Hi! Ann Lauer here for a Technique Tuesday post using my new Cat-I-Tude fabric collection. I love to make bargello quilts. They have so much movement in the design, and on top of that, they're fun to piece. Today I'm going to show you the technique I use to assemble this type of quilt. It make assembly easier and more accurate. "Dinner in Style" bargello placemat pattern When I make bargello quilts, I like to use Creative Grid Flannel in my quilt sandwich. This 2" cotton grid fabric has “surface tension” built in to keep your pre-cut fabric pieces in place when doing your quilt layouts. In our case, we'll be layering batting over it, and it will hold the batting in place. The grid lines help to ensure that the strips are laid straight and that the stitch lines are straight as well. Here's how I do it, using my Dinner in Style placemat set pattern as an example: Step 1: Choose your backing fabric. I chose Aristocats on black. This is a nice backing fabric because the placemats can even be turned over with this fun fabric on the back. Step 2: Position the backing fabric right side down, Creative Grid Flannel wrong side up and the batting on top. I prefer to use a thin batting such as Hobbs Thermore, which is bonded on both sides so it's easy to sew on. I like the combined weight of flannel and the thin Hobbs Thermore batting in table top projects. Note: The lines on the flannel are dark and you don’t want them to show through the lightest fabric that you are using. Therefore, I layer it wrong side up and place it under the batting. You can see the lines through the batting well enough to keep the segments straight as you sew. There are other grid products available and if you use one that isn’t printed too darkly, you may want to layer it on top of the batting. Notice how you can see the lines showing through batting when you layer the batting piece on top of the Creative Grid Flannel. Step 3: Following your quilt pattern, cut your fabric strips and sew into a tube. Press all your seams in one direction. Step 4: Use the grid to lay the first segment along a left hand vertical line and the top of the segment along a top horizontal line. Follow the instructions and as you stitch each segment, open it up and check to be sure that the cut edge is staying parallel to a vertical grid line and that the seams within the segments are staying parallel with the horizontal grid lines. Directions are included in my pattern on how to correct any areas that begin to bow. By using this technique, all of the stitching will be straight and the bargello will be stabilized which will make it easy to fuse the cats onto the placemats. Step 5: Here's a view of the first five segments laid on the backing/grid/batting sandwich. These strips are tubes that have been opened on the designated seam so they lay flat. Step 6: When all the strips have been stitched in place, you will have made one large quilt-as-you-go section that you will cut into fourths to yield four placemats. Each placemat will be somewhat different, but they all go together beautifully. Here is what the finished and bound placemats look like, complete with fussy-cut cat appliques: Click here to see Ann's entire Cat-I-Tude fabric collection. Missed our original post with Ann's interview about Cat-I-Tude? Click here to find it. Click here to find the Dinner in Style kit and pattern. Click here to find Creative Grid Flannel. Love It? Share It!
In today's blog post, Peggi is sharing a fun roundup of snakes as seen in interior spaces. Click through for design inspiration and a fun guest post.
SPRINGY THINGY CARD TUTORIAL It's time for me to share my weekly Tuesday tip or technique. This tutorial fell out of my tips/techniques book as I moved it last night and so got chosen for today's effort. It makes a card front that the receiver pulls open and the card opens out like a spring to see an inner 20cm square area. Images of a completed card using this technique are below these instructions. Practice this on some scrap paper first. MATERIALS 20cm square piece of card stock or decorative paper of your choice. Pre colour the card if you wish. I'll use white card stock so you can clearly see what to do. Pencil, rubber, ruler, craft knife, craft mat and bone scorer. HOW TOO 1) On all sides measure and make a light pencil dot at the 5cm, 10cm and 15cm mark. On my sample I will use a black marker so you can see what I did easily. 2) From the 5cm mark at the left and right side measure and mark a dot at the 10cm mark 3) From the 10cm mark at the left and right side measure in and mark a dot in at the 5cm mark from each side 4) From the 15cm mark at the left and right side measure and mark a dot at the 10cm mark. These dots make a large diamond. 5) Score between all these dots. In my image I have drawn dashes to show you were to score 6) At the top 15cm mark score down to the right side of the diamond. At the 15cm mark at right edge, score across to the bottom of the diamond. At the 5cm mark on the bottom edge, score up to the left side of the diamond. Lastly at the 5cm mark at the left edge, score across to the top of the diamond. See dashed marks I have marked for you on my sample. All these score lines will be mountain folds. That is you bend the scored line back on itself to make a mountain. 7) At the 10cm mark on all sides score into the points on the diamond. See dashed areas on my sample. These scored lines and the scored lines for the diamond are all valley folds. That is you bend the scored line in on itself to make a little valley. Here is my sample with all the scored lines bent to their respective mountain and valley folds. 8) Now all you do is gently fold the card in on itself. Start on one side and then work your way around. If you have all the scored correct lines and folds it sort of winds in like a spring. It should look like this at the front and this at the back. Rub off all marked pencil dots. After I made my sample above for you I painted the card stock with white gesso, sprayed it with various sprays. Stamped and added embellishments to turn it into a steam punk card. I then layered and stuck it to a base card. As mine is fairly embellished it doesn't fold completely flat. This is m Springy Thingy Card open Some close ups of the folded card part. Hugs Annette In Oz
