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.

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Little House Bag Tutorial and Giveaway

September 6, 2017 · 28 Comments

Little House Bag Tutorial and Giveaway

Recently I was sent some beautiful fabric from the new Tilda Harvest collection so that I could once again participate in their blog hop.

As well as the lovely new fabric collection which you can find here, a new Tilda ebook is coming out at the end of September. It’s available to pre order here and there’s a little preview of the book here. I’ve had a look at it myself and I want to live in that beautiful house with all the quilts!

As with Tilda fabric generally, it was so pretty I didn’t want to cut into it! However the deal was that I made something with it, not just add it to the mountain of fabric behind my bedroom door!

Once I’d got over the whole thing of not wanting to cut it, I decided to make a little house bag.

There was enough fabric to make 2 little house bags, so I’ll be giving the rest away as a kit. If you’d like to win the kit, keep reading because the details are at the bottom of the post!

***Please note that the giveaway has ended***

Here’s the tutorial for making a little house bag.

How To Make a Little House Bag

You Will Need

Cotton fabric for bag main, roof, doors and windows, porch and window frames and lining. I used 4 fat eighths in different designs from the Tilda Harvest collection.
1 wooden heart button
1 magnetic snap
Sew in interfacing (I used Soft and Stable. This is an affiliate link.)
Fusible interfacing for the applique
Templates for the bag which can be downloaded here.

Please note that these are available as a content upgrade and although you can download them for free, I will require an email address in exchange for them. You can find out more about content upgrades here.

Cutting Out

Cut 2 main bag pieces from outer fabric, 2 from the lining and 2 from sew in interfacing. You might like to use some fusible interfacing on one of the bag outer pieces too to give it some weight for the applique.

Cut 2 roof flap pieces from the fabric you’ve chosen for the roof and 1 from sew in interfacing. I used the same fabric to line the roof flap as for the outer.

From the same fabric you’re using for the roof, cut a porch and 2 window frames. Iron some fusible interfacing to the wrong side before cutting out.

From the fabric you’ve chosen for the door and windows, cut 1 door and 2 windows. These will need fusible interfacing too.

For the handle, cut a piece of fabric 14 cm x 10 cm.

Sewing Up

1. Applique the windows to the window frames and the door to the porch.

2. Take 1 of the bag main pieces and position the door and windows on the right side of the fabric. The door will need to be 3 cm up from the raw edge. Appliqué the door and windows in place.

3. Attach one half of the magnetic snap 3 cm above the apex of the porch. If you need more detailed instructions showing how to install a magnetic snap, you can find one here.

4. Take the other bag outer piece and, with the right sides together, sew the sides and the bottom of the bag. If the sew in interfacing you’re using isn’t too thick, you could sew that with the outer pieces. Otherwise you’ll need to sew it separately.

5. To make the boxed corners, take one of the corners and press it flat so that the seams are together. Measure 3 cm up from the corner. Pin, then sew across the corner at right angles to the seam. Cut the corner off. There’s a more detailed tutorial here showing how to make boxed corners if you need it.

6. Make the lining in the same way as the outer. If you’re using Soft and Stable, you’ll need to sew that separately as well.

7. With the right sides together, sew the lining to the outer across the front. Make sure you leave enough of a gap at the back to slip the roof part in. Turn it the right way out.

8. Take the inside roof piece and attach the other half of the magnetic snap 2 1/2 cm up from the lower edge. You might want to iron on a little bit of fusible interfacing onto the wrong side of the fabric first.

9. Take the 2 roof pieces and the sew in interfacing. With the right sides together, sew the sides and the bottom. Trim the seams and cut off the corners. Turn it out and press.

10. Fold the open part of the bag main inwards. Slip the roof into the opening and pin. Top stitch all the way round the top of the bag.

11. To make the handle, take the handle piece and fold it in half lengthways. Open it out, then fold the raw edges into the centre. Fold the ends inwards, then fold half again. Sew all around the handle.

12. Sew the ends of the handle to the roof, near to where it joins to the bag main.

13. Sew the heart button above the door as shown in the picture below.

The finished bag is roughly 20 cm square and is perfect if you want a smaller bag. You could use it as a lunch bag or for storing a small crochet project or some embroidery.

