Bishop (and bell) sleeves seem to be the hot trend in ready-to-wear clothing this fall. Learn how to draft you own with this tutorial.

The Proteus Cardigan isn’t just easy to sew, it can be worn in a number of ways to change up it’s look!

Is there a chill in the air? Warm up with this sweatshirt freebie (you can find the code to be used for this item in the announcements\pinned post section of the Peek-a-boo pattern shop Facebook page. Enter the code at checkout and the price will be dropped to 0).

I have been seeing a lot of questions on full bust adjustments – if this applies to you, this article is a great read!

These bit ‘o kindness bags are perfect for stuffing little surprises into – plus they’re quick and easy to make! While you’re on the site, be sure to enter into her giveaway for an LED machine light.

Halloween is a little over a month away so it’s time to bring on the costumes. This Captain Marvel is perfect for the holiday or any type of ComicCon convention – it’s fabulous!

This cute little duffel would make a great dance or weekender travel bag.

Can’t get enough of pumpkin? Now you can make your own pumpkin spice latte pin cushion!

Yesterday was an in-service day for Easton’s school. Thinking it was still “the weekend” I completely forgot to post, but I did get an extra day in of sewing – so I whipped up a second Mama Stella Top & Tunic (you can see the original version here).

This time around I used a remnant from the Vegas Jane I made earlier in the year. This fabric is a double brushed poly – so it has a great drape and the wild print makes for a fun little top. In this version, I also opted to use the short sleeves and top length (which looks much better with jeans). I plan on wearing this one to an upcoming concert – I think it should be perfect for the occasion.

I’ve been working very hard to try to sew down some of the stash that I’ve accumulated, but I caved during So Sew English‘s last bundle sale…. I had my eye on this beautiful floral double brushed poly and olive foil pleather (it looks brown in the photo, but definitely looks more green in real life).

My original intent was to make an off the shoulder Mama Stella top with a pair of moto style skinny pants\leggings underneath. However once I got the faux leather fabric, I realized it’s not as stretchy as the other foil pleathers I’ve purchased from that store (it has less stretch and is not 4-way). So, now I’m back to the drawing board with what to do. I’m thinking a top and jacket? Give the leggings a go with a different material and see how they sew up?

This is no ordinary bag. It’s an anti-pickpocket purse that’s made even more fashionable by adding braided straps.

Know a baby shark song lover? Give them the gift of a shark robe (designed for ages 0-12 months, but could be adapted for older kids OR adults, too).

Ditch the purse and carry only essentials. This credit card key ring is a great place to start.

It’s not very often you see a tutorial just for the boys, so I may have gotten a little excited about this free t-shirt pattern just for guys (2-14 years).

This glasses case looks so professional AND easy to sew, you’ll want to make one for everyone you know!

Enter to win a fat quarter bundle of Ombre Stitches.

Our grocery stores are discontinuing the use of plastic (and paper) bags soon. Which means, it’s time to start making my own, like this Fold and Go tote.

Get ready for pumpkin everything by making a few of these minky scrunchy pumpkins.

Getting cool enough that you need to layer your kids for school? The Campbell Vest is sized for 3m – 12 years!

Those JoJo Bows are super popular right now with girls, but who needs to buy big bows when you can make your own?

Christmas is a little over 100 days away, but it’s never too late to start sewing for the holiday – like these adorable PJs for kids. Of course, this work perfect in other prints too!

Yesterday I had mentioned that I started work on the Made for Mermaid’s Sweater Top & Tunic, and before the day was out, I was finished!

I went with an off-the-shoulder style with 3/4 sleeves and a tunic length. The construction is pretty straightforward, but be aware that since this is an off the shoulder design, the sleeves will be attached a bit differently on one side (the upper portion of the sleeve cap does not attach to the shirt at all), which may make this a more confusing part of putting this top together. There are plenty of photographs along the way that can help, so I wouldn’t shy away from this pattern if you’re interested.

The fit is nice – it’s not body hugging, but it’s not bulky like a sweatshirt either and the arms are fitted, but not tight. The tunic length is pretty long – perfect for leggings or if you’re looking to scrunch up the top some, but I think if I make this again, I’d make the top.

While scrolling though Facebook the other day, I saw a woman who had sewn up the cutest, off-the-shoulder top and I found myself not being able to stop thinking about it. The pattern she used was Made for Mermaid’s Mama Stella Sweater Top and Tunic and I couldn’t resist buying it. It has a similar feel to The Hideaway that I had stitched up a few times last year, but with fitted arms and a slightly less off-the-shoulder fit (if you’re interested, you can read about my original Hideaway here and a less successful attempt in this post).

