Tutorials: February 2012 Archives
Braided Necklaces
are something that is unavoidable on Pinterest. They are super popular right
know because they strike the right blend of color, texture and comfort. They
are light, easy to layer and are super easy to make. You can try one of the
many tutorials out right now on Pinterest, most of
which are crafted from beads or fabric strips. Or you can make my version: the
Easy Peasy Braided Necklace which is hand braided from cotton yarns. Very soft
and yummy and cotton comes in so many colors to match your wardrobe or the look
you are envisioning. I used Lily
Sugar N Cream Cotton Yarn which offers a great selection.
Materials:
1 skein each
of 4 colors of Lily
Sugar N Cream (label them color A, B, & C)
Blocking
board or some firm but soft surface to secure your braid
Pin to secure
braid to board
Instructions:
Cut three 36
in. pieces in each color. Knot at end. Begin braiding holding each color as one
strand (each strand will be made of 3 lengths of that color) until your piece
measures 16 in. Secure 2 of the colors (B & C) so they don't unravel and
tuck out of the way. Starting with Color A, braid the 3 lengths for 8 in.
secure out of the way and repeat for B& C. Once you have completed the individual
braids, join the three colors back to continue your main braid being careful
not to incorporate the tiny braids into the main braid. The tiny braids should
remain loose (as loose as you can get them. they might braid up a little). Continue with the main braid until you have run out of yarn to
braid. You necklace should measure 24-28 in (depending on how tightly you
braid). Knot the end and secure the 2 knotted ends together with one small
length of yarn. Wrap your necklace around double or triple. This casual but
trendy necklace will brighten up a plain white tee or add just the right
accessory to your skinny jeans and blazer.
I am in love- Fact. This is an awesome tutorial- Fact. This was so easy that I want to buy tons more fabric and mini blinds to do all the windows in my house- Undeniable Fact.
This tutorial I found on Pinterest is quick, fun and easy. I am nearly jumping for joy on how fun, easy and quick it is. I expected it to be all of these things but not this much so. Enough embellishment, let's get down to business.
First, I went to a mega store and purchased the cheapest mini blind I could find to fit my window. I did this on principle to see if it would really work and just how little I could get away on spending on a tutorial I wasn't 100% convinced would pan out. Next I perused Fabric.com Home Dec Fabric and found the perfect fabric for my cornflower blue bathroom (thinking about painting it so I wanted a neutral). I wanted a neutral, also, so light would come through. This is the only window in the bathroom so I didn't want to darken it with a dark pattern. I choose a geometric to branch out of my comfort zone of florals and to compromise with my husband (long time anti-floral voter). I found out later that geometrics make it very easy to make sure your lines are straight. My window was 32 in. wide by 60 in. long so I ordered up 2 yds of Carver Lattice Sand.
I followed the instructions almost to the letter but because my window was a different size I went with 4 pleats 16 in. apart (this is 3 blinds plus the bottom slat). I really like the dramatic effect of less pleats and think it works well for our long window. I also used some Steam a Seam 2 for the side seams. I REALLY considered sewing these seams but I also really wanted to see how well this tutorial worked out so I decided to not deviate too far. I did however, hot glue all the blinds and slat down instead of using fabric glue for several reasons: I didn't see why to use one over the other, hot gluing seemed faster, I didn't have any beer bottles, I was out of fabric glue (this was the determining factor). This worked very well and I recommend it but arm yourself with an extension cord since most glue guns are not made to range as far as this project called for.
Though I have only had my Mini-Blind-to-Roman-Shade up for a few days, it looks great and I mean great! It works well and it was such a pleasure to put together. I hate and I mean hate making roman shades because they are so time consuming and tedious. I love their look but I had ruled them out because they were too much given my limited time. This tutorial has reunited me with the look I love with a time commitment I can welcome! Thank you 365 days 2 simplicity!
A simple hat like this is easy to incorporate into your accessory collection. If you make it in a warm fabric, it can take you through the winter months in style. A medium-weight fabric will give you a cool way to shade your face from the sun as the weather grows warmer.
This is a DIY pattern. I have a sample version to guide you, but you'll most likely need to make a muslin and adjust to customize the fit. The sample is on the biggish side -- the hat it makes has a band circumference of about 22 3/4"
You'll need to cut 8 of the body of the hat (if you wish to line your hat, you'll need to cut 8 in your lining fabric as well):
You'll need to cut 2 visor pieces, plus 1 out of a very stiff interfacing:
For the band, cut 2 pieces 24" long and 2" wide. I don't interface mine, but if you like a stiffer band, you may want to.
Assembly is quick! Everything has a 5/8" seam allowance.
- Stitch all 8 of your crown pieces together, as though you're reassembling a lumpy pie. (Yum!)
- Stitch one of your bands end to end to form a circle.
-Test the fit of the crown section to the circumference of the band. Adjust as needed. (If your have a smaller or larger head than the size provided, this is where you'll need to adjust.)
