Vintage Inspired pincushion | Tutorial |

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. Birthday celebrations were in full swing at ours - it is Baby MiH's third birthday (today) and it was party (and baking) time (this weekend)! I still managed to get a bit of cross-stitching done, and finished my new vintage inspired pincushion - and write a tutorial for you (if you are looking for quick Christmas presents for your sewing friends)! 

The pincushion was inspired by Libby's one I have seen featured a couple of times on her facebook feed. It looks like hers was made of actual vintage embroidered cloth, which I did not have handy. So I made it 'vintage' by cross-stitching on the fabric and placing it on the side rather than neatly in the middle. I used the lovely ethical fabric and buttons I got in my Offset Warehouse Mystery Sewing Box - I love the fabric I got. 

To make your own pincushion, you will need:

• Some fabric (I used some 'new fabric' but feel free to use some scraps you might have)
• If you fancy adding some embroidery, choose some matching embroidery thread - but it is optional
• Some waste canvas for the embroidery
• Polyester soft toy filling
• Some matching thread to close the pincushion.  
• Make a circle template for your pincushion - I used a vase to make mine. 

1. Place the waste canvas on your fabric. I put it in the middle so that I had enough fabric on either side for the pincushion.

2. Use this method for the waste canvas and cross-stitching. I went a bit free style with mine - so let your creativity flow. The only requirement is that it covers some of the pincushion. 

3. Place your pincushion template on the folded fabric, placing the embroidery side ways (if you are going for a more vintage look)

4. Sew around the template, right sides together - remember to leave an opening to fill the pincushion 

5. Turn your piece right sides out. Finger press the seams open. Then stuff. Use a lot of small bits to stuff your cushion. Push the stuffing up against the inner seams. You want the stuffing to be very full but not too firm. Sew the opening closed.

6. Find the exact center of your pincushion on each side and mark with a pencil or pen. If you are off center, your finished pincushion will have uneven sized sections, so take your time.

Sew a few stitches with your thread to create a firm anchor. 

Create each section by bringing the thread up from the middle, around the outer edge and then inserting the needle back into the center. Give the thread a firm tug to create the pillow effect. It may be difficult to work the needle through the center. I made 8 sections for this pincushion, up to you how many sections you want (4,6,8, more?). 

7. Add your button, I did also add a bit of fabric underneath to hide the middle. 

 And here you have it, a beautiful new pincushion, ready for use within an hour (without the cross-stitching part). 

This is my challenge entry for 'space'.. Because of the space in the middle of my cross-stitching pattern. For better interpretation of this month's theme, and a chance to enter our giveaway, check out the projects here. 

I love seeing your projects using my tutorials, so don't forget to tag me if you make one (on IG, twitter or facebook). 

Natural Hazelnut Wreath :: A tutorial with BerlinBaby ::

Hello everyone, I hope you all are having a great weekend. If you are in Paris, I hope you are ok, and please stay safe... We are 14 November, which means I am again late for posting on Le Challenge - and I feel like a cheat as I am not posting my make! The theme was 'method', and method could mean tutorial and I have a brilliant tutorial to share with you. I got in touch with Cecile - aka Berlinbaby on IG - about a hazelnut wreath she made some time ago (I totally stalk her account, and you should too!). I hoped she had a tutorial, as it happens she has been following my blog for a while (I am still amazed people do) and she was delighted to write this tutorial for us! 

I have just ordered what I needed to make my own... 

If you use her tutorial, please let us know and share your makes!

You will need:

a 26cm straw wreath ring (mine is from a local craft shop)

about 800g hazelnuts

glue gun

2 pieces of ribbon

Step One

Heat up your glue gun and lay a piece of newspaper under the wreath to catch the drips of glue. 

Place a generous amount of glue onto the more pointed end of one of your hazelnuts, and stick it onto the straw wreath. 

Step Two

Repeat step one, glueing the hazelnuts one at a time onto the wreath. Once the first few are in place it starts to feel like a little puzzle, finding the right hazelnut to nestle into each spot. Don’t fret about it too much, though. There will be little gaps and imperfections here and there, and it will look all the more beautiful for it!

