Easy Sewing Projects for Beginners So you've got to grips with your sewing machine, and you're itching to make something. Which sewing patterns are easy enough for beginners? I've gathered together a few suggestions for things you might want to try, but first a few tips for choosing an easy project. I'm a big advocate of diving into sewing fearlessly, but for your very first project you might want to ease yourself in gently: * While you're still making friends with your sewing machine, it's advisable to choose a project with simple straight lines. * Zippers and buttonholes are a little tricky at first, so go for a project that doesn't need a fastening, and save the fun for another day! * When buying fabric, a medium-weight cotton would be good for a first project as it lies flat, presses well and won't slide all over your machine. * Patterned fabric not only looks pretty but can hide dodgy stitching! * You might also want to consider whether you can see yourself making up the same pattern a few times. UPDATE!
Sling Bag Tutorial - Part 1 I tend to have a short attention span when it comes to projects, that's why I like making a variety of things. My Etsy shop has an assortment of stuff in it for that very reason...I don't want to make the same style of the same product over and over! Bags are one of my favorite things to make when I feel like changing up the pace a little. I whipped up a few of these hobo/sling bags to put in the shop. Fun! It will look like this when you open it up. We are going to be very thrifty with our use of fabric, and use the cut out pieces from the straps as the pockets. Measure down from the top straight edge, nine inches. Trim off the rounded bottom. Cut a strip of narrow elastic, 8 inches long. Your pocket should now look like this. Do that to all four pockets. Now sew just the outer edges of the bags together. With RIGHT sides together, stuff one bag into the other. Sew the two bags together. Reach your hand through there and pull the bags right side out. Stuff one of the bags into the other.
Homemade art for sister Yesterday my parents, gramma and I went to visit Kayla at school. Her birthday is on Tuesday, but we thought it would be better to go up the weekend before. (I will post all about this on Tuesday!!) I made her 2 things, and I thought I would share the cool art I made for her. This is what you will need: 3 pairs of old glasses, a shadow box, 6 pictures and hotglue. First, place a piece of paper over the lense of the glasses and rub around the edge of the glass to trace the shape of the glass. (sorry about the awful pictures, the lighting is awful in the craft room at night!) Originally I was going to modge podge the picture to the front of the glasses, but then I decided to attach it to the bottom. After you put them on the botton, put a strip of hotglue around the lenses to keep the picture from falling out (that's hot glue) Next, attach the glasses with hot glue to a piece of scrapbook paper Put in frame Double check the glasses (in the day) for strands of hot glue. cute! Cute girl.
Delusions of Grandeur: DIY "A store-bought belt can obscure even the sloppiest of home-sewn waistbands." ~Ancient Chinese proverb As promised, here is the tutorial for the tulle skirt I sewed for Thanksgiving! I share this with you along with one major caveat: At no point during the making of this skirt did I actually know what I was doing. This will be painfully obvious to those of you with real sewing skills, so please feel free to use this as the most basic of guides and to improve on it any way possible. Credits: My inspiration for this skirt came from a skirt in Anthro's winter line, and from this Etsy seller. What you'll need (total cost of materials was approximately $30): 1. 2. 3. 4" satin ribbon for waistband. 1 yard. 4. 5. Steps: 1. *Note - pleating each layer individually will result in a very full skirt (like mine). 2. 3. 4. Then, you will sew each layer onto a piece of scrap fabric (I used some of the excess liner fabric) that is the same length as your waist measurement, and is approximately 3" wide.
