Mixed Media Shadow Box Picture - The Tichbourne Claimant

Well I surprised myself by being able to finish a long term project. Luckily a day course finished ahead of time, so I took the chance to take some picture of this latest work.

The main illustration used in this piece came from The Graphic Newspaper dated June 14th 1873, that is 140 years old. As always I have used the original image. The trial and the claim on the Tichbourne estate was a real item of interest. The judges, barristers, claimant and the witnesses had the same fame as the superstars of today do.

I was fascinated by the story. So this piece is called The Theatre of Justice. I've tried to give the flavour of a theatre with the Victorian fringing giving a hint of stage curtains. then the little pegs as floodlights at the front of the stage.

The judges have been set on draught pieces and are atop engravings of London buildings. The heads are dried Poppy Seed Heads. They are set above everything to show they are in charge.

The "dock" is made from a childs' wooden brick and brass curtain hooks. Miss Mary Ann Loder is in the dock. She is directly in front of the fraudulent claimant.

The back board was already painted gold and I did some image transfers of old hymn pages. They were then sanded and rubbed, tinted with some glaze and varnished.

The court was packed every day of the trial with members of the public and Newspaper reporters.

This turned out just as I wanted, now I just have to figure out if I need to put it in a display case or leave it naked. It measures 16 x 12 inches.

Box for Curiosities - Commission

At last it's finished. When you get commissions you often have to work to a brief from your customer. Well I had a friend, Julia, come round to visit and she took the tour of the messy Art Room. Spotting a box she has a eureka moment. "Just the thing for Neil's birthday! Go on Joan do your thing with it"

Oh that left me with so much choice, but rein yourself in girl, no mad neons or over the top Victorian stuff. This is to be for Neil to keep his very special watches and other nick nacks. Oh and there are many, I know he's shown me some from Neolithic arrow heads to 1920's lithe flapper girl bronzes.

So I started with a nine compartment box. Measures 10 x 10 x 2.5 inches. Paint the whole thing black and then gold. By painting any small gaps will look interesting and not like bare wood.

Lots of snipping and sorting through my collection of vintage paper goodies.

Day by day, gluing, more painting, more snipping of paper, this time really old hymn books. Drilling holes, attaching handles, sticking on watch faces, many coats of varnish and then finally its done

Each side has random bits of hymn text and music. Neil is in my church band - plays base guitar.

Each compartment has four sides and one base, had to find a suitable illustration for each one.

Even have a map showing their village.

The handle is a vintage one, possibly made of copper so nice and grungy. Screws however were new, painted those to age them.

Watch faces are vintage but were a bit too clean so they got the grunge treatment too.

Whinge Blogger has turned this around again. But it's pages from Who's Who at the bottom of each compartment, listing all the Jones's. Hey you guessed he's a Jones Boy!

Finally the base, boys Lion Annual collage.

Julia liked it, so let's hope Neil does.

Hope UR all well. Next exciting blog will be a report on my Make, Do and Mend class. First one, so very excited or nervous, can't quite make my mind up on that.

Mousie Mousie Pin Cushion and Thread Holder

Don't you just love Ebay, bulk buy of Laura Ashley Vintage cotton fabrics. Just right for the Mousie Mousie Pin Cushion

Look Mousie a bare bear!

Eyes front.

Eyes right.

 

About face and eyes left.

Here's looking at you and that naughty blogger turned the picture around again.

I have cut out twelve more today, lots of lovely Laura Ashley 1970/80s tiny flower patterns.

Both gone as little gifts to new homes. One to Pam and the other to Julie both friends from Bures Baptist Church. Thank you Pam for my new Study Bible.

Tutorial Frilled Apron

My lovely friend Julie gave me a sack of material - that is the Ikea Garden fabirc. Just so cute with the little boy gardening. I wanted to make something that would show the pattern of properly. Then I bought a large amount of fabric on ebay -  where else. That is the green dotty fabric, a 1970's sheeting fabric.

