One Yard Wednesday - Patriotic Hoop Art

Some scraps, a hoop and a little paint - let's rock!

Made entirely from scraps in my stash, some acrylic paint, and a spare hoop.  I love the folk art vibe, and especially that it was super simple and basically FREE!

What you'll need:

• Red, white and blue acrylic paints - use the bottles that are on sale for less than $1, or what you have on hand.
• Wooden embroidery hoop - I used one I had on hand that fit the scrap of burlap I had in my stash.  Use whatever size works best for you.
• Burlap
• Scrap piece of denim
• Craft glue
• Sponge brush - I use the little 1" ones you can get 20/$1 because they come with a wonderful chisel edge and they are CHEAP!
• Newspaper and wax paper to protect your work surface

Start by painting the outside ring of the hoop navy blue.  Be sure to get the front edge as well as the side.  That chisel tip really comes in handy here.  Some hoops have a light finish on them.  Feel free to sand this off if you want more of a painted look.  I wanted mine to look like blue stain, so I only did one light coat of the navy blue paint right over the top of the finish.  I think it looks more vintage.  Rinse your brush THOROUGHLY for the next step.

While the hoop is drying, cut a circle of burlap to go into the hoop.  This circle should be a couple inches larger than the size of your hoop to allow for being pulled tight in the hoop when you frame it.  Make red stripes by using your brush as a guide.  Start by making one red horizontal stripe at the top, roughly the width of your brush.  To make the "white" stripe, use the width of your brush as a guide, and mark the top line of the next stripe.  It looks something like this:

Then, go across, following this line, making a stripe that is one brush-width wide.  Clean up your edges as needed.  They don't have to be perfect, but you don't want your stripes to be too wonky.

Repeat these two steps all the way down the circle.  Again, rinse that brush THOROUGHLY.  Now it's time to add the blue to Old Glory.

Use a scrap of denim and cut a quarter circle the same size as 1/4 of your burlap circle.  Apply some craft glue on the back of the denim, and place it in the upper left corner of your circle.  Be sure to attach the edges firmly.  If your denim has some fringe action like mine, don't let the fringe get caught in the glue.  Allow the glue to dry.

So our flag tribute wouldn't be complete without a star.  I drew a rough outline with a disappearing ink fabric marker, but if you feel really brave and artistic, you can just freehand it.  Make one star or a bunch - up to you.  The chisel point of the sponge brush really helps make crisp edges and sharp points.  Allow your paint to dry, and trim all the fabric from around the back edge of the frame.  Try to get as close to the hoop as possible, and display proudly!

Make a big one.  Make a bunch of small ones.  String them together to make a banner.  Tie some patriotic ribbon around the top to make a bow.  Don't have denim or burlap?  Use scraps you have on hand.  For example, you could use muslin, or old cream/white sheets to make the back ground.  Maybe a blue with tiny dots for the blue field instead of blue with a white star.

Have fun!

BONUS OYW - Mini Quilt Mug Mat

Our schedule got a little off kilter with the TV appearance, so here's a BONUS One Yard Wednesday - something else to do with those little tiny scraps plus two new techniques...

I found some wonderful fun greens and the orange plaid in the scrap bucket.  Orange, white and green are the colors of the Irish flag, and what better way to add some St. Paddy's flair to your morning cuppa Joe?!

So grab those leftover tidbits of jelly roll strips, or border pieces, or other oddments that you have, some leftover cotton batting.  The batting MUST be cotton (you'll see why in just a bit) - if you don't have any, use a piece of an old towel.  You will also need a piece of plain fabric to put your pieces onto.  You can use muslin or other scrap fabric.  I used a bit of that green sheet I still have left over.  I am beginning to think I will be sewing with that sheet until the end of time, but I digress...

Press your scraps.  Then, cut your backing fabric, your batting and your base fabric into a 6" x 9" rectangle.

Layer these with your backing fabric face down (wrong side up), then batting, then the base fabric.

Now the fun really begins!  On top of your fabric sandwich, place one of your strips right side up.  Place another strip on top of the first, matching the side edges, face down (right sides facing).  This is first of the new techniques - it's called quilt as you go, and it's another real time saver.  Pin through all layers.

