Pages

Tuesday 31 January 2012

Twisted tutorial

One of my ideas for the Mouthy Stitches pouch swap was a twisted panel, so I made a practice one.....




I posted it in the Flickr group - and was promptly asked to write a tutorial for it.......of course I had no photos, so I made another one, slightly smaller and took photos as I went along.  This tute shows you how to make one side of a pouch (or a bag, cushion, etc - whatever - the theory can be applied to any project you want to make, you just have to recalculate the sizes) and my side panel is 7" x 12" with a twisted panel, incorporating 5 twists, that finishes around 3.5" square.

Please note this is my first tutorial - so go easy on me!!  This is the same methodology as Quilt-as-you-go and if any of it doesn't make sense, drop me a line and I'll help in any way I can!

What you will need:
  • heavy duty interfacing
  • ruler
  • pencil
  • main fabric (mine is Kona Everglade)
  • scraps of fabric at least 1.5" wide and 5" long (these are for the twists)
  • note - use starch on your fabric - it helps when cutting and piecing
What to cut:
  • heavy duty interfacing, 1 piece, 7" x 12"
  • twist scraps, 5 pieces, 1.5" x 5"
  • main fabric
    • 5 pieces, 1.5" x 5"
    • 4 pieces, 1.25" x 5" (we'll call these the spacers)
    • 1 piece, 5" x 3.5" (this will be trimmed later)
    • 1 piece 5" x 6.5" (this will be trimmed later)
    • 2 pieces, 2.5" x 12" (these will be trimmed later)
 What to do:

1.  Mark up the interfacing with your pencil and ruler:
  • measure in 1.5" from each long side and draw a line
  • measure in 3" from one short side and draw a line
  • from the 3" line, measure and mark a further 4 lines, 3/4" apart
  • set aside 'til later
I got a bit excited and drew one more line than I needed - you only need an extra 4 to the right of the 3" line

2.  Sew your twists:
  •  Using all the fabric pieces sized 1.5" x 5", sew each of the scrap pieces to a main fabric piece down one long side and with a 1/4" seam
I chain pieced these
  • Press open the seams (this makes it easier to get a good edge), then finger press the twists closed along the seam line, wrong sides together and press again

  •  Trim the twists so they are 1" wide and 5" long

Here are the 5 twists ready to go

3.  Piece the panel:
  • Lay the 5" x 3.5" on top of the interfacing, right side uppermost and centred between the top and bottom lines, carefully matching the 3" line and edge stitch to hold

  • Lay your first twist along this line, carefully matching the long raw edges and edge stitch to hold
The twist hasn't been edge stitched in this photo as yet

Now it has...

  • Lay 1 1.25" x 5" spacer on top of the twist, matching raw edges and sew through all thicknesses with a 1/4" seam where you just edge stitched
  • Turn main fabric over to the right and press (the long edge of the folded out spacer should be aligned with the next 3/4" line drawn on the interfacing)
Oops - forgot to take a photo after the first one, but it's just the same all along - here's the 1.25" x 5" spacer folded out after the 2nd twist and ready to be edge stitched 
  • Edge stitch the raw edge
  • Continue adding the twists in this manner until you have stitched down the last one. 
  • You will not have any spacers left, but that's ok, because now you'll use the 5" x 6.5" piece to complete the width of the panel


4.  Create the Twist:
  • from the back of the piece, sew along one of the 1.5" lines to hold your twists in place
I've turned it over so you can see what it should look like

  • fold the other end of each twist to the opposite side and pin to hold
  • Stay stitch along the 1.5" line at the bottom to hold
the panel is looking a bit wonky now, but don't fret - it sorts itself out eventually!

5.  Complete the panel:
  • Sew the remaining main fabric pieces (12" x 2.5") to the top and bottom of the panel and press open
  • Trim the panel and use as you like....

Let me know if you have a go....and I'm linking up to Tutorial Tuesday over at Lawson and Lotti's

40 comments:

  1. I am not a quilter and this reads really well - reckon I might be tempted to have a go! Will come back and let you know when (see that for optimism) I do!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just read through that tute and it looks fab to me, and very clear. I have to do a tute for a friend's blog in a couple of months and I am bricking it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. It looks fab to me, thanks for posting the tutorial.
    Nice nail polish!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very cool - and a great way to tart up a pouch or bag. Your Tutorial looks great - I can give it a go for Tutorial Tuesday next week :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you for this tutorial! Can't wait to try out this technique!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've popped over from Mouthy Stitches :) Thanks for this tute, it looks lovely and clear. You have a very lucky partner!

