Recently in Apparel Category

During a recent fabric-related meeting (why yes, we sometimes have meetings where we discuss nothing but fabric) the topic of holiday fashion came up.  This led to a conversation about the free Cool, Calm and Cowl-Necked Top pattern the by lovely folks at Hot Patterns.  This top is perfect for you holiday and every day wardrobe for a number of reason, the first being that it is extremely versatile.  The second reason I happen to love this pattern is that it's very easy to make.  Also, did I mention it's free?  To prove that the above reasons are true, I made the shirt and asked Crystal in marketing to play dress-up.

First, let me reiterate that this pattern is very easy to make.  From the time I hit the print button to the last snip of the scissors, it only took me roughly 40 minutes to put the pattern together, which isn't significantly more than what it takes me to comprehend, cut out and press pieces from one of the "big three" pattern companies.  From there, I was able to cut my fabric and sew the shirt together in one evening in less than two hours after putting my toddler to bed, and I still managed to get a full night's sleep. 

The fabrics I used are our Bamboo/Cotton Jersey Knit and the Bamboo Cotton Baby Rib Knit in lovely Lavender.  I chose this fabric because it's super soft and can be used in both a casual and dressy styles.  Plus, the various bamboo cotton knits are all coordinates which took the guess work out of picking a fabric for the waist band.  It's light enough to wear in Spring or Summer, but can also be easily layered to wear in cooler climates.

The first look we went for was business casual.  Crystal wore the top with a nice pair of black slacks and a black suit jacket.  We added some simple jewelry, and her look was complete.  We all noted that the shirt is a lot more comfy than some of the fussier dress shirts you see in stores.

Next, we took the look from day to "night out with the girls" by switching the black suit jacket for a fitted denim dacket, replacing the necklace with scarf and swapping her black pumps for ankle boots.  Easy and fab.

Lastly, while playing dress-up, we remembered that Fabric.com just got in a shipment of some absolutely gorgeous Silk Velvet Burnouts that would be perfect for a shawl.  After some hunting, I was able to borrow two pieces from Jennifer in customer care (Thank you again!) that coordinated wonderfully with the purple top.  We used the burnout velvet as a shawl and paired it with a long skirt, nice jewelry and nice shoes to give Crystal a dressier look.  Not only did our last-minute creativity work out, I think I might have to divert some of my own fabric funds for enough fabric for a couple shawls...

To summarize, this pattern really is easy, fantastic and versatile.  Plus, it's free.  As usual, I would strongly advise you to make a muslin prior to chopping into your nicer fabric.  We found that the top part wasn't as full as we thought it would be, which was fine, but you may want to play with various levels of room in the top and fit in the band.  Also, if the jersey isn't dressy enough for what you need, this pattern could easily be made with another knit with a bit of shimmer to it.  Either way, have fun with it and get the pattern soon - it's only available until November 12!

My 16-month old has developed an obsession with Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Also known as "bo-bah" in our house).  For Halloween this year I will be making him a brown bear costume using Kwik Sew's baby and toddler pattern KP-3099, and to pull it all together I have made him a "Brown Bear" trick-or-treat bag. 

Bags are surprisingly simple to make.  There are a couple different ways that you can construct a bag from practically scraps.  I picked two methods to show here. The first style, for the outside of the bag, has a front and back panel and a long strip for the gusset (3 total pieces).  The second style I used for the lining, and has only two pieces with boxed corners to create the bottom and sides shape.  While I label the parts of this bag as "inside" and "outside", in reality the bag is actually reversible.

QUICK NOTE - This tutorial is geared more towards someone who is still fairly beginner level, but basically knows their way around a sewing machine.  Those with more experience will probably already know everything below, plus better ways to do it (Please feel free to leave a comment and share any nifty variations and tips!). 

DOUBLE NOTE - There will be math.  I promise I will try to keep it simple, and I will also give definite measurements.  However, my goal is to give you the basic principles for how to construct a bag no matter what size you want it.  The bag I made is child-sized, but once you know the basics of construction you can scale yours up, down and everything in between.