Using a 1/4" seam, stitch the two strips together  - yes, through all the layers.  You have now not only started your mug mat, but you are in the process of finishing it, too.  You are quilting as you go.  See how this works?!  Pretty cool, huh?!

And this is why you need cotton batting.  Open the fabric strips and press the seam.  If you used polyester batting, it would melt.  After pressing, add the third strip.

You'll notice this time I didn't line up my edges.  That's ok.  This doesn't have to be super precise.  Again, stitch with a 1/4" seam allowance, and press.

Repeat until you use up all your strips.

Trim everything up, and make sure to square up your edges.  You can stop right now if you want, and add some binding.  Your mug mat is already quilted.  Feel free to play a bit more, though, and have some fun.  This is one of the few occasions that I actually use matching thread in the bobbin (usually I just use white).  I wanted green thread on the back so it would look nice, like the front.  Use a thread that matches or contrasts the backing fabric - whichever you want.

I used a stipple stitch on the multi-color dot fabric section - to me it makes the dots look like confetti.  Then, I just did a simple S pattern on the dark green.  I did "stitch in the ditch" on the green squares (you stitch in the space where the seam is sewn), then went back and added the horizontal lines.  For the green and white dot, I just lined up my presser foot to go between the rows of dots, and went both directions to get the cross-grid pattern.  Here's how that turned out:

Remember, you can add this stitching to the fabric first (thread painting), if you want the pattern but you don't want your quilting to look that way.  If I had it to do again, I would not have quilted the dark green section.  Or I would have used a dark green.  Either way, you can see that you can quilt your mug mat in many different ways.

Here's the quilting on the back.

I could easily have used a yellow or darker green thread, but I think the bright green blended into the fabric better.  Sometimes, you just get lucky that way.

So let's finish this baby off, shall we?

When you make a quilt, you need some way to finish off the raw edges on the sides.  In this case, we'll use binding.  We've made binding before, for another mug mat, back in January.  We're going to do things just a bit different this time, but the principle will be the same.

You will need two strips of fabric.  I cut mine at 1 1/2".  Each piece was also 22" long.  Remember when we measured our fabric scraps yesterday for the table runner?  Also, we're going to do some more geometry to get the perimeter of our mug mat, to be sure we have enough fabric to go all the way around the little thing.  A 6" x 9" mug mat has a perimeter of 30".  I'm safe with my two strips at 22" long.  I just seamed them together (matching the plaid), with a 1/4" seam.  I pressed the seam open.  Then I folded this new long strip in half and pressed it.

Now, normally, on quilt binding, you would fold the raw edges into the middle and press again.  I didn't want to do that in this case.  I liked the casual, folk art element a raw edge added to my mug mat.  Fold or don't fold - you decide.  To apply the binding to your mug mat, on one of the short edges, fold the end under about 1/4".  Slide your little quilt in between the layers of fabric of the binding.  Pin the beginning of the binding to the quilt.

So here's the next new technique today:  a mitered corner.  About 1/4" from the corner, pleat your binding, so it makes a slight angle.  Like the mitered corner on a picture frame.  Pin.

If you are using a plaid, try to get your lines to match up.  That's one of those little details that makes the difference between homemade and handcrafted.  It's hard to see, but the little blue line actually does match up.  Repeat mitering and pinning all the way around.  When you get back to your starting place, leave a bit of a tail to overlap, and cut the loose binding.

Again, I made sure to match my plaid.  Fold the end under about 1/4" and pin to secure.  You can see in the photo that I had already started to stitch my way around.  This was purely to give you a better picture sans pins.  After you get your binding secure all the way around, THEN start stitching.  You know the drill - straight, zigzag, decorative - all your choice.  Thread - matching or contrasting - all your choice.  I used the same bright green and a cute cross-stitch.

Let's play the options game again!  YAY - it's one of my favorites.  It's a chance to show you how far outside the box you can actually go and still have something turn out well.  Let's start with fabrics.  I did greens and the orange/green plaid for St. Pat's Day.  You can use themed fabrics for any holiday.  Or traditional holiday colors.  Use someone's favorite colors for a special occasion (think mother/sister-in-law, neighbor).  How about school colors for a new high school grad heading off to college?  Embellish a corner with a monogram.  Or a cute button.  Just be sure to leave a space for the mug!

What about shape?  How about squares instead of rectangles.  Use them for coasters.

