Step By Step

This afternoon I worked on my ornament. I'll show you exactly how I do this. I hardly touched a sewing machine until only a couple years ago ~ I'm NO expert. Dinna be askin' me to sew ye a shirt, lassies! This is about all I have really mastered, simple pillows. So far it's all I've needed. My point is this is easy!

After I pulled threads on the design and ironed interfacing on the back (and some on the back of the backing fabric as well) I trimmed the design on the lines. I also trimmed the backing fabric to fit and pinned the two together. Front sides together, please! The interfacing simply gives the pillow a little bit of body or "stiffness" to help keep it's shape. Plus, it helps keep fiberfill from squiggling out and driving OCD people like me crazy.

Now, I sew down each side and across the top. I don't "turn" the corners ~ I sew straight up and take a few stitches backwards then up again to reinforce the corner. Then I do the next seam the same way to create a + at each corner.

Once each side and the top is sewn I trim the threads and nip off the top corners. See the +?

Then I turn it right side out. I use a stuffing tool to gently poke out the top corners. This stuffing tool came with my package of fiberfill. After I have it turned out I fold in the bottom edges where I am going to sew it closed and run the tip of my iron over it to crease it. Careful ~ don't melt any buttons with that iron!

Yay stuffing! This being an ornament, I don't want it too heavy so I'm using fiberfill, just enough to fluff it out all puffy. DO NOT EVER use paper towels or toilet paper for stuffing material! You want fluffy and puffy not lumpy and flattening! I've used cotton balls as puffy backing behind stitching on greeting cards but I think they'd get too lumpy in pillows. Besides, fiberfill is extra cheap and easy to find as well.

Once it's stuffed I sew the seam closed on my fold-over using a ladder stitch. This is an excellent hidden seam stitch every needleworker should be able to do ~ so learn it! Learn it now, and here is a video to help you. Seriously, if I can learn this anyone can. And it's a lot easier if you fold and iron those edges first!



A very nice seam! If you are nervous about working with backing fabric try homespun like this or a gingham print fabric. Those straight lines will help you cut, sew and finish the closing seam neatly! Now my little ornament is ready for some edging.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Very Last Swap

The last of my Ornament Swap exchanges has been received. This one went to Conny of Little Woman's Creative Basket. This signals the very end of this exchange group. I'm very sad. However, we all stitched and received some truly wonderful things the past two years.

Design ~ 1 Partridge from 12 Days of Christmas, OOP

Designer ~ Prairie Schooler

Fabric ~ 28 count tea-dyed Lugana

Fiber ~ DMC 



No! I didn't send Conny my first PS ornament. This was the project that got me itching to stitch them all. The pleasure received stitching & finishing this one was incredible. It was like the very second I finished I knew I had to stitch it again. Mine were started the minute I had a second to kit it up! Stitching this for someone else was one reason I changed colors in mine, you don't want to copycat too close! I hope Conny loves it to pieces like I did!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Ornament Progress

A quick post today. I've made some progress toward ornamentifying this afternoon. Today I sewed on the teeniest buttons. I found these unexpectedly at Hobby Lobby last Saturday and was thrilled to discover they fit this project! This has been languishing in my finished bin wanting buttons. I stitched this last year but did it over one, not thinking it needed buttons and even the smallest I had were way too big. I could have used beads but I really, really wanted buttons. I'm so glad I waited!

After I sewed on the buttons and chose a backing fabric (green & tan gingham) I ironed lightweight interfacing on both pieces. Maybe tomorrow I will have time to sew it together.

For those that have asked, this is Plum Berry Sampler from Bent Creek. Yes, if you open that link you will see mine looks very little like the original. I modified the colors and gave the birdie a top-knot to make this into a Christmas design.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Pulled Thread Cut

Here is how to cut straight and square on linen and plainweave. This won't work for Aida since the threads of that fabric are secured differently. However, Aida is simple to trim because the lines are huge and easy to see. But on plainweave it's much harder to see to cut straight. We've all done it; you open a new package of fabric or the store help wasn't careful and the fabric you get is uneven and wonky. I hate having an inch and a half of wasted fabric because it wasn't cut to square. Yuck! Use this method to even up those crappy out-of-square edges. Here, I am making cut lines to finish a Christmas ornament.

First, measure out from the edge of your stitched design and mark it with a pencil. This is going to be a small ornament so I only measured out one inch. You can also count the threads if you want to be exacting. I often count threads when I'm doing a seam-sewed edge. For example: I'll count out ten threads and pull the eleventh.

Just to be clear, this first thread pull is going to be vertical (going up and down.)

Take a needle and pull up that marked thread enough to slip the sharp tip of a scissors through it and cut the thread.

Now, use the needle to work that cut thread loose. Just slip the cut thread out from under the stable threads. You need enough to grab onto. I use my fingers but sometimes tweezers come in handy too.

