LAST CHANCE for GIVEAWAY

Please enter our knitted bag giveaway! You have until Midnight tonight, and I have decided to include a special, secret sparkly nested inside.

I'll accept comments on the original post or on this post.

After that, go on to check out the Ralphy Fan Tutorial below this post - it's another AMAZING one!!!!

Please sign up for the giveaway, as Scrabble has threatened to systematically EAT my craft supplies if you do not

Tutorial: D-I-Y Costume Shoes

So, the final dance of the school year rolls around later this week, and it's on a Disney theme. Working up a quick Tinkerbell dress was a cinch, but the shoes proved to be a dilemma. I tried creating "slipcovers" for daughter's existing flats, with dismal results. Undaunted, I decided I would continue the experiment and venture into the brave new world of shoemaking.

Step one: use tracings of the sole and upper of the existing shoe to create a pattern.


Brown vinyl that I've had forever makes a good choice for the sole. I trace out the shape of the sole but cut a rough 1/2" seam allowance around the traced line.


For the insole, I want something that will cushion slightly but still hold the shape. This extra-heavy fusible I got at the Victoria sewing show this year is just the thing.

I cut two soles from the fusible as well, this time with no seam allowance. Two lightweight cardboard soles (not shown) are also cut.


For the lining of the insole and upper, I hit my stash for a cotton print that will complement the Tinkerbell green of the upper. I cut these out from both pattern pieces, adding seam allowances.


And, finally, I cut out uppers with seam allowance of the primary fabric...


...and attach to the wrong side a much lighter-weight fusible web, just to add some body.


A quick check on the original shoe suggests that everything is just about right.


I sew the heel seams of both the lining and the main fabric uppers.


Pressing the seams open reduces bulk in the heel.


Next I peel off the paper backing and fuse the lining and the upper together, wrong sides together.


Pinning the upper to the sole should start from the heel and move forward evenly on both sides to keep as smooth a finish as possible. I ended up having to slightly gather the toe of the upper for a better fit.


Moment of truth - stitching it down!


To make the turning process cleaner, I grade the seam allowance, trimming the sole a little more closely to the seam, and clipping curves.


The turned result? Not runway- or even ready-to-wear-ready, but OK for its destination.


Getting the seam allowance to face toward the sole (so that the insole will hide the raw edges) isn't something I can do with pressing, thanks not just to the construction of the shoe but also to the fact that ironing will just melt the vinyl. I end up doing this step by hand, using an upholstery needle and a double thickness of strong thread. I'm not too fussy about perfectly straight lines or anything - just getting it tacked down appropriately.


By the time I finish them both, I'm glad I started with the difficult toe sections first, to get them out of the way.


Now for the insoles! I test the cardboard templates I first cut and trim them as needed to fit.

They're positioned on top of the heavy-weight fusible, which is in turn centered on the WRONG side of the insole lining. Press thoroughly following manufacturer's directions on both sides to firmly adhere both the cardboard and the lining to the fusible.


Using scraps of the lightweight fusible used on the uppers, I cut bits to fit the entire seam allowance of each insole and fuse them.


Peeling off the paper backing, I clip curves roughly every inch or so around the entire insole.


These bits can then be fused to the wrong side of the cardboard. On the shallow curves you may be able to do up to 3-4 at once; on the deeper ones, in some cases, one at a time.


Voila! The insoles slip right in and cover up the raw edges of the sole, just as in a "real" shoe.


Now I trim down the seam allowance of the main edge of the uppers, using the fusible as a guide. A quick pressing from the inside helps ensure the upper and lining stay together and keep a clean edge.


A compatible color of single-fold bias tape is used to cover this edge. (If I had this project to do over again, I would complete this step before attaching the upper to the sole: even with the insoles removed, this was kind of a pain to maneuver at the sewing machine. But I wanted that "almost-done" moment that a finishing touch like a binding adds...)


