Penny rug tutorial with perfect circles...

 I have received a lot of requests to share my technique for making perfectly round applique circles, the kind used in the two Penny Rugs I recently made from the newest Tilda fabric line, Hibernation, and from my Tilda scrap box of older fabrics. 

Needle-turn applique was something I rarely did in years past, but over these last twelve months I've indulged quite a bit in it, honing my skills by trying different techniques until I found one that works for me (and it could be very different to what works for you). But anyhow, the perfect circles on my penny rugs have certainly created interest so I decided to do a detailed tutorial which (hopefully) is easy to follow, and I'm including a second tutorial for making the little buntings which sit along each end of my penny rug table toppers. 

First of all, we'll make the circle. I begin with some thin cardboard, and a circle template. The cardboard needs to be thin and I'll show you why later, but it must be thicker than your everyday 80gsm printer paper. If you have some heavier weight 250gsm printer paper that will work well, as does a cardboard cereal box. 

Choose what size you want your circles to be. In my two penny rugs I made circles in two sizes - 3" and 3.25" as I liked the shuffling around of the slightly different sizes on the completed table topper. The circles don't need to be a precise size for the penny rug, as long as they sit nicely inside a 4" square. 

To make a Penny Rug like mine you will need-

* sixteen, 4.5" squares of assorted fabric

* eight, 5" squares of solid cream fabric (I used linen) for the bunting tongues

* eight, 5" squares of backing fabric for the bunting tongues

* twenty-four, 4" squares of assorted quilting fabrics in your preferred design

* one, 16.5" square of fusible light-weight Pellon, quilt wadding, or Parlan

* Perle 12 thread in cream

* eight, 4.5" squares of thin fusible fabric stabiliser (I use Staflex 3045)

* Aluminium foil

* thin cardboard

I have a lot of pre-prepared circles in my templates box because I use them quite often these days. 

Trace around a glass tumbler, a jar, a bangle, or use a pre-made plastic circle or compass on to your cardboard, just making sure the circle is no larger than 3.25" if you're going to make the Penny Rug table topper. I don't have a 4" circle in my collection yet, so I decided to make a couple today as I show you how I make my templates. 

Once you have cut our your circle, write in the centre what size it is. Lay it onto a piece of aluminium foil and cut a circle of foil about a half inch bigger than your cardboard template. Fold the foil around the circle. The foil assists in giving a very crisp edge when you press the completed circle.

These are so easy to make that I tend to have around six or eight of each size on hand for projects. I suggest for the Penny Rug table topper you make eight 3.25" diameter, and eight 3" diameter (or all sixteen in one size). Use a template to trace a circle onto the centre of a 4" square of fabric. 

I love the little field mouse print, and it's perfect for this type of project! I have loads of 2.5" circle templates so that's what I'll use for today's photos...

Sew a line of running stitch just inside the outer edge of the fabric circle. Place the template inside and pull the threads to gather the fabric around the template. Tie a double knot in the threads, and press the fabric circle with a hot iron on the dry setting. 

Once cool, peel the gather over one edge of the circle and remove the template. (this is why the cardboard needs to be thin)

Press the circle again. Perfect. You will need to make twenty-four of the circles for the topper and the bunting tongues. 

If you're making the Penny Rug table topper you will need to make the background next. Sew the sixteen 4.5" squares of fabric together in four rows of four. Fuse the Pellon/wadding/Parlan behind the background, and then stitch one of your completed circles into the centre of each square. Your topper will now measure 16.5" square.

Now we need to make the bunting ends. 

For this part of the tutorial I'm using completely different fabrics from Tilda because I really want to make a third Penny Rug when I have a spare few days, and this was my way of auditioning the fabrics I intend using. They looked perfect so when I have a chance this will become part of my next topper. 

Using the steps above, you will have already made the extra eight circles we need for the bunting tongues. I chose to make this version in subdued creams, blues and pink (there's a wee bit of old Tilda which came to the party after all!). 

I'll write the following steps for one bunting tongue, but you will need to make eight in total.

Fuse a 4.5" square of thin fabric stabiliser behind the 5" squares of cream fabric. I use Staflex 3045 white woven fusible stabilser.

Using the template from the DOWNLOAD SHEET I have for you, trace the bunting tongue shape onto the centre of a 5" square. 

