Recently in Holidays Category
Last week I showed you the various looks of the Cool, Calm and Cowl-Neck top, a free pattern from the fabulous folks at Hot Patterns. This week I tackled the Nomad Hobo Bag. While I can't show you 3 different looks to dress this bag up or down, I can tell you that it is fantastically stylish and fantastically easy to make. I already have at least 5 people who have either laid claim to it or have hinted that it would match their new pair of shoes...
This pattern wasn't quite as simple as the cowl-neck top, but it was still a breeze. From print to final stitch, it took me about 4 hours, but I included the optional pockets and did some extras that I wanted for myself (an extra pocket and some top-stitching). Now that I have the pattern printed and cut and know how the bag is assembled, I could probably make it in 3 hours or less.
For the outside of the back I used the Premium Faux Suede in Merlot for the outside and Alexander Henry's Nicoles Prints No Guts, No Glory Grey. When I pick bag lining, I like to use cotton prints that are wild and fun but not something I would use everyday.
If you are considering making this pattern but aren't quite sure what fabrics to use, I have a couple suggestions to get you started. Don't forget, we've also created a section in Creativity Headquarters witheven more fabric suggestions for the outside of bag. Please note, the first fabric pictured in the pair is the suggested outside, and the second is the lining. The linings are all cotton prints.
Lastly, I would go so far as to suggest that this pattern would be perfect for gifts. The Nomad Hobo Bag is stylish and easily customized for each recipient but won't take you ages to make. As I mentioned earlier, many people have hinted that they would like the one I made, and my mom seems to think she's getting it for Christmas. Looks like I have some sewing to do...
Thanks to Jenny in Merchandising for modeling for me!
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!
Sweetest Day is always the 3rd Saturday in October, and is a sort of Valentine's Day for everyone else in your life. Started in the early 1920's by candy companies (of course), Sweetest Day is mainly celebrated in the northern part of the United States and is a great day to do something special of the sweet people in your life.
In honor of Sweetest Day, I am going to share some of the sweetest blogs and websites I know with our sweet readers.
This awesome blog from Moda features all sorts of simply decadent projects using Moda assortments. From quilts to handbags to gift bags, you can spend hours scrolling through this scrumptious assortment of how-to's and crafts. Make sure you check out our Moda fabric and Moda assortments so you can "bake" your own goods.
Bakerella
This fun blog is full of sweet treats, ideas and inspiration of the confectionary kind.
Whether you need to make a
special cake or adorable cookies, this blog has a wide variety of recipes that range from super simple to "who do you thin I am? Martha?" complicated. There are plenty of ideas that would be great to do with kids, including Bakerella's signature recipe - the ever-so-versatile Cake Pop!
All Things Cupcake
As this title implies, this blog celebrates everything and anything cupcake related. If you need a good source for vegan cupcakes, you've struck gold. For those of us trying to cut down on our sugar intake, this blog also features various handmade, cupcake-shaped goods, including jewelry, soaps, bath fizzies and knitted/crochetted figurines. I was surprised to see how popular cupcake tattoos are.
Cake Wrecks
Okay, so this blog is the darker side of the confectionary world, but it is also one of my favorite blogs ever. Cake Wrecks is dedicated to professional cakes that have gone "horribly, hillariously wrong." Readers send in pictures of cakes from professional bakeries (home made decorators are off-limits) that are horribly designed. Some cakes are the kind that you just pick up off the shelf, but some the best entries are from where a customer's request is interperreted in an unfortunate manner. Every Sunday Cake Wrecks takes a breather from the very bad and spotlights the very good in their "Sunday Sweets" posts.
Before I leave you to this Sweetest Day, don't forget to check out some sweets we have at Fabric.com:
Sweets and Treats by Timeless Treasures
Here's a cute little mitten pattern from Oliver + s that could be used as an ornament or package
topper. It's a good way to use up scraps of holiday fabric and odd buttons and to practice those embroidery skills. If you go to the "distressed" link you can go to Liesl's Flicker page and see lots of examples. The pattern is smaller than some of the pictures look- so you could enlarge the pattern if you want.
