Bow Tie Neck Pillows

I am LOVING this Bow Tie Neck Pillow pattern I found at Sew4Home.

Super easy, used scrap fabric and so comfy! I am not the best photographer so forgive me! I made 2 in under an hour! ( I new my BF would steal mine so I made him one too!)

I did do a variation where I sewed in a zipper to put the stuffing in ( I loathe hand sewing closed pillows) I also put a little bit of dried lavender inside too for a soothing scent!

Here is the link to the instructions: http://www.sew4home.com/projects/pillows-cushions/relaxing-therapeutic-neck-pillows-fan-favorite

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Cami Test

I just finished week 5 of my lingerie class. This week I drafted and constructed a cami! After a test fit and pattern alternation for armhole gapping I have an awesome fit! I used fold over elastic for the binding and straps. Much more difficult to work with than I expected. I definitely need more practice and patience!

 

Midi Dress Bag o' Rag Style

I've mentioned before the wonders of Lorraine's Fabric Bag o' Rags for $1.99. Well here is a midi dress creation from fabric found in one of those bags. 

Knit and Woven Spring Tunic

I have had this floral polyester fabric remnant for quite some time. I was drawn to the print but just could not decide what to do with it. I was going through my bag of rags plastic tub and found the red knit fabric. Ding! I will make a tunic that has a waistline seam. I had just enough of the red fabric for the bodice and sleeves. I also had just enough of the floral for the skirt. I had a stash of red taped metal zippers that I snatched up on clearance. I found a silver teeth one and tried my hand at an exposed zipper. I have never applied a zipper this way and it was quite interesting.

I decided to add a belt for extra oomph

I was surprised with the outcome. I tried it one just for ha-ha's to see if it would fit. Wouldn't you know, it fit and it was a perfect tunic length for my body.

Bag o' Rags Deep Cowl Shirt

As I have previously mentioned, I have an addiction to the bag of rags bags that you can buy from Lorraine's Fabric Store. I am trying to keep up my pattern and sewing skills. I pulled some fabric that I bought in these bags and then decided on a pattern to try. I went for the deep cowl tank with modesty bandeau underneath. Not exactly my style but it turned out pretty well. I even used my new bias tape maker!

Front. It sits far out on the shoulders and since my form doesn't have arms, it is hard to get the full impression

Back

Sewing Life and Time Saver

My first blog post was about the nifty loop turner that I bought. I am still in a constant hunt to make sewing simpler, easier, and more effective. Well, I have read about these bias tape makers. I was hesitant at first because I hate, hate, hate making bias tape. I like to finish seams with it, but there pre-packaged stuff always looks cheap against lightweight fabric and I loathe making it. I grabbed a a 1/2" bias-tape maker at the craft store and instantly fell in love. It worked fantastic. Not only did it save time, but it also made applying and sewing the bias tape so much easier.

1 Yard Wonder

I love when remnants are 50% off at Joann's Fabrics. I found this gold stretchy fabric and just had to snatch it up. I wanted a flashy going out top. I put my pattern making skills to the test and came out with a success. I decided to make a belt out of remaining fabric, but this top can go sans belt if need be. 1 yard of fabric +  approx. 1 1/2 hours of pattern making & sewing = a fab draped top.

Infinity Dress Part 2

There is a fabric store in Pawtucket, RI called Lorraine's. If you have ever been, then you know the thrill of the upstairs bargain floor. They have these large plastic "bag of rags" for $1.99. Since, I have a slight hoarding of fabric problem, I bought about 6 of them. While most of the pieces or scraps of fabric are not large enough for a project, there was different scraps of the same fabric for this dress. This fabric is slightly heavier than my first diy infinity dress, but still awesome! The best part of this dress, it takes under an hour to from cutting to finishing

Infinity Dress!

I have seen so many posts about styling infinity dresses and how to make your own. I decided to give it a try. I am in love. I photographed my dress on Sheila (the dress form at work) therefore I had to do some binder clip magic to make it fit her since I am larger than she it.

