Calm Under Tension by Gwen Gyldenege
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1" Prarie Points for Valentine Coasters

2/29/2016

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Valentine's was another gift opportunity and a gift means another chance to dive into my stash and create something useful, beautiful, and unique without investing in new supplies.  I had this lovely print with hearts and magical dragonflies that felt whimsical and perfect to represent Valentine's Day. 
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To echo the cute points in the design, I decided to make prairie points. Since these coasters aren't much taller than ~ 5", then I would need to make rather wee prarie points. I went with 1" squares. That allowed me to easily fit 5 points on each side. 
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Prairie points aren't hard to make, they're just tedious, detailed work. First you have to cut each little square. Then, you have to fold on the diagonal (corner to corner) once, press, then corner to corner twice, press again, then place them for stitching. 
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As I was pressing these, I thought of a pretty slick way to hold them after being pressed. Use a binder clip, or purse clip as my co-worker Ralph used to call them. This worked nicely, though I wouldn't leave them like that for more than a few hours. The firm steel of the binder clip will leave indentations in the pretty pressed triangles. It certainly cleaned up my ironing board though.
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These darn points were so small, they would slip off as I attempted to place them for stitching into the seam. Solution? temporary adhesive spray. Using a paper bag that I cut off the top half of, I sprayed (gently otherwise it'll blow them all away or turn them over) all the prairie points. Then, I placed them into the seams. Super easy. Just enough stickiness and none slip and slide while sewing either. Plus, temporary adhesive is gone (evaporates if you will) in a few days anyway. Winner!
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Here they are with all points sewn in and top stitched. I like how the points echo the print that I was able to size just right to be at the fold on top and bottom. All these came from a fat quarter and I have enough left over to make 4 more coasters or something else. :) 
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Blooming love and magical dragonflies with arrow heads radiating the loving energy outward. This was a fun project to make and even more fun to give. 
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Jalie 2212 Men's Fleece Half-Zip Pullover

2/23/2016

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As I've mentioned in a couple of my recent posts, I made Christmas presents for my family.  For the boys, I made pullover fleeces using Jalie 2212.  What a great pattern! I really enjoyed sewing it up. 
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Similar to Kelly's guidance on the Jalie 2795 zipper and welt pockets, I added interfacing to ensure the zipper would be smooth and bump free. 
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Here's the first one all sewn up. Doesn't it fit him perfectly? I didn't measure him before, just estimated based on T-shirt sizing from shirts I had purchased him before that fit. Often sites that sell clothing will list chest dimensions so that was the perfect starting point. 
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Here are both of the fleeces I made for Christmas. Red on the left, grey on the right. The grey was my first one. Essentially it was a working muslin. Notice the center back wrinkles? I learned not to pull so much on the seams when sewing.  I also found out that steam is an excellent help for working out those wrinkles, even in a polyester fabric!
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I accidentally over cut the corners of the red collar. My fix was to create this inside placket. It added just enough character and also was a nice design element. Those triangles appear stitched on the fashion face of the fabric. 
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This was one of the smaller sizes and boy does that cuff get tiny! I could barely fit the cuff around the arm of my sewing machine. Whew! Something to note when making the childrens sizes which are much smaller than this!
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Now doesn't he look handsome in this? I am so proud and even more happy that these are liked and will be worn. That was worth every moment spent making them. 
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    Gwen Gyldenege

    Author: 
    Gwen Gyldenege

    I'm a one woman circus.  
    I'm curvy and athletic.
    ​I am a dancer.
    My last name translates 
    to "Golden Oak". 

    I'm an artist, intuitive, engineer, seamstress 
    and performer.

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Except for sources otherwise stated beneath images or bottom of the page (Creative Commons), all images and works are copyright Gwen Gyldenege, all rights reserved.  Contact Gwen to request permission.
Photos used under Creative Commons from I Robertson, DoNotLick, Gustty, Jayson Emery, Nbepko, Gamma Man, I Robertson, Lars Plougmann, RowdyKittens, Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious, The Wandering Angel, VasenkaPhotography, quinn.anya, Léa Chvrl, Lost Albatross, Guttorm Flatabø, BEST PHOTO, RowdyKittens, allistair, BozDoz, tanakawho, Navicore, Bilal Kamoon, D-Stanley, Kris Krug, glasseyes view, essers, Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious, Alex Pepperhill, Found Animals, adactio, Office Now