::  Here is one of my first and favorite tutorials, originally published in July of 2008.  Rick Rack Applique is a technique that I created on a whim when I needed a quick, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants adornment for a bag.  The result is a loose, interpretive exercise in stitchery, appropriate for all levels of skill.  ::

In addition to your functional sewing machine and scissors, you will need:

• skinny rick rack (also known as “baby rick rack”)
• freezer / butcher paper or stabilizer
• the piece to be appliqued
• fabric
• thread–both a regular spool and a fancy one like metallic or rayon

Phase One: Prep

First things first. Following these two simple steps will make the world of applique a much more joyful place. Trust me.

Using a dry iron, fuse the shiny side of the freezer paper to the wrong side of your base fabric. In case you hadn’t heard, freezer paper is useful for a multitude of things in the sewing world. Working as a stabilizer is just one of them. You can fuse it to fabric over and over and over again.  This is excellent for cutting out templates as well.  The drawback with using it for applique is that you will have bits of paper stuck in your stitching–they do however wash out over time.

Overall though, freezer paper is pretty handy stuff in the sewing room.  You can even use it to wrap things that you are putting in the freezer which is an added bonus.

If you are using a store bought stabilizer such as Sulky, follow the directions on the package.

Using a stabilizer on the base fabric ensures even stitches. This means no puckering and no weird wrinkles, and that is what creates a professional finish in the world of applique.

So your next step is to iron the applique design onto the base fabric. Again, use a dry iron.

Your finished result should resemble this:

Phase Two: Sewing

There should be a foot that is made just for zig zag stitching with your machine. It will either be clear or will be short and square with a nice wide opening. If this is not the case, don’t sweat it. It just makes it really easy to see what on earth is happening under there.

Lay the baby rick rack on top of the applique piece so that the edges are not showing. Or not. It’s ok if it’s pretty close–that’s the beauty of this technique. Set your machine to a zig zag stitch with a width that looks good to you (I set my machine to 3) and a length that feels comfortable (I set mine to 1 1/2 to 2ish). I used a veragated thread because I was feeling a little adventurous.

Now go!

Just follow along the rick rack, making sure to tack it down. Optimally, you are going to evenly zig zag over the top to hold the rick rack in place, but you’re going to be stitching over it a couple of times so don’t worry if you start to “color outside the lines”. In fact, that’s how this technique was created. When you come to a point where you need to turn, make sure your needle is securely in the fabric, lift the presser foot, adjust the rick rack, turn the entire piece of fabric, put the presser foot back down, and continue.

Here’s what it looks like with one layer of stitching. You can match the ends of the rick rack up evenly or you can overlap them a little bit. Feel free to do whatever works for you. You can see on the belly of the little birdy that I was lazy and just overlapped the ends a bit. Feel free to stop right here if you are looking for a simple, easy way to do applique. If you would like to work a special effect into your project, keep going!

Here is what two layers of stitching looks like. This is a technique that calls for individual experimentation–there’s no wrong way to go about it. When you feel happy with the result, you’re done. Simple.

Here’s the back.

Once you have finished monkeying around with the first layer of thread, change your thread over to the decorative spool that you have chosen. Here I am using a gold rayon thread. Adjust the width of your stitch so that it is now a bit more narrow (I moved the setting down to about 2). Starting in an inconspicuous place (these stitches will be VERY visible), begin to sew on top of the stitches that are already in place.

And that’s it. Piece of cake.

Ok, here we go.  Brace yourselves.

In addition to your functional sewing machine, iron, thread and scissors, you will need:

• A funky old skirt
• Bias tape (the amount depends on the length and width of your apron)

Any old thing that will cover the edges will do…hem tape, wide bias tape folded in half lengthwise and ironed, double fold bias tape. I had some hot pink bias tape already made up so I opted to use that. It’s also shiny…it was very early and somehow I thought it might look nice with that green lacy skirt that Madonna would have proudly worn in the “Holiday” era.

On a positive note, it will be very easy for you to see what I am doing in the pictures. The ones that aren’t blurry anyway.

Prep

So go ahead and cut up the skirt into whatever size apron works for you. I will also be covering how to gather fabric (oh, yes I did) so go ahead and cut it on the wide side if you’re planning on giving that a shot. Oh, whoops…should have warned you about the pink and orange plaid that was coming up. It’s actually a really cool vintage wool that I found at a yard sale and apparently was just a bit too eager to show off.

Press the “apron” in order to make applying the bias tape a breeze. The secret to quality sewing is to iron, iron, iron. It will make the difference between a crappy homemade project and a crisp, professional result. Just be careful not to turn the iron up too high and melt green ribbon onto the plate. If the skirt you have chosen has embellishments, iron the backside of the fabric.

