New year, new classes! I've been busy this month challenging myself with all sorts of fun art-making. I couldn't resist taking another session of Lilla Rogers Make Art That Sells Bootcamp in addition to the Art & Business of Surface Pattern Design scholarship that I received. Lilla's January assignment was to create a notebook using Edwardian Brooches as inspiration. I spent a lot of time drawing pins with gems, but couldn't figure out how I would arrange them to make a compelling notebook. Jewelry is not really my thing. One of my goals this year is to define my style and trust my own drawing ability. If you've been following me on Instagram, you know I like to doodle cute girls. I realized I was more drawn to the cameo pins than the precious gems, so that became my new direction. Cute cameos. I thought these proper ladies would make a great fabric for a little girl, so I also made a repeat in an alternate colorway. What started out as a huge challenge for me, evolved into something really fun and I'm quite happy with the results! Thanks, Lilla! Sketches
When I first started blanket stitching, my corners were... how shall I put this... unique, interesting, inconsistent... in other words, a mess! Messy is okay for some projects, but I did want my corners to look better and to stay looking good after a project was finished. Time and trial brought me to the point …
Right, Let’s get this party started. To start off you need to tension your ground fabris on whatever frame you’re using. Laid and couched work is not something you work in hand. Stitcha…
I propose we change the name of this weekly post to {FiW} Wednesday...as in FINISHED it Wednesday. (which I guess should be {Fi} Wednesday, but go with me, here.) Because there were a LOT of finishes this week. Phew! Well, two. But that feels like A LOT when you consider how long those things have been on my WiP list. First, I finished my pineapple blocks for Yolanda in the Bee Happy Bee. I was (as usual) intimidated by her blocks, mostly because of what I've heard people say about pineapple blocks. She found a pattern by Allison Quilt Designs (called the Crimson Rambler) that didn't require paper piecing, and assured us these weren't difficult. I believed her, really I did! It's just that I had to finish Libby's blocks before I felt like it was fair to start Yolanda's. AND...and that's a big and...I knew I needed to be able to do them when I could concentrate (read: not while the girls were awake and playing) and when I had a large enough block of time to finish them (read: not while the girls were simply napping). But I found time to wrap my head around the process, and another chunk of time to get them finished. I really like the way the two I made turned out, and I can't wait to see her finished quilt! It'll be stunning! My other big finish this week is the quilt I have been working on for the Quilts for Japan drive. There has been a wonderfully huge push to encourage the quilters of the world to make quilts for the people who were devastated by the earthquake/tsunami that hit Japan in March. I've had this design in my head since I started swapping hexies in (funny, Yolanda's) hexagon swap on Flickr. (Yolanda is clearly a big part of my quilting life this week!) The Quilts for Japan drive was just the push I needed to actually get the hexies out and work them into a quilt. I have decided to call this my "TNT Quilt." Mostly because the best thing that could happen to this quilt is if it got just a little too close to a stick of dynamite. :o) No. Really, it's because I tried SO doggone MANY new things with this quilt. Get it? Tried New Things? Catchy, no? For starters, I used quilter's spray adhesive to hold the hexies on until I raw-edge appliqued them down. Second, I used Kona Premium muslin for the white. It was VERY nice to have a whole piece of fabric and not have to piece anything. I also added a little yellow hexie for the label. Oh, and FYI - the hexagons were all cut with the Accuquilt Go! Studio hexagon die. Next, I quilted it myself. (TOTALLY new thing for me!) I knew this was too big for me to quilt on my home machine, though, so when my rock star friend, Traci, and I took a long arm class at our LQS, I knew this quilt was destined to be quilted on the big APQS Millenium (a.k.a. "Millie". Unique, no?) The class was really good, but I didn't have enough time to finish it there that day. Thankfully, I have a wonderful neighbor who offered to watch Mookie (who will be 3 in a few weeks! Gasp!) last Friday morning while I went down and finished this. I took Sprout (and a bag full of toys) with me. Just in case anyone is wondering, the floor of a quilt shop is probably not the best place for a curious 11 month old who thinks every single thing on the floor belongs in her mouth.) Sprout didn't last on the floor nearly as long as I was hoping, so I'm thankful I had my Ergo with me. She fell asleep as I was quilting this, which is suprising considering how much commotion