    ReplyDelete
  7. this is such a clever idea and looks fantastic

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great tut, this produces such a great effect and I love the fabric choices for this one. Thanks for linking up ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is so cool looking!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Well done, I hope to give it a try soon : )

    ReplyDelete
  11. OOOoOOOOOOoooo Oooooooh gorgeous! I came across your photo on flickr while I was poking around (avoiding housework, hehe) so I popped over to your blog for a more in-depth look. Thank you for the tutorial - this is just beautiful (and kicky!) - I can't wait to try it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks so much for showing how you did this! I love your pouch!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great idea and a lovely effect. Thank you so much for the tutorial.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Fabulous tutorial - have "pinned" it to my Pinterest board for future use. Thank you! xx

    ReplyDelete
  15. This looks fabulous and caught my eye on Pinterest. Will definitely be trying it out to add interest to my bags. Thanks for the tutorial- very helpful and a great idea.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi! I found you on Pinterest! I love your tutorial!
    Some time ago I found a Christmas tree that I would love to make using the same tecnique. The problem is that I don't have the source of the pictures. The project looks like a wall hanging. I made a post about on my blog, but got no help finding it. I guess now with your tutorial I can try. :) But I would love to see how it looks like finished. Hope you like and if you know any ifo about, please let me know. Here is the link to my blog: http://passionfruitprincess.blogspot.com/2010/11/mistery-christmas-quilt.html
    Thanks for the great tutorial. It is very clear and I am sure I could follow it.
    Ana Paula

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thank you for sharing! I ran across your pouch on Pinterest which led me here and I am so glad you shared this. Such a unique idea and I love the look it brings. Your blog is so fun and interesting, I am glad I found you!

    ReplyDelete
  18. So cute! Thanks for the great tutorial! I look forward to trying this.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Definitely want to try this one. When you say heavy duty interfacing, can you clarify? I made a bag from Sew4Home's site and they called for heavyweight interfacing. I accidentally bought stiff thinking it was the same since my store didn't have any heavyweight. Wrong move! Too stiff. So I just wanted to make sure!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great tutorial! Perhaps I'm over-ambitious, but I see a quilt-top full of these in my future! :) I've pinned the tutorial to my "Quilty Goodness" board on Pinterest (with proper credit, of course!). Feel free to follow me if you'd like: http://pinterest.com/lipglass/quilty-goodness/

    ReplyDelete
  21. I so want to do this for curtains now.

    ReplyDelete
  22. wow... pretty! thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  23. A truely great idea! I love the small pop of color! I featured on my blog today, http://kensingtoncottage.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  24. Love your idea and your tutorial is wonderful. I used it to make a few zippered pouches featuring some special-to-me fabric. Thanks so much for sharing!

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/27153465@N07/8738812002

    ReplyDelete
  25. great tutorial, wonderful effect. Thanks for sharing.
    Greetings from Roma Italy
    Martha http://lacasinaditobia.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  26. So unique! I love the look! I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate this for the corner posts of the border of the memory quilt I'm making for my granddaughter's graduation! It needs a "twist" like this!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Thank you very much for your tutorial! I used the twists on the pocket of a new jacket... a very nice effect
    :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thanks for taking the time to make such a superb tutorial. I adapted the concept in my Taekwondo quilt that I made for our master. You can see it here: http://whatahootquilts.blogspot.com/2016/02/boms-away-finish-report-for-baekjul.html

    ReplyDelete
  29. I just read through that tute and it looks fab to me, and very clear. I have to do a tute for a friend's blog in a couple of months and I am bricking it!

    floral throw pillow
    baby blue accent pillow
    baby accent pillows

    ReplyDelete
  30. The idea is very simple and amazing.Vero Beach Tutoring I will definitely try this

    ReplyDelete
  31. What a great web blog . I like this blog because of its design and interface. Windermere Tutoring It is user friendly and it is nice to visit the blog.

    ReplyDelete
  32. It's now July 2022 and I just discovered your blog. I've been trying to learn to do this for quite some time. I am a quilter but also a crafter of many other creative things. I appreciate your tutorial. Looking forward to doing this. Thanks for sharing. **

    ReplyDelete

I love to read your comments - so please feel free!!