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Hello, and welcome to the Bustle & Sew Spring 2015 Pattern collection that brings together some of my favourite spring patterns across the years. Inside you’ll discover bunnies and chicks of course, and lots more patterns using lovely spring like pastels and a variety of techniques. I’ve also included some “how to” sections and some extra sewing tips to help make your projects will be the nicest they can be.
So if you’re looking for ideas that are just that little bit special - but don’t cost the earth or take hours to create, I do hope you’ll discover what you’re looking for in this little book.
Helen xx
CONTENTS Choosing your needle
Page 4
Spring Bunny Wreath
Page 27
Two French Hens
Page 5
Caring for your Scissors
Page 30
Embroidered Heart
Page 7
Spring Daisies Embroidery
Page 32
Making Beautiful Softies
Page 10
Transferring Your Pattern
Page 36
Lovebird Softies
Page 13
Hyacinth in a Tea Cup
Page 38
What Makes You Happy Hoop Art
Page 15
Teacups Applique
Page 41
English Cottage Tea Cosy
Page 17
Templates
Page 43
Machine Applique Freestyle & Easy
Page 20
Farm Fresh Eggs for Easter Applique Page 25
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Choosing your Needle The starting point for any successful sewing project is a good needle that is the right size and sharpness for the task you are about to undertake. It should also be shiny - not for the sake of appearance - but the plating does wear off needles over time so as soon as your needle feels sticky and appears even slightly tarnished it's time to replace it with a new one. The eye of your needle should be large enough to take the thread without difficulty and the doubled thread should easily pass through your fabric. If you find you're having to tug, then try a larger size of needle. Very fine needles are great as they run through your fabric with ease, but if you're like me with less nimble fingers (I'm getting a bit of arthritis in mine as I get older) then small needles can be tricky to hold. I usually use a slightly larger one and find it's quite successful. It's worth experimenting with a pack of mixed sizes to see which suits you and the work in hand the best.
and, as you might guess from the name, are ideal for using on needlepoint canvas where a sharp point would catch. Their oval-shaped eyes are generous in size to allow you to use thick yarns. Chenille needles are identical to tapestry needles except that they have sharp points. They're useful for sewing fabrics like twill and for thicker yarns and threads that may not thread through the eye of a standard crewel (embroidery) needle. Betweens (quilting needles) come in sizes 1 to 12. They have sharp points and are short for quick, even stitching such as running, back and stem stitch. They're also great for working French knots as they're easy to manipulate.
Needle sizes are ranged by number - the lower the number, then larger the needle, so a size 1 needle is larger than a 2 or 3 and so on. There are four common types of needle used for embroidery Crewel (embroidery) needles come in sizes 1 to 10. They have sharp points to pierce your fabric easily and long eyes to take one or more threads of stranded cotton or wool. These are the most commonly used needles for embroidery projects. Apart from the long eye they are the same length and shape as ordinary sewing (sharps) needles. The most popular sizes used to embroider are size 7 and 9. Tapestry needles come in sizes 13 to 24. They have rounded, blunt ends, which slip between the fibres of fabrics such as heavy even weaves for counted embroidery without splitting them
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Two French Hens Adorable little hen softies stitched from felt and fabric scraps. Each hen measures about 4 ½” high. They’re a great beginners’ project or a really quick and easy make for the more experienced stitcher. A French Hen would make a lovely door stop if she was a little larger, or why not part-stuff and add a lining for a cute egg cosy?
Materials ● 12” square felt or similar for the body ● 4” square felt or similar for the head ● Scraps of red felt for comb and wattles ● 4” square fabric or felt for wings ● Small piece of cardboard for base ● Tiny black beads for eyes (eighth of an inch)
Method ● Cut pieces as shown on template. ● Sew the head and body pieces together along the line a – c. Place wrong sides together and stitch by hand using half cross stitch one way, then working back the other way to complete the cross stitch over the seams.
● Rice or poly beads to weight base (optional)
● Join the front of the body from a – e.
● Toy stuffing
● Now attach the base to the body in the same way.
● Stranded cotton embroidery floss in suitable colour for body plus tiny bit of black thread for attaching eyes.
● Join the front of the head from c to just before d.
