sewing Archives - Page 21 of 24

The Napkin Apron

May 24, 2011 By Taylor 4 Comments

Do you have an obsession a healthy love for aprons like I do (seriously, I have too many)? Well here is the easiest apron you will ever make. I made this for a craft competition and the theme was “Under $5″… I made this for $4.97. Easy and cheap; what’s not to like?

All you need is:

2 cloth Napkins (I found these on sale at World Market)

2-3 yards of cotton twill tape

One napkin will be left alone for the bottom half of the apron. The other napkin will make up the top of the apron and the ruffles.

To make the top, serge and sew (or just sew) two of the sides so that your dimensions are 10″x10″. The best part of this apron is that the napkins are almost totally sewn for you!

Now you need to sew the top square to the bottom square. Center the top square on the bottom square with right sides together and sew.

Sew down the seam that you just made all the way across the bottom square.

Add the twill tape to the top of the square, hold it up to your body to determine the length. Then do the same for the side straps, make sure to tie it in a bow because it will need to be longer than you think. Remember you can always cut more later but you cant add on to it.

Now, you will have over half of the top square left over and that will be used for our ruffle. Sew it into one large rectangle and ruffle it however you like. You will need to piece two long pieces together but you wont see the seam because of the ruffleyness (new word of the day?). I like to use my serger because I don’t have a ruffle foot…whomp whomp whomp. Make sure you make two different ruffles, one for the bottom of the apron and one for the top. With the serger, I have to kind of “pleat” as I sew because it doesn’t do a very tight ruffle. Sew the ruffle to the bottom and the top of the apron.

So simple right? It is my new painting apron because I already have too many cooking ones and I don’t garden.

Union Jack Card

April 28, 2011 By Taylor 5 Comments

London Calling…

Are you still bitter about not getting invited to the Royal Wedding? Well tell someone about it, in a Union Jack Card. The Wedding is only hours away, and today I heard that over 1 billion people will be tuning in. The most watched televised event in history. Crazy.

Here is what you need to feel involved :)

Red, White and Blue Cardstock
Blank Note card
Sewing Machine
Red Thread

Cut a blue piece of cardstock the size of your Note card, mine was 5.5″ x 4.5″.
Cut out the following strips:

2 thick white
2 slightly thinner red
2 thin white
2 slightly thinner red

Place a thin white strip under a thin red strip and place it corner to corner on the blue card, sew a line down the card. Isn’t there something fun about sewing on paper? Do this again across to the other corners.

Now you have an “X” on your card and we need to add the “+” over that.

1. Place the 2 thick white strips in a cross over the “X”

2. Place the thick red strips over the whites

3. Sew down both lines

Trim the excess strips and tape your flag onto the notecard.

Here’s to William and Kate…

Little Boy Shorts

April 26, 2011 By Taylor 17 Comments

This year I had the bright idea that I would dress my boys in matching shorts for Easter. I mean how much longer are two boys going to let me do this, right (but really how much longer)? So, I found some adorable plaid fabric and decided to make them some Little Boy Shorts. I know that the best way to make a pattern is to take another article of clothing apart and trace the pieces, so that is just what I did. Add length to the top (about 1.5″) and the the bottom of the shorts (about 3″) My sons wear 2T and 6mo.

Supplies:
1/2 yd fabric
1/2” elastic
white paper for pattern
safety pin & sewing pins

1 – Trace an old pair of shorts onto a piece of paper
2 – Pin the pattern pieces to your fabric
3 – Cut the new pieces out

This is the first pair of shorts I have made for the boys and I kind of just sat there after this step. I had a million ideas for the order of construction but because I was making these the night before Easter (oops) I didn’t have time for that. I remembered that one of my favorite blogs MADE has a tutorial for a Basic Kids Pants and thought it had to be pretty similar. So thanks MADE!

She says the easiest thing (which totally makes sense) is to sew up the crotch of the pants first because they are already together. If you have a fabric with a right and wrong side, flip your fabric before sewing.

After every step, serge the seam if you have a serger and press with your iron for a more professional look.

Next, pin and sew the inseam together. Then again,serge the seam and press it down.

Next, pin and sew the legs together. Serge that seam as well.

Next, I serged around the top of the pants and the bottoms of the legs because I had to try them on the boys and I didn’t want them to fray. Dana (from MADE) said that the front of the pants will be lower than the back, which is something I had never noticed. She said it will make for a more comfortable fit, so on the 6mo shorts, I actually just cut a little dip after I took this picture.

Next, we will add the elastic. Measure your little boy’s waist and add one inch. For example my oldest son’s waist is 18.5″ so I cut my elastic to 19.5″. Fold down the top of the pants with about 1/4″ overlap and use the elastic as your guide as you pin. Leave an opening of about 1″ and take the elastic out. Sew to top of the shorts closed but remember to leave that 1″ opening to put the elastic back in.

Now insert the elastic using a safety pin. Make sure it is flat all the way around. The elastic will be shorter in length that the shorts. Scrunch the shorts up, pull the elastic out a little and sew the elastic together. I used a zig-zag stitch in 2 places to make sure the elastic stays together.

Lastly, turn the shorts inside out and sew the bottom of the shorts. I sewed in two places. On the top of the serged line and on the bottom right next to the seam.

I added my fabric labels to the back.

Look at these sweet boys in their matching Little Boy Shorts.

Perfect for Egg Hunting

Stay tuned next week for an exciting project because I am a contestant on Season 3 of One Month to Win it! Woo Hoo!

Stethoscope Covers

April 13, 2011 By Taylor 25 Comments

Do you have a special nurse in your life? ‘Cause I do… my sister hehe! Not only is she about to graduate from nursing school but it is also her birthday this week. (Last year I made her this) So, I cant think of a better gift than some handmade Stethoscope Covers. The sad part is after I decided to make her a few, I realized – I don’t have a stethoscope to try them onto. Oops, I hope they fit.

Materials:
– one yard of fabric (you wont use it all, you just need it for length)
– button
– elastic
– sewing machine
– serger (optional)

Directions:

Cut your fabric into a piece that is 34″ x 6″

Serge the ends (the sides that are 6″ in length) If you do not have a serger, get online right now and buy one you will have to press the ends and sew a clean edge. Do this to both the top and bottom of the cover.

Next we will add the elastic to the bottom of the cover. If your fabric is a print like the floral one I have then just pick a bottom. My other fabric with the hearts has a specific bottom and top so don’t confuse the ends.

1. Cut the elastic about 2″ shorter than your width, so in our case 4″. Pin it to the bottom of the cover.

2. Start sewing it on.

3. Once it is on, pull the elastic with your hand while you are sewing.

4. It will look like this when you are done.

Next, pin right sides together lengthwise all the way down the cover and sew.

Turn the cover right side out. This is the main part of our cover. You can tell that my covers are a little different in width. I used two different seam allowances only because I wanted them to look a little different.

At this point I realized I had to come up with a way for the cover to stay on the Stethoscope. Do you see where it has a “Y” in the top. I decided to use a little flap with a button and a button hole. You could use Velcro, snaps, etc.

I had scraps left over from the original cutting of the fabric so I used these two scraps. I folded it in half with wrong sides together and serged it into a rectangle flap. Sorry, I don’t have an exact measurement. Again if you don’t have a serger then you will have to sew right sides together leaving an opening, turn it right side out and sew again. Make sure the flap is the same width as your cover, length does not matter.