Holly: January 2013 Archives
Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. When I was growing up, it was a family holiday, so it's never had the baggage and pressure of being a couples day for me. Even now, as a married lady, I tend to think of Valentine's Day as an occasion to tell all the important people in my life that I love them. No need to booby trap it -- just enjoy the love!
Decorating for holidays is always fun -- when I find the time to do it. This year, I'm determined to add some Valentine cheer to the house, and I'm starting with pillows. This project is simple and girly, and lets you play with color. I'm using red and pink taffeta on a black antique cotton velvet base, but you could easily customize the color scheme for any time of year or decor.
My pillow form is 14 inches square, so to start with, I cut two 14.75 inch squares. My seam allowances are 1/4 inch, so that leaves a little wiggle room for the pillow to fluff out.
Once my squares were cut, I used a dinner plate to trace a centered circle on the front pillow square. Since I used a black antique cotton velvet, I used a silver paint pen to mark the circle, but any tracing implement will work, so long as it leaves you a clear line to follow when the stitching starts.
Here's my circle traced out. The image is brightened up so you can clearly see the marking.
Once my pillow front was marked, I set it aside and grabbed my taffeta. In the pink, I cut 1.75-inch-wide strips on the bias, and in the red, I cut 2-inch-wide strips, also on the bias. For the 14-inch pillow with a starting circle of about 11.5 inches, I cut roughly 11 yards of bias strips. If your pillow is larger or smaller, you'll need to adjust those amounts.
Once all my bias strips were cut, I set to ruffling the two colors together. I simply set a narrower strip on top of a wider strip and put them under my presser foot stacked together.
I used a seam ripper to ease my strips into gathers as I stitched to create a ruffle. This is one of those things that you get better and better at the more you do it. I tend to make one tuck every three stitches or so, but your rhythm may vary. Note that if your gathers are tighter, you may need to cut more bias strips.
As I hit the end of one strip, I just set the next strip under it with a little bit of overlap and kept going -- no need to seam together all your strips (though if you prefer to do that, feel free). The key here is to avoid having both the top and bottom strips end in the same places. I staggered my pink and red strip lengths so I was never trying to overlap the next pieces for both colors at the same time.
Once all my bias yardage was gathered into a ruffle, I started stitching it to my pillow front, using my circular marking as a guide.
At the end of the circle, I let the ruffle overlap the starting point just a bit ...
... and then continued stitching, moving the ruffle slightly inside my first circle and continuing around in a slightly smaller circle.
I continued to stitch in ever-smaller circles, slowly spiraling inward. Here's the pillow with three rows of circular stitching:
The stitching continues into the center of the circle. Here's what the stitching looks like on the back side:
As my circles tightened into the center, I finished off the rosette by folding in the raw edges at the end.
To conceal the last bit of stitching and add a little sparkle, I put a rhinestone button in the center. You could put any number of other things here to finish off your spiral -- a fancy pin or applique, feathers, a fabric pouf or bow -- it's up to you!
Once my front piece was complete, I set in a zipper at one side, joining the front and back pieces.
Then, with right sides together, I closed off the square (keeping the zipper open for turning), using 1/4-inch seam allowances. Once the square was turned right-side out and the pillow form was in place, voila! Festive Valentine fun!
The spiraling ruffle technique can be used on many other projects, from handbags to hair clips. What colors and fabrics will you combine to create something totally unique?
Decorating for holidays is always fun -- when I find the time to do it. This year, I'm determined to add some Valentine cheer to the house, and I'm starting with pillows. This project is simple and girly, and lets you play with color. I'm using red and pink taffeta on a black antique cotton velvet base, but you could easily customize the color scheme for any time of year or decor.
My pillow form is 14 inches square, so to start with, I cut two 14.75 inch squares. My seam allowances are 1/4 inch, so that leaves a little wiggle room for the pillow to fluff out.
Once my squares were cut, I used a dinner plate to trace a centered circle on the front pillow square. Since I used a black antique cotton velvet, I used a silver paint pen to mark the circle, but any tracing implement will work, so long as it leaves you a clear line to follow when the stitching starts.
Here's my circle traced out. The image is brightened up so you can clearly see the marking.Once my pillow front was marked, I set it aside and grabbed my taffeta. In the pink, I cut 1.75-inch-wide strips on the bias, and in the red, I cut 2-inch-wide strips, also on the bias. For the 14-inch pillow with a starting circle of about 11.5 inches, I cut roughly 11 yards of bias strips. If your pillow is larger or smaller, you'll need to adjust those amounts.Once all my bias strips were cut, I set to ruffling the two colors together. I simply set a narrower strip on top of a wider strip and put them under my presser foot stacked together.I used a seam ripper to ease my strips into gathers as I stitched to create a ruffle. This is one of those things that you get better and better at the more you do it. I tend to make one tuck every three stitches or so, but your rhythm may vary. Note that if your gathers are tighter, you may need to cut more bias strips.As I hit the end of one strip, I just set the next strip under it with a little bit of overlap and kept going -- no need to seam together all your strips (though if you prefer to do that, feel free). The key here is to avoid having both the top and bottom strips end in the same places. I staggered my pink and red strip lengths so I was never trying to overlap the next pieces for both colors at the same time.
