Romanian Lace cord tutorial / video

OK so I have never made a tutorial video so this is very ruff but I hope it helps those who want to learn to make this cord. As it is easier to learn in motion than from written instructions. I had the camera on a tripod so it goes a little in and out of focus sorry for that. In the photos are some close ups of the cord in different colors and sizes of thread so you can see what it looks like up close. This cord is very unique in that it can unravel from either end that is why it is very important the over and under because if you don't do that the cord will not unwind from both ends. I have made this cord with size 100 tatting thread up to Aunt Lydia's rug yarn ( I am not fond of the yarn size). At one time I thought I would make a rug with this technique using big rug yarn didn't like the project so it got torn apart and never saw the light of day.

all the yarn overs I am going to call hook over or hook under
ho =hook over
hu= hook under
the pattern is
chain 2 skip chain closest to hook single crochet in second hook doing first Hook over and second hook under turn go through first bar on side. *ho then hu pull off turn. Now go under the two bars on side at the same time * repeat from star to star for desired length

I noticed on my husbands computer that flickr cut off the last bit of my video so I am trying to upload straight from my computer in the hopes of the whole video being there. Not much was removed just me explaining that I was using sugar and cream yarn and an f hook and that I usually use a 10 steel hook and size 10 thread so it was awkward for me to use such large yarn.

The one above is the upload to blogger version that has everything in it. The one below my flickr upload isn't missing much and can be scaled to full screen so I left both for you to look at.

tutorial done in sugar and cream yarn size f hook but I usually use size 10 thread size 10 hook
size 20 thread size 12 hook
size 30 thread size 14 hook
anything smaller a size 16 hook

The last photo has two other cords in it they do not unwind from both ends but add nice texture to your work these are some of the cord I used on the bolero vest.

Other names for this type of lace Romanian macramé, Romanian Point lace, Romanian Crochet, European Macramé,

You do not have to use this cord just for Romanian lace use it any where a strong cord is need. Also you can string beads on it and add a little differnt texture to your work. You could string all the beads on first or add them as you go but this is not traditional but if it is your work that doesn't matter. Also you can use this as a cord embellishment, if using smaller crochet thread like size 30, on clothes and other items just as you would rick rack on top of items.

Please help me my play video isn't working on my computer please let me know if this plays for you. Would love to see any results from this there is a group on flickr for this type of work. I will do more tutorials in the future as to how to baste this down to a pattern how to find patterns at quilt/fabric stores even when they say they don't have them or know what they are. lastly a few filling stitches. But I am not promising when I will do this other than sometime this summer because of work and I still need to get the last rug tutorial up.

Vintage Indie and yoyos

My squared up yoyo tutorial has been featured on Vintage Indie.

Speaking of yoyos have you seen these at Hancock fabric's site pretty cool I may have to make some.

Easy Cobbler Recipe

This is a super easy recipe to make; all you need is three ingredients, and a pan and an oven.
Supplies:

• 2 cans of pie filling
• 1 box vanilla cake mix
• 1 cube butter (not the whole box)

First, heat up oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place two cans of filling in the bottom of a 9 x 11 baking pan. I am making two batches for our family picnic today, so I used four cans -- two per pan. One is cherry and one is apple; any fruit filling will work.

Next, lay an entire box of vanilla cake mix on top of fruit layer.

Next, slice the cube of butter super thin and spread it out evenly over the cake-mix layer.

Place in oven and let bake for 30 minutes.

Pull out to cool.

Can be severed as is or with whip cream, ice-cream or whatever you want.

If you want a smaller batch, use a pie pan, 1 can of filling, 1/2 box cake mix, and 1/2 cube of butter. The rest of the instructions are the same, including cooking time.

