Easy Baby Jacket to Sew: Another One-Yard Wonders Project

The Baby Fly Away Jacket in the One Yard Wonders book caught my attention when I first looked through this book.  I knew I would be making at least one of these cute jackets, and now that I have, I predict I will make more.

This is a super easy project that makes up in just minutes.  The directions in the book call for one layer of flannel, and then using bias tape to bind all the raw edges.  Which will work beautifully, I am sure.

But I decided to skip the bias tape and make this little jacket lined and reversible instead:

To make this jacket this way, all you have to do is cut and sew 2, instead of one.  Then place them right sides together and sew a narrow seam allowance all around the sides, neck, and bottom, leaving an opening for turning.  Clip your seams, notching around the curves, turn, press, and then close the opening and top stitch all around.  Then you just fold under the raw sleeve edges on both sides (together) and top stitch these down.  and Voila! This works out even easier than the original instructions of using bias tape, in my opinion.  Next I want to try to enlarge this and make one for my toddler, and add a hood.

I must have made more than a dozen projects from this awesome book by now, and I will make many more.  Here are some I have shown on this blog already:
casserole cozies
the Folklore Bag
Ladies Jammies

I thought I had posted the bias skirt as well; I have made half a dozen or more of these skirts and this is my favorite pattern in this book so far.  I will go and photograph my most favorite one and post that next.

If you don't have it yet, you really should buy this book now!
Happy Sewing!

Gift Idea: The Folklore Bag

Hi, Ya'll.  I am sorry; this is not the new tutorial from me.  I have been dealing with Mr.Green and a little boy not feeling well, which has kept me quite busy, and now I think the sickness is in me.   When I was finally able to make it into my sewing room last night, I realized that I was behind on my gift making.  So I used the time to cross more gifts off my list, instead of making the tutorial for my way of making baby blocks.  I have already made blocks for all the babies on my list, and so I made bags for my sister in laws first.  I promise I will get that tutorial up soon.

Here are the bags I made last night:

 

While I have made lots of bags before, this is the first time I have followed a pattern for a purse.  The pattern is the Folklore Bag, designed by Lauren Booth, which is one of several cute bag patterns that comes with One Yard Wonders.  I have mentioned this book here before, and now I am mentioning it again, because it is pretty awesome.  There are 101 patterns in this book, and believe me, you can find a lot of ideas for gifts (and using up your fabric stash) in this book.  If you haven't ordered this book yet, just click on over to Amazon and order it now; you will be glad you did.  Here is the link:  

I am just out of medium weight interfacing, but instead of making a trip to the store, I made those bags by quilting the outer fabric to pieces of a sturdy canvas curtain I thrifted.  I also used velcro in lieu of magnetic purse closures.  I bet the magnetic closures are much nicer than velcro, but I am all about using what I have.

I think I will make one more of these.  I just made a smaller version pattern based on this design, and am about to go in there and try to do a zippered pouch in this shape....if it works, I will show that off, too.  I plan to work on bags for the rest of this day, as I can do different types of bags for several folks on my Christmas list.  I kinda liked doing it with a pattern, maybe I will look around for something cute in a free tutorial.  Do you have a favorite bag pattern?  I would love to know what you like, do tell us!

I will be back soon.  In the meantime, have a great day, and happy sewing!

Happy Holidays Gifts: Sewing and Needle Book- You Can Win It!

 Happy Saturday, Ya'll.

I haven't finished with the tutorial for this yet.  I want to make it a pdf file (which I will share with my followers as a gift, and sell after that), but I have a little learning to do first.  I hope you all don't mind waiting; I apologize!

But I can show you the first sewing and needle book I made.  This is the gift I am giving away next week.  And as I said, am working on making the instructions into a pdf file, so that you can make one for yourself or someone you love, too.

This is the front cover.  This little book has a zippered pocket to hold folding scissors, a seam ripper, needle threader, and quilter's thimble.  This little book is my original design; do not make these for sale.  If anyone wants to buy one, they will be available in several different cover designs in my Etsy shop, opening soon.

Here is a look at the inside:

This book is not exactly perfect, as I wish I had not used that darker green thread to sew closed the zip pocket.  Like I said, this was the first one I made!  It works just fine and I think it is pretty.

This is the back cover.  This project started when I bent to the scrap bag just to grab a little piece to test that orange/gold thread, which I hadn't used before.  Something inside me told me to make something pretty while I tried out the thread.  I made the patchwork piece that became the front cover, and when I looked at it, the idea for this little book just popped in my head!

