Embroidery, Cross Stitch and Anything Thread!
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DIY iron-on patch
Hello crafters!
Today I am going to show you how to make your own iron-on patches from a few simple supplies. Making your own patches opens the door for so much creativity! Literally any topic that you can think of can be turned into a cute patch 🙂
Supplies you will need for DIY Iron-on patches
- Heat and Bond
- water soluble stabilizer (optional)
- material to embroider on (any material will work but I find a tight weave, low stretch fabric to be the easiest to use)
- iron
- embroidery thread and needle
- embroidery hoop
- scissors
Starting your embroidery
First you need to decide what image you would like to embroider, if you would like to use the smiley face template that I used in this tutorial you can find a free pdf download image over on the members page!
I like to use water soluble stabilizer to draw out my designs for a few reasons but if you prefer to just draw the image straight onto the fabric that is perfectly fine.
Benefits to using stabilizer:
- you can trace images through the stabilizer
- dissolves away (along with your pen marks) when you are done sewing
- prevents wasting fabric if you make a mistake with your drawing
- helps hold the fabric in place so that it doesn’t stretch while sewing
Now get to sewing! If you are using my smiley template I used the following stitches:
- Pink flowers – daisy stitch
- Black smiley outline and detail – backstitch
- Yellow outer circle – backstitch
- Green and blue dots – french knot
Cutting out your patch
You can cut your patch out as close to the edge as you would like, as long as you don’t catch any of the stitches. You will be sealing the edges later so you don’t need to worry too much about fraying.
Applying the iron-on backing
Cut out a piece of heat and bond to fit the back of your iron-on patch. Place the glue side against your patch and iron for 30 seconds.
The back of your patch will look like this once you peel the backing off. Now it is up to you; if you would like to leave it like this that is fine! If you are selling your patches and want them to have a cleaner look you can cover the back with more fabric.
To do this, put your patch face down and lay some extra fabric over it. Iron for 30 seconds to seal.
Now cut another piece of heat and bond to fit the back of your patch. Iron on for 30 seconds.
Finishing touches
Now that you have completed your iron-on patch you want to make sure it lasts. I like to leave the paper backing on the patch until I am ready to attach it to it’s new home to ensure that the backing remains sticky.
The very last step is to go around the edge of your patch with Fray Check. This step is very important if you want your patch to last. One little bottle of fray check with last you through tons of patches so it’s worth the investment!
I hope this tutorial has helped you out! I would love to see your creative patch ideas in the comments below 🙂 As always, leave your comments if you need any help or just want to say hi!
Happy crafting,
DIY Wallet
Hello crafters!
I’m always on the lookout for any oppourtunity to craft so when my wallet finally wore out enough to be considered un-usable I just knew what my next project would be! Since I was planning on making my own unique DIY wallet in “just a couple of days” I carried my wallet contents around in a plain old ziploc bag until I had my DIY wallet ready.
Unfortunately a couple of days turned into a couple of months and my ziploc bag eventually ripped so I knew it was finally time to snap to it and get this thing made! I love the way it turned out and buying stuff is so fun now that I don’t have to shamefully rifle through my torn ziploc 🙂
If you need a new wallet or you want to make one as a super cool gift follow along below!
**Just a quick side note, I attached my button in the wrong place and had to re-attach it in the last stages so pay close attention to where the button is placed in the ‘button’ section of this post and ignore any other stray buttons you may see in the other photos. Sorry 🙁
Supplies needed to make your DIY wallet
- Exterior fabric
- Interior fabric (more explanation on fabric choice below)
- Thread in a matching colour
- Hair elastic
- Button
- Sewing Machine
- 10″ zipper (If your zipper is too long I will show you how to adjust it below)
Fabric choices
You will need two types of fabric to make your DIY wallet: a more durable outside fabric and a thinner inside fabric for all the pouches and slots. I love buying upholstery fabrics because they are cheap and sturdy! I was in luck when I went to the fabric store because all their summer patio fabric was on sale. I purchased enough fabric for three wallets and it only cost me $3, now that’s my kind of price!
As for the interior fabric you can get creative! Just make sure that your interior fabric isn’t too thick because we will be folding it over multiple times to make the card slots and your machine might have a hard time going through that many thick layers.
