Charity Pillow Cases with Directions

I know lots of guilds and individuals have been involved in making pillow cases for the "1 Million Pillow Case Challenge". Our guild coordinator for charity work found out that they are just overwhelmed with donations.
A LQS was a collection point, but no one had contacted them in a while about getting the pillow cases.
It appears local groups are now being encouraged to donate to shelters as well as hospital. Our Charity coordinator is fabulous. She made calls and between her church connections and a list of the local shelters - particularly for displaced women and children, and a local Birthday Wishes chapter - we now have an outlet for all the pillow cases and they are going to help people in our immediate communities.

This whole endeavor is a wonderful activity - and quilter's are the best! Ask for a million and you will get a billion!

Saturday was a half day sit & sew for this charity for our guild. We have been collecting fabrics, making kits and then sewing.

I had not made any pillow cases yet and was determined to make some. BUT--- I came down with a terrible cold - I could function, but did NOT want to share with my quilting friends. So I used some of my stash, and one kit I had and did my own "quarantined" sit & sew!!
We had posted 3 - 4 of the free pillowcase patterns on our guild's Yahoo group site. I tried the French Seam/Top Band Tube Method - What a GREAT- FAST Pattern! This was a free word of mouth pattern so I have no issue posting it here.
I took some pictures and provided the directions below

In the end I took 3 pillow cases over to the group while they were still working ( I needed a short visit) AND then brought home 4 more kits the coordinator had and finished those up before 6 pm!! 7 Pillow cases in all.
Here are the 4 pillow cases I did after my visit!

French Seam Pillow Case
This pattern makes a standard size pillow case with French seams to hide the raw edges.
The pattern calls for 44" cuts, but many of the fabrics are less than 44"
In all cases just replace 44" with full width cut
I had several novelty prints that were about 40-41 inches - they finish a little smaller, but still within the standard pillow size.
Materials

• Top Band Fabric -         9" X 44"
• Accent Piece -               2.5" X 44"  - Iron in half WRONG sides together, 
•                                                           raw edges aligned for a 1.25" X 44" piece
• Pillow Case Body  -       27"  X 44"

1. Press all fabrics, and press the accent piece as directed above - in half wrong sides together and raw edges aligned
2. Place the Top Band Fabric FACE UP on your work surface
3. Align the Accent Piece raw edges to the top 44 inch raw edge of the Top Band Fabric
4. Pillow Case Body - Rolling up along the LONG 44 inch edge - roll up the pillow case body from one edge to within about 2- 3 inches of the  other raw 44" edge.
5. Place the "unrolled" 44 inch edge of the Pillow Case Body FACE DOWN - aligning the edges, on top of the  Accent piece.

6. You now have the following layers
1. Top Band FACE UP
2. Accent Piece raw edge aligned (this is TWO LAYERS) to top edge of layer 1.
3. Pillow Case Body - FACE DOWN -1 Raw edge aligned  to top edge -rest of piece rolled up
7. Bring the BOTTOM edge of the Top Band (Layer 1) up to meet the top edge ( where all the other layers are aligned)
1. This encases the rolled up pillow case body  and
2. Makes a long tube (The top band fabric will be wrong side out at this point)

3. You now have 5 LAYERS Top Band - top edge(1), Accent Piece (2), pillow case body edge (1) and Top band bottom edge (1).
8. PIN , PIN, PIN - through the 5 layers aligning the edges and being sure not to catch any of the extra Pillow Case Body rolled up inside

9. Stitch a 1/4 inch seam through the 5 layers.
10. Pull the Pillow Case out through the top band tube.I just started gently pulling on the  pillow case body, and it comes right out.

11. Even up the edges
12. FRENCH SEAMS
1. Fold Pillow Case WRONG SIDES together
2. Stitch a scant 1/4 inch seam on the long side and the bottom 
3. YES- you are STITCHING A SEAM ON THE RIGHT SIDE SO IT SHOWS
1. Turn the pillow case INSIDE OUT
2. Poke out the corners and press the seams out flat
3. Stitch a GENEROUS 1/4 inch seam along the long seam side and the bottom - encasing the raw edge
4. Turn the pillow case right side out - Press seams well
5. Trim any small edges or threads not caught in the French seam

With the pre-cut kits from my guild this took about 30 minutes and I am a slower sewer.

I would add only about 10 minutes if you have to cut your own fabric 


I will be making more for charity as well as for gifts - I am already thinking Christmas gifts (oh dear)
Peace and Happy Quilting
Mary

My Updated List and the New England Quilt Museum Guild Challenge and Teaching Quilt Classes

I did get my decorating done - we still have to buy a tree - I will only have a real tree.  But my creche is up - I made this ceramic set about 25 years ago and use it every year. Little Elfie is on  the dining room chandelier - he reports to Santa and has been around since my kids were little. The stockings (3 hand knit by me) and my husband's made by his mother, are on the mantle. I even got some shopping done. So Christmas preparations are progressing.
I made LOADS of fudge yesterday using my husband's uncle's recipe - it comes out perfectly every time.
I will post the recipe separately.

