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12
May 2011

How to make a Patchwork Planet

earth1

I made this patchwork earth as an entry in the Craftster Craft Challenge for May and as it’s turned out to be a little bit popular and there’s been requests for a tute, I am now tuting. Well, look. I’m not really a tute writer, so let’s call this a Guide. This is how I did it, basically, you may have faster, better or more fun ways to do it in which case go right ahead. As in anything I give a guide for, play explore and embellish to make it all yours.

12 Gore Patchwork Planet

You will need:
Selection of fabrics in blue (quite a lot), Green (a bit less) and white (just a tad. I actually used pale prints with wrong side out, just for more interest than plain white). Also browns if you want to add deserts.
A rotary cutter will make all of this so much easier.
Cutting mat (unless you’re using scissors)
Fabric scissors (even if you’re using a rotary cutter)
Ruler or other guide the size of your squares.
Graph paper
The map below, or another 12 gore map if you prefer.
Sewing machine, or hand sewing supplies and a lot more patience than me.
A ton of pins.
Iron, ironing board.
Stuffing of your choice, or a ball if you want to do that and can do all the maths. I can’t help you with the maths.

Step One

Click that image to open up the map. Grab your graph paper and play around with the print size of the image to get it easily lined up. It’s much easier to have your gores line up exactly with the graph. I’m explaining this badly, I know, but play and you’ll see what I mean. Mine were 4 squares across.

Once you have your map sized, tape it to a window with the graph paper lined up over the top (you can use a light box if you have one, aren’t you a fancy pants?).

Ignore the graph for now and just trace over the outlines. We’ll make it more griddy in a moment. Remember to include the gore outlines as well, otherwise you’ll be in trouble later on.
You could probably save this step and print the image directly onto grid paper if you can line it up. I only had 2 sheets of grid paper, so I didn’t want to be all extravagant with it

Step Two
Break out your felt tip pens, crayons or whatever else you use to colour in with. Now we’re going to fill in the pattern with the fabric colours we’ll use.

This is the point where we’re making the pattern we’ll follow. Follow the grid lines close to your traced outlines, using an “average” technique. This means if a grid square is mostly land, you make the whole thing land. You can also use half squares for shaping, both diagonally and straight. You could probably use quarter squares if you really want to shape everything properly, but that’s very fiddly.
In mine, above, the land was coloured green, the water left white and the ice coloured pale blue. I added deserts later, that’s up to you.

Step Three
Lay your pattern to one side and get aquainted with your rotary cutter. My guide for cutting was 40mm, or 4cm, which gave me an end result of 1 inch squares (2.5 cm). It doesn’t matter what size you use, whatever you’re happy with, but remember your seam allowence and make sure all your squares are the same size.
Press your fabric before cutting, and then go for it. If you’re using scissors, it’s probably easier to rule your lines with pencil or chalk on the wrong side and then cut.

Sort your pretty little squares as you cut into colours, it’s easier later on to dig them out.
If you’re the kind of person who does counting (I’m not) you could figure out exactly how many squares you need and cut just that many. I went with the “Let’s have MANY SQUARES” technique. I’ll find something to do with the left overs later.

Step Four
Sew ALL the squares!
Grab your pattern and number your gores along the top. Promise this is easier later on, because you can number your finished gores the same way and it’s just faster than figuring out if the landmass you’re holding is Asia or Africa.
Now, I don’t have good pictures for this bit, so bear with me as I try to explain.
Working from the top of the pattern down, create the rows as they appear on the chart. So, if you’re at the top, it’s probably 4 squares of white for the first row. Pick up the first two whites, place them right sides together and sew down one side.
Pick up the next white, place it right side to the unsewn side of the previous white, sew the open edge.
As you complete each row, sew it to the previous row – right sides together. You’ll build your gore row by row.

For your half squares, just slap a couple of squares together with right sides facing and sew down the halfway line. It’s helpful to trim the excess off so you have less bulk to sew. Unfold them and sew them to the previous square as usual.

As you finish each gore, label it with a spare bit of fabric with the proper number.

When you have your 12 gores finished, have a cup of tea and iron them well so they’re flat and the seams are set down a bit.

Step Five
Measure a square on one of your finished gores to see what size it is, then enlarge one gore of your pattern on your printer if you have a copying printer or on a photocopier until the grid squares on your paper are the same size as your fabric squares. It’s a bit messy, but it works. Cut out the paper gore (you may have to tape it together first). This is now your cutting pattern.

Take your gores one at a time, lay the pattern on the wrong side and trace around it with a fabric marker, pencil or whatever.
This is not your cutting line, this is your sewing line so make sure it’s nice and clear. Cut around the gores leaving a seam allowence.

Now, shall we see if we can make your sewing machine weep?

Step Six
Pick up gore number 1 and gore number 2. Place them right side together and pin down the seam – pin a LOT. So many pins. They’re not going to line up perfectly because of the curve, so I tended to pin at each end first and then just pull and pin to make the edge match. I did this by stabbing a pin through the sewing line then checking the underside to see if the pin went through the other sewing line. I’m sure there’s better ways, but that worked for me. Just adjust as you need to until the lines match and then you can sew along the sewing line.
Do this slowly – you have a lot of little seamy bits and what not and even the sturdy old Elna from the 1960s I used had some issues. Just be slow and steady and you’ll get there.

