March Feature Sewer

   I am thrilled to be featuring the very talented Sewing Nerd herself, Katie Mortensen, for this month's featured sewer.  Katie owns The Sewing Nerd Slipcovers based out of Utah, and is well known for her expertise in all things in home decor.  I sat down with Katie at her studio last week to ask her about success in sewing.

     Q:  I adore your business name, The Sewing Nerd Slipcovers!  How did you come up with it?

     A:  My husband, Steve gave it to me!  When I started out I was sewing in my unfinished freezing basement for hours and he said I was such a sewing nerd.  It stuck!  

    Q: How did you get your start in sewing?

    A: I started sewing about 6 years ago by making car seat covers and baby dresses.  I bought my first sewing machine from Target, and I had to ask my husband how to thread the bobbin.  My first slipcover was my very own sectional. I was sick of looking at the stains that always happen with little kids around.  I loved the sectional, so I got a quote to have it slipcovered and I was shocked how much it was.  So I decided to do it myself.  It took me 6 weeks to finish and I used ton of needles because I was doing it on a home machine.  I thought making piping was the most miserable thing!  But I finished it and thought "I could do that again and maybe make some money!"

   Q:How did you turn your love for sewing into a business?

   A: I bought a used green wingback chair off of a local website for $25 and I used the extra material I had left over from my sectional to slipcover it.  I listed it on that same website and made $150.  I was hooked.  I started to buy used furniture that I could see had great frames and slipcovering them.  My favorite part was figuring out the best way to take something old and used and make it look expensive and fresh.

   Q:Tell me what type of machines you are using.

    A: I started out with my Target machine, and then upgraded to a Bernina.  It is a great machine, but not made to work with the material used in slipcovers.  About two years into this adventure I finally took the leap of faith and bought a used Juki sewing machine and serger.  They are both older than I am, but they are amazing life changing pieces of equipment.  I can do things like piping, that I used to hate, quickly and efficiently.  I was intimidated at first, but they are awesome.

    Q:You have two kids that were very young when you started this business; how have you balanced family life and work? 

    A: This has been such a great opportunity for me to show my kids that you can work with your hands and make money.  I love being able to contribute to our family and still have flexible hours. Before I had my studio I worked from home, and the kids had toys to play with.  At the studio I have toys and coloring books, but their favorite thing to do is play with my fabric scraps.  I also give them small jobs around the studio and they feel like they are helping out.  My kids know that my job is helping the family, and they want to help too.

  Q: What is your advice for sewers that are trying to make a business out of this?

   A: Don't give up when it gets hard.  Your feel like you aren't getting anywhere, but keep going.  And most of all don't compare yourself to other people. 

   Q: What is your client base like?

    A:  My clients are the best!  All of my advertising right now is word of mouth, and they are keeping me busy.  Right now most of my work is slipcovering pieces my clients already have.  I make my clients pick out their own fabric, because I want them to love it.  

   Q:What is the strangest thing about the business?

   A:  Clients will drop off their furniture to me and I will start pulling cushions off.  I find some weird stuff!  I have found Legos, dog bones, a looking glass, and a really questionable white powder!!

   Q:What is your dream for this business?

    A: I can't wait to be able to make read made furniture that is high quality at a great price.  I have the best clients out there, and I want to make sure to offer them the best product.   

   ***Katie was so much fun to interview and she has so many great tips for sewing and business.  To check out some more of the interview head over to my Facebook page mamabearquilting.  To get in contact with Katie you can email her at thesewingnerd@gmail.com and check out her blog here.  If you have any questions for Katie please comment below!!

Fat Quarter Fabric Storage

     Once a year I go to a local quilt shop and stock up on fat quarters.  When I am making a custom quilt for someone they often times don't have fabric picked out yet.  They will come over and we go through the fabric to see what they like.  Sometimes the quilt is made completely out of my stash, or we order fabric for them.  

