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!

OCD Sewing and Working

Or "The Japanese Tea Ceremony a warning from history".

OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a strange condition. Much like schizophrenia and amnesia it is rarely fully understood by people. When I was growing up we thought schizophrenia meant you had two people in one head (in other words Multiple Personality Disorder), and amnesia was always a case of forgetting your past (whilst not knowing that Retro Grade amnesia, the inability to make new memories also exists)

Obsessiveness Compressive Disorder is often (but not always) a lot more than being a "Clean Freak". It isn't entirely about being trapped into performing rituals, however this is something I wanted to blog about today.

Legend has it that years ago a samurai had the PERFECT cup of tea in a tea house. The tea was at just the right temperature,  the bird song and crickets sounded just right, the lady serving the te
a moved in just the right elegant way. In short EVERYTHING just fell into place.  He wanted to recreate this feeling every time he had a cup of tea, and so the tea ceremony was born. His serving lady had to move in the same way, the tea had to be the same temperature and so on. However this will not always recreate the same moment of bliss as many things are beyond our control. The temperature and humidity of the tea house, the background noise, his thoughts from earlier in that day. By insisting so much remain unchanged he had stifled the universes ability for random chance to effect the end result, So from that moment on no cup of tea he had would be as good, and could never be as it had become a regimented  unchanging ritual.

I have no idea how factual accurate the above tale is, however I think it can still teach us something. Having everything "just so" when we work is fine to a point. A tidy work space, knowing where everything we want like our sewing tools are and so on can speed up sewing and make it more of pleasure.  My trouble is when I can't find "MY SEWING MUG" or can't decide on the best DVD to watch. Then I become distracted, my work suffers, assuming I ever get round to starting it instead of picking through DVD's or hunting an errant Tardis mug

I guess what I'm trying to say is it's great to be organised, and it's great to have things around us that make work a pleasure but be open to change, it will happen whether you like it or not one day. Mug's break, DVD's get damaged and then you'll have to work with a new mug, and maybe listening to the radio, and who knows you may find this even more enjoyable that your old routine.

We Love Rico Wool & Yarn

Over the last few months we have been working hard on our website.  The over all design has not changed much but we have been working on increasing our range including Steampunk Fabrics and Christmas Fabrics. We've also been changing how our wool and yarn is displayed in our virtual shop. Before each style of yarn was  categorized by manufacturer. However many people found having to go in and out of all the categories frustrating. Now all of the categories of yarn are on one page.

Knitting and crocheting  by hand is a fantastic way to spend the evening. You can chat, listen to the radio or audio books, watch TV and still have an amazing garment when you finish.
Many interesting effects can be achieved with Rico yarns and wools. So here's a rough guide to help you experiment over the cold Autumn  and Winter months as you knit on the sofa.

 Rico Baby Teddy Aran is a light and fluffy yarn perfect for projects for babies such as hats and fluffy cardigans.

Rico Big Moment is a soft and fluffy yarn. One of these giant balls makes a beautiful warm and soft scarf.

One of the balls would make a fantastic gift as all someone would need is a pair of knitting needles to go with it to complete a full knitting project!




Creative Can Can is an easy to knit scarf yarn. One 200g ball knits a long ruffled scarf.  Can Can yarn comes in solid colours as well as glittery colours and blended colours as well.  Again a fantastic early project or gift for someone keen to get crafting.

Rico Creative Cotton Aran. The crochet and craft yarn! Creative cotton aran is perfect for crocheting and knitting accessories and useful household things. Used to make cute animals and other stuffed toys.

Rico Creative Filz is a very strange but useful yarn. You can knit up a project quickly and then "felt" it by washing it in a machine. . This creates a sturdy fabric suitable for bags, hats and even slippers. You don't have to felt your project however.

Rico Creative Galaxy DK  is a double knit yarn with colour matched sequins attached along it's length  and self-stripping colours. This makes fantastic glimmering  shimmery hats and scarves.








Rico Creative Liesl.  The voluminous yarn with glitter effect. One 200g ball of creative liesl makes one beautiful scarf in brioche stitch. This yarn is especially easy to work with and is therefore perfect for beginners. The thin shiny thread gives the scarf an especially pretty glittery effect.