What about size?  Use the quilt-as-you-go technique on placemats.  Or a table runner.  Or a wall hanging.  Or even a baby quilt.  The technique works best with straight-edged geometric shapes and strip piecing.  But there are no rules that say your strips have to be exactly rectangular.  Give your piece a real modern flair by using those "wonky" bits of fabric.  Or use a quilt block that has a circle in the center, then strip piece around that block.  Overlap pieces, but leave raw edges.  Wow, now you're really walking on the wild side!

What about repurposing?  I mentioned using old towels for batting above.  But what about using old blue jeans for the quilt piecing.  Or cotton dress shirts.  Any cotton fabric will work.

Play with your scraps today, and have FUN!

One Yard Wednesday - Easy Spring Table Runner

Remember that sheet we made the tablecloth from?  You might want to dig out the scraps...

So fish out the remnants of that sheet we made the tablecloth from.  Then find some fat quarters, half yards, or pieces that are close to fat quarters and half-yards.  Or some jelly roll strips.

Here's what I pulled out.

Obviously, all your fabrics need to be prewashed and pressed.  I knew mine had been washed recently, so I only had to iron.

Trim your sheet fabric so that you have a long rectangle by removing the curved portion.

Then remove the side and bottom seams.

Now, I have to warn you.  This is where you have to use math.  I know.  I'm sorry.  Aren't you glad I'm not dropping this in your lap on a Monday morning before you had your coffee?!

Measure the table you are making the table runner for.  I did mine for my dining room table, which is about 61" long.  Now decide how long in relation to the length of your table you want your runner to be.  I wanted mine to be most of the length of the table.  Since I like numbers that are simple, I decided I wanted my runner to be about 3/4 that length.  Forty-eight (48) is roughly 3/4 of 61, so I cut the sheet fabric to 48 1/2".  This includes a 1/4" seam allowance. I did this by placing the fold at 24 1/4".  The photo shows 25", but I'm sure you get the idea. Cut the open end at your 0 line of your cutting mat.

Then, you need to cut the fabric you will use as trim around the outside edges.  And here's more math.  I really am sorry...

First, measure your fabric.  This is the fabric I had originally decided to use.  You can see from the photo that it's 33" long by 13" wide.

If I decided that I wanted my border to be 2", I'd want to cut my strips 2 1/2" wide.  I also need enough length to go all the way around my new giant rectangle.  Remember calculating perimeter in geometry?

2L + 2W = P

For mine that works up to be

[2 times 49.5] + [2 times 9] = 

99 + 18 = 117"

This is great because:

I know - you are shouting "WAIT A MINUTE! WAIT A MINUTE!  There are two different equations in that photo!"

Here's how it all fits together.  I want my strips to be 2 1/2" wide.  My fabric is 13" wide.  By dividing the width by the width of the strips, I'll get 5 strips when I cut.  That's a decent number of strips!  So far so good, right?  Ok, these 5 strips are 33" long.  When I sew these together, I need to know that when they are all combined, they will be long enough to go all the way around my table runner.  I need 117", and with this piece of fabric, I've got 165".  That's more than enough,even with seam allowances.

When I looked at my table runner, though, it just didn't seem wide enough for my taste.  I upped my border to 4 1/2".  Guess what - this piece of fabric wasn't going to be big enough.  So I found one that was.  If this is the case at your house, there are options.  You can do what I did, which was find a bigger piece in my stash, so my border would be all one color.  You can also use oddments of fabric to make a patchwork border.  You can do the sides one color and the ends another.  It's your table runner, so you decide what you like best.  If you need to, audition your fabrics BEFORE you cut them.  Take the extra few minutes to be sure that you will get your desired results.

So back to our project!

I cut 4 strips of fabric, 40-ish" long and 4 1/2" wide.  I sewed them together, two at a time, using chain piecing.  If you've never heard of this technique, you will LOVE IT!  It can save you so much time when you are piecing quilt blocks, projects using jelly roll strips, and all kinds of other places.  I even use it when I'm making the body part of Little Dresses and the legs of Little Boy Shorts when I'm doing a whole bunch of them at once.  Like I said - it can be such a timesaver you will find new and creative ways to apply it to your sewing.  Oh, and it also saves you a boatload of thread, which also saves you money.  BONUS!

