Press on link below to Make Everything OK!

The magic button — Make Everything OK

Patchwork Concertina Art Book

Prepare your book cover.  I've pieced fabric samples over 1" squares, but this book can be any size and have any cover you wish.  I like tiny items - apparently 'small items' are now to be called Zukka patchwork (Japanese for 'small items', I'm reliably informed by Mr Google).

Cut a piece of heavy card, slightly smaller (about an 1/8") in both directions.

Cut a piece of lining fabric (I used calico, as it will not be seen), and cover the card, either by stitching or glueing:-

Neaten the corners as best you can, but they will be hidden.

Cut a piece of wadding (any sort you want to use up) the slightly smaller than your piece of card (again, about 1/8th").  Glue it on with tiny dabs of PVA or School Glue:-

Lay a length of ribbon, long enough to tie into a bow on each side, across the centre from left to right.  This will be the closure.  You might wish to knot a loop of elastic and sew to one side, but remember you will have to sew the matching button to the main fabric of the other cover before layering.  Place your fabric/pieced fabric on top, right sides up and whip stitch/glove maker stitch/buttonhole stitch to the lining fabric, catching the ribbon/elastic but not the card:-

Make a second cover for the back, in the same manner and exactly the same size.
Next cut a length of Cartridge paper, about 1/8th" smaller than the height of your book cover.  Lay one end on top of your book cover and fold so that the folded piece fits comfortably on the lining side of the cover.  Concertina fold the paper until it is all used.  Cut to the last whole page.


Paste the lining with PVA/ School Glue in a thin but even layer.  Glue the paper on with the first fold to the right and the covers as if it were an open book. Do the same on the back cover. Press the glued papers down and leave to dry before closing the book.  Be careful not to glue in the ribbon!

The book may be opened from either side.  It doesn't really matter if you've mixed up the covers and your book opens from top to bottom (unless of course, the covers have a picture!)

This is the back

This is the front

                           


Bit too generous with the ribbon


It doesn't matter which side you use, as opening from the pink cover uses one side of the paper and opening from the blue cover uses the other side of the paper.


Now, have some chocolate, and that's an order!

Handbag Tissue pack cover

Working out how big your pieces of fabric should be cut

Seam allowance is 1/4" throughout

If you are using Kleenex tissue packs you need to cut the main fabric at 6" x 5 3/4".  If you are not binding and are hemming your edges or if you have bought another make of tissues, see blue box below.

Cut binding at 1" x 5 3/4" (or head-foot measurement)

First , measure you pack of tissues all around the 'tummy' and all around from head-foot-head.  The head-foot-head measurement is then halved (giving a head-foot measurement) and 1/2" is added for seam allowances.

If you are binding your open edges, your main piece of fabric should be cut to the actual measurements for all around the pack.  I cut my fabric at the actual measurement as I am binding my open edges.   .  So, I cut the main fabric to the same 'tummy' measurement.  If you are hemming, remember to add the seam allowances, as seen below.  I added the 1/2" seam allowance to the head-foot measurement

 I cut my main fabric at 6" and the head-foot-head at 5 3/4"  If you are hemming the opening edges you need to add 1/2", if turning over once and 3/4" , if turning the hem over twice (this is much tidier)

Add binding strips to both sides of the main fabric, making sure that the binding strip and edge lengths match.  Press towards the binding strip, then flip fabric over and press raw edge of the binding strips to meet raw edges of seams:-

This is the WRONG side of the fabrics
LEFT edge shows the main fabric pressed towards the binding
RIGHT edge shows the raw edge of binding pressed towards raw edge of seam
The binding is then top stitched to hold it in place.  Too late for glue...?

This is when you realise that your ruler is broken and you have cut your main fabric far too wide (it's supposed to look almost like a square.  How does this happen?  Well, if you have to chop a bit out want to add to your design, why not add in the binding fabric in the centre?

Clearly, not a mistake but a design decision!

Turn the fabric piece over so that the right side is uppermost.  Fold the edges towards the centre. You could fold the entire piece in half and finger crease the centre and fold both edges towards the centre to make the opening exactly central.

Now, sew down both top and bottom.  Just to confuse you, this is now sideways on - so sorry, the Houseboy will now be beaten.

Next, poke your finger into one of the points and flatten it so that you have a triangular point on the right and the binding vertically on the immediate left.  Sounds confusing but if you do just that (hopefully!) all will become clear!  That Houseboy has lost this picture - you just can't get the staff.  The object is to make a boxed bottom at the head and foot of your case (exactly as you would make a bag bottom)  When sewn, it should look like this:-

You can see how the triangular points were formed from the creases in the fabric

Chop off the ends of the triangular points parallel with the seam just sewn and cut off any long threads.  Save these for another project - you will never throw anything away again - you partners will love me for that!

Turn right sides out and stuff in your tissue pack.  I think it's quite important to make the case fit snugly - it just looks nicer.

