How to Make a Patchwork Christmas Stocking.

Forgot someone on your Christmas list? Want to make a hand crafted gift or decoration but haven't got time t visit your local fabric shop or order from an amazing fabric website?  Fear not we're here to help you create a stunning Christmas stocking to fill with nuts, fruit or small toys out of little pieces of scrap fabrics. Many people may find the patchwork simple, but I have a lot of people in the shop ask me how you avoid any raw seams in the finished article.
You will need:
Thread
Needles
Pins
Fabric for the stocking (any off cuts will do)
Lining fabric. (I've used satin lining but you can use any thin fabric that you have laying around.
Inspiration
Tea or Hot chocolate
A good Christmas movie or soundtrack to work to.

To begin with gather all your little odds and ends of fabric. One of our previous blogs covers ways of storing fabrics by the way. You can either just pick  what fabrics takes your fancy or  break the fabrics down into themes, such as "cool colours" or "natural colours" or just gold old "red, gold and green"
I adore this red and gold fabric (I've made a rather fetching jacket from it) but I just didn't have enough fabrics to compliment it, so I've gone for silvers and whites, a clean cool but festive stocking.









Draw a template 

I used an existing  stocking, and then cut out 4 of these stocking shapes out of the lining. I'm using a satin lining so I made sure to have 2 from each side so it looks like I have 2 "right" stockings and 2 "left" stockings. Then use this to sort out a rough stocking shape out of the scraps of fabric. I've decided my stocking will be made mainly of horizontal strips.

 I found a beautiful Crystal organza which has a iridescent shimmer. It reminded me of some of the Christmas decorations from the 80's. (this is why Christmas fashions goes around in circles as each generation of adults borrows ideas from their childhood, I'm sure of it.) Now my lining is white satin so the organza would look lovely over it, but it may be hard to control. So I decided to top stitch the organza over the lining to form a big square of shiny shimmering magical goodness. You can do this if your lining fabric isn't something you want visible as well.

Now start sewing your strips to form one sheet of fabric. You can keep placing one of the stocking panels  over it to give you a guide to which bit of fabric will go where (I wanted the shimmering white to form a heel). Don't worry if this fabric is not stocking shape yet, We will use the stocking shape as a template and cut out the proper shape next.

Place the stocking shape over your patchwork and line everything up until you're happy where each piece is, pin and cut out.

If you are using a lining fabric that looks the same from either side then which piece you top stick your patchwork to will not matter. However in my case I need to ensure the patchwork is laid and sewn onto the SHINY side ! Why? if I laid the fabric onto the mat side then either one of the inside pieces or the back of the stocking will be mat as well.

Top stitch in place, sewing close to the edge so these stitches wont show in the finished stocking. If you wanted a padded  quilted feel to your stocking you would add the wadding between the two layers here.

Now is a good time to add ribbon or ricrac. I used some organza ribbon to fold under a little excess of the light weight silver fabric that was bulging out slightly.

Now right sides together sew your stocking front to the stocking back. Repeat the process for the  lining, BUT leave an inch gap in the middle of the back of the stocking (to pull the stocking right side out after). Cut noticed into the seam allowances around the curvy bits on the stocking.




Pull the outer stocking right side out THE slide it into the inside out lining.

Now sew the inner and outer stocking together along the top and pull right side out. and her presto, you have a beautiful hand crafted stocking!

How to make a Velvet Scarf

We have been making these blogs for a few years now, and one thing I'm always surprised at is the timing. This will be the fourth time someone has asked me how to make something in our shop just as I'm about to pop a tutorial on the subject on-line.

This sewing project was born through necessity. I lost my favourite velvet scarf and had no intention of paying £25 for a replacement.  I took a good look at a scarf in a shop and decided I could make it for around £5.

I decided my new scarf would be velvet to replace the one I lost. I was never a fan of the long tassels at each end of the scarf but found scarves without a decorative edge seemed a little unfinished. One perk of sewing your own clothes is that you don't have to make compromises.  I decided to use a short fringe so that the scarf will still look sophisticated., but not get tangled up.

You will need:

Half a metre of Velvet (150cm Wide)
Half a metre of fringe
Matching sewing thread
Sewing Needle
Pins
Thread snips.

Version one.

Step one. Marking out.
Take your half metre of velvet and fold it in half, so you have a rectangle 150cm by 25 cm.

Mark where the fold of the fabric is, and then unfold it, so you have a mark half way on the short side of the fabric.

Step two. Adding the fringing. The fringing is held on a strip of braid. We will want the fringing visible but not this braid.

 Pin the fringing along the short edge, going from the edge of the fabric to the middle point we just marked.,

The braid of the fringe should be along the edge of the fabric and the fringing pointing down the fabric.

Stitch the fringing to the velvet along the braided edge. Repeat on the other short edge.




