Repairing Robin 2021

Please note that this was written before Boris ordered the Pandemic to be over by the other Monday. Being a mere muggle I am still wearing my mask.

 Repairing Robin 2021

Maintenance is something that never stops.

Not Holding

The more complex a project is the more likely it is to go wrong or need maintaining. For some reason I found my Christmas Robin kept getting flattened by Pumpkin Patch.

Velcro Undone

 

At first I thought it might be something due to the constant washing. However I found that some of the Stitching had come away and in parts the Velcro was Undone.

Sew from Inside

 

Normally this would be a simple fix. However because I didn’t want to accidentally Sew the two Pictures together I had to Sew from the Inside.

Melted Eye

 

Another thing I spotted was the Eye. Obviously whilst not thinking I had Ironed over the Eye by mistake and Melted it. I now know what was on my Iron. I could clean it so had to buy a new one.

Repaired Robin

I Stuck a New Eye on the Robin and after washing I made sure I pressed everything around it this time. Voila one Repaired Robin.

Cooper Concoctions 2021 Part 5

 Cooper Concoctions 2021 Part 5

Carrying on with this Concoction

Hem to Rip

 

After finishing the Bottom I can start on the sides. Not a task I am looking forward to. One side was reasonably easy to Hem. However I was slightly careless on the other side when cutting.

I have taken a piece out which I will need to sort. For the mean time I am just going to Hem up to that point.

Blanket Stitch to Rip

 

I have decided the best thing to do is to put the material back to back and Hem up to the Rip.

Pin Diagonally

 

I folded the Ripped side Diagonally and Hemmed. Once that was done I Pinned the other side to match. Then I could carry on Blanket Stitching to the Top

Glue Velcro

 

This time I have decided to have Velcro to Open and Close the Bag. I am sticking it on with Fabric Glue. I have Glued one side and stuck it down.

I am now going to Glue it on the Top of the Velcro then place the material firmly down on it.

Weigh Down

In order to hold it in place I have Weighed it down using my Iron until the Glue sets.

Secure Velcro

The final part is to Secure the Velcro. I do this by Stitching all the way around both parts of the Velcro. 

Finished Bag Front

 

Finished Bag Back

There we have it another finished bag.

A Tale of Two Masks 2020 Part 3

 A Tale of Two Masks 2020 Part 3

This blog has been a little difficult to photograph and write due to the 3D. I hope that you will be able to follow it.

Finding Centre

 

The placing of the Pumpkin has to be precise. I therefore had to find the Centre not only of the Width of the Mask but also of the Height.

Sew Half

 

I then Sewed the Top Half of the Pumpkin in Place using a Backstitch. I had to do this little by little. I needed to make sure that the Robin wouldn’t over hang above or below when added.

Add Velcro

Next I had to add Velcro so the Top and Bottom of the Pumpkin would hold together when Folded.

Half and Half

 

I then added the Velcro to the Robin. I had to do this before Sewing the Robin in place. I did this at the far edge of the Velcro as I didn’t want the Stitching to catch when opening and closing it.

First I Sewed the Bottom of the Pumpkin the Top of the Robin back to back. Again I did this bit by bit to make sure that I wasn’t off Centre.

Once satisfied that it would Fold correctly I Sewed the Bottom of the Robin to the Mask.

Happy Halloween

 

After washing and pressing my Pumpkin is ready for Halloween

And Merry Christmas

After the Mask was dry I re-added the Eye that had come off – this time using a stronger glue. I will have to wash the Mask at low temperature to prevent it coming off again.

I tried the Mask on the other day and it was a huge success. I am therefore extremely happy with the end result.

Dionne’s Draught Excluder 2019 - Part 18

Dionne’s Draught Excluder 2019 - Part 18

Nearly there.

Sew through 3 Layers

I needed to attach the Head to the Body now it was in place. I decided to do the Bottom half first. I am using a Blanket Stitch as usual.

First of all I place the Body and Head on it’s Side. In order to make it secure I am passing the Needle through the Bottom Flap then through the Body and then Top Flap. I do this as far as I can on both Sides

Sew Head Flap

 

I then continue in Blanket Stitch Sewing the Bottom Flap to the Body. This joins the two Sides and now the whole of the Bottom Flap is Sewn and the Body cannot move.

Measure Velcro

To make sure I place the Ears in the correct position I have to have to add the legs. This will make it sit properly. Unfortunately I have lost the other half of my Velcro. Therefore I had to measure the half that I had already Sewn and cut two new pieces. Then I sewed the pieces to the Body.

