By Stephie, on Tuesday 7th September, 2010 at 00:40 am
 New bag! I’ve always loved Suffolk puffs (or yo-yos as some people call them), they’re so cute and I couldn’t resist making one to decorate a bag I made recently. It’s really easy to do and you can use them to decorate anything from cushions and quilts to hats and lapels. You can make them plain or with buttons or beads in the centre, but when I made my stripey bag I decided I wanted to make a puff with a contrasting centre. The black linen I used matched the binding on the bag closure.
As I was rather pleased with my efforts (for once!) I thought I’d share how I made it so that you can have a go too  – get puffing!
How to make a Suffolk puff (yo-yo) with a contrasting centre.
You will need two pieces of contrasting fabric, 1 piece of Bondaweb (often used for applique), pencil and a pair of compasses, needle and thread.
1. Cut out a circle from your main fabric roughly twice the size of your finished puff, then fold it into quarters and iron it so that you can easily see the centre of the circle. (I cut mine to 12cm.)
 1. The ironed main circle 2. Draw a circle onto the Bondaweb the size of your finished puff. (Mine was 5.5cm.) Iron the circle onto the wrong side of your contrast fabric according to the Bondaweb instructions.
 2. Bondaweb ironed onto the black linen 3. Trim off the excess fabric and remove the paper backing. You’ll now have a circle with a glue surface.
 3. You can clearly see the glue here. 4. Place the glue surface onto the centre of the wrong side of your main fabric circle and iron into place according to the Bondaweb instructions.
 4. Black linen circle ironed onto the striped main circle 5. Turning a hem towards the small circle as you work, stitch it down with tiny running stitches. If you use large stitches it will pull the puff right together at the centre and you won’t see your contrast fabric.
 5. Making small running stitches to make a hem 6. Draw up the thread to gather the puff and fasten off.
 6. Drawing up the thread 7. Stitch the puff into place with small hem stitches.
 7. Stitching the finished puff into place 8. Smile and enjoy your work!
 Perfectly puffed!
By Stephie, on Monday 19th October, 2009 at 00:42 am
Things have been getting a little bit hearty round here of late, so I thought I’d share how I go about designing my own heart shapes. I love the process of drawing, and for me this bit is as much fun as the sewing!
 Want to make an applique heart like this? Then read on! (This one is 'needle-turned', by the way.) Ok, so the heart you see above isn’t 100% perfect, but the template was! And the good thing about this heart is that it fits perfectly in the patch it was designed for. Maybe I need to refine my applique sewing skills, but I’m so confident in my heart drawing skills that I want to show you how to do it!
You can probably draw a heart on your computer, you might even be able to find one in the back of a book that will just about suit your needs, with a bit of jiggery pokery. But, it’s so simple to design your own and get the exact size that you want, that I don’t know why you’d do it any other way!
You will need:
- Sheet of squared paper
- pencil
- flexible curve (available from haberdasheries – often in the dressmaking section)
- sheet of thin card
 Step 1. 1. On your squared paper, draw a rectangle or square the same size as your finished patch will be (in this case 12cm x 10cm). Divide the rectangle in halves as shown above and then from corner to corner.
 Steps and 3. 2. Draw a second rectangle inside the first, where you’d like the template to ‘sit’. In this case I decided I wanted the outer edges of the heart to be about 1cm away from the outside edges of the patch.
3. Sketch a free-hand heart within one half of the inner rectangle. If you study the sketch above you’ll see that the centre part of the heart in the top right quarter is roughly parallel to the diagonal line that crosses it. In the bottom right quarter you’ll notice that the right edge of the heart virtually creates a diagonal line across this quarter. Once you’re happy with your sketch move on to step 4.
 4. 4. This step is about evening up your heart shape. Use your flexible curve to follow the free-hand sketch that you drew and then draw around it – you could use a different coloured pencil so that it shows up more.
 Completed step 4.  5. 5. Now fold your template paper along the vertical centre line, and cut along curved line that you drew, so you end up with a template as shown below.
 Completed step 5. This is the finished size of your template, so what we need to do now is cut another template that includes a seam allowance.
6. Draw around your paper template onto thin card and cut it out. Mark it ‘finished size’. Draw around it onto thin card once again.
 6.  7. 7. On this drawing you need to place the inside edge of the flexible curve around the outside edge of the heart. Now draw around it to give you a template with a seam allowance. You could mark this template ‘cutting template’ or something similar. Cut it out and you’re ready to go!
 Competed heart template with seam allowance, ready to cut out. 8. Now all you do is draw round the ‘template with seam allowance’ onto a piece of fabric, then place the ‘finished size’ template inside it and draw around that, like shown below. This gives you a line to clip to and turn under before applique-ing to your rectangular (or square) patch.