- Once your crown matches your band, stitch the crown to the band.
- Assemble your visor right sides together. Remember, your interfacing will be on the outside while you stitch so that it sandwiches between the two pieces of fashion fabric once you turn it. If you're using an iron-in interfacing, apply it to the wrong side of one of your visor pieces before assembly.
- Attach the visor to the edge of the band you did not stitch your crown assembly to.
This is a good time to test your fit!
- Once you're happy with fit, stitch the second band piece into a circle, and stitch it to side of the band with the visor attached, encasing the visor in between the bands so you have a finished seam edge at the bottom of your band when you turn it right side out.
- With your second band piece flipped to the inside of the hat, stitch the unattached edge to the side where you joined the crown.
Here's an inside-out look at the assembled hat.
- For a pretty, clean finish, assemble a second crown out of lining fabric, and then hand stitch it to the interior of your hat, enclosing the raw edges of your crown/band seam.
And there you go! Ready to hit the rooftops of London!
I made my two samples using corduroy and a microsuede. I want to make one using a cotton velvet, and maybe even a minky! A medium-weight linen version would be great for spring and summer.
A very simple but often overlooked detail when knitting color work is a seamless transition. This is especially necessary when knitting stripes in the round. You will notice that there is a tiny step when you continue from the end of one round to the beginning of another. In the scheme of things this might be a tiny detail but when knitting something handmade, whether a gift for a beloved friend or a coveted pattern for yourself, you want everything to be perfect because in the end- you made it. Creating seamless stripes (or jogless stripes) frees you from trying to plan your stripes to end in a hidden spot. It allows you to knit a striped sweater, hat or mittens how you see fit and to place that all important beginning marker where ever the heck you want! It is a very simple technique that will amaze. The only really trick is to remember to follow it every time.
Knit with your first color (color A) until your initial stripe is wide enough. At the beginning of the next round, drop Color A and begin working with Color B for one round. When you reach the beginning stitch for the 2nd round in Color B, pick up the stitch below (which will be in Color A) and knit it together with the first stitch (See picture).
This will eliminate the jog and give you a seamless stripe. It will seem weird at first but once you try it you will see the optical illusion it creates because each stripe will be 1 stitch less at the 1st stitch than the remainder of the stripe but the stitch picked up at the beginning from the row below will stretch filling the space so you can't tell unless you count stitches (example: if your stripes are 4 sts wide then at the 1 st of the round they will be 3 sts wide). It is really an ingenious method that has been passed down throughout the generations of knitting to daughters or sons. But often these days a new knitter doesn't learn from a close family member so these handy techniques fall through the cracks of sock classes, knit-alongs and online forums. It is important to pass on the tiny details so be sure to share it at your next knitting gathering!
Check out this picture for a great example of a jogged stripe. You can see the step at the beginning of the round.
In this picture the circled stripes are jogless. You cannot clearly see where one round ends and another begins.
This is a great technique to use on our Free Pattern Download: Telfair Capelet
To help ward off the cold that's accosting us, it's time for a cozy memory blanket!
I've talked about my love of tee shirts before and my firm belief that you can't have too many, and I stand by that. I won't disclose the number of shirts in my collection, but I can tell you, the total is in the triple digits. Just by virtue of running local 5ks fairly frequently, I've amassed a huge stack, but I also love to buy souvenir shirts when I travel, and friends often give me silly shirts as gifts.
This project puts those shirts to work! My husband and I each sacrificed a handful of shirts from our collections. This blanket is faster than a quilt, and it's a great project for beginners. All you need is a dozen shirts that are out of wearing rotation, and two yards of fleece.
First, I traced a rounded square shape onto each of the shirts, framing the area of the design I wanted to use. I used a square-ish plate as my template, but you could also cut one out of spare cardboard. (I would love to try this project using circles to create a bubble effect.)
Once all my tracing and cutting of designs was done, it was time to pin the pieces in place. I just used safety pins to secure each piece at the corners. You may or may not want more. I used a basic straight stitch about 1/4" inside the edge of each square to stitch everything in place.
To space my appliques, I used rulers as guides -- a narrow one for between the squares, and a wider one for all edges.
I used a 3 x 4 layout for my blanket, but you could easily make a bigger or smaller blanket to your tastes.
A few tips and thoughts:
- When stitching down shirt designs that have a heavy or shiny transfer, you may find that the pressure of the presser foot causes drag. This is easily alleviated by placing a piece of tissue paper over the problem area. When you're done stitching, the tissue pulls away easily.
- Your squares are unlikely to sit perfectly square when you're stitching. That's one of the reasons I used a template with rounded edges. Further, a little imperfection gives a project like this character. It's not a tailoring situation, so don't sweat it!
- If you have a huge collection of shirts related to a specific theme, think about using them in a project like this. I see a Star Wars blanket in my future ...
- I used basic black fleece for the background on the sample project, but think about how cute a pastel backing would look on a blanket that combines your child's baby and toddler shirts that you can't bear to send to hand-me-down land.
