New Sewing Project. A Comfortable and Protective Gardening Cap. 11.18.202

 As someone with no natural scalp covering (hair) I have a couple of choices. Baseball caps don't help.  They have a button riveted in the top to hold together or hide the point where the 6 triangles of fabric come together.  Some how, I often hit my head on almost anything, and that rivet makes a divot in my scalp, which leaves a scab for a few weeks.  Another choice is to become a NY real estate billionaire and hire a hairdresser for $70,000 a year to pile up the side hair into something that looks like a tortured ferret on top of my head.  That's not my favorite option either.  So I decided to make a cap with a one-piece top, quilted for protection.

I had this old cap that I used to like, but it's falling apart and the top was never padded so not much protection.  I took it apart and ironed the pieces flat to make a pattern.  I used to joke that this was a Fidel Castro cap, but then I did a web search on "Fidel Castro cap" and it turns out that it really was  Fidel Castro cap.  I'm not crazy about that but I can use a fabric other than olive drab and that will fix that.

First, I ran the cap through the washer/dryer so I would have something clean to work with.  Then I labeled all of the seams for future reference.

Then I used a seam ripper to tear apart the old cap.  The bill is too solid to take apart but I can work with that as is.  Also, I took photos from every angle, to serve as a guide to assembling the new cap.

The bill is rather hard plastic.  A could make a new one using milk jug plastic, but I don't want to damage my sewing machine by sewing into something similar.  Plus I don't know what would happen to that if it goes through the dryer.  As an alternative, I could use several thicknesses of denim or canvas.  I opted for some heavy duty interfacing from the fabric store, which gives some stiffness but is still soft at the same time.  For the top part, I used rip-stop fabric for the top, flannel from old pajamas for the inside, and sandwiched some quilting cotton between the two.  I machine quilted that with about 1 1/2 inch squares.  I skipped the border around the sides.  

This is the result for the first prototype.  It's interesting that I can take something apart, use that as a pattern, and it comes out looking completely different.   It's a little crude, but it takes me a few efforts to make something decent, which is why this is just a prototype. 

This hat is actually fairly functional and more comfortable than the usual baseball cap.  However, I think I might take it apart and put in a flannel liner and flannel binding on the sides, which will make for even better comfort and better fit.  

I had a lot of problems with the stitches skipping, whole sections of skips.  The sewing machine manual says really helpful things (not really) like "wrong needle" or "wrong thread" or "not threaded correctly." I re-threaded the machine.  I tried a heavier needle, which maybe helped a little.  I tried the heaviest duty needle that I had.  Still some skips.  Then I changed to a walking foot, and surprise, no skipping,

Quilting Project. 9.15.2020

With unrelenting, health-threatening, wildfire smoke filling the air, the advisories are to stay indoors with air filters running and a/c on.   The coolness actually kept the garden from drying out, so I have not had to water.  Will wear a filtration mask today and check.  

Meanwhile, I worked on the quilt project that I posted 9.6.2020.  The first steps are in that post.  The method and overall pattern are from Ruby Star Society.  My take on that is using batik strips that I bought via Amazon, one roll of muted blues and sandy colors, and one of rainbow colors.  For some panels, I arranged the rainbow colors based on the pride and inclusion flag.   For other panels, and mixed them with the sandy beach colors, and for some panels, it was all the seashore blue and sandy tan colors.  I also added a strip from left over batik fabric I bought to make an Aloha shirt, which I also used for making a mask.  That way, more of a part of my life now, is in this quilt top.

I will need to edit this post later.  The blogger platform isn't designed to do on I-pad / Firefox browser, what I want to do.  (Edited 9.15.2020.  The lap top works better than I-pad, although it's still not a perfect process.  That may be because I use Firefox browser.)

After deciding which colors went where (and arranging and rearranging, and then arranging and rearranging), I sewed them into panels.  I sewed the strips into pairs, then sewed the pairs together, until each panel consisted of 10 strips.

