Scissor Case Tutorial

I think everyone is loving all these pin cushions and needle cases, but this is a little chance for something extra. scissor case, very simple, no sewing machine needed.

You will need : paper, pen, scissors, felt, embroidery thread, decoration (optional)

1. Draw around you pair of scissors.

2. fold your pattern in half  and cut, this will make it symmetrical.

3. Place the large pattern onto the paper and draw around as shown, this will create the pattern for the front case.

4. Cut your felt using your patterns, two of each size.

5. On One of the case fronts, you may decorated as you wish.

6. place both case fronts together (optional : you can also place the pattern in the middle like a sand which to give it a little more ridgedness )

7. Start blanket stitch across the top of the front

8. When you reach the end, add the back pattern to the front, then blanket stitch around the rest of the case. 

And finished!

As you can see I chose vintage buttons as they match my needle case

Also white felt to match the inside of my needle case.

A Fine Balance

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a totally amazing book. So so wonderful, but so terribly sad. Beautifully written, totally engaging with such characters that stay with you for life. It educated me culturally. This will now and for ever be in my top 5!

View all my reviews

Needlecase Tutorial.

Well I would like to announce that this is my first sewing tutorial ! I'm rather excited .

I chose an easy start a little needle case, and you don't have to use the sewing machine. Lets start shall we.

Firstly you will need,

• outer fabric
• padding fabric
• inner fabric
• felt for sheets
• optional decorations such as buttons
• cotton, scissors, paper.
•  

I made my pattern up by folding a letter in half making an A5 rectangle shape. I ten cut each of the fabrics, outer, inner and padding to size.

Note on padding, I have used a little of an old blanket, anything would do!

Then tack the padding to the inner fabric, a good 2.5 cm in.

I then trim the padding all the way round. This is so that when we sew our case up it isn't too bulky.

Putting that to one side I then find the outer fabric and fold it half. I place two squares of inner fabric on the front.

Note :not to close to the edge as we have yet to sew it up!

I then place a slightly smaller square of my padding (or either plain fabric, a felt would be ideal) on top of the larger square.

To shape the smaller square I cut away at the corners

Then cut again along the edges.

I then place a button in the middle of each square and sew into place.

Now we are ready to construct the case. Putting right sides together sew along three sides.

Turn inside out, giving a little extra push into the corners.

Now what I consider the most fiddly bit. Folding in and pinning down the raw edges. Once I start though I continue all the way round the case. To be quiet sure I then go around again , this time even closer to the edge.

Well it should be looking pretty good, we are nearly there! cut your felt with pinking sheers if you prefer, size a little smaller than the case.Then sew into place.

And here we go! A cute little needle case.

I was really pleased with the finished product, it really is amazing what you can make from scraps. I was glad to use a nicer vintage peace of the inner along with denim for the outer! But you can play around as much as you like, that's the beauty of all these pin cushions and needle cases.

The End of MMM12, or is it....................

I haven't posted a single post directly for Me Made May '12. But that doesn't mean I have been slacking oh no! In fact I'm pleased with my outcome, MMM = achievement. I think only two days I didn't wear something made from my own hand, but I made up for it by wearing my self stitched pjs instead.

Now we have come to the end of the month, is that it do we change our ways or has it inspired you to continue? I know Zoe has been considering a flickr Me made living. A space to continue showing how we wear our hand made garment everyday. Brilliant I say!

I must admit sometimes I felt a little frustrated as here in the UK we seem to need clothing that fits any activity in any weather as all can change in 15 minutes. So I know having a few all rounders really helps. So top of the pops as with where:

1. the denim meringue : yes it was a staple and I have probably worn nearly everyday of May (is that cheating?)
2. Making a batch of tops for the one week one pattern really helped having a simple top in varying styles in fabric.

Bringing out last years summer clothing was a God send. I didn't feel like this was cheating at all, after all we can not have new all the time. In fact I really enjoyed re finding some old favorites.

 I know I have worked hard a making clothes that suit my life style and MMM shows that has paid off, as far as I can tell it's a Me Made Life from now on. So whats next on the list? Well loads as stuff as always, it's nice to dream...........................................

Pin cushion swap : A little game.

Good morning all, we though to make this week giveaway a bit different. 

