Michelle Hart :: MMF & MQG Fabric Challenge!

Friday Feature: A guest blog post from Michelle Hart

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I come from a long line of creative and crafty women. My maternal grandmother was a seamstress and taught me to sew at a very young age. I loved to play in her sewing room and would entertain myself for hours playing with fabric and spools of thread. I definitely have many great memories of learning to sew in that room. I pieced together my first “quilt” (squares of faux fur in bright colors) on my mini Singer in her kitchen when I was around six. The seams might not have been straight, but I was proud of my work. My paternal grandmother helped develop my love of quilts. She made a quilt for each of her grandchildren. I still cherish mine and love it as much as I did when she gave it to me. One of my proudest moments as a quilter was giving her a quilt I made especially for her. 

*Left- Michelle at 2 on her grandma's sewing table *Right- Michelle now :)

I find inspiration for quilting everywhere. I often snap pics of architecture, colors, and patterns I see to remember for future designs. The patterns and colors in fabrics often speak to me and provide inspiration as well. My design process normally begins with a flash of an idea that I want to convey in a design. I keep paper handy since it often occurs in the middle of the night. The design might take on many twists before the final project is complete, but the initial spark is still there. I recently purchased EQ7 which has made getting thoughts from my head into patterns a lot easier.

My inspiration for this quilt started with the name of the collection, Petal Pinwheels. I knew I wanted the quilt to show a lot of movement. I used a combination of colors from Cotton Couture solids, Petal Pinwheels fabrics, and a few from my stash to create the geometric design. I wanted a very linear look, using different shades of colors that coordinated to the Petal Pinwheels collection. I offset this with contrasting quilting to add another layer of movement. I quilted it on my Janome Horizon 7700 using coral, yellow, green and turquoise 50 wt. Aurifil. The lines started more compact and then spread out like a ripple in water. This created a lot of movement, while still allowing the eye to rest at different focal points. 

The back is leftover scraps and dark gray dumb dots. It is a simpler design, but just as fun as the front. This was a very fun challenge to put together! I am very appreciative to Michael Miller for hosting this challenge and giving us great fabrics to work with!

~Michelle

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For more information about the Modern Quilt Guild and the MMF Fabric Challenge, please click here.

 Do you love the fabric collection used in this challenge? Find the complete Petal Pinwheels collection over on our website! 
 

Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter!

 

Colleen Molen :: MMF & MQG Fabric Challenge!

I am so thrilled to be sharing with you today as a winner of the Michael Miller fabric challenge! My name is Colleen and I blog (every once in a while) at thebusybean.com. I started really sewing about five years ago, when my second daughter was born. I have done a little bit of everything in those five years, handbags, accessories, and children’s clothes, all for a little online shop I used to run, but my true love is quilting. Even with all the other sewing I was doing as a way to supplement our income, I kept quilting for myself, with no designs to make it a business. My husband would laugh at me when I’d take a break from sewing to quilt for a little while. He seemed to think it was the same thing. Silly man.

I remember gathering material and a pattern for my first quilt and being so scared about it. I wanted to make a quilt for my first daughter, but put it off for a long time because the lady at the fabric shop told me the orange I liked wouldn’t go with the rest of the fabrics. I remember the day I finally got the courage to cut it up and start sewing. I turned to the internet because I didn’t really know anyone who quilted (until months later when I found out that one of my best friends was a closet quilter). I discovered so many blogs with fabulous women sharing their knowledge and helping me build my skills.

I made many quilts from beautiful patterns designed by others, with fabric pulled entirely from one fabric line. It made it so easy to learn how fabric played together, to learn construction techniques, to learn the ins and outs of quilty math and the magical ¼” seam. The moment I stepped out of my comfort zone and started mixing and matching fabric from my ever-growing stash was a magical one. I started making quilts that were so much more individual to me and my own aesthetic. I know what I like; I know what I enjoy sewing (and that I do not do improv). I know what I do well and that I enjoy pushing the limits of what I can do.

I had more fun with this challenge quilt than I have with any other I’ve made. From the design process inspired by browsing for a kindle cover, to the math involved making the templates for my quarter circles, pulling out bolts and bolts of solid fabric at the quilt shop to find just the right colors for the look I wanted with the inspiration fabric, and even sewing all those circles. Quilting the concentric circles and burying all those thread ends was worth it in the end, even though that wasn’t my most favorite part of the process. It is 100% mine, and I love looking at it on my wall every day. 

~Colleen 

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For more information about the Modern Quilt Guild and the MMF Fabric Challenge, please click here.

 Do you love the fabric collection used in this challenge? Find the complete Petal Pinwheels collection over on our website! 
 

Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter!

 

Laura Gunn & Flutter!

I'm always happy to chime in on Kathy Miller's beautiful blog. I thought I'd talk a bit about my newest line, Flutter. The artwork from Flutter was inspired by vintage drawings--the kind you might find in an old book about birds--with a modern twist.  

I really enjoyed creating the artwork for this line. For me, one of the benefits of drawing things from nature is it forces me to really stop and notice the details. I don't think I will ever look at a beetle the same!

I love to incorporate beautiful things from nature into my own decor. So I could hardly wait for some yardage from Flutter to arrive on my doorstep. When it did I plunged right into a guest room makeover.  

I added a cushion to a simple Ikea bed frame--making it prettier and a lot more comfortable!  We are big on reading in bed at our house so a comfy headboard goes a long way. I also made a duvet cover using my bird print and a small pillow using fabric from my Poppy Remix collection. And I trimmed it all in some favorite prints from Edges.

I almost forgot the pillow case. I cheated on this one. I just sliced off the end of an existing white pillowcase and added a beetle border. This pillow is no longer in the guest room as my seven year old son has claimed it as his own.  