Rico Creative Loopy Pompon and Rico Creative Loopy Pompon Neon

A loopy yarn that also has small pompoms upon it. This makes a beautiful light weight scarf suitable for Autumn and Spring. I've also seen this worn as club wear when made in Neon!










Rico Creative Pompon Party and Rico Creative Pompon Print.
Pompon yarn can be used in lots of different ways: whether for knitting scarves and accessories or in crafting! When knitted into a scarf the pompoms swish about creating a beautiful sense of movement.
However the yarn can also be knitted to give a tight fabric of bobbles!




Rico Essentials Cotton DK.  A yarn made from 100% mercerised cotton. It is fine, smooth and has good definition. It is available in a wide range of shades all with a lustrous sheen. It knits to a standard double knit and would make an excellent replacement for more expensive cotton yarns.

Rico Essentials Merino is an ultra fine yarn renowned for being very easy to knit with. Suitable for both clothing and accessories.







Rico Fashion Fluffy.
The trendy faux-fur yarn fashion fluffy gets its name from its soft, fluffy feel. It is a yarn in in the trendy faux-fur look available in harmonious pastel tones and in great colour change patterns. One 100g ball makes a scarf.



Rico Fashion Métallisé has a long length and makes a very light knitted garment with a lovely metallic-effect.


And there you have it. A brief guide to our Rico Wools and Yarns. Even the most ardent sewing machine fanatic has to admit the knitting has it's advantages.  Remember the key to learning a new skill is to allow yourself to play. Many fantastic creations begin with simple "messing about".

Can you wear your Halloween costumes all year round?

Everyone at Fabric8 loves Halloween. Most of us enjoy sewing, knitting or some other way of creating fun things to wear or cool decorations for the home. Halloween tends to be the time we can really go mad and indulge the less serious side of our nature. In the past I've seen people make "Dark Jedi" and "Zombie Pirate" costumes to wear to work. Looking closer at these outfits I noticed they were very well made and realised they were built to last. As it turns out the costumes were made for more than just Halloween. A long pirate coat for example can  be worn through out winter. The Dark Jedi robe became a bath robe to be worn around the home.

Then my boss had a stroke of genius. With everyone trying to save money these days why not show people some fantastic costume ideas  that can be worn all year round!

Steampunk was an obvious starting point for us. Check out our blog on a brief guide to what is Steampunk.
 This picture of our shop window display (complete with ghostly Renault reflection) helps to give a sense of the over all feel of Steampunk.

We stock Steampunk sewing patterns, however you can make any Victorian or Western wear a little steampunky with the right accessories. These creations can then be worn night clubbing, or out to special events. I wear my wasitcoats as part of a steam punk outfit and in day to day wear as well.  Steampunk jackets and dresses don't actually look out of place in most venues, they just make you look more individual and creative.

You can also use this blog to learn how to make pirate shirts and how to make harem pants (or  Pirate pants). Pirate shirts can also be used for Medieval wear, or for  when you just want to look like a poet.
  You can always make a fairy petticoat to add an ethereal touch of the super natural to any other outfit or use some translucent fabrics from our Halloween fabric section to augment an existing outfit.

 And you don't need to limit yourself to Steampunk. A good corset and petticoat combo can make a great "Dark Fairy" costume. These can then be worn  with a jacket or other top and with a more full skirt to form a ball gown.

Once you have an outfit you're happy with you'll be amazed at where it can take you. I know of modern day Victorians who go dinosaur hunting in the museums of London, and of mad scientist who go for days out at the London science museum, resplendent  in a lab jacket and brass goggles. Or of corseted ladies in full ball gowns who take picnics to Kew Gardens.  You can take just about any costume you want and then just become a "what ever-Zombie". For example, a retro zombie girl. This then gives you a perfect 50's dress to go out Jive dancing in. What ideas can you think of to make a Halloween costume reusable?

Don't see Halloween as a time to spend time and money on a throw away outfit. See it as a launching pad for new and amazing creations that will propel you into all sorts of adventures all year round!

How to make a curtain for a cubby hole or shelves.