Wallet-to-Tote On the Go ~ Tutorial Lorraine from ikat bag is a favorite around here… She has tons of fun tutorials on her blog and she’s joined us before with this wonderful Back to School Pencil Case tutorial. Today Lorraine shares a tutorial for a new summer essential, the On the Go Wallet-to-Tote! Construction includes three main parts: Assembling the Wallet, Assembling the Outer Bag and Making the Lining. The tote zips into a convenient wallet in this unique and handy design. From Lorraine: Hello, Everyone. I am very excited today to share this tutorial for a wallet that morphs into a tote! These little bags have been around for as long as I can remember, and I thought they’d be a useful addition to the arsenal of summer gear I stash in my car and/or purse. I have three little girls, aged 3,4 and 6, and we’ve found that summer always takes us on adventures we hadn’t planned for– detours to farmer’s markets, dancing in the rain or treasure hunting en route to the park. Part One: Assemble the Wallet:You will need: Bags
NEON STRIPED COFFEE TABLE As you can see... this table needed some help. Casey had this table all painted yellow and when it didn't live up to her expectations... she started chipping the paint away (off of the top.) Soon enough we bought some spray that made it 1000 times easier to get the paint off. Start off with a stripped down table surface. Sand the table down really well. Paint the legs/ bottom of the table. When the bottom has dried, tape off the top of the edges of the top of the table. We stuck computer paper to the backside of the tape to make sure we didn't get any paint on the bottom of the table. We spray painted the top of our table gray, let it dry a little and then removed the tape and paper. For our table we wanted to do a series of diagonal stripes weaving in and out of each other. Many layers later, this is what our table looked like. This is just a glimpse of what we are working on in the living room.
DIY Embroidered Sunglasses What do you do when the probability of scoring a pair of Ulyana Sergeenko‘s embroidered sunglasses is, at best, 1 in a million? Do it yourself, of course. Though I couldn’t replicate these folk-inspired sunnies at nearly the same degree (we’re talking couture after all), I was able to add just the right amount of embroidery for a similar effect. So, what do you say? You’ll need:a pair of sunglasses with plastic lensesembroidery flosshand held drill (I used a Dremel, last used here)3/64″ drill bitthin needlescissorsfelt tip markernail polish remover Start by drawing out a pattern – feel free to copy mine! Use the hand held drill or Dremel to drill the holes. Thread the needle with embroidery floss – make sure the head of the needle is small enough to fit through the holes. Finish off the color with a double knot on the backside. Continue cross stitching with the second color and then the third color. Repeat on the other side. Voila, embroidered sunnies complete! (images by HonestlyWTF)
Oversized Owl Bag Tutorial What you will need (I made this bag extra big, so adjust the fabric amounts according to the size you want to make): 5/8 yard heavy weight fabric for outside of bag (I used canvas)5/8 yard fabric for lining1/4 yard fabric for owl's body Coordinating scraps for owl details (eyes, beak, wings)1 1/4 yard Ribbon Magnetic snapHeat and Bond Start by Creating a pattern. I simply drew the outline of an owl on brown craft paper. Next, you'll cut the pattern apart along the straight line across the owl's body. Next, cut the wings, eyes, and beak from the pattern paper. For the gusset (sides of the bag): Cut a 3 1/2" wide piece of fabric the length of the outer edge of the owl, starting from one top corner down around the bottom and back up to the top. For the strap: cut a 5"x42" piece of outer fabric. Attach heat and bond to back of wing pieces. Stitch around the edge. Sew top and bottom pieces together along straight edge (right sides together). Press seam open. Top stitch around bag opening.
Long Overdue Fusing Plastic Bag Tutorial I realized this afternoon that I basically explain this technique to an Etsy Labs visitor at least once a day, but had never put the instructions online. So, here it is. Fusing! Plastic! Bags!Do you have one zillion plastic drugstore and grocery bags under your sink, or perhaps smushed into a drawer? What you'll needPlastic bags (thin, flimsy ones work best)Parchment paper, freezer paper or plain old copier paperIron (and your favorite ironing surface) Making it Flatten out the bag and trim the bottom seam and handles off. Turn the bag inside-out if it has printing on it. Next, run a hot iron (we set ours to "Rayon", but you will need to experiment a little to see what works for you) and keep the iron moving constantly. Peel a corner of the paper back to see if the plastic is fused together. Peel the parchment paper away from the finished plastic sheet. Here are a few more rad examples of what you can do with this stuff, courtesy of Etsy seller Eclipse Alright, y'all.