Once you can get a good grip start pulling that thread. Hold the fabric with one hand pinching near where the cut thread emerges and pull with the other hand. It takes a good tug! Bunch up the fabric as if you were gathering a hem. Note: some fabrics pull easy and the thread comes out very neatly. Other fabrics the thread likes to break with the slightest tug. Monaco pulls pretty easy but oh my, the sound it makes going through the fabric sets my teeth on edge!

Once you have the thread pulled, you have a nice straight line to make a clean cut! No more wonky edges!

See, now I have all four sides done! There is no chance now of getting things cut too short or uneven. I haven't made the actual cuts yet because I'm not ready to start finishing ~ still more to do first!



There will be quite a few of my readers that already know this kind of information but I know some of my readers are still learning these little tricks that make stitching and finishing look so easy. That's why I'm posting about it. I hope this helps someone learn!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Loop Method Start

How do you start threads? I was taught the standard "leave a tail and tuck" method when I first started stitching. Somewhere along the way I learned the loop method and was truly thrilled with the fast start! I thought I would share it with you. This start is for standard threads only. You wouldn't want to use it when stitching with a variegated thread because it uses only one thread and you'd lose that variegation.

I'm showing you with half my usual thread length just for example. Start with one thread and put the two ends together.

Thread those ends through the needle leaving the "u" end as a loop at the bottom.

Start your stitch (your first half of the X), leaving a tail. Now, I've flipped the fabric over so I'm showing you the backside. Put the needle through the looped end and into the place where you start the next stitch (or the top half of the X) and hold your needle there.

Can you see it better here?

Holding your needle steady, pull the thread so the loop disappears and grips around the needle. Once it is tight, pull the thread on through. We are still on the back side of the fabric here.

Here is the looped end held tight by the first half of the X.

Here is the front side at that point. Yes, my stitches run backwards when compared to most! When I learned to stitch I found it easier to keep count if I started my rows going this direction.

What direction is that again? A "people love to tell you how wrong you are" story.

Years ago, when I first got "online" I read somewhere (probably a message board) about how the loop method was wrong. How you shouldn't use the loop method because then one of your threads would be going the wrong "direction." Wait, what? Direction? What did this mean? I was worried. Embroidery floss has a direction? No one ever told me this before. Fevered Internet searching brought up site after site telling you how to tell which direction with which to stitch from. I worried myself into a tizzy. All these thousands of threads I've stitched with, all going every which way and both. Gasp! All those stitched things I've given to people I loved with stitches that had threads maybe going the wrong direction! Holy Moses, I was mortified!

I studied the instructions. I studied my threads. They said look for the "twist" in the thread. Make sure the thread is started by this, the correct end with the twist going this way. WAIT! I couldn't tell which was correct! OMG I CAN'T TELL ANY DIFFERENCE! The major thread manufacturers websites gave no help. Crap, they actually said NOTHING about which end of the thread to use ~ their own product! What the hell was I going to do? I was certain my beloved hobby was ruined, all because I couldn't see the obvious.

After several anxious weeks I came to my senses. The bare fact is it doesn't really matter. If YOU think you can see the correct end of a strand of embroidery floss then by all means, use that end. If you like the loop method, use it. I promise, no one will EVER be able to tell the difference. I mean, really? Can you see any difference in these three rows of stitches below? Each one was stitched with threads going one way, threads going the other way and threads going both. No tricks here. Tell me true, which one is correct?



Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Tea Staining

I've had so many compliments on the fabrics I've been using lately. Thank you so much! I thought you might like to see how I do it. I know I've told you how before but hearing and seeing are two different things! Now you can see how easy it is. Use this method to get the spotty-dotted, antiqued look such as the fabric my Prairie Schooler Twelve Days of Christmas ornaments are being stitched on.

Notice: I am aware many of you have been told how horrible tea dyeing is for fabric. How the acids in the tea will ruin your projects and simply make life miserable forever after. My opinion is this is pure bunk. If tea was so bad people the world over would be going about in holey clothes and ruined furnishings after the acids from their tea break spatter ate it's way through. Simple solution to remove the tea after dying by washing and rinsing the fabric. It cracks me up how much people love to tell you how wrong you are!

Start by boiling tea. Any tea, whatever you have in the cupboard is just fine. Make strong tea! Use several tea bags and just a little water and boil it well. Today I threw a little loose-leaf tea in with my tea bags.

While your tea is boiling, lay out something to protect your work surface. I usually use plastic wrap and paper towels but my kid "borrowed" my roll of plastic wrap and didn't return it so I used a piece of aluminum foil instead. (I've put plastic wrap on my grocery list.) You can use newspaper too, you just want to keep tea from staining your counter top or table.

