A Whole Bunch of Scissors Fobs

Since January I have been diligently working on a challenge proposed by my friend Susan to sew a heart every day for a year.  I am happy to say that I am currently 10 ahead in my heart count, yippee!  For the past 34 days I have been making heart-shaped wool-felt scissors fobs for this challenge.  You can see them individually on my other blog, 365 Sewn Hearts, but this is the only place you will see them all together in a single photo!

The fobs are all made of wool felt, embroidery floss, sewing thread, baker's twine, and polyfill.  They are all sewn entirely by hand.

Here they are in the pint-size canning jar I challenged myself to fill with fobs.  It took 34 of these little hearts to fill this jar:

And here they are, all laid out :

The bright flower fob, below, is my favorite.  Which one is yours?  If you leave a comment and mention which ones you like best, you might just win one of them!  On July 11th I will randomly choose three lucky winners to receive one fob each.  Please be sure I have a way to contact you if you win.

Two More Felt Badges

I really love working with wool felt!

I am currently in the second round of the Felt Badge Swap on Craftster.  This time we are making and sending two felt badges to our partner.  These are the badges I sent to farmerswife in England.

First, a hen, because she really IS a farmer's wife, and she is lucky enough to have chickens!  (I am so jealous of her!  It's a running joke here at my house that I wish I could have chickens...I just think they are super cute.)

 I made a paper template for the shape of the hen, then I cut all the smaller pieces of felt free-hand. I love the folk-art feel of this hen; I might have to make another one like it for myself!

Second, a "lurking" owl (that's what he's been called in the swap gallery--and I guess I can see why!)  Farmerswife has a few owl-themed things in her Pinterest, so when I saw a card with this design I knew it would be great as a felt badge.

This one was a fun challenge, with the "wood" overylay.  As with the hen, I started with a paper template for the opening in the tree and the owl, then cut the smaller pieces free-hand.

Each of these felt badges is approximately 2" x 3".  Farmerswife has received them and she loves them.  I can't wait to get mine from her!

Spoonflower Pug Dog Bag

My sister-in-law, Nora, loves her pug dog, and wanted a bag with a pug on it.  I thought it would be easy to find fabric featuring pugs, because I've seen a lot of pug-themed items online in the past few years; but when I searched for it, all I could find in my regular online fabric stores (eQuilter and fabric.com) was fabric that had an assortment of dogs, including maybe one little pug lost in the crowd...and that just wouldn't do!  I looked all over the web, and I ended up getting this fabric from Spoonflower.  Spoonflower is a unique website, where you can upload your own design and have it printed on fabric.  In this case, I bought a design someone else had made.  The fabric is printed to order, so, in addition to the extra time it takes for the fabric to arrive, the cost is about double what you pay for fabric elsewhere--which is why it was my last resort! 

The fabric I bought is actually designed to be made into a wallhanging, but it worked well for this bag because it has one large image of a pug.
Front:

Back:

Inside:

Nora also asked for a coin pouch, so I made this one with a keyring attached.  I used Heat n Bond to fuse a small dog image to both the front and the back of the pouch.

I will mail this out on Monday.  Nora has seen the pictures, and she is excited to see it in person!

Drawstring Backpack

This is the last of the projects I made for the Bernina Master Craftsters series at Craftster, and it is my favorite one!  I love the size and shape of this backpack, and the zippered pocket on the front makes it really useful. 

There is talk that Bernina will be publishing some of the Master Craftster projects on their website--exciting!  Of course I will blog all about it if one of mine is chosen!



Not Your Average Drawstring Backpack using the BERNINA 380

Drawstring backpacks are popular right now; I've seen a lot of them for children, and others that are intended to carry your belongings to the gym. I decided to make one that is pretty and grown-up looking--something a woman like me would be proud to be seen wearing in public! Two things that make this backpack "above average": the combination of fabrics, and the long zippered pocket on the front. A large-scale print works great for the body of the bag, like the sewing-themed print I used. This drawstring backpack is both stylish and functional--the best of both worlds!




The finished size is 14" x 17".

You will need:

• 1/2 yard each of two coordinating fabrics
• Matching 10" nylon zipper
• 4 yards of 1/4" cord
• Grommets and grommet-setting tools
• Matching thread

Start by cutting your washed and ironed fabrics into the following sizes:
From the white fabric (the main fabric in the picture, with the sewing print) cut:

• 2 pieces 14" high x 14 1/2" wide (for the front and back)
• 1 piece 4 1/2" x 14 1/2" (for the pocket lining front)
• 1 piece 5" x 14 1/2" (for the pocket lining back)

From the red fabric, cut:

• 2 pieces 18 1/2" high x 14 1/2" wide (for the lining)
• 1 piece 4 1/2" x 14 1/2" (for the bottom front)
• 1 piece 5 1/4" x 14 1/2" (for the bottom back)
• 2 pieces 1" x 2 1/2" (to cover the ends of the zipper)

Start by making the back: using a 1/4" seam (this is the size of all the seams in this project unless otherwise noted), sew the 5 1/4" x 14 1/2" red fabric to the bottom edge of one of the 14" x 14 1/2" white fabrics. Press the seam toward the white fabric, and topstitch near the edge of the white fabric. Set the back aside.

