Half Yard(TM) Summer Collection

Debbie Shore

Description

™ Half YardHALF YARD PROJECTS DEBBIE’S TOP 40 FOR SUMMER SEWING SUMMER COLLECTION SEARCH PRESS 5 EXCLUSIVE NEW PROJECTS INCLUDED Debbie Shore Debbie Shore: about me When I think back to my childhood I remember sewing always being a part of it. My mum was a seamstress and had a sewing room with cupboards full of wonderful fabrics, old biscuit tins full of buttons and threads, and drawers full of ribbons and lace. She’d encourage me to make dolls’ clothes and then dolls, before moving on to making clothes for myself. An enthusiastic fan of upcycling, mum taught me how to repair and alter my growing wardrobe by darning socks, shortening skirts (this was the Sixties after all!) BOE NBLJOH UIF æBSFE MFHT PG NZ KFBOT FWFO XJEFS CZ BEEJOH USJBOHVMBS æBTIFT PG QBJTMFZ fabric to the side seams. Throughoutan extensive career in television, as both a presenter and actor, sewing was and still is my relaxation, although nowadays it’s my profession as well! I’m designing products and patterns to make your sewing life easier, and fun, quality fabrics for you to work with. Iam so proud to have been voted Craft *OæVFODFS PG UIF :FBS JO UIF $SBGU #VTJOFTT Awards, and for all the awards my books have achieved – I don’t think evenmy mum could have guessed how valuable those lessons in home sewing Sixties-style would prove to be!

Sujets

• Sewing

Informations

• Publié par: Search Press
• Date de parution: 22 avril 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781781269220
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 312 Mo

Extrait

™ Half Yard HALF YARD PROJECTS DEBBIE’STOP 40 FOR SUMMER SEWING SUMMER COLLECTION

SEARCH PRESS

5 EXCLUSIVE NEW PROJECTS INCLUDED

Debbie Shore

Debbie Shore: about me When I think back to my childhood I remember sewing always being a part of it. My mum was a seamstress and had a sewing room with cupboards full of wonderful fabrics, old biscuit tins full of buttons and threads, and drawers full of ribbons and lace. She’d encourage me to make dolls’ clothes and then dolls, before moving on to making clothes for myself. An enthusiastic fan of upcycling, mum taught me how to repair and alter my growing wardrobe by darning socks, shortening skirts (this was the Sixties after all!) and making the Lared legs of my jeans even wider by adding triangular Lashes of paisley fabric to the side seams.

 Throughout an extensive career in television, as both a presenter and actor, sewing was and still is my relaxation, although nowadays it’s my profession as well! I’m designing products and patterns to make your sewing life easier, and fun, quality fabrics for you to work with.  I am so proud to have been voted Craft InLuencer of the Year 2020 in the Craft Business Awards, and for all the awards my books have achieved – I don’t think evenmy mum could have guessed how valuable those lessons in home sewing Sixties-style would prove to be!

™ Half Yard Sewing Club

Join myHalf YardSewingClub

0a brand new project each month, Download 0me in Join my online studio and learn  with full instructions, patterns and an my sewing secrets  informative video 0 Choose from lots of free projects and 0 Let me answer your questions in my online special offers  feedback sessions www.halfyardsewingclub.com

™  YARD SUMMER COLLECTION

First published in 2021

Search Press Limited Wellwood,NorthFarmRoad, TunbridgeWells,KentTN23DR

This book uses material from the following books in the Half Yard™ series, published by Search Press: Bags & Purses, 2018 Gifts, 2015 Heaven, 2013 Home, 2014 Kids, 2016 Vintage, 2017

Photographs by Garie Hind Styling by Kimberley Hind

Text copyright © Debbie Shore 2021 Photographs © Garie Hind 2021 Design copyright © Search Press Ltd. 2021

All rights reserved. No part of this book, text, photographs or illustrations may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means by print, photoprint, microfilm, microfiche, photocopier, internet or in any way known or as yet unknown, or stored in a retrieval system, without written permission obtained beforehand from Search Press.