First, we need to announce last week winner. Congratulations to : "Eliane"

We thought that it would be fun to have a game instead of just a comment.

Can you guess how many buttons there is on this small jar?

Eligibility:

Open internationally

Open to Pincushion Swap participants only.

Closing date is 03 June GMT London pm.

The winner must contact us directly to claim the prize within one week. 

The winner will be announced on 05th 2012.

Not obliged to follow my blog but It would make me really happy if you did.

To enter :

Write a comment guessing how many buttons is displayed on the photo, inside this IKEA heart bowl. 

Winner:

The person that achieves the closed guess up or down. If more than one person, those names will be put into a bow and HRH will draw the winner at random. I may even declare both winners and send you some prizes. 

Prize: I will make a tissue holder specially for you. Here are some I made previously.

Extra entries:

Go to Rachels blog and comment your answer there too.

Like my Facebook Page  and let me know you did.

Best of luck, and look out for our next post!

Crochet pin cushion tutorial.

 

Hello House of Pinheiro and Sew Far So Good readers!  I am so happy to be here for the Pin Cushion Swap. I am just itching to see what everyone creates.

My name is Keri, I am South African (but have been in the UK for 10 years this June...yikes!) and I am visiting today from Two Little Flowers...where all sorts of random stuff goes on, including a bit of creating for my little corner shop.  I am nearing the end of my maternity leave and will soon be returning to my job as an architect.  Two Little Flowers is my outlet for everything colourful and creative...and, more often than not is related in some way to our two little flowers - Ava (3) and Chloe (1) - who are a constant source of inspiration.

This little tutorial today is for a crocheted pin cushion.  Crocheting is still a fairly new craft to me, so if you are looking to learn I suggest that you first start by getting a family member to help you.  I tried first with books and You Tube, driving my Mum nuts on the phone in frustration that I just didn't Get It.  If you don't have a knowledgeable family member - there are heaps of tutorials out there in blogland!  My Mum came over to help us with Ava when Chloe was born, at which point I finally figured out this hooky business and have been 'hooked' ever since.

 Ok, so this isn't really all that tricky, and is easy enough to do while being bugged by amusing a baby and small person...i.e. not much concentration is required! But, maybe you are like me - and Like Instructions for Anything and Everything? Well, then it is your lucky lucky day!

Abbreviations

I am using UK crochet terms and my abbreviations are:

sl st = slip stitch

ch = chain

dc = double crochet

tr = treble crochet 

Supplies

All the supplies I used were bits that I had already.  The yarn is Rico Creative Cotton Aran.  Colours I used are: Fuschia (13), Tangerine (76), Orange (74), Natural (60), Pistachio (41).  The colours in this yarn are so very bold and pretty - but it can be a real pain in the butt to crochet with as it is very splitty.  The label says to use a 4-5mm hook, I used a 3.5mm to make the stitches a little tighter, to minimise the gaps.

This pattern is my own and you are welcome to do what you like with it.  A little nod of recognition in my direction would be much appreciated.

Righty-oh...let's get on with this busy-ness...

What to do

Start with crocheting 4 chain stitches.  sl st into the 1st chain to form a loop.

ch-3, then tr-11 {it will make life so much easier if you weave your tail in as you crochet}.

You are aiming for 12 spokes in your circle.

{You are correct...that IS a chopping board as the backdrop!  Well spotted!}

sl st into the 3rd ch of your 1st ch-3.

Fasten off.

If you wove your tail end in as you did your trebles, then pull that end snug (so it is nicely hidden inside the stitches and not pulling the circle tight) and snip it off.

Join your 2nd colour into your 12 spoke circle.

In this round your are working into the spoke gaps rather than the wheel stitches.  {I like to make a slip knot and pull that through and go straight into my first set of chain stitches.  But, you do what you prefer}

ch-3, then tr-1 into the same space as your chain.  Again, weave your tail as you go.

tr-2 into each space.

You are aiming for 12x tr-2 clusters around your circle.

sl st into the 3rd ch of your 1st ch-3.

Fasten off.  Snip your tail end as before.

Join your 3rd colour into your circle.  Again, we are working into the cluster gaps in this round.

ch-3, then tr-2 into the same space as your chain.  Weaving your tail as you go.

tr-3 into each space.

