sew – Page 22

April 20, 2009April 20, 2009

bean bags

I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with these bean bags. Originally, I thought zipper pouches, but if I do the standard long rectangle orientation, the art will be sideways. Does that matter? I think it would be better to have the zipper on the top. Is that weird?

bean bags

I also thought they might look cool as box bags, but, again, the art would be sideways. I’m thinking of designing a box bag that is wider at the base so it will stand up on its own.

recycle: Bags were an impulse buy at “The Mother of All Garage Sales.” The flowers were too cute to pass up! Stay tuned for the “after” pic.

April 19, 2009April 19, 2009

wardrobe refashion preparations

I’m getting ready for a two month pledge of not buying any new clothes. Starting May 1, I’m pledging to refashion what I already own. I can’t remember how I found Wardrobe Refashion, but I’m so glad I did. The projects are really inspiring!

I cleaned out my closet a few weeks ago and realized I have plenty of spring and summer clothes, but I’m not in love with a lot of them. Part of the reason is because what I really like I can’t seem to find in stores. I guess that’s the problem with reading all of the cool sewing books and blogs out there. I buy things that are practical. Things that look “fine.”

I want to love my clothes, though. I want them to fit well. Store bought always misses the mark for me with that. I want to take what I have and fix them so they are more than just “fine.”

I don’t think it will be hard to keep the pledge because I don’t really like clothes shopping. Thankfully, patterns aren’t on the “don’t” list. I’ve got a list of tops that I can’t wait to make. I’m just waiting for the next 99 cent Simpllicity sale so I can get started.

Anyone want to join me?

April 18, 2009April 18, 2009

siouxsie t-shirt tote bag

Thanks to some artful sewing inspiration, I’ve finished a project that has been sitting in the to-do pile for way too long.

I wanted to turn one of my ’80s Siouxsie shirts into a tote, but didn’t want a typical floppy t-shirt bag. My friend was planning to throw away (yes, throw away!) this black conference tote. You know the kind: plastic-y canvas material covered in screen-printed logos.

siouxsie before

I used the bag to measure my pieces of the t-shirt and boxed the bottom of both; sewing through the canvas was easier than I thought! Then I slid the t-shirt over the canvas bag, folded down the top and stitched all the way around. I stitched in some velvet ribbon for a tie closure.

siouxsie bag after

This was such an easy way to make a t-shirt bag. I’m really happy with the results and can’t wait to start using it!

recycle: t-shirt came from my closet, tote bag saved from the landfill, velvet ribbon ties from thrifted notions in my stash

April 14, 2009April 27, 2009

how to refashion an ’80s sweater
in five easy steps

UPDATE: Thanks to the Craft Magazine blog for their link to my tutorial!

March is Mending Month over at Craftzine. I’ve been doing a lot of mending lately. I keep a bag next to my desk for whenever I have a little time for sewing a button or fixing a hem. Mending is good for the soul, at least mine anyway.

Last week I posted a scarf I made out of sweater scraps from resizing my brother-in-law’s ’80s style sweaters. It was super easy. I probably wouldn’t try this with an heirloom sweater, but it’s great for all those oversized sweaters you may have collecting dust in the back of your closet.

Step 1
Try on the sweater inside out and pin along the sides and under the arms for a more fitted shape. (I used safety pins for this step.)

Step 2
Lay the sweater flat and adjust the pins make sure your seams are straight and equal in size. (I changed to straight pins at this point.)

sweater tutorial

Step 3
Machine stitch the new side seams with a straight stitch. Then repeat with zigzag stitch to catch the frayed ends. (A serger would be perfect for this.)

sweater tutorial

Step 4
Your seams might be a little wobbly after stitching. Press with a warm steam iron. Use a press cloth if your sweater isn’t 100% wool. Trim excess.

sweater tutorial

Step 5
Turn sweater right side out and press open the seams. That’s it!

sweater tutorial

refashion: Extend the life of your clothes by resizing baggy pieces with a more modern fit.

April 14, 2009April 18, 2009

remote control pillow pattern

from the julie-bird.com archives

UPDATE: Thanks to WhipUp for their link to my pattern!

When it comes to gift giving, it’s really hard to buy for my brother. Same with his girlfriend. They don’t have a lot of time for hobbies because they both work really hard at their jobs and at school. The only thing that is consistent with them is the Hokies. Something burgundy and orange usually goes over well, but how much VT gear can one really want? I decided to ask him. I told him to be honest. Do they both really love the Hokies that much? The answer was YES. So for his birthday, I made him this:

easy remote pillow pattern front

And that’s not even the cool part. Look at the other side:

easy remote pillow pattern front

Because they are so busy with work and school, they wind up watching more games in their living room than down in Blacksburg. I figured a VT-themed remote control pillow would be perfect! What’s even better, I made this out of one of his old VT sweatshirts. He had handed it down to me a few years ago and it had been sitting in my closet for awhile. I figured I’d give it back to him new and improved!

I think this would be a cool gift to make for any sports junkie in your life. It would probably work just as well with a t-shirt. I’d just use a more substantial interfacing to give it structure. I’ve written up a pattern and you can download it here. Let me know if you make one! And as always, drop me a line if you have any questions.

recycle: Use clothing instead of new fabric to make one of a kind creations.

April 13, 2009April 18, 2009

easy kids shorts pattern

from the julie-bird.com archives

UPDATE: Thanks to the Craft Magazine blog for their link to my pattern!

I’ll say right up front, this isn’t an original idea. There are lots of tutorials on the web on how to make kids pants, like here and here. There’s also a cool how-to in The Creative Family.

I also need to note that my daughter really doesn’t need any more pants. She has plenty, and it’s too hot to wear them now anyway. So, I did the next best thing. I made her shorts! (Shhh… she has plenty of shorts, too. I just really wanted to sew these and was looking for an excuse!)

easy kid shorts

They turned out nice. The t-shirt fabric is from one of my old Gap shirts that has a little stretch to it. I didn’t make them too snug, and hopefully they’ll last through the rest of the season.

easy toddler shorts

I used a pair of her shorts as my pattern and traced them onto paper first. The template fits on an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper, so I figured why not share it with the blog world? You can download it here.

Drop me a line and let me know if you make a pair. I’d love to see a photo if you do! Also, this is my first attempt at writing a sewing pattern. Please let me know if something isn’t clear!

recycle: Use large t-shirts instead of new fabric to make soft, comfy kids clothing.

April 1, 2009

whipup.net, crafty nation + christy nelson

Whip Up’s March theme was pattern design. I submitted an article about designing using recycled textiles and it was featured yesterday! You can find my article here. Below are the before and after shots. More pics are here.

upcycled shirt

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Thanks to everyone who voted for Christina’s bag in Crafty Nation’s Craft Off. It won second place!

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My friend Christy is having a super fab giveaway—Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts! While you are there, check out the rest of her site. Have I mentioned that I designed her logo and website? I can’t remember. Anyway, go check it out and enter to win!

March 30, 2009

custom wool felted bag :: black and white

I thought it would be fun to start showing some before and after photos of my bags. Let’s just hope I remember to take the before photos. I tend to get all excited and jump right into a project!

I’m calling this my X and O bag. Can you find them?

custom wool messenger bag

March 29, 2009

i’m a finalist in crafty nation’s craft off!

I entered the denim messenger bag I made for Christina in Crafty Nation’s Craft Off and it’s a finalist!

Head over today and cast your Craft Off vote. You don’t need to be a member or have to sign up in order to participate in the voting. Winners announced on Wednesday! Cross your fingers for me!

craft off finalist