Heart and Star Stuffies with Scrubby Yarn

Fun with Shaped Scrubby Stuffies

The absolute best thing about knitting your own stuffedscrubbies are the fun shapes you can do. All the store bought scrub pads are usually round, let’s be honest, we are knitters and that round scrubber is boring! Let's get onto some exciting shapes, like heart and star stuffies with Scrubby yarn that we can use in the kitchen or the bathtub.

Star shaped Scrubby stuffie.

Star

The star shaped stuffy looks quite complicated, but I promise you, it's very easy.

Legend

K- Knit
P- Purl
K2TOG- Knit Two Together
KFB- Knit in the Front and Back (Making One)

Materials

1 Ball Red Heart Scrubby in Duckie
5mm (US 8) needles
1 Tapestry Needle

Like the petals of a flower the star stuffie is coming together.

Pattern

Cast on 10 stitches using your favorite cast on method. Turn work K2TOG, K7, KFB. Turn work again and K10 stitches along the wrong side. Repeat these two rows 5 times and secure stitches with your favorite bind off technique. The piece you have now should be a diamond shape, you will need to repeat this pattern nine more times for a total of ten diamonds.

Each star is made from five diamond shapes sewn together with a running stitch. Since the seaming and stuffing instructions are the same for both star and heart shapes, I'll give you the heart pattern now. If you’re only interested in the star shape skip on down to Seaming and Stuffing.

Half way there!

Heart

The heart shapedstuffies are an excellent addition to seasonal decor as well as a cute project for loved ones.

Materials

1 Ball Red Heart Scrubby in Cherry (or Bubblegum)
5mm (US 8) Needles
1 Tapestry Needle 

Cast on 4 stitches
Row 1: KFB, K2, KFB
Row 2: K6
Row 3: KFB, K6, KFB
Row 4: K8
Row 5: KFB, K8, KFB
Row 6: K10

Red Heart yarn, how could you not?

At this point you'll have half of the top of the heart. Cut your yarn, slide it further down your needle, cast on another 4 stitches and repeat instructions for rows 1-5.

At this point you’re knitting across the back of the second heart bump, when you are one stitch from the end, bring your first heart bump up next to the second one and knit the last stitch together with the first stitch of the next heart bump and knit your way across.

It might look a bit odd in the beginning, but it all comes together in the end!

Knit two rows plain, on the next row, K2TOG, place stitch marker, K until the last two stitches and K2TOG. K next row plain. Repeat these two rows until there are only 3 stitches left. Slip first stitch, K2TOG, and pass slipped stitch over. Cut yarn and pull the tail through the last stitch. Pull tight.

You can see the last stitch of the heart bump on the right being knit together with the first stitch of the heart bump on the left.

Seaming and Stuffing

With two shapes complete, place one on top of the other and sew around the outside edge. Instead of having to weave in all the ends from knitting each piece, you are able to tuck them inside with the stuffing. For stuffing, use 100% polyester to match the Scrubby yarn. H.A. Kidd and Company has some here that would work really well.

Don't overstuff, just add enough stuffing to give it shape and a bit of bounce.

Now, I'll say that sewing up these shapes with the Scrubby yarn does take a little getting used to. I'm something of a purist and didn’t want to use another fiber to sew the seams.

TIP Don’t place the needle far from the edge when you’re sewing the seams, just use the very edge of your shape.

Just along the outside edge.

These heart and star stuffies with Scrubby yarn are excellent for adding a bit of interest to your dish washing or bath time. The interesting shapes are a riot for toddlers in the bath and who knows, they might help convince a teenager to help out with dishes...no guarantees though!

Stitch Along Sunday - May 2015 Week 4 | Quilts By Jen

Stitch Along Sunday - May 2015 Week 4 | Quilts By Jen Hey Everyone, welcome back to Stitch Along Sunday. Here it almost the end of the month and today I am ready to do some stitching. The complete rules for this week can be found on Ruth’s blog – Week 4 Rules. And while you are there make sure to check out the gallery to see what everyone else is creating. Even though I decided to go pretty simple with my quilting and stitching on this piece it still took me all morning to complete – I don’t seem to work as fast as I used to. Not sure if that is a good thing or bad thing.

