How to make a zippered pouch.

We absolutely love the zippered pouches that Jennifer made for each of us! 

In fact, we love them so much, we want to share - Jennifer has made a zippered pouch that we are giving away, with added Dream Fusion Batting that you can use for your own fun projects!

****CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED*****

Yes, it is that easy!!!

Just post your comment at the end of this blog to be entered to win!

If you aren't a winner, no worries - Jennifer wrote out instructions, so here is how you can make these adorable pouches of your own:

Supplies:

• Coordinating Fabrics - You will cut two (2) - 5.5” x 5.5” pieces from each fabric

• Quilters Dream Fusion - You will cut two (2) pieces - 5.5” x 5.5”

• Zipper – 8” or longer (zipper will be cut down)

• Thread

• Pins

• Scissors

• Sewing Machine

Place your Quilters Dream Fusion batting right side up on your ironing surface and your outer pouch fabric right side up on top of the Dream Fusion Batting.

We mark the fusible side with a sticker, but if you have a scrap piece without a sticker, place the piece of Dream Fusion under a light and you will be able to see the fusible needled punched fibers as they will shine under the light.

Iron the fabric and batting to fuse them together. (Don't you love this cute little iron!!!)  It is suggested to use a steam iron on the fabric setting you are using, but as you can see, I used my mini iron and it fused nicely.

You now have two outer pieces of fabric fused to Dream Fusion batting and two pieces of coordinating lining fabric for your pouch.

Take your zipper and place it right side down on the top edge of your outer fabric.  Pin to your liking.

Take your lining fabric and place it right side down on top of your zipper, lining up the edges with your outer fabric piece.

Pin to your liking.   The zipper will be sandwiched in between the fabric.

You will now sew the three layers together, sewing as close to the zipper teeth (or chain) as possible.

Depending on your sewing machine the seam will be a little larger than a quarter of an inch.

Flip your fabrics so that your outer fabric and lining fabric join wrong sides together and pin to your liking.  Sew a 1/8^th inch seam to secure your fabrics to the zipper.

This is what the lining fabric will look like after you flip it and pin.

Sew the 1/8^th inch seam.

Here is what it will look like after you have sewed.

You will repeat these steps for the second side of the pouch and zipper.  Place the outer fabric face up and align the zipper face down to the top edge.

Pin the zipper to your liking and then place the lining fabric face down and pin again.

Sew the three layers together as close to the zipper teeth (or chain) as you can.

You will have a seam that is slightly larger than a quarter of an inch.

Again, you will flip the outer fabric and lining fabric so that wrong sides are together, pin to your liking, and sew a 1/8^th inch seam to anchor the fabric to your zipper. 

Sewing the 1/8^th seam also gives the top of the pouch a clean, finished look.

You are getting close to being finished now!  This next step you don’t want to miss because if you do – you will have a lot of “unsewing” to do and you don’t want that.  Take your zipper and open it up half way.

You will be folding the fabric so that the two outer fabric pieces are facing right sides together.  This will leave your lining fabric facing right side up – on both sides of the zipper.  Pin the three sides to your liking, trying to match up the side and bottom seams as close as possible.

Sew a ¼” seam around the three sides.  I actually started at the top where the zipper is and backstitched several times to secure the zipper.  I also sewed the ¼” seam twice just to give the pouch some additional stitch security.  After you have sewn the three sides together, you will cut the excess zipper pieces on both sides off.

I wanted to take one additional step to secure the seams, so I trimmed to 1/8” inch and then sewed a zig zag stitch around the three sides.

This seam will show inside the pouch.  By sewing the zig zag stitch it gives a clean line to the finished piece

Now you can open up the zipper and turn the pouch inside out.

Iron your little pouch to flatten out the seams and any wrinkles in the fabric.

