Tutorial: Tortellini Construction

Sometimes you have a square embroidery that just calls to be finished but you don't know what to do with it and don't have more fabric - or inclination - to make a back for something - or you have done pincushions/biscornu so often you are looking for something different! What ever the reason there may come a time that you want to make something else with your square embroidery.

The answer is a tortellini shape! It is made with a single square and needs no additional back made for it - not only that but it only needs a small amount of stuffing! You can make it with or without a cord to hang it by. It's pretty stable although it's more stable without a cord attached and you'd want to only stick pins in from the inner side.

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How to make:

First you start with your square embroidery - in my case it's the April NFSAL - and backstitch an outline one or two stitches away from the edge or your embroidery. I used a nice dark easy to see colour for photos - it might look better with a colour that coordinates more with the fabric or beads.

Cut it out around four stitches away from the backstitched outline (for seam allowance)

Fold the seam allowance over to the back of the stitching

Fold in half and use pins to mark where you are going to leave an opening for stuffing. Make sure it's pretty high up as you need to stuff the back bit not the pointy bits. If you are going to add a hanging loop make sure you are a good ten stitches away from the corner.

I am adding beads every other stitch on mine as well as a hanging loop.

Whipstitch from the lower pin to the corner with the folded edge. Make sure to have a bead at the very tip. Finish off your thread carefully.

If you are adding beads every other stitch carefully count from where your bead is before the stuffing opening to where the second pin is so you know if you need to start with or without a bead.

Whipstitch from the upper pin to the corner adding the cording three stitches before and after the corner, and go down to the final corner. Make sure to have a bead at the very tip. Don't finish off your thread this time.

Yes it's flipped - I took the pins out when stitching and put them back in for the photo.

This is what it will look like at this point.

Make a circle out of the triangle overlapping a bit - on mine I overlapped the first flower on each corner. You need about 1/2" at least.

Pick up a bit of the fabric on the back and slide the needle through that bead on the end of the pointy corner. Do a couple of stitches in the same way.

Slide the needle through one of the points to the other side (it doesn't really matter which)

Now do a couple of stitches in the exact same way as you did on the other point. Finish the thread, slide the needle between the fabric before pulling it out a good inch or two away, and cutting it off close to the fabric.

This is what it will look like once you have finished attaching the corners.

Put right way up it looks like this.  Time to add the stuffing!

You want to add stuffing so it stays in the main bit and doesn't go into the "arms"

You can fill it right to the top.

It will bulge open a bit but that will be fixed as soon as you close the opening. Make sure that, if you are using beads, you start using the first bead for the opening at the right place.

All done!

I hope this tutorial was helpful! If you have any questions please do ask! What is clear to me might not be to you and you may need additional pictures or information to help you and I won't know unless you tell me.