I'll admit I didn't follow the tutorial to the letter. I was a little lazy and just went ahead and blanket stitched the two mitten pieces together and then embroidered through both layers. I wasn't going to use them as gift tags, and the knots on the back should not be visible when they are hung on the tree. I also used ½" ribbon to make the hanging loop, but now I think a ¼" ribbon would have been better in proportion to the small size of the mitten. They turned out very cute, though, and everybody loves them. The fabric I used on the cuff is Laurel Burch's Bountiful Blessings with our white felt used on the mitten.
Laurie in marketing had a great idea - she is going to trace her three sons' hands onto the felt and then trim them out like the mittens. You could embroider their names or initials along with the year. This would make a fun annual family project and a great way to watch those little hands grow and change from year to year!
Well it's that time already - Christmas in July! It's a good time to get a jump on things and have some fun. I recently found a tutorial here for making mini-stockings and creating an advent calendar, and I
thought the mini-stockings were way cute. We like to decorate our tree here at Fabric.com with a homemade touch, so these will be perfect! I only made twelve, which seems like a lot when you're making the same thing over and over. I thought about numbering them for the twelve days of Christmas. This project is great as a jumping-off point for adding our own personal touches, and would give me a good excuse to try out one of our new embroidery machines we now carry. I will probably embroider some felt and cut out an oval shape and glue them to the stocking cuffs. Monogramming them would also make a nice touch for both your own tree and to give as gifts.
I did notice that the tutorial photograph of the finished stockings looked a little longer in the toe than the pattern pieces supplied. I liked the longer-toed look (it reminded me of elf shoes) so I made some adjustments to the pattern to make the finished product look more like the stockings in the images.
The fabric I used for the main stocking is Have a Sheri Berry
Hope you enjoy making these as much as I did. Have fun!
When I was approached by Victoria and the Fabric Maverick to do a "12 days of Christmas" blog,
for once I was reluctant because I had no idea what to do. Usually the holidays are a huge time for inspiration for me but I'm still getting used to having a six month old, and most of the time my brain is dominated by thoughts of doctor's checkups, teething and finding clothes to fit him (really long and slender... especially hard to fit since good boys clothes are hard to find anyway, but I digress). That same day, Laurie Eady (marketing manager and my boss) were discussing fun things we see in sewing magazines, and she mentioned finding a small blurb on Christmas lights that look like spools of thread. At that moment the metaphorical light bulb went off and I knew what to do - a "Sewer's Christmas Tree"!
First things first, we ordered 8 strands of the adorable lights from our vendor (while we don't carry them, you can easily find them by doing a quick google search for "mini spool lights"). Next, I went to work thinking of various ways I could use notions as ornaments. The goal was to make each ornament as specific to sewing as possible. Here are the few that made it past the drawing board and to the tree:
The Yo-Yo Christmas Tree
Our new graphic artist, Valerie, told me of a great ornament she had seen a while back where you alternate various sized yo-yos (small to large) with stacks of buttons to make little Christmas trees. Now, I know yo-yos aren't really notions, but they are making a HUGE comeback right now and are being used on everything from pillows to dresses and purses. You can even find yo-yo makers. So I used some Christmas fabric we had laying around here and some of buttons and came up with these ornaments. They don't take too long to make, and would be easy for older children to make. One quick tip for making them: use thin jewelry wire instead of thread to assemble them. It's much easier, faster and structurally secure that way (Thanks to Moniqa figuring that one out!).
Embroidery Hoop Ornaments
These were super easy to make. Simply get a small (5") embroidery hoop, cut out a small motif from fabric, and put it in the hoop like you would if you were going to embroider it (I secured it with a little glue). Next, I added some ribbon accents around the hoop, a bow at the top and a bow to hang it from. If you have a little extra time and creative ambition, you could actually start some embroidered accents and maybe leave a needle (a blunt one) and thread in the fabric, like you stopped mid-project.
Tomato Pin-Cushion Ornaments
Pin cushion + ribbon loop + hot glue = the easiest and most obvious ornament.
