Bandana-rama

 

Like so many ideas of dubious merit, this one began on Pinterest. A simple image with an excited caption about making an "easy" tablecloth by sewing bandanas together. So cute! Well...

Okay, so it's not a particularly difficult project but it's not as easy as it seems on the surface. Bandanas, as it turns out, aren't an ideal medium. They're not a uniform size or shape (at least the ones I used weren't), and the fabric isn't the best quality--ridiculously prone to wrinkles and warping. On the other hand, the resulting table cloth really is cute--perfect for a picnic table or other casual setting.

Want to make one? Here's how...

1. Buy bandanas. You can find them pretty cheap at Michaels, but you can find them cheaper elsewhere. I got mine at Bandanas Canada. Yes, this country doesn't have a local store comparable to Mod Cloth or Spoonflower (to my endless chagrin), but we have a dedicated bandana store!

2. Wash bandanas in hot water and dry them in the dryer on the hottest setting. Why? To pre-shrink them and lose some of the excess dye. You need to pre-shrink because otherwise your project will be ruined the first time you wash it. They will also bleed dye, so either keep washing them until the wash water rinses clear, or make sure to buy colours that won't ruin each other when they're washed together (it's probably best to avoid white bandanas in your tablecloth).

3. Iron. And get used to ironing. It turns out looking at bandanas wrinkles them.

4. For my tablecloth I used nine bandanas in total: three rows of three alternating colours. This size will comfortably cover a picnic table. You can make it bigger if you want to use it on a bigger table or as a picnic blanket, but I wouldn't go too much bigger.

5. Time to sew. Pin right sides together (be careful--it's not easy to tell right and wrong sides apart; at least, not until you've accidentally sewed a right side to a wrong side, at which point you will suddenly clearly see the difference and then have to fix it). I used 1/2" seam allowances and that worked well. Sew three bandanas together to make a row. Repeat two more times (or however many times needed to make enough rows for the size cloth you want). Then sew rows together (pin right sides together first, then sew long edges with a 1/2" seam allowance). When pinning two rows together before sewing, make sure to match seams (where two bandanas have been joined), not the outer edges of the bandanas. Uneven outer edges can be fixed but if the seams don't match up, your patchwork effect will be ruined. Don't forget to keep ironing as you go--wrinkled fabric does not a good result make.

6. Final step: finish the outer edge of your table cloth. I'd been hoping to skip this part since bandanas already have finished edges, but the lack of uniformity of the bandanas meant the outer edge was noticeably uneven. If yours is also uneven, fold under enough of the edge to straighten it out. Iron edge (pin in place if you need to). Sew (I topstitched with a 1/4" seam allowance for this part)--just make sure the needle catches the folded under edge as you go. That's it. Snip any loose threads and iron one more time (don't worry--it'll be wrinkled again before long).

I tried decorating the table with some nice glassware but it didn't look right. I finally realized it was a little too fancy for such a casual cloth. So...

Much better. No real lemons on hand, so I broke out the plastic one. There's nothing quite so hopeless as trying to evoke summer on a grey January day in Canada. I don't think we've seen the sun for a week.

Have extra bandanas left? You could try making pillows (place two bandanas, right sides together, and sew on three sides. Turn right side out. Fill with a pillow form or stuffing. Sew fourth side closed by hand).

You could make a quilt, although I wouldn't put too much work into it, given the quality of the fabric. Still, it could be a fun casual project. The three by three bandana configuration seems like a good size for a double bed (but measure to be sure).

Bandanas cut in half diagonally could be used to make bunting.

Two or three bandanas could be used as the basis for an apron.

Do you have any more ideas on how to use bandanas in crafts? Let me know in the comments.

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Apron Strings 7

Going through some of my pictures, I realized I'd forgotten to post about an apron I made a while back. Since I can't deprive my loyal readers of the joys of apron making, it's time to share the Reversible Hostess Apron!

I don't know if I've mentioned this before but making aprons is fun. You get to use fabrics you might not otherwise have a purpose for, they can be embellished however you like, and they're forgiving of mistakes. Not to mention that in the end you get a whimsical (or not, if that's your preference) piece of clothing that's actually practical :)

Picking the fabrics is one of the best parts (for me, anyway). I knew as soon as I saw this retro "coffee time" fabric that I had to use it for something. And polka dots are always good.

Reversible aprons are surprisingly easy to make. If you can sew two pieces of fabric together, you can do it. Ruffles are a little trickier but once you have the technique down, it's mostly a matter of patience. The pocket was the problem part on this apron. Not that pockets are inherently difficult, but I decided to freehand the template (dumb) and then experiment with contrasting stitching (meh). I also had trouble finding a good placement for it; I seem to recall having to undo it at least once and sew it on again. Measure twice and stitch once--good advice.

