JELLY ROLL RUG

Want to try sewing one?  

I came across a fabulous account on instagram Uniquely Mateo she makes the most AMAZING Jelly Roll Rugs.  I was so intrigued by the concept I thought I would give it a try, I mean she makes it look so easy what could go wrong...hahahahaha!

So I started gathering my supplies together....  I had purchased a fat quarter bundle of STITCH by Lori Holt which I had used to make a carry all bag for a sit and sew group I attend every fortnight.  I absolutely love this fabric and had so much leftover I wasn't sure what to do with it until I saw a Jelly Roll Rug being created.  As the rug will be for my sewing room the STITCH fabric is perfect. For the batting I just cut up a batting roll I had on hand into strips, although you can buy a batting roll made especially for Jelly Roll Rugs.

I did purchase the Clover fabric tube maker, which made creating the tube a breeze.

1. Jelly Roll - STITCH by Lori Holt 

2. Batting - Cotton/Bamboo Roll

3. Clover Fabric Tube Maker 

Before diving in I did do a little more research on how to make a Jelly Roll Rug, youtube is your friend!  I really wanted to know how long to make the middle strip of the rug as this will determine the shape of the rug.  Not really finding a definitive answer I just guessed and chose a 10in length. I did find a youtube by Uniquely Mateo and she had sooooo many hints and tips on how to get the perfect rug, I encourage you to watch it if you are seriously considering making a rug.

First up you need to make a tube of the fabric and batting, which is a bit like making a quilt binding.  This is where the fabric tube maker comes into its own.  There are two ways you can sew the tube together, along the open edge or down the middle of the tube... I choose down the middle.  Once the tube is sewn you have the option of plopping it all on the floor in a heap or rolling the tube into a ball or using some sort of winder.  The idea being to keep the fabric strip as straight and untwisted as possible while sewing.

Before I started sewing the rug, I did have a small issue I had to overcome.  As I don't have a sewing machine that sits down into the desk, I don’t have a flat surface to sew on.  So I got a bit creative by using a corner shelf from a kitchen cupboard I removed during renovations, with timber chocks underneath, I managed to create a table level with my sewing machine bed.

 Let the sewing begin….  I’m not going to lie the centre is hard to sew!  Trying to curve the fabric tube around the starting strip is not easy, but once you get past that you can then sit back and watch your rug grow.

I was going to use just one colour thread for the whole rug but after sewing the brown centre part I didn’t really like the look, so switched over to changing my top thread to a colour that coordinated with the different colours in the tube as they came up. 

I love the look of the matching thread!

Making this has been a lot of fun and I can see me making more… I’m pretty sure my pups could do with a rug each for under their feeding bowls, oh and I think a runner in the hallway would look nice, maybe a rug for each room….hahahahaha that will keep me busy for a while!  

 So if you decide to make a rug, I hope you have as much fun as I have making one.

  

Have a fabulous day!

Welcome Project Life 2017

Well hello and hi there blogging world, I am still alive and kicking.  I have been busy sewing for a little facebook business I originally set up with me Daughter back in 2014, called LITTLE GIRLS THINGS    Having three Granddaughters now my passion for sewing is renewed but of course that mean other passions have taken a backseat.  All except Project Life, I haven't got the time to  paper scrap like I use to so I think this year will be all digital. 

So here we go - 2017 Week 1...

Have a great day!

Celebrate Card

YAY! It's Monday... this weeks card is a Birthday Card for my Daddy this time.

I usually find male cards hard to do but this one came together quickly.  I used the Minc for the word celebrate... so in love with the gold foil 😍

I'm still trying to figure out the right settings on the Minc to get a perfect foil each time, my results are a bit hit and miss but I'll get there.  

This was a really easy card to do, it was all designed with the Silhouette Program.  The word Celebrate was printed with a laser printer, foiled with the Minc, then the card put through an ink jet printer to add the coloured balloons.  I added a sentiment inside to finish the card off.

So much fun 😊. Happy crafting till next week!

Something Shiny for Valentines Day

A little bit of Minc, a little bit of Silhouette, a few really cool fonts and a printer means I can make cool cards like this...

Happy Valentine's Day to all those crazy lovebirds out there!!!

Monday Crafting...

Well it sure has been a while since I did any serious paper crafting but I promised myself that this year I was going to make time... and I am.  It may only be one day a week but that is so much better than none.  I think I've found my happy place again 😊. 

So today's creation...

A card using some spellbinders dies, can not tell you how happy I am that I managed to work out the right recipe to cut then emboss the different layers... go me!

Items Used:

Spellbinders A2 Bracket Borders 

Prima Flowers

Unknown leaf die

Sheer Ribbon Bow (I made)

Valentine Cards with the Silhouette

I know this post is maybe a little late, but hey it might give you ideas for next year...lol! 

I was a little stuck for ideas on what to make Hubby, instead of just one card I thought I could give him several this year...hehehe!  I happened to be shopping in the Silhouette Online Store when I saw several cut files and wordart files that I liked... so I bought them all!

Heart Flourish Gatefold Card - this one is just a straight cut file approx 3.75in or 9.5cm square which is a super cute size.

 

To dress up the inside I used the print and cut feature on the Silhouette by printing the wordart Love You onto a piece of Carta Bella's Beautiful Moments 6x6 paper.  This paper was cut just slightly smaller then the back of the note card. 

 

Same process with this card, only this time the cut file was - Baroque Heart Gatefold Card (#43317)

 

 

The Love Us swirl (#37548) is by Loni Stevens

Then I wanted to do something with this wordart Valentines Subway Art (#55082), but seriously I was not going to cut and stick each word onto a card!  Print and Cut feature I love you!!!

The inside got the same treatment but just a print no cutting...lol!  Valentine Subway Art (#38429) when sized to fit made a 4.25x5.75in or 10.5x15cm card... which is a good size to post here in Australia :)

The final card I made was a 5x7in or 13x18cm the Be My Valentine Title (#55200) was a Print and Cut job that I found very fiddly and the colours were not quite what I was expecting but I made the best of it.  The Hearts (#55083) below the title are the negative of the cut file, all placed on a bit of foam to make them pop off the page.  With of course a bit of Distress Ink - Spun Sugar around the edge.

For the inside of this card, I was not inclined to cut the Love You Forever Title (#55199) so instead used the print and cut feature again!  Did I mention that I love this feature on the Silhouette...hahaha!  Because we are super sappy when it comes to Valentine's Day I included a photo collage of the two of us!

To say Hubs was impressed with his Cards would be an understatement, I think he thought I forgot!  These really were quick to put together, I encourage anyone with a Silhouette to have a go at the Print and Cut feature... it really is so easy and fun!

Have a great day!

Wordless Wednesday!

Have a great day!