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Pinwheel Purse Scrap Project

January 22, 2021 · Leave a Comment

Those of us who are inclined to be messy often jump on the “Let’s Get Organised” bandwagon in January, and in my house, this year is no exception.

One of the things earmarked for sorting out is the fabric mountain behind the bedroom door.

It has got so bad that there could even be a dragon living in it and I wouldn’t know.

The worst thing is when it collapses and then nobody can get in or out!

So I’ve decided that most of it has to go.

I’ve so far sorted through about half of it, and over half of that is destined to go.

The bigger bits will be listed in my Etsy shop as remnants or fat quarters depending on their size, and some of the smaller bits will become craft kits.

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working on the first of what will hopefully be several new kits.

This one is a little pinwheel purse that has a pinwheel quilt block on the front. The fabric is included along with a zip, pattern pieces and instructions.

If you have some left over fabric, you might like to make one yourself! Otherwise the kits I have for sale can be found here.

Pinwheel Purse Instructions

You Will Need

Scraps of fabric. I used 5 different fabrics. If you have about a fat quarter in total, that should be enough.

A 10 cm (4 inch) zip

A smallish piece of interfacing

Usual sewing supplies

Cutting Out

I’ve allowed a 1 cm (1/4 inch) seam allowance.

For the lining, cut 2 pieces 12 cm x 12 cm.

Cut another piece the same size for the back of the purse outer, and 2 pieces of interfacing.

For the purse front, the easiest thing to do is to use the pattern which you can download for free at the bottom of the post.

Instructions

Assembling the Pinwheel Block

The pinwheel is made up of 4 identical squares, each with one large triangle and two smaller triangles.

To assemble the pinwheel, each square is made separately, then the squares are sewn together.

I batched the tasks for efficiency, but how you do them is up to you!

Take 2 of the smaller triangles, 1 from each fabric.

Pin, then sew them together. The right angle needs to be on the right and the lighter coloured fabric at the top.

Trim the seam and press it open.

Take one of the larger triangles and place it on top of the smaller ones so that the right sides are together and the long edges are aligned.

Pin, then sew along the long edge. Trim the seam and press.

Make the other three squares in the same way.

Arrange the squares so that they form a larger square. Rotate them so that they resemble the picture below.

Now join two of the squares together.

Do the same with the other two.

Trim the seams and press them.

Sew the 2 sections together. I forgot to take a photo of this step!

Don’t worry if the pieces don’t match up exactly. Just try to ensure as far as possible that the seams in the centre of the square are aligned, because that bit will be most noticeable if it is off.

Join the shorter border pieces to the top and bottom.

Now join the longer border pieces to the sides.

Trim and press the seams.

Assembling the Purse

Take one of the interfacing pieces and place the purse front on top of it.

Lay the zip face down with the top edge matched up with the top edge of the purse front and the zipper on the left.

Now put one of the lining pieces on top with the right side facing down.

Pin, then sew, keeping close to the teeth of the zip.

Press the purse pieces away from the zip.

Take the purse back and place it on top of the other piece of interfacing.

Line up the free edge of the zip with the top of the purse back. The zipper will be on the left this time. Put the other lining piece on top face down. Pin all of it together, then sew. Press the outer and the lining away from the zip.

Top stitch along the seam on both sides, keeping close to the edge.

Open the zip. Don’t skip this part! If you don’t open the zip, you’ll have a frustrating time with the unpicker later!

Rearrange your purse so that the lining pieces are together on one side of the zip and the outer/ interfacing pieces are together on the other side.

At the sides, push the zip towards the lining and the seams towards the outer.

Pin the sides and the bottom edges.

Open the zip. Don’t skip this part! If you don’t open the zip, you’ll have a frustrating time with the unpicker later! Rearrange your purse so that the lining pieces are together on one side of the zip and the outer/ interfacing pieces are together on the other side.

Sew the side seams and the bottom edge of the outer. When you sew the bottom edge of the lining, leave a gap.

Trim the seams.

Now push the outer through the open zip, followed by the lining, and it should be the right way out! If it’s a bit crumpled, run the iron over it.

Slip stitch the opening in the lining.

Now your pinwheel purse is finished!

If you’d like the templates for the pinwheel purse front, please fill in the form below. Please note that your email address will be added to the Tea and a Sewing Machine email list. You can find out more about why I do this here, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

DIY Fabric Basket: A Quick and Easy Fat Quarter Project

August 7, 2020 · 2 Comments

Fabric baskets are always useful. In fact, any kind of basket is useful! This DIY fabric basket is quick and easy to make, and is a perfect way to use up fat quarters bought on impulse that have never been used. And being something that you make yourself, you can decide on the fabric and the size that will meet your needs best.

