Craft Tutorials » Fabric

Easy Flannel Board Tutorial

jenni — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:12:23 +0000

I had one of the readers send this great flannel board tutorial in and had to share it with everyone. The full tutorial can be reached through the link. This is a great project as you can use any kind of shapes that you want and find them on the Internet very easily.

Materials Needed:

piece of thin wood
duct tape
Microsoft WORD
piece of flannel material
interesting fonts in shapes
felt sheets and scraps
scissors
a printer
ironing board
iron
white printer paper
freezer paper (has a shiny coating on the back)

To find out more about this project visit the Art, Adventures and Toddler page and see step by step how to do this amazing flannel board.

Butterfly Pillow

jenni — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 08:16:22 +0000

My niece loves butterflies. Since that is what they are going to do her bedroom in, I thought I would try and make a pillow that was special for her room. It was fun trying something new but it does require patience that I didn’t even know I had. These instructions will look overwhelming when you first see them, they did to me, but you will get through it and the done product is worth it.

Materials Needed:

paper pattern
soda ash fixative
#2H pencil
staple gun and staples
4, 9″ x 12″ stretcher bars or an old picture
100 percent cotton sheeting, organdy, muslin or similar lightweight woven cotton fabric
beeswax/paraffin mix (sold as Batik wax or 50/50 mix)
small crock-pot for melting wax (do not use for cooking)
old bristle brushes for waxing
small and medium Tjanting wax tools
cold-water dye in various colors
white plastic watercolor palette
watercolor brushes in various sizes
old steam iron
18″ x 24″ newspapers and clear newsprint
backing material to coordinate with Batik design
fiberfill
beading thread
beading needle
embroidery needle
size 11 seed beads in various colors for tassels
size 6 or 8 seed beads for border
4 large focal beads
various accent beads and charms
organza ribbon
organza wedding favor bag pouch
potpourri

Instructions:

1. Choose an image with clear contour lines like a stained glass pattern or flash/tattoo art. Make sure there are no areas smaller than a raisin as the areas will be too small to wax. Copy or draw the image on white paper to the exact size of the 9″ x 12″ pillow.

2. Transfer the design to the cotton fabric by taping the drawing to a sunny window or a light box. Tape the fabric over the drawing and trace lightly with a pencil.

3. Stretch the fabric over the assembled stretcher bars or picture frame. Staple in place.

4. Cover the work surface with newspaper. Melt the wax in a crock-pot set on low. One pound of wax will take approximately two hours to melt.

5. Place the stretched fabric on the newspaper close to the wax pot. Holding the tjanting in one hand, dip into the melted wax. Initially the tjanting must be in the wax for 30 seconds to melt any solidified wax and to heat up the well. Hold the tjanting tilted up to prevent drips. Hold it over a paper towel in the other hand if drips are a problem. Place the tjanting’s tip on a drawn contour line and without hesitating, draw the line until the well runs dry or the wax comes out translucent instead of transparent. The wax is then to cool to penetrate the fibers. Return the tjanting to the pot and refill the well. Repeat the process until all the contour lines are waxed.

Note: Make sure the wax is penetrating the fiber. The cloth will look darker and the wax will come through the other side. If it is not penetrating, the dye will bleed through the contour line into other sections. Remove wax that has not penetrated and re-wax those areas. Remove by picking off with your fingernail or draw another line of wax along side the line that did not penetrate.

6. Mix dye according to manufacturer’s instructions. Make sure to add the required fixative.

7. Fill the wells of a watercolor palette with the dyes to be used in the design. Fill in the spaces with desired colors with a watercolor brush. Work from the interior of the space out to the edges. As a result if a wax contour is not fully sealed the dye will bleed through slowly instead of soaking completely into the next space. If you discover a problem, stop that section and continue with another. Once the fabric dries use more wax to seal the leak.

8. Once you have filled in all areas let the dye dry completely.

9. Apply more wax to areas that you want to remain the current color. Apply more dye to deepen or change the color in the unwaxed areas.

10. Repeat step 8 and 9 until the desired color and detail have been achieved.

Note:

Colors dry lighter than they appear when wet.
Multiple coats of dye will produce more vibrant or darker colors.
Colors can be mixed on the fabric for interesting effects. Test on scrap fabric for color and technique. Wet on wet will fully blend; wet onto dry will blend less and will leave a water line or stain at the intersection.

11. Cover the entire surface with a coat of wax using a bristle brush. This will ensure that the fabric is a consistent texture. Remove the fabric from the stretchers.

12. Cover the ironing board with several sheets of newspaper then at least two pieces of unprinted newsprint paper. Sandwich the waxed fabric under another sheet of newsprint.