And VOILA!  Your new little pouch is ready to be used.  You can get real creative and make quilted blocks and use those for your outer fabric, or take a page of an old telephone book or newsprint and cut to the size you like and string piece your outer fabric.  Let your imagination have fun and make multiples for your sewing bee, guild, family and friends.

Batting University (Part 4) Dream Puff, Dream Wool, and Dream Fusion Batting

This week we are delighted to continue Batting University with a look at Quilters Dream Puff, Quilters Dream Wool, and Quilters Dream Fusion batting! We hope you enjoy a closer look at what makes each batting unique. If you have any questions or you would like free samples, call us toll free, 1-888-268-8664, or email: QuiltersDreamBatting@juno.com

 

 

QUILTERS DREAM PUFF BATTING

Dream Puff is 100% polyester batting that has been thermally bonded for a wonderful loft and warmth.  It is lightweight and breathable, but has a high thermal value making it even warmer than down.   

 

 

Advantages:

• 1/3-1/2” of loft to show off your quilting, designs “pop” out at you!

• Very warm, yet light weight.  (For even more warmth and weightiness, double the Puff or layer the Puff on top of the Dream Cotton or Dream Poly – WOW does it ever make a warm and absolutely gorgeous quilt!)

• Cozy and cuddly – children and teens especially love this batting

• Loft is excellent for T-shirt quilts or quilts made with varying material types

• Loft can hide some of the imperfections in piecing

• Can be stitched closely and holds the drape, then pops out in less quilted areas for a faux trapunto look.

• Although it is lofty, it flattens out for ease in hand quilting!

• Does not absorb moisture, so it dries very quickly and will not hold a stain

• Inexpensive

• Breathable – there are no scrims or other barriers that would inhibit airflow

• Very long fibers – no lint on the machine or in the air!

• Fine denier bonded microfibers bend when in contact with fabric, so they resist bearding

 

 

Disadvantages:

• Thermally bonded, so it can become stiff it put into contact with heat (Even on low heat, the drum of some dryers become hot enough to cause a problem), so we recommend air drying or drying with no heat. Absolutely no ironing!

• Does not wick moisture away from the body (like cotton)

• On occasion, holds a slight crease over time (can be fluffed out in the dryer on cool setting, though!)

• Is a man made fiber

QUILTERS DREAM WOOL BATTING  

Dream Wool is another warm and lofty batting that has been thermally bonded- it is one of my favorites for cozy snuggling on cold nights!  The U.S. wool is scoured and super-washed for cleanliness and to eliminate shrinkage, then blended with low melt poly fibers for thermal bonding.  Our unique processing creates wool batting that is light weight, machine washable, has very little shrinkage, and resists bearding.

 

 

Advantages: 

• 1/3-1/2” of loft to show off your quilting, designs “pop” out at you!

• Uses the soft and silky wool of U.S. raised merino and domestic sheep

• Very warm, yet light weight.

• Wool wicks moisture away from the body to keep you cool in the summer

• Cozy and cuddly – children and teens especially love this batting

• Loft is excellent for T-shirt quilts or quilts made with varying material types

• Loft can hide some of the imperfections in piecing

• Can be stitched closely and holds the drape, then pops out in less quilted areas for a faux trapunto look.

• Although it is lofty, it flattens out for ease in hand quilting! (Dream Wool is the favorite of many hand quilters!)

• Does not absorb moisture, so it dries very quickly and will not hold a stain

• Breathable – there are no scrims or other barriers that would inhibit airflow

• Bonded fibers resist bearding

• Very long fibers – no lint on the machine or in the air!

 

 

Disadvantages:

• Thermally bonded, so it can become stiff it put into contact with heat (Even on low heat, the drum of some dryers become hot enough to cause a problem), so we recommend air drying or drying with no heat. Absolutely no ironing!

• Occasionally holds a slight crease over time (can be fluffed out in the dryer on cool setting, though!)