6 Benefits of Using Scrubby Yarn in the Kitchen

Spring is in the process of springing and everyone is cleaning their entire house, but the room that usually needs the most love is the kitchen. There are a multitude of products you can use to clean your kitchen, but none so beneficial as the hand-knit dishcloth and Scrubby yarn takes this simple washcloth, to the next level. Let me tell you about the 6 benefits of using Scrubby yarn in the kitchen...

Cleaning is a breeze with this thick cloth

Hand-knit dishcloths are more durable than disposable rags or sponges, and they've got the texture you need while scrubbing down messy counters. The Scrubby yarn is textured by nature, but you can add even more oomph by knitting in a rib pattern. The Double Thick Chevron Dishcloth pattern from yesterday's blog post has a ribbed edge as well as a stockinet body. Stockinet stitch will still have texture to ensure you get maximum cleaning power with just one stroke. 

Scrubby yarn in the color Ocean

When wiping down your counters, the Scrubby yarn holds onto more water than your average cloth or sponge. This means fewer trips back to the sink or cleaning bucket when you're really in a groove with cleaning. 

To wash them is a breeze, machine wash with warm water, on the gentle cycle. You can have a new clean cloth for every day instead of using the same disposable one. 

Scrubby yarn in Duckie color way

The smell. Everyone has had a stinky dishcloth or sponge, EVERYONE. That smell comes from bacteria growing from food particles or the material of the cloth itself. Scrubby is made from 100% polyester, as a synthetic fabric there is no danger of bacteria forming from the cloth itself. The food particles on the other hand are something that every dishcloth has to combat. I was concerned the texture of the yarn, which makes it so awesome for cleaning, would trap food particles causing the cloth to become smelly.

Two strands of Scrubby yarn in the Coconut color way

In the photo above are two strands of Scrubby and you can see where I would have trouble describing it. Any word, aside from textured, really doesn’t do it justice and that was my concern. In order to write the best possible ‘kitchen uses’ article, I put Scrubby through the ringer; I hand-washed a pile of dishes, wiped down my counters and even cleaned my stove-top.

To my surprise and delight, none of the baked-on mess or food particles stuck in the cloth. I rinsed my dishcloth and bits of rice, baked-on spaghetti sauce and oatmeal residue simply washed from the fabric. It was just like magic.

Taking a break from the dishes... and photographic evidence they were washed.

With all of the above listed benefits of using Scrubbycloths in the kitchen, there is one more obvious one; the environment. These cloths are not going to be tossed into a landfill, they wear like iron and will last a good long while. Plus, they’re so much fun to knit, I'm confident you'll find yourself casting on enough to last you through several laundry rotations!

Who knows...perhaps the 6 benefits of using Scrubby yarn in the kitchen can encourage our spring cleaning!

May - Kathy K. Wylie Quilts

May - Kathy K. Wylie Quilts “The world’s favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May.” ~ Edwin Way Teale May brings out the poets and blossoms alike, and is filled with themes of hope and gratitude. It is a month to celebrate mothers by giving them a day to be honored and cherished and by giving us a chance to thank them for caring for us and helping us through life’s challenges. The art of quilting or sewing has often been passed down from mothers or grandmothers to daughters and granddaughters and for that we are grateful. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers!

The Clover Ball Point Awl - A Review | Quilts By Jen

The Clover Ball Point Awl - A Review | Quilts By Jen When I was teaching at Quilty Pleasures in Orleans I saw that many of my students were using an awl to feed their Bargello pieces under the foot of the sewing machine. With the many seams to feed under the foot the awl was a great idea.I’ve never used anything to guide my fabric under the foot of my sewing machine and if my fabric does need a little hand I usually use the tip of my seam ripper or the tip of my scissors.

Scrubby, the NEW Yarn from Red Heart!

This was my first time seeing Scrubby, the NEW Yarn from Red Heart for dishcloths! The first thing that popped into my head was an amazing thick, lush dishcloth. The kind that is tough enough to battle a casserole dish with baked on stains, but soft enough it isn’t going to rough up your hands. Here, are the instructions on knitting a double thick chevron dishcloth.

Double thick chevron Scrubby cloth being put through it's paces with a load of dishes

Materials

1 Ball of Red Heart Scrubby in Ocean  

1 Ball Red Heart Scrubby in Grape 

5mm (US 8) 16-inch circular needle

1 Tapestry Needle

Close up of those chevrons.

Pattern

To make the chevron dishcloth, cast on 60 stitches with your main color. Place stitch marker and join into the round; begin working a knit 2 purl 2 rib.  

