Patchwork sewing machine cover

Since I got my sewing machine for Christmas I have been meaning to make a dust cover for it and today was the day!

I had the whole afternoon to myself so had plenty of time to work on it.

I was inspired by a cover I saw on Pinterest which has a strip of patchwork squares down one side. I really liked the effect and haven't tried patchwork squares before, so thought it would be a bit of a challenge.

I know from my Mum that patchwork squares aren't the easiest things to get right. They must all be perfect so that they line up correctly. I have to admit that mine are a teensy bit off in places, but overall I'm happy!

The first challenge was cutting out all the squares precisely. Sam's Mum swears by a circular cutter and I definitely could have done with one for this! It took ages to cut them all out, but worth it to get them accurate.

Armed with a cup of coffee (which was definitely needed after cutting out all those squares!) I sat down and organised them into rows of three.

I sewed each row of three and then matched and pinned each row to the next before sewing in place. The fabric is from a scrap bag very kindly donated to me by my Auntie. If you follow my blog, you may recognise some scraps from another project.

We also bought some more storage units this weekend - the sewing machine fits perfectly and I think it completes my little craft corner nicely. On the top is an old Singer sewing machine I bought from the tip!

Six Second Sketch

This week I've also done another six second sketch. I've decided to do a series of mini portraits of people with funny expressions so first up is Bruce Forsyth! I'm tempted to try and go even smaller!



Here's the finished sketch.

Papercut Wedding Heart

This is a piece I finished earlier in the year which I can share now the couple have now received it as a wedding present. It's a large heart filled with lots of elements which are significant to them.

I drew the design from scratch and then cut it out by hand.

That's it for today, keep an eye on my Etsy shop as I'll hopefully be adding another doodle to download as a colouring page this week!

I'm sharing this post on the following blogs:  Handmade Harbour, Manon Popje's Illustrations and Be Different Act Normal.

Fantastic free purse sewing tutorial

Well, it's the end of another lovely weekend! We had some friends to stay on Friday night and for once the weather cooperated on Saturday so we went for a beautiful walk at Westward Ho! Sam and I then spent the afternoon on Saunton beach - it was surprisingly warm!

I came back with some seaside bits and bobs to make a beach bag for later on in the year. If I add it to my 'things to sew' list now I might get it done before summer!

Today I was browsing Pinterest as usual when I came across a great free purse sewing tutorial. I decided to make it in the same fabric as my tissue pouch from my last post.

I adapted it slightly as the purse in the tutorial didn't have a coin section.

The tutorial is excellent, so clear and easy to read. First I cut out all of the pieces, with the addition of a coin pocket.

Folding and ironing the piece for the card slots was very satisfying! Here the pieces are all prepared and ready to be sewn together. I made my popper tab rounded instead of square.

Some more views of the finished article. Although it's not quite finished, I still need to add poppers on the tab and coin pocket.

It's got a big pocket for notes too!

It was a little thick to sew and the inside pocket could have fitted a little better, but all in all, I'm quite pleased with it :)

I'll leave you with some photos of our lovely walks at Westward Ho and Saunton...

View along the South West Coast Path from Westward Ho towards Clovelly

Saunton Beach with the tide out

Strange to see the moon on such a sunny day!

A great day topped off by a stunning sunset!

I'm sharing this post on the following blogs: Handmade Harbour, Lamb Around and Tatertots and Jello.

Tissue pouch step by step sewing tutorial

First of all I will start by wishing you all a very happy New Year 2014! Hope you've enjoyed the festivities and had a wonderful time with your loved ones, I know I did!

I've taken a week off blogging as all the excitement has got in the way, but I'm back now with a step by step sewing tutorial for a handy pouch for tissues so that they don't end up floating all round your bag like they do in mine.

One of the reasons behind this tutorial is that I was given a sewing machine by my Mum and Dad for Christmas (thank you guys!) and I can't stop using it! I've already made a mobile phone case, adjusted a pair of jeans which I've not worn for years because of the fit, and begun a handbag (watch this space!).

This is just a quick little filler while I think about bigger projects :)

So, here goes, grab a cup of tea and have your materials at the ready! I'm using turquoise corduroy left over from a coat I had made in Vietnam and some fabric from an old pair of brown trousers. The brown corduroy I bought in Malaysia.

Give them a quick iron so they're nice and flat.

Next, measure and cut a piece of newspaper 5" by 8" as a template.

Lay both pieces of fabric with their right sides together. Pin the template to them and cut them out. I forgot to line my template up with the lines on the corduroy so they're on a slight slant! I'll learn from that mistake next time.

If you'd like strips down your pouch like the ones on mine, cut out two panels 8" long and slightly wider than your ruler. With an iron, fold and press the edges of the panels so that it's easier to sew them to the main fabric.

Pin them parallel to each other, closer to the edges than they are to the middle. Careful not to put them too close though as you'll need room for seams.

 

Sew down the strips about a millimetre from the edge.

I added two rows of stitching because I think it looks nice!

Time for another cup of tea!

After your cuppa, place the main colour piece complete with strips right-side together with the lining colour, in my case, brown. Pin it and sew the two long sides and one short side, rounding the corners. The seam should be a little over 0.25".

Turn the right way out and iron the seams so they're nice and sharp. At the same time, turn in the rough edge and crease.

Interfacing is optional, but I wanted mine to feel quite substantial, so I cut out a piece the right size and fitted it in. Pin the remaining raw seam and sew.



The pouch is now starting to take shape! Measure it into thirds and sew two lines of stitches along each to make it easier to bend.

 

Sew all the way round the edge of the pouch, about a millimetre in.

Now the fun bit! It's the first time I've used the buttonhole setting on my sewing machine! It's a little wonky (gives it character) but not bad for a first attempt!

Fold up the pouch and put a pencil mark through the buttonhole, then sew the button in place.

The pouch is ready to use. Fold up some tissues and pop them in!

Hope you've been able to follow this tutorial, if you have any questions just drop me a line in a comment.

If you've enjoyed this post, maybe you'd like to share it and follow my blog! Thank you :)

I'm sharing this post at link parties on the following blogs: Handmade Harbour, Be Different Act Normal, Tatertots and Jello, Lamb Around and Thirty Handmade Days.