Tutorial: Low and No Sew Scallop Garlands

Scallop Garlands aren't anything new, and I won't pretend to be the first one to write up a tutorial for one, but hopefully this low/no sew tutorial will make the construction process quicker, and easier.

No Sew Scallop Garland

Materials: 

Bakers Twine (Length of desired garland)

5 inch circles, edges pinked, and pressed in half

Fusible Hem Tape

Iron and ironing board

My garland uses sixteen five inch circles, spaced roughly 1 inch apart, and the total length is approximately six feet.  

I used my accuquilt Go! Baby fabric cutter to cut out the circles-super quick and easy.  Once my circles were cut out, they were pressed in half, and then pinked around the edges (while folded in half).

To assemble the garland all you have to do is open up your scallops, cut a piece of hem tape that is slightly shorter than the length of your scallop, and place it right up against the fold of the circle.  Place your bakers twine on top of the hem tape.  The adhesive on the hem tape will keep the twine in place, and secure the two layers of fabric. Close the scallop. Press.  Repeat. Like I mentioned, my scallops are roughly one inch apart.

Add done.

A super easy no sew scallop garland.  No bias tape, stitching, clipping, or turning required.

Low Sew Scallop Garland

The Low Sew version is constructed in much the same way.  Cut your five inch circles, and press in half.

Pink the edges.  Doing so will eliminate fraying at the edges of the scallops.  I used a pinking blade on my rotary cutter.  It makes quick work of it.

Sandwich your bakers twine inside your pressed scallops.

 Pin in place.

Sew around each scallop, starting at the folded edge, and stitching 1/4" away from the pinked edge.  Backstitch to secure the flags to the bakers twine.

 Repeat with all of your flags.  Press (I obviously hadn't done that here).  Sewing really doesn't take any longer than the no sew version.  It's just a preference.

Enjoy. Thanks for reading!

Tutorial: The Sheer Thing Skirt

Yep, you read it right....skirt, not slip.  The color of the materials gives it a slip like look, but it's a basic sheer overlay skirt with a simple elastic waistband.  The same process that I used to make the Sheer Summer Skirt.  

This skirt requires very little materials, and a small chunk of time.

Materials:

 Elastic (1.5-3 inches wide)-You'll need as much as your waist is wide

3/4 yd Sheer Lace or Chiffon fabric (mine was 58" wide)

3/4 yd Skirt lining fabric (at least 44 inches wide).

Coordinating thread

Sharp Needles (if working for silk, satin, chiffon, or other light fabrics).

Cut your overlay material to 24".  Cut the width in half and remove selvage edges.  This will result in two rectangles (mine were 29"x24").

Cut your skirt lining to 23" long.  Fold in half, cut down the center, and remove selvage edges.  Two rectangles, (22x23").

If the width of the fabrics isn't quite the same as my dimensions it is okay.  I would just make sure that your fabrics are at least 44" wide when purchased.  If you want to overlay material to gather more than the lining, you will want to have it wider than the lining when you begin.**

Place the right sides of both your sheer fabric together, sew side seams and finish edges.  Repeat with lining fabrics.

Create a narrow hem for the skirt lining.  I serged the raw edges, turned it under 3/8", pressed, and stitched.  If you don't have a serger, turn the raw edge under twice to encase the raw edges.

My sheer overlay was a netted lace material that doesn't fray, so I left the bottom edge raw.  You could  serge or sew a narrow hem if needed.

Gather the sheer overlay material along the top edge.  Begin gathering row(s) 1/4" from side seams, and about 1/4" from the top edge of the skirt.  See my gathering tutorial for more information.

**If your materials are the same width, you won't need to gather the overlay.  Simply stay stitch the overlay and lining along the upper edge.

Gather your overlay skirt until it is the same width as your lining fabrics.  Position the overlay so that it sits on the outside of the skirt lining.  Match upper upper edges of the overlay and lining.  Match side seams.  Evenly distribute gathers, and pin along the length of the upper edge.

Stay stitch the lining and the overlay together just outside the gathering line.  Finish raw edges with an overcast serger or zig zag stitch.

Finish off the edges of your elastic using a serger or overcast zig zag stitch.

Match up the ends of your elastic, and stitch them together.

Open up the seam allowance, and press to either side.  Tack down the tail ends so that they lie flat.

Divide both the skirt and the elastic waistband into quarters.  Match up quarter marks, and pin the elastic waistband to the skirt, overlapping by 1/4" to 3/8".  You can further divide the skirt into eighths if you'd like more security when attaching the elastic waistband.