Chain piecing means that instead of stopping your sewing, cutting the thread, and then starting another piece, you simply do a few stitches after you go across the end of one set of pieces and start the next set of pieces. It looks like this.

So you've sewn your strips together with a 1/4" seam allowance.  Press the seams open.  Find the center on the lengthwise side of your sheet rectangle, and match the seam to that center point.

Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew the two pieces together starting at one end of the sheet piece and going all the way to the other end on the lengthwise side.  Trim off the ends of your accent fabric at the edge of the sheet fabric.  Don't worry - you'll use these shorter pieces in a minute.

 Press your seam towards the border fabric.  Then, press the raw (unstitched) edge under 1/4".

Fold the border strip in half, with the pressed edge overlapping the seam.  Press.  It should look like the border stip on the left.

Pin this edge if desired.  To stitch, you can use just a plain straight stitch, a zigzag stitch, or a decorative stitch.  I chose a decorative stitch, and stitched the border in place with the right (front) side facing.  How you sew this closed will be up to you.  Trust your judgment - you'll make the right decision.

We are going to repeat this procedure on a smaller scale for the ends.  Use one of your small leftover pieces from your side borders, and center it on one end of your table runner.  Fold in the sides to make a more finished edge.  Pin in place, and sew the seam with a 1/4" seam allowance.

Press the seam towards the border fabric, and press a 1/4" hem on the raw edge, just like the long side.  Fold in half and press, just like before.

Now this is where you can do this a few different ways.  You can straight stitch the seam.  You can zigzag it or use a decorative stitch.  Also, you can choose where you stitch.  I chose to only do the decorative stitch in the center because I am also using it on the outside edge as well.  You can decide where and how you'd like to stitch.  Don't you feel so empowered?!

This is what mine looks like at this point.

To make the outside border, I turned the pins you see above 90 degrees to hold the edges in place, then I did a decorative stitch all the way around the outside edge.  You can do straight stitch, zigzag or whatever your beautiful heart desires.  This stitching will not only make your piece look more finished, but it will close those side gaps on the ends.  If you are concerned about the spaces in the seams on the back on the short sides, you can take a needle and thread and hand-tack them with matching thread (so your stitches don't show on the front).  I chose not to - I don't mind some embroidery now and then, but I'm not that crazy about hand-sewing.  That's why I have a machine.

So let's discuss a few options that we haven't already talked about.  Don't have the leftovers of a sheet?  Use fabric from your stash, cutting it and seaming it in the center if needed.  You can also use a pillowcase that's been cut apart - remove the side seam and about 1/2" off the center fold, and also the hemmed end.  Similar to what we did for the Little Dresses.  We already talked about making a pieced/patchwork border.  Feel free to change up the size based on what you like and what you have on hand.  We talked about stitching options - use matching or contrasting thread, whichever you'd prefer.  I loved how this baby pink thread added to the vintage feel of the rose fabric.  I could very easily have used the "Boy Scout Pants Green" I used on the tablecoth originally.  Make yourself a bunch of these, one for every season.  Make them smaller to use as placemats.  Use a sheet to make a rectangular tablecloth, and use this technique to add a fancy border.  Use this border technique to add a fabric hem to a denim skirt, or an apron.

Have fun!

One Yard Wednesday - Fun Fabric Butterfly

Grab your scrap basket and some bright thread and get ready to play!

A new technique today!  YAY!  I love new techniques!

I've seen a few shows on PBS that had thread painting as a technique.  Some fabric artists used it as an embellishing technique, some used it to actually paint pictures using thread.  ALL of them warned that this is addictive, and now that I've tried it myself, I can honestly say THEY'RE RIGHT!!!!!

Today, we are making a butterfly for The Butterfly Project using just scraps and some thread.  I used some 4" charm squares I had in my stash.  You can use a repurposed sheet or pillowcase as a base, a large scrap of material, or muslin.

Take 2 pieces of fabric, and place them wrong sides (backs) together.  I used a patterned fabric for both sides because that's what I had in my stash.  Feel free to use whatever suits your fancy.

Now you'll need the template.  Right click the image below, select copy, then paste it into your favorite editing software.  I used PowerPoint, but you could even paste it into Word.   Resize as necessary to fit your scraps.  Remember, our butterflies for the Butterfly Project should be no bigger than 8" x 10".