Then I ironed the seams flat, toward the darker patterned fabric side.  Then I evened up the squares, and trimmed to make as perfect square as possible.  Mine were all 18 3/4 inches on each side.  I also measured distance between opposite corners to make sure those were all equal.  I think in the linked instruction, they are 20 inches on a side, but mine came to 18 3/4.  That may be due to different size of fabric strips.  

Here they are, all ironed and trimmed.  I think the quilt starts to feel like it will really happen, now.

Then I paired up the squares in combinations that I liked, with no two pairs alike.  That some thought and arranging and rearranging and more thought and more arranging and more rearranging.  In each set of squares, one panel is at 90 degree angle to the other.  That arrangement is necessary for the final flying kite or butterfly appearance of this quilt pattern.

 

Then I clipped the edges together and sewed a new seam, all the way around.  Here is one with the clips.  I needed some very small adjustments, because even with my best effort and multiple measuring, a few did not come out perfect.  This one shows a panel that I made with all of the colors of the pride and inclusion flag, although the colors are in a different order.

 

After sewing the squares together, there are four sewn panel sets.  Then, after more measuring, I cut the sewn squares corner to corner.  These triangles open to form new squares.

I opened up the cuts, which are now squares with stripes in two directions.  Then I ironed the seams flat.  Each square panel is different from the others, because the patterns self-assemble somewhat into new arrangements.

Now I arranged them, and rearranged them, then went away, then returned and rearranged so more, to come up with an arrangement that I liked.  I had to use the bed because I don't have a table this large. Each row has at least one rainbow, as does each column.  I tried not to have the same pattern or color combination in one panel adjacent to the same pattern in the adjacent panel, although that is difficult to accomplish.  The result is a pattern that looks "random" but actually is very much intentional and planned.  I think more rainbow would have been too much, and less would have been not enough.  So I think equal parts rainbow colors and blues/tans works pretty well.

Next, I will sew these panels together to make the quilt top.  I think it will need a batik border too, primarily grey or tan, and a mostly black binding.

New Face Masks. 9.12.2020

 I still use the home made, pleated masks that I have been making.  They are not a perfect fit on the sides.  Also, the sewing machine has some challenges with the multiple layers of the folded pleats, and sometimes skips stitches.  It probably doesn't help that I added a light, nonwoven interfacing as a liner, and the inside fabric is cotton kitchen towel, which some studies showed to be very good as a viral filter.

This pattern is quite different.  The fit is much better.  I made one that had ripstop pants fabric as the outer layer. The mask looked great, very professional, but it wasn't breathable, which is a problem.   I made these new masks with batik cotton quilting fabric outer layer, light interfacing liner, and kitchen towel inner layer.  This filters smoke very well, and is breathable but probably the upper limit to how thick I can breath through comfortably.  This makes a good mask for both wildfire apocalypse and coronavirus apocalypse.  I'm not sure about plagues of locusts, frogs, or zombies. 

I'm having a difficult time loading photos.  I'm using Ipad.  If they don't work out, I'll need to edit later. (Edited 9.15.2020)

The materials - this was some batik fabric that I bought to make a shirt.  There was some extra.  The NY Times article that I read stated that cotton batik fabric is the best, along with "tea towel" which is kitchen towel.  Later articles state a nonwoven filler is helpful, so I added a nonwoven interfacing.

I cut to the downloaded pattern from the link above.  I ironed the interfacing onto the inside aspect of the batik fabric, before cutting.

I followed the article instructions, pretty much to a T.  It was very straight-forward.  I used two food bag twist ties to make the metal nose strip, which is sewn inside the mask before final assembly.  I also used polyester shoestring for ties, cutting to fit and sealing the cut ends with a butane lighter, so they don't fray.

This mask has an excellent fit.  It seals much better at the sides, compared to the pleated masks that I was making.  Those mask pleats were also difficult to sew, whereas this mask doesn't have pleats, so no problem.

The inside of the mask, showing the tea towel fabric.  That is quite comfortable.  I think these masks filter out a lot of the smoke particles in the current Pacific NW worst-air-quality-in-the-world situation due to wildfires.  I feel much less short of breath and lung tightness when wearing this mask outside, compared to not wearing it.

