Happy Okapi Blog

Mini Piping Tutorial and Round Up

8/22/2015

The Companion Carpet Bag Sew Along over on Mrs H's blog is well underway. If you haven't checked it out yet, head on over and see where we're at, and the awesome prizes up for grabs! I promised a quick piping tutorial, so here it is. I don't want to reinvent the wheel, so I'm including some really great piping tutorials as well. For the purposes of the Carpet Bag, you only need one small piece, so I'll show you that here. The tutorials I'm linking to show you how to make proper piping from bias binding (and how to make that too), which can be used to pipe a whole bag, or a larger, curved area.

If you only need a small piece for a straight edge, you don't need to cut on the bias, which can save you some fabric. To start, you'll need cording; I like 5/32" cording, or even smaller. You'll also need a zipper foot or a piping foot. Wonder tape will help, but isn't necessary.

Cut a strip of fabric the length you'll need by 1.5", plus a matching length of cording
Place a strip of wonder tape along wrong side of one long edge
Place cording along wrong side, in centre of strip
Fold in half, matching long edges, and with cording in between, pin or clip
Using zipper foot, baste cording in place, snug, but not too tight.

Alicia from Swoon made a very thorough and great tutorial here.

Crazy Little Projects has a quick and easy to understand tutorial here.

Do you have a favourite piping tutorial or tip you'd like to share? Let me know in the comments.

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Ryan's Case for Smiles | Pillowcase Tutorial, Kit Giveaway and Challenge

8/18/2015

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You know what I love? Fabric, friends, and coffee (plus my kids and all that good stuff, of course). So when my sewing friend Kelsey, a volunteer for Ryan's Case for Smiles, suggested we meet up for coffee to discuss this blog post, I thought it was a great idea. Kelsey shared with me her favourite quick method of making a pillowcase, and she talked about her experience with Ryan's Case for Smiles, formerly Conkerr Cancer. She told me about the heartfelt letters she receives, thanking the organization for the cheerful pillowcase that really made a difference. She also told me about the trips her and her mother took to the hospital, bringing fabric and machines along, and allowing the kids choose their own pillowcases to make with them. I want to help this great cause, so I'm going to show you a really quick way to make a case to donate. I'm also happy to report that one of my amazing sponsors, Daryl at Fabric Spark, has set up some specially priced kits to purchase and is offering a giveaway of a Tula Pink pillowcase kit! Giveaway is over; thank you for everyone who contributed!

Here's some info Kelsey has shared with me to pass along:

"Ryan’s Case for Smiles (formerly ConKerr Cancer) started when Cindy Kerr’s son was diagnosed with cancer in 2002 and she began making pillowcases to brighten up his hospital room and to put a smile on his face. He loved it and so she began making pillowcases for other children on the Oncology Unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Since then the pillowcase project has grown in amazing ways.School groups, sewing circles, church groups, and fabric stores have all pitched in and are making pillow cases to comfort children in hospitals around the world. Thousands of Ryan’s Case for Smiles volunteers in over 120 cities dedicate themselves to brightening children’s lives through the simple act of sewing a bright, cheery pillowcase. As a result of their love and generosity, Ryan’s Case for Smiles has delivered more than 1,000,000 pillowcases in just seven years to 330 hospitals across the globe. In addition, Ryan’s Case for Smiles volunteers visit hospitals to sew with the children and their families, breaking up the monotony of long, frightening hospital stays.

Ryan’s Case for Smiles has been able to make amazing progress towards fulfilling our goal of making hospital stays as pleasant as possible for chronically ill children and their parents. A simple pillowcase means so much to a child while they’re in the hospital and away from home. It helps cheer them up, gives them something soft to snuggle, reminds them of the comforts of home, helps calm their fears and brightens up their hospital room. Simultaneously the pillowcase project has fostered a spirit of community and volunteer service in communities across the world. Unfortunately there are always new little patients who need our love and support, and we must continue our efforts to help brighten patients’ lives and raise awareness about childhood cancer and other childhood illnesses.

Information on how you can help Ryan’s Case for Smiles and help kids feel better so they can heal better can be found at www.caseforsmiles.org"

Quick Pillowcase Tutorial

This super quick tutorial may be a new fave! Use it to make some for charity, but for your own kids too! You can make each pillowcase with just one yard total of fabric! You'll need 26" x width of fabric for the main part of the pillowcase, and 10" x width of fabric for the side band of the pillowcase. I don't have a serger, so I used my overcast foot for this project. If you don't have either of those, a zigzag stitch will work in a pinch.