      Just like most quilters, my fabric stash is big!  This is how I used to keep fat quarters:

    This is a shoe organizer from Target.  This is where my kids still keep their fabric.  I had my fabric color coordinated and stacked as tall as I could get it!  I used three of the organizers and still didn't have enough room.

      I had a couple of problems with this type of organization-

      1) Because it was color coordinated I would be separating lines of fabric.  

This fabric line would be split up and put in different places.  I would often times end up with one or two odd fabrics that didn't go with anything.

      2) the fabrics were stacked two deep and I would need to pull everything out in order to see all the fabric in one color.

       3) my clients felt completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of fabric.  This was the biggest problem I was finding.  I think my stash is wonderful, fun, and a great source of inspiration.  I love mixing and matching fabric lines and colors.  But my clients would come in and sit down with me and get not know where to begin or what fabric they liked.    

     So here is my solution-

When I buy my stock once a year I go to the  quilt shop with gallon (and bigger) ziploc bags.  As I grab fat quarters I put them in a bag and keep them with the fabric line. I also have several large ziploc bags that contain my "basics" fabric stash.

     Then I store the ziploc bags on shelves in my quilting room.  I admit that it isn't at pretty as my shoe organizer way.  I loved being able to see a rainbow on my shelf, BUT there is a couple of positives of keeping my fabric like this-

1) My clients are able to quickly see what type of fabric they like.  We talk a bit about color and design, and then I pull bags for them to look at.  It has made my job so much easier!!  I still add or take away some different fabric, but WOW.  It has saved time and hassle for my clients.

2) I have kids at home and they are always welcome in my quilting room when I am in there.  For some reason having my fabric on the shoe organizer was a big draw for the kids to pull all of the fabric out!  It was such a huge mess!  Now they leave it alone. They don't touch the bags and I don't have to sit for hours and organize fabric.  

So here is what part of my shelf looks like

How do you organize your fat quarters?  

When good blocks go bad

      I run a small quilting business, and my clients always keep me on my toes!  I do anything and everything that has to do with quilting.  Sometimes I make quilts from start to finish and sometimes I just finish them.

       Last week one of my clients came by with a project for me.  She brought me a box with half finished blocks, appliquéd animal blocks, loose fabric, a pattern, and a paper indicating what block to do in what month.

      My client had signed up for a "block of the month" at her local quilt shop.  She said she wanted to get some more skills while meeting some new people.  

       Unfortunately she said that when she brought her blocks in to show them off, the other people were very cruel about her work and after two months the owner told her she should probably quit.  Serious?!!!

      My client was embarrassed and asked if I would finish it for her.  She pulled out this block and said, "I am so terrible"

I looked at it and said, "You have all the basic parts for a really great block."

SO.... Do you ever have something like this happen?

Here are my tips to make a bad quilt block good again-

-use the same seam allowance all the time!  

-your iron is almost as important as your sewing machine.  Use it often.

-make sure your fabric is cut  correctly.

-sew in a straight line.  (This is for 90% of projects).

If you follow these simple tips, your blocks can turn out more like this!

 

The YW quilt project

 

 Twice a week I get the chance to be able to get together with a group of teenage girls from the ages 12-18.  We talk about church stuff, work on projects, and have tons of fun.  I have been "called" to do this for my church.  I love being able to spend time with them.
   When I started my calling I wanted to do something special for the girls.  I decided that I would make all of them a quilt.  My goal was to make something special that would let each girl know that they are special and that I was thinking of them.
    I put all 26 young women's names on my white board and I thought I would start with the oldest and make my way down the list.  It didn't quite work like that.  As I would start a new quilt I would instantly have a young women's name pop into my head.  Even though she wasn't on the top of the list, I would start to make her quilt.
    On one particular quilt, I had just finished piecing the top and was about to be done for the day.  I had the strongest feeling that I needed to finish the quilt quickly and take it to the young women.  It was a lot of work, but I quickly finished the quilt and delivered it.  The young women's mom answered the door, and whispered to me that it hadn't been a good day.  She told me her daughter might not want to see me, but she said she would ask.  The young women came to the door with puffy swollen eyes, and I could tell she had been crying.  I gave her the quilt, told her I loved her, and left.
    Late that night I got a text from the young women telling me about her bad day at school, and how she felt like no one cared about her.  She said that getting the quilt had made her realize she had so many people that love her and care for her.
    It has been such an amazing experience for me to be able to make quilts for the young women in my church.  I have learned a lot about them and have been able to feel more love for them as I make them a quilt.
    Quilters are givers.  It is in our nature to make something beautiful with our talents and give it to others.  Sometimes we give to people we love, and sometimes to a stranger.  What do you do to let others know you care?

