I'm digging swiss crosses lately so I made this tee for Cohen. I showed it to my husband who said "Oh it's like Federer" (Federer is the tennis player from Switzerland, if you didn't know.) So yes, just like Federer! I'm glad it has a deeper meaning than I intended!The red cross is Silhouette flocked heat transfer. I love that stuff! (I also used it for this spider web tee). It's fun to have something quick and easy and soft to make all sorts of tshirts with. But this time instead of sending it through my cutter, I just used scissors to cut ...Continue Reading
jo totes missy review + giveaway!
A little over a year ago, JoTotes sent me the Betsy bag. And ever since then we have been like two peas in a pod! I love that bag! I carry it all the time. It's so nice to have a real camera bag instead of trying to pad a regular bag enough to keep my camera body, lenses and accessories safe. JoTotes recently came out with this new bag---the Missy! I fell in love instantly. This bag is excellent because it has a cute vintage flair with a pocket for a laptop!! It fits up to a 15" Macbook plus has ample space for my Canon and two lenses and ...Continue Reading
fleece bear toy pattern + tutorial
Here's a quick tutorial for a stuffed bear toy! This tutorial includes a free pattern and it's super easy to sew with leftover fleece! These little bears make a sweet just-because gift! These little tiny bears make a great stocking stuffer or Easter basket topper! Bear Toy Materials 1/4 yard fleeceneedle + embriodery flossribbonfiberfill rattle insert (optional) BEAR STUFFIE PATTERN Bear Stuffie Instructions Print out the pattern pieces and cut two body pieces and 4 ear pieces. Add eyes and a mouth with ...Continue Reading
zippered bow pouch pattern + tutorial
This post was originally shared at I Heart Naptime for the Crazy Christmas Event. There is still time to whip some up before the holidays! I love giving little pouches filled with goodies for the holidays! These are fun because you can make a whole bunch and personalize the contents for anyone on your list! Makeup for the teen, candy for the husband, toy cars for the boy, anything goes! Zippered bow pouch tutorial Materials: *1/4 yard fabric for outside *1/4 yard fabric for lining *1/4 yard duck cloth for interfacing *1 7" ...Continue Reading
flannel + piping baby blanket
When I was in my fleece blanket making frenzy, I also made one for the new baby. After spotting Heather Bailey flannel, it just had to happen. HEATHER BAILEY FLANNEL! Don't you just love it when designers put out lines of fabric that include things besides quilting weight cotton? It's so nice to be able to find a pretty flannel! This pretty print is called Finery Pink.This is a really easy project with piped edges for a little something extra! Materials:*1 1/4 yard flannel print (44-45")*1 1/4 yard flannel solid*piping, 5+ yards*2 yards ...Continue Reading
lace ruffles tote bag tutorial
This idea spurred from a ziplock full of assorted vintage lace my mom thrifted for me. It pays to have a mom who loves thrift stores and loves sending me bags of old junk. Thanks mom! Isn't it pretty? I normally would just hoard it for years and years, waiting for the perfect project for it, but instead I decided to deliberately put it to use! I didn't even use as much trim as I thought I would and I still have more to burn on other projects. So you can use old lace trim for this or just go out and buy 5-6 (guesstimate) yards of new trims. I ...Continue Reading
foot fetish: another binding foot!
After posting about my binding foot and the fleece blanket I made with it, Sewing Parts Online offered to send me one of their binding feet. Can I say no to free machine feet??? Not possible. Foot fetish intensified. This one is a little different than my adjustable binding foot. It work similarly, but the parts are all metal and not plastic. It isn't adjustable and is just right for 1/2" binding. I love that because I bought a bunch of single fold 1/2" binding and I didn't know what to do with it. (I normally despise single fold.) You ...Continue Reading
mint cord coat.
A short stack of corduroy was in my pile for my personal fall fabric challenge. Corduroy is excellent, I love the really thin kind best. I drafted this coat really quickly one evening. I wanted a basic coat with a little gather at the bottom. Then I threw in some polka dotted piping for fun! The coat is very basic and since it's not lined, it's really quick, too! Materials: *3/4 yard lightweight corduroy *1/4" piping (tutorial here) *3 buttons *drafted pattern pieces, see belowTo make the pattern pieces find a simple coat or jacket pattern, or ...Continue Reading
wedding dress to blessing dress
This was one of my kcwc creations, but I didn't get around to sewing the button on and photographing it that week. I have a non-sentimental friend who was going to throw away her wedding dress. THROW IT AWAY!! Unheard of! I am such a hoarder and memory-keeper that I actually envy her totally non-sentimentality. I could just never throw away my wedding dress. So she decided to be a little sentimental and asked me to turn it into a little tiny white dress for a future baby girl. I should note that she left the dress with me last August, so it's ...Continue Reading
sewing pet peeve: winding bobbins
I have two sewing pet peeves. One is running out of white thread. And the other is winding bobbins. It always happens when I'm on a roll, when I'm in the sewing zone and then...empty! Totally interrupts my design process! I've been meaning to order a bunch of bobbins and just wind up a whole bunch all at once, and I finally got around to it. I got a Wright's side winder back in April, but just opened it. I ordered a 20 pack of bobbins from amazon to give me the motivation. Now I'm sorry I didn't open the side winder sooner, it's SO fast! I ...Continue Reading
FREE PATTERN: baby pinafore pattern
Sewing baby dresses is one of the most thrilling baby projects, am I right? There is nothing cuter than a new baby girl in a fresh hand sewn dress! This post has a free baby pinafore pattern that is great for baby showers! I showed you this pinafore during kcwc and put together a tutorial with free pattern pieces for you! Yeah! Ruffle Fabric Pinafore Materials fabricruffle fabric BABY PINAFORE PATTERN **Pinafore dresses can work also as tops when the baby gets taller. This pattern will likely fit a baby from ...Continue Reading
