'Square & Star' Block Sewing Tutorial

Hello!

It's been a little while since I've posted a craft tutorial on the blog (sorry!!) and I thought it was overdue. I found this pattern in one of my print outs and thought it was such a simple but effective design. I'm so excited to share it with you all today!

Now, I hadn't ever completed any projects quite like this one and I actually found a little difficult. My block certainly isn't perfect but I am still very much a beginner and that's what practice is for. In saying this, I am very happy with the results and I hope its a project you'll enjoy too. I'll definitely do a follow up and complete this block again soon hopefully rectifying my issues.

Now, lets get started.

Preparation

 From light fabric:

4 x 3 1/2" squares sub cut on both diagonals to make 16 triangles (A)
4 x 2 1/2" squares (B)
1 x 3 3/8" square (C)

From patterned fabric:

 

2 x 3 1/4" squares sub cut on both diagonal to make 8 triangles (D)
2 x 2 7/8" squares sub cut on one diagonal to make 4 triangles (E)
4 x 1 7/8" squares (F)

The finished block will measure 8".

Assembly

 

Stitch an (E) triangle to one side of the (C) square and press the seams open. Repeat this on all sides of the square until the centre of your block looks like the image below.

 

 

The next step is to stitch the (A) and (D) triangles together like above. Repeat to make 8 triangle units.

 

 

The remainder of your (A) triangles will be used in this step. Stitch these triangles to either sides of your (F) squares. Be sure that your (A) triangle on one side is upside-down like above. Repeat to make all four of these units.

Using the (AD) Triangles from earlier, stitch them on either side of the four (AF) units like above. Make sure to take extra care here to ensure your seams align.

Now that all of the components of this block are complete, its time to sew them all together in place. I started by stitching two of the (ADAF) units to the centre piece before combining the corners on the top and bottom units.

 

And that's it!

 

As always, if you create this block, I'd love to see hear how it turned out! I really hope you enjoyed this project and I promise it wont be long before a brand new post is up.

I hope you're having a great week and I'll see you again soon!

Love Megan xo

 

Pinwheel Star Block Sewing Tutorial

Hello, Sew happy to see you again!

 

It's been a little while since I last uploaded any content on the blog and I've been so inspired to create lately. With newly found desire to sew to my hearts content, I thought I'd create a new tutorial for you all!

*This block measures 12 1/2" unfinished*

To create this Pinwheel star block, you'll need a few supplies:

 

• (1) 4.5" x 4.5" square using light fabric, cut diagonally twice
• (1) 4.5" square using dark or patterned fabric, cut diagonally twice
• (2) 4" squares, cut diagonally once
• (8) 3.5" squares using dark or patterned fabric
• (4) 3.5"  squares using light fabric
• (1) 3.5" x 6.5" rectangle using the same light fabric as the squares above.

 

 

Directions:

To create the inner pinwheel, lay the triangle shapes as shown.

 

Sew the two quarter triangles together. When ironing these pieces, be sure you press it against the darker fabric.

Next, you'll need to sew the next triangle to the already sewn units. The overhanging corners sticking out can be trimmed away at this point.
 

Arrange the pinwheel pieces so that they seams are opposing each other as follows.

Then sew the pieces together in pairs.
You may find it tricky to match up the pieces insuring they meet up perfectly in the centre. I don't really have any tricks for getting this right, apart from a little practice!
Once sewn and pressed, you should have successfully created your inner pinwheel (measuring 6 1/2" unfinished)

 

To create the flying geese panels, place one of the 3 1/2" squares against the rectangle with right sides together. Sew the two pieces together from the bottom corner diagonally across. For beginners like me, you may find it easy if you use a pencil to draw a straight line across to use as a guide.

Trim the excess corners away and repeat on the other side and again for the next 3 panels.

Lay out the pieces to your block and sew them together in rows. Make sure you're checking that the diagonally seems all converge in the centre of the block, again this may take some practice!

 

Press one last time and you're block is complete, Doesn't it look sew pretty!?

 

I hope you all enjoyed this quick post, I absolutely loved making it!!
I promise I'll post a lot more regularly than I have in the past. I'm already getting super excited planning some upcoming posts!

Happy crafting!

Love Megan xo

 

D.I.Y Tin Can Lanterns

 

Hello again lovely readers!

 

Although it may not seem that long ago, it feels like forever since I've made a craft post for the blog. They're my favourite posts to create so I thought I would go ahead and make a new one for you all today!
I was inspired to create this post by the warmer weather we here in Australia have been experiencing lately. I think that these little lanterns are just perfect for summer backyard parties! They're also really easy and inexpensive to make- I had all of the materials already at home!
Keep reading to find out how you can make these little lanterns!

For this project you'll need:

• Tin Cans
• A power drill
• Thin wire
• Pliers
• Spray Paint in assorted colours
• Tea light candles

Before starting this project, you'll need to do some preparation. Fill your cans with water and freeze them overnight. This is so you don't bend the cans out of shape when drilling holes into them. You may also like to print out some designs for your lanterns too.
 

Tape your chosen design to the can. Alternatively, you can use a marker to draw a design onto your can. I learned that the simpler the design, the better the results! 

