5 posts tagged “sewing”
I made this silk-lined wool cape for my daughter's first birthday, which happens to fall on Halloween. I had purchased the wool way back in high school and used it for baby blankets. I had one long, narrow piece left over that sat in my fabric pile for years while I tried to find a use for it. The silk charmeuse came from scraps left over from making my wedding dress.
I dyed the fabric "fire red" with an acid dye from Dharma Trading. It technically didn't cost anything because it was left over from dyeing fold-over-elastic for cloth diapers. The cloak clasp ($3) came from Twin Roses Designs; it's the Art Nouveau clasp in antique silver. The basket ($0.75) came from a rummage sale and added the perfect finishing touch to the Little Red Riding Hood costume. I used a semi-circular cloak tutorial and modified it for a 12 month old. The cape was 40" in diameter (20" radius) and the neck hole was cut 4 1/2" in from the center (and could have been smaller).
I bought this lambswool sweater at a garage sale last year, originally intending to make an absorbent pad to go underneath my baby. But now that cooler weather has arrived, I decided to turn the sweater into pajamas. My baby doesn't like having any covers on, so I need to keep her warm some other way.
I didn't have a pattern, so I used 12-18 month pants and a shirt for my template. The pajama bottoms came from the arms of the sweater; the wrist cuff became the ankle cuff. I turned the waist edge over about 3/4" and inserted 1/2" wide elastic to keep the waist nice and snug.
The pajama top used the original neckband. You can still see the tag, actually! I cut the pajama arm pieces from the bottom of the sweater, so I only had to hem the bottom of the shirt.
I became frustrated with the mound of papers that always piled up on our kitchen counter, so I decided to make a letter and bill organizer. It has 3 main pockets that hold full-size papers, plus an extra pocket for pens and smaller items.
Materials list:
- main body and pockets: heavy unbleached French linen
- back: lightweight ivory French linen
- hanging strap: linen book tape
- support: wooden dowel, 1/4" to 1/2" diameter
- Large pockets (cut 3): 16" wide on top, 9" high, and 14" wide on bottom (slope sides evenly towards the center)
- Small pocket (cut 1): 11" wide x 7" high
- Main body piece (cut 1) 16" wide x 20" high
- Back piece (cut 1): 16" wide x 20" high
- Hanging strap (cut 1): 16" long
- Cut pockets (3 large and 1 small), main body piece, and backing piece.
- Hem 3 large pockets: press top (longest edge) and sides under 5/8" and stitch down 1/2" from pressed edges.
- Hem small pocket: press under all sides 5/8" and stitch 1/2" from pressed edges.
- Pin small pocket to one of the large pockets, coming on closer than 1" to the bottom edge of the large pocket. Stitch down on sides and bottom. Add vertical stitching lines as desired for holding pens and pencils. This large pocket will be the bottom most pocket on the finished organizer.
- Mark stitching lines on main body piece 3", 6", and 9" from the bottom edge.
- Flip large pockets upside down, so the right side is facing the main body piece and the raw (shorter) bottom edge is facing the top of the body piece. Pin the three large pockets in place along the stitching lines, overlapping the raw edge 5/8". Stitch down all three pieces.
- Flip up the three large pockets, pressing down where the the bottom edge of the pocket folds upwards. Pin the top pocket in place, leaving the top edge slack so it hangs open. Each edge of the pocket should be no closer than 1" from the raw edge of the main body piece. Stitch down 1/8" from edge on sides and bottom of the pocket. Repeat with the other two pockets.
- Stitch hanging strap or rope onto top edge of main body piece, raw edges facing upwards (the rope will be sandwiched inbetween the body piece and backing, and will emerge once it's turned inside-out).
- Place backing over the main body piece, right sides together. Pin and stitch all around, leaving a few inches on the bottom for turning right-side out, and a 1" gap on the upper left side for inserting the dowel.
- Turn, press, and topstitch, avoiding the dowel pocket opening on the left side.
- Stitch horizontally 1" from the top edge, creating a pocket for the wooden dowel.
- Cut a dowel 1/2" shorter than the finished width of the organizer, insert, and hang!
I sewed these Harry Potter flags two Christmases ago for my nieces and nephews who were coming to visit. The flags are about two feet wide by three feet long. I made different finial shapes for each flag bottom. The flags are made of two layers of cotton.
To design the appliques, made of a pebbly/shiny satin, I enlarged the Hogswart house emblems on a grid pattern until they fit the flag size. I used double-faced iron-on interfacing to secure the appliques to the fabric (although I've since found an even easier way to do this: a glue stick!). I zig-zag stitched the appliques on with matching metallic thread, adding additional details to outline the animals.
After I sewed the appliques on, I sewed the two sides of the flag together, turned, and pressed. Then I sewed on the coordinating hanging loop. I bought gold colored cording for hanging the flags from a nail. I drilled holes through 3/4" thick dowels, threaded the cording through, and secured the cord with a knot on each side.
