Satisfying Sewing

Beautiful OOAK drawstring bags in the shop

When I'm meeting a deadline and my work table is piled high, I often find sneaking in a little satisfying sewing helps me keep calm. Lately, these reversible bags have been the project of choice.

I've slowly been adding these simple, elegant drawstring bags to the shop. Fun to make and easy to sew, they make stylish storage for knitting projects, portable sewing projects, gift wrapping or travel necessities. They're reversible, too! I learned how to make these bags in any size by watching this YouTube video.

The bag shown here uses one of my eco-dyed silk panels and naturally dyed muslin. The same muslin is used for the interior. Easy!

Al fresco lunch served on a placemat made from one of my eco-dye panels.

 This is my go-to bean salad with champagne vinaigrette. It's simple, healthy and tastes like summer. You can find the recipe here.

If you're looking for something specific in the shop that isn't there, please let me know in the comments below or by email. There's a chance I just might have it. 

Printing on Fabric, an Easy Tutorial

Meaningful stitches...

This post finds me deeply, happily immersed in very personal, very storybook-like stitching for a new art quilt; however, earlier this week, I posted this photo on Instagram and it received lovely feedback (thank you all!), as well as a few requests to explain how I printed my grandparents' letters onto fabric. So, below is a quick tutorial for your creative pursuits! Enjoy, and please share how you decide to use this technique: #tierneybarden. We'd all love to see!

PRINTING ON FABRIC, A TUTORIAL

STEP 1: Cut an 8.5" x 11" piece of freezer paper and with a dry hot iron, press it well, shiny side down, to the back of a piece of fabric cut to the same size. 

STEP 2: Place your image that will be printed onto the fabric on your scanner bed and close the lid. Carefully load your fused fabric sheet* into your INK JET printer and print. (I've always read this technique only works with ink jet printers. I haven't tried it with other types.) *It's helpful to know which way to load your fabric sheet in order to print on the correct side.

This is how my fabric looked coming out of the printer.

STEP 3: To set the ink, press your newly printed fabric very well with a dry hot iron. Now, your fabric is ready for use by peeling off the freezer paper and proceeding as you would with any other fabrics in your stash! Have FUN with this technique, and please share what you make! #tierneybarden 

This delicious powerhouse seed mixture is now a staple at our house!

Seedy Nut Crumble

This smart, gluten-free snack (or topping) is so tasty and easy to whip up that you'll want to sprinkle it over salads, cottage cheese (above), applesauce, oatmeal, or eat straight out of the jar! I came across the recipe in Bon Apetite (Seedy Oat Crackers), and while the original calls for making crackers, I've found that treating it as a crumble is more my style, so that's how I'm writing the instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 F

Line a jelly roll pan with foil.

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup old-fashioned oats, 3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds, 2/3 cup sunflower seeds, 3 Tbsp. chia seeds, 3 Tbsp poppy seeds and 1 tsp. kosher salt with 4 tsp. vegetable oil, 1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup, and 3/4 cup room-temp. water and mix well. Let sit and thicken for 10 minutes. Spread mixture evenly onto the prepared pan, pressing with your hands to an even layer about 1/4" thick. 

Bake for 15 minutes. Gently stir the mixture and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until light brown and smelling toasty. Let cool in pan, then transfer the mixture to a glass jar or other air tight container. 

* Feel free to substitute chopped nuts of your choosing; chopped sturdy herbs like rosemary or thyme; chopped dried fruits like raisins, apricots or cherries. 

FREE "Winter Wonderland" Hexis and Black Friday Sale!

A mug mat makes a fast and beautiful gift, especially for the holidays. Pair it with hot cocoa and peppermint sticks, and make someone smile! Striped Hexi Tutorial below.

I sincerely hope you've enjoyed a hearty Thanksgiving with friends and family (if you celebrate), and are now ready for some you-time, perhaps even including some sewing. With the recent release of my "Harvest" quilt pattern, I'm now feeling ready to embrace all that is winter, which is almost upon us, by offering another FREE printable page of 1" hexagons. "Winter Wonderland" is the theme, and the above photo provides a glimpse. In the right side bar you'll find a link for the FREE PDF. Available in the shop are pre-printed card stock pages just like those shown above, and are mailed as whole sheets. 28 inspiring hexis per page.

"Winter Wonderland" hexis really add something special to your hand work. Evoking cherished memories, these words are meant to keep you feeling all the warm fuzzies all season long. Share these with an EPP friend! You can download the FREE PDF and print on your own printer, have your local copy shop print on card stock, or order them already printed in my shop. I hope you'll enjoy using them for your next EPP project, big or small!

To make the Striped Hexis shown in these photos, check out the tutorial below.

The annual Black Friday SALE is on right now!

The entire shop is 20% off now through Monday. This is the time to pick up stocking stuffers for your stitchy friends, or treats for yourself! NEW: Dye kits! The entire shop is brimming with exquisite products chosen and dyed with your stitching experience in mind, offering you only the best! 

Contact me with any questions. Happy shopping!

STEP 1

If you're interested in making the Striped Hexis shown in the sample above, here's a quick tutorial:

Step 1: Arrange your paper hexis into sets of seven per flower. I've used my "Winter Wonderland" cardstock hexis, but any paper hexis will do nicely. Choose two contrasting color fabrics and a background fabric. Fat quarters or scraps are great choices. For one flower, cut one 1-1/4" x 15" strip for the interior stripe, and one 1-3/4" x 15" strip for the exterior stripe. Use approximately 2.5"x2.5" squares for the center hexi and background hexis. 

STEP 2

STEP 3

Step 2: Place the two contrasting strips right sides together and align edges on one 15" side, shown in photo. Stitch 1/4" seam allowance. Press seam open for minimal bulk when basting and sewing. 

Step 3: Cut the sewn strip into six sections, each 2-1/2" long. 

STEP 4

Step 4: Take one paper hexi and measure 1/2" down from an edge, draw a line across the paper as shown. Lay the paper on a fabric section and align the drawn line exactly over the seam line. Trim the fabric, leaving 1/4" seam allowance around all sides of the hexi. Keeping the drawn line and seam line aligned, glue or thread baste each hexi.

STEP 5

Step 5: Baste the center hexi. Lay out all of your hexis as shown. Sew your hexis together in your preferred method of stitching. Baste and layout the background hexis according to your project. Stitch them to the center flower. 

A sweet pink and gold hexi flower.

Finally, layer, quilt and trim your piece as desired. Add a binding, and if it's a gift, consider adding a label on the back.

What will you do with your Striped Hexis?! We'd all love to see: #tierneybarden