Cutting your fabric
This tri-fold wallet is composed of a few different pieces: the coin pouch, cash pocket and the card holder all held together with a button and elastic clasp! If this sounds overwhelming it’s ok! It took me some time to figure it all out and I will try to explain it as simply as possible below!
Below is a diagram of all the pieces you will need to cut out. You don’t need seam allowances on every piece so pay close attention to the diagram and measurements!
Once you have cut out all of your fabric pieces you should have something that looks like this:
Don’t worry; I will show you how to fold up your card slot piece down below!
Embroidery
Before you start any sewing the first step is to embroider your cash pouch. The cash pouch consists of two 20cm x 23cm pieces as per the diagram. You will only need one of the pieces to work your embroidery on; simply fold it in half on the fold line and work your embroidery on one of the sides with the open edges at the top.
Keep in mind that you will be folding down a 1cm seam on the top and you will be sewing over about a 1/2 cm of fabric on the sides so don’t embroider too close to the edges!
I drew out a few different bird doodles that you can use for inspiration.
This embroidery design template is available as a free PDF download on the members page if you want to print it out. If you aren’t a member yet simply sign up for my seasonal newsletter to be included!
If you need a little bit of embroidery help you can head on over to my Beginner Embroidery Stitches post to find some inspiration 🙂
Assembling your wallet
*Disclaimer: I am new to using my sewing machine and am still working on making neat lines so don’t be alarmed when you see some funky sewing in the pictures below!
Preparing Outer Fabric
Before you get any of the other sections ready to attach you can get the outer fabric ready. Each piece of the outer fabric should measure to 37cm. This will create three 12cm sections and a half cm allowance on either end. My lines are a bit hard to see because I just used a regular pen.
Once these sections are marked out use your iron to fold on each line. Fold your outer fabrics so that one has the pattern on the outside and one has the pattern on the inside.
Set these pieces aside while you continue onto the cash pouch section.
Cash pouch
Since you already have your cash pouch on the table (hopefully with a cute embroidered creature on it!) we might as well start with that. Find the second piece of the cash pouch and line it up with the embroidered piece with your embroidery facing inwards. Sew a straight line along both the top and bottom of the two pieces of fabric.
Flip the fabric tube that you just made right side out and iron the seams to flatten. Fold the pouch in half from top to bottom and iron along the fold.
Find your outer fabric that has the pattern on the inside. You will attach the cash pouch to the middle section. Center your pouch on the outer fabric and pin just the back fold of the cash pouch. Sew along the top of the pinned fabric.
Fold your pouch back up into position and pin the sides in place. Using zigzag stitch sew up both sides of the pouch to seal it closed. *Test the width of your zigzag stitch on some scrap fabric to make sure you are happy with it before you use it on your wallet or you will spend half an hour unpicking your stitches 🙁
I went just a little bit past the pouch on the top corners to make sure they won’t fray over time.
That’s the cash pouch complete, you have definitely earned a break! Head onto the next section when you are ready to start working on your card slots.
Card slots
Right now your card slot fabric is just one long rectangle. With each fold that you make you will need to iron it flat to make sure it stays in place and has a clean edge. Here is what your fabric will look like when it has been ironed.
Start by folding over the first 1cm edge and ironing it down.
Flip your fabric over so that the 1cm flap is on the bottom. Following along with the measurements on the diagram fold each section up like the pictures below.
When you reach the end you will have five rows of card slots and an extra 10cm of fabric. Fold this 10cm back behind the entire piece to reach the first 1cm edge that you folded. Here is a view from the back of the card slots:
Without sewing the back flap, sew one straight line up each side of your card slots just to keep all of your folds in place.
Center your card slots on the bottom section of your inner fabric, below your cash pouch.
Fold the card slot section down and sew along the bottom fold of the back flap.
Fold the card slots back up and sew a line along the top of the slots.
Now go back to your zigzag stitch and sew up the sides just like you did for the cash pouch.
Finally grab a couple of cards and put them in the slots. You want the slots to be fairly close in size to the cards so that they don’t fall out. You may need to just sew one line down the center or a double line if your card slots turned out wider than mine.
Attaching button
Put aside your work so far and take out your other outer fabric piece. Attach the button in the middle section of the fabric about one inch from the bottom fold.
As I mentioned above; I attached my button in the wrong spot and had to re-attach it at the end so please ignore my button placement in the photos below.
