Category: tutorials

Sturdy Fabric Basket Tutorial

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Goodness, I am just so excited to share this little project! I’m a storage and organization junkie, and of course I love fabric, so combining the two just puts me in a happy place. Making sure my surroundings are pretty and make me feel happy and inspired is on the top on my list (what list, no idea, but it’s important).
When I got my hands on this bundle of the new line Westwood by Monaluna, I knew I needed all these little critters hanging out with me everyday so I decided to make some storage baskets.
These baskets are really quick and easy to make and are fat quarter friendly (the largest piece you need is 17×15 so pull out those big scraps)! They are made sturdy with a layer of Peltex, but can also be made soft using fusible fleece or batting. You could even very easily sew this entire project by hand with no problem.
The handles shown here are made from a thrift shop leather belt I bought for 50¢ but you can also use scraps of leather (or pleather!). I love to deconstruct old bags, pouches, wallets and other various things I find for cheap to use on other projects. The handles can also be left off if you prefer.
I already have one hundred and one uses for these baskets in every room of my house, but right now I plan to make a bunch to fill with goodies and give as gifts! Aside from the holidays, you can fill one with food items and take to the host of a dinner party, baby items for a shower, fabric for ME… errr… I mean a friend. Shall I go on?
The pattern has been updated to include this super fun patchwork variation, too, AND instructions on how to make ANY SIZE basket you wish, from one inch to 1000 inches!
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You can download a PDF of the pattern by clicking HERE or the image below >
I hope you enjoy this pattern! If you have any questions, feel free to comment below or email me anytime. I’m on instagram as lillyellasworld – please tag me if you make one, I’d love to see it! You can also use the hashtag #sturdyfabricbasket.
And because I’m just curious I have to know, which do you like the better, the owls or the deer?!
Happy sewing, friends! ~nicole

EPP Table Topper Pattern

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Free EPP Table Topper Template | lillyella stitchery
This pattern, or something like it, may very well exist somewhere in the world. But with my 25th & Pine charm pack in hand, I went searching for a small EPP pattern that would be relatively quick and had no luck, so I just drew one up.
I am by no means an english paper piecing expert and everyone has their favorite methods, so I’m just sharing my pattern templates here rather than a full tutorial. I will, however, provide some links to other tutorials for anyone who is new to EPP and explain how I finished my piece. The great thing about it is that all you need is fabric, a needle and thread – no sewing machine or experience is necessary.
This pattern creates a piece that is 9.5″ wide and is designed to be charm square friendly (5″ fabric squares). You can get two center kite pieces from one charm square and more of the smaller pieces, but I used 5 white, 5 red and 5 green charms to create my piece. This pattern is also great for scraps, the biggest piece you need is about 2.5 x 5, but the templates can also be printed larger or smaller to create a different sized finished piece.
Free EPP Table Topper Template | lillyella stitchery
Free EPP Table Topper Template | lillyella stitchery
I made mine into a little table topper (isn’t it the perfect little mini tree skirt?!), but it would also be nice used on a pillow, as a trivet or on a bag. You can download a PDF of the templates by clicking the image below. You will need to print two sheets so you have ten of each shape.
I thread basted my pieces because I just haven’t gotten the swing of the whole glue basting thing yet, but that would certainly work, too. When sewing my pieces together, I followed the order shown below.
To finish my piece I removed the papers and cut a piece of batting to the exact size of my piece (you could also use insulbrite if you wanted to make a hot pad). I then unfolded the outer edges of the green pieces and pressed it well. I layered the piece and the batting and did some machine quilting on the center, but you could also do hand quilting or spray baste the batting in place and quilt after attaching the backing. I only wanted my quilting to show from the top.
I cut a piece of backing fabric slightly larger than my piece and placed the quilted top and back right sides together. I sewed around the outer edge, using the pieced top as a guide, with a 1/4 seam and left a couple inches open for turning. I trimmed the seam, turned the piece right side out and pressed. You could machine or hand quilt at this point if you wanted to see it from both sides.
Free EPP Table Topper Template | lillyella stitchery
I decided to finish my piece with a blanket stitch around the edge using a DMC pearl cotton and I love the way it came out. This also closed up the area I left open for turning. And voila! All done.
Here are some tutorials on english paper piecing:
Craftsy – English Paper Piecing from Beginning to End
All People Quilt – English Paper Piecing
Flossie Tea Cakes – EPP, where to begin
YouTube video – How to Finish an EPP Project
And you can find a good tutorial on how to do a blanket stitch here.
Free EPP Table Topper Template | lillyella stitchery
I hope you enjoy the template! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email anytime.
Free EPP Table Topper Template | lillyella stitchery