Sewing Tip: Shirring/Smocking with Elastic Thread Shirring is an old technique, I know. (Shirring and smocking aren’t actually originally done with elastic…..but it sure makes things easier. And faster.) Sometimes I assume everyone knows how to do it. But then I get another email asking how to shir (or smock) fabric. So it reminds me I shouldn’t assume…………..because it is still one of the top questions I’m asked. And if you’ve never given this a try, serisously stop eveything right now and try it. I use this technique a lot. Ahhhhh, shirring……quick and easy. The elastic thread is sewn into the back of the seams, and lets the fabric stretch but then pulls back in. You may remember seeing me use it here: And here: And here: I know, I use it a lot for skirt waist bands. I even include the technique in 2 of my patterns: The Maddy Dress here and the Lily Skirt here. It’s stretchy, really comfy, seriously easy, and a great texture to add to clothing. You need to ad this to your sewing repertoire, if you haven’t already. Ready for some shirring?
How To Sew A Reversible Tote Bag With Adjustable Strap | craftpassion.com Having a reversible tote bag is like having 2 bags in one, now with the adjustable strap, you can have even more styling with it. Be it full length till your hip and sling across your chest, or shorten it till just below your armpit, inside out or outside in, style it with your mood and base on your outfit. I made this bag with one of my favorite fabrics. Let’s get to the tutorial and pattern on how to sew this reversible tote bag with adjustable strap after this jump…. Difficulty: Intermediate SkillTime required: 2-4 hoursMaterial: 1. Download the pdf pattern. Fold fabric as indicate in the drawing, place and pin the tote pattern on top of the fabric. With right-side facing each other, align sewing lines, pin , sew side and base of the tote. Press open side and bottom seams, fold at the corner to form a triangle and sew the 2″ depth of the base. Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the lining fabrics, the pockets and the stand alone ring holder. Clip curve about 1/2″ apart.
Noodlehead: Tutorial: Messenger Bag from Cargo Pants Want to make one of these? From a pair of these? Here's the tutorial! Materials: 1 pair cargo pants (from the going to Goodwill pile of course) 1/2 yard lining material bias tape (store bought or make your own) thread {1/4" seam allowances throughout} Getting started... Take your pair of cargo pants and cut the inseam of each leg of the pants up to the crotch area. Cut the bag exterior pieces: front flap (this is where the cargo pocket comes in handy - cool pockets you don't have to sew!) Cut the same size pieces from the lining material. Make the strap by placing the long pieces right sides together, sew down each side. Now make the front flap. Assembling the lining: Take gusset pieces (2 sides and a bottom) and sew the short ends together. Lay your connected gusset pieces right sides together on top of the front of the bag piece, pin, sew. Lay the back of the bag down and set the front/gusset piece on top, pin in place. Make the exterior just like you did the lining of the bag.
Gwenny Penny: Side-Tie Pillow Tutorial with Ameroonie Designs Hi there Gwenny Penny readers! I'm Amy from Ameroonie Designs. Gwen was so kind to let me come over and spend some time with all you lovely people! I am thrilled to share with you my tutorial on how to make this side-tie pillow. First you will need to start with a pillow form. Take your ties and fold them in half. Take your two front pieces. Lay the back panel of the pillow on a flat surface. Take the front panel that will be on top of the pillow and fold it in half along the hemmed side. Decide how far apart you want your ties to be- remembering that you will be sewing around the perimeter with a 1/2" seam allowance to finish the pillow. Now we're going to place the ties. We're almost done! Here it is all ready to be sewn. Clip all the corners and turn the pillow right side out. Some more shots of the pillows. xoxo, Amy Isn't this pillow gorgeous?!?
Tutorial: Fabric Bucket/Basket | The Stitchin' Chicken It’s been a long week! I meant to post this sooner, but other things kept getting in the way. Better late than never? Anyhow, please read through the entire tutorial before you start. I will have a few tips at the end, that may help you to make decisions on the materials that you use. You’ll know what I mean after you read through. This bucket/basket (I will refer to it as a bucket as we go through) is approximately 8″ wide x 6″ deep x 6″tall. Materials: Approx. 1/2 yd each – fabric for outside and fabric for liner Batting – 1/2 yd in length (please see notes at the end) Matching thread for assembly (you can use a contrasting thread for final top stitching if you choose) graph paper (or your choice of material to draw a pattern out on – see notes at the end) ruler pencil pins walking foot for machine (not required, but it makes it a lot easier to sew with the batting) First I am going to show you how to draw out a pattern. Pattern Drawn Out Side Ends Side Measurement for Front and Back Assembly: