Mug Bag Tutorial - 23rd october

How wonderful, a group of quilting ladies, have sent me an email, letting me know that they used my tutorial for the Mug Bag - heartfelt smiles to see this.

Completed by Pam

Kim

Lisa

Tracy

They Belong to the belong to the Victoria (British Columbia) Modern Quilters Guild and bring their own mugs to reduce waste to their meetings. 

Love sharing my craft with others.

Christmas Gift Giving - HANDMADE FABRIC BAUBLE TUTORIAL

I was SEW surprised when back in September I received a comment on one of my Christmas Gift Giving Tutorials from last year from Madame Samm asking if I would love to join the Comfort and JOY themed tutorials for the month of December on the http://www.sewwequilt.com/ blog. I was surprised and excited and wasn't sure what I would share with you all. After my excitement of accepting our family got some heartbreaking news and went into a family crisis I sent off a quick email declining thinking I wouldn't have time with all that needed attention within my family. And then to my surprise a reminder popped up a couple of days ago and in the midst of doing Christmas Cards I decided yep this was comfort and JOY and i needed to share....so here is my little comfort and JOY handmade fabric bauble tutorial.

Inspired by my wonderful handmade ornaments that I received and blogged about in this post, and my tradition of hosting a Handmade Ornament swap for the past few years, but due to family commitments didn't host this year, when writing out my cards for the girls that regularly swap with me I couldn't not include a little something for these lovely ladies and so these little wonders came about!!!

They were so quick and easy within a little while you can whip up 8 just using the width of the fabric from a couple of scrap strips it's really easy!!!

Ingredients

• Simple Scraps - jelly roll left overs are great!! But for those of you that need a more realistic measurement you need
• one dark fabric strip measuring  2.5 x width of fabric
• one light fabric strip measuring 3 x width of fabric
• 1 x length of piping to match the width of fabric
• 1 x length of ricrac to match the width of fabric
• one light or dark fabric strip measuring 5 x width of fabric- this is your backing fabric
• strip of iron on pellon {wadding} measuring 5 x width of fabric
• Printed template from this link and traced onto cardboard or template plastic

extras - ribbon to hang and ruched ribbon to make the top of the bauble.

Method

• Sandwich and pin the piping between the dark 3 inch strip and the 2.5 inch light strip (right sides together)

• Sew this seam using the zipper foot helps to get your stitches nice and close to the piping.

• Open out and press this seam.
• Stitch with matching thread your row of ric rac about 1/2 inch from the piping join.

• Iron the Pelon to the wrong side of the 5 inch backing fabric.

• Sandwich and pin with right sides together the joined 5 inch piece and the backing piece. With either a sharp pencil or fabric pen trace around your template onto the wrong side of the fabric. leaving a small space between each ornament. Across the width of the fabric I get 8 ornaments.

• Using your pencil line as a guide sew inside these shapes leaving the neck open.

• Cut around each shape just inside your drawn lines.

• With the aid of a turning tool (aka my chop stick) gently turn and ease them shapes right side out.

• Turn the top of the neck back in 1/4 inch and Press.

• Cut lengths of your hanging ribbon and ruched ribbon
• Insert the hanging ribbon into the neck of each ornament and then use the ruched ribbon to wrap around each neck overlapping and pinning.
• Then using a zigzag stitch close your openings and create decorative finish to your ornaments.

Now will you be receiving one of these with your Christmas card ....bet your wishing your on my Christmas Card extra special List!!!

Thank you Madame Samm for inviting me and making me see more comfort and JOY in the art of giving and giving handmade.

See this post for a my Christmas Freebie, just print, paste to a folded card, write you message, slip in one of your handmade fabric baubles and post to that special friend and discover some of that comfort and JOY of giving handmade.

Too see more of my tutorials and all that I get up too please visit my blog {me} and my thoughts and click on the tutorials link.

Christmas Gift Giving - TUTORIAL QUILTED MUG BAG

Kris Kringle gift giving for my sewing group is coming up, I love this little group we gather and bring out cups, sit and sip and stitch in company, it's also a chance for me to visit with Mum on a weekly basis doing something we love together is always good....but I digress. So this will be the second year in a row that I will be making a little MUG BAG, having done the draw string kind I wanted one that looked a little more like a handbag & with some simple quilting. I know one of the teachers has one that all the girls admire, so I thought well I think I can make it, so to the quilting table I went and drew and measured and I think I have done it justice considering it was just from memory....... Then it was oh why not share it as a Tutorial too....

I found it Easy as, once I got one done, why not add a couple to my sale box too....so you will find more like the one below in my Facebook Store http://www.facebook.com/soniasoriginals

I love these Lock & Lock Eco Life "I'm not a paper cup" mugs...so it is made to fit that, but after trying a few mugs they are all much the same standard size. - You can pop your teabag, coffe satchel and even a cookie or two inside your mug inside your bag

Ingredients

• Main Bag - 7 x 12 inches
• Pellon - 7 x 12 inches
• Lining - 7 x 12 inches
• 2 Sides - 4 1/2 x 8 inches
• 2 Handles - 1 1/2 x 10 inches
• Button Loop 1 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches
• Binding 38 x 2 1/2 inches
• Elastic 2 x 3 inch pieces of 1/2 inch wide

Method

• Iron the Pellon to the wrong side of the lining fabric.
• As in my last tutorial I am not one to pin things, so just sandwich your main bag fabric with your lining enclosing the ironed on pellon.

