Sunday, October 29, 2017

Candy Corn Garland


Here's a papercrafting project that also uses a bit of sewing, or serging, as the case may be.
This garland is hanging from the side window of my cute, backyard potting shed.
The candy corn cut file is a free download from Hey Let's Make Stuff.
I cut the card stock on my Cricut Maker and for each candy corn,
I cut two of each of the yellow and orange components
( one for the front and one for the back)
because I knew the back side would show since it was going to hang in a window.
That way my candy corn is double sided.
I've seen a number of paper, felt, fabric, etc. garlands stitched together with the sewing machine.

That is an effective way to quickly make garland, but if you have a coverstitch serger,
the chain stitch gives you more flexibility in designing your garland.

When using a sewing machine, the candy corn would have to be right next
to each other because sewing machines are not meant to sew without something under the needle.
But a serger allows you to endlessly chain off without anything passing under the needle.


I spaced my candy corn pieces about 12-15 inches apart from one another.

That way I didn't have to spend a lot of time making numerous candy corn pieces,
but I could still make my garland the length I needed to drape in front of my window.
I used Coats and Clark polyester sewing thread in the needle,
and I used Sulky 12 weight thread in the chain looper.


And I set my stitch length to 1.

That combination gave me a nice, sturdy chain for my garland.
I will definitely be putting my Cricut Maker and
my Baby Lock Triumph to use making more
seasonal garland in the upcoming months.

Do you make your own garland?
Do you use papercrafting, quilting, sewing, or something else?
I would love to hear about your garland decorating endeavors.
Please leave a comment, I enjoy hearing from you all.

Saturday, October 28, 2017

Ghost Candle Mat in Wool Applique

Who can resist candy this time of year!
And what better to decorate with, than candy corn.

This little seasonal mat is made of wool and features applique and a green sparkle thread outline.

I used my Baby Lock Sashiko machine to add the sparkle thread to the top of the candle mat.
The pattern is from Buttermilk Basin.
I purchased the kit from My Girlfriend's Quilt Shop in Midway, UT.
They carry an extensive variety of wool felt and the shop has sew many samples,
thread, and supplies for quilting and for wool designs.
Just eye candy at its finest!
Buttermilk Basin also has lovely patterns for Christmas wool items.
I can't wait to stitch up a number of them.
If you want to add some simple, quick décor items to your home,
try your hand at wool applique.
It can be stitched by hand or by machine.

Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit today.



Saturday, October 7, 2017

Sew House Seven Toaster Sweater

It is challenging for me to find a comfortable, well-fitting sweatshirt in ready to wear.
The Toaster Sweater pattern by Sew House Seven fills that void in my winter wardrobe.
The style lines are such that it is comfortable without being overly bulky.
I like that it is semi-fitted, which is hard to find in a ready to wear sweatshirt.
The self fabric ribbing panel at the bottom helps the shirt stay in place,
which is necessary because this top falls just at or below the hip bones.
The funnel neck can be worn up as shown in this photo,
it can be "slouched",
or it can be doubled over itself.
I like having options.
With the extra long cuff on the sleeves,
I can wear them long (over my hand just past my wrist) on those chilly days;
or I can easily push up the sleeves and they stay up.
The pattern features dolman sleeves, which make the sweatshirt extra comfortable.
The forest green hemp French terry fabric from Fancy Tiger Crafts
is a perfect pairing with this pattern.
I'm anxious to sew up another Toaster Sweater in some stretch velour in taupe/cream
that I just ordered from StyleMaker Fabrics.

I stitched the entire sweater on my Baby Lock Serger, no sewing machine required.
(If you don't have cover hem capabilities on your serger,
you will need to use a sewing machine for the topstitching.)

Thank you for visiting.
Please leave a comment about your thoughts or questions.
I really enjoy hearing from my readers.

Have a blessed day.




Thursday, October 5, 2017

Why I Like to Sew with byAnnie Patterns

I'm a bit of an eclectic sewer.
I like to stitch up a number of different types of sewing projects.
I wish I could just focus on one type of sewing,
for instance garments, home dec, children's clothing, bags, etc.
But that's not me.
I like to sew it all!!!
Because that is my personality, I appreciate the options that I get with the byAnnie patterns.
Their patterns are:
Well Written
Easy to Follow
and
Have Helpful Illustrations
(and sometimes video links)
In addition to those great qualities,
some of their patterns also include instructions for smaller
items to coordinate with the featured project.
The Trinkets and Treasures pattern has instructions for three different size organizers
and it also includes instructions for these separate organizer "pods" that can be
stored in the featured organizer case - or not.
Are you a focused sewist?
or
Are you an eclectic sewist?
I would enjoy hearing from you.
Please leave a comment in the section below.

Thank you for visiting my blog.