August 05, 2009

Beauty DIY: Pretty Brush Rolls (Part 2)

Another shot of my brush rolls all tied up. The mini one was empty at the time and I actually ran out of ribbon so I held it closed with a hair pin from Laos for this shot.

You can't see it clearly but there's a picture of Pegasus etched on the hair pin. I love fairy tales and flying horses.

Anyway, lets get back to making those brush rolls, shall we? Where did I leave you hanging?5. Sew the cover to the lining. Okay. Here comes the fun part so look at the pics carefully as my fuzzy explanation might throw you for a loop. Fold the edge of the cover into half so it meets the edge of the lining. Press or iron this down all along the edge. Once you are done with this, fold the cloth over again on top of the lining. Iron or pin this down.Secure the hem to the lining with either a whip stitch or a slip stitch. I have tried to show these 2 stitches are done in the pictures. They are both variations of the same thing, really. I personally prefer the slip stitch as it looks tidier.Now, because you are bound to hit a corner sooner or later, this is what you do: Use the corner to first fold a triangle down towards the edge of the lining before continuing to fold down like before. This creates a tidy little edge without any raw ends sticking out. Fine, maybe not so tidy in the picture but try it out and you'll see what i am trying to get at.

6. Many pricked fingers later, you should end up with something which looks like the above. Don’t worry; we are nearing the end soon.Now, flip the cloth the other way around and fold along the running stitch you made earlier in attaching the backing and the felt (I didn't take a pic of this step while I was sewing the pink roll so you will have to make do with the blue; sorry for the confusion).

What you have is an inside-out pocket for your brushes. Whip stitch the edges together (try to keep this set of stitches as close to the hem as possible), tie off and then turn the pocket inside out.Most of you will be smiling by now. =) The end is close in sight!

7: Creating individual pockets. With your tailor’s chalk, mark off at regular 1.5 inch intervals. Or, you can slip your brush into the case to estimate the pocket size.Then, pick up your needle and thread again and make running stitches down the lines you just marked. I used a modified overhand stitch which can be a bit fiddly for some people and has a higher chance of creating pricked fingers.

As you stitch, try not poke your needle all the way through the backing and through the other side. Your running stitches will be seen on the cover which doesn’t look very nice. Try to just pick up the lining over the backing with your needle. Don’t worry, the stitches will still stay secure.
8: Just sew the ribbon on one end of the case and you are set! If you are too lazy at this point of time, a pretty hair tie will do in keeping your brush roll together.

Now, show it off to your friends and let them ooh and aah over how crafty you are!

Leave any questions in the comments section. This half of the tutorial is a heck more confusing than yesterday's so I am expecting lots of puzzled faces. Does anyone think that this is Etsy-worthy?

*Looks around furtively to whisper behind Kahani and Syen's backs* Does anyone here want to pay me for one?

9 comments:

Jenn said...

Your stitches are so neat Eli!! Great job on the tutorial!! You reignited my "want" to make a brushroll!! hehehe!! :D

AskMeWhats said...

I do have a puzzled look because I'm never good or even know how to sew! but this is etsy worthy :D

plue said...

thanks Eli!

:D

maybeeeeee i will go home do one. if i can sit down whole day la~

etsy worthy! tee hee!

LyNn said...

haha mee mee!
i would pay for one if i can afford it
since i cant even sew buttons!
:(

Steph said...

Wow! These look really really good! I'd definitely pay for one! You & your mum have a knack of finding the cutest fabrics. :)

Eli said...

Jenn: Bedtime project? =P

Nikki: Thanks, dearie. My crafty fingers are feeling extremely flattered right now.

Plue: You don't have to do everything in one day! But it'll be really fast if you hijack your mum's machine.

LyNn: I'll definitely drop you an email if I ever decide to sell these. I have so much spare material!

Steph: Babe, it's in the genes. *wink wink*

Meldee said...

Eli, you are a witch, and it's beautiful. I wish I had the patience to sew, but I get bored!

I DO have a weekend project too though, and I'm going to decoupage things, including Kahani's lipstick tin! *waggles brush threateningly*

Ghost said...

wow eli, you are very gifted and I'm envious. The only thing I was good at in HE (and everyone asked me to help them with) was knowing how un-tangle the, I think it was called the bobby pin, in the sewing machine. Seriously I would do two stitches and it always jammed on me. Again great job, I would buy one of these.

Eli said...

Meldee: I used to get really impatient while sewing but I got into it after a while... But for you, I'll make one FOC when I get back. =P

Ghost: I BROKE the needle on the sewing machine before and I thought Mum was going to murder me. I was so relieved to get a lecture on tension instead.

But thanks for saying that it looks lovely. =)