For this project I used 2 fat quarters, but you can use fabric of any size. All you need to do is make the lining fabric 12 cm (4 3/4 inches) wider than the outer if it has a directional print, or 10 cm (4 inches) wider if it doesn’t.

Instructions For a DIY Fabric Basket

You Will Need

how to make quick easy fabric basket tutorial tilda bloghop

2 fat quarters, interfacing (I used heavyweight fusible interfacing, but the sew in kind will work fine), trim (optional), usual sewing supplies.

Cutting Out

From the outer fabric, cut a rectangle 43 cm x 37 cm (17″ x 14 1/2 “)
From the interfacing, also cut a rectangle 43 cm x 37 cm (17″ x 14 1/2 “)
From the lining, cut a rectangle 43 cm x 49 cm (17″ x 19″)

If you are in a real hurry, providing that your fat quarters are the same size, you could just cut 12 cm (4 3/4″) of the long edge of the outer, and if your lining fabric does not have a directional print, cut 10 cm (4″) off the long edge.

Be warned though, this version of the DIY fabric basket will be a longer rectangle!

Sewing Up

Outer

1. If you are using fusible interfacing, fuse it to the wrong side of the outer.

2. Cut 2 pieces of trim the same width as the outer. Measure down 5 cm (2″) from one of the long edges and pin the trim in place.

Repeat for the other side of the fabric. Sew the trim in place.

3. Fold the outer in half length ways. Check that the trim is lined up on both sides. Pin the sides, then sew. Trim the seams.

4. To make the boxed corners, crease the fold at the bottom with your finger. Open it out and squash the corner flat so that the seam is next to creased line.

5. Measure up 7 cm (2 3/4″) from the corner and pin at right angles to the seam. Sew where you have pinned. Cut the corners off.

Lining

If you are using different fabric and it does not have a directional print, you don’t need to cut it in half. Just fold it length ways and sew the side seams, then make the boxed corners.

1. Fold the lining in half length ways. Cut where you have folded.

2. Take one of the halves and turn it round so that the print goes the opposite way. Pin the 2 halves together and sew along the sides and the bottom. Trim the seams.

3. Make the boxed corners in the same way as for the outer.

Finishing the DIY Fabric Basket

1. Pop the lining inside the outer so that the right sides are together. Push the corners of the lining right into the outer. You might want to pin the lining to the outer at the sides to make things easier.

2. Fold the lining over the top of the outer and press with your fingers as you go. Tuck the raw edge underneath and pin in place.

3. Top stitch all the way round.

Your DIY fabric basket is finished!

The off cuts don’t need to be wasted! You could save them for a scrap project, like a wrist pin cushion or pattern weights!

If you like sewing things for organising stuff, I have a Pinterest board devoted to boxes and baskets you can make.

Embroidered Pincushion Tutorial

June 27, 2020 · Leave a Comment

It could be possible to become addicted to pincushions. Like having an collection of pretty teacups, pincushions can be as different as you want them to be and pretty as you like. There are so many different ways to make them and, because they are little things, you can use scraps that are too big to throw away but too small to use for a larger project.

This embroidered pincushion is part of a kit that I’ve been developing. I wanted to call it the Safe At Home kit, but as the extra time people kept telling me I was going to have never appeared, it’s taking me a while to finish it!

The other projects in the kit are this bunting, and this needle case.

UPDATE: The kits have finally been completed and you can find them here!

Anyway, the last project is now finished and here it is, an embroidered pincushion!

It can be sewn entirely by hand, or you could speed things up a bit and use the sewing machine to sew the pincushion together.

The embroidery design is free to download, but I do ask for an email address. You can find out more about why I do this here. The form is at the bottom of the post.

Making the Embroidered Pincushion

You Will Need

Scraps of felt in pretty colours
Embroidery thread
Polyester filling, sawdust or emery sand to fill your pincushion
2 buttons
Pattern pieces and the embroidery design. You can either download mine (the form’s at the bottom), or you could make your own.

Cutting Out

You will need 2 circles the same size, and one circle a little bit smaller.

Embroidering the Design

I used lazy daisies, fern stitch, woven wheels and French knots. It’s worth remembering that odd numbers of things usually look better, but you can do what you like! Just remember to leave a space in the middle for the button.

Sewing the Pincushion Together

Attach the embroidered section to one of the larger circles. You could hand sew it or use your sewing machine.

Place the other larger circle on top of the embroidery. Sew around the edge, leaving a gap.

Trim the seam if you need to. Turn the pincushion the right way out. Fill it with your chosen material. It will need to be firm to make it easiest for pushing the pins in.

