Sashiko pillow covers

Inevitably someone asks, "what are you going to do with all that sashiko?"

This is something I don't worry about.  I just do it because I love it, and the end result takes up very little space, so it's not like it's filling up my home.  You may find me buried in an avalanche of fabric, but you won't find me buried in an avalanche of sashiko.

I can think of a few ways to use finished sashiko, like the preprinted Olympus kits I've been using:

• pillow covers (you don't need to make a pillow for each sashiko.  Just make the cover and change out the covers every once in a while--I learned that from a comment on Peter's blog.  I admit, though, that changing out decorative pillow covers is low on my to-do list.)
• tote bags
• tea towels
• frame them and turn them into wall art--I am eager to stitch up a bunch of coordinating sashiko and hang them in my office at work.

So I recently made two pillow covers, one for me and one for a friend.

First up was the multi-colored flower pillow.  

I completed the stitching during my July vacation and turned it into an envelope pillow for me last month.

Turned the other way, in the great outdoors.

The front is underlined with the other half of the fabric that comes with the kit.

The back is made from some smallish pieces of interfaced white flannel.

I used prepackaged white piping and feel that maybe I should have used orange piping?  Turquoise piping?  Not sure.

One thing I'm not fond of with envelope pillows is the pillow bulging to emerge from the back of the pillow.    This lead me to my next pillow:


This one is the dragonfly from earlier in the year (I used blue thread as the grid instead of the gray from my last post).  This is my first-ever pillow with an invisible zipper.  I didn’t have the premade piping in my stash so I made my own from double fold bias tape that was the right color and some cording in my stash.  The tutorial for the invisible zipper was from Haberman Fabrics on YouTube.




I will say that:

1. If you used knots on your dragonflies, you will not want to interface the design after stitching because those knots will be super-evident.  Instead I underlined it with some white fabric.
2. I interfaced the backing fabric to give it some heft.
3. All raw edges were serged
4. You will want to use the same color thread as the piping, not the pillow.  This is because when you unzip the zipper, you will see the contrast stitching on the piping very clearly.
5. The invisible zipper MUST be longer than the opening you want in the pillow by at least 2 or 3 inches.  Then after it’s installed cut off the excess.
6. I used a 12x12 pillow form but the design dimensions are not 12x12.  I wound up removing all the stuffing from the pillow form (which has its own non-invisible zipper) and stitching the pillow down two sides to reduce the size, then stuffed it lighter, then zipped it shut and put it inside the pillow cover. Then I used some of the leftover stuffing to fluff out the corners of the pillow.

The back.  Where's the zipper?  It's invisible. :)

(Ok it's actually at the top of this picture)

I also want to mention that I severely underestimated the amount of time it would take to stitch up the pillow cover with the invisible zipper, but now that I know the ropes, it should be easier next time.  Right?  Right?

At least my friend loved the pillow, yay!

Small sunflowers from the PFF this week.

Be well!

Binging on Sashiko

Sashiko thimbles, leather and metal, on Olympus sashiko #12

Olympus Sashiko thread and pre-printed designs

You saw a bit of my sashiko from earlier this year, but then I stopped.  During my vacation in July I picked it up again and I just LOVE it.    I’ve completed 4 more designs since mid-July and here they all are in one post!  I also took two of the designs I did earlier this year and made them into pillows this month (that will be the next post).

Why do I love sashiko?

• I use the preprinted Olympus sashiko kits so I don’t have to worry about transferring designs.
• I also generally use the Olympus sashiko thread (one exception is below) and Olympus needles.
• Unlike embroidery, it doesn’t need a hoop.
• I use a sashiko thimble. Though it is not totally necessary, it does make it easier.
• It’s small and easy to carry around.
• Absolutely no fitting is involved.
• It is the perfect activity to do while waiting.  In the past month I’ve sashikoed in Port Authority in NYC, while waiting for a car oil change and while waiting in a doctor’s office.   Suddenly all that time spent waiting became incredibly enjoyable!! My blood pressure in the doctor’s office was 104/70—that’s how relaxing it is. (ok, maybe that's just about my normal BP but still, relaxing!)

I thought it would be fun to take these pictures outside in the grass and now I'm not so sure about that, ha ha, but here we go:

Olympus Sashiko #201 above

Olympus Sashiko #203 above

Olympus Sashiko #204 above

Olympus Sashiko #40 dragonfly, above
I had mentioned to Anne that I wanted gray thread but Olympus doesn’t make any gray sashiko thread and she recommended a seller on ebay.  Worked out great!!

For those of you who like the front to be as neat as the back, here you go:

(Note, there is another sashiko method where there are no knots at all, and I will try it on the next dragonfly design as those knots are evident when the design is turned into a pillow.)




In the meantime, greetings from the mini-pumpkin patch:

I'm on vacation again this week and loving every minute of it, hope you are enjoying life too!
Be well!!

Jalie Shrug Love continues on....

I love love love the Jalie 3246 shrug pattern.

This is my 7th shrug sewn from this pattern. Sewed it on Sunday.

Is this French terry?  It's from Paron, purchased with ATP on 7/31.  I love the texture.

Here you can see a bit more of the texture.

The texture reminds me of stuffed animals, like this one.



It is a fast sew, but it really depends on the stretch factor of your fabric.
My sixth one did not turn out well.  It's below:


Here you can see a bit of the texture of this sweater knit:

And when I had the band clipped all around before serging:

So what's the problem?  The band is not snug against the back.  It's really sticking out.  I tried to redo it  by cutting off the band because hey it's only a quarter inch seam allowance, then tried with a smaller band and it came out worse.  Actually, pressing it with my Elna Press made it even worse. It's the first time I've ever had something turn out worse after pressing.  It's a very light sweater knit and I probably should have pressed the fabric before cutting it out, that might have helped with the second press.  I also think that I have not accounted for how stretchy the fabric actually is.  More stretchy means I can make it in a smaller size.  I'm going to think that one over.   Maybe it can be saved by putting elastic in the bottom band.  Something a la Debbie's Fixing a Gaping Neck After the Fact.

So because I had trouble with the 6th one, I basted the band for the 7th one on and decided to cut the band a little shorter to make it a bit more snug, then serged. Something a la Sarah Veblen and her Threads video on binding necklines because every knit has a different amount of stretch.

Every fabric continues to be its own universe.  Also, if I had used the fabric from the sixth shrug to make my first shrug, it is very unlikely I would have ever made another.  Interesting to think about that.   Through some kind of magic, the combination of fabric and pattern worked on the first attempt and as a result I wear a Jalie shrug every single day at work.     Pattern and fabric, it's a very tight marriage. Both partners must get along, must be suitable for each other.  It's also a lot like the key to enjoying group fitness classes at the gym.  You have to like the class format and the instructor.  Maybe you like one but not the other.  Maybe you like both but not together.   You need to like both together, or it will be very hard to find the motivation to work out (if group fitness is your thing.  Maybe it's not your thing.)

I took Monday off to have lunch with a friend down the shore.  This is the view from the Sea Girt boardwalk gazebo at the southern end of the boardwalk.

And here's a bit of the boardwalk and the beach.  But then I had to leave, to make it on time to my favorite group fitness class at the gym.

I love spring and summer.  And it's still summer, at least for this Jersey girl.

Be well!