Tips and Tutorials

Easy Screenprinted Holiday Gifts: Tools and Finished Products!

Like it or not, winter is coming. The holidays are only a few short weeks away! I’m collaborating with Allie at Indiesew today to offer you a crafty idea for friends and family: screenprinted holiday gifts! Allie has an easy screenprinting tutorial on the Indiesew blog, but below is a list of everything you’ll need (besides the fabric) to get started on your screenprinting adventure. Then, be sure to scroll down to see the details of what Allie and I created with our printed fabric!

DIY Screenprinted Holiday Gifts | Right Sides Together

Screenprinting Supplies

Here are the exact tools we used to create our prints. They’re all good quality materials that should last you quite a while. Buy them to make your own fabric print, or give one or more of them as a gift for the beloved craft enthusiast in your life.

(Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means that I receive a small portion of each sale at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!)

Speedball Screenprinting Frame: This guy is the most important part of the screen printing process. Screenprinting frames are available in a variety of sizes; this one is 16″ by 20″, which gives you plenty of room to develop larger patterns and printing areas. Allie has one of these, which she uses over some cardboard or plywood or something to catch the extra ink. She also has one that’s hinged at the upper edge, with the screen on top and a built-in base on the bottom. That one you can purchase here.


Jacquard Screenprinting Ink: Jacquard is an extremely trustworthy brand of screenprinting ink, which you’ll definitely need. (Don’t try to use fabric paint or other types of ink — this is the stuff you want, and it’s not overly expensive.) Allie used the Jacquard Professional line and I used the Versatex for its metallics. We didn’t notice much of a difference at all in the application, but different screenprinting inks definitely do vary in their washability, opacity, and methods for setting. Make sure to choose a screenprinting ink that’s okay to use on fabric, and read the descriptions carefully and follow all instructions.

Stencil Ease Blank 12″ x 18″ sheets: These thin sheets of mylar are what you’ll use to create your screen printing stencil. Draw directly on the sheet then cut by hand, or send through a Cricut for designing and cutting your stencil at the same time. Get a size that’s closest to your frame. These are 12″ x 18″, which would work for the 16″ x 20″ frame above.


X-ACTO Gripster Knife: Full disclosure: I used a regular X-ACTO knife to cut my stencil and my fingers hurt soooo bad afterward from the pressure required to get through the plastic. I’d definitely recommend this version, which isn’t any more expensive, to cushion your grip. (If you’ll be using a Cricut, you don’t need this.)


Speedball 10-Inch Fabric Squeegee: You’ll use this to squeegee the ink through the screen and transparency film onto your fabric. You want one that’s wide enough to cover a large area, but not one that’s so large that it’s hard to apply consistent pressure for the entire length of the frame. I like the 10-inch one.

 

You’ll also need: 

  • woven fabric, washed and dried without soap or fabric softener
  • painter’s tape
  • a big storage tub or garbage can and a hose for rinsing your stencil
  • a flat surface (table, workbench, etc.) with some sort of lip to brace the frame as you’re squeegeeing.

Do you have your materials? Awesome! Head on over to Indiesew to read Allie’s super helpful tutorial for how to prepare your stencils and screenprint your fabric.

Screenprinted Gift Ideas

Once your fabric is completed, it’s time to make some screenprinted holiday gifts! For our demos here, I created a baby quilt and Allie made a tote bag. The same versatile technique created objects in styles that are completely different!

Allie’s canvas tote bag has a bit of an urban nautical look. It’s clean and simple, with the Indiesew slogan in a bright red and the base and straps in a really nice dark denim. (She also rinsed off her screen and made a few in some other bright colors!) I love how she elected to use grommets at the top! The printed words are front and center, and it will make a great conversation starter about sewing for whoever carries it around.

DIY Screenprinted Holiday Gifts | Right Sides Together DIY Screenprinted Holiday Gifts | Right Sides Together

Next up is my quilt. I used metallic inks to create a little grove of trees. I moved my grove around on cotton fabric, rinsing it off after each application, to create a sort of improv repeat. Then I used some gold to hand paint a few extra gold trees on after screenprinting. After heat setting, I made my fabric (about 45″ square) into a wholecloth quilt, quilting horizontal lines about two inches apart and binding it in a metallic gray and gold double gauze. The whole construction process took me only a couple of hours stretched out over the weekend. It will make a sweet baby gift or, with the addition of a sleeve on the back, a holiday wall quilt.

