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
sugarplum peplum top + dress PDF pattern release!
It's here! The Sugarplum Peplum Top + Dress is tested, edited and ready to sew!Here are the details:+9 sizes! (3M, 6M, 12M, 18M, 2T, 3T, 4T, 5, and 6)+cute peplum top with instructions for dress variation+gathered and very gathered options for more variety!+4 variations in total+difficulty: advanced beginner, recommended for sewers with experience with gathers and collars. (However there are NO zippers or buttonholes to worry about!)+Complete full size pattern pieces+26 pages of pattern pieces and full-color photographed instructionsPURCHASE ...Continue Reading
faux fur: hoodie refashion
I found a plain hoodie on the Target clearance rack (of course!) for $3. For babygirl. I used some scraps of fur I had left over from last year to give it a little eskimo-esque flair. This is so easy, you could even do it to a hoodie for you! Materials:*Plain hoodie*Faux fur*Thread to match the furFirst, measure the hood. Use that measurement to cut a piece of fur as long as the entire hood, plus 1" and 4" wide. Then fold the fur over the edge of the hood. You're just going to sandwich the sweatshirt in between the folded over fur. Pin it on ...Continue Reading
peplum top + dress pattern preview!
I just got this pattern back from testers, and it will be out soon! Remember the tiny peplum top I made during kcwc?? (FYI, final pattern does not include a back seam) Well, I loved it so much that I made even more for baby girl. She has one in almost every size for the next 3 years now, hah! I made it into a pattern with four variations, a top, dress, very gathered top and very gathered dress! The Sugarplum pattern has cute little peter pan collars and flutter sleeves. The bodice ties at the top with ribbon bows. And the best part is ...Continue Reading
ruffles + buttons onesie
I've been going through our baby boy clothes recently, pulling things that will work for the baby girl, and changing a few of Cohen's old onesies into girly ones. After sorting though all the boy clothes I took some of the very "boy" pieces and refashioned them into girl pieces. I only did this to a few things that I didn't LOVE to begin with. I can't ruffle all the boy clothes, just in case of future boys, you know! But this baseball applique onesie came in a set of three and Cohen barely wore them and I don't LOVE them so they aren't ...Continue Reading
sewing 101: tips for sewing with faux fur + where to buy it
//Pay attention to the direction of the fur as you cut your pieces. It will act like a one-way design, so you may need extra yardage to compensate. //When sewing a seam, brush the fur away from the seam to prevent it from getting too caught in the seam. //After you sew the seam, make it look more natural by gently pulling the fur out of the sewn seam with the dull side of your scissors. //Faux fur can get thick really quickly, so be gentle as you guide it through your machine. Using lots of pins will help compact it. You may have to ...Continue Reading
