Red Riding Hood Cape

I whipped this together real quick for my daughter for Halloween, but I am hoping she will wear it for other events like over her cotillion dresses or for Colonial dancing.  She is about 5'1" tall.  I bought 2 yards of a thick poly wool blend fabric (no lining).  I measured down 17" from the top and gathered the full width of the fabric.  I hand gathered it because I was in such a hurry, I didn't want to risk having to redo it if the thread broke.  I sewed a fabric tube over the gathering to reinforce it and to act as a tie.  I hemmed the bottom edge, but just left the selvages for the front edges.

I sewed the top seam to form a big, floppy hood.  She loves it!  I figure I can always go back and line it later if I want to.  It survived Halloween and that was my main goal anyway.



Nifty Teenie Kleenie Holder

This makes a great small gift, easy to sew too!  Start with 3 pieces of fabric 6 1/4"x 4 1/4" and 2 pieces 4 1/4"x4 1/4".  Press 4 of the pieces in half (wrong sides together) as shown above.

 Layer the pieces kind of like how you might reclose a cardboard box, with all the flaps overlapping.  The striped fabric shows this.  All of the folds should point towards the middle and the raw edges should be even with the unfolded rectangle.  Right sides together.  Sew completely around the edges.

 If you like, you can use a 3"x5" piece of paper to stitch around. 

 Trim the excess off.  Then pinch the corners and stitch across as shown below.  This should create a box corner.

 Box corners as seen from the underside.  Turn right side out and slip in a tiny package of tissues.

Here are some finished holders! 

Aprons from Pre-Printed Vest Panels

I recently ran across some pre-printed vest panels. I didn't think I'd wear them as vests, but maybe as aprons.   I don't have all the steps pictured here (I was in a rush to get them ready for the bazaar).  Basically, I used the vest back as the apron top and the vest fronts as the apron lower half.  I had to trim off the shoulders.  I used the same arm shape.  After trimming as needed to fit together, I sewed the 3 pieces together.  The fabric was a lightweight, so I lined the entire apron (making it reversible too!).  The photo above shows the wrong side after the lining has been sewn on (right sides together).  The ribbon ties were inserted and sewn at the same time.  I turned the whole thing right side out through a small hole I'd left open.

Then I edge stitched all the way around, closing the turning hole at the same time.

I like that they are heavy enough now to really protect your clothes.  So dig through your stash and see if you have any pre-printed panels waiting to be sewn!  Actually, I've often thought it would be cool to make something using the panel as yardage and having the directions showing too!  An interesting thought for another time...

Easy T-Shirt Fix Up

So my daughter had this pink t-shirt that I really like (cute shoes!).  She out grew it and, with her permission, I cut the front off.  I centered it on top of a white t-shirt and stitched it down.  This would be great for covering up stains or just for enjoying an out grown shirt.

Easy Kid Projects

 My son and I did this several years ago (he was probably 5).  I had some scrap fabric laying around (imagine that!).  He arranged the fabric squares and I simply stitched them down with him on my lap.

 He enjoyed arranging the fabric and then later playing with the finished blankie.

This little cutie is by my daughter (again several years ago-8 years old?), sewn from scraps.  I love him!  The fabric actually looks like he has a mustache!

Ham Bag Hat!

My husband works in the garage in all kinds of weather, making guitars and ukuleles.  In the summer, to keep the sweat out of his eyes (and keep the sawdust out of his hair), he wears Ham Bag Hats.  This started a long time ago and yes, it was really the muslin bag that hams come in.  He has finally worn out/lost all his ham bags, so I made him some new ones.

 The basic shape is how we remembered it to be- slightly asymmetrical. I cut out 2 pieces, serged them together and that was it.

 He uses the "tail" to clean his glasses with!

A lovely Ham Bag Hat.

Adventure Time Hat

My son loves the show "Adventure Time" on Cartoon Network.  The main character always wears a white hat with ears, so I chose a fleece out of my stash.

 I just guessed at the size, since he was in school when I made it.  I drew directly on the fabric.

