Needle Case Sewing Tutorial!

It's all well and good having a hobby like sewing, but where do you keep your supplies inbetween projects? There's absolutely no reason you shouldn't store your equipment in style and make that storage yourself. So today I am bringing you our Needle Case Sewing Tutorial.

I'll start by introducing you to one of my favourite design teams from Derby Massey & Rogers. I've loved their designs for several years, I received one of their bags as a gift a couple of years ago and it's been a favourite ever since. We were also lucky enough to get our mitts on some of their fabric scraps which we turned into small gifts. Thankfully they now sell these fabrics by the metre so everyone can enjoy their handiwork.

What You'll Need

1 Rectangle of Outer Fabric 19x13cm
1 Rectangle Lining Fabric 19x13cm
1 Rectangle Thin Wadding 19x13cm
Felt or Woolen Material
Tape or Ribbon
2 Small Buttons
Thread

Step 1

To begin cut out the three rectangles of outer, lining and wadding fabrics. First take your outer fabric and lay the lining fabric on top (right sides together) then lay the wadding on top of the lining fabric. Pin the three layers together.



Step 2

Machine or handsew about 1cm from the edge through all three layers. Remember to leave a gap so you can turn the fabrics the right way out.






Step 3

Cut the corners diagonally so that when turned right way out you have nice flat seams. Trim your seams if necessary.








Step 4

Turn the layers the right way out. Iron all the seams and then handsew closed the open edge.









Step 5

Next cut two pieces of felt or woolen material. Ours measured 15x9cm. Attach these to the centre of your needle case by sewing a running stitch through the felt/wool and the sewing case.

Step 6

Attach some tape or ribbon to either side so you can keep the needle case closed. We decorated with a small button to hide the stitches.

Congratulations you now have a very stylish needle case!

Peg Bag Sewing Tutorial!

My old peg bag was tired, it was made of less than funky fabric, it had an unattractive hole and it hung from a little coat hanger and generally annoyed me. As a result pegs found their way into jumper pockets, aprons and boxes, still less than useful. So the thought began to make a brand new peg bag, one that I could wear so it didn't get in the way, but was also stylish enough that I didn't make a break for the kitchen should the neighbour be waving over the wall. I'm really very pleased with it, so pleased in fact that I thought I'd share my instructions to make it :)

What You'll Need

1/2m Outer fabric
1/2m lining fabric
Strong Ribbon or tape
Button

Step 1

Take both your outer fabric and lining fabric and cut out a rectangle 30cm X 48cm. Place them right sides together and pin around the edge.

Step 2

Leaving a seam allowance of approx 1cm machine stitch around the edge, leaving a gap of about 6cm (2") to turn the bag out. If your fabric is likely to fray remember to run a zig zag stitch around the edge or cut with pinking shears.


Step 3

Cut some of the fabric off at the corners to make it easier to turn out. Take out the pins and turn the bag the right way out. Iron your piece, making sure the seams are nice and flat. Then machine stitch the open edge closed. You should now have a rectangle that measures about 46cm X 28cm.

Step 5

To make our bag lay the rectangle with the lining facing upwards. Turn up the bottom to reveal about 20cm of the outer fabric. Pin and machine stitch about 1/2 cm from the edge.





Step 6

Cut two pieces of ribbon or tape about 85cm long. These will be sewn onto the back of the bag. First fold down the top of the bag, so that all the lining is hidden. Then place your ribbon either side and sew in place. Fold under the raw edge of the ribbon and sew.

Step 7

I finished my bag with a big button on the front flap, of course you could add your own touch, a flower, an applique design perhaps.

Step 8

Enjoy your new peg bag! You can tie it around your waist or over your shoulder. I normally fold the top flap back to allow easier access to the pegs, then when I put the bag away I flop it back into place.

The Bag of a Thousand Uses Tutorial!

Well alright, maybe not a thousand but this truly is a very useful little drawstring bag that you can adapt easily to fit your needs. Here are some of our suggestions:

Use it as a small gift bag, instantly making any gift look special.
Place herbs inside it and hang it up to make an attractive room fragrance.
Use it to keep your jewellery in.
Make it slightly larger and it could be used as a perfect bridesmaid bag.
Again make it slightly larger and using glitzy fabric, easily make yourself an evening bag.

