Verity Vintage Studio

Vintage Style Quilts with Poppie Cotton's Market Day

I've been eagerly anticipating when the time would arrive to sew with my sample yardage of Poppie Cotton's new fabric line Market Day, and it finally happened!

 

I love this line so much...definitely another top favorite of mine. So many sweet designs, pretty colors, little berries and florals and wreaths, buntings and dolls!

 

I couldn't stop with one quilt, so I made two! First I noticed that the fabric was a good match to the colors I had used to embroider these Sunbonnet Sue blocks I started as a teen and finished up the first year I was married (before I had taken up quilting, so I just stored them until later).

 

There are plenty of flaws from my less-experienced needlework days, but I still think the blocks are super cute. In order to turn the embroidered blocks into a crib size quilt, I alternated them with a print block.

 

I settled on deconstructed hourglass blocks, since those are fun to make. I had to do some tests first to come up with the correct size to pair with the embroidered blocks.

 

After sewing them together, I only had a few weeks left to quilt it, so I was hand quilting every spare moment in order to meet my deadline - and I finished it up by sewing the binding the very same day I had to take and send in the photos!

 

I custom quilted around each of the Sue blocks (the one with the parasol is my 2-year-old's favorite!), adding fun little details in some of them, and did all the star blocks alike. It was quite a bit of hand quilting in a short time, so now I'm ready to take a break before I start the next project!

 

This was also my first attempt at a scalloped border. I've wanted to make one for some time, and finally decided to just tackle it. It actually was fairly easy, thanks to online tutorials like this one, and now that I've done it once, I expect it will be even easier next time.

 

The scallops finish the edge perfectly, making it such a fun little girly quilt! I had to hang it up in my living room so I can enjoy it for a while.

 

But I also had a second idea I wanted to make, if I could squeeze it in. Teapot wall hanging!

 

For this one I used Lori Holt's Granny's Teapot pattern, making 4 teapot blocks, and adding my own border to make the size a good one for my space (and to add in more of the cute prints). 

 

I actually made this one from start to finish (except for one teapot block) in one day, so it went pretty quickly. 

 

I love how the large size of the teapots show off some favorite prints! Now if I could just find some REAL teapots with chintz prints like this...

 

I machine quilted it all over with a double line diamond grid, and really love how it looks. I think I'll use this for a larger quilt when I have one I want to machine quilt.

 

So many pictures in this post, but I was so pleased with both these projects that it's hard to narrow it down!

 

There have been so many adorable projects using this new fabric line, in this blog tour. I hope you check them out, and ask your local quilt shop about the availability of Market Day! It's honestly the cutest.

Monday, August 19	@elliebugmakes	Ellie Bug
Tuesday, August 20	theredfeedsack.blogspot.com	Dori Troutman
Wednesday, August 21	http://prettybyhand.com/	Kristyne
Thursday, August 22	https://charismascorner.com/category/blog/	Charisma
Friday, August 23	https://www.nannygoatquilts.com/	Lisa Garlic
Monday, August 26	https://verityvintagestudio.typepad.com/my-blog/	Kristen Clay
Tuesday, August 27	creamcraftgoods	Karen
Wednesday, August 28	Website: http://blueribbondesigns.com	Belinda Karls-Nace
Thursday, August 29	https://www.mollyandmama.com.au/blog/	Lauren Wright
Friday, August 30	charisecreates.blogspot.com	Charise Creates

 

Gingham Placemats with Cottage Charm

Today I get to show you some fun little crafty projects I made with a new Poppie Cotton fabric called Cottage Charm. I selected a just a few prints from this new fabric line to sew with. 

 

Of course the little cottage prints called for fussy cutting, so I featured them along with some coordinating florals to make a set of 4 gingham placemats. 

 

I think they are perfect for setting a summer or fall table!

 

I cut 3" squares and made a super basic patchwork panel, so it went quickly. 

 

I like how the gingham frames the little cottages. 

 

Of course you can mix up the colors, but I think it's fun to have them in color groups like this. 

 

There wasn't a pale aqua floral, so I chose one of Poppie Cotton's basics to go with this one.

 

For another small project, I took my favorite little cottage and embellished it with freehand embroidery. It adds some cute texture and detail. 

 

I'd never done anything like this before, but I've seen it done - and I think mine wasn't too bad for a first attempt!

