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Looking for speedy sewing projects? Well, search no farther. Today, you'll learn how fleecy fabrics easy sewing techniques, plus very simple patterns combine to create comfy accessories. Polar fleece, velour, and flatback knits are just a few of the fabrics that can be transformed from yardage to fashion and home accessories in a short time. The two-in-one scarf is a great place to begin. As a scarf, it hugs around your neckline. As a hoodie, it keeps you warm when the weather turns brisk. It's a super-quick project. "Fast and Fleecy Accessories" that's what coming up next on Sewing with Nancy. Sewing with Nancy TV's longest-airing sewing and quilting program with Nancy Zieman

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Baby Lock, a complete line of sewing, quilting, and embroidery machines and sergers. Baby Lock, for the love of sewing. Madeira, specializing in embroidery, quilting, and special effect threads because creativity is never black and white. Koala Studios fine sewing furniture custom-built in America. Clover making a difference in sewing, quilting, crafting, and needle arts for over 90 years. Fuller Brush Vacuums, dedicated to keeping homes clean. Fuller Brush Vacuums. Amazing Designs and Klass needles. Let's begin by talking about fleecy fabrics. It's a very wide topic covering the traditional polar-type fleece fabrics that are thick and lofty, used for outerwear always having the greatest amount in stretch in the crosswise direction. It's more stable in the lengthwise direction. It can come in a variety of weights. But then there's more. We call it "fleecy," because you could use velour stretch velour, for these projects that we're going to be working with. Again, greatest amount of stretch in the crosswise. Even embossed velour. They're called flatback knits, because the back is flat a traditional knit back, but with a very textured top. We even have one small project that has the fleece and the suede. It doesn't have stretch. It's just stable. You need to check if your pattern that I'm going to ask you to work with needs some stretch or not. You can see the variety of fabrics you can work with. A yard will create many of the projects. Perhaps out of one yard, you can get two projects which is the case with the two-in-one scarf. Sarah was wearing this scarf earlier. It can be used as a scarf or a hood. The shape is simple. It has a curve for the hood, and it's open in the back. There's one simple seam. It's a great beginner project. The edges are finished just with a cut of a specialty blade. You don't have to do any serging or sewing for this simple first project. Throughout this series I'm going to be giving you a variety of seam finishes or edge finishes for fleecy fabrics. You're welcome to interchange the techniques that I'm going to be showing you. I'm also going to be giving you the sizes and dimensions for these pattern pieces. You can make quick notes or you can find it in the book that accompanies the instructions. For this first one, you're going to cut a piece of paper that's 16" wide by 33" long. Out of a yard of fabric you'll be able to get two scarves. Then you can see some different shapes within that rectangle. The first thing I'm going to ask you to do is measure down 7" from the top of one short end and fold the tissue paper. Then from the very bottom you're going to measure on both sides, in one inch. One inch measurement, and one inch measurement. From the left side, you're going to taper this to the 7" measurement, way up to the top. That will give a slight shape to the back of that scarf. From the right side you're simply just going to measure up one inch all the way to that fold, the 7" measurement. Subtle changes, but we found this gave it the best fit. Then as I unfold this 7" section from the top that's where you'll see the shape of the hood. Again, as we look on the left side of the shape you'll see, I just used the curve of a dinner plate to get the shape of the hood. Then in the front, at that 7" measurement on the other side, I just tapered it to the very corner. You can see it has that slight, subtle change. Cut out your pattern pieces and you pin the section together, that 7" section and sew the curve of the hood. Here's a close-up. You can serge it. You can sew it. We're just using a very simple straight stitch to do that stitching. Now, after that stitch, you can simply trim the edges using a decorative rotary blade. Just follow along the cut line, trimming off some of the fabric and you have a decorative look. So, with one row of stitching that shapes the hood and a rectangle of fabric that has been slightly tapered so that it fits around the shoulders and creates the hood, and can frame the face. With a two-in-one scarf you have a perfect first "Fast and Fleecy" project. When you feel chilled, the best way to be comfy is to layer with a fleece wrap. Designed to hug your shoulders this wrap will surely stay in place. See how you can easily make this no-slip wrap with fleecy fabric. We'll take a close-up look at the finished wrap made with 1-1/2 yards of fabric. You'll see that it has a V shape in the front where the ends are tapered. This is kind of a mirror image. We're designing it after the way the back is shaped. The back