In-The-Hoop Quilted Wristlets & Accessories
Have I mentioned that I'm a little obsessed with in-the-hoop embroidery? I've been having so much fun making up these designs from Embroidery Garden! Virtually all the sewing is done in the hoop - when the design is finished stitching, pretty much all that's left to do is trim, finish off the seams and turn right side out.
A couple of months ago, I showed some of my samples to a few friends to get their feedback on whether or not to include these in my SewAmazin ArtFire studio. One of the girls asked me to make a couple of Quilted Wristlets using fabric from her stash. Of course, I said yes!
A couple of months ago, I showed some of my samples to a few friends to get their feedback on whether or not to include these in my SewAmazin ArtFire studio. One of the girls asked me to make a couple of Quilted Wristlets using fabric from her stash. Of course, I said yes!
Kris is a long-time bunny owner, so the first wristlet is made with this cute fabric with bunnies and carrots on a red background.
I selected a red zipper and matching red embroidery thread to do the quilting/embroidery/sewing, so that it would blend in, but still have texture. The little wrist strap was done before the embroidery phase and I chose a silver lobster clasp and matching 1/2 inch split ring for attachment hardware.
Kris had asked for the lining to be made from a second fabric, printed with tiny carrots and heads of lettuce, but in my sewing room, the colors didn't seem to work, so I made the wristlet in all one fabric.
To make up for not using her second fabric in the wristlet, I decided to use it to make her a coordinating monogrammed key fob (another design from Embroidery Garden), using the same red embroidery thread and red grosgrain ribbon for the monogram section.
I selected a red zipper and matching red embroidery thread to do the quilting/embroidery/sewing, so that it would blend in, but still have texture. The little wrist strap was done before the embroidery phase and I chose a silver lobster clasp and matching 1/2 inch split ring for attachment hardware.
Kris had asked for the lining to be made from a second fabric, printed with tiny carrots and heads of lettuce, but in my sewing room, the colors didn't seem to work, so I made the wristlet in all one fabric.
To make up for not using her second fabric in the wristlet, I decided to use it to make her a coordinating monogrammed key fob (another design from Embroidery Garden), using the same red embroidery thread and red grosgrain ribbon for the monogram section.
I think they both turned out great, and Kris didn't seem to mind my artistic decision on the fabric choices.
The finished size of the wristlet is about 5.75 inches x 9 inches and it's just the right size to carry a few essential items like a wallet, cell phone and keys.
The key fob is about 5 inches long with a 10 inch circumference, so it can slide onto the wrist like a bracelet, leaving the hands free to carry packages, etc.
The finished size of the wristlet is about 5.75 inches x 9 inches and it's just the right size to carry a few essential items like a wallet, cell phone and keys.
The key fob is about 5 inches long with a 10 inch circumference, so it can slide onto the wrist like a bracelet, leaving the hands free to carry packages, etc.
Embroidery Garden's instructions for most of the in-the-hoop designs recommend using a woven type of water soluble stabilizer (wss). I tried substituting tear-away on one of my earlier samples and decided it was worth it to use the wss, because the finished piece is softer and it's just easier to remove all traces of excess stabilizer around the zipper and other important areas.
Kris gave me a second set of fabrics to make a quilted wristlet for a gift, and this time I was able to make the lining using her choice for contrasting fabric.
The outside of the wristlet is a glittery aqua cotton fabric. I chose a matching colored zipper and embroidery thread to do the quilting/embroidery/sewing again, so that the glitter would sparkle without any distractions.
Can you picture this with some added bling in the form of a brooch or some other sparkly jewelry?
The wrist strap for this one is completely removable; to dress up the wristlet, a silver chain or bracelet could be substituted for the strap.
The lobster clasp and split rings are the same that I used for the bunny wristlet above.
To make both sides of the lining with the contrasting fabric, I had to modify the way the back piece is pre-quilted in the embroidery hoop. Normally a single piece of fabric is used; instead, I joined two smaller pieces of fabric and aligned the seam where the instructions normally align the center fold.
On the finished wristlet, you can see a bit of the lining fabric poking through where the back of the wristlet joins the zipper - so next time I do this adjustment, I'll have to remember to offset that joining seam by 1/4 - 3/8 inch, so it will be hidden behind the zipper.
*****
At left is a small monogram zipper case which can be used as a coin purse or wallet. It's slightly smaller than 4x4 inches square and can carry small items such as hand sanitizer, ID cards, cash, and could easily be clipped onto a key ring for a quick trip out to the store or the gym.
My friend suggested that her bluetooth earpiece will fit inside. I think it would also be useful for keeping track of all those bar-coded key ring membership cards that all the stores seem to be handing out these days.
*****
Update 2017: My ArtFire shop is closing - visit SewAmazin on Etsy
edited:
Dec-17-2018 Replaced SewAmazin Flickr photos with Google photos; edited links
These are adorable! Thanks for the link to Embroidery Garden...I hadn't seen them before. I see a couple of projects my mom would love for a Mother's Day gift. I also checked out your Artfire.....I LOVE WESTIES!!!!!....I've had two and hope to get another one of these days. They are fantastic dogs :-)
ReplyDelete