Basket weaving is nothing new in fact, it was one of my favorite summer activities at girl scout camp. Like so many other things in life, this technique is making a comeback and I thought it would be fun to put a personal spin on it. So, let’s do some fabric weaving today.
Fabric Weaving – Pincushion Project
This project is for all levels.
Skill Level- 1 Button
Supplies:
- assorted fabric
- Steam-A-Seam 2
- polyfil
Tools:
- basic sewing supplies
- sewing machine
Basic Instructions:
- Cut 2 3 1/2″ x 8″ rectangles for the top and bottom of your pincushion. 6 strips 1 1/2″ wide by 22″ will be your fabric strips to create the fabric weave pattern. (I cut 3 strips from 2 different fabrics.)Fold, fold, fold….press, press, press. This triple fold will create clean edges on the sides. To keep things in place, I used steam a seam and sandwiched it together. I gave each fabric strip extra body. (total bonus.) Cut strips in half to create 12 1/2″ x 11″ strips.
- Lay all of your horizontal pieces and pin in place. To keep things easy for me, ran a quick row of straight sticking along the edge. Then start weaving in your vertical strips. Alternating rows and pinning as I worked across the fabric. Since I wanted the purple to peek through, I left 1/4″ spacing between each row.
- Once you have everything woven in place, run a quick stitch all around and trim away excess fabric strips.
- Then your pincushion is pretty straight forward. Just like sewing a pillow together. Pin right sides together; stitch around 3 sides leaving an opening for turning. Clip corners and turn right side out.
- Stuff, stuff, stuff!! I like to over stuff my pincushions. Stitch the opening closed with needle and matching thread. A simple ladder stitch is perfect for this last step. Need a refresher on the ladder stitch? Click here.
So, how did I do? Do you think fabric weaving will make a come back? Or should the technique be left to baskets and hemp? To keep the conversation going, I have teamed up with a few friends! Becky from Patchwork Posse
Deby from So-Sew-Easy.
Be sure to check out what fun things these gals made with their fabric strips.
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Comments & Reviews
Love it! Very versitile for tucking scissors, seam ripper, etc… just like you’ve done in the picture! Very, very pretty!
Thank you Sharon. I love the way it turned out. Plus, it includes the fabrics from the challenge.
~Heather
Love that idea ! It’s so nice ! Maybe I’ll try with the remaining fabric parts from the challenge 😉
Heather, love the pinny and the little zipper bag, the pillow is beautiful…..
So darn cute! I’ve got to make the cushion and zip bag ~I’ve got so many scraps that I can use! Thanks so much for the tutorial!
Pretty pretty!! And clever that the woven strips will hold your scissors. I have a Craft Gossip post scheduled for later today that links to your tutorial:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-woven-fabric-pincushion/2014/03/04/
(I’ve got plans to link to the other woven fabric projects in the next few days.)
–Anne
You beat me too it Anne! Thanks a bunch for always stopping by.
~Heather
Love it! Great way to use narrow fabric scraps too.
Hi –
I’m new to your blog. The pillow is beautiful.
My question is – is the polyfil a heavy enough filler? Should it be somehow weighted?
Thx
You can use many different fillers. I also use sand and crushed walnuts. It all depends on what I have on hand.
~Heather
Such a great idea! I had my grand daughter stitch along each strip since we couldn’t find our fusibles. She loves to try & sew perfectly straight lines. It took us only an hour start to finish, what a great way to spend an afternoon inside while it snows. Had I known she would take it home with her, we could have made 2
That is fantastic Zella! I love that you turned it into a memory maker!
~Heather
How wide should the finished strips be?
My strips were 1/2″ wide when folded Cheri.
Heather, I just made these for a pin cushion swap with two ladies and had to make one for myself too. thanks for the great blog tutorial. crystalbluern at onlineok dot com http://www.flickr.com/photos/105749630@N03/13021523754/
I love the way it looks Debra! Plus, you have so many cute pincushions. Those baby booties are adorable! Thanks so much for sharing a picture. Feel free to add it to our community flickr group here: https://www.flickr.com/groups/thesewingloftcommunity/
This ways others can see your handy work in action.
~Heather