DIY Screenprinted Holiday Gifts | Right Sides TogetherDIY Screenprinted Holiday Gifts | Right Sides Together DIY Screenprinted Holiday Gifts | Right Sides Together

Now it’s your turn! What are you going to create? Both quilters and garment sewists have a ton of options for screenprinted holiday gifts to make! Other ideas might include:

  • Tea towels
  • Aprons
  • Napkins
  • Scarves
  • Ties
  • Holiday decor like stockings or tree skirts
  • Home decor like pillows or lampshades
  • A simple blouse like the Beatrix
  • Stuffed animals or little quilts for kids
  • Printed holiday cards or gift wrap (if you want to print on paper too!)

Each project is completely unique because you’ve created your own printed fabric. Get an assembly line going by printing several pieces to sew up at once, or use the same stencil to make different projects. Whatever you make, be sure to share it with us! We’d love to see what you come up with.

Frankensleeves! A Tutorial

Last week I showed off a new creation: a dress made with Cotton + Steel rayon, using a Simplicity pattern to which I added sleeves. Since it’s October and all, I’ll call this technique making Frankensleeves. Today, I’ll show you how to do it.

Frankensleeves: A Tutorial | Right Sides Together

A sewing beginner might think that you can simply attach the sleeve of one pattern to the armscye (armhole, for noobs) of another without any modifications. A slightly more advanced sewist, on the other hand, might think that when you account for the unique shape of each sleeve and the shoulder slope and the length of the shoulder seam, the whole endeavor is f—ing impossible and life is meaningless and you’d be better off giving up on sewing altogether and living out your days meditating on a deserted island.

Depending on which camp you fall into, I have either some good news or some bad: NEITHER IS TRUE.

Adding a sleeve to a sleeveless bodice (or a differently sleeved bodice) is not as easy as you might think, but Frankensleeves are also not as scary as you might fear. Here’s what you’ll do:

Get your patterns ready.

Find your desired bodice patterns (front and back; we’ll call these Bodice A), your desired sleeve pattern, and…wait for it… the bodice patterns (front and back) that fit your sleeve (Bodice B). So I had my bodice patterns from Simplicity for my dress (A), and then the sleeve and bodice patterns (B) from the Josephine blouse by Made by Rae. I left plenty of room for sketching around my Simplicity bodice patterns, but if your pattern is already cut out you can simply tape it to some Swedish pattern paper.


NOTE: Both sets of bodice pieces should be more or less “assembled.” You want a complete and accurate armhole, from side seam to shoulder seam, on both patterns. If either of your bodices includes yoke pieces, trace all these pieces onto Swedish pattern paper and baste these elements before continuing.

Frankensleeves: A Tutorial | Right Sides Together
My Bodice A with plenty of room. I cut the neckline and side seam, but left the shoulder seam and armscye uncut as these will be what we’re modifying.

Trace Bodice B armscye onto Bodice A.

Take your desired front Bodice A with the extra area for sketching. Then take the corresponding front Bodice B. Place B over A, lining up the bottom corner of the armscye where the armhole meets the side seam. Our reason for doing this is because this place will be pretty much the same in all patterns, even though shoulder seams and armhole shapes might vary.

Trace Bodice B’s armscye onto the Bodice A pattern, from the side seam to the shoulder seam. In my case, these shapes look vastly different. Bodice A was a sleeveless dress pattern, and the shoulder straps obviously don’t cover the whole shoulder. We’ll address the shoulder seam next.
Frankensleeves: A Tutorial | Right Sides Together

Draw a new shoulder seam.

Remove Bodice B from the pattern. You should have a new armscye line now, from the side seam to what will be the shoulder seam. Using a ruler, draw a straight line from the top of that new armhole to the neckline of Bodice A, creating a new shoulder seam that is the right length for your sleeve.

Frankensleeves: A Tutorial | Right Sides Together
My pattern is cut to a size 12, so I drew a new shoulder seam from the top of the armscye to the size 12 neckline.

Repeat for back.

Repeat steps 2–4 for the back bodice pieces. Now you have a modified bodice pattern with custom armholes for your new sleeves! You have… FRANKENSLEEVES! Follow the instructions from Pattern B for inserting the sleeves, and otherwise follow Pattern A as written.

Fall Drama with Cotton + Steel Rayon and Simplicity 2638 | Right Sides Together

Garment sewists out there: do you have any additional tips for modifying bodices to add sleeves? Anything I’ve missed?

Mommy + Kid Knit Pencil Skirt Tutorial (+ Girl Charlee BOLT Giveaway!)