Part 5: Sewing and increases / tools

Supplies and tools:

• Glove to protect hand you pull thread with (I am right handed, the glove is worn on my left) but you can wear one on both hands if you want. I have leather thimbles over the fingers of my glove to save my fingers even more. All the damage you see to this glove is from braiding, same goes for the thimbles.
• Bodkins or needles. My favorite is the top one. It is from my Great Aunt; she used it to make rugs over 60 years ago. Next is the one below it found thrifting. The bottom ones are the type you find at most stores in a package like to the right in the photo. I don't like them -- too short, in my opinion. They are hard to manipulate.
• 6-ply linen cord. You can also get a nice, thick, strong cord from any cobbler. They have two types: waxed and unwaxed. Unwaxed is cheaper, waxed is twice as much. I repaired a few of my Great Aunts rugs right before she died and realized she had used waxed cord on some and unwaxed on others. The waxed cords where still pliable and subtle where the other cords had become dry and brittle. I don't have waxed cord to use, but I think for the long run it is better. However, it has a drawback: it is hard to get a knot to seat in it very well. This makes sewing (lacing) harder to do. But, if I had both types of cord, I would use the waxed over the other just for the durability of it.
• Swinging gate clamp. This is used when braiding, but I realized I didn't show it in the last post with an explanation, so I am tossing it in now. This is used to hold my braid when braiding. I can push the braid away from me and the gate swings open to let it move through the gate. If I pull towards me the gate holds firm and doesn't let the braid move. That's very useful when braiding and is highly recommended. Clamps to most tables.
• And, of course, you need a length of braid to stitch together.

First you will need to cut a length of cord. Tie a knot at the tail and another right after the needle or bodkin to make it easier to stitch.
OK, on to explaining how to lace the braids together. Just so we all know, for me this is hard to explain in writing and easy to demo in real life. So if you have questions, please ask because I may have missed a photo (but I don't think so).

• Insert needle into the top of the t start. Make sure to go through some of the fabric inside the braid to secure the knot. Cut excess threads hanging out
• Pass your needle inside the braid till you pop the needle out on the inside of the curve 3 twists down on the inside curve of the braid.
• Go back up to the first l over m and stitch under the braid. You are not catching any fibers anymore, just going in between the strands of the braid.
• Now, skip the strand next to the spot where the needle popped out of the braid the first time, and pass the needle through the space between the strands. Picture of needle point at the red strand shows that I am skipping that strand.
• Back to the top of the t start, pass needle under the first r over m.
• Back to other attaching new braid, skipping next strand on braid, stitch under the next. In other words, every other stand is being stitched. In my case, I am skipping the reds. These skips are known as increases and is adding bulk to the rug edge to make it easier to make the curves. You only do increases on the braid that is being attached to the rug. You NEVER skip any braid strand on the part of the rug that has already been attached.
• Back to t start and stitch through the second r over m.
• Continue in this pattern until you get to where both sides of the braid you are adding to the rug have three colors in their twists. In other wards, till you get past the apple peels.
• Place a safety pin at the t start pointing away from the t; this will point to where you will make all your color changes later in the rug.
• You will continue lacing the braid to the rug, but now you only make increases where needed; this takes some practice. You can place t pins in the rug to make sure you are staggering your increases. If you don't stagger them, your rug will not be round but will have a free-form shape, especially if you always do them in the same spot. You increase when you feel you have to stretch the braid to make the next lacing. If you don't have to stretch it, then don't increase. If your rug is cupping you have not done enough increases; tear out lacing and do that part again. If your rug has a wavy effect, you have too many increases; tear out that part and stitch again with fewer increases. If your fabrics are not the same weight, both of these two things can happen, too. It just takes practice to know which is happening. If you switch to a fatter or heaver weight wool, do not increase that round. If you switch to a lighter or thinner weight wool, you will have many more increases that round. Best to stay to one weight.
• Wool rugs are very cushy and thick; some people are surprised by this when they make the rug. Trust me, your shoulders will know you are working with something heavy!
• When stitching, make sure to pull your linen cord hard to pull lacing stitches together. With wool, cotton toweling, and plain quilters cotton, your stitching should not show, with jeans that is a different story because the jeans don't give much to hid the stitches. I like my stitches to be hidden and have only made one jean rug for this reason. I don't like to walk on what is holding the rug together, because if the stitches show that means they are being walked on, and the vacuum is beating on them, wearing them out faster. Since the lacing cord is not as thick as the rug is, it wears out soon and you will have to make repairs. This is one of the main reasons I will not buy store rugs, because they have little tiny sewing machine thread holding the braids together on the outside of the rug, not hidden inside like the ones I make. So, it doesn't take much wear to wear out those threads and then your rug falls apart. My Great Aunts (the ones still living) are still using the rugs that they and my great-grandmother made over 60 years ago, and they still have 60 more years or more of wear left in them. I only repaired 6 holes in over 13 rugs in their house (to hard of work for their 90-plus year bodies), and those holes were made by the kitchen table's legs wearing out the fabric from sitting in the same spot for so long. In other words, the rugs where like steel if made well and flipped and rotated often, like at spring cleaning time.
• When your thread starts to get short, also shown in the picture below, you will need to add more cording. You can use a square knot or a weavers knot. I use a square knot, but both would work great. The weavers knot would be a better choice for waxed thread. When adding thread, leave the tails long so when you stitch the tails can be woven under many braid strands to hold the knot secure and to keep it from untieing and unlacing.
  

