This ‘Found Fabric’ tutorial is for all our S4H friends out there who, like me, have a hankerin’ for hankies. Although I haven’t used one lately to blow my nose, mop my brow or bestow as a favor on my knight in shining armor, I still love them. They’re little squares of highly-concentrated beauty, like miniature works of art. Dig out your collection and turn them into a set of one-of-a-kind vintage pillows.
A beautiful quilt thrown across a country fence to catch the golden summer sun and a gentle breeze. A pretty picture to be sure. But even better is the fact that this quilt tutorial is simply the easiest way ever to make a queen-size quilt! It’s perfect for a beginner. The Fat Quarters, which we cut for our blocks, make it look like you’ve been saving scraps for years. And, a machine-stitched binding keeps the overall time requirement pretty darn low.
No nursery series would be complete without some type of storage solution tutorial. I remember back when I had my first baby; it was a shock to realize how much stuff this one tiny person needed. A nursery is often filled to the brim with little things that have to be organized: creams, diapers, diaper wraps, wash cloths, toys, pacifiers, and more! Our Storage Shelf Basket tutorial is fast, easy and fun to make. So much so, you can make lots. Line the shelves with color-coordinated sets so there’s a place for everything (we cannot guarantee ‘everything in its place’!). With the side handle facing out, it’s easy to grab a basket and find exactly what you want. This terrifically-tidy project is just one of eight pieces in our new nursery series sponsored by our good friends at Michael Miller Fabrics. We created the entire Series using their Color Story concept. Our choice: the Citron-Gray Color Story with its cool colors and bold designs.
Welcome to part two of our latest Free Spirit Fabrics Artist Trio series. These collected articles are a way for our Sew4Home friends to meet some fabulous Free Spirit designers, try out a special project each has created just for us, and enter to win some gorgeous fabrics and other goodies. Easy and fun as 1-2-3. This Trio is all about prolific designer, Anna Maria Horner. Last month, we interviewed Anna. Today, she shares an original table scarf pattern with beautiful hand-embroidery accents. Thread up your needle and read on.
You’ve all heard the famous advice: “Measure twice, Cut once!” I think it should be expanded to: “Measure twice, Cut once… but only with a really good pair of scissors or rotary cutter!” The most expensive ingredient in most home décor projects is your fabric, and you’ll end up wasting it if you don’t have good quality cutting tools. Don’t skimp on these important members of your sewing basket. It really is worth it to buy the very best you can afford. Here are the Five Essential Cutting Tools that will help you get the best results.
Oh boy! Oh baby! Oh baby boy! Today we debut a new nursery on Sew4Home. Our original Stylish Baby Nursery series remains one of the most popular on the site, but we knew it was time for another look at baby’s room. This new series is sponsored by our good friends at Michael Miller Fabrics and is created using their new Color Story concept. We chose the Citron-Gray Color Story for our modern baby boy nursery. It is a wonderfully happy yet soothing palette, and the sleek geometric shapes of the motifs create a trendy, upscale look that mom and dad will appreciate as much as baby. Because, let’s face it, who’s really lookin’ at all those pretty pieces at 2:00 in the morning! We will showcase eight projects over the next several weeks, starting with today’s full-length panel curtains, which feature our favorite plastic grommets for easy hanging.
Summer seems like the prefect time to pull up some projects that will make the most of all those pretty pieces in your scrap bag, bin or box. This week’s ScrapBusters Series brings you five great little-bit-o-fabric ideas, starting with today’s perfect baby gift bundle of two binkys on their own little leashes and a matching drawstring carry bag. This project is at the very Tip-Top of the Cutie-Pie Ranking & Rave Scale. For those of you unfamiliar with the C.P.R.R.S., a project’s ranking consists of the combined number and volume of “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhs” generated at baby showers. It’s an independent ranking, so don’t even try to find it on Google.
Packing shoes is always a bit of a challenge for me. If they are at all dirty, I feel I need to take the extra time (who has extra time?!) to wash them before packing. If they have heels, I’m always worried the heels will snag other items and so have to take extra time (see above) to plan what to put on top of the shoes in my suitcase. Instead, why not whip up a few of these quick and easy shoe bags. The bag is sized to fit a standard pair of women’s shoes with a generous heel. The inside is soft fleece, which is gentle on leather and helps protect a shiny or embellished finish, such as beading or sequins. From the outside, there’s no worry about what to pack on top. A little extra time today to make these cute bags saves a lot of extra time packing down the line.