Gathering the Top Edge

With your machine set on the basting stitch (the veeeeerrrrry loooongest one), stitch a straight line about 1/4″ away from the edge of the top of your apron. Be sure to leave a nice long tail of thread and do not backstitch. You always want to sew two stitches close to each other (NOT overlapping at all) just in case one of your thread breaks from your giddiness. These stitches will be easily removed with a seam ripper when the bias tape has been applied so don’t worry about the exact placement.

There will be four tails of thread hanging from the edge of the apron: two on the top and two on the bottom. It doesn’t matter which two you choose to pull as long as they are both on the same side.

Thankfully this is actually one of the good pictures so it should be pretty clear to see what I mean.

Pull the threads and evenly gather the fabric until you reach the desired width for your apron.

Tie the ends of the thread off into a simple knot in order to keep the gathers from liberating themselves. They are very sneaky.

Applying the Bias Tape

With the bias tape folded around the edge of the fabric on one side of the apron, you will want to start your seam about 1/2″ from the top. Sew a couple of stitches and then backstitch to secure the bias tape. This will ensure that the edge of the whole deal doesn’t get sucked down into the undercarriage and cause a big snarl of thread and/or a broken needle. Continue stitching, attaching the bias tape first to one side, continuing across the bottom of the apron, and coming back up the opposite side. Do not attach the bias tape to the top of the apron yet because that is covered in the next step.

Determine the length of the ties for your apron. I like nice long ties so I measured each length at 26 inches. This is in addition to the actual width of the apron (21″), making the the full length of the top bias tape 73 inches.

To easily find the center points, just fold each item in half. Pin the centers together and then continue to pin to each edge. Or just eyeball it and forgo the pins, you daredevil.

Go ahead and sew along the edge of the bias tape, backtacking at the stress points (where the edges meet).

And finally, to clean up your basting stitches simply pick apart a few stitches with the seam ripper. These stitches are so long that they should come out very easily.

And since the trim, the lace, and the hot pink shiny edging just wasn’t enough for me, I also applied a smattering of lovely crocheted flowers all over the apron to embellish it just a bit more. I’m embarrassed to even show the gal from Ireland who makes these. You can also happily purchase your own from her Etsy shop.

And the back:

I’m off to track down some lace fingerless gloves, one large earring, and some ankle boots with a one inch heel. Get into the Groove, yo.

…at the loom…

]]> http://www.thepeacefulpeacock.com/2010/03/this-moment/feed/ 1 http://www.thepeacefulpeacock.com/2010/03/the-wizard-behind-the-curtain/ http://www.thepeacefulpeacock.com/2010/03/the-wizard-behind-the-curtain/#comments Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:50:24 +0000 the peaceful peacock http://www.thepeacefulpeacock.com/?p=1485

Thanks for hanging in there while I’m getting a new round of techie stuff figured out.  Creating and designing a custom website is no easy feat, especially for someone who didn’t even know how to use a digital camera three years ago.  Ironically, the simplistic layout and easy-to-maneuver site is one of the most challenging to put together.

Though it looks pretty basic on the outside, I’ve been busy, busy installing custom tools and working with code in order to make this website beautiful, easy to navigate, and most importantly (to me) efficient and quick to work with.  I’ve been concentrating the bulk of my creative time on this effort for the last 6 months and watching it finally come into fruition is kind of mind boggling, to tell you the truth.

It’s been a joy to share this entire journey with you and I cannot express how much I appreciate those of you who have stuck through it and watched it grow.  Just wait.  It’s going to get better and better.  Every day.

In a way that you can actually see.

So while we’re in wrap-it-up mode, I’ll be re-posting a few of my most popular and most helpful posts over the next couple of weeks.  These are posts that were imported from the old site and I’d like to edit them a bit, renew my link exchanges, and boost my SEO ranking with them, so thanks for sitting through the re-runs.  If you haven’t had the chance to read them already, then all the better!

Back to the geekery.…

Like the new widget?  Please feel free to copy and paste the code in the text box (over there on the sidebar) in order to link to my blog.  I’m working on a couple more in different sizes as well–stay tuned for updates.

So while I’m doing some behind the scenes geekery, you can catch my posts over at The Yarn Shop and Fiber Place.  The Yarn Shop is my fiber mecca here in Bozeman and I’m pretty sure it’s the best yarn shop ever.  I’m in the process of helping them move gracefully into the 21st Century with a new format and look, a Facebook Fan Page, and Barb has taken quite a shine to Twitter.  We would love to have you join us in whatever way works for you, including stopping by for some face-to-face time.

Keep checking in to see the tinkerings!  Almost done with all the layout work!

Please enjoy the music while holding…

Simple sensations of home are fresh and wonderful once again.

Touching :: The faces of my sweet beauties, who are upside down and inside out from three days of confinement.

