Friday, February 26, 2021

Mod Meow - RBD Project Tour & Tutorial

A tisket, a tasket, it's a cute little basket!  (With more surprises inside!)

Bloem Basket featuring Mod Meow by Amanda Niederhauser for Riley Blake Designs

Mod Meow fabrics have a fun retro vibe to them, reminiscent of the colors of Pyrex glassware we used when I was a kid.  Plus, kitties!


Love this border print!  It was perfect to feature on the bag.

And I can't get enough of these selvages!

The kitty motifs inspired me to make a darling ensemble for my little granddaughter's 2nd birthday.  For starters, I made this fun bag at a recent quilt retreat (socially distanced, of course!).  It's a combo of a drawstring bag and a sturdy basket.  What's inside??  Let's tuck the drawstring section down inside the basket and take a look!


It's a T-shirt dress!  Perfect for a two-year-old!  


I've made a few of these in the past for my own little girls and for charity projects.  Here's how:

BASIC T-SHIRT DRESS
Supplies:  
One size 2 t-shirt, pre-washed.
1/4 to 1/2 yard cotton fabric, pre-washed.

Instructions:
1)  CUT the skirt piece 8-1/2" x 40".  I measured the circumference of the shirt, then doubled that for this full of a skirt.  You know, so she can twirl!  For smaller-sized t-shirts like this, it's about the width of fabric.  (For less gathers, measure 1-1/2 times the circumference of the shirt|). For the length on a small child, measure from the hip to about the middle of the knee cap.

2)  Make a French Seam.  With wrong sides together, STITCH the short ends of the skirt piece together using 1/4" seam allowance.  Trim the seam to 1/8", then press the skirt right sides together along the seamline.  STITCH again using 1/4" seam allowance, enclosing the raw edges of the seam.  You now have a nice seam that will never fray, and a large circle for the skirt.

3)  PRESS the hem up 1/2", then tuck the raw edge inside that fold and STITCH 1/4" hem.


4)  TRIM the bottom of the T-shirt straight across, about an inch or two below the waistline, then MARK the center front and center back.  MARK the skirt tube in quarters either with a small notch or pin.

5)  GATHER << (see tutorial) the raw edges of the skirt by stitching a couple of rows of long stitches, about 3/8" and 1/2" from the raw edge.  Turn the skirt inside out and insert the T-shirt.  With right sides together, MATCH  the center front, center back and side seams of the shirt with corresponding marks on the skirt and PIN in place. GATHER the skirt to fit the t-shirt.  Use plenty of pins to secure.

6)  STITCH the skirt to the t-shirt using 5/8" seam allowance.  Finish the edges with a serger or overcast stitch, and PRESS the seam toward the shirt. Click HERE for a general printable instruction sheet.
 
A little leftover snippet from the border print makes a cute pocket!


But wait, there's more!  IT'S A KITTY!!  All wrapped up in his own little quilt!


Introducing "Cat Nap"!  This charming little mini quilt was made using precut 5" squares.  

"Cat Nap" mini quilt, 15" x 18" featuring  Mod Meow and RBD Stripe Basics

This was such a fun little quilt to make, and the lap quilt version is just as fun, using 10-inch precut squares!  The Cat Nap pattern (also includes a Puppy version) is now available at Quiltscapes' Etsy Shop!   

I ♥ the stripe for binding on this little quilt and on the bag.  


All in all, it made a sweet ensemble for my sweet little granddaughter on her birthday!!  


And when she does let go of the kitty (if ever), it will have a nice little place to sleep!


Mod Meow is now in shops! Amanda, aka @jedicraftgirl has compiled this LIST of retail and online shops carrying her fabric, or you can look online or ask for it at your local quilt shop.


