tutorial

Guest post | Convection Mittens

by contributor on January 26, 2012

in Guest Blogger, Whip Up Tutorials

Katie grew up in Ohio and now lives in Boston, so she knows the value of a good double-layer mitten. She has been known to draw diagrams to illustrate her point. To read more about her creations, visit her blog: Foxflat

How to make Convection Mittens

Convection Mittens are serious handwarmers for serious wind and cold! They’re for when whimsical winter accessories just don’t cut it, and for all the times your hands can’t be shoved into coat pockets (carrying grocery bags home, pulling a sled, holding a dog leash).

When I saw how much fleece-lined wool mittens cost in stores, I tinkered with a pattern that could be made quickly and cheaply. Convection Mittens are sewn from felted wool with a fleece lining. They can be made in a couple of hours using repurposed thrifted clothing, and the pattern can be enlarged or shrunk on a copier to fit your whole family’s hands. Give them a try – I’d love to see how they turn out!

Pattern: 
DOWNLOAD PDF: includes illustrated instructions and a printable pattern for making your own pair of Convection Mittens.

Materials: 
Sewing machine, shears, needle, thread :: 1/2 yard (metre) each of felted wool and thin polyester fleece

Notes:
Felted wool and polyester fleece can both be purchased new, but they’re easy to find at a thriftstore. For the fleece, pick out a thinner weight pullover or a pair of pajama pants. Black fleece is always classy for adults, but for kids you could pick out something in a fun color or pattern.

For the felted wool, find a lightweight, 100% wool sweater with a care tag that says “dry clean only”. It’s going to thicken significantly when it shrinks, so it’s important to start with something lightweight or the felted version won’t be pliable enough to go through your sewing machine. I chose a tweedy solid, but you could also pick out a fun pattern like snowflakes or fair isle. Felt the sweater at home in your washing machine. If you haven’t felted a sweater on purpose before, The Magic Onions has a nice photo tutorial. The one thing I would add is that I always shave the final product with a disposable razor to remove extra fuzz.

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Linky love

by kath_red on August 20, 2011

in Features, Link Love

Whether its emails with interesting links or trawling through my rss feeds for cool things – here are some lovely links to explore this week.

If you would like to send press releases or submit your own project please send to submit[at]whipup.net.

You can get more goodies delivered right to your inbox with our newsletter – read our newsletter archives online and subscribe.

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Book: blog tour: Country side softies

by kath_red on April 18, 2011

in Books, Whip Up Tutorials

Very happy to have the honour of kicking off the book/blog tour of Amy Adams new book Countryside Softies: 28 Handmade Wool Creatures to Stitch published by Stash books. So welcome Amy!

Writing a craft pattern book has it’s ups and downs.  Some days the ideas flow to a point where you realize you can’t possibly fit all this into just one book.  And then, once it’s all over and with the publisher, new ideas pop up which make you think ‘why didn’t I do that at the time!’.  The pond was one of those new ideas, and I’m delighted to offer it to you as a free pattern here…

You will need:

  • Blue felt for the pond (plus extra or another colour for the base)
  • Light blue felt for additional pond area
  • Green felt for the lily pads
  • Pink or white felt for the lily
  • Selection of embroidery threads in blues and greens (I used pearl cotton 8)
  • Small button for the centre of the lily
  • 1” (2.5cm) of Velcro
  • Sewing needle, pins, scissors and the patterned out templates
  • Plus: A Riverside Softie made from the book ‘Countryside Softies’ by Amy Adams (Otter, Swan, Kingfisher or the Duck) [or maybe the dragonfly which is offered as a free pattern via the Stash books website]
  • Pattern/template

What to do:

First, print out the templates provided (use the scale indicators to check you have them the correct size) which will help you work out exactly how much felt you’re going to need. Cut out the blue pond shape, and also the largest lily pad.  Position the pad on the pond, and fix in place by stitching some veins on the leaf in backstitch.

Stitch blanket stitch around the edge of the lily pad leaf.  This will make the edges of the leaf curl up slightly.

Next, cut out the lighter blue pond area, and anchor in place onto the pond base with some backstitched wavy lines.  Add a few more ripples to the pond in other areas too.  Cut out 2 small lily pads, and also sew them in position by adding backstitched veins to the leaves.

