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Retro Fun: Kitchen Curtains with Gingham Bows

Editor: Liz Johnson

Wednesday, 05 May 2010 03:00

Curtain panels are a perfect beginner project. They're fast, super simple, and you get a great sense of satisfaction when you hang them up and instantly transform your window from plain and boring to pretty and bright. Our Retro Fun curtains combine two great vintage fabrics from Barbara Jones' Simply Sweet collection plus the ultimate retro touch: red gingham bows. Gingham and polka dots and pretty flowers... it's such a happy combination, I feel like breaking into a few stanzas of Perry Como's 1951 classic Zing Zing Zoom Zoom . Who wants to sing along?? The supplies listed below are for TWO finished curtain panels measuring approximately 42" wide x 42" long each. These were created for a 36" x 36" window. The ribbon ties make the height somewhat adjustable. Please note that the window in the photo above is a bit taller and thinner, which is why the curtain rod appears "set down" from the top of the window. With flat curtain panels, they are flexible and pretty easy to adjust. However, if your window(s) are very different in size, check out our tutorial: How to Measure for Curtains. BIG thanks to our new friend, Barbara Jones, the designer of the beautiful Simply Sweet fabric collection for Henry Glass & Company. She very generously provided all the fabric for our retro kitchen projects, and has it all in-stock and available for order on her site, QuiltSoup. We looked at a lot of fabrics for this series, but Barbara's designs are the ones that jumped right off the page as the perfect vintage kitchen combo. There are additional colorways and designs within the collection. Check it out. Sewing Tools You Need Any Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome JNH 1860) Fabric and Other Supplies All Simply Sweet fabric is available at QuiltSoup Fabric top and bottom accent borders: 1 yard of 44-45" wide fabric: we used Barbara Jones' Simply Sweet in #5120-82 Jumbo Pink Dot on Red for Henry Glass & Co. Fabric Fabric for main curtain panels: 2-1/8 yards of 44-45" wide fabric: we used Barbara Jones' Simply Sweet in #5116-8 Floral Diamonds for Henry Glass & Co Fabric Fabric for curtain panel lining: 2-1/8 yards of 44-45" wide solid fabric: we used a plain white cotton 9 yards of 1" ribbon for ties: we used red gingham All purpose thread to match both the main panel fabrics and the accent fabric See-through ruler Tape measure Fabric pencil Iron and ironing board Scissors or rotary cutter and mat Straight pins Fray Check or similar for the ends of the ribbons Getting Started From the accent fabric (Simple Sweet Jumbo Dot in our sample), cut four strips 8" x the width of the fabric. From the main panel fabric (Simply Sweet Floral Diamond in our sample), cut two panels 37" x the width of the fabric. From the lining fabric (white cotton in our sample), cut two panels 37" x the width of the fabric. Trim all these pieces to a matching 43" width. Cut the ribbon (red gingham in our sample) into eighten 18" lengths. Trim the ends at a diagonal. Each curtain panel uses eight ties, the two extra ribbons are to use as tie backs. Apply a line of Fray Check, or similar, to each end of each piece of ribbon, and allow to dry or iron dry