Tutorials

  • The Magic of Sleep

    ByHeather Bailey

    CreativeBug_HeatherBailey

    I made it through the Creative Bug
    shoot last week for creativebug.com. It was a close call, with only a few days to complete
    the prep—fabric was late to arrive. Ashley was out sick and Karen had
    other obligations, so I was short-staffed to boot. Mom to the rescue.
    She came over and cut out pillow pieces for hours. (Extra amazing, as my
    dad's in the hospital with a broken hip right now—yikes!) And I called
    in some freelance help as well for yet more cutting—there were lots of
    step-outs to prepare.

    We made it. I even got three hours of sleep. Let's just hope the recording doesn't pick up my puffy, bloodshot eyes.

    HeatherBailey_CourtneyCerruti

    What a delightful film crew Creative Bug has: two camera operators, a
    sound technician, and an artist's coach—to help me stay organized and
    coherrent. If only we could keep her around, right?  I wish I'd had the chance to get to know them all better. I
    did all of the talking for hours straight.

    CameraCrewCollage

    Perhaps we will collaborate on future online classes. Next time, with
    more sleep. You'll watch those ones and say, "Wow, Heather just got 5
    years younger in this new video."

    The magic of sleep.

  • A Wristed Development

    ByHeather Bailey

    In my ongoing quest to cute-up the dull, it’s time to attack the wrist pincushion. Who wrote the law that wrist pincushions must be ugly and uncomfortable? Did it begin with the red-plastic snap-on variety of my mother’s generation; in our excitement for the advent of plastic, did we take things too far?** Or were we torturing ourselves long before then?

    WristPincushion2
    True, there have been some commercial attempts to add personality to the plain old pincushions of the past: gingham hearts, lavendar daisies and so forth. With a lack of alternatives, I might prefer painful-to-wear over painful-to-look-at.

    WristPincushion Bring on the bloggers. I’m not the first to offer a solution. Megan of Crafty Intentions whipped up an octopus from Futuregirl’s pattern — a wristopus? Super cool. Lori La Tortuga made a fun little owl once upon a time. Super cute. And Planet June has a great tutorial for a simple, but stylish Offset Square Wrist Pincushion. Super chic.

    I’ll take a stab at pretty.

    Here, I’ve taken my new free pattern, Spring Violets (announced in our May newsletter) and adapted it to the cause. For the wrist band, I cut two rectangles of felt, 1.5″ x 7.25″ and 2″ x 7.25″. (Measure your wrist to make sure this works for you — allow overlap for a velcro closure.)

    With hot glue, I attached a thin circle of wood at the center of the wider felt band and pinked the edges of the felt. I then layered the smaller felt band on top, enclosing the wooden disc. I edge-stitched the bands together around the perimeter, then attached velcro at each end as a closure. Lastly, I whip-stitched the Spring Violets in place above the wooden disc. The flowers are attached to a small, stuffed tuffet (see pattern) which is perfect for pins. The wooden disc keeps your wrist whole-not-holey. (Check the woodcraft section of your local craft store.)

    WristPincushionNotes That’s it. Pretty simple.

    Click here to download the flower instructions. Let me know if you have any questions. Looking for felt? We’ve got plenty of that.

    ** However uncomfortable, I am totally nostalgic for those clamp-on red pincushions. Even though my mom usually kept pins between her teeth, she always wore a ratty red wrist-cushion covered with a rainbow of threaded needles.


  • Tray Jolie

    ByHeather Bailey

    CupcakeDecorating

    How about a new free pattern?  An early Valentine’s Day present.

    Here’s a sweet little project that goes together quickly — a bow-tied box for treats or trinkets.  Perfect for displaying tasty truffles and candies for your Valentine or hip paperclips and doo-dads for your desk.  The pattern and instructions below are for one 3″ x 3″ x 1 1/4″ tray.  However, once you have the hang of it, you can scale the design up or down as needed. Imagine tasty trays for sewing supplies, post-it notes, business cards, candies, jewelry, buttons, keys, coasters…

    TreatBox4

    Treat_trinket_tray

    TreatTrayPattern2MATERIALS LIST (one 3″ x 3″ x 1 1/4″ tray) 

    7” x 7” fabric*
    7” x 7” lining fabric*
    3/4 yd narrow piping
    1 1/3 yd ribbon, 1/8” wide
    8” x 10” stiff, thin cardboard
    Thread 

    HELPFUL TOOLS
    Pins, scissors, needle, liquid seam sealant (such a s Fray Check™)

    * Suitable fabrics include laminated cotton, quilting-weight cotton, light-weight decorator fabric, and other light to medium-weight woven fabrics

     

    INSTRUCTIONS (click on illustrations to enlarge)

    A. Cut Out Fabric & Cardboard – Click here to download pattern pieces. Using pattern, cut one 5 7/8” square of fabric and one 5 7/8” square of lining fabric. Round corners per pattern & clip at circles to mark ribbon placement. Of cardboard, cut one 3” square, and cut four 1” x 3” rectangles.  If cardboard is flimsy, cut two sets & glue corresponding pieces together to stiffen.

    Tray_01_02_03b B. Baste Piping to Tray Exterior – Baste piping to tray exterior. Join piping at one black circle by overlapping piping neatly. Trim.

    C. Attach Ribbon Ties – Cut eight pieces of ribbon, each 6” long. With a small stitch-length, sew one ribbon to tray at each black circle, on top of piping; stitch back & forth across ribbon to secure well.

    D. Sew Lining to Exterior – With right-sides-together, pin lining to exterior. Sew around tray, leaving one side open between black circles. Notch curve at each corner. Turn tray right-side-out through opening in seam.

    E. Insert Cardboard & Stitch Around Sides – Insert one rectangular cardboard piece into tray;  butt cardboard up to stitching at side of tray opposite from opening, beneath the seam allowance on exterior side of tray. Secure cardboard in place by stitching 1 1/8” away from fabric edge (not piping edge) along stitching line shown on tray pattern, beginning & ending at black circles. See illustration. Be sure stitching runs alongside cardboard & does not go through it & ribbons are not caught in seam. Insert another cardboard rectangle at one adjacent side & stitch as before. Repeat at opposite side of tray. Slide cardboard square into place at center of tray & stitch along last stitching line, parallel to opening. Insert last cardboard rectangle into opening. Fold tray lining edge under 1/4” & ladder-stitch to close opening in seam.

    Tray_04_05_06_07
    F. Tie Corner Bows & Trim – Fold sides up & hold corners together with a pin. Tie two ribbons at each corner into a bow. Once tied, trim ribbons to desired lengths. Finish ribbon ends with liquid seam sealant to prevent fraying.

    ENJOY!