Quilt Lists and Projects
I, like most of us, struggle with a growing list of UFOs (unfinished objects/projects). I went through the boxes and bags in my studio and made a list of every project I had on index cards - it took 4 - 4X6 inch cards - LOTS of projects. I am determined to make a dent in all of these while I am still unemployed.
So to keep me honest I have posted the list on the blog. As they get done I will preface them with COMPLETED. The list is so long it doesn't all show. I have prioritized the first 6.

My issue is, I keep finding more things I want to work on. I have volunteered to chair the New England Quilt Museum Supporting Guild Quilt Challenge - to be shown at Images in Lowell MA in August 2010. The finished quilts will then be donated to the NEQM and used in a fund raiser at a future date.  The theme of the quilt is "From Lobstahs to the Green Monstah!" . For anyone reading this that is either not from New England or not a baseball fan  the Green Monster (in a Boston accent - Monstah) is the wall in left field at Fenway Park home the Boston Red Sox. I think Lobstah is self explanatory!

Well I had a light bulb moment , went to my EQ6 and came up with a very nice design - I won't post it til it's done - but I was very pleased.  The quilt is small  - only 36 Inches square. Our Guild is small, but I am planning to have the blocks paper pieced and lots of people will pitch in to make a block. So that will need to be added to the list. I will of course incorporate Texture Magic in there somewhere - it really adds to a quilt.

Then - I am doing two LQS block of the months, plus the www.thequiltshow.com block of the months - there are two - I still have to finish this years pieced one. Also, my quilting buddy Carol, and I will make a really cool bag - the easy on the shoulder design - I have a leather one from LLBean and I love it. I got the pattern at the Gathering in Nashua NH in November. She is a teacher so is off between Christmas and New Year and we will get it done then.

Add to that I am learning to long arm quilt at my friends MaryAnn and Dora's long arm studio - Mad About Quilts.  They rent out time on their long arm - it is great - only done the intro class so far, and know it will take a lot of practice, but with all the quilts on the list I will get a lot of practice.

I am also putting together a list of classes I would like to teach. It is something I have wanted to do for a long time. Making all the samples for my Texture Magic business led me to realize I had a lot of techniques and info to offer. I will list the Texture Magic Bags (they make fabulous classes) and I am working on one of the Eleanor Burns quilts (that's not on the list either - so needs to be added!) using charm packs - it will make a great beginner quilt, but it also uses the  scallop ruler to make a scalloped edge - giving a more advanced look to the quilt when done.

My DD is coming home from college tomorrow - YEAH! and DS will be home next Sunday. It will be good to have them both home. I have three dinners this week and will try to get to some quilt stores for my Texture Magic demos. - Oh that reminds me of another project - the Texture Magic Festive Stockings - great new pattern. My friend Carol did one up very quickly - In fact I think I will go do one up tonight.
The Patriots are winning right now (4th quarter - 7 minutes to go) so life is good.
That also means I can leave my house and do errands in about an hour and a half.
The game is at home, and it takes about that long for the traffic to abate after the game is over. You learn to plan around these things when you live in a small town that hosts a NFL team!

I will post the Fudge recipe later this week
Peace
Mary

More Texture Magic Projects

Well it's been a while since I posted, but I have been busy. Back in mid-October I started reping Texture Magic in Massachusetts. Since then I have been working hard to make my samples of the patterns made for TM to show at shops and demos.

The patterns are designed by Annie Unrein and they all work up really well. There are now 14 patterns that are available. I am hoping to get them in all the quilt and fabric stores in MA, but if you can't get them in your LQS, then check both Annie's web site or the Superior Threads web site.
If you live in MA and see this just contact me directly by posting a comment.

Here are the projects
Bubbly Music Babies - this is a baby quilt pattern, (Bubbly Babies) but I used "adult" fabrics. Both of my children played in the orchestra in high school (cello & viola) so I had lots of music fabric and I wanted to make a black and white quilt. I have not quilted this intentionally, so I can show the texturized pieces from the back and how they are pieced into a quilt. They are the black pieces in the center.





On The Town - is a great bag to make - I used rows of one of the decorative stitches on my machine to make the texturized center - I was very pleased with the effect. Also I tried Fast2Fuse in the body of the bag and Craftfuse in the pockets. The Fast2fuse was hard to turn right side out after putting the lining and the outside of the bag together, but it makes the bag stand up very well.





Serenity- The flap on this bag has wool batting in between the TM and the fabric. Then I outlined each leaf with a 35wt varigated thread I had in my thread stash. It was a lot of work, but worth it. I used magnetic snaps and put feet on the bottom as well. These are little features that are not in the pattern, that make the bag very finished.






Texture Magic Tote- A potential customer was not sure that TM would work for her customers - they support the more folk art, "no brights" quilters and crafters. She supplied me with the fabric for this bag - it is the small bag in the pattern - the pattern comes with two sizes.
It came out really well. The black fabric on the base has a very very dark gray pattern in it. To texturize, I went around some patterns free motion and then did a 1" grid with a serpentine stitch for the rest. The effect was great.



I am off to try some applique as I have two demos this weekend.