Tassels made with my new hand dyed seam binding colors are perfect for Spring or Easter decorating!
When I saw Jen Cushman's article on mixed media tassels in the March/April 2014 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors, I knew I had to make some of my own. Jen shows how to turn a bundle of fibers into a tassel using wire and a large-hole bead. I don’t normally buy large-hole beads. I have lots of vintage wooden thread spools, though, and I thought they would go well with my hand dyed seam binding. They worked perfectly, and the finished tassel is a perfect decoration for a sewing room, or a cottage or shabby decorating scheme!
I am making them in other color combinations, too. You can get these in my Etsy shop and there are a few in my space in Merchant Square in Chandler (Small Wonders section, Bookcases C, D, E and F).
About the seam binding: This is rayon seam binding that I hand dye with cold water dyes. For each color, I mix three strengths of my own custom dye combinations. I cut the seam binding into five yard lengths and dip each length into each container of dye, so that each piece gets a mixture of lighter and darker versions of the color. You can buy them at Merchant Square, in my Etsy shop, and at local shows throughout the year. You can also find them at Vintage Bliss at the Warehouse occasional sales. They are perfect for jewelry, mixed media art, sewing, gift wrapping and decorating.
I had originally intended to use Terri Sproul’s Leaves for fall projects, but there are all kinds of leaves in the set and several are just right for adding to flowers. You can buy Sin City Stamps individually, but buying the set gives you so many options! Even if you only buy a couple of sets, you instantly have a library of images to draw from when you set out to make something.
Supplies
muslin
printed fabric
freezer paper
thread
fiberfill
buttons for yoyo flowers
ColorBox Chalk Ink in Olive Pastel
I printed the Little Spring Birdies collage sheet onto a piece of muslin with an Inkjet printer. You just need to cut a piece of freezer paper and a piece of the fabric to the same size (in this case 8.5 by 11 inches), put the wrong side of the fabric onto the shiny side of the printer paper and iron until they stick together. My printer does not like anything thicker than regular paper, and it smeared black ink on some of the images, but most of them were okay.
I have a bunch of fabric charm packs (5 x 5 inches) and decided to see which colors in the charm packs looked good with colors in the collage sheet. Many fabric companies are now offering collections of small cuts. It’s a great way to get a little bit of lots of different fabrics. I noticed one of the collections had a red-pink color that was almost exactly the same as the red-pink of one of the birds, so I decided to work with that collection. I chose some prints for a border, cut the charms in half and sewed them together in a strip. Then I cut the strip in half with a rotary cutter so that I had two strips.
I cut out the bird image, stitched it onto one of the charm squares and then stitched the square onto a piece of tea dyed muslin. I used a zigzag stitch.
Then I figured out where I wanted my flowers and stamped the leaves with ColorBox Chalk Ink in Olive Pastel. I used really tightly woven muslin. For some help with stamping on fabric, see this post.
Here is a tip. I use a transparent ruler to help me with image placement:
I trimmed the piece of muslin and added my pieced borders.
Then I cut two more pieces of muslin the same size – one for a lining to strengthen the front and one for the back. I pinned the muslin pieces together, leaving an opening for turning and stuffing, stitched the seam, trimmed the corners, turned the piece right side out, and ironed it.
Then I stuffed it with fiberfill and stitched the opening closed.
I cut circles from two more charms and made them into yoyos. Then I attached the yoyos with vintage buttons. The leaves make the yoyos look like flowers.
I used the lace image from Sin City Stamps' SinCity Wings rubber stamp set to embellish a plain muslin mini Christmas stocking. Sin City Stamps has so many beautiful pattern stamps that you can adapt to multiple projects!
You can use these little stockings as decorations, in table settings or on packages. They are also the perfect size for gift cards!
Supplies: All you need is some plain, closely woven fabric (I used tea dyed muslin); ink (I used ColorBox Chalk Ink in Lipstick Red); thread to match your fabric; and something for the hanging loop (I used tea dyed rayon seam binding).
Draw a pattern on cardstock or cardboard and cut it out. I like to use cereal boxes. Each stocking is made from two pieces sewn together, so you need to trace the pattern piece twice for each stocking you want to make. If your fabric has a right side and wrong side, be sure to reverse your pattern piece for the back. My muslin didn’t really have a wrong side, so I just traced my pattern piece eight times to make four stockings.
I stamped the image on the front section of each stocking. You can stamp the back, too, but you will want to measure precisely to match the image on the front with the image on the back. I measured space for the hem and added a quarter inch, then made a little mark on either side of the front stocking shape to indicate where I should stamp. I heat set the images with a hot iron. For tips on stamping on fabric, go here.
Cut out each piece and pin each front section to a back section with right sides together. Stitch the pieces together (I used a quarter-inch seam). Clip the curves, trim the seam allowance, and press under a hem at the top. I made a doubled half-inch hem.
Stitch the hem. I stitched the hems by hand. Turn and
press each stocking. Sew in a loop for hanging. You are done!
Here’s one of the mini stockings used in a place setting.
I stamped the Flying Witch image onto a piece of tea dyed muslin with India Black Ink from Stewart Superior. Stewart Superior provided us some inks to work with, and this one makes a nice, crisp image on fabric. It helps to put your fabric on top of some craft foam when you stamp. For more tips on stamping on fabric, see this post.