Find more inspiration, visit
Jessica @ JessicaDayon
Carol @ JustLetMeQuilt.com 



Happy Quilting!
~~~
Now for a GIVEAWAY:
Would you like a little stack of 5" squares, supplies, and the first draft of the Cat Nap quilt pattern to make your own little "Cat Nap" mini quilt?  


To enter, answer one of these questions: 
* How many kitties did I have to make for the mini quilt?  Take a guess and leave a comment. 
* Can you think of a different name for the quilt?    I wanted to call it ConCATenation, which means something about string theory, or stringing a series of items together and these are strings of cats... yeah.  I thought not.  So I settled on Cat Nap - which I thought was perfect for the mini quilt.  Maybe you have a better idea for a name? Leave a comment.
* Answer both questions for two entries.

I'll draw for the winner on March 5th after 5 pm.  Meow, good luck!
~~~
>> UPDATE:  Thanks to everyone who played along!  The answer to the question:  I made 12-1/2 kitties for the little mini quilt.  Each block is the same, only opposite!  It takes two blocks of opposing colors to make one kitty, so much easier than you might think!  On the bottom row, Two of the kitties' lower halves are at the top of the quilt.  Then little matching rectangles finish the bottom row of the quilt.    

CONGRATULATIONS to our winner, Kathy E.!


16 comments:

  1. What an adorable ensemble! Your granddaughter is the perfect model for everything. Love the cat napping in the bag photo. You had to make 10 whole kitties and 5 partial kitties for the quilt (unless you put one on the back.) Thanks for the chance to win!

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  2. That's so cute! My little granddaughter would have loved that when she was a little girl; she might still love it at 23 years old!

    I'm guessing 12 1/2 kitties!

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  3. I'll say you made 16 kitties -- 15 that got used in whole or in part and one to test the pattern. At least that's the way I do it. Cat Nap seems like the perfect name, don't think I can come up with anything better. Your set makes a perfect gift for a little girl!

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  4. I'm guessing 18 kitties made. What an adorable dress!

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  5. 15 🐱 kitties is my guess, and kat kozi is my name!

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  6. What an adorable set of gifts for a beautiful grand child! I can just imagine how happy she was to open the bag to see her kitty wrapped up and napping! My guess is that you made 17 kitties. Just to be different, I'd name the pattern Smitten Kitten, but I like Cat Nap the best!

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  7. I would say you had to make 15 kitties for the quilt (in whole or in part). Of course, maybe you made a whole lot more while you were working out the size(s) and experimenting. I like the Cat Nap name since it is a cat blanket. Or maybe, "the cat's meow".

    I really love the cat wrapped up in the blanket. And if you made that stuffed kitty, then my answer is 16 that you had to make.

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  8. How adorable!!
    I’d name the blanket “ CATegory Cute!”
    Susie

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  9. Guess for how many kitties you had to make .... is 30 ! You had to make one set for yourself to keep!!
    Susie

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  10. I would say 15 kitties.
    Compiling Cats for the name

    Caryn S
    caspharm@yahoo.com

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  11. Thanks for the pattern for the T-shirt dress. I need to make one for my granddaughter.

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  12. In the mini quilt 13 cats with heads since you can imagine the bottoms of the halves on the bottoms. The 2 halves on top don't look like cats to me, just legs.
    quiltyladyrr at gmail dot com

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  13. I think it is 30 kitties though some are partials. As far as a name I really like yours! Very cute bag and dress and of course granddaughter. :-) K- lkw2x6-apq@yahoo.com

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  14. Beautiful fabrics. I love the soft colours . I think you made 16 kitties for the quilt top and I cannot think of a better name that Cat Nap. It is perfect!!

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  15. My guess is 15 kitties in the Cat Nap mini quilt. I would call it Peek a Boo Kitty because it looks like the cats are peaking out of the Bloem Basket. The Mod Meow fabric and the patterns are soooo sweet! I love them!

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  16. I am guessing 60. One for Purr-fecting and then the Purr-fect one. How about Purr-fectly Modern? Although I like your name best. Thanks for lovely fabric and adorable patterns.

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So happy you stopped by for a visit! Thank you!