Back in the day, your ‘beach towel’ was simply a ratty bath towel that had seen better days and which Mom allowed you to drag outside. Today’s beach towels are colorful terry cloth works of art in jumbo sizes. We used one to make our simple summer beach wrap. A clever cut allows you to make optimum use of the towel’s bound edges, and leaves you the perfect scrap to create a matching pillow. To add a splash of summer fun, we braided three colors of polka dot knit to create the wrap’s wonderful ties. It’s all super quick to make, so you can be lounging by the shore in style before all the good spots are gone.
Project made from your scrap stash: gentle on your wallet. Soft padded mask lined with satin: gentle on the eyes. No slip headband to keep it in place: gentle to the hair. Blocking out the world while you travel: gentle to your soul. The pretty piping that curves around the entire edge of our sleep mask adds a special zing of style, but does also make this a slightly more intermediate project. You could leave out this step to make it faster and easier.
Fifth in our Travel Accessories series, and weighing in at a mere 1½ ounces, this whisper light voile laundry bag is ideal for travel, taking up virtually no space in your suitcase. If you’ve never sewn with voile before, you’re in for a treat. It’s exquisitely silky soft to the touch and easy to sew. For added strength, the drawstring casing is made from a coordinated quilting cotton, also from Anna Maria Horner’s Loulouthi collection. I love how the vintage elegance of these prints adds a hint of luxury to the act of packing a bag.
We gave you a hint last week, when we started our own set of Travel Tidy projects in her luscious LouLouthi fabric collection, that we had a new Free Spirit Artist Trio Series coming your way. This time we feature Anna Maria Horner, later this month she’ll have a unique table linen Guest Tutorial with some of her beautiful hand embroidery, and then… another Great Giveaway prize package from the generous folks at Free Spirit. Today, we share some stories with Anna Maria; imagine the orange trees, chickens and gypsy weddings in the streets of Greece; and understand a little about how important it is for her to shape things by hand.
Happy 4th of July, Sew4Home friends! We hope you’re celebrating the day with friends and family, firing up the grill and pulling out the spatula for a classic 4th barbeque! Our tough canvas BBQ apron is a serious sizzle shield with its handsome rivet accents and extra-large pockets for grill tongs, tools and those giant hot pad mitts. Why… I bet it would even hold a few packages of sparklers.
Mark Twain, one of my personal heros, had these wonderful thoughts on the topic of travel: “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” It’s the season to pack your bags and venture onto new paths. But… you can’t face new adventures without a bag full of your familiar stuff! We’ve come up with a series of nine travel accessories created in Anna Maria Horner’s beautiful new Loulouthi fabric collection for Free Sprit Fabrics. This unique series is part of our second Free Spirit Artist Trio Series, which features Anna Maria. Today, we start with something to organize and hold the one thing you simply cannot forget: your underwear. Our eight-pocket lingerie caddy rolls up to discreetly stash your unmentionables in a tidy package within your suitcase.
“Don’t be afraid of colour.” Words to live by from master textile artist, Kaffe Fassett. And when our friends at Renaissance Ribbons sent us a photo of this stunning Kaffe Fassett tote, designed for them by Elaine Schmidt, we were bowled over by its vibrant palette and patterns. The bag features both Fassett’s beautiful fabric and his rich, jacquard ribbons. Elaine was kind enough to allow us to run her instructions as a Guest Tutorial. You’ll love it… like tossing a rainbow over your shoulder.
This is our favorite fast and easy way to make any size of comfy pajama pants. Originally designed by our sponsor, Janome America (thanks, creative Alison!), we adapted it for this past winter’s Noel Home project series, incorporating jazzy bottom cuffs so we could mix and match fabrics to make a cute pair of pants for everyone in the family. Now for Father’s Day, we’re kickin’ it up a notch again by narrowing the cuff and adding a waistband in matching accent fabric. We top it off with a large pocket along the side of one pant leg for a cargo pant look.
