Sunday, August 24, 2008

Arm pocket tut

Quilted Arm/Wrist Cuff tutorial

Step one: Design your cuff. Write and/or draw out your ideas
Ask yourself some questions like:
How big is it going to be?
Do I want a pocket? If so what will it hold? How will it stay in the pocket?
How will I keep it on my arm?
What colors? What color stitching?
These answers are not concrete you can change as you go and sometimes you have too.

Step two: Measure your arm.
One measure at the starting point like wrist for my pattern
How tall
And around your end point.
Measure what you want to go in you pocket
Add any overlap and ease.

Step three: pattern Making
Take your measurements and draw out your pattern
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Step four: fabric hunting
The sport of fabric hunting is a fun activity but it can be dangerous. Remember to wear neon orange so other fabric hunters can see you.
Fabrics can be hunted any were old cloths, old linens, fabric stores, and you can even tame some yarn to make your own.
You can further domesticate your fabrics by dyeing, bleaching and/or painting on them.
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Step five: Creating the top layer and pocket
This can be a piece of patchwork fabric like mine or it can be appliquéd, a whole piece of cloth or manipulated fabric like pleating. What ever it is up to you. Make sure your piece is at lest a couple inches bigger than your pattern.
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Step six: Making a batting sandwich
Top layer right side facing up
Batting (I like cotton batting) Make sure your piece is at lest a couple inches bigger than your top.
Lining right side facing down. This needs to be about the same size as the batting
Pin in several places
If you want to sew over top bits of yarns, gauzes, lace, wool roving place a bit of water soluble stabilizer on top.
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http://www.quilt.com/Blocks/AlphaBlockList.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applique

Step seven: Quilting
I like to do free motion quilting on the machine. A darning foot with feeddogs down is the best suited for this but a regular foot with the press low has worked for me. I quilting needle for your machine will last longer than a universal.
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Line and sew your pocket, quilt if your want
If you are going to wash your band wash it now.
If you want it to look like and old textured quilt do not pre wash your fabrics and batting
If you want a clean ironed look pre wash everything.
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Step eight: cutting out your pattern and sewing on pocket or any other things
Pin your pattern on and chop, chop.
Add your pocket.
With the pocket that I have on mine it is not the best for my Ipod. I am thinking a pocket with a pleat or folded sides may be better. Mine will scrunch up a bit on my arm.

Step nine: bind the edge
If you have a square band the cut 2’’ strips on the straight of grain. If you do not cut your strips on the bias.
Fold them in half-length wise (hot dog style)
Iron in the fold
Pin it to around the edges with the raw edges on the edge of the quilt
At the join fold in the raw end of one and place the other inside the fold
Sew it with a ¼ seam
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Fold it around to the back and hand stitch it using a whip or invisible stitch.
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http://quilting.about.com/od/bindingaquilt/ss/binding_strips.htm
http://quilting.about.com/od/bindingaquilt/ss/mitered_binding_6.htm

Step ten: add closers and rock it out
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