What is a fat quarter?

A fat quarter is basically what it sounds like: a fat quarter yard of fabric.  Instead of buying the typical 9 inch-wide by 44 inch-long swatch of fabric, you can buy a swatch of fabric that is 18 inches wide by 22 inches long.  This enables you to make more projects without having to buy half a yard of fabric.  Many fabric stores sell pre-cut fat quarters in a variety of colors and patterns.  One of my favorite things to do is find some fabrics that I love, buy a couple fat quarters and make a project--or save them for a future project.

Most pre-cut fat quarters are basic cotton fabric used in quilts, but can be used for much more.  I used the fat quarters pictured above in the first beginners' sewing project I will share this week.  Come back to see what I did with these fun fabrics!

Sewing Machine Needles

When it comes to sewing machines, needles are one of the important areas people often neglect.  If you follow a few simple needle guidelines when sewing, it will make sewing easier and faster.

Use the correct needle type for your fabric.  There are three main types of needles used when sewing.  

• The universal needle is perhaps the most commonly used needle.  The universal needle has a very slightly rounded tip so it can be used on many knit fabrics without snagging or skipping stitches, and it is small enough to pierce through woven fabrics as well.
• Ball point needles are used on knit fabrics, and have a larger ball point than universal needles.  They shouldn't snag the fabric or skip stitches.  These work well on heavier knits and spandex or lycra.
• Sharp needles are used on tightly woven fabrics, or light weight woven fabrics.  The tiny sharp point on the end of the needle allows it to poke through the weave of these tightly woven fabrics and sew in straight lines.
• Click here for a chart detailing the use of specialty needles.

Use the correct needle size for your fabric.  There are three main categories of needle sizes used when sewing.  

• Needles 8/60 and smaller are considered small needles and used for lightweight and sheer fabrics.  These needles will sew through the lighter fabrics without creating gaping holes, but will bend or break in heavier fabrics.
• Needles 9/65-12/80 are considered medium needles and used for medium-weight fabrics.
• Needles 14/90 and larger are considered large needles and used for heavy fabrics.  These needles can sew through the heavy fabrics without bending or breaking.

photo courtesy of asilentstorm.com

Use fresh needles.  Over time, needles can become dull and slightly bent, which can lead to problems while sewing.  I myself have been known to use a needle for weeks longer than I should, and I am always surprised at how much better my sewing machine works when I use a new needle.  Frequently, when I am struggling with a project, simply changing to a new needle fixes the problem.  Old needles can cause skipped stitches, snagged fabric, broken thread, and jammed sewing machines.  Throw away used needles after each project, or when you experience any of these problems.  

Fabric Basics

I have a love for fabric.  The colors and textures appeal to me on many levels.  I can spend hours at the fabric store looking at different patterns and feeling the luxurious fibers.  While there are many, many things to know about fabric, when first starting out, you need to know a few basics.

Most fabrics you work with will either be woven or knit together.  A woven fabric seems like a basic grid of threads woven together in perpendicular patterns.  This fabric here is a loosely woven fabric; you can even see the weave easily with the naked eye.

Knit fabrics are stretchier, and people often find working with knit considerably more tricky.  The picture above shows the pattern in which knits are woven.  It's the loopy weave that lets the fabric stretch in multiple directions.  You will want to know the difference between a knit and a woven fabric when choosing fabric for project as they behave differently.

Most projects and patterns will reference the "right side" and the "wrong side" of the fabric.  Many fabrics will have one side of the fabric that has much richer color, and is the side meant to show in a project.  The other side I often think of as the back of the fabric: the side that is meant to be hidden.

The final piece of basic information you need (in my opinion) about fabrics is what is meant when talking about grain or bias.  The grain is the direction that the fabric is woven.  Bias is a 45 degree angle from the grain.  Fabric holds its shape when sewn based on the grain, and stretches when sewn according to the bias.

I am lucky enough to have a mother that is a walking encyclopedia of fabric information, who has taught me all about fabrics, but for those of you who don't have a mother like mine, I recommend purchasing Fabrics A to Z by Dana Willard (author of Made).  She is one of my all-time favorite bloggers, and wrote an incredible reference book that is small enough to fit in your purse, so you can take it with you to the fabric store.

Carrot Cake Favorite

Most of the cakes I make are variations of my basic cake recipe, but this recipe I adapted from my fan-favorite zucchini cake.  Just so you know--I am going to do some shameless bragging about this recipe.  Feel free to skip the rest of this self-gratuitous paragraph.  This is one of the best cakes, and hands down the best carrot cake, I have ever tasted.  As many of you know, Adam is not generally a fan of sweets, but he snuck a cupcake and a mini cupcake before I could take pictures.  This cake pleased everyone from the ninety-five-year-old Grandma, whose birthday we celebrated, all the way down to the toddlers.

Ok.  I'm done now.  Let's get to the recipe.

Cake Ingredients

• 3 Cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Cups dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1.5 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 Cup vegetable oil
• 3 Cups grated carrots
• 1/2 Cup golden raisins
• 1/2 Cup black (I'm not sure what these are called) raisins
• 1 Cup crushed walnuts

Frosting Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 Cup (2 sticks) butter - this makes a more buttery cream cheese frosting; if you really like cream cheese, use just one stick of butter
• 2-3 Cups powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla

Mix and Bake (for tips on baking see this post)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together into medium mixing bowl

3. Combine brown sugar and dry mixture in large mixing bowl--mix well
4. Beat together the eggs and oil in the small mixing bowl
5. Add egg and oil mixture to large mixing bowl--add vanilla while mixing these ingredients together (DO NOT OVER-MIX)
6. Your batter at this point will be sort of stiff and sticky like a dough

7. Add carrots, raisins, and nuts, and mix until dispersed--the batter becomes much more moist and like a batter
8. Spray pan with baking spray, and pour batter into pan (use spatula to scrape out mixing bowl)
9. Bake at 325 degrees F for 50 minutes (cupcakes take much less time: about 12-15 minutes for minis and 18-22 for regular)
10. Place pan on cooling rack for 15 minutes
11. Turn cake out onto rack to finish cooling

Mix Frosting (for frosting tips see this post)

1. After putting cake in oven, remove cream cheese and butter from fridge to soften 
2. Cream together butter and cream cheese
3. Add powdered sugar to frosting mixture and mix well; add enough sugar so that it tastes delicious and is stiff enough to hold whatever shape you are going for
4. Mix vanilla into frosting
5. When cake is cool, stack, frost, and decorate

Brooke's Wedding Blanket

One of my favorite gifts to give for a wedding is this wedding blanket.  I lucked out right at Christmas time this year and found these throw blankets at K-Mart for less than $20, which is way cheaper than buying the fake fur and minky fabric out of which these are made.  One side is the soft and slinky minky fabric, but the other is like a fake sheep's wool.

I bought three and planned on saving them for future weddings, but I couldn't help myself.  Adam and I now have two of them on our couches because they are so soft and comfy.  The third I used for my sister's wedding.  All I had to do was rip out the seam in the corner to separate the top and bottom fabrics, embroider, and resew the seam right up.  It was quick and easy, and made this gorgeous blanket.  My sister and her husband said it is their favorite blanket to cuddle under.