The Destashification Project

Just a blouse, Ma’am. Just a blouse.

Posted on January 14, 2013 by destashification

Just a blouse with a black skirt and gold cardigan.

I needed a blouse. Just a simple blouse.

The search was on!

…and then off. I am not much of a shopper.

Blouses without shoulders…., See-through blouses…, Blouses with elastic waists……, and even blouses with wings!

I just wanted a simple blouse!

About 15 minutes later, I realized I had wandered into a fabric store – with a coupon in my hand!

A printed polyester fabric caught my eye (this and about a dozen other fabrics – but thankfully, at times I can count on some small measure of self-control!)

The fabric had good colors. Neutral background. Some black – to coordinate with the many black suit jackets. Some purple (to coordinate with just the coolest purple earrings). Machine washable.

The design was a horizontal stripe, but turned 90 degrees would become vertical.

Inexplicably, and against all the laws of physics, the bolt jumped off the wall and landed – unaided – in my cart.

Off to gaze longingly at pattern books. Many patterns were considered. None were purchased. I felt The Pattern Stash could provide.

It did. This now-discontinued Vogue pattern: 8392 – (without the Copa-Cabana sleeves!)

I had sewn it previously from a sheer lightweight silk – and apparently after it completed its useful life, I decided to save the blouse as a muslin – which was folded nicely inside the pattern envelope!

Cutting out the blouse was a bit tricky as I only had the front and back pattern pieces. The sleeve of the silk blouse/muslin had to serve as the sleeve pattern piece.

I also cut neckline facings – good old fashion facings. Not a bias binding. A real 2+ inch wide facing – complete with interfacing and requiring understitching! Anyone remember those?

After sewing the blouse, I pulled it over my head and discovered it was HUGE! So much for the saved silk blouse serving its purpose as a muslin!

A bit of resizing.

Just a blouse in a poor quality self-photo with a beige linen wrap skirt.

The finished blouse!

I love the wide neckline and the pleats! Bending over can be accomplished with no gapping!!!

Posted in Goddess, Sewing, Stash Couture | Tagged sewing a blouse, Vogue 8392 | 1 Comment

Destashification Christmas: Day 8 – Feathered Quilted Pillows

Posted on December 20, 2012 by destashification

On the 8th Day of the Destashification Christmas, me needles gave to me….

Large Quilted Pillows

Two large feather quilted pillows.

The Stash contained some rather expensive home decor fabric remnants in the color needed.

The “crinkly” bronze/gold polyester was marked “Dry Clean Only”, so into the washer it went!

The recipient has 4 children and pillows designed for the family room need to be washable. The fabric washed and machine dried beautifully!

The pattern for the feathered double wreath can be found at Forest Quilting. It was enlarged from the 10″ square pattern to a 20″ size for this 26″ pillow (with a 3″ flange). I added the center grid to the pattern.

Enlarged Design and Saral Transfer Paper

The more ornate feathered heart was also enlarged to approximately 20″ square.

The fabric was placed on a large table. The enlarged design pinned (OK, taped) to it and the transfer paper placed between (color side down).

Tracing the design lines transferred the design to the fabric.

Fusible Fleece was then ironed to the back of the fabric and the design quilted.

Dark green hand quilting thread was used to stitch the patterns.

Missing Feather

As careful as I was to make sure I transferred the entire pattern – a few feathers came up missing!

A long time ago, I learned the hard lesson that retracing never really aligns correctly, so had to improvise another method.

I cut out the missing feather and enough of the adjacent feathers to be able to align it.

Aligning the missing feather for tracing

Then traced around the cut out feather with a disappearing ink fabric pen (after testing it on a scrap of the pillow fabric – to make sure it would truly disappear!)

The steps outlined in the Flanged Pillows with Frustration Free Zipper Tutorial were followed for the zipper and pillow back – with one exception: these pillows were lined for extra stability.

Detail of Feathered Heart

The pillows are quite large. They are stuffed with a 26″ square polyfill pillow form. With their 3″ flanges, the pillows are 32″ square.

They are intended for use as floor pillows – with the full knowledge that they will be used to hold dinner plates, cereal bowls and the occasional (rare) math book.

So, being washable was a must.

Detail of Feathered Wreath

I would love to stitch motifs like these on silk dupioni – the stitch definition would be more pronounced – but then the pillows could not be used to hold those dinner plates!

Posted in Beginner Sewing Projects, Home Decor, Sewing, Stash Couture, Tutorial | Tagged feathered quilting, heart motif | 1 Comment

Destashification Christmas: Day Six – Huck Towels

Posted on December 20, 2012 by destashification

On the sixth day of Destashification Christmas, my needles gave to me…..

Huck Towels

Several Huck Towels! The perfect Hostess Gift, Aunt Gift, Friend Gift.

Just a perfect gift for so many!

Huck Embroidery Detail

Colors can be made to match the recipients kitchen…or just fun colors to work with!

