Binding Made Easy

Binding can be quite confusing and intimidating, especially when working on smaller projects. You cut your binding, fold it as required, stitch it to your round project, and then reach the point where you need to join the ends of the binding. This part can be tricky and messy. Yes, you can join the ends and then use a decorative ribbon to cover the seam. But what if I told you that you could make a loop/joined binding that fits your round project precisely and makes this job a breeze? 

Slow Hand Sewing

I find slow hand sewing calming, soothing, and deeply rewarding. The pleasure of slow hand sewing is undeniable: piecing delicate fabrics together, listening to the thread pull through, and watching tiny scraps create an entirely new design held together with tiny stitches.

A Story of a Small Label

If you have followed my work over the years, you will know how much I adore making small labels from linen scraps with an addition of delicate stitches. There is something deeply satisfying about creating these "miniature signatures" - those small but meaningful touches that add soul to a handmade piece and make it unmistakably yours.

Tutorial: Seamless Snap Pouch

This compact yet surprisingly spacious pouch is an easy-to-sew design that is both simple and practical, coming together in just a few hours. Its straightforward construction and secure snap closure make it perfect for anyone looking to create something useful in no time. Whether as an everyday accessory or a thoughtful handmade gift, the Seamless Snap Pouch effortlessly blends practicality with handmade charm.

Tutorial: Hello, Kloosha! Easter Ornament

With just a few days before Easter you still have time to make this cute chicken ornament that is perfect for hanging on your Easter tree or using it as a charming decoration in your home. The best part is, all you need is a small piece of fabric and some embroidery floss to make this sweet chicken. So why not give it a try and bring a smile to your face this Easter season!

Here's what you'll need:

• 2 pieces 5" x 5.5" of lightweight or medium weight linen or quilting cotton in natural colour
• Embroidery floss in dark brown, red, yellow, pink and green
• Embroidery needles
• Soft fill
• Sewing accessories
• Optional: A small piece of ribbon or string if you want to make a hanging ornament

NOTE: The bottom of the chicken is rounded so it won't stand upright on its own. However, after you finish your chicken, you can gently push the bottom in to give it a flatter bottom so it can stand leaning against something or even on its own. If you would like to turn this ornament into a pincushion, you can fill the bottom part with rice.

1. To start, download and print out the chicken template at the bottom of this page. Cut out the template.

2. Put two pieces of linen right sides together. Centre the template on sandwiched pieces, pin it and trace it with a water/heat removable pen. Mark the opening.

3. Set the stitch length to 1.8 (or the one shorter than you sew with) on your machine and stitch on the marked line. Backstitch the start and the end of the seam.

4. Trim the seam allowance to about 1/8" and clip the curves and corners.

5. Carefully turn the chicken right side out, pushing all the corners out gently. Using a small amount of soft fill, fill the chicken until it's plump and firm. Do not overstuff it.

6. Sew the opening closed by hand with a Ladder stitch.

7. Use a running stitch and two strands of brown embroidery floss to trace the shape of the chicken on both sides. Then use two strands of red floss and long straight stitches to add the comb, two strands of yellow floss to add the beak. For the eye use brown floss and Colonial knots.

Optional: You can add flowers on the side of the chicken. For the flowers I used two strands of floss and used a Lazy Daisy stitch and Colonial knots.

Here you have it a cute chicken Easter ornament. You can easily enlarge the pattern and make chickens of various sizes. You can add a ribbon loop if you would like to hang your chicken on a tree. Happy sewing and happy Easter!

Larisa xo

Denim Kindle Sleeve. Part 1

If you have been following me for a while, you might know that I love simple makes. Makes that take little time to finish, makes that can be used and makes that can be beautify with cute details. I have been working with denim this week as a part of Sew Easy Summer Sew Along for Sip Tea and EPP and it's been fun. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it is to sew with denim.

Get your Stash Ready

I am happy to welcome all of you to the first week of our Summer Sew Along. It feel a bit strange writing Summer as it is Winter here in Australia. :-) I hope you had a chance to go through your textiles and select a few items that you think you might use for repurposing during the Sew Easy Sew Along "Ideas and inspirations for working with recycled materials" for Sip Tea and EPP with Irina @nordiccrafter and Larisa @stitchingnotes.

Spring Mystery Project Sew Along: Final Week

Welcome back to the final week of the Spring Mystery Sew Along with Irina @nordiccrafter and I (Larisa @stitchingnotes)! We are delighted to see so many of you working on your pouches and adding the final finishing touches. We absolutely love seeing your creativity blossoming and your desire to challenge yourselves with new skills.

Spring Mystery Project Sew Along

The long awaited Spring Mystery Project Sew Along for Sip Tea and EPP will start next Thursday, April 7th, 2022 and we hope you can join us this time as well and have some fun sewing together with us.

Sip Tea and EPP Sew Along

Hello my dear friends! It's been forever since I have posted anything here and I have truly missed this space. It's been a challenging year for many of us and it affected us all in different ways. For me it was a loss of creativity. That little spark that drove me to stay up late at night and create something new was hardly shining. Hopefully life is going back its normal pace and I do feel that my tiny spark of creativity is beginning to shine brighter.

Tutorial: Baby Book

Hello my dear friends! Today I would like to share with you this darling little make that I was planning to write a tutorial about for over five years. When my LO was born, I made him a simple baby book that he still finds amusing, and sometimes reads in bed.

EPP Necessities Sew Along

Welcome to English Paper Piecing Necessities Sew Along!

I am very excited to be sewing with all of you together over the next one month! This is a low key relaxed sew along that will be running for 4 weeks on Instagram from the 4th of February til the 28th of February by the hosts of the Sip Tea and EPP party Irina and I.

Tutorial: A Needlebook with a Hexagon Flower

I love small and quick makes that require little time to complete and let you fuss with tiny details. With the Sip Tea and EPP party in full swing, I get constantly asked where to start if you are new to English Paper Piecing and not sure what to make with all the hexagons you are making. I thought that I would share with you an updated version of the Stitching Notes Needlebook that you can beautify with a hexagon flower. It is small and it would fit perfectly in any project bag, pouch or your EPP box. I hope that this small make would be a good starting point for you,  and it would inspire you to give English Paper Piecing technique a go and open to you a new exciting world of slow hand stitching. 

Zakka Wool Applique Book Tour

Welcome to the Zakka Wool Applique book tour! This is the fourth book by Minki Kim, published with C & T Publishing, and it is a pure delight. The name "Zakka Wool Applique" speaks for itself, this book is filled with darling projects and cute felt applique motifs. What I love the most about this book is that it sparks your imagination and gives you sweet ideas that you can easily include in your own projects. This book is available in both digital and paper formats.

Tip of the Day: Fabric Grain

What is the fabric grain? What does it mean to cut the fabric on the straight or cross grain? How to find the right grain especially if you work with tiny pieces of fabric without a directional pattern? Why do you need a bias binding? Keep reading if you would like to know the answers to these questions and hopefully by the end of this post you will learn something useful and helpful.

New Adventure

Hello my dear friends! It's been a very long time since I have posted any of my work here, but I thought I would pop in to say hello and tell you about a new and happy adventure on my creative journey. It took me a very long time, but finally I am doing what I love, what makes me, as a creative person, even more happier.