Using extra bias, I create casings for elastic to act as straps, since these are not as "constructed" as real shoes and might otherwise have a tendency to slip off.


And the final Tinkerbell touch - pompoms I made ahead yesterday with white yarn and a touch of some lime green lame thread I happened to have around.

Itty Bitty Crafting Committee

Lately, I've been loving cute, tiny crafts.  I think it is because it's Spring (or so I hear), and the world will soon be full of teeny, cute animals and plants.  I hope you like these little pieces of inspiration, all with tutorials,  as much as I do!

Check out these Felted Sweater Mice from Mossy.  They're made from recycled sweaters, and are absolutely adorable, especially when they are wearing their little shirts.  Cute!

These Eggshell Candles would be perfect for Easter, or would be so pretty non-dyed in egg cups.  I love how the tutorial reminds you to not waste your eggs by scrambling them - though I say cupcakes are a good idea, too.

I love Martha Stewart's website, the ideas that she and her staff come up with are often seriously magical and amazing.  I saw this Tiny Terrarium Place-card holder and fell in love.  Wouldn't this be awesome for an outdoor or nature-themed wedding?

This Needle Book Holder from Em Ay Kay Ee is not only ridiculously cute, but would make a nice gift for any seamstress or embroiderer.  I absolutely adore it.

I love bird stuff, and Spring is a great time for making bird nests of all kinds.  I've never seen anything like this furry and fluffy Felted Bird Nest from 54 Stitches. Its adorable!

Do you have any tiny crafts you like to do or would like to try?

All your fabrics belong to me

Tutorial: Optimizing Miniature Upholstery Using Fusible Web

Magpie Shinies readers will remember that a few months ago I shared some of the fabrics that were going to become upholstery and other soft furnishings in the inch-to-the-foot scale Georgian Manor House which is the craft project looming largest in my life right now.

Well, with what we'll call a "budgetary lull" preventing me from doing any big things like flooring or lighting for a while, I thought I'd finally break out some of those old House Of Miniatures kits that I'm reworking for the bulk of the remaining furnishings. At pennies on the dollar they'll allow me to furnish the house in the style it deserves, but on the cheap compared to store-bought new miniatures for All. Those. Rooms.

In the process I discovered a terrific approach that I thought merited a tutorial, since it's a technique that I think has many potential uses beyond building miniature furniture.

A little history: House Of Miniatures, and indeed dollhouse miniatures as a hobby, peaked in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They had a full line of furniture kits from simple nightstands and tables to elaborate hutches and fully upholstered chairs.


You'll remember I declared that I was going to replace their default fabrics with some beautiful bits of silk I'd acquired, as indeed I did with my first upholstery effort, this Chippendale wing chair.


Because, there's no comparison between those results and what it would have looked like had I gone with the plain, drab blue cotton that came with every kit.


The project I'll document is the complementary Chippendale sofa. The first step is to press the fabric thoroughly with your steam iron.


Next, I'll apply fusible web - such as Heat-N-Bond - to the reverse of the silk.


In this case I started with one section, but ended up having to apply fusible to the whole length in order to meet the "seam allowances" for everything required. Be sure to set your iron to DRY for this process.


When cooled, peel away the paper backing and you'll see where your web, just like the wrong side of fusible interfacing, is ready to attach your fabric to whatever you need.

Next, I consult the part layout provided in the instructions and identify all my pieces, both the wooden structures and the cardstock cutouts that make short work of some of the more delicate bits.


The kits requiring upholstery include foam for the cushions, usually glued to a wooden base. In cases where the contents seem to have deteriorated too far to be reliable - remember, most of these kits are 30+ years old already, probably stashed forgotten in someone's attic until rescued and popped on eBay - I re-cut new foam from materials you can find at any Michael's or similar craft supply, but since these look well-preserved I'll go ahead and apply them as instructed. I do add another step of my own before I actually cover them...but I'm getting ahead of myself.