Making coin pouch
If you have made it this far good job! You are in the final stages of your DIY wallet 🙂 You should have one piece of inner fabric left for the coin pouch, grab that fabric and your zipper. Cut the coin pouch fabric in half along the fold line. You will also need a couple of small scrap pieces of fabric (two pieces about 3 square inches each)
If your zipper is too long for your wallet simply close the zipper and cut the excess zipper off from opposite end of the zipper pull. It doesn’t matter that the end of your zipper no longer has a stopper; you will fix that with your scrap squares.
Take one of your scrap squares and fold it in half. Lay the folded edge across the end of your zipper.
Repeat with other end of zipper. If you are using a zipper that is slightly shorter than your wallet (like I am) you will just need to make sure that your scrap square is long enough that the zipper with the scrap square extensions on the end is the length of your wallet.
Sew a simple straight line across the end of your zipper, up the sides and across the end of the zipper fabric to make a square.
Repeat this process on the other end of your zipper. Trim any excess fabric on the sides of the zipper.
Now grab your coin pouch fabric and fold down a 1/2 cm seam on the two top edges. Center your zipper along the edges and sew straight across.
Next sew up the sides and bottom of your pouch and trim any extra fabric.
Finishing up your DIY wallet!
Now grab the two outer pieces of fabric. Lay them out with the pattern side up on the card slot piece and the pattern side down on the button piece.
Line the two pieces up and sew along the bottom and both sides leaving the top open. Don’t go straight to the top edge, leave about an inch open so you can add in your pouch.
Turn your wallet the right way round and iron the edges to flatten the seams.
All you have left to do is attach the coin pouch to the top of your wallet! Insert the coin pouch into the top of the wallet. Fold the outer fabric sides inwards and then fold the top edge of the outer fabric down all the way around the top of your wallet. You might want to iron/pin into place.
Next; tuck your hair elastic in between the coin pouch and the outer fabric and open the zipper of your coin pouch.
Now use your sewing machine to sew a straight line around the top of your wallet. The corners might be a bit tricky to fit under your sewing machine; I just sewed the corners by hand to make things easier.
Congratulations! You have completed my DIY wallet tutorial 🙂 Please comment below if you need help with any of the steps. I would also love to see your completed wallet; if you want to share your photos in the comments or by email I will be happy to add them to this post!
Happy crafting!
Unpaper Towels
Hello crafters!
Lately everyone is trying to be more conscious of their waste. I think this is really great and I am loving trying out all these zero waste products. Of course my favourite things are the things that I can make myself. If you haven’t already you might want to check out my other zero waste DIY tutorials. I have had great success using my DIY wool dryer balls and my washable twine scrubbies!
This tutorial will walk you through the process of how I made my own roll of unpaper towels! I am definitely guilty of using paper towels to wipe up small spills that could have easily been wiped with a reusable unpaper towel! I’m sure I will still keep some paper towels on hand for extra messy cleanups (like for when my dog decides to eat grass and then throw it up in the house 🙁 ) But having these unpaper towels as my first go-to should save a bunch of paper towel from going in the garbage while also saving me some dollars!
On a side note our city actually takes paper towel in the green compost bin so I don’t have to feel as guilty about throwing it out but I’m sure no waste is still better than composting!
Supplies needed to make your unpaper towels
- Stiff plastic mesh (I used garden mesh)
- Snaps and snap pliers
- Thin cotton fabric for backing
- Thread in complimentary colour
- Sewing machine
- 100% cotton dishcloths (10)
- Ruler
- Iron
- Hot glue gun
Cutting out fabric
The dishcloths that I used are 12″ squares. For this reason I cut my fabric into 13″ squares to give a half inch seam allowance all the way around the outside. If your dishcloths are a different size simply cut your fabric to whatever size your cloths are plus a half inch seam allowance around the edge.
Once you have cut out all ten squares you will need to trim the corners off of each square so that it folds in without too much bulk.
Next fold in each of your seam allowances and iron the seams flat.
Sewing your unpaper towels
Now it is time to sew your cotton fabric backing to your dishcloths!
Take one dishcloth and one fabric square and line up the first edge. Sew a straight line around the entire outside of the cloth.
Then sew one diagonal line from corner to corner. This will prevent the two pieces of fabric from moving around when you wash your unpaper towels.