with low heat. This will help prevent the ribbon from fraying and raveling. At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board Thread your machine with thread to match the curtain panels. Match up the two main fabric panels with the two lining fabric panels. Pin each set right sides together, aligning all the edges. Sew both sets together along both SIDES (but not the top and bottom), using a ½" seam allowance. Press all four seams open. Then, turn the curtain panels right side out and press the seams flat so they make a nice sharp edge. Fold one accent strip in half lengthwise. Press. Open the accent strip back up and lay it flat on your work surface right side facing up. You will be able to see the pressed crease down the middle. The crease marks the center line of your strip and the line on which you will place and stitch the ribbon ties. Collect eight ribbon lengths. Fold each length in half to find its center point. Place the center line of the ribbon on the center crease line of the accent strip. The ribbons will lay perpendicular to the fabric. Space the eight ribbons evenly along the strip with the first and last ribbons ½" in from each end. The ties will be approximately 5" apart. Pin in place. Re-thread your machine with thread to match the accent strip. Stitch straight across the entire piece of accent fabric, keeping your seam right along the center crease and attaching the ties as you sew. At each ribbon, stop with your needle in the down position and back stitch over the tie to secure, then proceed to the next ribbon, This gives each ribbon three lines of stitching, which will create a nice, strong tie. Fold the accent strip in half again, wrong sides together, along the crease line and press the ties up and away from the strip. You seam line will run along the very top of your fold. Open the accent strip up and match it to the top raw edge of the curtain panel, centering the accent strip so there is an extra ½" at each side. The right side of the accent strip should face the right side of the main panel fabric. Pin in place. Stitch across the top through all layers, using a ½" seam allowance. Start and stop at the finished edges of the panel. With the accent strip still opened flat, press the seam allowance away from the curtain panel towards the accent strip. Flip the project over, and press up the long raw edge of the accent strip ½". Fold the accent strip in half lengthwise, right sides together, and pin in place. Stitch across both short ends with a ½" seam allowance. This seam allowance should be flush with the finished edge of the curtain panel. Trim seam allowance to 1/4". Turn right sides out and press. On the lining side of the curtain panel, bring the pressed edge of the accent strip back up and over the exposed seam. Pin in place. Edgestitch around all four sides of the accent strip. This top stitching will be visible, so be very careful to keep your seam line straight and remember to pivot at each corner. Finish the lower edge of the curtain in the same way, using a second accent strip, but omitting the ribbons and the line of stitching that secures them. Make the second curtain panel to match the first. We found it easier to tie all the ribbon ties into matching bows first, and then slip the panels onto the curtain rod. Contributors

