Wednesday, February 12, 2014
I made one a few years ago, but after two moves it seems to have gone
missing. I had no idea this fabric was so hard to come by now. I only
had a small bit left, so I had to settle with the cookie pattern
oriented in this way. It will still hold what it needs to. You can find the tutorial to make one similar here. The only real change I made besides the size was that I didn't make a square bottom on mine because I wanted it flat for money.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
arm sling
My 10-year-old daughter broke her forearm on Monday. She has a splint on now and will get a cast next week. She came home from the ER with one of those plain dark blue arm slings, so we decided to fancy things up a bit. She picked out her fabric and the color of bias tape and webbing she wanted and it definitely shows her taste!
For guidance, I referred to this post at Welcome to My Chaos. It was a pretty easy project. I would add, though, that if you are going to pick a directional patterned fabric like the cupcakes, don't forget to make sure the front side is going the way you want. If you cut the sling on the fold on the bottom, the part of the sling facing the body will have a pattern going the opposite direction. I made sure to keep in mind which side was front as I went along. I cut a 7-inch piece of webbing for the female side of the buckle. Sew one side onto the front fabric of the sling, slide the buckle on, then sew the other end to the other side of the sling. I used the rest of the yard of webbing and sewed it on the elbow side of the sling with reinforced stitching (a big box with an 'X' in it). Figure out how the male side of the buckle goes on the strap so that you can adjust it, then "hem" the end of the strap so that it can't be pulled out of the buckle when being adjusted later. Also remember when you're sewing on the bias tape to sandwich the fabric in it so that the wider edge is on the bottom and will be caught in the stitching. You might already realize all of these things, but I know we've all been on autopilot at some point and not thinking about what we were doing and then had to break out the seam ripper. ;) One of the must-haves for her new sling was something to keep the strap from irritating the skin on her neck. I used some of the leftover cupcake fabric and cut a couple of rectangles that when folded in half would be slightly wider than the webbing. I sandwiched them with a layer of batting in the middle, right sides out, and basted the edges. Using some of the green bias tape, I edged the two shorter sides of the rectangle sandwich. I folded the rectangle in half and stiched. Turn it inside out and slide the resulting tube onto the strap. This not only protects the neck, but it makes a place to tuck in the tail of the adjustable strap as well.
Here is my model!
For guidance, I referred to this post at Welcome to My Chaos. It was a pretty easy project. I would add, though, that if you are going to pick a directional patterned fabric like the cupcakes, don't forget to make sure the front side is going the way you want. If you cut the sling on the fold on the bottom, the part of the sling facing the body will have a pattern going the opposite direction. I made sure to keep in mind which side was front as I went along. I cut a 7-inch piece of webbing for the female side of the buckle. Sew one side onto the front fabric of the sling, slide the buckle on, then sew the other end to the other side of the sling. I used the rest of the yard of webbing and sewed it on the elbow side of the sling with reinforced stitching (a big box with an 'X' in it). Figure out how the male side of the buckle goes on the strap so that you can adjust it, then "hem" the end of the strap so that it can't be pulled out of the buckle when being adjusted later. Also remember when you're sewing on the bias tape to sandwich the fabric in it so that the wider edge is on the bottom and will be caught in the stitching. You might already realize all of these things, but I know we've all been on autopilot at some point and not thinking about what we were doing and then had to break out the seam ripper. ;) One of the must-haves for her new sling was something to keep the strap from irritating the skin on her neck. I used some of the leftover cupcake fabric and cut a couple of rectangles that when folded in half would be slightly wider than the webbing. I sandwiched them with a layer of batting in the middle, right sides out, and basted the edges. Using some of the green bias tape, I edged the two shorter sides of the rectangle sandwich. I folded the rectangle in half and stiched. Turn it inside out and slide the resulting tube onto the strap. This not only protects the neck, but it makes a place to tuck in the tail of the adjustable strap as well.
Here is my model!
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Happy Birthday!
