Free Sewing Ideas from Sew Can She

Have you discovered Sew Can She yet?  If you like free sewing ideas you'll want to sign up for her newsletter. When you do you'll receive an email with a link to a new sewing tutorial every day.





You can even submit a sewing tutorial if it's something you think her reader's might be interested in . My keepsake holiday portrait pillow tutorial was included in the Dec. 23 newsletter.

What are you waiting for? Go sign up. 

******************************************** Pin It

An end of year (sewing) quickie

A little quickie sewing project before the year ends....

As I was writing my last post I noticed I had left my Fabric by Fabric One Yard Wonders book open to the Speedy Ruffle Scarf.

If you knew how often I accessorize with scarves you'd understand why this ended up being my first project from the book.


This scarf is designed for knit fabric and really is speedy.

I was able to cut and sew my scarf in about 30 minutes.   I'll be honest, I didn't follow the instructions. I glanced at them, made some changes to the cutting layout and sewed it a bit differently than written.

I used a sparkly purple fabric purchased in the clearance section at Hancock Fabrics. I wish you could see this in person as it looks much nicer than what I could capture with the camera.

Even though I suspect the fabric was meant to be used for Halloween costumes I like my little speedy ruffle scarf. It makes me smile.

********************************************** Pin It

A sweet week

A week of marathon sweet treat baking, followed by a week of marathon sweat treat eating, means I'll need to add more  Zumba workouts to my week.  I swear I must have gained five pounds in the past two weeks alone.  But it was so worth it...my taste buds were in heaven. 

******************************** Pin It

Giveaway Winners: Fabric by Fabric One Yard Wonders book and Cupcake Apron

Thank you to everyone who stopped by and left comments for a chance to win a copy of the new Fabric by Fabric One Yard Wonders or my yummy cupcake pocket apron. 

I must say you are one busy group!  I hope you all take a few minutes to read the comments and visit each other's blogs.  Lots of talent and lots of fun projects are planned with the new year.

The winners are....

Book:  Little Ella Lu, who hopes to sew a valance for her daughter's room as her first project of the new year.   You won a copy of the Fabric by Fabric One Yard Wonders book.  Storey Publishing will send this directly to you after I contact them with your mailing information.


Apron:  Kelli, whose first 2012 project is a Mission Maxi.  Kelly, you won the cupcake apron. 

Congratulations to both of you.  Please check your email and respond back to me by midnight, Monday, Jan. 2, 2012. 

If you didn't win here, be sure to check out the other bloggers participating in the book blog tour.  Of course if you just can't wait head over to your local bookstore and pick up a copy. You won't be disappointed

12/12/2011 Becka's Project Journal

12/13/2011 Craft Buds

12/14/2011 Patch Work Duck Designs

12/15/2011 A Spoonful of Sugar

12/15/2011 Nifty Kidstuff

12/15/2011 Becka's Project Journal

12/16/2011 Nom Nom Nom Nom

12/16/2011 Quaint and Quirky

12/17/2011 ikatbag

12/17/2011 Two Brown Birds

12/18/2011 Sharon Sews

12/19/2011 LBG Studio

12/19/2011 Carolina Fair Designs

12/19/2011 Under Construction

12/20/2011 Little Blue Cottage

12/21/2011 Craftzine

12/21/2011 Neuroses Galore

12/21/2011 Emily Steffen

12/22/2011 Jenna Lou Loves You

12/23/2011 Spincushion

12/27/2011 One Inch World

12/28/2011 Sew Sew Etc.

January ‘12 Lu Lu Carter

January ’12 Fiberosity

January ’12 Zuhause

January ’12 Obsessively Stiching

 

****************************************************

Pin It

Flashback Friday - Merry Christmas circa 1959

Merry Christmas!

***************************************** Pin It

Sew a Barbie Apron: An half circle apron sewing tutorial for 11-1/2" fashion dolls

I love aprons - even itty bitty Barbie(tm) ones.  Since I'm partial to half aprons myself, I figured Barbie could use a new one.

So I whipped one up.

I'll show you how so you can whip one up too.  

Let's get started.  Download the half-circle apron pattern here.  It's an 8-1/2" x 11" PDF document.  (Please let me know if you have trouble downloading the file.) 

Cut one apron body and one rectangle 20" x 1-1/2" for the waistband/ties.

