Melly and Me Giddy Up Hobby Horse Tutorial

Its time for another sewing tutorial....

Giddy up hobby horse pattern from Melly and Me.

This pattern is a favourite and looks sensational in bright fabrics.you will find this pattern for a great price at my Etsy shop

http://www.etsy.com/shop/braidcraft

Please join in on this journey....

Step 1: Cutting out and marking.

Fold the main fabric into half right sides together and pin on your pattern. A 1/4 inch seam allowance is included all the way around the pattern.

Accurately cut around each pattern piece for the head and the ear.

Cut all other pattern pieces with a cutting board and a rotary cutter. Cut the fabric to the sizes described in the pattern...(...if you don't have these tools draw the pattern onto paper and cut out using the same method as the head piece and ears).

Now you need to transfer the pattern markings from the pattern to the fabric.
I like to sew tailors tacks as they are temporary and can be seen from both sides of the fabric.

Tailors tacks are made using a large loose stitch made using double threaded needle. Sew through the pattern and the double thickness of fabric.

Leave a tail at the start and then sew a large loop and cut the tails a little longer than the loop.



After you have sewn loops at all markings, pull the pattern away gently, then you can gently open the two pieces of fabric and cut the loop in half to separate the two sides of the head piece.

....be gentle so as not to pull out the stitches

Sew tailors tacks at Pattern markings with a cross at the eye, a star where the mane starts, each end of the ear placement line and each end of the fill line.

 

Step 2:  The Eyes... Pattern variation

 

Trace the circles for the eye from the pattern onto vliesofix, use a light box or window to help you. Then take the small pieces of black, eye colour fabric and white felt (NB:I used felt for all pieces) and iron the circles of vliesofix onto the fabric. Cut out each eye piece.

 

Peel the paper off the back of the black and blue fabric and arrange the black and blue circles on top of each other and fix together by pressing.

Blanket stitch around the black, then fix the blue to the white and blanket stitch around the blue. Position the black just inside the blue and the blue just inside the white.

Use 2 strands of embroidery floss in coordinating colours.

A demonstration of blanket stitch can be found at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXkSE2TT

Note: It is difficult to get the vliesofix to adhere to the horses head at this stage I used a little fabric glue and pin to hold the eyes in place while you blanket stitch around the white.
 

 Step 3: The pole!

Prepare the pole and cover following the instructions on page 2 of the pattern....

 

Iron pellon to wrong side of pole fabric

Sew across each corner 1/2 inch from the point. 



Trim corners and use a chopstick to turn pole cover right side out.





Step 4: The head and mane.

Take your 3 panels measuring 11" x13 1/2" and place them on each other right sides up

Trim around the stack with pinking shears. I like to do this before folding as it is easier to cut through 3 layers of fabric than 6.
Pattern Variation: To add body to mane the add place tulle between each fabric layer.

Fold the stack in half and pin the folded edge to the right side of one of the head pieces.

Place the second head piece right side down over the first encasing the mane fabric.

  

Pin all other edges allowing the bottom straight edge of the head to remain open.

Stitch all the way from one side of the bottom edge to the other...

...a quarter inch sewing machine foot makes sewing 1/4" from the edge easy..

...and to make your seam extra strong stitch again.

Next use a small sharp pair of scissors to cut the mane fold open.

Then using the tips of the scissors clip the edge all the way around

the stitched edge..be careful not to cut the stitching.

Pin your mane stack at intervals to hold the fabric layers together. Use a quilters marking pencil or friction pen (removes with eraser or iron) to mark 1" intervals across the mane.

Cut the mane into strips using your pinking shears....make sure you use the tips of the scissors to cut to 1/4 inch away from the head.

Step 5: Binding on the bottom of the head.

...Next make the binding for the bottom edge of the head .

Use the strip of pole ear fabric measuring 10 1/2" x 2" and your iron to press the fabric into half along the length, right sides out. Open out and press each end in to meet the centre crease.

Open out and sew the ends together with a 1/4 "seam, fold again and pin binding around the bottom of the head, encasing the raw edge and matching the seams at the front.

 Top stitch the binding in place.

If you have been using a quarter inch machine foot until now you will need to change it to a standard machine foot.

Top stitching should look the same on the

outside as the inside and should catch all edges.

Step 6. Join head to the pole.

First make sure you have marked the hole position on the pole. Use a marker as you will not be able to see these marks under the skirt. Then insert the raw tacked end of the pole into the neck of the horse head, make sure the seam of the pole is at the back. I found that easing the filling aside allowed me to centre the pole then i added more filling around the pole down to the marks on the pole.

Take a long sewing needle and 2 long strands of strong polyester thread, start with a knot and sew long running stitches around the fill line of the neck.

It is best to start on the underside and then come through to the right side....end on the underside near the start. Pull the threads to gather the neck to fit the pole, tie with a knot and do not cut.

Hold the horse head upside down between your knees, fold back the skirt to access the gathers from underneath.

Using the same thread take your needle through the hole on the back of the pole to the front, stitch to the next hole marking and pass the needle through to the other side. 

Keep stitching until the entire circumference of the gathers are secured to the pole. If your thread allows stitch around again, to strengthen the join.

Step 7: The Ear
 

Take your piece of ear fabric (I used a different fabric to the one recommended... the contrast fabric) and fold in half right sides together. Trace the ear pattern twice (I used a water soluble pen) onto the fabric then cut around each leaving about 1/2  inch all the way around.

