Introduction:
The Pansy Fan Needlebook consists of the following parts:
Step 1:
Cut your pattern pieces:
Click on image for full-size pattern to
print
[Note: Be sure to print patterns with a 1:1 ratio, or open and print them
in your graphics program.]
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Piece #1 - From this pattern piece cut one of fabric for the back of the needlebook and two of fabric for the inside front and inside back of the needlebook |
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Piece #2 - From this pattern piece cut two of fabric for the inside pockets. [Note: You may wish to cut this piece with the cut edge on the fold for stronger pockets, or so that you do not have to finish the edge of the pocket fabric or to make it easier to finish the edge of the pockets.] Finish the edge of the pockets with a decorative stitch on your sewing machine, by stitching with a handmade buttonhole stitch, or attach lace to finish the edge. If your fabric tends to ravel, seal the edge with a thin line of seam sealant, a small zig-zag stitch, or hand overcasting before finishing. If desired, mark the line of stitching that creates two pockets, and mark the center line. You may wish to make two small pockets on the front, and leave one large pocket on the back. [Note: You may wish to use wide lace for pockets. In that event, you don't need to cut this pattern piece.] |
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Piece #3 - Print this pattern piece twice, tape it together in the center, and cut one of batting. [Note: The batting is cut so that it does not reach the seam allowance. This is because the seam allowances and cording need space to "turn". It is wise to use 100% cotton or wool batting as polyester batting draws moisture and may cause needles to rust.] |
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Piece #4 - From this pattern piece cut two on the fold for needlebook pages. If you are using woven fabric, make sure that the fold is on the straight-of-grain (lengthwise threads) or if necessary, the cross-grain (crosswise threads). Mark the fold with a pin or a chalk line, as this will be important later on when matching the pages up properly in the center of the needlebook. [Note: The pages are cut so that they do not extend outside the needlebook, and so that when closed, the inner page does not extend past the outside page. Your pages should be made of 100% cotton flannel, wool flannel, wool felt, or soft wool fabric. Polyester felt, batting and fabric will draw moisture and may cause needles to rust.] |
Step 2:
Embellish your pansy fan print:
Line your pansy fan print with 100% cotton flannel, 100% cotton sheeting, or backing of your choice. Baste the edges by hand to prevent the silk from moving around on the backing as you stitch. You may wish to add a thin line of seam sealant along the edges to prevent fraying during handling. You may also wish to use a temporary spray bond to hold your print to the backing fabric. You will notice that some of the pansies on the pansy fan print are rather large. Because these pansies will not show through the embellishment, you may wish to make two smaller pansies or one large and one small pansy to cover the space of one printed pansy. Likewise, you may choose to add pansy buds here and there. 7mm ribbon was used in a variety of colors for the needlebook shown. You may wish to use one color palette, or make a variety of pansies in different color combinations.
Pansy Buds:
To make pansy buds, first add a stem that has a "hook" on the
end, so that the bud will point downward (more or less). At the end of the
hooked stem, either add a padded straight stitch, or gather a small piece
of ribbon approximately 1-1/2" inches long. With 4mm green ribbon,
add a calyx by making a straight stitch on either side of the bud, and then
one in the center.
[Note: The bud on the sample was made according to
the stem of the bud that appears on the silk print. You may decide to add
more buds of your own.]
Leaves:
The sample does not have leaves, but you may certainly add them if you wish with 7mm ribbon.
Outlining edge of green section of fan:
The sample was embellished with a single strand of taupe-colored floss in a back-stitch along the edge of the green portion of the fan. Additionally a French Knot was added at the center where the spokes are fastened. You may wish to add other embellishment at the bottom part of the fan.
