Cuts Like a Knife

It occurs to me that there are some out there who might not know what a fat quarter (FQ) is. I mean, I guess it's possible.... Anyway, a FQ is a quarter yard of fabric, except that instead of cutting the fabric from the end of a bolt, resulting in a skinny piece of 9x 44 inch fabric, a FQ is cut by dividing a yard of fabric along the long width and then cutting in half again, resulting in a fat, much more usable 18 x 22 piece of fabric.

Here's a photo from quilting.about.com, which illustrates it beautifully.

Fat quarters can run from about $1.75 each to around $4, for an exclusive fabric. So it can be a lot more affordable to buy a few yards and cut them yourself. For instructions about cutting a FQ, go here

BEWARE, buying FQs is addictive! You grab one here, you grab one there, and the next thing you know, you've got $80 worth of fabric in your cart, with no real plans to use them! The worst places for this problem are the stores like JoAnn, where they have different fabric for the FQ than for the yardage. Always keep in mind that buying buy the yard is a better price per yard.

Check out fabric . com (there's a button on the right) for a really wide variety of beautiful fabric. There is a special of the day and a lot of pre-cuts. What I like about it is that it's affiliated with Amazon so you can use your Amazon account to check out, saving me the step of wandering around the house looking for my purse, hoping that my credit card is actually in there an not left on some countertop from the last time I ordered something online. Go Amazon!

DON'T FORGET, comments get you entries into the charm pack give away!

~Jen

Fat Quarter Skirt Sew-Along (who you callin' fat?)

I have been looking for a short, drawstring-style skirt. Everything I've seen in the stores is a skort! While they are cute, honestly, I can't have the extra fabric, and cutting out the shorts doesn't seem to work, the skirt always rides up a little. Skorts are great if you're five, but I'm not too concerned about my underwear showing when I climb the monkey bars, so I'd just as soon have a regular skirt.

But I digress...

I found a drawstring tutorial at Venus de Hilo and it's a beauty!! So I'd like to celebrate my discovery with...

(imagine drumroll here)

The Fat Quarter Skirt Sew-Along

drawstring skirt by Stephanie Serrano
FQ skirt tutorial

That's right, I'm hosting my first sew-along. I know you're excited, but asking yourself, "What is this thing called a sew-along? Well, my newbish friends it's when we all tune in on the same day and sew our skirts together. In this way, you can ask questions and see comments from other sewers. Many of you guys are new to sewing, so I say, "Get that sewing machine out of the box and let's sew."

Oh Shannon, don't worry, we'll sew one together when you get your machine. ;-D

This could easily be made with one piece of fabric, but I just love the way the FQs combine to make something really original and so pretty. If you're anything like me, you've already got a stash of pretty fabric that you're too afraid to cut. I argue that this is the best use of these! You can take 1/4 cuts of your favorites and still have plenty left over for another project. A second skirt? A matching bag? Hmmmm.

There's even a flikr group for others to post their versions of the skirt, here. Stephanie Serrano, the author of Venus de Hilo blog and quilter, extrordinare, asks that you join the flikr group and share a pic of your skirt when you're finished. I think that's a great idea. As you know, I'm a big fan of the "show-it-off" step.

If you don't have a fabric stash, you're going to need 6 fat quarters (FQ) and a big piece of paper to draft your pattern.Stephanie uses freezer paper. I usually grab whatever's handy. Kraft paper, wrapping paper, even newspaper will do.  Don't sweat too much over matching your fabrics perfectly.

The official start date is October 5. When we will draft our patterns. This is a very simple skirt, so it won't take us too long. It's also my first sew-along, so feel free to leave a comment and let me know what I need to include!

Oh! I almost forgot! To celebrate the start of the blog and the sew-along, I'll be giving away a charm pack at the end of the sew-along. Everyone who comments will be added to a drawing for the pack! Yay!

I'm excited! :-)

~Jen