Open out the two gores, grab gore 3 and repeat. Keep going until you have all 12 gores sewn.
As for the final seam, if you intend to put a ball or something inside, then leave it completely open. If you’re going to use stuffing, then sew from the top to about half way down, leave a gap of 6 squares, then sew to the bottom.
The point to watch when your sewing is, in fact, the points. If they don’t match perfectly there’ll be a gap in them. Mine didn’t match perfectly. If you can poke a finger through the points, just handsew a bit around the top till they’re closed up.
Turn your planet right way out.

The last thing
Now, you stuff. If you’re using a ball, just pull the earth over the ball and sew up the final gore. If you’re using stuffing, pack it as firmly as possible so the Earth takes on the proper rounded shape. Really pack it full, when you think it can’t take any more, add some more stuffing.
Sew the stuffing hole closed by hand and there you go, you have a patchwork planet of your very own!
Well done :) If you make one, please please add the link to this post in the comments, I’d love to see it.

(My spell check is broken, I think I did okay but if you see any spelling mistakes or typos then sorry about that)

Category: Crafting, Finished Projects, Patterns and Tutorials, Sewing  Tags: , ,  5 Comments
20
Jul 2010

Behold! Tenticlo!

Alrighty, so I posted this guy a few days ago and promised I would post the pattern, so here it is, with tute. Gosh I’m lovely.

Making Tenticlo
You will need:

  • The Tenticlo Pattern – which you can find right here.
  • 2 sheets of felt in the main body colour
  • Around half a sheet of felt in the underside colour
  • Felt scraps for the eye and mouth
  • Marker pen – either an air or water fading one, or a very fine permanent marker
  • General sewing notions – needle and scissors
  • Embroidery thread
  • Polyfill or other toy stuffing
  • Stuffing stick, crochet hook, knitting needle or whatever to help push stuffing in
  • Beads, sequins, ribbons etc etc – whatever you like to embellish the beastie.

Ready? Let’s go!

Step One: Print and cut out your pattern. It SHOULD print over most of an A4 sheet, you may want to change the size. Make sure the pattern will fit entirely in one felt sheet, it’s just easier.

Step Two:

Lay your patten on one felt sheet and draw around it with your marker. Cut it out, and repeat on the other felt sheet so you have 2 body pieces.
If you’re using permanent marker: Flip the pattern the second time. That will mean you can hide the marker lines inside the stuffie.

Step Three: Take your underbody colour and fold it in half. See the line on the pattern? Line that up with the fold and trace around the tentacles.  You should end up with something like this:

Keeping the fold folded, cut around the line. You’ll end up with a mirror image tentacle dealio, which is exactly what you want.

Now you have 2 body pieces, and 1 underbody piece.

Making them rock out is optional.

Step Four: Eyeball time! Cut a circle out of your felt scrap. I used white, but whatever. It doesn’t have to be a perfect circle, but should be a bit smaller than the end of the eyestalk.

I also cut a smaller circle to enclose under the big circle, this is to give the eye some dimension. Optional!

Sew the eye ball into place. I’ve used blanket stitch, but any stitch you like will do.  In the photo above you can also see the fabric marker that would not photograph for the earlier shot I wanted to put in. Curse you fabric marker!

Step Five: Finish your eyeball!

Add an iris or three, this is a monster after all, and if you like, a pupil. I’ve used a button, but you could use felt. You could embroider it. Do what you like, I’m not your mother.

Ahem.

Step Six: Getting mouthy.
Cut a mouthy sort of a shape from felt, and sew it on where you like it best. I went for a smile, but you could easily make a frowny monster, or a shouting one or a shocked one or…

Step Seven: Pretty Little Monster!
Embellish your pieces to your hearts content. I went for a simple texture sort of finish, with circles cut out from the scraps left after I cut the bodies. It doesn’t show up so good in the photo, but it made Tenticlo sort of nubbly and interesting.

For the underbody, I cut circles in the same colour as the underbody, and snipped a hole in them to make little donut shapes which I sewed on.

These are just suggestions – go as mad as you like. Sequins would look awesome if you can be bothered, but you could embroider, paint, use beads etc etc. Since you don’t have to turn the toy out once you’ve sewn it, you can be as elaborate as you like.

REMEMBER! You will have to turn one body piece over before embellishment, otherwise all your hard work will be hidden inside the toy.

Step Eight: Sewing the little suckers.

Fold your underbody piece in half, embellished side inside the fold. Line it up to one of the body pieces wrong sides (unembellished sides) together.

Pin the underbody piece at the folds – this is going to mark where you start and finish sewing for this section. You can also pin the tentacles if you like. If you find at this point your shapes don’t match at any place, just trim off the extra so you have a nice edge.

With embroidery thread, sew around your matched up tentacles from one pin to the other. I’ve used more blanket stitch, but whipstitch or whatever will be fine.