 

 

Using your power drill, drill holes outlining your chosen design. I used a few different sized drill bits to create my design because I thought it would look a bit interesting! Remember to try your best at keeping the spacing of the holes as even as possible- This design didn't really go to plan, but I thought it still looked pretty cool!

At this point, you'll also need to drill 2 holes on either side of the can for your handle. Once you've finished drilling, remove the ice by pouring hot water over it. It should melt relatively fast!

 

 

Next, Cut your wire to make the desired length for your handle. Thread one side through the hole and twist the wire together using your pliers. Once that's done, do the exact same thing to the other side!

 

 

Now its time to spray paint your lanterns! I used 2-3 coats for an opaque colour, but feel free to use as much as you'd like. This step is completely optional, but I thought it gave it a fun and festive touch! Remember to allow time for the coats to dry!

 

 

Add your tea light candles & that's it! Don't they look adorable?!

They're bright and festive during the day..

 

 

..But its at night when these little lanterns really come alive!

 

 

Please leave a comment telling me what you thought of this idea! As always, I'd love to see your pictures if you recreate this DIY!

A special mention goes to my dad for letting me borrow his tools! (There you go dad, I thanked you!)

I hope you all have an amazing day and I'll talk to you soon!

Love Megan xo

D.I.Y Twine-Strung Notice Board

 

 

Hello Craft Bugs!

 This week, I was gifted a copy of 'The Art of Handmade Living' by Willow Crossley. This book is filled with 40 of the most gorgeous craft ideas for decorating your home. I just couldn't help but be completely inspired to create some of these ideas. I've decided that for today's post, I'll show you all how to make this notice board found in Willows book, but I've put my own little twist on it!

 

You will need:

 



• An old frame- you may have one somewhere in your house like I did. If not, you will be able to find plenty at an Opp shop/ Thrift shop or Market
• Ruler, Scissors and a pencil
• A hot glue gun/ some screw eyes
• Twine
• Mini craft pegs

***

Lets get started!

 



 

Firstly, You will need to decide how many rows of twine you are going to have running across the length of the frame. Work out how far apart you would like your twine to be and make a light pencil mark on each side of the frame.

 

Next, Use your hot glue gun to glue your twine where you had marked your frame. Make sure you pull the twine tight so it doesn't hang loosely on your board!

 

Alternatively, you can use screw eyes to screw into the frame where you placed your marks. Then, simply tie the twine so it is secure.

 

Once you've finished this step, cut off any excess twine. 

 



A backing for your board isn't compulsory, but I chose to use a piece of fabric I had to make it a bit more girly and fun!

 

If you would like to do this too, just grab a piece of fabric and cut it so it's a couple of inches larger than your backing sheet. Lay the fabric over the sheet and put the frame on top, then close the clamps to secure your fabric.

 

 

Don't forget to add your mini craft pegs!

 

 

 

And that's it! You can choose to decorate your notice board however you want to!

 

I hope you enjoyed this quick and easy DIY- I'd love to hear your thoughts on this weeks craft project! Also, If you've got any other ideas for future craft posts, please let me know!

 

 

Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you back here for another post on Monday! 

 

Love Megan xo 

 

 

 

D.I.Y Hanging Phone Holder

 

Hello everyone!

Today I'm sharing with you all this adorable solution for keeping your charging phone protected.. 
 

I saw this DIY on Pinterest and just fell in love with the concept.. unfortunately I don't speak German so interpreting the tutorial proved to be a little difficult. I spent a fair bit of time looking for a similar tutorial and didn't have much luck. The ones I found had unclear instructions or they didn't look as good. I finally found this tutorial and thought it seemed easy enough and was absolutely adorable! So here we go!

For this project, you'll need:

Fabric (I recommend 1 print and 1 plain fabric)
Batting/ Fusible interfacing
Sewing Machine or needle and thread
Scissors & a seam ripper
A pencil

Step 1: Cut out a rectangle from your two fabrics and your wadding. The original tutorial used 12" x 6" but I found it was too small to fit my iPhone 5. I adapted it to 16" x 6" but you can use any size you'd like to fit your devices.

If I were to do it again, I would probably make it 14" x 6" because I found mine to be slightly too big.

 

Step 2: Lay your batting flat and place one of the fabric pieces on top with the right side up. Then place the second piece of fabric faced down on the top so the right sides are together. Pin them so they stay in place.

 

Step 3: Sew around the edges with a 1/4" seam allowance. Remember to leave a few inches unsewn for turning.

 

Step 4: Turn the piece right side out and iron it flat. Then, top stich around the sides to close the gap and give a finished look to the edges.

 

 

Step 5: Fold up the bottom to create a pocket. Make sure your phone will fit nicely before pinning the pocket into place.

 

Step 6: Sew over the top stitching on each side to secure your pocket.

Step 7: To make the hole for your charger plug, you must first measure to ensure you make a hole large enough. Trace around the four sides of your plug using a pencil. 

 

Step 8: Use a tight zig-zag stitch to sew around your traced shape.

 

Step 9: Use a seam ripper to start a hole in the centre of your traced shape, then cut around the centre of the square getting as close to the stitching as you can.

 

Ta da!

 

 

 

I absolutely adore this project and found it sew easy! Let me know if you make this DIY... As always, i'd love to see your pictures!

Happy sewing!

Love Megan xo