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Blanket stitch - great for applique and decorative impact

The Old Button Play On The Go © Play Scenes - Safai Zoo What is blanket stitch Blanket stitch is an edging stitch, traditionally used to finish the edges of woollen blankets (or other woven items) to stop them unravelling.  Sewn in a connected row, the stitch forms neat 3 sides boxes, with the effect of "down" side stitches connected by "top" stitches, but they are formed by looping the thread in a continuous stitch.      When used as an edging stitch, it wraps itself around the edge, with down stitches showing at the front and the back, and the top showing across the outside edge.      The Old Button felt flower brooch Securing applique As it can be eased around curves and used on angles of any shape, including internal ones, blanket stitch is also great for securing applique patches.  I use it a lot with felt, but it also works well on cotton or wool fabrics too as where it has the added benefit of catching in any fraying threads.  The Old Button heart an
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Scrap busting challenge - The Old Button playmats

My playmats are rather good for using up little pieces of fabric left over from my bigger makes.  Which is great from an environmental perspective, as well as keeping costs down for customers.

For toy CE documentation purposes I have always been good at keeping certified fabrics separate from vintage or unknown origin fabrics, but it was getting harder and harder to find the "right piece" from the overflowing bags and boxes of jumbled colours. So I kept cutting into new yardage 😬...

So I bit the bullet yesterday, grabbed a coffee and started sorting into colours..... Half a day later, and I have this glorious collection. 

The top row are sorted by main colour - I have lots of reds and pinks so the other rainbow shades can share. And the bottom rows are the multi-colours scraps or very "themed" prints.

I'd been using these boxes and the open shelving to store other sewing resources (including an ever expanding collection of sewing patterns 😏), but decided they could go in the cupboard instead. Time will tell how many things I forget about because they are behind the door!  


Next up was the box of Christmas fabric scraps.....

.....and there are mountains of vintage and dressmaking scraps to go through sometime.  Ahh well, there's always next year. 

 

 

Two fabric play or place mats lying in top of each other. The top mat is a collage (patchwork squares) of christmas fabric prints including a nutcracker soldier and Santa Claus in his swimming costume. The bottom has a selection of childrens prints, including a cowboy, a foxes tail, sea monster. All the colours are bright. The mats are quu
In the meantime I am inspired by the colour coded boxes and have designed some little I-Spy mats - that double up as play activity toy as well as a very useful placemat.  Reversible like many of my makes so they can be used all year round as well as at Christmas.  

 

 

My I-spy playmats are available to buy through my Etsy and Folksy shops.

The Old Button Play On The Go © Play Scenes - are also available to buy on Etsy and Folksy




   

 

 

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