Category Archives: Sewing

Countdown to (sewing) fun!

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A big thank you to all of my family, friends and blogosphere buddies who reached out to make my birthday magical this week. From Tinker Bell cupcakes  by day to an artsy-crafty painting party by night, it was a truly wonderful birthday and I wouldn’t change a thing! I’m being completely truthful when I say it’s the best birthday I’ve had in years.

I finally got a chance to open some gifts last night, and I have two exciting sewing books to add to my collection! I talked about one book, Fabric-by-Fabric One Yard Wonders, in a blog post a few weeks back. The second book is called Countdown Calendars and just came out last July.

Countdown Calendars sewing book

Countdown Calendars: 24 stitched projects to celebrate any date!

I first discovered the project shown on the cover  – a birthday countdown calendar – about two years ago when I was thinking about buying a sewing machine. It was a finished project listed for sale on Etsy, not a pattern, so I saved a photo for inspiration.

It’s such a fun concept – just add a fabric candle to the birthday cake on the wall hanging each day leading up to your birthday! Advent calendars were always a big deal in my house around Christmastime, and I know I would have loved this birthday calendar if we’d had one in our family.

I can already imagine an infinite number of color combinations in my head and can’t wait to give this a try. It would make a great gift for all of my friends who are exploding my social media newsfeeds with photos of their new babies! Plus – the book has lots of other fun countdown calendar ideas too, including a Christmas advent calendar.

Happy counting! Not gonna lie – all of this talk about countdowns and I can’t get the Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade music from Disney’s Hollywood Studios out of my head… Five, four, three, two, FUN! 🙂

One-Yard Wonders… take two!

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You all know how much I adore the One-Yard Wonders book I picked up last year. It’s where I discovered one of my favorite patterns in the world – the adorable and convenient jewelry roll.

So of course, I was elated to discover that there was a SECOND One-Yard Wonders book released in November!

One Yard Wonders

I already have my eye on the insulated wine tote in the bottom left-hand corner…

My mom picked it up from the library while I am home in Chicago this week. After leafing through it just once, I already know that I want it for my birthday in February. I won’t let myself pour over the book in detail until it’s officially mine!

This version is arranged in sections by fabric type versus project type. I think that’s pretty neat – now when I have a yard of fabric laying around with no specific sewing intentions, I can turn to that fabric type section in the book and look at all of my options. There were a few patterns in the first book that deterred me when I had a piece of lightweight cotton to use and then was disappointed to discovered that home decor weight was required.

Is anyone else out there as excited about this book as I am?

Do the sewing touchdown dance

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Even though it still feels like summer here in Florida, football season has officially arrived! Although I’m not a die-hard football fan, I grew up hearing my dad’s Chicago Bears games in the background every Sunday and the sound of a football game on TV still makes me feel incredibly nostalgic.

Family Circus Football Comic Strip

When I see Chicago Bears fabric stocked on store shelf here in Central Florida, I can’t help but stop in my tracks. Living across the country from my hometown, it’s a rarity to see my team of choice! But licensed fabric is expensive and I’ve never had any specific NFL-ish projects in mind, so I’ve always passed it up.

That is, until recently, when I saw a treasure trove of Chicago Bears fleece in the remnants bin… two remnants that were each just one inch short of a full yard. I almost did a touchdown dance right there in the fabric store. I couldn’t pass up these Chicago Bears gems for 50 percent off!

Chicago Bears fleece remnants

SCORE.

But what are the most relevant uses for NFL fabric? Other than the typical scarf/gloves/hat combos (this Floridian doesn’t need any of those) …

After some Google searching fun, here are some free tutorials for projects that might shine even brighter with some licensed team fabric – both fleece and non-fleece projects!

Never lose your remote again with this handy couch caddy! Click here for the free couch caddy tutorial at Sew4Home. (Note: this tutorial technically calls for home decor weight fabrics. Since most licensed fabrics aren’t home decor weight, you may have to get creative with heavy interfacing.)

Couch Caddy Sewing Tutorial

Photo and tutorial courtesy of Sew4Home.com

Follow along: Football games on Sunday afternoons >> Sunday afternoons are lazy >> lazy Sunday afternoons call for pajama pants. Enough said. Click here for the free comfy PJ pants tutorial at Sew4Home!

Free pajama pants sewing tutorial from Sew4Home

Photo and tutorial courtesy of Sew4Home.com

If pajama pants just aren’t lazy enough, how about a tutorial for a knock-off Snuggie – a.k.a. “Snuglet?” Yes, please! Click here for a free “Snuglet” tutorial from SissonFamily.com!

Snuggie Slanket Snuglet free sewing pattern

Snuggie, Slanket, Snuglet… whatever! Photo and tutorial courtesy of SissonFamily.com.

I’ve had fabric pendants on my sewing to-do list for awhile, but I only had celebratory birthday pendants in mind. A fabric pendant made with team fabrics (mixed with color coordinating calico prints) would be really fun for Super Bowl parties, etc! Click here for the free fabric pendant tutorial at Your Homebased Mom.