Step Three

Carry on covering the wreath (except for the back) in hazelnuts. Leave a gap slightly wider than your ribbon. Using a little glue, fix one end of the ribbon onto the wreath and wrap it tightly around the straw wreath a few times, gluing the other end down as well.

Finish sticking on the rest of the hazelnuts until they nestle right up against the edges of the ribbon.

Thanks Cecile for this amazing tutorial, please share your makes with Cecile and I, she is on IG @berlinbaby and I am @natmadeinhome!

Link up to Le Challenge for a random chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Fat Quarter Shop and $10 to spend at Eco Fabric Store or Fibers To Fabric.

Natural Shades of Pink :: Dyeing Fabric with Avocado Skins with Rebecca Desnos

I am really excited about this tutorial as I have been wanting to dye with avocado skins for a long time - and Rebecca's step by step tutorial is making it easy for me (and you) to try . I dyed naturally yarn in the past – but my results (and process) are so random that I have not tried again. But now that the key ingredient to this tutorial is something I eat a lot of is brilliant, so it should be quick (and easy) to get enough dyestuff!

If you use her tutorial, please let us know and share your makes! 

My name is Rebecca Desnos and I'm a natural dyer who works exclusively with plant dyes and plant fibres. I'm vegan so I don't use any animal fibres such as wool or silk, or animal-derived dyes such as cochineal.

Several years ago I began dyeing with plant extracts such as madder, which produce beautiful and reliable colours, but I discovered that it's much more exciting and rewarding to make my own dyes from scratch.

Avocado skin dye is my current favourite dye and I've always got a jar of dye in the fridge ready to use. The colour is so pretty and I'm always finding new things to put in the dye pot. I think it helps that avocados are one of my favourite foods, so I manage to save up the skins quickly!

I have an Etsy shop with a selection of plant dyed scarves, bags, cushions covers and wooden beads.

This is just my own method of dyeing with avocado skins, but it’s not the only way to do it. It’s through experimentation that you will find what works well for you and you might find an even better way of doing things. For example, how about using rainwater instead of tap water? Try a different type of saucepan to see if that affects the colour. The possibilities are truly endless.

To prepare the fabric for dyeing:

These instructions are for dyeing cellulose (plant) fibres, such as cotton, linen or bamboo.

1. Prewash fabric in the washing machine in a natural laundry liquid (I use ECOS Earth Friendly laundry liquid). Either allow to air dry or go onto next step.

2. Pour a litre of unsweetened soya milk into a bucket and dilute with water. I usually do roughly 1:1 ratio of water to milk. Drop fabric into the bucket of watered down milk and stir. Leave to soak overnight, stirring it a couple of times before going to bed.

3. In the morning, lift out the fabric and squeeze out as much of the soya milk as possible, then put on a spin cycle in the washing machine.

4. Leave to air dry.

5. Drop the fabric back into the bucket of milk for a quick dip. The aim is to coat the fabric evenly with soya milk, without removing the previous dried on layer. If the fabric sits in there too long, the first layer of soya may rinse off.

6. Squeeze as much milk out of the fabric as possible and put on another spin in the washing machine and then leave to air dry.

7. Do a final quick dip in the soya milk, then squeeze out as much milk as possible hang up to drip dry. Depending on the weather, this final stage can be a bit smelly, so it’s best to dry outside if possible.

8. Once the fabric is completely dry, place it in a plastic bag and store it for at least a week before using.

Note: This soya milk method is not my own, and I first read about it in India Flint’sbook ‘ Eco Colour’. The idea is that the protein in the milk coats the cellulose fibres and makes them more protein-like, increasing the absorption of the plant dye. From my own tests I’ve found that this method really does help achieve darker shades.

To prepare the avocado skin dye bath:

I collect avocado skins over the course of a few weeks. I scrape and rinse the skins then place them in a bag in the freezer. I’ve only dyed with hass avocados as these are the only ones available in my local shops, but I’m sure that other varieties produce equally beautiful shades.

1. Weigh the dry fabric and use at least this weight of avocado skins. The higher the ratio of avocado skins to fabric, the more concentrated the dye, and therefore the deeper the colour. I often use 2:1 ratio of avocado skins to fabric to get a really deep colour.