Position one of your circles 3/4" above the traced line at the bottom of the bunting tongue and pin in place. 

Blind stitch (needle-turn applique stitch) the circle to the background fabric. 

Cut out the shape along the traced line. Lay the bunting tongue face down on another 5" square of cream fabric and pin in place. Sew 1/4" inside the edge to secure the tongue and backing fabric together. 

Turn the tongue right side out, carefully pressing the edges flat. Sew along the top edge with a scant 1/8" seam. Use the Perle 12 thread to sew a line of running stitch just inside the outer edge.

Sew four of the tongues together along their top side edges to make one row of four. Sew them together from the top edge down, about 1" using a blind or slip stitch. You can see in the photo below photo that I have done this with my Hibernation topper. I'm showing the back of the toppers as it's easier for you to see. I didn't do this with the second pastel topper, but wished I had as it really does make the following steps easier. 

I don't have photos of how I completed the toppers, but here's the steps...

Sew a row of four bunting tongues together as described above, and then sew them to one end of the 16-square topper with slightly less than a 1/4" seam, keeping the right side of the tongues and the right side of the topper facing each other. Leave the tongues folded in on the topper, don't press them away. 

NOTE: The row of tongues will measure 16" long, whilst your table topper end will measure 16.5". This allows for the 1/4" seam either side of the bunting when you sew the topper and backing fabric together. 

Repeat with another row of four bunting tongues at the opposite end of the topper. 

Lay the right side of the topper, with tongues still folded in towards the topper, face down onto the right side of your backing fabric. The backing fabric is a little larger, but that's okay as we will trim later. 

Pin the topper front to the backing fabric. Sew around all four sides with a 1/4" seam, leaving a 5" opening along one side for turning out later. Be very careful not to catch the side of a bunting tongue as you do this. 

Trim away the excess backing fabric.

Turn the topper right side out, carefully pulling the tongues to help straighten those ends. Push out all four sides with a large rounded tool (I use a very large wooden knitting needle) and press the topper flat. Slip stitch the side opening closed and press it. 

Once you make this topper, you'll discover just how much quicker it is to make a second, and a third...in fact, this pattern is a good one for using up fabric scraps and for gift giving. 

The circles, once you get the hang of them, are also wonderful for making other things, like one of my new mini-quilts from The Stitchery Club...

I loved the variety of circles on circles for the flowers, and then smaller circles for the surrounding berries. 

If you missed the download link for the bunting tongue template it's HERE. 

I'd love to see your own version of this pattern if you make it! You can email me a photo HERE or tag me on Instagram HERE. 

Now, I shall sign off for today as after this mammoth tutorial I am in dire need of a nice hot cuppa and perhaps some raspberry scones with lemon curd (photos of those next time!),

God bless you heaps, and may your creative fingers dance a merry jig as you stitch and sew in the days ahead. 

hugs

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Ordinary days...

Late September and the weather is certainly heating up, but surprisingly the nights are very pleasant indeed. I relish these final weeks of sleeping with the window open while the trade winds blow the curtains high above us in our small bedroom. Some years the winds stay through October, and other years they blow themselves out weeks earlier...we are hoping this year we have them for a good while yet. 

MOLLY

Molly has settled in beautifully, as our dear and treasured pet, capturing our hearts and becoming the wonderful four-legged companion we prayed for. She had a bad tummy early in the week but after a trip to the vet and some doggy probiotics she's much improved and back to her energetic and quirky self. While I sit at the computer she chews on her favourite toy in the leather recliner nearby...

If I'm in the kitchen she's by my feet; when I'm in the sewing room she's snuggled on a large square pillow that I covered in one of my old quilts; when we're watching a movie or a good sermon she's wedged between us on her couch blanket; and at night she's sleeping in her basket right beside our bed. Where we are, there she is. And we're all very content. :-)

SWISS ROLLS

Have you made them? I had never made one because I imagined they'd be awfully difficult, but last week after watching a very old episode of the Great British Bake-Off, I decided it was time to give one a try. I chose the recipe in Jane Brocket's book "Vintage Cakes" (I love this book!)...

With easy instructions and having all the ingredients on hand, I set to the task. What a surprise to discover my fears had been groundless, as Swiss rolls are not difficult at all. 

Waiting for it to cool so I can unroll and fill...

Cooled and filled with homemade berry jam...

