What do you do with your selvages? (P.S. According to Wikipedia, it's "selvage" in the U.S. and "selvedge" in Britain - well, what d'ya kno...
This is a new colorful package of selvedges. Selvedges are from the edges of 100% cotton fabrics. Some have company logos or color dots. Some have lettering. Some have white selvedges, and some are printed all the way to the edge. They are from 1/2 inch to 1 1/4 inches wide, and lengths vary from 16" to 24”. There are at least 50 pieces. Selvedges can be identified by the tighter weave on one edge of the strip. Most are smooth on the edge. Some are frayed but will not unravel because of the tight weave, which you can see on the back side of the strip. These add texture to your finished project. Selvedges can be used for any strip pieced sewing project, like glasses cases, mug rugs, potholders, pillows, small zipper bags, hand bags, and totes. I’ve even seen a skirt and blouse made with selvedges. The photos are samples of the selvedges in this package. The project photos are examples only and not included. $17.50 each package. 4 packages available Free shipping See other vintage, original, and restored quilts and collectibles by Denise https://deniseclausendesigns.etsy.com
Last Saturday I was honored to be asked to be the guest speaker at the MMQG Super Saturday Sewing event. Why is it super? Well for starters, they gather from 9am to 9pm for 12 hours of non-stop stitching!!!! That's pretty super in my books. It was a lovely day with nice company, good food and great stitching. The event happens upstairs at GJs fabrics so there's always great shopping available too! :-) It's a great space for sewing with loads of natural light!! There were many wonderful quilts to see ... And I did a bit of show and tell myself ... I can't even imagine what I was thinking / saying in that last shot with Groucho. Maybe I should run a caption competition ;-) All in all, I had a great time and want to thank everyone at the Guild for being so lovely and welcoming!! Andi xx
Sewing projects to make with selvedge / selvage fabric ~ Threading My Way
How To Make Selvedge Fabric - A Fast & Easy Tute This week I've made a laptop case using selvedges and I thought I'd share with you how I create selvedge fabric. When I buy a piece of fabric I remove the selvedges along both edges by folding the fabric in the correct direction to cut them off as full-length strips. It's up to you how wide you cut them, you may want to cut them wider and see more of the original fabric design. I line the selvedge edge up with a 1" line on the cutting mat and then 1/8" line of my ruler on the next 1" line - lining the ruler over the larger amount of fabric helps hold the fabric in place so it doesn't move while I'm cutting though you do risk making a wrong cut into your selvedge. Update on 11 February 2017 These days I'm cutting my selvedges at 1" instead of 7/8" to allow me to retain more of the print design. The rest of the process of creating the fabric remains exactly the same😊. Update on 11 September 2018 Making fabric from my selvedges has become an important part of my design so these days I have increased the width of the selvedge I cut off a piece of fabric. I'm now cutting at 1-1/8". This gives me more wiggle room for overlapping the fabrics and leaves more of the print section visible on the text selvedge edge. The rest of the process in creating the fabric remains exactly the same😊. To make selvedge fabric first I take a piece of batting or backing fabric - whatever suits the outcome of your project best - and cut it at least an inch wider and longer than the finished size of selvedge fabric that I need. Next, I spray it all over with basting spray such as 505 (temporary/repositionable) fabric spray adhesive - using a repositionable adhesive means you can change the strips around until you're happy with the look. Now comes the fun part - lay your selvedges row by row onto the now sticky backing fabric. Start at the bottom edge of the 'fabric' placing the frayed/finished edge bottom-most. Overlay the next selvedge over the cut raw edge - slightly overlapping it. You may want to vary the amount you overlap the selvedges by so you can see more/less of the colour/design/text. You can use more than one selvedge along a particular row - using up shorter lengths of selvedge - just lay them side by side and leave the side edges raw, any fraying will be minimal and adds to the look of the finished fabric (as in the top row being placed in the photo above) Once the backing