To make the lily, cut out the 3 petal shapes, place them in a pile in order of size with the largest at the bottom, and secure the flower in place by sewing a button in the centre through all of the layers of felt including the pond base.

In the centre of the large lily pad, attach one of the pieces of Velcro.  The other piece will need to the sewn onto the base of your chosen Softie to attach it to the pond.

To finish off the pond, cut an additional pond shape, place it underneath the pond, and secure the 2 together by sewing blanket stitch all the way around the edge.  I used the Otter Softie on mine (he is one of my favorites from the book!) and finished off my pond further by making a little fishing rod from the stick.  I attached the fish (the pattern for this is in the book) to one end with a little embroidery thread, and also added a ‘No Fishing’ sign to the other end.

Naughty Otter, I don’t think he can read!

Disclosure: Whipup.net was provided with a pdf review copy of this book, and the link to Amazon is an affiliate link.

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Guest blogger series: own what you’ve sewn

by kath_red on March 9, 2011

in Guest Series 2011, Whip Up Tutorials

Welcome Jenny Wilding Cardon, author of ReSew andThe Little Box of Baby Quilts. Her designs have appeared on the covers of Quilts and More and Quilt It for Kids, and in McCall’s Quilting. She writes about her sewing, thrifting, and family life at the WildCards.

Own What You’ve Sewn (A testimonial. And a tutorial.)

Hi! I want to thank Kathreen for inviting me to guest post at Whipup, which I’ve been happily following for a few years now. The ideas she brings to my screen are always fun and inventive and inspiring. But you know why I fell in love with Whipup in the first place? The manifesto. Have you read it? It’s written with humor. And it speaks to what I believe in my heart about all things handmade. Because I believe handmade can change the world. Well, maybe not the whole world. Not all at once. But it can change yours. It has mine.

I started designing clothes in high school. I had no idea what I was doing. It was fabulous. The pieces I created were eccentric, oddball, attention-grabbing, and sometimes, downright wacky. Too shy to draw attention to myself, I would force my more confident friends to wear my creations to school. When people found out I had made this or that, they would ask me about it. “Did you make that?” they would say. I would look down at the ground, turn on my heel, and walk away.

I loved the stuff I made. I just didn’t have the guts to “own” it.

During my college years, making stuff took a back seat. I tossed my passion aside to focus on my degree. After graduating, I moved to Seattle and took a job as a copywriter with a book publisher. But not just any book publisher. A craft book publisher. I started making quilts alongside my co-workers. I started decorating my house with stuff I made. And then—after one of those daring fashion friends from high school reminded me—I started to remember how much fun I used to have making kooky, offbeat stuff with abandon.

The passion I had tossed aside and forgotten (much like a shrunken wool sweater) was back. And (much like a shrunken wool sweater) it was begging to be brought back to life and transformed into something I valued again. Something that would share a little about who I am. Something I could imprint my style and sass on. Something that spoke about me.

Since I started my passion back up—full throttle now—I’ve created an intention. My intention is to “own” what I make. Make no mistake about it: what I make isn’t just a piece of clothing, or an accessory, or a quilt or a rug or a bag. It’s also my voice, speaking to you. And that’s something that the big-box store down the street, sporting its racks and rounders jam-packed with the safe and the same, can’t do.

Maybe what you make speaks that way, too.

When it comes to speaking about what I make now, there’s no more heel-turning. I grind my heel into the ground. The stuff I make speaks first, on its own. But then I speak too. And here’s what I say. Family, friend, employee, coworker, stranger: “Did you make that?”. Me: “Yes”. There’s the testimonial. (Cheers if you got through it.) Now, on to the tutorial!

This is what I call a “sleevelet,” made from the sleeve of a shrunken wool sweater. (And looky above. I’m wearing it. How about that?). Read on to learn how you can make a sleevelet too. A WildCards tutorial: sleeve + bracelet = sleevelet!

What you need:
- A shrunken wool sweater (the sleeve needs to fit your wrist and arm snugly), scissors, embroidery thread, and a yarn needle.

How-To:
1. (A) Cut any ribbed cuff off of one sleeve.
2. (B) Cut the remaining sleeve into at 7″ tube. (You can make the sleevelet longer or shorter if you want to incorporate part of a design or motif.)
3. (C) Turn the tube inside out. Turn one end of the tube right side out until the end meets the center of the tube. So for a 7″ tube, turn the end 3 1/2″ toward the center of the tube.
4. Repeat for the other end of the tube. Now both ends of the tube should meet in the middle. This is the RIGHT side of your sleevelet (the side with the seam showing.)

