Sewing

Luggage tags

~ guernseyjane ~ 2 Comments

imageEasy peezy lemon squeezy tags that take minutes to make if you keep it simple…

1. fuse a piece of firm interfacing ( I used Pellon fuse-n-shape) between two scraps of material that are just bigger than the interfacing.

My interfacing was 3.5 inches by 4 – a scrap that I wanted to experiment on, my next versions will be a bit bigger if I decide to cut into my carefully hoarded interfacing.

2. Trim the fabric sandwich to a tag shape, rotary cutter works well but my favourite was  using pinking shears

3. Punch a hole and set an eyelet, I used my cropodile and was grateful to make a tiny dent in the eyelet stash (how did that get so big?)

4. Cut a piece of plastic packaging – the firmer the better- to a rectangle bigger than your tag and fold over a small ‘hem’. With a long straight stitch sew the hem down 44B7F43C-280A-4762-ACB5-76146994A8D9.jpeg

5. Position the plastic over the tag with the hem across the ‘shoulders’ of the tag and then sew the other three sides to the tag

6. Trim the plastic, I angled my scissors so I could trim it just smaller than the fabric

7. Insert card or paper with your details on

What a great little project. Inspired by Riley Blake designs.

If you embroidered or monogrammed or vinyled a design onto the fabric first,  these would make fab personalised tags

 

 

‘Use what you have’ lavender bags

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D30CB97B-0C48-4ACC-A8C4-13785FDAB47B.jpegI am determined to use up some of the fabric heap. So lavender bags makes a little (very little) dent …

heart templates hand drawn as half heart on paper before pinning to plain (smaller heart) and patterned  fabric. I cut the smaller heart out with pinking shears and then sketched a design on with a gold sharpie before sewing it on a bigger heart

simple machine sewing of two large hearts right sides together before turning right side out, stuffing with dried lavender then hand stitching an odd button and some offcuts of ribbon on for hanging

CD335CAC-5996-46FB-BB1F-0CE9FB6E37D3.jpegwhen the lavender is finished I plan to make some in Christmas colours scented with cinnamon and cloves, well one day

 

old jeans to…

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What shall I call this type of pouch?

 

There has to be a better name for this type of bag than ‘bum bag’ or ‘fanny pack’. It is the type that you thread on your belt as a hands free pouch. I am going to call it a Harvey pouch as it is big enough for my dog (Harvey) lead, treats, poo bags, my phone and more.

Materials: I cut a rectangle around the back pocket of some old jeans and a matching rectangle from the leg material plus two strips each three inches wide and about four inches long (to make the belt loops)

I then cut two rectangles from lining material (old duvet, I am being so economic) and a small rectangle to make an inside pocket, then I found a zip the same length as the width of my rectangles – although I could have chopped a longer one down or made a shorter one longer by adding tabs.

To assemble: make the belt loops by folding in the short ends of a strip,  then folding it lengthwise in half and finally folding the long edges into the centre before sewing all the way round the edge of your thin layered strip. Repeat for the other strip then position both on the outer one of the denim rectangles.

I want the jeans pocket with its stud and pattern to be on the front of my bag when it is on the belt so sewed my loops on the plain rectangle that I cut from the leg material. I positioned them nearer the top than the bottom and tried to make them equidistant from the edges, bearing in mind the seam allowance I planned

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The loops were tough to sew on the panel, so many layers of denim . Should have used my walking foot.

I then made the pocket for inside by folding under the raw edges of my pocket piece and top stitching the top edge, then seaming the three other sides to one of my lining pieces.  I positioned the pocket it slightly lower down the panel to keep it out of the way of the zip I was planning. I also ran a seam down the centre of the pocket to make two compartments, each big enough for credit cards.

The zip was sewn, sandwiched between the right sides of an outer and lining rectangle on each side and top stitched before opening out the pieces with lining right sides facing on the left, outer right sides facing on the right and I sewed all the way around leaving a turning gap (yes I remembered to open the zip 3/4s of the way first). I boxed the corners of lining and outer to give the pouch a bit of shape before turning, finishing the lining then flipping the lining inside.

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Not beautiful sewing but it is only the lining!

Shower soap pockets

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A neat way to use soaps without getting the shower scummy.

Have you lots of soaps in the house although you use shower gel these days? Here is a quick sew to help use them up…

Cut a strip of towelling (or flannel) that is two inches wider than the soap bars you have to use up and three times longer. I cut my towelling so that one edge was ready hemmed, otherwise sew a rolled hem along one width.

