Block of the Month July 2015 - Bear Paw Block

July already - not a great summer here in England. We had a week and I am perfectly content with that. We are having lovely vampire weather with no sun much at all and I am as happy as a clam.

My ta dah! moment of the week is one which you will very much enjoy this time I think. My lovely Pretty Patches editor has asked me to write a web tutorial series on sewing basics and quilt techniques and it is free for you to enjoy. Pretty Patches is one of my beautiful English magazines and I will have a column in there beginning soon (I will let you know when).

But at the moment, it is all about the tutes. You can find them here and I urge you to check them out if you are starting out in sewing and quilting. There will be more to follow at some point too.

I thought that we might get a little bit more involved this month and make a block with a few components, triangles and squares. But fear not! The triangles are all half square ones and they are not too difficult at all.

I am very into text prints at the moment and I have used some low volume prints and slightly upsized the block so that you can see what is going on. This makes it easier to make and looks a little more modern too. Anyway, here it is...

It was actually a lot of fun to make and the more subtle tones are a bit of a change from my usual brightness - just to prove that I am versatile!

Start with three fat eighths or similar. I love the pretty softness of these but you could equally go for brights or red and white.

My block is 26.5cm x 26.5 cm.

Begin with a 10cm square for the top right corner (fabric #1: text print). From fabric #2 (pink ditsy floral), cut an 18cm square. These two pieces do not require further cutting.

To make the 'claws' cut two more squares  10.5cm x 10.5cm each. two from fabric #1 and two from fabric #3 (blue soft floral).

Take a square...

cut it in half diagonally. Take a second square of the other colour and cut it in half diagonally too...

Now join the two pieces...

One claw made. Using the main photo as a clue for the alignment, repeat this for all of the other pieces so that you have four claw segments plus the two original squares.

By the way, pay attention to the direction of text prints and one way only designs. Make sure that they are all facing the right way. It is worth it for your finished make.

Now, working on the right hand column, join two of your claw bits one on top of the other...

Attach this to the right hand side of the large square like this...

Now make the top section which is two more claw pieces plus the corner square that you cut first...

Join them to the top of the block

And that's all there is to it! This looks pretty with a plain square every second block and it looks fabulous made into a scrappy quilt.

As I said, it is a larger version so you could size it down a little but be aware that it will become progressively fiddlier as you do this.

Enjoy and thank you so much for stopping by!

Happy sewing

Love and hugs

Debbie xxx

All things bright and beautiful

We are enjoying a lovely summer here in the UK and the sun makes all colours pop beautifully. I have taken a break this week from sewing and put together a little set using glass beads instead. Here it is...

This is easy to make and it is a wonderful way to use up single beads. I love buying job lots of beads with mystery mixtures in them and then seeing what I have. The trouble is that it is rare to get more than one or two of each.
The good news is that matchy-matchy is not so stylish. The trick is to avoid a pattern like the plague. Enter our mixed bag of beads.

So, what do we need this time?
You will need some very basic tools - chain nose (pointy) pliers and some flat ones. You will need some wire cutters too. They are not too expensive if you haven't got them and they look like this....

1- chain nose 2-flat 3-wire cutters

-a large silver lobster clasp
-4mm silver spacer beads
- tiger tail wire
- 2.5mm silver crimps
-a couple of small split rings
-BEADS! Colourful and varied but stick to a couple of colours so that the look is not lost.


I am going to make a bracelet to show you the technique but rest assured, it is the same as the necklace exactly. Just use more of everything to make the necklace! Okay, here we go....

Measure your wrist and then add about 8cm more. My wrist is 17cm and to add 8cm makes the measurement of the tiger tail wire 25cm. This will give long ends for security and I poke these back through the holes in the beads. Cut the wire and thread a crimp bead on and thread through the lobster clasp...

Now poke the wire back through the crimp bead....

Slide the crimp bead up to the base of the clasp and give it a squeeze with the pliers to flatten it....

We are using tiny crimp beads so that you don't need special crimping pliers. These tiny beads can be flattened with the flat pliers. Double duty saves a bit of money.

Fun bit next! Thread on your chosen beads, keeping an eye on your wrist measurement. Too small and it will not fit comfortably and too large and it will dangle onto your hand and that can become very annoying.

As you thread the beads on, pay attention to the wire end...this would be wrong...

Poke that end into the beads (it will fit) so that your bracelet looks like this...

Neater? You will notice that the beads are alternated with a silver spacer. this helps with flexibility and endurance (don't really want glass grinding on glass as you move). Aim to begin and end with a spacer too because it looks better.

When you have finished and the bracelet fits your wrist, do the same thing with the crimp bead but this time use a split ring. 

So finish with a silver spacer, thread a crimp bead on, thread the wire through the split ring and then back through the crimp and the wire end goes into the beads. Flatten the crimp bead.

By the way, normally, you would use a jump ring and not a split ring. I prefer the split ring for added security. The choice is yours though. If you are a professional beader, you will know what to use. For newbies, this gives a nice secure and quick to make set with a minimum of tools.