You are aiming for 12x tr-3 clusters around your circle.

sl st into the 3rd ch of your 1st ch-3.

Fasten off.  Snip your tail end as before.

Join your 4th colour into your circle, in any cluster gap.

ch-3, then all still into the same space tr-2, ch-2, tr-3.  You have a corner!

tr-3 into each of the next 2 spaces.

Making another corner: tr-3, ch-2, tr-3 into the next space.

tr-3 into each of the next 2 spaces.

Continue until your have made your square.

sl st into the 3rd ch of your 1st ch-3.  Don't cut your thread!

For the next round we work in the cluster gaps and cluster stitches.

ch-3 - this stitch is acting as a tr-1 into the cluster space.

tr into the next 2 stitches.

All into the cluster corner space: tr-3, ch-2, tr-3.

tr into the next 2 stitches.

tr into the cluster space.

Continue in this way until your have made your square.

sl st into the 3rd ch of your 1st ch-3.

Fasten off.

One side done!  Make another of the same or different - depending on how funky nuts your mood is.

Now that you know how big your pillowcase is you can make a little cushion.  I made mine of white wool mix felt and filled it with rice.  Make sure that whatever fabric you use is pretty behind your pillowcase.  You will see it through the gaps.  You could use a contrasting colour - play with your supplies until you are happy with your choice.

So, measure the size of your crochet square.  Mine was 10cm (4").  I cut out 2x 11cm (4.3") squares. 

 

With the fabric wrong sides together, sew around 3 edges with a narrow seam.  You are aiming for your cushion to be a smidge smaller than your pillowcase.  Snip the 2 sewn corners and turn the cushion right side out.  Fill your cushion with your filling of choice.  I chose rice (at my mothers suggestion - thanks Mum!) because I wanted something a bit heavier than toy stuffing.  I like the idea of emery sand a lot, but a bit of googling resulted in only USA finds...and I wasn't prepared to pay the nutty postage prices.  Rice was in the cupboard, so it was used!

I wanted a nice plump pincushion, so filled my cushion until there were 2 fingers of empty fabric left.  As I didn't feel like fighting with escapee rice and my sewing machine, I just did a small running hand-stitch across the opening to close it all up...checking that rice could not escape my stitches...

Back to the hook and yarn.  Place your 2 squares wrong sides together, so that the corners line up.  We are going to dc the 2 squares together.  I used a contrasting green against the cream for a bit of extra colour pop.  When joining, only hook through the back loops.  This adds a little ridged detail line between your square and the dc edging.

On your squares, at your corners, you have a corner space.  These corner spaces are made of 2 chain stitches.  When you are doing your joining, dc-2 into each of these chain stitches.

So...Hook through both squares into the 1st corner chain stitch to join in your yarn. {I used my slip knot method here again}

ch-1 (only 1 of your dc-2 here, we will add the 2nd one at the end)

Into your next corner chain dc-2

dc into all the stitches until you get to the next lot of corner chain stitches.

dc-2 into the 2x corner chain stitches

Continue until 3 sides are joined together.

Wriggle your cushion into the pillowcase, making sure that all the corners are nicely filled.  Tuck your cushion down so that you can close up the opening.

Continue with your dc until your reach your starting chain.

dc into this same stitch and then sl st into your starting chain.

Fasten off and weave in any remaining loose ends.

Go banana's pushing your pins into your new pin cushion.  {you have been spared my boring yellow-ball pin heads}  

....oooooh, so pretty and sunflowery in the lovely bright sunshine....Or, make a bunch more for juggling or for your kids to steal....I have to hide mine from Chloe...I am not sure if it is the weight or bright colours or texture that attract her to it, but she likes it a who-o-o-o-le bunch!!

Rats!  This whole pincushion-y business is addictive.  My brain is rattling away with more pincushion-y goodness...crochet top, fabric bottom - hmmm....pretty :: crochet doily stitched to pretty fabric cushion....oooooh :: scrappy crochet stripes with pretty hand embroidered something....oh dear...

Here's to happy pincushion-creations!

I for one can't wait to see what my swap partner creates for me...and to see what everyone else receives.

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