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Embroidered Heart Lovely floral heart in summer shades is a great little embroidery that fits perfectly within a 6” hoop so it’s easy to stitch on the go if you choose. I’ve used my finished embroidery to create a lavender heart, but you could add this design to all sorts of projects - the only limit is your imagination! Finished embroidery measures 4 ½” approx
Materials
Stitching Guide:
7” square white or cream cotton, linen or
The heart is worked with two strands of floss throughout.
cotton/linen blend fabric
DMC stranded cotton floss in colours 150, 745, 894, 906, 907, 3042, 3787, ecru
The only stitches used are back stitch, straight stitch and satin stitch.
If you are planning to make a stuffed heart like mine you will also need:
To work the dual-coloured flowers begin at the centre and work straight stitches of different lengths radiating outwards from the centre, but stopping before the edges of the petals.
Two x 7” squares medium weight fabric in a neutral colour(s)
Vary the lengths of these stitches, then fill in the space between their ends and the edges of the petals with straight stitches in the flower colour.
6” x ½” wide ribbon or tape Stuffing - this can be lavender, toy stuffing, a mixture of both or whatever you would like to use.
Finish by working a few tiny stitches at the centre to cover the place where your stitches meet.
Pinking shears.
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Making Beautiful Softies (patterns from Bustle & Sew) www.bustleandsew.com
I love making softies – usually from scraps of felted knitwear or old blankets that might otherwise be discarded. Although the process itself is not difficult (though it can sometimes be fiddly) too often the results can be disappointing. I hope that you will find the following notes useful, some tips were handed down to me, and others I have learned the hard way!
Be sure to choose a good quality wool or wool-mix felt though – cheap acrylic craft felt is likely to tear at the seams and lose its colour in washing.
Man-made fibres are mostly unsuitable for softie making. Shiny materials such as silk, satin and heavily glazed cotton are also unsuitable. They fray too easily, pucker when sewn together and do not stuff or wash well. Cotton prints should always be washed if Choosing your materials you’re using new fabric – this will remove any Making softies need not be an expensive dressing and avoid future shrinkage of your craft. I make most of mine from scraps that softie. would otherwise be thrown away. If you are watching costs though, don’t try to Cutting your pattern pieces economise using cheap materials. A recycled piece of good quality fabric will make a much This is a very important part of the process – nicer, longer-lasting softie than a flimsy, poor it’s worth taking a lot of time and care over quality piece of fabric bought especially for as you’ll reap dividends later on. Bad cutting the purpose. Look for old woollen or will result in misshapen softies and pattern cashmere knitwear in thrift shops or jumble pieces that don’t fit together properly. sales – when felted these make wonderful Many people think that they should use small softies – felted cashmere is particularly lovely scissors to cut out fiddly pieces, such as the for baby toys as it keeps its super-soft feel. comb on the French Hens overleaf – but this Old blankets are also good and of course felt isn’t necessarily the case. Felt pieces for is the classic choice. these details must be cut out with a continuous action, so giving a nice smooth
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Lovebird Softies These endearing little lovebirds are really easy to make and require only small amounts of fabric and felt (or use old blanket pieces or felted woollens as I have). And when they’re so easy why limit yourself to two? Make a whole nestful for family and friends perhaps? Finished birds measure 4” tall (Approx)
Materials ● Rounded pebble/polybeads/rice to weight the tail end of base
● 8” square felt for main body (or you can use felted woollens or old blanket - as long as they’re not stretchy)
● Toy stuffing
● 7” x 3” rectangle contrast felt for main body
● Stranded cotton floss or cotton perle thread in a colour that works well with your fabric.
● 6” square (or equivalent) of cotton floral fabric for wings and tail
● Black thread to attach eyes
● Tiny scraps of gold or yellow felt for beak ● Two ¾” buttons ● Two tiny (1/8“) shiny spherical black buttons
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What Makes You Happy I don’t know for certain - but I suspect if you’re reading this then you are probably just like me - and an afternoon spent with your sewing machine and some lovely fabric, or hoop and floss is definitely one of the things that makes you happy! This design would make a great addition to any workroom wall, or a gift for a similarly-minded friend. Simple applique, machine and hand stitching all combine to great effect. Shown mounted in a 10” hoop.
Materials
Method
Ÿ 12” square light pink check background fabric (I used part of an Ikea tea towel!)
