Last week we traveled back to Bret’s hometown to surprise his mom for her birthday. While I knew this trip was coming for several weeks, I decided (last minute) to sew up a few things for our adventure…. comfortable things because it literally takes an entire day to get there (even by planes)! So I decided to make a couple of Claras – one in a fun, geode peached performance (perfect for a travel day) and another in a dressier, stretch velour (that would be great for a birthday party).

While I’ve made the Clara before, I have apparently made them in several sizes…. because I realized that my velour leggings looked a bit smaller after cutting them out. Of course, THATS when I checked out the sizing and noticed that they were 2 sizes smaller than what I should have cut. I decided to go ahead and forge ahead and see how they turned out anyway. After discovering my mistake, I did use the correct sizing for the geode leggings.

I did a trial fit of the velour leggings without the waistband and was pleasantly surprised that they fit – they were a snugger than what they should have been, but not uncomfortable. However, I knew that the waistband might be more of an issue so I opted to make the elastic in that area larger (which is why you’re seeing more rippling in that area with that version an in the geode)… and surprisingly, it worked! So moral of the story, get yourself some highly stretchy fabric and chances are you’ll be able to make the pattern work even if you cut out the wrong size!

I’ve had this alcohol ink performance knit fabric in my stash for awhile now. My original intent was to make a pair of leggings with them, but I probably have enough fabrics on hand to make those so I decided to transform this material into something different – a skort. I’m headed on a girls trip next week and decided that I needed something that looks cute, but is still comfortable enough to do activities and not worry about flashing everyone in the process! The LOULOUXE is my go to skort pattern and it looks amazing in this material!

I used the alcohol ink for the exterior of this pattern and a black performance knit for the shorts. One yard of the alcohol ink was plenty for this part of the pattern and I even have enough left over to (eventually) make a sports bra (or something coordinating).

After finishing up my leggings the other day, I set to work on a coordinating sweatshirt to go with it. Instead of making a “traditional” sized hoodie, I decided to make mine cropped…. and I used Jalie’s Laurent to do it! This pattern already has markings for a cropped design which made things a bit easier, but when I measured it, I felt like it was going to be shorter than I wanted so I added 3″ so that it would sit on the high hip (still cropped, but definitely looks better if you’re not wearing high waisted pants).

I really waffled back and forth if this project wanted to become a hoodie or a sweatshirt. I wound up completing everything but the neckband, then tried it on so I could determine what I wanted to do next… somehow it screamed hoodie. Unfortunately, I did not have enough material left over to use as a lining, but I did have a wonderful dragon fruit peached performance that seemed to match well and really made the interior pop! Now I’m going to need a pair of (dragon fruit) leggings that will go with this hoodie too! Guess what I’m working on next?

Step up your shacket game with this fabulous sequin shirt dress version.

Pamper your pet with fun new accessories like a coordinating collar and leash (FYI, you can even get hardware kits for these on Amazon!), an adorable dog bed that looks like a couch, and a snuffle mat (the link will take you to part 2 of how to put this together).

This “hugs & kisses” Valentine’s quilt is made only using 3 yards of fabric!

These tall storage bins are perfect for stashing items and gives any room a modern feel.

Learn how to stitch up a pair of women’s curvy cargo pants.

Sock gnomes are still a hot holiday decorating items. Learn how to make a Valentine’s Day version here.

If you have a game or concert in your future, chances are you’ll need one of these clear bags.

Enter to win a $30 gift certificate to The Fabric Fairy.

This travel, Valentine themed Tic-Tack-Toe game is a fun gift to give this holiday.

If you know a Pokemon fan, then you’ll want to sew them up one of these adorable Squirtles (you don’t even need to like Pokemon to think they’re cute).

This bag is labeled a “mini duffle” but it looks pretty good size to me!

After several months of sewing bags, plushes, and quilt blocks, it’s time to refocus on making some clothing items that I’ve been meaning to get to…. like this AWESOME pair of leggings!

I had purchased this panel from The Styled Magnolia quite some time ago, with the intent on making a pair of leggings… and they did not disappoint! Because of the way the panel is laid out, I wasn’t able to go with a seamless design, so I went with the classic Jalie 2820 pattern. This allowed me to cut the legs independently and maximize my space with the fabric. Instead of going with a design on each leg (there is a “floral skull” print on this panel as well), I went with just the floral print going down one leg and used the muted floral background for the other. What a way to make these leggings pop!

I have a matching floral French terry print that I intend on using to make a coordinating sweatshirt, but not sure what I might make to layer under it. No mater what I make, these leggings need to be the star of the show… and now I can’t wait to use the other side of the panel!