• Wool fibers used, but also includes a man made poly fiber, so it is not flame retardant

 QUILTERS DREAM FUSION  

 

With Quilters Dream Fusion, enjoy the wonderful quality and consistency of Quilters Dream Cotton and Quilters Dream Poly with the convenience of a one sided fusible. Unlike most fusibles, Dream Fusion does not become stiff and sticky when used - it stays soft, supple, and drapeable so it is great for jackets and other clothing, bags, quilt-as-you go, embroidery, etc. (Jennifer insists I let you know that this is her favorite batting - she fuses the backing to the batting, then she can quilt with her domestic machine without worrying about pleating or puckering "back there".)
 

Advantages:

• One sided fusible ads stability and ease for use in small projects

• Uses a fusible webbing (rather than glue) that is needlepunched into the cotton or poly fibers so it does not become stiff

• Can machine quilt or embroider at high speed without gumming the needle

• Is soft, smooth, and consistent - just like our Dream Cotton and Dream Poly, but with an added soft fusible web

• Available in both cotton and poly, so gives more options (see cotton and poly advantages)

Disadvantages:

• Because the webbing is needlepunched into the batting (not sprayed on as a glue), it is only available on one side

• Is not a 100% natural batting since it does incorporate the fusible webbing

• Can be difficult to tell which side is fusible - so pay close attention to the sticker!

 



 

All of our battings are proudly made in the USA, and each batting is hand cut and hand inspected to insure superb quality is consistency.  Quilters Dream is a small, family owned business, so we don’t sell to chain stores and always encourage our customers to support their locally owned quilt shop or quilting business!  There are a lot of advantages to using Quilters Dream Batting, and with the wide variety of lofts, fibers, colors & sizes available, we hope that you find the choices to be to your advantage when choosing the perfect type of batting for your quilted treasure!

Please come back soon for a bonus Sweet Dreams Cotton Stuffing blog we are adding to Batting University! (OK, so I know stuffing isn't batting, but it is really cool stuff!)

Happy Quilting!



"That is who I am, and always will be!"

Recently we received a quilt here at Quilters Dream Batting for the Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS from Sharon Semanovich of Binghamton, New York.

"Tahitian Midnight" donated to Hopes & Dreams by Sharon Semanovich of New York in honor of
her and her husbands best friend,  William "Hose" Kemper, who died of ALS in 2006.

Sharon made this quilt in memory of her and her husbands best friend, William "Hose" Kemper, who died of ALS in 2006.  Sharon took some leftover Hawaiian print fabric she used to make a shirt for her husband and combined it with black material to make it look like a tropical midnight. One of William's last (unfulfilled) wishes was to go to Tahiti.  Therefore she called the quilt, "Tahitian Midnight."

Best friends, William "Hose" Kemper (left) and Ken Semanovich.

Sharon shared that William was a big fan of Star Trek and shortly after meeting him, she made this quilt that included the large center panel celebrating the 20th anniversary of the show.

Sharon wrote a loving tribute to "Hose" that will go with the quilt she made to a "PAL" - person living with ALS.  She gave us permission to share these words with you.

William "Hose" Kempner

"Hose was quite a person, as I'm sure you are, too.  He was living in Texas, and we were in New Jersey. He couldn't tell us about his diagnosis over the phone, and waited until he could fly back to Jersey for a visit. I was so excited when I realized he was in our house, but one look at my husbands face told me there was bad news.

Hose at Camp Runamuck

We did the best we could to make his remaining time happy.  That included one last trip to his favorite place, Camp Runamuck.  This is wooded NY state property he and my husband bought together in 1981.  Long before his diagnosis, he sold his half of the property to me.

William "Hose" Kempner as a shower on Halloween.

Hose has a unique sense of humor. On a trip back to Jersey, he wore a t-shirt that said "I'm Dying to Get Out of Here."  And he gathered with friends to take this photo, titled "F@*k You, ALS!"

(We changed the view a bit as a courtesy - although you can imagine the real photo!)