Ÿ Transfer the design to the centre of your fabric using the method of your choice. The pattern is given full size and also reversed to help you do this.
Ÿ Scraps of lime green dotty fabric for sewing machine and blue floral fabrics for fabric and heart
Ÿ Using the reversed template trace off the shapes for the sewing machine, heart and fabric to the paper side of the Bondaweb and cut out roughly. Fuse to the reverse of your printed fabric and cut out along lines.
Ÿ DMC stranded cotton floss in colours 154, 335, 597, 602, 718, 726, 907 and 3849 Ÿ Small (approx ¼”) white button
Ÿ Peel off paper backing, position shapes on design using your transfer lines as a guide and press into place with a hot iron.
Ÿ Black and a light coloured thread Ÿ Bondaweb Ÿ Temporary fabric marker
Ÿ Draw the fold lines on the fabric with your temporary marker pen.
Ÿ Embroidery foot for sewing machine
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English Cottage Tea Cosy Inspired by those lovely vintage patterns, and brought right upto-date with freestyle machine embroidery, this little tea cosy is sure to please. Mine is shown on a 2-cup pot, but I’ve included instructions for measuring your teapot so that your cosy will fit snugly over your own choice of pot.
Materials ● 3” x 2” beige felt for pots
● Two 12” squares of pink medium weight fabric for the exterior
● Scraps of floral fabric for door panels and lothes on line
● 2” x 3” rectangle fabric for chimney
● 3 ½” x ½” tweedy fabric for clothes pole
● Two 12” squares of light green medium or quilting weight fabric for the lining
● Stranded cotton floss in two shades of green light & dark) and assorted colours of your hoice for the flowers. I used 309, 677, 701, 04, 827, 3716, 3726 but it’s really up to your personal choice.
● Two 12” squares of lightweight batting or I used some old woollen blanket pieces that had been well washed and shrunk already ● Two 12” x 4” rectangles of thatch-coloured fabric for the roof
● Dark green, black and cream thread for machine needle, light colour in bobbin
● 6” square light blue felt for shutters
● Embroidery foot for sewing machine
● 4” square light coloured floral fabric for window panes
● Temporary fabric marker pen
● 3” x 2” floral fabric for door
● Bondaweb
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Machine Applique freestyle and very easy! This collection includes patterns that use freestyle machine embroidery and raw edge applique. I love this method as it gives great results in a remarkably short period of time – perfect if you’re working to a deadline, or if you’re trying to give lots of handmade gifts this year. I know many people are a little nervous of trying this technique, I most definitely was, but now I love working in this way – I view my sewing machine in a whole new light as not just a method of joining pieces of fabric together, but as a means of creative expression in its own right. You don’t need any expensive equipment for this technique – you’ll almost certainly have everything you need already. You will need a sewing machine of course – but it doesn’t need to be expensive and/or fancy. In fact the simpler the better as you will only need to use the basic straight stitch option.
Use sharp scissors to cut out your applique shapes. I use my large shears which seems perhaps a little odd when I’m often cutting fairly small shapes, but for me it’s easier to make long smooth curving cuts with their long blades as I don’t have to stop and open them again all the time. I also have a small pair of sharp scissors that are good for cutting very tiny curves, like the twirls on the cat’s movember moustache. Many people like to hoop up before starting their machine applique. I personally don’t do this as I prefer to work without. (unlike hand embroidery where I simply can’t stitch without one!). If you do decide to use a hoop then, like hand embroidery, be sure to choose a
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Farm Fresh Eggs Applique Lovely fresh eggs and toast soldiers favourite comfort food for childhood tea times, or perhaps an indulgent weekend breakfast? Enjoy all week round with this quick and easy project combining machine applique with hand embroidery and mounted onto an artist’s canvas block.