Step Three. Sewing up. Fold the fabric in half along the long edge, right sides together.  Pin and sew with a seam allowance just wider than the width of  the braid that holds the fringe.  Make sure to leave a small gap on the long edge around 10cm long.

Pop your hand through the gap and pull the scarf right side out. Press with an iron and slip stitch the gap shut. (Or just use wunder web).

And Hey Presto you have a fabulous scarf to cut a dash in (or to give as a gift) for around five pounds.







Version 2
The above scarf has three sides sewn. It is just as easy to make a scarf out of two narrow strips of fabric of around 150cm by 28cm. Whilst this means you have an extra seam to sew you have the opportunity to use two different colours of velvet, or to add ribbon to one side of the scarf.

The only difference to the above method is you don't have to find the half way mark on the short end. Simple pin the fringe across all of the short end, you can also top stitch ribbon along the width as well.

Then just sew the two strips of velvet together, right sides together again leaving a gap for turning through.

There you have it, two ways of making a simple but sophisticated scarf. These scarves were an experiment in that I used a velour with a stretch. I was concerned that this would make the scarf shapeless, but I've found it works fine.

How to knit tinsel for Christmas.

When you think of making Christmas decorations you may recall struggling with glue paper and card.
However you can make fantastic decorations with sewing and knitting. We've shown you how to make an advent calendar, a Christmas bauble and how to use ribbon and cinnamon for a simple decoration. To knit  this tinsel we are going to knit a scarf almost, of 5 stitches in width. But with a little twist. I must stress I'm very new to knitting, and I suffer from "sausage fingers" and even I managed this project!

Now our wonderful COO has shown me how to make tinsel by knitting! you will need:
Can Can knitting yarn.
Double Knitting Pins. 4mm

Can Can yarn comes in a ball like other yarns, at first glance it looks like a thick cord.












However when you tease it open you find it's more of a ribbon of mesh.













Casting On
Casting on with Can Can is simple.
Just slide one needle through the yarn on one side.

 3 cm along the yarn slide the needle through the yarn again. DO this until you have the needle through the yarn five times. That's it, we've cast on, see, simple!

 The Knitting. 
Slide the second needle UNDER the first THROUGH the loop it's made in the yarn.

 Loop the yarn around the front of the first needle.
Slide the second needle through the yarn about 3cm along from the first loop in the first needle.

Slide the second needle around  to the right and poke the needle through the loop on the first needle again.

 Just like this. Slide this new loop off the first needle, it should now be on the second needle. Repeat this for all five stitches.

 Rotate the second needle and then wrap the yarn around the front. Then slide the first needle under under the second (which now has the stitches on) and knit as you did before.  And that's all there is to it.

 Keep up this process until you run out of yarn and you should have a beautiful length of tinsel, or indeed a scarf.

 These lengths of tinsel look beautiful in any colour, and make fantastic boa style scarves for the new year.










You can also knit up multiple lengths and twist them together for this beautiful candy cane effect.

Finally we have a video where I attempt to knit on film! As I've said before I'm VERY new to knitting but even I have managed this project!

Ribbon & Cinnamon Decoration and Christmas Card Holder.

Love it or Loathe it, you can't ignore Christmas. I realized the other day that I'm normally a lot happier this time of year. I sat down and looked at what was wrong and it came to me. I have more work to do than time to do it, and less money than I'd like to spend at Christmas. It occurred to me that I can't be the only one thinking the same.  Therefore I decided to experiment and come up with some decorations that were festive and yet quick and cheap to make. This would allow me and  anyone else in the same boat to have a hand crafted personalized Christmas, without spending too much time or money.  I thought about Ribbon. Ribbon is cheap and plentiful at this time of year. Not only is it inexpensive to buy but many people have plenty spare in their homes. The other advantage of ribbon is it comes in many styles and patterns, allowing you to make a truly unique ornament  which could also me a nice early gift to someone.

For the Cinnamon decorations you will need
Ribbon
Cinnamon Sticks
Scissors 
Optional 
Needles
Thread
Elastic Bands

For the Christmas Card Holder you will need;
Ribbon 
Needles
Thread
Scissors 
paper clips (or sticky tape)
Cinnamon sticks decorations.

This simple decoration is my homage to the yule log symbolizing warmth and comfort. Cinnamon sticks can be often found very cheaply at oriental supermarkets.

Bundle the cinnamon sticks together. Things are a lot easier if you hold them in place with elastic bands.  I used Dalchini Sticks which are very thick.

You can simply tie  the ribbon around the sticks and pull it into a bow. Then hang or rest the sticks into your tree. This also can give an artificial tree a warm subtle scent.

You can hem the ribbon first by folding the ends over double and top stitching in place.

Smaller cinnamon sticks give a more delicate looking decoration.











