COSY HEADBAND (Tutorial)...and Finally

When I wrote the original Tutorial here I mentioned that if you bought a little extra fleece you could complete your cosy outfit with a scarf.
So here is the method. Not really a full tutorial this time as it is so simple I am just going to tell you how I did it.

Take your fleece usually 60 inches or 54 inches wide and fold in half width ways. Make sure you have a completely straight edge at the top of the fleece and measure down 10 inches making several marks across your fleece to link and draw your second straight line.
Cut out on this line as carefully as possible or use a rotary cutter and mat if you have them.
You should now have a strip of fleece 60/54 inches long by 10 inches deep. On each end mark a straight line to cut off the selvedge. Then mark another line 2 inches away from this (on each end). This is to create the fringed ends. Make 1/4 inch cuts from each edge to the 2 inch line.
The scarf is made!!...

However I am sure you will not want to leave it there......

There are so many ways you can personalise it. My first method is to create a pattern with needle felting, either by hand or an embellisher. I have used both methods here.....

Next I copied a portion of the fleece flower I created on the orange headband, using the same buttons as centres.

Of course these scarves don't only have to be for the adults. As we all try to find ways to save money and live a less consumer led existence what better present could you give a nephew,niece or grandchild than a handmade scarf, with perhaps a matching hat ( find loads of free patterns here) personalised with their favourite toy, pet or even their name.

I took the Stanley and racing car templates from the Cath Kidston books, intended to be used as patterns for applique's and created machine embroideries, but you could appliqué them just as well...

 For a little girl you could use ribbon embroidery, or attach crochet flowers. The options are endless.
And don't forget snowflakes, snowmen and reindeer if you want a truly traditional Christmas gift!

I hope some of you try them and let us all see your creations. Just have fun and make something warm and practical at the same time.

In the meantime don't get too spooked this evening.....Happy Halloween

TTFN

Jenny xx

ALL MY OWN WORK....WITH A BIT OF HELP!!

Hello again
Well I've just managed this before midnight again, I'm getting a real night owl. It's when I seem to have the most going round in my head and I think if I don't get it out I will have forgotten what I was going to say in the morning.
I read a lovely post by Kazzy at a mermaids purse the other day about a canvass she has created inspired by the great Cath Kidston. It's super but she does herself a real disservice by dismissing herself as just a copycat. To start with I think it's quite individual  and beautiful and secondly with the current trend by many popular designers, CK herself, Tone Finnangers Tilda books and now Poppy Treffrey in her book Free and Easy Stitch Style, we are being positively encouraged to use their patterns and style to create our own dream objects. The key here of course is 'for our own use and pleasure' although I think that stretches to giving as gifts, but not for any commercial use. Most of these designers anyway get there inspiration from other sources, and Cath Kidston actually shows you in one of her latest magazines how they took inspiration from a vintage bag to create their new small satchell. So I dont think Kazzy should feel at all bad about her inspiration.

A wigwam panel

Talking of the books by CK with her designs in, Sew and of course Make, the instructions in the books refer to hand embroidery and applique. However if you're like me and do a bit of machine embroidery and can digitize why not scan the pictures in the books and turn them into machine embroidery. I use a Husqvarna machine and so it took me some time to edit the pictures, but I understand that if you use Embird the process is relatively simple. I am by no means an expert as those that are will see from my attempts, but the results are still better than if I had used either of the suggested methods.  I have included a couple of pictures of my attempts to show you the result. The cowboy themed pieces are for the panel in a wigwam I am making for my grandson and 'Stanley' is for a cushion cover. I have heard a rumour that his print is to be discontinued, thats very sad! I will have to search for an original piece to keep. The flowers are for a current project I have on the go, fortunately they are better in the flesh than this photo, but no more about that at present, and the final picture is to prove that all this home copying does not mean I do not support the designers themselves.

Save our Stanley

Awful photograph, but you get the idea

                                                  I still shop for my favourite things ( this is just a tiny sample)

Well thats me for now
back soon
Jenny x