The Splendid Sampler Blocks 69 & 74

Yes, I'm very much behind, but at least I haven't given up? I'm only missing some 40 blocks ;-)

Block 69 - Full Circle

This one reminded me how much I dislike sewing anything more than 1/4 circles XD

It was a struggle and it came out wonky, I'm not a fan...

Block 74 - Button Basket

This one was fun and turned out so cute! I was hesitant about putting buttons on a quilt, however, decided to do it anyways. Need to step out of my comfort zone, that's really what this quilt is all about! I however sewed the handle separately by tracing the shape, and sewing two of them together and turning it. I like the somewhat 3D outcome of that, goes nicely with the buttons.

Sewing with Glitter Vinyl - Tips and Tricks

I thought I’d take this opportunity to just mention a few things regarding working with heavy vinyls such as the glitter one used for the white bag in my previous post. There's quite a few things you should know to make it a fun experience.

The first time I used it I hated it, it was so darn hard to work with and I regretted buying so much of it! However, now when I've taken the time to learn how to use it properly, it's such a fun material to work with!

• Use a walking or teflon foot In my experience, on a domestic machine it’s often best to use a walking foot when working with these heavy fabrics as sometimes the teflon foot just won’t feed all the heavy fabric evenly. However, some machines can’t keep the presser foot pressure up with the walking foot, if yours is having tension issues when working with multiple layers of vinyl, try the teflon foot, up your pressure foot pressure and try again. It should hopefully solve the issue, if you need help troubleshooting tension issues or skipped stitches, here here: Skipped stitches and tension issues help

• Use longer stitches This is to prevent perforating the vinyl to much making it brittle and liable to tear under a little pressure (don't ask me how I know!). I sew with at least a 2.5-3.0 stitch length, while I’d normally use 2.2 for sewing bags. Also, be careful and don't backstitch if not absolutely necessary as this will also perforate the fabric unnecessarily. Use the "auto lock" or similar thread fastening feature on your machine if you have, if not, be careful and try to backstitch exactly into your previous stitches.
  
• Don’t use a leather needle You don’t want to use the leather needle for the same reason, it will weaken the vinyl as it cuts when perforating - making big holes and making the vinyl more likely to tear. I recommend using a topstitch needle as it has a bigger eye so your thread won’t break and it will catch the bottom thread to prevent skipped stitches - but it still makes neat holes. Choosing a 90-100 needle to handle the vinyl without risking it bending.
• Don’t use pin, use clips When vinyl has been perforated the little hole won't close, so use Wonder Clips instead of pins when working with vinyl. If you can't use clips I usually use double sided sewing tape or a dot or two of glue to hold stuff in place until I can sew it down.
• Don't iron - tape or glue If you've read some of my patterns you know how I love to use tape or fabric glue to hold stuff in place, when it comes to vinyl, this becomes a necessity as you can't press it. If you want a seam allowance to stay down, glue it in place. If you want a temporary hold - use tape, either double sided sewing tape, or even painters tape if you need a temp fix while working.
• It sticks to everything, itself, your sewing machine bed, yes everything! Which is great in some instances but horrible in others. So if you don’t have one already, invest in a teflon baking sheet which you can tape to your sewing machine bed to prevent it from sticking to it, making jump stitches or preventing it from feeding at all when you have to sew with the vinyl down. But try to avoid sewing with the vinyl side down when possible.
  
  

I hope these little tips will make your vinyl sewing experience a bit more pleasant than my first few attempts =)

A little glitter baggy!

I'm home alone these past few days and I've set away plenty of time for sewing, and with me and my sewing friends going on a non sew vacation to Mallorca this spring, a challenge was put forth. To sew a bag just the right size to hold ones passport, cellphone and a bit of money of course. I had to start right away! I took some inspiration from the little double zip baggies I love to make. But while those baggies have exposed seams in the lining, this one doesn't, and it also has credit card pockets and an extra pocket in the lining =)

I'm making a pattern for it now, and it's just so much fun to sew! Really quick to make but make such a statement! =D It's the perfect step up from the Bring the Basics Bag, when you need to be able to bring just a little more (like your battery pack for playing Pokemon Go, nooo that was absolutely not taken into consideration here *lol*). It's also a very pretty party clutch. Especially in the glitter vinyl.

More photos will come when I have a proper camera again, mine broke and I've ordered a new one, however, they only shipped to Sweden so Erik is bringing it for me when he returns =)

Giveaway WINNERS!

Thanks to everyone who entered my 1 year anniversary giveaway! <3
I really enjoyed reading all your sweet comments!

I sincerely hope to have more time to blog this year as it's a such a fun way to share my sewing love with the world, and your lovely comments really gave me a much needed boost!

The winner of the whole bundle and the blog giveaway is Kathy E.! Congratulations!!!

The winner of all my bag patterns over on Facebook is Charity Ravn! Congratulations!

The winner of a fat quarter of the Racoon Fabric in the color of their choice is skh51! Congratulations!

Thanks again to all who entered! <3

Pink Pony Design - 1 Year Anniversary!

I'm so very happy to be able to introduce Pink Pony Designs brand new look, page and very own webshop today!
Which also happens to be our 1 year anniversary!! You can now buy my patterns directly from my store, no need to go to a third party site! I'm so happy and proud of my little company turning 1!

We naturally have to celebrate this wonderful occasion with a giveaway! 

There are three prize lots and three different ways to win!

1. One lucky winner will get all in the photo above by commenting here: 
1 Lovely Bali Snaps (40 5x5" squares of Bali batik from Hoffman Fabrics)!
2 Gorgeous Tula Pink Acacia Fat Quarters with the rare OOP Raccoons!
3 Sets of matching bag feet and zipper pulls in gold, silver and brass!

2. One lucky winner will get 1 of each of my bag patterns by entering on Facebook:
Comment on and/or share the photo to have a chance to win one of each of the Bring the Basics Bag, Stockholm Bag, Daytona Bag & Batala Backpack in the language of your choice, English or Swedish!

3. One lucky winner will get 1 FQ Tula Pink Acacia Fat Quarters with the rare OOP Raccoons on Instagram:
There one lucky winner who have tagged a friend or shared the photo will have a chance to win (1) Tula Pink Acacia Fat Quarter with the rare OOP Raccoons in the colorway of their choice!


How do I enter?
This giveaway is open to anyone worldwide, and it closes on Saturday 15th October,  5 p.m. GMT.

1. All you have to do to have a chance to win lot 1 is to leave a comment on this post:
If you are unsure if you're a no-reply comment blogger, please leave your email address with your comment so I can contact you if you win.

1 random winner will be chosen among the comments and you will be notified by email.

2. To have a chance at winning lot 2, pop over to Facebook:
Comment and tag a friend in the comment for a chance to win, share the photo for an extra chance.

3. If you wish to enter for a chance at winning 3,  pop over to my Instagram:
Comment and tag 2 friends in the comment,  repost the photo for an extra chance!

Best of luck to you all!