Huck Embroidery is simple to stitch (and if a mistake occurs – even simpler to take-out!)

The photos of the first three patterns (my own designs) posted within this blog are large so that anyone can follow the patterns. Two more intricate patterns can be found in the Stash Couture Huck Towels Post.

The beginning How-to’s for Huck Embroidery can be found in The Destashification Huck How-To Post.

I like to use thread colors that flow from lighter to darker or one color to another, but even a single color makes a beautiful – and useful – towel.

Tree Variation

These patterns I just made up as I worked.

The Tree Variation is based on probably the very common Tree Huck Embroidery Pattern – it is usually done in greens.

Another Huck Towel

Love the colors in the above towel. They flow from gold to rust to brown.

Mildred Krieg Huck Towel Design

The towel to the left is design is No. 329 in Mildred V. Kreig’s Huck Towel Patterns copyrighted in 1936.

The black and white pattern photo from the booklet can be seen on the right side of the photo.

The weave of Huck Toweling has changed since 1936. The threads form a more elongated design than that in the booklet photo.

Posted in Beginner Sewing Projects, Embellishment, Home Decor, Huck Towel, Sewing, Stash Couture, Tutorial | 17 Comments

The Destashification Christmas – Day Five

Posted on December 19, 2012 by destashification

Quilted Heart Pillow

On the fifth day of The Destashification Christmas, my needles gave to me: 5 *100 quilting stitches (approximately). …

..stitched into a feathered heart pillow. The subtlety of the quilting makes it difficult to see in the picture to the right – please scroll down.

Feathered Quilting Design by Judy Allen

The intricacies of hand quilted feather patterns have always intrigued me.

Curve a simple running stitch and the result is just stunning beautiy.

Feathered Quilting by My Embroideries

As interior design moves toward more modern “clean” looks, pieced work may look out of place, but a solid color pillow quilted with one of these beautiful motifs will be a perfect accent piece in any decor.

Red linen makes a perfect background for a feathered heart motif. Here are the quick steps used to transfer the design to the fabric.

Feathered Heart by Forest Quilting

The free downloadable pdf feathered heart motif from Forest Quilting was used.

After printing the 9″ * 9″ motif, I determined I would need a larger motif. By scanning the motif into a jpeg, it was a simple process to enlarge it to the desired size (approx. 12″ * 12′) – and then printed it again.

The fabric was cut into a 24″ square and ironed to removed all wrinkles. The center of the fabric and design matched. The corners of the design were pinned to the fabric.

Saral Transfer Paper

A sheet of yellow Saral Transfer Paper was placed between the design and the fabric – and then the design simply traced with a pen. The Saral transferred the lines of the motif to the fabric.

Saral is much like old fashioned carbon paper – and will rub off, so care must be taken not to overhandle the fabric once the design has been transferred.

Pellon Fusible fleece was then ironed to the back of the linen.

Feathered Heart

Using a yellow quilting thread, the design was hand quilted.

Two football games and approximately 500 stitches later – the quilting was complete!

Following the same process outlined in the Tutorial for the Destashification Flanged Pillow with Frustration-Free Zipper, the zipper, back and flange were completed!

Stitching Detail

All set and ready to deliver for Christmas!

Posted in Beginner Sewing Projects, Embellishment, Home Decor, Quilting, Sewing, Tutorial | Tagged feathered heart, hand quilted pillow, heart motif | Leave a comment

The Destashification Christmas: Day Four

Posted on December 10, 2012 by destashification

On the fourth day of The Destashification Christmas, my needles gave to me:

Owl Placemats

Four Owl Placemats.

The wings form pockets for silverware and napkins!

Owl Placemats

Just too adorable – especially when one has a relative that collects owls!

This was a mother-daughter project. My daughter selected and coordinated the fabrics – from The Stash. After applying the “Wonder Under,” she drew the eyes and beaks and cut them out.

The Stash provided the iron-on interfacing and almost enough Wonder Under (one set of eyes short).

Who’s Place by Susie C Shore

The pattern is Who’s Place by Susie C Shore Designs.

Great fun!

Posted in Accessories, Home Decor, Sewing | Tagged owl placemats | 2 Comments

The Destashification Christmas – Day Three

Posted on December 10, 2012 by destashification

On the third day of Destashification Christmas, my needles gave to me:

Lace Cashmere Scarf

A Lace Cashmere Scarf (with a K3 in the pattern)!

The pattern is Estonian Garden Scarf/Wrap by Evelyn C. Clark.

The yarn is unbelievably soft, but sadly discontinued, Fearless Fibers Laceweight Cashmere in Sedona. One skein (purchased from a Raveler that was destashing) completed a scarf over 5 feet long!

The colors are reflective of the rocks at Sedona – but the touch of the yarn is its most endearing quality!

This is the third, maybe fourth, of these scarves I have knit. The lace repeat is simple to memorize and the size is perfect for a take-along project.

Five Feet of Cashmere!

So nice to wrap a loved one in over five feet of cashmere!