 

Skateboard quilt

   We love Missouri Star Quilt Company!!  They always have such great quilt tutorials that are fun to watch and easy to do.  

    One of their tutorials recently was a skateboard quilt that they made with guest, Rob from Man Sewing.  Let me tell you...Rob is a blast to watch!  He has quickly become part of our "must watch" for his fun style and quick tips.

     Penney followed the tutorial for this quilt, but she found a neat way to make the wheels.  Instead of lots of cutting and sewing on small pieces of fabric, she used a black and white stripe fabric from Ikea.  How clever!!

  The other fun touch that Penney used on this quilt was to embroider the little dude's name on the quilt.  That is a personal touch that any people love to see on a special gift.

Hope you enjoy this skateboard quilt.

💗 Mama Bear 

How much does it cost?

"How much does it cost to make a quilt?"

     I answer this question a lot, and guess what?  I still have a hard time answering it.  How much a quilt costs depends on so many things.  But I thought I would have a go at explaining it a bit.  

     Let's start out with a recent customer that wanted a quilt.  We will call her Jill.  Jill is not a quilter but she would like a quilt for her daughter's bed.

      She wants an easy four patch quilt like this one-

So...how much is it going to cost?

Let's break it down together!

First there is the actual fabric for the top. It will take around 20 fat quarters and one honey bun.  My favorite shop online Missouri Star Quilt Company.  On their website this is how much 20 fat quarters and a honey bun are-

We are also going to need batting and backing fabric.  The backing fabric is from Missouri Star Quilt Company and the batting is from Joann's.-

Now we have all of the material to make a quilt.  Just for the material is has cost

$112.85

Next comes labor cost-  I charge $10 an hour for labor cost.  It can take 8-12 hours to make a quilt like this from start to finish.  Let's say it takes 12 hours.  The cost for labor would be $120

For materials and labor it would cost $232.85

You can see how all of these prices can change depending on the size of the quilt, the pattern that is used, and how much time it takes to finish the project.

So if you are wondering "how much is a quilt going to cost?" Get in contact with me and we can work it out together!!

Fabric choice

When I am making custom quilts for customers, sometimes they buy the material and bring it to me, but often times I am buying the material for them.

I often get asked, "Does it matter if I buy material at a discount store or a quilt shop?"

I quilt will both types of fabrics.  I think the most important thing is that you are making something you love!  If that means discount material then go for it.  BUT... You get what you pay for.

Just like most things, the higher costing material is better quality.  I make sure to either buy from my local quilt shop (I live in Utah and I ADORE Elaine's Quilt Shop), or a reputable online store.

The better quality will wash nicer, keep their color color better, and last longer.  

I know some quilters stick to 100% cotton only for their quilts, but I have found lots of different materials that are fantastic for quilting. 

 

So, figure out what type of quilt you want to make, who it is for, and how much you want to spend on materials.  Then get out there and start a project!!

One of my clients found this fun fabric at a discount shop.  It was exactly what she wanted for a quilt for a brother-in-law.

I bought this material from an Etsy shop called FabricCadabra.  The line is from Cotton+Steel.  My client wanted to make sure that she had the best quality material for a special bed set for her daughter.