If you'd prefer, you can make your own template from scratch, or find a different butterfly shape in a coloring book or online.  It's your butterfly.

Because of the size of my fabric pieces, I made my butterflies about 3 1/4" across at the tips of the top wings.  After printing my butterfly on plain old regular paper, I cut it out and traced it onto my fabric.  I "fussy cut" my butterfly, because I wanted those little pink flowers to be on her lower wings.  For those who are new to sewing and quilting, fussy cutting means positioning your pieces to take advantage of elements in your fabric.  Usually, it's done with floral fabrics to really make certain flowers stand out.  It's one of those little details that makes the difference between handcrafted and homemade.

So this is where the fun really begins.  Next, we'll add some decorative lines.  You can use any color of thread, any stitch you'd like.  Instead of coloring in the lines, we are going to make the lines! I used the stitch for the straight sides of a buttonhole.  You can use straight stitching, zigzag, a decorative stitch - whatever you think will really make your butterfly show its personality.

Start with just the outline of the butterfly.  Go slowly around the curves.  If you are one of those really brave souls, you can drop your feed dogs.  I'm not that brave - I just drove slowly.  It's just like the curve of the inseam of the Little Boy Shorts we made in January except it's smaller and tighter.  Feel free to leave your needle in and lift your presser foot to do some of the turns if you want some really crisp points.  That's what I did.

Don't be afraid if you make an oops (see how mine has that line that kind of heads off into space).  Remember, these butterflies represent children.  What would a child do?  They'd change their minds, and call it a brilliant inspiration!  You should do the same, and embrace a little spontaneity.  I decided I liked the outline of the "head" better with the shape of the oops.  If I didn't, that's ok, because in the end, when we cut these out, it would magically disappear.  No fretting, no tears.

So to do the actual thread painting part, I highly recommend a really tight zigzag (like a buttonhole) for filling in.  It will give you a bit more precision, and if you have gaps that you want to go back and fill in, it can't be beat.  Here is what mine looked like when I started to fill her in.

See how I was able to keep those two flowers on the lower wings?  Just make an outline, then work your way around, from the outside in.  Keep your stitches as close together as possible.  It can be a bit tricky, just take your time.

Fill in as much or as little as you want.  Maybe you want to outline something?  Use a straight stitch for that.  If I wanted to highlight the stems of these flowers, that's what I'd use.  Maybe you are good at hand embroidery.  You could add French knots to centers of the flowers, or make polka dots on your butterfly that way.

If you want to paint with more than one color, think back to what we learned about choosing fabrics that coordinate (here and here).  You may be fortunate enough to have the colors on the selvage.  Choose some of these.  Or choose a color from within the fabric that you want to highlight.  I love those little pink flowers so much that I used a hot pink.  I also picked a bright orange because that's the complementary color for blue on the color wheel.  Plus it looks rockin' awesome with the pink because they are analogous (think reds and oranges).

I also wanted you to see the back.  I use a white bobbin when I sew - probably 90% of the time.  If I wanted, because of the stitch I chose, I could EASILY have used a thread color in my bobbin that coordinated with the fabrics on the back.  Just something to think about.

I thought it was kind of ironic, that without even trying, I managed to get two little pink flowers on the lower wings on the back, too.  Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket today?

Here she is from the front, just before I cut her free.

Use really REALLY sharp scissors to release your butterfly from her fabric cocoon.  You want to cut as close as possible to the stitching without cutting through the stitching.  I used my good sharp sewing scissors, and did a lot of cutting with them only half-closed.  Down around her little bum and in between her upper and lower wings, I used the tips to be sure to get all the way into those tiny points.

Oh, and be sure to trim all your threads!  Neatness counts!

And here she is again - ready for her flight to Houston!

Again, PLAY with this and have a lot of fun!

Make one or a dozen.  Send them off as part of our March Craftivism Challenge.  Make a bunch, and use them to build a baby's mobile.  Decorate your windows, or add a wire and insert the butterfly in some silk flowers.  Use the same technique to make some flowers, or bumblebees, or anything you feel like making!  Use your new creations as patches on jeans or purses or skirts.  Use them to embellish a headband.

PLAY and have fun!

One Yard Wednesday - Green Fabric Votives

It's time to start pulling out all things green...


Got green fabrics leftover from (insert any crafty adventure here)?