Mommy and Kid Knit Pencil Skirt Tutorial | Right Sides Together

FCC Disclosure: I was provided with beautiful cotton spandex fabric and social media promotion by Girl Charlee in exchange for creating this post. Be sure to scroll all the way down for your chance to win a fabric bundle from Girl Charlee! This post also contains affiliate links, where I receive a small amount from each sale. Thanks for your support!

Guess what: it’s back-to-school time! A knit pencil skirt is a classic item for dressing up for work or school but not looking like you’re trying too hard–and for the quilters among us who are TERRIFIED of sewing garments, it’s actually one of the very easiest things you can make. So here’s a knit pencil skirt tutorial for moms and kids. YOU CAN DO IT. I promise.

The major difference between pencil skirts for mamas and those for kids is that mamas have curves. Kids (unless they’ve eaten three pieces of pizza in the last ten minutes) generally don’t. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a slimming, curve-celebrating skirt for you, along with a super easy pencil skirt for the little one.

You’ll need:
1 yard of cotton spandex knit fabric for you
1/2 yard of the same fabric for the kid
Approximately 2 yards of non-roll elastic, either 3/4″ or 1″ wide
A jersey sewing machine needle
Paper for tracing a pattern: I used Swedish tracing paper, but you could also use wrapping paper or paper grocery bags taped together

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Low Poly Quilt Making, Part 2: Construction

Interested in designing your own low poly quilt from a photograph or image? Check out Low Poly Quilt Making, Part 1: Design!

Welcome to Part 2 in my Low Poly Quilt Making series: constructing the quilt. As I briefly touched upon in Part 1, my technique for low poly quilts does not require prior knowledge of designing paper piecing templates. Your template can include whatever weird shapes you’d like, and in your design you don’t have to worry one bit about piecing Y-seams on your machine. Why? Because this technique features the best of both paper piecing approaches: the convenience and efficiency of machine piecing, and the versatility of EPP. I call it hybrid paper piecing.

Low Poly Quilt Making, Part 2: Construction | Right Sides Together

Want to learn how? Here we go!

For this tutorial, I’ve designed my own little block. This block is simple and nice in that it’s a square shape, unlike most of the shapes in my Big Lebowski quilt from the previous post. You could conceivably foundation paper piece this with very little changes. But let’s pretend that it’s an oblong shape that has too many weird intersections to be paper pieced efficiently; in order to piece one of these gonzo shapes, we’d have to create so many little subsections to create the straight stitching lines. Today we’re not going to do that.

Low Poly Quilt Making, Part 2: Construction | Right Sides Together

1. Divide up your shape

Usually, I choose a large chunk at a time that I’d like to piece together. When looking for good places to cut, I keep an eye out for any stitching lines that could be made via foundation paper piecing on the machine, and I try to keep those intact. (I still don’t worry about angles or Y-seams.) In the example below, the gray and two pinks can all be stitched together on a machine using paper piecing; they have two lines that run from one edge of the shape to the other and don’t cross. Same with the green and blue shapes. The gray is the “weird” shape out here; let’s take care of it first.

Low Poly Quilt Making, Part 2: Construction | Right Sides Together

2. Cut out fabric for single pieces

Place your single-colored shape (the gray one, in this example) on your fabric, wrong sides together. Using a ruler (I like the Add-a-Quarter ruler for this part), trim 1/4″ seam allowance around the outside of the shape, including all inside and outside corners. Set aside.

Low Poly Quilt Making, Part 2: Construction | Right Sides Together

3. Paper piece the multicolored chunks

Using traditional foundation paper piecing and your pattern piece you’ve just cut out, sew the colors together on each chunk.*

Low Poly Quilt Making, Part 2: Construction | Right Sides Together

When finished, trim around the edge of each chunk with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Make sure to follow the corners and indentations from the angles around each shape.

Low Poly Quilt Making, Part 2: Construction | Right Sides Together

4. Baste seam allowances

Now we shift to the English Paper Piecing part of the program. Surprise! Gather your single and multicolored chunks. (For single pieces, keep wrong sides together.) Using your favorite basting method, turn the seam allowance to the colored side of the paper, secure, and press. If you have any acute angles, make a small 1/8″ snip at the seam allowance to help them turn in.

I use glue for crisp and exact creases at the paper edge; this is also why using heavier card stock is a good choice, if possible.