Repeat with each of your dishcloths.
Making inner roll
Now that your unpaper towels are ready you can make the inner roll to hold all of them! I’m sure you could find a variety of materials that would work for this but I used a stiff garden mesh that I found at the dollar store.
Start by cutting out your mesh. Since the towels are 12″ squares you will want your tube to be 12″ long. A paper towel tube is about 5″ around but you will need an overlap when you roll it up so I cut mine to be 6″ width.
Once you have cut your 12″ x 6″ piece of mesh you will need to roll it up with the 1″ overlap and attach your first snap 1″ from the end to hold it together.
Then attach a snap 1″ from the other end. (I am aware that I accidentally put one female and one male snap on my tube :/ doesn’t make too much of a difference but try to use the female snaps on your tube)
Then use a small amount of hot glue to seal up the middle part of the tube.
Attaching snaps
Onto the final step, time to attach all of the snaps to your towels and snap them onto the roll!
Take your first towel and attach a male snap to each of the top corners 1″ from the sides. The caps will be on the fabric side of your unpaper towel.
Snap these two snaps onto the roll. Eeeeeek so exciting 🙂
Move down to the bottom of the first towel and attach two female snaps on the corners 1″ from the sides. These snaps will have the caps on the dishcloth side.
Repeat this process all the way down attaching and rolling up your unpaper towels as you go.
There you have it! Your own roll of super cute reusable paper towels 🙂
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial as much as I enjoyed making it. If you have any questions or comments I would love to hear them below in the comment section!
Happy crafting!
Basic Embroidery Stitches
Hello Crafters!
This post is dedicated to anyone who wants to start embroidery. Embroidery is such a fun craft because you can create limitless projects even with just a small bit of embroidery knowledge. From there you can gradually expand your skills and become a real pro!
The four stitches that I’ll be teaching you in this tutorial are the first four stitches that most people learn when they start down the path of embroidering. Each stitch has a photo tutorial and a quick video so you can use whatever method works best for you.
Using just these four stitches you will be able to create a ton of awesome projects including my Happy Llama embroidery pattern which you can now instantly download from my shop 🙂
Embroidery Supplies
As with any hobby there are all sorts of cool gizmos and gadgets that you can purchase to enhance your experience. But the great thing about embroidery is that you can start with the bare minimum and get the same things accomplished.
The basic supplies you will need to start embroidery are:
- embroidery thread
- needle
- fabric / canvas
- scissors
That’s it! I strongly recommend an embroidery hoop as well. Using an embroidery hoop makes it a lot easier to hold onto your work and keep your stitches even.
Backstitch
Backstitch is a such a staple stitch. It is the first stitch that I learnt and I use it in almost every project. This is an outline stitch 90% of the time so you will find a use for it again and again!
French Knot
The french knot is an embroidery stitch that can give your work a lot of character! It creates a small donut shaped knot that can be used on it’s own or in clusters to create a really cool texture.
Satin Stitch
Satin stitch is the most common fill stitch. Using multiple strands you can quickly fill large areas with this stitch!
Fishbone Stitch
Fishbone stitch is a really cool looking embroidery stitch, yet it is pretty simple to do! It is usually used when embroidering leaves as it easily works into that shape but it can be used anywhere.
I hope you had fun learning these embroidery stitches! I would love to hear about your embroidery projects or any questions that you have in the comments below.
Happy crafting!
One-Day Messenger Bag
Now that Christmas is done for another year I can finally post tutorials for the gifts that I made this season. This bag in particular was really fun to make and I was really excited to give it away! This gift is for my sister who not only works full-time but is now doing some more schooling in the background. I imagine she is quite busy!
I wanted her to have a bag that would carry everything she needed for her full day of work and study so I designed this two pocket messenger bag to help her through the day while also looking so stylish 🙂
Supplies needed to make your messenger bag
- Fabric (2 meters of main fabric)
- Small amount of fabric to line the inside flap of your bag
- Thread for embroidery design
- Yarn for crochet edge
- Thread to match the bag (black in my case)
- Sewing machine
- Button
- Strap for the bag
For this bag I used a thicker felt material that was actually marked as coat fabric. I wanted it to be sturdy enough to carry things but I also wanted it to be a good template for my embroidery embellishment. For the inside lining of the closing flap I actually used a silk napkin.
