Pencil Bunting 101

Posted in Tutorials by Lindsay

If you and I know each other in real life and you’ve worked on a crafty project, chances are I’ve hounded you to write a blurb for my blog. Sometimes I beg to no avail and just write a blog for you (ah-hem, Krafty Katie). But for the FIRST TIME EVER, one of my friends has actually given in to this peer pressure.

I’d like to think this is a form of “positive peer pressure” — you know, the kind you learn about in D.A.R.E. class… kind of like this:

Anyway, remember my good friend Joe? I made him a Mickey Mouse “man bag” for his birthday. Joe is a fifth grade teacher and he’s been going crazy on the Pinterest for the past week or so, preparing ideas for his classroom. When he sent me a picture of pencil bunting he made for his classroom (you know how much I love bunting), I begged him to send me a write-up and photos!

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22Mar2014

Ten Easter sewing projects: free tutorial roundup!

Posted in Holidays, Sewing, Tutorials by Lindsay

Spring is here! I wish I could say that I’m spending time outside today, but the pollen count is so high in Florida right now that I’m stuck inside taking allergy meds. Yuck.

But this springtime weather has me feeling inspired, so I’ve raided my Pinterest boards and pulled out ten of my favorite Easter-inspired projects for this free tutorial roundup! Scroll down for links to all of the projects shown below.

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18Oct2011

Do the sewing touchdown dance

Posted in Sewing, Tutorials by Lindsay

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.

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!

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.)

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.

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!

26Apr2011

On a (crayon) roll!

Posted in Sewing, Tutorials by Lindsay

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!

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!

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!

7Jan2011

The Friday Five: 5 steps to a no-sew wreath

Posted in Friday Five, Holidays, Tutorials, Uncategorized by Lindsay

This week’s Friday Five is both a list AND a tutorial wrapped up into one post! Wahoo!

When I was little, I remember my beloved Aunt Corlyne (who was always bursting with enthusiasm about the latest and greatest craft trends) bringing over bags of supplies to make these easy fabric wreaths. This no-sew craft gives everybody an excuse to shop in the fabric aisle, regardless of whether they know how to sew or not. It is a fun project for kids who are old enough to be trusted with a pointy pencil, although grown-ups may have to take care of the pinking shears portion.

1. Gather: You’ll need…

A few yards of fabric in coordinating colors
A styrofoam wreath (usually available in the floral section of craft stores)
Pinking shears (a.k.a zig-zag scissors)
A pointy object such as a screwdriver, skewer, pencil, etc.

2. Cut: Use the pinking shears to cut out a pile of fabric squares. The exact size doesn’t matter and the shape can be rough, but the size should be approximately 3×3 inches.

I used a bunch of Valentine fabric leftover from a quilt my mom made me in college!

3. Stab: Wrap a fabric square around the pointy object, then stab the whole contraption anywhere on the styrofoam wreath. When you pull the pointy object out, the fabric should stay wedged in the styrofoam.

Wrap the fabric around the object right-side-up.

4. Fill: Continue with step #3, filling in the entire front side of the wreath. You’ll probably find yourself having to revert back to step #2 and cut out more squares as the project progresses. It only took me one viewing of Eat, Pray, Love and one episode of How I Met Your Mother to complete my heart wreath from start to finish!

Keep going until the entire wreath looks like this!

5. Hang: Now that your wreath is complete, hang it from a nail or use thumbtacks to secure a ribbon on the back!

Sew Lindsay, Sew!

A girl, a sewing machine, a journey!

Category Archives: Tutorials