Rips or scratches look very unusual and they are on big trend now. There are different ways of making raw edged rips, but I am going to show you a very special way to create a scary looking scratches. This technique is called Chenille and here are some photos to get you inspired. It can be made using many different colours on the inside of a scratch, but I just love the scary look of red scratches on black denim or camouflage fabric.
Let’s rip it up!
Rips are great and unusual way to decorate your textile items. They can be used on throw cushions, make up pouches, bags and so on. In this tutorial I will show you how to make rips on a small item such as key ring.
So the idea of the Chenille sewing technique is to sew through a few layers of fabric and then cut and fray. The most important points are – the right fabric, the correct placing and stitching of the layers and correct cutting through.
Understanding the texture
Best fabrics for the frayed edges are – cotton, denim, camouflage. For the inside of the scratches it is best to use thinner coton.
You can see on this picture that there are ribs on the black denim. You will always find lines like this in the fabric texture. The are called grain. Those lines usually go horizontal and vertical, but may vary in denim. The point is that for the Chenille we have to sew and cut diagonal! Or against the ribs (see the red lines). This is important for the raggy result.
Cut out the parts for your project. Mark the lines where you want your rips to be and prepare some fabric pieces for the inner layers. I am using only two red layers, because the scratches and the whole item are very small. But you can use more layers especially on larger projects.
Sew it right
Place the underlayers onto the back of the body. Pin from the right side. In this project the red fabric must not reach the edges of the heart, because those edges will frayed. But if you are making something where all side seams are sewn inwards, like a pillow case, then the underlayers can be placed to cover the whole body piece including the edges.
Now stitch through all the layers between the marked lines. Remember, the marked lines – are the rips-to-be, so the stitching must be next to them, not on them. In my case I am making two rips, so I will make three stitches, so that each rip is secured on both sides.
The stitching lines are parallel, about 1 cm apart and it is best done in the same colour thread as the top fabric.
Cutting time!
With a seam ripper (or manicure scissors) rip through the top fabric right in-between the stitching lines. Then rip through the next layer, but DO NOT CUT THE LAST BOTTOM LAYER !!!!!!
Rag it up a bit and the rips are ready!
If you want to continue making this heart key chain, you will find the free sewing tutorial here>>>
You can also try to make a star shape using the chenille technique. More about it here >>>
Check out more ideas for crafting with denim here >>> and tutorials for DIY denim accessories here >>>