 

We can always use placemats in our house, so these will come in useful - and the hoop will decorate my sewing room.

 

If you like whimsical prints in earth tones, you should definitely check out this new fabric.

 

Check out this list of participating makers to see all the lovely variety of projects featuring this fabric!

Friday, July 5	Website: http://blueribbondesigns.com
Monday, July 8	theredfeedsack.blogspot.com
Wednesday, July 10	http://neverlandstitches.blogspot.com/
Friday, July 12	https://charisecreates.blogspot.com/
Monday, July 15	https://www.nannygoatquilts.com/
Wednesday, July 17	https://bemandythings.com/blogs/news
Friday, July 19	http://www.happyquiltingmelissa.com/
Monday, July 22	@elliebugmakes
Wednesday, July 24	https://www.sewmariana.com/
Friday, July 26	https://verityvintagestudio.typepad.com/my-blog/
Monday, July 29	http://www.creamcraftgoods.com/

My First Structured Bag - with Zakka Workshop

I have made a fair amount of sewn or quilted totes and bags so far, but never one with purchased frames or handles. I have often admired the ones I've seen, and wanted someday to try my hand at it. That chance came when Zakka Workshop reached out to me to ask if I wanted to try one of their new products. 

 

I picked the carry me tube frame bag, since I love the shape. It reminds me a lot of the style you might see a granny carrying around her knitting in. 

 

Since this is the first time I've done anything like this, I followed the instructions carefully and took my time. I found it to be quite clear, and broken down into little steps.

 

I used this adorable canvas weight home dec fabric by Lori Holt, and lined it with another Lori Holt print (this one was just regular quilting cotton.) Honestly, though, I could think of soooo many combos from my stash that would have been just perfect!

 

I didn't have any fusible fleece, so I used another layer of a canvas-like fabric in my stash, and I was pretty happy with the structure, even though the interfacing they recommend would no doubt have been better.

 

I didn't see the tip to baste the handle cases in place until I had already had to redo one of them, so I can definitely recommend that tip - it would be a huge help! That was the most fiddly part.

 

The rest was straightforward. It actually went together fairly quickly. Now that I know what I'm doing, it would be even faster next time. 

 

I like how roomy it is. You can fit two fat quarter stacks in there side by side. 

 

I also like how the tube handles hold it open so nicely. It's definitely perfect for a carry-along project bag!

 

It's so fun to see the amazingly different looks you can get with other fabric choices and styles, if you follow along with the other makers that are part of this! I have to say I'm quite happy with my first attempt at this type of bag, and am encouraged to try out other types in the future.

 

Check out Zakka Workshop for your bag making hardware, and if you're a little intimidated by the idea - don't be! It's much less scary than it looks. :-) 

 

1940s Daisy Suit Alternate Jacket

When I made this year's 1940s Easter suit, I realized that I would likely only wear it a couple times a year because of the 3/4 sleeves, and I liked the fabric well enough I decided to also make a short sleeved top - this would give me 3 pieces to mix and match.

 

I pulled out a favorite pattern I've made twice before for a 1940s ruched jacket.

 

Since this was the 3rd time, it was quite quick to make and went together with no issues. I was very pleased with how it turned out - the fit was better than the 3/4 sleeve jacket, and it feels very spring-ish and trim.

 

As always when I do a pattern again, I like to change it up a little. This time I made the no collar version, so that I can either wear it plain, or with interchangeable vintage collars.

 

I also added wide pink lace cuffs to the sleeves. 

 

Fabric and buttons were both from The Timely Tailor, and the pink buttons were such a good match to the pink in the daisies.

 

This was also the first outing for a new pink vintage hat I'd been sighing over from Abigail's Vintage Attic, and finally pulled the trigger on it when it went on a big sale. Isn't it delightful? 

 

I was so happy to find a pink hat that wasn't straw, so it will be more seasonally appropriate to cold weather if necessary. 

 

I took the silver touches from the hat and incorporated them in the shoes and jewelry, since I didn't have pink shoes to wear.

 

Even though it's the same fabric, it has quite a different look than the original Easter suit. Swapping out accessories can do a lot!

 

Altogether, I'm delighted with this ensemble, and am glad I tried again since I love the fabric so much. It will be nice to have 3 pieces to interchange depending on the weather!

