Q.L. Tutorial to make an A.B. Mask designed by a nurse (Part Two)

I've been working to make lots of these A.B masks designed by a nurse for family and close friends.  This set was for my neighbors who are huge fans of Star Wars and Harry Potter.

In the second part of the tutorial, I will show the use of continuous bias binding for the edges and the ties.  I've shared this magical source before called the Quilters Strip Ticket. (I'm not putting a link in because I don't want to favor one source over another.  It seems that just about every website that sells sewing notions carries them.) If you are a quilter and don't own one, it will be the best less-than-five-dollars you've ever spent.  One side provides detailed drawings of the construction and the other side is filled with charts telling you what size square you need to cut the width of tape you want.  In the case of the masks, a 13 1/2-inch square provides the exact amount of  one and a half inch tape you will need for one mask.

 Whether you use the Quilters Strip Ticket or the method
in the nurse's directions, the ends of the continuous bias will
end in a 45 degree angle.  I use these ends to bind the sides of
the mask. Pin in the bias to the WRONG side of the mask.  Once you've done this, you can trim off the excess.  Using a quarter-inch seam, sew it in place.

 Press the binding up and then press under one quarter inch.

Fold the binding down over the pleats on the RIGHT side of the mask and sew close to the edge.  Trim binding even with
 the edges of the mask. Repeat for the other side of the mask.
This gives a nice finished look to the front of the mask and, yes, I know it's two steps, but this way you don't have to
 worry about trying to catch both sides of the binding if you
try to sew it in two steps.

 Cut the remaining bias strip in half and press one side under one quarter inch.

Finally, fold each of the strips in half and press to mark the
center. When you attach the strips, you want to center them
in the middle of the mask so your ties are even.

In Part Three, the top and bottom of the mask will get bound
and the ties created.

Q.L. Tutorial to make an A.B. mask designed by a nurse (Part One)

 Like many quilters in this time of need, I've given over much of my studio time to making masks.  Elastic has become like toilet tissue to find, so while waiting for a spool I ordered to arrive, I decided to try my hand at some of masks with strings.  A friend in New Jersey pointed me towards this pattern, A.B. mask for a nurse by a nurse.  It makes a really good, well-fitting mask.  I've made some changes to the construction, especially in the area of the binding/ties and since I've been asked about it by other sewists, I decided a tutorial was in order.

 Step one is to go to the site above and print out the pattern.
(Q.L. amendments: Using polycarbonate, I cut out two little templates that make it easier to mark the two darts on the folds of the front and back of the mask.  I also made a template to mark the side pleats.) Fabric should be 100% cotton.  I have been using different fabrics for the masks and the ties and have dipped into my basket of conversation prints.  You are cutting the mask pattern on the fold, so if your fabric is directional, keep that in mind.  The top of the mask is the side with the long dart and it goes over the nose. The opposite side with the short dart goes over the chin.







With the front and the back of the mask still folded in
 half, mark the long and short darts. Sew along the marked
lines.  Since you will be clipping the darts, stitch back and
forth at the end of each dart to strengthen them.  Clip each
of the darts nearly to the point
















Press each of the darts open and then, with WRONG
sides together, pin the front to the back.                

Sew around all the raw edges with a seam allowance less
than a quarter inch so that you can cover this stitching
when you attach the binding.
















Next, mark the pleats.  (I'm showing this with
another fabric because the little template
shows up better on the dark fabric.)  Using the
longer dart as the top, make sure all the pleats
point toward the short dart.

Sew down the pleats on both sides stitching right on top of your previous stitching.

This is the end of the first part of the tutorial.  Next, we will make the bias binding using the Quilters' Strip ticket to cover the edges and create the ties.

Recovering the kitchen chairs

Starting out with a photo of the finished product makes for a more interesting picture in the various RSS formats I use, so I'll cheat a little.  Every three years or so, I get the bug to change up the covers on the kitchen chairs.  I was shopping for fabric for another house project and saw this wonderful (and irresistible) poppy fabric.  The old covers were getting a little sad, so I added this project to the list.

Now to go back and show the tasks in order:  first, I use my trusty cordless drill to remove the screws on the bottom of the chair that secure the cushion in place. ( Jim always jokes that I get more excited about getting tools for presents than jewelry.)

Next, using my staple remover, I take off the old covers and cording.

I reuse the cording and employ the first old cushion cover as a pattern to cut the new ones--good reverse engineering tricks to insure that you cut the fabric big enough to stretch over the seat and make the bias cord covers long enough.

Measuring the length of one of the cord covers, I use the wonderful Quilter's Strip ticket to make enough continuous bias binding for all four chairs.  (As I've said before, the best "less-than-six-dollars" you will ever spend.)

Switching out the quarter-inch foot for the zipper foot, I stitch the cording inside the bias binding.

Next, the new covers are stapled on the seat (wooden base covered by thin layer of foam).

Once the seat cover is in place, the cording covered with the binding is ready to go around the edges.

The cording is stapled down and then the seat is ready to be reinstalled on the chair. This is an easy job if you have the right tools.