Pin Keeper Pattern

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There’s so much going on in the world right now that I though I might pop up a quick freebie project.

This is my Pin Keeper. It is a flag/banner style hanging that I made to keep my collection of enamel pins and brooches on.

Materials
10in x width of fabric strip
10in of Parlan (thin cotton fusible wadding)
6in of binding fabric
Spray baste or safety pins
Rotary cutter, ruler and mat
Sewing machine with walking foot
Thread
General sewing supplies

Cutting
Two, 3in binding strips
Three, 3in x 6.5in tab strips

Assembly
Trim off the selvedges and cut along the fold to separate the fabric.
Fold one piece in half lengthways (long length) and cut a 45degree angle across one end, approx 4.5in from the edge.

Fuse Parlan to the wrong side of the backing fabric piece. Baste the angled fabric piece to the backing and Parlan piece. You can use spray baste like 505 for a quick baste or just a handful of pins.

Quilt as desired. I simply straight line quilted across the short side a few times. Stitch 1/8in around the edge to secure and then trim back to the fabric line.

Tabs
Take the 3in x 6.5in strips for your tabs and fold them in half lengthwise. Press the fold. Open the fold and then fold the sides into the centre line and press again. Topstitch if desired. Then, fold the tabs in half to make a loop. Place the 3 tabs across the squared end of your flag with the raw edges matching the edge of the flag, spacing them evenly. Then pin and baste in place.

NOTE: Depending on how you want to hang your pin flag check the method that they will go onto your hanging rod. If they can slide onto a dowel make the tabs as above. If you have to insert your hanger into the tabs, do so before pinning and basting in place, and remember to be careful with the hanger and your machine while binding.

Binding
Join your main binding strips end-to-end using a 45degree seam, as you would normally prepare your binding. Trim and press all the seams open. Press the binding strip in half lengthways with the wrong sides facing.

Starting about one-third of the way along one side of the flag and leaving a tail for joining, sew the binding to the backside of the flag, mitring the corners as you go. You will need to do angled joins for the flag point that are 120 and 60degrees. Click here for my full post regarding this type of mitre. Stop about 6in from where you started, join the ends using your favourite method and finish attaching the binding.

Fold the binding around to the front side of the flag and stitch it down. Follow the other post regarding mitring the corners again.

Finish
Hang your pin flag up and add all of your pins!

2019 wash up

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Here we are less than a month away from Christmas and boy what a year it has been.

Just wanted to leave this post up to say thank you for being here another year, for all of your support and patience with my health and the chaos that it caused.

Also – closing dates for this holiday season:

I will be working up till 4:30pm on Friday the 20th of December. Mail orders/pick up are most welcome until then.
As of the 21st I will be taking a small break so I can regroup. There will be no machine quilting happening. Mail orders can be placed but will not be shipped until the 3rd of January.

Machine quilting closes on the 9th of December with final collection by the 20th December so everyone has quilts in time for the big day. You can still book quilting spots – just send through a message 0416 023 637 or email frankensteinsfabrics@hotmail.com with your quilt dimensions, style of quilting (custom, edge-to-edge or stipple), due date and if you need backing and/or wadding. I’ll get a quote back to you.

I will be back at work on the 3rd of January and will respond to all messages then.

I’ll still be posting to IG and FB so if you feel like popping by and saying “Hi” or posting photos of your holiday sewing please feel free. I plan on doing a LOT of sewing over the break.

Classes for next year are currently listed under the “Events” tab on my Facebook page – you can book and pay via the website so you don’t miss out. Semester 1 dates only at this stage.

I hope everyone has a safe and Merry Christmas and New Year.

Happy quilting!

Marni x

Spring Sale!

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Hello lovely people!

Just a quick note to say there’s a SALE on in the webstore. Click the store button and shop till your hearts content. All fabric is reduced and pretty much everything else as well. I decided a big spring clean was in order to make the most of the end of the year and streamline things as well as give you all some excellent bargains.

Any queries please don’t hesitate to ask.

Machine quilting is available from October until the 9th of December (last drop off date). Please contact me for a quote, lay-by options and to book.

I’ll be adding a few other things to the webstore in coming months – patterns, pre-made quilts and vouchers for both machine quilting and regular gift vouchers. These are mainly digital items so will need more work to get them uploaded.

In the meantime, happy shopping!

Marni x

Change of direction

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So…

Let’s start with the general news.

Last week I made the decision to remove all of my stock and quilts that have been on display at Gosford Sewing Centre for the last 4 years. Things have changed at the shop, its moving in one direction and Frankenstein’s Fabrics needed to move in another.

