Remembrance & Berninas

Today is a day where the federal government has asked us to set aside a day for a pivotal human being, Dr. Martin Luther King.  Dr. King a significant person who opened our eyes to our own human and cultural ’blindness’.  However, this blog is not about Dr. King but about remembering.  Most individuals have moments in their personal history which are never forgotten or were pivotal moments which became life changing in their life.  These moments may not be known or important to others, but is probably important to you and who you are today and will continue to become in the future.

There was a moment in my life that happened that set the course for who I am today.  The interesting part is – is that I didn’t know it at the time.  Why you ask?  I was only 3 weeks from being 3 years old.  However, I remember this moment very well.  This moment was actually the 2nd memory I have of my life.  This moment stands out because it was a day I almost died.

It was much like any other day in May of 1971.  My Mom put me down for a nap, started dinner, and then went outside to help my Dad and my brother with getting the cows in the barn ready for milking.  After I don’t know how long, I awoke to a house filled with clouds.  I got out of bed looked in all of the rooms upstairs while the clouds continued to swirl above  my head.  I walked down the stairs and towards the back door to the mudroom.  Looking at the door, I saw a big fire.  I knew at that age, that probaly wasn’t a door I should go through even though it was the door we used every single day.  I started to walk back through the kitchen, dining room, and reached the stairs at the back of the family room.  I looked around and through the clouds (now we know was smoke), my dad came down the stairs picked me up and rushed me back to my room.  We climbed out the window and got onto a ladder where my Dad gave me to my mom who was waiting with open arms at the bottom of the ladder.  I remember my mom taking me to the mailbox where she sat just holding me in her arms.  I don’t really remember what happened next, but over the years my parents filled in what they experienced on their end.

My parents looked out from the barn to see smoke coming out of the house.  The fire department was called, but living on the last road in the county, you can only imagine that the fire department wasn’t going to show up in just a few minutes.  My Dad ran to the corn crib, grab the tall extended ladder, and put it up to my bedroom window.  My mom knowing she had just put me down for a nap was hoping I would still be there.  As my Dad entered my room from the window, he paniced because I was not in my bed.  He called and called and finally found me at the base of the stairs in the family room.  Rushing, he was able to go back out the same way he entered, thus…saving my life.

Picture of house on fire.

 Thanks to my grandmother’s quick thinking since my grandparents lived to the north of us, she grabbed her camera and took a quick picture after I was safe and sound.  This is the picture the local newspaper ran about the house fire.  After much time the fire department finally got there to put out the fired.  They yelled at my dad for going in and saving my life.  Quote:” Do you know 90% of all people who go back into a burning house never come back out?”  My question is, what about the 10% who do?  What about all the things in my life that were accomplished because my dad saved my life.  The lives that I have impacted because I have been an educator.  God’s hand was at work that day in knowing the future.

 

  

A Total Loss

(My bedroom was on this side of the house at the top of this picture on the 2nd floor.)

                                                                                  

Rebuilding was very hard and took a very long time.  The new house was rebuilt by the end of that summer, but as anyone who has been thr0ugh such a loss knows it is so much more that needs time to restore. 

 

Many of you are asking, what does this have to do with sewing.  Great timing with your question.  Slowly, but surely the new house became a home.  A few years later, my mom was able to finally afford to buy herself a new sewing maching after my dad worked hard on the farm to try to pay for all of the rebuilding.  Each side of my family from generations back new how to sew and make quilts.  (I now proudly own my paternal grandmothers first quilt she ever created).  Sewing was central to the history of the women on both sides of my family.

Bernina 707

 

The sewing machine – a Bernina 707.  This machine was the first machine I learned to start sewing on just a handful of years later.  This machine now proudly sets in my new, yet still developing studio.  I hope to be able to use this with young students who are interested in learning to sew.  I hope they are able to feel the love that flows from the history that is wrapped up in “The Little Bernina That Could”.

 

Berninas continue to be a part of the history of our family.  The next machine purchased was the original Bernina 830. While my mother has purchased many models since then, this model has become part of our family’s DNA.  Each household in our family has at least 1 original Benina 830.  One of these particular 830 machines has been used by 4 different generations.  My maternal grandmother, my mother, my sister and me, and now my niece.  Rather than starting something like a lemonade stand, my niece started her own sewing business last fall using this particular Bernina 830.  She is fortunate to have such a cherrished piece of history to use.  I hope it is around for many years to come.

