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Welcome to the tutorial for putting together your "Always Flowers" embroidery frames. The steps below are the same as your pattern, however they also include photos of each step. I do hope this helps you in completing your gorgeous creations. xx Take your largest embroidery (please note that for this tutorial I am using a fussy cut piece of fabric rather than an embroidery) and the largest set of frame hardware. Each set of hardware includes the black perspex frame, a thinner wooden frame, a cardboard insert piece, and a final cardboard backing piece which has 2 small holes.  Due to light weight, the frames can be hung using blue-tac or other household temporary adhesion products. Alternatively you can hang from a nail. If you wish to hang from a nail, take a length of strong string and thread this through the 2 holes in the cardboard backing piece. Tie the ends securely on the wrong side of the cardboard backing, ensuring there is enough slack for hanging but not too much that the string will be visible from the front.
Peel off the protective coating from one side of your black perspex frame. Take your thinner wood frame and apply super glue to one side of this only. Stick this, glue side down, onto the exposed side of your black perspex frame, ensuring that the inside edges are all neatly and evenly aligned. Allow to dry and adhere completely.
Take your embroidery and a very long length of double polyester thread. Using this thread, take medium sized running stitches all the way around the outer edge of the stitchery panel. Once you reach the end, pull up the thread to gather your stitches a little. Place the cardboard insert evenly behind the stitchery and then pull up the rest of your gathers tightly around this, adjusting as required to ensure an even result. Tie a knot to secure your gathers.
Now take another very long double length of your polyester thread and use this to tighten the embroidery evenly around the insert. To do this, take a stitch in one side edge of the gathered back and then into the opposite side of the gathered back, pulling tight and pulling the two sides together much like shoe laces. Continue along the side edges, then the top edges, and if your embroidery needs it, also from corner to corner.
Once happy with the placement and tautness, place the embroidery/insert inside the frame. Take your cardboard backing piece and place glue on the wrong side of this, around the very edges as well as through the middle and on the knot of your hanging string (if applicable). Place the backing plate onto the back of your frame and ensure that everything is fitting together neatly and evenly.
Hold your frame together tightly until it adheres, or ideally place clips around the edges of your frame to hold it together while it adheres. Repeat with your remaining embroideries and hardware. Hang and enjoy!
 With my latest fabric collection, "Teddy Bear's Picnic" there is an awesome quilt panel that can be made into a very cute cot quilt and matching teddy. The perfect gift to whip up for a new baby in your life.  But if you are not a "quilt person" here is the perfect tutorial to turn your panel into a cute cloth book. Pair this up with the matching teddy and you have the perfect gift set! Simply follow the steps below to make your own. If you want to grab a panel check with your favourite Melly & me stockist or you can grab one in the shop.  1. Take your panel and cut away the teddy bear toy section. Pop this aside for later.  2. Press the panel well.  3. Start cutting all of your pages out by cutting exactly half way between each quilt block. Make sure there is equal "white space" around all sides of each block.  4. Continue until you have cut out all 9 pages evenly.  5. Cut a fabric square of the same size to be the book's back cover.  6. Cut 5 pieces of lightweight fusible fleece that are 1/2" smaller in height and width than your pages . Please note that the fleece will add a lot of bulk to your book spine. If your machine has trouble getting through very thick sewing then please substitute the fleece for a much thinner interfacing. If using fleece like I have, make sure it is very thin and lightweight.  7. Fuse the fleece to the centre of the wrong side of 5 of your pages. I chose the five pages with the same border colouring, including the bunting cover. (please note your interfacing will be 1/4" smaller around all edges than shown in this image)  8. Place your cover page (with interfacing) and your 2nd page (without interfacing) on top of each other, right sides together. With the interfaced side facing up, pin along the top, bottom and left had edges. (please note your interfacing will be 1/4" smaller around all edges than shown in this image)  9. Sew along the 3 pinned edges with a 1/4" seam allowance, leaving the unpinned edge open. (please note your interfacing will be 1/4" smaller around all edges than shown in this image)  10. Snip the 2 sewn corners. (please note your interfacing will be 1/4" smaller around all edges than shown in this image)  11. Turn right side out.  12. Press well.  13. Repeat steps 8 - 12 until all pages are complete.  14. Line up the sewn ends of your pages neatly in the order you prefer.  15. Pin together along the spine so the pages stay in place.  16. Machine tack the pages together at the spine. If you have a walking foot I recommend you use this now. Also please ensure you use a needle that suits the thickness (a size 100 needle would be great)  17. Cut a piece of fabric for your spine binding measuring 2 1/2" x 12".  18. Fold the raw edges of the strip in towards the centre. Press well.  19. Fold the whole strip in half, right side out so that you enclose the raw edges. Press.  20. Open up one end of your binding strip. Fold in the raw end by 1/4" press and then refold the binding in place. Press again. Repeat on the other side of your strip.  21. Open out one long edge of your binding and lay this against the raw edge of your book spine. Pin in place. Your binding will be slightly longer than the spine and this is intentional - make sure you centre it so that there is equal excess binding at either side.  22. Sew the binding on to the book's spine by sewing along the first crease line. If you are having trouble getting through the thickness, change to a larger sewing machine needle.  23. Fold the binding over to the back of the book (much like you would bind a quilt) and clip or pin in place.  24. Ladder stitch the folded binding edge to the back of the book's spine so that it just covers your line of machine stitches.  25. When you get to the ends you are going to sew the two neat edges together to cover the end of the spine.   26. Until your end is nice and neat.   Enjoy your book! xx Melly  With my latest fabric collection, "Teddy Bear's Picnic" there is an awesome quilt panel that can be made into a very cute cot quilt and matching teddy. The perfect gift to whip up for a new baby in your life.  But if you are not a "quilt person" here is the perfect tutorial to turn your panel into a cute string of bunting. Pair this up with the matching teddy and you have the perfect gift set! Simply follow the steps below to make your own. If you want to grab a panel check with your favourite Melly & me stockist or you can grab one in the shop.  1. Take your panel and cut away the teddy bear toy section. Pop this aside for later.  2. Press the panel well.  3. Cut each quilt panel out to create your bunting shapes. You could go smaller or larger but I chose to cut 1/4" outside the first row of triangles on the left, right and bottom edges. And then 1/4" outside the second row of triangles on the top (see next image).  4. The completed shape. Cut out each block in the same way.  5. Cut 9 pieces of lightweight fusible fleece and 9 pieces of backing fabric to the same size.  6. Fuse a piece of fleece to each main bunting piece.  7. Place an interfaced main bunting piece and a backing piece on top of each other, right sides together. Pin along the side and bottom edges.  8. With the pieces pined together neatly, trim the bottom two corners into slight curves.  9. Now sew the bunting along the side and bottom edges wth a 1/4" seam allowance, leaving the top edge open.  10. Turn right side out and press well. (excuse atrocious photo!)  11. Repeat to create all 9 of your bunting pieces.  12. Take a 4 metre (4 yard) length of pre-made 1" bias tape or make your own. Fold the bias tape in half, right sides out and press in place.  13. Decide on your bunting order and then pin the bunting flags into the fold of your bias tape starting from the centre flag out. I chose to leave a 1 1/2" gap between each flag but you can make them closer or further apart as desired.  14. Start at one end of your bias tape and start sewing it together 1/8" from the loose edges. Continue to sew along the bias length capturing the bunting flags in your sewing as you go.  15. Until you have your complete bunting!  16. Hang on the wall and enjoy! xx Melly |