Christmas Card Holder

Christmas Cards always help a room feel festive, however finding space for them all can be a struggle.
For the cost of a piece of ribbon and a few minutes you can have a custom made card holder.

I find Grosgrain Ribbon works best

To begin with take some ribbon, about 3 times longer than the Card holder needs to be. Pleat the ribbon along it's length, make the pleats around 1.5 cm deep.

Stitch the pleats in pl;ace with a singe row of stitching down the middle.

Take a paper clip and slip it into one of the pleats

Slide a Christmas Card under the paper clip so it's held in place

Add more cards as you receive them and just pin or otherwise fasten the card holder in place.

The pleated detail of the ribbon does add a festive charm to this little project

I chose brown to match my sofa  but red, gold or green would look fantastic.

For more idea on festive projects and amazing wrapping ideas check out this fantastic blog I found today.

 http://claireabellemakes.com/2012/11/19/christmas-wrapping-ideas/

Tutorial: Making the Christmas train Advent Calendar

 Last year I talked of the advantages of making an advent calender. Since then we have had requests to create a tutorial for those perhaps new to sewing and quilting for making these calenders  I'm mainly a dressmaking and pretty new to quilting and craft projects myself. As a result this is a true beginners step by step guide. As ever with these little projects I've chosen a festive film to keep time with. In honour of the Christmas Train Calendar, I picked Polar Express.

To begin with you will need

An Advent Calendar Panel
Scissors
Thread Snips
Sewing machine needles
Pins
Ribbon
Wadding
Craft Cotton or Calico for the backing.

The panel actually has sewing instructions written on them which is a great help to begin with.

Step one. Cut out the main panel AROUND the holly edge of the boarder. Top Tip. Always cut so the panel is on your left and the excess is on the right (if you are left handed reverse this) That way you can see the edge of the boarder clearly as you cut. The Panel is cut out by the time the Polar Express shows up

Step Two. Cut out the Calander pockets for the treats. These are in blocks of three. Here it is VITAL to read the instructions carefully to make sure you cut the correct line. In this case it's the SOLID lines, the dotted lines are used later for pleating. The instructions on the panel will tell you which to cut.  When cutting out small sections it's advisable to check the following

1) That there are no other pieces of your sewing project UNDER what you are cutting that could get caught up in your scissors  and cut where they would not want to be cut (yep, I've done this before)

2) If cutting by your computer always ensure your mouse cable is not UNDER what you are cutting (yep, cut the 'tail' off my mouse before as well)

Step three. Put on some Hot Chocolate for the Hot Chocolate song

Step Four. Press over the seam allowance for each pocket (or group of pockets). In this pattern   the seam allowance is at the solid gold boarder.  This takes time, it is better to do it correctly than to do it fast (and possible burn yourself in the process) This takes a good chunk of the film.

Step Five. Press in the box pleats.  Place  one solid gold line to the center dotted line and press. then do this for the second line.
And the Polar Express is at the North Pole. The visuals on the screen are inspiring, helping me to decide on metallic top stitching and beading.

Decisions!. At this point you can sew the pockets in place, and line and back of the calendar. However if you want to embellish things NOW is the time to do it. You can add beads to the design of the pockets. You can also add a wadding to the back of the calendar and top stitch along the designs of the pattern.

In this case I've added a red nose bead  onto Rudolph And padded the outline of the train.
To have a padded outline on the train sew wadding onto the back of the panel and then top stitch over any lines you wish to emphasis. I used Metallic Thread for this. IT is Vital to use a metallic thread sewing needle for this. Metallic thread requires a larger eye than normal. Using a regular needle will make the thread split.

The film is almost over, however the hard parts of the project are complete. I would have been much faster but I liked the padded outlines of the train.

Step Six. Top stitch the pockets onto the panel. With single pockets just top stitch the sides and bottom. On groups of pockets stitch along the bottom and the outer edges. Spread the box pleats apart for a moment and top stitch along the dotted line.

Step Seven. Cut calico to back the panel. on what will be the outer side of the calico or craft cotton  sew ribbon to the edges. Then right sides together sew the calico and the panel together. Pinning the ribbon to the calico (or craft cotton) will stop it getting sewn into the side seam by accident. Leave a gap at the bottom to turn the calendar right side out and finish with a ladder stitch

And you're finished :) You can embellish  this project as much or as little as you like. Beading  sequins and glitter can be used as little or as much as you like. It's worth noting the holy part of the boarder on the panel is 5/8 of an inch, perfect seam allowance guide. This then leaves the other layers of the boarder on show. Now all you have to do is fill it with nuts and treats, or if giving to a crafting friend little bits of Haberdashery.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and feel able to have a go yourself now. I must stress I am very new to craft sewing but enjoyed this immensely and I am very  proud of the end result. IT must also be said I am gifted with the grace and dexterity of a baby hippopotamus .  If I can create something like this, anyone can
 :)

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