Pin the lace trim on the right side of the apron matching the bottom edge.  Stitch using a 1/4" seam allowance.

 The lace trim after it's stitched to the apron.

Turn the bottom edge towards the wrong side of the apron. Lightly press.

On the right side stitch close to the edge which will hold the hem in place.

Fold the back edge toward the wrong side by 1/4".  Finger press.  Fold another 1/4" toward the wrong side. Press.

Stitch side hem in place.

Staystitch the waist curve by stitching 1/4" from the edge.

Carefully clip to the stitching.  Don't worry if you accidentally clip through the stitches , just restitch.

Mark the center of the waistband using a removable fabric marker or chalk.

Pin the wrong side of the apron to the right side of the waistband matching center.

Stitch the apron to the waistband using a 1/4" seam allowance.

Press the seam toward the waistband.

Continue pressing the long edge of the waistband 1/4" toward the wrong side of the waistband.

Press the other long edge and both short ends of the waistband 1/4" toward the wrong side of the waistband.

Fold the waistband in half wrong sides together. Pin in place over the apron seam.

Stitch close to the edges of the waistband being sure to secure the waistband to the apron.

Tie apron on your Barbie and admire.

Enjoy making your little half aprons.  And if you do make one (or two or three....) please share them in my Flickr account so we can all see your handiwork.

Next post I'll show you how to modify this pattern and sew a double layer apron with a bias tape finish complete with mini-pocket.

For now, I'll leave you with a shot of my little sewing buddy thwarting my attempts to photograph the end results!

*******************************************************

This post is part of:
Get Your Craft On Tuesday at Today's Creative Blog 


******************************************************. Pin It

Fabric by Fabric One Yard Wonders Book Blog Tour - and a giveaway!

12/26/11 - Comments on this post have been closed.  

Have you seen the new One Yard Wonders book?  

I spotted the new book - Fabric by Fabric One Yard Wonders - while browsing the sewing books at my local Barnes & Noble book store.   Something I do quite frequently I might add. I'm really kind of surprised they don't greet me by name. Or at least clear a path for me to the craft book section. And have a cup of chai tea or hot chocolate waiting for me. Oops! Dreaming here.  I'll get back to the book.

Anyway, I already had a copy of the book in my hot little hands because my cupcake apron graces pages 101-103! 

Of course you knew that already if you've been reading my blog as I posted a sneak peek photo from the book release party during PatternReview Day 2011.  Here's a few more photos from the book release party at Crafty Planet on my Flickr page. 

C'mon Sharon! Get to the good stuff...the book review and the giveaway!

All right, all right.

My first thought when I received the book, was "Wow! This baby's big!"  

Followed immediately by "I can't wait to see the projects!" 

I flew right past the first chapter "Fabric Fundamentals" which YOU shouldn't do if you're new (or fairly new) to sewing as it's filled with useful information and makes for a great starting point.

The chapters in this book are divided by fabric type. Each chapter begins with fabric facts and tips for sewing with and caring for that type of fabric. 

Then comes the good part - the projects. 

Lightweight cottons: 9 projects

Quilting-weight cottons: 17 projects

Home dec fabric: 16 projects

Flannel: 8 projects

Woven pile fabrics: 9 projects

Coated fabrics: 12 projects 

Fleece:  8 projects

Knits: 10 projects

Wool: 10 projects

And remember, there are extra patterns in the Barnes and Noble book.

The book ends with a glossary filled with terms and illustrations, a list of resources and the ever-so-fun-to-read contributor bios.  I'm on page 406 and I'm hoping they cut my bio as my dogs are mentioned but not my hubby {oops!}  

Oh! I almost forgot to mention this.  There are 9 sheets of pattern pieces tucked inside the front cover envelope.  I LOVE not having to enlarge the patterns.  Shoot, I've been known to not purchase a book based solely on the fact that the patterns have to be enlarged.  

Here are a few of my favorite  the projects I plan to sew first.  I can't say favorite because honestly there are too many I like.

Now, let's get to the giveaway shall we?

Storey Publishing is very generously giving away one copy of this book!  You do need to have a US mailing address for the book giveaway.  The book will be shipped directly to you from the Publisher.  Thank you Storey Publishing!

However, I'm also giving away one of my cupcake aprons!  You'll get the one pictured below - a yummy combination of chocolate brown and pink trimmed with cream ribbon. And I'll ship worldwide, so everyone is included!