 

As for me, the next 2 machines that will be moved into my studio are 2 original Bernina 830s.  As I continue to grow my sewing studio, the history of where these machines came from and how I got to this point will never be far away. 

 

While we are taking time off today.  I would like to encourage you to remember….What does your history say about you and how you got to where you are today.  Cherrish the good and the bad and remember to always perservere.

 

“…we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.  Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who was given to us.”  Romans 5: 4-5 (NKJV)

In the Beginning….

The studio venture has begun.   This winter has been full of very unexpected temperatures.  To the delight of many, we have been running around with out heavy coats through the first part of January.  Until…… the evening of January 11th.  Our first snow fall and full on cold blast has arrived.  All just in time for the days/dates I chose to start moving into my sewing studio.

 

Beginning of my new Sewing Space

 

  As the snow began to fall at 6:15 on Thursday morning, I found myself going back to bed pulling the covers over my head and hoping that some how it would magically stop so I could move my items into my new space.  When I decided to finally re-emerge from my (attempted) hibernation, I decided to put my big girl pants on and  just deal with it.  After growing up for the first 20 years of my life in northern Illinois, this wasn’t even remotely close to anything I had to live through way back then. 

 

 

 

 

So after I got sufficiently dressed, I drove over to my storage unit and started to load my vehicle.  After I got started, it really wasn’t so bad.  The nice part was, I wasn’t dealing with any traffic so I could pull up close to my door and not worry about blocking any vehicles.  (Have to count the blessings where I could take them.)

After unloading my SUV, the work now begins....

 

 As you can see, I didn’t move much in, but it was a start.  I figured this would allow me to get some structural forms up so I could bring in my sewing machines and other equipment once I got things going in the right direction.

 

This may not look like much right now, but it is mine and that feels like I just won the lotto.  Since I have a few days off until I go back to my day job, I better let you go fot now and venture over to do some more “construction” on my space.  If you are ever in the area during the evenings and weekends, please feel free to stop by.  Since I haven’t actually won the lotto or found an angel provider, I still have to maintain my own day job with benefits until such time as I can move on from that.  The nice part is that my day job and my new sewing studio are only 2 blocks apart.  Guess where I will be during my  1 hr lunch???

 

Keep my in your prayers as I embark on this new adventure.

Fashion Brooches

Brooches, what a quick and fun way to accent and outfit or jacket. 

This are easy to make.  So you can make several to provide versatility to your wardrobe. 

Lets begin.

First, you need to find the fabric(s) of choice for you.  This picture you see above are brooches made from men’s ties.  (Did you expect anything else? )

Cut out various sizes of circles.  They should graduate in size for each circle that you cut.

Lay them in a pile with the largest circle on bottom and the smallest circle on top.

Divide the entire pile into 3 different piles.  Largest circles together (2-3 circles per pile), then the middle sizes, and finishing with the smallest circles in the last pile together.

Get a corresponding needle and thread to begin.

Using your needle and thread, you are going to baste a stitch in a cirlular fashion mid way between the center and the outer edge of the circle.

Once you have the completed a the stitch around the center, pull the thread.  You will see the fabric gather.  Pull the thread and straighten the fabric until you get the desired amount of gather.  Knot the thread against the fabric to secure the amount of gathering you created.  Do NOT cut the thread.

Next, get your center stack of circles.  Insert the threaded needle through the center of the circle from the bottom side.  Slide the circles down so they are resting on top of the first set of circles.  To secure, take your needle and thread and run them thru the center all the way to the bottom and back up the top. 

Now, you are going to repeat another basting stitch that will form kind of a circle shape half way between the center and outer edges.

Again, you are going to pull the thread and straighten the fabric until you achieve the desired amount of scrunching.  Make a knot where the thread and fabric meet to maintain the shape you have just created.

Now, we are going to add the last set of circles.  As before insert the threaded needle through the center (from the bottom side).  Slide the circles down until they are resting on the other circles.  To secure run the thread thru the center all the way to the bottom and back up. 

Make your basting thread circle in this last set of circles.  Pull the thread until you achieve the desired amount of scrunching.  Knot at the base of the thread to secure the desired amount of scrunching.

To finish:

Find a button – I prefer shank buttons because the thread is hidden.  I run the thread thru the shank on the back side.  To secure I run the thread thru the entire center to the bottom of the brooch.