also has a V shape. The important seam is right at the angle where two rectangular ends are sewn together allowing the wrap to hug around your shoulders. We found that the button loop and the button are more of a decorative accent than a necessity. Because of the way the wrap is designed it just stays in place. But this is a nice option if you have a fun button to put in place. As I mentioned, 1-1/2 yards of fleecy fabric, whether it's traditional fleece or the knit flatback fleece, it doesn't matter. All the same dimensions will apply. The two pattern shapes I have are half-scale so the measurements are double what you see. I'm going to give you the measurements as they would actually be. Here, 54" in length for the large rectangle 54" by 20". The second rectangle has that same 20" width, by 34" so it's shorter by 20". To get the pointed shape at the center front you're going to fold the tissue pattern so that you have a 45-degree angle. Fold them so that when it's put together the points would be at the center front. A little sleight of hand allows us to shape the tissue paper so they will be adjoining in an L shape. You'd meet right sides together and this is your seam, the only traditional seam. If you're going to be using a turned-under edge, which we have all around the outer edges of this no-slip wrap please stop stitching at that interior corner about a half-inch from the intersection because you'll need to turn under those edges and topstitch a little bit later. So, stop stitching there. If you're going to trim it with a rotary cutter you can go all the way to the edge. As I mentioned, this is one traditional seam. You can kind of see how this is coming into shape. As I turn this the way it's going to be worn again this is half-scale then you would turn under the edges. Turn under the raw edge, just 1/4" or 3/8" whatever you'd like. There's no significant measurement that you need to follow. Then topstitch all the way around the edges. Because the fabric is so fleecy those stitches are buried in the nap and you'll never see if you stitched a little bit askew or not. It's very forgiving fabric. Sew around all of the edges. Then if you'd like to add a button loop and a button that's an easy thing to do. Put it on to determine where you'd like that button to be placed. Depending upon the size of the button that will determine how long to make the loop. We like to cut a piece of fabric that's about 1-1/2" wide or so and then maybe about 6" long. Fold it to the center and then fold the ends so that you've folded it in four places and then stitch the edges. It's fast. There's not any couture technique here. It's just edge stitching. Then stitch the loop into place creating the no-slip wrap. Again, 1-1/2 yards of fabric, some rectangular shapes, 54" by 20" and 34" by 20" then make the 45-degree angles at the corner. With some simple sewing and turning under the edges you'll have a fast project that's very wearable. Cozy, yet without being bulky that's what best describes the cowl scarf. Snap closed, it hugs your neckline without layers under your jacket or coat. If buttons are more your style add detail with easy-to-sew buttonholes designed specifically for knits. We named this program "Fast and Fleecy." They certainly are descriptive terms for the projects I'm going to be showing you particularly this cowl scarf. It's very fast to make. It's a rectangle of fabric, even though at this point it certainly doesn't look like a rectangle. When I unsnap the three decorative snaps you'll see that it's one long rectangular shape. In fact, the size that you're going to cut of the fleece fabric is 18" by 36" for both of these cowl wraps. You're going to fold wrong sides together so that you have a 9" width. Here's the fold. You can see the length in this area. It's very quick to put together. You get the cowl wrap because you meet the ends in an L shape. You put these decorative snaps, sewing them on the inside. You can wear it open, as Sarah did earlier or you can close it up. It's a great project. All the edge finishes that we have in the program are simple. Straight stitch the wrong sides together. And then, if you'd like to use that decorative blade just trim off the edges. You have quite a few layers here so push down and cut through all the layers. Pull it off and you have a neat edge finish. Add the snaps. The blue wrap that you saw Sarah wear is a little bit more detailed. It has the stretch velour knit fabric, very lofty. But this edge finish needed a serged edge finish because this fabric has a tendency to ravel just a little bit so we'll make some provisions with the serger. Again, it's the same dimension. We have the serger set up for a 3-thread overlock stitch. If you're a serger owner it's a perfect time to use that overlock stitch. In the upper and lower looper we've used texturized nylon thread. The thread has lots of give and stretch in it much like the fabric. In the needle, just all-purpose thread. Three cones of thread for the serger. Do some testing. When you're working with this fabric that has a lot of give and stretch to it you may want to consider doing some stitches straight stitching the edges together. Again, we have wrong sides together. Curves are not a friend of a serger at least when you're making fast projects! Use