13. Using an old iron set on “cotton” iron over the fabric and paper. Change the paper above and below the fabric as it becomes saturated with wax. Repeat until no more wax melts onto the paper.

14. Crop the work to the desired dimensions plus a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Pillow Steps: (Additional instructions for the web)

1. Cut fabric into two pieces.

Cut piece #1 9-1/2″ x 8-1/2″
Cut piece #2 9-1/2″ x 6-1/2″

2. Using a sewing machine and matching thread, finish one 9-1/2 inch raw edge on each of the two backing pieces.

3. Place the batik face up on a table. Place the two backing pieces, face down, over the batik. Line up all edges to create a two-inch overlap in the center of the pillow.

4. Pin together and sew all four sides.

5. Turn right sides out. Stuff with fiberfill making sure to force stuffing into all four corners.

6. Tie a knot at one end of a 12-inch piece of organza ribbon. Using an embroidery needle, thread the ribbon through the backing fabric 3 inches down from the top of the pillow to the left of the opening in the back. Repeat to the left and 3 inches up from the bottom of the pillow. Add beads to the ribbons and tie knots on the ends to secure the beads.

7. String additional beads or charms onto another ribbon. At the midpoint of this ribbon, sew to the organza favor bag. Tie a decorative bow.

8. Fill the organza favor bag with a small amount of potpourri. Place the bag inside the pillow. Tie the ribbons together to close the back of the pillow.

Beading Tassels Steps:

1. String one yard of beading thread onto a beading needle. Tie a knot at the end, leaving a tail of about three inches.

2. Pull the needle through the pillow fabric at one corner. String on the focal bead then the desired number of seed beads (approximately15 to 25). String on an accent bead or charm.

3. Weave the needle back through all the seed beads and the focal bead.

4. Bring the needle back through the corner of the pillow and pull tight to anchor the strand of beads. Hint: Hold the accent bead while pulling the thread.

5. Repeat steps 2 through 5 completing the desired number of strands.

6. Tie a finishing knot then bring the needle and thread halfway through one strand of beads. Bring the needle out of the strand and cut the thread.

7. Thread the original tail through the needle. Thread this through another strand of beads in the tassel and cut off to hide all the loose ends of the thread for a finished look.

Beaded Embroidery Steps:

1. Choose beads to accent specific areas of the batik design. Thread a one-yard length of beading thread through a beading needle. Tie a knot at the end.

2. Single beads can be attached using the single stitch:
A) Insert the needle into the pillow at the side seam closest to where you want the beads.
B) Make sure the knot is locked inside the pillow.
C) Bring the needle up where you want the first bead.
D) String on the bead.
E) Inset the needle back into the pillow then to the next bead location.
F) Repeat this step until all single beads are attached.
G) Tie a finishing knot near the last bead then, bring the needle back to the side seam and out.

3. Multiple beads that are graduated in size can be attached using the stacked single stitch. Follow the directions for step 2 except string on multiple beads (largest bead first). Go back through all beads except for the last one strung on. Go back into the pillow and to the next location.

4. Larger beads can be couched or surrounded by a circle of seed beads. Sew on a large bead using a single stitch. Bring the needle up near the large bead, string on enough seed beads to surround the large bead. Bring the needle back into the pillow next to the first stitch. Come up on the opposite side of the large bead. Pull tight to close the circle. Bring the needle through one seed bead and back into the fabric to the next location.

5. Attach a border of seed beads around the perimeter to hide the seams. The border is attached using a backstitch. Thread a long length of beading thread or wire onto a beading needle and knot.

6. Go through the pillow at one seam near a tassel. String on six seed beads. Go into the fabric directly at the end of the line of six beads. Direct the needle back toward the line of beads. Come up between beads 3 and 4. Put the needle through the beads 4, 5,and 6. String on six more beads and repeat until you reach the corner.

7. Tie a finishing knot and bring the tail back into the line of beads. Cut excess thread.

8. Repeat for all four sides.

Fleece Scarf

jenni — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:16:28 +0000

It is starting to get colder which means it is time to start thinking about scarves. This is an easy craft that can be done with the kids. It also allows them to choose the fleece they want for their scarf.

Materials Needed:

½ yard fleece fabric
Sewing machine
Thread to match fabric color
Scissors

Instructions:

Cut two pieces of fleece equal in length and width. Length will determine how long your scarf will be.
Lay the two equal pieces with the right sides (the side that has the pattern on it) facing in each other.
Leaving approximately a ¼” seam, sew the full length of the scarf. Repeat on the other side. You will end up with a long tube of fabric with open ends.
Using a pair of scissors, cut the fringe by cutting ½” wide slits about 4” up from each end.
Turn scarf inside out so that the sewn seams are now on the inside, finished edges are on the outside.
Sew a running stitch along the top of the fringe to “close” the ends of the scarf.
Trim any loose threads and you are done!