Cutting fabric
The main pieces used to create this bag are 2 rectangles that are used to make two interior pockets and then a larger rectangle to construct the outside and closing flap.
Here are the measurements you will need to cut out your three rectangles.
*Remember to make a 1/2″ seam allowance around each rectangle.
Assembling messenger bag
Inside pockets
To form the inside pockets you will first need to sew up the sides of each pocket leaving the top open. To make the pockets have a square bottom I simply trimmed the corners like this:
After trimming the corners pinch the edges together and sew shut.
Outside of messenger bag
To form the outside of your messenger bag you will sew up the sides and form the corners the same way that you created the inside pockets. The only difference is that the outside piece has the closing flap.
After sewing the corners seams closed you can flip the outside of your bag round the right way and you should have something that looks like this:
I sewed a quick seam along the bottom of the two inside pockets so that they would stay together while in the bag.
Now you can put all the pieces together! Put both pockets inside the outside piece. Using A LOT of pins you will need to fold all of the seams together. I started by folding in the seam between the two pockets and sewing that together. Then fold in all the seams that connect the pockets to the bag edge. Leave the back seam open for now so that you can attach the lining for the closing flap.
Closing flap
At this point your bag will look mostly assembled but you will still have an unfinished closing flap. I took a glass to draw small curves on the corners of the flap.
Cut out the curves remembering to keep your seam allowance.
At this point you will need to add any embroidery design that you want before you attach the lining. I made a flower and bee design but you can be totally creative!
Pin your lining material to the closing flap while folding in both edges.
Sew all the way around to secure the lining.
Strap loops and buttonhole
Now for a few small finishing touches! I sewed small strips of fabric into the two back corners of the bag so that I could attach the strap.
I also used the buttonhole footer on my sewing machine to make a quick buttonhole in the closing flap of the bag. There are plenty of tutorials online showing you how to make a buttonhole with your machine or you can simply read the manual. I sewed the button onto the front side of the bag by hand.
Crochet edging
Even though I love trying out new crafts I can never stop my obsession with crochet! I decided to add a little flair to this project by putting a crochet edge around the closing flap. Adding a crochet edge to any fabric is super easy you just have to sew a starting edge on first and then you can crochet whatever you would like. I used crab stitch because I’m obsessed with it but you can use any type of edging you can think of!
Here’s how I attached my yarn to the fabric.
Continue this along the entire edge of the closing flap and tie off at the end.
There you have it! A beautiful, sturdy bag made with your own hands 🙂 I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and learnt something new from it. Please comment below if you have questions or comments to add.
Happy crafting!
Snap-on Pet Bandana
Hello Crafters!
Here is a last minute Christmas craft for you! This project is so quick and easy that you can still whip one up for your favourite pet(s!) just in time for Christmas morning 🙂 These snap-on pet bandanas are really cute and easy and with the added snaps they are also adjustable 🙂
I have made patterns for small, medium and large bandanas which you will find below. We don’t have much time before Christmas so let’s get to it!
Supplies you will need to make your pet bandana
- Festive fabric (I suppose you could make these year-round heehee )
- Thread to match fabric
- Sewing machine
- Fabric scissors
- Tweezers
- Iron
- Snap-on buttons and pliers
Cutting Out Your Fabric
Fold your fabric in half so you have two layers with the back of the fabric facing out.
Follow my diagram below to measure out the appropriate size bandana for your pet! And remember that you can place the snaps wherever you want to customize the size of your bandana at the end.
Cut out your fabric (don’t forget the 1/4″ seam allowance around your cutout).
Sewing Your Pet Bandana
Start sewing around both pieces of fabric at once. Start at the top edge about 1 inch from the center and go all the way around. Once you are back to the top edge stop sewing 1 inch from the center of the bandana. This will leave your pet bandana with a 2 inch hole at the top.
Flip your work inside out so that the pattern in now on the outside. You will probably need to use tweezers to poke out the ends of the straps. Also poke the point of the bandana out from the inside so that it has a sharp corner.
Now you just need to seal the top edge! Starting where the strap meets the bandana; sew a straight line across the top folding in the open seam as you go. Iron bandana to ensure that it is nice and flat.
Adding Snaps to Your Pet Bandana
Most snap-on button sets come with the pliers and pointy stick to make holes in your fabric. Poke a hole where you want to put your snap then put one of the pins through the hole and a snap on the other side.
