Ruched Patchwork Pumpkins

**This tutorial is intended for personal use only.**

One of the many things that I remember about my maternal grandparents home was the surinam cherry tree that grew next to their front porch. As a child, I looked forward to visiting and gorging on those sweet-scented gems. The surinam cherry is perfectly described in this post by Junglegirl. It's unique taste and fragrance stays forever ingrained in your senses, making it impossible to forget.

This is my fabric interpretation of those wonderful little orange jewels.


Oh, do I have a childhood story about surinam cherries, but I won't go there. Let's just say that it has something to do with a smooth, round, surinam cherry pit, a little girl, and a nose. (Don't worry, little Sis, I won't tell. Your secret is safe with me. hehehehe!) These cherries have always reminded me of little pumpkins, therefore, it was just a matter of time before they would evolve into these ruched fabric patchwork pumpkins.


To create these, begin by cutting eight 2" x 10" strips of coordinating fabric.


Sew the strips together using a 1/4" seam. Press all seams open.


This will create a flat rectangle of patchwork fabric.


With a pencil, place a mark 1-inch in from the raw edge on each seam intersection on the wrong side of the fabric. Do this on both the top and bottom of the piece.


Using your sewing machine set to it's longest stitch (you can also hand sew and gather like I did on the surinam cherry), stitch in the ditch between the two dots. Backstitch in the beginning of each row of stitching to anchor the thread but leave the ends open for gathering.


Gather each row of stitching until the piece measures 5-1/2-inches from raw edge to raw edge. Bring all threads to the wrong side of the fabric and securely tie off. Trim off excess thread.


Take the piece back to the sewing machine and sew it into a tube by placing right sides together. Again, finish ruching this seam in the same manner as the others.


To close the bottom: Working from the wrong side of the fabric tube, take a running stitch 1-inch in from the raw edge, using the pencil markings as your guide.


Draw thread tightly together and knot off securely. Turn right side out. Stuff with fiberfil.


Finishing touches: Working from the right side, take a running stitch at the top, 1-inch in from the raw edge, again using the pencil markings as your guide. Before tying off, create a stem by taking a 2-1/2" by 6" piece of brown felt, rolling it up tightly starting at the short end. Use a small amount of fabric glue to secure the end of the felt to prevent it from unraveling. Place one side of the stem into the top of the pumpkin, gathering the fabric tightly around it while tucking the raw edges to the inside. Take several stitches to secure the stem to the pumpkin before cutting the thread. To create the leaves, place floral wire between 2 layers of green fabric and secure it together using Heat 'n Bond fusible. Cut leaf shapes around the wire. (You can also substitute store bought leaves if you desire). Wrap the wired leaves securely around the base of the stem, curling the excess wire by wrapping it around a pen or a dowel.

There you have it. A wonderful ruched patchwork pumpkin to celebrate the bounty of the season!


Have a sweet day!

Aloha!

Got Milk?

The following is an excerpt taken from an email that I sent off to my friend Sandra of Sandra Sews.

" Funny how you said that the pincushion had nipples because the original title to my post was, “Got Milk?” I changed it because I didn’t want people to think that I am demented or something. Ha! I just HAD to post it to see what kind of reaction I would get and I guess you and several others saw what I saw. My son and I were laughing at it, calling it all kinds of terrible names. You should have heard!"

So you see, friends, we ALL saw it. For those of you that couldn't bring yourselves to post what you really thought about it, that's okay. I already KNEW what you were thinking! Hehehehe!

Here is the pincushion sans nipples. After all, we ccouldn't have Amy of Home Acre busting a gut over this, now could we? I would never be able to forgive myself.


Sorry, but I couldn't resist another post about the nipplecushion. Hope you're having a good evening!

Aloha!

When Ideas Go Amuck

Envision something in your head, translate it to paper, then onto fabric. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't. This, my friends, is a doesn't.


An octo yo-yo starfish barnacle pincushion thinga-ma-jiggy. Maybe it's the fabric that I chose for this project. Perhaps if made in soft, flowery pastels, the results would have been different.


If you are interested in my method for attaching yo-yo's, please read my tutorial here.


The back is almost as scary as the front.


Back to the drawing board with this idea.

This picture is for Ferne who requested to see the button collection in the background of many of my photos. Here is a link to a post that I made last year with additional pictures of my button collection. I love buttons almost as much as I love fabric.


Hope you're having a fabulous day.

