{DIY} The Patchwork Scarf

I'm excited to share this tutorial with you, because I'm kind of in love with this scarf!

You know my constant knitting woes, so I was really pleased to make a scarf that didn't leave me tangled in yarn trying not to say bad words.

I bought a Liberty of London sample pack at the Tokyo Quilt Festival.  When I bought it, I wasn't really sure what I could make with 50 4"x4" squares, but I was so in love with the colors and it was a great price - I couldn't resist.  I'm glad I didn't, because this scarf turned out to be the perfect project for this little sample pack.  It could also be a great way to use up scraps from your stash.

I backed it with warm and fuzzy wool that my Grandma gave me.  

It was the perfect balance to the soft and silky Liberty prints.

Don't you want to make one?

I know you do.

So here we go....

Supplies:

50 4"x4" squares of fabric

1/2 yard fabric for backing at least 44"wide

scissors/pins/iron

sewing machine/thread

Step 1: Design your scarf by laying the squares into two rows of 25

Step 2:  Piece the scarf by sewing 4 squares into one larger square using 1/4" seams, like this:

select the first four squares in the scarf

sew two squares along one edge

be sure to press the seams open

repeat with the other two squares
Sew these four together, matching up the center seam, using 1/4" seam

press the seam open

so pretty!

continue this process until you have 12 large squares and an extra 2 small squares sewn together (that should equal 50).

Step 3: Next, sew the larger pieces to one another, right sides together, to form a long scarf (again use 1/4" seams).

Step 4: Cut out the back - two pieces 44" x 7.5".  Sew them end to end, right sides together, to form one long piece 88" x 7.5"

Step 5: Pin the back to the front, right sides together.

Sew along the edge, using 1/4" seams, but leave about 3" open at one end.

Step 6: Trim any uneven edges (you don't want it making your seams bulky) and cut the corners.

(uneven)

(even)

Flip the scarf right sides out.

Step 7:  Press under raw edges of the opening and pin.  Start there, and top stitch around all the edges 1/4".  I used a contrasting thread for this to make it decorative.  This step will take  your scarf from looking homemade to handmade.

And that's it!  Wrap it around your neck, and you're ready for the snow!  If you live in a warmer climate, but still like to wear scarves in the winter, simply back it with something light like a voile, and it will be the perfect weight.  As always, if you have any questions simply email me at jessica(at)sewhomegrown(dot)com.  Happy Sewing!
xoxo
jessica

Rug Making Tutorial - my first vlog!

...now you'll know what I sound like :)

Last week I posted about my beginning adventures in rug making, and as promised, I have a tutorial for you today.  AND it's in the form of a vlog - can you believe it?  I seriously thought I would never do a video, but it was actually kinda fun, so if you like it I may do the occasional vlog.  Most of the things I do here are easily demonstrated by pictures, but this project really lends itself to a video.  So here we go - if you have any questions about this process, leave me a comment or email me at jessica(at)makeitlovely(dot)com.

Rug Making from Jessica Broyles on Vimeo.

So that's me. 
I wish you could leave video comments so I could hear what you have to say :)
I hope that you all have a great weekend - if you're here in the states, Happy Fourth!
xoxo
jessica

My New Obsession...

...rug making - part 1. 

I am so excited about this I feel like buying an RV and traveling the country convincing everyone to jump on the punch-needle rug-making bandwagon.
In fact...I started another blog called A Lovely Path to devote solely to rugs.

It's not going to be like this one where I post every day - I'll probably only post once a week or so but I feel so excited about this that I really want to spread the news. 

I also want to start a line of patterns (I have grand visions of appearing on Martha Stewart...;) 

Now - this is not a new craft.  In fact it is a very very old one and there are not many people still doing it.  

I'm not sure why because it's awesome!  But it needs some freshening up.  Most of the patterns are not that stylish (at least for my taste), but there is so much potential. 
So I started out making a chevron rug for my kitchen.
 
Here are the supplies I am using:

Amy Oxford's 1/4" Punch Needle

Rug making stand - kindly built by my talented husband

Monk's cloth

Wool strips - which I cut from 100% wool clothes found at thrift stores. 

 I brought the clothes home, cut the linings out and felted them myself by washing in hot water, then drying on high heat.  I then cut them into 1/4" strips using my rotary cutter.  This is a little bit of a process, but I bought an ENTIRE GROCERY CART full of wool clothes for $16.  I have a lot of wool.

Last summer when we first moved up here, we stayed with a couple from our church.  His mother is Amish and had made amazing rugs for their home - I mean they look like they're straight from Anthropologie.  I was smitten.  But he said she hand hooked them, and from what I can tell that takes a really long time....and as much as I wanted to do it, I was kind of dragging my feet.  Well, last week my mom and I were downtown and we wandered into a craft and stitch store.  We stumbled upon these punch needles and were delighted by the store-owner who gave us an impromptu lesson.  She showed me hooking and punching side by side and you COULD NOT tell the difference.  So I came home with the needle and monk's cloth and got to work. It goes so quickly and is a great thing to do while sitting around watching a movie or something. 
Here's how the front looks so far:

Stick around for a full tutorial on the process next week (and hopefully pictures of my finished rug!!)

Meanwhile, head on over to A Lovely Path to learn more about Punch-Needle Rug-Making!!

xoxo

jessica