Baby Gifts: Pretty Bird Hooded Towel With Matching Washcloth

Editor: Liz Johnson

Tuesday, 06 July 2010 03:00

This is absolutely one of the best baby gifts ever! Bundling up baby after bath time with a hooded towel is easier and cozier. The hood doesn't just help dry those clean mop tops, it actually acts as a little anchor, allowing mom or dad to more quickly wrap the rest of the towel around squirming, slippery baby-boo. Ours is made with Michael Miller Fabrics' great new organic terry cloth and features a matching bound washcloth. Free patterns are included. Our simplified instructions keep the hood of the towel as plain fabric. If you are more advanced when it comes to your bias binding prowess, see our Hints & Tips below for notes on how to add a terry cloth lining. Our thanks to our pals at Michael Miller Fabrics for providing us with this absolutely wonderful fabric for our series of seven Baby Gift projects. It's called Pretty Bird from Pillow & Maxfield. There are three vibrant colorways from which to choose. We selected the fabrics for our Baby collection from the Aqua colorway with its incredible hot pinks, limes and bright blues. Pretty Bird comes out this month, so check your favorite local or online fabric retailer soon for availability. Sewing Tools You Need Any Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome DC2010) Fabric and Other Supplies ½ yard of 44-45" wide fabric for front of hood: we used Pillow & Maxfield Pretty Bird from Michael Miller Fabrics in Aqua Bloomies 1¼ yard of 44-45" wide terry cloth for body of towel and wash cloth: we used Michael Miller's new organic terry cloth in natural Two packages of ½" double-fold bias tape: we used Wrights extra wide, double-fold bias tape in Lemon Ice All-purpose sewing thread in colors to match bias tape binding Scissors or rotary cutter and mat See-through ruler Straight pins Fabric pen or pencil Iron and ironing board Getting Started Download and print the Baby Washcloth pattern and the Hooded Towel Corner Piece pattern. IMPORTANT: Each pattern consists of ONE 8.5" x 11" sheet. You must print the PDF files at 100%. DO NOT SCALE to fit the page. Cut out the patterns along the solid lines. Using the washcloth pattern (as noted on the pattern piece, you cut along the fold), cut ONE piece from the terry cloth fabric. Also from the terry cloth, cut ONE 30" x 30" square. Using the Hooded Towel Corner Piece pattern as a template, round all four corners of the 30" x 30" piece. Cut the print fabric (Aqua Bloomies in our sample) into a 15" x width of fabric (WOF) strip. Measure 15" from the corner along the WOF side and make a mark. Align your see-through ruler at a diagonal from the WOF mark to the opposite corner to form a triangle. Cut along the ruler. Round off the top point of the triangle using the Hooded Towel Corner Piece pattern as a template as you did with the towel body. At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board Cut a length of bias tape to match the long bottom edge of your hood piece. It will be approximately 20". Encase the raw edge of the hood piece with the bias binding and pin in place. NOTE: Simply encasing the raw edges with the double-fold bias tape is the faster way to attach binding. It is the method we used for our recent Retro Fun: Toddler's Laminated Project Apron. The more 'traditional' option is to unfold one half of the binding, stitch it in place on the front, then re-fold and wrap the binding over the raw edge to the back, and stitch in place to finish. We used this more traditional method on our Retro Fun: Quilted Mitt Pot Holders. If you're brand new to bias tap binding, take a look at our tutorial: Bias Tape: How To Make It & Attach It . Topstitch using a zig zag stitch. We set the swing of our zig zag stitch to run right along the very edge of the bias binding. NOTE: A zig zag is more 'forgiving' than a straight stitch; in other words, your seam line can wobble a little without it being noticeable on the finished piece. Pin the hood piece onto one corner of the towel body piece. Machine baste the hood into place ¼" from the edge. Stitch the two pieces of seam binding together (the remaining piece you already used and the new piece from the second package) using a 3/8" seam allowance and press the seam open. You need a nice, long piece to go all the way around the towel. Pin the seam binding around the entire outer edge of the towel. The terry cloth can be stretchy, so don't be afraid to use plenty of pins - especially around the corners. When you get back around where you started, trim the binding so it overlaps approximately 1". Press  this trimmed end under ¼" and pin in place over the top of the beginning. Top stitch the binding, using the same zig zag stitch as above. NOTE: Nice, neat binding is really all about practice, and going slowly and evenly. Don't expect to just wrap, pin and stitch. Going too quickly or assuming everything stays put and never moves is where disappointment lurks: you pull it out of the machine and there's a big chunk of fabric that's slipped out and isn't captured within the binding. Go nice and slow, especially around the corners, easing the fabric into the binding as you go. To keep 'on track', stop periodically, with your needle in the down position, and pivot your fabric slightly. Repeat the process to bind the matching washcloth. You should have more than enough bias tape left over from the towel. Press both pieces with steam for a finished look. Since the terry cloth is quite stretchy this step is very important! Hints and Tips Extra steps to line the hood with terry cloth If you want some extra absorbency, you could line the back of the hood with terry cloth. We opted not to do this because it added bulk and made the binding process more complex. However, if you're an old hand at binding, a terry cloth lining does add some softness to the hood. Simply cut a matching hood triangle out of the terry cloth (you'd need to buy a little extra terry cloth, probably a 1½ yards instead of 1¼ yards). Machine baste the terry cloth and fabric triangles wrong sides together so you can treat the two pieces as one. Trim the terry cloth back close to the machine basting to reduce the bulk. Finish the towel as described above. I would suggest using the 'traditional' two-step bias binding method, which gives you a bit more control when wrapping a thicker edge. Contributors