Lay the fabric out. Use dry fabric to get the best spots. I've tried it wet and the spots don't show up very well. However if you want really subtle spotting wet fabric will do.

This is the fun part! I use a pipette to suck up tea and squirt it over the fabric. You can also use a spoon or eyedropper or even a paintbrush. Spot and dot tea all over the fabric. Trying not to spot and dot your work surface and clothing!

When you have have enough spots, put some hot water in the sink and pour your concentrated tea in. You only need enough water to cover the fabric. It looks weak in the photo but that is just the camera flash, it's actually pretty dark. Stuff the spotted fabric into the bath and let it soak.  Don't let it fool you: this will still stain like you wouldn't believe! Use rubber gloves! The first time I tea dyed I thought, "It's just tea!" and went around with orangey-brown fingers for a week.

After the fabric has enough color (I guesstimate) I fill the other side of the sink with water and some laundry soap. (I usually save the tea bath until I'm sure I have enough color.) Wash the fabric and rinse a few times to remove the tea. If it isn't colored enough for your taste pop it back into the bath. Once it is washed, squeeze out the water and lay the fabric out on a clean bath towel. It is going to appear dark while it is wet but it will lighten in color considerably after it is dry.

Now, use a warm iron to dry the fabric. You don't have to iron it dry. I just hate waiting for hours when I can have it finished in minutes. I always iron my washed finishes too. Impatience is my middle name.



Isn't that pretty? If I was less impatient, I would zigzag stitch around the edges before I start to prevent unraveling. You did read that last paragraph, right? What I wouldn't give for a place to leave the sewing machine set up and ready to go. Or own a serger. A serger would be so cool.

Wasn't that easy? I like easy and the effect is really nice. I enjoy hand-dyed fabric but so often the design you want to stitch just looks better on a more neutral fabric. The tea-dyed fabric makes a lovely neutral and the spots and dots of staining give it a lot of interest. Be brave and try it yourself!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Snow Hop

A free pattern for my readers!

One of the things I love about snow (we have not had any yet) is cute little hopping bird prints. Is there anything sweeter? That was the inspiration for this ornament-sized Christmas design. I hope you like it! 

Snow Hop

Due to finding my designs available for download somewhere OTHER than where I put them, you must email me for a copy. Can you believe someones steals FREE patterns? Go figure. Yes, my designs are FREE but I still retain copyright ~ I still own them. Respect copyright, stitchers!

Off the soapbox.

Anyway, email me if you'd like a copy: daffy-cat AT hotmail DOT com

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

A Warrior's Fan

I unwrapped the package Brodie handed me and out spilled a huge bundle of feathers. Whoa! He had said he was bringing in a fan to show me but this wasn't even close to what I imagined. I was thinking something more along the lines of a Japanese paper fan, maybe? 

"Brodie, which way is up?" I asked. 

"It doesn't matter." He replied.

"You've got it upside down." Brodie chided, after I had snapped the first photo.
"Brodie!" I exclaimed, "Stop teasing me!" And I turned it right side up.

Again, the bead work is done over thin deer hide. This time on a hardwood dowel. The feathers are loosely jointed and it's the red feathers that make this a warrior's fan.



The beads are so tiny and the design is just stunning. It's hard to believe he follows no pattern and just comes up with a design so intricate. Really amazing work, isn't it?

Many thanks to Brodie for sharing this with me!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

WIP and Winners

Day number 5 is almost done. I've kinda been hesitating on stitching the hand that goes in that blank spot because I'm not sure about the thread color. I should just start it and see how it looks but I hate frogging. Although, I suppose frogging because you're picky is better than frogging mistakes!



Again, thank you all for entering my blogoversary giveaway. I'm pressed for time this week so no fun photos of the drawing ~ I'm just too tired to be creative! So without further ado the winner of the ornament is Carol of Stitching Dreams and the fabric winner is Heather of It's Geek to Me. If the two of you would email me your mailing address I will get your prizes sent as soon as I can. Congratulations!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Odd Shopping List

Thank you all for the lovely happy blogoversary comments! I heart you all so much! I have now closed the giveaway post and I am getting ready to tally. I will announce the winners as soon as I can.

In addition to fanatical ORT collecting I save DMC bands. You know, the pretty black and gold ones? I've a jar with about three cups worth. Crazy, huh? However, I also have yet another jar with only a few saved ~ these are the numbered bands, saved after I use up an entire skein. Unlike ORT or band collecting these actually have a use!

See? Now I know exactly what colors I need to shop for! Being OCD actually has benefits. Ummm, who knew I used so much 310? I don't remember stitching that much black. Four skeins? Really? I knew all about that 221 though. It's my new favorite Christmas red.

Is anybody doing NaBloPoMo this year? Give me a shout so I know to cheer you on!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox