My First Sewing Camp

A couple of weeks ago, I held my very first sewing camp. I wasn't quite sure what to expect and I was a little nervous about it because of never having done it before, but it was a great success! I so enjoyed planning for it and then teaching young girls how to start sewing.

We had a fun week with much chatter, giggling and learning. The girls came every morning very excited to get to work on their projects and they really learned quickly.

Our goal was to make two projects while learning the basics of sewing. {I plan to write a post on how to throw your own sewing camp in just a few weeks, so stay tuned for all the details!}

We made skirts the first two days.

But their favorite project was making a cross-body bag. They were all about the bag! It's such a practical item and they were thrilled that they actually made it themselves.

It was a rewarding week. The excitement these girls had about learning a skill that will benefit them for a lifetime was worth every seam that had to be ripped out and resewn!

One more sewing camp is in my near future and then I'll post all about my planning process and share how you can host your own sewing camp! It was a blast!!

How to Sew with Piping {Tutorial}

 
I am in the middle of a much-needed makeover for my two younger girls' room as I posted about here. It is starting to come along, but I have hit a couple of bumps in the road. First, is my white quilts. I ordered two that are technically suppose to go inside a duvet cover, but hoped that they would work by themselves. Not so much. They're definitely going to need a duvet cover, but I'm planning to make a permanent cover for each one out of sheets, kind of like this duvet cover I made, only this one will be fitted to the comforter and completely sewn up. It's pretty much necessary in my girls' room. The second bump in the road to completion is that I have come to a painting project involving spray paint. Me & spray paint don't really jive. Think drippy and clumpy. I'm really trying to hold off as long as possible {or until my hubby is here to guide me on it}. I'm just a tad bit nervous about ruining a piece of furniture. No big deal, right? Yikes.

Today I did make some progress on a couple of sewing projects for the room and I am feeling good about it. So, I thought I'd throw in a tutorial on how to sew with piping. This is one of those things that looks absolutely fabulous on a pillow or what-have-you, but can be a little intimidating when you first start out. However, if you take it slow, you'll be just fine. Enjoy! And if you have any questions, feel free to comment.

This tutorial for piping is shown by sewing piping onto a pillow cover. So, we'll start from the beginning. If you need a pillow cover tutorial, check here. Take your two pieces of fabric for the pillow cover - Front and Back. Place right sides together and lay on a table top.

Now, take your piping and start placing it in between the top and bottom pieces, carefully pinning all the way around the fabric. You want the straight edge of the piping to line up with the straight edge of the fabric pieces. The rolled edge will be on the inside.

Pin carefully, approximately every inch or so to hold it in place. I like to leave the corners unpinned so that I can move it around exactly like I want it. Feel free to pin yours.

Leave an opening of approximately 7-8 inches, depending on how big your pillow is, so that you can stuff your pillow form inside before sewing it up. We'll deal with the opening in a minute.

Now, change your presser foot to the zipper foot. This gives you the ability to sew closer to the edge of the piping giving you a more professional look. The regular presser foot will leave a gap.

Start at one end of the opening and begin sewing all the way around until you have only 7-8 inches left. Backstitch at both the beginning and ending.

Now, turn your fabric rightside out. Be sure to push the corners out. Put your pillow form inside and fluff it up to fit your pillow cover.

Once you are ready to sew the opening closed, line up the piping to see how much you need to trim off. You are going to line it up so that you have about a one inch overlap.

Next, using your seam ripper, open up the fabric on the piping that will overlap about an inch down.

Cut the cording {not the fabric covering the cording} so that you can now line up the two ends and overlap the fabric piece on top of the other end.  {See pic.}

Now, fold each side piece down on both sides of the opening to line up with the already sewn part of the pillow cover. Line your piping up inside the two folded over sides and pin close together.

Still using your zipper foot, start sewing the closure. Go very slowly, removing pins as you go, to keep everything in place. Cut all loose threads.

You're done! If you want to embellish your pillow, do it before you sew the two pieces together. Unless you're like me and you decide to hot glue your design onto the pillow. I wouldn't recommend it for pillows that will be laid on or jumped on. The pillows I made are just for looks.....now if I can convince my girls of that.....

Thanks for stopping by! Stay tuned for more shared girls' room tips and tricks, and of course, the After pic.