Overcast Foot

Start by folding the 10" wide piece in half, wrong sides together, matching the long edges, and press.

Now place the folded (narrower) strip, on top of the wider piece of fabric, matching the long edges, right sides together. Pin or clip in place and sew along that edge.

Now fold in half, right sides together, matching selvage ends. You probably need to trim a small amount at this point, otherwise your selvage will show through. Leaving the folded end open (yellow in my example) sew up bottom and remaining side.

Turn right side out, and you're done!

Kelsey tells me each and every case is appreciated, so if you can send 5, 10, or 1, they all count, and truly make a difference. Do you have friends that sew? Why not get together and challenge yourselves to see how many you can make? My personal goal is for this post to generate 100 cases. Can we do it?!

Giveaway Details

The giveaway will be a challenge: each pillowcase sent to Kelsey as a result of this blog post will count as an entry to win a Tula Pink Pillowcase Kit from Fabric Spark, so the more you sew, the better your chances! Be sure to let Kelsey know I sent you, so she can include your cases toward the giveaway. You will have until September 30, 2015 to get your cases to her to be entered. Also make sure to leave her your contact info. I'll announce progress and the winner of the kit on my facebook page, so be sure to follow me there to keep in touch.
Update: The Giveaway is over, but pillowcases are always welcomed.

Kelsey may be reached by email at ryanscaseforsmilesbc@hotmail.com
You can mail your completed cases to:
Kelsey Funk
19467 67A AVE
Surrey, BC
V4N 5T4

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How to Make your own Vinyl Bag Handles

8/16/2015

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If you're joining me from Mrs. H's blog for the Companion Carpet Bag sew-along, welcome! As mentioned over there, here's my tutorial to make your own vinyl handles. I've found a few tutorials on Pinterest, but none of them were exactly what I was looking for, so I decided to experiment a bit and come up with something on my own. I'm really pleased with how they turned out, and I think you'll be pleased with your own pair too! They came together quite quickly and easily too! Please read all the way through before you try it yourself. If you have any questions, I'm happy to help as best I can, just send me a message through my contact page.

Supplies

You'll need vinyl of course. I used marine vinyl, but this same method should work with other vinyls. You'll also need:

16/32" cording - I don't know they don't just call it 1/2" haha!
leather sewing machine needle
fusible web tape (like wondertape) - this is optional but very helpful
wonder clips, or similar - pins won't work, since they'll leave holes in the vinyl
zipper foot
4 x 1.5" O-rings or rectangle rings
fabric glue (like Beacon's fabritac)
Fabric paint to match your vinyl (like Tulip soft fabric paint in matte - don't use "puffy" paint)
small paint brush
rivets and punch (optional)
scotch tape
thread to match vinyl
sewing machine and basic supplies

This sounds like a big list, but don't let it intimidate you, many items you'll already have, and others you can use with other projects.

Getting Started

Note: The size I'm using is just a personal preference. Please feel free to experiment with what you like best. I found that cutting the vinyl 6" longer than the cording yields the best result.

Cut 2 12" pieces of cording and wrap up each end with scotch tape.

Cut 2 strips of vinyl measuring 4" x 18" and place a strip of wonder tape about 1/4" away from one long edge of vinyl, then fold vinyl, matching long edges, with cording centred vertically inside. Use wonder clips to secure edges together. Repeat with remaining vinyl and cording for second handle.

Sorry! This picture doesn't show the wonder tape. I didn't think about that step until after I took my pictures, but I tried it on another handle, and I loved the result.

Now bring your handles over to the machine, and, using your zipper foot with the needle position to the left, sew along the vinyl lengthwise as close to the cording as possible, starting at one end of the cording and stopping at the other end. Don't forget to backstitch a bit and start and stop too. Also, a longer stitch length is better with vinyl; I used 3.4 for for mine. Depending on your vinyl, you may have troubles with your foot sticking to the vinyl. My regular zipper foot had no problem, but if yours sticks, try laying wax paper over top of the vinyl and rip it away when you're finished. I'm not sure if you can get a teflon zipper foot, but if you can, it should work too!

It should look like this now, with loose, unsewn ends beyond the cording.

