Sewing

Top Row: Apron in an Hour, Tote Bag, Cathedral Window Quilt. Bottom Row: Summer Wallet, Shirred Twirly Dress, Don’t Get Out of Bed Pants.

And finally, all of the craft/sewing tutorials that were left in the comments to my Giveaway Day post. Thank you again to everyone who participated! These tutorials are so amazing, and they will keep me busy all summer. I hope you find some new, fun things to make as well!

Crafts:

• Fabric Basket
• Summer Wallet
• Pleated Pouch
• Patchwork Cube Drawstring Bag
• Apron in an Hour
• Fabric Calendar
• Silverware Caddy
• Round Luggage Tag
• Bunny Bowling
• Strawberry Fields Pillow
• Sewn Stash Baskets
• Moleskine-Like-Notebook
• Lil Cutie Pouches
• Tutowlrial
• Ironing Board Cover

Clothes:

• Corsage Tee
• 5-minute Hairkerchief
• Spring Ruffle Top
• Layer Skirt
• Ruffle Shirt
• Don’t Get Out of Bed Pants

Bags:

• The Jordy Bag
• Tote Bag
• Apple Picking Tote
• Ruffle Shoulder Bag
• Margaret Sling Bag

Kids:

• Toddler Bib
• Lazy Days Skirt
• Popover Sundress
• One Hour Sundress
• Shirred Twirly Dress
• Rag Quilt Letters
• The Market Skirt
• Baby Tights
• Bitty Booties

Quilts:

• Cathedral Window Quilt
• Modern Square Garden Quilt
• Quilt Along
• Wonky Log Cabin Quilt Blocks
• Wedding Quilt
• 1st Quilt Ever

My coworker carries a great bag like this that you can fold up into the cute accent pocket. I knew it couldn’t be too hard to make one for myself, so I measured her bag and got to work. It’s the perfect size to fit into my bike basket and to pick up groceries from the farmers market or corner store.

And it can be stuffed into the pocket so I can carry extra with me for shopping. Cute, eh? I put together a tutorial so that you, too, can make foldable (er, stuffable) tote bags!

Step 1: Gather Materials

You will need:

• 2 14″x16″ rectangles of main fabric
• 2 2″x27″ strips of main fabric
• 1 10.5″x10.5″ square of accent fabric, cut in half on diagonal to make 2 triangles
• 32″ cord
• Cord stop

Step 2: Make Straps

With right sides together, fold long strips in half hot-dog bun style. Sew 1/4″ from raw edges. Flip rightside out and iron.

Step 3: Attach Straps

Pin straps to top of main bag pieces 4″ in from each side. Baste 1/4″ from raw edges.

Step 4: Hem Top Edge

Iron down 1/4″ and then 1″. Sew close to bottom fold.

Step 5: Finish Top Edge

Fold straps up and sew all the way across, 1/4″ from top. Set main bag pieces aside.

Step 6: Prep Pocket

Iron one corner of one triangle 3″ up one side (wrong sides together), flush with the edge. Iron the other corner of one triangle 1.5″ up one side (wrong sides together), flush with the edge. Do the same thing with the other triangle, but on opposite corners. The triangles should be mirrors of each other.

Step 7: Hem Pocket

Iron down 1/4″ then 3/4″ of hypotenuse. Sew close to bottom fold.

Step 8: Add Cord

String the cord through both triangles, with pointy tips of triangles touching. Tails on either end should be about the same length.

Step 9: Sew Around Bag

Line up all pieces of your bag with right sides out. The triangles will fit on either side of the bag, like a tote bag sandwich. Sew around sides and bottom, 1/4″ from edge. Be sure not to sew over your cord tails.

Step 10: Finish Bag

Turn bag inside out and iron flat. Sew around sides and bottom, 1/2″ from edge. Be sure not to sew over your cord tails.

Step 11: Cord Stop

Turn bag right side out and pull out corners with a pin. String cord stop onto the tails. Tie the tails into a knot and trim ends.

You’re done!! Now you have a super cute bag that can be stuffed into the pocket so that you can go from this…

To this!

Look at that! I have an extra one tucked inside my bag. Check back next weekend for a chance to win that extra bag! (Hooray for Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Day!)

Whew! Christmas is over and it’s halfway through January! How did that happen? We finally got our Christmas tree out of the house today and are now starting to enjoy some of the great gifts that we received. My brother-in-law gave me the amazing King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion cookbook for Christmas. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about baking bread. It’s such a well-written cookbook and I want to make every recipe in it! I’ve made a few so far, and the recipes are super easy to follow and so delicious.

With all of the bread I’ve been baking, I’ve been struggling to find a container to store and carry the bread in. I wanted to bring it places to share with people and none of my tupperware containers were the size of a bread loaf. So I decided to fashion a convertible, washable, colorful, portable, fabric bread box! And lucky for you, I took pictures throughout the process so that you can make one, too!