ISBN: 9781782219286 ebook ISBN: 9781781269220

The Publishers and author can accept no responsibility for any consequences arising from the information, advice or instructions given in this publication.

Readers are permitted to reproduce any of the items/ patterns in this book for their personal use, or for the purpose of selling for charity, free of charge and without the prior permission of the Publishers. Any use of the items/patterns for commercial purposes is not permitted without the prior permission of the Publishers.

Suppliers For details of suppliers, please visit the Search Press website: www.searchpress.com

The projects in this book have been made using imperial measurements, and the metric equivalents provided have been calculated following standard conversion practices. The metric measurements are often rounded to the nearest 25mm for ease of use except in rare circumstances; however, if you need more exact measurements, there are a number of excellent online converters that you can use. Always use either imperial or metric measurements, not a combination of both.

For further inspiration: –join the Half Yard™ Sewing Club: www.halfyardsewingclub.com –visit Debbie’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/thimblelane –visit Debbie’s website: www.debbieshoresewing.com

™ HALF YARD DEBBIE SHORE SUMMER COLLECTION DEBBIE’S TOP 40 HALF YARD PROJECTS FOR SUMMER SEWING

SEARCH PRESS

CONTENTS Introduction 6 Sewing Kit 9 15 Tips for the Complete Beginner 8 Before You Start 15

PROJECTS

SummerReady Home 24 CUBE BASKET26 RUSTIC FLOWERPOT28 OVEN GLOVES32 PUMPKIN PILLOW34 TOTE BAG38 TISSUE BOX COVER42 CASUAL TASSEL BAG46 CASUAL TASSEL PURSE51 BIRDHOUSE PEG BAG54 GLASSES CASE58 TOOL APRON62

Summer Fun with the Kids 64 CACTUS PINCUSHION66 FOXY DRAWING FOLDER68 ROSETTE HEADBAND74 CARAVAN CADDY78 READING PILLOW84 CHILD’S APRON88 CRAFTY KIDS’ BACKPACK92

Summer Party 100 POSY CONE102 TRAY MAT104 BUNTING108 JAR WRAPS110 TEA COSY112 VASE SLEEVE116 TABLE RUNNER118 JAR COVER120 LADIES’ EVENING BAG122 LADIES’ EVENING PURSE127 BOTTLE BAG130

Summer Vacation 132 PURSE ORGANIZER134 WATER BOTTLE HOLDER140 FIRST CLASS CADDY144 FIRST CLASS PASSPORT WALLET150 REUSABLE INSULATED LUNCH BOX154 PICNIC PLACE MAT158 PICNIC PILLOW160 BEACH BAG162 TOWEL CARRIER166 ALL DECKED OUT BAG170 ALL DECKED OUT PURSE174 Template & Index 176

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INTRODUCTION Summer is my favourite season; I need no excuse to take my sewing machine outside and sew in the sunshine! The garden in bloom especially inspires me to get creative with brights and pastels, and to sew up projects for both indoors and outdoors alike. This book is full of projects for you to enjoy – whether you’re home or away this summer – with ideas to spruce up your home, to keep the children entertained, to impress your guests when entertaining and to keep you organized when travelling. So, if you’re home this summer and fancy a mini room makeover, or if your outdoor area needs a little pampering, or if you’re off on a welldeserved break and need to keep the kids occupied, I’m sure you’ll find many useful items in this book to suit you!

