Simple Bias Binding Tutorial

I have been promising myself for ages to do this Bias binding tutorial. My good friend Adair had been shown this ingenious method by her sister and I was lucky enough to be shown by Adair...so now it's my turn to pass it on.That's what I truely love about crafting.....if you know a little trick or a tip....isn't it just fantastic to let others know too.

I cut a rectangle 12inches by 21inches.

Fold back a piece and cut on the 45 degree line.

Cut at 45 degrees

Pin the Straight end of the triangle to the opposite side.Run down through the next pictures if this sounds confusing.Its simple...you'll see!!

Sew!

And press open.

Now then....Pin the long ends together,keeping the end of one side 1.5inches down from the other end.(I want 1.5inch wide binding)

Sew and press open and this is what you should have.

Cut around and around....and around the tube...I cut by eye but you can mark if you like.

From my rectangle I got 4 yard of binding....Brilliant isn't it....

Lush Bling cushion tutorial!

Blog Hopping a few nights ago I came across Rachels fab blog Stitched In Colour .She is hosting a Bloggers Pillow Party. I could not resist joining in the fun.Pillows are My Thing.

My Spare bedroom could do with a bit of a jizz up so looking through my stash of fabrics I came across a piece of silk leftover from a dress I made myself for a wedding last year.And because I have arranged all my fabrics in colour (took ages)...right beside it was a beautiful piece of the most perfect co-ordinating silk.Yah!!!.....Bling,Bling bling I thought and grabbed a brooch from my bedroom and hey presto my 'lush Bling cushion was born.

Hope you like it!!!



Step by step tutorial to make this cushion.....simple when you follow the steps!

My cushion measures 16 inches square.I made it from two silk fabrics but you can use any type of fabric that co-ordinate with one another.
I love a bit of Bling!!!
All you need is:


For the front 1 piece 17x17inches


For the Back 2 pieces 17x12inches


For the front sash 1 piece 24x25inches


I pretty brooch

A 16 inch cushion filler...mine is feather Turn and stitch a double hem on the 2 25inch long sides of the sash piece
Turn and stitch a double hem on 1 long side of each of the back pieces.

Front Piece

Lay the sash piece diagonally on top of the front piece.
This is the fun piece.........Gather up the sash to the centre.

Close the brooch through all layers in a position you like.
Pin through the folds and trim the excess fabric.

Sew through the fold to keep them in position.

Lay one of the back pieces on top.
Lay the other to overlap.
Pin and sew around all four sides using a half inch seam allowance.
Serge the raw edges.

DONE!!!

Another tutorial link up!!

Thanks Anne from Craft Gossip for linking up my tutorial to your amazing blog.

Lush shoulder Bag....have you tried it yet???

My tutorial is featured

Just a quickie....very excited to find that my skirt tutorial has been featured on totally tutorials.How great is that...!!!

First Bondaweb Encounter!!

Today I fancied a nice quick instant gratification project....you know the kind....not a lot of thinking involved and no arrgh moments when it doesn't go the way you had expected.
I had a metre of bondaweb stashed away crying out for a project.I remember a few years ago being asked to make an applique design on a quilt cover.It was quite a large design so I asked in the haberdashery shop(which will remain nameless!!) if there was any vilene type product to make applique easier.I was told there was not. Darn I thought,and proceded to stick all my pieces on the cover with the hemmit stuff for quickly hemming your trousers. Now,it worked,but the whole project was painful.It turned me off applique for quite a while.
Anyhow recently I had heard about this bondaweb product.You basically iron it to your fabric giving the fabric a little body ,then take off the backing paper and iron it to your fabric.BRILLIANT!!.....and it works....

I of course had to zig zag around....just in case...........

To stitch or not to stitch that is the question......will it stay stuck on through washing or not........do you stitch???

Customise a skirt

Browsing through the Boden website I took a fancy to this skirt,but hey its £45.
So a trip to Penneys and Pippablue later......€4 skirt,€1.20 ribbon and €3 for 5 mtrs ric rac.I could not get velvet ribbon anywhere!!!

Pin and sew.....can it be any simpler???

Hey Presto....not bad eh???

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together!!!

Sewing through Crimbo!!

When I was a child most of my Christmas presents were crafty,makey things I would spent my Christmas holidays making and doing! My poor parents would watch me open my presents on Christmas morning ,and frustratingly for them ,I used to open each box and look at making instructions and even start makng some stuff before folding the xmas paper up neatly and moving on to the next present. I know....i was a pain in the ass!!!....I remember getting a leather bag making kit one year .I insisted in making the bag before opening any more presents.

This Christmas I was in a serious make and do mode. During Christmas day and St Stephens day at my sisters house I managed to crochet some hats.This one is my favourite,made from pure wool I have had in the attic for probably the guts of 20 (shush!!) years. I bought this japanese panel in Pippablue a few weeks ago and immediately cut out a jacket the minute I got it home. It sat beside the sewing machine til this week.

Here is the almost finished jacket....only buttons and handsewing left to do. I am not mad about the collar but its nothing a lovely scarf won't sort out!

I have come to the conclusion that I have a bit of OCD going on. Ages ago I bought the Amy Butler Liverpool shirt pattern. I made one from a gorgeous Kaffe Fasset fabric and love it. It's a matter of leggings,t-shirt, boots, sorted, dressed!!

At the knitting and stitching show this year I bought some fabric with no clear plans in mind. I proceeded to make 2 more Liverpools. This week I was looking a one of the pieces of aforementioned fabric trying to figure out what to make, I even cut out a pattern of a dress but ended up making.....another Liverpool. I think the problem is that when I make something I don't really know if I am going to like it til its made and the Liverpool is my little comfort zone now.Darn....but I love it.

Kaffe Fasset and 3 fabrics bought at the knitting and stitching show.

I had a piece left over from one of my Liverpools so I made a simple A line skirt....I will be teaching an intermediate sewing class in Pippablue in january,showing how to make this skirt.It's a great little project....covers cutting out,seams,zip ( I have a really nifty method for beginners),ways to finish a waist band and hemming.Can't wait!!

Here's another version of the simple A line skirt anyone can make from the basic pattern.

Love this ribbon.

I made this little girls skirt for Ger and Eva in Pippablue to show what can be made from 2 fat quarters.

I love admiring other peoples patchwork but would not be a mad fan of making my own.I could not resist these fabrics and am loving how this turned out. I wanted it to be lightweight so I attached it to a fleece throw I picked up in Penneys.

Happy!!

I even managed to make 2 new roman blinds for my utility. Remember I made these for my kitchen.

Hope you all have a Crafty New Year!!!