2. Place the avocado skins in an aluminium saucepan and cover with tap water so that all skins are submerged. 

3. Heat for at least an hour and stir from time to time. The skins will soften and break down.

4. Leave to cool, then strain the mixture through a sieve lined with a fine cloth such as muslin. The colour of the water should be a deep red. Squeeze the pulp in the cloth to extract as much of the concentrated colour as possible.

5. The dye is now ready to use. If you’re not ready to use straight away, it can be stored in the fridge.

Dyeing the fabric:

Decide how you will dye your fabric. Will you dye it an even shade? If so, you may need to add extra water to the dye pot so the fabric can move about freely. Will you fold up and tie the fabric to create patterns?

1. Drop the fabric into the aluminium saucepan (reserved just for dyeing) and add extra water to make sure all the fabric is submerged and can about move freely. 

2. Heat the saucepan for at least an hour and allow the dye bath to simmer, ensuring the fabric is always submerged. Stir from time to time with a wooden spoon (never to be used again for cooking!) and keep a close eye on it to make sure that it doesn’t boil.

3. Leave the fabric to cool in the dyebath over night. 

4. Further heating may deepen the shade, but may not be necessary if you already have a deep shade. 

5. Take the fabric out of the dyebath and squeeze out as much liquid as possible and leave to drip dry.

6. Once the fabric is dry, it’s best to be patient and let the fabric sit for at least a week (the longer the better) before rinsing. This should help with the fastness of the dye.

7. Once I’ve rinsed the fabric, I usually put it on a short wash cycle in the washing machine, then let the fabric dry naturally. Then it’s ready to use for whatever you’d like!

Note on light and wash fastness:

According to my own tests, the colour lasts well using this soya milk method, but it is dependent on so many variables, so you would need to do your own tests to see how fast your colour is.

Please bear in mind that all dyes, even synthetic ones, will fade in bright sunlight, so it’s important to treat dyed fabric with care. I always store naturally dyed scarves in a cupboard to avoid fading. I also avoid washing naturally dyed fabrics too frequently and will often air out a scarf rather than washing, to help preserve the colour.

I’ve found that avocado skin dye fixed with this soya milk method to fair well in light fastness tests (actually better than some other dyes fixed with chemical mordants!) and it actually yellows if it’s exposed to sunlight, rather than fades.

Thanks Rebecca for this amazing tutorial, please share your makes with me and Rebecca, she is on IG and twitter @rebeccadesnos! 

Friday Randomly Sharing

Happy Friday everyone! Welcome to FRS where I share what has caught my eye recently - but where you could also share what was interest to you - so please make full use of the comment box!

So here is what I put on my notebook this week ... 

- Une Poule a petits pas has released her new pattern - Jean Paul - a V-neck jumper, oversized as is her style. I really like the depth of the V-neck, and it could be so cozy in the right yarn - and she uses 8mm needles, whoohoo! Her patterns are usually quite easy to follow (but in French). Maybe not for now, but I may come back to it in a couple of months. 

- Kat of Slugs on the Refrigerator has a new cardigan pattern out. Kat is Master Crochet - and this cardigan includes a Cabled Crochet section. Apparently, you can crochet cables, did you know? I certainly did not... and therefore I had to try her tutorial and make my own section. And here is the result. 

It works! And it did not even take me that long to work out! And it reminded me how much I liked to crochet, so I am hoping to get back into it soon. If you have some crochet notions, it is an interesting tutorial to follow - totally widened my perspective on what you can achieve with the hook. 

- I wanted desperately to try a fair isle project this year. It has not yet happened, and I thought that the Sundottir KAL organised by Fernfiber would be my prompt - but I just have too many WIPs at the moment to justify a new one. However if you are interested go and check Fernfiber and grab your pattern discount. 

- I love dreamcatchers - just the name is amazing - and I love this version. It is so beautiful! It is on my decoration list for the boys' room. If anyone makes one before I do, do let me know! 

- Tilly has a great post about tools you need to mark seam allowances. I am sure these would save me loads of time!