batting/fabric is completely covered with selvedges you are ready to sew the selvedges in place. (If you are creating a Quilt As You Go (QAYG) block then at this stage you can spray baste your backing fabric to the made fabric.) The spray basting should hold the selvedge strips firmly in place while you complete this stage. I sew/quilt over the length of the selvedges using my 1/4" foot as a width guide. I choose one very straight edged selvedge as a marker for my first row of stitches and then use this as a loose guide for my next rows 1/8" to 1/4" apart - I'm not looking for a perfectly straight line finish here. Placing the stitch lines so close together firmly fastens down all the selvedge edges and creates the fabric. There're other methods of attaching selvedges that leave the finished edge of each selvedge strip loose from the background fabric but this I like that my method ensures each strip is well attached and often I use a contrasting thread so the stitching becomes part of the finished design also. Here's a finished QAYG selvedge block that I made last year as part of my Something NEW Sampler Quilt. This block contains selvedges from all the fabrics used in making the quilt. This is how the back of the fabric will look - in this case, you're seeing the backing fabric of the QAYG block but if you've just used a backing fabric or batting then you'll see that instead. Once you've finished your 'made' selvedge fabric then you can trim the edges/cut the fabric to size and use in your chosen project. And that's all there is to making selvedge fabric!!! Check out my other Selvedge posts: This time, I used it to make a laptop case Crazy about that Kaffe Fassett blue Millefiore lining I love selvedge fabric - it's so individual and scrappy looking, there's always something to look at and read! I've wondered about crocheting/knitting with my selvedges too - have you tried it? I've crocheted/knitted with lots of materials in the past - one of my favourites is plastic carrier bags - great for making waterproof garden table place/drink mats and chair covers but that's a whole other post! Do you save your selvedges? If you do then share what you've made and if you've used a different method to make selvedge fabric tell us about that too. Updated On 21 April 2014: The laptop case was a present for my daughter's friend Hayley and here's a photo Flicky sent me of Hayley with her case which she tells me she uses every day. The photo is also proof that the sun does shine sometimes in St Andrews, Scotland! Updated at 11 September 2018 I've used a piece of selvedge fabric for a cushion back - I looove how this looks, don't you? See more about this cushion here in this blog post. and another I made last year - read more about it here. How To Make Selvedge Fabric - A Fast & Easy Tute Featured On: Clicking on an image will take you through to the new page of crafty goodness :) Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only, no payment or commission is received on click-throughs and opinions are my own.
I am calling it finished. My Iowa tea towel became a bag. A nice big bag. It will be my quilt show bag. Lots of stuff will fit in there. I said to Karen that if i fill it, it could get to heavy to carry. She told me that we can always walk back to the car and unload. Of course, why didn't I think of that? I wavy stitched over everything. Nothing fancy or new there. I was worried that doing that would obscure the towel, but it didn't. I was relieved about that. I used things I had on hand, like the little house blocks. Nothing new there. So what thing would be new to me in putting this bag together? Using selvage edges. I have never used them. I didn't even start saving them until recently. Most of mine have come from fat quarters. They were 18 inches. I needed to make them wider, so a column of the house blocks was added. I stamped the words, Hey! Is this heaven? No it Iowa on some of the blank sections. Then last night.... At the quilt guild meeting, a gal from New Ulm Minnesota came down to show us the buttons she makes. I bought the Minnesota themed button package and picked out the house one to use as a closure on the Iowa bag. Then I thought the house (kind of) went with the package and grabbed a flower instead. My niece Amanda gave me her t-shirts over the weekend. I cut yesterday and have today yet to work on it. I have my doubts about it getting quilted before her graduation. But at least the top can be put on display at her party. Then sent off to be quilted.