 The giveaway rules:

1. Leave a comment on this post and answer the question:  "What's the first thing you plan on sewing in 2012?"   "What's the first think you plan on sewing or creating in 2012?" I bet you have a lot of creative ideas in the works and I can't wait to hear them!  I plan on finishing a suit I began {gulp} two years ago.
   
2. Please include whether or not you're in the U.S.  
   
3. Please make sure your comment includes an email address where I can reach you if you win. If you write your email in the comments do something like this sewingbysharon at gmail dot com  so it doesn't get harvested by spammers. 
4. Leave your comment by Monday, Dec. 26, 8 a.m. CST.  I'll draw and post winners that afternoon.   First drawn commenter (with an address in the U.S.) wins the book. Second drawn commenter wins the apron.
5. If you follow me on Twitter you'll get another entry - just leave an additional comment letting me know your Twitter ID.   (I'm Sharon_Sews on Twitter.)
6. If you follow my blog you'll get another entry - just  leave an additional comment letting me know you follow my blog. 

Good luck!

And be sure to visit all the other creative contributors who are part of the book blog tour. 

12/12/2011 Becka's Project Journal

12/13/2011 Craft Buds

12/14/2011 Patch Work Duck Designs

12/15/2011 A Spoonful of Sugar

12/15/2011 Nifty Kidstuff

12/15/2011 Becka's Project Journal

12/16/2011 Nom Nom Nom Nom

12/16/2011 Quaint and Quirky

12/17/2011 ikatbag

12/17/2011 Two Brown Birds

12/18/2011 Sharon Sews

12/19/2011 LBG Studio

12/19/2011 Carolina Fair Designs

12/19/2011 Under Construction

12/20/2011 Little Blue Cottage

12/21/2011 Craftzine

12/21/2011 Neuroses Galore

12/21/2011 Emily Steffen

12/22/2011 Jenna Lou Loves You

12/23/2011 Spincushion

12/27/2011 One Inch World

12/28/2011 Sew Sew Etc.

January ‘12 Lu Lu Carter

January ’12 Fiberosity

January ’12 Zuhause

January ’12 Obsessively Stiching

**********************************************************

Pin It

Tips for sewing itty-bitty (Barbie) doll clothes - Part 2

 **** If you're looking for the Barbie Chef Hat instructions, you'll find them on this post *****

Sewing itty-bitty doll clothes continues with part 2 - construction.  You can read part 1 here.

Now that you’ve got the itty bitty patterns cut out - or traced - it's time to start sewing. A bit of practice tempered with patience and you’ll be producing runway worthy fashions for Barbie - other that itty bitty doll - in no time.

Here are some tips that have helped me when sewing these little garments.

• Ditch the serger.  Sergers are great time-savers, but not for Barbie clothes. I've successfully serged clothing for American Girl dolls, but not smaller than that.  (And if you have, please leave tips for us in the comments!) I think they're not the right tool. Not only is it difficult to serge such a small seam, the extra thread created by the serger would result in too much bulk. 

•  Don’t remove pattern pieces.  Keep the pattern pieces pinned to the fabric until you’re ready to sew, or clearly mark which piece is which. The pieces are so small it can be hard to distinguish from one another. and not know until you've sewn the wrong ones together. Trust me. You don’t want to rip out stitches on these little things. 

• Take time to pin.  Until you become very familiar with sewing tiny clothes, take time to pin seams before sewing. One pin will keep the shoulder seams together, while one or two works well for longer seams.  It will help you keep the pattern pieces lined up properly.  Believe it or not, when you’re working with something that small, being off just 1/8” of an inch can affect the entire garment.

• 1/4” seam allowances. I mentioned this in my previous post. Most of the doll clothes patterns are designed with 1/4” seam allowances.  A 1/4” (quarter inch) quilting pressure foot is a great tool that will help you sew the seams accurately.

• Stitch length.  Use a smaller stitch length. When I sew garments for myself I typically set my stitches at 3.5 mm.  When sewing Barbie clothes I use a 2 or 2.5 mm. 
  

• Use flat construction. This simply means to sew pieces together flat whenever possible.  Your goal is to avoid the need to sew in small circular areas. Usually the pattern instructions will be already be written this way. 