Dear ol’ Dad, his special day is coming up, and there are so many things you love him for. But, he can be so dang hard to shop for, let alone sew for. Most projects tend to lean more to the feminine than the masculine… unless you landed here at Sew4Home where we have whipped up four fantastic Father’s Day gifts to delight Dad. We start our gift-giving ideas with today’s sleek iPad case; it features a bike-bag style crossover strap in cotton webbing, tough pockets front and back, and a soft fleece lining.
We have a saying at our house we call, “Mexican Hot Plate Syndrome.” It refers to doing something you know is bad, but you just can’t help yourself. I’m sure you’ve encountered the syndrome at your local Mexican restaurant. It occurs when they deliver a hot-out-of-the-oven plate to your table. The waiter is wearing huge oven mitts and implores you, “Don’t touch the plate; it is very hot.” So what do you do as soon as he sets it down and turns his back? You sneak out one finger and touch the edge of plate. Yikes! He was right! Dang! This story was all to set up our pretty Tea Time oven mitts project. They contain a hidden layer of Insul-Bright thermal batting between their linen front and lining, so they could certainly pick up a hot plate of enchiladas. However, they would be even more perfect to lift a whistling tea kettle from the stove.
We love placemats, because they are such a versatile table setting option. You don’t need nearly as much fabric as you do for an entire tablecloth. In fact, with their smaller proportions, they’re a great way to bring together a number of colors, patterns and textures. Our table for two includes lovely quilted and appliquéd placemats. Their accent bands feature a diamond quilting pattern, while the main place-setting panels have repeating rows of parallel quilted stitch lines. Picking different styles of quilting within one project is a simple yet striking way to add a little spice. As with our other Tea Time projects, this one has a bold, double-layer appliqué highlight.
Do you remember the first cup of tea you had as a child? I do, and I recall how charmed I was by the little cups and saucers, how delighted I was with the tiny sandwiches and pretty cookies. What a wonderful world of grace and gentility. That’s the world of our S4H Tea Time Collection. Today, we’re making napkins, which are a perfect beginner project and a great way to practice hemming and corners. Our Tea Time set finishes at a generous 20″ x 20″ and includes both a lovely border accent and a sweet appliquéd teacup. We made just two napkins, but you could whip up a whole tea party’s worth in an afternoon. It’s fun to choose mix-and-match fabrics for the appliqués so each guest gets his/her own unique teacup and saucer.
Give Mom a pillow duo that will add an instant splash of spring to her favorite sofa, chair or bed. Our side-by-side design sets off the the pretty Parisville prints with bold designer linen colors. And we love these double-ruffle ribbons from The Ribbon Retreat, which remind us a bit of lasagna. We used them as a lovely embellishment that not only ties into ruffly bow accents, it also ties the two pillows together into a perfect pair.
It’s April 25th… do you know where your Mother’s Day present is?? No worries if you don’t. Sew4Home has you covered with four fast, easy and very pretty projects for your mommy. Today, we start it off with our Market Tote. It’s a simple lined, box-bottom bag, featuring fun double-ruffle ribbon accents. But there’s nothing simple about the result – it’s a truly beautiful bag that Mom (or sis or auntie or grandma or….) will love.
Spring is the best time to empty our closets of clothing we’ll never (or shouldn’t) wear again. Some of it can be donated or even sold, but what about the pieces that are flawed or frayed? Don’t be too quick to toss these items into the trash. Instead salvage usable fabric, buttons, and zippers. Even thrift stores cut the buttons off of unusable clothing and sell them. Read on for some reuse ideas and how we took four men’s shirts with various resale deal-breaker flaws and made an simply sweet baby quilt.
“Where did I put that…?!?” You fill in the blank with any of the myriad of items that seem to go missing on any given day. Sew4Home friends and fans seem to never get enough of our clever storage solutions, so we have a new one for you: pinboards with pockets! We’ve created a companion set. One is large (a full 24″ x 48″) and simply wrapped; the other is smaller (16″ x 20″), beautifully framed and finished with a decorative hanging bow. Both designs feature the wonderful new Silent Cinema fabric collection by Jenean Morrison for Free Spirit Fabrics. And, here’s the best part… well, maybe not the best part – the best part is probably the beautiful Silent Cinema fabric, but equally cool: these are super-duper lightweight and easy to handle and hang, because the inside is construction-grade rigid insulation foam board.
