Friday 23 August 2019

CREATIVE // Homemade Hankies & Other Overlocker Projects

I got the opportunity to play on a JUKI Overlocker recently and make a rolled hem, so started making hankies out of every bit of fabric I could! 


To be honest, unless your sewing machine has this feature you do, unfortunately, need an Overlocker with a rolled hem function to recreate what I have made. However I am going to share two ways to make some fab hankies! 


Like I said, I had the opportunity to borrow a JUKI AIR THREADNG OVERLOCKER from my boss who has one and quite quickly got into the delicate simplicity of its rolled hem function. A rolled hem is a great way to edge soft fabrics and in this scenario it is brilliant for smaller amounts of fabrics where you don't want to do a traditional folded hem.


I just wanted to do something fun and easy so I started making batches of hankies and napkins. They are pretty much the same thing but I must say I have used my small one off fabrics as hankies for sneezes, bags and hair ties!

So, the how to:

To make any hankie or napkin you will want a 50x50cm square. I found that buying fat quarters of fabric was a good way to get pretty fabrics at a fraction of the cost. I particularly love RIFLE PAPER COMPANY fabrics and as they are so expensive, buying a fat quarter is a great way to buy the fabric and use it creatively.
If you are cutting from a sheet you really can decide your size but a 50x50cm square works well. 
To help you square a fat quarter; cut the salvage off, fold diagonally two corners together and then cut the overhanging edge. 
Then it is just a case of running it through the overlocker. The joy of the JUKI OVERLOCKER {and others} is that once you start feeding the fabric through it does all the hard work for you.
If you DO NOT have an overlocker you can still do a folded hem. Iron a 1cm hem around the square and then fold and iron it again catching the cut edge inside. This works just as well.


How do they look?

To be honest I am so pleased with how just a little hemming technique can change my outlook on hemming all together. This works perfectly for hankies and I have found that they look so professional. I am tying them to just about everything! And any scraps I am also using to create with.
Look at these kids......

What else can I make?

Well like I said, napkins are another great idea and very similar but I also have been creating lots of hair accessories for Etta.
I have taken long rectangular strips and just roll hemed the edges and used them as a variety of hair ties. This is a great way to use up scraps.










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