I hope you enjoy working with my new line as much as I have! 

-Laura

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For more Flutter, check out this quilt by Marinda Stewart, coming soon as a free pattern on our website!

 

MMF Kids Craft Camp Project #3 :: The Lined Tote by Tamara Kate

Hi everyone, it’s Tamara Kate here with you today. You may be familiar with my work as one of Michael Miller Fabric’s licensed fabric designers, or through my blog, kayajoydesigns. Today, however, I am delighted to be here as an avid sewer, Mom of two who are learning to sew, and this week’s guest Camp Counselor in the Kids Summer Craft Camp Series.

Well, ok, I am also here with my fabric designer’s hat on, as I get to give you a peek into the world of wonders that is Origami Oasis, my new fabric line about to hit stores in September. Origami Oasis is a graphic, young, lively collection, comprised of three color groupings, offering a myriad of possibilities for boys and girls, so everyone can get in on the fun. This project uses fabrics from the Flower Field group.

 
I asked my eight-year old daughter, Emma (who recently received a sewing machine as a birthday present) what she would like to learn to sew for this series, and we went back and forth on a variety of ideas, but came to rest on something functional that she could sew on her machine and that she could have fun embellishing as well. Thus we created the Lined Tote Bag.

Your camper will need basic sewing skills and use of a sewing machine for this project. If he/she is new to machine sewing, I find these sewing sheets, by Skip to my Lou, great for getting comfortable before diving into the project.

So campers, let’s get started.

Your Supplies:

- A - 2 pieces (10” high x 12” wide) main fabric

- B - 2 pieces (3” high x 12” wide) contrasting fabric for base of bag

- C - 2 pieces (20” high x 6” wide) fabric for straps

- D - 1 piece (23” high x 12” wide) fabric for lining

- materials for embellishing (sequins, beads, embroidery floss, felt….)

- thread

- fine needle

Here’s what we used:

- A – Oasis Border - Candy

- B – Spot - Lavender

- C – Mountain Valley - Candy

- D – Cotton Couture - Seafoam

- Embellishments: a variety of shapes & sizes of sequins and glass seed beads.

Your Instructions:

Cut your fabric as indicated above.

The embellishment: You get to use your imagination here and be as creative as you would like. (tip: keep anything hard or bulky at least 1” from fabric edges, as otherwise they may cause problems when machine sewing). Here are a few ideas:

- cut shapes from felt and stitch them on with a simple embroidery stitch

- embroider around design elements that are printed on your fabric

- add buttons or ribbon

We sewed on sequins and glass seed beads in strategic spots, giving the trees fruit and flowers and giving some of the animals just a little more pizazz than they already have.

Here’s a quick how-to: Using regular sewing thread and a fine needle, knot your thread and bring your needle up through the fabric to the right side. Thread the sequin onto the needle and pull it down to the fabric, then thread a bead on. Pass your needle back through the hole of the sequin to the back of the fabric & pull the thread all the way through. Keep the beads and sequins in a concentrated area for more visual effect and don’t leave too much loose thread dangling at the back between beads, as it can easily get snagged on things and create problems. Be sure to knot your thread securely at the back of the fabric.

The machine sewing: We used ½” seams in all places. Here’s a tip we use to help with sewing straight lines: Place an elastic band or a piece of masking tape around the base of the machine exactly ½” from where the needle descends, giving a bold visual of where the fabric edge should stay.

Ask an adult to help with any ironing.

The front and back: With right sides together, place B on the bottom of A, aligning edges and stitch across the width (tip: if your B fabric is directional, make sure to turn it upside down). Repeat for the other side. Iron seams toward fabric B.

The bottom of the bag: Right sides together, place one bag side on top of the other, matching bottoms. Measure in about 4” from either side at the bottom and place pins at these points.  Sew in from each side, backstitching at the pins, leaving the center area open. You will use this opening to turn your bag right side out later on. Iron seam open.

The straps: Fold one C piece in half along its length. Sew the long raw edges together. Turn the strap right side out by pulling on the inside with your fingers. Repeat for the other strap. Iron the straps flat, seams to one side.

Attaching the lining & securing straps: Place one strap in a “U” formation at the top of one of your bag sides, aligning raw edges and leaving 1½ ” of free space at both right & left edges of the bag. Make sure the bottom of the “U” looks like the picture below.

Carefully place piece D on top, aligning edges, and pin the strap securely in place. Sew along the top edge. Repeat with the other side. Iron both seams toward the lining.

The sides: You should now have a tube of fabric, with your straps on the inside. Adjust the tube so the seams you just created are in the center and the base with the opening is at one end. Pin along both long edges, making sure not to catch the straps in anywhere. Sew both sides, backstitching at each end.

Turn the bag right side out through the opening left in the base. Stitch the opening closed by hand using a whipstitch, trying to keep your stitches small and close together. Knot your thread at the end. Before cutting the thread, pass your needle through the fabric at the end of your stitching and back out again 1” further along. Gently pull on the thread to pull the knot through to the inside of the bag, then cut the thread.

Insert the lining into the bag and pull all corners out sharply (you can gently use a pin to help). Iron your bag to have a crisp upper edge and to remove any creases.

Be proud of what you’ve created & enjoy using it!

 
Happy sewing!

Tamara

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Send us pictures of your child's work in progress or their finished tote using Michael Miller fabrics and two lucky campers will win a bundle of Origami Oasis!

--Here are several ways to enter--

1. Help the kids photograph their projects and then send them to us!

2. You can email the ideas and photos to kaitlin@michaelmillerfabrics.com

or

3. Post your photos to our Facebook page 

or

4. Tag @michaelmillerfabrics on your Instagram photos and use #MMFCraftCamp

We'll pick the lucky campers after Labor Day weekend!