Sunday, January 29, 2012

Made a Lily - Step 2

Step 2 - Start the "Lily Pad"


The lily pad is both the actual pincushion and the base upon which the doll will stand. For it you will need to select two prints from the pile of assorted fabrics you have already gathered up. I'm going to use the pink floral on the top and the black calico on the bottom. Once you've made your decision get ready because it's time to take a bit of a field trip. . . . .


. . . . .to the dish cupboard! Since the pattern for the lily pad is a circle I find it easiest to simply trace a plate. Of course, the fact that I long ago misplaced my compass may also have something to do with it!


I find the 6-inch diameter of my Blue Willow bread plate to be the perfect size. See if you can't find something similar in your cupboards....unless of course you know exactly where your compass is!


With plate in hand, let's head back to the sewing nook and get to work with some lightweight fusible interfacing. The interfacing will not only serve to make the fabric sturdier but also provides a great surface to mark the stitching line on.


Take two 8 inch squares of interfacing and place them with fusible sides together.

Center your plate on top and. . . . . .

. . . . trace away!!!


After tracing, cut away the excess interfacing leaving only an inch or so remaining beyond the drawn line.


Lay your fabrics out with wrong sides up. On top of each one place a cut piece of interfacing fusible side down and get ready to wield your iron.


Be sure to check with the directions that come with the interfacing. Mine, for instance, requires that you place another cloth over the interfacing itself before you actually press with the iron.


Trim the fabric down to the size of the interfacing.


With your fabrics right sides together it's time to sew. . . . .but first a quick suggestion on thread selection. . . . . .PICK TWO!!! One color to match the bottom of the cushion (put this on the bobbin) and another color to match the top of the cushion (thread this through the machine.) There will be quite a bit of pulling and stretching involved when the cushion is stuffed so a blend of the two colors will help camouflage any thread peeking out at the seam.


As far as stitch size goes this is where I "guesstimate" the setting on my featherweight. If I do an actual count of stitches per inch it seem to be around 18. In other words...make really tiny stitches!!!


Sew directly on the line leaving a small opening for turning.


Don't move yet because we're going to stitch a second seam 1/16" away from the first.


The edges can now be trimmed down to a 3/8" seam allowance.


Make lots of little clippings into the seam allowance, up to but not beyond the stitch line.


I prefer, however, not to clip the area near the turning opening as I've had some difficulties with fraying in the past when I've done so.


Carefully turn the cushion right side out. Hemostats are a fantastic tool for for doing so. I got mine here.



Congratulations! You now have one flat, floppy lily pad!


Looking ahead to next week you may want to gather up a small selection of coordinating embroidery flosses and a 3 3/4" round wooden clothespin (often called a doll pin.)


And as long as your out there looking for the doll pin you may what to pick up a doll pin head, a doll pin base, and a few 8mm wooden beads as your going to need them eventually. Most often these goodies can be located at a local craft store such as Joann's or Michael's.


Please let me know if you experience any difficulties sewing or shopping. I'll answer all questions right here in the comment section.


Happy Sewing!!!!


3 comments:

  1. Hi Natalie Jo
    Thank you for step 2 in making a Lily. Your instructions are really clear and easy to follow, I just have a couple of questions. I am in England and I am unable to obtain Doll Pin heads and bases. I have the clothes pins (or pegs as we call them) already. Would it be ok to use a large wooden bead for the head, if so what size would I need? And is there anything else I could use in place of the base?
    Many thanks, have a lovely day.

    Debbie

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  2. Greetings Debbie,

    Thanks so much for continuing to follow along! I measured the doll heads and come up with 30mm. They are basiscally a bead themselves but have a section drilled out where the peg can fit in. If you use a bead without this hole we would have to come up with another way to firmly attach the two pieces...perhaps they could be screwed together or maybe even glued if the touching areas were sanded flat. As far as the base goes it is actually more cosmetic than structural so even something as simple as a large button could be glued in place of the base....it will only be seen when you turn the cushion upside down.

    If these ideas don't satisfy you I did make up some little goodie bags containing all the wooden pieces needed and have them listed up in the shop...I have shipped to england many times and have found it to have a fairly short delivery time.

    Good luck and have fun!!!
    natalie jo

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  3. Thank you so much Natalie Jo! I will pop over to Etsy and order some right away.

    ReplyDelete