Now, have a cuppa!

Cheapo washing machine detergent

I've just made a pint of washing machine liquid.  It's from this site.  I didn't dilute it with cold water though.  I used :-

30 fl.oz of hot water

3 tbsp borax

3 tbsp washing soda

2 tbsp Fairy Liquid (the new Orange and Lemongrass smell)

You need to use about 2 fl.oz per load, which is a full up cup, not just filling up the centre, of the cap from a normal bottle.  This should last about 10 loads.

And the cost:-

Washing soda        90p  (from Tesco)

Borax                 £6.48/kg (from Ebay)

Fairy Liquid       £1.00 (from every shop under the Sun), but any good quality brand will do.

Each mix, as above, will cost approximately:-

Borax                  30p

Washing soda     4p

Fairy Liquid         6p

Each load will cost approximately  4p

I usually by Ariel Liquid Washing Machine Detergent.  The cheapest I could find online was a Pack of 6 x 20 washes (from Amazon) for £25.74.  That works out at 21p/load.

Every time I put on a load, I shall squirrel away the difference in my 'running away' fund!

Baby Bows

This is a doll made for the Sales Table.  We got permission to make the doll for our Sales Table (did I mention it's in Baldock High Street on May 19th 2012?).  I'm not able to give the pattern here, but you can find it  here and it is free for personal use.

I made him half size, so he's about 9/10" tall and drew his features on with Stabilo fine marker pens.  He has fabric hair covering the mess I made of gathering the top of the head to make it look a little different.  I made a belly button by taking a thread through from front to back, but taking the needle back through the hole it made at the back, so the thread disappears into the body.  It should have bows at the thigh and shoulders, but that was just beyond me.  I sewed along the lines where his bows should be.  He may or may not have his modesty covered, he might be swaddled in a cocoon (which ever is quickest!)

Painting on Bondaweb

As a break from painting my bed base, I painted some Bondaweb.  This is the only make I know (is Steam-a-seam the same?), that is glue, with a paper backing that you can draw your shapes/pictures/applique design on. So, much along the same lines as 'teaching your Grandmother to suck eggs', this is how I used it.  

If you are a normal person, Bondaweb is  bonded (who'da thought!) onto the wrong side of a piece of fabric, rough (glue) side down, with a hot iron.  The design is drawn onto the paper side and cut out on the line.  The paper backing is then removed and the bonded fabric is placed onto the right side background fabric and ironed in place.  But, why use it in it's intended way how about using it a little differently?  After all, we left 'normal' fading away into the sunset some time ago and we will not be told how to use something!  Icknield Theresa demonstrated this technique at a meeting that she took, at which she spoke so inspirationally about a variety of her work.  I think this idea has been around many years though (but then, haven't we all?).

I bought this kit in the Pound Shop (I may sue, as nothing is a pound, 99p, £1.19........) and the Bondaweb was found in a bag from several(?) years back.  

This was inside:-

I used the washing detergent cap as a water dispenser, to pour about a teaspoon of water into the mixing tray.  I then added less than an inch of each of the acrylic paints into their respective tray.    Using the thickest brush,  I mixed the water and paint and then splodge them randomly along the rough side of the unfold piece of Bondaweb.  This was all the paint I needed to cover the whole piece of Bondaweb.  (What am I going to do with the left over paint?)  It took about 5 minutes and I took absolutely no care where each colour went and how many of them mixed together.  I have to say I was amazed at the outcome, as I have the artistic talent of a blind monkey.

I let it dry overnight, giving me time to insist that all and sundry come and admire it.  The wrinkles textures develop because of the extra water mixed in the paint.  

When everyone else is sick to death of you talking about the painting you agonised absolutely hours over, it's time to iron it onto your fabric.  Use a hot iron again, but keep it moving.  Iron from the paper side thoroughly, easing out as many wrinkles as possible (I didn't bother), and then iron again from the back of the fabric side, again thoroughly.  Let it cool completely and remove the paper, slowly and carefully

This is the end result:-

This is the surviving piece of fabric, I lost the paper painted piece that I'd taken to show a friend at Baldock Services

I'm not sure how to use this yet, but probably as a whole piece - a note book cover?  It looks to me like planets, though, so you could draw and cut out circles from the piece while it still has it's paper on.  Then, remove the paper and apply to a background fabric.  Or it could be rock strata, which could be (gently!) torn from the papered piece and applied.  

I have to learn how to Crochet............!

I saw these on Etsy and thought:  'Oh, just how hard could that be?'  Famous last words, that's for sure!

Just look!

So, I  found a site that sends you lessons every few days here.  I signed up for the newsletter and bought the set of 12 metal hooks (£5.99 + £1.99 p&p).  Of course, I've already been sent the first 3 lessons (and the hooks came in just 2 days).  I'm not quite sure which 'safe place' I left the hooks in though..............(weary sigh.......