That's it! You have achieved a bracelet!

Very pretty - like something made of sweets. Thank you all so much for stopping by.  I am going to mix things up a little and put the earring mini tute onto my Facebook page and you can find that by clicking here.

Have fun and happy crafting!

Love and hugs

Debbie xxx

Block of the month - June 2015 Scrappy #1

Sew for long enough and you will have scraps of all sizes and shapes. My regular readers will know that I love to use scraps and be a bit frugal with these sometimes quite pricey fabrics so it will come as no surprise at all to find that you can make a whole quilt without cutting into a fresh length of fabric every time.

To be fair, I should qualify that last bit; although you can make the whole quilt with this block, sometimes it looks better to have some sashes in between (usually white) to break up and emphasise the colours. So some plain white or a white-on-white is worth the investment. But if I can scramble back onto my soap box for the last bit....you can make most of the quilt using things that you have already. 

Obviously, there are as many scrap blocks as there are stars in the sky, well almost, so I am going to classify mine with a simple number system. This month is #1! There. Why make it difficult!

Anyway, before I am totally consumed by the OCD monster, here is the offering for June........

This is a real cutie and all you need to do is to find the scraps that firstly can be cut into 5 squares measuring 8.5cm x 8.5cm. Sew them into a strip like this... 

Next comes a strip measuring 10cm wide x 37cm long. Attach it to the left of the squares like this.....

Next some more patches but to keep the scrappy look, make them different sizes. There are two at 13cm x 13cm in the middle and one on the top at 13cm x 9cm. The one on the bottom is 13cm x 7cm. Attach this one to the left of the strip...

What we need now is a 6cm strip. For a hint on the length, see the note below. Sew the strip to the left of the patches.

Finally, another strip completes the picture. This one is 5cm wide and you trim it in the same way...

This block is designed to be square and you can trim it to 36cm x 36cm when you are finished if there has been some creeping of the edges. That way it can be put into a project all the same way or turned every second square to give even more variation. Makes a cute cushion too.

By the way, do you know a trick with sashes and strips? Ignore the length. No really, all you do is to measure the width - for example 11cm wide and then you cut them long enough to do the job. Then sew the sash in place.

Now trim the excess. Obviously you could argue that this is potentially wasteful but it isn't really. Most times you have very little waste and...guess what....the waste goes into the scrap bag for new projects! 
The great thing is that you don't have to worry about fabric creep (and it ALWAYS does) and you don't have to worry about seam allowances which no-one measures EVERY time. They might say they do but.....

Both of these things can make a difference to your strips if you have cut already and they turn out to be too short.

So, very happy scrapping and see what you can make for practically nothing! 

Love and hugs

Debbie xxx

How to transform a cushion

Would anyone think that I was exaggerating if I said that this cushion must be one of the ugliest in the world?

To be fair, it isn't new and it isn't a nice colour - really insipid lemon jaundice but not in a nice first-blossom-of-spring way. In a word it is blech!
So why not throw it away I hear you shouting. Well a couple of reasons spring to mind. 
It is not actually ready for that yet and it flies in the face of crafting at its essence to toss something just because it wouldn't win a beauty contest. Another reason is that it is my Mum's favourite chair cushion. 
So let me show you what can happen to something which isn't so nice when we add pretty fabric.....ta dah........

Hardly the same ugly duckling now! Everyone has a little something in the home that could do with a makeover and it makes us feel very virtuous when we do something like this. So, what do we need?

3 co-ordinating  fat quarters of pretty fabric
1 fat quarter of thin wadding
1 fat quarter of fabric for the back
your cushion insert. Mine measures 40cm square which is pretty standard.

your usual sewing needs

This is a machine quilted make but you don't need a walking foot because we will only be using two layers of fabric.

Start with the half square triangles (HSTs). You will need to take the first two fabrics and cut 32 HSTs. To make a half square triangle, cut a square. In this case, the square measures 8.5cm x 8.5cm. 

Now cut it in half diagonally....

That's all there is to it. Seriously. To achieve a pattern, you will need a second triangle (different fabric) and you join it to the first like this....

The pattern on this project is called a chevron pattern and it is made up from the two sorts of HST.  To make the chevron pattern, they will be sewn together like this....

Sew them up to make a block. Mine measures 24.5cm x 24.5cm which will allow a little for the sashes on the side. To construct your block begin by sewing the HSTs together to form a square and ironing them flat

Then sew two of the squares together, keeping an eye on the pattern.

Now sew two of these rectangles together to form the row.

Then sew two rows together...

Finally, sew the four rows up so that you have the block. Iron it and you should have something which looks like this....

Getting pretty but not big enough for the cushion yet so let's add some red sashes. Cut the sashes 6cm wide and don't measure the length. This will be trimmed off. Just make sure that your 6cm wide strips are long enough to do the job.
Sew two sashes top two opposite sides...