For the pocket on the front, I wanted the zipper exposed, but I didn't want it going all the way across the front of the bag, so I added enough fabric to the ends of the 10" zipper to make it the same width as the bag.

On one of the short ends of each of the 1" x 2 1/2" red strips, fold under and iron a 1/4" hem. Sew one strip just in front of the metal "stopper" at the top of the zipper, as in the picture above. Sew the other strip to the other end of the zipper.




To sew the front of the pocket, layer the 4 1/2" x 14 1/2" red fabric, face up, then the prepared zipper, face down, then the 4 1/2" x 14 1/2" white fabric, face down (as in the picture above). Align these three along the top and left-hand edges, and sew them together at the top, using a zipper foot. The zipper foot that comes with the BERNINA 380 is 1/4' wide, so you just have to align the fabric with the edge of the foot to get a perfect seam (see picture below).




Fold open the fabrics you just sewed, so both fabrics are right-side out. Press, and top-stitch close to the edge of the fabric where it meets the zipper (picture below).




To finish the front of the bag, you will need the three pieces pictured below: the 14" x 14 1/2" white fabric, the 5" x 14 1/2" white fabric (which will be the back of the pocket lining), and the red zipper section that you just sewed.




Lay the zipper section on top of the white pocket lining, both face up. On top of these, lay the 14" x 14 1/2" white fabric, face down, with the bottom edge of the white fabric aligned with the top edge of the zipper. In the picture below, I have staggered the fabrics so you can see their orientation. Simply line them up along the top edge and sew them together using the zipper foot.




Fold open the white fabric, and topstitch close to the edge, as in the picture below.




Whew! I hope that wasn't too confusing! The front panel is now done and should look like the picture below.




To assemble to bag, sew one piece of the 18 1/2" x 14 1/2" red lining fabric to the top edge of the front outer section, and the other piece of the red lining to the top edge of the outer back section. Open the fabrics and press the seams flat. Leaving the fabrics open, layer the front and back sections, right sides together, so the red lining fabrics are touching each other and the white front and back fabrics are touching each other. In the next step, you will sew all around the four sides of the bag and lining, but first you need to measure (and mark with a pin) one inch on each side of the seam where the outside fabrics join the lining fabrics (see picture below), on each of the two ends of this seam. The area between the pins will be left unsewn for now (it will become the opening for the drawstring).




Go ahead and sew all around the four sides of the bag and lining, leaving the 2" opening between the pins, and an 8" opening at the bottom of the lining (for turning). I borrowed the picture below from another tutorial (I didn't get a picture of these fabrics at this stage!) but you can see how your bag at this stage will be one long piece.




Now, while the bag is still inside-out, press the seam allowance flat around the two 2" unsewn areas on the sides.




Turn the bag right-side out through the opening in the bottom. Turn under the raw edges of the opening in the bottom of the lining, press, and sew it closed with a seam very close to the edge of the fabrics. Push the lining inside the bag, and adjust it so it fits smoothly inside. Press the top edge, and you are almost done!




The two 2" areas that were left unsewn are now at the top edge of the bag. Topstitch them closed, as in the picture below, so they each form a "V".

Fold down a 1" flap from the top of the bag on both the front and back, so the red lining is exposed. Press.

 

Sew along the bottom edge of the fold, all around the circumference of the bag. This will be the casing for the drawstring.

This is the cord I used for my drawstring, below. Cut two 2-yard pieces, and thread them through the casing, but leave the ends loose for now.

Attach a grommet to each of the two bottom corners, following the directions on the package. These are the grommets, I used (below), and they worked great!




Now, thread one end of each cord through a grommet.



Tie a knot, trim the excess cord, and you are done! Good job!!

 

I love my new backpack! First, I'm going to use it when I travel in a couple of weeks. After that, I think it will make a great project bag near my sewing chair!

O Christmas Trees

One of the things that really got me into the holiday spirit this year was working on my partner's package in the Christmas/Winter Ninni Swap on Craftster.  (What's a ninni?  Click HERE to find out!)