Hose loved Camp Runamuck, which is his permanent home now.

What Sharon also sent was "Hose" own words on what living with ALS is like.   He wrote this through the use of an eye gaze software system on his computer, that he named "Joshua."  His words are honest and raw and we did type out some expletives he used that conveyed his emotion of living with ALS.  Reading his story will explain the two photos below.


"Who I Am" by William "Hose" Kempner

Hose did get to skydive.

And several people are living a much better life today with the organs Hose donated.   So we leave you the way he wanted us to remember him - smiling, with a beer in his hands.  As Sharon noted, his final thoughts probably were, "Beam me up, Scotty!"

Ken and his best man, William "Hose" Kempner (right), toasting in celebration of Sharon and Ken's wedding.

Your Grateful Hopes & Dreams Coordinator

Batting University (Part 3) Dream Blend and Dream Angel Batting

This week we are delighted to continue Batting University with a look at Quilters Dream Blend for Machines and Quilters Dream Angel batting! We hope you enjoy a closer look at what makes each batting unique. If you have any questions or you would like free samples, call us toll free, 1-888-268-8664, or email: customerservice@quiltersdreambatting.com

Quilters Dream Blend for Machines available in Select (mid-loft) quilts up beautifully!

QUILTERS DREAM BLEND BATTING For Machines

"Soft to hug, yet takes the tug!"  Dream Blend is the only batting we make that has a scrim base (similar in look/feel to a cheesecloth) that adds stability for tugging, pulling, and general abuse.  It consists of 70% cotton and 30% polyester that is needle punched through the ultra-light scrim base.  Dream Blend was developed  for machine quilters who need more strength and stability, especially for use on the longarm machine.

Quilters Dream Blend Batting with the reinforcing scrim layer peeled back from the batting.

Advantages:

• Some shrinkage (1-3%) for the slightly puckered look

• Has a light scrim, so it will not stretch at all nor leave hand prints from pulling 

• Can be stitched up to 12" apart! 

• We used the lightest weight scrim available to it still has a nice drape and does not feel stiff.

• 70% cotton, so it will wick moisture away from the body to keep you cool in the summer  

• Very long fibers – no lint in your machine or in the air!

Disadvantages:

• Slight Shrinkage (1-3%) after washing
• Scrim can reduce the breathability of the batting slightly
• Holds a slight crease over time (can be fluffed out in the dryer, though!)
• Not a 100% natural product (some man made fibers)
• Due to reinforcing scrim layer, Blend Is not recommended for hand quilting.

QUILTERS DREAM ANGEL BATTING

Dream Angel is heavenly because it is made 100% from flame retardant fibers. 

The fibers are specially engineered to be flame retardant without bromides or other harmful chemicals.  Dream Angel Batting is needle punched to create a soft, cozy,

breathable batting with a natural look and feel.

Advantages:

  

• Made from proprietary blend of two different flame retardant fibers. Has passed the California 604 test for flammability (A cotton sheet is placed on top and on the bottom of the batting.The top was set on fire, and the bottom remained undamaged!! Wow!)

• Needlepunched man made fibers mimic cotton fibers, so you get the look and feel of cotton

• Available in Select loft for hand and machine quilting
• Some shrinkage (1-3%) for the slightly puckered look
• Will not hold a crease, even if it is folded up for months
• Does not absorb moisture, so it dries very quickly and will not hold a stain
• Breathable – there are no scrims or other barriers that would inhibit airflow
• Very long fibers – no lint on the machine or in the air!
• Fine denier microfibers bend when in contact with fabric, so they resist bearding

Disadvantages:

• Some shrinkage (1-3%) for the slightly puckered look

• Does not wick moisture away from the body like cotton

• Is a man made fiber

• Cost

Please come back soon for part 4 of our Month Long Series: Batting University.  We will continue with Dream Puff, Dream Wool, and Dream Fusion Battings!

Happy Quilting!