This yarn is very forgiving which means, if you make any mistakes, they won't be very noticeable. It also means it can be tough to see which stitches are purls and which are knits. I strongly recommend using stitch markers if you're having difficulty. Make sure your stitch markers are slightly different than the one noting the beginning of the round. 

Continue in the knit 2 purl 2 stitch for 6 rounds or approximately 3 cm (1 in).  

Chevron pattern chart

You will begin to work the chevron chart above after the ribbing. To start, knit one round plain with your main color, seen on the chart as white. This chart will have to be worked two times in a row to cover the amount of stitches on your needle. Attach your contrasting color and follow the chart pattern.  

Repeat chevron chart 4 times, knit one round plain in main color and begin a knit 2 purl 2  rib for 6 rounds; just like at the beginning! Once you've completed the ribbing secure the stitches with your favorite bind off technique. Weave in any ends.

Sew along the open end to close the cloth and get a nice crisp edge.

What makes this dishcloth double thick, as you may have guessed, is the fact that it's knit in the round. To get that nice clean edge, seam the open ends where you just finished your ribbing. A simple running stitch works well.

Now you're done! It's so much fun knitting a double thick chevron dishcloth and quick! With Scrubby, the NEW Yarn from Red Heart, your lovely dishcloth is ready to be used!

Sewing Borders Provide the Finishing Touch

In the border vs no border questions I almost always and exclusively vote for borders. At least one!  I generally lean to a small inner border to provide a frame and then a larger outer border. Borders aren’t for everyone and you certainly don’t need to add any—a layer cake quilt top is a great size for a sofa or cuddle quilt. But for me? Sewing borders provide the finishing touch, I love them. Also, adding borders to this quilt just gives me another reason to keep using my PFAFF Quilt Ambition 2.0 sewing machine. 

Just a quick review here, yesterday I told you about my husband telling me he volunteered us to make a quilt for someone retiring from their job. We were leaving for vacation so it had to be a quick and easy quilt. I started with a layer cake, to save time in both cutting and coordinating a bunch of fabric. On day one I cut the quilt and pieced up the main body. It didn’t take a whole day, I took time out to read some of a book, make a lunch and take a little drive into the town near where we are vacationing. Yesterday’s blog post will give you all the details.

This finished quilt top needs borders and color!

I'm usually all about color.

If you know me at all you know I’m all about color. It’s everywhere in my house and my quilting, but this quilt isn’t for me, so the colors in the main body of the quilt are a bit dark for me, a navy blue, a beige and a tan. So the inner border was screaming to be a color of interest. I had some great red in my stash and thought it would provide that ‘pop’ of color needed.

A 1 1/2" RED border will provide a great pop of color

The finished inner border is 1½" so I cut 2" strips by the width of fabric and pieced them together in sets of two. Sewing them to the quilt top using my my ¼" sewing foot to make a ¼” seam. I also shortened my stitch length, which is so easy to do on the PFAFF Quilt Ambition 2.0 sewing machine. 

That inner border looks great as far as I’m concerned. The outer border is going to be a bit trickier. Remember this is a gift for someone, the inner part of the quilt is made with fabric with a ‘coastal’ theme, seagulls, lighthouses etc., she is an East Coast girl and is hoping to return there upon retirement. She also loves houses, house hunting, open houses etc. Just houses, and I had the perfect fabric for the outer border but it meant I would have to cut some of the fabric length of fabric as these houses were directional.

Lots of throat space makes adding borders effortless

I cut three pieces of 6½” width of fabric for the top and bottom borders, making sure I had the ‘houses’ going in the upright position when I sewed the borders on. 

Then I carefully measured the length of my quilt and cut two pieces 6½” length of fabric. I know, I hear you, length of fabric cuts seem rather wasteful but this fabric just called out to be cut to show off it’s design, so I did it. I have lots left I’m going to use to make some blocks for another quilt. 

Because I was adding directional fabric I wanted to sew in a certain direction, I had lots of room with 200mm of throat space.

After adding the side borders it got a final pressing and it looks great in my opinion!

The finished quilt top--love the color and the directional houses.

Making this quick and easy summer quilt was a cinch using the PFAFF Quilt Ambition 2.0 sewing machine.