I recommend running the needle thru the shank and back to the bottom a few times to secure the shank at the top.  Knot the thread at the bottom when done.

I finish by hot gluing a pin on the back side.  You can find these at local craft stores like Hobby Lobby.

You will find that a simple circle when stitched in the right manner can be used to accent several items.  I hope you enjoy this project and remember if you choose to use men’s ties, don’t throw away any parts.  You can see that the inside parts are great for creating Christams Angles and the tags can be added to one-of-a-kind coasters. 

Until next time….happy upcycling!

Angels from Men’s Ties

Good Evening!  I hope everyone has recovered from voting day.  While I believe very strongly in voting.  I’m glad that every other commercial is not going to be about how bad someone else is – relief!!!!

So let’s talk about something fun!!! Upcycling

For those that have seen my photos on facebook with the group called Upcycling & More or you have logged onto my website at www.expressionsphotogifts.com,  you will notice that I do have a lot of items created from Men’s Ties.  Well, any good upcycler will ask if you don’t use the whole item for a project, what do you do with the parts left over?  Great question!!!

Well…….

You create something else with them.  I am in the process of creating merchandise for various craft shows this time of year.  So, I find that sometimes I need to recruit help from some of my crafty friends.  A few weeks ago, I delivered a bag to a friend’s house which contained the insides of men’s ties.  With that bag, I also provided a picture of an angel.  She came to my rescue and completed her first batch of angels from the insides of men’s ties. 

She incorporated accents from a Christmas wreath and a few extra pieces of string.  They turned out beautiful. I’m so excited to be taking them to my booth this week to sell at the craft show.  I will be posting these on my website, so if you are interested in getting one from this batch, you will need to purchase before Saturday so I can hold yours back.

Enjoy!!!!

Making Your Own T-Shirt Quilt – Part 8 Final

Today’s the Day – We Finish the Quilt – Yeah!!!!

If you have completed part 7, your entire quilt will be in one piece by know.  So all we have left is finishing the quilt.

Let first start with the long seams we created yesterday by sewing all of the rows together.  These rows need to be trimmed/cut for sashing.

Again, this part may take some time.  First find a flat surface.   Next, lay the quilt down so only the seam you are going to trim is in front of you.  Make sure the rest of the quilt is lying away from you and NOT caught under the seam you are going to cut.

Begin by making regularly spaced cuts in the seam.  As before, the closer you space the cuts in the seam, the more fringing (ragging) will appear.  The farther apart, the less fringing (ragging) will appear.   Typical spacing ranges from 1/4″ to 1/2″.  You decide. Yes, this step does take time to complete.

Once this step is finished, we need to complete the boarder.  To do this, you are going to sew a 1/2 stitch around the entire outside edge.  Make sure that when you come to the seams, you open them to the middle so they are lying flat – two seams on one side and two on the other.

Next….

Go to each of the corners.  You are going to cut out a “box” shape at each corner.  Notice – each side is slightly further out than the seam line and it does not go all the way to the seam.

Once you have the corners cut, finish by cutting the outer edge seams just like you have cut all of the other seams. – almost done.

To complete the ragging look, you are going to wash the quilt.  Well, actually if you washed everything before you started making the quilt, a complete cycle is not necessary.  You can just place the wash machine on a rinse cycle on cool or warm.  If you have dark colors, as a safety precaution, I recommend using the Color Catcher sheets by Shout.   The make sure that any color running in the machine will be grabbed by these sheets.  They are both washer and dryer friendly.

Once you have washed or rinsed the quilt, place it in the dryer on low to medium heat. Let the dryer run its course.  The fringing occurs through this drying process.  Once the drying is complete, take the quilt out and lay it down so you can see the entire top.  You may notice that there may be some extra fringe haning at the places where lines intersect.  You can trim this off.  This typically only occurs the first time you wash as the quilt begins it ragging process.  Check the entire top for stray pieces of string or fringing to clip off.

Once you are satisfied, your quilt is done.  Congratulations.  The entire pattern will be put together and offered on the website at www.expressionsphotogifts.com for downloading onto your computer.  Again, I hope you have enjoyed this series on putting your t-shirt quilt together.

Stay tuned for what to do with the left over parts of the t-shirts.  More t-shirt Upcycling ideas to follow…….

