Christmas Sewing Roundup: Scrap garlands, various bags and stickers!

Hi all, 

This is a quick roundup of my festive sewing for 2020.

Chain Garlands

Firstly, I was desperate to find a good way of using up the scrap felt from my wardrobe box project earlier this summer. I love chain garlands and was hoping to find a relatively low-fuss way of using the felt to create one of those. Using this Etsy blog post for inspiration, I figured out a good no-sew way of linking the chain. The advantage to this type of tab/notch method is that the chain can be disassembled and stored as flat strips during the rest of the year. Recipients can also pick and choose which colours go where and how big the chain is. I cut as many strips as possible from my remaining pieces and, unlike the Etsy post, cut a small slit at the end of each strip. My felt was 5mm thick and it was helpful to have fewer, less precise cuts to make compared to the Esty Post. 

This is what it looks like when it's all linked up:

I ended up with about 270 strips/chain links and divided these across 3 bundles. I think each bundle has enough strips to make just under 5m of chain. I raided my stash for some fabrics to make 3x zip-up storage bags. We kept 1 bundle and gave 2 away.

Felt Diamond Bunting

After cutting all of the strips for the chain garland, there was the question of what to do with the remaining bits of felt which were too small for the chain links. I cut them all into tiny squares and then sorted everything by colour. I measured out some Prym cotton twill tape for 5m + an arm length at each end and then stitched straight along it, adding felt squares every ~10cm in a regular pattern. After reaching the end of a length of twill tape, I cut a new length and started again. This meant that as colours were running out, I could change the pattern of each length of bunting. 

I ended up with about 43m of bunting (In 5m batches) and wound it all nicely onto some card. We kept the 3m end length, which was mostly green/yellow leftovers, and offered the rest as gifts.

Stocking Bunting

I had also been eyeing up my scraps bag and thought it would be a good idea to turn some of it into a bunting as well. I cut as many tiny stockings as possible and ended up with approx 60x tiny lined stockings. I split this into 2x 3m lengths of bunting to offer as gifts.

I'll admit, I was dubious that this bunting would work out well. The individual stockings look a little odd because they're not traditionally festive designs or colours - they're obviously scrap sewing. Luckily, the sheer quantity of tiny stockings on the tape is pretty cute and I think the overall effect is quite nice!

Shopping Bags

I saw this tutorial by Sewing Times for a tiny foldable shopping bag and thought it would be a cool use for some of my ripstop nylon. I ended up making 4x of these bags, and a variety of others in different designs to offer as gifts too.

It looks like I forgot to get photos of any of these designs...

Popcorn Pouches

I made a few popcorn pouches using this tutorial and spares of softshell fabric to offer as gifts as well. Honestly, I have no idea if these are useful but I am hoping they are. I used up some of my zipper tape on a roll for this project and had a lot of fun/difficulty in getting the zip pulls onto the tape. 

It looks like I also forgot to get photos...

Stickers

You may have understood by now that a lot of these projects are basically compulsive sewing. There's nothing particularly challenging about cutting hundreds of tiny felt squares and sewing a long straight line. This autumn has been all about finding pick-me-ups wherever they can be found and I ended up gifting myself a little pick-me-up in the form of stickers (!) that could go on each of the wrapped gifts. 

I bought these from Sticky Things Ltd and used a basic template in their online designer. They are so cute and I have plenty left over for future projects too. 

I even stuck them on the boxes of baked gifts that were sent out. It jazzed up the Tupperware a little and meant I had somewhere two write what was inside.

They make me so happy!

K x

Tutorial: A top made only from triangles!

Introduction

I mentioned in a previous post that I was thinking of doing a tutorial on the Pinterest mainstay sunshine yellow triangle top, which seems to be taken from 'Clothes by Yoshiki Hishinuma' (1986). You know I love me some twisty japanese clothing.

I made a second version of the top for this tutorial, and honestly I think I like it more than the first version.

Before we jump into it, I just want to say that I think there's quite a few tutorials and instructions out there for a sleeveless t-shirt based on a similar type of pattern. What sets this one apart is the sleeves. If you look closely at the image of the original, you can see they're gathered at the wrist, forcing them to twist, which is completely weird. So this tutorial shows you how to get a proper twitsty triangle sleeve on your Japanese triangle top. 

You will need:

• Basic measuring, drawing and sewing supplies
• Sewing machine or overlocker or mad hand sewing skillz
• Loose drapey knit fabric (those ones with poor recovery i.e. no elastane work!)
• Something to finish the edges (e.g. Fold over elastic, self-fabric bands, knit binding, cuffing/ribbing, added hem allowance)
• Mannequin, or some other draping aid
• Some floor space/some table space

Pattern

The basic pattern is 2 different triangles (cut 2 body, cut 2 arms)

The original top seems to use all-equilateral triangles (which give elbow-length sleeves), but I've also written up instructions here for isosceles triangle sleeve pieces which gives you full-length sleeves. 

Taking measurements, drawing the pattern

I drafted these pieces by folding the paper in half lengthways and drawing one half of the pattern. Once cut out and once unfolded, I had the full pattern piece. You can use whatever drafting method suits you. 

