Christmas baubles

I have put the tutorial for these baubles here.

Woven basket tutorial

(or, "The reason we didn't eat lunch until half past two this afternoon")

I'll just caveat this by saying that I have made a couple of mistakes, but you can learn from them so my pictures might not match what I'm saying. That's because I'm human, not a machine and sometimes I get it wrong (and then I swear a lot).
I've labelled this as a fat quarter tutorial even though, strictly speaking, it takes 3/4 yard of fabric to make. But you can make it with two nice FQs - or even some scraps.

You will need:
Fabric 1- 2 pieces of 10"x16"
Fabric 2- as above
Lining - 2 pieces of 10.5"x16"
Iron on interfacing (light to medium) - 4 pieces of 10"x16"
Very heavy iron on interfacing - 2 pieces, but do not cut until the weaving is done.
Fabric 1,2 or lining fabric (your preference) - 1 piece 7"x15"
Very heavy iron on interfacing - 1 piece 3.5"x12.5"
A piece of bag bottom or card (I forgot to put mine in, durrr!)


Prepare fabric:

You can make this with strips if you have them (eg a jelly roll) or even ribbon strips. These instructions assume you are using yardage.
Iron on the medium interfacing to the wrong sides of all fabric 1 and 2 pieces. This keeps the fabric straight for the next steps.

Cut fabric 1 horizontally, into 2" strips (you'll have 5 strips for each piece)
Cut fabric 2 vertically, into 2" strips (you'll have 8 strips for each piece)

Either zig zag stitch the long edges using a very small stitch, or run a single line of stitching 5mm from the edges and then fray. I used the small rolled hem function on my overlocker.

For 4 pieces of each fabric you will only need to do one side. If your fabric has a right/left top/bottom make sure you do two of each.

To weave:

Lay your horizontal strips on a desk, with the unfinished edges top and bottom.

Lay your vertical pieces on top, with unfinished edges left and right.
Starting at the bottom, pin strips together, alternating between the fabrics.
* What I should have done on mine, was make sure that the edges were different so that when stitched together they would still alternate. So, your left bottom of piece one should be the opposite to right bottom of piece 2)
Continue on the next row, alternating each row. Use a pin at each end, until you get to the top. Pin along the top. (I did take a picture, but it didn't come out for some reason) You will end up with a checkerboard effect.

Make sure that you butt each piece close to its neighbour, otherwise your interfacing will show and it will look rubbish. You can see here how my ironing board was showing through a crack. Fiddle with the pieces until they all match up.

PRESS with a hot iron. Don't "smooth" the iron across, just press down firmly for a couple of seconds, lift the iron and repeat on the next section.

Carefully sew around the edges using a basting stitch (I also used my walking foot to minimise movement)

When your pieces are basted, trim the excess (depending on how you finished your edges, your pieces will be slightly smaller than 2" and so there will be some overhang). Cut out the very heavy interfacing to fit.

To make it up:

Iron the interfacing to the fabric pieces. Take your time and use a pressing motion. Make sure it is all stuck down well.

Put the pieces right sides together and make sure they fit together, trim if necessary.

Sew the two fabric/interfaced pieces together along the sides and bottom.

This is a winged needle. I used this to get through all the layers (because that interfacing is thick). You will need to use a needle for heavy duty sewing. I noticed my machine was missing stitches and the thread kept snapping. I changed to some better quality Gutterman thread for the top stitching and I had no more problems - so try to use the best quality thread you have.

Cut a 3.5" square from the bottom 2 corners. Open up the trimmed corners and squash down so that the side seams match up.

Carefully sew along the corner seams. I did two lots of stitching for a good seam.

Turn the basket the right side out, and press well to get a firm and square shape.

Make the handle:

Fold the fabric in half, press, then each half into the middle crease and press again. Iron the heavy interfacing into the middle between the creases.

Fold the 2 edges back over, fold in half, press with the iron and stitch both edges.

To attach, fold the ends of the handle (without interfacing) over the top of the basket, and then back onto the front of the basket, then stitch. (The handle will be stitched front and back of the basket)

Fold the handle UNDER the basket, and repeat on the other side.