 Hearts all ready to applique! I hope this tutorial is useful – and makes sense! Let me know what you think!
By Stephie, on Monday 16th February, 2009 at 15:34 pm
 Using diamonds to make tumbling blocks For a tumbling blocks quilt you need a diamond shape that is essentially made up of two equilateral triangles. Yes, you can go and buy a quilter’s rule and use the 60 degree line to cut diamonds from a strip of fabric. That’s one way. For the English patchwork method though (using paper patterns), you need to be accurate and I like to know how to go right back to basics and design a pattern to the exact size I want. With so many pre-formed templates on the market, it can be so easy to forget the simple geometry that will help you do this. Here’s my method:
You will need:
- a pair of compasses
- a sharp pencil
- sheet of paper
- a rule
Method:
- Decide what width you want your diamond to be and draw a line of that length on your sheet of paper
 Step 1, draw a straight line
- Open your compasses to the same width (4cm in this example). Place your compasses on one end of the line and draw an arc towards where the top of the diamond will be
 Step 2, draw an arc
- Place your compasses (still open at 4cm) on the other end of the line and draw another arc
 Step 3, draw arc from other end of line
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 drawing arcs at the bottom of the diamond
 Step 4, draw arc at base  Step 4a, repeat from other end of line
- Place your rule at one end of the 4cm line and connect it to the point where the two arcs meet at the top of the diamond. Draw a straight line. Repeat from the other end of the line to the same point of the arc, and repeat again at the bottom of the diamond
 Step 5, connect the sides of the lines to the points where the arcs cross
- You now have an accurate diamond, drawn to YOUR dimensions ready to make Tumbling Blocks (and other patchwork quilts using this diamond shape)
 Completed diamond template
- For your reference, in this example the dimensions and angles of the diamond are as follows. Naturally, whatever size you draw the diamond the angles will always remain the same!
 Dimensions and angles
Here’s some other ways of using diamonds to create patchwork designs:
 Triangle desings  Borders  Star motif
By Stephie, on Sunday 18th January, 2009 at 16:50 pm
 Child's beret and wrist-warmers Wrist-warmers are like long fingerless mittens, some patterns have a separate thumb, some simply have the thumb separated from the fingers by a stitch. Being relatively new to knitting I chose the latter to experiment with. However, after having knitted a couple of pairs I got a bit ambitious and decided to customise a pattern I had, adding a row of eyelet holes under the rib to take a decorative cord. It was my first knitting experiment, and here’s what I did. (If you have any tips or methods for doing it better, please let me know!)
You will need:
- Sirdar pattern number 9135
- 1 50g ball of Sirdar Crofter DK
- 1 pair of 3 1/4 mm needles
- 1 pair of 4mm needles
- 2 stitch markers
- Large eyed sewing needle for making up
Instructions:
The following instructions are for adding 12 eyelet holes to sizes 2 (7-9 yrs) and 3 (10-12 yrs) only
- Follow the pattern from the beginning (casting on 50 [50] stitches) until you have knitted 4 [5] cm of rib and using 3/4mm needles
- End the rib with a WS row (pattern states rs row)
- Add the eyelet row: k2, (ssk, yo, k1) until you reach the end of the row*
- Next row is an increase row, given in rib in the pattern booklet, and amended as follows: purl 4 [4] purl2tog, (purl 2, purl2tog) 10 [10] times, purl 4 [4]. 39 [39] stitches
- Change to 4mm needles and proceed as the pattern directs.
 How it looks after making the eyelet row *ssk = slip, slip, knit (slip 2 stitches from the left to right needle knit wise and knit them together by inserting the left needle in front of the right). As I worked along the rib, I slipped all stitches knit wise as if this were the first row of stocking stitch.
yo = yarn over. A simple way of increasing a stitch. On a knit stitch you bring the yarn to the front of the work, insert the right needle into the 1st stitch on the left needle, as if to knit it, then wrap the yarn round the back of the right needle in the usual way to make a knit stitch. As you do this you’ll see the extra stitch being made, as it lies over the top of the needle.
 After the decrease row and a few rows of stocking stitch, the eyelets are easily seen Once finished make up the wrist-warmers as instructed in the pattern. Finally make a simple plaited braid for each one:
- Measure how long you want the braid to be (too long is better than too short!), allowing plenty of length for tying a bow. Cut nine lengths and divide them into three groups of three. Make a simple 3 strand plait using these groups. ‘Fix’ each end of the braid by tying a length of yarn around the loose threads about 2cm up (this creates a tassel effect). Make another braid in the same way.
- Thread the braid through the eyelets making sure that the bow will be on the top.