Bodice: 

The front and back pattern pieces are identical.

Measure your hip circumference and the length between the nape of your neck and your hip. Draft an equilateral triangle (sides all the same length) that uses an average of these measurements.

For reference, my mannequin is an 8-10UK, my hips measure about 37" (94cm) at their widest. They are probably a bit smaller at high hip. ****** The sides of my bodice triangle measured 34" (88cm).

You can break out your classroom trigonometry skills to check that the hip measurement and vertical length nape>hip are similar enough that it suits your needs. (You will probably need to fiddle numbers and compromise a bit - it's not a perfectly fitting top). Just make sure you end up with an equilateral triangle pattern piece.

If maths isn't your jam and you prefer the Micarah Trewers approach to pattern drafting, measure from the nape of your neck to the centre front top of your trousers/skirt/underpants. Draw 3 lines directly on the fabric (preferably in pancake batter).

Elbow-length Sleeves: 

Draft an equilateral triangle, with sides equal to half of the side length of the bodice triangle. E.g. If your bodice piece has sides of 88cm length each, your sleeve piece will have sides of 44cm length each.

Full-length Sleeves: 

Draft an isosceles triangle, where one side is equal to half of the length of the bodice sides. E.g. If your bodice piece has sides of 88cm length each, your sleeve piece will have one side of 44cm length. Then measure from your armpit to your wrist. Note this number. Measure around your wrist or measure a stretchy cuff on an item of clothing you already own. Note this number. Add these two numbers together, this is the length of each of the remaining two sides of your isosceles triangle. Draft the triangle.

You can add seam allowance either on the paper pattern pieces or directly on the fabric - just be sure to know which one you're doing!

Don't notch anything yet - especially not if you're doing the all-equilateral version of the top. It is incredibly confusing and unhelpful. 

Cutting the fabric

This top is a good opportunity to mess around with stripes and pattern placement, or you can keep it standard if you like. On my first version, I cut one bodice piece at 90deg rotated so that the stripes on my shoulders would look interesting.

Once you've cut out the fabric you will end up with 4 pieces. Lay them out flat

Assembling the top

Take each body piece and mark Centre Front/Centre Back with a notch.

With right sides together, pin the body pieces together at top and bottom of the garment (align the CB/CF notch with the point on the other piece.) It will look like this:

Fold over the "shoulders" of the triangle, right sides together, and pin the seams together. This is the front of your top.

Carefully flip the mass of fabric and pins over, it's time to pin the back of the top....(or flip it recklessly, I'm not judging you!)

Fold the outermost points to the CB so they meet in the middle of the back hipline, pin the seams together. Right sides are still together. Baste if desired. Remove the pin at the CB point so the hemline is "open" and you have a way in to the top.

You will notice that we effectively closed up the neckline with pins. Now is a good time to decide what your neckline looks like. Use a dressform if you have one available as a draping aid, or a pillow,  maybe a cardboard cutout. Currently the point of the front triangle sits at the top of the mannequin's head/neck stump.

Drape something you like for the neckline and finish it off. The original has the neckline along a side of the front triangle, but you could do something else, or even trim the triangles to taste. Leaving the neckline raw is also an option, just make sure you have a space to put your head through. 

Remember that the top is currently inside out and you may screw up like me and put the neck slit on the wrong side. Double check before slicing or stitching anything. 

You may find it helpful to stitch one or both of your shoulder seams first. It all depends on your neckline finish. On my first version I added a band to each edge, so it was added flat to each pattern piece. On my second version I stitched one shoulder seam, added the collar and then stitched the other one closed.

Lay out flat again, remove the pins from the body seam (diagonal seam from armpit to CB hip) to make it easier to lay flat.

Take the arm pieces and position them on either side of the bodice. Pin them in place (right sides together). Stitch. 

Mark both sides of the sleeve triangle tips with your wrist/cuff measurement. 

Technically you only need to do this for the front edge of the sleeves, but (like me) you will probably mess this up and it'll be easier to just mark both edges.

Put the top on your mannequin or lay out flat so you can clearly see front from back. 

On each sleeve, finish the wrist area. It is on the front edge, between the notch you've just cut and the point of the pattern piece.

On my v1 I stitched a 1" band like the neckline. On my v2 I was planning to fold over and topstitch, but I made a last minute decision to use the leftover ribbing/cuff material from the collar. This looks nice but added about 7cm to the total length of the sleeve. If you're adding a cuff, you might want to account for the extra length when you're drafting the pattern.

Gather the whole length of the back edge of the sleeve seam (you could use elastic or gather with thread using your preferred technique) so that its length matches the length of front edge of the sleeve triangle. 

Pin the two edges of the wrist opening together (right sides together). Pin the "underarm" seam, armpit to wrist, easing and arranging your gathers. If you're making the elbow-length sleeves it will look a bit puffy and twisty. If you're making the full-length sleeves, it will look really cursed. Stitch the "underarm" seam.

(re)Pin and stitch remaining body seam right sides together. It should be the diagonal line from armpit to CB hip. (diagonal line from armpit to CB hip).

Turn up the hem and finish the edge.

You're done!

K x