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? 

Sew-Along: Meditation Scroll

Welcome to our relaxed little sew-along! No stress, no rules - just a gentle, joyful time to slow down, play with fabric scraps and threads, and craft together. Don't forget to make yourself a cup of tea, switch on some soothing music or maybe a podcast you want to listen to and let's begin. 🤗 

Let’s Make Something Sweet for Easter! 🐣

There is still time to add that special handmade touch to your Easter celebration. Why not put on some cheerful music, gather your supplies, and enjoy some peaceful crafting time? These little makes are as fun to create as they are delightful to display. With Easter just days away, I wanted to share a few of my favourite simple projects that always bring me joy.

Pink Paws Bunny Hanging Ornament

How to Make Video

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

Tutorial: Pink Paws Bunny Hanging Ornament

Easter is just around the corner, and it's the perfect time to add some sweetness to your home decor with a delightful felt bunny ornament. This simple, yet charming and fun project is sure to brighten up your day and make you smile. Whether you are an experienced crafter or just starting out, this is a perfect make for anyone who loves crafting and decorating for the holiday season. So why not grab your materials, get comfortable, and let's make something sweet together!

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.

Tutorial: Gift Tags

Welcome to our last week of Sip Tea and EPP Sew Along! It's been a wonderful adventure that we shared with Irina @nordiccrafter and all of you who joined us by sewing with us, leaving comments on our posts and simply liking our work. Thank you so very much!

Today I would like to share with you the way I make gift tags. A small gift tag can add a lot of charm and love to any gift. Once you see how easy it is to make the base for your gift tag, you would want to create tags not only for Christmas, but for any special occasion. So gather your scraps and let's get crafty!

Scandinavian Gnome and Birdhouse Christmas Ornaments

Irina @nordiccrafter and I @stitchingnotes are about to start week two of our Sip Tea and EPP Christmas Sew Along. It is a lot of fun and you still have time to join us as we are going to share more projects, more ideas and more inspirations over the next few weeks on our Instagram accounts @nordiccrafter and @stitchingnotes. Last week we shared two cute ornaments: a Scandinavian Gnome designed by Irina and Birdhouse designed by me a while back.

When Irina sent me her Scandinavian Gnome pattern for our sew along, I dropped everything I was doing at that very moment and ran to my sewing space to pick the fabrics for this make. I was too excited as I knew right away that it was going to be ADORABLE.

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.

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. 

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.

Cute Button Cards

Over the last few weeks I have been working on writing patterns and it all was going well until I started taking photos of the process. I realised that my constantly interrupted time and especially the poor lighting need some changes so I can produce photos of high quality for the patterns. I am looking for a good light box and cannot wait to continue working on some new patterns that I hope you would enjoy.

Tutorial: Lovely Postcard Coaster

Two years ago I made a set of Christmas coasters using my ever so favourite Belle and Boo fabric. I planned to use them only during the holiday season, but they turned out to be very popular, that I decided to keep them all year round. Every time the late night tea is served I tend to use only these coasters. They do bring joy and make us smile. I though it would be nice to spread the joy at this special time of the year so I wrote a quick tutorial for you to make your own Lovely Postcard Coasters.

Tutorial: Scrappy Liberty Bookmark

I know for sure that many of you (just like me) have a bag or a jar hidden somewhere in your sewing space filled with the most precious scraps. Those tiny pretty pieces that are too small to be stitched together, but still impossible to part with. Well, if you are a lucky owner of a bag or a jar like that, then this tutorial might be exactly what you need.

I am going to show you how to turn the tiniest snippets into a bookmark or maybe a gift tag, but keep your mind open and let this idea tickle your imagination and create something else using this method that doesn't require a sewing machine. Only a hot iron and a fusible web/adhesive.

Tutorial: Stitching Notes Needlebook

I am not sure about you, but I can never have enough needlebooks around. I keep one in almost every WIP (work in progress) bag or box, I have a few sitting on my shelf and they are all filled with different types of pins and needles. Apart from being cute, those tiny sewing accessories are very useful too and make a lovely gift to your sewing friends. This needlebook is very quick to make and can be easily adjusted to your needs. What I like about this needlebook is that you can decorate the front in any way imaginable - that tiny patchwork that wasn't used for anything or a precious tiny scrap of fabric as an applique, maybe an embroidery or simply your favourite fabric. I really would love this tiny make to tickle your imagination and inspire you to make your own needlebook with a cute front. OK. Off we go!

Tutorial: Cute Fabric Stamps

Recently I have been asked how I make my fabric stamps and I thought I would put together a quick step-by-step process to show you some of the tricks I use for these cute little things that can make a wonderful addition to any sewing project.

Teeny Tiny Labels

Today I would like to share with you a behind the scenes process of making cute additions to your projects - fabric labels. There are no strict instructions here, but rather an idea for you to play with and design your own labels using the same methods and tips, but mostly your imagination.

Tutorial: Prairie Points Panel

I was working on a Somerset Star the other day and was playing around with the pretty points arranging them in different layouts when I thought they looked rather cute arranged in a line. A few minutes later I was already working on one of my fabric envelopes using this Prairie Points Panel. I felt like sharing this super easy and fun idea with you all that you can use it in different project as a focus element using all sorts of pretty scraps. OK, let's get started!

Sweet Strawberry Mini Block

It's tiny. It's cute and it's very sweet. Do you like strawberries? I do! I have been a little bit obsessed with painting mice and strawberries over the last few weeks and one night (instead of sleeping of course) I ended up making this tiny block that I call "Sweet Strawberry". My so Big now Boy called it an "Apple-esque Strawberry". I have to agree, it does look like an apple or even a radish to me, but I am going to stick with the strawberry for now. :-) It is a very quick and easy block to sew and absolutely perfect for small scraps.