The IDT system on the PFAFF machines makes piecing effortless—did I tell you I didn’t use one pin making this quilt? I don’t find pinning necessary with the IDT system. Changing stitch length is as simple as a touch of a button right in front of me and using the ¼" foot included with my machine made completing this quilt top not only possible but fun.

Really though, sewing borders provide the finishing touch for me. Next will come the quilting and binding. This quilt will be finished in plenty of time for the retirement party next week!

A Quick Summer Quilting Project

A Quick Summer Quilting Project--or what I did on my summer vacation

Last night my husband came home and asked if he remembered to tell me he had volunteered us to make a quilt for the secretary from our church who was retiring? My answer was “No honey, I'm pretty sure you didn’t tell me that. No problem though, when do you need it done by?” His answer?  Are you sitting down? "Two weeks!" Not necessarily something to panic about IF we weren’t going away for a week and if I wasn’t working the next week. I needed a Quick Summer Quilting Project and I needed it now, there would be no better time to put my new PFAFF Quilt Ambition 2.0 sewing machine to the test.

We were going to piece a quilt in the next two days, while on vacation, so it not only needed to be quick I needed to be able to easily pack everything I needed to take with me. We were driving to this vacation destination so that made it a bit easier.

Using pre-cut layer cakes makes for a quicker project

I started with a layer cake. I love pre-cuts when I’m in a pinch. Not only is everything coordinated, but much of the cutting is already done for you. Now I could have just taken those wonderful coordinated 10” squares and sewed them together but I wanted to do a bit more than that. After all, this was a gift.  I used a layer cake that had a nautical theme, the receiver is from the East Coast and is hoping to return there after retirement. To that I will add a small inner boarder and a larger outer boarder.

A few cuts and we are ready to go!

Today I want to get the main body of the quilt top all cut and pieced together. This needs to go fast.  Did I mention I'm on vacation?...

I took the 10” squares and cut a 6" strip.

The first of two cuts for a simple yet effective block

From the remaining 4" x 10" strip I cut that in half and ended up with 2" x 5" pieces.

The 4" x 10" strip gets cut into two pieces, 4" x 5"

Time for the design wall and block placement

I then started to place these on my design wall (a fancy word for that flannel table cloth taped to the wall).

Beside each 6" strip I placed two of the 4" blocks. This really is going to be a rather scrappy yet coordinated quilt so I didn’t spend a lot of time doing this. I did try to have one dark, one light and one medium piece of fabric in each block.

I made 5 of these blocks across.

In row two I switched the blocks around starting with the two 4" pieces and then the 6" piece. 

There are a total of 6 rows of 5 blocks for a total of 30 blocks — Yes I had some left overs from my layer cake I could have made the quilt bigger but I wanted a ‘sofa’ quilt, one for her to cuddle up on the sofa and sip tea and watch a movie so by the time I added a couple of borders this was going to be big enough.

My design wall--all laid out and ready to go

It was time to start sewing!

First thing I did was wind a nice fresh bobbin on my PFAFF Quilt Ambition 2.0 sewing machine. 

Then I shortened my stitch length. The default stitch length setting on this machine is 2.5. I shortened it to 2.0. I like a shorter stitch length when I'm piecing. The 2.5 stitch length works great for sewing garments with wider seam allowances but I like that shorter stitch length for my ¼” seams. It's so easy to change the stitch length on this machine that there is really no excuse for me not to.

Shortening my Stitch Length to 2.0

That done, I get my ¼” foot out that came with my machine and get to sewing. I'm a chain 'piecer' so I went to my design wall and took down all my pairs of 4" x 5" squares and sewed them all together using a ¼" seam. To end up with a 4" x 9½" pair.

I love my 1/4" foot--included with my PFAFF Quilt Ambition 2.0

Once they were all sewn together in pairs I went to the ironing board. First I set the seam then proceeded to iron that seam open. Yep, you read that right - open!

I started pressing almost all of my quilting seams open. It makes for a flatter and I think cleaner press and makes free motion quilting or even stitch in the ditch quilting a piece of cake!

Pressing the seam OPEN

I then took each pair and sewed them to the long side of my 6” x 10” piece of fabric. And no — they didn’t fit exactly, my 4” x 5” pieces which were sewn into pairs now measured 4" x 9½". I still sewed them to the 10” piece of fabric as I was going to square them up after the next pressing.

Once all of my blocks were together I set out to square them all up to a nice 9½" square.

