L OCAL LIVING
5 DC
modern crafts A retired tomato cage’s night job My garage is home to a
graveyard of unused tomato cages. Every spring, seasonal amnesia sets in and I forget that the ubiquitous steel cages just don’t have enough oomph to fully support my plants if it’s a good growing year. This project finds another use for those old frames, turning them into fabric lanterns. You can use any material for the shade. I used muslin and gussied it up with floral appliques attached using paper-backed fusible webbing. Sold in craft stores, the webbing is a wonderful invention that allows you to fuse two fabrics with an iron — no sewing required. Or skip that step and use patterned fabric. I’ve even turned ripped bedsheets and old pillowcases into fabric lanterns. The tomato cage lanterns are
finished with simple hand stitching, but don’t let that put you off the project: Passing a needle back and forth along the top and bottom goes quickly. And if your stitching isn’t even, don’t worry. Once you place a flickering light inside, all eyes will be on the twilight glow.
localliving@washpost.com
Wilkinson is a craft designer and journalist. Find more of her projects at
www.makegrowgather.com.
You’ll need
Tomato cage (I used a standard hardware-store variety, 33 inches tall with three rings and three legs) Strong wire cutters or hacksaw 1 yard of fabric, such as muslin or cotton 10 to 12 clothespins Fabric scissors Needle and thread Battery-operated votive candle
For applique: Scraps of patterned fabric in a similar weight as the base fabric Paper-based fusible webbing Regular scissors Iron
How to
1. Turn the tomato cage upside down, with its largest ring at the bottom. Wearing safety glasses, carefully use wire cutters or a hacksaw to trim the upright prongs from the cage just above the smallest ring. 2.Working with the wider end of the cage on a table, hang the fabric around the top ring of the cage, with at least 1 inch folded over to the inside. Secure in place with clothespins. Let any excess
FROM KELLY WILKINSON
The tomato cage seen in a new light as a fabric lantern. See step-by-step photos of this Modern Crafts project at
washingtonpost.com/home.
fabric hang. You will trim it after fitting all of the fabric to the cage. 3. Pull the fabric taut to the bottom ring and secure in place with clothespins. Continue this around the bottom of the cage. 4. Trace along the top and bottom openings with the fabric pen. Next, trace along an upright support at a point where the seam should be. Then cut the fabric 1 inch beyond the marked line. Place clothespins at the top and bottom of the fabric to secure. As if you’re closing curtains, pull the fabric from the other direction to overlap beyond the fabric you just cut. Pin in place and trace along the same upright support on the unmarked end of the fabric. Also mark where you want appliques to be attached if using. 5. Remove all the clothespins and lay the fabric on a flat surface. Cut 1 inch beyond your markings. If you are adding appliques, do this now following the instructions for the paper-based fusible webbing.
6. Re-drape the fabric onto the cage, folding it over the top and bottom rings. Resecure with clothespins. 7. Double-thread the needle and knot together the long ends. Starting on the inside of the top of the cage, sew the fabric in place with a running stitch: Pass the needle through both layers of folded fabric to the front. Bring the needle back to the inside of the cage, about 1
⁄4 to 1 ⁄2 inch along the
fabric. Repeat all the way around. Do the same along the bottom, pulling the fabric taut as you sew. 8. There are a few options for finishing the side seam. If your fabric is pulled taut, you may not need to sew it closed because it will lie flat. To sew it closed, fold the overlapping edge 1
⁄4 to 1 ⁄2
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inside and stitch closed, placing your arm and hand inside the cage to steady the area you’re sewing. 9. Place the battery-operated candle inside the lantern to light. —Kelly Wilkinson
1-800-753-POST
SF
THE WASHINGTON POST • THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2010
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