Crocheted Wire Earrings

September 13, 2015 · 8 Comments

The other day I wanted to crochet but I also needed to make some earrings. So it got me thinking: would it be possible to mash the two things together and crochet some earrings? Preferably earrings that are neither enormous or woolly looking.

I had a go at crocheting some fine wire and the results were not enormous or woolly!
They were rather fiddly but they are very delicate light to wear, so well worth it!

They are made by crocheting three strands of wire, adding beads as you go, then plaiting the strands together.

I have included Amazon affiliate links for the materials. If you would prefer to buy a kit for making these earrings, complete with instructions, you can do so here.

How to Make Crocheted Wire Earrings

You will need: fine craft wire (1 metre will be enough to make 1 pair of earrings), a 2 or 2.5 mm crochet hook, 2 earring wires, 2 jump rings, wire cutters or pliers (or scissors will do but not your best pair! ), 10 beads including a mixture of 6mm glass beads, 8mm glass beads, crackle glass beads and faceted beads, and a selection seed or other small beads.

1. Cut 3 pieces of wire, each measuring 15cm. Twist the ends together a couple of times. 2. Slip one of the larger beads onto the twisted end. Thread the same end through a jump ring and twist to secure.

3. Using the handle end of the crochet hook, make a loop next to the bead in one of the strands of wire and twist it a couple of times.

4. Now we’re ready to start crocheting! A word of warning first though: crocheting wire is not like crocheting wool. It sounds obvious but the lack of stretchiness took me by surprise.
Crochet a couple of chains.

5. Slip a bead onto the wire. Then crochet one chain by taking the wire from the far side of the bead.

6. Continue to crochet chains and add beads. Try to space the beads out so that when you plait the strands together at the end, the beads are evenly spaced out.

7. Repeat for the other two strands.

8. Gently plait the three strands together.
9. Using the jump ring, attach the earring wire.Repeat for the other earring.

Tips

Use a metal crochet hook because the wire will probably gouge lumps out of a bamboo one!

As wire does not stretch, the loops in the chain need to be big enough. If they are not, wiggle the loop down the crochet hook to where it is wider then back up again.

If overworked, the wire will break, so be careful when twisting. If it does break, you may be able to reattach beads using extra bits of wire.

If the strands are difficult to plait, try pulling them gently to stretch the chains a little bit.

If you would like to buy a kit to make the earrings and not have to faff about buying lots of different beads when you only need a few, you can do so here.

Linking up here:

Create, Link, Inspire

Create It Thursday

Seasons On Saturday

Skip The Housework Saturday

How to Make a Patchwork Star

November 12, 2014 · 1 Comment

Here is another easy little tutorial for fabric Christmas decorations. It is a patchwork star made using 12 diamonds, 6 for the front and 6 for the back. This is a perfect scrap project as the star can be made as large or as small as you like.

How to Make a Patchwork Star Fabric Christmas Decoration

Star Tree Decoration

1. Make or find a diamond template. If you are making your own template, 2 equilateral triangles next to each other will make a diamond. Triangles with sides measuring 7 cm will make a star approximately 17 cm high.

2. Using the template, cut out 12 diamonds. Divide into 2 groups of 6 and arrange each group into star shape. You might find it useful to take a photograph at this point to help remember how you have arranged them.

Patchwork pieces arranged

3. Starting with one group, take 2 pieces, put the right sides together and sew along one edge. Open out and press seam.

Join 2 pieces along one edge, RS together

4. Add another piece in the same way and press seam. Put it to one side and repeat for the other three pieces. Then join the two halves together. Sewing the pieces together in this way so that you make 2 halves of one star and then sew them together will be easier and neater than sewing each piece on separately.

Join 2 halves of star, RS together

5. Repeat for the other group. Sew a button into the centre of each star.

6. Take a piece of ribbon and fold in half. Match the raw edges with where you want the top of the star to be .Place on top of one of the stars, with the right side up. Make sure that the loop of the ribbon is pointing downwards. Put the other star on top with the right side down. Pin together, ensuring that the ribbon is well out of the way of where you are going to sew.

7. Sew around the edges, leaving an opening along one edge. Turn out. Stuff with polyester filling and sew up the opening.

I actually have one ready as a kit! If you would like to buy it, please feel free to send me a message!