Tutorial Tuesday

Happy Tuesday, everyone! We are in the full throes of summer here in Southern Arizona, and sometimes the only reprieve comes in the form of cocktails on the patio while enjoying friendly company. It seems everyone is hosting a get-together this summer, and since my Mom always told me to never go to a party empty-handed, I decided an embroidered wine tote would be a great hostess gift for the occasion.

I have been wanting to use this burlesque fan dancer embroidery pattern from Jenny Hart's, Embroidered Effects book for some time, and why not add her to a wine tote as a flirty hostess or host gift? Sounds good to me. I also thought a monogrammed tote would be great for this project, as well, but I'll do that for the next party.

To make a wine tote you will need the following supplies:

- two pieces of fabric for the exterior cut to 8x14-inches

- two pieces of fabric for the interior cut to 8x14-inches

- two pieces of batting cut to 8x14-inches

- one piece of fabric cut to 4x21 inches for the strap

- embroidery pattern 

- embroidery supplies (floss, scissors, needles)

- sewing machine and coordinating thread

- scissors

- iron and ironing board

Step One: Transfer your embroidery pattern to one exterior piece of fabric and stitch.

Step Two: Assemble the exterior portion of the bag by laying the exterior pieces of fabric right sides together and the batting on the outside of either piece. Stitch around three sides using a 1/4 seam allowance, leaving the top open.

Step Three: Create a square flat bottom for the bag by taking the bottom corner seams and and pressing them flat against one another. Sew 2-inches down from the point. Clip the excess fabric and repeat on opposite corner. 

Step Four: Assemble the lining of the bag by placing the two lining pieces right sides together. Mark a 2-inch space to leave unsewn, this will be used to flip the bag inside out later. Sew around the three sides using a 1/4-inch seam allowance, leaving the top open. Make sure to leave your marked space open, as well.

Step Five: Square off the corners of the lining as you did in Step Three for the tote exterior.

Step Six: To assemble the strap, take the 4x21-inch piece of fabric, fold it in half, and press. 

Unfold, and press the outer edges in toward the center crease you just created. 

Fold in half again and press. 

Top stitch on either side of the strap.

Step Seven: Take the strap, align each edge on the center of each side seam of the tote, and pin in place.

Step Eight: Take the lining of the tote and place it inside of the exterior piece, with right sides together.  Pin it in place, making sure to keep the straps aligned along the side seams. Stitch along the top using a 1/2-inch seam allowance. 

Step Nine: Flip the tote through the opening in the lining and stitch shut. I like to run this through the sewing machine, but it can be hand sewn with a slip stitch if you like. 

Step Ten: Top stitch around the top edge. 

Step Eleven: Insert bottle and you are ready for the party!

Hope you enjoy and have a great Tuesday!

Tutorial Tuesday

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Today's tutorial is a way to toast the summer evenings, have a tasty beverage, and keep track of the time. An embroidered clock made using an embroidery hoop surely means it's time for happy hour!



To make this clock, you'll need:

-7-inch embroidery hoop
-fabric of choice with your embroidery
-felt
-quilt batting
-cardboard
-a clock kit (found this one for $10 at the craft store)
-hot glue gun and glue sticks
-box cutter
-scissors
-pencil

I used some patterns from Jenny Hart's Embroidered Effects book. Copies of her book (along with other fantastic stitching patterns and accessories) can be found in her shop at Sublime Stitching.


Once you have all these items ready, it's time to get started!

Step 1: Begin by setting up your embroidery patterns within the hoop. Mark the four areas of the clock at 12, 3, 6, and 9, and stitch. I used my own hand writing for the "happy hour," which is why it's a little crooked, but that's okay.



Sorry this photo came out a little awkward. It started to rain and I couldn't seem to get the lighting right. I am hoping you can see where I marked the four areas of the clock to indicate the 12, 3, 6, 9.



Once you have your stitching ready, it's time to add the layers of batting, felt, and cardboard.