Time to square up! 9 1/2 X 9 1/2

I sewed those squares together to make rows, pressing each seam open.

Then sewed the rows together. The whole quilt top to this point was cut, pieced and pressed and assembled in a day (not a long day just a good steady day, where I managed to cook dinner and read a couple of chapters of a book I just can’t seem to put down). 

Tomorrow I’m going to add the borders, I’m thinking a bit of red to make it pop?  This really was a quick summer quilting project — I like to get a whole quilt top done in less than a day, what about you? It was super easy to cut, and sewing on my PFAFF Quilt Ambition 2.0 made it happen without a hitch.

Ready for some borders!

Postcards with Quilting and Other Decorative Stitches

Postcards with Quilting and Other Decorative Stitches-I Love small projects

I love making small projects on any new machine and this PFAFF Quilt Ambition 2.0 is no exception. Small projects like postcards allow me to use my Quilting Stitches and all my other decorative stitches and see them stitched out. 

I start by cutting my fabric and stabilizer larger than I need so that I can trim it to size. In this case I cut my fabric and stabilizer 5" x 7". I then randomly start stitching rows of decorative stitches.  Some are placed on angles, some will crisscross, I have no real plan here, just to fill the postcard with my fancy stitches.

Quilting stitches at random angles.

It's EASY to go from stitch to stich on this machine, simply using the drop down menu we spoke about yesterday. Here are two other GREAT features of this PFAFF Quilt Ambition 2.0 that make this or any project with decorative stitches worry free!

The INFORMATION button - what a lifesaver

The first feature is a really awesome feature!! See that button beside the screen near the bottom that looks like a lower case letter “i” ? When you touch that button a lot of really useful information shows up on the screen. Such as which foot to use, what tension settings to use, stabilizer or no stabilizer, IDT engaged or disengaged? Yep, all those answers right there at the push of a button. 

No guess work involved! By taking the guess work out of the project it’s like PFAFF is building a success guarantee into the project. Follow those guidelines and you'll have a great stitch!

The Screen AFTER you touch the INFORMATION button

The second feature I absolutely love when using decorative stitches is found when you look to the left of the screen. There's a button there that looks like a triangle on its side. It’s just below the needle up/down button. It's called the Stitch Restart Button. Guess What it does? If you had been sewing and stopped in the middle of a stitch and press that button before you start again it'll start right at the beginning of the stitch. Also, if you press that button while you're actively sewing the stitch will finish and then stop sewing! 

I believe this is the most overlooked, underused feature on this machine. I use it all the time now. IF you're using decorative stitches and have perhaps used your needle up/down button to pull up a bobbin thread or try to find the right placement for your stitch then you might not be starting at the actual start of your stitch, so while your needle is up, press that button and your stitch will start right at the beginning! It does make a difference. I now make this button a habit when using decorative stitches of any kind.

The Stitch Restart Button--The Star of Decorative Stitching

With everything at my fingertips I'm making progress...

I use my drop down menu to easily change stitches. I use my information button to ensure I’m using the right foot etc. and my Stitch Restart Button ensures getting complete stitches on my postcards. I keep stitching away.

Here are four postcard fronts ready to trim to size. These stitches are all found in the Quilting Stitch menu on the PFAFF Quilt Ambition 2.0 sewing machine. I still have over 200 stitches to put on the rest of my postcards.

Four Postcard Fronts Ready to Trim..all of them with Quilting Stitches

Finishing up

• Trim the fronts to 4½" x 6½".
• Fuse a 4” x 6” piece of fusible batting to the center of the trimmed top.
• Right sides together, place the top with the batting fused to it to a plain/light colored fabric cut 4½" x 6½". 
• Use a ¼" seam allowance and sew around the postcard leaving an opening for turning it right side out.
• Once turned right side out, press the postcard and top stitch close to the edge.

This is just ONE method for making postcards, there are many other ways, find the one that’s right for you. 

The whole point of this exercise is to use you Quilting Stitches and Other Decorative Stitches on small projects. You'll discover some stitches you absolutely will fall in love with and want to use them all the time. Be careful though, it may inspire you to make a crazy quilt, which is now on my to do list!

Sewing Utility, Decorative and Font Stitches

Sewing Utility, Decorative & Font Stitches, it’s time to love them ALL!