Tasting :: The memory of carne asada.  And salsa.  And fresh tortillas.  Sighhhhhhhhh.…

Smelling :: Fresh mountain air ~ clean, campfirey, and instinctively familiar on a deep and satisfying level.

Hearing :: The preening of birds and the purring of cats.

Seeing :: The beloved big skies of home.

Stay tuned for pictures.  Lots of pictures.

Last week it came, inspired by whiskey and the mystic evening light of a New Mexico sunset.

I do believe it’s time to tell you about Mikey.

I know what you’re thinking, but trust me ~ he’s not as scary as he might appear.

Mikey–or “The Slowrider” as he is known around here–is a peace loving, Rolling Stones rockin’, renegade of life.  Homeless by choice, he travels around the West on bicycle.  And when I say the West, I mean from top to bottom ~ Oregon to Arizona and everything in between.  He does it all on his trusty Giant, toting along the barest of essentials:  a bible, some beer money, a notebook, and whatever he needs to get him to the next stop on his 1800 mile annual journey.

He’s an honest man ~ working for his beer money rather than begging for it, accepting the fate of the life he has chosen for himself, and maintaining the faith that people are inherently good.  He hopped on a train at the age of 18 (he’s 45 now) and waved a peace sign at the idea of domestic life.  For the last three years, he’s chosen the path driven by his own two pedals.  And sometimes he falls over.  Generally after tipping a few too many.  No need to sugarcoat that part of it.  But he always gets back up, picks the gravel from his elbows, and heads on down the road.  He’ll continue to do so for as long as he lives.

So we have a saying around here:  Watch Out For the Slowrider.

Really ~ watch out.  You don’t want to hit him with your car.

The Slowrider is the sign of seasons for us.  Around this time of year when it’s looking a bit too wintery and wonderlandy, we start reminiscing and wonder what kind of adventures he’s found since we last said fare thee well.

So it’s official:  the Great Migration North is in its planning stages.  With a distant sounding phone call and a letter sent in Slowrider scrawl, we have been assured that Spring is on its way.  In 8 weeks.  With an ETA of May.

You can check on Mikey’s travels by word of mouth here and by checking in right here at thepeacefulpeacock.com.

It’s challenging.  And good.  And I’m having fun with it so far.

One of the elements that I like about participating in something like this is that it becomes surprisingly personal.  I’m looking inside and out to discover exactly what it is that makes me tick in regards to personal style.  I’ve been browsing fashion sites, flickr groups, and inspirational blogs to open up new perspectives, and I’ve been caught up in the feelings of lack and out-of-placeness that come from checking in with fashion sites, flickr groups, and inspirational blogs.

And I’ve come home to the foundations.  The core.  Elements that create the essence of me.

When I was about 20 years old, I remember stumbling onto a bumper sticker that simply said, “I Am”.  I knew this was valuable information, something to be tucked away and stored and pondered over, but I didn’t really get it at the time.  I think I’m starting to get it.  The lesson is one that only comes from watching the days flow in and out, stealthily taking time by the hand and passing it under my feet.

That’s a deep and fancy way of telling you how wise I’ve become in my thirties.

What I do know is that everything changes.  But I am always me.  I am always here.  I am always doing what I do.  Here changes, what I do sways with the breeze, the pieces of the puzzle fit in different patterns from days to weeks to years, but I still value the same foundations that I have held close to my heart my whole life.  It’s good to know that now that I’m passing those little parts and pieces of myself on to other human beings, and I’ve done my best to polish up the tarnished spots and to repair the bits that came home damaged.

No matter what, I always Am.

In the moment.  On my way to something.  In love.  Enjoying myself.  Wondering.  Thinking about something else.  Happy.  Content.  Fulfilled.  Challenged.  Hopeful.  Baking.  Sewing.  Learning.  Nurturing.

Kind.  Graceful.  Blessed.

Even when I’m irritated and frustrated and impatient and tired and crabby and in the crappiest of moods.  I Am.

And I must admit, it’s kind of fun to find ways that express that in something as impermanent and fleeting as clothing.  It’s a challenge–and not my usual kind of challenge.  A challenge of the utmost kind, indeed.

So I begin with something easy and familiar.

Skirts.

And an old skill that I haven’t visited since those days of 20.  With this first piece, I honor all that I Am.  I also honor all that I Was.  Because while 20 was a pretty good year, it’s a part of me that still hurts sometimes even though I wish it didn’t.

In gratitude, I make this skirt for a young lady I knew a long time ago.  She was a whiz at embroidery.  And she was rather fond of faeries.

This winter I have acquired a new friend.

Her name is Jasmine Green.

She lives in a teapot, a cup, a jar, sometimes an unbleached filter.

But she’s always nearby.

She brings her friend Honey along too.

We have some good times.

She offers me a handle on the difficult moments.

I often think of her in the middle of the night and can’t wait to see her in the morning.

It must be love.