I'm so honored that Linsday (The Cottage Mama) asked me to preview and make one of her new patterns! I had the opportunity to sew the Ruby Dress pattern for the Cottage Mama Sewing Patterns Blog Tour. Yay! I loved it!
Did I mention her patterns are paper patterns? No piecing anything together. And this Ruby pattern comes in sizes 6 months to 10 years. I love patterns that come in many sizes!
The Ruby dress is a normal sleeveless A-line dress but it comes with 3 variations. One simple, one with a front panel and one with ruffles. I chose to make the ruffles.
I had just the right fabrics in my stash for this dress. I love the combo here. Girly and modern in a timeless style.
I love the front panel.
And I only used one shoulder button on each side where the pattern called for 2. I just didn't want to go to the store I was too excited to finish. And I love this fabric covered button.
Interested in seeing more finished Cottage Mama dresses? Check out the blog tour! Want to follow The Cottage Mama?
I often receive emails from readers with photos of their completed projects they found here. I've been really awful about sharing them but this photo was too beautiful not to share! Anita made this teepee from the ruffled teepee tutorial from Sewing in No Man's Land.
Let's have some more fun window shopping! Do you want to make this dress? I thought the handbag was so cute! And those Tom's shoes are adorable. But seriously, the necklace? Perfect for any serious fabric fanatic.
Sewing stripes can be intimidating. I brought up the subject on Facebook last week and many of you said stripes were out of your league. It is true, stripes can be fussy and the thought of lining them up sometimes makes my head spin but with these tips you'll find it is very doable and you'll be buying stripes from now on!
Tips for Cutting Striped Fabric:
1. When a pattern piece says "cut on fold", trace the pattern then flip the pattern over and trace again making a full piece that doesn't need to be cut on fold.
3. Line your key curves or points of the pattern up on a stripe edge. This will make it easier to determine if the opposite side is lined up in the same place. It will also make sure your dress doesn't end up looking crooked with stripes sloping down. Iron freezer paper in place then cut.
4. After cutting your front piece line up your back piece carefully. Make sure the key points are lined up at the same place on the stripe. If the bottom of the armpits are all lined up at the top of a red line you know the rest of the pattern should be aligned. Especially IF...
5. Do not stretch knit fabric when laying it down or cutting.
Tips for Sewing Stripes
1. Pin
2. Pin
3. Pin
This striped fabric made this fun maxi dress. If you follow me on Facebook you probably know the Go To Dress pattern is going to be released again soon is now available in sizes 12mo-12. There are many fun lengths and options too. I can't wait until you see this pattern. I'm certain you'll find it extremely useful!
It was so fun putting an outfit together last week that I thought I'd give it another shot! Sew this knockoff outfit for yourself! Would you make this?
Sometimes I like to peruse Pinterest for outfits, pretending to be fashionable. Because, let's face it, I'm really not. I have about 6 outfits in my closet and half of them aren't cute! But sometimes I dream of cute outfits. Like this one, for instance.
I made my first little bow tie for Easter. There were a ton of free tutorials and all of them are similar. I chose to use wool felt as the interfacing as one tutorial suggested. I think it made the bow a bit too puffy and it was difficult to sew through all the layers but I still love it.
Are you joining Elsie Marley for the Kids Clothes Week Challenge? I usually try to join in and this Spring is no different, except this week I'll be making one gazillion Go To Dresses. Ok, maybe not that many, but a lot.
I have the pattern completed and I'm doing some testing and tweeking before sending it to more pattern testers. (Thanks to those of you who volunteered on Facebook! For the rest of you, follow this blog on facebook for further testing opportunities.)
Here's a little peek at the one I completed yesterday.
Are you joining in the KCWC fun?
If you follow me on twitter or Instagram you'll get more peeks into the pattern and samples. I'm TheTrainToCrazy everywhere on the web so look for me!
Sewing a present for a mom-to-be before knowing if the baby is a boy or a girl can be difficult! I was so conflicted last week when I had a baby shower to attend. Should I make some baby sleep dresses? A blanket? I couldn't decide and I was uninspired. Then I remembered this pattern so I made a soft little sleep sack. The pattern was from Handmade Beginnings by Anna Maria Horner and went together easily. It could be made with a solid panel in front, color blocked, patchwork or anything you want really.
I used aqua, green and red to make it neutral. It is lined with flannel and closes with velcro. For colder climates just line with fleece. I used store bought bias tape for the binding but I imagine it would be even cuter if you made your own binding.
Sometimes a simple bed just needs a little something to make it go from boring to fabulous. I bet you can guess that involves a ruffle, of course. Friends, adding a ruffle to a sheet is probably the easiest project you can ever do.
I've posted the full tutotial over at See Kate Sew for her Ruffles 2012 series. Go check it out and see all the other fabulous tutorials!
I spent a lot of time on Pinterest and google images looking for inspiration for my daughter's quilt. I never really found what I was envisioning so I created this Gathered Quilt or Duvet Cover. I'll show you how to make this top with a tutorial and you can quilt it or turn it into a duvet cover if you choose. I actually made it a duvet cover because I thought my daughter would prefer that but I might quilt it down the road. All you need is the ability to sew a straight line and you can make this cover yourself!
I chose some bright quilting cotton fabrics but you could go monochromatic or even use sheets for this. An all white cover would be really cute as well. My daughter just loves, loves color so that is exactly what she got!