 

   

 

Stitch, leaving an opening for turning along the dotted line on the pattern. Trim to 1/4 inch and clip around curved edge remembering to use the tip of your scissors so as not to cut the stitching. I reversed my stitching at each end of the stitching.

 

 

Turn the ears inside out and roll the edge pinning close to the edge, press.

 

Using a Doubled knotted thread sew a row of gathering stitches about 1/4 " long close to the bottom edge of each ear. Start gathering thread 1/2 and inch form each end and pull tight securing with a double stitch.



 

Pass the thread through the layers of fabric to the end of the ear then pin your ear between the tailors tacks in a slight curve following the pattern.

 

 

 

Stitch through all thicknesses from the front, Stitching into the top gather. This will pull the ear to the front and help to make it stand up, as you sew each gather.

 

 

 

Step 8: Bit, Bridal and Reins

 

 

Make these pieces in a very similar way to the pole cover.

 

 

• Attach iron on pellon,
• fold right sides together, sew
• trim corners
• turn press and stitch opening...

 Each piece has a sightly different method in the pattern instructions.

Carefully follow the method described for each part.

Use pins to hold pieces in place until you are happy with the position.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nougat

Here it is ........my secrets out.....

White chocolate, almond and cherry nougat

4 sheets edible rice paper
460g (2 cups) caster sugar
250ml (1 cup) glucose syrup
125ml ( 1/2 cup) honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg whites
80g unsalted butter, softened
100g dried cherries
150g white chocolate, chopped
125g blanched almonds, lightly toasted
Lightly grease and line a 20cm x 30cm baking tin with 2 sheets of edible rice paper. Place the sugar, glucose, honey and vanilla in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil; boil, without stirring, brushing down the sides of the saucepan with a wet pastry brush to remove any sugar crystals that may form. Continue to cook until the mixture reaches 142C on a candy thermometer (soft crack stage). Alternatively, you can test the syrup by dropping a small teaspoon of the syrup into a bowl of iced water. It has reached soft crack stage when you are able to remove the ball of syrup and stretch it with your fingers into pliable strands.
Meanwhile, beat the egg whites, using an electric beater, in a large, clean bowl until firm peaks form. Keep beating, slowly pouring the hot syrup in a thin stream into the egg whites, until the mixture is thick and holds its shape - about 6-7 minutes. Stir in the cherries, chocolate and almonds.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and place a layer of rice paper over the top of the nougat. Set aside overnight, then use a hot, wet knife to cut into squares or bars.

Uptown Girl Winter Jacket Tutorial

I have been busy making up a sample of  Uptown Girl by talented Australian Designer Toni Coward of 'make it perfect' fame.

This little girls jacket is a project to make up for little girls to keep them warm in winter. This pattern comes in 2 sizes. Little Uptown Girl for 0 to 5 years and Big Uptown Girl for 6 to 10 years.

This is my first online tutorial so enjoy. If you have purchased this pattern from my shop www.braidccraft.com.au I hope you will find this tutorial helpful. The pattern has a helpful set of instructions and this tutorial provides additional information for those who are unfamiliar with some of the techniques. I hope these photos give you more idea of how to finish this jacket to make it a project to be proud of.

I made the jacket in red and pink.using Saffron Craig Fabrics in Tulip Fairies and Ginkgo Blossoms.

 
Step 1: Cutting out

This is the easy part... just follow the pattern instructions to cut out all the pieces in the two fabrics you have chosen for the jacket.....

Cut out all the pattern pieces in Vilene H630, a lightweight iron-on pellon (fusible fleece)

Then fuse the pellon onto the wrong side of each pattern piece for of one of your chosen fabrics.

Step 2: Transferring Gathering Markings and gathering

(for this step I am working on the back of the jacket where it is attached to the jacket top or yoke and on the fused fabric pieces)

Mark each point with a pin or other marking tool

The pattern has 1/2 inch seam allowance. Sew with a large stitch length each side of the stitching line which is 1/2 " from the cut edge. Wind threads at one end around the pin to stop it pulling out. You can then pull the other ends to gather softly.

Pin top to bottom, easing gathers to fit.

When matching opposing curves it is a good idea to pin vertically and close so that the edges match

 Stitch and then top stitch along the top edge of each yoke piece

Step 3: Pin and sew at shoulder, pressing seam open as you go.

Step 4: Continue following the pattern instructions, sew on the sleeves using the gathering tips above as a guide. 

Step 5: Make up 2 jackets one for the outside and one for the inside. The hood should be made separately and attached to one side of the jacket around the neckline.

 Step 6: pin and sew the two jackets together as per the pattern instructions to enclose the hood.

 Before turning out through on of the sleeves clip all corners.

 

Step 7:  Turn out through the sleeve and pin and topstitch 1/8" all the way around the jacket. 

Step 8: To hem the sleeves turn in 1/2 " press, pin and topstitch in place.Fold sleeves back 2cm to show contrast.

Step 10: Now for the buttons and buttonholes mmmm.... my sewing machine has a problem so I'll update on this step at a later date.....

 

Tah...dah...

It is finally finished....

well its been finished for a while now... 

just haven't posted the photo.

Goldfish Cushion

My time over the last couple of months has been very busy with lots of travel. 

I have managed to find the time to complete a few projects. 
This is a cushion I made from teal goldfish fabric.
 

The fabric is from the Playdate collection by Patty Young from Michael Miller Fabrics. It is wonderful for kids clothing, home decorating or patchwork. I am a great fan of Patty Young. I love her fresh bright designs.