Step 2: Take apart your finished embroidered item and use the inside section of your embroidery hoop to trace the inside of the circle onto a piece of card board (Sorry, forgot to take a picture of the cardboard at this stage). Use that as a template to cut the same size circle out of two pieces each of the felt and batting.



Step 3: Put your stitched piece of fabric back into the hoop and find the center. Use your box cutter to cut a small X shape right in the middle.



Do the same thing for one piece of felt, two pieces of batting, and one piece of cardboard.

Step 4: Layer one piece of felt, the two pieces of batting, and the cardboard into the back of the hoop, right behind your stitches.  Use the pencil to push through each layer and make sure the holes are centered. Pull the fabric over the cardboard and hot glue into place.



You may want to trim your fabric a little more. I was apprehensive to cut too much off.



Step 5: Take the second piece of felt and hot glue it to the back to cover the cardboard and folds of fabric, making sure to cut a small hole in the center to match the holes with the rest of the layers.



Step 6: Take the clock kit out of its packaging. Remove the nut from the clock contraption and push it through the layers of fabric and cardboard.




My kit did not come with instructions, if the same thing happens to you, layer the components with the nut first, to tighten the clock on the base you have created.



Next, place the hour hand and the minute hand on the base. Screw the small gear-like nut on top of that.



Then place the second hand on last. It should look something like this now.




Step 7: Add a battery and set the time.



Step 8: Use the hook on the clock component to hang on the wall and enjoy!




I hope you enjoy this tutorial. I used a Happy Hour theme, but you could use any image or theme you like. I thought it might be good to use one of the July stitch along images for this, too. Hope you give it a try.
Cheers!

Missing Works of Art

Well, this just bums me out. I can't believe someone would be so jerky! Two of Jenny Hart's work of art have been stolen. You can read more about it on her blog. If you have any information, please let her or us know.

For the left-handed stitchers

Compass embroidery by Joanna aka Thingshandmade

I am a left-handed stitcher. And I assume that I'm not the only 'southpaw' that learns new stitches only  from books and the internet. Many of the books and video tutorials show how to perform stitches for right handed stitchers. For some stitches I'm able to 'translate' the diagrams to my own left-handed version but it's not always easy. So I'm always delighted when I find publications especially for left-handed stitchers.

Last year Yvette Stanton released the Left-Handed Embroiderer's Companion. An extensive stitch dictionary with a lot of stitches and photos of how to perform them.  On the Sublime Stitching site you can find  how-to's for lefties of a couple of the most basic stitches. And Feeling Stitchy's own Carina has not forgotten about us sinister handed stitchers either. Find her e-books for lefties here. If you already have a book with right-handed diagrams that you want to use, you can make your own left-handed version by scanning the image and flipping it horizontally in an image editing program (tip found here).

I hope this post has been helpful for some of my fellow left-handed stitchers. If you have more tips for left-handed stitching please share them in the comments!

Stitches I Know

Sampler Detail 3, originally uploaded by tabithaspike.

I've been itching to get stitching on this sampler too! You will find it in Jenny Hart's Embroidered Effects and it has 17 different stitches. I'm especially keen on trying the Open Cretan. Sounds a bit like a tennis tournament but it is the lovely red stitch sandwiched between the cross stitch and what I think is a chain stitch. This sampler was stitched wonderfully by tabithaspike.

Embroidery Diagrams for Lefties

Hey you southpaw stitchers! I've added some diagrams designed for left-handed embroiderers on Sublime Stitching. I plan on adding more, so please let me know if they make sense to you!

Stitching Diagrams for Lefties

Jenny Hart and the Secret Tea Towel Tour

I can remember exactly how I felt the first time I saw Jenny Hart's work- amazed, touched, moved, and inspired. I've never, ever seen anyone do what she does with embroidery, and I've also never encountered anyone with such a cool, funny, smart, and amazing presence online. I created the Flickr Embroidery group 3 years ago hoping it could be another cool venue for the amazing stuff I'd been seeing on the Craftster Needlework and Sublime Stitching boards. I never thought I'd meet Jenny, online or anywhere else. So, imagine how floored I am to announce that Jenny Hart, who so many of you love and admire too, is an admin in our group now.