The PFAFF Quilt Ambition 2.0 sewing machine comes with 201 stitches, 4 fonts and endless possibilities for combining them. Utility, decorative and font stitches are in abundance on this machine and I'm making it my goal to use each and every one of them! Yep—your heard me. I’m going to use ALL of them.

Lots and lots of stitches, 201 of them!

All the stitches are shown on the ‘lid’ of my machine, you know the top of your machine that lifts up to reveal where you wind your bobbin and place your thread? I can see all my stitches there and it's so easy to select a stitch on my machine with this great new touch pad screen.

A stylus is included for touching your screen so it won’t end up all gunky and fingerprint-covered like all of our reading tablets do. To choose a stitch just touch the screen, scroll to the stitch number you want and voila it’s there, ready for you to use.

The easy to use touch screen stitch selector! Just scroll down until you get to the stitch you want. With 201 to choose from there are bound to be a few that make you happy.

My mission: to make 20 postcards (minimum) use ALL 201 stitches

This week I’m on a mission to make postcards a GREAT way to use those stitches, practice some techniques, use up some scraps and have quilted postcards ready for an exchange or to use as thank you notes. 

In my case I have a series of thank you notes to write to many quilt guild members for their service to our guild this year so I have to get cracking on this project if I want to get 20 of them done!

Each postcard is going to be unique, some will use different construction techniques, different  colors and all will use some different stitches as their decoration. But a bit more on that later, first I have to do a few sample stitch outs to make sure my new machine is in running order.

First things first though—a test

I’ve wound a bobbin with some matching threads for the colors I want to use and also have a pre-wound bobbin ready to go for some of those stitches whose backside won't be visible. I’m not going to bore you with how very easy it was to wind a bobbin, that paper manual I told you about yesterday has great instructions and illustrations. 

I start with a piece of  fabric about 6" wide and cut length of fabric. This is going to be my stitch out sample that I keep. I also have a few pieces of scrap cotton to do my first test on to make sure my tension is just right.

My first test stitch is always done on cotton and always uses a cotton 50 weight thread. This gives me something to gauge all future stitches on. I'll start with a straight stitch and work my way up from there. Once I’m happy with my first test, and I'm very happy with my first test stitch, and I didn’t have to adjust my tension or anything, it’s time to start my stitch out sample that I'm going to keep for future reference.

The start of my stitch out sample that will act as my reference guide in the future.

In this case, since I'm going to use all of my decorative stitches on my postcards throughout the week, I start my stitch out samples with my utility stitches, I’m liking what I’m seeing so I’m going to pause here. 

Throughout the week as I use the rest of the stitches I'm going to first stitch it out here on this stitch out sample then use it on a postcard. Why you ask? Why stitch it twice when time is always at such a premium? I'm going to give away my postcards, they are going to good homes and will be loved and appreciated. I'm going to keep my stitch out sample so that in the future when I’m looking for just the right stitch I’ll have an actual sample. It’s great that there's a picture on the lid but sometimes things look a lot different stitched out, I’ll know what size it is, if it's a good stitch for my current project etc. So a bit of duplication now and I’ll save time and frustration in the future.  

I’m just about ready to make those postcards so it’s time to gather my supplies. I’ll need stabilizer cut to 4" x 6" size—the size of my post cards. I’m cutting batting the same size. I’m cutting some fabric a half inch larger and using some pretty plain fabrics since I'll be covering these by sewing utility, decorative and font stitches and letting these be the star of the postcards.

Preparing fabric, batting and stabilizer for putting together the postcards

Test Driving the PFAFF Quilt Ambition 2.0

Preparing to Test Drive the PFAFF Quilt Ambition 2.0

Quilt Ambition Hard Cover Case

First—I get to open a brand new box! I still get excited every time I do that. After opening the box and removing the packing material they thoughtfully put in there to keep my baby, I mean my PFAFF Quilt Ambition, safe and secure during transit, I'm immediately impressed! This machine comes with a hard cover case - sweet! I'm particularly pleased about the case because want it protected while I travel to a retreat and classes or just as well sitting on my desk. Follow me this week, as we explore test driving the Pfaff Quilt Ambition 2.0.

A paper manual, lots of accessories and hard cover carrying case!

A real PFAFF Paper Manual

The next thing I do is take out the manual for my Quilt Ambition 2.0—yes a real printed manual not just a quick set up cheat sheet, a full manual! Don’t tell anyone but at this point I actually sniffed the manual—you know that new book smell? Yep—that one, I love it too! After flipping through the manual I found exactly what I was looking for, the page that lists and shows EVERYTHING included with my machine.