Gather your supplies for the top:
neutral or white thread
63-- 21" x 10.5" fabric pieces for top (more if you are making this larger than twin)
63-- 10.5" x 10.5" fabric squares in white or unbleached woven fabric for a "backing" piece. I used muslin.
UPDATED: For 63 squares like this one you'll need 9.25 yards of fabric for the top (assuming 44" wide fabric). You'll get 6 cut pieces per yard if you want to think of it that way. I think I used 9 different fabrics. The squares are 10" square when finished which should help with your math if you are making a different size quilt.
For the backing fabric you'll need 4.6 yards of 44" fabric or a full sized flat sheet.
Step 1-- Gather long sides of fabric pieces. Use a long stitch or a ruffler foot to make the gathered side 10.5" long just as the short side. It will be a square.
Step 2-- Sew gathered piece to a backing piece to stabilize.
Step 3-- Sew squares together! I recommend laying them all out to decide how you want them arranged. I chose to alternate the direction of the gathers to create the look I was going for. Then sew one row together at a time with a 1/4" seam allowance. After the rows are sewn you can finish the edges. I serged mine but you can use a zig zag stitch or pinking sheers if you'd like. This will prevent fraying.
After you have all your rows sewn, sew the rows together. Make sure to pin well and match the corners. Then finish the remaining edges.
Step 4-- Make your cover into a Duvet or Quilt! I used a flat sheet and stacked the cover, right sides together and sewed around the edges leaving a 4 foot opening on one end to stuff the duvet inside. Design Sponge has a tutorial for making a duvet cover if you want more instructions. To make a quilt you'll sandwich the backing piece (the same size as the top), top and cotton quilt batting. Stitch in the ditch (the seam) in a grid to sew the whole thing together. Sew on a binding around the edge. There are tons of quilt tutorials and you tube videos if you need help!
Be warned, this is not a super quick project. It is very easy but takes time!
***Edited: You will save a LOT of time buying a ruffler foot for your sewing machine but if you don't have one you could also save time doing the basting (long) stitch and then pin the top piece to the backing piece THEN pull the thread to gather. I actually don't love this method but a few people have mentioned they like it.
Finding away to display the art of a young artist can be a difficult process for most families. Maybe you've got a great system for saving the gems and tossing the rest but I've not found that method yet. I allow my kids to save or toss as they'd like, taping artwork all over the walls and windows where they see fit. My oldest is especially prolific. She even keeps a roll of tape in her room so she can tape things everywhere. She just turned 7 and for her birthday I gave her a little room makeover and included a fun art display wall. Something that looks fun and allows for creativity without looking crazy and cluttered.
Here is the room before:
Does this girl have food on the brain or what? Fortunately, the room isn't all food art. She has lovely things hanging all over the ceiling too.
Needless to say, this girl needed a gallery wall for her masterpieces. So here it is, the new improved gallery wall:
I had three criteria for the art wall. First, it had to be safe. She doesn't need heavy frames falling on her in an earthquake and glass was out of the question. Second, it had to be easy for her to change the artwork. Third, it had to look good. I think this fits all three.
This is so simple, you'll wonder why you never thought of this. The frames are foam board. Yep, foam board. I bought 4 large pieces of foam board for a couple dollars a piece, cut them and spray painted them then glued on little clothes pins. Simple.
Detailed instructions:
Make a paper template for the shape you'd like then trace that shape on your foam board .
Use an x-acto knife over a self-healing cutting mat to cut your shape. Use a sharp blade and go slow. I cut out all 10 of these shapes and my wrists were pretty sore so maybe take a break in the middle.
Spray paint the front and edges of each board. Or use them white if you'd like. This would still look great on a colored wall.
Glue little clips or Mini Clothespin on the boards. Use a good glue. A hot glue gun will likely not hold well enough over time. I used E-6000.
Let the boards air out for a while before putting them in a child's room I aired them out for a couple weeks. Hang up with Removable Mounting Squares.
Done! I can't wait to see how my little artist fills her gallery wall. Do you have an artist in your house who would appreciate a wall like this?
The problem with losing weight is having to buy new clothes. Often in sizes you don't wish to own. So what do you do when you find yourself wearing jeans that look like this:
No, this won't do! No worries. There is a very quick fix that doesn't involve taking apart waistbands and hems.
1. Put your pants on inside out. Figure out how much extra in the waist and legs you need to take in. PIn the top and carefully step out of the pants.
2. Sew down each side. Make sure to sew an even amount on each side so you don't have a wonky seam up your backside.
Notice here I made an original seam then tried the pants on and realized I wanted to take them in 1/4" on each side so I sewed another seam.
3. Finish the seam. Use a serger, pinking sheers or a zigzag stitch.
4. Sew the seam down at the waist and bottom of the pant leg. The outside will look like this:
Can you see that stitching 1/4" to the left of the seam? The inside will look like this:
Sometimes you will want to take in the inseam as well to get a better fit. Just go for it in the same manor you did the side seams.
Now wear those pants with pride for the next 4 weeks until you go down another size!
OR 
by Anna Maria Horner and went together easily. It could be made with a solid panel in front, color blocked, patchwork or anything you want really. 
, would be a perfect gift! 
to make the gathered side 10.5" long just as the short side. It will be a square.
. 
over a 
to cut your shape. Use a sharp blade and go slow. I cut out all 10 of these shapes and my wrists were pretty sore so maybe take a break in the middle.
on the boards. Use a good glue. A hot glue gun will likely not hold well enough over time. I used 
.
.
