What I'm Wearing, A Tutorial

What? A Tutorial? For self portrait challenge? Well, stick with it, I'm in it down near the end.

Here I will walk you through the steps of making an embellished muff. I felt compelled to make one as my hands have been really really cold lately, the rest of my temperature is just fine, but my hands are feeling like iceblocks. So I thought a muff would be good. Mittens or gloves are ok for outside, but inside the house I'd just be taking them off and on all the time, With a muff, no taking off is required, just pull hand out, then reinsert.

But I couldn't make a boring muff, that wouldn't be me at all, I need some texture, interest and sparkles.

So, I started with the Clover yoyo maker. These new products are very clever, come in all sizes, and several shapes (haven't tried those, a heart and a flower, hmmm?). I guess yoyo related stuff is all the latest craze in Japan, so these gizmos are very popular. I got mine at fabric.com. The first step is to cut square of fabric, place it in the holder, then trim around it to leave a seam allowance.

This is the "right side", and where you will be sewing around the little scallops. On the opposite side there are little scallops that guide the needle, very clever!

So, now I've gone around the circle (see the black thread) with stitching, overlapping by one stitch as directed, and I'm pushing out the stitched yoyo.

And here it is, free of constraints! But still holding the center plastic circle.

Now to remove the center circle and gather up. That pops out easily. Gather by pulling the thread gently.

Take a couple of securing stitches inside where they won't show, and voila'! Hey, no snickering, it is my first yoyo. It isnt perfectly round I know, but it is close. And it certainly doesn't look machine made does it??

Hmmm it looks like a mushroom cap. Here is the much less interesting side.

Oh my goodness, I think I've made a yoyo!

Now on to choosing some fabrics for the muff, I know I want flannel, and I've had these woodsy samples around for the longest time. Totally not my style, but the look is very cozy and comforting which is what I'm aiming for.

And just look, the yoyo looks very happy on this floral. Especially after adding a bead for some extra fanciness. I stitched it on with a few stitches through the pleats of the yoyo where it wouldn't be showing.

Sewing together the flannel squares with a pretty big seam allowance as this type of flannel is quite ravelly as you can see.

Building up more, and adding in the larger piece which is a fat quarter.

All stitched together and ready for layering with some cozy batting.

I cut a piece that will cover the fat quarter and fold over the pieced section with the lonely yoyo.

Lots of stitching following the lines in the fabric design.

And some almost circular stitching on the embellished section. And what is this I see, two more yoyo's have appeared!

I folded the fat quarter over on itself, so now it is double thickness of flannel and batting, and folded and pressed under the long edge of the pieced section. Sew down that topstitched seam and then just the edges are left. Remember, I'm going for thickness and warmth here, functionality over precise measurements. The shorter edges are not sewn and do not have batting so that I can turn them over.

Here are the edges all pinned and ready to sew down.Now I've pinned it a bit overlapping to make the muff tube shape out of the flat rectangle, here I am trying it on for size, aahhhh cozy!

Sewn together with some crazy yet sturdy stitching, I'm calling this muff done, and my hands warm!