and noise that machine makes! I have to say - I was surprised at how much the backing and the top moved and shrank during the quilting process. Well, and during the trimming process! I had to cut a LOT off to square it up! And then came the binding. (sigh). I decided that since I needed to finish this quilt quickly (Lecien, a Japanese fabric distributor in California, is offering to send them to needy families in Japan), I needed to machine bind it. I really should have taken a step back and watched some tutorials and talked to people who machine bind, because I could have used some serious help! My corners look like something the dog would roll in, you can sometimes see the stitches from the other side, and it's not perfectly even all the way around like it would have been if I'd hand-bound it. BUT I don't know how many months later I would be finishing it if I'd had to bind it by hand! (notice how I am not showing you any pictures of the binding? I'll leave that to Kelly and her superstar binding!) Mookie has helped make this quilt from the very beginning. Since she loves to swipe the hexies and make a "fairy path", I had to explain to her that this quilt was for a special family. A family that doesn't have a home anymore. A family that is very sad. And so anytime I was working on it, she would talk to me about the family, and ask me a zillion questions. When I showed it to her this morning and asked her to help me take pictures, she was very excited. I love that she's compassionate even at a young age. :o) The finished quilt is about 50x80". Kinda long, but that's okay. That's how long it had to be to incorporate all the hexies. I like that the quilt "became," for lack of a better term. I had no plan (which is very unlike me) - just a handful of hexies that I wanted to use. The quilt dictated the rest for me. Rather like how a novel "writes" itself, well this quilt "created" itself. :o) And since Sprout was such an integral part of the making of this quilt, I will shower you with a handful of gratuitous baby shots. :o) Now then. Back to the works in progress... I haven't touched anything else all week. :o) I haven't started anything new (including the bee blocks for Janice that are about to be a month behind...). But I've got a few more things that I have to finish soon, so I hope to get to work on them tomorrow. For my sake, I'm just going to type out a little list. I know I'm going to need to refer back to it soon enough. :o) -Audrey's mug rug (and about 3 other mug rugs for other people) - A few more infinity scarves - My Robert Kaufman Kona Solids Challenge Quilt - A few bee blocks - My birdie stitches blocks Oh, and in the "canvas" department, Dave and had a little "wine time creations" of our own on Friday night. It was Good Friday, and I thought it would be nice to paint something to reflect the sacrifice Jesus made for us that day. I showed Dave a few photos of my idea, and we got started. Even though it was Good Friday, we painted the scene for Sunday morning. Dave wants to paint The Scream next. I'm not sure, but I think that one is going to have to go in the "unspeakable wifely duties" category. (I do not like that painting!) The good thing about Canvas and Cocktails is that you don't have to paint what the rest of the class is painting. Thank goodness! :o) I hope you have a great and crafty week! (Yesterday's bad weather moved on and left us with a clear, bright morning for taking outside pictures.)
When I first started blanket stitching, my corners were... how shall I put this... unique, interesting, inconsistent... in other words, a mess! Messy is okay for some projects, but I did want my corners to look better and to stay looking good after a project was finished. Time and trial brought me to the point …
Or shall I call them "Silent Prayers To-Go", or "Quiet Prayers"... Not sure what to call them, but these are our latest creations. I kept trying to figure out what we could give to those who wouldn't have a need (or who we can't provide for) a small/med/large quilt. I came up with one you can put in your pocket (or purse) and take it with you when you visit someone ill, or in caring for someone in need, when (really) the one who needs the comfort is YOU. Here are a few mini quilt blocks (5" square or so...) that I threw together today. I actually have several 5"-6" squares that I make from the scraps of my quilts. I throw them in a drawer in the hopes of putting together a quilt that makes me think of every quilt I've made in the past. Here are a few made with selvedges and fancy stitches. I think I ended up with nine of them.... Of course, you knew they couldn't stay organized... Then you get to see each one of them. All they need is a tie in the center. Okay..... I now have them tied and here is how I'll display them. This is the cute little sign in the basket.
The idea of sewing brings to mind images of such beautiful, dainty and resourceful women sitting in their parlors wisely using quiet hours ...