Fabric pennant sewing tutorial

Photo and tutorial courtesy of Your Homebased Mom.

This tutorial is so amazing it’s ridiculous – a stadium blanket that can be toted around in a bag that doubles as a bleacher cushion – and can be made using old t-shirts. BRILLIANT. Click here for the free stadium blanket and cushion bag tutorial from Sew Mama Sew and Fishsticks Designs!

Free stadium blanket and bleacher cushion sewing tutorial

Photo and tutorial courtesy of Sew Mama Sew and Fishsticks Designs.

Well, I’m off to TACKLE some studying… ha ha ha. 🙂

Any other fun ideas for using NFL fabric?

Go Bears!

LindsaySignature

SEW you want to go to school?

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Tis the season of PB&J, new shoes and a fresh box of crayons – back-to-school! And while shopping for brand new school supplies is one of my favorite things in the world, I have not be able to personally celebrate the back-to-school season in many years. I tend to live vicariously through my friends who are teachers until summertime rolls around – and then I want nothing to do with my teacher-friends since they don’t have to work and I don’t want to hear about it!

Recently, Joe, a dear friend and fifth grade teacher, sent me this photo from the One Stitch Two Stitch blog and said, “If you were a teacher, this is what your bulletin board would look like!”

Sewing Bulletin Board

Click the photo to read more about this bulletin board at the One Stitch Two Stitch blog!

Oh, Joe. You know me SEW well! 🙂

Since I’m not a teacher, there is no bulletin-board decorating in my future. However, I’m happy to report that I personally celebrated the back-to-school season this year as I recently started the journey towards my MBA. Sadly, I didn’t need to buy any school supplies for my first day – apparently, there is no need for a box of crayons in grad school.

Regardless, I am appreciative that I am officially a part of the back-to-school season at all this year. I hope that this magical sewing bulletin board inspires my teacher pals. I’d love to see photos if you create a sewing theme on your boards!

Happy 2011-2012 school year! Let the learning begin. 🙂

Creative Visions and a Placemat Purse

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A few weeks ago, I found some clearance placemats at Cost Plus World Market and had a vision – I could easily turn a few placemats into a purse. I still consider myself pretty inexperienced when it comes to sewing, so the fact that I felt so confident about my vision also made me feel a little wary, as if I were missing some glaring error in my plans.

But there was no way I could pass up the opportunity since the placemats were marked down to less than $2.00 each – and I had a rewards coupon on top of that – so I brought home two place mats and a matching napkin to see what I could do.

Placemat purse - the before picture

The “before” picture!

I worked slowly and did a lot of thinking before I made any permanent decisions along the way, but lo and behold, I made a placemat purse lined with the napkin!

World Market placemat purse

The “after” picture… success!

World Market placemat purse lined with a napkin

… lined with a matching napkin.

Place mat purse with an optional bow

…with an optional bow.

I still have a little bit of fabric leftover and I think I can make a zipper pouch with it. I also bought a few more placemats and napkins so I can make another purse, document the experience with photos and write a tutorial soon.

Cheers to creative visions!

The Quilt Cottage & other tales from up North!

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With some of the world’s most popular tourist destinations at our fingertips, have you wondered where we Central Florida “Disney” people go on vacation? Well, here’s the answer – in my case, at least:

Wisconsin postcard

Mooooooooooooooove over, Mickey Mouse!

My family started taking annual summer trips to Minocqua, Wisconsin long before I was even born – my dad’s family started going when he was a kid. We spend more than a week residing in lakeside cabins with a large group of our closest friends.

Ideal Minocqua days are spent water skiing, boating, kayaking, jet skiing and swimming in the lake; Evenings grilling, playing board games and passing out from exhausting, activity-filled days.

Dad water skiing

My dad is really, really good at water skiing!

Of course, there’s always at least one dreary day in Northern Wisconsin – it’s not the Sunshine State, after all! This year, my mom and I visited The Quilt Cottage, a warm and welcoming Northwoods-y fabric shop.

The Quilt Cottage

The Quilt Cottage on Highway 51 in Minocqua, Wisconsin

The store was homey and friendly, and definitely had an overall woodsy feeling. Most of the fabrics were very muted without many bright or bold colors. I spent a lot of time checking out the small selection of bag and purse patterns. I liked more than a few of them, but I refrained from getting any knowing how many patterns I have sitting at home! Even though I didn’t purchase anything, it was interesting to see how regional differences can affect the overall tone of a fabric store.

Now that I’m back from vacation, I do have a rather large scale sewing project in the works, but as usual – it’s top secret and I can’t write about it until it’s finished! Of couse, my “to sew” list is pages long, so hopefully I’ll have a new project to write about soon.

Although not completely responsible for my month-long blogging absence, my vacation preparation and recovery time have definitely taken a toll on my sewing adventures this past month. What have you all been up to?

My first wearable project: a sneak peek!

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A hearty update is in order! I finished my sewing class at JoAnn’s and completed a pretty awesome dress as a result. Here’s a sneak preview until I get a chance to write in more detail and take some photos actually wearing it!

JoAnn Sewing Class Dress Simplicity 2443

Simplicity 2443 in all of its stretch knit glory!

