These fabric-wrapped balls are super-easy to make, and they work beautifully as Christmas tree ornaments or as everyday decor! There are a number of tutorials out there already, but I tried a few, and I just wasn’t thrilled with the results. I wanted the fabric to sit flush up against the ball without having to glue the entire strip down. The trick? Cut your fabric on the bias! When you cut on the bias, you get just enough stretch to allow the fabric to fit around the curve on the ball, and you only have to glue the ends down. Ready for the quick tutorial?
Lord of the Rings Ranger Costume for CraftingCon
I’m guest posting today for CraftingCon at Friends Stitched Together! My Allen has been begging me to make him a Lord of the Rings Ithilien Ranger costume for what seems like ages, and since this month’s CraftingCon theme is LOTR/Hobbit-inspired, it was the perfect time to finally do it. Pop over and read all about it, and see my tips for making a great costume without spending too much time or money: Ithilien Ranger with Fishsticks Designs.
Original post from CraftingCon:
Hi, there, fellow sewing enthusiasts! I’m thrilled to get to visit Crafting Con today! If you’ve ever stopped in at my blog or even my pattern shop, then you probably know that I’m first and foremost a practical seamstress. It’s one of the reasons that I love following Crafting Con! Taking inspiration from your favorite books and movies and creating everyday wear? That is cool! I’m learning, though, that there is value in sometimes going all out and creating an actual costume. I have always avoided sewing costumes because they’re a lot of work, and they tend to not get a lot of wear. However, in the last few years, with plenty of influence from my husband, my teens have grown into self-proclaimed fantasy-crazed geeks. Really! My fifteen-year-old has been planning a Lord of the Rings/Hobbit live action role play for ages. He’s got this huge collection of stuff growing in his closet because, “I can use that for LARP!” (When does it stop being planning and turn into hoarding?)
Part of his plan, of course, was a costume, and since his mom happens to sew for a living, why wouldn’t she make it for him? Well, because she’s always busy sewing something more practical! He asked me one day, “Remember a few months ago when you told me that you would sew my Ranger costume next month? When exactly is that month?” I knew then that I had to just make time to do it!
Because this is a costume, and not everyday clothing, I did things a bit differently than the way I would normally do them. I wanted a nice outfit for Allen, but I also wanted to save time and keep the cost under control, and I found a whole list of ways to do that!
I used a linen-look fabric from Joann for the vest instead of actual linen. It was less expensive, and I appreciate the fact that it’s easy-care. I chose a vinyl faux leather for the overlay for the same reason. After a lengthy discussion of what to use for the lace, we found an old boot and recycled the … um … lace. (Yeah. Sometimes the obvious choice just doesn’t come as quickly as you would think.)Instead of installing grommets for the laces, I just used punches and a hammer to make the holes and left them otherwise unfinished.
The cloak would have been a huge fabric hog if I had lined it. Instead, I used one layer of fabric and made French seams so that you wouldn’t see raw edges when the cloak blew in the wind. I also seamed the hood down the top since it allowed me to use less fabric. (I sort of wish that I had reconsidered that choice, though. I really don’t care for the look of hoods with seams on top. Since it’s a costume, though, I’ll live with it.)
Allen is absolutely thrilled with this whole outfit, and I’m so glad that I finally made him a costume, regardless of it’s practicality! I just hope that I can convince him not to try and wear it as everyday clothing!
It’s Giveaway Day!!
It’s Giveaway Day at Sew Mama Sew, and I’m giving away a six-pack of Fishsticks Designs Sewing Patterns! The winner will get to choose any six paper or PDF patterns from my shop.
Lego Travel Bag~A Tutorial
My second Handmade Holiday idea for 2014 is this Lego on-the-go Travel Bag! This tutorial originally appeared on Today’s Creative Blog in July of 2013 as part of their Celebrate Summer Series, but it’s a great gift idea, too … says the mom who has stepped on a billion and one Legos in the middle of the night. It’s a good thing to give those little things their own special storage space!
Chalkboard Art~A Tutorial
I love sharing handmade holiday ideas with you each year, and I’m excited that I’m actually starting early in the month this time! Some of the ideas that I’ll share will include complete tutorials, some will be a little less structured (like today’s) and give you some ideas while pointing you to other tutorials or patterns.