Victoria's "Fat-Quarter" Ornament
As I was coming to the conclusion that not many notions lend themselves to ornaments and this project wasn't as easy as I thought, Victoria swooped down like an angel (in many ways, but more about that later) and blessed me with her "Moda Fat Quarter Ornament." She wrapped a foam cube in stripped material (the stripes look like stacks of fabric), then tied the whole thing up in a Moda ribbon just like a fat quarter. Adorable and easy as pie!
Measuring Tape Bows
I gathered a few of the heavy duty, 10" measuring tapes for an attempt at a tree topper (more on that later) and ended not using them. Instead, I decided to make little bows to put all around the tree. I formed the bows (held by hot glue), and ran a chenille wire tie through the back and then just twisted them onto branches. Once again, this was quick and simple.
"Stash Buster" Ornaments
Having acquired a bunch of little scraps of Christmas fabric to use for the embroidery hoop ornaments, I noticed that a lot of them had some adorable motifs but were too big for the hoops and too small to use for anything else. Doesn't every seamstress have that problem? I took a few of the cutest ones (some Scottie dogs, birds and cookies), cut them out and fused them to just some scrap fabric with Peltex II Two Sided Fusible Ultra Firm Stabilizer. I looped some ribbon through a small hole I made at the top to hang, and I "iced" the cookies by going over the frosting design with puffy paint (any child of the 90's knows ALL about the glory of puffy paint). These ornaments don't necessarily fit the notions-as-ornaments criteria, but I felt the philosophy was in-line.
Tree-Topper Trials and Tribulations
Originally, I wanted to make a large, grand bow out of the aforementioned measuring tapes. To my despair, the tape was just too thick, floppy and shapeless. After toying with a couple other 
ideas that would involve yarn, foam balls, toying with the laws of physics and a Christmas miracle, Victoria swooped in like an angel with... well, an angel.
Years ago she was playing with some scraps she had and came up with what she dubbed "the bag lady angel." She hadn't done anything with it, and told me to go ahead and have fun with it. With a lot of help from Moniqa (what can't that woman do!), we were able to retro-fit her with a beaded halo and a smaller bow made of measuring tape that we allowed to just kind of drape down the tree. On one hand it looks like a bow, but on the other it almost looks like she's got quite an armful that isn't all together - kind of reminiscent of how I looked trying to make my tree topper (although I wouldn't exactly consider myself angelic...).
In closing, I would like to thank Victoria, Valerie and Moniqa for all their help in making ornaments and getting the tree up, and Nancy for her adorable gum-drop pillows that make it look less empty (every tree needs gifts).
I had some other ornament ideas that never quite made it through production, but I also found myself running out of creativity. What kind of ornaments would you make for your "Sewer's Christmas Tree"?
September is winding down, and soon all the kiddies will don their finest, scariest, furriest, most heroic garb and make that time-honored pilgrimage for the ultimate sugar high. I have to admit, even as an adult Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I simply cannot pass up the one time of year where I have the opportunity to play dress up without the risk of looking like a complete fool. I love costumes, but not in the way or for the reasons most people do. I have never been to a Renaissance festival or a any of those over-the-top comic/anime/video game conventions. I don't do reenactments and I'm not a member of any historical or costume-centric society. Some might consider me a fairly normal adult, even boring. My love of costumes goes back to my younger days.I come from a very large family, and I have a lot of cousins my age. We spent summers trying to find new and creative ways to fill the time (without killing ourselves or losing too much blood in the process). One of my personal favorite
pastimes was digging into my grandmother's huge chest of various costumes and accessories then running around like complete idiots as we acted out our own little plays. These were costumes that our parents and aunts and uncles wore on Halloweens-gone-by. Some were garments that had been found at garage sales and edited down (the 60's and 70's were great for this!). Some were simple outfits made with spare fabric that had previously been taking up room in a stash and needed a new home. Some were intricate and fun, while others were nothing but a sack with strategically placed elastic. All provided hours of goofiness, fun and pure magic.