Out here in the Northwest, we know our clouds. Just as they say the Eskimos have dozens of words to describe snow, I think we have just as many to describe clouds and the rain that often descends from them. Today, we’ve ignored those water-logged centers and chosen our favorite fluffy white clouds… the ones you found shapes in as a child, lying on your back in the summer grass. “There’s a chariot pulled by four white horses!” “I see a tumbling bear!” “Look, an ice cream cone!” Our clouds are made of super-soft Minky Eyelash on the front and pure cool silver cotton on the back… a silver lining, I guess. We provide our own cloud drawing as a guide, but feel free to make one in the shape of a tumbling bear.
This year, we have a new series we’ve started with our friends at Free Spirit Fabrics. We call it: Artist Trios. In the coming months, you’ll get the chance to 1) meet some fabulous Free Spirit designers, 2) try out a special project each will create just for Sew4Home, and 3) maybe win some of their gorgeous fabrics. Easy and fun as 1-2-3. Earlier this week, we introduced you to our debut Artist, Jenean Morrison. Today, she shares her original patchwork pillow pattern.
There are people I meet who are sweet. Others who I’d describe as nice. And those I put in the creative column. But, every so often, I stumble upon someone who is sweet and nice and creative. Meet, Jenean Morrison: terribly talented and terrifically personable, she has been a joy to work with since our first conversation. We’d admired her previous collections for Free Spirit Fabrics: Moondance, Picnic Parade and California Dreamin’, and so were thrilled when Free Spirit suggested Jenean and her new Silent Cinema collection as the focus of our first Artist Trio Series with them. Today, you’ll get to meet Jenean and find out a little bit about the brains behind the beauty. Later this week, she has a Guest Tutorial for you. Then, later this month, our friends at Free Spirit will sponsor a Great Giveaway with some Silent Cinema fabric plus a mystery Free Spirit Grab Bag.
Our regular followers are probably surprised to see so many wearables in this latest S4H series. We’re just full of surprises aren’t we? Actually, we’re simply responding to your requests. You told us you wanted to see more easy-to-sew clothing items. Alrighty then! The Gypsy Romance tiered skirt is three simple rectangles gathered together and finished with a drawstring channel waist. No zippers… nothing but straight seams and two little buttonholes. Easy, bright and fun; it’s perfect for the sunny Spring weather we just know is coming… one of these days.
No self-respecting Gypsy Collection would be complete without a dramatic headscarf. Of course, any square of fabric could become a scarf. So how did we kick it up, S4H Style? Our gypsy scarf is reversible and features corner grommets that hold lovely, long leather ties with beautiful beaded ends.
“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” We all have those areas of the house we’d prefer to keep from view. Maybe it’s a cluttered corner, a secret sitting area or even your sewing and crafting space! We designed our room divider curtains as slim panels, which can be used on a portable frame, like the one we built, or hung by tension rod in a doorway. Lined with silky acetate, they have a wonderful drape and lightly sway with the lightest gypsy breeze.
Truth be told, these pillows are not actually triangles, they are tetrahedrons. But not only is that impossible to say, it sounds like a scary flying dinosaur – not what it really is: a cute pyramid pillow. We found these unique pillow forms from online resource, Downlite. Each pillow (we provide templates for a small 14″ and a large 16″) is made up of 16 triangles, and because we paid extra attention in Geometry class, we were able to come up with a layout that, when folded and stitched together into its final 3-D shape, has different patterns aligned at every seam. Like a little tetrahedron Rubik’s Cube.
Today begins our Gypsy Romance Series: seven bright, bohemian projects created from Pillow & Maxfield’s wonderful Gypsy Bandana fabric collection. We swirl out of the gates wrapped in a lush patchwork throw with pom pom embellishments and velvet accents. The generous 56″ x 56″ square features nine different fabrics arranged in an explosion of intoxicating color and pattern. Those horizontal strips are actually topstitched in place over the panel seams… so don’t be scared off thinking you’ll have to do teeny, accurate piecing. In signature S4H style, we make it easy to create a dynamic finished product.