For example:

• Top or bodice: Sew the shoulder seams. Finish the neck edge, by hemming, adding lace or sewing on a collar. Finish the center front or center back. Finish the sleeve edges or add a sleeve before sewing the side seams.  If this is the bodice to a dress, sometimes it’s easier to sew the skirt front and back to the bodice before sewing the side seams. The pattern you choose will make that determination.

• Sleeves: Finish the bottom of the sleeve hem and then sew the sleeve to the armhole opening before sewing the underarm and side seam. Could you imagine trying to sew a sleeve into that tiny armhole opening? 

• Pants:  First, sew the side seams. Hem the bottom of the pants. Next, sew the center front and center back (don’t forget to leave an opening at the center back) and finish the waist edge. Lastly, sew the inner leg seams.

• Casings:  Elastic casings are popular in doll clothes – including casings at the waist and at wrists.  Add your casing and elastic flat unless you enjoy wasting hours in frustration as you try and insert elastic into a tiny casing and circle. Secure the elastic in the seam allowance before sewing the seam or your elastic could pop out as the garment is placed on and off the doll.

• Adding elastic:  I have found it much easier, and more durable, to zigzag over soft 1/8” elastic instead of creating a small casing. Don't cut the elastic to the needed length. Instead mark it at the length with chalk or a pin. Gently stretch the elastic as you zigzag, ending with the chalk mark or pin at the seam edge. Cut off the rest of the elastic. Otherwise it can be difficult to sew that last fraction of an inch in place.

• Neck edge facings.  Some patterns will include facings for the neck (and waist) edges. These look absolutely adorable and can actually be easier to add than a tiny hem.  Instead of finishing the facing edge with a hem, consider fray check with the fabric has a tendency to ravel. 

•  Line instead of face. The easiest way to finish the neck edge is to line the entire bodice.  Added bonus? The doll’s outfit will look very professionally sewn.

•  Use Seams Great to finish edges. I know it's designed for finishing seams when sewing garments, but it works beautifully as a bias binding to finish a Barbie sized neck or armhole edge.  Stitch it to the right side of the edge using a 1/4" seam allowance. Carefully clip any curves.  Turn it to the wrong side, finger press and stitch in place.

• Pressing. Just like when sewing for people, Barbie's clothes will look much nicer if you press while you sew. Unlike the big clothes you can get away with finger pressing many of the seams, especially if you're using natural fibers.  The Clover mini-iron also comes in handy when pressing these little seams.

 

•  Sewing my hand.  Sometimes you just can't get the itty bitty item you're working on to behave using the sewing machine.  That's when you just have to get out that hand sewing needle and thread and do a little stitching by hand. 

Next up, I'll share a few tips on trims and closures. 

Until then you can start sewing using one of my Barbie tutorials and sew an apron, (complete with chef hat and oven mitt) a dress or a Snuggie (TM). 

(Parts of this post were originally post on TheCircle.orghttp://www.thecircle.org/sew-barbie-clothes) 

(I'm not affiliated with Mattel or any other doll manufacturer)


12/19/11 Edited to add: Be sure to read the comments as there are some good tips there also.

 ***********************************************
12/19/11 Edited to add:

*************************************************** Pin It

Tips for sewing itty-bitty doll clothes aka Barbie and other 11-1/2" fashion dolls

I've been sewing up a storm!  Just nothing I can share with you yet.

One thing I am working on is some Barbie® doll clothes. 

So, how about some tips for sewing itty-bitty doll clothes?

Having sewn for Barbie® for years and years and years the first piece of advice I'll pass on is to not be afraid. They may be tiny but they really aren't as difficult as they look.

I've got a lot to share so this is a three-part post.  Today is all about patterns and fabric.

First of all, sewing for Barbie® - or any small fashion doll - is actually pretty fun.   You get to create high-quality, one-of-a-kind fashions while saving money.  Nice!

Like many folks, when I first started sewing doll clothes I began by using commercial sewing patterns specifically designed for 11-1/2” fashion dolls.   After awhile I began making my own patterns for miniature versions of the current fashions.

All of the major pattern companies—Butterick, McCall’s, Simplicity and Vogue—at one time or another have all offered patterns for doll clothes. They can be found in craft section of the pattern catalogs. As I write this, McCall’s and Simplicity have 11-1/2" fashion doll clothing patterns available.