On one of my bloghopping adventures I came across these adorable votive jars at Fellow Fellow.

Remember back at Christmas time - we had talked about ways to be thriftier in 2012.  One of those ways was to save your glass jars.  Like spaghetti sauce, salsa, etc., jars.

Well, today, we're going to jazz one up!

Pull out your green scraps and the glass object of your choice.  The amount of fabric you will need will depend on the size of your object.  I'm thinking if you have the right size item to cover, you could get by on a  just linear quarter yard.  I had this scrap fabric leftover and it was roughly a foot by width of fabric.  I used less than a quarter of it to cover a former minced garlic jar.  If you wanted to cover something significantly larger or smaller, your fabric needs will change accordingly.

In addition, you will also need craft glue (I use Aleene's Original Tacky Glue), wooden craft sticks (I used two),a container for mixing the glue and some water.  A lid for this container is also helpful, but not necessary.  Also, if you prefer, you can use ModPodge, but the craft glue/water combo is less expensive.  Be sure to have a pair of junky scissors on hand as well - the kind you don't mine getting gloopy with glue.

First, be sure that your object is completely clean.  I did mine with a good hand wash followed by Windex.

Now, some votive candle safety:  These are best used with battery powered tea lights.  However, if you ABSOLUTELY have to have the real thing, be sure that your container has lots of room around the candle.  You want to be sure to keep that flame as far away from the fabric as possible.  Also, hide some rice, sand, small gravel, coffee or other beans, etc. in the bottom of the jar.  These will help dissipate the heat and keep your jar from shattering.

Just another quick note - your item is now NOT SAFE for dishwater of any kind.  If you decide to use this technique a plate or platter (and you can, by the way), you can put wax paper under your goodies if using with food, then give the top a quick wipe with a soapy dishcloth to be sure it's clean when you are done.  BUT DO NOT PUT IT IN THE SINK FULL OF SOAPY WATER NOR IN THE DISHWASHER!  No way!  Don't do it!  Really!

And yet another:  This is messy.  You will get glue on you.  And possibly your work surface.  Newspaper would be helpful.  Also, don't try to take photos of your work while your hands are goopy with glue.  Just good advice from a friend {smile}.

So let's make a mess!

Start by mixing your glue mixture.  In your container of choice, mix glue with water.  I used a mixture that's about 50/50.  You can use more or less glue based on your preferences.  I stirred mine with a bamboo skewer but you can use your craft stick or whatever works for you.

Now measure your container against your fabric.  Lay the fabric out flat on a cutting mat, and measure side

plus bottom

plus side.

I added about 1/2" to this measurement, just to be sure to make up for the curve of the bottom of the jar as well as the narrowing at the neck of the jar.

Cut your fabric into 1/2" strips.

 I don't remember exactly how many I did, but I think I did at least 12-16.

Take these strips for a swim in your glue mixture.  Stir with your choice of item.

Stir until the strips are well saturated with glue mixture.  See how mine went from a sage-y green to practically white?  When the glue gets embedded into the fabric it will not just hold the strips in place, but act like a stiffener.  This will help keep the fabric strips upright against the walls of a vertical container.

Now the fun REALLY begins!  Remove the strips, one at a time, and slowly squeeze the excess glue out.  Then, start layering the strips inside your jar.  Use a craft stick to smoothe them into place and remove any air bubbles that may be behind them.  Overlap them slightly each time you put a new one in.

Work your way around the circle, until all the open space is covered.  Then, trim any overhanging ends with the junky scissors.  Allow to dry.  This will take much longer on a rainy, damp day.  Ask me how I know.  As I write, mine is still drying...

This is what your jar will look like when it's about half-way dry.

Don't worry - the glue will dry clear.  You can tell by the "wet line".  Also, your fabric will shrink up a bit.  It will still look pretty, though.

Once the top is pretty dry, you can trim the top edge again.  Also, you can save your extra glue mixture for other projects.  I use mine when making crocheted snowflakes to stiffen them.  It works great for decoupage projects.

Speaking of...

You could decoupage your jars on the outside with fabric or fancy tissue paper.  Or a glass platter (on the back).  Use the same glue mixture to apply your strips, then add another coat when everything is dry to protect your work.

Have fun with this technique, and enjoy your new votive holder!