My freehand template and finished pocket. Not my best work.

Pocket: Side 2

Despite pocket issues, I love how the apron turned out.

Side 1

Side 2

Made using the free tutorial generously provided here.

 Photos ©Whimsy Bower

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Cushioned, or how to turn a needlepoint into a pillow in a few easy steps

Anyone who crafts knows the heartache of running out of storage and display space. Unfortunately, the joy of creating doesn't come with a TARDIS. Life is unfair. If you're heavy into needlepoint or embroidery, limited wall space is your main nemesis (damn windows taking up prime real estate). One way around this is to turn your needlepoint into a pillow. If you have basic sewing skills, it's actually really easy. This is the first pillow I've made and it took me about three hours total, including breaks and picture taking (but not including making the needlepoint).

You can make a pillow out of any needlepoint, but you can also get kits specifically meant to be turned into pillows. The kits come with a heavier, yarn-like, thread that will hold up better to wear and tear than the finer silk or cotton threads usually used in needlework. My aunt gave me the kit I used for this pillow (as well as supplying the basic instructions for the pillow-making technique). Thanks, Thia Toula :)

Step 1: Have a completed needlepoint on hand.

Step 2: You'll need two pieces of fabric the size of the needlepoint. One should complement the needlepoint design; the other one won't show so the colour doesn't matter. I was lucky and found the perfect red fabric in my stash:

Step 3: Iron the fabric.

Handy tip: if you hate ironing, then sewing isn't for you.

 

I decided to trim the excess canvas from the edges of the needlepoint.

Step 4: Once the fabric is ironed, pin needlepoint to it with the design facing outward (if you're using two fabrics, use the one that won't be showing):

Step 5: Once fabric is pinned, cut it to the size of the needlepoint. I decided to trim the canvas a bit more and ended up regretting it. Longer edges will be tucked inside the pillow anyway, but super short ones have little bits that tend to poke through the seams once the pillow is finished. Next time I'll leave them about a centimetre (half an inch) long on all sides. 

 

Step 6: Use the first piece of fabric as a template for the second piece: pin both together and cut the second piece to match the first.

Step 7: Pin the first piece of fabric to the back of the needlepoint again and sew all around the edge, keeping the needle as close to the needlepoint edge as possible. Make sure all the fabric is attached securely.

Step 8: Next pin the second piece of fabric--right side down--to the front of the needlepoint. Leave one end unpinned (preferably a short end).

Step 9: Sew around three sides, leaving the unpinned end open. When sewing, keep the needle close to the edge of the needlepoint, but it's okay to sew onto the needlepoint if you need to. Double check to make sure the three sewn edges are secured and there are no gaps in the stitching.

I left the short end on the right open after sewing the other three sides

Step 10: Now you need to turn the pillow right side out. Do this gently so that you don't accidentally rip a seam open. If you pull too hard, or didn't check your stitching well enough, you will discover something like this:

Arg.

If you find stitching gaps, you'll have to turn the pillow inside out again, rip out the bad stitches and loose threads, and re-sew it. This is something you'll want to avoid, if you can help it. Once you're all done, you'll have an empty case.

Step 11: Before continuing, iron the whole thing again, paying particular attention to the edges.

Step 12: Have something to put inside your new case. If your needlepoint is a standard size, you can buy a ready-made pillow form. Mine was an unusual shape, so I bought a bag of fiber fill. I don't think the type matters--I got this on sale at Michaels. But if you have an option, it's probably a good idea to go with a brand that's washable and hypo-allergenic.

It's so fluffy!

Step 13: With fiber fill, just grab handfuls of it and place them inside the case. You can fill your pillow as much or as little as you like. I stuffed mine like a sausage, using most of that large bag of filler. I can use my pillow as a blunt weapon now...

The sad remains

 Now it's pillow shaped:

Step 15: But you still have an open end. This will require hand stitching to finish off (and this is why it was best to leave a short end open). If you don't know how to hand stitch, you can check out this tutorial or this video tutorial or Google how to hand stitch a pillow closed. Any of those options will explain it better than I can.

Once you've sewn the final edge shut, you're done! My pillow is actually supposed to be placed in front of a door to block drafts, but that's not happening. An obstacle in front of a door seems like asking for trouble in case of an emergency. Also, who wants to move a pillow every time they open the door? Besides, in this house we have actual cats, so a floor pillow is another name for a fur-magnet/hairball-target. This "draft stopper" is staying on the sofa, where it looks cuter than on the floor and is much handier for snuggling.

