christmas tree skirt - tutorial - part 3 (let's get sewing!!)

photos of the tree skirt are here
christmas tree skirt - tutorial - part 1 can be found here
christmas tree skirt - tutorial - part 2 is here

woo hoo, it's time to start cutting!

you will need to cut 12 wedges of fabric for the top of the skirt and another 12 wedges from the back (i managed to get all 24 of my wedges cut from 6 fat quarters of fabric).

if you are cutting from fat 1/8ths, you should be able to fit 2 wedges on (see photo).  this method would also allow you to cut 4 wedges from a fat 1/4 of fabric (fold the fat 1/4 in half before cutting)

if you are cutting from a strip of non-directional fabric you will be able to cut your wedges as shown in the photo below, continue to alternate the direction of your wedges as you work your way across the strip of fabric

you may choose to trace around your template and them use scissors to cut the wedges out, or you may choose to do what i did and use your rotary cutter, ruler and the template.  i simply placed the template on the fabric, lined my ruler up with the straight edge and cut with my rotary cutter.  once i had cut both sides, i traced the curve and tip with my pencil then cut them out using scissors.

once all of your wedges have been cut, you will need to sew them into pairs using a 1/4" seam...

then into fours...

then sixes...

then sew ONE seam that will join the 2 halves of your tree skirt.  remember to leave the other seam open, this will allow you to put the skirt around your tree.  now repeat the process for the back of your tree skirt.

now we get to decorate the top of the tree skirt.  audition your trim options and decide which one you like best.  i have decided to use 2 trims and alternate them around the skirt (remember that you wont need trim on the open edges of the skirt)

if you want to make your own seam covering strips, you will need to cut eleven 3/4"  strips (on the straight grain) from the fabric that you heavily starched earlier.  then you will need to thread a strip into your 9mm bias tape maker (you may need to use a pin to help you), making sure that your fabric is the correct way up

 flip your bias maker over and use a fork pin to hold the beginning in place

use your iron to push the bias tape maker along until you reach the end of your strip (this means that your fingers will be well away from the hot iron and minimises your chances of getting a burnt finger!).  repeat for the other 10 strips

i used my karisma glue pen to hold the trim in place, but you may choose to thread baste your trim on.  DO NOT stitch it permanently in place yet, we will stitch it on after the top of the tree skirt is stitched to the back and turned the right way out - this will quilt the layers together and provide stability.

pin your ties/ribbons in place along the open edge of the tree skirt, also make sure that you have pinned the loose ends well away from the seam lines... you wouldn't want to accidentally stitch them in!

carefully pin the top of your tree skirt to the back and stitch around all of the edges using a 1/4" seam - remember to leave an opening so you can turn it in the right way.

turn your tree skirt in the right way, press it well and top-stitch around the edges.  now is the time to stitch the seam coverings in place - i used a zig-zag on my first tree skirt, but chose to use a straight stitch on this skirt.  at this point you may also decide to add some trim around the outside edge of your tree skirt

and you are all DONE... place your skirt under the tree, tie the ribbons and admire your work!

christmas tree skirt - tutorial - part 2 (fabrics etc)

photos of the tree skirt are here
christmas tree skirt - tutorial - part 1 can be found here

there are a few choices to be made today... fabric combinations and trims so it should be lots of fun!

we will be cutting 12 wedges of fabric for the top of the tree skirt and another 12 wedges for the back; this means that there are a lot of possible fabric combinations.  some options are...
- 1 fabric for the top (all 12 wedges would be cut from the same fabric)
- 2 fabrics for the top (6 wedges from each fabric) this is the option i chose for my first tree skirt
- 3 fabrics for the top (4 wedges from each fabric)
- 4 fabrics for the top (3 wedges from each fabric)
- 6 fabrics for the top (2 wedges from each fabric) i will use 6 fabrics this time
- 12 fabrics for the top (1 wedge from each fabric)

once you have decided how many fabrics you want to use on the top of your Christmas tree skirt, you can then make a similar decision for the back of your tree skirt - this is your chance to decide if you want your Christmas tree skirt to be reversible or if you would prefer a plain back (i have chosen a plain back).

i am going with a red/white theme this time - the black/green/red holly fabric may become seam covering strips or i may decide to use some ribbon or rick-rack (i will audition my options when i have pieced the top of the tree skirt together)

the yardage that you need of each fabric will depend on how many fabrics you are using.  as an example - i can cut 2 of my wedges from a fat 1/8th, and i can cut 8 wedges from a 16" width-of-fabric strip of non-directional fabric (from my 6 red/white fat quarters i have been able to cut enough wedges for the front and back of my tree skirt, a total of 24 wedges)

you can either decide what you are going to use to cover your seams now (or you can wait and audition your options once you have pieced the top of your tree skirt).  you have a lot of choices - rick-rack, bias tape, home-made straight-grain strips (using a bias tape maker), ribbon etc.  here are some of the choices that i will be auditioning later...

you will need enough to cover the 12 seam lines - in my case each seam line is 14 1/2" (including seam allowance) you may also like to use this trim around the outside of your tree skirt

if you would like to make your own seam covering strips, you will need to heavily starch your fabric in preparation.  i cut a square of fabric 14 1/2" x 20", so that i would have enough to make the seam covering strips and to trim around the outside of the skirt.  heavily spray your seam covering fabric on both sides with a good quality starch (i use the "crisp" brand) and allow the fabric to dry before pressing it well.

gather your sewing tools and tomorrow we can get cutting and sewing!