I will announce the winner for this either Sunday evening or at the latest on Monday, July 12, 2010.  Comment on this post for a chance to win it.  Or, as I have said, to reward my loyal readers, if you are a follower of this blog I will put your name in the hat twice.  Three times if you comment!  I will let my 1 year old choose a name from the hat as the winner.

Good luck!  Ya'll have a great day; I will be back real soon.....

More Jammies and One Yard Wonders

Have ya'll seen this book?

It's pretty awesome.  There are 101 projects, all of which can be made from just a yard of fabric.  There are things you might never think of, like a cover for a 2 drawer file cabinet, and also basic things like purses and other bags.  There are things for you to wear, clothes for babies and children, toys, gifts, aprons, even a collar and leash and coat for your dog.  Or, if you are a cat lover, there is a pattern for a darling little teepee for your feline friend.  The book is hardcover, with the pages mounted on a spiral, and all the pattern pieces store in an envelope inside the front cover.  If you haven't gotten this book yet, I encourage you to order it now.  It's perfect for stash busting!

I plan to make lots of the projects in this book, including more than one for our holiday gift making next month.  I thought I would show ya'll the short jammies I made following two of the patterns found here.  The top was designed by Rae Hoekstra, and could also be worn with jeans.  The "perfect fit" shorts pattern includes a handy-dandy formula for measuring and making shorts that fit exactly right.

I actually made these from a vintage sheet, and have enough fabric left over to make something else, too.  They were super simple and fun to make.  Don't you want to order this great book and make some for yourself too?  I appreciate your ordering through Amazon by following links on my blog.

I will see ya'll tommorrow.  Have a great night!

Today's harvest

Those are asparagus beans, which are just beginning to produce.  I measured one; it was 19 inches long!  Also pictured are our very first cayenne to turn red yet this year.  There are 30+ long, still-green cayenne in the garden, as we are growing nine of these pepper plants this year. Other peppers pictured include red hot cherry, hot bananas, mammoth jalapenoes, an anaheim chili, and some sweet bells.  Those are also the first ichiban eggplants we have pulled off the plants and the largest onion we have harvested yet.  I had to cut back the basil heavily today, as they are already wanting to flower, after which they will be too strong to eat.

We made salsa last night and so started with an empty bowl this morning; this was harvested today.

We are so thankful for and blessed by our garden, which is not particularly large (our 2 vegetable beds encompass approximately 250 square feet).  We didn't have a lot of experience when we started our first garden together, and we have never used any chemicals in growing our food.  We love gardening and know that it is easy and so much fun and we really encourage everyone to grow pure, clean, healthy and organic food.

Here is a great reference to get you started:

We have learned a lot from this author, use a lot of his methods, and refer to his book regarding spacing requirements and organic fertilizers and other things.  We do not adhere strictly to the square foot method, nor is it necessary in order to learn lots from this book.  This is definitely the first book I recommend to anyone interested in beginning vegetable gardening.

We are going to make our special garden recipe "Irish Flag Chicken Chili" with much of today's harvest tonight.  I will be posting the recipe later.

Chic and Simple Sewing (Book Review) and my little black dress

My sweetie ordered books for me for my mother's day gift, and I got some really great stuff.

Chic and Simple Sewing, by Christine Hayes is an amazing resource for your sewing room.  This book has at least 20 full size patterns for every season of the year.  There are dresses, tops, skirts, even jackets and a cape, none of which need zippers or buttons or any other daunting construction details.  These garments are stylish but all are really easy to make.  This book will be useful for anyone, from an experienced home sewist, to an absolute beginner.  There is an ample section at the beginning of the book that explains the basics you need to know, from equipment to laying out and cutting  patterns.  So this is the perfect book for you if you want to update your wardrobe, even if you have never made a garment before.  I love how the pattern pieces are included in an envelope in the front cover of the book, and while the book is hardcover, the pages are mounted on a spiral binder so it will lay flat on your sewing table.  I highly suggest heading over to Amazon now and ordering this for your sewing library.

While I have made a few garments before, I had never made a dress (except for this, made for a baby).  With the help of this book, I have made MY first dress, and I absolutely love it.  

I made this from the "Retro shift dress" pattern in the book.  However, instead of yardage, I was using an oversized, ugly long black linen dress from the back of my closet, and there was not enough fabric to cut it as wide as the original pattern pieces.  So I made adjustments and this dress is more fitted than the shift in the book.  I had purchased silver metallic thread to embroider on the dress, but I loved it so much as is that I decided to skip the embroidery on the dress and made a simple purse to go with it, instead.

So I am thrilled that my first dress turned out as well as it did, and I can't wait to make more of the patterns in this book.  Again, I encourage you to order your copy of this great book today.