Brown Bear Bag
Measurments: 11.5" x 11.5" x 4"
3/8" seam allowance
Materials:
1 Brown Bear panel (BV-907)
1/2 yd coordinating cotton print (I used BV-951)
1 yd light or medium weight fusible interfacing (optional)

If you do not want to use the panel you can just find another 1/2 yd coordinate.  The panel fabric was a little more transparent than I would have liked, so I used the interfacing to make it less see through and give it body without being too stiff.  You may exclude this step if your fabric is dark or if you do not care if your bag is floppy.

Creating the outside:
- Cut out two 12.25"x"12.25" squares consisting of 4 panel motifs. Each square should be 2 smaller squares across and 2 down.  The easiest way to cut it without measuring is to just cut around the outer edge of the green border surrounding the four small squares.  The green border will essentially be the seam allowance.
- Cut the striped strip of fabric from the edge of the panel, trimming the selvage.  This will become the bag handles.

- From the coordinating fabric, cut a 36"x4.75" strip of fabric for the gusset.
- If you are using interfacing, cut two 12.25"x12.25" squares and a 36"x4.75" strip.
- Apply the interfacing to the panels and gusset strip according to the instructions.
- For the top two squares on each of the right sides of the front panels, measure and mark the middle of top of each square (roughly 2.75" from the begining of the white space).  This is where you will line up the handles.
- To create the handles, fold the striped fabric in half lengthwise, wrong sides together.  Press.  Fold the raw edges in toward the middle crease, leaving you with 4 layers of fabric (see image). Press. Cut two 9" pieces from this strip and edge stitch the long, open side (you can leave the ends open).

- To assemble the outside, lay the gusset piece on top of one of the panels, right sides together, with the short edge of the gusset lined up with the top l and the long side lined up with the right side of the panel.  Pin in place.  Bring the gusset side up and and around the corner, and continue pinning it to the bottom of the panel, then back up the left hand side (Hint - to make going around the corners easier, try making a tiny snip in the seam allowance of the gusset right at the corners).  Once it's all pinned, you should have the basic shape of the two sides and bottom of the bag, with the ends of the gusset lining up with the top of the panel (if not, try repinning it).  Stitch in place.

- Pin the second panel to the other side of the gusset.  Stitch.  You should now be able to tell it's a bag (yay!).  Press the seams.

- Position the straps inside the two markings you made earlier, lining up the outer edge of the strap with the mark.  The raw edges of the straps should be in line with the top of the panel, so that the strap is upside down. Pin in place.

To create the lining:
- From the coordinating fabric, cut two 14.25"x16.25" squares.
- Sew together along sides and bottom, leaving the top open.  Press seam allowances open.
- At the bottom corners, measure 3" up and 3" over from corner.  Draw a square.  Using the square as a guide, bring the side and bottom seams together and box the corners (See Moda Bake Shop for better instructions).  Trim 1/4" from the seams.

To bring it all together:
- Line the two bag pieces up with right sides together.  The Side seams of the lining should be in the middle of the gusset sides.  Pin in place.

- Stitch around the top of the bag, stopping a few inches short to leave an opening to turn.  Press the seams.
- Turn the bag right side out and top stitch to finish the top edge of the bag and to reinforce the handles. 
- Voila! All done! Your bag is now ready for whatever your little one might put in it.  Plus, it's reversible!

Let's say you don't want to make a Brown Bear, Brown Bear bag.  How do you go about figuring out how much to cut?  Math time!

To make a gusseted bag:
For the front and back panels -
Length = Finished length + 2xSeam Allowances
Width = Finished width = 2xSeam Allowances
For the Gusset -
Gusset Length = Panel side Length + Panel side length  + Panel Width
Gusset Width = Finished width + 2xSeam Allowance

YIKES!  Here's an easy example.  You want a bag that is 14"x12"x5" with a 1/2" seam allowance
Length = 14+.5+.5 = 15"
Width = 12+.5+.5 = 13"
Gusset Length = 15+13+15 = 43"
Gusset Width = 5+.5+.5 = 6"

Easy!