Using a zig zag, narrow zig zag, or three point zig zag stitch, attach the waistband to the skirt.  Stretch the elastic to match up with the skirt as you sew.

That's it.  A basic sheer overlay skirt for summer.  It really is very quick to make, and is nice and breezy for the warm weather.

Thanks for reading!

Fleece Scarflette Tutorial

We have had a relatively mild winter so far, and I've been very happy that I haven't had to bundle up quite as much as usual.  This week, we did receive enough accumulation to send Clark out to make snow angels, and push his dump truck through the snow.  I typically don't love spending long periods of time in the winter weather, but after spending a few days cooped up at the sewing machine, I had to get out.  I was reminded of how much I enjoy my fleece scarflette that I made last year. It provides you with the coverage you need, and stays in place as you walk/run/etc.

I decided that I'd re-post my original tutorial for those of you who may have missed it.  It's a great remnant project, and is a quick beginners project.

One of the problems with a pull over neck warmer, is that fleece often creates quite a bit of static electricity.  Static and hair styles often don't mix.  To avoid pulling the fleece straight over the head, and having every hair on your head standing on end, I added a simple button closure.

There are many possibilities when it comes to making and embellishing these fleece scarflettes.  One other difference between these neck warmers, and the pull over neck warmers, is that these are not quite as tall.  They aren't designed to be pulled over your mouth or chin.

All of the above scarflettes are made with slightly different techniques, so I'm going to show you how to make the one above, and I'll provide a few instructions for making the different variations.

Infinity Circle Scarf Tutorial

I thought that I'd share a tutorial for a simple infinity, or circle scarf.  I know you've probably seen a number of different tutorials for this type of scarf, but they are really easy to make, and very versatile.

You will need one yard of light weight (apparel) fabric.  This particular material doesn't have any stretch to it, and is some sort of polyester blend.  I bought it at a discount fabric store, and unfortunately they never give you much information about the material. Voile would be a great choice for this type of project.

You will cut your yard of material into two eighteen inch strips.  My original piece of fabric was 36"x 42", so once cut, I was left with two 18"x 42" strips.

...keep reading...

Sewing for Baby: Infant Hooded Towel and Wash Cloth

At the beginning of last week I whipped up a hooded towel and a couple of wash cloths for our little bun in the oven.  Clark helped me choose the color of the towel, and luckily I had some matching scrap fabric on hand for the hood.  

I followed this hooded towel tutorial from Sew4home.com.  The instructions call for a 30" square of terry cloth, but I opted to purchase an inexpensive towel at Wal-Mart.  I'm sure that you could find an oversized towel that exceeds 30" in width, but mine was 27" wide- so I simply made it a bit smaller.  I ended up having left over material from the length for matching wash cloths. Rather than trimming the wash cloths in bias tape, I serged the edges in contrasting thread.

It's nice to check something off of my "Sew for baby list", and it's also nice to let Clark participate in preparing for the new brother.  

This is a really quick project, and would be perfect for baby showers or newborn gifts.  

Thanks for reading. I'll be back with more projects this week.  I finally figured a way around my uploading issues!

New Friends: Turtle Softies

Ashley from Make It and Love It, recently posted a free (for personal use) pattern and tutorial for these adorable Turtle Softies.  I couldn't help but make up a couple for my boys.

Baby Numero Dos, will have a softie to match his car seat canopy. I used the aqua minky for the underside of the turtle, and the pieces of the shell.

 Clark told me that he wanted to have a green turtle, after going through my fabric scrap pile, we ended up with a green and brown turtle.  The underside of the turtle is brown fleece, the legs and head are brown flannel, and the shell is made up of quilter's cotton.  This little softie is a great project to use up smaller sized fabric scraps.  I don't know why I find so much satisfaction in using up fabric scraps, but I do.  So not only can you use up scraps with this project, but it comes together very quickly, and is perfect for a boy or girl.

You can find Ashley's original post here.

Baby Lovey Cuddle Square: With Tutorial

It seems like when Clark was a few months old he developed a fascination with tags.  He love the tags on clothing, tags on toys, tags on his blankets, etc. Before having him, I never quite understood the need for a cuddle square or lovey, but after dealing with his tag fetish, I realized that it was a wise parent that thought of making a tagged cuddle square. It satisfies the need that some little tactile learners have to pull on tags, and hold their blankets close.

