Friday 31 May 2013

An Apple a Day ...... a Tutorial

Here is a little tutorial for an apple to dangle from your lunch bag, or to use as a pincushion.

Requirements:

Small pieces of cotton fabric - apple coloured, or printed
tiny piece of fabric for leaf
tiny piece of heat n bond for leaf
14inch length of quarter inch wide ribbon
stuffing
sewing machine - or can be hand sewn
Thread
Draw your pattern using these measurements, the apple pattern needs to be more pointy than rounded! Add quarter inch seam allowance to apple pattern

Put fabric with right sides together, pin ribbon to end of apple.
Stitch around, with 1/4 inch seam.  sew backward and forwards over ribbon.
Turn right side out.  Turn top under 1/4 inch.  Run gathering stitches with double thread around the top, keep needle attached.
Stuff firmly, keeping ribbon in centre of apple.  Pull up gathering stitches tightly.........

..........pull on ribbon to pull up base of apple.

Push top of apple in and fasten off (bind off) thread and stitch through ribbon to keep in place (Don't cut it off yet, keep needle attached)     



Make leaf.  Draw leaf shape onto heat n bond.   Iron heat n bond to wrong side of leaf fabric, then fold with right sides together
Stitch around leaf twice then trim away excess fabric.
Cut off ends and snip seam allowance, take care not to cut the stitches.
Make cut in fabric that does not have heat n bond attached.  Remove backing fabric from heat n bond.
Turn right sides out, then iron flat.  The cut is the back of the leaf.
Stitch leaf veins on side that didn't have cut - you could do this by hand
Attach leaf to top of apple with gathering thread, then cut off thread.
Dangle  your apple from your lunch bag - a great way to remind everyone to get their 5 a day!
Apple print fabric is lovely.  You could just cut a leaf from felt to the size of the pattern
Angel Policy:  you can make as many as you like for gifts or to sell for charity, but please don't sell them or the pattern.  Thank you.  Cottonconfetti.co.uk

Wednesday 29 May 2013

But I don't do alterations.....

... until I bought a pair of cropped trousers in the bad weather and didn't try them on until I wanted to wear them, and they were far too BIG.... I chopped this much off the waist band.

And here they are fitting perfectly!
Busy weekend, finished off this pouch that I started at Jackies - thanks for the fabric, Jackie

And here it is with the ends sewn!

Free motion quilting on the half square triangle practice piece

close up

ditto

ditto

MUG RUG - Made for me - I only started it in March!

Monday 20 May 2013

Fabulous workshop....

Had a super day last weekend, with Hazel from Cotton Cocktails - she taught our quilting group a free motion quilting workshop, lots of lovely samples and lots of encouragement to try the patterns, and lovely calm demonstrations.  A very lovely day - thanks Hazel.
Free motion quilting patterns

I had done FMQ before, but I learned lots of new patterns with Hazel.

more complicated designs

and more
H had a go when I got home.  Orange is her favourite colour!
Trying out some embroidery stitches for the little crazy quilt I am making.
Fabric from the City Quilter New York... Love the New York themed fabrics - washed and ready to sew!

Fabric from Embsay Crafts, washed and ready to sew - love the postcard collections

Sunday 5 May 2013

ta daaaaa......

Modern Half Square Triangle Quilt Top finished!
Traditional crazy quilting - pieces ready tacked on to backing - needs embellishment with embroidery