Aloha

Super Simple Wine Bottle Gift Bag

**This tutorial is intended for personal use only.**

Here is my pattern for a super simple wine bottle gift bag. I have been making this for years and it has never failed me. There are a lot of pictures involved in this tutorial but I promise you that this is simple to make. The first one may take you an hour, but each consecutive one can be made up in half that time. This is sized for a bottle with a girth of 9 inches. I suggest that you start by measuring the girth of your bottle and add 2-1/2" to that measurement. This will provide enough ease around the bottle but at the same time, will give you a nice fit and eliminate that baggy, saggy look.

Cut one each of the following:
Outside panel: 11-1/2" x 12-1/4"
Lining panel: 11-1/2" x 12-1/4"
Casing: 22" x 3"
Drawstring: 21" x 1"
(Please note that this drawing is not drawn to scale. It is for clarification purposes only)


I used a 1/4" bias tape maker to make my drawstring. If you do not own one, start by folding both raw edges to the center. Press in place.


Fold in half and press.


Sew along opening. Set aside.


For the casing, bring the short ends together, right sides together, and pin in place. Sew together using a 1/4" seam.


Turn casing right side out. With seam in center, press both ends flat.


Fold casing in half lengthwise, raw edges together, press.


Sew a 3/4" seam from the folded edge. Set aside.


For the outside panel bottom, fold over 1/2" to the wrong side and press in place. Repeat for the lining.


Place the outside panel onto a flat surface, right side facing up. Center casing strip at the top of the panel on the 11-1/2" side, raw edges together. Pin in place or if you'd like, you can take this to your sewing machine and do a quick basting stitch to keep the casing from shifting.


Pin both the outside and the lining panel together at the top with right sides facing each other.


Sew 1/4" seam from the raw edge.


Open piece and iron seam toward the lining. Pin together lengthwise, right sides together. This will form a long tube.


Sew a 1/4" seam from the raw edge, press open. Turn right side out. Tuck the lining into the bag.


To close the bottom of the bag, start by pinning both the lining and the outside panels together.





With a double strand of quilting thread, take a running stitch approx. 3/8" apart close to the outside edge.


Gather & tie off from the inside.


This bag has a yo-yo-like bottom that I absolutely adore. I prefer this type of bottom compared to a box bottom because the fit is so much nicer. Most wine bottles have a concave bottom (the punt) so the thickness caused by the gathers nest nicely inside and does not hamper the bottle from standing up straight.


Thread the drawstring through the lower casing.


Gather & tie into a bow.


The completed wine bottle gift bag.


I hope that you've enjoyed this tutorial. Cheers!

Aloha!

Book Cover with Magnetic Closure

**This tutorial is intended for personal use only.**

The addition of magnetic clasps provide a neat and clean way to put a closure on purses and accessories. After being unable to locate my magnetic clasps for a project that I was working on, I came up with the idea of using regular old craft magnets instead. They take a little bit of forethought to use in a project, but they work well. They're very economical too!

Two things to note: Take care to ensure that your magnets aren't opposing when placed into your project or your closure will not work. Another is to remember that thin fabrics work well around the closure areas. Too many thick layers of fabric will provide you with a very weak closure. Because there are layers of fabric between the magnets, you will not get as strong of a hold as direct magnet contact would give you.

To begin, I give each magnet a coat of clear acrylic spray to protect the fabric from the black coloring in the magnets. I have found that most magnets do not shed it's color, but some do. I say that it's better to be safe than sorry.


For this book cover, I am using a hexie flower as a closure. I placed the magnet into the center of the wrong side of the flower and placed another hexie over the magnet to secure it.


The hexie is then hand sewn in place before being covered by another hexie flower.


After determining where the second magnet should be placed in the book cover (determine this by where the hexie flower closure will be), place the magnet onto the wrong side of the lining. Cover the magnet with a small piece of fabric and sew it in place. I've used a zipper foot to get close to the magnet. Neatness isn't too much of an issue in this step as the magnet will be hidden in the lining and will not be visible on the outside of the book cover.


I have used my bone folder to point out where the magnet is. As you can see, it is barely visible as I have used matching thread in securing the magnet to the lining.


This photo shows the bone folder pointing to the location of the magnet on the book cover front. As you can see, it is barely visible. Also visible is the underside of the hexie flower with the magnet in it's center.


The completed note book cover with a magnetic hexie flower closure.


I hope you've enjoyed seeing my improvised version of a magnetic clasp closure.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your wonderful comments and emails. I continue to be overwhelmed with your kindness and generosity. More than I deserve, really.

Have a fabulous day!

Aloha!