This one’s an oldie but a goodie. Refashion a knit shirt by inserting panels of fabric on the sides. The practical reasons behind doing this refashion could be: 1. make a small shirt bigger 2. make a big shirt smaller 3. get rid of unsightly evidence of perspiration 4. use tapered fabric inserts to make... Read More »
***PLEASE NOTE - This listing is for a crochet pattern and is not for the completed item!*** This pattern includes the instructions to make Mary, Joseph and all of the other decorations to attach to the wreath, as well as how to make the wreath cover itself (and to easily adjust the sizing of it for whatever sized wreath base or weight yarn you are using). This pattern is 20 pages long and contains loads of photos to help you every step of the way. It is written in English, using American crochet terms. You will need: Yarn of your choice for the figures, buildings, trees and star. I used Patons Smoothie DK Yarn (this is quite a thick DK yarn so it is equivalent to aran or light worsted weight in other brands). My completed figures of Mary & Joseph measure approx 6.5cm tall. You will need the following colours: Mary - Skin tone, dark pink, dark blue, dark brown for her hair, dark yellow for her belt. Joseph - Skin tone, dark grey, light grey, medium brown. Baby & Manger - Skin tone, white, dark brown. Trees - Green & dark brown. Stable - Dark Yellow & dark brown. Star - Yellow Buildings - Cream, light blue, medium blue, royal blue (just for some of the windows). You will also need: A suitable size hook for the yarn you have chosen - I used a 4mm hook. A small amount of toy stuffing. Black finer yarn or embroidery thread for adding the eyes / facial details and a suitable colour for adding Mary’s smile. Gold thread for adding the lines coming from the star. A 25 cm flat-backed polystyrene / Styrofoam wreath base. Chunky yarn in dark blue and beige. The pattern will explain how to make the wreath cover the correct size in any yarn. A suitable sized hook for your chunky yarn - I used a 5mm hook. A tapestry needle (the longer, the better). You may find it useful to have some long nosed pliers (for pulling the needle through the wreath). Any additional decorations you would like to add - stars / sequins / beads etc and some invisible nylon thread to attach them with. Other tools you will need are some scissors, some pins and a stitch marker. You are welcome to sell the items that you make using this pattern, but please do not sell / share the pattern itself. Thank you.
The idea of sewing brings to mind images of such beautiful, dainty and resourceful women sitting in their parlors wisely using quiet hours ...
When I first started blanket stitching, my corners were... how shall I put this... unique, interesting, inconsistent... in other words, a mess! Messy is okay for some projects, but I did want my corners to look better and to stay looking good after a project was finished. Time and trial brought me to the point …
If you rather have all your supplies arrive on your doorstep, see our “The Lord Is My Shepherd” Embroidery Kit. NOTE: This is a digital product. You will not receive a physical product in the mail “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” - Psalm 23. This Digital Guide is perfect for brand new stitchers who want to learn more about purchasing their own craft supplies or an avid embroidery artist who has all their supplies already at home! Worried you can’t do it? Don’t be! Most of my stitchers are brand new to embroidery and find great help with YouTube tutorials that are included with each design! Need more assurance? Reach out and I’d be happy to alleviate any fears you may have! - Materials list- Starting hoop & transferring design instructions- Stitch and color guide- 6” pattern design- Instructions on finishing hoop- YouTube links for tutorials on every step from starting your hoop, to specific stitches used in this pattern, and finishing your hoop. Which is right for you—a Digital Guide or a Kit? 🤔Digital Guides are great for. . . ✂️Experienced stitchers who already have plenty of supplies✌🏼Someone who wants to make multiple hoops of one design📚 The learner—someone who wants to take the time to learn about the supplies and shop for it themselves. Please note that this pattern was created and copyrighted by Sarah Mesa with Abide Embroidery Co. This pattern is for personal use only. Please do not sell this pattern or any created pieces you have made from this pattern. Thank you!
The idea of sewing brings to mind images of such beautiful, dainty and resourceful women sitting in their parlors wisely using quiet hours ...