To make the boxed-corner bag:
Length = Finished length + 1xSeam Allowance + 1/2 Finished Depth
Width = Finished width + 2xSeam Allowance + 1x Finished Depth

Example: You want a bag that is 14"x12"x5" with a 1/2" Seam allowance.
Length = 14+.5+2.5 = 17"
Width = 12+1+5 = 18"
To make the guide for the boxed corners, mark ad 5"x5" square at the bottom corners.

Halloween is right around the corner.  Instead of sending the kids out with boring pillow cases or generic, store-bought containers, make them a trick-or-treat bag that goes with their costume!

Happy stitching!

In putting together the email announcing the new Fabric.com exclusive free Hot Patterns downloads (available August 12 through November 12) we asked Jeremy from Hot Patterns to give us a brief history of how the company came to be. The document he provided us was much longer than would fit in our email, but I couldn't bring myself to edit it down. His take on the events leading up to the develpment of one of Fabric.com's favorite pattern lines provided fun and witty insight. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  (Click the link below to read the whole story).

 

I will preface this post by whole-heartedly admitting that I am not the greatest seamstress in the world.  My education, while superb, happened while I was young and too stupid to absorb as much of it as I could.  I am just your Average Joe (Jane?) who loves to get creative, was moderately good in math class, and says all too often, "$100!? I could make that in an hour!"  I am the sewing equivalent of the phrases "Jack of all trades, master of none" and "only human."

 

A few months back I was perusing a designer discount boutique and saw a lovely raglan top with a ribbon-supported neckline and keyholes at all four shoulder seams.  At around $100, I couldn't fathom paying that much for a slightly glammed-up t-shirt that even my mediocre sewing skills could handle.  My only apprehension was my lack of experience with sewing knits, but you never learn unless you try, right?

 

Accepting my own challenge, I took up the hunt for the right raglan-sleeved t-shirt pattern (not too sporty, seams in the right place, simple neck line), which was surprisingly hard to find.  After weeks of judging the merits of this pattern over that, the wonderful ladies in merchandising told me about the new line of Textile Studios Patterns we now carry, including the Santa Monica Tee.  Even nicer, I discovered a small stash of remnants of some knits we just put in the store and took a gamble that I would have enough to at least practice on.

 

On that note, I would like to take a moment to wax poetic about my wonderful little find.  I know that it's hard to truly judge a fabric over the Internet, and 10 different collections of solid stretch knits tend to all look the same.  Unfortunately, this means some collections just aren't done justice, and such is the case with the Premium Brushed Micropoly Stretch Knits.  This collection is buttery soft, with vivid colors and fantastic stretch.  It's slightly thicker and sturdier than a lot of the knits you find in stores lately, and a million times more luxurious.  It's a breeze to work with and has possibly dethroned Dupioni silk as my new favorite fabric to work with.

 

Back to my story, the pattern choice was far better than I could have imagined.  The Santa Monica Tee only has three pattern pieces: front, back, and sleeve, which can be made three ways (long sleeve, short sleeve and ¾ length).  To make the casing at the neck, I traced out the top 1 3/8" from all three pattern pieces onto parchment paper (3/8" for the seam allowance, 1/8" to close it up, leaving me an almost 1" casing).  After cutting all of my pieces out but before unfolding everything, I marked the front and back bodice pieces 4" from the top on the edges where the sleeves would be joined.  This mark is where I would stop sewing the sleeves and bodice together to create the key-holes at the front and back shoulder seams.

