CD-ROM Rosettes

Remember about this time last year when I went on my Frayed Rosettes bender? Well, the snip/tear/roll urge has hit me one again, but this time I wanted to do something even larger, grander, and...ummm...less labor intensive (hey, my house is on the market..a lot of my energy is spent swiffering dog hair and firing up LED tealights for showings). Anyway, I came up with something fun, fast and completely giftable (my mom is in town and she says so...the prototypes are already in her suitcase, so that is a good sign)!




All you need to make these big, beautiful rosettes are 1) an old, scratched up CD, 2) about 1/4 yard of fabric and 3) a hot glue gun.




For the demo, I used gorgeous, hot-off-the-press pink Maeve from Jennifer's Queen Street line. To start out with a nice even torn edge, you will need to snip an inch or so above the cut edge, then grasp either side of the snip and tear (for more details on snipping and tearing, download the Frayed Rosettes tutorial).




Once you have this edge, you can start tearing off the components for your rosette.




Make your initial snip about 1/2" from your torn edge and rip.




This will give you a thin, stringy piece.




Then snip and rip about 2" from the edge. Repeat.

At this point you should have one stringy skinny piece and two wider pieces.




Squirt a drop of glue near the center of the CD, and stick the end of the stringy piece into place as shown above. Normally, I would give you hot gluing action shots, but my glue gun is a hot mess! So I'm substituting with arrows...they indicate where the hot glue should be applied.




Bring the stringy piece through the hole so you have exactly seven wraps (no more, no less).




Flip the CD over to the other side and glue the stringy piece into place and trim. You should have exactly seven wraps on that side too.




Tie the end of one of the wider strips into a loose knot.




Tuck the tail into the knot, and add a drop of glue to hold it in place.




Glue the knot to the center ring of the CD.




Now for the fun part! Weave the strip between the wraps (go over the first one, go under the next one, etc, etc).



For best results, keep the material loose and fluffy for those first wraps, then gradually tighten up as you get further from the center. This will give a more authentic domed rosette shape.




Try to keep the wraps evenly spaced as you go along.




When the first strip runs out, tuck the end under the adjacent "petal" and glue.




Pinch the end of the second strip, and glue it into place right next to the end of the first strip.




Weave this strip in and out until you get to the end. Tuck and glue the end into place. Arrange the outer edge petals so that they cover up any glimpses of the shiny CD. Glue wherever you see fit.





If you want to cover up the back, simply trace around another CD on felt. Cut the felt circle out, and glue it to the back of the CD.


That is really all there is to it...experiment with solids, prints...or even other materials.




Here is a tulle rosette (I used 180" of the 6" wide tulle that comes on a roll, but I doubled it up to make the process go faster).




I also tried it with shiny wired ribbon (90% off bargain post-Christmas at JoAnn's last year), and it will make a beautiful bow alternative!

I'm plotting all kinds of things to do with these big, fun rosettes...make brooches, stick 'em on walls, use them as ornaments...etc!

Bias Tape Breakthrough!

I have bias tape on the brain because our next Sis Boom pattern requires significant amounts of it :) . I'm not ready to spill the design details yet, but I will share my recent personal progress in bias tape making.

Generally, when a pattern calls for bias tape, I just run out and buy it. Most fabric stores carry an array of colors and widths, and I can usually find something that works for the project. But for this project, I really really really wanted to use fun prints for the bias binding.

A few months ago, one of my sewing friends mentioned that I needed a bias tape maker. Well, I thought she was talking about one of those expensive automated appliances that cost about as much as a basic sewing machine. I filed it in my brain as a "maybe someday when I have more money in the bank and a really amazing coupon" thing. Turns out she was referring to a simple little notion that you can find in the quilting section of your favorite fabric store for well under $10! Pictured above is a 1" (25 mm) bias tape maker. It is perfect for making what is known as 1/2" double-fold (or extra wide) bias tape.

I'm going to take you through the bias tape making process from start to finish...don't worry, it won't take that long! I particularly love striped bias tape, so I used Siobahn from the Poodle line for this tutorial. The first step of course is to cut the bias strips. I'm starting out here with exactly 3/4 yard (27") of 45" wide fabric. I've cut away the selvedges, so it is more like 43" wide.

Fold one of the short edges up to meet one of the long edges. For best results, press the fold.

Next, bring the top and bottom corners together as shown in the pic above. Align the folded edges. Again, press the newly formed fold for best results.

Now, place this most recent fold on your cutting board (which is hopefully larger and less defaced than mine).




Use a rotary cutter and a clear ruler to cut off 1/4" beyond the fold. This will give you a nice straight guideline for cutting your strips.