you will need...
your fabrics
your template
a cutting mat
ruler
rotary cutter
pencil (or something to mark your fabric with)
fabric scissors
trim, to cover your seams (optional) and the outside of the skirt (optional)
9mm bias tape maker (if you are making your own seam covering strips)
karisma glue pen (optional)
sewing machine, thread and a fresh needle
1m of a narrow ribbon (for the ties on your skirt)

part 3 of the tutorial is here

christmas tree skirt - tutorial - part 1 (making the template)

photos of the skirt are here

time to make the template that you will need for your Christmas tree skirt (or you can use a 30degree wedge ruler)

you will need:
cutting mat or a large square ruler (with 30 degree lines marked on it)
ruler
template plastic (see tip)
permanent marker (to mark your template)
large plate

tip... i use cheap flexible plastic cutting mats from a local discount store instead of template plastic

** firstly you will need to measure how big you want your Christmas tree skirt to be - i used my large cutting ruler to measure from the centre of the tree trunk to the end of the legs, which gave me a measurement of 10", i added a bit extra and decided on a 14" because i wanted the skirt to be a generous size

** now we need to make the 30degree wedge template - if you look at your cutting mat (or large square ruler) you will see that it has 30 degree lines marked on it, these are the lines that we will use to make our template.  they are the 2 diagonal lines that lead away from the corner of the mat/ruler (ignore the central line that goes from corner to corner)

** place your template plastic on top of the cutting mat (or under the ruler) and transfer the 30degree lines onto the plastic

** use your marker to place a mark on the lines at the size you would like your skirt to be (in my case it was 14").

** trim an unused edge of the plastic and tape it to the top of your template (or simply add a second piece of template plastic), this will give you enough room to cut a curve at the top of your template (sorry about the sideways photo, blogger is playing games with me)

** add 1/4" seam allowance on each on the outside of your 30degree lines

** use the plate to mark a curve at the top of your template (line the edges of the plate up with the marks that you made earlier).  add a 1/4" seam allowance to the curve. 

** trim the tip off your wedge (approx. 1/2" up from the point) to allow room for the trunk of your Christmas tree

** cut out the rest of your template out and it is ready to use

christmas tree skirt - tutorial - part 2 can be found here

Disappearing 9-patch (the final post!)

ETA - i dont know why the font size is weird, i have tried to fix it but blogger isnt cooperating at the moment!

 

in continuation of my series of posts on D9P blocks;  Disappearing 9 Patch - variation on a theme;  Disappearing 9 Patch - layout ideas  here is my final post on D9P blocks 

 

Simply...

-  cut a square of fabric the same size as the D9P block (after your 9 patch has been quartered)
-  draw a line from corner to corner on your plain square
-  place your plain square on top of a D9P block (right sides together)

-  using the line as a guide, sew 1/4 inch seam down each side of the line
-  cut apart on the line
-  press your block (seam goes towards the plain square)
- you should have 2 different blocks

play around with the layout!

Reversible ironing board cover - a little tutorial

as i said in my last post, my ironing board cover i looking tatty and sadly it didn't survive a recent encounter with the washing machine!  oh, well it was a good excuse to use some lovely fabric that inherited when a friend passed away recently.

my poor old, torn, bumpy cover...

You will need:
*  fabric - approx 1.5 to 2metres, depending on the size of your ironing board and the width of the fabric
*  tearaway stabiliser or butchers paper to make your pattern from
*  cotton wadding - enough to cover the top of your ironing board 4 times (i bought 1.5m of wide wadding)
*  5mm wide elastic (approx 2m)
* cotton and general sewing supplies

this is a simple tutorial and i am assuming that you will have some basic sewing skills

1.  remove the old ironing board cover - and throw it away to ensure that you finish your new cover!!

2.  put some paper/tearaway stabiliser on the floor and place your ironing board top down.  trace around the edges.

3.  draw a line approx 4" out from your ironing board outline.  this is an allowance for the sides of the ironing board top, an underlap and a seam allowance.  cut out on this line.  in my photo you can see how much bigger the pattern is...

4.  cut 2 from your fabric and 2 from wadding

5.  layer 1 of your fabric pieces with 1 of your wadding pieces.  quilt as desired.  i simply quilted some straight lines.  repeat with the other piece of fabric and wadding. 

6.  place your 2 quilted panels right sides together and sew around the edges (use a generous 1/4" seam)  remember to leave an opening so you can turn your cover right side out!!  i left my opening in the wide end of the cover

7.  turn your cover right side out (pause to admire your creativity!!) and press.  when you get to the opening, remember to press the seam allowance in - this will make sewing it closed easier

8.  now it's time to sew a casing for your elastic.  you will need to sew a line 1/2" from the edge of your cover.  sew all the way around.

9.  it's time to get the elastic into your casing.  pin your elastic to the cover (so that the end doesn't disappear into the casing) attach a safety pin/bodkin to the opposite end of the elastic and start threading it through the casing - this can be a bit fiddly, but persist, we are nearly done!

10.  pause to thank your quilting assistant for his help

11.  put your cover onto your ironing board and adjust the length of your elastic.  when you are happy with the fit, tie the 2 ends together with a knot.

 12.  slip stitch the opening closed, make sure that you tuck the elastic in as you sew

13.  because my ironing board is getting on and is a little rusty (don't want rust on my new cover!), i cut 2 layers of wadding the same size as the top and put the cover on over them.

14.  put your new cover on your ironing board and adjust the gathers until you are happy.

15.  step back and smile... you have a beautiful new ironing board!