I realized I forgot to post the annual appliqued birthday shirt picture! Last year they wanted to decorate their own shirts with fabric markers, and the result didn't show up too well in pictures. So this year we went back to the old tradition.
Baby gifts
Made a few things for my best friend's first baby. Used some Minky for a little blanket and some big matching fabric blocks. I used the outline of Georgia for an applique on a onesie. Hope she likes them!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Disney shirts and ironing board cover
We went on a family vacation to Disney World in December and the kids wanted me to make them a couple of shirts. Between work and getting ready to go, I didn't want to make the shirts from scratch this year, so I got some blank t-shirts at Target and embroidered/appliqued/bedazzled only.
The embroidery and applique patterns were purchased from an Etsy seller who no longer seems to be listed there. If I seem them reappear in the future, I will link them up here.
Another sewing project was from this evening, and that is a new ironing board cover. The ironing board is always out when there is sewing going on, so I decided it was about time to cover that old, stained up cover that was currently on it. I used the tutorial found at Sew Spoiled. It worked out great, was easy, and I think it looks a lot better now. It's a great way to use stash fabric as well.
Before:
After:
Fabric closeup:
The embroidery and applique patterns were purchased from an Etsy seller who no longer seems to be listed there. If I seem them reappear in the future, I will link them up here.
Another sewing project was from this evening, and that is a new ironing board cover. The ironing board is always out when there is sewing going on, so I decided it was about time to cover that old, stained up cover that was currently on it. I used the tutorial found at Sew Spoiled. It worked out great, was easy, and I think it looks a lot better now. It's a great way to use stash fabric as well.
Before:
After:
Fabric closeup:
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Halloween bag and luggage tags
I don't have a picture of the Halloween bag, but I did make one! I basically used the cloth grocery bag pattern that I had made previously, but this time I used skeleton fabric. It made a rockin' Halloween bag that can hold a ton of heavy candy. Always a win as far as my son is concerned.
Today I made a luggage tag that my daughter claimed. We are going on vacation soon and I was looking for a quick and easy project to do on this long Thanksgiving break. This was both. The only trouble I had was not having a teflon foot and sewing on the plastic. It was doable but not perfect and if you look too close you can see I sewed it on a little bit crooked. It serves its purpose, though, and my daughter is pleased so that's all that matters, right?
If you're interested in making one or a few of these, you can find Morah's tutorial here.
This first picture appears cut off on one side when I insert it onto Blogger (click it to see it full-sized at Flickr), but you get the point:
Today I made a luggage tag that my daughter claimed. We are going on vacation soon and I was looking for a quick and easy project to do on this long Thanksgiving break. This was both. The only trouble I had was not having a teflon foot and sewing on the plastic. It was doable but not perfect and if you look too close you can see I sewed it on a little bit crooked. It serves its purpose, though, and my daughter is pleased so that's all that matters, right?
If you're interested in making one or a few of these, you can find Morah's tutorial here.
This first picture appears cut off on one side when I insert it onto Blogger (click it to see it full-sized at Flickr), but you get the point:
Sunday, August 7, 2011
birthday shirts
It's annual birthday shirt time once again. They picked out their own applique fabric and then I went to work. It's been a long time since I've done it so it felt strange at first!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Spring tunic and leggings
This is the same pattern I used in my previous post for the monkey pajamas. The only difference this time is that I used elastic in the hem of the top as the original pattern called for. I like how the back is longer and curved -- it makes it interesting and different than what you would normally see in a store or something. This time, I also shorted up the neck elastic a smidge to avoid gaping when she bends over. I'm glad she likes it, as she is getting to the age where she is particular about what she will wear sometimes. ;)
Sunday, April 3, 2011
I used a set of Nick & Nora monkey jersey sheets that I got on sale at Target a while back as fabric from which to make some pajamas. Here is the first set done. I used #34 from the 1/2010 Ottobre, "Flower Fields" tunic top in size 128, and left off the elastic at the bottom hem. The leggings were from the 1/2009 issue, #32, also in 128 cm. Other than leaving the elastic off the hem of the tunic top, I made no adjustments.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
St. Patrick's Day Skirt
I haven't been sewing a whole lot lately due to business with work and well, just life in general. I've mainly been doing repair jobs and Girl Scout patches.