- To make the tassel, look more tassel-like I wound some more yarn round the loose threads to make a ‘ball’.
 Eyelets on the back, threaded with braid If you’d like to make a ‘proper’ tassel, like the one I made for the beret that matches the wrist-warmers, there are some very good instructions with clear diagrams on Techknitting’s blog.
By Stephie, on Wednesday 24th December, 2008 at 01:15 am
In my previous post you may have read that I plan to be thrifty with my Christmas decorations this year. Well, I’ve been thrifty going on frugal and I thought I’d share some of my efforts with you, in no particular order.
1. If you want the twinkling effect of a string of Christmas lights around your window, but can’t afford the £10 – £15 to replace the ones your ex took custody of, then this is the decoration for you!
 Aaaw, so pretty - and cheap! You will need:
- 1 folding ‘Christmas’ stand, bought for £0.97 in the Homebase sale the week before Christmas (it was down from £6.99 – a thrifty bargain if ever there was one)
- 6 tea lights (buy a bag of 100 from Tesco, which cost just a couple of pounds)
- Box of matches
Instructions:
- The ‘Christmas’ stand comes folded, open out the hinges and place on a suitable level surface, such as a windowsill
- Place your tea-lights in front of the Christmas stand, wait for the daylight to begin to fade and carefully light the candles with matches
- Stay nearby, ready to mop up any escaping wax from the cheap metal holders. If you are feeling particularly extravagant you could put your tea-lights in specially designed glass holders, which will guarantee to keep your surface wax free. Such holders can be bought for around £0.50 in supermakets like oh, say Tesco. (Way out of my budget this year I’m afraid!)
- Replace spent tea-lights as necessary.
- DO NOT LEAVE LIT CANDLES UNATTENDED
*
2. If you like natural decorations why not make some ‘baubles’ like these? They’re very simple to make and virtually cost-free; ideal.
 Homespun quince baubles You will need:
- A selection of quinces raided from a bush in your ex’s garden (if you don’t have an ex, or maybe he/she doesn’t have a garden or a quince bush, try a neighbour or friend. Failing that, go scrumping.
- A piece of festive fabric, preferably red gingham. (You could substitute ribbon of course.)
- Scissors
- Chopping board
- An implement with a sharp point and at least pencil thick diameter, such as a knitting needle
- A tapestry/darning needle with large eye
- Neighbour’s cat to complete the scene – see below (optional)
Instructions:
- Tear your gingham fabric into strips of varying lengths around 2 – 3cms wide (or cut your ribbon to required lengths)
- Make a hole in your quinces that goes through the centre from top to bottom: working on something like a chopping board, hold the quince firmly in one hand on the board and use a knitting needle to make the hole. Quinces are tough fruit so you may need to apply more pressure than you think.
- Thread a length of gingham fabric into your needle. Tie a knot at the bottom; it looks particularly pretty if you tie the knot around 5cm up. Thread on a quince.
- To vary the effect thread on more than one quince. You can add once quince directly on top of another or you could add one quince, then make a knot higher up the fabric strip before threading on another fruit
- Continue until you’ve used up all your quinces
- Tie your baubles to a suitable support. This could be your Christmas tree, but this year I chose to hang mine from the curtain pole above the kitchen window.
- To complete the scene, I placed a number of tea-lights along the top of the sash window, taking care that once lit they wouldn’t burn the baubles… I also enticed Polly the neighbour’s cat (an optional extra) to sit outside for pastoral appeal.
 Polly looks picture perfect! *
3. How to make something a bit cheap and kitsch (aka tacky) look a bit more quirky and fun
 Cute robin redbreast in his nest You will need:
- 1 resin robin bought reduced to half price in a pre-Christmas ‘we’re not selling very much so why not have this rubbish for just £1.50′ sale
- 1 bird’s nest (real, got from a hedge after the fledglings had flown earlier in the year)
Instructions:
- Place ornament in nest and site somewhere where you (and your envious friends) can see it in all it’s festive glory
*
4. Can’t afford a flashy Christmas bouquet this year? Can’t even stretch to the ubiquitous poinsettia? Don’t worry. You can have something totally unique by picking your own greenery.
 Who needs poinsettias? You will need:
- Greenery of your choice. I used sprigs of yew culled from a tree in my ex’s garden, hydrangea heads also from said garden, Christmas tree sprigs from the bottom of the Christmas tree and viburnum from my own garden. I also have a stash of dried teasel from down the lane to replace the hydrangea heads if I need to.
- Vase
- Fabric strips left over from making the quince baubles
- 3 jingle bells bought for £1.25 (pack of eight) in, you guessed it, Tesco
Instructions:
- Put water in your vase and put it in position
- Arrange the cuttings in the vase to your satisfaction
- Tie a few festive bows to some of the sprigs
- Hang the jingle bells from the sprigs of Christmas tree
*
Eh voila. A few Christmas decorations on the cheap. And very, very cheerful.
