Piano Runner

Tonight, I finished my first new project in my newly finished sewing room. A friend - the wife of the "Energiser Bunny" (the other half of 'They Who Build') recently had a birthday. For her birthday she got a piano, so I finally decided that a piano runner would be an ideal gift. Smaller and faster than a quilt, but still personal. I have a dozen or so table runner patterns saved, but after looking through all of them decided I didn't like any of them - for this purpose. So, I did what I normally do - designed something to a certain point then made the rest up as I went.


My original plan:

I'm not sure how big my friend's piano is, so I erred on the side of too long, rather than too short. My plan is 12 inches wide. The centre section is 60 inches, and the ends are each 12 inches long.

I made one design change from the plan above that I don't like. In the plan above, drawn in Excel (I know that seems odd, but it's a good program for drawing, because it has no page size limitations), the bar lines and music note stems are all perpendicular to the quilt edges, regardless of the wavy staff. In the actual quilt, I tried to align them to the curves of the staff. I don't like it so much. It's not bad; I just prefer to the above look.

As for the other specifics:
- Background fabric is a cream on cream
- The staff and bar lines are couched wool. I 'need' to buy a couching foot for my new machine. I had one for my old machine - it was a simple loop of metal at the front that the wool would travel through, keeping in the centre of the foot all the time. It was quite difficult to guide the wool, and keep the lines parallel.
- Each note head is a different fabric in red-brown colours. They are 2.5 x 1 inch ovals
- Minums are a full oval, with a small (0.5 x 1.5 inch) oval of the background fabric in the centre. The Teen pointed out, after I sewed them, that you should be able to see the staff line through them. I stitched a zig-zag line through them.
- Music stems are rick-rack. In real life, they're maroon; in the photo they look almost black.
- In the final, I left off the slurs (and I forgot the dot, sigh).
- Each note head is top-stitched with straight stitches, about 1/4 inch from the edge and then right on the edge.
- The entire is bag quilted, and the edge top-stitched in maroon.
- I didn't quilt it.
- The backing (there is no wadding) is polar fleece.
- The notes do form a tune (well, part of a tune, I couldn't fit the whole song on).

The finished product. Not the greatest of lighting; doesn't show the colours well.

When I next visit, I'll take a photo of it on the piano and update this entry.

Knitting roll

I am not a prolific or able knitter; however, as a chill descends of an evening I pull out the projects. Over the years I have collected a goodly quantity of knitting needles. They've started to become a nuisance; tangling with my yarn, falling out of my box. Last night I hunted the web for instructions to make a needle roll.
I found this one: http://organizedeveryday.blogspot.com.au/2008/07/make-your-own-organizer-tutorial.html. She uses two placemats, layered in such a way so as to give you three horizontal pockets of different depths.

I used the concept as a base, but used fabric instead of placements.
1. I don't have any suitable placemats.
2. I didn't think it would end up big enough for my collection.

I didn't consider: placemats are double sided; placemats are edged. The easiest way to do this would be to bag-quilt two pieces of fabric the size you want and then follow the instructions on Jena's website.

(Bag-quilt - place two pieces of fabric right-sides together; sew around all four sides, leaving an opening big enough to turn right way out. Top-stitch and/or quilt, closing the opening as you do so (or slip stitch it closed if you're pedantic like that).

BUT, I didn't think of that, until I started sewing. So, here's how I ended up doing it.

Three pieces of fabric:
A - 23 x 16 inches. This will form the outside and the lower pocket. Hem one end; interface from the unhemmed end to four inches from the hemmed end. Interface gives it a bit of substances, but you don't want it too sturdy if you plan on rolling it closed.

Piece A - hem at bottom; interfacing at top

B - 23 x 16 inches. This will form the lower inside and pockets. Hem one end. Fold the hemmed end up 7 inches (the lower section, folded back in the photo). Fold the unhemmed end down far enough that it is under the hemmed end; zig zag to secure it.

Piece B - Bottom edge hemmed and folded;
top edge folded and secured to the back

C - 9 x 16 inches. This will form the upper inside flap. If I'd planned ahead, A and C could have been one piece (32 x 16 inches). But I didn't, so I fudged it. (Brown/green hand-dyed fabric in photos.)

Piece C

To recap so far:
Piece A is hemmed and interfaced. Piece B is hemmed and folded.

Sew Piece C to A on the unhemmed edge.
Place Piece B four inches from the bottom of Piece A
Fold the lower 4 inches of Piece A over the top of Piece B.
You now have three pockets taking shape:

• a 4 inch pocket between Piece A and B at the bottom
• a 7 inch (only 3 of which is visible) of between the two sides of the folded Piece B in the middle
• a long pocket between Piece B and A at the top.

Layout of fabrics (inside of roll)

 

Layout of fabrics with some tools in the pockets so you can see them

Now, comes the tricky bit (which I stuffed up and had to unpick) - how to layer these to sew them together with the seams on the inside. You could avoid that if you want to by choosing to simply bind the edges at this stage. I considered it, but I'm a lousy binder.

This is NOT what you want. When you turn it right-side-out,
Piece C (at the top of the picture) should sit BEHIND Piece B.

So, ignoring the placement of Piece C in the above photo, because it's wrong, this is the layering you want happening:

• Piece A right side up. 
• Piece C folded over, seam visible.
• The lower pocket of Piece A folded up onto the rest of Piece A.
• The pocket of Piece B face down.

Now - I'm trying to remember if that's right; and my photos aren't really very clear, so I'm not 100% convinced. My suggestion - pin or baste one side. Turn it right side out and check the layers end up in the right place.

Again, in the photo above, ignore Piece C - it should be UNDER Piece B. I've pinned back the bottom fold of Piece B so you can see what's happening with it and the folded edge of Piece A.

Sew the two long sides. Turn the whole thing in the right way. Some pockets need to be turned twice. (The lowest pocket will initially be on the outside of the roll.)

With the pockets all turned to the inside, top stitch all the way around.
Run a line of stitching across Piece C, four inches from the top - this is your fold over flap.
Sew channels from the top to the bottom. I folded in half, then half again, and half again to end up with 8 channels.
Sew a ribbon just above the middle pocket on one side (right hand side if you're right handed; left if you're left handed).
Fill with knitting goodies, fold down the top, roll and tie to store.