The bit I forgot:

Measure your bottom piece and cut a bag bottom to size. Cut this in half legthways and glue each piece in the bottom, either side of the centre seam.

Sew the lining:

As for the outer shell, but only sew a few inches on the bottom edge. Leave a big gape in the middle (most of the length of the bottom, because you need a lot of room to push the basket through).

Put the basket into the lining, right sides together.

It will be very fiddly - sew the top edges together. Because the handle is tight, do one side at a time. Put your hand through the lining gap to move the handle to the opposite side to the one you are stitching, so that any distortion is on that side, and your stitching side is smooth.

Pull the bag through the hole and stitch the bottom closed.

Because your lining is slightly bigger than your basket, it will show proud over the top. This is on purpose, so you don't have to deal with trying to press the blazes out of that heavily lined top seam.

Press all the sides and corners to get a neat finish.

And here is your basket!

*(see what I mean about those side pieces? Yours will be better because you'll have made sure that your edges alternated the right way)

I'm certainly going to make some of these in Christmas fabrics to fill with pine cones. I would also love to have a go at a ribbon version.

How to repurpose an old towel

Another one that's not too exciting ... but a useful thing anyway! As someone with long hair I can confirm that it's mightily annoying to have your towel spontaneously unwrap and drop dripping hair everywhere.
We all have those towels that have seen better days, lost their "fluffiness" and are, frankly, only good for wiping dogs' feet.

This is quite a good way to use an old towel. Or you could use a nice new one, if you wanted to give it as a gift.

Start by marking out the towel. Fold in half, and for ease we are going to use the existing finished edge (of course, you could use some bias binding if you wanted).

Measure - on the folded side - 23cm up and mark with chalk. Then measure 8cm in from that mark. Then measure 8cm down from the same mark (ie 15cm up from edge).

These marks mean that we can make a curved mark on the folded side. I hope that makes sense.

Then free-hand draw a curve from your inner mark to the outer edge of your towel (it should be about 60cms long).

You can see on the left-hand side of this picture that I have made marks at 23cms from the finished edge, then 8cms down from that and 8cms in, and connected them in a curve.

Cut out the shape, and in the corner pin about 10cms of folded elastic .

Use your new overlocker *smile* or a zig-zag stitch around the curved edge.

Stitch over the elastic bit a few times and trim into a neat edge.

Turn the right side out, and sew a button in the middle at the front.

To wear, simply put the turban over your head, twist hair in the long side, pull up over the top of your head and fasten the elastic over the button.

How to fold a fitted sheet

Last year, by strange co-incidence, my two sisters and I all found ourselves visiting my parents in the same weekend. After much wine had been consumed (and Dad had vacated to his room), I showed my mum and sisters some of my "party pieces". Namely, my ability to fold a T-shirt in under 4 seconds, and knickers and fitted sheets into small squares.

Two of them were really impressed. The eldest sister was rather alarmed that I put so much thought and effort into folding. Anyway, each time I do my laundry I think "I should blog this" so I am.

Obviously, I realise that there are far more important things in life and this is another one of those "things you never knew you needed to know". But someone might just enjoy having tidy cupboards as much as I . So...

Step One:
Gather all the elasticated corners over one fist. Get them all facing the same way and evenly placed. I should point out here that this method works best with ironed sheets but frankly I didn't want you all to think I was the kind of woman who irons her sheets when there's wine to be drunk and fun things to make.

Step Two:

Lay the sheet (which is now folded roughly up into 4) on a bed, floor or table. Put your corner ruched bit in the top right. Spend a minute smoothing out the edges, and making sure that the sides are matched together.

Step Three: Outside view

Inside the corner should look like this.

Fold the right edge in until it makes a right angle with the stitched bit of the gathered corner. Fold the corner in on itself, and do the same with the top section. You should now have two sides folded inwards with the gathered corner piece now in a neat right angle.

Step Four:

Now the sheet is square(ish), you can fold in half, and half again, making a neat rectangle to be stored. If you have ironed your sheet like I always do (a-hem!), it will be crisp and lovely next time you put it on your bed.

Hurrah for being a perfect housewife!