One Halloween my grandmother agreed to send me an "Arabian Nights" princess costume she made from an old garage sale steal. Unfortunately, she didn't insure the package. I spent many days waiting by the mailbox for it, then many weeks mourning its loss. That wasn't just a costume; it was grand masterpiece of carefree fun and imagination lost forever. As October peaks its head around the corner and you start considering making a costume for your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, friend's child, random neighbor kid, etc., think a little longer before you decide you are "too busy." While it maybe
easier to just run down to your local megamart and grab an inexpensive, simple, mass-produced, polyester costume, will that costume stand the test of time? You don't need the most expensive fabric, best sewing skills or even a fancy-shmancy pattern. A couple hours of creativity and a few yards of fabric are all it takes to create days, weeks, months or even years of fun and magic. That's all it takes to make memories that last a lifetime.My husband was never romantic about Valentine's Day. When our daughter, Samantha, was born, he was totally lost to this little girl. When she was around 10 years old, he started singing "I Fall to Pieces" by Patsy Cline to her every Valentine's Day! To a preteen, this sounds like fingernails screeching on a blackboard. One year, he carefully created paper hearts and wrote a message on each of them. He cut them into large pieces and mailed her a valentine card with the pieces of his heart inside. She carefully pieced them together to find her Daddy's message. I have recreated that feeling in fabric.
Supplies:
- Fat quarter or less of valentine-related fabric
- Wonder Under or Misty Fuse (If using Misty Fuse, you will need to use parchment paper)
- Scissors
- Paper heart shapes (several sizes)
Instructions: Create a heart shape in any size on paper. If you are using Wonder Under, draw your heart shape on the paper backing. This is your pattern. Place pattern on wrong side of fabric and press with an iron. This will adhere the Wonder Under to the fabric. Following the shape of the heart, cut your hearts out. Do not remove the paper backing. Cut heart into 3 to 4 pieces. You may make several hearts following the same process. You may create your own valentine card or purchase one. Enclose the pieces of your heart. Mail to your loved one. When they open it, they may piece the hearts together. This will become an applique which can be ironed to a sweatshirt, a towel, t-shirt, pillowcase or napkins. Finish with a zigzag stitch if you wish. Let your imagination go wild!
Our next project is great for children. This is a 30-minute or less project. All of my children's projects are kid-tested. My tester is Jade Abercrombie. She is 6 years old and the granddaughter of my heart. As you can see, she has given this a thumbs-up rating!
Supplies:
- Empty containers that held powdered drinks (example: Crystal Light)
- Mod Podge or Spray Adhesive
- Foam brush if using Mod Podge
- Disposable gloves if using Spray Adhesive
- 3-4 - 5" fabric squares - I used a charm pack with a Valentine theme
- Optional - Valentine embellishments
The containers I used measured approximately 6" around and 6" tall. I spread old newspaper on my work surface. My assistant can be a little free with the glue-children love sticky stuff. Apply Mod Podge with a small foam brush to the back of the 5" fabric square. Position the fabric on the can. Carefully wrap it around the top of the can and smooth out any wrinkles. Apply the next 5" fabric square around the bottom edge of the can. This will create 2 small rectangles at the bottom and top pf the can. You may then cut the 3rd and 4th fabric squares into 2 pieces. Apply Mod Podge to the pieces and then layer the pieces to fill in the open areas. Fabric will overlap slightly. You will have some pieces left over if you used 4 charm squares. I used 4 charm squares because I felt it gave more pattern interest. My assistant and I cut fabric heart shapes and applied to the can. Let your cans dry for 24 hours.
You may also glue some embellishment to the top of the plastic lid. This is optional. Fill with candy or other treats for children or it makes a nice teacher's present. This is a great way to recycle containers.
For the person who has more time and wants to create something beauftiful, go to our Valentine Shop. We have two great patterns designed by Sandy Gervais from Moda. The Flirtations Cake Walk pattern would be easy to sew in a weekend using the Flirtations fat quarter set. The Flirtations Truffles Pillow/Table Mat pattern uses yo-yos. Yo-Yo's are hot this year! The Fabric Maverick told me that she is seeing them everywhere. Start now to have these sweet projects ready for Valentine's Day.
Continue not to panic. I will let you know when the official panic line has been crossed and you are welcome to forward that message to family and friends as a Crafter's "Get out of Jail Free" card. I might even be able to whip up something all official looking in photoshop for you to print and hand out either before each freak-out or after; it is your preference. But before you go planning what documents you may or may not need to preserve your sanity or to present to a judge in court, let's sit down and look at some options.