Once all my bias yardage was gathered into a ruffle, I started stitching it to my pillow front, using my circular marking as a guide.At the end of the circle, I let the ruffle overlap the starting point just a bit ... ... and then continued stitching, moving the ruffle slightly inside my first circle and continuing around in a slightly smaller circle.I continued to stitch in ever-smaller circles, slowly spiraling inward. Here's the pillow with three rows of circular stitching:The stitching continues into the center of the circle. Here's what the stitching looks like on the back side:As my circles tightened into the center, I finished off the rosette by folding in the raw edges at the end.To conceal the last bit of stitching and add a little sparkle, I put a rhinestone button in the center. You could put any number of other things here to finish off your spiral -- a fancy pin or applique, feathers, a fabric pouf or bow -- it's up to you!
Once my front piece was complete, I set in a zipper at one side, joining the front and back pieces. Then, with right sides together, I closed off the square (keeping the zipper open for turning), using 1/4-inch seam allowances. Once the square was turned right-side out and the pillow form was in place, voila! Festive Valentine fun!The spiraling ruffle technique can be used on many other projects, from handbags to hair clips. What colors and fabrics will you combine to create something totally unique?
Here's a SUPER easy project -- less than an hour in the making!
If you have cats or have friends who have cats, you may already know that nothing beats a hand-made cat toy. You can so easily transform a few scraps into a sturdy plaything -- and it won't have any pieces that could pop off and be ingested or otherwise cause potential dangers.
Through many years of rigorous testing (I own my crazy cat lady status), I have had the greatest success with simple toys made with fleece and a bit of catnip. Here's one that my fluffy monsters always love: a fake fried egg.
I start by cutting two layers asymmetrical round/oval shapes -- remember, eggs are never perfect circles!
Then, I do the same thing to cut the yolk -- no need to worry about perfection. There are two yolks featured in this photo because I was making two toys at the same time. You only need to cut one per toy.
Next, I cut a single layer of Warm and Natural batting just a little smaller than my egg white, and did the same for the yolk.
I layer the batting between the two pieces of white fleece and stitch all the way around the outside, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch from the cut edge.
Then, I set the yolk, with the batting layer under it, on top of the assembled white section, and stitch it down around the edges -- but first, I tuck a little catnip under the yolk!
And there you have it -- super quick toys to delight your feline friends!
But what do our Siamese reviewers think?
Well ... One stretched to reach outside of his Fabric.com shipping box (it really is!) to pull his toy into his lair.
And the other just pulled his egg toy to his face and kept rubbing his cheeks on it. I'll call that a win.
If you have cats or have friends who have cats, you may already know that nothing beats a hand-made cat toy. You can so easily transform a few scraps into a sturdy plaything -- and it won't have any pieces that could pop off and be ingested or otherwise cause potential dangers.
Through many years of rigorous testing (I own my crazy cat lady status), I have had the greatest success with simple toys made with fleece and a bit of catnip. Here's one that my fluffy monsters always love: a fake fried egg.
I start by cutting two layers asymmetrical round/oval shapes -- remember, eggs are never perfect circles!
Then, I do the same thing to cut the yolk -- no need to worry about perfection. There are two yolks featured in this photo because I was making two toys at the same time. You only need to cut one per toy.Next, I cut a single layer of Warm and Natural batting just a little smaller than my egg white, and did the same for the yolk.I layer the batting between the two pieces of white fleece and stitch all the way around the outside, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch from the cut edge.Then, I set the yolk, with the batting layer under it, on top of the assembled white section, and stitch it down around the edges -- but first, I tuck a little catnip under the yolk!
And there you have it -- super quick toys to delight your feline friends!But what do our Siamese reviewers think?Well ... One stretched to reach outside of his Fabric.com shipping box (it really is!) to pull his toy into his lair.
And the other just pulled his egg toy to his face and kept rubbing his cheeks on it. I'll call that a win.These are so incredibly simple, and you don't have to use realistic egg colors (my cats have never complained about unrealistic color schemes). Just use whatever fleece you have on hand -- it's a great way to use up scraps!
I've said it before and I'll say it again: There's no such thing as too many bags. Good thing, too, because I am really trying to find fun uses for my stash!
I really like mixing patterns, and I had some black-and-white Michael Miller scraps on hand that I was yearning to find a use for. But I wanted to do something different than piecing. So, I decided to try weaving a couple of them together with a little help from Heat'n Bond.
First, I cut two pieces of Heat'n Bond to the size I wanted my finished bag, plus seam allowance, and adhered them to the backs of my two fabrics, then trimmed the fabric down to the size of the pieces. Next, I peeled the paper backing off.
I like using black and white fabrics so that I can accessorize with pops of color. In the photo below, I have one of my hair clips pinned to my bag.
