Making a Watercolor Linen Wrap
Using the unique Watercolor Linen from Purl Soho and their pattern for the Watercolor Linen Wrap, I completed this simple sewing project that produced an elegant result.
I began with one yard of the linen in the shade Wisteria Stem. This fabric is special because it uses one color as the warp and another as the weft giving it subtlety, depth and beauty.
First I trimmed one raw edge of the fabric along the grain line. From this straight edge I cut the opposite side so my fabric was 32 inches wide. Then I cut off the two selvage edges following the line of the weave.
I folded the fabric so the two 32 inch sides met and cut the fabric into two 32 by 26 inch pieces.
Laying the two pieces so one 26-inch side overlapped with the other 26-inch side by 3/4 of an inch, I pinned them in place. Since the fabric was slippery I used a lot of pins.
To sew the wrap I purchased a coordinating cotton thread from Purl Soho but you could also opt to use a contrasting color.
I stitched along the pinned line 1/4 inch from one raw edge, twice. Then I flipped the wrap over, removed the pins and sewed 1/4 inch from the other raw edge, twice.
Using a sharp pin I pulled out the threads along the raw edges that ran parallel to the sewn lines. In this direction removing the threads revealed purple colored fringe.
Beginning in the middle of one edge of the wrap, I stitched 1/4 inch from all four sides, going around the perimeter, twice. I secured the seam with a backstitch at the end.
Finally I removed the threads from around the outside of the entire piece using a pin. This revealed greenish yellow fringe on the long sides and purple fringe on the ends.
Anywhere a thread was partially caught in the stitching, I used small scissors to trim it to the same length as the surrounding fringe.
The final wrap is inviting, elegant and will be perfect in the warm weather. I love the two-toned color of the fabric and fringe. The Watercolor Linen is beautiful and the wrap feels both fun and luxurious. Though I have a long winter to get through before I can wear it, I am already thinking of spring.