• Start Quilting the layers together...I have started in the centre and then worked rows of stitching 1/2 inch either side continuing till there are 11 rows and you have about 3/4 inch at each edge.

  

• Take your side and fold in half wrong sides together. and press then fold in half again across and YES PIN IT - then using your cup draw and cut the curve into your bag. Remember you are cutting the non folded end. If you are doing a few bags you may want to make yourself a little template. Repeat this step to your other side.

• Then take both sides to the sewing machine and sew a row of top stitching close to the fold then another approximately 1 inch from the fold, this will be your elastic casing. Thread your elastic pining at the edges

• Now the fun part, joining your side to your main bag - PIN yes PIN and mark the centre of both your sides and your quilted bag piece.

•  Matching your centre pins on the sides to the bag piece and re pin together wrong sides together ( lining to side)... then pin the top of the each bag side 1 inch down from the top edge of your main bag then easing as you go, and catching the elastic into your seam work your way around the bag slowly. It's looking like a bag now!!!!

• Making the handles comes and button loop is next - take each piece and with wrong sides together sew each one into a tube. Then with the aid of a pin turn the tubes right side out and topstitch each edge.

• To make your button hole loop, once you have completed the above tube and topstitching, fold it half and press, then open and join like in the picture then press the poin flat.....hope you can understand that.

• Now pin the handles to both side and the loop to one side only on to the bag like so....
• OK this is the big sigh part, I LOVE BINDING, on a quilted bound project it's like tucking your baby into bed........ take your 38 x 2 1/2 inch strip and iron in half making your binding. I also like to iron one end in by 1/2 inch like so.
• Starting along one of the sides, start sewing your binding about 1 inch from the end, sewing raw edges together, work your way around mitering at the corners....see photo details on mitering it is just one of those things I can't put into words. tuck your end into your begining as per photo too.

• then sit back with some tv on and ladder stitch the binging around your raw seam...this is the bit I love!!! 
• Stitch a button while you have your needle and thread ...and your done...another gift crossed off the list...

or if you wish to purchase one I have made - check out these little beauties...

Sorry, not for sale - decided this one is my christmas gift to me :)

Momm's Apron Strings by RJR  Fabrics - with Stitching things lining and black white dot ends...$18 + postage

Love this colour combo, Red, Brown Pink floral with Teal Polka Dot lining and Ends $18 + postage

Christmas Gift Giving - QUILTED COASTERS TUTORIAL

A few years back I purchased a lovely little bundle of fabric coasters at a craft fair, and everyone comments on them, so when making my quilted placemats that I sold through my etsy store during the year I thought ....mmm miniature versions of these would be QUILTED COASTERS perfect Christmas Gifts!!!

So when cutting and sewing on mass making Christmas Gifts, I thought you might like me to share this one, so I snapped whilst sewing and pressing and here is a little tutorial for you.

They are so easy, and you can whip up a couple of sets in less than an hour, they make a great gift and if you can sew in a straight line, you got it done!!!

Ingredients

Do you remember my happy mail earlier in the week.

• 4 fat quarters will make you 4 gifts of 6 coasters each. {When choosing your fabric, think that a pretty bold print is great for the top and the bottom should be a little plainer - but they can be used both sides as well}
• Thin Fusible Pellon {wadding}

Method

• From each fat quarter cut 12 squares measuring 5 inches each. A total of 48 squares.
• From the Fusible Pellon cut 24 squares measuring 5 inches each.

• Iron the Pelon to the wrong side of the back fabric. 

• I am not much a pinner, but if you are you should pin right sides together now, make a nice little pile.

• Starting in the middle of one side, sew around your square using a 1/4 inch seam, leaving a little gap about 1- 11/2 inches is enough.

• Clip your corners {don't cut your stitches though}.

• Time to sit back with some TV if your doing a massive load like I have with a chopstick and turn them all inside out. Poking that chopstick into the corners.

• Time to get pressing, be sure that your opening is turned in.

• Top stitching and Quilting comes next - I like to make my stitch a little bigger on the machine, than when I stitch seams closed, to quilt with and top stitch. You can quilt any pattern you like - but following my placemats just three lines around the edge is what I have done. - This is achieved by working your top stitching row close to the the edge make sure you over sew a few of your first stitches when completing the row. Then line your presser foot up with the edge of your first row and sew around completing another square and so on... You get the picture!!

• Trim up all threads, and your complete.

• I like to tie them into little bundles of six ....see how pretty.

Now will you be receiving one of these ....bet your wishing your on my Christmas Nice List!!!

But if your not in the mood for sewing the following sets are for sale and will be up in my etsy store or on facebook shortly alternatively email me on the below address.



Set of 6 Coasters made from Riley Blake Bloom & Grow Fabric $10 + postage



Set of 6 Quilted Coasters made from 'It's a Hoot by MoMo for MODA $10 + postage

back of the above collection

Each of the above photos shows the top and the bottom - 1 set of Flowers on green backs, and 1 set of baskets on red backs - both from the summertime collection.

Each set of 6 Quilted Coasters is $10 + postage.

Email me on info@foreveralways.com.au if you wish to purchase them.