Long - Modern Prairie Sewing: 20 Handmade Projects for You & Your Friends

Publisher: Amy Marson

Creative Director: Gailen Runge

Art Director: Kristy Zacharias

Book Designer: April Mostek

Page Layout Artist: Katie McIntosh

Editors: S. Michele Fry and Monica Gyulai

Technical Editors: Alison M. Schmidt and Gailen Runge

Production Coordinator: Jenny Davis

Production Editor: Katie Van Amburg

Illustrator: Valyrie Gillum

Photo Assistant: Mary Peyton Peppo

Styled photography by Nissa Brehmer, unless otherwise noted; Instructional photography by Diane Pedersen, unless otherwise noted

Published by Stash Books, an imprint of C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549

Dedication

To Mommyforever you have sewn, quilted, loved, and made. Your hands will always be beautiful to me. Ill love you forever!

To my grandmothers and their grandmothers before them, who passed on the love of working with their hands. I love you all dearly.

Special Thanks To ...

My parents, for loving me, for being 100 percent behind me, and for thinking everything I make is awesome. Youre fabulous and I love you!

My grandparents, for your enthusiasm, words of wisdom, and amazing encouragement! Im so thankful youre mine and Im yours. I love you all!

My siblings, Apphia, Achaia, Abiah, Joe, and Charlie. You are hands-down lovable. Apphia and Achaiathanks for everything, for modeling for me and for always being there. Youre the absolute best! Abiah and Joefor the late, fun nights spent talking and laughing. Joethanks for praying for us. Abiahyoure the greatest photographer, pal, confidant, and baby sister in the world. I love you! Charlie, my hilarious man, I love your smile. I love you all lots!

Aunt Amy, for your suggestions and sweet note. The Amy bag would never have come about had it not been for you! Thank you so much. I love you.

My gorgeous models and friends: Faith Cook, Jane Cook, Becky Cook, Apphia Long, Achaia Long, Abiah Long, and Anna Davis. You all are the best models in the world! Thank you so much for your flexibility and for being such amazing friends. This book wouldnt be the same without you!

My amazing testers and friends: Jenny Fish, Sandy Kingery, Anna Davis, Kaitlyn Coghlan, Megan Coghlan, Lydia Coghlan, Natalie Coghlan, Becca Coghlan, Deanna Mullins, and Abiah Long. You really are the best.

The Walton and Cook families, for everything from hilarious game and movie nights to fun hikes and swimming in the creek. Your enthusiasm for and willingness to help with this project have been such a blessing to me. Youre awesome friends and I love you all!

Michael Miller fabrics, for supplying me with some really, really adorable fabrics; and QuiltHome, an amazingly gorgeous fabric store with sweet service.

Roxane Cerda, you are priceless! Thank you for everything you did to make this book possible. Michele Fry, you are the best! Thank you for working so hard to keep the book mine. Many thank-yous (and hugs) to the whole C&T Publishing team. You all are so much fun to work with. Youre amazing!!

Innumerable thanks, love, hugs, and kisses to all of my family and friends who have added so much to my life and encouraged me as I worked on this project.

Most important, all praise goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for making all of this happen. And for saying, Yes.

HELLO, NEW FRIENDS!

Sewing is more than just following a sewing pattern. It elicits excitement and joy. Making something with a simple piece of fabric and thread, making it personal and very much your ownthats exciting! And when its not for your own home or closet, joy comes from knowing you will bless someone with a gift made with love.

In my family we were (and, I might add, are) always building, painting, sewing, crafting, tearing down (or out) and building again, and sewing even more. In the late 1950s, my great-grandma Daniels made circle skirts for my paternal grandma, Mamaw. In the 70s, my maternal grandma, Nanny, made the majority of my moms and aunts clothes. In the 90s, my three sisters and I were always mixing and matching and coordinating the clothes that Mom and Nan made for us. Mommy was always making something, and my two older sisters worked on their own crafts a lot too. My younger sister and I were surrounded and nurtured. When we walked over to my great-grandma Conwells house, she and my great-aunt pulled out the quilts they were working on and we would run our fingers over the stitches. Another aunt would bring us beautifully crocheted hair knickknacks. We were soon crafting on our own.

As a young girl, I made pillows by the boatload. (Paper towels do work for stuffing!) I was just eight years old when I designed and made my first bag. I recall proudly carrying it to a doctors appointment. I was too excited to be concerned about the mismatched thread or that it was sewn with the seams out or that I didnt put in a lining. Things have changed a little since thenI do insert linings, and, for the most part, I use matching thread. But one thing hasnt changed: the thrill that comes from inventing something new and useful. I want to share that excitement with you.

I didnt want this book to be complicated, but I didnt want it to be boring and common either. So every project has an unexpected toucha large flower on the , and girly but manageable gathers on the clothing. I wanted you to be able to practice the craft of sewing without having to change or add anything to your project to make it special. Regardless of your sewing level, these clever patterns will enable you to make stand-out projects without the need to add or take away anything.

Modern Prairie Sewing is divided into four chapters:

Chapter 1 is where we talk. We talk fabric, threads, sewing necessities, techniques, and terminology. We learn to make quick pockets, button loops, and bag handles.

Chapter 2 is all about bags. Youll find fabulously fun and fresh bags that will make you want to sew.

Chapter 3 is about clothing. Make your everyday wardrobe exciting, fun, and new. You will learn to custom fit the clothing pieces at the beginning of the projects.

Chapter 4 is about home. Make things to add sweetness to the place where you relax, have fun with family and friends, and create memories.

I want you to love sewing as much as I do. Lets start sewing, friend!

xx, abi

FABRIC

When my sisters and I go shopping for fabric, we cant help but run our fingers over the bolts of fabric as we walk past them. Nothing feels better than fabric.

Ive used a wide range of fabric types for the projects in this bookquilting cotton, home decor, flannel, voile, even a little velveteen just because I love it. I used quilting cottons most frequently and heavier home decor cottons second most. I also used these two together in several projects and loved the results. If you ever thought that the two weights of fabric couldnt be used together, think again! They complement each other beautifully. I made a versatile by pairing them. When I want more texture, I wear it with the thicker, home decor fabric facing out; when I want a simpler, smoother look, I wear it with the lighter-weight side facing out.

I used flannel and corduroy to add texture to the patchy projectssuch as the .

I want you to feel free to play around with fabrics and substitute one type for another to get different effects, but its also important to know a few things about the characteristics of fabric so that you arent caught too off-guard by the results.

Fabric weight is very important to consider when choosing which fabric to use. Heavier fabrics are thicker and stiffer than lighter ones. This is great when you are making a tote bag but might not be good in a garment. If you want a skirt that gently blows in the wind, dont choose a stiff fabric that has a life of its own. You could end up looking like you are wearing a box instead!