I will also say this:

  1. I am fairly confident I never would have been able to figure out the pattern for this dress on my own.
  2. I am no longer scared of stretch knit, and in fact, I am a little excited to try working with it again!

Stay tuned for more photos and the full story. 🙂

Hats off to you, mom!

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A belated Mother’s Day post because I was waiting on this photo…

Cabbage Patch Doll nightgown

This is the first sewing pattern my mom ever picked out and made on her own – a nightgown for 6-year-old Lindsay (cue the “awwww”) with a matching nightgown for my Cabbage Patch doll.

The pattern came with a set of Cabbage Patch Kids iron-on transfers to brand the finished products – Fancy!

Vintage Cabbage Patch Nightgown Pattern

My mom made me the style shown in the photo on the pattern packet – although sadly, I didn’t sport Fraggle-Rock-esque pigtails like the girl in the photo.

Fraggle Rock Red Pigtails

My mom never claimed to be a seamstress extraordinaire, but she could definitely hold her own when it came to basic Halloween costumes, minor alterations and curtains for our basement windows. She made the nightgown on a vintage, hand-me-down sewing machine that only went forwards and backwards without any fancy bells and whistles.

My mom likes to claim that my sewing skills exceed hers, but I beg to differ. She made this successful WEARABLE item right off the bat, and I have yet to conquer the wearable field. Once I have that accomplishment under my belt, we’ll talk. But till then – hats off to you, mom!

LindsaySignature

On a (crayon) roll!

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Google the phrase “crayon roll” and you’ll be inundated with images, tutorials and etsy shops featuring this gem that allows kiddos to tuck crayons into little pockets, roll ’em all up and take ’em on the go. As someone who is constantly on the hunt for free sewing tutorials, it finally got to the point where I just HAD to try making one of these little guys. They’re famous in the online sewing world!

Crayon Roll

As luck would have it, my friend Brie was about to celebrate a birthday – and Brie LOVES crayons. It should be noted that Brie is an adult, but if you are an adult who does no longer finds joy in a set of brand new crayons, you’re clearly not living your life to the fullest.

So I set out to find the most ideal crayon roll tutorial and settled on The Pleated Poppy – a blog tutorial featuring super-clear instructions and stunning photos.  I whipped up my first crayon roll in just an hour or so, impressing even myself – new projects never have such a quick turnaround! There were some slight mish-moshy stitching errors here and there, but overall, the project was a winner!

Crayon Roll

Notes about this project:

  • It uses very little fabric! I was able to use some scraps leftover from my Friendship Bag and my nook cover  for Brie’s crayon roll.
  • The tutorial linked above uses an elastic and a button to secure the roll closed, but I opted for ribbon ties instead.
  • Precise measurements are crucial for both the fabric pieces and the seam allowances. If the seam allowance is too big, the crayon pockets on either end of the roll will be too small. I learned this the hard way!

Since then, I’ve felt inspired to whip up a handful of crayon rolls, assembly-line style, for all of the kiddos in my life. Messy crayon buckets be gone!

Hooked on my nook!

Posted in Pattern Reviews, Sewing by
      Remember when I said I was going to recycle

the Hot Seat

      into the draft of a new project?

Ta-da! Introducing… a cover for my nook! (My Barnes & Noble e-reader) …

Nook e-reader cover draft

I searched for a nook cover pattern awhile ago, but there wasn’t much out there since e-readers are still fairly new to the world. I recently stumbled across this amazing pattern on etsy.com that included patterns for the nook, nookCOLOR, Kindle 2, Kindle 3, iPad and KOBO, all in one PDF file!

E-reader Nook Kindle iPad Cover Pattern

Click here to visit the etsy shop, BirdfulStitches, where I bought this pattern!

I printed the pattern at home and decided to use scrap fabric – the fabric from my old “Hot Seat” – for a first draft to make sure I knew what I was doing before invested in new fabrics. The pattern was easy to follow with lots of helpful photos, and I couldn’t believe how quickly I finished the project! The cover is sized perfectly for my nook.

Only one boo-boo took place during the first draft – once I finished, I realized I had some leftover fabric pieces, and my nook cover didn’t have any extra pockets on the inside. I read the pattern ten times over and realized the reminder to sew the pockets inside must have slipped through the cracks, because it was never mentioned. I sent an e-mail to the person who created the pattern, who thanked me for my input and said they’d update the pattern. Yay!

With my first “draft” safely behind me, I excitedly allowed myself to buy new fabric for the cover I actually planned to use.

E-reader nook cover

I even got adventurous and strayed from the pattern, using a magnetic snap instead of the recommended button. My first magnetic snap!

E-reader nook cover magnetic snap

I was so excited to take my freshly covered nook to my book club last week… with the second set of pockets and all!

E-reader nook cover

E-reader nook cover with pockets

It’s projects like this one that make me truly appreciate the power of the internet. With e-readers being such a new product, it’s unlikely that I’d be able to find an “official” pattern like this anytime soon… so I’m thankful that I can tap into the talents of others via the world wide web!