Now you can trim the excess long edges, leaving a scant 1/4" beyond the stitching. You may want to trim more, this part is just personal preference.

This part is tricky to explain so I hope I do an ok job: You will need to trim the loose ends of the handles, along a tapered curve for about 1.5", then straight for the last part of the loose end. I found it easier to put a wonder clip at the very end, to keep my pieces folded nicely and so my cutting was symmetrical. If you're using 1.5" rectangle rings, you'll want the folded end to be just under 3/4" wide (folded). It may be easier to cut 3/4" away from fold, for 1.5", then curve out toward the cording. Once you have that cut out, make the end slightly curved. Your piece should look like this pictured below. Repeat for remaining 3 ends (other end of this handle, and 2 on the other handle).

Now we feed the end through the ring, fold down and fit into open end at cording, this step is just a practice, to see if it fits, or needs additional trimming. The end should now look like this:

Once you have a good fit, lift up the end and stick some glue under there, and fold it back and secure with a wonder clip until the glue dries. Repeat until both ends are done on each handle. At this point, you can add your rivets if you choose to use them. Once the glue dries, bring the handle back to the machine, with the zipper foot still in place and continue the line of stitching as far as you can to the end, being careful not to hit the ring with your needle.

The final step is painting the raw edges of the cut vinyl. It doesn't fray, but most of the vinyls have a backing that shows when it's cut. If you look closely at store bought vinyl handles, you'll notice they're painted too! I used Tulip matte finish fabric paint. I couldn't find a colour to match, so I mixed some and I'm pretty pleased with how well my first attempt matches! I bought the cheapest set of paint brushes I could find and they worked just fine for this job. The trickiest part to paint is around the ring, so you may actually decide to paint that part before you glue and sew it up. I didn't want to risk it because I knew my mixed colour would dry up, and I didn't think I'd get a perfect match a second time! If you get it on the vinyl, just wipe it while it's wet. If you choose to do a second coat, make sure the first coat is fully dry first.

My haphazard attempt at mixing these colours paid off!

Once the paint is dry, curve your handles and store them that way to help form the curve of how they'll be on your completed bag. Now you're done!

If you follow this tutorial, I'd love to see your handles! Upload your picture at my contact form, and I'll share them here!

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Fat Red Bird Fedora for One Thimble Ezine

8/13/2015

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I've seen a lot of posts lately from other crafters and sewists about trying new things, so when this opportunity came up, I decided to go for it! I'm joining Pattern Revolution for the One Thimble blog tour. I made some hats! They aren't even remotely close to bags, and this pattern I'm sharing with you today was easy peasy, even for a bag-maker like me.

I'm also really excited to tell you about One Thimble, a Sewing Ezine, loaded with PDF patterns, tips, and articles. This latest issue includes 12 PDFs for a variety of patterns, including accessories, clothes for kids and a few extras.

About the Pattern

I got to try out the Fat Red Bird Fedora. It's so cute, and comes in all sizes, from infant to adult! I loved it so much I made 3! The PDF was easy to print, assemble and cut. There were clear photos at each step, plus clear diagrams, and I found the instructions very easy to understand. I love that there is no hand-sewing or binding finish to this hat, so you could make it reversible as well.

I really loved the layout of the pattern, it was very visually appealing, plus Red Hot Tips throughout were helpful. I wasn't familiar with the interfacing brand mentioned, so I used what I figured were Pellon alternatives based on a couple quick searches with google (Shapeflex, Craft Fuse and Thermolam), and was really pleased with the results. I'm also quite possibly the world's slowest sewist, but I managed to get each of these sewn up really quickly, so I imagine anyone with a normal pace can get one done in under an hour start to finish.

My youngest preferred to wear his as a bucket hat, which I think makes this pattern that much more versatile, like 2 hats in one. I also had a bit of fun with trying out a couple different coordinates for one hat. I picked up a twill remnant at my local fabric store and it paired so nicely with my designer cottons. The only thing I changed was the way the lines are added on the brim at the final step. I did spiral for my first one (pictured on the left below), but preferred concentric circles of stitching instead.

Pictured are a Medium (left) and Large (right). Use the sizing chart as a guide, and make sure to measure if you're not sure. My 3 year old has a big head!

I couldn't help but to get an action shot at the beach since these Robert Kaufman 'Message in a Bottle' prints are all about the ocean.