Step 3:
Finishing the edges of your pages:
If you are using wool felt, you may choose to leave the edges of your pages as they are. Or you may choose to "pink" the edges of your pages (even if they are made of woven fabric) with pinking shears. Another alternative is to run a very thin line of seam sealant on the edges, and then when dry, embellish with a handmade buttonhole stitch. You may also choose to finish the edges of your pages with a decorative stitch on your sewing machine, a small zig-zag stitch, or cover with bias. You may even choose to finish the edges with bias ribbon, which is very pretty. [Note: It is very important that you do not "lose" the points on either side of the pages that you marked with a pin. You may choose to replace the pin with a stitch of colored thread that you can remove later.]
Step 4:
Get your pockets ready:
Finish the cut edge of the pockets with a stitch on your sewing machine, a small zig-zag, or add a piece of lace. You may also choose to finish the edges by hand with a tiny rolled hem, or with a handmade buttonhole stitch. If you are adding a handmade buttonhole stitch, you may wish to add a thin line of seam sealant to keep the edge from unraveling. In the alternative, you may have chosen to place the cut edge of the pocket on the fold of the fabric, making it easier to finish the edge of the pocket.
Lines have been added to the pocket pattern pieces to create pockets. Stitching each of these plus the center line will create four pockets on this strip. You may decide that you want two pockets on one half of the piece, and one large pocket on the other half of the piece. And you may decide to reverse the placement of the pockets on the other pocket. In other words, you may choose to have two pockets on the left and one on the right on the inside front, and then reverse the placement of the pockets on the inside back. A good choice is to add the chalk lines, and then just brush them away later when you have made your final decisions about how many pockets you want to have, and where you want them placed.
Step 5:
Creating the pattern from the embellished pansy fan print:
With a see-through ruler, mark a line that is 7/8" away from the bottom right side of the fan, paralell with the bottom edge of the dark brown fan blade. You will notice that the left side of the pansy fan is slightly higher, and does not have the dark brown fan blade. Make sure that the line drawn 7/8" away from the bottom right side of the fan extends evenly all the way to the left side of the print. This is important so that the pansy print sits evenly on your pattern piece.
Line up the edge of your ruler and make a cross-mark on the line you just drew that is centered on the French Knot where the pansy fan blades are fastened.
Line up Pattern Piece # 1 with the line that you just drew with your ruler, making sure that the center point on the pattern piece matches the center point cross-mark that you drew on the pansy fan print. This will make sure that the pansy fan print is centered on your pattern piece. Make sure to double check the placement of the fan on the pattern piece--once you trim the silk print, it may be difficult to straighten the placement.
Step 6:
Constructing the needlebook:
Join the front and the back:
Join the embellished pansy fan print to the back piece with a 1/2" seam allowance at the "spine." Press the seam open being careful not to press the embellishment. (Smashed pansies are not attractive, and you don't want to run any risks of the silk ribbon not fluffing out again later.) DO NOT IRON. Press with an up and down lifting motion. Ironing, by moving the iron back and forth over the fabric, may cause the silk to stretch.
Add the piping:
Check your piping to make sure that the seam allowance is 1/2".
If not, trim it back.
[Note: Measuring the seam allowance on piping can
be tricky at best. To measure 1/2" seam allowance, lay the piping so
that the piping falls over the sharp edge of a book. Now you will be able
to use your see-through ruler to mark 1/2" from the line of stitching
that formed the piping, and trim off the excess.]
Start positioning the piping at the center back of the needlebook,
by placing a pin at the exact center and leaving a tail of piping about
2" long. [Note: the method used to meet the ends
of the piping for this needlebook will be the overlap method. You may prefer
to find instructions about how to unravel and re-wrap the ends of the piping
so as to have a smooth piping with no visible "join." I do not
recommend placing the join at the spine of the needlebook, as this will
cause too much bulk and your needlebook will not close evenly.] Clip
the piping at intervals so that it will ease around the edge of the needlebook.
