Weave Technique to Create A New Fabric

Last night I tried a new technique I thought would be cool to use as a cover for a billfold or business card holder. It would also be nice used for the flap on a clutch purse. 

I used some scrap fabric and don't really like the two prints together but, with the right fabric, I think it will be very pretty. I snapped photos as I worked and thought I'd share. I need to put together a tutorial to post on Pellon Projects, so I think I will use this technique to make fabric for the outside of a business card holder. When I do that project, I will pick some better fabrics and post the info to the tutorial.

Here I'll handle like I did the Molly Handbag Sew-Along - I'll post the picture and caption it with the instructions. This is really easy and can give some projects a new dimension and texture.

First cut two pieces of fabric the same size. Mine were 10 x 13, a square piece would be good too. Make sure they are ironed and wrinkle free. You can add spray starch if you like as it may make the strips easier to handle when weaving.

Next, take one piece and lay it right-side down on the cutting mat or table. Measure about 1/2 inch from one edge and draw a line parallel with the edge. Starting at the edge opposite your line, cut wavy lines about 1 to 2 inches apart up to the line you drew. The edge that was not cut will hold all the strips together.

On your second piece of fabric, lay it face down and opposite the direction of the first piece. For example, if your fabric is 15x10 inches, and on the first piece your strips are 15 inches long, on the second piece you will cut so that your strips are 10 inches long. Cut the same as for the first piece except cut all the way through. Keep your pieces in the same order that you cut them as you want to weave them into the other fabric with the same cut edges touching.

Second pieces is cut all the way through.

Now start weaving your strips through the first piece. To get the pieces to touch and be tight, use the eraser end of a pencil to push the fabrics together.

Continue weaving keeping the pieces from the second piece of fabric in the same order that they were cut.

Keep weaving until you've used all the strips you can use.

Continue to use the eraser to push the pieces close together.

 

Move your woven piece to the ironing board, right-side down.

If the weave loosened during the move, use your eraser to tighten up everything.

Lay a piece of fusible interfacing on top with the fusible side down. Fuse it to the backside of your weave. I used Pellon Deco-Bond and it worked nicely.

Once interfaced, take it to your sewing machine and use a satin stitch over every edge. I sewed all edges going one direction and then I turned the piece and did all the edges going the other direction. I used a zig-zag stitch that had a width of 5.0 mm and stitch length of .5 mm. A contrasting thread looks very nice. Be sure the satin stitch overlaps both edges where the fabrics meet.

Here's where I turned and went the other direction. I just sewed right over the satin stitching going the other direction.

Finished~now, if I had used the right color fabrics, this would look pretty great. But like I said before, these were scraps that didn't necessarily go together.

So, to conclude, and I'll say again, I don't really like the fabrics I used, I was just using scraps and playing around. However, I'm going to do this for a business card cover and when I make that cover I'm going to use some fabrics that coordinate, maybe two solids, I'm not sure yet. In making the cover, I think I can just cut it out like it is a regular piece of fabric - we'll see won't we? I'm going to add a lining and then I'm going to satin stitch around the edge. We'll see how it turns out, I'll definitely let you see the finished project.

Until next time ~

Reba