Biased about Bias

Before I start this post properly, I want to take a moment to say a huge great big thank you to you all.  You've given me such a Fabulous Facebook Welcome and I really appreciate it.  A wonderful 150 of you have popped in to smoosh my little button over there so far and you've really made me feel very chuffed and a bit on top of the world actually!

♥ THANK YOU ♥

I ought to explain what these dancing gingerbread men and jolly candy canes are all about though, so we'll turn to them now.  These yummy sweet treats are  actually doing a very important job of concealing all the ugly wires and plugs that are necessary to make my Christmas Tree all sparkly and bright.  They are part of my new tree skirt you see.

It was one of those very 'touch and go' type projects.  There were times when I floundered around for ideas and times when I feared disaster.  There were many revisions and re-thinks, but in the end, I think I just about managed to salvage it.

I started with just the men and the canes, but then there was a huge expanse of red just didn't sit right at all, so I hummed and hawed a goodish bit until I had the Eureka moment of adding the inner circle of a different fabric.  Actually, it had been my original idea but I didn't really know the best way to go about sewing an inner and outer circle of fabric together without making a huge pickle of the thing.

The 'lightbulb' moment came when I had the idea of making a scalloped edge to ressemble... I don't know, snow, or icing maybe... then appliquéing it on.  After I'd thought of that I was much happier with the whole affair.  The applique isn't my bestest work either, but it will suffice.





The next big hurdle was the bias binding.  I'd not done it before, using just plain old binding for my quilts so far, so I was a bit anxious about it.  I knew how to make the stuff, it's just the sewing it on I was worried about.  What if it didn't curve enough to go round my circle?  What if it all wrinkled?  How was I going to keep to the curve neatly? I foresaw difficulties.

But research and the wonderful world of the web came to my rescue.  Half a dozen tutorials later, I felt ready and able to give it a shot and my goodness it worked!  It worked like an utter dream and delight.   I sewed away and it curved it's little heart out.

I particularly like how the seams in the binding aren't all stacked as they are all cut on the angle too.  Oh yes, I am totally converted to this slanted view of binding.  Already I am wondering what future projects I might be able to use it on... humm so many possibilites.  Don't you just love learning something new?

It was very pleasing to find something I could use some nice big buttons on too.  I have lots of buttons in different shapes and sizes, but I find the smaller ones are more useful generally.  These nice big shiny red ones were just the ticket here though.

Here it is look.  You can just about see it doing it's nifty business under the tree.  Looking rather precious actually.  It's a shame I've got to cover it up with all the presents.

S x

♥