Making Your Own T-Shirt Quilt – Part 7

OK – At this point, you should have all of your seams cut in your rows of t-shirts and rows of sashing.  I would recommend laying as much out as you can so you have the desired order in place before you begin sewing the rows together. 

After you have layed it out, it does tend to look like a completed quilt at this point.  Lets go ahead and begin sewing the long rows together.

To do this, begin by getting the top sashing row and the 1st t-shirt row.  Again, this is a process of putting the back sides together so you can sew a visible seam. 

When pinning begin with pinning the points where the lines intersect from each row.  You will have 4 seams on each side.  Open them up so you have the middle showing of the 4 seams on both sides.  This is where cutting and will help eliminate bulk when you sew this seam together.  Before pinning, line up the lines on the back side.   This will ensure that all of your lines meet on the back side.  Place a pin on either side of the line to secure the match.  Complete this pinning at each point where lines from both rows intersect.

Double check to make sure all of your lines match.

I double check after pinning.  I simply lay both sides flat and flip over the row of sashing with the pins in.  If your lines meet now, then they will line up after you sew.  If they don’t meet, pull out the pins and re-pin until you get the seams to line up to your level of satisfaction.  This step sure beats ripping out sewn seams.

Then go back to all of the open spaces.  Pin in these spaces to make sure the fabric is evenly distributed and you will not experience bunching/puckering as you sew the seam.  Add as many pins as you feel are necessary.

Sew a 1/2″ visible seam across the entire row.  Make sure when you get to the seams, stop if you need to make sure the pieces in the seams are lying flat.

Repeat the above steps until each t-shirt row has a row of sashing sewn across the top.  When you are finished, you will have one row of sashing extra at the bottom of the quilt.  Repeat the above steps to attach that row to the bottom  side of the last t-shirt row.

When you are finished, repeat the process now with the sewing the sashing to the bottom side of the t-shirt row.

Now, you are going to repeat the above steps again to sew the rows together on the bottom side of the t-shirt rows.  Since your rows are now getting heavier, please make sure you have a surface to place your quilt onto while sewing.  You do NOT want pulling to occur when you are sewing the seams together.

Recommendation: Begin by sewing the 1st t-shirt/sashing row to the 2nd t-shirt/sashing row.  Then skip down and sew the 3rd t-shirt/sashing row to the 4th t-shirt/sashing row.  This will minimize the heaviness until the end.  In the example shown, I had 4 rows.  Once row 1 and 2 were sewn together to form a complete row AND row 3 and 4 were sewn together to form a complete row, I was left with only 1 row to sew in the middle.  This minimized the heavy feeling until the end.  Every single time, I used the same pinning technique as describe at the beginning. 

Finish sewing your rows together and the next blog will share with you how to finish it off.  YEAH!!! You are almost done.  I’m glad you are hanging in there.  Again, any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me direction at fabricgal68@yahoo.com

Making Your Own T-Shirt Quilt – Part 6

We are getting closer to being done.  I know part 6 sounds like a lot, but just remember the time is well worth it for a life long keep sake.

The next part is not a sewing step.  So step away from the machine for a little bit.  This step will take some time, but believe me you do NOT want to save this for the end.  This next step is important to stop and do at this point because if you don’t, it will make future sewing steps difficult and make any cutting attempts you do later on turn out horribly.

If you have a professional pair of electric scissors (something that costs at least $70 or more), you may want to use them for this step.  $20 electric craft scissors will NOT work – don’t even bother.  If not there are 2 other options 1) a standard pair of sharp shears or 2) many quilt shops carry a special pair or scissors designed to cut seams for ragging purposes.

This part is about trimming all of the visible 1/2″ seams you have sewn.  To create the fringing, you are going to need to cut/trim the seams.  You do this by cutting the seams.

Please see picture. 

To complete this step, you need to make sure you can lay the seam flat in front of you.  All attached parts of the quilt should be laying in a manner so that there is nothing under the seam you are about to cut.

How to cut: First determine if you like a lot of fringed look, some fringed look, or a little.  You are going to make cuts that are 1/4″  to 1/2″ apart.  The closer the distance between the cuts in the seam, the more fringing (ragging) will appear when you wash.  The opposite is also true -the greater the distance between cuts, the less fringing (ragging) will occur after washing.

My personal preference is more fringing so I tend to minimize the space betweeen my cuts in the seam.