This was really delicious, but as a lover of lemons, I wanted to make another using lemon curd for the filling. Rosie was coming to visit this morning so I decided to make some quick microwave lemon curd while the Swiss roll sponge baked and cooled. Turned out even nicer than the jam one and we both enjoyed a second slice each!

Hubby will enjoy it for dessert tonight, and there's still plenty of luscious lemon curd to fill cupcakes for the grandkids when they visit on Saturday morning. 

SEWING

Remember when I showed you the penny rug I made using the next set of Tilda fabrics? 

Tilda Australia want to display it at a couple of Tone Finnanger's Jubilee Tour events early next year in Brisbane and Melbourne, so I quickly packed it away safe and secure to be posted off, and decided to make another using some Tilda scrap fabrics from my stash. This one is for our coffee table.

I contemplated making another in woven fabrics, but decided to stop for now and return to another project I began a few months back. These are some of the blocks I've finished so far in Gail Pan's "Sopwell Ladies Basket Society". Admittedly I have taken the liberty to tweak some of them to suit my own preference, but I think most of us do that?  People often ask my permission to use different colourways or switch up blocks in my patterns which they're in the process of making and I get excited about that because adding touches of your own creativity and style is so important to how you feel about the final display of all your hard work. 

Gail has seen what I've done so far with this project and thinks it beautiful. It's lovely to have a fellow Aussie designer admire subtle changes to her pattern, just as I do, because it reminds us how important it is to encourage and support the work of all stitchers and quilters who make our patterns. In case I haven't told you lately - "thank you" for sewing mine. 

I'm planning on remaking this table topper if I can find the pattern. It was in a copy of Australian Country Threads way back in 2005, and was my very first hand-stitched piece when I was teaching myself to quilt, embroider and applique. I had no sewing machine so every seam is backstitched...

...which is why I get so many compliments on my backstitch. As a real newbie to hand sewing, I knew that to keep the seams secure when patchworking this topper I would have to do tiny stitches. From that first project I have continued with the same tiny stitches. 

If you're an Aussie and have a copy of the old magazine it featured in, would you mind if I borrowed it? Next time I'd applique with the needle-turn method instead of blanket stitch, but keep the same colour scheme. It looks lovely on my kitchen butcher's block and always makes me smile. 

GARDEN

The gardens need a lot of water these days so I am always rotating the watering schedule. Out front we have planted daikon radish, sunflowers and sweet potato as they all help to break up the clay soil, and we've decided that working on the quality of our soil is the number one priority for our quarter acre over the next year. I'll take some pics next week and share them. In raised beds we still have tomatoes, capsicums, snow peas, sweet potato, beans, lettuce and herbs growing; and in pots there's plenty of spring onions. In the ground we have chillies, cucumbers, and more herbs. 

MORE BAKING

Other baking lately was cheese twists using the last of the puff pastry in our freezer and the end of a bag of grated cheese. The grandkids (and Blossom!) love these so they disappeared quickly...

And to use up more bits and pieces from the fridge I baked a really delicious Banana, Date and Apple loaf. Sliced and served with butter, this has been a regular afternoon tea all week!

USE IT UP

That's how I cook lately. Open the fridge and see what needs to be used. Open the freezer and pull out things that have been there for a while before cooking them into something. Look at the fruit bowl and decide how to use ripe pieces that day. Check the expiry date on pantry items and jot down recipe ideas for the next week's menu. 

ORDINARY DAYS and GOD

I titled this post Ordinary Days because that's what my days are. Ordinary days come in many different guises, often sprinkled with challenges or triumphs, but one thing that stays the same is the heart of a homemaker, and her desire to make the most of all she has in order to honour God and bless her family. That's what I believe...and that's how I live. 

Bless each and every one of you. Whether life is all roses right now, or if you're being blown about in the storm - look up, pray and give thanks to He who holds your very life in His hands. Draw near to Him and He will draw closer to you. Cry out in praise, in pain, in thanks, or in need - He will hear, His love will abundantly surround you, and He will guide you along the path you may need to take. Your burden may be heavy, but His is light...offer it to Him and rest in blessed assurance of His promises that never fail, His Word that never returns void.

I read this the other day and can't get it out of my mind because it's true and I really needed to hear it. Maybe you need it today? Bless you. xxx

hugs, 

Don't miss out on any Elefantz news or free patterns. 

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