Easy fabric christmas bulb ornaments

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I recently saw this tutorial for fabric christmas bulb ornaments by Jennifer Jangles on instagram and knew it would be a perfect project for the pile of Monaluna Westwood scraps sitting on my cutting table! I love this fabric for so many different uses but I think it really makes a perfect non-traditional holiday fabric.
These little bulbs were really quick and easy to make and all you need is some fabric, ribbon and felt scraps. I pieced two fabrics for the owl one and the squirrel is just one piece of fabric. I stitched the ribbons on but you could also glue them in place. 
Then you simply sew two circles together leaving a gap for turning and stuffing and machine or hand stitch the felt caps in place with some twine or ribbon for hanging. So quick and easy and a great project for charm squares or scraps. I think these would be adorable to make as extra little gifts and use them as a topper when wrapping presents.
>> You can find the pattern template and full tutorial here on the Jennifer Jangles blog. 
Fabrics used are organic cottons from the line Westwood by Monaluna, now available for presale at Pink Door Fabrics arriving in early December. 

tutorial: modifying a two way metal zipper {perfect for the noodlehead cargo duffle}

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I’ve been doing a really good job accomplishing the goals I set for myself lately (probably because they have all been crafty and fun, but… still counts for something in my book). I saw the nooodlehead cargo duffle bag pattern last year and immediately put it on my to-do list. With holiday gifts finished and the encouragement (and 24/7 on-call help) of my friend, Sandra, it was game on!

I hope to finish my bag this week (update: finished my first one, pics below, more to come!) and will write more about the project then, but in the meantime I wanted to share a little tutorial. While browsing pictures of other peoples’ bags, I came across this post on Thread Riding Hood on how to modify a two-way zipper to open from the center, but it only applied to a plastic zipper and mine was metal.

Since I had extras, I decided to try an experiment which happily ended in success! (Those are the best kind of experiments, aren’t they?).

The cargo duffle I’m making calls for a 26″ coverall zipper, but this tutorial would work on any length two-way zipper for any type of project, as long as the teeth are the same on both sides.

A coverall zipper is made for just that, coveralls, and is a two way zipper designed to unzip from both ends. Since I’m not usually hangin’ out in coveralls, I most typically see this type of zipper on coats (which I think is SUPER handy, by the way).

But when it comes to a bag, it’s much more convenient to have the zipper open from the center, so here’s how to do it. You’ll need a pair of side cutters, or similar small wire cutters with a pointy end, and needle nose pliers. (Click on any photo for a larger view.)

I was able to modify this zipper because the teeth are the same on both sides, as I mentioned. I’m no zipper expert, but it’s my understanding that this is not the case with all zippers so be sure to check before tearing one apart.

The first step is to remove the stoppers from both ends.

They are clamped down pretty darn tight (which I guess is a good thing) so this was harder than I expected it to be, but it just takes a little elbow grease and patience.

Start by carefully wedging the tip of your cutters under one side of the metal stopper and clipping off little bits of metal at a time. Be careful not to snag or cut the fabric tape.

Keep snipping away until you loosen the clamp enough to pull the stopper from the tape. Once it is free on one side, you should be able to slide it up and off the other side. If it is too tight, repeat the same process of clipping the metal away until it’s free.

The stoppers on the other end are thicker, but are also easier to pry off. First wedge the tip of your cutters underneath and try snipping. If the metal is too thick for your cutters, a bit of wiggling and prying should loosen the clamp enough to be able to pull it from the tape.

Repeat on the other side.

Once the stoppers are removed, move the sliders toward opposite ends so the zipper is closed and pull one slider off as shown above. It doesn’t matter which one.