In her swap questionnaire, my partner Diane said one thing she would like is "...the beginning of a little forest land setting that relates to Christmastime--I like the idea of snowy woods with little creatures around a tree..."

I mulled that over for a while; I thought about making something small, then something bigger...trees...snow...Christmas...and this is what I came up with:  big snowy Christmas tree pillows!

The center tree is 14", the two side trees are 12".  I just drew a tree shape on paper and cut it out, and used that for the template for cutting the fabric.  I used iron-on interfacing to firm-up the fabric, then sewed on the buttons, and then sewed on the backing and stuffed them.

I was thrilled when I remembered that I had the stuffed-raccoon-making-kit I showed you yesterday; the raccoons were PERFECT to go with the trees because Diane's Christmas decorations are all red, lime, and turquoise!  I whipped up the two raccoons, and voila!  A wintery, Christmassy, forest scene for her sofa!

But this was supposed to be a Ninni swap, right?  I didn't forget the Ninnis; they don't go with this forest scene though.  I made them smaller, as ornaments for her white Christmas tree:

"Fa la la la la, la la, la la!!!"

Scrappy Braided Fabric Bracelet: A Tutorial

I love these braided fabric bracelets I made for my partner in the recent Fabric Jewelry Swap on Craftster; several people expressed interest in them, so here comes a tutorial!

Quick summary:  you simply braid together 3 fabric strips, adding a charm along the way, then secure the ends and add an elastic loop and button for a closure.  Here's how I did it:

1.  Cut 3 different fabric strips 1 3/4" wide by at least 15" long.  There will be waste fabric at the beginning and end of the braided section, so you need to cut the strips longer than the size of your wrist.  A 7" bracelet fits my wrist comfortably (my actual wrist measurement is 6 3/4"), so this tutorial is for a 7" bracelet.

 2.  All the fabric edges will be left raw.  Start by folding the ends of the 3 fabric strips as shown, and stack them on top of each other so you can sew them together on the sewing machine.

3.  Run a line of stitching through all 3 folded fabrics at one end.  This is just to keep them together so you can start to braid.  Since this will eventually be waste fabric that you cut off, this part doesn't have to look pretty.

4.  To keep the fabrics from moving around while I braided, I pinned the sewn end to my ironing board.  You could also tape the sewn end to a table top.  Now, BRAID!!  To keep the braid smooth and even, I twisted each fabric strip as I braided it, as shown in this picture.

5.  Braid for 7", then put a couple of pins in the ends of the fabric strips to keep them from unravelling while you add a charm. 

 I used a charm from this kit that I had on hand; but you can add any kind of a charm here.  Attach it to an 8mm split ring (they were included in this kit), and slide it onto one of the fabric strips, right up to the spot where you stopped braiding.  Then keep braiding for at least 2 more inches.



6.  Unpin the braid from the ironing board (holding the loose end so it doesn't unravel) and take it to your sewing machine.  Sew the loose end securely (this part will be cut off, so it doesn't have to be pretty, but you do want your braid to be nice and tight here.)  Go ahead and cut off the unused fabric that wasn't braided (about 1/2" beyond the stitiches you just sewed).  From this cut-off fabric, cut two strips 3/4" by at least 3".  You will use these strips in the next step. (If you don't have enough fabric left, you can use any scrap fabric you want.)

7.  Now it's time to finish the ends.  Measure 1 1/2" from the charm; this will be the end where you sew on a button later.  Place a pin to mark the spot, and machine-sew back and forth across the braid right there.

Take one of the 3/4" wide strips you just cut, and wrap it around the braid two times.  It should be centered over the line of machine stitching.

Leave the end long, like in the picture, and sew all around the edges of the fabric strip several times to secure the braid.

This is how it will look.

Using sharp scissors, cut off the tail of the fabric strip; then cut off the excess braid beyond the strip you just sewed on.

8.  Now you will finish the other end.  Start by taping a hair elastic in the middle, and cut it in half. You will use one half for the closure (save the other half for your next bracelet!)

Measure 6 3/4" from the finished end, and mark the spot with a pin.  Machine-sew back and forth across the braid there to secure it.  You will finish this end the same as the other one, with the addition of the elastic loop.  Before wrapping the 3/4" fabric strip, you need to secure the loop with a few stitches by hand (my experience was that if you don't do this, the sewing machine foot will push the loop to the edge and it will be very off-center).

Now wrap the 3/4" strip around the braid and loop twice, leaving the end loose.

Sew around the edges several times to secure the braid.  Cut off the loose end of the strip.

Before cutting off the excess braid, pull down the elastic loop and hold it firmly so you don't accidentally cut it off!

This is how the finished end will look.

 8.  Sew on a button and you are done!