Fat Quarter Projects: The Bow Tie

This is the second post in a new series (that I'll post about randomly - which means whenever my fat quarter stash gets too big and I am overcome with 'What shall I do with all this cute fabric????') that I'm calling Fat Quarter Projects. In the first one, I showed you how to make several baby items with just ONE fat quarter! Go check it out if you missed it.

You'll be surprised at all the many things you can make with just one fat quarter. It's really amazing and brings out your creativity. I hate to waste fabric and I'm trying to only keep the fabrics on hand that I really love and have a plan for. Although I totally know I will occasionally buy more fabric just because it's cute even though I have no idea what I'm going to use it for. It's just a habit I cannot break.

Anyway, today's post is about another GREAT fat quarter project and it literally takes 15-20 minutes to make. It's the bow tie. I did a complete tutorial on how to make baby and toddler bow ties way back when and it's one of my most clicked posts. All I know is that there must be hundreds of cute little boy babies out there all decked out in their bow ties! You'll want to make one, too. Trust me!

With just ONE fat quarter, you can make FOUR bow ties! These bow ties have the elastic neck perfect for babies and toddlers, but if you want to make bow ties for bigger boys with the real fabric strap you could make two bow ties and the straps to match.

Just open up your fat quarter. Iron it flat. Then, follow the tutorial above to make one of these! Bow ties are awesome because they don't take up a lot of fabric and you can use your fabric scraps to make these simple, but studly accessories for your little guy...or your big guy.

These would also make GREAT hairbows! They are just big enough for your little girls hair and can be hot glued onto an alligator clip or a head band for a perfect hair accessory!

Are you going to try it?

Thanks for stopping by!

Fat Quarter Projects: Baby Gift Set

Giveaway now closed.

Congrats, Amanda! You are the winner!

Do you know those cute little squares of fabric you see in the fabric department of your favorite stores and notice how cute and coordinating they all are? And then, you look at the label and it says something like Fat Quarter or Fabric Quarter and you wonder what on earth does that mean? Well, wonder no more!

{source}

A fat quarter is a one-fourth yard cut of fabric that (usually) measures 18" x 22" instead of the typical 9" x 44" quarter-yard cut. The longest side's dimension will vary if your fabric is not 44" wide.

Go here to find out all you ever wanted to know about fat quarters. All I know is that I love the fat quarter selection at JoAnn Fabrics! They have tons of them and in so many wonderful colors and patterns! I bought some a few weeks ago when they were on sale for .99/each. You cannot beat that price!

You can also find a big selection online at fabric stores or on eBay and etsy. Online is a great option if you are looking for something a little less ordinary.

I found this terrific fabric online several months ago and finally decided what I wanted to use it for. It was a fat quarter and the print was just so cute I couldn't pass it up even though I wasn't sure what I was going to make with it.

I finally decided and then wanted to show you what all you can make with just ONE fat quarter! A few other supplies were needed for these projects but one fat quarter of fabric made all of these fun items.

With just ONE fat quarter, you can make a bib, burp cloth, bow tie and necktie t-shirt for your favorite little boy! What a perfect gift to give someone - and for less than $5 (assuming you already have elastic on hand and backing for the bib which you can use just about anything)!

Here they are in detail:
Bib: Made with fabric from the fat quarter + quilters batting I already had on hand from other projects + a small square of velcro for closure that I already had on hand. (Tutorial coming!)

Burp Cloth: Fabric from the fat quarter + a cloth diaper I already had on hand - I snatch these up when I find them on sale to use for gifts, etc. (Tutorial coming!)

Bow Tie: Fabric from fat quarter + elastic I already had on hand.  You can find a full tutorial on making a Baby/Toddler Bow Tie here.

Necktie T-Shirt: Fabric from fat quarter + Heat n Bond I already had on hand + black t-shirt from Hobby Lobby $2.99. I used the applique method for applying the necktie to the t-shirt. Find the full tutorial here.

Now for the fun part! I don't have any little boys so this will do me no good! I'd like to give it to one of you. If you'd like to win this 4 Piece Wiener Dog Baby Gift Set (fits size 6 months - 12 months), you can win 3 different ways.

1. Follow me on Facebook at Life is {Sew} Daily. Then, just come back and tell me you did.
2. Follow my Pinterest board, Life is {Sew} Daily. Then, come tell me you did.
3. Leave a comment for me telling me what you've made or would like to make with a Fat Quarter or just say hey!