Now I take all my pieces that require covering with fabric and lay them out on the fabric + fusible web length, identifying the optimal position for each to economize on the fabric but still ensure I have enough allowance for the wrap-arounds required.


The next step is to cut them all out. In the instructions it will tell you to glue the cardstock templates, specifically, to the fabric. This is one of the steps that the magic of fusible web allows me to avoid for everything but the smallest pieces like the front of the sofa's roll-arms, to which I apply just the tiniest dab of glue to hold the template in place for cutting.


Now, cutouts complete - to the instructions! Back in the 80s, this would all be about the glue, glue, glue: apply the fabric templates to the parts, clip curves where you need to, and then find some kind of creative way to hold it down and WAIT FOR IT TO DRY. It would take forever...probably why the only kits I ever constructed before this were all wood and no upholstery. Contrary to popular opinion, I'm not very patient at all.


But it's 2011, and I have fusible web on my fabric. I knew, from past experience making fabric-covered puzzle boxes, that it could easily and tidily bond fabric to cardboard. So, I thought it stood to reason...why not to lightweight wood?

Job one is to break out my hand-held craft iron. You can't do close work like this with a full-sized iron, but a craft iron like this one from Clover - essentially a flat-paddled soldering iron with an adjustable temperature control - is perfect for this scale of project. Two important caveats for a tool like this: one, be sure to use the supplied stand to rest it on when not in use, or it will burn through your ironing board cover just as surely as your full-sized iron would; and, two, be very careful of your fingers whenever you need to hold down bits of fabric as you apply the iron for fusing.


I'll start with the fiddliest bit: the tops of the roll arms. A little glue attaches the lightly pre-glued template + fabric to the arm, and I hold it precisely in position.


Starting in the middle of the curve, I fuse the clipped edges to each side of the arm to hold them more or less in place while I continue the fusing process. In general I've found it works best to fuse the clipped curves first, before the straighter edges. It works brilliantly....and the best part is, I don't have to go and do something else for a few hours while waiting for glue to dry! Once the fabric and wood cool - a matter of moments - I can continue working with the same piece and move on to the next step. (Apologies for the blurry photo.)


The back of the arm is even easier. I can fuse the template - all fabric + web, no cardstock - directly to the wooden element before I start on the curves! No muss, no fuss, and wonderfully clean results, with sharp lines and no bleed-through from using too much glue.


For the larger cardstock templates, I begin by using the hand iron to fuse the fabric thoroughly to the cardstock, fabric side up. Be sure to do this right in the center of the template and leave the edges for later, or you'll risk fusing your piece to your ironing board.


When it's time to fuse the foam-covered "cushions," I want them to be a little less spartan than the original, so I add one layer - only one! - of lightweight quilt batting. I find this gives me the "cushier" look I want without adding so much bulk that the components, which really are very precise, no longer fit together well.


After a couple of hours' work, all the components have been fully fused and are ready for assembly - a much quicker, simpler and more precise job than it would have been back in a glue-based world.


And at the end of my evening's project, all that remains for the next day is to finish the legs and glue the upholstered sofa to the base.


A few general hints for working with fusible web, if you haven't before:

• Sometimes, especially when you're adhering fabric to another bit of fabric that's already been folded over and fused, the bond doesn't want to immediately "take." Apply some pressure to the desired point with your fingertips until the fabric cools a bit, and the bond will usually hold.
  
• For cardstock templates, pre-clip to the edge of the cardstock for your curves. When working on wooden assembly pieces, first fuse your fabric to the wood, and then clip as you go.
  
• Keep any extra bits. You may have dining chairs or benches you want to upholster to match, later on - I know I do!
  
• Don't put the craft iron away when you're done with a project like this. They're very handy when you want to achieve a really precise point on a collar or a cuff.

I've been busy with soft furnishings for the Manor, too - next time, I'll share with you some of my results in a non-tutorial gallery!