However, the girl and I decided that she wanted a festive skirt to wear for St. Patty's Day this year and I had some pretty good fabric in my stash for it. May I present her new skirt, made especially so her brother won't pinch her today. I used the Rendondo skirt pattern and a rolled hem on the outside to attach the panels.
However, the girl and I decided that she wanted a festive skirt to wear for St. Patty's Day this year and I had some pretty good fabric in my stash for it. May I present her new skirt, made especially so her brother won't pinch her today. I used the Rendondo skirt pattern and a rolled hem on the outside to attach the panels.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Halloween Jedi costume
So I finished up the boy's costume yesterday afternoon just in time for trick or treating. He's happy with it and that makes me glad.
I used natural muslin for the clothing and brown fleece for the robe/cloak. For a pattern, I winged it for the robe. I had him lay on the fold of the fleece and cut a loose robe shape with bell sleeves for the back piece. I used that to make the two front pieces. This gives a seam on the top of the sleeve; you could do it a different way if you really wanted to avoid that. For the hood, I just took about a 12 inch wide by 24 inch long piece of fleece folded in half. I sewed a seam up the back and attached it to the robe. All of the edges are finished with simple serging. Nothing fancy.
For the muslin, I used an uncut pattern I had in my stash, Butterick 5565. It's a children's scrubs pattern. The pants were used as is. I used the basic scrub top pattern, except I made the sleeves long and finished the neck diferrently. I made a faux wrap-around band that goes around the neck. Then you have the tabards and the obi (the shouder things and the wrap around the waist). The tabbards are simply long pieces of fabric sewed in half and turned and placed over the shoulders. The obi is a wider similar piece, but then I pressed the front into folds to make it appear to have layers. Wrap it around the waist over the tabards. Keep it closed with hook and loop tape, snaps, or a safety pin. Safety pins are also handy for keeping the tabards on the shoulders. Over the obi is a normal belt with the buckle placed in back that he could hang his lightsaber from. The funniest thing is that he is wearing my brown boots. They were a bit large, but they worked for our purpose. He had no shame in telling people they were mine. ;)
I'm glad he liked the final result, seeing as how I started on it the day before Halloween. There are many sites out there that can give you hints and close-up pictures of Jedis if you need them. Happy Halloween!
I used natural muslin for the clothing and brown fleece for the robe/cloak. For a pattern, I winged it for the robe. I had him lay on the fold of the fleece and cut a loose robe shape with bell sleeves for the back piece. I used that to make the two front pieces. This gives a seam on the top of the sleeve; you could do it a different way if you really wanted to avoid that. For the hood, I just took about a 12 inch wide by 24 inch long piece of fleece folded in half. I sewed a seam up the back and attached it to the robe. All of the edges are finished with simple serging. Nothing fancy.
For the muslin, I used an uncut pattern I had in my stash, Butterick 5565. It's a children's scrubs pattern. The pants were used as is. I used the basic scrub top pattern, except I made the sleeves long and finished the neck diferrently. I made a faux wrap-around band that goes around the neck. Then you have the tabards and the obi (the shouder things and the wrap around the waist). The tabbards are simply long pieces of fabric sewed in half and turned and placed over the shoulders. The obi is a wider similar piece, but then I pressed the front into folds to make it appear to have layers. Wrap it around the waist over the tabards. Keep it closed with hook and loop tape, snaps, or a safety pin. Safety pins are also handy for keeping the tabards on the shoulders. Over the obi is a normal belt with the buckle placed in back that he could hang his lightsaber from. The funniest thing is that he is wearing my brown boots. They were a bit large, but they worked for our purpose. He had no shame in telling people they were mine. ;)
I'm glad he liked the final result, seeing as how I started on it the day before Halloween. There are many sites out there that can give you hints and close-up pictures of Jedis if you need them. Happy Halloween!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Halloween time again
I realize it's been a long time. Life has been happening at a faster pace than before, with changes happening all around. Can't neglect to sew for Halloween, though!