I added the text with ColorBox Chalk Ink in Pumpkin Spice.
Using a rotary cutter, I trimmed the muslin piece so that there were one inch margins all around the image. This is easier for me than cutting the muslin piece first and then hoping that I stamp the image exactly where I want it.
Then I cut a piece of orange burlap and two pieces of tea dyed muslin 3 inches longer and 3 inches wider than my stamped piece. That gave me a one inch margin all around plus a half inch on each side for my seams.
I attached the stamped piece to the burlap with a zigzag stitch.
One piece of muslin is for backing or lining the burlap and one is the back of the pillow. I always use a backing piece when I want to stuff burlap, so my fiberfill doesn’t sneak out through the loose weave, and it also helps hold the fibers in place so the burlap doesn’t fray so much. For more tips on sewing with burlap, see this post.
I pinned my layers with right sides together. If you put the lining layer in place behind the burlap layer and treat that like one piece, it’s easier to figure out the order of your layers.
You need to leave an opening for turning and stuffing. I like to put a pin in a different direction from all the others through the center of my opening. This reminds me not to sew the whole piece closed (which I have done, before I came up with this trick).
I stitched the pieces together, trimmed the corners, and added a zigzag stitch to the edge of the burlap at the opening. Burlap wants to fray, so it helps to zigzag any edge that is going to have pressure applied to it.
I turned the piece right side out, pushed the corners out with the end of a wooden dowel, and ironed the piece.
I stuffed the pillow with polyester fiberfill.
I stitched the opening closed. Then I added a little embellishment. It’s sort of a squashed rosette made from hand dyed cheesecloth with a bat button sewed on.
Finally, I added a hanger. You can sew in a hanger when you sew the pieces together, but I like to add one this way when the piece is complete because I can adjust the length. I usually use embroidery floss, perle cotton or crochet cotton. I cut a length (this was about 17 inches of 6-strand embroidery floss), thread it onto a needle and tie a double or triple knot at one end. Then I sew through one side of the back of the pillow, coming up. Then I sew through the other side, going down, and make another double or triple knot. If it turns out that this hanger is too long for the place I want to hang the pillow, I just cut off one knot and make another one further up, shortening the hanger.
This is my prototype burlap Jack O'Lantern pillow with a couple of my velvet pumpkins. I'll be making more of these for Briar Patch Marketplace at Hamilton High in September and Sequoya School in October, and I'll have some in my space at Merchant Square in Chandler.
Here's the pillow by itself:
If I keep making fall projects, maybe it will start feeling like fall around here!
Starshine Wishes,
Karen
P.S. I'm linking up to Debbie Doo's Primp Your Pumpkin party. Go see all the amazing pumpkins!
These are being delivered to the Market at Urban Restoration today, along with more velvet pumpkins in different colors, for this weekend's Market. I'm also restocking my recycled silk sari ribbon and hand dyed seam binding, along with vintage hardware and some 100-year old documents! This is a monthly sale with great vintage finds. Stop by Friday, Saturday or Sunday!
Here are some of today's velvet pumpkins. They have floral wire vines attached to their vintage thread spool stems. Some of them will be headed to The Market at Urban Restoration in Phoenix and some will be at Merchant Square in Chandler. Come pick yours!
Starshine Wishes,
Karen
P.S. I am linking up to DebbieDoo's Primp Your Pumpkin party. Stop by and see all the marvelous pumpkins!
I just took a fresh batch of velvet pumpkins to Merchant Square in Chandler. You can see them in Space 74.
I'll be taking some to the Market at Urban Restoration in Phoenix next week. Their September sale is set for the 13th through the 15th. I'll also have some at Briar Patch Marketplace at Hamilton High in Chandler on September 28th and 29th.
I'm working on lots of different colors. Here's a special order I just completed:
I just got more velvet, so it's back to the cutting table for me!
Starshine Wishes,
Karen
P.S. I'm linking up to DebbieDoo's Primp Your Pumpkin party. Go see all the great pumpkins!
I'm working on a new design for this year's pumpkin patch. These are made from velvet, with vintage wooden thread spools for stems and hand dyed seam binding for a finishing touch. I'll have some in my Etsy shop and at Merchant Square in Chandler soon. You'll also be able to find them at The Market at Urban Restoration starting in September; Briar Patch Marketplace at Hamilton High School in Chandler on September 28th and 29th; Briar Patch Marketplace at Sequoya School in Scottsdale on October 12th and 13th; and Junk in the Trunk in Scottsdale on November 9th.
I have velvet in several colors and they look great with my other styles, too! I can't wait to harvest these!
This is my new mannequin bust. It's about 15.5 inches tall and weighs about 5 pounds. It has the same size neck as the tall torso mannequin, so it can handle large necklaces. But it's a little easier to transport. I'll have these at Art Unraveled next Saturday! I hope you'll be joining us at the Shopping Extravaganza!
All text and photos copyright Karen Lackey, 2011-2016, unless otherwise noted. You may link to text but please do not copy it. If you use my photos, please give credit and link back to the original post. Thanks!
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