Fantail is my current crush, I’m wearing mine on a jumper and love that I’ve already been asked about it several times while out and about. It’s a design that I’m hoping beaders will love for its richness and detail.
The process is fairly straightforward, some bead embroidery, a backing, a pretty edging stitch, and sandwiched at the heart of each end, a silicone bead to hold the pin securely. It’s an idea that has been waiting in my sketchbook for the winter months to come around, and yet, I think I’ll be using one to pin up my hair in the summer months too.
Having taught lots of bead embroidery and bag making classes to beaders, I know there is an understandable anxiety when it comes to cutting out shapes from the materials supplied. So here are my tips:
.If a design calls for you to cut two of something, make yourself two templates. It is easier to see how to lay them out on the fabric you have. If the piece of fabric you have been given in a kit seems small, move the templates around, for example, the big Fantail template will fit the fabric if you lay the templates with the pointed ends at opposite corners.
Gather together a selection of markers, a white pencil and a white gel pen for drawing around templates on dark on fabric. You can also use white tailors chalk, which, thanks to our sewing sisters, can be purchased in pencil form.
If you have a cupboard full of everything already, you can find the PDF here: https://wayopay.com/p/fantail-shawl-pin-by-heatherworks