Pipe cleaners are a versatile craft material easily obtainable if not already in your craft supplies at home. Kids can make all sorts of pipe cleaner crafts, and they're also perfect for learning activities such as STEM projects or fine motor activities. Kids can even make little toys to play with using pipe cleaners! Below
Hello Fantabulous people, my name is Jamie and I am taking over as your Quick Tip Tuesday Inspiration gal. I am so excited to be doing this job and can't wait to start dishing out some great tips! This will be my second term on the FCCB Design Team and my first with the Tuesday tips! Thank you Melanie for all the great tips you provided, you gave me some big shoes to fill! Now, on with todays Quick Tip Tuesday! I don't know how you gals are with your cricut mats, but mine get's used and worn out pretty quickly. It was starting to cost me quite a bit just stay in business with the mats. Fortunately, I have an aquaintance that used to work for Provo Craft and she told me that she has only used two mats for four years. So, I asked her what her secret was - I figure if she worked for the company and used this tip than it must work pretty good. Disclaimer: Using the following to recondition your mats may void the warranty. With that said, I have been doing this to my mats for quite awhile now, and personally I think my mats work better than when I originially bought them. Ok, details now :) What you need: Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Zigs Two Way Glue - wide tip Water Step 1: Get your magic eraser wet and begin to wash your matt. I usually swipe one 6x6 square at a time until the matt is clean, using the other side of the eraser to finish cleaning. Sometimes, if you have trouble with getting all the bits of paper off the mat with the eraser you can use a baby wipe after your done with the eraser. Let the mat dry completely. Step 2: Take your Zigs two way glue and begin to cover the entire matt. The great thing about this glue is that when you first put it down it comes out blue so you can see where you have glued and where you haven't. Once the glue has dried completely your matt will be as good as new! I hope this tip was helpful and I will be back next Tuesday for another quick tip! Please be sure to come back tomorrow to check out our Wednesday Winners.
This is the first in a series of Pattern Hacks for my new pattern - Miss Ruby Tuesday Dress - you'll learn how to adapt your bodice to a Cross Over bodice. This feature is particularly good if you are breast feeding. But it's also a lovely feature to bring attention to the bodice area - if you have big boobs or small, it doesn't matter. It's a beautiful feminine feature to add to your dress pattern. The VERY first thing you need to do is to make sure you have done a Toile (mock up) of the MRT (Miss Ruby Tuesday) pattern to see that it fits perfectly on you. This step is important because if your base pattern isn't a good fit then the pattern hack won't be either. A good place to start to get ideas for a particular style you'd like to create is to GOOGLE images. For this particular lesson I googled - Cross Over Dresses - and I came up with this: It amazing what you can find on Google. Now for this lesson I've chosen to start simple and the 2 Cross Over bodice hacks you'll be creating are: 1. Basic Cross Over Bodice....there are no tucks and the right and left side bodices pieces are the same. 2. Cross Over Bodice With Side Tucks.......this is a bit more feminine and has a softer look. You can see that the right front pattern piece has the side tucks but the left doesn't, so you'll need to do 2 patterns. But before we get started I thought I'd show you some of the many different cross over styles you can do. They can all be done on the Miss Ruby Tuesday Dress pattern too! Ok, now that I've got you excited with the possibilities for the Cross Over bodices we'll get started. What You'll Need Front Bodice Miss Ruby Tuesday Pattern Extra paper to make your pattern alterations on Tracing Wheel Pencil Scissors Tape Measure Ruler French Curve (optional) 1. Basic Cross Over Bodice Hack Start with your front bodice pattern placed on another piece of paper that's folded in half. The pattern needs to be big enough to accommodate the front bodice pattern. We are going to be making a full front pattern as the shape of the Cross Over starts on one half of the bodice and extends to the other half of the bodice. The Cross Over pattern starts off as being a V neck shape on half the pattern and then extended down to the other half of the pattern to the side seam. You'll notice that the bodice pattern already has a V neck option. You can use that as your starting point if it's the right depth for you. First you need to measure down from the hollow in your neck to the point where you'd like your Cross Over to meet at the CF (Centre Front). If the V point on the pattern is where you want your Cross Over to meet - great. If not then mark in your new point and draw a line up to the shoulder/neck point.......similar to the V that's already there. Trace off the pattern with a tracing