Tag Archives: christmas project
Give handmade this Christmas: 10 quick and easy tutorials
Patchwork name bunting with charm squares tutorial
Notebook cover tutorial
French poem napkin embroidery free pattern
Fabric keychain with embroidered felt flower
iPad stand tutorial
Kid’s draughtsman’s pouch tutorial
iPad slipcover with strap
Wonky log cabin tutorial
iPad holder for the car
Embroidered eye mask tutorial
No-sew Christmas tree ornament
Materials
- Scrap fabrics
- Head pins
- Sequins
- Ribbon
- Polystyrene cone (7 1/2 in high x 3 in diameter at the base)
- Small beads
Downloads
Cut at least 1 inch below the pattern line. The extra fabric will be used to cover the base of the cone.
Cover the cone with the fabric and pin on the edge at three different locations as per picture.
Pay attention to the angle of the pin when you insert them near the top of the cone. The pin will need to be at an angle, otherwise you may stab yourself while pinning.
Then cover the base of the cone well, and pin each fold making sure the base is as flat as possible.
Adding texture to the cone
Cut 4 wedges out of the contrasting fabric. I used white but you could use something more festive such as golden or silver fabric too.
Press each wedge as per picture below aligning both sides of the wedge in the centre. I chose this method instead of stitching the wedge into a tube to reduce bulk in the central seam.
Place the 4 wedges as per picture below making sure they’re evenly spaced apart. Pin on the top. I folded the tops in to make it neater. Don’t worry, the top won’t show. At the end we’ll be adding a bow.
Now pin each wedge on the bottom too.
Pinning the sequins
Now mark with a pin where the sequins will go.
Pin at 5 in, 3 in and 1 1/2 in from the bottom folding the fabric inside or out as per picture below.
Use two pins for the top 5 in marks rather than pinning both sides of the fabric together.
Now, one by one get a small bead and put it through the headpin, and then do the same with the sequin. Then start replacing the pins in the cone with the sequinned headpins. For the pins at the top you will only need to replace one of them. Make sure that the second headpin is hidden by the sequin (see picture).
You can be as creative with your sequins as you like. I alternated sequin shapes and colours (golden, red and green) that matched the fabric and the Christmas theme.
Closeup of the sequins.
Hiding the raw edges of the fabric
Cut a rectangle 9 3/4 in x 1 1/2 in and a piece of ribbon the same size.
Press the top edge of the rectangle 1/4 in inside and do the same with one of the sides (see picture).
Start pinning around the base of the cone as per picture.
Pin as you go 4 or 5 times. Ensure the ribbon edge is hidden behind the white fabric at the end.
Pin the rest of the fabric to the bottom of the cone as per picture.
Make a bow with some matching ribbon and pin to the top.
There you have a Christmas ornament in no time at all and without using your machine.
Give handmade gifts this Christmas: 9 free tutorials
I’m digging out some of the items I have made in the past few months. I made many of them as gifts for friends and relatives.
Most of them can be made in a few hours and all tutorials are original and free.
- SEWING: iPad / e-book reader beanbag
- SEWING: Mini wallet/bag
- SEWING: Spirit tote bag
- EMBROIDERY: French cuisine embroidery tea towel
- PATCHWORK AND EMBROIDERY: Reversible tray cover using improv piecing and embroidery
- FOUNDATION PIECING AND QUILTING: Foundation piecing teapot holder pattern
- SEWING AND EMBROIDERY: Embroidered spare toilet roll holder
- FOUNDATION PIECING AND QUILTING: Scrappy heart potholder
- SEWING AND QUILTING: Quilted hot water bottle cozy
If you are thinking of making any of the items why not share photos of your finished project. I love seeing what you make with my tutorials.
Note: you need to have a Flickr account to be able to upload pictures to the pool.