Freebies & Patterns – Becka Rahn, artist

20 April, 2020

Making masks. My version with some sewing tips.

beckarahn2020-04-20T15:50:22-05:00Everything Else, Freebies & Patterns, Sewing & Design, Tutorials, Videos|3 Comments

I posted a tutorial for working with a bias tape maker today on my social media channels (I will post that again below) and got a bunch of questions about how I was making masks and what pattern to use. So here is what I have been making. This is a version that is based on one that was posted by Fairview Health (associated with the University of MN). I have simplified the sewing instructions they provided because I saw a simpler and cleaner way to construct them. I am not going to provide a step-by-step tutorial here, but I will give you the basics.

Cut two rectangles that are 9 inches by 7 inches. They recommended using 2 different fabrics so you can easily tell the inside and outside of the mask if you need to take it off and put it back on.

Place the rectangles right sides together and stitch just the short sides, using about a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Turn right side out and press flat.

Make three tuck pleats about 1/2 inch each along each short edge of the rectangle. You can pin these. (I have a lot […]

5 February, 2018

Tutorial: Make a valentine cut-out design

beckarahn2018-02-05T13:34:56-06:00Classes & Teaching, Freebies & Patterns, Spoonflower & Fabric Design, Tutorials|Comments Off on Tutorial: Make a valentine cut-out design

Since Valentines Day is just around the corner, I thought I would post a quick tutorial for making a heart shaped cut out design. You can use any image or pattern and “cut it out” to make it into a heart shape. (Or any other shape you want to use. The steps are the same.)

Make a heart

The first thing is to create your heart. I want a nice smooth shape that is basic black and white. You could use some clip art, but I really prefer to make my own “clip art”. (pun intended) With my own art, I never have to worry about using a copyrighted image or inadvertently stealing someone else’s design. I could draw something in Illustrator or use the vector tools in Photoshop, but I think it is so much easier to just start with a piece of paper. Seriously.

Why? I like the quality of the shape. Vector designs often look too perfect to me. It is really fast and easy to use the circle tool and the pen tool to create something that is symmetrical and has perfectly smooth lines, but I think that’s boring. It […]

11 August, 2017

Fabric Design for Back to School: Pop Art Shoe Bag Tutorial

beckarahn2017-08-11T08:17:10-05:00Everything Else, Freebies & Patterns, Spoonflower & Fabric Design, Tutorials|3 Comments

When you live in Minnesota, “Back-to-School Season” is quickly followed by “Snowboots Season”. When I asked my sister what she thought would be a great back-to-school project to share with the Spoonflower Back to School Blog Hop, she described a “stuff sack” type bag to put the kids’ shoes in their backpacks when they have to wear their snowboots to school. Something to keep the papers from getting dirty and books from getting crumpled by dirty sneakers. With each kid needing regular shoes, gym shoes and snowboots, there are a lot of shoes getting hauled back and forth on the bus every day.

Creating the fabric design.

Color & scan.

My niece and nephew are 7 & almost 9 years old and I thought the bags would be the most fun (and more likely to get used) if I could get the kids to help me with the fabric design. What better for a shoe bag than a fabric print with shoes?

So I drew a coloring book page with a canvas sneaker. I drew it in fine […]

12 December, 2016

Holiday Ornament Tutorial: Goldfish Bowls

beckarahn2016-12-12T10:15:39-06:00Freebies & Patterns, Tutorials|Comments Off on Holiday Ornament Tutorial: Goldfish Bowls

I love goldfish. My logo has been a goldfish for years and years. (His name is Smee.) I have 2 goldfish named Harold and Henry that spend their summers outside in the waterlily pond and the winters in my living room begging for someone to feed them. So goldfish might not seem like an obvious ornament choice, but I love ornaments that are a little whimsical.

Materials

4 x 8 inches of blue felt
2 x 3 inches orange felt
assorted small seed beads; gold, brown or cream colored
1 white 8-10 mm sequin
thread to match your blue felt
green embroidery thread
6 inch piece of narrow ribbon
2×3 scrap of fusible paper backed webbing (Heat & Bond Lite, Wonder Under)

Tools

small sharp scissors
beading needle, embroidery needle
sewing machine with straight stitch (optional)
iron & ironing board

Instructions

1. Right-click or option-click the pattern pieces below and save them to your computer. Then you can print them out. Cut two bowls (circles) from the blue felt. Set one aside.

2. With the embroidery needle and a piece of green embroidery thread, use a feather stitch to embroider […]

11 December, 2016

Holiday Ornament Tutorial: Peppermint Candies

beckarahn2016-12-09T23:17:50-06:00Freebies & Patterns, Tutorials|Comments Off on Holiday Ornament Tutorial: Peppermint Candies

Materials

Felt – two 9 by 12 inch sheets in different colors
4 x 8 inch piece of fine bridal tulle in a pale color
embroidery thread

Tools

rotary cutter, mat and ruler
scissors
sewing needle, thread

Instructions

1. Using the rotary cutter and ruler, cut the felt in to strips 1/2 inch wide by 12 inches long. You will need 2 strips of felt for each candy.

2. Choose two different colored strips. Layer one strip on top of the second, matching the long edges. Starting at one short edge, roll up the two strips. You will now have a disk with a two-colored spiral. This is your candy.

3. Stitch the short ends of the felt to the roll with a couple of small stitches to hold them in place.

4. Cut a rectangle of tulle about 4 by 8 inches. It should be wide enough to wrap around your candy with a little overlap. This will be the wrapper.

5. Wrap the candy in the tulle […]

10 December, 2016

Holiday Ornament Tutorial: Frosty Polar Bears

beckarahn2016-12-09T23:05:51-06:00Freebies & Patterns, Tutorials|Comments Off on Holiday Ornament Tutorial: Frosty Polar Bears

Materials

6 x 6 inches of white felt
6 x 6 inches pale blue, grey or green felt
white embroidery thread, white sewing thread
an assortment of white, clear, silver and pale blue sequins, any shape or size
white, clear or silver seed beads
narrow ribbon, about 6 inches long

Tools

Small sharp scissors
Beading needle
Embroidery sewing needle

A note about the sequins I used: I found snowflake shaped sequins in the scrapbooking section at the craft store and I think they were really perfect on this snow bear. You can also find squares, stars and other shapes.

Instructions

1. Right-click or option-click the bear pattern below and save it to your computer. Then print it out. Using the pattern, cut out one bear from white felt.

2. Thread your beading needle with a piece of regular sewing thread. Tie a knot in the end. Poke the needle through from back to front, where you would like one sequin to be.

3. Thread a sequin, then a seed bead on to the needle. Stitch back through the hole in the sequin, back through […]