2011 Fiber Arts Fiesta, Albuquerque, New Mexico
I'm so happy! It's really happening...it's finally confirmed. The forms are filled out, the appraisal done, the quilt is packed and on its way! What's this all about? Well, last spring a call went out across the country for pieces for an exhibit called SCRAP ART that will be at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles in San Jose, California. I saw the call, but ignored it and then I got an email from my KC guild friend Trisch suggesting that I submit the Selvage quilt. I was flattered, but not convinced. Then I got an email from my friend in San Francisco who had read about the call for quilts locally and she made the same suggestion. With a little pushing and shoving from friends I submitted the quilt. To my surprise I got an email from the museum asking to use my quilt. I'm so thrilled and honored that this quilt was selected. Thanks to my quilty friends...you made it happen for me! The quilt needed a hanging sleeve before it could be sent on its way. I used Libby Lehman's instructions for a "D" shaped sleeve. (Scroll to the bottom of the linked page to get the pdf.) Notice how the sleeve doesn't lay flat on the quilt. The quilt will hang better with this type of sleeve. This is how I make all the sleeves for the quilts I hang. The exhibit opens in August and runs through November. I'm flying out to attend the opening reception for the exhibit. How could I not? I have a favor to ask. My friend Mary Lou lost her blog of 6 years to the black hole of Google, who knows why, but those of you who have blogs know how devastating that would be. She lost all her followers and folks can't find her. Well, she's not lost, she's here on her new blog Mary Lou and Whimsy Too. If you don't know Mary Lou, check her out. She's a dynamo and into story quilts and improvising. Say Hi and tell her Jacquie sent you!
This shrug is worked side to side from cuff to cuff. Sleeves are worked in the round, the back is worked flat, then the band is picked up around selvedge edges of back and worked in the round, making a pretty shawl collar.The sample shown was knit in The Fibre Co. Canopy Worsted, shade Acai. Substitute yarns are recommended below.
Soosumsee is the brainchild of Manchester-based textile artist, Bec Kirby, who designs and creates a series of unique cushions, wall-hangings and soft-tapestry blankets that evoke questions and wonder.Handmade Jacquard cushion with natural selvedge to one side. Sewn with 100% cotton, woven in a Jacquard weave giving a quilted feel. Filled with ethically sourced wool fleece, in an organic cotton insert. Cushion cover is non-removable. 50cm x 50cm Kindly note, each piece is handmade and may differ slightly from the image shown. Due to the handmade nature of the pieces, irregularities and makers marks may exist and are not considered defects.
Ja ich bin busy! Ich weiß nicht wo die Zeit bleibt und leider komme ich momentan wenig zum Patchworken/Quilten. Das ist sehr schade. Aber gestern habe ich mir die Zeit genomen um das Kissen fertig zu machen, bei dessen Finishing ich jäh von diesem kleinen Zwischenfall unterbrochen wurde. Irgendwie steht diese Kissenhülle auch unter keinem guten Stern, denn nachdem ich sie endlich fertig hatte mußte ich feststellen, daß sie viel zu groß ist ... da war ich wohl irgendwie konfus... Also gestern Abend schön das Binding abgetrennt, Kissen verkleinert und erneut fertig gemacht. Und was passiert? Die Größe stimmt immer noch nicht. Ich mag das ja lieber, wenn die Hülle prall gefüllt ist. Dem ist jetzt nicht so. Aber ehrlich auf ein zweites Mal auftrennen hab ich gerade echt keine Lust... Is mir egal ich laß das jetzt so!!! Yes I am busy! I don´t know where time flies and unfortunately I can´t manage to quilt a lot. I am really sad about that. Well but yesterday I found a little time to finish the pillow cover which I couldn´t finish because of this incident. And somehow, the cover has written "problem" on it, because after I finally finished it yesterday evening I noticed that it is way too big. So I unripped the binding, made it smaller and sew it together again, and guess what? Still to big. I like me a very filled pillowcover, and this isn´t. But you now what I don´t care I leave it like that! Ausserdem bin ich vor einiger Zeit auf den Zug aufgesprungen und versuche meiner Reste Frau zu