Again, this step will take some time.  If you have a flat surface near your TV, this is a great activity to do during that time.

Continue this process until all 1/2″ seams are trimmed accordingly.  This does take some time, so be patient.  The end result is worth.

Why are you cutting know instead of waiting until the entire end? 

2 Reasons:

1 – When you sew the seam will be easier to get through when you have multiple layers.  Otherwise, when you begin the sewing rows together, you will have an uneven distribution of seam allowance where all of the corners intersect.  You will find that some sides of the corners will have bulk, while other sides have hardly any fabric .  This uneven distribution can cause your needles to break trying to sew thru the bulk.

2) If you wait to cut the seams until after the whole thing is sewn together, you will have more problems at the points of intersetion in your quilt.  The other problem you will experience is an inability to cut the fabric adequately to create a seamless line of fringing.  You will have gaps near all of the corners OR quite possibly cut your fabric in a fighting attemp to get into the corners better.

Save yourself from these amazing headaches.  Trim your seams now before you continue sewing.

 If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at fabricgal68@yahoo.com

Making Your Own T-Shirt Quilt – Part 5

Hopefully by now, you have all of your t-shirt rows put together.  Today, we are going to focus on putting your rows of sasshing together.

Much of what we are going to discuss today is similiar to what we did yesterday.  What is the difference?  No large t-shirt blocks to insert.

Let’s begin.

Find all of your pieces of sashing you cut earlier that are the same length as your framed t-shirts.  Also, find all of the square pieces of fabric for the corners.

Take these pieces and lay them out into a row.  Start with a square.  Remember, you should have one more square piece than sashing. 

Take the first square and the first long strip.  Place the back sides of each piece together.  Make sure the edges line up so you can sew your seam.  Sew a 1/2″ visible seam to secure the 2 pieces together.  Repeat this step until each long strip and a corresponding corner piece are sewn together.

At this point you should have 1 square piece left over at the end.

 Now you are going to start with the square at the end.  Place the back side of that square to the back side of the corresponding long piece.  Sew a 1/2″ visible seam.  Continue back through the row.  Where ever there are 2 ends not sewn together.  Place the back sides together and sew a 1/2″ visible seam.

Again ALWAYS try to line up your seam lines.  This is important so that when we begin cut for fringing, the process will be easier.

Repeat the previous steps until all of the rows of sashing are sewn together. 

This part should go relatively quick which should be a nice welcome relief after all of the long steps from the previous parts.

Contact me if you have any questions at fabricgal68@yahoo.com

Garage Sale Find

During the month of October, we here in IL have been blessed with an Indian Summer.  During this time, several individuals around our twin cities decided to have garage sales.  As I got in my last fix for the season, I came across one sale where this person had a box of fabric.  In it I found a couple of different pieces of wool fabric I thought were interesting in their basic pattern.  So for $1.50, yes that is what I said, I got 2 beautiful pieces of wool fabric.

This is the first piece I decided to play with.  I finally unfolded it and found that I had 2 yards of 60″ wide fabric.  What to do????

With us being in the throws of Fall, we experience days where it can be warm and then evenings where you need more layers.  So, I decided my first project from this would be a cape. 

As you can see, the wool fabric looks beautiful when it gets draped across my dress form.

I cut it in half through the 60″ part.  So I had 2 yards at 30″.  Kind of looked like an oversized pillow case.

I folded it again along the length keeping that rectanle shape, but folding it in half again.  Made a simple half moon cut to form the opening for the neck.

When I slipped the opening over my dress form, I felt it was too long and cut off about 10″ on both sides.

To remove the box looking shape from the shoulder area, I simply sewed a round seam starting from the opening at the neck to part way down the arm.  I didn’t sew the whole way down because wool is not stretchy and the person would have been boxed into the cape which should be free flowing in its movement.  So I wanted to add some fabric in this area for a little more room in the cape.

To close the part of the side seams I left open, I cut triangle pieces from the 10″ strips I cut off.  I sewed the triangular pieces into the side to give more room for flow.  I did top stitch the seams to maintain the flow of the cape and not look bubbly looking.

From the back seam of the triangle, I created a curve cut that continued up through the middle of the front of the cape.

To make sure no raw edges were showing, I simply did a light turn under anywhere I saw a raw edge and top stitched it to keep it in place.