I have wanted a giant piece of artwork with Isaiah 9:6 for our fireplace mantel for the last few Christmases, and this year we made one! Oh, and it was really fast, really easy and fairly inexpensive! I started with the free chalkboard background from How to Nest for Less. Erin suggests only printing it as an 8X10, but I found that it worked beautifully for a much larger print. I used Gimp, which is a free downloadable image manipulation software, and I cropped the background to 2250 X 3375 at 125 pixels/inch. This gave me a printed image of 18″ X 27″.
The Jungle Jalopy Zippered Pouch Tutorial & a Huge Giveaway!
I’m over at Skip My Lou today with a brand new gift tutorial as a part of this year’s edition of the Bake, Craft, Sew & Crochet Along! Just click right here to find the Jungle Jalopy Zippered Pouch Tutorial. Read on for your chance to win a beautiful new Babylock Sewing Machine!
This is one AMAZING giveaway! She is a beauty and her name is Rachel.
Quick Handmade Gift Ideas Using Go Fish Patterns
Do you love giving handmade gifts for Christmas? I do, too! But, who wants to spend the whole holiday season in their craft room sewing? Quick-sew projects that result in gifts the recipient will use and enjoy are the best! My Go Fish Patterns are some of the quickest around, and at a cost of only $4.25 each, they’re inexpensive, too! I thought I would take a bit of time to sew up a few Go Fish projects and share some gift ideas with you! Most of these combine a little something store-bought with something handmade. You don’t have to add extras, of course, but sometimes those little things round out a gift quite nicely.First up, check out those Grab ‘n Go Drawstring Bags in the title image above! Santa Sacks seem to be the “in thing” this year, and you can sew your own in no time at all! Use one to carry gifts to a party, or sew up one for each of your children to leave for Santa to fill on Christmas Eve. Drawstring bags make great reusable gift bags, too, and it’s really simple to change the dimensions to make whatever size you need!
Since we’re already chatting about drawstring bags, they’re a gift that can work for many people on your list! Fill a pretty flowered drawstring bag with yarn and knitting needles for your daughter, or sew one using a transportation print to fill with Hot Wheels cars for your grandson. We have this silly annual Nerf gun battle on Christmas morning at our house, and I’ve learned that little drawstring bags are perfect for keeping track of those little foam darts! Once you start making these bags, you’ll start finding tons of uses for them.
A teen or college-age niece would be thrilled to receive a handmade Wherever You Go Wallet with a gas card or even cash tucked inside! Choose a fabric that fits her personality, and maybe add a matching key fob using my free tutorial, too.
Pack a Fun-to-Go Kids Tote with activity books, little toys and snacks instead of filling a stocking, and you’ll have a gift that can be used all year long.
Give a set of Time to Go Shopping Sacks with a grocery store gift card for a practical and environmentally friendly gift. Don’t feel like you have to use traditional fabric on these like I did! One of my customers sewed Spiderman grocery sacks for her mom who loves comic book superheroes. It’s way more fun to shop when your bags make you smile!Sew a Beauty to Go Clutch and fill it with new makeup brushes, add your favorite facial wash and perhaps a gift card from your favorite independent beauty consultant or your local cosmetic store. (Support small business owners whenever you can!)Potholders are a fairly traditional handmade gift, and you can really never have too many. What couple wouldn’t enjoy a gift basket that includes a set of Momma’s Go To Potholders, along with utensils and mixes for their favorite foods? You could even add a Go Bake Something Apron … or a matching set of aprons for husband and wife?
The Fold & Go Art Kit with crayons and new coloring books is a quick and useful gift for preschool through elementary. You could even substitute mini colored pencils or mini washable markers.
Finally, the quickest sew in my Go Fish series – the On-the-Go Travel Pillow! This one could easily become your go-to night-before-the-party project. Add a couple of age-appropriate books and this makes a great gift! These are new books, but be sure to check your local used bookstore to build up a stash. Ours carries Little Golden Books for $.50 each! Oh, and these pillows don’t just work for little ones, even teens need a place to rest their heads on trips and at sleepovers. Just choose a fabric that personalizes it for the receiver!