Low Poly Quilt Making, Part 2: Construction | Right Sides Together Low Poly Quilt Making, Part 2: Construction | Right Sides Together

5. Hand stitch pieces together

Place shapes together, corner to corner and right sides together, and stitch together with a tiny whipstitch. I recommend 60 wt thread because it’s lighter and thinner and easier to hide, but use whatever thread you usually use for EPP. Secure corners with several whipstitches for safety, then fold and bend pieces to match corresponding edges. If you’re piecing a large quilt, it’s often helpful to piece the shapes together into several large chunks, and then piece the chunks together at the very end. Press each seam after stitching to help shapes lay perfectly flat.

Low Poly Quilt Making, Part 2: Construction | Right Sides Together

Once finished with the entire quilt, remove the paper. Voila: your very own hybrid paper pieced quilt top!

Low Poly Quilt Making, Part 2: Construction | Right Sides Together

Pretty cool, huh? I got into a pretty sweet system when I was working on my quilt: I’d do a few chunks during the day while I was sitting at my machine, and then I’d switch into EPP mode and stitch them together at night in front of the TV. It was enough variety that I didn’t get bored with the process, and it was gratifying to see a quilt with such detail and intricacy come together in just a few weeks. Thanks for stopping by for the tutorial!

Low Poly Quilt Making, Part 1: Design

The low poly design trend is an instant winner for quilters: we gravitate toward triangles as if they’re little shards of chocolate or gold. Low poly is really a term in computer graphics, indicating a low number of polygons making up an image. The result is a weirdly geometric, almost pixelated effect, but one that plays with light and abstract shapes. It’s only natural that we jump into low poly quilt designs.

Low poly quilts are super popular; the ones that come to mind for many modern quilters are Violet Craft’s Forest Abstractions series. Using what I only assume is Illustrator on steroids and not a small amount of spatial intelligence I don’t possess, Violet has designed beautifully intricate paper-piecing designs featuring animals in a low poly technique. If you have the Illustrator skillz and the knowledge of how to design paper piecing templates, that’s great! But the design element can be daunting for many aspiring quilt designers (to the point where there will even be a QuiltCon class on paper-piecing design in 2017).

Low Poly Quilt Making | Right Sides Together

In the meantime, how can you get started on your own low poly quilt? Is there a way to create a pattern that won’t take hours to tinker with before you even get started on the quilting process? I recently designed and constructed a quilt of the Dude from the Big Lebowski. (Yeah, I’m weird/awesome like that.) Here are some steps to creating a low poly quilt top with not too much extra work:

1. Pick an app

Enter the beauty of technology! There are many apps, both for desktop and phone, that can help create a low poly image to be used as a template for a quilt. (For example, I’ve used an iPhone app called PolyGen.)  Because it was a face, I wanted some ability to edit the image by hand to fix errant colors or add/delete points. I used a free app called DMesh to upload a photo and then convert it into a low poly image. I wanted a wall quilt, so I exported it to PDF and had it printed on a large-format printer at my local print shop. This poster then became my paper-piecing template.

Low Poly Quilt Making, Part 1: Design

But Lauren! you say. What about Y-seams? RELAX. Constructing the quilt is actually much easier than you’d think; it just involves a bit of MacGyvering. We’ll get there next time.

2. Refine your detail and colors

I was all ambitious when I designed the quilt and ended up putting maybe 25% more pieces in it than I actually needed (or ended up piecing). If you can edit your low poly design, do it. Save your smaller pieces for areas that require more detail: you’ll note the Dude’s mouth and mustache have lots of smaller pieces, but his shirt and robe have fewer. I got smarter as I worked down, and some pieces that were similar in color I just combined into one.

Low Poly Quilt Making, Part 1: Design

On a similar note, think about your color choices. Low poly quilts can be good scrap busters for using up slightly different colors in one family (or several families). At the same time, though, don’t overcommit yourself to too many fabric choices. I chose 3-4 each for whites, grays, golds, oranges/browns, peaches, and silvers, and while I think it adds a certain dimension to the piece, I probably didn’t need to use quite so many. The Dude would also have been cool in a monochromatic theme like all blue or all golds, no?

3. Consider paper stock

Before printing your image, think about your paper. While it’s not entirely necessary, you might consider printing on some thicker paper or cardstock. It will make the piecing process (in Part 2 of the tutorial, coming tomorrow!) go a bit easier. The most important part, though, is to print your image at 100% size, all on a single sheet of paper. In other words, make good friends with your local print shop!

Once you’ve figured out these three steps, you’re well on your way to designing your own low poly quilt. Join me tomorrow for my tried-and-true technique for joining together weird polygons with the least amount of time and effort possible (you know how we do here at Right Sides Together).

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