Questions? Comments? If I wasn't clear about something, please let me know and I'll do my best to clarify. Hopefully now you can stop fretting about diminishing wall space and start turning your needlework creations into pillows. Just try not to think about where all those pillows are going to go...

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Getting Steamed: Pros and Cons of a Clothes Steamer

This is the Salav model I have

One of the things I most appreciated about having a mom who was a professional seamstress was having access to her tools. My sad little Brother sewing machine felt a lot like the Scooty-Puff Jr next to her Senior-level Juki (we won't talk about my skills in using those machines compared to hers). But my favourite item she had was a garment steamer. Why did I covet that steamer?

• Easier to use than a regular iron
• Faster than a regular iron
• Can get the wrinkles out of spots on clothing that are awkward to get at with a regular iron and board (fussy bodices, narrow areas like sleeves, gathers and pleats...)
• Can get wrinkles out of clothing that you can't really use a regular iron on (e.g., suit jackets)
• Can quickly and easily use on large items that don't fit well on a standard ironing board (tablecloths, sheets)
• Handy for non-ironing tasks, like getting wallpaper off a wall or sneakily steaming open letters

With all these benefits, I don't know why it took me so long to get my own steamer. I guess, as useful as it is, it's not quite as much fun as buying obscene amounts of books and craft supplies. Still, even I can be practical sometimes and I finally went for it, getting the Salav model in the picture above.

So, what's the verdict? On the plus side: it heats up fast, it's easy to use, and a little water in the reservoir goes a long way. Not so great: It was a pain to put together/set up (why does *everything* require assembly these days?). I also wish I'd noticed it had a non-slip base instead of wheels. I'm sure a stationary steamer has many advantages (not that I can think of any right now) but it's heavy and awkward to move. I've had to set it up permanently next to the ironing board because putting it away and taking it out every time I need it would definitely result in it never getting used. But aside from the issue of no wheels, I'm happy with the new addition to my own sewing room. Anyone have any wallpaper that needs to come down?

2024 Update 

A few months after I wrote the original post, my steamer stopped working. The problem was mineral buildup from using tap water in the reservoir. In my defence, my mom used tap water in her steamer and it never had any problems (not to mention that it's decades old at this point and still works. My sister will probably end up passing it on to her kids). Also, I thought mineral buildup could be cleaned out. But no. Once we realized the problem, we tried cleaning the steamer (and switching to distilled water), but nothing helped. So without any warning signs, it broke and can't be fixed. This steamer was too expensive to be so flimsy.

Final Verdict: I do not recommend Salav garment steamers. 

[Edited to expand title and add an update. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com]

Apron Strings 6

Every time I finish making an apron, I inevitably think: "This is the best one yet." But the utility apron I just finished really is the best one.

To start, how awesome is this fabric?

The background here looks grey but in reality it's more of a soft aqua (the colour shows up better in the next photos).

 

 

Secondly, the apron was easy to make. I could have probably knocked it out in an hour (two, tops). But not only was it simple, it's practical and customizable. And you get to channel Batman with your own (much cuter) version of a utility belt.

I made pockets to hold my sewing scissors, a pen, and my phone, as well as two large pockets (in the middle) to hold odd-shaped items or anything else I might need (like the magnifying glass in the photo).

I really love the scissors pocket. When I'm sewing, my scissors never seem to be handy. No more!

Cute apron, easy to make, comfortable to wear, and customized to your needs. Best apron ever? I think yes.

I used this tutorial (big thanks to Rosey Corner Creations for sharing).
Fabrics from Dragonfly Fabric.

Photos ©Whimsy Bower

[Edited for formatting and to update link. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com] 

Apron Strings 5

Lately my SO has taken to asking me how many aprons I think I'll want. I guess he's worried we won't have enough storage space for them all if I keep making (and buying) them. Now, I'm the first to admit I'm a bit apron obsessed, but I don't see a problem with having an extensive apron wardrobe. They manage to combine the often mutually exclusive characteristics of practical and cute. They're fun, both to make and wear. And if you do make your own, aprons are also a great way to use smaller pieces of fabric you may have lying around (or an excuse to indulge at the fabric store).

I'm thrilled with my latest completed apron. I used this tutorial as inspiration and ended up with a pretty, flattering addition to my collection. I also have fabric ready to go for my next two projects. I guess I'd better let my SO know that I don't see the apron acquisition slowing down any time soon. Sorry, sweetie.

(For anyone wondering, all fabrics are from Along Came Quilting.)

Photos ©Whimsy Bower

[Edited to update link. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com]