SEDEF IMER
Hoops have become one of your signatures,
haven’t they? They certainly have. I love the
versatility of them and the fact that they are both
a useful sewing tool and instant framing for the
finished product. I have a bit of a hoop collection
going at home – a wall in my sewing room is
covered with the hoop art I’ve made to date.What style of project do you prefer doing with
hoops?It’s hard to pick a favourite but, if I had
to pick one, it would probably be hand embroidery.
It provides such vast scope, with dozens of
different stitches to use, and I’m always trying
new techniques and learning new stitches in the
process. I also love combining appliqué work
with hand embroidery – covering a small section
of the hoop art with appliquéd fabric and then
the rest of it hand stitched.
Are fairytales a regular source of inspiration
for you? I love children’s classics, having grown
up with them. We have a large collection of old
classics books at home, and both my kids love
them, too. I’m currently making a series of crochet
dolls based on classic tales. So far, I have Alice
in Wonderland and Little Red Riding Hood in the
collection, and there are some more to come.
I also made a Little Red felt hoop art very similar
to this project, which you can find on my blog,
at http://www.downgrapevinelane.com.
What is it about the Alice in Wonderland
characters that appeals to you so much? The
book is one of my all-time favourites. I have
framed Alice in Wonderland quotes in my sewing
room. This book is so deep; it’s not just for kids- it really is a timeless classic for all ages. I also
like the fact that the characters are instantly
recognisable by most people.
Do you always like to work with bright colours?
No, in fact I am more of a pastel girl – more
prairie-style florals, Liberty fabrics and muted
colours that go well together. That’s more my
signature style in my sewing and blog projects.
However, I felt these Alice in Wonderland
characters really needed bold colours to be
brought to life in their full glory.
What style of needlecraft do you like to do, and
why? My all-time favourite needlecraft is tapestry
(with wool), also called needlepoint. I have made
several very large ones based on Renaissance
paintings – I use computer software to convert
the paintings to tapestry patterns. They take so
long to make, but the end result is very rewarding.
I also love cross stitch, but I prefer tapestry, as it’s
quicker (each stitch is only one diagonal stitch,
rather than two) and there are no white ‘gaps’ –
the entire canvas is covered with wool by the end.
What’s your idea of a perfect crafting weekend?
One where I can start AND finish a project – I have
two pre-school-age kids, so being able to work
uninterrupted is a rare luxury. Other than that,
couch + good DVD + crochet or hand embroidery
project = crafting bliss.Gett ing to know...
left hand (your right as you look
at the hoop), then add the purple
label, brown cork and brown tag.
Backstitch the tag string around
the neck of the bottle with six
strands of black embroidery thread.22
Stitch the pink pearl beads
below Alice’s ears for earrings
and appliqué the black headband in
place (no stuffi ng). Tie the black yarn
into a bow and sew it to the headband
towards one side, trimming the ends
to the desired length.23
Finally, stitch four decorative
buttons to the left side of thebackground and apply a little
blush to Alice’s cheeks. Remove
any visible markings from the
background fabric.Finishing
24
Cut out a felt circle that you
marked in Step 1.25
Trim the background fabric
about 5cm (2in) outside the
edge of the hoop. This doesn’t have
to be very accurate as it will be
completely concealed.26
Cut a length of thread a
generous 10cm (4in) longerthan the hoop circumference. Knot
one end and sew a row of gathering
stitches all the way around edge of
the fabric circle. Pull the thread up
tight so the fabric is gathered neatly
behind the hoop, then fasten the
end of the thread.27
Centre the circle of felt over
the back of the hoop and stitch
it to the fabric all the way round.28
Tie a 25cm (10in) length of red
spot ribbon in a neat bow on
the adjustment screw at the top of
the hoop to fi nish, trimming the ends
to length at an angle.Step 22 Step 26 Step 27Homespun 61HSP1511_p056-065_Down the Rabbit Hole Project.indd 61 9/22/2014 10:44:26 AM
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