Mommy Cooks

Everyday Napkins

Everyday Napkins

3 3/4 yards of 44-45 inch fabric (this is from the "Fruit Cocktail" line by Chloe's Closet for Moda), to make a dozen napkins approximately 20 inches square
Mitering instructions here

I am utterly in love with this fabric!

Lunchbox Napkins

More months ago than I'd care to admit, Kathy of Vast Amount of Spare Time wrote about sewing some fabric napkins -- something I finally got around to doing this afternoon.  These are for the girls' lunchboxes, so I picked out a handful of fat quarters (on sale! can't beat that), cheerful things I thought the girls would like, and Laura jumped at the chance to help sew the hems when she got home from school.

I like the idea of not making more waste in this world, and the thriftiness of not having to buy paper napkins -- and certainly the thought of something pretty in one's lunchbox is very pleasant!

The finished sizes are more than a bit irregular -- all fat quarters are not created equal -- but since the napkins aren't supposed to match, this isn't a problem.

Laura was delighted to sew so much of these herself, too -- she did most of the straight edges, while I turned the corners (mitered like the furoshiki).  This was her first sewing!  Other than a few wild careers with the foot pedal, she did impressively well.

The paisley one is already her favorite!

Furoshiki

I've been doing a lot of crafts lately, especially fabric-related things, it seems -- don't worry, we're still eating.  I've been in a bit of a slump, cooking-wise, it seems, and anyway the weather has been so dreary for the past few weeks that photographing it would be next-to-impossible.  ("No, honey, you can't eat it yet.  I'm waiting for the sun to come out.")  So I spare you.

This morning I made a furoshiki, the Japanese cloth wrap originally used to carry bundles, tie up clothes, and whatnot, now used mainly as a way to wrap gifts.  I like these because not only are they beautiful and unusual, but they are also environmentally sound, being eminently reusable -- I have one that I've been using for, oh, about twenty years now.  And what better for a handmade gift than a handmade wrap?

This fabric is a beautiful dahlia print by Kaffe Fassett called "Floating Flowers".  I must not run in the right circles, as I'd never seen a Fassett fabric in person before this, despite years of mooning over them in print! but this caught my eye at the quilting store, and I had to laugh when I saw it was from himself.  My local quilting store is obviously coming up in the world!

The furoshiki can be made in pretty much any size to suit the particular gift, although different folding methods can be used to adapt a large cloth to a small package.  You can also make it reversible, of course, although care should be taken that the finished cloth is not too stiff to tie.  Really, the only requirement is that the furoshiki be square.  The Japanese Ministry of the Environment has drawn up a useful guide of various ways of tying the furoshiki.

 

Furoshiki (Wrapping Cloth)

1 yard of fabric, for a cloth approximately 35 inches square

Launder and press the fabric according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Trim it into a square.

Fold the edges under 1/4 inch to the wrong side, and press.  Fold under again another 1/4 inch, and press.

To miter the corners, unfold the edges and trim off the corners diagonally across the second fold lines.  Fold this new edge diagonally 1/4 inch, and press.  Refold the straight edges and press again to form the miter.

Top-stitch the folded edges into place.

To make a basic wrapping, lay out the furoshiki right-side down with the corners to the four points of the compass.  If the furoshiki has an especially handsome design in one corner, orient that corner towards the north.  Place the gift in the center, slightly towards the south (you may need to adjust the placement according to the size of the item being wrapped).  Fold the south corner over the gift, tucking it in if necessary.  Fold the north corner so that it overhangs the gift.  Fold over the east and west corners, and tie them together in a square knot.

For a four-tie wrapping, fold over the east and west corners, and tie them together in a square knot.  Fold over the north and south corners, and tie them together in another square knot on top of the first one.

Tie One On: February

Red Roses Apron

"Church Ladies' Apron" pattern by Mary Mulari
2 yards "Bon Bons Pistachio" fabric from the "Chocolat" line by Three Sisters (Moda)

Here is my submission to the Tie One On gallery for February -- the theme is Valentine's Day.  This is one of those times when I've tweaked the theme a bit to fit what I have, but I'd fallen in love with this fabric and felt that the red roses would fit quite nicely.  ("Bon bons," too, now that I think of it!)

It's a beautiful fabric, lovely colors and silky-smooth.  The pattern is very simple and easy enough for a novice, as I am.  I straightened the scalloped hem -- with those handy curves on my cutting board -- feeling quite brave.  I didn't make it reversible either, as there wasn't another fabric available that coordinated well enough, so it is the same on both sides, as I liked the idea of a double-thickness apron.  The fabric requirements were a bit skimpy, I thought, and I wasn't completely happy with the way that the neck strap went together, but on the whole I'm quite pleased!

Burp Cloths

Let me say right off that I have had a lot of experience sewing, with not particularly much success.  But one of the fantastic things about blogging is that not only do people show off so many beautiful things, but they also make it look easy enough that I am determined to keep trying!

I made these baby burp cloths for a cousin this afternoon, having spent a happy two hours by myself at the craft store yesterday, choosing fabrics for this free pattern from the same store.  I like the less-traditional colors for babies, with brighter colors -- which not only are more cheerful, but show less dirt, let's be practical.  I also try to steer away from the more obvious boy/girl stereotypes, but I did want to stay with lots of blues, with a nod to Project Spectrum as well as the boy-ness of the new little one.

The original instructions call for a 1/2 yard each of cotton print and flannel, for three burp cloths, but I decided to use fat quarters from the quilting section of the craft store, as there were more fun things to choose from.  This makes bigger cloths, as fat quarters are around 18 x 22".  Be sure to wash the fabric first, because -- trust me on this -- the cottons and the flannels will shrink at different rates.

Cut 17 1/2" x 12 1/2" rectangles out of each fabric, if you are using the half-yards, or use the fat quarters as they are.  With 1 piece of flannel and 1 piece of cotton, pin the right sides together (trimming to match, if you like), and sew using a 1/4" to 5/8" seam allowance, leaving a 6 to 8" opening along one side for turning.  Snip the corners if you've used a generous seam allowance.  Turn right-side out, press, and top-stitch.

My sewing machine, which is some thirty or 35 years old, has really no other fancy top-stitch but this satin stitch, which might not be the best choice if you have other options, as it tends to make the fabric stretch a little bit at the edges.  Still, for a confidence-building project, and a fast baby gift, this is not bad!