Today I am starting a new series of posts I am calling Appliqué Lessons. This is just a brief primer on my preferred method of appliqué which is sometimes called “starch and press”. I LOVE this method of appliqué because it gives you a lot of control over your shapes and I can sometimes be a little, shall we say, anal about things. I designed a block that demonstrates a variety of techniques I use in my designs to help you learn this method of appliqué. (You can download it here) This is my first attempt at putting a file...
Let's talk about boiled wool shall we?! I've been interested in this fabric for a while, primarily because sewing with it allows many short...
Ahh… too cool. I should have made these ages ago. In fact I did, but then I lost interest, went on vacation, and could not be bothered anymore. But when I find that half finished project, I shall finish it and share the crochet pattern with you. In the meanwhile, feast your creative eye on
When I first started blanket stitching, my corners were... how shall I put this... unique, interesting, inconsistent... in other words, a mess! Messy is okay for some projects, but I did want my corners to look better and to stay looking good after a project was finished. Time and trial brought me to the point …
We’re in the home stretch of the Fall for Cotton sew-along (can you believe it?), and you might be thinking about little final touches. So let’s talk about making buttonholes by hand, shall we? When you use older vintage sewing patterns, you may find that you just skip over the part about how to make... Read more »
I've had the most marvellous of days at Hope and Elvis making pockets with the lovely Ellie Evans. This is some of Ellies work. Pockets... Needle books and pin cushions... Cross stitch heart brooches... Beautiful hand stitched work in cutlery box frames ... and stitched purses. Her work is exquisite with hours worth of stitching in every piece. I had a very old piece of patchwork that I bought years ago which I was saving for something special. Today was something special. I had a go at cross stitching a heart. It was extremely tiny. My initials were a bit bigger and a lot easier. My pocket was about me and my Mum. It was Mum who taught me to sew all those years ago. She patiently threaded needles for me. She shared her fabric stash so generously with me. She encouraged me to play with fabric. From being very little I loved them. I remember my clothes, the fabric they were made of and their colours. That love has never left me. A wider view... A work in progress... I want to add a lot more stitching before I sew it all together. There are lots of hiding places for secret words to be added. This is the wonderful lady who started it all. My darling Mum. Thank you. A million times - thank you. To Ellie and Louise... Thank you for all your inspiration and knowledge and to the mystery lady who created the fabulous patchwork thank you for making such a gorgeous piece of work. It will be treasured. Love Daisy xxx
I've been excited to share a few bias binding tutorials with you ever since I released my Gemma tank sewing pattern (which also happens to be the tank shown in these...
The pattern for this quilt, Cabin Peaks, is now available on my shop! One of the things I have always hated about writing are introductions, so let’s jump right in shall we? I meant to share this quilt last week, but the truth is I barely finished my Living Coral Cabin Peaks quilt in time to enter it into the Pantone Q
Hi folks, well I shall explain the way I have made my little dragonflies ! 1. Find a ''dragonfly outline drawing.''.....Google images have hundreds 2.Trace the outline and transfer to your ground fabric, which is placed in a hoop 3. Trace each double set of wings only, and transfer onto a organza ribbon 4.Cut each set of wings out very carefully with sharp scissors. 5.Place the organza wings in place on the transferred outline that is in the hoop and sew into place with feather stitch. 6.Now very carefully sew tiny buttonhole stitch around the two wings on both sides. 7.Now sew french knots for the central body in a variegated thread. 8.The long segmented body can either be done in rows of bullion stitches or a thicker cord can be couched down in segments to make it look realistic! 9.All legs are done with straight stitch in a thick black sewing thread. 10.Two tiny metalic beads are sewn in position for the eyes. Any questions, dont hesitate to email me ([email protected]) and I will explain further if needed !! Look closely at the close-up photos to help you !!! Use your imagination and try holographic ribbon and specialist threads, Variegated thread looks fabulous , look in your stash and see what wonderful little beauties, you can make !!!! PLEASE, PLEASE keep in touch and let me see your little creations !!! p.s. A very important point That I forgot to include...................... USING BONDAWEB OR IRON-ON VILENE ON THE BACK OF THE ORGANZA WINGS WILL HELP STOP THE ORGANZA FROM FRAYING !!! APPLY THIS FIRST THEN CUT THE WINGS OUT !!!