Fabrics used
Dinosaur hat: Natural History by Lizzy House for Andover Fabrics fromFabric Spark
Robot/Shoes/Numbers hat: Boy Crazy by My Mind's Eye for Riley Blake Designs from For the Love of Fabric
Ocean bottles/Whales hat: Message in a Bottle by Suzy Ultman for Robert Kaufman

Hop on the tour to see some of the other great patterns in this issue!

8/13 Pattern Revolution, Call Ajaire,Happy Okapi

8/14 Rebel and Malice, Handcrafted by Red, Lily Shine Boutique

8/15 Lady and the Gents, Horris and Deedle, Bee Quilted Blog

8/16 Create 3.5, Lulu and Celeste,

8/17 Beri Bee Designs, Finn's Door

8/18 Hibbadoray, HattieLu Handmade

8/19 Made by Sara, Snickerdoodle Stew

8/20 Stitches By Laura, That's Sew Kari

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Sew-Along Announcement - the Companion Carpet Bag

8/9/2015

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Large Companion Carpet Bag with handles from a thrift store bag.

Large Companion Carpet Bag with premade handles.

You may remember this bag I made as part of the Bag of the Month Club. It's the Companion Carpet Bag from Sewing Patterns by Mrs H, and Mrs H has asked me over to her blog for a sew-along!
Whether you 've been waiting for an excuse to make one, or you've made it before, we're happy to have you join us!
If you still need the pattern, you can save 10% with code CCBAGSAL, and as a bonus, you actually save 10% off everything in your cart, not just the carpet bag, so if you've been eyeing up some other Mrs. H patterns, now's your chance to pick them up. You can get the pattern here.

In case you need some motivation, Samantha (Mrs. H) has rounded up some really great prizes:

1st prize is $25 CAD shop credit at Emmaline Bags and one £10 pattern bundle from Mrs. H
2nd prize £10 shop credit at Bobbin Girl and one £10 pattern bundle from Mrs. H,

3rd prize one £10 pattern bundle from Mrs. H

Details

The Sew-Along will take place over on Mrs H's blog, and will start August 16, and run each Sunday until the end of August. You'll have until October 1st to finish your bag and submit a picture to enter for a prize. Over here on my blog, you'll be able to find tutorials related to making this bag, like making your own handles.

This pattern calls for a metal frame with a specific hinge, which you can find at Emmaline Bags (Canada and US) or Bobbin Girl (UK). I really recommend sticking to this specific frame, because the hinge is closed and finger-friendly. It comes in 2 sizes, and the pattern also offers a small and large bag.

So go pick up your pattern and order your supplies, and I'll meet you over at Samantha's place on August 16th. If your frame doesn't come right away, don't worry, it's literally the last step of the bag, so we won't need it for a while yet. You'll also need some handles, which you can make, buy, or salvage from another bag (read about that in this post). Again, you won't need the handles for a bit yet, so don't fret about them too much for now.

Here's my pile of supplies waiting to be made into a small Companion Carpet Bag.

See you soon!

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Super Tote Wrap Up and Winner

8/9/2015

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The best part about Sew-alongs is seeing all the different finished bags at the end. There were some really beautiful Super Totes made this time around! I've shared a few above, they are made by: (clockwise from top left) Crystal of Cloth Albatross, Jackie of Beauty out of Dust, Kristy ofRock Baby Scissors, Wendy of w.d. Handbags, and Jenny.

Maxine did a great job on hers too! It's all ready for a day at the beach!

Courtney also did an amazing job, using Cotton + Steel from 3 different lines that match beautifully. Courtney also happens to be the random winner for the prize of any two Noodlehead PDF patterns! She chose the Divided Basket and the Caravan Tote + Pouch; great choices Courtney!

Prizes are done, but you can still join in the fun! The Super Tote pattern is still discounted with code STSAL, valid until August 31, 2015.

https://www.noodle-head.com/product/super-tote-pdf-pattern-2

Find the Sew-Along here.

If you like Noodlehead patterns, you'll love Anna Graham's new book, Handmade Style: 23 Must-Have Basics to Stitch, Use, and Wear, now available.

I really hope you've enjoyed this Sew-Along. I have another one coming up soon, but first, expect to see something completely different from me! Hint: it's NOT a bag! I'm also working on some tutorials to share with you soon. If there's something you're looking for, let me know in the comments, or send me a message.

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