Baby Gifts: Pretty Bird Binky 'Leash' & Carry Bag Summer seems like the prefect time to pull up some projects that will make the most of all those pretty pieces in your scrap bag, bin or box. This week's ScrapBusters Series brings you five great little-bit-o-fabric ideas, starting with today's perfect baby gift bundle of two binkys on their own little leashes and a matching drawstring carry bag. This project is at the very Tip-Top of the Cutie-Pie Ranking & Rave Scale. For those of you unfamiliar with the C.P.R.R.S., a project's ranking consists of the combined number and volume of "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhs" generated at baby showers. It's an independent ranking, so don't even try to find it on Google. Our thanks to our pals at Michael Miller Fabrics for originally providing us with this absolutely wonderful Pretty Bird from Pillow & Maxfield. Any Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome DC2011) Supplies for TWO Binky Leashes and ONE matching Bag Binky Leash Find one 11½" x 3" piece of leash fabric. Repeat for the second leash. Carry Bag Contributors
rostitchery: convertible/infinity dress (this post was originally published on 29 june, 2006, with the title "one seam convertible dress".) have a question? please visit the convertible dress FAQ's. have you made a convertible dress? do you want to see other convertible dresses, share ideas on how to make them, and find ways to make your convertible dress even better? then hop over to flikr and join the convertible dress group! PLEASE NOTE: the instructions for making this dress are available for free but are not to be used for commercial purposes. please do not sell dresses made using these instructions, and do not make copies of the instructions without asking my permission first. thank you! but the version i liked best was the one by monif c., a plus-size designer who makes AMAZING clothes that non-plus size girls can envy. and here, without further ado, is how to make this variation, using ONE SEAM: this is the one and only seam. when the dress is done, it will look like this (that's a 60" measuring tape on the strap):
Free Clothes Patterns Posted on | October 9, 2008 | 7 Comments I originally became interested in patternless sewing, many years ago, because I had a hard time finding patterns in my size. Nowadays, patterns in large sizes abound. These patterns generally of three types. Skirts are very easy to make without a pattern. I came across a few patterns that didn’t fit into any other category, so I gave them their own. We normally assume underwear is too complicated or to time consuming to sew ourselves. Aprons can usually be whipped up in less than an hour. Shirts and dresses are much more complicated to make than skirts. Coats can easily be the most expensive piece of clothing in your wardrobe. Click on the first link to get inspiration. Read More : Sewing or Home Comments
tutorial: how to sew a simple maxi dress The Plan. Fabric. You will be making a maxi dress so buy fabric accordingly. I stand 5′ tall (I know, I know, I am tiny) and I needed 2.5 meters of fabric with a 45-inch width. Preparation and Cutting. Sewing. Don’t forget the banana. Instructions for making the rosettes are HERE. Using Up That Sweater So I had some leftover sweater material from the pumpkins I made. The sweater did not felt like I thought it would when I washed it because it wasn’t all wool. But it still was really soft so I thought why not a pillow. I had a bed pillow I wasn’t using so I just cut it down and used it as the insert. Then I cut the body of the sweater from armhole to armhole. I had already cut the sleeves off since that is what the pumpkins are made out of. Then just a straight stitch across the top with my machine and stuff the insert inside. I became addicted to making these cute little flowers. I had a gray sweater as well (which felted better) so I decided to combine the two colors. I cut out some leaves and then outlined them with my sewing machine. It wasn’t showing up enough so I hand stitched them on top with some embroidery floss. I whip stitched the bottom by hand as well. And I managed to hot glue them on without any injuries! Not too bad. It’s a great size for my bed. Plus I love the texture it adds.
sewing 101: making a pouf Add a burst of color to your room with this crafty pouf! At 17” wide and 10” deep, it’s large enough to serve as floor seating or a foot stool. (And if you have pets, I have a feeling they may want to make this their new favorite spot!) This project is a little challenging to sew, but it’s not too difficult, so if you’re comfortable with the basics of sewing, give it a try. I love the idea of making a set of these poufs in a range of sizes, for a sculptural stack of cushions that will become a room element in their own right. CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump! Finished Dimensions: 17” diameter by 10” tall What You’ll Need ¼ yard each 12 coordinating fabrics (I used quilting cottons) 1 yard muslin 3 pounds fiberfill stuffing 2 large buttons (approximately 1 ½”) 2 flat metal washers, slightly smaller than your buttons 12” upholstery needle (get this where upholstery supplies are sold) fishing line sewing thread hand sewing needle sewing machine sharp scissors iron 1. 2. 3. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Sunburst Pillow Tutorial from Guest Anna of Noodlehead ohhhhhh, i love me a good pillow! i especially love me a pillow when it's anna of the addictive & oh, so inspiring blog noodlehead. anna is a pillow addict, a kick ass sewer, a busy mom, and another one of my fave bloggy pals. here's an example of what is usually a regular email from me to anna: Hi anna, You are ahhhmmmmaaaaaaazing!!!!!!!!!!!! Love it!!!!!!!!! i seriously think i need just a standard anna email/comment that i can just repost over and over again to her. she blows me away with her fabric choices - this girl's got an eye! what i wouldn't give for her stash! so let's all get ready to add some sunburst style to our comfy homes! Hey there luvinthemommyhooders! How about a Comfy Sew for your home? Materials: 1/2 yard linen (or any solid color fabric would really look stunning as well), you may need up to 1 yard depending on what size pillow form you use thread, pins, etc. Cutting the pieces: Making the sunburst pin tucks: Stitch fairly close to the fold. Making the pillow back:
flutter heart snuggle pillow Happy Valentine’s Day, friends! I know that many people hate this holiday- but I see it as a built in chance to tell my hot hubbie, my kiddos (well, mostly Burke since Piper Jane doesn’t quite ‘get it’ yet) and my fantastic family that I love them. Oooh, and Valentine’s Day is the perfect holiday for giving little gifts. …and a great day to share the tutorial for the “snuggle” pillow. To make a Snuggle Pillow for someone you love, you’ll need: -two rectangles of white fabric 10″x30″ -white jersey -a fabric pen -freezer paper, an iron and fabric paint -sewing machine and supplies 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 7. Have a great Valentine’s Day, y’all!