Part 1: Prep work and cutting fabric
Part 2: Will be about sewing the strips together and forming reels
Part 3: About starting a t-started rug
Part 4: How to start a round rug, apple peel style
Part 5: Sewing and increases / tools
Part 6: How to change colors
Part 7: Ending in a taper
Part 8: Butting last one or two rows of the rug for a smooth finish

Part 4: Braided Rug Apple peals

r = right
m = middle
l = left

There are two ways of starting this type of braid once you have a t start

The version I use is listed first; the second version, the one I don't use, is listed second. Both work great.

Start with the apple peel itself.

1. r over m
2. r over m (make sure when you are braiding you are keeping the raw edges turned inside so that it continues to have the shape you stitched closed without the extra stitches).
3. l over m, pull hard on the piece of the braid that was left over middle 1 complete apple peel made, this picture. The one below shows one more step than indicated in instructions above; it shows the next r over m , r over m as well as the l over m talked about above, then the second apple peel is started with 2 r over m
4. Do 8 of these, including the first one in the 8. If done correctly, on the left side of the braid will only be two colors where the right side has all three but one color is ever other twist.
5. Then start plain braiding, r over m, l over m; keep braid tight and firm. This isn't like hair where you want a long braid, but a short stocky braid. Make sure you are turning in your raw edges.

If I can get my husband to do it for me, I will make a little video later and add it to this post showing how to turn ends in while braiding.




Version 2:

1. Start with normal braid (r over m, l over m) then start "apple peel" (see above).

Part 1: Prep work and cutting fabric
Part 2: Will be about sewing the strips together and forming reels
Part 3: About starting a t-started rug
Part 4: How to start a round rug, apple peel style
Part 5: Sewing and increases / tools
Part 6: How to change colors
Part 7: Ending in a taper
Part 8: Butting last one or two rows of the rug for a smooth finish

Part 3: Tutorial braided rug T start

1. Fold inside strip for the starting of the braid over on itself to hide all raw ends. Fold down top, fold up the bottom, then fold all to center; should look like a heart shape from the end.
2. Stitch this tube closed for about 2 inches. I am using bright colored thread so you can see it; usually you should try to make it match your wool color.
   
3. Using the previous seam from last post in tutorial that I showed with the 45-degree angle, we will start our T-started rug. This is the first strip; it is two colors
   
4. Attach second strip to inside seam of first. I do this by hand; I guess you could do it by machine, but it would be very awkward.
5. Fold over first the strip (cream and green) and stitch closed for about 2 inches on both sides of second strip (red). When stitching this closed, make sure to stitch both sides back and forth for a strong connection to the steam coming out of the top of the T; also stitch to the red, too, so all is closed up. With this technique, your starts will be very smooth and it will be hard to see where the two top fabrics (khaki green and cream, in this case) are joined together.