a dinner plate or I like to use a template that is made for serging. Use a rotary cutter. Place that around the edge, align the edges and then simply cut. It's a little easier to cut when you're on a table but you can see that you can round those a little bit to help it out. We're just going to serge around the edges. I'll lift the fabric. You can take off a small amount of the fabric if you'd like so you can trim off the excess little thread "whiskers" as we often call them. As we go around the corner, do a test so you can adjust the stitch length. Just guide it very carefully. As I come around again, I'll go a little faster and keep serging the edge. The stretch nylon thread will accommodate the stretch of the fabric equally as well. I'm going to finish this portion later on. It takes me a little bit longer than I have time for. But then I also want to talk to you about the buttonholes. For the buttonholes going through this layer of fabric place some wash-away stabilizer sandwich it on both sides of your scarf. Mark the placement of your buttonholes. You can see that I'm using a stretch buttonhole stitch. Notice that the stitches are further apart and they have the built-in utility stretch so that it accommodates the fabric. Your machine will easily adjust the length. So, you have five buttonholes, five buttons and another version of this wrap. Here's a comfy scarf that requires no knotting or fasteners of any kind making it less bulky. Best of all, it always stays tied. You saw Sarah wearing this lovely scarf. It's quick to make made with a 1/4 of a yard of fabric. It has an opening along a narrow end so that when you place it around your neck you drape the longer end through and it's a graceful scarf made of a knit fabric. You can even make it from woven fabrics. There are many, many options for this. The pattern size is simple. We're modifying rectangles of fabric. I'll show you how to work with a 1/4 of a yard which is 9". A nine-inch width of fleece fabric. It's 40" long, 9" by 40". That's the total length. You see some measurements and taper marks. At the one short end I've measured in two inches from each side giving me a 5" width. That would be where the center back seam will be placed. That 5" measurement was tapered down to that 9". It's a very gradual taper, all the way to the end of the scarf. You're going to be cutting two of these. There's a measurement that's really important before we go to the fabric. That is to measure from the 5" marking to measure down 8". I have little cross hash marks in this area. This will be where we'll turn under the edges for the opening of the scarf. I've seamed my two rectangles together on this next sample. Here's a quick little 1/4" seam. Just finger press it open. Then, finding that clip at the 8" mark. It's just a quarter-inch clip. I would press that 16" between the areas of the neckline. Press that under, or pin it under, in this instance and just topstitch this edge. So, between the 8" clips you are going to be turning under the edges and stitching. It goes very fast from here on out because now you just meet right sides together-- You could do that, or you could meet wrong sides together! That's what I'm going to do! Here are wrong sides together. Another seam finish option is to just meet these edges. Since knit fabrics ravel very little if they do this one has a nap, it may ravel just a slight bit we're going to zigzag with a multiple step zigzag creating a raw edge finish. Here's a close-up. You can see that I'm stitching that triple stitch the multiple step zigzag. When it's complete, it has a little indentation because the embossed fabric likes that stitching. But these are raw edges. You don't have to do any more turning. It's quite a clever way of finishing fleece fabrics. Here you can see the opening that has the nice clean finish. You can simply tie it, as I showed you earlier. But there's an option. Sarah is wearing another option of this self-tying scarf. This time, we have a zipper added. If you'd like to put some coins or keys when you're taking a hike or going to a football game, perhaps you could keep something stored there, making it very handy. A pocket is only put in one end of the self-tying scarf. You can put some change in that area, or whatever you'd like. I think it's kind of fun to work with. Do this on just one of the pattern pieces. Measure up 5" and split it, cut across. Work with a 7" zipper and some grosgrain ribbon. We have stitched some grosgrain ribbon to the end of each zipper and then trimmed away the excess zipper tape so I don't have bulk in the seam. Before doing more stitching to the scarf we'll just simply place grosgrain ribbon on the top of the zipper and edgestitch so your unit looks something like this. It's the zipper, highlighted with grosgrain ribbon. On your scarf, you could turn under the edges by 1/4". You'll be doing pinning, of course. Then simply place your zipper on top and topstitch, all together. On this particular scarf, we met right sides together as I mentioned earlier. We met right sides together and did traditional stitching. When you have the edge finished around the neckline with that turned under edge and traditional stitching you have another option of the self-tying scarf made with just a 1/4 of a yard of