TIPS FOR THE 15 COMPLETE BEGINNER

1 Start with a relatively simple project such as the Cactus Pincushion (see page 66). As your skills grow, you’ll feel conîdent to tackle more advanced projects such as bags. 2 If you are making something more complex, like a bag or purse, make it up in an inexpensive fabric îrst; that way, if things go wrong, you’re not wasting anything but time! 3 Many fabrics nowadays are pre-shrunk, but if you’re not sure, wash and dry your fabric before cutting it. 4 Measure twice, cut once: stitches can be unpicked but if you don’t cut the right size there’s little you can do! 5 Cut your fabric pieces on the grain – this means that the weave of the fabric sits vertically and horizontally; if you cut at an angle (on the bias) your fabric could twist. 6 Always use sharp scissors, and never use your fabric scissors to cut paper as it will blunt them. 7 The seam allowance is the distance sewn from the edge of the fabric. For the projects in this book I’ve allowed ¼in (5mm) unless stated otherwise.

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8 Always use good-quality thread. There’s a time and place for saving money, but don’t skimp when it comes to thread! Cheap thread can break easily and shed îbres into your sewing machine.

9 Remember to reverse a couple of stitches at the start and end of your sewing line (also known as back-tacking). Some machines have a ‘îx’ stitch that puts three or four tiny stitches close together. This will stop the stitches coming undone.

10 To help keep your sewn lines straight and your seams even, place a strip of masking tape over the bed of your sewing machine to use as a guide for your fabric; an elastic band around the free arm works well too. Measure from the needle ¼in (5mm) to the right and place your tape at this point.

11 Topstitching can be a bit daunting – if you’re not very conîdent, sew slowly and use a thread that matches your fabric so that it doesn’t stand out too much.

12 Pin at right angles to the edge of your fabric. You’ll înd the layers don’t slip and, although you should be taking out your pins as you sew, if the needle accidentally hits a pin there is less chance of either breaking.

13 Ironing is an important part of sewing. Your seams will sit better and you’ll have a more professional înish if you iron (or press) them as you go. Pre-ironed fabric is easier to work with.

14 Change your sewing-machine needle regularly – it’s recommended you put a new needle in after every eight hours of sewing – as you’ll notice a dierence to the stitches and even the sound of your machine! It’s always good form when you change the needle to take o the needle plate and clear out any lint (take a look at your manufacturer’s instructions).

15 Relax – sewing is fun! Don’t worry if things go a bit wrong, simply put your work down and come back to it the next day. It won’t seem half as bad as you thought!

SEWING KIT

FABRIC Choosing your fabric wisely is so important – a quality fabric will last well, is a pleasure to work with and will produce a quality project. I’ve used 100 per cent cotton fabric for most of the projects in this book, and hessian/burlap, leather and felt for a few of the others. I prefer a wool-mixed felt – look for at least 40 per cent wool; although pure wool felt feels wonderfully soft, it’s not as strong as a wool mixed with synthetic material. Purely synthetic or craft felts tend to be a little sti and scratchy, so avoid these if you can. If you are making one of the bags from this book, the fabric you use is entirely your choice. However, here are a few things you might want to consider before you commit to buying: a îner fabric such as quilting or craft cotton will beneît from stabilizer or interfacing on the wrong side to add extra îrmness. A home-décor fabric will be heavier and may not need interfacing, but feel the drape of the fabric when you buy – a oppy fabric will create a oppy bag!

WADDING/BATTING Traditionally, wadding/batting is the padded layer that goes between the outer and lining fabrics of quilts, but I use it in bag making, table runners, tea cosies and any project that needs a touch of luxury or added drape. For my projects I tend to just use fusible eece and cotton wadding/batting. Always read the manufacturer’s instructions regarding pre-washing, shrinkage and quilting distance.

INTERFACING This is used to add îrmness to fabric. Iron-on interfacing has glue dots on one side and is fused to the wrong side of your fabric when ironed. It’s not suitable for very îne fabrics as the glue could show through or the fabric may not tolerate heat, in which case use the sew-in version. Interfacing is usually no heavier than the fabric you use for your project. You can choose from woven, which should be cut on the grain as you would your fabric; non- woven, which is suitable for most projects; or knitted for stretch fabrics. You could use a woven or non-woven interfacing on stretch fabric to stop it stretching.