Step Nine

Fold the underbody in half again, and place the other body piece on top of the sandwich. Sew around the second set of tentacles.

Do not be alarmed if a miniature border collie joins you for this step, they know a lot about sewing felt and whatever lands on your workspace is only there to help (and also to have tummy rubs).

Step Ten: Get stuffed.

You may find you need to wiggle your stuffing stick around in the tentacles first to separate the felt.  Using small bits of stuffing at a time, stuff the tentacles firmly. They need to be firm or Tenticlo will not stand up, which would make Tenticlo sad.

You will now have your very own alien autopsy.

Step Eleven: Sew, a needle pulling thread.

Pinch the felt above the end of your stitching together and start sewing up the sides of Tenticlo – doesn’t matter which side.  You may find at this point that your felt body pieces no longer match – the stuffing in the base can woodge them a bit. You can gently pull your felt back to match at the edges.

It’s easier to stuff the arms as you go! Once you’ve done one side of the arms, being stuffing as you close the other side. Trust me, otherwise you’ll spend a year trying to poke stuffing into them, weeping and wishing me dead. No one wants that – stuff as you go.

Finish your sewing at the shoulders, the base of the eyestalk. Stuff the body firmly. You should now have something like this:

Step Twelve: Are we there yet?

Almost! Sew up one side of the neck, and around the eyeball. Stuff the eyeball and add stuffing to the neck as you sew down to the other shoulder. Make sure the neck is firmly stuffed so it won’t go all floppy at the wrong moment.

Once you have the neck fully stuffed, close off the gap and finish your thread.

BEHOLD! Tenticlo!

Fin!

I hope that was good, was it good? I hope so. If you happen to make a Tenticlo, I’d love to see him. Or her. Leave a link in the comments so I can take a peek :D

Remember, colours and embellishments are all up to you, so go wild and make Tenticlo your very own. Have fun with him! Or her.

Category: Patterns and Tutorials, Sewing  Tags: , , , , ,  One Comment
31
May 2010

A little felt delight

I love working with felt, it’s a lovely thing to play with. You can bend it shape it anyway you want it, come on baby, it don’t care.

Wait, what? Anyways, this brooch is one I made for a swap on Swap-Bot. It’s a sneaky little design in that it’s not stuffed, per se, but you do cut smaller versions of the main shape to sandwich in between the main pieces. This gives it some dimension without weighting it down too much or making it too foofy for wearing.

If you’d like to make one yourself, you can find the pattern and tutorial at Bugs and Fishes – do be careful though because there’s a lot of gorgeous things to make over there and you could end up making everything (oh noes!).

Since this is for swapping, I wanted to present the brooch in a pleasant way, to make it all the nicer for the person who will get it, so I decided to make a matching felt envelope to tuck it into, and here’s how I did it. Click any image if you’d like to see it slightly more bigly.

Step One.
Put whatever it is you’re going to store in the envelope onto your felt sheet. Leaving an edge around it of around 1 – 2 cm, cut your felt up the uncut side.
(the gap at the edge is to make sure you have room to freely place your item inside, if you cut it too exactly, you might find it’s a tight fit)

Step Two.
Fold your felt strip over your item, this will tell you how big to  make the pocket. I painted in a yellow line so you could see where the raw felt edge was, it all kind of blended into blue. Once you have your pocket size, cut a flap to fold down over the pocket. You could use a template, I just eyeballed it.

Step Three.
With your envelope all folded up how it will be in the end, slip some pins in were the flap starts, and where the fold is. Unfold your envelope and you’ll see a marked out area – if you’d like to add embellishments or whatever, this is the easiest spot to do it – it will be be the back of your envelope.

Step Four
This is optional really. Add your embellishments.  I decided to cut another cloud shape from the pattern and stitch that on, but you could embroider, stamp, paint or whatever you like. Remember that this envelope is unlined though, so try to minimise loopy bits on the reverse – you don’t want your treasure getting caught up on loose threads.

I didn’t photograph the “sewing on the cloud” bit, you can imagine that for yourself if you’d like to.

Step Five.
Fold the flap closed and pin it there. Pick out a button and play around with it till you like where it sits (keep in mind any edge decorations you might want to do later – leave room). Once you’re happy with it, mark the button spot with chalk or air fading marker (or cheat and eyeball it like I did) and cut a slit in the flap.
Now, sew the button in place on the front of the envelope. Again, use chalk, pins or air fade marker to line it up to the slit you cut.

Step Six (Last step!)
Hand sew up the sides of the pocket. I used blanket stitch because I like how it looks even when it’s wonky (I am usually a wonky stitcher), but you can use any stitch you like. As you can see I also did the flap edge – you don’t have to do that. The main two places to sew are down the side, the rest is optional.

You could even – if you wanted to get really fancy – sew the sides of the button hole. I didn’t. Lazy.

And here is the back of the envelope, with brooch. I’m really pleased with how it came out, and I hope you found these instructions useful. The basic envelope shape and pattern can be customized in a bajillion* ways, to match whatever you have inside or to clash with it!

*I counted.

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