- I finished my edges by folding them over and straight stitching them, but it might be fun to use your tee shirt scraps to create a multicolored binding.
- Be ready for memories to come flooding at you when you're stitching. Even though I didn't select particularly sentimental shirts for this blanket, I found that while working with certain squares, my mind was instantly transported to the moment when I acquired the shirts they came from, or to a memory associated with wearing it. It made for a really fun afternoon.
For the past few weeks I have been diligently working on reupholstering a Queen Anne style wingback chair in Dwell Studio Vintage Blossom Dove and it is going very well but not done yet. I wanted to share my progress as well as make suggestions and show my techniques. The wingback I am working on, none of the fabric was salvageable so I am working without using the old fabric as pattern pieces (Which is a very handy tip) so the finished product will not look exactly like the original but close enough that it won't be noticeable. This means that some of my folds, tucks and darts will be in different places but will achieve the same look. I also had to do some frame repair and change out the front legs due to damage. Most of this posting will be pictures which I feel best communicate to you my techniques and give you an idea of how best to document your progress to learn from and to use for future projects.
This first collection of photos is an example of all the photos I take of the chair before. Every fold, tuck, sewn-bit and interesting area is documented so after the chair is naked and I am putting fabric back on, I can see how it was attached, pieced and cut in different areas to make my job easier and it give it a professional finish. If you aren't sure if you should take a picture, take one anyway. If you use a digital camera you are not wasting anything and you can delete the unuseful pictures after you are done.
I like to start with the front back on any chair because it is the biggest piece of fabric that will really show. This is a good way to get comfortable orienting your fabric if you choose a directional fabric like mine (birds up!) and since it is one of the biggest pieces, you can really choose what you want to feature. Make sure you do a dry run before you cut or tack anything. I use skewers for this but for the front back piece you can just drape. I also tack this piece to the top and bottom completely before I cut any excess. You don't want to trim too close on this one.
Next I move on to the front of the wings because it is easy to match the fabric and it is another big but easy piece to place. The round of the wings can be tricky but remember most of your tucks will be covered by piping (which we prepared here).
Also be very careful where you cut your slit around the top bar that connects wing to back (it goes across the top and you want your fabric to go on top of and below it). Cut your slit closer by an inch or 2 to the front back piece side and then fold your fabric under toward the wing. If you place your cut right on the money, you will see raw edges. The fold hides the cut edges and gives a smooth transition from front back to wing.
Lastly on the wing, there is usually piping placed between the arm and the wing so you can secure your top wing fabric with tacks at the bottom. They will be covered by arm fabric and piping so they won't be seen or felt if you pound them enough.
Remember if you use tacks, you can pound them in just a bit as you go to secure your fabric and then easily pull them out to move them to refold, tighten or just get a better placement. This is why I prefer them to staples (which are faster but harder to correct). When starting your own project, be sure to take lots of pictures before and during. Keep your old fabric as pattern pieces if you can. This will also help you estimate fabric. Do as many dry fits as possible before committing to a cut or tacking especially on very tricky places like the front arm (with the scroll) and the under seat (often with darts and tucks).
Stay tuned for this continuing series and comment with any questions on upholstery.
You can find my previous upholstery posts here
Cotton
Cording is an essential Home
Dec finishing notion that is as versatile as it is easy to use. Cotton Cording
can be used for the typical piping and welting used in home dec applications to
add finishing details and accents but it can also be used for non typical functions,
such as bunting, purse handles and couched monograms. Today I am going to walk
you through using cotton cording in its most applied purpose: bias covered
piping for home dec projects.
Since I will be using my piping for my upcoming upholstery
project, I am cutting my bias from scrap pieces cut into for specific chair
parts. As long as the scraps are good size (I prefer at least 12 by 12 in.
sections) then it is worth your time. You don't want to spend all your time
sewing up tiny bias strips together. To determine the width of the bias strip
you need, multiply the size of your cording by 8. Example: I used ΒΌ in. cording
so I cut my bias strips 2 in. wide. Make sure you cut your fabric on the 45 deg.
angle to the grain for the best stretch.
To begin stitching your bias strips together, overlap by the seam allowance you will use. I like to use 3/8 or 1/4 in. Align them up right sides together and only stitch as much as you need. You don't want to end up with more covered cording than you will need. It is hard to find another project that will match. I like to leave my last 6 in. or so of the bias strip un-sewn uncase I need to add more. This extra bit will be enough to sew on another bias strip.
Fold the bias strip over your cotton cording with raw edges matching. Use a zipper foot to sew very close to the cording without sewing on it. You want the cording to be tightly stitched in the center. If it is too loose you will see bunching and shifting. Use a medium length stitch and back stitch at beginning and end to keep you piping from undoing before you can use it in your project.
To recreate my cording you will need Dwell Studio Vintage Blossom Dove and size 2 cotton cording.