Press the two pieces together with the pliers.
I put two snaps on my bandanas so they would be more adjustable but the amount of snaps is totally up to you. If you have your pet handy you can just try it on them for size and put one snap exactly where you need it!
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Feel free to leave your comments below if you need help or just have anything to add 🙂
Happy crafting and Merry Christmas!
Hook Holder
Hello crafters!
This tutorial is for all the sewers and crocheters out there! I love to crochet but I like to have a variety of different projects on the go so I can switch it up when I need a break. This easy sewn crochet hook holder will only take you an afternoon to whip up with your sewing machine so you can get back to crocheting!
Supplies you will need to make your hook holder
- Cute fabric (half a meter will be enough)
- Thread to match cute fabric!
- Sewing machine
Cutting your fabric
Start by folding your fabric in half with the print on the inside.
Draw out the template shown below:
I used a small cup just to curve the edges of the closing flap. Cut out your pattern leaving a 1/2 cm seam allowance.
Sewing your hook holder
Starting at the bottom corner sew your seam up the side, around the top and down the other side. Leave the bottom seam open. Turn your hook holder inside out so that the pattern is on the outside.
Pin the bottom seam inwards.
Sew the bottom seam up and then fold the base up at the 8cm mark. Use a crochet hook to make sure you are happy with the height of the flap.
Sew up the side seams. You will be able to make 11 sections for your crochet hooks. I chose to make the first two sections a little bit wider for the larger crochet hooks. Simply sew a line from the seam to the bottom to create the first section and repeat across.
Following the template from above you will need to fold the closing flap at the 6cm mark.
Sew a line along the fold so that the fabric folds easily when you’re closing your hook holder.
To finish your hook holder you will need to make a simple tie strap to close the holder. Take a thin piece of fabric; fold the two edges into the middle and then fold in half. Sew along the strap to close it up.
Attach the middle of the tie to the center of the outside of your hook holder with a few quick stitches.
And you’re done! Time to organize your hooks yay 🙂
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and found it useful! I would love to hear any questions or comments in the comment section below 🙂
Happy crafting!
Luggage Tag
Hello Crafters!
The best thing about being a crafter is that you can turn literally anything into a crafting oppourtunity. As soon as I plan an activity or start a new hobby I instantly start thinking of exciting DIY projects that I can make for it. My sister and I just booked a trip to England for the fall. 🙂
As soon as my flight was booked I wanted to make something for the trip and realised it was time to get cracking. Shortly after that I realised that the trip is almost a year away and I was getting way too excited. Oh well! Here is my first travel DIY project that I want to share with you, my embroidered luggage tag 🙂
This tutorial shows how to assemble the luggage tag but it doesn’t show you how to make the embroidery part. Use your creativity to make any image you want! I don’t know much about embroidery but I drew my image out on fabric and just filled it in with thread 🙂
Supplies you will need to make your luggage tag
- Piece of embroidery
- Craft felt in complimentary colour (or boring black like I used 🙁 )
- Embroidery thread
- Index card
- Packing tape
- Button
Cutting felt and fabric to size
Start by measuring a small border around your embroidered image. I made a 5mm border. Then get your felt and mark out a section that is the exact same size as your embroidered fabric. I use chalk to mark on dark surfaces like this black felt and you can just wipe it away after.
You will need two pieces of felt that are the same size. So repeat the above step. Cut out your felt shapes.
One of your felt pieces will be the back of your tag. Cut a window out of one felt piece. This window will be where your information card will be inserted.
You want the window to be slightly smaller than your information card so that the edges of the card will be held in by the felt. I traced my card onto the felt and then just cut the hole a few mm smaller than the rectangle I traced.
Sewing edges
Now you need to layer together the whole tag and hold it in place so you can sew it. (I used paperclips!) But any pins would work.
Layer like so: embroidery / solid felt / felt with window
Sew around the two long edges and one of the short edges. I just used a wraparound stitch. A sewing machine would be a lot more effective but since I don’t have one 🙁 I sewed by hand!
Finishing touches
To work the last edge you will be attaching the button flap while leaving the end open so you can insert and replace the information card.
To measure the correct size for the button flap I lined up the button with a small piece of felt.
