Because Whimsy trims are so versatile, I'm sharing a flower made from the Mirrored Garland Trim (previous post). Both can be found in my book, Whimsy Flowers & Trims. Video tutorial included at bottom.
Materials See previous post for ribbon trims. Flower Center: yellow stamen from craft store (look in cake decorating)
Flower Making
Make the Mirrored Flower Trim as shown in the previous post. Press the trim flat and apply Whimsy tape to each edge of trim on one side only (two pieces of tape).
With the taped sides of trim on the outside, fold trim in half along the center and sew along the edge.
Remove tape. One side of trim will be orange and the other will be pink.
With stamen in the center, loosely roll trim keeping the seamed edge even.
Turn flower wrong side up. Insert pins to hold and hand sew to finish.
You can also glue a piece of felt to the back adding leaves if desired.
Wrap trim with opposite colors facing out for a slightly different look.
Made using Whimsy Sticks, this twisted trim may look complicated but is one of the fastest Whimsy trims to make. The mirrored effect is made by making a two-color Whimsy Stick trim and then twisting the sewn trim. You can add an optional contrasting trim down the center, adding even more color to the trim. Be sure to watch the step-by-step video at the end too!
With the ribbon ends side by side, tape ends at “start here” end of Whimsy Stick.
Simultaneously wrap the ribbon around the stick by twisting the stick guiding the ribbons. Keep the ribbons from overlapping and the tension even.
Apply 1/4” Whimsy Tape to both edges of wraps on BOTH sides of the stick (4 pieces of tape). Remove the tape at “start here” and remove the stick from wraps.
Straight stitch wrapped trim using a 3/4” seam allowance and a stitch length of 1.6.
Remove the tape from all sides of the finished trim.
Mirrored Garland Trim Making
On a pinning surface, secure one end of sewn trim at the seam line. Begin twisting the ribbon. Hint: Twist just the beginning of the trim to see the effect and to ensure you are twisting in the correct direction.
Twist until each set of colored loops lay on each side of trim and the trim lays flat. This requires A LOT of twisting, stick with it!
Straighten loops if needed and press lightly down the center of trim. To hold the twist, apply tape to each edge of trim on one side only (2 pieces of tape). Remove from pinning board and sew down the center of trim to hold the twist.
To add contrasting ribbon, glue baste down the center of taped trim and sew along the edges of the center ribbon.
BONUS! Whimsy Garland Trim
Twist the trim, lightly press the center and unpin from the board, you will have a festive garland trim.
Stay tuned...in next week's post...
I will show you how to take this trim and make a bright and colorful flowers!
Live, Love, Sew!
Kari Mecca is a sewing and pattern designer, book author, teacher and innovator from sunny California. The owner of Kari Me Away, Kari is the inventor of Whimsy Sticks, Whimsy Pinwheels and Going in Circles Tools, a collection of fun and unique tools for sewing and embellishments. Her latest book, Whimsy Flowers & Trims, will be available in April 2014. Click here to learn more about Kari!