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I joined 2023’s Murder Mystery Quilt. The first block (and story) released last Wednesday, so I immediately set to work. It’s been a long time since I’ve made a quilt, so it took me quite a bit of time to cut all the fabrics (an entire day), but honestly, there were lots to be cut (over 300 pieces!). Sewing up that many pieces also took a while (2+ very long days), but I pretty pleased with my end results:

There were two different versions of the blocks that you could complete and I decided to go with the more complex (because I liked the overall look the best). It was definitely more challenging and took a lot more time cutting and piecing that what the other version would have, but I think the effort was worth it. These are by no means perfect, but it wasn’t worth going back and trying to correct any mistakes.

I definitely learned some things with this month’s block (I may have finally gotten down the “scant 1/4”) and bought some cool new tools (I’m in love with this mini iron and cutting\press station) that will come in handy later, too. I’m excited to see what next month brings!

My holiday decorations may be packed and put away and the carefree schedule over, but I’m having a hard time getting back into the swing of things even though the festivities are over… which largely explains the lack of postings this week. So my goal next week is getting back into a regular routine. In the mean time, I can finally show you one of the projects I had going on behind the scenes – Valentine’s Day Cards! That’s right, your embroidery machine doesn’t have to be just for fabric, with the right materials and designs, you can create beautiful stationary for any occasion! You can get all the details on how to make your own in the Spring 2023 copy of Creative Machine Embroidery Magazine, which should be out on newsstands now (or grab yourself a digital edition, instead)!

And now, it’s back to cutting and practicing my scant 1/4″ seams for my Murder Mystery Quilt block! I started this process yesterday and realized that a number of my pieces were 1/8″ off, so I’m going back to the drawing board and seeing what I can do to make this work out as intended. Not to mention the fact that THERE ARE SO MANY PIECES! It’s been so long since I’ve worked on a quilt, I forgot what that’s like.

Tiny things are cute, but they sure are a b!tch to sew. My axolotl pouch pet is complete, but I have to admit, this was a slightly challenging project for me.

First off, my idea with the hands\feet did not work out (now I have these cute little finger mitts I can wear to amuse myself), but I was on the right track by not cutting out the feet pattern. Instead, I should have sewed the hand\foot fabric directly onto the body and then sew along the traced pattern piece. I also had quite a bit of stretching with this minky which contributed to more frustrations.

This is one of the smaller plush that I have ever made and those tiny details take a bit more work to turn out correctly. While the end result is super cute, I think I need to set this pattern aside for awhile because I just didn’t find it as fun to sew as some of the other plush patterns that I’ve worked on. Eventually I may tackle the “pouch” portion of this project, but don’t expect to see it any time soon.

This vintage style weekender duffle is perfect for your next weekend getaway.

This cute little fur purse is perfect winter accessory.

If working out more is part of your new year’s resolution, you’ll want to sew up some new workout gear – like this free Camden one piece. For a two piece look try this sports bra and (stretch) athletic shorts combination.

Tie blankets are a great kids project and are perfect for charitable donations or just gift giving. Here’s how to make yours (this does call for a purchased template, but you can easily make your own).

Enter to win a $50 gift certificate to Garden Song Fabrics plus some fabulous sewing notions!

Keep your fingers toasty with a fun hand muff. Looking for something that will make your hands a bit freer? Try my convertible mittens tutorial!

Get a head start on Valentine crafting with this heart pocket tutorial.

This draped cardigan is an easy way to cozy up a pair of jeans.

Rope bowls are a great fabric buster and an easy way to spruce up a room. Looking for something that can coordinate with your room? Why not try this easy nesting bowl or completely non-sewing mod podge version instead.

While it doesn’t look like much yet, this is the makings of an axolotl pouch pet. While I have a ton of things I want to work on right now, I decided to tackle this project first because it’s just so darn cute and I couldn’t resist giving it a whirl. So far I’ve managed to embroider the face as well as the gills and tail (these were created in the hoop – so quick and easy). The hands\feet have been created too – I HIGHLY suggest removing the seam allowance on this portion of the pattern, place two pieces of fabric right sides together, tracing the outline of the pattern piece on the backside of the fabric, and sewing the material together directly on the line. My finished pieces looked so much cleaner this way – the pieces are so small (and minky is slippery) that I just didn’t get a great looking foot\hand otherwise. I should note this is not how the construction is supposed to look (the hands and feet are attached to the body first, then sewn together in one step), so I may be kicking myself for doing it this way later, but I thought I would give this a try first to see if it would work out.