- Love this article by Magdalena: I Gave Up Processed Food For A Month, Here's What Happened

- I am very excited because plaid is back apparently (see here and here) - and I have some plaid fabric in my stash that I actually like - cannot wait to get it out and make something!

Catching up - The Hooded Baby Towel {Sewing}

I am a bit late - the tutorial of my baby hooded towel has been posted a while ago on the Simply Solids blog now. But I thought you might be interested in seeing in action - in case you are short of inspiration for a present for a baby. 

I had made an owl version for Baby MiH (which we still use) - the basis for this version, which includes curved corners. It is all organic and I am using it all the time! 

Wooden Snowflakes | Christmas 2014

Christmas is nearly here - and I am making the final elements to our decorations (during afternoon naptimes, so it has to be quick projects) - thanks to easy tutorials found on Pinterest. I will put everything up on Saturday night, so that when Baby MiH wakes up on Sunday (for his birthday) it is Christmas! Yes my boys will have to love Christmas as much as I do, 

This last project is one I was really keen on making when I pinned this picture a wee while ago. Unfortunately I did not have enough big wooden beads to make a massive snowflake - maybe another year - but I do have small ones to make ornaments the size of my straw ones. 

You will need 48 beads - which is quite a lot for a big snowflake. The original tutorial can be found here, but I worked it out from the below diagram really, It took me half an hour per snowflake, some thread and a needle (because my beads are so small) - et voilà, two more ornaments. 

I was not sure how to use these small beads so I am very pleased they have become such beautiful ornaments that compliment my colour scheme. 

Only 12 days to Christmas!! We are off to France - we managed to get Little Baby MiH his passport on time! So it is going to be very exciting to have 4 generations around the table. Cannot wait!

A pouch full of crosses | Le Challenge

This le challenge has come round very fast indeed. I had so many ideas for this month's theme 'x' - very big projects, but current events have taken over and it was time to get my hospital bag ready (yes that seems to have come round quickly as well). Mr MiH has been nagging me about it, and I still have not done anything about it. 

But this is what I really needed - a big handmade pouch that could carry all my beauty products in travel size. It is made of felt - I do love working with felt - and I actually 'printed' my own fabric so it is all coordinated. I am actually so in love with this pouch, that I am now happy to start packing - at some point.

I have written a quick tutorial so you can too make this pouch and the fabric - or at least be inspired by the process. 

My pouch measures 10' x 9'- and it is fairly big. I will provide the measurements I used to make this pouch - but it is really easy to adapt for any size pouch that you want. The only thing that you should be aware is the proportions of the white felt against the size of the pouch. I made it a third of the pouch, you may want to make a bigger/smaller statement. My seam allowance is 1/2 inch

You will need for the pouch:

- Cut two pieces of felt outer fabric 11' x 10'
- Cut two pieces of lining fabric 11' x 10' (I reused some calico I had made my muslin Tova with)
- Cut two pieces of white felt - 11' x 3' and line it with fusible web
- one zip to size


You will need for printing the fabric:
- Dylon fabric paint 
- a paint brush
- half a potato 
- baking parchment and fabric to iron the paint on (according to the instructions)

The potato may have suffered a bit from the process

1. Start by 'printing' your lining fabric - to make sure that the printing is dry when you get to use the fabric.

I followed the instructions on the bottle. I did try it on similar fabric beforehand to see how much I needed on the 'stamp'. I would say that my fabric looks very handmade - and I am sure you get better at it the more you do it. I did use a ruler to try to space the crosses evenly. 

I would love to print some fabric with Baby MiH - I am not sure he is ready for it yet, but soon we will have a go on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Beware this is a lot of fun! 

When I thought of the lining of the pouch I tried to put the best crosses at the top - and the double stamped one at the bottom... 

2. Put the outer fabric together

Draw the design you would like to add to your white felt fabric on the back of the fusible web - and cut out the design. 

 And iron it on

I quilted around the cross - because I thought it might the area that would be weakest point if I use it a lot - which I intend to!

3. Sew the pouch together

I followed the Purl Bee Simple Lined Zipper Pouch Tutorial to put it together - the tutorial also provides help to adapt the pouch sizes to your needs. 