fabric. Sampler quilts have been inspired by a myriad of topics such as seasons of the year, holidays, and botanical images. Soon, you'll see a charming sampler quilt inspired by children's essays from the early 1900s children who wanted to win a Shetland pony with a saddle or carriage. I'd like you to welcome Laurie Hird, she's an author collector of the Farmer's Wife magazines a quilter, and history sleuth. Laurie, welcome back to Sewing with Nancy. Thank you. You were with us earlier with the "Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt" book. You did a lot of research and now you've furthered your research. Yes, in the early 1900s, the "Farmer's Wife" magazine wanted to increase their readership. So they started a contest. They hired children from about the ages of five to 12 to sell subscriptions to their magazine. You found these letters of children who won the prize. Yes, very rare. The prize was a pony. A pony, a carriage, and a saddle. You put this collection together. These stories are just so charming. Thank-you letters to the magazine. Then you paired quilt blocks with the stories. That's why you're here. Right. Because we have quilting. We have history. How many Shetland ponies were given away? In the course of the 12-year contest there were over 500, all over the United States. So you have 90 of them here, and 90 quilt patterns. What I found so charming were some of the stories the thank-you notes that the children wrote. Yes, they're really more than thank-you notes. The children tell what life was like 100 years ago. You have pulled some excerpts and we're going to show you some great photos. Yes, here's one from a little boy. "Like all western boys, I like to play cowboy. I have a dandy cowboy suit that I wear. I ride Judd around and lasso cattle just like real cow punchers do and also chase imaginary Indians all around the plains." He won the little pony, Judd, from this contest. You paired it up with a block. Yes, his quilt block is Cowboy Star. You found these, they were actually named that. These were classic quilt blocks. I did not change any names. Then you made this wonderful sampler quilt with all 90 of these blocks. Yes, they're all eight-inch blocks. It was a lot of fun to sew. Why don't you read another story. This one is by a little boy named Wilford. His pony is Larry. "There isn't a store in town where Larry hasn't been in. He goes in the drug store and the druggist knows he wants ice cream and he bows left to say yes. He gives him a cone of ice cream and Larry will eat every bit of it, and then asks for more. Then he will drink pop and root beer right out of a glass in the drug store. The druggist gives him some gum, and he will chew the gum and I am on his back all of the time." Children were very often allowed in houses and stores very common, with their ponies. With their Shetland ponies. Here is Larry and Wilford. You can see the size, the height of the little pony the height of the child. Yes, they're very small, often. Then the quilt block that you paired with this? Is Village Schoolhouse He talks about how he takes the pony to school with him. Very, very clever. I know you have many more stories. Go ahead. We have Hector. "Hector rides on the automobile sometimes and that makes him feel like he is the biggest horse in the country. But when he's down again he sees he's only a little Shetland pony. I was riding into the house one day to see what Momma was doing but she turned me out because the pony was chewing on some sugar. He's always climbing on the table looking for something to eat." I couldn't help but really spend much more time in this book than I had time to spare, because reading these stories and then looking at the adorable blocks. The period fabrics that you put with them are very charming, Laurie. Tell me about this block. That is named Verna Belle's Favorite. The little girl in the picture here is Verna. She has a little sister named Violet. What a charming collection of stories, quilts, history sewing and quilting all put together. Thank you for being my guest. Thank you very much. I'm sure you'll enjoy reading more about the "Farmer's Wife Pony Club." You can go to nancyzieman.com where you'll find all things Sewing with Nancy streaming video, the most current 52 shows. When you click on Nancy's Corner you will find the information on Laurie. Just click on Laurie, and you'll get more information on the "Farmer's Wife Pony Club" and all the interviews that I have during this segment. Next time, we'll be back with more "Fast and Fleecy Accessories" quick ideas to make for that fun fabric. Thanks for joining me. Bye for now. Nancy has written a fully-illustrated book entitled "Fast and Fleecy Accessories" that includes all the information from this two-part series. It's $14.99, plus shipping and handling. To order the book, call 1-800-336-8373

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sewingwithnancy.com/2521 Order item number BK2521, "Fast and Fleecy Accessories." Credit card orders only. To pay by check or money order call the number on the screen for details. Visit Nancy's website at NancyZieman.com to see additional episodes, Nancy's blog, and more. Sewing with Nancy TV's longest-airing sewing and quilting program

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