter, and would like to apply the concept to my stash. I have already gone through and very honestly destashed some fabric. After that, there was still a lot of “but I want to make something with that” going on in my head. So, I think I am going to focus on stash busting the fabrics I like, but don’t like for me…. how, you ask? Sewing for my Etsy shop! I’ve already used a charm pack to make a simple baby crib quilt that I whipped up in just a few hours! I plan to do the same with a few more too. And after that, I think I will pull out all my baby nursery fabrics and make bibs for the shop. And sew on and sew on!

I was kind of thinking about starting a SewMyStash Holiday bootcamp group…. what do you guys think? Something to motivate each other to sew up some stash for our shops and for handmade gifts!

Leasa

Tags Quilt, quilting, Review, sewing, SewMyStash2015, swap, vacation

Finished Projects SewMyStash

#SewMyStash2015: 6 month Checkup!

Post author By Leasa
Post date July 31, 2015
3 Comments on #SewMyStash2015: 6 month Checkup!

Hello sewers! Can you believe its July already!!?? Less than 6 months until Christmas! Ahhhh!!! Ok, lets focus on the now… how are you doing with sewing your stash!!?? Have you gotten some projects done? Have you filled your shop more? Selfish sewing? Gift sewing? If you are like me, you haven’t made NEARLY the dent you meant to…

I began the year vowing not to do any swaps for a while, and I am happy to say I kept that promise! Except for the one I am currently hosting.. but that one is for SewMyStash so it doesn’t count!

January & February: I participated in the Valentines weekend challenge and finished up the Downton Abby swap that I had previously signed up for! I also had the precuts party challenge but I didn’t get to participate. Instead, I wrote a quilt block pattern for my Modern Quilt Guild chapter, the LAMQG. I did use some stash! The pattern is on sale in my shop! (Marching On Pattern)

March: In March I was no so disciplined. I did a little selfish sewing by making some scout tee’s… but I think only 1 of those was from stash. In fact, I *may* have visited Michael Levine in Downtown on their 20% off all cotton sale day. Oh.. yeah I did. Evidence:

See that stack next to my husband with the Heather Ross?? That’s mine. Whoops. See! I am not perfect at all!

April: I did better with the bag challenge. I made a Caravan Tote in preparation for our vacation in May. I used 75% stash and I just LOVE it!

May: Vacation!!!!!!! Mostly. But I also decided to write the pattern for the “It’s A Small World” inspired mini quilt that I made for the Disney Mini Quilt Swap…. and boy did that consume all my time! I’m happy to say I got it done, but it was a month of keeping me from sewing my stash… sigh. There were a handful of fabrics I needed to buy for my color samples so it wasn’t as stash busting as I would’ve liked. I’m very proud of it and will be writing a blog post about it soon! (The Small World Mini pattern)

I came back from The Netherlands with an exciting amount of Dutch heritage fabric and wanted to get started right away. This quilt is 100% NOT stash! But I am ok with that. I want this quilt to be exactly what I want it to be without compromise since it kind of commemorates our trip. It is coming out perfectly!

June & July: In June I totally dropped the ball! I was headed back to work from hiatus (I work in animated television) and my sewing time was zapped. So lets just quietly skip over June without another mention… ok cool.

July I tried to spark the “Holiday in July” movement but with little success. I just don’t have much enthusiasm for Christmas crafting yet. I LOVE me some holiday time, especially the decor… but I just didn’t get in the groove.

I took a Carolyn Friedlander class at my local quilt shop for the Park Pillow. I am excited that I added needle-turn applique to my sewing skills. And the fabrics were from stash 🙂

The LAMQG hosted a bag swap amongst our members this past month and I was able to create a Library Tote all from stash and the 2 bits of fabric my partner supplied.

And, lastly, I did launch my first swap! The SewMyStash Mini Quilt Swap! It felt like the right time to get the mojo flowing more. Its been… an adventure.. so far but I have some awesome swap mama’s (helpers) and I think its going well so far! The deadline is October so I am pretty sure it’s going to keep me busy. Here is my progress so far:

As I reflect on the year so far, I have not touched my hoarded fabric collections which was the reason I started SewMyStash2015 in the first place! I’m trying to be realistic about what is do-able over the remaining 6 months. I will be happy if I can complete these things:

Dutch Swoon Quilt Top
2 Halloween Pillow Covers- from stash
Christmas Tree Skirt- from stash
Start secret sewing- from stash
Another Small World Mini- from stash
Small sewings for my shop- from stash

That might be ambitious. Heads up… I think there will definitely be a SewMyStash2016 😉

*************GIVEAWAY!!!**********************

Post your favorite finish (from stash) so far this year in the linky below! I want to congratulate you all on any stash finishes! Only 1 entry per person. This time I will chose 3 random winners! Giveaway Items will be announced next week! You have until August 16th to enter!