Now fold the towel strip in thirds and then ease the folds out to make an envelope shape just bigger than a soap bar. The hemmed edge should be inside the overlap, ready for sewing

Next cut a length of cord to form a hanging loop. Fold the cord in half with the ends sticking outside one side and pin the loop inside so it doesn’t get caught up in your seam sewing

Sew  both open sides with a quarter inch seam allowance,  then turn the envelope inside out so the hemmed fold is now outside and the hanging  loop is showing and you have a little packet to tuck your soap bar in…

After a few showers when the soap has been dispersed and the towel is nicely soapy you can launder and/or tuck in another soap bar … you might even use up those hotel soaps you keep collecting!

Time for tea

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9EBA9C86-4511-4837-909F-BA86720F0FFAFor Christine’s lime green accented kitchen… lets hope the tea cosy is big enough for her kettle after my quilting and edging

with plenty of fabric left over a first attempt at a mitred, bound pot holder to go with it

 

Should I switch to reusable make up remover pads?

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The trial starts today…

I have followed a tutorial on making reusable remover pads (an envelope of cotton around some wadding or – in my case- towelling) by the crafts channel on YouTube and made myself a starter kit of pads. So easy. But will they wean me off cheap cotton pads?

These are really simple in that you trace a template for the finished pad on to the reverse of a scrap of cotton. I made my own template roughly copying the one suggested.

You then cut a rectangle outside the traced line, leaving a generous allowance. Cut two more rectangles, each just bigger than half of the full one and overlap them as if making an envelope back cushion. Pin the two halves together to the full rectangle right sides facing.

Sew around the shape you marked,  trim away the spare allowance then flip the envelope shape right side out.

Cut some wadding or towelling just smaller than the finished shape and slip it inside the envelope. Top stitch across the envelope opening and around the edge to finish.

The theory is that each pad is equal to four cotton wool ones because of their size and shape.

How many do you need to keep going between laundering? How do they last through washes? Is it worth the effort?

I will let you know…

reel and bobbin holder

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a project on my to do list, finally ticked off thanks to a rainy day

I cadged’ some old golf tees which Edward fixed into an offcut from a floor board. He planed the edges and drilled tee sized recesses in the board before gluing them in place

thanks to yet more rain, he had some time for this project so it isn’t really a jane crafts achievement…

the tees are long enough for cotton and matching bobbin storage leaving my threads tin a bit tidier. Now I can see how many duplicates I have.

Pyramid pouch

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Easy zip sew.

fabric 10” x 5” with matching lining piece and batting or fleece, zip at least 5” long

optional 4×2” fabric folded lengthwise in quarters and top stitched to make loop

method;

1. fix fleece/batting to outer by fusing or quilting

2. Pin zip between one short end of outer ( pretty side of fabric facing top of zip) and lining fabric  and then sew in place using zipper foot. Repeat other short end to form a tube.

3. turn fabric tube with outer side showing and top stitch either side of zip to keep fabric away from the teeth

4. switch to normal foot, turn tube inside out with zipper positioned half way, if using pin loop inside and sew bottom edge of tube closed then trim seam close – also trimming excess zip – then zig zag over seam edge to tidy

5. twist fabric so zip is the side of tube. Pin or clip remaining raw edge and open the zip (or you won’t be able to turn fabric) then straight stitch, trim seam close to stitch- cutting off zip excess again- then zig zag up to, but not across, zip teeth

6. turn right sides out.

Done!

Curved zips and French seams

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A learning project.

following the instructions from a borrowed fat quarter project book this was designed to be a pencil case but will now hold sewing notions as it isn’t quite good enough to give

the zip was hand basted to the curved seams and should have been hem stitched but I cheated and top stitched it with my zipper foot, I then put bag inside the lining and attempted to top stitch again over the same line, no joy but it doesn’t show tooo much

the box bottoms were French seamed which makes sense for this sequence of construction – and for the intended pencil case use and abuse of the lining, but can’t see myself abandoning my simpler form of zip bag making permanently

and the fabric was a page from an upholstery samples book that was scavenged for me, if just cotton might have needed quilting or stabilising

Zipping along

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A bargain bundle of zips has inspired me to go for it and make a set of zip closed bags in different styles. As long as you remember to put pretty side of outer fabric up, top side of zipper facing it down and pretty side of lining facing down to make the zip sandwich lining it works.

The zipper foot has been out a lot and if I were more particular, reckon I could do them more tidily.

I put tabs on the end of some the zips to make the seams less bulky as I advanced, but these simple quilted make up bags with boxed bottoms are my favourites.