Do not stretch the piping, or it will shrink back when the needlebook is
finished, causing ripples. As you clip the piping, allowing it to open at
the outer edge, make sure that the outer edge of the piping stays lined
up with the outer edge of the seam allowance for needlebook. Depending on
what fabrics you are using, you may find that the piping and needlebook
fabric are a very slippery combination. You may wish to run two rows of
hand basting (one at the outter edge and another just inside the line of
stitching that formed the piping) to hold the piping while you machine stitch
it in place. As you position the piping around the needlebook and reach
your starting point, overlap the piping about 1/4", pin in place, and
leave a tail of piping about 2" long.
Sew slowly around the edge of the needlebook with the piping facing up,
using a zipper foot so that you can stitch exactly on the line of stitching
that formed the piping. Don't try to stitch around the edge in one-fell
swoop, pulling the needlebook around under the presser foot. Instead, sew
a few stitches and then stop. Raise the presser foot, turn the needlebook,
and then lower the presser foot and stitch a few more stitches. Continue
on around the needlebook, stopping about 1" before the place where
you began stitching. [Note: The reason for stopping
and lifting the presser foot to turn the needlebook is that the needlebook
pieces are on the bias. Pulling the needlebook under the presser foot may
seriously stretch and distort the needlebook, so that when it is finished
and has a chance to relax, it may become rippled. Also, if it becomes stretched
as you pull and sew, it may stay stretched and misshapen, leaving you with
a less-than-perfect needlebook.]
As you approach the area where you began stitching the piping, pull the
first 2" piping tail sharply to the right. Lap the second 2" piping
tail over the point where you began stitching the piping, and stitch just
until you have stitched over the first piece of piping, and then pull the
end of the piping sharply to the right. Take just a few more stitches, and
then backstitch. The two piping tails should now be overlapped and crossed.
Clip the two piping tails even with the outer edge of the needlebook. If
you are using upholstery piping that is a twisted cord, you may wish to
add a drop of seam sealant to each of the piping tails so that they do not
eventually unravel and pull out. Make sure that the seam sealant is dry
before you continue sewing the needlebook--seam sealant is very difficult
to remove and may leave a very "oogly" stain on your needlebook.
Add your Button Loop and Tassel:
Add your button loop and tassel at the center of the back, with both of them pointing toward the center of the inside back. They will turn to their rightful places after the needlebook has been sewn and turned rightside out. If you need to add a piece of tape temporarily to keep the tassel in place, first wrap the tassel in a piece of tissue paper so that it does not become bald when the tape is removed. [Note: Marie Alton, a designer, uses a pony tail holder as a button loop. I have found this to be very convenient. Just whip stitch the elastic in place on the seam allowance, making sure that there is enough of a loop to stretch over and hold your button.]
Attach the pockets:
Lay the embellished pocket pieces on the front
and back inside pieces, matching the centers. Decide where you want your
pockets and machine stitch in place. [Note:
Begin your stitching at the seam allowance, stitch down to the pocket edge,
and then backstitch. Leave very long thread tails when clipping your threads.
Thread the top thread through a needle and take it through the fabric to
the back. Tie the top thread and bobbin threads together, and trim. Repeat
this with each pocket division that you sew. This keeps little thread tails
from showing up on your pockets, leaving a neat, smooth finish.]
Now that the pockets have been applied to the front and back inside pieces,
lay them face down and trim the pocket at the sides to follow the curve
of the seam allowance on the front and back inside pieces. This will help
you as you sew the needlebook together later on.