Cut 1.75" wide strips through the folded and single thickness layers. The first cut will yield two strips: one that is about 37" long and one that is about 34" long. With each cut, the second strip will get about 3" shorter, but the first will remain at 37".




Basically, you just keep cutting until you get enough bias tape for your project. Here is a little cheat sheet for a 3/4 yard starting rectangle (numbers are approximate).

1 cut = 71"
2 cuts = 139"
3 cuts = 203"
4 cuts = 263"




To join the pieces, put two ends together as shown in the pic above. If you can't get two ends to do this, try the other end of one strip. Make sure there are little dog-ears that are just over .25" long on each side.




Stitch together, 1/4" the aligned edges. Press the seam open, and trim away any overhangs.

OK, so far I haven't discussed anything truly revolutionary. Now we are getting into the fun stuff...

The first time I tried using a bias tape maker, I was a little disappointed. I followed the manufacturer's instructions to the letter, but I kept getting uneven, wrinkly bias tape. Part of the problem was that I wasn't a very good "driver" along the tape and the folds were coming out very inconsistent. I couldn't really figure out the cause of the wrinkles, however. I did a little experimenting, and now I am getting picture perfect bias tape every time :) .



The uneven fold fix: If you are a wild driver like me, I highly recommend folding your bias strips in half lengthwise and pressing to create a crease. The crease acts as a guideline for drawing the fabric through the bias tape maker.




Insert the pointed end of the strip into the wide end of the tape maker. If needed, you can coax the fabric through the small end with the tip of a straight pin. It is a little hard to see in the photo, but there is an opening in the center top of the tape maker. As you make your tape, the crease should be visible in this window all times so that you get nice even folds.




Now for the wrinkle fix: The illustration on the packaging shows the iron a few inches away from the short end of the tape maker (even though the corresponding text says to keep the iron close to the tape maker). I've found that the side of the iron needs to be smack dab against the tape maker opening to get nice flat tape. In fact, rather than pulling on the tape maker as shown in the illustration, I just use the iron to push the tape maker along the tape, and I use my other hand to keep the crease centered. It really helps to go slowly and use lots of steam.




And here is the result - perfect 1" wide single fold bias tape with .25" folds!

But we want double fold, right?....



Easy - just fold in half lengthwise and press. Depending on how you will be using the tape, you can simply align the folded edges. However, if you want to make bias tape that is just like store-bought, make sure that one edge protrudes slightly (1/16 of an inch or so) beyond the other.




For a great explanation as to why store-bought bias tape is like this, check out Angry Chicken's hilarious and very informative video tutorial!

Rosetta Bag pattern is here!

Product Description: We've got a bag that is SO fun to carry around and makes you feel SO special...everyone will have to have one! After getting oodles of comments on a great customer creation we blogged several months ago, we decided to come up with our own take on the feminine ruffle bag. You can make it with a single gorgeous fabric, or mix and match for an eclectic look. We love embellishing the top band with velvet ribbon or lace. The look works beautifully with vintage jewelry. It comes in three sizes - mini (S), purse (M), and tote (L)! There are three options for edge finishing (overlocked, narrow hemmed, and double thickness ruffles), so don’t worry if you don’t have a serger! And despite the elegant look, this bag is easy-peasy to put together. Combined with all the new choices of Sis Boom Fabrics, this pattern is going to open up all kinds of possibilities for our handbag makers!!!



Girls of all ages love this bag, which is now available on YouCanMakeThis.com! Pictured above is my gorgeous little neighbor donning her Sophie Tunic and showing off the small-sized bag.

The testers did an outstanding job on their bags:



Tom used a combination of Sis Boom prints and baby wale corduroy to make this rich, fallish medium-sized bag. His wife Angie loves it and so do we!!!




Stacey used a romantic mix of roses and diamonds for her gorgeous bag...so feminine and pretty!




Shannon used bright, happy prints and a touch of denim to make this great tote. She took it to the International Quilt Festival in Houston, and she said she could have sold it right off her arm many times over!




Here is Mindy's drool-worthy creation. I love love love the fabric combo, and look how she centered the monogram in the motif? So classic yet modern and fun!





Jeanne's tote bag is so heavenly! The pink satin ribbon is just perfect with the pastels.





Marlo made the small-sized bag for her darling daughter Nikki. Nik is a huge Sis Boom fan, and she is obsessed with the LeAnn print from the Dance With Me line. That girl has great taste!




And last but not least, Cathy concocted this very sweet mini bag for carrying around her essentials. The color combo is so Cathy, and I just love the happy rick rack trim!

Now is the time to get going on holiday sewing and these bags would make great gifts! Get the pattern here, and then show off your creations in Sis Boom Sightings and the Scientific Seamstress showcase!