Here is the first costume I have done for the girl child. She wanted to be a bunny this year. I used McCall's M6106 for the pattern (99 cent sale at Hancock's, of course) and let her pick the color. It had to be fleece because she wanted to feel soft. Naturally, I had to shorten the pattern quite a bit. I thought about taking it in on the sides as well, but she liked the roominess of the outfit so I let that go. Also left out were the spats. They would get filthy in about 2.5 seconds. ;)
I must warn those who use this pattern and fleece that sewing machines do not like going over so many layers on the hood -- the ears were sort of a pain. If I had any sense, I would have figured out a different way. Now I have 2 machines that I have to fiddle with because they are no longer working correctly, and I still have a Jedi costume to throw together. Time to break out the vintage foot-pedaled Singer for what I can't serge.
Here is the first costume I have done for the girl child. She wanted to be a bunny this year. I used McCall's M6106 for the pattern (99 cent sale at Hancock's, of course) and let her pick the color. It had to be fleece because she wanted to feel soft. Naturally, I had to shorten the pattern quite a bit. I thought about taking it in on the sides as well, but she liked the roominess of the outfit so I let that go. Also left out were the spats. They would get filthy in about 2.5 seconds. ;)
I must warn those who use this pattern and fleece that sewing machines do not like going over so many layers on the hood -- the ears were sort of a pain. If I had any sense, I would have figured out a different way. Now I have 2 machines that I have to fiddle with because they are no longer working correctly, and I still have a Jedi costume to throw together. Time to break out the vintage foot-pedaled Singer for what I can't serge.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Just in time for Mother's Day
Sew4Home has a cute retro-style apron tutorial up today. I'm totally going to make this!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
One scrappy pillow...
I know I seem to use this fabric a lot, but I love it. I have lots left too!
I had to make a couple of more pillows for the living room because the one lonely pillow in there looked kind of silly. The others I had made got sold or given as gifts.
With these two pillows, I've finally finished up with my stash of pillow forms bought during a great sale long ago. ;)
Saturday, April 3, 2010
new dress for the rabbit
The girl used some of her own money to buy this rabbit at Build-a-Bear over spring break. She didn't have enough for clothes and accessories, so I made her rabbit a little dress and hair bow out of some scraps. Just in time for Easter!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Ottobre 3-2007-33
Don't mind the stinkalicious photo. This one is going to be a redo. I accidentally cut a small hole right in the middle of the front of the shirt, near the top. She's going to use it as a PJ top now, so she's happy. The open shoulders are kind of cute, though.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Girl Scout Cookie time!
I made the girl a little pouch to hold all of her Girl Scout cookie selling stuff and money. Not thinking, I put the wrist strap on the wrong side. I doubt she'll notice but it will bug me forever. ;)
Monday, February 15, 2010
super soft pillow
I made a zippered pillow cover for the girl's bed out of some of the Chez Ami dimpled velour that they had on sale not too long ago. It's so soft! Even the husband said he wanted one.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
stuffed stegosaurus
I got the book One-Yard Wonders from my mom for Christmas (thanks, Mom!) and the boy went through it and requested that I make him this stuffed dinosaur. In the book, it actually velcroes onto a platform with wheels which has a ribbon in order to pull it along. That's a little young for him, so we just went with the stuffed toy portion. I went with some velvet-y houndstooth patterened fabric and wool felt for the spikes. The boy insisted that his dino have blue eyes (after I talked him out of white ones).
As much as I dislike sewing stuffed things, it was worth it when I see how much he loves it!
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