Now you know the fabrics story - so important to me with recycled materials. We can get on with making. This is my own pattern and the first one of this design I've made so please read right through as there are always adjustments.

You will need about 1/2 yard or metre of 36 inch or 1 metre wide fabric of each fabric. You may have to join pieces to get the length of the frill. The frill I estimated a 2x length round bottom hem - wrong! I had to do 3x to get a good gather going. In the picture it says 60 inches, you will need 90 inches for the frill. So you need to cut 3x 30 inches that way joins fall evenly.

Cutting list as above in the picture. To trim the corner into a neat curve, fold 30 x 18 main apron piece of fabric in half, measure down from top side edge 8 inches, put a pin in. Measure 4 inches from the centre front on the bottom put a pin in. Now still with the fabric folded in half, draw a curved line between the two pins. You can practice on a piece of newspaper first, then keep that and use as your apron pattern. 

Note on the pocket. I have small hands, so to get a good pocket fit for you make sure you measure the width of your hand. You will need width of your hand + 1 inch for ease + 1/2 for seams. My fabric had a hem on already so I used that as the pocket edge. You will need to add a hem onto your pocket as well. The hem should be about 1 inch + a 1/4 turn under so its neat inside. So an 8 x 7 square will give a 6 x 6 pocket.

Note on interlining I use iron on, medium weight was quite stiff enough for me. This waist band does not need to be as stiff as a skirt one.

We are starting with the frill. If you have joins make neat seams and use zig zag or a serger/overlocker to neaten. Press seams.

Turn a 1/4 inch hem and stitch. Then turn another 1/4 inch and stitch. Picture above shows the frill hem being stitched. This encloses all the raw edges.

Even closer view so you can see that to get a narrow hem, sewn straight you line up with the inside edge of the foot. I am using a clear satin stitch foot. I prefer this foot as it is clear and you can see all your fabric. It also has a handy little arrow to show where the needle is on normal straight stitch.

Next step is to gather the frill. Mark the centre of the frill. You will need to loosen your top tension and make your stitch length as long as possible. This is a very long length to gather, so stop 1/3 way round when stitching, lift presser foot and pull out long length of thread. Then start stitching again, look at the picture above to see. You always need two sets of gathering stitches one 3/8ths inch away from edge and the other 6/8ths inch.

Now match the centre mark on the frill to the centre of the main apron piece. Pull up your gathering stitches. STOP - be patient and gentle here. Or you will break threads and be unpicking and restitching :-) I like less gathers on the sides, more gathers round the corners. Anyway shuffle your gathers around until you are happy that the two pieces fit and the gathers look OK. Tie the ends of the excess gather thread together so they do not pull out as you stitch. Pin evenly.

Remember to put your machine tension back to normal and set your stitch length back to a short length too.

Now you are ready to stitch. Set your machine up so that the stitching will come right in the middle of the two sets of gathering stitches. Take care when sewing gathered cloth to straight especially when you are going round the curves. Check that the bottom fabric is laying flat OR.....

This is what happens if you do not check the main apron fabric - a whoopsie, fabric has bunched up and I now get to sit and unpick - oh bother.

Now we need to neaten the seam edge. You checked its laying nice and flat and that there are no whoopsies first? OK so now set your machine to a narrow zig zag, I find 1/2 the max width is right. Or use your serger/overlocker. Keep the zigzag close to the main line of stitches. Trim the excess seam allowance off. Take care when cutting not to catch any other fabric or snip your stitches.

Lay your apron out and check your work. Looking good? OK now take out the bottom set of gathering thread/stitches. Then give your apron a press.

Apron pressed and stitching removed - take a break. That was a lot of work and it is important when sewing to have a break. I find after about 2 hours work I start making mistakes.

Iron your interfacing to the wrong side of the waistband fabric. Make sure you get the sticky side to the fabric! It makes a real beast of a mess on your iron if you get it wrong.

Whilst you have your iron on press a 1/4 inch under on the long sides and one end of the ties. Set them aside for later.