One entry for each method! So, up to 3 entries! I ship to the US only. Giveaway ends Friday, February 14 at noon! Winner will be chosen at random.

Don't forget to share this post with your friends so they can have a chance to win, too!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy weekend to all!

How to Make an Ironing Pad

Ever since I was in college and working on my Home Ec degree, I have wanted my own ironing table. Ironing boards are good for clothing items, etc, but when it comes to ironing yards of fabric, it's just really nice to have a wider space for ironing. I finally decided I was going to make my own ironing pad because it's just not practical to have a large, permanent table taking up space in my house.

The ironing pad is great if you're needing to travel with your iron or need to use a bigger space than the ironing board. It came in very handy for this sewing class. I just laid it on a countertop and because our projects were small, two people could iron at the same time. It worked like a charm! Want to make your own? Here's how...

You'll need a cotton fabric for the front and back, 1 layer of Insul-Bright, and 1 layer of Warm & Natural batting. I bought one yard of fabric, 1 yard of Insul-Bright or you can buy prepackaged and 1 package of batting 34"x45" for this project. You'll also need quilt binding for the edging.

First, cut all of your layers to the same size. I kept my fabric the same, no cutting. I just opened it up and layered the other two layers inside then laid the fabric back down.

Once you get the layers adjusted, pin the edges.

Now, you're going to quilt through all 4 layers in a few spots. You can do as many or as few as you like. The objective is to quilt it enough to keep all the layers in place.

Finally, pin the quilt binding around the edges and sew it on making sure to sew through all layers.

You're done! Literally takes about 30-45 minutes from start to finish! I can't believe it took me so long to make one for myself!

Is this something you'd get a lot of use out of? I know mine will be used often!

My Fun $2 Project + a Money-Saving Tip

I'm about to give you a great tip that will save you money and hopefully inspire you to create something! It's the first thing I do everytime I visit a fabric store and I'm never disappointed. Here it is:

Always visit the clearance bin in the fabric department for discounted fabric remnants.

It's no secret that I am a big fan of the chevron print. And yes, I know they say chevron is on its way out, but I don't know who 'they' are and I'm pretty sure 'they' didn't ask me how I feel about it. However, I still like it and it will always be cute on girls clothes (and my living room curtains).

I also happen to be a fan of the aqua/turquoise/teal family. So, when I found this 1/2 yard of aqua/white chevron cotton fabric for $2, I quickly did the math in my head and knew this would make a cute skirt for my 10 yr old - without having to even make a cut. Win, win - people. It doesn't get much better than that.

I got home and got to work. Don't know how to make an elastic waist skirt? Check out this tutorial for all the juicy details.

My big girl loves her skirt and can't wait to wear it!

Do you shop the clearance bin?? Have you found any great fabrics for those quick and easy project ideas? I found more today and can't wait to show you what I make with those! Stay tuned....

How to Make a Kitchen Towel

This weekend my good {and very creative and talented} friend and I had planned a fun little sewing class for ladies in our church and community. It was our first of {hopefully} many and everyone seemed to really enjoy it! I know I did. Who doesn't love a girls' morning out with no kids?? It was much fun! Kylee did most of the planning for it and the purchasing of supplies and pretty much all of the leg work and ended up not getting to come thanks to a virus going around. It was a bummer, but hopefully that's behind us and we can start planning our next event!

We wanted to start out with something easy and basic so it was Kylee's idea to make a kitchen towel. It turned out to be a great project! Very practical and so enjoyable to make.

Our mission is to show people that sewing is really not as hard and intimidating as it seems. Anyone can do it and it's such a rewarding hobby, not to mention a life skill!

We had the fabric already cut so that each person could just come in and get started. I made one the other day so I could take it as an example. Here's how we made them...

Cut your muslin to the desired size. It should be a nice rectangular shape. You can use a kitchen towel you already own as a guide to measure and cut your fabric.

Next, you want to finish all four edges by turning the edge under 1/4 inch. Iron. Then, turn it down another 1/4 inch. Iron again. Finally, sew around the edges.

Now, for the fun part! Embellishing. As you can see from the above pictures, the sky is the limit when it comes to embellishing. I made mine with an applique. You can learn how to make an applique here.

This turned out to be so fun! I am already looking forward to our next event!