wheel and fold out. You are then left with a complete front bodice with a V neckline. Measure 10cm/4" from the waist/side seam point up the side seam and mark. Draw a slight curved line up to the V point at the CF. You line will probably look something like the image above. You'll then need to redraw the V neckline so that the line then continues on smoothly down to the side seam. Your front bodice will now look like the image above. Fold your pattern in half again and, with your tracing wheel, trace your new neckline to the other side of the pattern. Your pattern will now be looking like the image above. Now trace out your new front cross over bodice. Please don't cut the original pattern up as you need this pattern to refer back to. So take the time and always trace out new alterations to the pattern. Mark on your pattern - CF line, what it is, how many to cut and what size. Also, mark in the CF notch at the waist line. As this first style has the same right and left front pattern you will be cutting one pair. 2. Cross Over Bodice With Side Seam Tucks You'll be drawing 3 lines across your bodice. The bottom line starts at 2.5cm/1" above the waist on the right hand side side seam and goes over to the other side seam - about 1/3 of the way up the side seam. Draw in the line. The second line measure up 2.5cm/1" on the right hand side seam and then make a mark on the left hand side seam a1/3 of the way up. The third line starts 2.5cm/1" up from the last line on right hand side seam. Make a mark at the corner of the side seam and armhole seam then rule the third line in. Now that you've got your 3 line ruled in it's time to do a patternmaking method called - Slash and Spread. Place your pattern on another piece of paper. Cut into the bottom line - leaving the left side seam still connected. Tape the bottom part of the pattern to secure it in place. Then spread the top part of the pattern pattern up 2.5cm/1". Now repeat this process with the middle line. Tape in place to keep it secure. Then finally do this again with the top line. When you cut the line make sure the junction of the side seam and armhole are still connected. Tape all the pattern to the paper underneath. The tucks will be folding up when you make your Cross Over bodice. So fold the tucks up one at a time and, with your tracing wheel, draw over the side seam to create the tuck. Do this with the middle tuck then the top tuck. Once you've done that and marked in the tuck notches your pattern will look something like the image above. Make sure you have still got your CF & Straight Grain line and also the information of the pattern. You'll only be cutting one of this pattern so mark on this pattern 'Right Side Up' as that is how it's to be cut out on your fabric. You will now have your right hand side pattern piece with the tucks and the left hand side pattern piece without the tucks - which will be placed under the right hand side pattern piece. Lastly, you'll need to make your neck band. Measure the complete neckline divide by .85. This measurement will be your neckband length and the width will be 4cm/1 1/2". That's it. You've done your first pattern hack on the Miss Ruby Tuesday Dress pattern. Enjoy making your Cross Over Dress and I would love to see pics in the facebook group. If you like what you see but don't have the pattern - you can find Miss Ruby Tuesday Dress pattern HERE. If you have any questions or hack suggestions please put them in the comments below or email me at [email protected]. Happy Sewing! Ann Martin is the owner/designer of 1 Puddle Lane - Pattern Studio. With over 30 years experience in the Fashion Industry she brings a wealth of knowledge on everything from Patternmaking and Sewing to Design. Ann currently lives in Australia and is always working on new pattern designs to create. 1puddlelane.com.au
This week we are adding depth to lettering entirely in Procreate! Read on for the free color palette, brushes used and simple process!
Have you heard of the artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo? He was an Italian painter in the 1500's. Arcimboldo art is so interesting! They all look like optical illusions are are so cool for kids! We
It seemed befitting that an educational center for traditional arts and crafts be situated next to Seolleung, a king's tomb. The tomb houses the remains of the Joseon Kingdom's 9th ruler, King Seongjong, and his second wife Jeonghyeonwanghu. Han Sang-soo, traditional Korean embroiderer was there Tuesday as a teacher overseeing students enrolled in an eight-week program. But Han, 81, is the country's Important Intangible Cultural Property in Korean embroidery, known for her singular match of colors and almost modern sewing that makes her work seem alive. "That's because we use a lot of inner stitching to portray the highs and lows," she explained in an interview at the center in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. Han said she wants to keep the interview short as she wants to concentrate on her future plans. But once she starts talking, her passion and energy were evident; even as she sped through her 60 plus years as an embroiderer, the interview lasted for nearly two hours. What caught the eyes as she spoke were her pretty and long-nailed fingers, and her hands that were surprisingly soft. "Needlework doesn't ruin your hands," said Han. "These nails are to help me arrange a line or a fold when I sew," said Han.
Learn how-to tie a surgeon's knot in #TechniqueTuesday with Mylene from MillLaneStudio and then make her Orchid Stretch Bracelet.
This week we are creating line art florals for beginners entirely in Procreate! Read on for the free color palette, brushes used and simple process!