I made it to fit a small cutting board in the bottom so that I can just untie the straps, open it up, and cut right there. Then when I’m done, all I need to do is retie the straps. All of the crumbs are contained within! And if the fabric needs washing, I can just remove the cardboard inserts and throw the whole thing in the washing machine.

Here goes nothing! Please let me know if anything is unclear. I can try my best to clear it up for you!

Step 1: Cut out your fabric.

Outside fabric (1/2 yard total):
(2) 22” x 6” (tops)
(1) 18.5” x 22” (main piece)

Lining fabric (3/4 yard total):
(1) 12″ x 8.5″ (center piece)
(4) 6″ x 6″ (corners)
(2) 12″ x 6″ (long sides)
(2) 8.5″ x 6″ (short sides)
(2) 22″ x 6″ (tops)
(1) 4.5′ x 3” (long strap)
(4) 12″ x 2” (short straps)

Step 2: With right sides together, line up long edges of the main piece and top pieces of your outside fabric. Measure 5.5″ in from each corner and pin. Sew between pins. Set aside.

Step 3: Hem one edge of the lining center piece and each side piece (Iron down 1/4″ and then another 1/4″ and sew). These hemmed edges will be the entrance slots to slide cardboard inserts in and out.

Step 4: Baste one edge of each corner square down. (Iron down 1/2″ and baste.)

Step 5: Attach a corner square to the unfinished end of each side piece as seen here, lining up raw outside edges. The basted edge of each square will line up with the hemmed edge of another side piece.

Step 6: Attach long sides to center piece, lining up with the hemmed edge of center piece.

Step 7: Attach one short side to center (along the non-hemmed edge of center piece). The other short side will stay separate until you attach the lining to the outside fabric (next). Speaking of that separate short side: go ahead and baste down 1/2″ on the edge that will lay next to the hemmed center piece.

Step 8: Attach top pieces to long sides. (Only to the long sides, don’t sew the top pieces to corner squares. I didn’t take a picture of that step by itself, but you can see it attached in this photo.) Lay lining on top of outside fabric with right sides together. Pin. Sew around the whole thing, as shown here. It’s a little tricky to sew around the top flaps, so take it slow. Trim corners and flip right side out.

Step 9: Top stitch 1/4″ around the outside edge. Top stitch along all seams, tacking down all those places that you previously basted 1/2″ under. Be careful to leave the hemmed edge of each of those cardboard insert slots free.

Step 10: Iron strap pieces in half. Sew, trim excess fabric. Flip right-side out and iron again.

Step 11: Turn under strap edges and sew.

Step 12: Line up the center of the long strap with the center of the outside fabric. Attach at top-stitch lines (see circled areas above). Attach side straps to corners as seen above.

Step 13: Cut cardboard to fit in slots. Slip in. The cardboard is removable so that you can wash the fabric in a washing machine at any time.

Step 14: Fold up, tie short straps along long side to form a box. Tuck in top flaps and tie long strap across the top. Carry bread wherever you please!

Let me know if you make one! Happy bread making and sharing!

My good friend from high school recently had her second baby, so I was finally able to put Pretty Partridge’s World’s Easiest Applique Tutorial to use. I decorated a onesie for the new baby and a shirt for her big (little) sister. Pretty Partridge’s tutorial is super easy to follow and I love the results! I would recommend this tutorial for anyone looking for a simple, thoughtful, and adorable gift for a baby/kid this Christmas.

Congrats Sandy and Matt! I can’t wait to meet your new little one!

Remember that great organic cotton fabric I won back in May? It moved across the country with me and has been sitting on top of my fabric pile, guilting me daily for not putting it to good use. Well, I finally found a perfect use for it! I used Sparkle Power!’s great Super Easy Removable Pillow Cover Tutorial to add some decoration to our couch. It really was the simplest project – no zippers or hand-sewing seams closed. Just a few straight lines and then shoving a pillow inside. Thanks Sparkle Power!

My husband tried to throw out a pile of old sweaters that have been collecting dust in the closet. Luckily I caught him before the sweaters left the house, and they got added to my pile of fabric scraps.

My first project with them was to make these cute little pocket warmers. They can be heated up in the microwave and slipped into your (or a loved ones) coat pockets in the morning before heading out to brave the cold weather. Even though Oregon isn’t quite as cold as Wisconsin was, it’s still nice to have a little warmth for my cold fingers while waiting for the bus!

Step 1: Cut off a section of the sleeve. Repeat with the other sleeve so that you have 2 pieces that are the same size. I cut mine ~5″ long, but you can make yours bigger or smaller, depending on the size of the pockets that they will go into!

Step 2: Turn the fabric inside-out, and sew up the openings, leaving an ~1″ opening on one end.

Step 3: Turn the fabric right side-out through the opening that you left. Fill with dry beans, lentils, rice, pie weights, or whatever you have on hand that will withstand microwaving.

Step 4: Hand sew opening closed.

Step 5: Now you have two soft and cute bean bags! Microwave for 2-3 minutes.