Now all you need to do is go buy your Go Fish patterns, find the perfect fabrics and set aside a little bit of time for sewing! I would love to see what you sew! Add a link in the comments, or come join us in the Fishsticks Designs Sewing Group to share!
SMS Handmade Holidays ~ Gifts for Boys
Have you been following along with the 2014 edition of Handmade Holidays at Sew Mama Sew? I’m the guest curator today, and I’ve put together a list of tutorials just for those of you with boys (little and big) on your holiday sewing lists! Just click right here to read all about them!I’m also working on putting together some quick gift ideas for everyone on your list using my Go Fish Patterns. I’ll have those right here tomorrow morning. Don’t forget that all of my Go Fish Patterns are on sale through Saturday! You can find those details right here.
The Daphne Bag from Clover & Violet {Pattern Parcel}
Have you seen the great collection of handbag patterns that are included with Pattern Parcel #7? You can pop over and check them all out by clicking the image below, and read on to see my version of the Daphne Bag from Clover & Violet!
Here at Perfect Pattern Parcel, we believe in supporting independent pattern designers. It’s our opinion that indie patterns are just, well, better than big box patterns, and we’re pretty sure our customers think so too. So, we allow customers to show their support in naming their own price for each Parcel. We also encourage customers to allocate part of their Parcel price to the charity Donorschoose.org in order to help classrooms in need. Pattern Parcel donates all profits after expenses from Parcel sales to the charity as well. Its our goal to raise over $20,000 for Donors Choose this year.
Friday, November 7
Stitched ||
Sew Exhausted
Saturday, November 8
Made by Sara ||Oliver’s Fancy ||
Strawberry Patch Ramblings
Sunday, November 9
from a box ||
Mia’s Creations ||
MOMENTS
Monday, November 10
owen’s olivia ||
While she was sleeping
Tuesday, November 11
Nutta ||
Radiant Home Studio ||
La Pantigana
Wednesday, November 12
Sew Fishsticks ||
Stacy Sews ||
Stitching Insane ||
GnomeAngel
Thursday, November 13
Needle and Ted ||
Patchouli Moon Studio ||
Sprouting JubeJube ||
The Crazy Tailor
Friday, November 14
Casa Crafty ||
A Jennuine Life ||
‘So, Zo… What do you know?’
Saturday, November 15
Stitches by Laura ||
Rebekah Sews ||
Serger Pepper
Sunday, November 16
Blogs Like A Mother ||
Vicky Myers creations ||
Blossom Heart Quilts
Monday, November 17
Shanni Loves ||
So Sew Easy ||
GYCT Designs ||
Tiger In A Tornado
Tuesday, November 18
The Nosy Pepper ||
Keep Calm and Carrion ||
There & Back ||
Sewing Sober
Wednesday, November 19
Sew Like My Mom ||
Knot Sew Normal ||
Stacy Sews ||
sewVery
Thursday, November 20
Mimi’s Mom ||
Our Family Four ||
shades of BOLD ||
Modern Handcraft
Friday, November 21
Shawnta Sews ||
Lulu & Celeste ||
Amanda Rose ||
Robin’s Fabric Nest ||
House of Pinheiro
How I Learned to Paper Piece with a Circle of Geese Quilt
I learned paper-piecing, and I love it! AND, it’s not hard!! You should give it a try, too.
Last month, the folks at Soak Wash put together a quilter’s photo-a-day challenge on Instagram. I thought I would join in because I really like the motivation that a challenge offers, and while I don’t do a ton of quilting, I’ve really been enjoying it lately. (For tons of inspiration, check out all of the photos that were shared during the challenge by searching #soakphotochallenge on Instagram.)
The first lesson teaches you how to sew a traditional courthouse steps block using basic paper piecing, and I was able to finish it really quickly. You can see my sweet little block above. Once I felt like I had a grasp on what paper piecing involved, I cheated a little and jumped ahead to lesson #4, and I made this!
From there, I pieced it all together, backed it and did some straight line quilting using my regular sewing machine.
I finished it with navy blue binding to match the clock above it and hung it up on the dining room wall.