By Stephie, on Thursday 11th December, 2008 at 02:23 am
 Nice 'n' cosy! Pure wool fabrics offer the best warmth when it comes to wrapping up in winter and as well as warmth they have a wonderful comforting texture, ideal for a scarf. Unless, of course, you have delicate skin that is prone to coming up in a rash on the slightest contact with it’s hairy fibres. I know Kim will be one of these. I can picture him now: he’ll be delighted with the chunky merino wool scarf I knitted him for Christmas and he’ll immediately put it on. Then he’ll loosen it off. Then he’ll start scratching. Then he’ll get into a grump and start stomping about whining “I hate this scarf, it’s so itchy”. Then it’ll be consigned to his bedroom, eventually to find a new home around the neck of his favourite teddy! This is not what I want to happen; I’d like him to put on his scarf on a frosty morning and forget he’s wearing it. I realised that the best way to ensure this would be to line the scarf with something soft, that I know he’ll like the feel of. I decided on a polar fleece fabric. Not only will it make it soft on his skin, it will double the thickness of the scarf so hopefully will double the warmth too!
This is how I added the lining by hand.
You will need:
- 1 knitted scarf (I used ‘Big Wool’ from Rowan in ‘smoky’, shade 07)
- 1 piece of fleece fabric, 1cm larger than the scarf all round (I used a medium weight fleece in a lichen green colour)
- long quilting pins with bead ends
- dressmaking pins
- long sewing needle
- contrasting tacking thread (this is thicker than ordinary sewing thread and breaks easily for easy removal)
- 2 skeins of embroidery wool (I used DMC in a rust colour, ref no 7303)
- 1 evil-looking ‘yarn darner’ needle with large eye and very sharp point!
Instructions:
- Lay the scarf on a table with the wrong side up.
- Take the fleece fabric right side up and turn under a hem (approx 1cm) along the top long edge – there is no need to press it, simply pin it in place with dressmaking pins. Tack the hem in place using tacking thread and large stitches, removing the pins as you work.
 2. Tacking a hem on the fleece
- Take the hem edge of the fleece fabric (still right side up) and place it close to, but not on, the top edge of the scarf (both wrong sides should now be together). Pin the hemmed edge to the scarf using long quilting pins at right angles to the hem. Now tack the fleece to the scarf along this edge. Tip: This double tacking method makes it easier to deal with the thick fabric of the knitting making it less fiddly to work.
 3. Pinning the fleece to the scarf with quilting pins
- Working on the table to ensure the scarf is kept flat, fold and pin a hem on the opposite (bottom) edge of the fleece, so that a small amount of the edge of the scarf will be visible as before. Tack the fleece edge and remove the dressmaking pins. Now use quilting pins to position the fleece edge in place on the scarf. Then tack edge to the scarf as before. Tip: Due to the stretchy, uneven nature of the scarf fabric, I found that doing it this way (rather than measuring the width of the scarf with a tape measure) meant I could ensure the fleece fabric was a more accurate fit.
 4. showing the tacking on both sides of the scarf
- Follow the same process above for the short sides.
- Using embroidery wool, and working from left to right on the fleece side of the fabric, work an evenly spaced blanket stitch (see below) right round the scarf. As the fleece is quite a thick fabric it can be hard work getting the needle through it, so make sure you don’t split the wool of the scarf as you work: check that each time the needle goes through the scarf that it will pass between the knitted stitches and not through the yarn itself. Ensure that the blanket stitches are lying flat as you work and don’t pull them too tightly.
 6. Working blanket stitch from left to right on the fleece side
- Remove all tacking threads.
 Detail of blanket stitch being worked Blanket Stitch
This is a very simple embroidery stitch that is suitable for a beginner to try out. As there are already plenty of good descriptions of how to sew the stitch already online, I don’t give instructions here. However, I recommend the following sites that offer good visual guides: Simplicity and Primrose Design.
*
I’m quite pleased with the results of this project. I love the hand-made quality the scarf has, yet it’s very quick and simple to make; you could finish it over a few evenings in front of a winter fire, or the tv, or both! The knitting had to be easy because I hadn’t done any for years and need some practice. The embroidery is as simple and practical as it is attractive, but I think the success really lies in the colour combinations. The rust coloured blanket stitch on the blue/grey of the scarf lifts it out of the ordinary, which makes it’s eye-catching, but not overpowering. Hopefully it’ll be appealing to even the most discerning of 10 year olds!
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I'm running a 28 mile marathon in memory of Josie this February. Come and find out why.
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