When you’ve lost your sewjo what else is there to do but procrastinate with little things that have been vaguely floating around in your mind.
When I’m cutting out patterns for bags I don’t pin the paper to my fabric and cut round with scissors, instead I use things to weight down the paper of the pattern on top of the fabric so that I can whizz round it with a rotary cutter. Up until last week I’d been using some wee jars that had contained Gu desserts that my parents have faithfully munched their way through for me over the years, but for smaller pattern pieces they can be a wee bit big and awkward, so I decided I needed something a little smaller.
Introducing the pyramid pattern weights:
I thought some of you might like to have some of these too, so I thought I’d give you the ‘pattern’ and a quick tutorial. These wee pyramids are 2 1/2″ long, and you can find the paper template here.
For each pyramid you will need:
Scrap of fabric, at least 8 1/2″ x 3″
Dried rice or pulses for filling
To make the pyramids:
1. Cut 4 triangles from your fabric. If you alternate the direction, they should all fit on your scrap of fabric:
2. Make a mark 1/4″ in from each corner:
3. When you are stitching, you want to make sure that you stay between the dots, otherwise the pyramids won’t fold up properly. With that in mind, take 2 triangles and place them right sides together, then sew along one side, back stitching at each end:
4. Continue adding triangles until you get a strip like this:
5. To form the pyramid shape, take the left end triangle, and fold over so that the long bottom edge is right sides together with the long bottom edge of the 3rd from left triangle, and stitch between the dots. It’s a little hard to describe, but it will make sense when you do it, honest!
6. Fold up the remaining triangle and stitch in between the dots along one edge
7. Finally, on the remaining edge, stitch about 3/4″ in from each dot and stop, leaving a turning hole in the centre of the seam. I find it easier to mark where I’m going to stop, and don’t forget to backstitch at each end:
8. Turn the pyramid through the gap, using a chopstick or something similar to poke the corners out, then roll up a cone of paper and put it in the gap to funnel in your filling:
9. Once you’re happy you have a decent weight in there, and the pyramids are nicely filled, remove the cone and hand stitch the opening closed. I used a ladder stitch for this, but a whip stitch would work just as well, just remember to make the stitches tiny so that the filling doesn’t come out!
10. Now make it some friends:
You could probably also use these as juggling bags, if you were that way inclined, but I can’t even juggle 2 things, never mind 4 lol
Hope these come in useful!
That is a great tutorial!! I'm thinking I could do a bigger version as a door stop.
They are so cute. I love three dimensional sewing like this, you have described it so nice and clearly.
Excellent tutorial. Rachael is thinking exactly what I'm thinking.
life is always metaphorical juggling. aren't I profound.
That is very interesting. I have never heard of weighing down a pattern with weights. I would be frightened it might slip a teeny bit. I'm glad it works for you.
Hugs
My cat usually sits on the paper patterns for me … but I think these weights would be more efficient!
Very nifty and so much less likely to stab you if you accidentally stand on them 🙂
Oh what a fabulous idea. I need some for the office to stop my papers flying away when I turn the fan on!
Great idea, and yummy scraps! Did you know breathing predomininatly through the right nostril activates the left ( logical) side of your brain, while breathing through the left activates the creative side, your body changes every four hours or so but you can affect it yourself too, don't know if you can make yourself feel creative again, but thought your life may be nearer complete by knowing!
Hee, I like that this is what you do when you don't feel like doing commitment sewing! One day when I have my fabulous sewing studio (or a spot where I can leave my machine out, at least), I'll make fancy doodad sewing helpers. In the meantime, I'll keep using my other rotary cutter or my tweezers or whatever other junk's lying around as pattern weights. 😀