Showing posts with label Sewing Machines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sewing Machines. Show all posts
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Luxurious Velvet
Soft
and sumptuous, velvet has an unmistakable appearance and rich history. Velvet is historically the cloth of opulence
and wealth, worn by nobility and used to adorn castles and estates all over the
world.
 |
| Mary Jo’s cashier Donna Layel is ready for a night at the opera in this Renaissance inspired dress that she created from velvet remnants. |
When you think of fabrics from the
Renaissance or Victorian eras, velvet immediately comes to mind.
Today velvet is more affordable and
widely used. It can be made from many
different fibers including silk, cotton and polyester.
The plush, napped surface is easy to
love. A little bit of velvet can add luxurious
details to clothing: collars, cuffs and buttons. A velvet clutch is the perfect accessory!
 |
| Mary Jo’s class instructor Jessica Trimmer created this elegant velvet purse. www.xojessica.com |
One of the beautiful
characteristics of velvet, the fine napped surface, also makes it a tricky
fabric to warehouse and store. At Mary
Jo’s, velvets are rolled on special racks that allow the layers to be spaced,
preventing the nap from being crushed which could permanently damage the
pile. Long-term folding can create
creases, which are difficult to remove so plan to use velvet soon after
purchasing.
 |
| A sneak peek into the velvet storage area at Mary Jo’s |
Interior designers are crazy about
velvets because of the rich colors and soft texture, but also because it
reflects light so beautifully. Velvet is
popular for upholstery, throw pillows, table skirts and curtains. One velvet pillow can make you feel like
royalty! Here is a pillow that is easy
to make, and showcases the beauty of velvet fabric with a center ruched panel.
Velvet Pillow with Ruched Panel
Fabric cuts:
1 piece muslin or cotton lining at
17 inches x 17 inches (base piece for pillow front)
1 piece velvet at 9 inches x 32
inches (center ruched panel)
2 pieces velvet at 5 inches x 17
inches (side pieces on front)
1 piece velvet at 17 inches x 17
inches (back)
Step one:
Mark two lines inset 4 inches from
each side of the base piece for the pillow front. Using a needle and thread, sew a running
stitch down the 32 inch side of the velvet piece cut for the center ruched
panel, gathering the fabric along the stitches to fit the pillow base. Pin in place centered on the base piece, next
to the marks.
Step two:
Sew the ruched panel along both
sides using a 3/8-inch seam allowance, taking small tucks and gathers by hand to
create a horizontal gathered design.
Step
three:
After
the center ruched panel is sewn, pin each sidepiece face down, along the edge
of the ruched panel. Pay attention to
the nap on the velvet, to make sure both pieces are pinned with the nap running
in the same direction. Sew the side panels
to the ruched panel using a ½-inch seam allowance.
Step
four:
Turn
the side piecesover, and pin to the outer edges of the base piece. Sew or serge around the outer edges. Note: Serging the edges will prevent fraying
and is also recommended for the back piece.
Step
five:
Pin
the back piece to the front piece and sew around all four sides. Leave an opening at the bottom for turning
right sides out. Turn the pillow right
sides out, insert a pillow form and hand stitch the opening closed.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Geometric Ribbon Pillows
Have you seen the wall of
ribbon at Mary Jo’s Cloth Store? It is
amazing! This is where you will find satin,
grosgrain, velvet, printed, lace and sheer ribbons, plus ric-rac, sequins and
other decorative trims.
Ribbon has so many uses! You can tie ribbon around a jelly jar, use
to hang pictures or ornaments, sew to hems in skirts or pants, make hair bows,
decorate presents, use to make necklaces, tie-back curtains and much more.
Ribbon makes a wonderful trim
for your home decorating projects. The
pillows below were created with cotton fabrics and colorful grosgrain ribbon.
Here are the steps to make geometric
ribbon pillows:
Start by cutting the front
and back pieces to the size needed (adding for seam allowances). Apply blue painter’s tape to the front piece
of the pillow; inset the distance you would like the ribbon to be. This will give you a nice line to
follow.
Place the ribbon along the
inside of the tape, folding a miter at each corner and pin. A 7/8” wide ribbon was used for this pillow.
Continue around the pillow,
creating a geometric design. You can
make the pillow as simple, or complex as you would like. When you have finished pinning the ribbon in
place, you can remove the tape.
Add more color by weaving a
second color ribbon into the design.
This gets a little tricky! Pin
the ribbon in place and hide the beginning and end under a solid piece of
ribbon.
For the smaller, rectangular
pillow only one color ribbon was used, with a less complicated design.
Sew carefully along each side
of the ribbon using a matching thread. Sew the front and back pieces of the pillow together.
You can add an invisible zipper at the bottom
or hand-sew closed after adding the pillow form.
The finished pillows are
colorful and trendy! Stop by Mary Jo’s
today to see all the ribbons and fabrics that you can use to make your own geometric
ribbon pillows.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