Tips:

Half a yard of fleece will make one scarf approximately four and a half feet long. If you want a longer scarf, simply get more fabric. Ask for assistance at your favorite fabric supply store.
Use good scissors. Cheap or old scissors that have dull blades will make this project much more difficult than it needs to be and can cause problems with cutting straight lines.
This is a fun and inexpensive project. Ask store staff where to find the fleece that is on sale. Our scarves cost $3 to $4 each to make.

Molly Chicken love bird

michelle — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:01:39 +0000

Image from Molly Chicken

The wonderful and generous Lyn at Molly Chicken has done it again, presenting us with another super cute, simple tutorial for one of her adorable softies. Head on over there to see how it’s done and you can have your own pair of love birds stitched up in time for Valentine’s Day.

Everything in its place

sara — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:52:43 +0000

Here in the US its “Back-to-school” time and as I have for the last 2 years I made new school bags for the girls. This year they both wanted messenger style bags, like my own school bag, so I used the recipe for that one – sized down just a bit – and I thought I’d share it with you.

If you can sew a fairly straight line you can get this one done

You will need:

1.5 yards of the print of your choice ( in the past I have used thrifted polyester and felted wool, for these incarnations I used cotton quilting calico) If you choose to use a lightweight fabric here you may wish to reinforce it with some fusible interfacing, I did.

1.5 yards of a heavy cotton canvas

2 D rings

scissors, pins, tailors chalk(my tailor’s name is Crayola), a complimentary thread color, and your sewing machine

You will need to cut the following pieces from both fabrics,(measurements are in inches):

2 pieces 17×15 – front and back panel

1 piece 15×13 – large inside pocket

1 piece 17×12 – front flap

1 piece 4×50 – sides and bottom strip

1 piece 4×12 – D ring strap

1 piece 4×40 – adjustable strap

All Seam allowances are 1/2 inch.

Ready? Awesome! Lets go.

Sew together the pocket pieces, one in each fabric, right sides together , along 3 sides(2 sides and the top). Now trim the corners, this way when you turn the piece right side out you’ll get great, crisp corner edges. Turn inside out and give it a quick run over with your iron or steamer. Fold under that bottom edge, by 1/2 inch, and pin the whole piece into place, centered, on the back panel of your lining fabric. Sew it into place along the sides an bottom only. You now have a beautifully lined pocket

Moving along, you’ll want to shape the front and back panels a bit by rounding off the corners, this makes sewing on the side/bottom strip a bit easier. I use a pint glass for a perfect curve, trace it with chalk, then cut.

You’re going to make 2 bags and nestle one inside the other before finishing.

Now pin the side/bottom strip to one of your front/back panels, sew in place and repeat with the other panel. Repeat with the same three pieces in the other fabric. Keep the bag made of your liner fabric inside out, Turn the bag made of your chosen print right side out and slip the liner bag inside. Wiggle and stretch a bit until you get the seams lined up – see?

When you sew the front flap pieces together you repeat the process of the pocket (don’t forget to trim those corners before turning) right up to running under it the iron – you can leave the 4th side of the flap open, I’ll get to that in a minute.

Strap time. Sew both straps along the two long sides and one short end, leaving one short end open so you can turn them inside out, remember to trim those corners and give them a quick turn under the iron.

Slide your D rings over the closed end of the short strap and fold it back about 3 inches, pin it to stay and sew it into place.

Final assembly time. You’ll want to make sure that you have even edges on your inner and outer bags, trim if you need to, and fold the edges in by 1/2 inch. Be careful to fold both fabrics towards each other, you are going to pin the front flap and the two straps between the two bags and as you sew the edges together you will sew these three pieces in place – we don’t want any raw edges showing.

SO, go ahead and pin your straps in place – make sure 1/2 inch of the strap is down between the bags – line them up with the strip that makes up the sides/bottom of your bags and pin in pace from the outside.

Slide your flap between the bag layers the same way and pin in place, being sure to pin from the outside. Now run a few pins along the front edge of you bag and sew it all together – This is the only place where you do not have a 1/2 inch seam allowance, you want to get within a 1/4 inch of the edge on this seam or closer if you’re comfortable sewing that close.

Trim your threads, adjust your strap and you’re on your way. This is a super simple bag recipe and you could add all sorts of extras: extra pockets, internal dividers, cell/mobile cozies, the possibilities are endless.

Toots