No Sew Projects

My old faithful Janome sewing machine is at Charlton Sewing Center for her annual cleaning. Thank you Cathy Racine for keeping her running! So, I have been looking for no sew projects to keep me occupied.

I saw a picture of a beautiful woven fabric star. I searched Pinterest and YouTube and figured out how it was made. I used cardstock from my scrapbooking supplies and fabric I had on hand.

When I dropped off my machine at Charlton Sewing Center, I had fun looking through the store.  I saw a purse made from Bali batiks. It was very sturdy, and looked like a fun project.  I found the pattern for "Bali Bags". Strips of fabric are wrapped around clothesline. The covered rope is then zig zag stitched together.  So, back to Pinterest and YouTube and I saw beautiful bags, bowls and rugs made with this method. Similar to the braided rag rugs from my 70's childhood.  Unfortunately, I will have to wait to get my machine back before I can attempt this project.

I found crochet projects made from fabric strips.  My first attempt was messy.  I cut the fabric on grain and it was very fuzzy. So, I tried bias strips. The fabric frayed very little, but the prep work was tedious (cutting up yards and yards of 1/2" strips of bias). Not something I would try again, but it gave me something to do while sitting in front of the air conditioner waiting for the heat wave to pass.

My next project was very 70's. I saw a pot holder made from prairie points. After browsing the web I found the design is also called Somerset Patchwork.  There are many wonderful designs and variations on the web. My friend Karen said she remembered them being framed in an embroidery hoop. Harken the 70's! Country decor and candlewicking.  Back to my fabric on hand. I tacked down the triangles with glue stick and then hand sewed the points when it was finished. I will add a backing and binding later.

Then I tried to make a placemat. Not bad for my first attempt.

So, if you know of any no sew projects that use fabric, I would love to hear from you.