THREADS Although you probably don’t need as many as I do (see right), a good selection of threads means you will always have the right colour for the job. Always use a superior-quality thread, especially if you are making bags. They are usually more expensive but are worth the investment as they are generally stronger, too. If you pull the thread and it snaps easily in your îngers, chances are it will snap easily in your seams.

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HABERDASHERY Buttons, ribbons, lace, binding tape and zips are fun and practical notions to embellish your designs, and can help to give them a shop-bought look. Many fabric ranges include bindings and ribbons to provide a perfect colour match. A cleverly placed button can easily disguise a wobbly stitch!

SEWING MACHINE You don’t need a fancy machine for the projects in this book, as only straight, zigzag and over-edge stitches are used. If you’re buying for the îrst time you’ll înd a computerized machine easy to use, and some have a speed control and start/stop button so a foot pedal isn’t required to sew. Look for a machine with a needle up/down facility, and a needle threader, and go for a named brand – it’s important to have support and a guarantee in case anything goes wrong.

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SCISSORS For cutting fabric you’ll need dressmaking shears: I use 10in (25.5cm) shears with angled handles, which help to keep the fabric at as you’re cutting it. Pinking shears are useful for snipping into seam allowances, a small pair of scissors is useful for snipping threads, and you’ll also want a pair of paper scissors for cutting out patterns. Appliqué (or duckbilled) scissors have one at blade that sits under the fabric and prevents you from cutting through the seam. These are ideal for trimming appliqué shapes if you haven’t quite sewn over the edge of the fabric!

FABRIC CLIPS Fabric clips are a great alternative to pins if you are using thicker fabrics that can’t be pinned, or for working with lots of layers (such as bags with lining and interfacing or wadding/batting).

PINS I like to use glass-headed pins for a couple of reasons: I can see them if I drop any, and if I catch them with the iron, the heads don’t melt!

HANDSEWING NEEDLES There will always be a bit of hand sewing in your projects, from sewing turning gaps closed to embroidering decorative stitches, so it’s advisable to have a collection of dierent-sized needles. I use a leather thimble to help stop the needle from slipping, or indeed from making my înger sore!

TAPE MEASURE Never use a fabric tape measure as it can stretch over time. Plastic types may not be the best looking but they are the most accurate.

QUICK UNPICK/SEAM RIPPER You’ll usually get one of these supplied with your sewing machine, and you’ll need it to unpick the odd wonky stitch. It will blunt after a while, so replace it if it stops cutting smoothly.

TWEEZERS I use tweezers to pick up small embellishments such as sequins and beads, and also tiny threads. You can also use tweezers to grab the end of a tube of fabric that needs turning. If you don’t have a needle threader on your sewing machine, tweezers are useful to hold your thread as you push it through the eye of the needle.

BODKIN This is a thick needle with a large eye and a ball on the pointed end, used to thread ribbon or elastic into projects and garments (see image bottom left). A safety pin is a good alternative if you don’t have one of these.

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MARKING PENS You can choose from heat-, water- or air-erasable pens, but be careful not to iron over water- or air-erasable types as the ink will set and become permanent. I prefer heat-erasable, but always test on a patch of scrap fabric îrst as the ink can fade the print on some fabrics.

ADHESIVES Buy a repositionable spray adhesive to secure appliqué pieces or to bond wadding/batting to your fabric. A hot- glue gun is handy for fusing certain fabrics or hardware. A strong wet fabric glue is important for gluing in purse frames (see the Ladies’ Evening Purse on page 127) or temporarily securing zips (see the Purse Organizer on page 134). A dot of glue behind a button or zip with a fabric glue pen can help keep it secured.

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LOOP TURNER This long hook is the perfect tool to turn out tubes of fabric, and I also used it to pull through the button thread on my Pumpkin Pillow (see page 34).

IRON Although I mostly use a steam iron for pressing my projects, I like to keep a little travel iron next to my sewing machine for quick pressing, or for making bias binding.

