Vintage Shirting Scrap Lab - Day 1

Barbara J. Eikmeier's Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints 1880-1910 collection was recently used in the Scrap Lab feature of Quilts and More magazine. 

If you're not familiar with Scrap Lab, here's how it works: Three designers receive a specific set of materials (in this case, forty-two 5" squares of the Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints collection) and are challenged to make something using these fabrics. We'll be sharing all three projects here, as well as insight from the designers about what they created. Grab a copy of Quilts and More (winter 2015) issue to find directions for the projects. 

First up, the fabric line's designer, Barb Eikmeier! 
Barb used the 5" squares to create a Log Cabin tote bag. 

"Images are used with permission of Meredith Corporation and Quilts and More magazine.

Copyright 2015."

Q. Was it exciting to find out that your fabric was being used for Scrap Lab?

Barb: It was at Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis that I was introduced to Jody Sanders, editor of Quilts And More. She was holding a stack of charm packs of Vintage Shirting and Dress Prints and told me it would be featured in the Scrap Lab. I was thrilled, not only because my fabric collection was selected but also because I love the Scrap Lap feature. It is always interesting to see how three different designers approach a project with the same materials.

Q. Why did you choose to make a bag?

Barb: Right away I had to let the editor know what type of project I would make. It was at the busiest time of my teaching schedule and I figured if I made a bag I wouldn't have to sew on a binding. Maybe that makes me lazy but I prefer to think of it as time management!

Q. Why Log Cabin blocks?

Barb: I love Log Cabin quilts. If I had to choose just one favorite traditional quilt pattern I'd choose the log cabin. I had just taught a class making coasters using Marti Michell's log cabin ruler so I knew I could make cute little log cabin blocks. The only thing I needed to figure out was if I could cut all the pieces from one charm square.

Q. How did you decide on fabric placement within each block?

Barb: I have an antique quilt made with 7" log cabin blocks where the logs finish at 1/2". It was my inspiration for making the blocks with a light/dark split and using all the same fabrics instead of making them scrappy. There are more medium and dark prints in the collection than shirtings so by assigning the light blue prints to the light side of the blocks it worked out evenly.

Barb's antique quilt

Block close-up

Q. What did you choose for the lining?

Barb: The lining is shirting print 120-11151 for no other reason than I had a fat quarter of it already cut. Time management, remember?

Q. What do you envision the bag being used for?

Barb: The bag is just the right size for a tablet, a Kindle, or an ipad. Or a sandwich and an apple!

Q. Tell us about the red centers in each block.

Barb: There were fewer red charms in the pack than blues and shirtings so by making the centers red the splash of color is spread evenly throughout the project. My antique quilt has pink centers which may have also influenced my choice of putting the red in the centers.

Q. Did you use up all of the 5” squares?

Barb: Once I decided to make log cabin blocks I challenged myself to use as many charm squares as possible although it was not a requirement to use them all. The handles are pieced from charm squares cut into strips, each block uses two charm squares and three more are used for the red centers. If only I had sewn the last two squares right sides together and put a pocket inside the bag I would have used up every charm in the pack, but I didn't think of adding a pocket until later!

Q. Can you share your impressions of the other two projects featured?

Barb: I got a little sneak peak at the other projects a few weeks before publication and was really tickled to see what Sherri and Monique came up with. Their projects capture their own creative personalities and showcase my fabric collection in ways I wouldn't have thought of myself. That made it really fun to be a part of the Scrap Lab feature.

See more Scrap Lab projects featuring the Vintage Shirting and Dress Prints collection!

Learn about Monique Dillard's table topper here.

See the entire Vintage Shirting and Dress Prints collection here.

Visit Barb's website here.

Find Quilts and More magazine here.

The Perfect Tote

Just as we quilters and sewers can never have too much fabric, we can never have too many bags. With so many different patterns, sizes, features, and fabrics to choose from, it's always easy to find another one you "have" to make! 

We're pretty sure that you'll be adding Maria Pate's Lavender and Leather tote, featured in the May/June 2015 issue of Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting to your summer to-do list. Not only does it contain all of the features that Maria considers necessary in a "perfect tote" (see her answer below), but it's made using our summery Piccadilly line combined with leather. That's right--leather! This soft calf leather (the white patches in the photo) is one of our newer products and gives this bag a little something extra. Plus it's easy to work with! Be sure to ask your local quilt shop to order some! Keep reading to learn more about this tote.

"Lavender and Leather" by Maria Pate;
featured in Love of Quilting May/June 2015

Q.  What can you tell us about working with leather?

Maria: Well, it depends on the type of leather you are using. The leather I used in the tote bag is calf leather, which is about the thickness of corduroy and just as pliable. You don't want to use anything thicker than that for patchwork as it is harder to cut, bend, and sew. Calf leather can be cut with your standard rotary cutter and sewn with a universal sewing needle and regular sewing thread. I have ironed on the leather but I used a pressing cloth to protect it.

When sewing with leather, you want to keep the leather on the bottom so that the feed dogs of your machine will push the textile through. You can use a Teflon foot or even put a piece of scotch tape on the bottom of your foot to help it slide over the leather more easily but I have found that by just keeping the leather on the bottom when piecing it with cotton is the easiest. When you do combine leather with cotton, you always want to press your seams toward the cotton as that is the natural way the seam will want to lay and you don't want to fight the leather.

Another important thing to remember when sewing with leather is that once you have stitched through it, the holes that the stitches make are there forever so if you have to use pins, make sure you pin in the seam allowance and not in the middle of the leather where the holes will show.

Q. What did you like about using the leather in your design?

Maria: I really like the added texture that the leather accents gave to the tote.

Q. Can you talk about the 2 different designs for the sides of the bags?

Maria: I chose to make the sides of the bag different so that it could be almost like a reversible bag and have two looks in one.

Q. What was your vision in creating all of the small patchwork pieces?

Maria: There actually is a very specific layout to the patchwork. I wanted it to look scrappy but still organized. The pieces are put together in 3" finished blocks, then into 6" x 9" panels, and finally the three panels are sewn together. I like to have the design look complicated but make the piecing simple so anyone can do it. This is the approach I take with all my designs and patterns. I give detailed instructions with tons of pictures and even arrows for pressing directions. I want all levels of quilters and sewers to feel that they can try any of my patterns and know they will be successful.

Also, if you look closely, you will see that the leather pieces are always next to cotton pieces. The patchwork side is made in three panels and I designed it so that when you sew the panels together, you would not have to sew with leather on both the top and bottom pieces. That way when you press, you can always press toward the cotton side.

Q. What do you like best about the bag?

Maria: Where do I begin? Let's see.....it's deep enough to carry a laptop or a notebook without it sticking out of the top and hitting you in the elbow, the pockets are deep enough so that you can store your sunglasses or phone without having to worry about them getting scratched, and I made the straps with both stabilizer and fusible fleece so that they are comfortable if you do have to carry anything heavy. Also, I added feet to the bottom to help protect it from wear and put a magnetic clasp in for added security. I basically thought about all the things I didn't like about bag patterns I had seen or made in the past and improved and combined them with this one to create what I think is the perfect tote.

Q. What do you envision using the tote bag for?

Maria: Fabric shopping, of course! This would be a great bag for any kind of shopping or for toting your laptop or notebook too, but I think mine will be used for fabric shopping. ;-)

See the Piccadilly collection here.

Find the digital Lavender and Leather tote bag pattern here.

Find information about the Love of Quilting episode where Maria makes this tote here.

Find Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting magazine here.