Pin Ears

I move the Ears into different positions until I am satisfied. I then Pin both Ears in place to double check.

Pin Ear

The Pin is holding the Ear in place whilst I make a start. I keep switching between Sewing the Front of the Ear and the Back of the Ear.

This is because the Pin is only holding the Ear very loosely. After initially Sewing the Front and Back of the Ear to the Body I remove the Pin. I now can Sew the Ear more securely.

Sewn Ear

I have now Sewn one Ear in place. Then Sew the Front of the Head Flap to the Body as Far as the Ear. I then Sew the other Ear in place and do the same.

Two Bunny Ears

After Sewing the two Ears in place and the Front Flap to them I can continue across and Sew the rest of the Flap to the Body.

Easter Bunny

The final part is to add the Eyes. I have bought some Googly Eyes and I Glue them in place. I normally wipe down any gift I give however with the Corona Virus this time I am using Anti-Bacterial Wipes.

Bunny in Situe

After it is dried. I take to my friend and here it is in situe.

Dionne’s Draught Excluder 2019 - Part 6

Dionne’s Draught Excluder 2019 - Part 6

Now the Legs and Thighs are Attached I can start on the next bit.

Thigh Tube Closed

Last time I had added the Leg and Thigh together and sewn at an angle. This left part of the Tube loose and untidy. If you look at the bottom of the photograph above you can see this clearly.

In order to tidy this area I bent the loose part back on itself. Then I Sewed it to the Thigh as show at the top of the photograph. I did this with all four but I made sure that each pair was Folded opposite. If I hadn’t one side of the Body would look untidy.

End Measurement

The next part of course is to add the Thighs to the Body. However getting the right Height was essential. Too High and it would flap about and too low it would be trailing on the floor.

Mark Attachment Area

After I had puffed out the Body by slipping it over a water bottle I now had a 3 Dimensional image to work with. I could then place the Thigh against the Body and Mark where to Attach.

Velcro Thigh

In previous Draught Excluders I have Sewn the Legs in Place. However this time I decided to use Velcro. I felt that this would give me more leeway when Attaching the Thigh.

You see I have carpet but the recipient has hard flooring. Therefore there would be a slight difference in Height. I always think better safe than sorry.

Thigh Attached

With the other side of the Velcro (The Loop) Sewn on the Body I can now put them together.  One Thigh Attached Three to go.

Incidentally I decided to use the Velcro that way around as it meant the Body would be softer.

Owl say that’s an unusual Yule Gift 2018/19 – Part 2

Owl say that’s an unusual Yule Gift 2018/19 – Part 2

If you haven’t guessed what I am making yet maybe the next few pictures will give you a clue.

Foam Circle Cut Out

  

I take some Foam approximately a thumb joint thick. I draw two Circles and cut them out.

Stick Foam Pad

 

If you look carefully at the above photograph you should be able to see one of the Inner Circles that I drew.

This is because before sticking the Pad down I have shaped it slightly. I do not want the Foam to be flat. I want it to be slightly Dome Shaped

I made the Dome Shape a little piece at a time as I didn’t want the curve to be too sharp.

Tie Dry

Once I had finally got the shape I wanted then stuck a Foam Pad to each piece of Owl material. I have tied the Strips around it whilst it dries.

Purple Material

I have cut out two circles of Purple Material which I place over the Dome I then stick them to the Foam. Since the item is Circular the material needs to be folded over slightly.

Underside of Pads Part Sewn

In the photo above you can see that the material is folded over at an angle following the curvature of the Foam. The Pad on the right is not quite dry yet.

Tools of the Trade

One thing you have to be sure of is to use the right tools when crafting. I am trying to sew through both Foam and PVC material and in consequence have broken two of my needles.

Fortunately I possess quite a few. I have changed to my leather work needles to work with.

Owl Material Drawn

I sew around the material with my leather-work thread and then I pull it tighter. It now reminds me a little bit of a shower cap.

Velcro

 

When I had finished with the Pads I turned my attention to the Strips around it. I trimmed and hemmed the ends of the Strips then proceeded to add Velcro to them.

I stuck the Velcro on with glue then I waited for it to dry. Next I sewed around the edges of the Velcro to make sure they were secure.

Velcro Wrapped

Since these Strips are going to be Straps I had to make sure that I put the Velcro on the right way. Therefore I did one strap at a time.

I found that one part of the Velcro had to be on Top of the Strip and the other half had to be on the Bottom.

The above photograph shows this better than describing it. The left one is just stuck together. The right one is wrapped up to be tidy.

There you have it a pair of customised Owl Knee Pads.