Hi folks, well I shall explain the way I have made my little dragonflies ! 1. Find a ''dragonfly outline drawing.''.....Google images have hundreds 2.Trace the outline and transfer to your ground fabric, which is placed in a hoop 3. Trace each double set of wings only, and transfer onto a organza ribbon 4.Cut each set of wings out very carefully with sharp scissors. 5.Place the organza wings in place on the transferred outline that is in the hoop and sew into place with feather stitch. 6.Now very carefully sew tiny buttonhole stitch around the two wings on both sides. 7.Now sew french knots for the central body in a variegated thread. 8.The long segmented body can either be done in rows of bullion stitches or a thicker cord can be couched down in segments to make it look realistic! 9.All legs are done with straight stitch in a thick black sewing thread. 10.Two tiny metalic beads are sewn in position for the eyes. Any questions, dont hesitate to email me ([email protected]) and I will explain further if needed !! Look closely at the close-up photos to help you !!! Use your imagination and try holographic ribbon and specialist threads, Variegated thread looks fabulous , look in your stash and see what wonderful little beauties, you can make !!!! PLEASE, PLEASE keep in touch and let me see your little creations !!! p.s. A very important point That I forgot to include...................... USING BONDAWEB OR IRON-ON VILENE ON THE BACK OF THE ORGANZA WINGS WILL HELP STOP THE ORGANZA FROM FRAYING !!! APPLY THIS FIRST THEN CUT THE WINGS OUT !!!
I have a regular old sewing machine and use a zipper foot to sew cushions with piping. My problem was my corners never seemed to line up. My cushions came out a…
lovely pale blue silver metal embroidery thread. very malleable. High metal content. metal thread wrapped round silk. easy to use. perfect for hand sewing. The colour is very pretty and has a rich shine. Please note:price per 10m when more than one length is purchased I shall cut in a continuous length
Are you ready to make your very own felt food?! The popcorn is really simple to make although it is a little time consuming if you want to make a whole bowl full. Materials: white felt, white embroidery thread (2 strands), scissors and a needle. Cut the felt into 3 and/or 4 petal flowers (approx 2" diameter). When you sew the flowers to make the popcorn, you can use just one flower or layer 2 flowers together (to make a fuller popcorn). The picture belows shows what the popcorn looks like with the different single & layered flowers. Here is the popcorn with a ruler so you can get a size estimate. But honestly, there isn't a huge difference between the finished popcorn pieces. So if you are using a limited amount of felt, I would just recommend the single, four petal flower. For the next part, I'm using a layered flower pieces and pink embroidery thread (just so you can see where I'm sewing). Make a knot to start and start basting around the flower. Basting is making really long, loose stitches. See pictures below: Once you've sewn around the whole flower, take the thread and pull it so the stitches tighten together and the felt gathers up to look like popcorn. Now it's time to knot the thread so the popcorn stays together. I'm going to do my best to describe how I make my knots but I'm not good with words. So hopefully this will make sense and the pictures will give you the idea too. I know the directions are probably way more complicated than the actual knot is to make. Thread the needle through a little bit of felt. Before you fully make a stich, slip the needle through that loop you just made. See the loop, it's kinda tiny in this picture. You might have to click on the picture to enlarge it. My needle is being thread through the loop. Here's a picture with the same concept just a much bigger loop for you to see. After you loop the needle through the loop, just pull and it will tighten up real close to the felt. Do this process twice and your knot is complete. Trim your thread off your popcorn and you are done! Now only lots more to go! : ) You can always leave your questions in the comment section of this post or contact me. On a legal disclaimer - this popcorn is a choking hazard! Please don't give this to your small kids as it's the size of real popcorn. Thanks. : )
Two weeks ago I gave you the free PDF pattern and tutorial video for sewing this dress, and yesterday I gave you the tutorial for making the diaper. Let's put it all together in one spot for easy access, shall we? Here you go! Free printable PDF sewing pattern for 12 inch baby doll dress
Chris of Ella’s Craft Creations explains how to create embroidered dragonflies with gorgeous iridescent wings. See her tute. The Dragonfly represents change, metamorphosis, adap…
And today, I shall attempt to teach you how to make one of these DIY corner tab pouches! Free Sewing step-by-step Tutorial
