look ma, no machine!

If you do not have a sewing machine, or if you simply want to create without one there are lots of projects that you can make with a needle and thread. With the help of some fabulous fiskars tools, our design team has several projects to share to help inspire you the next time you're ready to sew!

Designer: Kelly Purkey
I've always admired hand stitching on a project and a few years ago I headed to the craft store and picked up some supplies.  I didn't have a sewing machine yet and I'd never really sewed anything before, but I bought a bunch of needles and embroidery floss to start out with.  Hand stitching became the easiest way for me to add some "homespun" touches to my projects and feel like I was actually sewing something cool. 

I picked up some embroidery floss and my needle again to add some personal touches to a pillowcase.  Using the handheld rotary cutter, I cut petals out of fabric and stitched them with simple little stitches onto a pillowcase.  The centers were cut using fabric pinking shears and topped off with a button sewn on top.  It's an easy way to dress up a plain pillowcase with some homemade flair.

Designer:  Lisa Storms

We are having several sets of dinner guests in the next couple months, so I went shopping to find nice cloth napkins for the season.  When I couldn't narrow down a color, I instead grabbed a handful of gorgeous fall shades.  Lots of colors make me happy!  I decided to pull them all together by sewing a simple embellishment onto each to create a set I could use now through fall. 

To accomplish this easily, I turned to my faithful shape templates and used a disappearing ink marking pen to trace two yellow flowers and one brown circle for each napkin.  I chose felt because it is easy to use without the worry of fraying and it washes well. 

To continue with the easy theme, I simply sewed the layered flowers and center I cut out onto the corner of each napkin using assorted brown buttons with embroidery floss I double-knotted at the front for extra texture.  Dare I say it ... sew easy!

Designer: Lisa Truesdell

This bookmark is a perfect “on the go” project.  Since you don’t need a sewing machine to make it, you can precut the fabric and put it together during any quiet moment you can sneak during your day.  You’ll need a handheld rotary trimmer, pinking sheers, felt, fabric, embroidery floss and a button.  Start by trimming the felt and a piece of fabric to 3inx6.25in with your handheld rotary trimmer, then trim across the bottom using pinking sheers.  Cut 3 circles from fabric using the pinking sheers.  Layer the three circles with the button on top and place them near the top of the felt.  Stitch them into place.  Next, take the embroidery floss and use a backstitch to create a stem for your flower.  Trim a small leaf from green fabric and stitch it into place next to your stem.

Layer your felt and your fabric together and begin a blanket stitch along one side.  Use a backstitch across the bottom of the bookmark and then blanket stitch the rest of the way around.  Since we created the stem and stitched the flower into place before we stitched the fabric to the back of the bookmark, it has a nice finished back.

These bookmarks are easy to personalize and would be a the perfect gift along with a favorite book or a bookstore giftcard.

Designer: Stacey Kingman

I’m not sure of the exact moment I fell in love with this bag, but I can tell you that it was somewhere between the first and second flower. I enjoyed creating the top border of the bag with the ribbon, buttons and hand stitched X’s. I thought it was looking very cute. But it wasn’t until I had the stems, leaves and about half of the first flower stitched together that I decided I loved this little tote. I love the layered flowers and the uneven stitches. I love the fabric scraps and the mix of new and vintage buttons. The fiskars flower template I used has this really great flower shape on it that is easy to cut out and it mixes with the circles so well. It just feels like...me.

I think that’s the really cool thing about hand stitching a project – it becomes personal. Especially after you poke yourself really hard one time with the needle. You invest yourself in it. You can’t sit and stitch on a project like this for a good length of time without becoming attached, and it truly becomes a reflection of you, even if it’s just a little bit. With the help of trusty tools like a rotary cutter, scissors, and the 12-in-1 sewing tool of course.

Your stitches. Your design. Your personality. Your cool hand stitched tote.

By Fiskars design team