Join the Front and Back Insides:
Put right sides of the Front and Back insides together, and sew a 1/2" seam. With the pockets being part of the seam, the seam is somewhat bulky. "Beveling" means trimming back one set of seam allowances to a shorter width than the other set(s), so that the seam lays more smoothly without losing strength. You should always bevel the seam allowances that are the furthest away from the finished surface, so that they do not show through the fabric. In this case, the seam allowances on the pocket piece should be left in place, and the seam allowances for the front and back inside pieces should be trimmed 1/8" to 1/4" so that they are a narrowerh width than the pocket piece seam allowances. Once you have trimmed the seam allowances, open the seam allowance with your fingers to semi-flatten, and then press. [Note: Again, "pressing" is not the same as "ironing." Pressing uses a laying and then lifting motion with the iron whereas ironing moves the iron over the surface of the fabric. In this case, you want to press the seam allowance, as the iron moving over the fabric may severely stretch the bias areas, leaving you with a section of the needlebook that will not match the previousy prepared section. This would be very sad. :-( ]
Add the pages:
Find the points that you marked on the pages when you first cut them out, and line them up on the stitching line that you just made on the front and back inside pieces. If you used woven fabric, this will allow the bias portions of the needlebook pages to align with the bias portions of the front and back inside pieces. In other words, it is important that the threads of fabric used for the pages run in the same direction as the threads in the fabric used for the front and back inside pieces. This is because bias stretches, where as the threads the run lengthwise do not. The threads that run cross-wise in any fabric always have more stretch than those running lengthwise, but it is the bias of the fabric that stretches the most. So what you want to achieve here, is to have threads that cross each other on one piece, lay in the same direction as threads that cross each other on another piece.
When you have the larger page aligned, center the smaller page over it, and pin in place. From the back, with a contrasting thread, sew a basting stitch in the well of the seam. This will be your stitching guide in the next step.
Add the batting:
Position the batting piece on the back of the inside front and back pieces so that it is not overlapping any seam allowances. Pin in place along the outside edges. Turn to the right side. Stitch, following your hand basting, which allows you to sew in the "well" of the seam of the front and back pieces. Make sure that your top and bottom thread matches the pages, or is the contrasting color of your choice. It helps to sew slowly so that you get a nice, straight line of stitching in the well of the seam. This becomes the "spine" of the needlebook and holds the batting in place.
Join the Insides and the Outsides:
Measure over about 2" on each side of the button loop and pin. Match the spine seamlines of the inside and outside of the needlebook, and pin. Match the center of the inside of the needlebook to the center of the buttonloop and pin. Match the center of the inside of the needlebook on the other side to the point where the tassel is attached and pin. Gently pin the rest of the needlebook *except* for the area that you have marked 2" on either side of the button loop. You should no whave two pins at the 2" marks on either side of the button loop, so that you know exactly where to start and stop your stitching.
Now make a line of small hand basting stitches exactly on the seam line between the double pins on the inside piece. Make another line of small hand basting stitches about 1/8" into the seam allowance. This is going to help you get a very even curve when you are ready to close the opening with hand stitches. Make sure that you leave long thread tails on either end of your hand bassting, and knot your thread at the fabric. This will ensure that your thread does not pull out during the turning process. You will need the long thread tails to draw up the threads later. At this point you may wish to use the tip of the iron to press under the area that you have just hand basted, folding under the seam allowance. You may choose finger press instead of using the iron tip.
Begin stitching so that you are stitching exactly on the same line of stitching that you made when you attached the piping. Sew a few stitches, back stitch, and then continue sewing. Sew slowly, and again, do not pull the needlebook under the needle to sew the curve. Instead, sew a few stitches, stop, lift the presser foot, and then sew a few more stitches. This will help ensure that your needlebook does not become distorted. As you approach the mark of the two pins (2" away from the button loop), sew up to the two pins and then backstitch to reinforce the stitching. [Note: Do not sew over pins. Serious eye injury, including blindness, could occur if your needle has become dull. While it is true that a sharp needle will not hit a pin, you do not know at what point your needle may become burred and/or dull from stitching. Always take the time to remove pins even if you have to stop your machine.]
Bevel and Clip the edges of the seam:
Now bevel the seam allowances as you did before, making sure that the shorter seam allowance is toward the inside of the needlebook. Do not clip the seam allowances at this point. Trim the seam allowance on the inside of the needlebook by 1/4". Trim the seam allowance on the piping by 1/8". You should now see that the seam allowance of the outside of the needlebook is 1/8" longer than the seam allowance on the piping, and the seam allowance on the piping is 1/8" longer than the seam allowance of the inside pages. This is what seam allowance beveling is supposed to look like.