 

I followed the pattern's instructions for construction and seam allowances except where modifications were necessary to make my changes work.  First, I sewed my casing pieces to the tops of each of the sleeves and bodice pieces by placing the fabric right-sides together and stitching along the top.  Next, I sewed the sleeves to the front bodice, stopping at the 4" mark I made earlier.  At the point where I stopped stitching, I folded the seam allowance back and top stitched from the casing on the sleeve, down to the seam where the sleeve and bodice were joined, and back up to the top of the bodice casing (making a big "V").  This step finished off the edges and made the key-hole clean and pronounced.  After finishing the top stitching on both sides of the front bodice, I then repeated the whole process to join the back bodice piece to the sleeves.

 

      

With the sleeves attached and the key-holes finished, I pressed and folded the casing pieces down to the inside of the shirt (wrong-sides together) and stitched them shut about 1/8" from the edge, creating that rod pocket affect.  From there, I finished the sleeves and bottom hem by following the pattern instructions.  I used brown satin ribbon at the neckline and tied it in a bow, but since it is not attached I can change it out whenever I want.  After all was said and done, I would say the top took me less than 2 hours (not including time I spent goofing off with my stretch stitches).  The pattern was simple and easy to follow, which makes it perfect for both a quick top or as a jumping-off point for some creative license.

Some quick notes about changes I would consider on my next go - I think I would probably make the casing larger by about a half to a full inch.  This would give more room to add a sturdier ribbon or bulkier sash.  Also, my husband gravely expressed his disdain for the bow at the shoulder (many, many times).  I might play around with some buttons, buckles or brooches to secure the ribbon and add a decorative touch.

 

Happy stitching!

 

Be sure to enter the Ultimate Sewing Room Contest brought to you by Craft Stylish and Fabric.com!  Just design your dream sewing space (including furniture, decor, equipment and more) then save your masterpiece in the gallery for other to vote on it.  The grand prize is worth over $7,000, including a $1,500 shopping spree to Fabric.com!  Enter today!

 

Hey Everyone!

 

Don't forget to enter the Fabric.com "Sew" Sweet Giveaway before it ends Friday (10/31)!  This is your last chance to enter in the drawing for one of two great prize packages worth over $1000 each!  You can enter in once a day, so that gives you 3 more entries until the end.  Click the image below to go to the "Sew" Sweet webpage.  Good luck!

 

 

Many of us around here are fairly big Project Runway fans.  Not necessarily the "dress up and have a viewing party" variety, but the day after each show is generally full of chatter about who won and who was "out" and whose construction was atrocious.  This was my first season watching the show, and I was instantly drawn in.  I never thought I would feel the urge to throw things at my TV over a reality show, but there were some nights that I came close.  Since Season 5 just wrapped up last week, I thought I would give you some insight into our thoughts on how the show shaped up.  Here's the scoop...

When I posted a few months back, I had many grand plans for sewing projects for my little guy.  Well, the reality of pregnancy exhaustion kicked in, and I didn't get a single thing done.  Now that my little Mr. Monkey-Toes is going on 3 months and we've started to find our post-baby groove, I thought I would try to find something simple to make.

  As anyone with kids (or close to kids) knows, sewing for little boys isn't nearly as fun or easy as it is for little girls.  There are so many cute outfits and accessories for girls, and not so many for little boys - especially babies.  With this in mind, I was skeptical when I purchased Amy Butler's new book, Little Stitches for Little Ones.  I love Amy Butler's work as much as most people, but many of the baby projects and patterns out there are not gender neutral or boy-friendly.  I purchased this book because a) I love Amy and b) I have oodles of friends having little girls.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that this new collection of projects was full of creative temptation, not just for gifts, but also things for my son.  Sure, there are some definitely girls-only projects, but for the most part this book is composed of a wide range of gender nuetral ideas.  From the beautiful photography to the helpful illustrations, you get a clear representation of the finished product for each project along with a skill level (from 1-4).  Pattern pieces are stored nicely in the envelope-like cover of the book, and measurements for non-pattern projects are easy to understand and cut.  Even without step-by-step illustrations, the instructions are very clear and easy to follow.  The crafts themselves range from highly functional (diaper changing pad with removable bumpers) to fun and cute (quilted toy blocks).  Each project is cute on its own, but all seem extremely adaptable for customization.  As a glutton for sewing books, I can safely say this will probably be the most utilized in my collection.

