Saturday, December 3, 2011
As many holiday hand winners!
We are just getting started with all our handmade holiday gifts! Don't forget to visit and comment on each day your chance to win tons of prizes. We are leaving 11/6 gifts open through Sunday so there is still time to comment on today's post. You use Twitter? Tweet # handmadeholidays each week or tag us on Facebook for a chance to win a gift certificate of $20 to sew, Mama, Sew! missknitta wins this week!
Our Pumpkin Pie winner on the day of good Heart-felt Holidays pipes is: bruinbr.
(IF YOU WON THE AWARD TODAY WE WILL BE CONTACT BY EMAIL 11/7 WITH DETAILS.) (Thanks!)
November 1 Winner:
Sewing Basics: All you need to know on the Machine and hand sewing: Miranda
Visual encyclopedia of meshes of hook: DD (jcawthorne)
The pace of the family: discover a sense of wonder through the seasons: AnnaPK
Grow sew liberated: Making clothing by hand and projects for your creative child: Louisa
Sew the perfect gift: 25 projects made by hand from the best Designers: Mindy
On 2 November Winner:
Natural patchwork: 26 elegant projects inspired by flowers, fabric & Home: Lisa
Play!: toys-made hand and crafts for the growth of Imaginations: Laura
Craft vacation at the hand of Martha Stewart: 225 projects inspired for the celebration of the year (we winners only): Susan
Deploy this fabric: 23 projects of sewing military uniforms in everyday life: Molly (Martin)
Scrap-basket Surprises: 18 quilts for 2 1/2? bands: Renae
On 3 November Winner:
Burdastyle sewing Guide (US winners only): Nikki
Des journal + Doodle coutures, La collection de motif (2 livres!) Journal + Doodle seams, the Collection of ground (2 pounds!): Emilia (rubberduckywon)
Fix a Home Makeover: 50 projects to sew Simple to transform your space: Jansie
' Tis the season quilts and other comforts: Gaileee
Craft activism (US winners only): Ingrid
On 4 November Winner:
The couture in a straight line: projects quick and crafty, you can do by sewing simply Straight (US winners only): Morgan
PUSH quilting + PUSH paper (set of 2 pounds!): Rachel
gift certificate $30 to Jennifer Ladd, handmade purses & bags: Kirsten (manning)
Anatomy of the farm: curious parts and pieces of life in the countryside: Monica
Quilts of word play: easy Techniques of the turbulent Quilter: Beth
On 5 November Winner:
At home with handmade books: 28 extraordinary projects usually made binding and with new object materials: Roberta
Countdown calendars: 24 sewn projects to celebrate any Date: Natalie
List of life of the knitter: Do, namely, to explore, to: Meagan (walker).
3 - Cloth Quilts: quick Techniques for simple projects (we winners only): Robin
Bridge rooms: quilts for Christmas: Tina
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Thursday, November 17, 2011
October 27 ~ Handmade Holiday Inspiration
Faux Curled Rosewood Wreath, Tutorial by Stephanie from Under the Table and Dreaming
with photo by Megan at Brassy Apple
We first saw this wreath made from recycled book pages at Brassy Apple. Megan was inspired by Stephanie from Under the Table and Dreaming and used her tutorial to create this beautiful wreath. Be warned though: Megan says she got quite a few hot glue gun burns! She suffered for her art. (But it’s probably worth it, right?!)
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Holiday sewing — as well as the winners
Here is our final Sew — as well as the winners.
Christmas tree pants Sew-long Group ~ 12 Happy Mochi Yum Yum fatty neighbourhoods winner: Flickr user: Karen@Laughter of quilts
The group in A Pear Tree Advent Calendar Sew-long ~ 3 Craft Apple sewing winning patterns: Flickr user: sarah7112009
Group blocks of colour and towels Sew-long placemats ~ Kona Cotton 12 winning neighbourhoods FAT: Flickr user: lizzybeans11
Congratulations! We will be in contact with details…
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Wednesday, November 16, 2011
October 28 ~ Handmade Holiday Inspiration
Pine Cone Ball Ornaments from Knitty Gritty Thoughts
Oh, how we love these pine cone balls! We love the thought of folding and pinning and creating the afternoon away, making a big bowl of pine cone ball ornaments…
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In a Pear Tree Advent Calendar Holiday Sew-Along ~ Part 4
For cutting instructions and ideas for the Advent windows see Part 1. Learn how to assemble the front of the calendar in Part 2. In Part 3 you cut leaf and pear openings, and add optional art for the windows.
Post #4 Goal: Add Buttons, Bind and Finish
1. Attach Buttons
With a small dot of glue to the back of each button, place 16 around the inside of the circle as shown and 8 along the tops of each pear. Make sure the glue will not interfere with sewing through the holes or interfere with holding the windows open. Buttons should line up with the leaves. Note the orientation of the holes in the buttons to the leaves. Making sure the button holes are placed this way will make room under the button to hold the windows open.
Stitch the buttons in place, sewing through all layers.
*Hint: I used my machine to stitch the buttons. I did NOT use my button sew-on presser foot because it allows buttons to be loose for use in clothing items that will actually be buttoned. For this project, the buttons should be sewn on tightly. Any open-front presser foot will work here.
2. Create Binding
From binding fabric, cut 2” strips and join them together until you have a continuous strip that is at least 110” long.
Join 2 strips as shown, RIGHT sides together laid perpendicularly. Stitch at a 45º angle.
Snip excess fabric, leaving ~ ¼” seam allowance.
Open fabric strip and press seam allowance flat.
3. Bind the Calendar
This next part is much easier to show with diagrams (pardon the inconsistency).
Fold over one short end of strip ½” toward the WRONG side. This folded end will be where you begin your binding. Starting in the center of a long side, begin laying the binding along the edge of background, RIGHT sides together. Starting ~5” from the fold, stitch the binding to the background (through all layers) using a ½” seam allowance. Stop sewing at the corner ½” from the edge (shown with dot) and snip thread.
At the corner, fold the binding up as shown…
… And fold back down so that the raw edge is flush with the raw edge of the background. Start sewing from the top of the corner and continue sewing, treating each corner in the same way.
Stop sewing 1” before you reach the folded edge of the binding where you began. Let binding over lap 1½” and trim away extra binding. Sew across the gap in stitching.
Now back to pictures!
Here’s a shot of the binding that has been sewn on:
Flip binding toward outside and press.
Continue to fold binding toward the back. Pin in place and stitch around entire calendar, stitching in the ditch, securing the binding to the back of the calendar.
What does “stitch in the ditch” mean? When you fold the binding up toward the back, the “ditch” is where the binding and the background come together on the front of the calendar. Stitching with your needle dropping into the ditch is referred to as “stitching in the ditch” and should be almost invisible from the front. For some machines, a “stitch in the ditch” presser foot is available.
4. Attach the Ribbon (optional)
The ribbon on this calendar is decorative. This calendar will easily lean against a wall or rest on a shelf. If a ribbon is desired, snip ribbon to desired length and attach by securing it to the back of the calendar with pins and stitching in the ditch to attach. My ribbon is centered with an 11” space in between ends. Please note that with hanging, the stabilizer may not hold its shape well.
Congratulations, you’re done! Thanks so much for sewing along with me!
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