It’s a change that I needed to make because it has removed a level of stress off my shoulders that I didn’t realise was there until I moved the last piece home. I literally sat on the lounge room floor looking at all my bits and pieces, took a deep breath and released a burden that I hadn’t been aware of. It was a very strange feeling and those of you who know me well know I don’t poke around in my feelings too much, so the whole acknowledgment of this feeling was vaguely unsettling. Emotions are now packed back up in their boxes and on we go.

Now, some have asked if I’m leaving and the answer is no. I’m still working and teaching at the shop it’s just time for a change for FF HQ. This year started with a sneaking suspicion that things were on the move and now is that time. Change can be good and bad. I know this is a good change for me so its easy to embrace it and move forward. Bad changes are not always obvious in the moment and often seen with hindsight. You can only trust your instincts at the time and be aware that whatever the outcome you are prepared for the results.

I’ve spent the last two years in pain, dealing with my endometriosis and last months surgery has put me in a better condition but still with some issues. Incurable diseases are like that, but you just have to pick yourself up and keep moving. I hate being idle, I hate being kept from doing what I love so my fight with this illness is only going to keep going. There are things that I will be doing shortly that are part of that fight – if you would like to help please sign up here to my mailing list to stay in the loop. The more we talk about this shitty disease, the more fundraising and research will go towards it and the sooner we get an answer.

The only real diagnostic tool for endometriosis is surgery. Let that sink in for a moment.

The only way a doctor can say “yes, you have endometriosis” is to cut you open and check. That’s some epic level of screwed up right there. Especially when you think about how many other diseases are diagnosed – blood tests, x-rays and scans. Non-invasive and just mildly uncomfortable. And let’s not get into talking about the costs.

So my plans are to fight – because I’m mad that this disease has taken a lot from me this past two years, I’ve put off things because I physically just couldn’t handle it, my sleep patterns are screwed up and I’m on a bizarre cocktail of drugs to deal with it all. So I’m doing something about it in the only way  know how. Quilting.

The online shop will be back up and running soon. Quilting is as normal – current customer quilts are in a nice queue and bookings from mid-September onwards are being taken as we speak. Last drop-off date will be the 9th of December, with pick-up by the 20th. I’ll have a break over New Years and be back after the 12th of January.

Donations are still very much welcome for BlanketLovez – please get in touch via the Facebook page if you’d like to volunteer to make quilt tops or if you have fabric, backing or wadding donations.

My classes are back in September at Gosford Sewing. Class list is here. Bookings can be made directly with me, so we can discuss what you would like to achieve. Email me frankensteinsfabrics@hotmail.com or ring me on 0416 023 637. Class dates for other things I teach are pending (machine embroidery) and will be dependent on time constraints.

In the meantime, things are just chugging along. Many of the things I’ve been working on I can’t share – gifts and secret squirrel projects – but there will be some new stuff happening soon. I’m almost back to my normal brain capacity after the surgery so I’m definitely itching to get back to my regular levels of designing and sewing. Being forced to be idle has driven me up the wall. I NEED to make something… but I’m sure you all know how that feels. 🙂

Thank you for everyone’s understanding and patience during this time. It’s been a big relief to know I didn’t have to worry about quilting and teaching while I was off recovering.

Onwards and upwards!

Marni x 

The great ironing debate

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Steam or no steam?

Iron and push or press and lift?

Ironing really shouldn’t be that hard but when it comes to patchwork the technique does matter.

I personally like to use a bit of steam. I don’t press the steam button on my iron but just use the steam as it happens. I really dislike the finish that ironing without steam looks like. Especially because we use 100% cotton for quilts it needs a bit of steam assistance to get the wrinkles out. But this is a choice – personal preference plays a huge role in many of the things we do in this hobby so try both options and see which you prefer.

Ironing clothes to me is a bit easier because you can just push the iron allover your shirt (mind the buttons!) and its in a lot better shape than when you pulled it out of the clean clothes basket. However, your shirt does not require accuracy because you aren’t going to join it up to another shirt. This is where the push v press and lift comes into play.

Pushing the iron can drag the fabric and warp the seam. Meaning your nice straight seam is now a nice curve and won’t match up to his buddy in the quilt. Fine for shirts not fine for patchwork pieces.

Pressing and lifting the ironing gives you far more control. It means you are heating the area that needs to be pressed and lifting the iron away without distorting the seam.

