BLOG 165

It’s all about the Tissue Box this week and next week. A couple of Blogs ago, I prepared the lining for the box base and now I am ready to cover it with the outer fabric and do the lid.

 

PREPRATION

Cut a rectangle of fabric which is 1” larger all round than the base of the box (7 ½” x 7”).

Cut a strip (22 ½” x 7 ½”) to go all round the outside of the box with 2” to spare on the length measurement for an over-lap (22 ½”). The width should be 2” wider so that both edges can be turned (7 ½”). Notice that I have ironed under a 1” seam allowance along one long edge only.

                           Outer fabric

Add glue to the corners of the fabric rectangle and place it, WS up, on a flat surface. Add 1” of glue around the lower sides of the box (this corresponds with the extra fabric of the rectangle). Place the base of the box onto the fabric.

                           Base onto fabric

 Pull the fabric firmly to stick it up the box sides. Pinch the corners to stick them together firmly. Turn it upside down to make sure the base is smooth.

                            Smooth base

 Fold the pinched fabric to one side and use a small strip of masking tape to hold it down. Repeat for all corners.

 

 

 

                                    Masking tape

                       Base complete

 To add the side strip, start by over-lapping one of the vertical corners by 1” and secure it with masking tape. Make sure that the fold of the ironed edge lies level with the base and tape to secure it for sewing.

                           Overlap a corner

                  Sew around the base

 

Use a close matching thread and a concealed stitch to sew around the base.

 

Turn under the excess fabric so that the fold lies on the vertical edge. Sew up the vertical seam.

                           Vertical seam

 When you are half way towards the top edge, turn under the excess fabric so that it is level with top edge of the box. Sew along this top edge using a ladder stitch. (This is the shortest possible stitch, going straight across from one fabric to another. The needle slides for 1/8” in the fold before going back straight across to the other side.) This completes the box base.

 

 

 

                       

                                Ladder stitch

 I had a wonderful diversion this week at the hands of talented machine embroiderer Suzette ‘one pin’ Smart. I created a bird using machine embroidery and this is the result. The most difficult part was getting it to stand up!! (ASIDE: the ‘one pin’ tag came about when I asked Suzette if I could borrow a pin. It took her about 5 minutes to find … 1 pin!)

 

                 

                        Bow-legged chicken

 

             

                    Knock-kneed hen