I am a sucker for cute coin purses – this one looks like a mini backpack!

A great way to show off beautiful trims – embellish a pillow.

Need a great project for fall? Upcycle old blanks and turn them into crochet pumpkins. No blankets? No problem! Make them from fabric instead.

Organize your workspace with pretty hanging organizers. After you’re done checking out this project, be sure to enter to win a zipper quilt pattern and jelly roll.

This girl’s t-shirt dress isn’t just easy to sew, it’s a great wardrobe staple!

I love bucket bags because it’s an easy way to show off hardware and bold prints.

Love to refashion? Here’s 5 great thrift store hacks to try this fall.

Camping with kids? Then you’ll want to check out this pillow tutorial.

This has nothing to do with sewing, but I really want to make these Cheesy Pizza ornaments for the holidays.

You don’t see wrap tops nearly as often anymore, but I still love the style.

Never worry about tangled jewelry when you travel when you make this accordion style organizer.

This Kitchen Aid cover is a pretty way to store your mixer and still leave it out.

I’ve been a big fan of Cricut since I purchased my machine a little over a year ago. My original intent was to be able to embellish shirts that I’ve made… however, it’s come in handy for whipping up last minute gifts and I’ve enjoyed making cards and a few papercraft items too. Now Cricut is targeting a new audience – sewists! Have you seen the new Cricut Maker?

Basically this little machine can cut a wide variety of materials – from chipboard to fabric. They even have several projects that you can purchase (largely Simplicity patterns that are geared toward babies, lots of plush, a few small bags, and quilts). I’ve been very tempted to put this on my wishlist, but so far most of the projects just don’t appeal to me – especially since this machine sports a $399 price tag.

What I am anxious to see is what comes next as far as projects go. At some point independents will start designing patterns\cut files and I think that’s where some really interesting projects can be made. And since cutting is my least favorite part of sewing, this may help knock off some time doing my least favorite activity (not to mention that it will be very precise!). So, what about everyone else? Has anyone broken down and gotten this new machine yet?

During the middle of the day yesterday, I noticed that it was National Cheeseburger Day – making my post this week very timely! After yesterday’s Royale with Cheese sweatshirt, I thought I should follow it up with Easton’s hoodie.

This time around I made the HIgh Five Hoodie, in one size larger than what he is currently wearing so that he doesn’t outgrow it too soon. I made a few small modifications – extending the arm and waistband trims a smidge (because I felt they were too tight, but now may have made them too large, LOL) and adding a bit of interfacing to the zipper area (which made inserting the zipper go so muchI smoother, even the topstitching looks better).

Overall, I am super pleased with this jacket and so is Easton. The fit is a bit large (intentionally so he doesn’t outgrow this by spring), but not so much that he can’t wear it now and the print is so fun and crazy, it suits his personality well. Once again, there are no action shots as the weather here is so warm that we still don’t need a jacket – but we’re ready for it when it is!

Last week I had mentioned that I was starting a few Beloved Shirts inspired items…. and today I have the first one to show you. This one is a Jalie 3355 sweatshirt made in an all-over hamburger print with contrasting bands….. my family (except Easton who thought it was awesome we would have “matching” sweatshirts) may be a bit embarrassed that I plan on wearing this out, but I sort of love it. I call it, my “Royale with Cheese” top.

Construction on this one was quick and easy. Both the fabric and the pattern sewed up nicely so I had this sweatshirt finished by the end of the morning. The fit is great, but is slightly “fitted” (for lack of a better word) – if you’re looking for something that is a bit more loose, I would suggest going up several sizes for a roomier sweatshirt.

Now for a few finishing touches on Easton’s hoodie and we’ll be ready for some interesting looks this fall.

When your neighbor picks you up a pizza stone at the store because you told her you were watching artisan pizza videos on Craftsy, you get the overwhelming urge to make something awesome for her. Since she refused to have me pay her back, I decided to give her a unique mug that she can use while she’s drinking coffee and reading a book on her deck in the mornings. She’s as big of a Harry Potter fan as what I am so I found this Espresso Patronum SVG on Etsy  but wound up having to split the design (saying on the front, image on the back) so that everything would fit, be readable, and weed easily. I wound’t suggest going much smaller than this, though. The lines on the wand and cup are pretty fine and a bit tricky to work with.

Overall, a fun little project to work on…. I think I may need to make one for myself now!

The Luise tunic is the perfect top to wear with leggings this fall.

I don’t do a lot of quilting, but this Woodland Raccoon pattern makes me want to take it up.

Whip up a new purse this weekend with this bucket bag tutorial. You can see part 1 and part 2 here.

