3/26/16

A Fun Day of Sewing

Yesterday I decided it was time to get to work sewing together the little iron caddy for when I carry my travel iron to and from quilting classes. Since I'm taking a class at the end of April, there was no time to waste. You might recall that I purchased the pattern for this while visiting the Going Batty quilt shop in Reno, Nevada. It was the perfect size for my little travel iron. This is the one I saw made up in the quilt shop. So cute. Mine is the Caddy Pad Jr.


The pattern included a sheet of heat resistant fabric to be used for the lining, which was very handy. It is sold by the yard all over the internet and at your local quilt shop. The instructions were easy to follow and quite detailed, and so this went together easily within a couple of hours. First, I was instructed to make a template for the center markings. I used freezer paper for this. I ironed it onto the lining and it stuck without shifting. Once I had the lines drawn around it, I just peeled it up.


Next, I drew in all the lines from the diagram, made a quilt sandwich using the outer fabric and two layers of scrap batting. (I always use Warm and Natural or Warm and White.) Then I pinned the whole thing together. 


Usually I use a crappy cone thread in my bobbin. For this project, I knew the bobbin thread was going to be showing on the outside. I had a bobbin already wound with Bottom Line thread. I don't usually like using it since it messes up my tension. There are a lot of folks out there who swear by Bottom Line. I am not one of them. In any case, it wouldn't hurt to test it out. Also, I've never sewn on this heat resistant fabric. That, along with two layers of batting had me a little spooked. I used a regular cotton thread on top and a 90/14 machine quilting needle. My machine has a dual feed, but different machines might require a walking foot. I sewed a little test line on the outside of the eventual cutting line. Looks fine from the top.


Then, I flipped it over to see how the Bottom Line was performing on the other side. Well...it might help to clean the lint from beneath the throat plate. After that, it worked beautifully.


And so I was off and sewing. I sewed the first line of stitches in the center,


And then checked again on the other side. Looking good.


And then I sewed in all the lines, and trimmed the edges. The pattern suggested that scissors might work better than a rotary cutter. I can't cut a straight line with scissors, and so I used the rotary cutter with no problem.


The scariest part was cutting off the corners.


When I had that finished, I turned it over and I was well on my way to having a finished caddy.


Next, I was instructed to sew on a binding using my favorite method. The pattern contained a good explanation of how to do those greater than 90-degree corners.


Before I turned the binding to the other side, I sewed on the elastic loops.


Usually, I would hand sew a binding, but for this purpose, I thought machine sewing might be stronger, and so I did that.


Then, I added handles,


And buttons.


And then, I was ready for the moment of truth. For one thing...would it fit? And it did...perfectly.


It's a bit of a puzzle folding it up. Fortunately, there is a helpful video on the internet that shows you how to do this. If you can't see the video, click right here


And there it is!



This was so simple and fun to make, and it folds into a tidy little package. The heat resistant liner means that I'll be able to pack away my iron, even if it's still hot. I'm so happy with it!

So the end of the month is approaching, and I still have a few things on my list of goals to get finished. I'm not sure I'm going to make it. The kids are coming up for ham dinner tomorrow, and I'm getting a head start today by boiling some eggs, making a salad, and getting a pie crust ready to go. That shouldn't take too long. As for sewing, I'm going to get to work making up the next block for the Live, Love, Teach quilt...this one from Callis.


I have in mind to applique the yellow petals as one piece, and then fill in the details with thread. That way, I can do the embroidery in the center through just one layer of fabric. That shouldn't take too long. If I have time, I'll get to work on the little tissue cover I'm making as a pay-it-forward gift. 


There are a lot of these online, but I'm using this one from Fun with Barb.

It's a busy day ahead...better get going. Oh yes! And I almost forgot...we're going out tonight to celebrate 400 days until Mike's retirement. That happened on Thursday. Yes, we're counting...it's as good a reason to celebrate as any, we figure.

14 comments:

QuiltShopGal said...

Happy 400 days till Mike retires. May the time go quickly. Fun to count down. I have the pattern for the iron tote, but haven't yet made it. You've inspired for me to make it before my next retreat. Have fun in your upcoming class/quilt getaway.

QuiltShopGal
www.quiltshopgal.com

beaquilter said...

awesome bag!

Renee said...

Your iron tote turned out darling!

Dana Gaffney said...

That tote is so cute, I never imagined you had to bring an iron with you to a class.

Cath said...

I adore the fabric you are using and the little tote turned out too cute for words....you will definitely have the most "well dressed" iron at class.

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Love the fabric and it came out so cute.

NancyA said...

Love your tote. I especially appreciate the step-by-step of the process. I have started one similar, ripped it out--too many layers of batting; started again, ripped it out. I think I can handle it now--will try again. Thanks for the nudge.

Brown Family said...

I like the fabric you used on the iron caddy. I also used Insul-Bright in ours. I know it was probably overkill, but oh well!

quiltzyx said...

The hot iron tote looks fab! Good job!!

Kate said...

The iron caddy turned out beautifully!

Judy1522 said...

Your iron caddy looks great. Congratuations to Mike on now less than 400 days to retirement. My husband retired for good the beginning of July and he is loving it. He started counting how many Mondays he had left to go several years before he retired.

Soma @ inkTorrents.com said...

The iron caddy looks fantastic! Thanks for posting the step-by-step photos. Love your tissue covers made with Halloween fabrics. So cute!!

-Soma

Barbara said...

Those tissue covers aren't mine...they were made by the person who created the tutorial, Fun with Barb.

Dar said...

Your iron caddy is great. I want one!!!! What were your dimentions of the square before you started cutting corners and sewing seams? I have a cordless iron and wonder if it would work for it too?