Felt is thicker than fabric of course - so I usually use the raw edges of the outer felt fabric flush with the zip. It makes a less bulky finish at the top. 

Don't forget that opening at the bottom... 

And reveal it all! 

Well I must have done well - because Mr MiH is now asking for a sponge bag for himself after seeing my pouch. He never asks anything from me... 

This is will make a great Christmas present - you can adapt it to anyone's taste - and although the tutorial makes it sound like it takes forever - it definitely does not. Probably took 3 hours to make (including 'printing the fabric' - a step you can easily skip). 

For all other le challenge entries, or a random chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop to spend on anything you like and a rainbow bundle of zips from Rickety Rose Crafts - you get to chose any 25 colours and sizes of the closed-end zips, link up here. 

Please remember to include the button or a link to Le Challenge in your blog post or Flickr description and use the hashtag #lechallenge if you're linking up from Instagram. So I can go and check out your entries! 

Serial cross-stitcher | Soluble versus Waste canvas {Embroidery}

It took me a while to start cross-stitching outside the comfort zone of the ready-made canvases - but once I started there was no stopping me! I have now cross-stitched felt (you can see how with my boxy pouch tutorial here); a baby vest; and a new top! And I am already thinking of the next project - probably some Christmas cross-stitching on random pieces of fabric or felt I reckon. 

I may be a serial cross-stitcher but you can be too - thanks to the wonders of soluble canvas or waste canvas. I used both (soluble canvas for the felt pouch and waste canvas for the tops) and both techniques work. 

I like the soluble canvas method a lot - it is really easy to cross-stitch, it is really easy to get rid of (as in put it into water and leave it to be). However it is quite expensive - for the square you get (you should have seen my face when I opened the packaging) - and it comes only in the one size (from what I could find), so not big project allowed. 

The waste canvas method is a bit more cumbersome (I bought mine here). First of all you have to work out why the hell there are so many holes in the canvas.

You are supposed to cross-stitch through the little holes. It was easier with my top because I did it over 2 squares, it does not look as consistent on the baby vest top though. 

Then, there is the issue of getting rid of the canvas - it takes a bit of time (no leaving it in the water and wait for it to do its thing!).

Yes, people you have to take each strand off, one by one - hours of fun, right-there (ok it is actually not that long, but still a bit tedious). You are supposed to do it with tweezers, and yes it is easier to do it with tweezers. You have to be careful not to pull too much, otherwise the cross-stitching may move. Arggh!

However it is cheaper and you can buy the waste canvas by the metre, and it does do the job perfectly well. For the baby vest top, there are a couple of more steps to take, you have to add muslin fabric behind so that the jersey does not get distorted - I followed this tutorial.  

So what will you cross-stitch next? 

Cross-stitched Cushion | Tutorial {Upcycling}

I would like to tell you that I had the patience to make that cross-stitched panel myself - but there is no way I would ever have the patience. So I would just like to thank the person who did it for me, and then the person who put it up on Ebay and letting me have it for £2.99. I still cannot believe my luck. 

The back fabric was also a second-hand purchase - a piece of fabric from Japan - most properly from Etsy. I have had it for a while, and I always knew I was going to make a cushion, it just took me a really long time to get there.

So here is a quick tutorial to show you a very lazy way to make a cushion. 

1. Find a matching fabric for your panel and cut it to size. 

2. With a second-hand cross-stitching panel, you will have to be aware of the weaker points of the panel. Mine had been stitched before and the corner suffered a bit as a result. 

3. Pin the panel to the back fabric - mark the opening you are going to leave to turn the cushion the right way round. And stitched with a narrow stitch length (I used 1.6 on my machine). 

4. Once stitched around, snip off the corners.

5. Turn the cushion cover the right way round - and pull the corner -  I use the help of a pin to make the process easier. 

6. Fill the cushion with some soft toy filling, and sew the opening by hand. 

7. Et voila! A brand new cushion

Clearly the hardest bit is to find a cross-stitched panel, but it is worth looking for one. It makes a really unique cushion for your sofa!

What would you have done with a cross-stitched panel?