Christmas in June with Poppie Cotton Prairie Christmas

I believe in enjoying the current moment, so I always prefer to sew or craft in the season I'm currently in - but when I need to work ahead of schedule, I find it's also nice to get a jump start on my later seasonal sewing! This month I took a few days to make some Christmassy projects with new Christmas fabric by Poppie Cotton, and it was rather fun...also nice to stock up on some gifts and decor before the seasonal crunch begins. 

 

This is a rustic Christmas line, and while it's not a style I would normally gravitate towards, I quite enjoyed these projects using it, and kept making just one more thing! The little town and farm scenes are especially adorable.

I started with a couple of 18" pillows. 

 

I used the Flower Love pattern by Sew Mariana and made 1 block in 2 different combinations, choosing my favorite prints to highlight in the bigger areas of the block.

 

I quilted them differently, and added a basic envelope back. This is so helpful if you have a lot of pillow covers but limited space. You can fold and store the covers flat, and reuse the same few pillow forms as you switch out the seasonal covers. 

 

I really love the bold flower block look. It reminded me of a giant Christmas bow, and really works well for Christmas with the star and heart center - perfect for this traditional collection. 

 

The edge finish provoked thought since I wanted something stronger than hand stitching a binding, but that looked nicer than a machine stitched binding - which I still have not mastered.

 

The answer was to hand stitch it through all layers with size 10 crochet thread. Super strong, looks nice on both sides, AND adds a lovely contrast stitching detail to the edge. Now I want to try this technique with a full size quilt. 

 

I'm looking forward to using these on the couch this Christmas season.

 

Then I grabbed the leftover fabric and made a slew of smaller scrappy projects!

 

I quilted two panels, cut them in a circle for potholders, and added a pocket for little gifts or decor.

 

I did my favorite quilt-as-you-go string blocks, sorting the strings by color. The green one I left as is; the white one I added little raw edge hearts on each corner and loved it! These are so quick and easy - sew your fabric strips together through all the layers, trim, and bind! Great for a quickly made addition to a gift basket.

 

I think my favorite potholder though was the log cabin - also quilt as you go, starting with a large center cut from the scenic fabric. I loved it so much I'm thinking about doing a whole quilt-as-you-go quilt like this, with fussy cut floral centers!

 

I love how they all coordinate but are all different and unique. 

 

The final project was one I've wanted to try for years, and this fabric line was the spur to finally make me get around to it - folded no-sew Scandinavian stars. I followed this YouTube tutorial and found it quite clear and helpful.

 

It was SO FUN and easier than it looks. I want to bust out my Christmas scraps and make more this year for sure! 

 

The one other thing I had made earlier were these easy gift placemats for our table this past Christmas, and really enjoyed how festive they were during the holidays.

 

I do wish Prairie Christmas had more red options in it, as I quickly ran low on the reds. But I'm still super pleased with the results of a few days of crafting. If you love rustic or country Christmas, this is definitely the fabric line for you. Stock up early for this holiday season, as it's shipping to quilt stores now!

 

Check out the other lovely Christmassy makes too. It's so fun to see everyone's unique spin and creativity using the same bundle of fabric. 

Monday, June 3	@sewmaryhappy
Wednesday, June 5	http://neverlandstitches.blogspot.com/
Monday, June 10	https://verityvintagestudio.typepad.com/my-blog/
Wednesday, June 12	Website: http://blueribbondesigns.com
Friday, June 14	http://www.creamcraftgoods.com/
Monday, June 17	http://www.happyquiltingmelissa.com/
Wednesday, June 19	@elliebugmakes
Friday, June 21	theredfeedsack.blogspot.com
Monday, June 24	https://bemandythings.com/blogs/news
Wednesday, June 26	https://ivoryspring.wordpress.com/
Friday, June 28	https://www.arabesque-scissors.com/journal
Monday, July 1	http://prettybyhand.com/

 

 

1930s Purple Floral Dress & Jacket

This spring has been long and chilly. We get a taste of summer, then we get a cold front. It's the perfect time for a versatile outfit, which is what I had in mind with this 2 part sewing project. 

 

I used a lovely purple floral repro print from Riley Blake Designs (one of the Bee Vintage basics, which means it is more readily available than some of their fabrics!). I cut a cap-sleeved 1930s dress from it, and one side of the bolero.