Now you are ready to clip the seams. As you clip around the seam allowance, make sure that the shortest seam allowance is on top, so that you can make sure you are clipping it. Make sure that you do NOT clip the stitching. Clip to up to the seam line, but do not clip through it. Instead of clipping from the outside of the seam allowance toward the stitching, make sure that your clips are on the bias. This will keep the seam allowance from raveling, especially if you have fabric that ravels a lot. This is the same principle as "pinking" a fabric with pinking shears. The bias cuts help prevent fraying. So as you clip through the seam allowance, make sure that your clips to not go in the same direction as the threads--keep your clips on the bias.
Turn the needlebook:
Reach through the needlebook and grab the area where the tassel is sewn. DO NOT grab the tassel--you could rip it out, or damage it. Grab the seam allowance with your fingers, not just the fabric, and pull it slowly through the opening. Coax the sides through the opening a little at a time by putting your fingers under the fabric behind the opening. Be careful when grabbing pieces of fabric and pulling them through--pull entire folds if you can, and not small areas of fabric. Again, this is because you don't want to stretch any bias portions of the fabric or ruin any of the embellishment by inadvertently pulling the ribbon out.
Fluff the needlebook, add the button, and close the opening:
Fluff the needlebook in your hands and coax it into shape. Close and open it a few times, and use your touch to ensure that all the "innards" are in their places and that there are no lumps. This also ensures that you have not left anything inside that should not be there. :) Squish the edges of the needlebook all the way around, to make sure that there are no pins left inside. Check the tassel--it should swing freely and be securely attached. Check the button loop. It should be securely attached.
Attach your button. Here are some tips: 1) Sewing thread is directional. It should be sewn in the same direction it comes off the spool. If it doesn't, it tends to tangle a lot. Instead of doubling your thread by putting one end through the needle and then knotting, cut two strands of thread both in the same direction, and thread those two threads through the needle. You now have two threads going in the same direction, rather than one going in one direction and one going in the other as when you thread one piece through the needle and knot. Lay the thread over the top of a piece of gentle soap, put your finger down near the eye of the needle, and pull the thread through. This will coat the thread which helps it to keep from tangling. You may use beeswax if you prefer (in place of the soap), to strengthen the thread a little more while making it slip easily through the fabric. DO NOT tie a knot at the very end of the thread. Tie a knot about 4" above the end of the thread. Make a stitch on the needlebook where you want your button to be. Take another stitch to anchor the thread. Then sew on your button with a few stitches. When you are finished, put the needle through the fabric near the base of the button, and make a knot. DO NOT cut the thread. Instead, put the needle through the fabric and run it inside the needlebook along the seam allowance. Bunch the seam allowance slightly, bring out the needle, and hten clip the thread. When you release the needlebook the thread will slip back inside, and you will not have a little clipped thread sticking out to look messy. Now go back to the first thread tail. Thread it through the needle, "bury" it the same way in the needlebook by running the needle inside the seam allowance, scrunching the seam allowance slightly by pulling the thread, and then clip the thread. When you release the seam allowance the thread will go inside the needlebook, leaving you with a very nice finish, with no little clipped threads popping out.
Check the button loop.
Check to see if the button loop is tight enough. If not, take a few stitches around the base where it meets the needlebook, until it is the right size. Make sure that you hide your thread tails as before, so that you do not have little clipped threads sticking up.
Admire your work.
Stand back and admire your work. Pat yourself on the back and celebrate by eating your favorite chocolate.
Scan your needlebook.
Scan your needlebook closed. Scan your needlebook open. Make sure the pictures are under 300k, and have no more than 8 characters in the file names, with no spaces or non-alpha or non-numeric characters. Send the pictures to silkribbon@yahoogroups.com. If you get a message saying that you are not a member, JOIN!
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