Then fold the felt around to the front and cut it to size. You want the edge of the felt to come just to the edge of where your sewn border will be.
On the final edge use the same edging technique that you used for the other three sides but instead of going through all of the layers you will only sew through the embroidery layer and the first layer of felt. Once you get to the part where your button flap will be attached sew through the flap as well.
Once you have completed all of your edges you will attach your button to the back of your tag and cut a button hole in the felt flap. I simply marked where the button would be with a bit of chalk and then cut a small slit in the felt.
The final step is to write your information on your card and insert it into your tag! I covered my card with packing tape so it won’t get damaged during travel.
There you have it! A totally unique luggage tag that will really make your luggage pop 🙂
As always please leave any questions or comments in the comment section below! Or email me at Mataya@matayamade.com I always love to hear from my fellow crafters 🙂
Happy crafting!
How to Cross Stitch
Hello Crafters!
I know I’ve been bombarding you with crochet for the past few weeks so let’s take a little break from that to learn a new and exciting craft: cross stitch!
My mum taught me how to cross stitch a LONG time ago and I’m glad she did because now it is one of my favourite crafts. Knowing how to cross stitch makes it really easy to think of homemade gift ideas since cross stitch is so versatile. You can make anything from birth announcements and birthday cards to whole paintings created out of thread!
I will have more cross stitch tutorials in the future but for this post I am just going to show you the very basics for beginners who have never cross-stitched before 🙂
Basic Cross Stitch Supplies
Aida cloth
Aida cloth is the most commonly used canvass for cross stitching. It comes in a variety of sizes with each size having more or less space between the holes. The size indicates how many stitches will fit in one inch of fabric.
For beginners I would recommend Aida count 10 or 14 because it will be easy to see what you are doing and once you understand how to make your stitches you can move on to a different size aida cloth, linen or specialty fabrics.
Thread
Thread or embroidery floss can be found at any store that carries art and crafts supplies. There is an endless selection of colours to choose from. Be creative with whatever colours you would like but as a beginner I would steer clear of metallic threads because they fray easily and can be quite frustrating if you are just starting out.
Embroidery floss typically has six strands of thread wrapped together. For cross stitch you will pull out one strand at a time. I will go into more detail about that below!
Scissors
Now there isn’t too much to say about scissors. You just need something that will cut your thread so any old scissors will do the trick. But half of the excitement of starting a new hobby is shopping for cute supplies so you might as well invest in a tiny pair of sewing scissors to make your cross stitch experience more thrilling.
These are my scissors: I think they were about $14 and I love them 🙂
Needles
Typically when you buy embroidery needles they will come with a few different sizes to choose from. It isn’t going to make or break your project if you just use whatever sized needle you want but there is a bit of a guideline that can help you have the best effect. Needles are sized in a really annoying way because the bigger the size the smaller the needle. If you are using a smaller aida count cloth then you will want to use a smaller needle to prevent stretching the canvass.
A good guideline to go by is
- Fabric size 8-12 : Needle size 22
- Fabric size 14 : Needle size 24
- Fabric size 16-18: Needle size 28
Now don’t worry if you don’t know what size your needle is or if you only have one needle. As long as your needle fits well through the holes in the canvass without stretching them your project will turn out fine!
Starting Your Cross Stitch
Looking at Your Pattern / Cross Stitch Chart
Here is a simple pattern that we can work with today for tutorial purposes!
Most cross stitch charts will have a colour key on the side, each symbol on the chart will match up with a specific colour to make reading the chart easier. I just quickly drew up this design for an example and since it is very small and only has two colours I have not included a colour key.
Centering Your Canvass
You almost always want to start your cross stitch project right in the center of your canvass so that you know you will end up with a centered image. To find the middle of your canvass simply fold it in half and then fold in half again. Try not to crease the fabric too much when you are folding.
The point in the middle where the two folds meet is where you will start your sewing. I usually mark it will a small dot of pencil that can be covered up with the first stitch. I use my dressmaker (sewing) pencil but any old pencil will do!
Attaching Your Thread
To attach your first strand of thread: pull one of the six strands out of your thread. We are starting with yellow because the center of the flower is yellow.
Fold the strand of thread in half and thread it through your needle so that the loop is at the other end and your needle has two ends poking through the eye.
Making Your First Stitch
Start with your needle behind your canvass and insert the needle through the bottom left hole of the square.