anthropologie inspired knotted bedding part 2 (putting it all together) Before we get started piecing a PILE of knotted squares together, do you want the backstory on this little Anthro-inspired gem? First, you should know that I’m a bedding junkie. I LOVE wandering through Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Crate and Barrel, Anthropologie (at Park Meadows in Denver, those stores are all conveniently located near each other as well) to see their bedroom displays. My ever-changing bedding crushes are a constant around here. So a few years ago, I found this Thai Silk Bedding at Restoration Hardware and fell in love. Fast forward to this fall when my oh-so-beautiful Thai Silk Bedding RIPPED. But then, of course, I went and fell in love with the rosette bedding at Anthropologie. And thus the Anthro-Inspired Knotted Bedding was born. Ok, now onto the tutorial. To put your ‘quilt’ together, you’ll need: -56 knotted squares from part 1 (for a king sized quilt) -a king sized duvet (I got the thinnest one I could find at Ikea… it was $29… fabulous!) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Tooth Fairy Bags We thought we'd try to make the whole Tooth Fairy ritual a little more fun by making a colorful bag complete with a special tooth-shaped pocket for the baby tooth. The Tooth Fairy can take away the tooth and leave the loot in the bag. This is a really quick project. So quick that you might want to whip up a few in different colors for the different kids (and teeth!) in your life. Materials To make 1 3-inch x 3-inch bag: 1 piece Wool Felt in a bright color of your choice1 piece Wool Felt in EcruEmbroidery Thread in IvoryEmbroidery Thread to match your bright colored feltAt least 28-inches of a white cotton yarn (I used Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton in Bone)One Free Tooth Template, available here, downloaded, printed, and cut out. Cutting Trace the tooth template on the ecru felt and cut it out. Cut the bright felt into a 3-inch x 8-inch rectangle. Cut the yarn into two 14-inch pieces. The Top Hems Fold and pin each short side in 1/2 an inch towards the wrong side. The Tooth Sewing up the Sides
Embellish Knit Month: Day 6 A lot of you expressed questions about resizing sweaters. I mentioned briefly how to do that on day one but I didn't go too in depth. So today and tomorrow I'll be redoing sweaters by first showing you how to turn them into cardigans today and then tomorrow showing you how to resizing body and sleeves, nothing else. Today I found this Wet Seal sweater for $1.50 at Community Aid. I liked the stripes and the colors used. It was soft and had some nice ribbing around the cuffs and waist but it was just a little too short as a sweater. So I turned it into a cardigan. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Done.
Make It and Love It: Women's Corsage Shirt I’ve been drooling over the Jcrew line this fall. And I have seen others make this corsage tee, so I thought I’d try my hand at it. I zoomed in really close to this picture (in the lavender shown below) and you can see the shapes that they used to cut out the pieces. More on that later. I bought and used about a yard of knit fabric, which I bought for about $5 at Joann’s. Compare that to the $35 shirt at Jcrew….what a deal. And along with showing you the corsage tee, I’m also going to explain in more detail how to construct a new shirt from one of your favorite knit shirts. First, fold your favorite shirt in half and carefully trace out the front of your shirt with the scoop neck and the back of the shirt. Do the same with the sleeve…..carefully following the curve of sleeve that attaches to the shirt. Then cut out all of your pieces: a front piece, back pieve, and 2 sleeves. After opening up your pieces, they will look like this. And the sleeve. Sew carefully together. Related posts:
Lace Up Your Shorts! I know it’s winter and wearing shorts is probably one of the last things on your mind. Here in Los Angeles, however, girls are still strutting their stuff in their short shorts, with degrees staying in the 60s during the day and dropping to the mid 40s at night. With lace shorts becoming the up-and-coming hot trend, I figured it’d be fun to post a few inspiration photos on what you can do with a little bit of time, some old jean shorts, and some lace. These shorts are by far my favorite. If you’re not quite as handy with the sewing machine, here is an easy way to make old shorts look a little fancy and even extend the length if they’re a little too short. The same look works with white jean shorts, too! {*style:<i>Lizzy is a Merchandise Product Development major at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising L.A. Lizzy S. has 64 post(s) on RTR On Campus </i>*}