This is all there is to a T start.

It is good to start with a light, medium, and dark color; if you start with too many darks, it sort of looks like a bulls eye in the middle of your work. Now, if you want that look, go for it; not every one does.

On a side note:

Sorry for the messy nails; stripping wool gets lots of wool-fiber dust under your nails, not a neat job. Expect to get a little fiber dust under your nails and all over your house.


Part 1: Prep work and cutting fabric
Part 2: Will be about sewing the strips together and forming reels
Part 3: About starting a t-started rug
Part 4: How to start a round rug, apple peel style
Part 5: Sewing and increases / tools
Part 6: How to change colors
Part 7: Ending in a taper
Part 8: Butting last one or two rows of the rug for a smooth finish

Rug Braiding tutorial updates

I am going to try and post at least three more parts of this in the next seven days. That way, if people want to get it started before their kids get out of school, they can. This is a nice summer project all ready and set to go when they have a minute here and there to add to the length. If you didn't guess it already, it was my day off today and no school, so I got to work on my tutorial.

Part 1: Prep work and cutting fabric
Part 2: Will be about sewing the strips together and forming reels
Part 3: About starting a t-started rug
Part 4: How to start a round rug, apple peel style
Part 5: Sewing and increases
Part 6: How to change colors
Part 7: Ending in a taper
Part 8: Butting last one or two rows of the rug for a smooth finish

Part 2: Braided Rug tutorial

Sewing Strips Together

So, I cleaned the sewing room so I could instantly make a mess with this project. Above photo: stacks of wool for making the rug.

The strips are sewn together at a 45-degree angle. This is used to change colors and to add more of the same color to the current strip being used. This is also used in the beginning when you have three colors starting at the same time.

1. Lay ends of wool strips that you have cut at right angles to each other.
   
2. Sew from corner to corner, a 45 degree-angle, right sides together.
   
3. Trim off excess wool; leave 1/4 to 1/2 inch-wide seam allowance.
   

The reason the seam is sewn at a 45 degree angle is to reduce bulk in the braid because it spreads it out over about an inch instead of putting all the bulk in one spot.

When braiding, you need one of your strands to be short; there are a few ways of doing this.

• One is to leave two long strands and constantly add to the third strand.
• Another is leave all three strands short and add to all three as needed.
• I don't like to do either of these methods because it breaks the rhythm of braiding. So, I leave two strands real long and the third strand is left sort of long, but in the form of a reel, which makes its over-all braiding length short.

You can do any of the above that works best for you. Two are pretty much self explanatory, the last I will explain a little better.

I like using a braid aid reel; the only thing was, it didn't hold enough in my opinion - only 5 yards.

So, I bent an old wire clothes hanger and attached it to the bottom of the reel tool to make it longer and hold more. At the bottom of the bends I placed a piece of PVC pipe to help the wool roll around the wire better for ease in braiding.

Wool wound in a circle/reel with a hole big enough in the center to accommodate the pvc pipe.

Extension inside wool.

Remove pin from Reel aid and attach to extension.

Wool strips feed through the tool.

I don't use the reel to fold the fabric; I just use it to hold more fabric. You can use braid aids on all your strips to help you fold, especially if you have arthritis or something of that sort. Personally, it is easier to braid without the gizmos and creates less fiber dust, too. That is why I now prefer to use just the one, the reel, to speed up the braid time by not having to stop so much to sew more strips on. But I leave the other strips without the tool because it is faster for me.

If you don't have, or don't want to buy, a reel-aid tool, you can do the same thing with a safety pin and just undo a loop every time you need more of the strip to braid. I do this, too. I am trying to give you as many options as possible on how to do this so it is the cheapest for you in the long run in case you do not want to invest in a lot of tools.