We recently met a force of nature. This woman creates on so many fronts, I secretly suspect she has an extra set of arms, one of which has a glue gun surgically implanted. Color, life and laughter sparkle from her pores. I’m talking about Kathy Cano-Murillo, better known as The Crafty Chica.
Belts are fun to make. They’re fast and easy, and use just a tiny bit of fabric or, in this case, just a few yards of ribbon! This particular project is double the fun because the belt is reversible. We show you two different ways to stitch and turn so the belt ends are finished and the side seams super flat. Try one for your own wardrobe, as a gift for any occasion, or as an item to make and sell.
Sitting up takes sooooooo much work. Especially when the alternative is stretching out with the latest news and a super soft bolster pillow to gently prop your head. The third project in our Teen Pretty Pack trio is this extra long, extra soft bolster/neckroll pillow. We used Minky Marshmallow for our center panel trimmed with the beautiful swooping birds of Michael Miller Fabric’s Bonnes Amies. I’m sure our model has finished her homework and is just relaxing. At least… I’m pretty sure.
As I write this, I’m surrounded by the latest fabric collection from designers, Pillow & Maxfield: the gorgeous Gypsy Bandana for Michael Miller Fabrics. Pause with me as I siiiiiiiiiigh deeply, because, once again… we love it all. We decided we simply HAD to get to know the brains behind this beautiful fabric, Val Pillow and Anne Maxfield. Luckily for us, there was an immediate bond. Turns out we love them and they love Sew4Home! After exchanging our love, we got down to business and asked Val and Anne some insightful questions about where they came from, where their designs come from, and what gift wrap has to do with it all.
Here’s another super fast project that turns out super cute with very little effort on your part. Our gussied-up guest towels with their bright bows would look very cool on your own towel bar, but better still, they are the perfect quick and easy gift. We’ve put them into our Valentine’s Day project mix, but with the right fabric trim, they would be excellent as a hostess gift, or for a wedding shower or house warming.
What do teens like better than sleeping ’til noon? Sleeping over with friends… where there is usually no actual sleeping until noon. Perhaps this pretty pillowcase will tempt them into dreamland. It’s a version of our favorite easy-as-pie instructions we’ve used a number of times to create pillowcases for holidays and other special occasions. The main difference this time is we only made one case, and we cut separate pieces for the front and back of the main body, requiring three full seams instead of just two. But that extra seam was worth it, because it allowed us to feature the beautiful flying birds of the Bonnes Aimies fabric swooping right through the middle.
It’s a card! It’s a pin! Wait, you’re both right! This all-in-one Valentine gift combines a sweet heart-shaped card with a cute gathered flower pin to wear on a coat, hat, purse or headband. I love projects that can multi-task, don’t you?
A little bit frilly, a little bit flirty. Our Valentine’s Day apron is bursting with candy heart colors. We made ours from pre-cuts in Hoopla by Moda Fabrics, which allowed us to mix and match a great variety of patterns. It reminds me of opening up my mailbox of little valentines in grade school with all those bright pink, red and purple greetings smiling up at me. Especially that Snoopy® one from my crush, Jimmy. Our design adds three fun drawcord tunnels, which allow you to vertically gather the bodice and the skirt. Cute!
This time of year, we’re all wearing our hearts on our sleeves. Why not spread the love to a few other items? Today, our chubby cherub hearts perk up a plain square coaster. It’s a great project to practice your appliqué skills. We used Charm Pack Squares, which made things very fast and easy. But I bet you could also burrow into your scrap basket and find some cute little pieces that have just been waiting for the opportunity to shine.
When you have small children at home, your most common question isn’t, “How do I make that?” – It’s, “How do I make that with a two-year-old and a four-year-old running loose in the house?” (If you have children that age, you should probably stop reading this for a moment and go see what they’re up to.) Sewing with little kids underfoot can be a challenge. But if you think ahead and do a little creative planning, you won’t have to put away your sewing machine until they’re in college. We’ve collected our best ideas and found some handy expert online resources for fun activities.
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