Materials
3” x 1” piece white felt ¾” x 2 ½” piece suitable fabric for toast finger (I used a textured upholstery fabric)
A4 size canvas block (approx 8 ¼” x 11 Dark green stranded cotton ½”) Bondaweb 17” x 5” rectangle fabric for lower Dark grey and cream thread background (yellow with feathers)
floss
17” x 9” rectangle fabric for upper Staple gun to mount your finished piece onto the canvas block. background (green stripes) Three 2 ½” x 3” rectangles of patterned Temporary fabric marker pen quilting weight cotton for egg cups. Embroidery or darning foot for your Choose fabrics with small patterns to sewing machine keep the scale correct. 6” square brown felt 3” x 2” piece golden yellow felt
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Spring Bunny Wreath All you need is an old embroidery hoop, some scraps and a hot glue gun to create this enchanting little bunny decoration. Treat your house this spring! I used an 8” embroidery hoop, but you could easily make your wreath larger or smaller, just resize the bunny template to Suit.
● Coloured embroidery floss for the flowers around the rabbit’s neck.
Materials ● 8” embroidery hoop
● Floss to match yourrabbit coloured felt to sew his body together and a slightly darker shade to add lines for legs and nose.
● Strips of fabric to bind hoop - these should be about ½” in length and you will need approximately 2 ½ yards, but this depends on how closely you wrap your hoop. I cut my strips with pinking shears for a decorative effect, but this is optional.
● Tiny black bead for eye (if unavailable then a few stitches in black floss will work too)
● 10” square rabbit coloured felt and a tiny scrap of pink for his ear
● Toy stuffing
● Tiny scrap of white or cream fluffy fabric for his tail.
● Hot glue gun
● Scraps of coloured felt for the flowers
● Temporary fabric marker
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TAKING CARE OF YOUR SCISSORS
from the iron’s steam a lot longer than you might have thought.
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Try not to drop your your scissors as the bump when they hit the floor can knock their blades out of alignment. This can happen even if you drop them on carpet, but the worst damage will be done by wood or concrete floors.
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It’s a good idea to wipe the blades with a soft cloth after using your scissors. Some fabrics are abrasive and can damage the metal on your scissors, especially some man-made fabrics. If your sewing scissors have a sticky residue on them (eg from Bondaweb if you’ve been doing applique work), then use a little bit of water and a soft cloth to wipe them clean. Make sure to dry them completely afterwards to prevent rust.
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For the best possible cutting experience, the blades of your sewing scissors need to be tight. Many will have a central pivot screw that can be tightened with an ordinary household screwdriver. Just tighten the screw and apply a drop of oil to the screw (wipe any excess oil).
Sharpen your scissors often. As your scissor blades become blunted over time, it will become increasingly difficult to cut fabric, especially heavier-weight fabric or jerseys. You can use a specialised scissor sharpener to keep your scissors sharp at home or take them to a sewing machine repair shop for a periodic service(!) You don’t have to buy a new pair of sewing scissors just because they are starting to get dull. Only ever use your scissors for fabric. Guard them jealously and NEVER let anyone use them to cut paper. You may remember your your mum or grandma telling you not to use their sewing scissors on anything but fabric. They weren’t being mean, it was because sewing scissors become dull more quickly when they are used on items other than fabric.
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Pressing your work as you go is a must for most sewists, but irons usually have water in them so we can steam as we press, and the steam really isn’t not good for your scissors. Don’t leave your scissors on your ironing board as you work or even after you’ve finished, as your board will retain the moisture
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Watch out for hidden hazards and be sure never to use your good fabric scissors for cutting wired ribbons, paper patterns and Bondaweb. Guard against the perils of pins a serious enemy to the smooth operation of your scissors. If you’re pinning a pattern to fabric before cutting out, then make sure your pins don’t protrude beyond the edge of the paper. This will prevent your accidentally cutting over a pin cutting the fabric. Using glass-headed pins will help you spot them as you go.