First Impressions

Well, here she is! She arrived yesterday but I was on my way out so this is the first chance I've had to have a play.

I had never used one of these things before so I was glad that it came with a DVD. I loaded it up on my laptop and followed all the examples.

The differential feed means that you can tackle a range of fabrics and achieve a good finish. I have always struggled with stretch fabrics, and the Janome (she doesn't have a name yet) seems to be just the job.
I made lots of samples and noted the settings on them for comparison.

I'm looking forward to using this rolled hem to finish off garmets.

And by adjusting the tension it is easy to create a ruffle.

After playing with 3 and 4 threads, I rethreaded the machine with coloured thread (corresponding to the threading guides) to get a better idea of what each thread does.

Although I tied these on the existing threads, I get myself in a muddle changing from 3 to 4 needles so I did actually get a bit of practice threading from scratch. This Janome has an easy feed mechanism which is ... erm ... easy to feed.

By using different threads, I could play with the tensions and understand how each one affected the finish.
And achieved some nice decorative finishes.

And this is the proper rolled hem.

Tomorrow, I plan to make some more lounge pants using just a 4 thread overlock stitch on the seams. I'll post the results.

Marmadaisy cookies

This is the first cookie recipe I have actually made up myself, and I'm quite pleased with them. These are not refined cookies, they are chunky, clumpy and full of bits but they are sooo yummy, and take hardly any time to make.

You will need:

4oz butter
5oz soft brown sugar
6oz plain flour
large tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
1 egg
6oz peanut M&Ms (or bits of chocolate, or minstrels, or whatever)

To make them:

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
Mix the egg and vanilla and add slowly.
Sift the dry ingredients and add, mixing slowly, a bit at a time.
Stir in the M&Ms

Put baking paper on a couple of trays and drop dessert spoon lumps onto the paper - leave room for them to spread out.

Bake in a moderately hot oven (I have an Aga, so I can't give exact temps but I would say use about Gas mark 4/5) for 12 or so minutes.

Leave to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Fat Quarter Friday - "Doggy loggy bags" bag

Hurray! The Fat Quarter Fridays are back! (Admittedly, this one is a little tardy but is is still Friday)

This week's FQF tutorial is another things you didn't know you needed to make yourself. Has anyone else noticed how many crafty bloggers are also animal owners? Most of us, I think. Anyway, when you take 4 dogs to the beach as we did this week (leaving the camera in the car and therefore having NO pictures of the puppy's first paddle. durrrr!) you need a few "loggy bags". For the uninitiated, that means plastic bags to put your dog's poo in.

When you own a dog, every coat pocket, handbag, glove compartment and picnic basket has a stash of bags - until you have a clear out, and then discover that you don't have any in the particular coat you are wearing at the time your dog does a big poo in the middle of the street, and it can be a bit of a pain. So, here is the Marmadaisy "doggy loggy bag" bag. It is based loosely on my carrier bag holders. Please don't copy this design to sell or reproduce, although of course you are more than welcome to make them to use or give away.

(can you tell from this picture that we also use these particular kinds of bags to put treats in when we go for walks?)

You will need:

A strip of fabric 32x26cm

18cm elastic

10cm 1 inch ribbon

A 1 inch thumb clip

To put it together:

Fold the fabric in half, and sew the side seam. Use a zig-zag stitch or overlocker to neaten the raw edges.

Fold over the bottom edge 1cm, press. Then fold over 2cm, press, and sew a channel close to the folded edge - leave a small gap at one end to thread your elastic through.

Secure one end of the elastic to a safety pin, and thread through the channel, knotting the two ends together. Use the tip of some scissors to poke the knot through the hole you left.

Turn inside out. Thread the ribbon through a thump clip, and drop inside the pocket (so it will be on the outside when turned right side out). Pin in the centre and then sew the top seam. Then match the side seams to the top seam, and sew a line 2cm in from the point, to make a flat corner.

Zig zag or overlock the edge again. Then turn the right way around.

You now have a clip at the top, and a gathered elasticated bottom to shove bags in, and quickly pull them out when needed. This is great because usually this is done one-handed (as you have the dog's lead in the other hand).

When not in use it can be stored with your dog's lead, so you never forget!