Pull the thread through the canvass so that about an inch of your loop is still behind the canvass.
Insert the needle into the top right hole of the square.
Then flip your work over so you can see the back. Insert the needle into the loop and pull the stitch tight.
From the back of your work push the needle through the bottom right hole and then into the top left to complete your first stitch 🙂
Tying Off and Starting a New Thread
Once you have finished with one colour or your thread is at its end you need to tie if off before starting a new thread. Simply flip your work over so you are looking at the back and thread the needle through at least two strands on the back like this:
Pull the thread tight and simply trim the excess off!
Continuing Along With Your Cross Stitch Pattern
Now that you have completed the first stitches you are basically a pro! Just remember these few helpful hints to keep your cross stitch looking it’s best.
- Always work your stitches from bottom left to top right and then bottom right to top left.
- If you want to work on a different part of the canvass with the same thread that is already on your needle that is fine but don’t carry it over more than an inch with the same thread or the back of your work will be very messy. If the two areas are more than an inch apart then tie off and start a new thread.
- If the edges of your canvass are fraying you can either sew around the edge with a sewing machine to create a solid seam or just tape the edges off to prevent fraying.
- When your work is complete it might look a little bit dirty, especially if you like to snack while you craft (guilty!) to wash your work simply get a container that will fit your piece and fill it with lukewarm water and dish soap. Wash your canvass and rinse to remove all the soap. Lay flat to dry.
- Some threads may have a lot of ink in them and when you go to wash your project the darker colours could bleed into the canvass! Oh no! To prevent this most people recommend rinsing your thread in lukewarm water prior to use until no dye comes out when you squeeze the thread in paper towel.
I strongly recommend this step from personal experience! I once made a large piece that took me months to finish and I did rinse the thread but I wasn’t thorough enough because I was so excited to start. Once the project was complete I washed it like I said above and the dark purple thread left gray streaks over my canvass 🙁 It was devastating! Don’t let this happen to you!
And just like that you know how to cross stitch! Get creative and have fun because knowing how to cross stitch opens up so many more crafting doors!
As always I would love to hear your comments (or questions!) below. Or you can email me at Mataya@MatayaMade.com and I’ll get back to you in a jif!
Happy crafting!
3 Ways to Sign Your Projects
Hello Crafters!
We already know that giving and receiving handmade gifts is fun and exciting, to step it up a notch have you tried signing your handmade work?
This week I will show you three easy and beautiful ways to sign your own crocheted, sewn, and handcrafted projects!
Make a tag with bias tape:
(Best for crochet / knit items that you cannot sew directly onto)
This method requires you to do a little bit of free-hand sewing. But don’t be alarmed! Just sketch out your design with pencil and sew over top of it using back-stitch (or whatever stitch you find easiest to use).
Unfold the bias tape and choose one of the middle sections to do your sewing on.
Mark out your design (or just start sewing if you are brave!). I used a simple back-stitch for this tag.
Fold the bias tape back into a single strip and fold in half to make a tag. Simply sew the edge onto the edge of your finished project (blanket, pillow, scarf, etc.)
Sew directly onto your project using cross stitch:
This method is awesome for your cross stitch projects because the cross stitch font will blend perfectly with your existing cross stitch design. It would always work great for any embroidery project or really anything on fabric that you can sew onto!
I have provided two difference cross stitch fonts for you to use. Simply subscribe to my monthly newsletter to gain access to the download.
Sign up for MatayaMade’s monthly newsletter HERE. Once you have gone through the sign-up process you will arrive at a welcome screen with the password to my members page.
Subscribers to the MatayaMade newsletter always have access to the members-only page which is updated with new goodies all the time!
Get a Personalized Stamp
This is probably one of my favourite gifts that I bought for myself (we all deserve to buy ourselves gifts every now and then!) Make up whatever design you want, you can be totally creative and think outside the box.
Then send it off to a stamp maker and get your awesome personalized stamp in the mail and start stamping everything! I especially love using my stamp for birthday cards and the backs of all of my paintings 🙂
I got my stamp on Amazon.ca (here’s the exact link) but there are loads of great options on Etsy and other sites. Just Google search ‘personalized stamps’ and pick whatever option suits you.
How do you personalize your projects? I would love to hear some of your great ideas in the comments below.
Happy Crafting!