werden. Da ich schon längst mal einen Log Cabin Quilt nähen wollte, kamen mir meine Unmengen an 2,5" Streifen gerade Recht. Zuerst dachte ich ich mache einen Babyquilt, aber jetzt gefällt mir das Ergebnis so gut, daß ich wohl noch sechs weitere Blöcke fertigen werde und dann eine fröhliche Couchdecke oder einen Picknick Quilt mache. Ich habe noch zwei Tage frei, im Besten Falle komme ich nochmal zum Nähen und vielleicht berichte ich Euch dann davon... Alles Liebe erstmal. Well further on I jumped on the bandwagon and started to scrap attack! I always wanted to make a scrappy Log Cabin Quilt. First I thought a babyquilt would be nice, but now I like it so much, that I will ad 6 more blocks and make myself a comfy lap quilt, or a nice picknick quilt. I still have two more days of, I hope I can go on sewing a little bit, if yes I am sure I will tell you! Until then, xx Miriam Miriam
In September I shared this quilt finish. For want of a name, it's my "Selvedges Quilt" that finished at 59" X 72". I designed the block. Several blog-followers let me know they'd like a tutorial to make this quilt, so here you are! Supplies Lots and lots of selvedges! I used approximately 560 selvedge strips - only the parts with color, text, and color windows - to make 80 rectangle units, 5" X 9½" (unfinished). Scrap fabrics, approximately 3½" X 6" for print pinwheels Solid white fabric: 12 - 5" X 5" squares 18 - 5" X 9½" rectangles 60-degree ruler card stock, for a template Assuming you've never cut and saved fabric selvages... Each selvedge strip should be cut 1/2" beyond where the selvedge ends and the print begins. So most of my selvedges are approximately 1"-wide strips. I've saved them for years - more than 15 years - so I had (and still have) lots to work with. Prepare Selvages If needed, press selvedges. Sort by color. Six to 8 selvages are needed for each rectangle-shaped unit, so 24 to 32 selvages for one four-unit pinwheel. Lay the selvedge strip on a cutting mat and select the section with the most color, text, or color windows (those little round circles of color). Cut roughly 10" to 10½" long until you have a total of 24 to 32 selvedges of one color family. This color range runs from pinks to rose. Sew Selvedge Strips With the finished side of a selvage strip on the left, position the finished side of another selvedge strip on top, leaving approximately ¼" print showing on the under strip. Using a straight sewing machine stitch, edgestitch along the left side of the upper strip to join two strips. With the finished side of a selvage strip on the left, position a third selvedge strip on top of the right selvedge strip, again allowing ¼" of print to show. Stitch along the edge of the third selvedge to join. Continue to add strips to create a rectangle of selvedges that's 5" to 5½" wide. Press. Trim the unit to measure 5" X 9½". Note: If necessary, it's perfectly acceptable to piece together two selvedge pieces to come up with a 10" to 10½" length. Make Selvedge-Triangle Unit Position a 60-degree ruler along the bottom edge of the selvedge rectangle. Align the left side of the ruler with the left corner. Note that I chose to arrange all my rectangles "left-readable." It probably doesn't matter which direction you position your selvedges; just be consistent. Cut. The triangle piece that's removed can be your template to cut the print fabric that will become one-fourth of a color-coordinated center pinwheel. Cut print fabric flush with the bottom and right side of the selvedge triangle, but be sure to add 1/4" along the top/long side. After making one like this, I got smart and made a paper template that I taped to the back of my ruler. I used this template to cut the bottom and right sides... ... and made a second paper template, positioning it to a ruler to align the top/long side of the unit with the ruler's edge. This sure made cutting easier. The selvedge-triangle unit is pieced this way. With right sides together, align the raw edges of the cut selvedge piece and print triangle. Allow 1/4" overlap at the top and bottom of the seam. Use a ¼" seam to join. Press seam allowance toward triangle. The selvedge unit should have a ¼" seam allowance at the triangle end. Completed selvedge unit measures 5" x 9½". Choose selvedge colors to continue making four selvedge units using four different prints for triangles. When