You can use these instructions to make a case for a laptop, tablet reader, or any flat electronic device. Once you get the hang of the construction, these sleeves really only take a couple hours to make, so they’re great weekend projects (and good gift ideas, too).
It’s back-to-school time, and it’s hard not to have school supplies on the brain even if school days are nowhere in sight for some of us! Inspired by the good old-fashioned pencil case, I thought it would be fun to sew a lined, zippered pouch that you can use for pencils, makeup, electronics or anything else you need to organize and tuck away.
Thanks to a few recent online purchases, I had an enormous pile of long brown packing paper strips in my studio. I couldn’t bear to just recycle it; it seemed to have so much crafty potential. So tasked with the challenge of creating a project to help get organized for the new year, I decided to turn that pile of paper into a woven basket.
The Spring Fling Handbag is a good project for a confident beginner, and easily customizable for sewists with more advanced skills. With just one yard of fabric you can welcome spring with a new bag!
The Melissa is a roomy shoulder bag that is patchy FUN!!! PDF purse pattern Melissa handbag.
Free Purse Sewing Pattern - Download - Rachel Handbag
The Rachel Handbag is super cute and convenient too...!
I love the pockets on the front to keep my life somewhat more organized...
Knotted handle attached to rings for fun.
I am happy to share this fun bag with you today! Can you ever have enough cute accessory bags? Finished size is 11.25" x 9.5" wide.
I love making simple totes, they are so easy and come together quickly-which let's be honest, we all like quick projects! The best part of all is that you don't have to cut out a pattern for this, so it makes it that much easier!
And if you haven't noticed yet that you are floating amongst the most heavenly, chubby, sweet little cherub along with a divine assortment of colorful mini pants, I would like to point out the fabulous little knickers that are my latest free pattern for you. Cause I wanted knickers and so did the baby. She said so.
How to make: DIY Bow Tie sewing Tutorial and Free Pattern.
I seem to now be an expert in fashioning bow ties for Derby, weddings, and…dogs?!
Here is the groom’s bowtie from a wedding this summer.
Here are the bow ties I made for a wedding last year:
And, one for Sy for the holidays!
Since these are so IN right now, thought I would give you a tutorial on how I make them!
First, print out the bow tie template here. Tape them together using the marked overlap. This size seems to fit most people, but its easy to add extra if you need it a bit longer.
1.) Use your pattern piece to cut out 4 bow ties from your fabric. Then, cut out just enough fusible interfacing (my fave is Pellon ES114 or 931TD) to cover the bow tie piece, and NOT the neck piece. It’s way too difficult to turn it inside out like that; plus, all of that is under the shirt collar, and doesn’t need to be super crisp.
2.) Take 2 pieces and put them right sides together. Mark a hole for turning inside out. This is the best place to put it; at the thin end, you smash your bow all up getting it through. Starting at one pin, sew with a 1/4″ seam all the way around, stopping at the other pin.
3.) Clip the curves bowing outward, and pizza-slice the seams turning inward. Grade the corners of the ends of the bow tie as well, as shown. This will give you smooth curves and sharp points!
4.) Turn them inside out, push out all the corners and curves, press the you-know-what out of them, then hand stitch the hole closed. I do this little stitch that runs under the fold of the fabric on one side. Then, right where it comes out of one side, I insert it into the other side, run under that fold for about 1/4″, then pop out, and back over to the other side. This makes your seam invisible.
5.) Hang them on a cute chair and take a photo. I really have no explanation for this photo aside from it is cute. 😉
6.) Sew about 2 inches of velcro to each end. Yes yes, this is cheating a bit, but the groom does NOT want to fumble with this bow tie 10 minutes before the ceremony. He still has to TIE it, so he gets the full experience, but this way he can do it nicely the night before. And the velcro is under the collar, so no one will ever know!
Yay! Now GIT TO WORK!
I have decided to ignore the fact that it's getting a little late in the summer, and I am going to do a tutorial on how to make a VERY SIMPLE laminated cotton beach bag, in two sizes!
I know that some of you like a really BIG beach tote, and some of you would rather carry something a little smaller. Therefore I have suggested two sizes for the bag I am going to make. But you can make it any size you want!