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Spring Daisies Appearing on your lawn - first in ones and twos, then scattered across the grass in handfuls, tiny white and pink daisies are one of the first signs of spring. Here a handful has been scooped into a teacup and brought indoors to enjoy… Design is mounted in a 10” hoop. Finished embroidery measures 7 ¾” diameter (approx)
Materials
● Bondaweb
● 12” square neutral coloured linen or linen/cotton blend suitable for embroidery
● Temporary fabric spray adhesive
● Scraps of green felt measuring about 1 ½” long x 1” wide
● Sharpie or other heavy felt tip pen
● Scrap of tweedy brown fabric for soil
● DMC stranded cotton floss in colours: ecru, 166, 470, 580, 732, 906, 963, 3755, 4015
● 5” x 4” piece of soft blue fabric for the teacup ● Assortment of cotton scraps for the patchwork border
● Temporary fabric marker pen
● Anchor stranded cotton floss in colour: 1360
● 10” hoop for mounting ● 12” square lightweight white cotton fabric to act as base for patchwork border
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Possibly the most frequent query I receive is “How do I transfer my embroidery design from the printed page to my fabric?”This is one of those questions where there isn’t a single right or wrong answer – it’s all about choosing the method that works best for you. The easiest method to transfer a design is of course an iron-on transfer, many of which used to be given away free with needlework magazines in the mid-20th century, printed in either blue or silver. My grandmother had a huge collection of these transfers, all carefully stored in a biscuit box with a cute puppy and kitten picture on the lid. There were sunbonnet and crinoline ladies - too many to count - birds, bears and an infinite variety of flower patterns. If you enjoy stitching vintage, it's still easy to find these old designs in thrift shops, at jumble sales and of course on auction sites such as eBay. But if you don’t have a transfer and want to transfer a downloaded pattern (like those in this magazine) there are several different methods available to you, some of which are easier, and so perhaps more popular, than others. If you're embroidering onto a pale coloured, light-weight fabric, then it's easy to trace your design onto it as though it was tracing paper. To do this, print your design in the usual way, then tape your printed sheet to a light source - most usually a light box or window pane. Position your
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fabric over it, right side up, making sure that the design is beneath the position you have chosen for your finished embroidery. Tape your fabric in place over the paper. Don't be tempted to try to hold it with one hand while tracing with the other - unless it's really small and simple your fabric is quite likely to slip out of position leading to frustration and a spoiled design (I am speaking from experience!). If you have some then masking tape is the best to use as it's easier to remove than sellotape and leaves less sticky residue. Use the smallest amount you actually need and keep it to the edges of your fabric, just in case. When everything is securely held in place, trace over your design with a sharp pencil or a water soluble temporary fabric marker pen. I have read debate online about whether or not the marks from these pens can reappear over a period of time, spoiling your finished work. I haven't personally experienced this problem, but if in doubt then use a pencil. This will leave a permanent mark, but it won't bleed into other areas and should be covered by your stitching.
Hyacinth in Tea Cup Bring spring into your home all year round with this embroidered hyacinth bulb sitting prettily in a china cup. I love forced bulbs in the winter and only wish I could enjoy them for longer as they don’t last long once they begin to flower. This is one of my earliest patterns and is based on a photo of an actual flowering hyacinth I enjoyed on my windowsill back in, I think, February 2010 and I hope you enjoy stitching it as much as I did. The finished design measures 9” x 7” approximately.
you’d like your hyacinth to be) floss for the flower.
Materials
● Bondaweb
● 12 x 10” piece of medium-weight natural coloured linen or cotton – if it has a nice soft slubby texture that would look very effective with this design.
● Temporary fabric marker pen
● 4” square piece of light or medium weight cotton patterned fabric ● Stranded cotton floss in pink, blue, light green, dark green, light brown, dark brown and a variegated pink (or whatever colour
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Tea Cups Applique A stack of lovely vintage china tea cups - waiting for the washing up? Or waiting to be filled with that favourite of all drinks for the English - a nice cup of tea? Either way this is a lovely simple freestyle machine applique project and is great for using up all those pretty scraps that you simply can’t bear to throw away.
Finished size 21” x 7”
Embroidery foot for your machine.
Materials
Black thread in machine needle and light coloured thread in the bobbin.
10” x 24” piece of medium weight linen or cotton/linen mix fabric
Temporary fabric marker pen if you want to draw in the shading on the tea cups before you stitch - if you are confident with this technique then you probably won’t need to draw your lines before stitching.
Assortment of quilting weight or lighter cotton scraps for the applique. They should measure between 4” - 6” . Choose colours that will work well together - add at least one plain fabric - stripes and florals also work well together. The patterns should be quite small as otherwise the effect will be lost.
Staple gun Fabric adhesive tape
Small amount of white felt for the insides of the cups
Bondaweb
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I do hope you’ve enjoyed this collection of Bustle & Sew patterns. You can keep up to date with all the goings-on at Bustle & Sew HQ over on our website www.bustleandsew.com
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