E is for Embellishment: Tips, Tricks, Tutorials & More

Part of our sewing series is going to be E is for embellishment.  I was thinking about doing elastic, but that is so much less exciting than embellishments. 

When it comes to sewing there are MANY types of embellishments.  I would recommend that you look at my A is for Applique post and free applique tutorial as a starting point.

Flowers

Also, we have a free tutorial on layered felt flowers that are a great way to embellish sewing projects.  There are so many great flowers you can make.  If you don't want to make flowers, try buying a premade flower and adding it as an embellishment.

  I added ribbon roses and bows to the front of this Halloween costume to give it that over the top look. 

Check out our fabric flowers tutorial round up for lots of free tips and tricks on making fabric flowers.

Ribbons & Bows

Some of my other favorite embellishments are ribbons and bows.  A simple little bow can make a huge difference on a project.

Our tip to making bows - seal the ends with a lighter.  You just barely pass over the end and the ribbon will heat seal to prevent fraying.   

I added a simple bow to both of these projects just to make them slightly more feminine. 

Check out our tutorial on hair bow holders for bow making tips and my free mini tutorial on making corker ribbon. 

Appliques

Our A is for Applique tutorial roundup featured our very own mini applique workshop and lots of great ideas for using appliques. 

BTW, Lisa will be launching a companion applique line to compliment our sewing patterns in the next week or so.  We are really excited to be able to offer some great applique designs that anyone can use to make wonderful gifts for the Christmas Season. 

Check out this adorable pair of applique baby booties.  I am going to be making the pattern in larger sizes this week for children's slippers.  Mostly because every time Kamille sees the sample booties she starts to demand a pair for herself.  I'm not going to lie, I would wear a pair of these around the house in the winter.  The larger pattern will have no skid bottoms sewn on. 

Really there are so many embellishments from buttons, to trims, to appliques that it is hard to cover everything in one post.  I will leave you with our newest etsy treasury full of really great handmade and vintage sewing embellishments that are very affordable and available on etsy.  I personally would rather see my funds going to other crafters than to giant corporations where I can help it. 

'E is for Embellishment' by c1h8r9is

I wanted to create a showcase for my blog to promote craft supplies on etsy. I think that there are many people who don't know that you can buy extremely unique supplies on etsy at really affordable prices. www.boutiqueit.blogspot.com.

Mini Wool Felt Aqua... AMarketCollect... $5.00	Stamped Muslin Ribb... seasonaldeligh... $5.00	New- sweet vintage ... howbeadyful $6.85	30 Handmade Crochet... twpmango $7.25
Farm Fresh BAKERS T... OhForCute $3.25	Robots and Owls BUT... kittyrobot $4.50	PINK AND BROWN FLOW... yoursupplyshop $3.50	Moda Wee Play 42 Fa... BlijeOlifantje $128.00
Handmade organza, s... JujaCrafts $9.99	RECLAIMED FABRIC 6 ... blondesbackyar... $6.00	New Handmade Polyme... michellesclayb... $4.00	B3G4TH FREE NEW-Sch... londontierney $4.00
10 pcs of 25mmX50mm... AccessoryPlace $5.00	Pink Chiffon Roses ... BizimSupplies $10.00	20 Handmade 2 Inch ... magicaldreams6... $5.25	BEAUTIFUL TRIM RIBB... MonarchLineage $0.50

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Happy Crafting!

A Sewing Alphabet - A if for Applique - Tutorials, Tips, and Tricks

A is Applique - Tutorial and Ideas Round -up

I just thought that I would share this funny story about my daughter.  Every night we go through the alphabet and come up with a word for each letter - A for Apple, etc.  Last night she wanted me to do the entire alphabet in sewing terms.

That's how much time I've been spending in the studio.   Even my 3-year-old is obsessed with sewing now.  So, I thought that I would make a weekly feature of going through the alphabet and bringing you great products, tips and tricks for each letter. 

This is a great step-by-step tutorial from SewMammaSew's blog:

Click for the free applique tutorial.

This is an adorable blog, full of great ideas and inspiring products.  SewLikeMyMom - she's just a mom with two adorable kids and lots of fun ideas for projects.  There are some really great things that you will want for your portraits. 

She gives a step-by-step for creating appliques with fusible web. 

Click here for her etsy shop.

Now, here is my tutorial for simple appliques.  I know that everyone loves fusible web, but it isn't always the thing I want to use on projects.  Plus, it's actually a little expensive.  I learned this technique from Mrs. Lamb - a wonderful quilting instructor who used it on a baby quilt for my niece, Maggie Rose.

You need cotton that you want to applique and TULLE. 

For small appliques it is easier to use the spooled tulle because it's easier to control.  For larger projects you might need tulle by the yard. 

You will layer the tulle over your fabric.  If you are using a specific design, you should pin it down or trace it onto the 2 layers of fabric. 

 It's hard to see but there is a layer of tulle on this cotton.

With both layers, cut out your shape.  For the tutorial, I just did a heart to show that you can use this technique on rounded shapes.

Sew around the entire shape.  For a rounded shape you want to clip around the perimeter so that it will turn smoothly.

On the tulle side, you need to clip a small hole.  You use this hole to turn the piece.

Now you have a piece that is turned.  You need to press it to get a crisp, perfect edge.  Start with the iron on the lowest setting and before it really even starts to heat up, press the edges down.  The tulle can melt, so you want a barely hot iron when you start.  Once the edges are pressed down, flip the piece over, turn up the iron and really press the whole piece.

 

Now you have a lightweight applique that you can straight stitch down onto the piece.  This is great for stretch fabric, like onesies, t-shirts, etc. that stretch when you try to use a satin stitch.  It is also nice for lightweight and delicate fabrics that might rip or fray from a satin stitch. 

Here are some great tutorials from Cut Out and Keep!

See Cute Doggy Applique Teeshirt Recon and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep


See How To Applique and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep


See Cute Felt Appliques and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

Happy Sewing!