 

The other side of the bolero I cut from a white-on-white quilting cotton, and that way when both sides are put together, it made a completely reversible bolero, thus giving me 3 looks from 2 garments.

 

I can wear it white side front with purple (matching) revers...

 

...or I can flip it around and have a matching jacket with white revers! 

 

The white side has a little of the purple showing at the sleeve hem, which was a nice way to finish the cuff tidily. The cuffs were kept open so I could turn it right side out.

 

Quilting cotton does make it a bit bulky, as it's not ideal for a lined garment, but it also is definitely warm enough for an extra layer on a cool day.

 

I think after looking at these photos I liked the purple side best; but it's still fun to have the variety available.

 

I really like the large scale of the print - it really is a good choice for garments. 

 

The dress I had made once before, so it was fairly easy to remember how to put it together. I think I did a better job on the closure this time around, since I knew what I was doing.

 

I wanted to use more buttons, but have a very limited supply of purple buttons - and this amount had to do.

 

It's a princess style, so it can be worn with or without a belt.

 

It's easy to go casual, without the jacket, or to dress it up a bit. 

 

I couldn't get the corners very clean, when inserting the top yoke, so I covered it up with a bit of hand embroidery. It's mostly hidden by the print, but still adds a little cute detail.

 

A bit more involved than my usual quick projects, I did enjoy making this duo. I had intended in the past to make more matching jacket and dress sets, so it's nice to finally add one to the finished list.

 

 

Girl's 1950s Jumper Dress

Today is my slot on the blog tour for Sweet Tooth, a new retro fabric line by Poppie Cotton. It is a Halloween fabric line, and though I don't celebrate Halloween at all, I thought this little kitty print was adorable and instantly knew it would make a perfect novelty print 1950s dress for one of my girls. 

 

It was hard to choose which pattern to pair with it and I debated over 3 different ones...but I finally settled on this adorable jumper dress that I'd copied from my sister-in-law years ago.

 

It turned out to be super fast and easy! I put the whole thing together in an hour or two. It was lovely to have no buttonholes or sleeves to set. :-)

 

You cut double the amount of top pieces and use them as facing, so the bodice inside is nice and tidy, and the V front has no troublesome facing pieces. 

 

I lengthened the skirt as much as I could fit on the width of my fabric, and it still ends up just below the knee - but for an everyday dress for an active girl, that works fine!

 

It's a circle skirt, so I opted to turn up and top stitch a narrow hem.

 

I definitely hope to make this pattern again. Think how cute it would be in wool plaid for the winter! But meanwhile this adorable kitty print is perfect for summer and fall...and since this girl needed some everyday clothes, it was quite a timely sew for me despite the fall fabric! 

She loves it a lot and calls it her "ginger dress". :-) 

1950s Teal Floral House Dress

I'm finally catching up with my burst of spring sewing! This time it's a classic 1950s house dress.

 

I used a dreamy teal floral repro quilting cotton from The Timely Tailor, and this vintage pattern I got from the UK years ago. Turns out it had extremely little instructions and no diagrams, so I was basically on my own. Thankfully I'd made some dresses in a similar style before.

 

Even still, I don't think I did the inserted pockets right, because they don't lay correctly. After these photos I ended up sewing another button on the pockets to keep them in place (they wouldn't hold much anyway!)

 

The skirt has a nice flare even though I took some width out of it to fit on my fabric.

 

I used an off-white contrast for the collar and cuffs, and decided to add a little embroidery just for fun. it makes a nice finishing touch, but it definitely added some time to an otherwise quick project. 

 

The buttons are the larger size vintage white glass ones also from The Timely Tailor, from the era that the pattern is. It's fun to match things that belong together. :-) 

 

I really like the raglan sleeves. Sometimes I don't like how they look on me, but these look fine and are definitely more comfortable than set-in sleeves, besides the assembly short cut.

 

Since I've made it, it has already gotten a lot of regular wear. I hope this inspires you to do some fun house dresses for spring!

 

Nature Sings Blog Tour - Quilt, Apron, and an Easter Dress!

I have been anticipating for months sewing with the upcoming Poppie Cotton collection called Nature Sings. Finally the time arrived, I completed 3 out of 4 of my project ideas for it, and today I'm going to share them all for my slot on the blog tour!