Step 6: Slip into your coat pocket and enjoy the warmth!

I won my first blog giveaway! Wooo! The Long Thread had a great series of giveaways for Earth Week, and I was lucky enough to win one! Yesterday I received a yard of fabric and a tote bag from Mod Green Pod (check them out – they have beautiful certified organic cotton fabrics).

Any ideas on what I should make with my fabric?

Happy Spring! Who knew 45* F would feel so warm? After a very long Wisconsin winter, it feels positively balmy!

Dave got home last night from visiting the University of Oregon. He said if Portland and Ithaca had a baby, it would be Eugene. That sounds pretty good to me! He really liked the campus and the architecture program, so we may very well be heading back out west. We’ll be making our final decision next week. While he was gone, I made him this amigurumi fox from Tiny Yarn Animals: Amigurumi Friends to Make and Enjoy. He is by no means “tiny,” but he’s still pretty cute.

I also made myself a present this week. I made this Buttercup Bag from a pattern by Made By Rae. I lined it with some great tiny heart fabric that I found at a garage sale years ago. The pattern is super simple, and it can be easily made in an evening.

Happy Easter weekend everyone!

Our house has terrible lighting, so I’m constantly fighting to try and get nice photos of my crafts. I finally decided it was time to make a light tent. I found this great tutorial from Digital Photography School to make one with mostly supplies I had laying around. I don’t know what “bristol board” is, so I just used poster board.

Here’s my light tent in action. It worked like a charm! Now I’ve got to find some fun colored poster board so I can have different backgrounds.

My husband got into his first architecture graduate program this week! Congratulations Dave! I thought that warranted a pencil case (using my tutorial) for him to keep all of his cool architecture pencils in next year. And look how beautifully it photographed in my new light tent.

I saw this great Little Boxy Pouch tutorial on Sew, Mama, Sew the other day, and I just had to make one for myself. But I couldn’t really think of a good use for my little (very adorable) pouch. So I altered the pattern quite a bit by changing the size and adding a lining and some tabs to make myself a cute little boxy pencil case. I took photos of my steps so that I could share my pattern with you! This is my first time altering a pattern and my first sewing tutorial, so please let me know if anything doesn’t make sense. Or if you have a better way to do any of the steps!

Step 1: Gather materials

Cut fabric:

• Two 5″ x 11″ pieces of main fabric
• Two 5″ x 11″ pieces of lining fabric
• Two 5″ x 11″ pieces of iron-on interfacing
• One 4″ x 8″ piece of lining fabric

You’ll also need:

• Zipper at least 12″ long

Step 2: Iron interfacing to wrong side of lining fabric.

Step 3: Baste right sides of lining fabric together along 1 long edge. Iron seam allowance open.

Step 4: Iron down 1/2″ (wrong sides together) along long ends of main fabric. (ug, my fabric is so wrinkly!! I tried so hard to get it to iron flat, and failed miserably. But isn’t this the cutest striped fabric? I found it at IKEA.)

Step 5: Lay wrong side of zipper along seam of lining fabric (I used an extra long zipper and just let both ends hang over the side. It’s okay, you can cut it later). Pin folded edge of main fabric on top, along the side of the zipper. Stitch close to zipper using a zipper foot.

Step 6: Repeat with remaining piece of main fabric.

Step 7: Use a seam ripper to pull out seam in lining.

Here’s what you should have.

Step 8: Pin right sides of remaining long edges together. Sew, leaving a ~3″ gap on the lining side.

Here it is stitched, with a little gap left in the lining section. This is what you’ll use to flip your work right-side out. Iron seam allowances open.

Step 9: Remember that smaller piece of lining fabric you cut out? Fold right sides together and stitch. Iron seam allowance open.

Step 10: Flip right-side out, iron with seam in center, and cut in half. These will be your tabs.

Step 11: Okay, here’s a tricky part (or at least tricky for me to explain). Pin your fabrics in the order: bottom seam of lining, zipper, one of your tabs folded in half with seams together, and finally bottom seam of main fabric.  Make sure that your zipper pull is pulled to the middle of your work.

Step 12: Sew up both sides. Trim zipper (again, make sure your pull is in the middle! I don’t want anyone trimming off the section that contains the pull!).

Step 13: Turn your work right side out through that 3″ hole you left in the bottom seam of the lining. Slip stitch seam closed. Keyka Lou has a great tutorial on How to Slip Stich a Seam Closed.

Here’s what you should have so far. You can stop here if you want a flat case, or keep going if you want it to be boxy.

Step 14: Working with your pouch inside-out, pinch corners into triangles with seam running straight down the center. Sew perpendicular to seam. The longer the line that you sew, the taller your case will be.

Step 15: Ta-da! Make one to fit your pencils, makeup, crochet hooks, knitting needles, or whatever you can think of! It’s really simple to just change the dimensions to get different shapes. Let me know if you decide to make one and send me the photos.