Do you have small pieces of favorite fabrics that need a project to call home? A woven design like this could go in so many directions. You could combine more than two fabrics, use a combination of prints and solids, switch up your weave-ins, or add embellishments like appliques or decorative stitching. Anything goes -- it's your design!
I really like mixing patterns, and I had some black-and-white Michael Miller scraps on hand that I was yearning to find a use for. But I wanted to do something different than piecing. So, I decided to try weaving a couple of them together with a little help from Heat'n Bond.
First, I cut two pieces of Heat'n Bond to the size I wanted my finished bag, plus seam allowance, and adhered them to the backs of my two fabrics, then trimmed the fabric down to the size of the pieces. Next, I peeled the paper backing off.
After the paper was removed, I cut the pieces into strips, one lengthwise, and one crosswise.
For the next step, I cut a piece of backing fabric (mine's a lightweight twill) bigger than I needed to use as a base for my fusibles. Then I arranged the longer set of pieces on top of it, abutting the edges.
And then, one at a time, I wove in my shorter pieces. After each shorter length piece was in place, I gave it a quick touch with a hot iron to keep things in place, being careful to leave all unwoven areas free.
Once all pieces were woven together, I went over the whole piece with my iron to make sure it was all thoroughly bonded together, and then I cut away the excess backing fabric.
After my front piece was assembled, I put together the rest of my bag as normal. In this case, I just went with my old standby boxy bag that I make over and over and just switch out the strap for, but you could use this technique to make almost any bag. Just overlay your woven design on any pattern piece. The only thing to think about as you go is the fact that this will significantly affect the thickness and stiffness of your fabric.
For the next step, I cut a piece of backing fabric (mine's a lightweight twill) bigger than I needed to use as a base for my fusibles. Then I arranged the longer set of pieces on top of it, abutting the edges.
And then, one at a time, I wove in my shorter pieces. After each shorter length piece was in place, I gave it a quick touch with a hot iron to keep things in place, being careful to leave all unwoven areas free.
Once all pieces were woven together, I went over the whole piece with my iron to make sure it was all thoroughly bonded together, and then I cut away the excess backing fabric.After my front piece was assembled, I put together the rest of my bag as normal. In this case, I just went with my old standby boxy bag that I make over and over and just switch out the strap for, but you could use this technique to make almost any bag. Just overlay your woven design on any pattern piece. The only thing to think about as you go is the fact that this will significantly affect the thickness and stiffness of your fabric.
I like using black and white fabrics so that I can accessorize with pops of color. In the photo below, I have one of my hair clips pinned to my bag.Do you have small pieces of favorite fabrics that need a project to call home? A woven design like this could go in so many directions. You could combine more than two fabrics, use a combination of prints and solids, switch up your weave-ins, or add embellishments like appliques or decorative stitching. Anything goes -- it's your design!
I always like to start a new year with new slippers for some reason. First, it's a way to treat myself while also working through my scrap stash, and second, it just feels nice to start the year with fresh lounging kicks. I'm one of those people who almost never goes barefoot, so good slippers to wear around the house are essential. Also, because these are items for wearing at home, I can be as silly as I want.
My first pair of 2013 slippers was made with some leftover zebra minky. I used this fab Kwik Sew pattern (which I reviewed previously here on the blog). I love it because it goes together quickly and you can color block your slippers if you want. I made one small addition to the design by adding a Mary Jane strap out of Riley Blake elastic lace.
For my second pair of slippers, I actually used a pattern I made a while back from an old pair of slippers that were falling apart. I just went at them with my trusty seam ripper to pull them apart, laid the pieces flat, and traced around them to create the pattern.
For this pair, I once again hit my scrap stash and found a sweet green knit. I have fairies on the brain lately, so I added little puffballs at the toes for some Tinker Bell style. (I am totally taking these on my next Disney trip!) This pair is lined with fleece to be ultra cozy.
There is no way these will be the only slippers I make myself this year, though. I have a major urge to test out the Pigs in a Blanket pattern from The Quilted Fish, maybe in a pretty damask print.
My first pair of 2013 slippers was made with some leftover zebra minky. I used this fab Kwik Sew pattern (which I reviewed previously here on the blog). I love it because it goes together quickly and you can color block your slippers if you want. I made one small addition to the design by adding a Mary Jane strap out of Riley Blake elastic lace.
For my second pair of slippers, I actually used a pattern I made a while back from an old pair of slippers that were falling apart. I just went at them with my trusty seam ripper to pull them apart, laid the pieces flat, and traced around them to create the pattern.For this pair, I once again hit my scrap stash and found a sweet green knit. I have fairies on the brain lately, so I added little puffballs at the toes for some Tinker Bell style. (I am totally taking these on my next Disney trip!) This pair is lined with fleece to be ultra cozy.
There is no way these will be the only slippers I make myself this year, though. I have a major urge to test out the Pigs in a Blanket pattern from The Quilted Fish, maybe in a pretty damask print.Like other small projects, there is so much room for creativity with slippers. Do you have a leftover bit of fabric from a favorite project that would be perfect to wear on your tootsies? No time like the present! It's not too late to make a new resolution -- to treat your feet!