As Summer draws to a close more of our customers have been talking about house hold sewing projects that they have been putting off until the nights have drawn in. Many are currently lining their curtains to help stop drafts and to cut down on their  heating bills. Some people spoke of making their rooms look tidier by placing simple curtains over cubby holes or shelves.  These curtains are often held in place with the same wire as net curtains. There are many fabrics  that are suitable for a project like this, from the classic Gingham fabric to cotton prints and satin. I decided to make a satin curtain with an organza over lay to add a little sparkle.

You will need;

Fabric (I used Satin  and organza)
Pins
Thread
Needle
Scissors

Step One. Measure and cut your fabric.

The cuby hole I am covering is 60cm by 135cm. I want my curtains to have a bit of fullness and so I am making two curtains that are 45 cm wide.
I cut out two rectangles of 49cm by 145cm to allow for hems and seams. I then used these as a template to cut out the organza.





Step Two. Hem the satin and the organza panels.

Normally we hem things towards the end of construction, but for this method we need to hem first. A chequered pattern on your ironing board is a real help in making sure your hems are neat and even. To hem fold the edge of the fabric towards the wrong side of the fabric, press and then fold the fabric again. Stitch in place.









Step Three. Baste the organza to the satin.

A basting stitch is a long stitch that is not seen in the final product. Basting stitches are used to reinforce a section of a garment that may get placed under strain, such as an arm hole, or to hold two or more pieces of fabric together as they are manipulated.

Place the WRONG side of the organza (the side which has the hem  folded up on it) on top of the RIGHT side of the satin.  Pin the fabrics together along the long edge and paste with a small seam allowance (I used 5mm). Even though the stitch won't be seen it is still a good idea to make the seam as neat as possible.  Repeat  on the other side and on the second curtain.

Step Three.  Hem the sides.

Hem the sides of the curtains in the same way as the bottom of the curtains but with  narrower hem (in this case I  used 5mm). The hemming is made much easier by basting the two layers of fabric together first. Many people try to skip the basting phase of construction. However basting only takes a few minutes and really makes the future steps of construction easier, quicker and neater.

Step Four.  Make a casing for the wire.

A casing for the wire can be made in exactly the same way as the lower hem. However when folding over the fabric measure the curtains to make sure they are of the right length.

A simple curtain that you can put together very quickly. Whilst I love my books a curtain like this can help make a more cluttered book shelf look neater (such as a shelf full of files or reports).

Have a look around your home and see what other quick sewing projects you can complete to enrich your surroundings.

So what is this Steampunk on your website?

The eagle eyed visiting our website may notice a new section under "Fashion Fabrics". We now have a "Steampunk  and Alternative fabrics" section. So what is Steampunk and what is Alternative?

If you ask 10  Steampunks to describe what steampunk is you will probably get 10 answers.  For me the best description is "A Victorian's vision of the future". The Victorians had no idea of aeroplanes but they knew of balloons and were working on the fundamentals of Airships.  So in the Steampunk world we may find airship pirates for example. With this vision in mind people have created amazing fashion, literature and music.

• So what makes a fabric Steampunk?  Just about any fabric can be used in any context, but there are some fabrics that just scream out to be used in a Steampunk creation. Metallic fabrics are popular as are the more natural colours such as brown, olive, cream and so on. (there is a little joke in the community that Steampunks are Goths who have discovered the colour brown).

This Bella Angelic would make a stunning skirt or long coat for example. 

Fabrics with patterns from the Victorian era are also often used in steampunk couture. Paisleys and stripes can add a classical touch to any clothing project, such as this "Spice Trail" design in nutmeg.

Map Fabrics can be inspiring in any design. Some of the best projects take fabrics and use them in ways not originally envision, such as this furnishing fabric. 

 

Other times you may wish to use a scene or vista that inspired by the technology and industry of the Victorian era. For example this vintage hot air balloon fabric.

Ultimately it is not what you use  but how you use it. Mix and match, take chances and explore. 

We intend to expand on the idea of grouping fabrics together as time continues. Maybe a re-enactment section or a LARP section? What sections would you like to find on the Fabric8 website?