Part 1: Prep work and cutting fabric
Part 2: Will be about sewing the strips together and forming reels
Part 3: About starting a t-started rug
Part 4: How to start a round rug, apple peel style
Part 5: Sewing and increases / tools
Part 6: How to change colors
Part 7: Ending in a taper
Part 8: Butting last one or two rows of the rug for a smooth finish

QA: To answer another question...

I received this email on April 17th:

I just found your web site. I really like it. It seems real, not scripted. :+) I love your work also. :+) I was wondering if you could help me with a pattern in a book you have!!! I can't seem to find anything about it on the web, and don't know any one who crochets. LOL. It is in the crochet year book volume 2, the Granny Girl Purse and Headband. Here is what I am having trouble with..

RND 8: join black to any corner ch-2 sp; ch 1, 5 sc in same sp; *sc in next 21 dc, 5 sc in next corner ch-2 sp; rep from* twice more; sc in next 21 dc; join in first sc.

How do you do 5 sc in that same sp?? It creates a chain, is it supposed to be like that? Or am I doing it wrong? I am at a complete loss with it, and am trying to make this for my niece. I would really appreciate any help you can give me.

Forever,

Jo

I don't know how many have this book but lots make granny squares so here is my answer....
First, if you are not the person in question, I will not post the entire pattern as that would be infringing on the owners copyright. But for explanatory purposes of the question, I left what she had written about round 8 so we would all be on the same page which, in the book, happens to be pages 138-139, and 162-163. The book is from "American school of Needlework" Volume 2 book 1336.

Please excuse the dots of blue paint on my nails and under them; it is from making a floral arrangement yesterday and I have to wait till it wears off. See previous post about work fun.

Ok, on to the question...

First off, on the previous round you only have chains in the corners on the sides of the granny; there are no chains, just sets of 3 dc.

This is different from the previous rounds. Just making sure you have the previous row correct. For some reason for the set up of the edge the author has you sort of decreasing by removing the chains in the previous round. That is a side note back to question.

You slip stitch into the space that the two chains made on the corner; do not slip stitch into any of the chains.

Showing slip stitch to attach to work

The ch1 gets you to the right height for the row to begin and counts as nothing in your pattern; just a height thing.

Showing chain 1 to get to right height.Showing start of first sc in ch 2 space. Also showing crocheting over tail to encapsulate it into the work so you don't have to finish so many threads at the end of your work.

Now, in that same ch 2 space on the same corner where you joined, you are going to place 5 sc around those 2 chains.

Showing all 5 sc in chain 2 space, sorry bad photo.Showing the 5 sc in corner and the first 5 of 21 sc across side of granny square.

The next 21 stitches are in the top of the 7 sets of 3 dc between corners. then you place 5 sc around the next set of ch 2 in the next corner do this all the way around. It isn't forming a chain; it is defining your corners with 2 sc per side and 1 for your corner point.

Old sweaters/ Conference Saturday project

So, what to do while listening to conference on Saturday Morning and afternoon. Get rid of the pile of old sweaters sittings at the foot of my bed that I have been meaning to tear apart for awhile. So, as you now know, I had a bunch of old sweaters (cotton rayon blend); these all had some sort of embroidery. Not really my style any more, and most didn't fit well, either. So what to do with them?

1. First, salvage all the buttons; lots of good MOP (mother of pearl) buttons on these sweaters to be saved, and a few cool beads. After you pillage the buttons and such, what next?
   
2. Cut as many 9 1/2 inch squares as you can, save short sleeves (I have another project for them in mind) and the large scraps (same project).
   
3. Cut white 100% cotton fabric squares, also 9 1/2 inches square. (I have not done this step, yet). I plan to back with cotton fabric to help prevent the wavy look I have seen on other such afghans. Don't know if this will work, but I will give it a try. I plan on using 1/2 inch seam allowance. Bigger than normal, but I am hoping this will help with some raveling that may happen.
   