The opposite end of your zipper will still have the other slider attached. Keep it on and pull it down to open the zipper a bit.

You will now put the loose slider you removed onto this end (toward the slider still on the zipper) by inserting the ends of the fabric tape into the channels of the slider and pulling it down until it catches the teeth, making sure they are lined up.

And Voila! Both your sliders are back on and your zipper now opens from the center.

Depending on your use for the zipper, this may be your final step, but be aware that the sliders are free to come off either end. If you are not sewing your ends into your project or if you have large gaps, you’ll want to make a tack stitch at the ends of the teeth or sew a piece of fabric onto the tape ends.

In the case of the cargo duffle that I’m making, one huge bonus of this modification is that I can take my zipper apart and sew the two sides on independently without having to maneuver around the sliders or deal with the bulk. Go ahead, pump your fist in the air and yell awesome!

If you do this, I recommend marking the ends of your tapes so you can put them back together properly. Technically, the teeth will go back together either way and there is no top, bottom, front or back with this specific zipper, but the length of the fabric tape is different on the two ends so they will be uneven if not matched up the same.

Once you’re done sewing, you just slip your sliders back on either end toward the middle and huzzah! Magic.

I hope you find this tutorial helpful! If you have any questions, just leave a comment below and I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks for visiting and happy sewing!

{UPDATE}

Since writing this post I have finished my first cargo duffle, hooray!

I certainly hit a few hiccups along the way and learned some important things to change and modify on the next one, such as adding zipper tabs on the sides, reinforcing the handles and using sturdier interfacing, but for my first bag project EVER I’m so thrilled with the results! I’m almost finished with my second duffle so will share more then.

p.s. I’m lillyellasworld on instagram if you’d like to follow and see my progress!


{Fabrics used: Main body, bottom accent and pocket flaps are Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements – Melange and Ticking Stripe. Pockets and handle accent are Robert Kaufman Quilters Linen in taupe}

May Flowers: Crafting a Cork Board Garden

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I was pleased as a pretty spring peony when Roxana of Illuminated Perfume invited me to take part in her newest blogging collaborative, May Flowers. Every day this month, a different contributor has been sharing their personal perspective on the theme and today is my day! In true lillyella form, I decided a springy floral craft project would be a great addition to the contributions so today I’ll show you two ways to create pretty, functional cork board gardens.

What you’ll need:
Roll of cork board
Fabric
Scissors or an Xacto Knife
Glue
Templates (found at the end of this post)

I purchased my roll of cork from Staples for about $15 but you can look at any local office supply or craft store. You can also use squares of cork which you can find at many places, but you may be limited with the size of your pieces.
The templates I used for these projects can be found at the end of this post for download in JPG format.
Begin by printing the template and cutting out the pieces. Lay them face down (gray side down) onto your cork and trace around the edges with a pen or dark pencil. Cut out the cork pieces using sharp scissors and/or an Xacto knife.
Choose a piece of fabric you would like for the background and iron a piece large enough to fit your cork flower. The cork pieces you cut may be a little curly from being rolled. Ideally, unroll your cork and lay it flat for a couple days before using it, or you can iron your cork on a medium heat covered with a towel or piece of fabric.

Apply a clear craft glue to the back of each cork piece and use a brush or foam sponge to spread the glue evenly and then apply the pieces to the fabric. Be sure the fabric is smooth and taut as you go. (You can also use scrapbook paper in place of the fabric if you’d like!)
Once you have all the pieces glued in place, let it dry and then trim the fabric closely around the edges of the cork, following the shape of the piece in between pieces of cork. If you have some on hand or would like to, you can apply fray block or similar product to the edges of the fabric.
Next you will create a backer piece. Lay your cork flower face side down onto your roll of cork. Trace around the outside edge and then cut the piece about 1/8″ smaller than your trace lines. Apply a good coat of glue to the backer piece and position the top piece centered in place.
Place it under a stack of phone books or heavy box to dry and flatten out. To hang it on the wall, you can use strong glue to attach small brackets, hooks or wire from a picture hanging kit or you can use double sided adhesive squares made for home decor use. You can also use a small headed nail and press the cork board into it. The piece is very light and as long as you don’t tack anything very heavy to it, any of those options will hold just fine.
At the end of this post you will find the printable JPG templates for the smaller lily flower which measures 9.5″ x 8″ and the large rose which measures 14″ x 10″. The smaller flower will print on one sheet of letter size paper but the rose is broken up onto 3 pages. I also provided files for a larger lily flower which is not shown here, as well as a smaller rose that is shown in the project below. The files can be sized to your preferred dimensions when printed or on a copy machine as well.