I then decided to create a strap to place a button closure at the top.  Using the scraps cut from this half of the fabric. I created a piece that was 7″ long and 7″ wide.  I back the scrap with a woven cotton fusible backing to I could create a button hole.  I folded in half with right sides together and sewed all but 1 of the sides closed.  (This is so the right side of the fabric is visible from either side of the button hole tab.)  Turned it right side out.

Made the button whole.   I sewed the strap to the left side of the cape and hand sewed the large button onto the right side of the cape.

And now, we have a cape that can be worn in this crazy warm, cool weather enabling a person to go inside and outside more easily through out the day and evening.  This item is on sale at www.expressionsphotogifts.com.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at fabricgal68@yahoo.com

Dog Collars from Men’s Ties

Ho! Ho! Ho!

I know, we havn’t even got through October and everyone is already talking about Christmas ideas. Only 59 more days until Christmas.  So let me join in the fun and provide you with some early seasonal ideas for your pets.

This collar is made from men’s ties and can be adjusted to any size you desire.  I like to learn thru hands-on experiences, but since that isn’t always possible, I tried to take more pictures and insert them into the blog to help you better understand the process.

Begin by opening up your dog collar and selecting the desired tie to use.

Remove the stitching in the tie, the middle padding in the tie, and the silk pieces sewn onto the ends.

Iron the tie, using the proper settings on your iron, so creases do not interfer with measurements.

To add stability to the tie fabric, iron on cotton woven fusible backing.  For this I use Shape-Flex from Jo-Ann Fabrics.  This makes the tie easier to sew with and ensures a stronger product when finished.  Otherwise the collar will rub up against the tie fabric constantly and if it is silk, will easily wear down.

Cut 2 strips that are at least twice the width as the clasp of the collar.  The length should go upto the clasps of the collar.

The example collar has a 1 1/4″ inch wide clasp.  I cut the strips 3″ wide.  The extra room gives me space to make sure I have the depth to easily slide the collar through the openings at the end.  This collar is 19″ long, I cut 18″ strips.

Press the ends under 1/4″ and stitch in place.

Then, press the sides in 1/4″, but wait on stitching

Before stitching,    lay one side directly on top of the other so the wrong sides are together.  Sew a 1/8″ seam along each side to form a long tub with a openings at both ends.

Cut another 6″ strip from the remaining part of the tie.  My strip ended up being about 6″ wide as well.  This is going to form the “tie” from the collar.

 

Fold in half and place your ruler on top.  The ruler should set so the 1/4″ mark goes right through the middle fold. 

Then angle the ruler to form the point at the end of the tie.  Select the desired angle.

Use your rotary cutter and remove the excess fabric to from the point of the tie.

Open of the piece of fabric.  Press a 1/4″ of fabric over at the edges of the angled cuts.  Stitch in place.

Now fold the sides of this piece under

until you get the desired width of the tie.

I happen to fold my sides under until they met in the middle in the back.

Stitch a 1/4″ seam along the edges to secure in place.

Cut away any excess fabric on the back side.

Press the raw edge at the top over 1/4″, baste in place if desired before it gets sewn to the tube.

Locte the middle of the long tube piece for the collar and the middle of the tie piece.  Place a pin on both pieces.  Line them up.

Pin the tie to the tube making sure the middles are lined up.  Pin the tie on top of the tube piece and sew it to the tube along the same 1/8″ seam formed from sewing the tube.

You are can stop here!!! Totally wearable at this point.  However, I went a step further.  This part is optional.  Since my client was asking specifically for Christmas Collars, I decided to add some white, Christmas fur. 

I cut of 2 strips the same length as my finished collar and 5/8″ wide.  Depending on the size of the collar, I don’t think I would go any wider than that.  The collar in the picture is 17″ completed and will go around a medium sized dog.  So you may want a thinner strip for smaller collars.

Switch to matching thread.

I sewed the fur to the top side by placing it along the edge so it hung over the edge slightly.  The underside of the collar was the side I had on top while sewing so I could follow the 1/8″ seam originally created.  I am following this seam allowance because I don’t want to lose any space to insert my collar all the way through.

Ta-Dah!!!!  Now you are done – ready for your pet to wear.

I hope you enjoy this fun collar project for your pet.  I would love to hear how some of you do with this project yourselves.  Drop a line to fabricgal68@yahoo.com