What You'll Need
Fabric in two designs for outside and lining
Dinner Plate
Pencil
Cord or ribbon

Step 1

Draw around your dinner plate on both your outside and lining fabric. Cut along your pencil lines so you have two circles of the same size. These usually look good if one fabric is paler than the other.


Step 2

Place the circles right sides together and pin around the edge.

Step 3

Sew around the edge of the circle (this can be by machine or hand). Remember to leave a gap so that the fabrics can be turned the right way out. Clip around the edge of the circle at approximately 5cm (2") intervals.


Step 4

Turn the circles the right way out and sew the gap closed. Next iron your circular mat flat.


Step 5

Now we need to create a channel for the drawstring cord to go through. Begin by sewing around the circle approximately 1 1/2cm from the edge. Sew a complete circle with no gaps and make sure to sew back and forth at the beginning and end of the circle to reinforce. Now we sew another smaller circle, approximately 1cm in from the circle we've just sewn. Again no gaps and sew back and forth.

Step 6

Now we need to make two small cuts in our new channel so we can push the drawstring in. Cut on either side of the circle so that they face each other. It's wise to sew a few stitches around the edges of these cuts to reinforce them.

Step 7

Now cut two pieces of cord (or ribbon), I particularly like using colour co-ordinating cord here. We now need to thread the cord through one hole and bring it around the entire circle and back out the same hole. With the other length of cord you need to thread it through the opposite hole and again pull it through the entire circle and back out. Either side is then knotted together. Tip. If you find it difficult to thread the cord through, a hair grip attached to one end of the cord can make the process easier.

Step 8 

Pull your cords together and you have your completed bag! You can also turn it the other way out and it still works very well.

Mantle Place Runner Tutorial!

I am one of those people who take the Christmas decorations down and then feel glum at how bare the room looks. Of course it's nice to have less clutter, but you also notice the bits of paintwork that need retouching or in my case the radiator cover that's seen better days. I had a lovely red mantle place runner across it all through December and as soon as it came off I wanted something to replace it.

So I have made my own version of a springtime runner to share with you all.

What You'll Need

Fabric
Bondaweb
Tape measure
Thread


Step 1

First you need to measure your mantle place, both the length and depth. This is the basic size of your runner. You can draw this rectangle onto a piece of paper, or straight to fabric. Around the edge of the rectangle add flags or scallops or whatever shape you like.

Step 2

If you haven't already done so transfer your design onto fabric. I chose a plain cream colour. Cut out your design. Next I edged the runner with a small zig zag stitch on the sewing machine. Of course you can hem it properly. But this isn't an item with heavy use or washing, so as long as your neat with your zigs and zags they work very well and are very fast.

 
Step 3

The fun part! Decide on your decorative design. I chose hearts partly because I love hearts and partly because the next holiday I could think of was Valentines Day. Draw your design onto bondaweb or a similar product. If you need help with making appliques, look through the previous tutorials for full instructions. Iron your design onto fabric and cut out.

Step 4
 
Peel off the bondaweb backing paper and begin to iron your design onto your fabric flags/scallops etc.

Step 5

Again using a small zig zag stitch edge your applique designs. It is nice to use contrasting thread here so it stands out.


Step 6

Hang your mantle runner, stand back and enjoy your no longer bare/sparse surface :)

Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to write a quick post to say a great big Happy Christmas to all my lovely followers! It's been a fun filled and busy year and the blog has grown beyond all my expectations. I love it when you comment or email to let me know you like my little rambling posts, it always makes my day. But this is going to be my last post until after Christmas now as my little people have broken up from school and all my attention has been diverted to keeping them out of trouble happy.

So for my last bloggy craft project I decided to make a Christmas Wreath today. Unfortunately I got so involved in it's creation that I forgot to take step by step pics. But it really is very simple.

I bought a plain artificial wreath from Ikea from the grand old sum of £6.67. Then I wound some battery powered led lights around the wreath. I bought these from a local garden centre for £4. I then taped the battery pack to the back.

