Rag Bag!

Are you like me?  At the end of crafting you have lots of bits of fabric leftover and your not sure what to do with the fabric?  I was given loads of fabric and in amongst the fabric were lining fabric and polycotton fabrics which I don't like!  The choice was to pass on to another crafter but they only like natural fabrics too, so what to do.........
Make "Rag Bags"!   Make them slighty larger than the average pillow case.  French seam the fabric down side(s) along the bottom (I find these fabrics fray a lot - and you don't want bits of frayed fabric in amongst your fabrics) they are now ready just to put the small pieces in.  I have made a few of these to separate linens from cottons, small pieces of fabric from larger pieces of fabrics.  Being lining fabrics or polycotton fabrics the fabric is sort of transparent so the contents can be seen!

How to make Bias Tape/Binding

I sometimes like to make my own Bias Tape/Binding



Cut your fabric on the forty-five degree angle on the cutting board.

Decide how wide you want your binding

quarter inch tape/binding - cut fabric one inch wide

half inch tape/binding - cut fabric one and half inches wide

one inch tape/binding - cut fabric twqo and half inches wide

Fold fabric in half and press well

Fold the edges in quarter inch and press again

Fold the fabric in half again and press

To join two pieces together cut the binding/tape at a forty five degee angle

Remember opposites attract!

Cut the fabric of the joining piece the opposite end

Join the two pieces together at right angles matching the outer pressed creases

Sew the two pieces together and trim

Press the fabric again

Sew onto the edge of what you are making!

Re-stringing old broken necklaces

First of all if the beads are of a complicated design draw the design or take a photograph and measure the length.  Cut the old thread and remove the beads. I always wash glass beads in hot soapy water, for this I use a cereal bowl. Swirl them around with your fingers then leave them to soak for a least an hour or better still overnight. When ready to start re-stringing tip the beads into a fine sieve and carefully rinse under running tap and drain, tip out on to a towel and rub gently with the towel to dry taking great care not to lose any. Trust me they are much nicer to handle when washed!

Sort all the beads on to a tray.
If you don't have a beading mat use a towel.

Measure out beading thread 4 times the length requied.
Knot and put a safety pin at knot.
(Vital piece of equipment in my books!)

Thread a few beads, about half dozen or so, add
Knot Cover (Calotte) and seed bead

Go round the seed bead and through the Knot Cover and
journey back through the beads to the safety pin
pulling the thread taught  but not too tightly
- easy once you get the hang of it!

continue adding the rest of the beads the add the
Knot Cover and seed bead and repeat the above going the
other way back to the safety pin

Remove the safety pin and knot the ends.
Re-thread the ends on the needle and thread through
a few beads then snip ends.
Do Not snip ends near the knot



Go to the Knot Covers



with a pair of pliers gently close over the seed bead



Attach the Knot Covers to the clasps

There is another necklace showing similar details here

Enlarging a Zip!

I can see all of you thinking the woman's gone mad!  You cannot enlarge a zip!  I needed a 24" (61cm) for a large cushion cover, they were not available in the shop I work in so I thought two 12" (30 cm) zips will work! 

Pin the zips with the top ends facing each other and overlap the spare fabric at the ends.  Insert the zip as you would normally.  Complete the cushion cover in the normal way.  You can put them in closer together if you wish I wanted the zips to fit exactly to the fabric.

This works for bags and cushions

Patchwork

Like everything, if you want something done well then take it slowly and carefully.

I always press fabric I am going to stitch together first,  the pressing with the iron seems to stick the pieces together. Add the next piece after you have pressed the seams flat.  As time goes on you will find this becomes easy.
Press the seams flat add the next piece and so on........

Get to know your machine.  The instructions in my book to make a patchwork square says machine a scant quarter of an inch.  I don't have a quarter inch marked on the needle plate, so I marked the first pieces of  fabric a quarter inch in from edge with pencil and placed it under the presser foot and placed the needle on the mark by hand then carefully machined a line of stitches.   As you see quarter of an inch takes me to the one of Feed Dogs.  Each sewing machine is different so find a mark you can remember. 

If you are machining a lot of squares at the same time machine them in a chain - Slowly and Carefully Do Not speed your way through the process as this can distort fabric and make the stitches uneven,

If you have a Phobia of Spiders Don't Look!

Have you ever gone to run a bath and found one of these sitting waiting for you............?

I'm sure you know of this already, but just in case here's what to do........

Place a large glass (pint size is best and if you are really squeamish one with a handle!) over the spider.

Lift glass - not too much as to let the spider out and slip a piece of card between spider and bath

Flip over glass hold tightly to glass and throw the spider out of the window shouting GERONIMO!

or

Walk to the bottom of the garden and let it free there!

Unpicking rows of knitting

If you have been merrily knitting away and then found a mistake and you have had to unpick a few rows of knitting

Use a much finer knitting needle to carefully pick up the stitches

Knit from the finer needle

Then continue knitting as normal on the pair od needles you were working on.


It doesn't have to be a complicated pattern it works well with just ordinary Stocking Stitch too!