5. Thread your yarn needle with a long length of embroidery thread, using all six strands. (As an alternative, you could also use perle cotton or even yarn). Tie a knot at one end. Starting at the sleeve seam, bury the knot in between the two layers of the tube. Take two rounds of stitches. For the first round, use a whipstitch to sew the two ends of the tube together all the way around the tube, making stitches 1/4″ apart. For the second round, make stitches close together to completely cover the raw edges where the two ends of the sleeve meet. No need to stitch through both layers of the sleevelet; only stitch through the top layer. When you need to start or end your thread, simply knot the thread and bury it in between the tube layers.

And that’s about it. All done.

If you like making stuff out of stuff that’s already been made—upcycling, repurposing, refashioning, and the like—you can check out my new book ReSew: Turn Thrift-Store Finds into Fabulous Designs in this video, or at my blog, the WildCards.

Thank you again for having me here, Kathreen!

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whipup tutorial: simple drawstring bag with french seam

by kath_red on November 11, 2010

in Features, Whip Up Tutorials

I have been making these quick little drawstring bags for years, usually I have a few hanging around ready to pop a book into, a sketch pad and pencils or even some chocolates as special gifts throughout the year. With Christmas coming up I am making a new batch – they are perfect presents on their own – or as I am planning on doing – you could stuff them full of fun goodies.

I have a whole heap of fat quarters left over from previous projects and these bags are the perfect way to use them up. I have used a slightly heavier cotton than normal quilting or sewing cotton (here I have some of the sturdier fabrics from the Rouenneries collection by French General for Moda), I think linen/cotton combo would be perfect, or you could also use nice vintage linen tea-towels with interesting fun patterns for a retro twist, or you could pick up some canvas from a supply store or as in the variation pictured below – you could use the good bits from old jeans legs to whip up a few refashioned drawstring bags.

This simple bag uses cotton tape to thread your drawstring through, a very easy sewing project for beginners too. This bag does use a french seam – its not hard – it just add an extra step (2 mins) to your time and it makes the bag stronger and gives lovely neat fray-free seams inside (see image below).

You will need to make 2 of these bags:
1 fat quarter (18×22 inches / 45x55cm piece)
1 inch wide cotton tape (28 inches / 75cm)
drawstring cord or 1/4 inch cotton tape (80 inches / 2 metres)
Sewing machine and coordinating sewing thread
Skewer or elastic threader

Step 1: Cut your fat quarter down the centre lengthways to give you 2 long halves. Fold this long piece in half to give you the shape of the bag – the folded edge will form the base of the bag. Sew the 2 sides Wrong sides together – using a narrow 1/8inch seam. This is the first step in your french seam. Fold down the corners seams and poke them through and then turn your bag inside out and press the seams.

Step 2. Now sew down the seam line again – this time with a wider stitch – here I have used almost a 1/2 inch seam but a 1/4 inch should be plenty – the fabric will be Right sides together and the raw edges of the seam will be hidden inside.

Step 3. Because its a french seam you don’t want to be clipping your corners – so to make a neat corner – fold the corner seam and poke it into the bag and then turn the bag Right side out. Press your seams again.

Step 4. Hem the top edge by folding it twice to tuck in the raw edge and here I used a zigzag stitch.

Step 5. Cut your cotton tape into 4 even lengths (you will 2 of these per bag) – mine end up being about 7 inches / 18cm – fold over and zigzag the raw edges. Then sew them – with the raw edges underneath, onto your bag. I have positioned mine to be just underneath the zigzag hemmed stitch – but you can put them lower or higher as you like. Then stitch a straight edge along both sides of the tape – leaving the edges open.

Step 6. Cut your drawstring cord into 4 even lengths (you will use 2 per bag) – mine are approx. 20 inches / 50cm each. I don’t have an elastic threader so instead I use a skewer which I tape the end of the drawcord onto and then thread through the sewn on cotton tape. You will need to thread each piece all the way through both sides and then tie a knot. You will need to thread them through opposite ways – so they end at each side of the bag with a tied knot.

Ta da – you have finished – now you can fill with books, art supplies, or craft packs and give to friends and family.

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