My general rules are:

  • Press the seam open or to the darker of the fabrics
  • Press the seam and then turn the pieces over and check the front of the fabric to ensure that the seam hasn’t rolled (see photos)
  • Press seams in opposite directions to make joining pieces easier. e.g. Quilt with 9 rows of blocks in it, press all even numbered rows to the right and odd numbered rows to the left
  • You can always re-iron something
  • Sometimes a fabric will tell you which way it wants to be pressed – don’t fight it unless you absolutely have to
  • Make friends with your iron, you will be using it a lot. I iron more patchwork fabric than I’ve ever ironed clothes in my lifetime
  • Starch is your friend too, use it on tricky to manage fabrics, any time you plan on cutting triangles and anytime you feel a fabric is misbehaving

If you have any questions about ironing please let me know in the comments.

Happy quilting,

Marni x

 

Welcome to 2019

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Welcome to 2019 at Frankenstein’s Fabrics HQ!

This year has a lot already going on. Things that have been in the pipeline for a while and are finally coming together.

Classes:
I’m teaching a few different things this year including machine embroidery. It’s a specific project based on learning techniques and I will have more info on dates, prices etc towards the end of the month. To sign up for the mailing list click here.

Patterns:
Those of you who follow news in the crafting world may have seen the shake up that was announced by Craftsy a couple of weeks ago. Basically they decided to streamline their pattern platform and culled a lot of designers. I was one of them. To be honest it didn’t bother me because I had other avenues in place for selling and I was planning on moving away from Craftsy anyway. Many designers didn’t and they short notice has left many adrift.

So new to the website is a pattern only store. It’s a dropdown from the store button, under the header and will include free and paid for patterns. I am slowly transferring my designs there. They are all digital downloads. If you would like to purchase a hardcopy pattern please email me frankensteinsfabrics@hotmail.com with your address and what pattern you would like. Payment and post will be arranged. 

Website:
I will be tweaking the website throughout January, not only doing the pattern store but also getting rid of, changing and adding new things. I will be trying to blog more this year as well as now that some things have settled down I can focus again. The product store will change too, details to be advised.

Machine Quilting:
Machine quilting in 2018 was hectic. So in order for things to not get so crazy in 2019 I cannot stress enough that you book in your quilts with at least 6 weeks notice before you need it finished. Deposits are $50 – no exceptions. Bookings are welcome at any time of the year. Spaces do fill up so even if you haven’t finished the quilt yet please get in touch and secure a slot. Any questions please email me frankensteinsfabrics@hotmail.com or ring 0416 023 637.

My other job:
I am still working with the team at the Gosford Sewing Machine Centre. I am there Tuesday 10-3, Wednesday and Friday 10-4:30 and Saturday 9:30-12:30. If you need to see me in person this is the best way to do so. Please ring if you’re not sure I’ll be there. Frankenstein’s Fabrics stock is located in the shop as well.

Special Events:
This year there are a few special events that will be happening. Shows, charity days, one-off teaching days etc. If you would like to be kept in the loop for these notifications please sign up to the newsletter here.

Magazines:
As many of you know Express Publications shut down its remaining magazines in June last year. I had been a project contributor since 2007. It was sad to see it go this way after so many years, but things change and we must move forward. At this point in time I have no plans to contribute to magazines again. Mainly because when Express stopped publishing I was in the middle of some health issues and had decided to slow things down a little for myself. I am still working on my health and don’t necessarily wish to add that type of deadline stress back into my schedule just yet. I would consider it if asked and it would depend on the project.

January Special:
January is my birthday month so I decided that I shouldn’t be the only one getting a present! Stay tuned for a surprise a little later in the month.

That’s about all for now, so I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year and that 2019 brings us all the things we wish for, especially some sewing time!

Marni x

Happy birthday to Frankenstein’s Fabrics!

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Today is the 7th birthday of Frankenstein’s Fabrics. Although the store has been through many ups and downs, I’m still here and still doing my favourite thing.

To celebrate, one lucky winner will receive a machine quilting voucher valued at $120AUD (machine quilting costs only, doesn’t include thread, wadding, backing or postage costs), for quilting in 2019. Photos must be in by 5pm Friday the 19th October.

To enter simply post a photo of the quilt you would like me to quilt in the comments on the pinned post on my Facebook page.  I will then use a random number generator to decide on a winner. Comments will be numbered as they are posted, sequential order. Two entries per person. Australia only to reduce postage costs.

This competition is in no way endorsed by Facebook.

The Honey Pot Bee – Coral Crown Block

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Hello and welcome to Frankenstein’s Fabrics! My name is Marni Franks and I’ll be one of your Queens for November’s block party.

The block I’ve chosen is one I designed, taking inspiration from traditional star and crown style blocks adding a little twist here and there.