Next, it’s time to find that little plastic bag of feet and bobbins and bits and bobs and there it is!  Just brimming with wonderful treats and gifts. The first time I opened one of these bags of feet I was terrified I didn’t know what most of them were even for and I was certain I wouldn’t ever use them.  After all, I was going to quilt not sew, why would I need a button foot or a zipper foot? Looking back I love my naivety...

Now it gets really exciting. It’s time to count and organize and sort. I just drifted off to my own little piece of Nerdville. I love this part, matching all the feet and parts to the manual carefully making sure that everything I'm suppose to have is in there. Guess what? It was all there!

Two quilting feet included with this PFAFF Quilt Ambition 2.0 sewing machine. My favorite quarter inch foot and the open toe free motion foot.

This PFAFF Quilt Ambition machine comes with all your basic feet PLUS two specialty quilting feet. A ¼” foot and the Open Toe Free Motion Foot. I’m so looking forward to using these a bit later. 

I can't think of anything more exciting this week than test driving the Pfaff Quilt Ambition 2.0!!! Stay tuned tomorrow.

A few supplies to get ready for a stitch out sample.

Zakka inspired cord wraps keep your tech stuff tidy

Cord wraps for charging cords put some of your most treasured fabric scraps to good use in these zakka inspired cord wrappers.

The final day of our zakka quilting/sewing tour wraps up -- literally -- with some zakka inspired cord wraps to keep your tech stuff tidy. All those charging cords for essential electronic devices, like cell phones, e-readers and tablets, can be tidy, organized and tangle-free.

These cord wraps, like all zakka, fulfill an essential need in a pretty and practical way that uses up scraps and helps get your cords untangled, easily identified, and, hopefully, unforgettable.

They also make great gifts for "techie" guys and gals with that added bonus of being quick to finish.

You will need

• assorted cotton-linen blend scraps
• assorted quilting cotton scraps
• template plastic
• batting
• hook and loop tape
• 505 reposition fabric adhesive
• applique mat
• chalk marking pen
• twill tape
• Fabric Fun Marker
• Sew Smooth thread conditioner

Download and trace the template onto template plastic.

For this project, I discovered I had been hoarding some precious Japanese cotton-linen scraps, which were printed on both sides of the fabric.
This made the selection for the outside of the wrap quite easy, since I only had to select a couple of scraps and flip them.

• Download the template below for the cord wrap.
• Trace it onto template plastic.

Audition the fabric scraps beneath the plastic template.

Audition your fabric scraps for the pieced outside of the cord wrapper. This is easy to do because you can see the fabric through the plastic.

• Once you're pleased with the fabric arrangement, stitch them together with a 1/4" seam.
• Press the seams open.
• Make a quilt sandwich: Main fabric and lining right sides together and then batting.
• Spray baste the batting to the wrong side of the lining.

Trace the template onto the wrong side of the pieced fabric, using a chalk marker.

Spray baste the batting to the lining in this quilt sandwich.

• Sew the layers together with a 1/4" seam, leaving a 1 1/2" opening at the center of the short end.
• Clip the curves and turn right side out through the opening.

Sew the layers of the quilt sandwich together along the traced line. Cut out with a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Clip curves before turning right side out through the opening.

Slip stitch the turning opening closed. Sew Smooth will condition the thread for easier hand sewing.

Tidy the seams and press. Top stitch close to the edge.

Mark the position of the hook and loop tape on the zakka-inspired cord wrap, front and back, using a chalk pencil.

• Press the cord wrap.
• If desired, create a label for the cord wrap. Using a scrap of linen and some plain twill tape, write the label with a Fabric Fun marker or use miniature stamps and permanent ink.
• Stitch the label to the center back of the cord wrap.

Create a label to identify the cord within the wrapper. It makes it unforgettable!

The zakka-inspired cord wrap is all sewn up, as is my time on QUILTsocial.

My time on QUILTsocial wraps up today -- in more ways than one. I hope you have enjoyed learning about zakka inspired projects, the pretty practical way to get organized.

Keep coming back to QUILTsocial for more quilty fun.

In the meantime, make a mess and have some handmade fun! Using your Zakka-inspired cord wraps keeps your tech stuff tidy, while you're making that mess.