Now if you like things a little more structured, here’s another take on this project. You’ll need a picture frame (the one I used is 8×10 size), some fabric and the cork.

Open up the frame and use the glass as a template to cut a piece of cork to the same size. You will not be using the glass in the finished piece.

Once the cork is cut, make sure it fits inside the frame. Next choose your fabric. You can decide on placement by using the empty frame as a guide if needed.
Apply a good, even coat of craft glue to your cork board rectangle and press the fabric smoothly over it.
Once dry, trim the fabric right to the edges of the cork and make sure it fits in your frame. If it’s tight, you can trim the edges a bit. Close the frame up using the provided backer.
Print and cut out the small rose template (found at the end of this post) then trace the pieces onto the cork and cut them out as shown in the project above.
Glue them into place onto the front of the fabric and let dry completely before hanging. Voila!

Even though you have two layers of cork on both of these projects, it’s still a bit thinner than your standard bulletin board, so you’ll need to use shorter push pins and tacks or cut down some longer ones with wire cutters.
Now you can take this idea and run with it! Try fruit or vegetable shapes to hold recipes in your kitchen or use your kids’ favorite shapes to create a piece for their room. As always, the possibilities are endless. I hope you have fun with this one!
PRINTABLE TEMPLATES
Click on the name to download a JPG file
These templates are provided for your own personal use, please do not use them for commercial purposes or share them without my permission. Thank you!

Crafting: Book Vases

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Do you fancy yourself a Bibliophile? Or maybe you just love the look, feel and smell of old books. Either way, this one’s for you! Today I’ll show you how to make a ‘vase’ out of a hardcover book. It’s the perfect piece to decorate your favorite reading nook or a book shelf and is easy to make requiring just a few tools and no special skills.

What you’ll need:

Hardcover book
Cardboard
Pencil
Craft knife (or a scroll or band saw)

The book I used I found at a thrift store for $1.00. I especially loved the green coloring on the top edge. If you feel bad destroying good books, look for ones with missing or torn pages.
Cut a piece of cardboard to the size of the book and draw your vase shape. I’ve created a JPG of the shape I drew and you can download it here. It can be sized up or down to fit the height of your book. If you draw your own, keep in mind it will be twice as wide when it’s finished, so you’ll want to make the shape much thinner than you would think for it to look proportional when cut.

Cut your template shape out of the cardboard and place it onto the first page of the book, snug against the binding. You can trace it with a pencil if you’d like to have a guidline if your template moves, but it’s easiest to cut along the template. I taped mine in place at the top and bottom to hold it secure.
With a sharp knife, cut along the template, gradually slicing through all pages of the book.
Alternatively, if you have a scroll saw or band saw, you can do it in a fraction of the time! Just trace your template and go. (I recommend removing the cover before cutting the pages with a saw.) I cut half of my vase by hand and finished with a band saw, to try both techniques.

When cutting by hand, I found it easiest to move the template further into the book as I continued cutting, every 1/4″ of pages or so.
Once complete, cut off the covers, leaving the spine binding in tact. Open the book and fold it backward, gluing together the first and last pages with craft glue or a glue gun. Hold for a few seconds until secure.
I used a thin pencil top and bottom to keep the shape of the center hole while gluing.

Spread out the pages and you’re done! Since you do end up with a small opening along the spine, you can use this as a ‘vase’ for a silk flower stem or some dried pieces like I show in my opening photo. You can also create a small cluster in different sizes and shapes for a unique arrangement.
The possibilities for this project are only limited by your imagination so get creative and have fun — happy crafting!

Crafting: Anthro Style Rope Necklace

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The first thing I thought when I saw the Curls & Coils Necklace at Anthropologie was, ooo cute! Then the next thing I thought was, I can totally make that. But more importantly, I can totally make that for 1/8 of the $42 price tag.

