Tape Measure Tutorial

Here are some step by step instructions for the cute tape measure wraps from one of my previous blog entries.

You will need . . .

One tape measure, I have used a 3 metre ( 120″) quilter’s tape measure
Colourful stranded embroidery threads to match and contrast your felt colours

An 18 x 2.5 cm (7inch x 1 inch) strip of wool felt

A selection of scrap felt pieces cut into leaf shapes and small circles of varying sizes for the flowers

A press-stud fastener or similar

Getting started . . .
Arrange the little cut-out pieces in a simple vine. It is important that about 5cm of the base felt is left free to allow for the overlap and the attachment of the press-stud.

Begin stitching the pieces down, leaving about 2-3mm free at each long edge to allow for trimming if necessary.

I used back stitch, blanket stitch, reverse blanket stitch (the spokes face outwards), straight stitch, French knots and small overcast or appliqué stitches – very simple. And I used either 2 or 3 strands of thread, no fuss about the thickness mainly just what I picked up. The colours are personal preference, either matching or contrasting.

Here’s a little hint – because only very small amounts of each colour are stitched at each time, I thread up lots of needles with the colours that I am using. It saves me lots of time and wasted thread, not to mention the frustration in continually threading all those needles.

Next step . . . Cut a piece of tape or whatever you want to use for the backing. Make sure that it is about 1 cm longer than the felt on both of the narrow ends.

Starting at the flower end, turn over 1 cm of the tape to enclose the fraying ends, pin in place to match the felt and start stitching in place. I found that my embroidery was closer to one side than the other so I positioned the tape closer to that edge.

My tape was a little narrow so I made sure that I allowed a little extra of the felt to show on the back to make sure that it would cover the tape measure accurately. I used blanket stitch in a matching 3 strands of thread and stitched from the right side to make sure that my stitches were evenly spaced. I also checked that each stitch caught the tape to attach it securely.

Continue blanket stitching along the side to about 4cm from the end of the felt. End off and repeat with the other long edge, trimming your felt to the correct size and straightness if you are like me and a bit wobbly with the scissors.

Keep the thread attached at the end of the work and put this aside for the moment.

Remove the metal piece at the end of the tape measure so that you do not interfere with the numbers. Trim away a small triangle from the end of the tape, keeping this even. The trimmed end will slip inside the felt piece and allow you to stitch through it. The plastic is soft and easily stitched through.

Pin the tape evenly between the felt and tape, then continue stitching in place.

I used backstitch on this one to join it across the tape edge, but you could just as easily use blanket stitch. Neatly end off when your stitching meets the first row of blanket stitches on the other side.

Nearly finished . . . Roll up the tape and check that it fits well, then mark the position of the press stud on both the outer and inner roll.

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