The Lego Ninjago movie comes out next week which means I’ll probably be making this pillowcase next.

Speaking of quilting, if you’re getting ready to make one for the holidays be sure to check out this fussy cut ornament block – too cute!

These mini sport shorts look fast to whip up and are perfect for some last minute summer sewing.

Give your sweatshirt patterns a face lift by adding a crossover hem to your next one.

New baby? Whip up a soft and comfy reversible knit blanket (and now I want to try the stretch thread that’s designed for knits).

Make yourself a dolman top in an hour.

Llamas (and alpacas) seem to be the new “fox.” Love the trend? Then make yourself a cute applique in-the-hoop style wall hanging or this pincushion for your sewing room.

Make yourself your own pillow pet.

If you plan on making your own jeans, you’ll want to learn how to make them trendier by distressing them like a pro.

Have you ever seen Beloved shirts? Basically they are a website that sells “all over” printed shirts, hoodies, “onesies”, and even swimsuits…. and they are always in crazy prints (you can even custom print your own designs). Easton loved some of their jackets so much that he’s been asking for them for quite awhile, but I was inspired to make my own version after seeing some interesting fabric preorders.

Way back in January, I ordered a hamburger print French Terry from Pink Zeppelin Boutique. Since it was a pre-order it didn’t arrive until April and between the weather getting warmer and other projects taking precedence, I didn’t get to Easton’s project until now. This week, I started cutting out his funky jacket and opted to use Peek-a-boo Pattern’s High Five Hoodie for the base.  I’ve opted to go up a size larger than what he needs so that he doesn’t outgrow it and if he decides to layer his clothes, it’s not too tight, either. Since I have made this pattern before, I went back and looked at my notes and made a few modifications to the ribbing size this time around.

But what’s bonus is the fact that I ordered way too much fabric (I probably could have gotten by with 1 yard?) so I had just enough left over to make something for myself – a sweatshirt! For this, I wound up cutting out Jalie 3355 for the body and used some coordinating (color) trim for all the bands. Can I tell you how excited I am for this? Here’s more details on all the projects, as well as costs:

Pattern(s): Jalie 3355 and Peek-a-boo Pattern’s High Five Hoodie

Fabrics:
Hamburger print French terry from Pink Zeppelin Boutique

Pattern….. stash
Fabric……. $48.52
Notions…. $2.50

Total $51.02

When I pre-ordered Bob’s Burger’s fabric from Silver Fox (by the way, there is a second, holiday themed pre-order going on right now), I couldn’t resist getting a couple of “panty panels”.

For my first pair, I used Jalie 3242 and the “Those Cheeks” panel…. and I’m in love. I’ve used this pattern numerous times so I knew that I would have a good fit, the only thing that I did differently is making sure that the design was below the waistband stitching, but still high enough that it hit below the curve of my bottom.

I have a second panel from this round that I was holding onto because I was going to try to eek out enough of the design to make a shirt, but after this pair, I may have to make another!

Admittedly, this is a project that doesn’t photograph well, but I’m posting it anyway. You see, late this summer my mother-in-law asked if I would make her a cushion for a chest that she inherited. She placed it in her living room and decided that it might make for a good (extra) seating area for the holidays…. but it’s not very comfortable and they didn’t want it scratched. We went to the store, she picked out the fabric she wanted, and then it sat on my “to do pile” ever since. That is, until this weekend.

There’s not much else to say about this project. I didn’t use a pattern (I just winged it) and used a Velcro closure across the long edge so she can easily put the foam padding inside and wash the whole thing if necessary.  I wound up having enough material left over to make two matching pillow slipcovers – just don’t look at the backside because I had to have the fabric going a different direction so I could squeeze in enough fabric to do this!

I’ve been fortunate enough to test out some patterns this year for George & Ginger. One that I was hoping that I would get to do was the Rebel Choker Tee, I wasn’t selected this time so as soon as it was released, I knew I had to buy it (plus if you join the release party Facebook page you got an additional 10% off the sale price).

I wound up using one of my new double brushed poly fabrics from So Sew English for this version – and might I add, it is wonderful to work with! As for the pattern, it sewed up well. However, my only (sewing) complaint is that I wish that there was an overhang on the back of the shirt that allowed for the “choker” portion\neckband to be attached. I think it would have given it a cleaner look, but it still looks fine on.

As for the fit, overall it’s good. My choker is a bit looser on me than what I would have liked and the length is a bit too long for shorts (although I have found most of G&G shirts are generally too long), but I like it! Since it’s such a distinctive style, I probably won’t make too many more of these, but I may squeeze in a 3/4 or long sleeved version later on in the season.