Posted in Accessories, Knitting, Stash Couture | Tagged Estonian Garden Scarf, knitted lace scarf | 1 Comment

The Destashification Christmas Day Two

Posted on December 9, 2012 by destashification

On the Second Day of Destashification Christmas, my needles gave to me…

Kamura Bedroom Socks: cable and lace pattern.

Kumara Bedroom Socks: cable and lace pattern.

Two Bed Socks.

Hand knit wool (washable) socks help counter the effects of those cold floors and cold nights.

The pattern is Kumara Bed Socks from Interweave Knits.

The photo from the pattern below shows the cable and lace pattern in better detail.

The Kumara yarn used in the pattern includes camel hair and is not washable.

Kumara Bed Socks showing detail of cable and lace pattern.

The Stash provided Cascade 220 washable wool in a dark heather brown. To make the socks extra warm and cushioned, it was used double.

This is the third pair of these socks knit from Stash Yarn. They are great to ward off the winter cold!

The instructions suggest double-pointed needles, but I was fortunate to have a very short circular needle in The Knitting Needle Stash that is just right for this pattern.

Bed Socks Detail

The cable and lace pattern is simple to memorize and the socks knit up quickly.

Posted in Accessories, Knitting | Leave a comment

The Destashification Christmas Day One

Posted on December 9, 2012 by destashification

Christmas was always handmade – until we relocated 2,000 miles away! This year, we are traveling back to snow country so the handmade Destashification Christmas will be packed in our luggage for the trip!

Schoolhouse Quilted Pillow

On the First Day of The Destashification Christmas: One Quilted Schoolhouse Pillow.

This is to replace a quilted schoolhouse pillow made at least two decades ago that is showing signs of wear.

The paper-pieced pattern is free at Quilter’s Newsletter.

The Stash provided fabrics. The back of the pillow is the same green used for the building sections of the block. The Iron-on fleece from the Stash required piecing as no single piece was large enough.

Schoolhouse Block Detail

The Stash was depleted, however, of piping and zippers of a color that was “close enough” and a workable length, so a fabric store visit was required to complete the pillow.

The detail shows the fabrics used. Love the yellow border, but the green shows too dark. It is a dark olive green, but not as dark as in the photo.

I am going to attempt to take a photo of it next to the original. Should be an interesting comparison.

Posted in Accessories, Home Decor, Quilting, Sewing | Tagged hand quilted pillow, hand quilting, schoolhouse quilt block | Leave a comment

Stripes Quilted with Bubbles

Posted on October 25, 2012 by destashification

The “I Can’t Sew a Straight Line Quilt” enjoyed its stay at the Long Armed Quilter.

Stripes and Bubbles

With less than 24 hours to wheels up for a trip to visit the daughter whose claim of not being able to sew a straight line anymore prompted the quilt and its name, my wonderful and very artistic Long Armed Quilter called to say it was ready!

I quickly cut some binding and machine stitched it to the quilt front, packed a good needle and some thread and loaded it into the Destashification Overnight Bag. Turning the binding and handstitching backing the was completed after arrival.

Bubbles Front and Back

To counter the sharpness of the stripes, a Bubble Pattern was chosen for the quilting. I love the swirls (as evidenced by the swirls in the website header!)

The backing was an ivory Stash Fabric. The bubbles just seem to dance across it.

The binding was also a Stash Find – it actually contained every color from the quilt stripes! I was considering using the blue or the coral for the binding as there was plenty left, but a fabric with all the colors – I had to use it!

At the Ready on the Foot of the Bed

The quilt is not bed-sized. It is keep-it-folded-at-the-foot-of-your-bed-sized. Perfect for those cooler fall nights!

The gold/tan stripes coordinate with her comforter and the colors really brighten the room!

Posted in Beginner Sewing Projects, Modern, Quilting, Sewing, Sewing for a Teenager | 2 Comments

Never Too Old for Trick or Treat!

Posted on October 22, 2012 by destashification

My 20-something daughter and her friends still enjoy Halloween.

An Ipod for Halloween

No Fairy Princess costumes for them – they wanted a more modern look.

So Ipods it was!

We used our older-than-technology-should-be ink jet printer to print the “screen” and the controller and then fused and zig-zag stitched them to bathing suit fabric.

Ipod costumes in blue, pink and lime green.

Unfortunately, The Stash did not contain any bathing suit fabric, so the Destashification Project Rules were broken for this project.

To minimize slippage, elastic was added to the top of the hourglass shaped tubes!

We made three costumes with girl’s choices of “screens” and colors. But as happens, a fourth was needed, so my daughter made another one! And added the Apple Logo to the backs!

Final Ipod Costumes – the gloves include earbuds!

They even found gloves that had earbuds on them!

Quick and fun!

Posted in Beginner Sewing Projects, Embellishment, Sewing, Sewing for a Teenager | Tagged halloween costumes, Halloween costumes for teenagers, Ipod costume | 4 Comments