In order to back up my review, I decided to try out one of the projects from the book.  I chose a fabric photo album that is rated as a level 4 project (if a high-level project is easy to follow, then the lower level ones should be a breeze).  To give you an idea of my skill, while I know my way around a machine reasonably well, I'm not an expert seamstress by any means.  The difficulty level seems to have come from the technical part of this project, since you have to scan, edit and print photos on printable fabric.  Butler suggests using a photo manipulation program like Photoshop, but I was able to easily lay out my images in Microsoft Word and even add captions to the photos.  Cutting the pieces and sewing the whole thing together was pretty straightforward.  I was a little perplexed by some of the measurements, which I chalked up to sleep deprivation induced sloppiness and easily remedied with a little trimming here and there.  I also had to fiddle with attaching the pages to the cover, as my poor little machine wasn't up to the challenge of sewing all the way through the pages and cover.  In the end I was extremely pleased with the finished project as well as how easy it was to put my own little finishing touches on it.

In short, Amy Butler has done it again with this new book.  If you have little children, plan on having little children, have friends or family members with little children, etc, I would highly recommend this fun and inspiring book.

As a side review, I was extremely skeptical about how well the printable fabric would come out since some of my pictures had a great deal of detail.  However, I found that every picture printed beautifully and without any mishap.  The instructions were simple and easy, and the pictures have stayed flawless even after taking a slight beating while I sewed the book.

There are certain events that get a crafter giddy from the creative possibility – weddings, birthdays, holidays, changes in season, etc.  One event that has always seemed to inspire my family of seamstresses most is the birth of a child.  Just think about it; all of those cute blankets, pillows, decorations and itty-bitty clothes just begging to be handmade.  Sure, you can go to the store and buy any of that, but there’s something so special about a handmade baby item or gift.  Whether the item in question is of better quality than a store counterpart, made to custom specifications (I’ll get to this later), or simply brimming with love and care that just can’t be replaced, there are so many reasons to spend the time and effort to welcome baby into the world with a one-of-a-kind, handmade gift.

Which brings me to my dilemma…  As mentioned previously, I come from a crafty family where baby-time meant“sewing time.”  Well, it’s my turn now, and June 8th seems to be coming at me both excruciatingly slow and frighteningly fast.  I want nothing more than to hold my little kick-boxer-in-training, but there’s still so much to do in preparation for his arrival.   My sewing list for my little guy is so long, but there is only so much time (and energy!) that I can devote to it before showtime.  What’s an expectant mom to do?

Before I start paring down my list to a more realistic size, I thought I would share it with you, our craft-minded readers.  Whether you’re searching for ideas or can offer a few tips to help me narrow this down, I would love to hear your thoughts.

A Minky Blanket -  I’ve seen these popping up in stores all over the place, and on my “Can IMake It?” scale they fall somewhere between “Heck yes I can make that” and “Why wouldanyone pay that much for something so simple?!”  When it comes to luxury and softness, minky is probably tops in my books.  The only drawbacks I can see to making one would be the mess and possibly the price (I would certainly save money by making my own, but we’re tightening the purse strings at the moment and minky is on the costly side).  On the other hand, I could make more of a throw with slightly larger dimensions and both of us could cuddle under it.

Oversized receiving blankets – I’ll admit it; I’m spoiled.  My mom had my brother when I was 11 and my sister when I was 16, so I was exposed to the wonders of the oversized receiving blankets my aunt made for her and could truly appreciate them.  Whether she laid them on the floor for tummy time or used them for a little extra privacy while breast feeding, the extra coverage made a great difference in their usefulness.  It wouldn’t be hard for me to make this myself, but then again I could always put them on my wish list and hope my aunt loves me as much as she loves my mom.