BIAS BINDING TOOL Available in dierent sizes, you feed your fabric through this tool to create folded binding. This is the easiest way to make your own bias binding (see page 18). I use the 1in (2.5cm) tool most frequently.

ROTARY CUTTER, RULER AND MAT These tools are essential for cutting straight lines, particularly through lots of layers of fabrics. Choose a 45mm rotary cutter, a 6 x 24in (15.25 x 61cm) ruler and a mat as large as you have room for. Some mats are double-sided, with both metric and imperial markings, and you’ll înd 60- and 45-degree lines useful.

HOLE PUNCH Invest in a punch with several sized holes, as this simple tool gives you accurate holes for threading or attaching snaps. You’ll înd an awl (or poking tool) useful to poke out the inside of the holes.

EYELETS AND PUNCH Available in many sizes and colours, eyelets can be used decoratively, for clipping on handles or threading cord. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions – you may need a small hammer to punch out the holes.

TAILOR’S HAM/SEAM ROLL Use this for pressing when pressing at isn’t an option! Push the ham into bag bases to iron them while keeping the bag’s shape.

BAMBOO CREASER Use this tool (not shown) for creasing seams and pushing out the points of your projects when you turn them right side out. It’s not so sharp that it will pierce your fabric, and for pressing small seams it’s quicker than putting on the iron!

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HARDWARE Metalwork gives a bag a professional, shop-bought look, and there are many fastenings, rings, clasps and chains available to choose from. There are rectangular, swivel and D-rings for attaching straps, and sliders to make them adjustable. There are locks and magnetic clasps to fasten your bags and feet to protect the bases. Feel free to add more if you wish!

HANDLES I tend to make my own straps and handles with fabric (see page 20) or with webbing (see right), but you may înd it easier to buy handles instead. Some clip on, so you’ll need a ring to attach them, some are sewn on and for some you’ll need to make a fabric loop. Have fun experimenting!

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FRAMES You can choose from a wide variety of shapes and sizes of frames to create your own unique purse. Glue-in frames (shown above left) need a strong wet glue to secure the top of the purse into the frame – glue one side at a time, leaving the îrst side to dry before moving on to the second. Sew-in frames (shown above right) have holes around the frame to stitch through, so use strong thread to help prevent breakage.

WEBBING This is probably the easiest possible way to make a strap, and here’s a tip: to stop the ends from fraying, carefully hold the end of the webbing over the ame of a candle to singe it (see step 4 on page 63); alternatively, sew across the end with a zigzag stitch.

BAG BASE This is a sturdy plastic strip that will sit between the outer and lining base pieces of your bag to provide a îrmer shape. The mesh is useful if you’re adding feet – it’s easy to push the feet through, and adding feet helps to secure the base in place.

BEFORE YOU START

MACHINE STITCHES

STRAIGHT STITCH This is the most used stitch on any project. Lengthen the thread to create a tacking/basting stitch. If you loosen the tension, it’s easy to pull the bottom (bobbin) thread to gather your fabric.

TRIPLE STRAIGHT STITCH This stitch won’t crack when used on stretch fabric, and it makes a bold outline when used as a decorative stitch.

ZIGZAG STITCH A decorative stitch that can be used to join two pieces of fabric together to create a at seam, this stitch can also help stop the raw edges of your fabric from fraying. Shorten the length of the stitch to make satin stitch – this is perfect for edging appliqué shapes.

OVEREDGE STITCH This is designed to take the thread slightly over the raw edge of your fabric to stop it from fraying (it is similar to an overlock stitch, which is produced by an overlocker/ serger). Use this on items that may wear or need to be laundered; if you sell your items this will give them a professional înish.

DECORATIVE STITCHES The number of decorative stitches varies from machine to machine, depending on manufacturer and price point. These stitches make pretty borders and înishing touches to your projects, or can simply be embroidered onto ribbon or tape to make embellishments such as bows.

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