The original design (shown left) was also a little large for my liking, so I was excited to modify the concept to my daintier and more structured tastes. And while I love the nautical fashion style, I have yet to really jump in, so this piece felt like the perfect place to start.

At first glance, the necklace looks to be made of rope, but upon inspection I realized it’s actually made of soft cotton piping cord used for upholstery, which is much more pleasant on your skin than rope would be anyways!

A few basic materials and less than an hour of time are all you need to create your own Curls & Coils Necklace.

What you’ll need:
Cotton Upholstery Cording (1.5 – 3 yards depending on how long & loopy you want it)
Transparent Nylon Thread
Buttons or beads for embellishment
End caps/cones
Craft glue
Wire or head pins and a clasp

While I used the same raw cotton style cording as the original necklace, you can find many sizes, colors and materials that would work equally as well. I especially love the satin cording and picked up some in a lovely mustard yellow that I think will be just awesome! I purchased all my materials at JoAnn Fabrics.

Begin by approximating your loop pattern and determining how much cording you will need. For reference, I used a 1.5 yard piece and had about 4″ left on either end when I was done. Better too long than too short!

Be sure to leave a long enough tail before you start sewing your coils. Starting and ending on the back of the necklace, begin tacking your loops in place with a few stitches. It doesn’t take much to hold it together and if you place the stitches in the ‘grooves’, you can’t see them at all.

Next, decide on an arrangement for your embellishments and stitch them in place. I wanted mine a little less ‘blingy’ than the original so I used a plastic rose shaped button along with a simple gold metal one and one with a small rhinestone.

Once you finish sewing the loops and embellishments, determine the length you’d like the necklace and trim the ends about an inch shorter to account for the length the clasp will add.

To finish the ends, I used brass cones that I also found at JoAnn Fabrics. Using a ball end head pin or a piece of wire, fashion a loop on both cones for attaching the clasp.

Apply a few dabs of craft glue to the end of the cording and begin twisting into a point. Warning – this will make your fingers messy! Allow the glue to begin drying a bit and then continue shaping. You can also twist the cone onto the end to help shape it. Once you have a good point, apply a little more glue then twist the cap on, getting all loose ends tucked up underneath.

Add your clasp and voila!

Liven up a simple cardigan or sun dress or accent a nautical striped tank top. Soft and lightweight, this necklace is the perfect year-round statement piece!

You can also apply this idea to other accessories such as a bracelet or belt – get creative! I’d love to hear if you try your hand at this project and how it turns out. Happy crafting!

Crafting: Fabric Rosettes

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I’ve been doing a lot of cooking and not as much Crafting here lately, but I’m back on track and have a fun little project for you that satisfies my love of both accessories and fabric. It’s also perfect for making Valentine’s Day gifts for your friends and family or just for yourself! Today’s tutorial shows you how to make fabric rosettes which can be used on brooches, hair clips, necklaces, home decor projects and more.
What you’ll need:
fabric
felt
cardstock
pins
scissors
iron
craft glue (I use E9000)
pin backs, hair clips, bobby pins etc
buttons, beads, misc embellishments (optional)

Start with a strip of fabric 1″ by about 20″ – 25″. (I cut a 1″ strip the height of my fabric, then cut it in half. Many fabrics are 44″ so you end up with a 22″ strip, but some do vary which is ok.) You’ll need one strip of fabric per rosette.
Fold the strip in half and press with an iron.

Cut a piece of cardstock (or cardboard) 1/2″ x 11″ (or the height of your stock). Pin the folded fabric strip to the cardstock and begin wrapping it around on an angle, not too tight. Secure the other end with a pin and press with the iron.
Once completely cooled, slide the cardstock out, keeping the wrapping as is. Fix any spots as necessary and press again with the iron.
To form the rosette, roll the strip around a pencil starting at one end. Once rolled, slide the pencil out and begin to shape the rosette by spreading it out a bit and twisting the center with your fingers if needed. Secure the loose end on the back with a pin and lightly press again with the iron to flatten it a bit.
Depending on what you will be doing with your rosette, you can either stitch it together or you can glue it to a piece of felt (remove the pin before glueing). Ideally you’ll want to use a piece of felt that is close in color to your fabric but I just used what I had on hand.
You can then glue or stitch a pinback, bobby pin or hair clip to your rosette or sew it onto a shirt, bag, etc!
While I love the look of the simple rosettes by themselves, you can also embellish the center with buttons or beads which can be glued or stitched into place.