Lime Green Velour Shorts!

When I saw this lime green velour home decor fabric, I knew exactly what I wanted to make: natural high waisted, inverted box pleated shorts (with a cuff of course).

It took 2 years but I finally made them. I am in love :)

Homemade Dish Drying Mat

I bought a few yards of terry cloth a while back because it was on clearance. I have made a few hand towels overtime but nothing too creative. At my house we have a microfiber drying mat for dishes. It is nice but needs to be washed every few days. Trying to save money, I decided to make one with the terry cloth and a scrap of cotton fabric.

It is reversible but I decided to put the terry cloth side down

It is a perfect size for the counter space next to the sink

Quilted Napkins

I dug into my bag of scrap fabric today and pulled out tie-dye and pink fabric. I decided to make 2 small quilted reusable napkins. These pieces were not perfect rectangles, therefore I just top stitched a random squiggle pattern on one and a more geometric pattern on the other. Simple, under an hour, reusable napkins.

Reusable Napkins

Going along with my 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle' theme from my last post, I decided to make reusable napkins. I had a larger scrap of fabric leftover from a previous sewing project. For some zazzle, I doubled up the fabric and added some lace trim. These are perfect for dessert and that is not just due to the theme of the fabric.

4 Large ones & 2 Small ones

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

As a sewer, I can never throw away scraps of fabric. I keep them in a bag thinking that one day I will reuse them. I have been trying to come up with innovative and practical ideas. Well, I found one! A reusable snack bag. I did not have to buy any materials for this project, I had them all already.

Snack Bag Materials

For my materials I used:

-Vinyl: you can find in the home decor section of fabric stores and usually can find remnants
-Scrap Fabric
-Velcro
-Buttons
-Ribbon

I hand sewed the buttons onto the fabric in a cute arrangement. Then I folded down the top edge of the fabric and sewed the vinyl to the top edge. I separated the hook and loop sides of the Velcro, then sewed it to top edge. I did not like how the stitching was visible on the right side of the fabric so I used ironed a piece of ribbon to the fabric with stitch witchery.

Finished Product :)

Sew up the sides, bottom, and turn right side out. Viola! A reusable snack bag in a cute pattern. It is almost too cute for snacks. It could also be used as a cosmetic bag.

I Smell a Crafted Gift: Part 2

For Part 2, I wanted to show work in progress photos on how I made the sachet.

What you need: outside fabric, scrap fabric for potpourri pouch, scrap contrast fabric, vintage earring, pin back, and potpourri (I chose Lavender).

Bind the raw edges of the short sides of fabric.

Fold in half, right sides together, then sew up sides and bottom. Clip corners and turn right side out

Use the scrap fabric to make a pocket for the potpourri. Sew up three sides, put the potpourri inside, and sew up the last side.

Place the pocket in side pouch. Replace the earring back with the pin back. Fold down the top edge of the pouch and close with the pin.

Viola! Use as gift or keep for yourself.

'Tis the Season for Crafting!

Giving a gift can be more rewarding than receiving especially when it is handmade. I love to sew and have a enough fabric to open my own store. For my grandma, (luckily she does not own a computer so this will not give away the surprise) I wanted to make something useful. She is a spectacular knitter. I have hats, scarves and even socks that she has knitted with love just for me. A knitting needle case is the perfect gift for her. She can keep extra needles wrapped up inside of it for easy access. The printed fabric pieces are pockets and the larger one has is stitched to hold different size needles.

Apron Flashback

I know it has been a bit since I have post. Hurricanes, life, and a new job have gotten in the way. I survived my first week as a Technical Design Assistant. wooohooo!

My mom owns a bakery and I love to sew. (I am a pretty good baker too.) I have been into countless kitchen supply stores. I have seen so many bland boring aprons. I have also seen 50s inspired ones as well. I decided why not make my own since I have plenty of fabric and trims!

These aprons can be worn with the tie at the back or the front! Let me know what you think!