Murder in the Garden – a finishing picture walk tutorial.
I am so happy that you all like this quirky, oversized series of produce! The finishes are not difficult when broken down into steps. A sewing machine will be required although hand-sewing will do the job as well. I will talk as if you are one with your machine!
Gather items for your finish: coordinating quilting cotton, featherweight fusible interfacing (906F Pellon), cotton muslin, doll making needle, & 4 copies of the template (see link below to download & print). These will get you started – read on for other items I used.
Tape the 4 pieces of the circle together & center over the stitching (hold it up to a window). Using a Frixion marker, trace around the circle onto the front side of your stitching.
Place the muslin on the back side of your stitching & pin into place. (muslin should cover the line that you traced in the previous step)
Machine sew on the front of the linen. Sew ON the line that you marked in the previous step. Sew ALL the way around the circle. Trim the linen & muslin 1″ away from the sewing line. Iron the fusible interfacing on the back side of the quilting cotton.
Place the right sides of the stitching & quilting cotton together, pin together & once again sew all the way around the circle. Sew the seam right on top of or ever so slightly inside the previous seam.
Trim all the layers of fabric 1/2″ from the sewing line & clip through the selvage all around the circle. Cut through the BACK of the quilting cotton to turn the pumpkin.
Turn pumpkin right side out, press & stuff with your favorite fill (I use wool roving which you can get from Benzie Design or many Etsy shops)
Ladder stitch the opening closed. I like to cover the ladder stitching with a matching piece of cotton that has been treated with double sided fusible interfacing.
I added a sweet herringbone embellishment around the edge with the darker of the orange pearl cottons from the design.
Tuft your pumpkin: I used the dark green pearl cotton from the design, knot 1 end & thread with a doll making needle (nice & long). Bring the needle through the back side of the pumpkin up through the center.
Wrap the pearl cotton around the pumpkin & bring the needle up through the back center again. Pull on the thread to tuft the pumpkin.
Repeat the previous steps until you have created 5 sections on your pumpkin.
HINT: I cut my Pearl Cotton threads short, so I only made 2 tufts then ran out of thread. Carefully knot on the bottom side of the pumpkin through the center. Start up with a new thread in the same spot. You will have to ‘push down’ on the stuffing to help you get the needle through to make the knot.
Finish the exact same way if you are making the smaller pumpkin on 32ct!
Have so much fun with these big guys!
A word about the dried, live stems: I did use some glue to attach my stems. I tried hot glue initially but could not get it to adhere. I turned to my trusty Tite Bond glue (Home Depot, Lowe’s) & it worked well. You may need to put glue in the center well of the pumpkin if you pulled tight (deep well) AND on the bottom of the stem!
Enjoy the Stitch,
Cathy, Hands On Design
#murderinthegarden #BAP
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