work and play

i've mentioned before that, where i work, we often can't wait to finish sewing so we can start sewing...in the sense that, after we've finished building a new show, cranking out costumes and hats and heaven knows what else, we all get very excited for the chance to work on our own projects. for example, we just finished building 2 shows, one on top of the other. it was very challenging and frustrating at times, but they are now out the door and we have a couple of days to relax. which, in the case of my coworkers as well as myself, means honing our skills on the sewing projects we've been dreaming of.

i'm a big fan of vintage dresses and have accumulated quite a few patterns over the years. the one pictured above is a favorite, for several reasons...not the least of which being that, including front and back facings, there are only 6 pattern pieces. sweet! i also recently unearthed some yardage of a great vintage style print, more than enough to make the dress. so that's what i did today.

mine is a bit shorter, and i modified the neckline, but in the end i was very pleased with the result. i considered a number of different trims for it, but didn't want it to be too precious. then i started experimenting with some of the leftover fabric, and came up with this:

flowers! they're hard to see here, but they're basically ragged looking roses, made from severals layers of fabric cut from a template. i based it on one that Clover has put out that i couldn't justify buying because, well, the pieces were just cardstock that was printed with directions. i could see from the packaging how it worked and set about making my own version.

the templates were created by folding a square of cardstock or heavy craft paper in half, half again, and half again, then cutting a curve around the edge and a circle in the center. this created an 8 petal template. i made 3 sizes for layering.

next, you want to cut a piece of fabric about the size of your template.

fold it in half along your first fold line.

then fold in half and half again, as you did when cutting the original template. and please ignore the dye under my fingernails. oh, the fashion sacrifices we make when we're crafty...!

cut the fabric around the curve...

and open! you now have a flower shape.

now, keep cutting! i made 4 large, 2 medium and one small to make a basic flower.

stitch an 'X' in the middle using a sturdy thread and pull it snug. the flower will pucker a bit.

flip it over and stitch through from side to side several times, just to pull the base into more of a pucker. alternatively, you can do a circle with a running stitch that's about 1/2" in radius and pull it tight.

the back will now have a little cluster that will give the flower some shape.

fluff out the petals, hit them with some steam and voila! you have a clever little rag flower! attach a pin back or sew it directly to a bag, pillow, sweater...whatever you like. it's a great way to use up scrap fabric and may well be my new favorite thing in the craft world. enjoy!