You can create rosettes in different sizes by using a longer or shorter piece of fabric or wrapping them tighter or more loosely. You will also find the type of fabric you use will affect the size of the finished rosette. Above can see how different embellishments really change the look of the finished piece.

If using more than one rosette on a hair clip, brooch or necklace, glue them to a piece of felt and trim the excess felt once dry (shown a few photos up). You can then embellish and glue to a hair clip or add ribbon or chain for a necklace.
These would also be darling stitched right onto a tank top strap, across the top of a tshirt or onto one side of a cardigan. Oh, the possibilities!

A variety of materials, colors and textures creates a nice grouping and you can also add other elements, such as buttons or charms, to create a unique cluster or fill any gaps between rosettes with beads, pearls or scraps of trim and lace. Just have fun and experiment! And if you do, I’d love to hear about it. Happy crafting!

Crafting: A Ribbon Poinsettia Wreath

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Today I have a fun holiday craft project that lends itself to so many applications, making ribbon poinsettias. I’ll be showing you how to make a wreath out of them but you can also make single blooms or a small cluster to sew on a hat, wear as a brooch or to decorate your holiday gift packages.

What you’ll need:
A styrofoam wreath form (I used an 8″ for the finished wreath shown)
Satin or velvet ribbon, 1.5″ width, various colors
Straight pins
Artificial flower stamen (or beads)
Thin craft or floral wire

When choosing a color scheme, you can go traditional Christmas with red, gold and pine green or try something different like yellow, goldenrod and seafoam green.


Start by wrapping your wreath form with ribbon. Secure the ribbon end with straight pins and wrap tightly around until completely covered. Secure end with pins. I used ivory ribbon but in hindsight, I think green would have looked nice as well.

To make the flowers, cut the ribbon end into a point. You can experiment with different angles of the point for slightly different sizes and shapes. Fold the ribbon over on itself and cut the other end to match the point. Also cut different length pieces for a variety of bloom sizes. I used ribbon pieces measuring 3″ – 4″ from point to point. You will need 3 cut pieces for each flower.
Note: Handle the ribbon with care as the edges will start to fray the more you work with it. You can also seal the edges with a fray block or similar product.

Fold each piece of ribbon in half, with the top on the inside, then fold each flap down in half. Hold with a straight pin and repeat with the other two pieces of ribbon. Place them on the same pin.
Holding all 3 ‘petals’ together, wrap tightly around the center with wire and remove the pin. Then wrap around once in between each petal, this helps to spread them out a bit. Secure the wire at the back and trim loose ends. You can then shape the flower.
To make the leaves, cut a length of ribbon about 4.5″ long. With the back facing up, fold on an angle at the center. Next fold the left tail shown above back behind the first fold. Pinch together at the bottom and secure with a piece of wire.
Note: I used a wired ribbon for the leaves because it was all I could find in the green I liked. It worked with no problems but you’ll need ribbon without wire for the flowers.

To add the stamen, cut the tops off the artificial stamen and secure with clear craft glue. You can also glue or wire beads on as well.
Secure the flowers and leaves to the wreath using straight pins. I think it actually looked quite lovely with just 3 flowers and a leaf on the ivory wreath, so you can play around with different designs. You could also wrap a piece of thin red ribbon around the exposed ivory wreath for a cute candy cane effect.
You can hang the wreath from the wall on a nail or hook, or you can loop a ribbon around the wreath to hang it from on the wall or a doorknob. Aside from a lovely decoration, I think this would make a very special gift.
I’m making a larger 12″ wreath in yellow and goldenrod for myself so I’ll be sure to share some photos when it is complete. I’d love to hear what you think about this project and how it goes if you try your hand at making these little ribbon poinsettias. Happy crafting!