you have enough units to begin playing on your design wall, you'll quickly see that though this is the layout you want... ... the actual block to be sewn together looks like this. At this point, I auditioned different solid fabrics as center squares: two grays. I settled on white. Piece Blocks With Inset Seam Assemble the block in counter-clockwise order. Refer to diagram below. On the 5" X 5" center square, mark one corner 1/4" from two raw edges. Position selvedge Unit 1 in the "readable" (horizontal) direction, with the triangle at the right end. With right sides together, place the 5" x 5" square along the lower left sides of the non-triangle end of the selvedge unit, aligning the square with the left and bottom of the selvedge unit. With the square on top, stitch from the 1/4" mark to the end of the block. Press seam allowance toward selvedge Unit 1. With right sides together, position Unit 2 along seam 2 of the square, aligning the triangle end of Unit 2 with the edge of Unit 1, and the bottom end of Unit 2 with the bottom of the square. Sew a 1/4" seam along the length of Unit 2. Press seam allowance toward Unit 2. In the same way, add Unit 3 to side 3 of the square. Press seam allowance toward Unit 3. Add Unit 4 to side 4 of the square, being sure to move Unit 1 away from the seam. Do not sew over Unit 1. Press seam allowance toward Unit 4. Sew the short 5th seam to join Unit 4 to Unit 1. Press seam allowance toward Unit 1. From the back, the block looks like this, with seam allowances pressed toward selvedge units. Each block is 13½" X 13½" with a plain square center that finishes at 4½". Plain Rectangles I could have finished the quilt layout with more selvedges, adding 5" by 5" selvedge squares to the outside edges, but instead chose to add plain rectangles so the design seemed more "floaty." In the same manner as piecing blocks, mark ¼" on two ends of a solid 5" X 9½" rectangle. Sew inset seams to join. Join blocks to complete the quilt top. Press seams open. I chose to pin-baste my quilt, using rulers for domestic machine quilting, and embellishing with big stitch hand quilting. I used my favorite binding technique: No Tails Binding: Mitered Corners by Machine - found here, and here, and a PDF here - to complete my quilt. I hope you enjoy this tutorial, and making something fun with your collection of selvedges. Be sure to let me know how it goes! Linda Note: Measurements for the finished block size was updated September 20, 2021.
We're continuing are discussion on the theme of mending by asking some of our Selvedge writers and contributors to tell us why they mend, and what repairing textiles and fabrics means to them. Explore more in our latest issue, Issue 102 Mend. Katarina Brieditis and Katarina Evans of Studio Brieditis & Evans Why do
This beautiful selvage pencil case is the creation of my friend Christine in France. Isn't it amazing? You can read more about it on her friend Katell's blog: Quilteuse Forever. This will be on exhibit in Toulouse, France at the Creative Leisure Fair. I enlarged part of the photo below. I love those pencils! Nice job, Christine!
Cambridge Imprint Selvedge Fair in Bath -
I couldn't stop at one!
Let's make a Strata Quilt! Cut strips 1.25" wide from interesting fabrics in your stash. Sew the ends together so you have 55" lengths. Then sew these strips together. Make a block about 6" x 55." Enter your name in the drawing once for each block entered. Helpful tip: After sewing a long seam, press before opening. This "sets the seam" and makes it easy to keep the seam straight when you press it open. Otherwise it can get a little curvy. This quilt was made by readers of the Selvage Blog from all over the world. I finished the quilt, and it now resides in Florida in the home of the drawing winner: the Quilting Violinist. Remember to bring your Bow Tie blocks from February too!
This is a project that I have been planning for months, maybe even years! I have been collecting selvages (or selvedges, whichever you like) over the past few years- in our studio there are separat…
Jeanneke from the Netherlands led a group of quilters in making lots of scrap house quilts. You can see photos of all the quilts at BuildingHousesFromScraps. They used rubber stamps to mark the fabrics. These houses are tiny! They measure 3" square! (Thanks for that info in your Comments.)