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Tags fabric, Quilt, quilting, Review, sewing, SewMyStash2015

SewMyStash

SewMyStash2015: Mini Quilt Swap!

Post author By Leasa
Post date July 11, 2015
18 Comments on SewMyStash2015: Mini Quilt Swap!

Welcome to the SewMyStash Mini Quilt Swap! Below you will find the details and rules for this swap. It is open to international sewers as well as domestic! The ship deadline for international is October 3rd and final deadline is October 12th. My intention is for all packages to be received by the end of October. Since this is mostly stash sewing, everyone should be able to get started right away and finish easily within the deadline. There is no specific theme, you may request anything from your partner, including holiday related! The link to the google form is at the bottom of this post! Happy quilting!

The Details:

It must be a mini quilt ranging from 12″x 12″ to 24″x 24″
It needs to be 75% stash at least! Really try hard for this, guys! Its the honor system, but its also the fun/point of this swap!
Lets try to keep the extra goodies to yardage or scraps from your stash or other little things! No need to go on a shopping spree. You are welcome to use more stash to make something small, of course!
We will be using the #SewMyStashMiniQuiltSwap hashtag as well as hashtags for swap mamas (example: #LeasasStashSewers)
Be aware that people will be pulling fabrics from their stash for you! I recommend being generous with your info on the sign up form and with your posted mosaic.
Know that this swap is open to all skill levels, but we will be attempting to pair people up who would fit well together.
This is a SECRET swap
The swap is limited to 350 participants

Rules:

You MUST have a public and active Instagram account!
You MUST post a mosaic of inspiration for your partner within 1 week of partner assignment
You MUST check in with your swap mama at the halfway point of September 1st. You need to have started by then!
International shipping deadline is October 3rd
Final deadline is October 12th
You MUST notify your swap mama when you send and receive
You MUST properly thank your partner for their hard work!

Swap Mamas:

@crazydutchbirdquilts @jaclynb @london_and_granger @megsincali @sewhoitytoity @wolfykisses @projectleasa

SIGN UPS ARE NOW CLOSED!

Leasa

Tags fabric, Instagram, Quilt, quilting, sewing, SewMyStash2015

SewMyStash

SewMyStash2015: Holiday in July!

Post author By Leasa
Post date July 2, 2015
3 Comments on SewMyStash2015: Holiday in July!

Only 6 more months until Christmas!!! Yay!! The concept of “Christmas in July” is not a new one, especially in the crafting/sewing world. I love Christmas time and really wanted to get SewMyStash2015 involved in this concept, though I did alter it slightly so that its more friendly to those who celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanza and the Winter Solstice.

This challenge will be about using up those holiday fabrics, or making those holiday themed patterns as well as handmade gifts to give! Rules below!

Anything holiday! Fabric, pattern, gifts for others… make anything you want!
75% stash, approximately
Every finished item is an entry to the giveaway (multiple small items count as one. like stocking stuffers of ornaments, etc)
Completed (basically) by July 31st (Harry Potter’s birthday!… ahem)
Spread the word! I’m not going to require that you post or blog about it, but if you get a chance, spread the word! Its always more fun the more people doing it!

That’s it! All you have to do now is decide what to make! I’m hoping to use ALL of my Cherry Christmas fabric by Aneela Hoey.

I would really love to make a tree skirt using this free pattern from Amy Butler. I want to try and include my wedding veil as trim! Its the only piece from my wedding day that I kept and I have been trying to think of what to do with it for years. I hope it works out! **Side note: I love the way this blogger used pre-quilted fabric from Jo Anns instead of wool!

(image from Amy Butler Design)

I also would love to make a Christmas quilt. I recently saw some patchwork that looked like a bunch of little wreaths! Seems simple enough to get done in a realistic time frame and is a good way to showcase my adorable fabric! I cant resist Amy Smart’s little trees either! Squeeeeeee!

And 2 star pillow covers… if I can swing it! Hmm… this challenge might have to extend into August, lol!

What do YOU want to make!!?? P.S.- I have a blog post for quilted stockings that I wrote 2 years ago if you need one. It’s a tutorial/tips but looking back I think I would do a quilt-as-you-go method 🙂

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Get working! And check back soon for the giveaway items announcement!

Leasa

Tags christmas, Holiday, Instagram, Quilt, quilting, sewing, SewMyStash2015