Clothes – He’s not even here yet and he’s already got more clothes than I do, but it’s hard to resist the urge to make him a couple outfits when I work around temptations like the Sew Baby patterns.  This will probably be the first thing to get cut from my list, but I’m still very tempted to make a replica of the adorable seersucker outfit I saw in a rather pricey catalog the other day.


Baby Sling – We recently started carrying a pattern for the Mei Tai baby carrier, and I can’t help but picture walking around with one in a cool Amy Butler fabric.  My only concern is with entrusting my child’s safety to my sometimes shaky sewing skills.  I might go sneak a peak at the pattern so see if it’s something I could handle or if I should just leave this one to the pros.



Sew Baby Snappy Wrap – Despite the teasing my Canadian friend throws my way, it does in fact get cold in Georgia.  This cute little wrap just screams “useful” to me, and I am all about the functional along with the cute.  Fleece is such a breeze to work with, this might become a standard baby gift if it’s as easy to make as it seems.


Baby’s First Quilt – Our lovely graphic artist, Moniqa, had a wonderful idea the other day.  She suggested taking little hand and foot prints of our little guy, printing them onto fabric, and making a quilt out of the blocks.  I always talk myself out of making a quilt because there are so many quilters in my family who are so much more talented than myself, but this idea might actually be one I could justify doing myself.  I’m getting misty eyed just thinking about it.

That’s all I want to think about for now.  I still need to get my sewing room cleaned and situated so that it can double as a nursery (I waited WAY too long for a sewing room to just give it up.  He can share for now).  All I can say is that part of me is glad I am not having a little girl – my sewing list went down by half once all the little dresses and baby doll clothes left the picture.  If you can think of anything I should add to my list, please feel free to let me know.  I’d love to hear your suggestions!

Many people are hesitant to sew with minky because they are afraid it is difficult to work with.  While minky projects can offer a new challenge to sewers, a few simple tips can make take the fear and difficulty out of the experience.

• Minky is stable parallel to the selvage and stretches perpendicular to the selvage (along the width).  

• Before you start a project, make sure to note the nap on the minky and cut pieces accordingly if you want the nap to lay a particular way.

• Minky, like fleece, will not shrink with washing.  However, make sure to pre-wash all other fabrics you may be using in your project since they may.

• When cutting minky, be prepared for a cloud of fuzz!  Try cutting pieces with a rotary cutter then taking them outside to shake them off, putting them in the dryer on the air dry cycle (NO heat), or keep a vacuum handy to cut back on some of the mess.  

• Test, test, and test your stitch length, width and tension on a scrap piece before you start your project.  Did we mention that you should test?

• Pins are your friends.  Pin every 1” to 1.5” to ensure the minky stays in place.  It may be time consuming, but you’ll thank yourself.

• Use a walking foot to help with slipping.

• To further prevent slipping, you can hand baste the layers before machine stitching.

• If you are working with one layer of minky and one layer of another fabric, stitch with the minky layer down and let the feed dogs guide the fabric.

• Give a generous seam allowance (about 1/2”) as minky tends to curl.

• DO NOT iron minky directly.  Instead, place minky face down on a towel and press gently on low heat or steam it.  Ironing and high heat will ruin the nap and any embossing in the fabric.

• Don’t forget to clean your machine’s throat plate, feed dogs and bobbin case often.  All that fuzz can get messy and clog the works.

• If you are making a quilt, use only a low-loft polyester or pre-washed cotton batting.  Even better – skip the batting altogether and save yourself the extra work.  The minky is fluffy and offers a great deal of warmth.

Those are just a few tips.  If you are an experienced Minky Master and have anything else to add, please feel free to leave your own tips and tricks in the comments section.  Don’t forget to post pictures of your minky masterpieces on the gallery, too!