ScrapBusters: Bow Tie Bath Towels

Editor: Liz Johnson

Friday, 29 July 2011 03:00

Here's another super fast ScrapBusters project that turns out super cute with very little effort on your part. We used pre-cut Jelly Roll strips to make our ribbons, but any long scraps would work. You'll need just two 2½" x 44" strips for each towel. These gussied-up guest towels with their bright bows would look very cool on your own towel bar, but better still, they are the perfect quick and easy hostess, wedding shower or house warming gift. We made three towels, blending our fabric selections so they looked great on their own or hung together. We actually used three different brands of hand towels, purchasing whatever we found on sale. I mention this because 1) it proves the size of the ribbon ties should work with the majority of the towels you'll find in your neck of the words, and 2) it means this idea is fast and easy and inexpensive . Thanks to our friends at Moda Fabrics for providing us with a set of Hoopla pre-cuts for this project. One technical note: This project requires a lot of stitching and pivoting through multiple layers very close to the edge. Not a problem with my Janome machines because they have an awesome feeding system. If you've had trouble with edgestiting like this on your machine in the past, you'll want to test the technique first... perhaps with some fabric scraps on an old towel. Sewing Tools You Need Any Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome 3160QDC) Clear View Quilting Foot & Guide Set (optional) Fabric and Other Supplies Supplies listed are for ONE towel Jelly roll strips – each towel uses just two of the forty 2½" x 44" strips that come in a standard pack; if you don't have any or choose not to use Jelly Roll strips, you'll need to cut TWO 2½" x 44" strips: we used a variety of Jelly Roll strips in Hoopla by Moda Fabrics One standard hand towel (apx. 16½" x 30"): we used snow white so our bright ribbon colors would pop All-purpose thread in colors to match and/or contrast with your fabric See-through ruler Iron and ironing board Scissors or rotary cutter and mat Straight pins Getting Started Remove all tags from the towel, both price tags and care tags. Pre-wash and dry your towel and your fabric. We always recommend pre-washing your fabric, but I'm mentioning it here because it is especially important when your finished item is something with the potential for frequent laundering. Select the Jelly Roll strips (or other fabric strips) that will become the front and back layers of your ribbon ties. Trim off any selvedges. Fold each strip in half to find the middle, then cut each strip in half. You now have two sets of two strips, each approximately 2½" x 22" (the final length is dependent on whether or not you had to trim selvedges). At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board Place each pair of strips right sides together, aligning all raw edges. Pin in place. Draw a diagonal line across one end of each pinned pair. NOTE: Remember, these ribbons are similar to a sash on a dress; your diagonal lines should be on opposite ends and be mirror images of one another. Stitch each pair together, using a ¼" seam allowance. Pivot at each corner, stitching one end square and one end along your drawn diagonal line. Leave a 2-3" opening along one long edge for turning. NOTE: I used my Clear View Quilting foot to help keep my seam, angles and corners straight and true. Clip all the corners and trim the diagonal seam to 1/8". Turn each tie right side out through the opening. Use a blunt-end tool, like a large knitting needle or a chopstick to push out the corners so they are nice and sharp. NOTE: With little corners like these, I also like to gently 'pick and pull' my corners with a straight pin from the right side of the fabric. I push the pin into the corner then GENTLY flick it out, which pulls additional fabric out and sharpens the corner. Press the ties, turning in the opening ¼" so it is flush with the sewn seam. Lengthen your stitch a bit. For example, I went from a 2.5 to a 3.1, NOTE: You can also change your thread color at this time if you want your topstitching to stand out. I stuck with matching thread for mine. Edgestitch around all four sides of each tie. I used my Clear View Quilting foot again to run my stitch line 1/8" from the edge. This edgestitching closes the opening you used to turn the ties. Fold your towel to find the middle and mark with a fabric pencil or pins. The ribbons are designed to cover the towel's bottom band. Align one tie so its square end is flush with the edge of the towel. Pin from this point to 1½" from the towel's center. The ribbon should be right side up and centered over the towel band. Repeat to pin the opposite tie in place. Check to make sure your diagonal ends are correctly matched. Topstitch each tie in place. Start at the 1½"-from-the-middle point. Stitch down across the tie, pivot, then follow exactly along the previous line of edgestitching back to your starting point, pivoting at each corner. Go slowly, smoothing often to keep all your layers nice and flat. NOTE: For this topstitching as well as the original edgestitching, I used a lock stitch to secure my seam rather than back stitching. This leaves a cleaner line. You will have made a large rectangle that secures the tie in place. Repeat to attach the opposite tie. Press the ties. Tie a pretty bow. Contributors