A Zippy Strippy bag class is scheduled for Saturday January 14th 9:30am to 12:30pm. Call the shop to sign up. 706-937-9142
Here it is- the selvage quilt that didn't make a dent in my collection of selvages! This is my second selvage quilt (Emerald Selvage Spiderweb, 2013) and probably won't be my last. Now that I'm in the habit of saving them, I can't stop! This is where I started a couple of weeks ago. If you are wondering, the red is Kona Tomato. (My grandfather grew the best tomatoes.) It only took about a week to complete the top. Many thanks to Karen Griska for writing a great pattern! I opted to set the blocks on point and skipped the borders. I wanted to make lots of blocks (I cut mine at 10"). This size fits perfectly on my kitchen wall. Selvage quilts are heavy, so a lap quilt wasn't appealing to me. I knew I wanted to quilt this with red and white thread. I started with "organic" vertical lines through the red squares. I figured whatever I quilted in white would disappear, so I decided to practice feathers. (I really stink at quilting feathers!) All that top to bottom quilting means no threads to bury. No marking, no threads to bury = win, win. There are some really cute selvages in here. And so many memories of projects past! Printed copyright dates range from 1994 to 2014. The back is loaded with dots. Why not? The only place you can really see the feathers is on this section of the back. That's OK with me! More practice required. One more glamor shot on the couch with the matching pillow. Yes, it's snowing again! Selvage Log Cabin (needs a cuter name. any suggestions?) 42" X 42" Started January 31, 2015 Completed February 16, 2015 Pattern by Karen Griska
In my opinion, you can never have too many zipper pouches. I needed a new one for my cutting tools for my upcoming trip to Sewtopia. (Did I mention how I'm really excited to see all my sewing friends again?!?!) :) So I made a zipper pouch out of my selvages. I've been collecting these when I started sewing again. (I have 8 years of selvages!) I love them because they're so versatile & fun! I love seeing them and trying to remember what I used that particular print for. It's kinda like a fabric journal.... So let's gets started. You'll need: 9" zipper 2 pieces of batting = 7.25" x 11.25" 2 pieces of lining = 7" x 11" 2 strips of fabric = 2" x 11" A handful of selvages With a marking pen, draw a line on your batting measuring 1.5" from the bottom. Do this to both pieces. The area above the line will be where you'll sew your selvages. Grab 2 selvage strips and place them together like the photo below. One should be on top of the other overlapping at least 1/4". Now top stitch as close to the edge of the selvage as you can. I highly recommend using a stitch length around 2.0. Now grab more selvages.... and tuck them underneath... and continue to top stitch.... Once you've finish the bottom half, sew the other selvages by placing them on top of the previous strip. No tucking under this time. When you've finished, your panel should look like this. Remember that line we drew? Place the 2" x 11" strip at the line. Attach the strip using a 1/4" seam allowance and quilt it. Now work on your other panel. You can either do the same direction or do the opposite. I'm doing the opposite - simply based on my preference. Attach the selvages the same way we did prior. Your panels should look like these. Now let's give them a haircut. Align your ruler so that the seam lines up at 1.75". Then trim your block to 7" x 11". Here's what they should look like.... Now pick which panel will be the front. Place your zipper face down to the front panel (both right sides together). Your zipper pull should be on the left. Make a zipper sandwich by placing your lining face down to the back of your zipper. Use pins to hold it all in place and sew all 3 layers together. It should look like this. Then, do the same to the other side. Give it a good press away from the zipper. I top stitch on both sides so the lining doesn't ride up and jam my zipper. Now line up your panels to match like this... and here... Use pins to hold them in place. Stitch all the way around using a 1/4 seam allowance. But leave a small opening (about 3") so you can turn it out. Trim your corners and then .... Turn it out.... Pull! Tug! Do it gently... Sew your opening either by hand or machine and that's it. You're done! Here's the front. And here's the back. Look at how much stuff it holds! Those are my large scissors! My rotary cutter is buried at the bottom. That's all folks! Now go make one! ;) Hope you've been inspired to travel handmade. Enjoy! Oxox, Sunny
Make a selvedge fabric basket. Pattern review - Patchouli Moon Studio ~ Threading My Way
... so much fun to make....thanks to makatrin and sternwerfer* for your selvadges...
Did you have a great Christmas? Are you ready for 2010??? Someone, please take my Mod Podge away for a minute. I selfishly kept one of the Moleskine three-pack notebooks for myself. The other two w…
We're continuing are discussion on the theme of mending by asking some of our Selvedge writers and contributors to tell us why they mend, and what repairing textiles and fabrics means to them. Explore more in our latest issue, Issue 102 Mend. Katarina Brieditis and Katarina Evans of Studio Brieditis & Evans Why do