4. When all are sewn together with a bat and a back, I want to tie the front to the back with crow feet quilting. A sort of quick quilting-tie with an embroidery look.
   
5. Bind edges; I am thinking old silk from same pile of clothes to get rid of, or old-fashioned satin blanket binding. There are also jeans in this stack to add to my jean braided rug.
   

I think it will be cute and if not, it will still useful.

Part 1: how to make a braided round rug (prep work)

I am going to do a series of tutorials because it will take a few posts to make this. Many people have asked how to do this, as well as a sister-in-law. So, for hers and your benefit, here we go with the first tutorial on how to make a round braided rug. Why round? It is the easiest to make first, ovals next, corners and odd shapes the hardest and last.

So, here is the start of the round rug.

Supplies for this step:

• Scissors/ruler or rotary cutter/mat
  
• fabric can be wool (easiest to work with if you are not allergic to wool, that is). jean (denim, hardest on the hands to work with), cotton (very thin; won't last long), cotton toweling (easy to work with, just messy when cutting strips and braiding -- little tufts of toweling everywhere), or any thing you like (I hate using synthetics for this, but if you just have tons of polyester, go for it just [eww] don't show me, I don't know how it is to work with because I have never used it, nor do I want to)
  
• washing machine/soap/cycle on hot water, dryer
  

Steps in prep work:

1. Acquiring the fabric. You can collect old towels to use in making a bath mat, or worn out jeans to make a kid's playroom rug. Some people use scrapes of cotton yardage that they will never use to make anything else. I don't do this because I feel it is too much work to use such a thin material. The result is lovely, but it takes 5 times the work and supplies and doesn't last even half as long as a wool one. You can use wool mill ends if you have a place near you ,such as Pendleton woolen mills. Now this I do like: cheap price, but high-quality material. If you get your fabric from old clothes, you will have to tear down the old clothes getting rid of all seams and such because they are not useful at all. This is a lot more work, but if you have clothes from a deceased relative, it can be rewarding, too, or if they are clothes your children have worn and such.
   
2. Wash all fabric first in very hot water to shrink them and set colors, and dry on high heat in dryer to shrink it as much as possible before use. This will also help in getting rid of and killing any moths that may be in the fabric, if using wool. I also, afterward, stored my wool in big black garbage bags with moth crystals for three weeks to make sure I don't bring moths into my home; that would be a nightmare at my house!
   
3. Cut fabric into 1 1/2 inch-wide strips, for wool. For jeans, I would use 3 inch-wide strips, and same goes for toweling and cotton fabric. Cut strips with the grain or cross grain of the fabric, never on the bias; bias has stretching issues when braiding, and that is not good. You can tear the fabric; for this, cut small snips at one end of the fabric and just tear to the other side. This makes sure that all your strips are uniform and with the grain or cross grain of the fabric. If you want to cut all the fabric with a rotary cutter, that works, too; just might be on the bias if you are not careful...

Part 1: Prep work and cutting fabric
Part 2: Will be about sewing the strips together and forming reels
Part 3: About starting a t-started rug
Part 4: How to start a round rug, apple peel style
Part 5: Sewing and increases / tools
Part 6: How to change colors
Part 7: Ending in a taper
Part 8: Butting last one or two rows of the rug for a smooth finish

These tutorials will be all about making a braided round rug. If after this everyone likes the tutorials, I will add one on how to make an oval rug; it has a different starting. I will also explain the math involved in the increases and figuring out a finished size of an oval rug. This is useful if you want to make a rug for a special space that you will want to fit with an oval.

I do have a group on flickr about handmade rugs; you are welcome to check it out.

Jean rug I made laying on top of a wool rug I made. I was still working on this jean rug when this photo was taken (and still currently am making it bigger). I don't keep rugs on top of each other as a normal practice.