Take a plain button (this one will be at the bottom) and tie the end of length of thread to it. You might want to use a stronger thread for this, or you could use ordinary sewing thread doubled.

Now push the needle through the centre of the pincushion from bottom to top.

Thread a pretty button onto the needle. Pass the thread through, then back into the pincushion and through the button at the bottom.

Do this a few times and pull it tight. Cut the thread and tie it off.

If you wanted to turn this into a wrist pincushion, you could attach it to a piece of elastic, or make a strap for it like this one.

If you like pincushions, I have a whole Pinterest board devoted to them here!

Boxy Pouch Tutorial

May 7, 2020 · 2 Comments

This post contains affiliate links.

Creativity is an odd thing sometimes. Usually I have lots of ideas, but this hasn’t been the case as much recently.

Alan Turing apparently had his best ideas in the bath, and I suspect there’s something in feeling relaxed that helps ideas to flow.

The current global situation is enough to make anybody feel the opposite of relaxed, so I suppose it’s not really a surprise that I haven’t felt as creative as I often do.

Anyway, last week I had an overwhelming urge to make something pretty. The fabric pile behind the bedroom door yielded a little piece of Tilda fabric, and some plain pink cotton. I also found an old bag that I’d kept, thinking that I could use the zips for something (the whole of the front panel is zips; it’s a weird bag). Last week that bag finally came into its own and I used one of the zips!

The size of the boxy pouch was decided by the length of the zip. And, as a word of warning, if you use a zip that doesn’t have things at the ends to stop the zipper thing coming off, pull it slowly! It’s tricky to get it back on once it’s come off.

I used boxed corners on the ends to make the boxy shape, and I added ribbon tabs to make it easier when pulling the zip open and closed.

Instructions For Making a Boxy Pouch

You Will Need

Cotton fabric for the outer and the lining. You could use the same fabric or a plain cotton with a contrasting print. I used a little bit of a print with some plain for the outer, and the same plain for the lining. If you are new to sewing you’ll find it easier to use one whole piece for the outer.

Interfacing. I like to use a medium weight sew in interfacing because it gives it some weight and just enough squodginess, but you can use what you have. Even lightweight interfacing will make a difference.

A zip. The zip I used was 26 cm long.

Ribbon or similar for the tabs (optional)

A zip foot (optional)

Cutting Out

Cut 2 pieces of outer fabric 26 cm x 18 cm, 2 pieces of interfacing 26 cm x 18 cm and 2 pieces of lining fabric 26 cm x 18 cm.

To make the outer from 2 different fabrics, cut 2 pieces 26 cm x 10 cm and join them along the long edge.

The finished boxy pouch measures 27 cm x 8 cm x 7 cm.

If you want to make a pouch that’s a different size but has the same proportions, the long edge needs to be the same length as the zip, and the short edge needs to be 2/3 the length of the long edge.

Cut 2 pieces of ribbon 5 cm in length.

Sewing the Boxy Pouch

If you are joining pieces to make the outer, do that first.

Take one one of the lining pieces and lay it down with the right side upwards. Position the zip on top of the lining, also face up, with the edge of the zip aligned with one of the long edges of the lining.

On top of this, place one of the outer pieces with right side down on top of the zip, and a piece of interfacing on top of the fabric. Make sure that the long edges are lined up and the zip is inside.

Pin it together, then sew along the long edge, leaving about a cm at either end. This is much easier to do if you have a zip foot, but it’s still possible if you don’t have one.

Fold the lining and the outer the right way out away from the zip. It’s a good idea to run the iron over it at this stage. As you are doing this, check that you have pulled the outer and the lining away from the zip. Otherwise you’ll end up catching things in the zip (guess how I know!).

Leaving a cm free at either end, top stitch the lining and the outer, keeping close to the folded edge.

Repeat these steps to attach the other lining piece, outer and interfacing to the other side of the zip.

With the right sides together, sew the other long edge of the outer with the interfacing.

Repeat with the lining, but this time leave an opening.

Trim the seams.

Now open the zip a little way. This is very important! When you turn the box pouch out, it will need to go through the zip opening as well as through the gap in the lining, so make sure you open it enough!

Squash the lining and the outer so that the seams you have just sewn are aligned with the zip. Pin the short edges of the lining, then pin the outer and interfacing.

This is where it will make a difference if you remembered to leave a cm or so free at each end. If you didn’t do this, don’t panic! Just unpick a few stitches.

If you want your box pouch to have tabs, take a piece of ribbon, fold it in half and slip the folded edge inside the seam. Pin it in place, then do the same on the opposite side.

Sew the sides of the lining, catching the zip in the seam each time.