You will notice the top edge of the apron is bigger than the waistband - yup more gathers. Loosen your top tension and lengthen your stitch, same as you did for the frill.

Pin the right sides of your apron to the right side of the band. Leave 1/4 inch of the band sticking out. This will be turned in when you sew the ties on.

Now pull up the gathers. I like less gathers on the frill and more on the main apron piece. Look at the picture to see what I mean. The frill just hangs better this way.

Again remember to put your stitch tension and length back to normal. Sew down the middle of the gathers as you did on the frill.

Press the seam as shown above. Make sure your seam allowance is facing up under the waistband.

Also turn in the edge on the sides and top and press.

 Fold your band in half and pin in place. Put to one side and work on the ties.

Now I have a camera, computer or me error. Some pictures got erased. Deep breath big contribution to the swear box.

OK you now have your apron ties, the ones your pressed earlier.

Fold in half and sew as close to the edge as you can. You can tack or pin first. Sew a Top stitch - make the stitch a bit longer than normal, along the long edge, turn in the hem on one end and Top stitch  that too. 

Then top stitch on the fold side.

Insert the raw end of the tie into the waistband. You are now ready to top stitch round the band. If you want you can hand sew neatly around the edge or tack, and top stitch from the right side. I am making to sell so don't have time to do that! So I stitch with the wrong side up. 

OK I only lost one picture. So have taken another but it is of the finished band not whilst it is being sewn.

Where the ties join the waistband make a square of stitching. Then sew across the diagonals of the square too. This will hold your ties firmly in place. Now I see an unattractive loop of thread, where are my scissors?

That is the main apron finished. 

Placing the pocket - I did this after the gathers were done. It makes it harder to get the fabric of the apron to lay flat, but easier to get the pocket in the right place. Commercial patterns will have the pocket placement marked. 

 

On the pocket press under the top hem and sew. Add any decoration, I only used the white vintage lace. There was enough pattern on the garment already so the embroidery will be used on something else.

For me the correct placing was 4 inches below the waistband. Put your apron on and try before sewing to see if the pocket is in the right place for you.

Top stitch the pocket in place.

As the pocket top corner gets a lot of wear, so I make a triangle of stitches at the top. It is a very strong seam.

Now I know you are very talented but blogger expects too much this is a sewing tutorial not gymnastics one. Sorry blogger turned the picture again. Its the finished pocket.

Give your apron a final press. Back view.

Front view. This is a child size mannequin! On you this will be at about knee level.

Hope you enjoy the tutorial and can use some of the tips on other projects.

Easy Wrist Pincushion in Denim - Tutorial

There were some bits of denim left from making the last batch of Denim Divas and I hate waste. So I whipped up a quick wrist pincushion. Took all of 15 minutes, including the photographs!

You will need denim, size in picture, scrap of embroidery or use pretty fabric or scraps of lace. Whatever you have to hand.

Sew trim to centre of denim.

Make 1.5cm hem on one short side.

Fold hemmed side over so the edge is on the centre of the denim. Then fold the unhemmed side over so that it overlaps by 2cm.

Sew two short sides on your machine.

Turn right side out. Remember to poke out your corners.

Can your read this? blogger turned this one round - again.

And again again wrong way round. Cut a piece of card a bit smaller than the pincushion. This stops pins going right through!

Yay right way up.

Two scrunchies, these are small so I used two. If you have a bigger scrunchie just use one.

Not very clear but you make a figure of eight by threading one through the other. Then pull. Some scrunchies are large enough to go round your wrist as they are. Fit one on your wrist before making to see how it feels.

Stitch scrunchie to sides of pincushion.

Sideways again! Fed up with this blogger fault. All finished and ready to use.

You can use most fabrics, but a slightly heavier one works best. Curtain weight is nice too. Scrunchies are available at most £1 or $1 stores in big bags. This is a great item to make for flea markets or fund raisers. 

Hope you have fun making yours. Love to hear your comments.