notes from Terry Ann: Fat Sack Pretty AND practical. MATERIALS: You'll need 1 yd. of fabric and matching thread. I used August Fields by Amy Butler. It's a decorator weight fabric in a scrumptious color. Cut one 19" x 36" for the bag and two 4" x 36" for the handles. Cut one 12-1/2" x 19" for the bag bottom. Fold and press one edge of each handle under 1/4". Fold and press the other edge under 1-1/4". Fold it in half and press. Stitch close to the edges of the handles. Fold and press a crease to mark the center of 19" x 36" bag rectangle as shown. Press a double 1" hem on each end. Pin the handle in place as shown. Stitch the handles in place, stitching on top of the previous stitching along the edges of the handles and across the handle even with the hem stitching line. Press a crease to mark the center of the 12-1/2" x 19" bag bottom. Pin the bottom section on top of the bag, matching center creases. Place pins as shown, 4" on each side of the center crease at the bottom of the bag. Repeat with the other side of the bag.
Sewing A Fly Front | Coletterie Fly fronts can be very intimidating. The directions are often hard to follow and the illustrations downright cryptic. Today I’m going to show you step by step, with lots of photos, how to sew a fly front. This type of zipper installation is usually seen on jeans, pants and shorts. zipper footpattern with fly front 1. Voila! Reversible Book Bag How cute would this bag be riding to school in the fall, carrying all your books?
page corner bookmarks | I Could Make That This project comes to you at the request of Twitterer @GCcapitalM. I used to believe that a person could never have too many books, or too many bookmarks. Then I moved into an apartment slightly larger than some people’s closets (and much smaller than many people’s garages) and all these beliefs got turned on their naïeve little heads. But what a person can always look for more of is really cool unique bookmarks. Page corner bookmarks are cute, practical and deeply under-represented in the world.* They’re easy to make, easy to customize, and will set you apart from all those same-same flat rectangular bookmarks. If you like this tutorial, here are a couple others that might be up your alley. If you’re loving the toothy monster vibe, check out these simple monster heating bags, filled with rice or wheat and entirely microwavable, to keep toes or fingers or tummies warm during the chilly winter months. What you’ll need: Putting it all together: 1) Follow steps 2 and 3 from above.
Tutorial: Totes Big and Small It seems like I’m always leaving the house with something…dinner for a friend, toys for my toddler, extra pair of shoes or who knows what. I usually grab a Bath and Body Works bag or a plastic mega-store bag but in the interest of looking less “mom-frump” (my term for how I often feel these days) I thought a nice set of tote bags would help me look a bit more pulled together. Here’s the first tutorial in the series on some different tote styles. Later I’ll do a second one on a version with a pocket and different handle straps. You can scale the size up or down for whatever purpose you have in mind. For this pattern you’ll need an outer fabric and a liner fabric. 1. Large size: Cut 20″ squares from both your outer and liner fabrics with the center fold of the fabric at the bottom of the square. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. And now your project is complete!
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. I have to admit- this is one of my favorite pillows to make. I love that it lets me show off a fabric, while adding texture with the bows. 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?!?
Tote Bag Patterns Totes make great handmade gifts. Here is a Tuesday Ten that shows a round-up of lovely totes. If you love to sew you might also like these free sewing tutorials right here on Skip to my Lou! Every tote needs a matching pouch. Pleated Zippered Pouch Lined Zippered Pouch 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. How To Modernise Your Retro Walls (DIY & Interiors) Here's how to bring those outdated walls into the 21st century... Step 1: Introduction How to modernise your retro walls. Step 2: Removing wallpaper Firstly, protect your furniture by moving it out of the room and covering the floor with dust sheets. Step 3: Smoothing damaged walls Once you’ve got the paper off, smooth over the whole area using Polycell SmoothOver for damaged walls. Step 4: Getting rid of an Artex ceiling If the retro textures don’t just cover the walls, then you’ll need a Polycell SmoothOver for textured ceilings.
Easy Lined Zipper Pouch Have no fear of the zipper! This lined zipper pouch tutorial will show you just how easy it is to create a zip-bag to store your goodies. When you don’t need to carry everything with you, replace your purse with a simple zipper clutch and store your keys, cards and cash! When you are done, you can use this same method to create a zipper pouch in various sizes based on your needs. Materials – 2 fat quarters (18”x22”) of cotton quilting fabric – 9″ zipper – Sewing machine with zipper foot – Optional: medium-weight fusible interfacing Want to print these instructions for later? Finished Size 9-1/2″ long x 6-1/2″ tall All seam allowances are 1/4″ unless otherwise noted. Cutting: From outer fabric, cut (2) rectangles 10″ x 7″ and (2) zipper tabs tabs 1-1/2” x 3”. From lining fabric, cut (2) rectangles 10″ x 7″. Assembly: Fold zipper tabs in half widthwise, to make a square shape. Position other folded zipper tab so fold just overlaps edge of zipper pull. Now, it’s time to attach the lining!
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. 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? First of all, all machines are different. Take note: Lighter fabrics work best for this technique. Then start winding. ……..and then put it into the machine.