Trundling through life: Tutorial

Showing posts with label Tutorial. Show all posts

15 October 2016

Have a go at making cards!

I love making cards! Christmas is a wonderful time for me and I've already got my cards made for this year but I was asked to lead a small group at our local Trefoil Guild so that they too could have a go. I decided that I would make some cards using minimum of specialised kit and a maximum of stuff that people might have already.

Surround the aperture with double sided tape

I explained about dividing A4 card (I suggest using 200gsm to 300gsm for those who like to know these things) but for aperture cards it's easier to buy blanks. Anyway, here are my notes for my first couple of cards.

Open the card out and on the inside frame the shape with double sided sticky tape. Lay your first ribbon or piece of lace across the card making sure it sticks to the tape at both ends. Carry on laying pieces of ribbon working out from the middle. It's OK to overlap but NO GAPS! When you have covered all the aperture turn the card over to admire your work.

Now put a row of double sided tape all around the middle section of the card but before you peel off the tape backing check which way the card will need to be folded. When you are sure, peel off the tape back and stick the card together. (I realise I have laboured this point but I have come to grief before today!) As you can see the lace which I put in first is top of the heap.

If you are an accomplished card maker chances are you have stamps or dies or some other clever way of adding a greeting. Maybe you have wonderful handwriting. For lesser mortals like myself peel offs are a wonderful invention and usually cost well under £1 per sheet. They can be stuck over blemishes and as far as I am concerned that makes them brilliant value. The easiest way to apply a peel off greeting is to lift it from the sheet using a piece of masking tape from which most of the tackiness has been removed by sticking it to your arm or tee shirt. Press it firmly to the greeting and lift carefully. Still on the tape put it carefully on to the card and then peel away the tape. I've added a few stars (without using tape) to cover the marks on my card.

This is a variation on the same technique. This blank is from my stash and is very shiny. Here I have backed the leaves with green ribbon and have used some greetings ribbon across the bauble but the red design across the bauble is made up of folded paper. I've used tiny peel offs for the holly berries. I didn't have any dots so I used gold stars with red middles. I could have used tiny buttons or red sequins but I wanted to use stuff from the stash. Coming up to Christmas there will be lots of red and green around (magazine features? wrapping paper?) so it's not necessary to buy anything specially.

Very special note for Mandy in case she reads this. Sorry about the peel offs. I know you hate them.

17 December 2015

Getting creative 3

I was quite a busy girl when I went sewing on Monday and I made a tree! You might think that is a feat reserved for the Almighty but Jane is truly inspirational. Here's how the mighty deed was accomplished.

First cut three triangles in each of two fabrics. I chose green for one set of three and gold for the others. My triangle have a two sides measuring aprox 9 inches and a base of 8 inches.

Put the triangles together in pairs of one of each colour, right sides together and stitch around each pair leaving a gap in the base to enable you to turn them right side out. Clip the corners and turn them right side out. Press. (If you have an overlocker you could be as big a cheat as me and overlock them wrong sides together but still leave a gap even though you will not need to turn them.)

Stack the three pairs so that in each case the colours face another triangle of the same colour. Hard to explain but in my case I laid a gold triangle on the table so that there was a green triangle facing me. I then laid the next triangle on top of that with the green side face down and the gold side upwards. Finally I laid the third triangle on top of that with the gold side down and the green side uppermost. (The order is thus gold, green, green gold, gold green.)

Pin this stack together then mark the central perpendicular line with tailors chalk and machine sew along it. Stuff each of the six sections then slip stitch the gap on the bottom of each. You will now have made a stylised tree.

The tree can now be decorated as you want. I used a few sequins including some rather nice star sequins for the top but I worked on the principle that less is more.

14 December 2015

Getting creative 1

I've been out today to The Ropewalk at Barton on Humber to the studio of Jane White who runs Jane White Couture Tuition. I've done dressmaking on and off all my life and I can honestly say that Jane is the best teacher EVER that I have had.

Just before Christmas every year she runs a special sewing day in preparation for Christmas, not making a special outfit but rather sewing things to decorate ones home or use as presents. Today I decided to make some decorations to hang on my tree and with great trepidation I'm writing my first ever tutorial.

Picture 1

Cut two squares of contrasting fabric. I used 12cm squares. if you have an overlocker put the two squares wrong sides together and overlock around. (If you don't have an overlocker put the squares right side together, sew around leaving a small gap. Trim the corners then turn the square right side out and slip stitch the gap closed.)

Fold two sides of the square to the middle and catch them together in the middle with a few small stitches. Do not cut the thread. (Picture 1)

Picture 2b

Picture 2a

Then fold the other sides to the middle, pushing the corners out. Attach a button or sequin over your hand stitching. (Pictures 2a and 2b)

Picture 3

Now poke the corners through to reveal the inner fabric. (Picture 3)

Attach a ribbon et voila! A small decoration to hang on your tree! (Picture 4)

Picture 4

I don't think writing tutorials is my "thing" but maybe I'll learn!

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