And then on the top and bottom. Now cut four more 6cm wide sashes but this time use the floral fabric that you used in the middle. Once again, don't worry about the length. Trim the excess.

Iron the cushion top now and lay it onto the wadding. pin so that it cannot move. The wadding is slightly larger than the panel but it has to be because fabric moves as you work. Again, trim the excess afterwards.
Quilt by top stitching next to each seam (about 1/2 cm away from the seam)

This will really make the layers behave! When you are done, the quilting looks like this...

It stabilises everything beautifully. Trim the excess wadding away now and place the completed top right sides together onto an untrimmed piece of backing fabric. Sew all the way around the outside leaving a gap for turning out and putting the cushion insert in. 
Slip stitch the opening closed once you have done this. And finally - she says with a flourish- here it is again...

A new lease of life and ready for the summer! It is now the sort of cushion that can accompany you into the garden with a good book or on a car journey or anywhere else that you might need a cushion!

Thank you so much for stopping by. Now go and have a rummage. Everyone has a cushion which could do with a makeover!

Love and hugs

Debbie xxx

Use those scraps- make applique patches for EVERYTHING!

Want more stash busting ideas? Well read on! This make is about making embellishments for your work and it uses tiny amounts of bits and pieces that you usually have left over from larger projects, you know, that odd button or the last few flower embellishments on a metre.

Continuing the theme of bright and happy and diving once more into the bottomless scrap basket, I have had a new idea which I think that you just might like - applique patches! 
This little make uses bits of fabric, felt, buttons and ribbon and other cute embellishments. You can then use the patches on all sorts of things. They make great finishing touches for everything from bags to pot plants and you can use them on clothing too. Have a look at some applications...

I made a quick crochet cover for an ugly and cheap plastic pot and hot glued a patch to the front. Mixed media is fun and very on-trend!

Here a patch is adorning a bag (you can find the bag pattern in the shop if you love this one). You can see from these two that these patches are versatile and can have different 'moods'. So how do we make them?

You will need to go hunting for a few things:
scraps of fabrics
scraps of felt
fabric glue
buttons
ribbon and braid
pinking shears
water soluble maker
thread and free motion embroidery needs for your machine (this varies a bit so I won't go into detail. Check your sewing machine book)
Handy to have:
a Sizzix big shot and some dies. This makes the job easier but it isn't essential
Hot glue gun

You also need a few images. I tend to stick to the same ones in various combinations. Flowers, hearts and birds are all good. The deer is another one - anything which makes you feel happy and suits the project will work.
Consider making these a few at  time and storing them in a box for when you need something special.

Okay, let's get started. I am going to do four at a time to show you how versatile and easy this is. We will make two hearts, a circle and an oval to begin. You need four pieces of felt and your pinking shears first. 
Here are four basic shapes.... 

Print them off in a couple of sizes and make templates from card. Then all you have to do is trace around the shapes onto the felt with the water soluble maker and then cut out with your pinking shears. Here is what we have now...

Notice how bright the colours are? These are more summery, you can use different colours for different times of the year; think red and grey at Christmas, pastels for Spring. I think that you get the idea!
Next, find some fabric to go with the felt colours and then cut that out with normal straight scissors so that it is about 1cm smaller. Glue the fabric shape to the felt. Here is where we are now...

You can add another layer to some....

And then it is time to embellish! Anything goes here so enjoy yourself. I like heart motifs and flowers but as I mentioned before, birds are good too and anything else that takes your fancy.

By the way, one of the best places to find applique maotifs are children's colouring books. they are already line drawings and you can change the size easily.

Here are some of my ideas based on bits and pieces. There are still some layers to go on some - as you can see, these look simple but there are lots of steps for you to get your teeth into.

The next thing to do now is to set your sewing machine up for free motion embroidery. Check your manual for specific details.

We are going to use black thread too. This will keep the colours from becoming gaudy. Go around the motifs to anchor them on now with the black thread. Go around some of the larger parts of your design twice. Then it is time to give each one an individual personality.

Number one is the oval. I have left this one quite plain with the four hearts...

I thought that the fabric was busy enough without adding to it!

Number two is the large round one....

It now has a flower shape cut off a long row of them - you can buy these by the metre wherever your buy ribbon and lace but mine come from here. An orange button finished it off.
Number three is a heart with flowers...

Some leaves and a couple of buttons worked wonders. 

Finally, the smaller heart is a variation on the third....

This time a small bow and some more of those flowers that you cut off the row worked well with some yellow buttons. 

I love these and they are so handy. Make them in bulk when you have time and keep them in a box. I use them for brooches (just add a brooch bar to the back). They are super bag charms and they look great on crochet pot covers, cushions, key rings and just about anywhere else.

Here are some more ideas....

I originally designed these motifs to zing up my crocheted pot covers but they really can go anywhere.

Thank you so much for visiting! I have enjoyed your company and I hope that this tutorial is inspiring. Go check that scrap basket!

Love and hugs

Debbie xxx