With the decorations down, house cleaned, and laundry washed & folded, I was finally able to sit down in the sewing room and work on my first project of 2013: the Coastal Cruiser. This project took a bit more time that what I anticipated – I didn’t account for all the cutting and ‘quilting’ of the pillow itself, but it was well worth it because I love the end result.
The PDF was very straightforward – a good set of instructions even for a beginner although they do assume that you have some sewing background. I decided to use an applique stitch on my machine instead of straight stitching because I thought it looked neater and will keep the fabric from fraying so badly over time. However, when it came to quilting I did sew 1/2″ lines across the front and back of the pillow (I used the seam guide attachment to keep everything even, it’s a handy tool to have for your machine!), although I did not quilt over the applique design itself. I’ve decided that if I wind up making a second pillow, I’m going to have to use the BSR attachment for the background areas – it’s a perfect excuse to perfect my free motion quilting! The only complaint that I had with this project is a possible error that I found in the cutting directions: The instructions calls for the background and backing fabrics to be cut one side, but they are later referred to 1″ shorter. The fusible fleece has a similar problem (one is cut 18 x 8″), but it actually need to be 18 x 10″.
Overall, a great (free) pattern, beginner friendly, and perfect excuse to test out some quilting skills. I see more of these in my future (mostly because both kids have ‘claimed’ it as theirs)!
What’s the best part about sewing? Being able to make just about anything you can dream up! My daughter had an idea for a Christmas gift for her boyfriend, a pizza roll pillow (apparently, he eats a lot of pizza rolls), but never found anything remotely similar to what she was looking for…. so she asked me to make one. The photo on the left is what I came up with. The lettering and banners have all been created and fused with Wonder Under and the pizza roll images were made by enlarging the actual photos from the box, printing them on a t-shirt transfer (made for darks so that the fabric doesn’t bleed through the photo), and ironing them directly onto the pillow. I think it turned out well, but if I ever make one again, I think I’ll add more ‘details’ like nutritional information from the back and the description of the pizza roll flavor (that appears under the combination banner), just to make it look even more ‘realistic’. 
Just in time for the weekend, my ‘wildwoman’ tunic is finished! I was a bit concerned how wide the neckline would turn out, but went ahead and sewed it ‘as is’ and was presently surprised that it didn’t slide off my shoulders as many people had stated on 
– a book filled with 30 different projects for all the people in your life, perfect for all those last minute Christmas gifts! 
Things have been a little slow around here on the blog so it’s time to give it a little kick in the pants. I don’t know better way to jump start StacySews than by doing a little giveaway! Up for grabs is a Dritz Project Bag (shown on the right) – it’s just the right size to tote all the necessities to your next sewing class or sew-in (plus it’s made in a cute sewing-themed print). In order to be eligible for this prize, all you have to do is comment on in this thread and tell me how you’d put this tote to good use. Contest ends at midnight (CST) on Sunday, August 25 and is open to everyone – yes everyone, including those that may live outside the US. 
It’s tutorial time! If you were interested in stitching up the Flounce Sundress here’s your chance to make one for yourself! Let me start off by saying this design is adapted from 
2. To cut the ruffle, fold fabric in half lengthwise, again. From the fold draw a line across your fabric to your finished upper bust measurement. Measure down 7″ (if you have a very large bust I suggest this number be increased by an inch or so) and remove rectangle from fabric.
8. Open up your bias tape (press open the crease) and place along the belly button line you drew on your dress earlier and stitch. Overlap the ends by 1/4″ and fold over raw edge (to make a finished edge). Stitch along bottom edge of casing. Measure your waist, cut 1/2″ elastic to this length and insert through the waist casing. Overlap the ends 1/4″ and zig-zag stitch across the elastic. Push the elastic loop though the casing and distribute the fullness evenly.
I just can’t work on a project if I’m not ‘feeling it’. As much as I want a fabulous new purse, I just couldn’t get into the mindset of working on a bag this weekend. So instead, I scoured my patterns and decided on a new top: 
Once again, Maxi Skirts are hot this season. Why spend money at a department store on one when you can try out