Bowl patterns based on English paper piecing
Hi Julia: I was reading your column about reusing old scraps of fabric, and it made me think of an Indygo Junction pattern that I made years ago. I used some leftover quilting fabric to make a small bowl. We keep it on the dresser in our bedroom, and my husband puts his spare change in it. — Tracey E.
Hi Tracey: Thanks for sharing this idea. I went to Indygo Junction’s website (indygojunction.com), and I think I found the pattern you used — Faceted Spheres & Bowl, Pattern No. IJFP206. It’s part of Indygo Junction’s Fabriflair patterns.
The Fabriflair patterns are dimensional fabric projects based off of English paper piecing. English paper piecing is new to me, so I had to look it up. It is a form of quilting using paper templates to get precise shapes and seams. You secure the fabric to the paper template temporarily and baste the shapes together, then remove the paper.
For the Fabriflair patterns, the idea is to leave in the template — in this case, a stabilizer — to give the object dimension. All of the Fabriflair patterns call for the Fabriflair mediumweight stabilizer, which is available for purchase on the Indygo Junction website. There are 14 Fabriflair patterns to choose from, including a star for the top of your Christmas tree, a vase, a needlecase and other decorative objects. Any of these patterns would be a great way to use those leftover scraps of fabric.
Dear Readers: Karen S. wrote in to share one of her favorite sewing tools — a rotary cutter. This is also one of my go-to sewing tools, especially when working on home decor projects. A rotary cutter makes cutting perfectly straight lines a breeze.
Along with a rotary cutter, you’ll need a cutting mat and a ruler. The cutting mat has a grid of measuring lines that you can use to square up your piece of fabric. Once your fabric is squared to the mat, line up your ruler with the lines on the mat and roll the rotary cutter along the edge of the ruler.
This method of cutting works best with stiff fabrics. If your fabric is soft, you can use spray starch to stiffen it. But, as always, test on a small scrap first to make sure it won’t damage the fabric.