Yes, Christmas is right around the corner. But it is one of those really long corners with the long line around it that is moving so slowly you brought a book to read while you wait. You have some time. But if you are sitting there shaking your head, holding up your mile and 2/3 long list of family and friends who are eagerly anticipating handmade goodness for the holidays, continue not to panic. Go make a cup of coffee (make one for me too, please. I like foam!) and check out what your pals at Fabric.com have for you. We have come up with some great ideas for your loved ones this year. Some of these ideas are found and some we put together ourselves. No matter where they come from, you are sure to find a few things that you can do and will be proud to give.
Some of you might have heard of Lisa Lam. She runs the blog CraftBoom which is a wealth of info for those interested in the craft business. Well, she posted a list of 15 quick & easy Holiday items to sell. It is a great list, but I thought to myself: "Self, why don't you post this for those who are interested in 15 quick projects to GIVE." I instantly agreed with myself and here we are and, more importantly, here is the list:
- Garlands (check out Heather's Here)
- Mobiles (Here is a great Autumn mobile by Turkey Feathers that can easily be made for winter)
- Ornaments/Decorations
- Tree Ornaments
- Candle Holders
- Bags/Purses
- Napkin Rings, Placemats, Seating card holders
- Scented Candles
- Christmas Cards/Wrapping paper (Check out how to wrap your presents in Fabric!)
- Christmas Stockings (Here are some really cozy sweater stocking by Posie gets Cozy)
- Baby Bibs, soft toys
- Doggie Jackets
- Scarves, mittens, socks, hats
- Hair Decorations (Martha has some great Button Hair Pins)
- Brooches (Try this great tutorial by Blair Peter for Fabric Flower Pins)
Lisa gives some great examples and descriptions on her blog so be sure to check out the complete list.
Here are some additional items, we thought of here at Fabric.com Headquarters:
- Pincushions (I know how tired it seems, but there are sewers out there with old tomato pincushions who don't even know how cute they can be...help them. Plus you can put them in a bowl for a festive center piece!)
- Christmas Tree skirt
- Festive Holiday Wreath: Just like Posie Gets Cozy. Totally awesome
- Soft Trees (Try Little Birds Pattern. I just love these!)
And if you really run out of time, you can bake some pumpkin bread or cookies (don't forget to sign up for Food Network's 12 days of cookies). Finally, if you have to give a present and you have, seriously, 5 min in which to prepare. Quickly, find a sheet of paper and write down an IOU, with a smiley face and give them the biggest hug ever. Don't forget to give them a quick glace at the one mile and 2/3 long list just so they know that you are as good as your word. Most important, these are the holidays. Enjoy your friends and family. No one will remember in 5 years that you needed a few extra days (ok, weeks) to finish and make their special gift perfect. They will remember that you did make it just for them and will love it even more. As always check out our great selection of Holiday & Christmas fabric for your holiday gifts or our Retro & Mod section for the present that lasts throughout the year! Happy Holidays and Breath!
P.s. Get your great Fabric.com Gift Certificates Here and check out our Gifter's Gallery for the fabric junkie in your life!
Click here to check out all our Halloween pictures from Wednesday's office party. We had a blast and a Really great cake to boot.
Here is my finished costume, as I discussed earlier. It was tricky but also easy (if that makes sense, I guess I should say more challenging than I expected). It was really fun to make and I completed it in a day. Since I am a member of Wardrobe Refashion, I used some left over Freshcut from a top I made and a retired sheet in a nice berry red that perfectly matched the red in the flower buds. I also used green ties in the back. I tried out a new fancy stitch on the hem, pictures of which will come next week. I recommend trying on your sleeves before finishing them and attaching. My left was a little tight so I used a lesser seam allowance on the right one and it was perfect. I made it Saturday for a party that night and finished it about 15 before the party started. It turned out great and I had a lot of fun at the party and also at work on Wednesday. Everyone looked so great and we laughed all day long. I hope your office halloween was just as great. Don't forget to post your costume pictures in our Sew & Tell Gallery!
I need to go sleep off all these Reese Cups!
All the best
Tara Miller