When I first designed this quilt it was for a magazine commissioned piece and was sea-themed so in my head it was all about the ‘crown’ feel of the block – like sea anemones and sea urchins.

WARNING: This block has 69 pieces in it. I made 25 of these blocks for my quilt and it can be tedious making so many but making one block is fairly straight forward.

So let’s get started!

Note: Fabric descriptions as per my block

You will need:
Four, 4 1/2in squares of halloween character print
Four, 2in squares of dark sludge green spider web print
Four, 2 1/2in squares of light purple plain batik
Five, 2 1/2in squares of dark purple tone-on-tone spot
Four, 2 1/2in squares of light sludge green tone-on-tone spot
Eight, 1 1/2in x 2 1/2in rectangles of dark purple tone-on-tone spot
Eight, 1 1/2in squares of dark dark sludge green spider web print
Four, 3 1/2in squares of dark dark sludge green spider web print
Four, 3 1/2in squares of light purple plain batik
Eight, 3 1/2in squares of light sludge green tone-on-tone spot

Here we go!

9-Patch centre 
Dark Unit: Take one square of 2 1/2in light purple and two squares of dark purple. Stitch one dark square to either side of the light purple square and press the seams to the darker fabric. Make 2 units like this.

Light Unit: Take one square of 2 1/2in dark purple and two squares of light purple. Stitch one light square to either side of the dark square and press the seams to the darker fabric. Make 1 unit like this.

 

Abutting the seams stitch one dark unit to the side of a light unit. Press the seams. Attach a second dark unit to the other side of the light unit. Press the seams and set aside.

Half-Square Triangles
Pair up 4, 3 1/2in squares of light green with 4, 3 1/2in squares of light purple. With right sides facing, draw a pencil line diagonally from corner to corner across the wrong side of the pairs of squares. Stitch 1/4in either side of the drawn line. Cut along the drawn line and press open. Trim the squares down to 2 1/2in.

Note: I always make my HST units a little bigger than I need so I can trim down to size without any dramas. If you don’t feel comfortable with cutting squares at 3 1/2in go up to the 4in mark.

Repeat this for the remaining 4, 3 1/2in squares of light green and the 4, 3 1/2in squares of dark green.

Corners – make 4
Take one 4 1/2in square of halloween character print and in one corner place with right sides facing, a 2in square of dark green. Stitch across the diagonal, trim away the excess, 1/4in from the seam and press the corner open. NOTE: Please make note of rotation of your 4 1/2in square before attaching your dark green corners, in case you have a directional print like I do.

Tails – make 8
NOTE: Separate your pieces in half (two lots of four). You need to do this so that when you stitch them together you create a left and right-hand unit. 

Take a 1 1/2in square of dark green and a 1 1/2in x 2 1/2in rectangle of dark purple. Place the dark green square, with right sides facing, at the top of the purple rectangle. Stitch across the diagonal (either left or right), trim away the excess, 1/4in from the seam and press the corner open. Make 4 left and 4 right units.

Crown Unit – make 4 of each
Using the photos as a guide lay out the units, checking their orientation.

Take one light green 2 1/2in square and attach a dark green/light green HST unit to either side (check rotation). Press the seams. Piece 4 green units like this.

Take two light green/light purple HST units and piece them together (check rotation). Press the seam. Attach one left and one right tail unit to either side of the paired HST. Check the rotation of the tail unit. Press the seams. Make 4 units this way. See photo above.

Join a pair of the above units together lengthways. Press the seams. Repeat for all 4 units.

Take 2 Crown units and join them to either side of each of the 9-Patch centre. Press the seams.

Finishing the block
Take one of the Crown units and two 4 1/2in halloween character/dark green corner squares and attach one to each end rotating so that the dark green corner is in the bottom corner, use the photo as a guide. Repeat pairing up corners and units to make 2.

Using the above photo as a guide join one corner/Crown row to the upper edge of the Crown/9-Patch row, press the seams. Repeat with another corner/Crown row on the lower edge ensuring you check the rotation is correct. Press the seams.

Ta da!

Below is the quilt I made for Australian Patchwork & Quilting magazine – it’s actually the current issue Volume 27 No 8 and is available now. As you can see the use of just two colours in a light and dark tone really reveals the tertiary and secondary designs that the block creates.

If you have any questions about this block you can comment below, email frankensteinsfabrics@hotmail.com, ring me on 0416 023 637 or you can find me in the Honey Pot Bee group on FB.

I can’t wait to see your blocks!

Happy sewing!

Marni xx

 

 

 

Angled bindings other than 90degrees

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Hello!