Below is a rug I made from towels that had been well loved and became real worn out and old. They had all been gifts to us at our wedding, so I wanted to save them and make them useful. Thus, a rug was born made out of towels to make a bath mat. You can use brand new towels; it will give you a much softer and fluffier rug. Warning: when cutting towels, it is the messiest of all the fabrics I have mentioned. Do this, the cutting and braiding, in the garage or outside, or you will have a huge mess to clean up.

This is the wool rug, known in our house as the ladybug rug, this is below the jean rug in the other photo. two up.

All the pictures above are of oval rugs, except the first one. I have made many round rugs, but the pictured one I have given away to family members. Even the one in my home was a gift to my husband, so I don't actually own that one, either. The top round rug was never finished because, at that time, I didn't know how to butt the ends of a row so it ends at the tapered row. Both ways are fine; one is just stronger. At some point I will go back and finish my husband's rug, if he lets me he likes it the way it is. I think it still needs two rows of butted braid.

Felt Ornament Heart

felt ornament heart, originally uploaded by sunshine's creations.

If you are thinking of Valentine's Day and want a simple ornament or gift tag, you can always make one of these hearts; follow the last link to the tutorial. If you do make one, please feel free to join flickr felt creations group and add your photo; I would love to see them.

This would be real cute with tatted flowers, too, instead of embroidered ones. I may have to try that. If you make a tatted version, join "the mad tatter" group on flicker and add tatting ones there. If you have no idea what tatting is, check out this site the 25 motif tatting challenge.

English Paper Piecing Question

This picture was posted in The English paper piecing group on flickr. A discussion arose about how to baste large hex pieces. My tutorial explained it, but visuals are better. I do have permission to show this example of how not to do it by its maker, Anne Brumley. Pictured are her first blocks; I actually think they are well made. I do not see the stitching between the blocks, her fabric choices are vibrant and lively. I just want it clear that these are well-made blocks, and the only thing I wanted to clarify was all the basting threads. All the threads you see have to be removed; there are also lots of them, which makes that time consuming and your fingers will hurt from going through the papers so much with the needle.

In the way I do it, all you have to do is cut six small threads; just six small nips of the scissors, then pull the papers out (which saves time) and just leave in the basteing threads.

So, you do a back stitch in each corner where the fabric folds over on top of itself. Then, in the middle of each side of the hex you do an ever so tiny stitch that goes through the fabric and the paper. I have made a few things with this technique, so I promise it is simple and not hard.

Go all the way around in this manner; cut thread when you get back to the beginning. I hope this helps whomever does bigger pieces in English paper piecing. Below are other examples of Anne's work; she uses silk in some of her work, and it is lovely. She picks very nice fabrics and has good hand piecing skills; she is a very nice hand seamstress.

Advent Calendar

I never showed it decorated, so here you go.

Part 6: Advent Calender Button YOYO Ornamnet

Supplies:

• button (I used vintage buttons)
  
• small yoyo (use what ever you want for the template)
• needle
• embroidery thread to sew and use as hanger
• scissors
• sewing thread

Order of events:

1. Make yoyo.
2. Tie knot in embroidery thread; pass through center of yoyo and back again.
3. Thread button and stitch on; go through yoyo and button two or three times. Finish with needle on back of work.
4. Insert needle into yoyo; come out edge of yoyo.
5. Make loop for hanger; tie off.
6. Take needle back into yoyo and cut off.

Because I don't like to post on Sunday, I will post another ornament late tonight for everyone.

Part 4: Advent Calendar : Candy Cane ornament

Here is an easy one even the little kids can make (with help from an adult with cutting implements).

Supplies:

• Variegated pipe cleaner
• Round item to wrap pipe cleaner around
• Embroidery thread
• Embellishments (sequins, ribbon, felt, bells whatever)
• Something to cut pipe cleaner and embroidery thread

Order of events:

1. Cut pipe cleaner about 2 to 2 1/4 inches long
2. Bend around round item to form hook
3. Cut and tie knot in embroidery thread to make hanger
4. Add embellishments