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| Just one potential use for a fabric plate... to hold your jewelry! |
After I made my first plate, it occurred to me that the fabric required was just about a perfect match for a Spoonflower swatch, so I made another.
The second time around, I took enough photos so that I could share my make with you as a tutorial.
My original plate was made to display my fabric fortune cookies. Your plate can hold whatever you wish, from jewelry to sewing notions.
It can even be a unique mug rug or coaster.
Oh, and it's reversible too, so if you choose your fabrics well, you can have two distinctly different looks.
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| A mug rug with a rim... |
To make one, all you need are a couple of 8" square fabric swatches and a couple of pieces of (relatively) same sized fusible fleece. Keep your scraps, 'cause you'll need them. (And of course, if you want a bigger/smaller plate, start with bigger/smaller squares of fabric and interfacing.)
This finished plate is about 7.75" or 19.5cm across.
Make Template
First thing you'll need is a paper template.
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How to create a flower shaped template... |
Take an 8" (20cm) square sheet of paper and fold it three times as shown, then round off the edge to create a petal shape.
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| Template done... |
It's not important what the final template looks like. Just make sure that the curves are manageable for your skill set, since you will be sewing around the template.
Make Quilt Sandwich
Create a quilt sandwich by stacking one piece of fusible fleece (fusible side up), one piece of fabric (right side up), second piece of fabric (right side down), second piece of fusible fleece (fusible side down) and pinning everything together with the template on top.
You have two options for the next step.
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| Make a quilt sandwich... |
If you have enough fabric to work with, sew a specific distance away from the edge of the template. For my first plate (pictured above) I sewed about 1 cm away from the edge of the paper. I used the left edge of my straight stitch presser foot as a guide; it worked like a charm.
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| Trace around the template... |
If you don't have excess fabric around the edge of the template (pictured above), trace around the template with a pen to create a sewing line.
Sew up the quilt sandwich and then trim away the excess fabric and fusible fleece. Trim as close to your stitching as you can.
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| Cut and trim excess fabric and fleece, then fuse... |
Fuse the interfacing to the fabric and let cool.
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| Location for an access hole in the middle of one of the sides... |
After the interfacing has set, pull apart the two layers. Cut a small cross-shaped opening into one of them, as indicated in the above picture.
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| Pull the two sides apart... |
You will later use this to turn the plate right side out.
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| Cut a couple of small slits into the middle of one of the sides... |
Keep the opening small, no more than about 1.5" (or 4cm) across.
Sew Darts
The next step is to sew four evenly spaced darts, the locations of which are marked in the picture below.
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| Mark the location of the four darts... |
Pull the two layers apart again and pinch at each of the four dart locations; pin as shown. If you're familiar with making boxed corners, that's sort of what you're doing here.
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| Pinch and pin to create the darts... |
At each pinned location, draw a shallow inverted v-shaped line across the seam as shown here. (Length on each side? Anywhere from 1.25" to 1.5", or about 3 to 4cm. The more substantial the dart, the deeper your finished plate... i.e., that's how to turn it into a bowl.)
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| Draw sewing lines for the darts... |
Sew from one side straight across to the other, starting and ending the stitches off the fabric.
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| Stitch along the marked lines... |
Repeat for all four darts.
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| All four darts sewn up... |
If you want to reduce the bulk, trim away the excess fabric when you're done. (I never bothered.)
Turn & Quilt
Turn the plate right side out through the opening. Use your fingers to roll the edges out along the curves and then press with a hot iron.
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| Turn right side out and press... |
Topstitch all the way around as close to the edge as you can manage.
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| Topstitch... |
To add stability to the plate, quilt the surface. (I started along an edge and squiggled my way into the centre.)
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| Quilt... |
Here is an opportunity to try "free motion" quilting if you've never done it before. (I used my regular presser foot and did not drop the feed dogs, so don't be afraid to give it a go.)
Cover Opening
All that remains is to cover up the opening in the middle. You have options for how to finish this.
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| Did not have a big enough scrap of fabric so I sewed two pieces together... |
In all cases, you'll need a circle of fusible interfacing (Peltex, fleece, etc.) large enough to cover the opening, and a scrap of matching fabric larger than the interfacing circle.
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| "Wrap" the fabric around the interfacing circle and fuse... |
Cut slits along the edge of the fabric circle and wrap the edges back onto the fusible side of the interfacing circle.
The finished circle can then be fused (or hot glued) into the middle of the plate, covering the opening. It's one way of finishing the project and works fine if the plate is for decorative use (i.e., not likely to be washed).
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| Fuse the circle onto the plate... |
You can also hand sew the circle onto just the top layer. Or, you can machine stitch through both layers with a straight stitch or a satin stitch.
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| My original plate satin stitched... |
Just be aware that if you're sewing by machine, your stitching will appear on both sides.
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| Perfect for sewing notions... |
And there you have it — a fabric plate that I'm sure you'll have no problem putting to use!
UPDATE August 2024: There's a PDF made up for this project (and fortune cookies) that you can access by clicking through my PDF Pattern Shop link on the main navigation bar up top.
Thank you for the wonderful tutorial. It couldn't be any more clearly written.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! I love your fabric plate, Rochelle. So many uses - perfect for a sewing room.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for the design and construction tips given in this tutorial, greatly appreciate your time and efforts in giving us great instructions.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome and thank you back for the appreciation. :-)
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