For my decorations I visited a local florist and bought two dried oranges and one dried lime. Then various dried orange, lime and apple slices.

I pushed wire through the whole fruits and slices and twisted at the back. I then pushed the wire through the wreath and twisted together at the back. I did the same with a few pinecones. The golden berries were also bought from the florist but you can buy these in most stores that sell decorations for about £1 a bunch.

Then all I needed was some ribbon to hang the wreath with and I was done. I'm quite pleased with the end result although I did intend to add bunches of cinnamon sticks as well, but forgot until the end when I didn't have any space left.

So with that I shall say goodbye until the festive craziness has ceased. Have a wonderful time whatever your plans, Merry Christmas!

Lavender Filled Heart Tutorial

It felt like time for a tutorial so this week I am sharing with you instructions to make Lavender filled Hearts. You can hang them wherever you like, but perhaps with the festive season in mind they would make nice gifts.

What You'll Need

Cardboard
Fabric
Ribbon
Button

Step 1

First you need to create your pattern. Draw a heart onto the cardboard and once your happy with the shape cut it out. Take the shape and draw around it twice onto your fabric and cut out.



Step 2

You should now have two hearts cut out from your fabric. Place these right sides together and sew around the edge, remember to leave a gap about 3cm long on one of the straighter sides to allow the heart to be turned right way out.


Step 3

Turn your heart the right way out, pull it into shape and then press it with an iron. Now you need to fill the heart with dried lavender. Once full sew the open edge shut.

Step 4

Cut a suitable length of ribbon and fold in half. Sew either end of the ribbon to either side of the heart. To finish sew a pretty button onto either side of the ribbon.Then sit back and admire your creation!

Simple Upcycling Tutorial

It's that time of year now when we all unpack our hats and scarves. But sometimes you just don't like them as much as you did last year. Maybe you have a new coat or hairstyle, maybe you just fancy something new. Whatever the reason you shouldn't just bin last years wares, instead you should up/recycle them into something stylish and new. Here I'm bringing you one really simple and quick way to turn a plain hat and scarf into a gorgeous new item.

What You'll Need

Hat
Scarf
Buttons
Sewing Needle & Thread

 

Step 1

To be truly economical you should raid your button stash. If you don't have any buttons then take a look through your clothes, are there any you were planning to get rid of and could borrow the buttons from? How about making your own (see my previous tutorial here for instructions) or buy some.

Personally I like the buttons to be different sizes, styles and shapes. From a design point of view odd numbers always look better so keep that in mind.

Step 2

Arrange your buttons on the hat until your pleased with the effect, then sew them on. I sewed mine slightly to one side.





Step 3

Repeat the previous step on your scarf.

Step 4

Enjoy your brand new creations!! It really is as quick, simple and cheap as that!

Snowman Egg Cosy Tutorial

It has been sometime since we had a tutorial so today I thought I would share my Snowman Egg Cosy pattern. This lovely little chap will not only keep your eggs warm, it will keep them festive and stylish too!

What You'll Need

Size 3 Knitting Needles
Snowflake Wool
Orange/Red Wool
Black/Brown Wool
Wool Needle

Pattern

This pattern is made extra special by the use of Snowflake wool, if you've never encountered this you really must search it out. It's fluffy, sparkly and notoriously awkward to knit with but the results are beautiful.

Body
Cast on 30 st using the snowflake wool.
Beginning with a K row st-st 22 rows
(K2, K2tog) 7 times, K2 = 23st
P one row
(K1, K2tog) 7 times, K2 = 16st
P one row
K2tog to end = 8st
B & T tightly

Carrot Nose
Cast on 5 st using orange/red wool
St-st 4 rows
B & T tightly

To Make Up

Using your wool needle sew up the two side edges of the body leaving the cast on st free.
Sew up the side edges of the carrot nose leaving the cast on st free.
Stuff the carrot lightly if required & then sew onto the centre of the body.
Next, taking your brown/black wool sew on two eyes and four dots for his coal mouth.
Place over your eggcup and egg and admire!

I think a couple of these would make a lovely Christmas gift, perhaps buying a couple of eggcups and packaging it all in a pretty box.