You can find out of print patterns on eBay (search Barbie doll patterns), Etsy (search Barbie patterns in Supplies), at thrift shops or garage sales.  Prices can vary greatly. Familiarize yourself with the average price so you don't over pay in your excitement to find the "perfect" pattern.

Barbie's size has changed a little bit over the years so be aware that a fabulous vintage pattern from the early sixties will probably require a bit of tweaking to fit today's Barbie. 

Now I know sewing tiny clothing for tiny doll bodies is more difficult because of itty bitty seams, facings and hem allowances, but a few tips and tricks will have you producing a high fashion wardrobe for your fashion doll in no time.

The pattern

• Trace the pattern pieces. If you plan on sewing the doll outfit multiple times trace the pattern pieces. Otherwise pinning and unpinning those itty bitty pattern pieces will quickly lead to torn and tattered patterns. Use lightweight woven interfacing, pattern-ease or tracing paper from your local art supply store.

• Ensure the pattern markings are inside the cutting lines. Sometimes pattern companies will print the pattern number, piece number, grain line and number to cut outside of the cutting lines of the pattern. You need to transfer that important information to the pattern piece, or else you won’t easily be able to identify the pattern pieces in the future.

• Cut precisely.  Because the seam allowances are only 1/4” and the seams themselves are tiny, it is imperative that you cut accurately. Being off just a fraction of an inch can affect the entire fit of the doll’s garment.

• Add extra to center back seams.   Usually the opening is in the center back.  When cutting out the pattern, add an extra 1/4" to the center back seam to give yourself a little "wiggle" room. If you happen to sew the seams a teeny bit more than 1/4" or discover your fashion  doll is a bit bigger than the pattern you'll be glad to have the extra.

Selecting fabric and trims

• Scraps and remnants. Use up those scraps!  Barbie® doll clothing is a great way to use up scraps from your own sewing projects, from fabric store remnants, fat quarters or even charm packs!  Many items of doll clothing require less than 1/4 yard and some as little as 1/8 yard.

• Upcycle old clothing.  Check thrift stores, estate sales, garage sales or your own pile of clothing waiting to be donated.  Look for tiny prints or expensive fabrics, such as velvet or leather.  Old woman's slips work great for gloves and itty-bitty sized lingerie.

• Cotton fabric. For best results when you’re just starting out, choose a tightly woven cotton fabric, like the cotton you would find in a quilt shop. When working with tiny seams you don’t want to deal with fabric that unravels easily or is difficult to work with.

• Man-made fabric.  Unless you have a little bit of sewing experience under your belt, steer away from some of the man-made fibers as they can be harder to work with. If you’ve ever tried to sew and hem polyester chiffon or a man-made sequin knit you know what I’m talking about. After you’ve perfected your technique with these little garments you’ll gain the confidence you need to work on any fabric.

• Choose solid colors or tiny prints. There are so many beautiful prints out there that it's easy to fall in love with one that isn't the right scale.  A large floral or plaid might be gorgeous on the bolt, but when you try and create a designer outfit for your doll you'll loose all the detail.  Keep the scale in mind when sewing for these tiny creatures and choose small prints.

• Fabric thickness.  Not only do you need to keep the pattern scale in mind, but you need to keep the thickness of the fabric in mind. Not only would a stiff heavy-weight denim or a wide-wale corduroy not look good on a small doll, you’ll discover you won’t be able to turn pant legs or sleeves right side out. 

•  Trims.  Doll clothing is the perfect way to use up scraps of trim that are too beautiful to toss. Almost any trim will work, but again, keep the scale in mind. Use narrow ribbons, trims and pieces of tulle.  Prehere.

Sewing the itty bitty fashions

Next post I’ll share tips and tricks for successfully sewing the itty bitty doll clothes. If you have any specific questions about sewing Barbie® clothes, please leave a comment so I can be sure to address them in my next post.

In the meantime, if you're ready to get started why not follow one of my tutorials and sew Barbie and apron, a dress or a Snuggie (TM)? 

(Parts of this post were originally post on TheCircle.orghttp://www.thecircle.org/sew-barbie-clothes) 

(I'm not affiliated with Mattel or any other doll manufacturer)

***************************************************************

Pin It

A bundle of joy

This little bundle of joy was discovered while shopping for Christmas decorations at a local Tuesday Morning store.  If you're curious, it's a Liberty Mayfair fat quarter bundle and will work perfectly for a project I have in the works.


**************************************** Pin It