Been a little while since I’ve been here in blogland but I’ve been asked for my method of binding quilts with angles other than 90degrees. There are a few ways to do this but this is my method and as always I do recommend that you try a few ways first before settling on the method that works best for you.

I also use a 3in wide binding rather than the usual 2.5in as I find when binding by machine it allows me a little more wiggle room.

So here we go –

Join your 3in binding strips end to end with 45-degree seams, then trim the seams and press them open. Press the binding strip in half lengthways with the wrong sides facing. With raw edges aligned and mitring the corners as you go, stitch the binding to the back of the quilt top, starting on a straight edge.

When you reach the 120degree corner, stop a 1/4in away from the edge, and then stitch off the edge of the quilt top stitching to the point (photos 1-3). Fold up the binding as shown in photo 4. Fold it back down aligned with the raw edge (photo 5) and continue sewing, repeat on each point that is 120 degrees.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

Photo 5

 

When you reach a concave (facing inwards) angle, snip a 1/4in clipped notched into the quilt top (photo 6), angle the quilt top so you are sewing a straight line (photo 7 and 8). This is easing the binding into the angle.

Photo 6

Photo 7

Photo 8

 

When you reach the 60degree corner, stop a 1/4in away from the edge (photo 9), and then stitch off the edge of the quilt top stitching to the point (photos 10 and 11). Fold up the binding as shown in photo 12. Fold it back down aligned with the raw edge (photo 13) and continue sewing, using the techniques for each angle.

Photo 9

Photo 10

Photo 11

Photo 12

Photo 13

 

Trim the surplus backing and batting 3/8in from the stitch line, and then turn the binding to the front and topstitch it in place using photos 14 – 18 to finish the 60 and 120 degree corners.

Photo 14

Photo 15

Photo 16

Photo 17

Photo 18

 

Photos 14/15/16 showed how to roll the binding up to finish the 60-degree point.

Photos 17 and 18 show how to position and finish the 120-degree point.

If you have any questions or would like me to make a video of this method, please let me know in the comments or you can ring 0416 023 637 or email me at frankensteinsfabrics@hotmail.com

Happy quilting!

Marni x

Problem solving #1

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I asked on my FB page a few days weeks ago for followers/customers to let me know what patchwork/quilting problems they’ve been having or would just like to know more about. There were a few requests that I’ll work my way through and if you have anymore ideas to add please let me know in the comments or email me – frankensteinsfabrics@hotmail.com

This blog post is aimed at one question –

“How to arrange a quilt top and backing when both are pieced? To centre both when there’s wadding in the middle and keep them in place while basting.”

Firstly we need to separate your randomly pieced backings from those that have a feature. Also you will need a flat surface to work on, plenty of room, safety pins, thread snips, ventilation if you use spray glues and some patience.

Randomly pieced backings can simply be centred by folding in half and marking the folds top and bottom. Fold in half in the other direction and mark the side folds. Repeat this process with your quilt front and when basting match up the marks. You can make extra marks if you choose – thirds for example – to make sure your matching up is as straight as it can be. Marks can be made by marking pens/pencils or safety pins. I find pins to be better as you can feel them and it just makes it that much easier to locate them underneath the fabric and wadding.

For a backing with a feature you can use the same process but you will also need to mark the centre of the quilt. You can use the folding technique as described above but you should also check the centre mark by measuring from the edges of the quilt into the centre point.

I have helped students baste quilts like this – pieced back and front for reversible quilts – and the easiest option for basting is to use a spray basting glue like 505 (we sell this at Gosford Sewing Machine Centre for $17 per can, it’s unable to be posted). The reason it is easier is that you can spread the quilt and the backing out and spray baste in sections allowing the matching up of marking points as you go. You can always peel back a section that has been basted and re-lay it to realign and match marks.


Alternatively if you want to take matching marks to a whole new level you can use a fabric marking pen and mark grids on your wadding. I have done this a couple of times but only on small projects in a similar way to marking up grids for pixel images. It is more fiddly because marking pens don’t always work well on wadding so it does take longer to draw out the marks you need.

If you are sending your quilt away to be quilted you will need to discuss with your long-armer what you want to achieve with your centred backing and ensure that there is sufficient allowance around all sides of the backing and wadding to accommodate any adjustments.

If you are quilting your quilt on your machine at home you may need to quilt in small sections and then take the quilt off the machine and lay it out again to ensure that there hasn’t been any shifting of the backing/wadding/quilt top. It does mean spending extra time preparing and working on a quilt but in the long run it will be better for it. Take it slowly and don’t rush.

If you have any questions about this post please ask in the comments and I’ll get back to you.

Happy quilting!

Marni x