 

The fabric was so pretty, I had a hard time narrowing it down to what I did make. Such dreamy florals and a pretty color scheme. It's not quite my usual style, but when I had it in my hands I was struck by how pretty it was. 

 

One thing I knew was that I was going to do a dress for my 4 year old in the purple bird print, and I ended up making it in time for her to wear for Easter.

 

I used a more modern (but still classic) McCall's pattern, and did a contrasting bodice in the gingham. I couldn't figure out how to do the collar since I didn't have enough bird fabric for it, and more gingham didn't look right on top of the gingham bodice. I feared adding yet another print would make it too busy, but I think it works for a little girl's dress! I was able to squeeze the collar out of one of my fat quarter pieces.

 

It's such a cute sailor collar style. I really like how it looks with the square back and tapered fronts. 

 

I added a touch of bird fabric to the sleeves to tie that in, and then when she tried it on I realized the skirt was pretty short, so I ended up lengthening it with a strip of the gingham since I was out of bird fabric. It all worked together quite well, and she loves it! 

 

You can see how cute her Easter outfit was, with the little pink vintage bonnet. :-)

 

As usual, when I make a garment, I want to also make something quilty so I can play with all the rest of the fabrics I didn't use. This time I was struck by a photo of a kit by Shabby Fabrics for a rag quilt. I had never seen a rag quilt that wasn't just basic squares or strips, and was quite intrigued by the fact that you can also do this with basic patchwork, in a slightly more elaborate design. 

 

I made up my own pattern, inspired by the photo, and scaling it to fit with the fabric I had to work with. 

 

I used a floral flannel from JoAnn for the backing, and a pink solid flannel for the center layer. The last time I made a rag quilt I used batting for the center, and I really liked using flannel instead. It still has quite a nice drape and weight like a regular batted quilt does, but the triple layers fringe better, and they were easier to stack and stitch. 

 

It was very nice to finish the piecing and then go straight to binding with a nice finished back - no basting or quilting an unwieldy quilt sandwich! I usually gravitate toward traditional quilt making, but when I do a quilt-as-you-go project like this it's refreshing for a change. 

 

It makes such a pretty, sturdy, spring-colored throw blanket!

 

My 3rd and final project with this fabric was an apron. The large scale floral in blue just begged to be made into an apron, so I made up my own pattern, using 1/2 yard of the blue, trimmed with lavender gingham. 

 

The gathered top is so flattering! I was very pleased with how it turned out, especially when paired with the wide waistband. 

 

A gathered pocket with a wide gingham band pulls it all together. I will probably try this idea again with some tweaks, but for not having a pattern I quite like the finished product. 

 

So there are my 3 most recent projects - I was sewing up quite a storm there for a few weeks! 

 

I hope you've been following along with all the other gorgeous projects made from this fabric! It never ceases to amaze me how many different looks can be created from the same fabric, depending on the individual taste of the creator. There's always so much inspiration in these blog tours, and I'm delighted to be a part of it. 

1930s Pink & Blue Spring Dress

I made this 1930s dress months ago, and got photos of it soon after in the early spring. It's now a lot more lush and green here, but it took me this long to blog about it. :-)

 

I've had this pattern for maybe 5 years...I finally got around to trying it, and really liked it. It's harder to get a good fit on the styles that include an inset belt, but this one turned out pretty nice. 

 

It was a good pairing for this lovely Liberty art deco repro print from The Timely Tailor. I just love the pink and blue combo of this fabric, and the leaves combined with geometrics - so typical of the 1930s!

 

Contrast and buttons were pulled from my stash. It took a while for me to settle on a contrast color for the collar, but I'm happy with this choice. I ended up adding it to the cuffs too, after deciding that the sleeves needed a little extra pop.

 

The skirt has stitched down pleats, which still show up pretty nicely with this print.

 

It was slightly more complicated than some of the patterns I've been making lately, but still went pretty smoothly. 

 

I had had some dark red cherries pinned to this vintage straw hat, which I liked, but did a little refresh this time by pinning on a vintage pink corsage instead - and it's a perfect match in color and style for this outfit. I think these flowers might have to live on his hat now for a while. 

 

I have long had my eye on this fabric, and am just delighted to have it in my closet now!