 I added a couple extra layers in the ear area to make the ears stand up.

Then I cut a hole for his face, serged the edges and it was done!  I love a quick project like this and he loves it!

Pillows from a Rug

A customer brought me this gorgeous, embroidered wool rug and wanted 2 pillows made from it.  I cut it in half and picked the heavy canvas backing off.

The back has a really interesting texture.

She wanted removable inserts.  I sewed 2 stuffed pillow forms.  For the back of  the pillows, I used 2 pieces of muslin, overlapped, to form a zipper-free closure.

Here is the finished back.

The 2 finished pillows.  I love the colors!

Easy Gift for a Child- "Color Me Cat"

I have sewn this cat many times for gifts.  I include washable markers.  The child can then decorate it again and again, front and back.  Just throw in the washer and dryer and it is ready for a new look!

Color Me Cat is just 2 pieces of muslin, sewn right sides together, turn right sides out and stuff!

It is really that simple.  You could use any shape.

I have found that Crayola Washable Markers wash out the best.

For older kids, include a permanent marker and it becomes an autograph cat.

My son had fun doing the sample above.

Super Easy Summer Dresses

These are so easy it is almost embarrassing! I found this fabric with one edge already shirred with elastic and hemmed. Just buy enough to stretch around the body. I sewed straps but you could also use ribbon. Simply sew the one side seam and attach the straps. Hem the bottom edge at the right length or just use the selvidge! And Voila! Mom is a hero- my daughter is thrilled with these 2 I made for her. Sewing doesn't have to be complicated.

Bowls made of Thread!

At a recent American Sewing Guild neighborhood meeting, I learned how to do these fun bowls! So easy. You need 2 pieces of water soluble stabilizer and thread, yarn, embroidery floss etc. I used embroidery floss for my first bowl. Arrange or just drop the thread onto one piece of stabilizer. Place other piece on top creating a sandwich. Stitch all around. When satisfied, very briefly dip the bowl into warm water and drape over a bowl to dry. You don't want all the stabilizer to wash out. After a day of dripping, it is done!

I was thinking of an azalea bush when I did this with embroidery floss.

This bowl is from serger trimmings from a recent skirt. This is fast and fun. I can see kids having fun making these too. You could make a flat one to use under a vase. Thanks Rose for showing us how!

Kids Sewing Projects

On a recent weekend, my kids decided they wanted to sew something. My daughter, 10, designed the owl. She is fully capable of sewing it herself, but she ran out of steam so I assembled the pieces.

My son, 7, drew the griffins on fabric and then I sewed around them. He helped stuff. I try not to pressure my kids into sewing. I wait until they are ready to work on a project. Hopefully this approach will lead them to view sewing as a fun hobby (not something Mom made them do!).

Easy to Sew Letter Pillows

I made these for my niece, but I've also taught classes to kids on sewing letters. They are fun and easy. You can choose a mixed look or use all the same fabric. It is a great gift for young kids just learning how to spell their names. Older kids like them as decoration for their rooms.

One thing to keep in mind, cut the letters larger than you want them. They will end up smaller due to seam allowance, stuffing. For letters with a hole (a,b,d etc.) I applique the "hole" before stitching together.

Valentine's Day Tree Ornaments

We decorate our ficus tree every year for Valentine's Day. Some hearts are from years ago, my husband's and my first Valentine's Day together!

This year I sewed a bunch of small pillows with ribbon, lace and ricrac scraps. Lots of fun!

My kids made pipecleaner and pony bead hearts last year.

Heart shaped paper doilies too.

This one I made 20 years ago out of scraps from my wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses. It is cheerful to look at and easy to do!

How to sew Doll Bras!

My daughter wanted bras for her American Girl Dolls (18"). I took an old cotton batiste slip with lace already attached and cut out a strip 12 1/2" x 2".*

I serged the bottom edge and sewed velcro to each end. The straps are 1/8" wide ribbon, 6 1/2" long.

I added a flower applique to the front.

Here are two bras. *They ended up curved because the bottom of the slip was curved, but it fits just right.