Happy Tuesday! It’s the best time of the week – time for a Tuesday tutorial! This week, we tackle a tough question – What do you do when you want to make a rubber band brac…
Hattifant Kaleidocycles - such a fun paper toy to color, craft and play with. Also called Flextangle, its a papercraft free to download.
This is a real live story of how I helped my friend not stab herself (or others) . . . in other words, how to fix a hole in your knitting!
Learn how to mend clothing with these creative sewing techniques. Here, we cover how to sew a hole, mend a seam, and more with visible mending.
There are SO many different things you can make with a toilet paper roll! Upcycle those toilet paper tubes into something super cool.
Raise your hand if you're good at misplacing your car keys. I know I am! I haven't always been this way and I'm pretty sure the little helpers running around my house have something to do with it. Today's tutorial may help out a little with those keys and other small belongings that like to hide from us when we need them most. How about a lanyard that is easy, attractive, and convenient? All we have to do is hook our keys onto the lanyard ring and they are suddenly a lot harder to lose! Let's get started with this easy lanyard tutorial from Morgan: To start, we will need a scrap of fabric that is 4" wide by 40" long, and a D-ring. If you don't have a scrap this long, why not try a patch work lanyard? Simply sew multiple scraps together that are 4" wide until you have a 40" strip. Now we will take our strip, fold it in half length wise, and iron so we have a nice crease. Open the strip back up so the crease is going down the center. Now we will fold both of the long sides in so that they meet at the crease in the center, and iron. Once ironed, fold it in half again lengthwise like we did in the beginning. The original center crease we made will be along the bottom and the two folds will be lined up at the top, like a bias tape as shown below. Do not sew the edges. Now slide our D ring onto the strip as shown below. On each end of our strip we will unfold the edges and line the two ends up right sides together. Pin and sew, creating one continuous loop. Press the seam open and fold the fabric back into place. Now we will topstitch 1/8" in from the edge along both sides, moving the D-ring out of our way as we sew. Now find the D-ring and fold the lanyard strip flat around it, as shown in the picture below. Sew across the strip 1/2" from the D-ring. And just like that you are finished with a quick and easy lanyard for your keys, name badges, gym passes and whatnot. Happy sewing y'all, Morgan
One of the simplest and most inexpensive ways of starting out on your jewellery-making journey is to make stretch bracelets.
This week we are creating 3 flowers anyone can draw entirely in Procreate! Read on for the free color palette, brushes used and simple process!
One hot Tuesday morning Beth, Natalie and I cycled to the edge of Kyoto to do a stencil dying workshop in a factory and school that...
Relief sculpture is an art form that is midway between painting and sculpture in the round. It is a process in which the subject stands out or projects a surface from the background. The surface can be several levels including high relief (deep or almost in the round) or low relief (shallow) or anywhere in between. To create their relief sculptures, seventh graders first learned about the difference between shape and form. A shape is two-dimensional (it has height and width) whereas a form is three-dimensional (it not only has height and width but also depth). Students experimented creating forms out of basic paper shapes by rolling, bending, folding and gluing them. After trying a variety of forms, students chose their favorite and created sixty variations of that form. Students then considered space and balance to position their forms into their final sculptural arrangement. These look awesome on display as they protrude from the wall- it's hard to really see the depth in these individual photos, but the shadows and dimension are super cool up close! Some photos of the students folding, rolling, arranging and gluing: The final pieces: Some views from an angle and up close:
Happy Tuesday everyone! How is your week coming along? Nicely I hope. Today, I have the honor of hosting the blog, together with my talented friend, Alex. I was browsing Flickr the other day and I found this! ↓ At...
How adorable is this frog knitting pattern by Claire Garland aka Dot Pebbles? Don't miss the adorable video made of him - 2 million+ views!
This week we are drawing complex ribbons entirely in Procreate! Read on for the free color palette, brushes used and simple process!
The Illustrator pathfinder palette is a ridiculous time saver when it comes to vector-based Illustrations. Here's a full overview of how each option works!
In this tutorial, I share exactly what you need to know to avoid blurry edges in Procreate, why they happen and how to avoid them from ever happening
Lots of kids struggle with worries or anxiety, especially around the start of the new school year. These Worry Pets are small enough to fit in a pocket. The cuddle fabric is snuggly soft. The poly-pellets inside provide comforting sensory input and something to rub between worried fingers, and the eyes make them oh, so cute. These are not just for worriers, though! The whole family will want one.
In this week's tutorial, we create paint streak typography using Photoshop and we'll finish it off by adding shadows + highlights to add extra dimension.
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday has a great sense of humor! 1. Fabric Limits — National Sewing Circle 2. Lucy Loves Sewing — Sew Sleepless 3. Expert Advice – The McCall Pattern Com…