 

Next Quilting Project. 9.6.2020

I made some curtains for the kitchen and did some clothing repairs. I have the fabic to make a shirt - a dark batik. However, now I think I want to start a quilt. It will be raibow colors, mixed with beach colors (blues and sandy browns), in triangles. First, sewing together the stripes that will be cut into triangles once done. I arranged the strips into the approximate pattern that I want, then rolled them up so they won't get mixed up again.

 I'm not sure that I like buying the pre-selected bundles of strips ("jelly rolls"), sight - unseen. You get what they send. You have to make something that will utilize those strips, since they are already cut 2 1/2 inches wide by (I think) 44 inches long.  I have not calculated the price per yard, but I have a nagging feeling they cost more than buying by the yard.  The advantage is that you get lots of colors and patterns, so maybe don't have to buy as much.

I don't know what this method is called.  It starts with sewing together 10 strips, in the desired order, to make larger squares.  Then trim the squares, pair them facing together at 90 degree angle, sew them together, then cut at 45 degree angles to make 4 new squares, each consisting of two color combinations.  I'll show as I go, which will be slow.

Two "Learning Quilts". 6.11.2020

Last winter I decided I wanted to learn to make quilts.  I'm not as able as I used to be for major outdoor projects and remodeling.  Also, I can't do so much heavy digging.  Something is needed for creative urges and to keep me out of trouble, so I got out the sewing machine.

Never having made a quilt, I did some reading.  I wanted to start small, not spend too much money, and learn by doing.  All of my sewing is self-taught and I make a lot of mistakes.

First Quilt.

I bought a roll of fall themed fabric at the fabric store (Jelly Roll).  After playing around a little and looking at quilts on line, I decided on this pattern.  This is about 3 feet by 3 feet.  It's a little bit of a joke, because one off the fabrics has deer peeking over the fence, and deer are my nemesis (when in the garden or eating the fruit trees) and friends (w hen not doing those things), and they are everywhere.

I just finished the quilting and binding, after having the top assembled for a few months.   I feel intimidated at each step, since each is my first time, but once I get into it and make a few mistakes, I start to learn.   This quilt is too small to be useful, so I hung it on the wall.  After taking this photo and looking at it, I think the darker stripes look too much like the letter "I", so I took it down, took off the loops,  turned it and resewed the loops so the blocs look more like sections of fence.

Second quilt.  Same method, also started the patchwork during the late winter.  I started by basing it on a Pride flag I saw at Cascade AIDS Project, where I was volunteering until the COVID epidemic.  However, I thought the plain colors were not lively enough but seem kind of harsh at the same time.  I used patterns taken from natural ideas instead.  Even then I thought the long stripes were kind of too much, and seemed to have a dominant theme, so I cut into the same type of squares a the other quilt, and scrambled a little while still having a pattern.  Looking now, it's kind of a Bargello-inspired idea, where each stripe can be moved either one down or one across, and they match.   This pattern required multiples of three, which meant adding one color.  I added silver (grey) to represent seniors.

Still a lot of mistakes, but I like the colorful result and it has a kind of meaning.

Now I have some Indonesian Batik fabric to play with.  I'm not sure what I will do.  I thought about a Bargello pattern, but that kind of subsumes the fabric pattern into just shades, without much of the pattern standing out.  I could do one of these again, as another learning exercise before branching out.  Not sure.  I think it might be a mistake to buy Jelly Rolls, which tend to lock a person into a certain type of pattern, whereas larger shapes, like by the yard or fat quarters, seem to give more freedom. 

A Raincoat for Rufus

Sometimes I make things, sew or refinish furniture.  Rufus is so dark and wooly, I worry about walking him especially in evening and during rain.  Plus he doesn't like getting his fur wet.  Dog raincoats at Petco were very expensive.  Plus, none of their doggie raincoats seemed to fit his body.  A human raincoat at Bimart only cost about 1/10 as much last fall, so I bought one to use the fabric.  Never got around to it, but during quarantine, there is more spare time.  Here is the result.  He doesn't mind it.