If you don't know about Jenny, let me tell you a tiny bit about her... what makes Jenny's work truly unique is its power to inspire - she's not only an artist, she's the brains behind Sublime Stitching, and she's happy to share her knowledge and passion for what she does with everyone. Her crafty business tips are a weekly column on Venus Zine: Crafting a Business and she's involved in many online forums like Craftster and Supernaturale.

As luck would have it, a few days ago Jenny received the Secret Tea Towel begun 6 months ago by (the awesome) Kittykill on Craftster. This tour replaced the towel that went lost under mysterious circumstances, sincerely bumming everyone out...

The towel traveled to 14 different places in the US (as illustrated beautifully by Rachel, above), braving forest fires, the Christmas crafting crunch, and family losses. Every stitcher on this towel is an accomplished crafter and I'd like to introduce you to all of them:

1. Kittykill - Portland, OR
   
   from Kittykill: A big "Thank You!" to everyone who participated. It took some time but Jenny finally got it. There is something to be said about people from all over the country, all different backgrounds, coming together to do a project. It makes me so happy to be a part of that community.


2. Brill (GatsbyGirl) - North Hollywood, CA
   
   


3. Laura (Southern5footer) - San Diego CA
   
   
   


4. Gina (Ginamonster) - Reno, NV
   
   
   


5. Susie (IamSusie) - Grayslake, IL
   
   
   


6. Tab (Ezri_B) - Brandon, WI
   
   
   


7. Sarah (Sarahland) - Brighton, MA
   
   
   


8. Carol (Ilovepaper) - New Haven, CT
   
   
   


9. Floresita (me!)- New York, NY
   
   
   


10. Jennifer (Fenifer) - Decatur, GA
    


11. Joolz – Tampa, FL
    


12. Amy (sewwabisabi) - Oklahoma City, OK
    
    


13. Liz (RubyPurl) - Fort Worth, TX
    


14. Rachel - radwriter - Austin, Tx
    
    
    
    from Rachel: Working on this tea towel has been such a privilege, and such a BLAST! I feel incredibly lucky and grateful to have been included, and to have had the chance to stitch with fellow embroidery enthusiasts! It was especially great fun to see - in person - the work of so many people whom I've followed online. Seeing everyone's work in the Flickr Embroidery Group is a blast, but getting to hold one piece with so many of their great works on it ... well that was just fan-freaking-tastic.
    
    Jenny inspires us every day, not only with her great designs, but with her fun, creative spirit, her independent business savvy and her dedication to keeping Sublime Stitching feeling like your best pal instead of some sterile chain store crap. It's what makes Sublime Stitching so special - the personality, the connections, the fun - and that she's been able to so beautifully maintain all that and keep everything so strongly steeped in her spirit speaks volumes to Jenny that our simple stitches can only meagerly attempt to reflect.
    
    And I *really* *really* mean it when I say that I wish everyone could have been there to hand off the towel. I felt a little guilty that I got that opportunity! (actually, a lot guilty.) I send a sincere thanks to all who participated and made it so much fun and so special. :) more from Rachel's blog

Thanks again to everyone who was a part of the Secret Tea Towel Tour (including the crafters who graciously passed on the towel when their schedules got too tricky). And thank you Jenny, for inspiring all of us!



Giveaway! To share a little bit of Jenny love with all of you, I'm giving away one each of Jenny's "greatest hits": a brand new Stitch-It Kit, Sublime Stitching book, and a Craft Pad. (So you have 3 chances to win!) Just leave a comment on this post to enter!

Edit 4/1/08: I just closed the comments on this post and will announce a winner very soon!