I was set to use a thinner, rayon type material for this top until I read the directions – which calls for a sweater knit (and that was my, “duh moment” because sweater is in the pattern name)…. so I opted for a French Terry (gray floral on the bottom of the stack) that I’ve been hoarding since last year – I’m really hoping that it has enough stretch because I think the end result may be really cute! Here’s the pricing breakdown of this top:

Total Cost:

Pattern….. $9.00
Fabric……. $17.00
Notions…. stash

Total $26.00

Yesterday we traveled for a funeral. I though I would have enough time to post before we left, but completely underestimated my time! So, without further ado, here is a belated Linky Thursday:

This pocketed table runner is a fun addition to your kitchen table this fall. Need a bit of help with making the bias binding? This tutorial will help!

Gorgeous Fabrics is kicking off her online courses with a Free video tutorial on making a pants pressing board.

This is no ordinary pin cushion. Not only does it sit on your wrist for easy access, but sharpens your pins too.

I love DIY Fluffies patterns – they’re always fun and easy to make (she now has adorable crochet patterns too). Want some for yourself? Enter to win 5 free patterns!

Learn how to make a pleated midi-skirt in any size.

As the weather starts turning cooler, I get the urge to take knitting back up. I wish I had the skills to make this Lumber Jill Cowl.

September is National Sewing month and there’s tons of fun to be had on the internet to celebrate – like Bernina’s Instagram Challenge, complete with weekly prizes!

This canteen bag is the perfect accessory for fall.

Directional fabric can sometimes be limiting on how you can use it. Here’s a great tutorial on how to cut your directional print to make a circle skirt.

I love that this Craft Show Vendor apron has zippered and button pockets to keep important items from falling out. I also like that I’ve seen this used for teachers as well.

A few years ago I used a panel to make a car racetrack for my nephew. This tutorial doesn’t use a panel, but instead applique to make a reversible mat.

Bret’s uncle unexpectedly passed away over the weekend. When I was trying to decide what to wear to the funeral, I realized that in my latest closet purge, I got rid of several items that might have been appropriate. Shopping for something like this is never fun or easy, so I decided to raid my stash and sew something instead.

I decided on Jalie 2034 and a black cotton rayon remnant. I picked this material because it had a nice hand and great drape, but unfortunately, it was a beast to work with. For starters, since it was a remnant, there was barely enough fabric to work with (which required some creative pattern placement) and cut horribly. It sewed fine when I used the serger, but I used my regular machine to apply the neckline binding and it turned out horribly. It was so bad that I decided to turn under the neckline over itself again, which seemed to make things look a lot better.

The only other alteration I made was cutting 2.5 inches off the bottom of the skirt before I added the flounce so that the final length hit me mid-knee. Speaking of the flounce, I should probably note that I also opted to fold under the raw edge (by 3/8″) instead of using a rolled hem (or even leaving it raw) because I just didn’t think the fabric would cooperate.

The fit on this is perfect and I absolutely adore the flounce on the bottom edge. I think the next time I make this I may do another crossover modification and add this cute little design element to add even more interest.

With the long weekend, I found that I had plenty of time to work on the t-shirt modification I mentioned last week. Before I cut into my fabrics, I did make a minor alteration to the sweetheart pattern:  Since I had decided to use a stretch lace for the front yoke (and sleeves), I thought that the back needed a yoke as well so that the lace looked “continual.”

Overall, everything went together well (although I did have a moment where I thought I had constructed the yokes backward). But the fit? Let me just say, it’s tight…. like a stretchy corset. Since this isn’t my first time making this pattern, I know that the final shirt doesn’t usually end up this way. So, the whole issue has to be the purchased shirt that I used as the base. While the t-shirt seemed to have plenty of stretch, the weirdness of the material just altered the fit. It’s wearable (and actually looks really good on), I just need help taking it off!

While I’ve had several good experiences on Wish, a few have been disappointing. Take this band shirt, I had purchased it for my husband, but then it arrived it was a weird (non-cotton) material and was pretty see-through… no way would he ever wear it. So after sitting on it for a month or so, I decided that I would just restyle it for myself. We are attending their concert in October and doing the meet and greet so I figured I had better whip up something fabulous.

After a lot of thought and pattern surfing, I decided to resurrect Jalie 2794. It was always a great fitting pattern that came together well. I figured with the right mix of fabrics I would have the perfect rock\gothy style going on.