Repeat with the outer and the interfacing, again catching the zip in the seams. Trim the seams.

Making the Boxed Corners

Find the half way point between one of the corners and the bottom seam. Mark it with a pin.

Press from the corner with your finger to crease the fabric. Now open out the corner and match the crease to the side seam. Pin the corner where you marked the half way point.

This is a bit fiddly and you might have to put your hand in through the gap in the lining to get the crease and the seam lined up.

Do the same with the rest of the corners of the lining, and with the outer.

If you would like a more detailed tutorial showing how to make boxed corners, there’s one here. Please note though that these were boxed corners for a bag and although the process is the same, it was less fiddly!

Sew across the corners at right angles to the seam. Cut the corners off. Trim away all the threads.

Finishing the Pouch

It’s time to turn it out! This is where I’m really hoping that you remembered to open the zip!

If you didn’t, unpick the side seam of the outer a little bit, open the zip a few cm, then resew the seam.

Push the corners of the pouch out. Handstitch the opening in the lining.

Now all you have to do is decide what to use your boxy pouch for! I think I might keep the pens I like to use for drawing in mine!

DIY Reusable Cloths

March 18, 2020 · 4 Comments

Making some DIY reusable cloths is a nice, quick and easy little project. It’s also one of these where you might have the stuff you need to make them already!

They’re easy to batch as well, so you can make a few in one go.

I made these last week in preparation for our trip to Japan, because apparently you have to supply your own little towels for drying your hands when you use a public toilet.

Unfortunately the trip is now off due to the current situation. We’re hoping we can still go, it just won’t be any time soon. The cloths are ready for when we do go, and in the meantime there are plenty of other uses for them.

Uses For Resuable Cloths

Diy resuable cloths are useful for all sorts of things. You could use them as wash cloths, dish cloths or for wiping little faces (especially if you’re trying to cut down on using wipes). You can take some out with you because they’re small and they won’t take up much room in your bag.

If you’re worrying about germs and things at the moment, you could put a little bit of hand sanitiser on one and wipe down door handles or anything else you think might be germy before you touch them.

You could even use them as dusters and for wiping up messes and stains at home.

What Can I Make Them From?

To make diy resuable cloths, I used some bits of cotton fabric that I had already, and a couple of terry nappies that I found in the bathroom while I was having a sort out.

If you don’t have old nappies lying around, you could use a towel that’s seen better days. Face flannels would work well too. Dish cloths and microfibre cloths are another option.

How To Make DIY Reusable Cloths

You Will Need

Towelling or something else absorbent
Cotton fabric
Ribbon for the tags

Instructions

Wash the cotton first! I’ve skipped this step in the past and regretted it when the cotton shrunk in the wash!

Cut your fabric into squares. It doesn’t matter very much how big the squares are. Mine are 15 cm (6 inches) square. If you’re using face flannels you might want to make them the same size as the flannels to save cutting them down.

Each cloth will need one towelling square and one cotton square.

Cut a piece of ribbon 5 cm (2 inches) long. Fold it half. Pin it to the towelling square on one side about 5 cm down from the top, with the folded edge inwards and the cut edges next to the raw edge of the towelling.

I put mine on the right hand side, which meant that the finished cloths had tags on the left. This doesn’t bother me very much, especially as 3 of my 4 boys are left handed, so this will seem like the correct side to them! If it bothers you, pin the tab to the left side.

Take a cotton square and put it on top of the towelling square so that the right sides are together. Pin them together.

Sew around the edge, about a cm (1/4 inch) away from the raw edges. Leave a gap in one side so that you can turn it out in a minute.

Trim the seams and cut off the corners. Leave a bit extra at the opening.

Turn it the right way out and pin the opening.

Top stitch around the edge.

If you’re wondering what to do with a damp cloth after you’ve used it when you’re out, you could make a waterproof bag. There are instructions for making one here. It’s for a palette if you like to paint outside, but it could be adapted and made a bit bigger.

Stay safe

Anna xx

Pinwheel Purse Instructions

You Will Need

Cutting Out

Instructions

Assembling the Pinwheel Block

Assembling the Purse

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Instructions For a DIY Fabric Basket

You Will Need

Cutting Out

Sewing Up

Outer

Lining

Finishing the DIY Fabric Basket

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Making the Embroidered Pincushion

You Will Need

Cutting Out

Embroidering the Design

Sewing the Pincushion Together

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Instructions For Making a Boxy Pouch

You Will Need

Cutting Out

Sewing the Boxy Pouch

Making the Boxed Corners

Finishing the Pouch

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Uses For Resuable Cloths

What Can I Make Them From?

How To Make DIY Reusable Cloths

You Will Need

Instructions

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