I decided to use some of the scrap fabric and material that I have sitting in my stash to make a cuddle square for Baby #2.  It is a really quick and easy project that even the beginning sewist can tackle.

You'll find the full tutorial below.

The Amazing Spiderman Shirt

Thsssss....You've been webbed, by The Amazing Spiderman...okay just by Clark, but webbed just the same.

Before our trip, I set out to make Clark a short sleeved shirt for the warmer weather.  Sadly, I didn't get the shirt finished before our trip, but it's all finished now.

                            

I mentioned earlier that I prefer subtle references to licensed characters when it comes to clothing.  I'll give in when it comes to pajamas, but if my child is going to be wearing clothing in public, I'd prefer that he not be a walking advertisement. So rather than coming out and slapping "Spiderman" on his shirt in red and blue, we referenced a lesser used name for him, added a small version of an older logo, and tried to mimic the type face and design of the lettering after some of the more vintage titles. Clark and I are both pretty pleased with the results.

I used a freezer paper stencil to transfer the images to the shirt.

I used a brick red knit for an accent color, but stuck to gray, black, and charcoal for the shirt. 

The pattern was made using an existing article of clothing as a guide.  It was my first five pattern piece t-shirt that I've made, and I quite like it.  Both the front and the back of the t-shirt have two separate pieces.

The sleeves and the bottom of the shirt are hemmed with a blind hem stitch.  I am still trying to figure out the best way to get the blind hem to lay completely flat when it is pressed out.  I'm guessing that I probably need to play with the tension on my server.  Any recommendations?

Clark really likes the blind hem detail, he thinks that they look like railroad tracks.

This poor boy has been sick with a stomach bug for a week straight.  He's a trooper and rarely complains, but I am ready to get out of the house.  Hopefully he'll be feeling better soon, I don't know how much more either one of us can handle.  I'm just relieved that I'm through the worst of my morning sickness-it would have been awful if this bug struck three weeks ago.

Thanks for reading.

Comfy Kids Pants

If you've been following Celebrate the Boy on Made, then I'm sure that you've seen Dana's fantastic tutorial on Kids Pants.  Clark seems to run out of pants before anything else, so I decided to make up a pair for him. Normally, I don't like plain pants, but I love the slightly flared leg, and wide hem on these pants.

I ended up shortening Dana's pattern a bit, though I wish that I would have left the length for a wider cuff.  Dana says that the pants fit a slim/tall 2-3 year old.  My son is not quite two and a half, and normally wears a 2T in pants.  These pants were a bit snug through the diaper area.  If he were just wearing undies, they probably would fit a bit more comfortably.  

To be quite honest, I didn't read her tutorial, and I took the liberty of using a 5/8 inch seam allowance.  If I'd used 3/8 of an inch, they would probably have fit better through the behind.

 Clark loves these pants.  They must really be comfortable.  I did sneak one small pocket on the back of the left side of the pants, unfortunately I wasn't able to get a clear shot of it.

Dana recommends doing two stitching lines on the hem of the pants.  I recommend finishing the raw edge of the hem, turning the hem up, and then using a twin needle.  Using a twin needle ensures that your stitch lines are uniform.

Never used a twin needle before?  You can find more information on twin needle stitching here.

Scrap Fabric Bunting

We woke up yesterday to an inch and a half of new snow.  I'm not sure why, but spring is taking it's time making it's appearance.  I'm not expecting 70 degree weather, but having some grass peaking through the snow in my back yard would be quite welcome.

 In an effort to invite spring to Idaho, I made this cheery scrap fabric bunting. It was a quick project, and I am rather pleased with how it turned out.

Each flag of the bunting is made out of two layers of cotton, making it double sided.  Rather than sewing the flags to bias tape or ribbon, I created button holes on each flag.  While button holes aren't my favorite thing to make, the process was relatively painless (thanks to my replacement sewing machine), and the button holes make the bunting very versatile.  I can easily adjust the length of the bunting by adding or removing flags.  I can also remove or add different colors of flags to make the bunting appropriate for the season.

The flags themselves have pinked edges, and a tight zig zag stitch around the perimeter of each flag. Fabric buntings are great ways to use up scrap fabric, decorate for the holidays, and adorn a baby or child's bedroom.  I have a couple of windows in my house with just blinds, no drapes, I'm thinking that this would be a cheerful way to dress them up for spring.

 I'm thinking that I need to make a personalized baby bunting for my sister in law's baby shower next month.  It's going to be cute (assuming that I find the energy to make it).

Thanks for reading, I'll be linking here.