Easy hand sewn hair bow tie clips

I love this project. I hand sewed mine, but you could absolutely use a machine and make them even faster.

You will need:

• a 8.5 inch wide by 5 inch tall piece of fabric (if it's directional- otherwise just 8.5x 5 inches)
• pinking shears
• sewing needle
• thread
• pins
• 2 tapestry needles
• embroidery floss
• buttons

You will also need some sort of clips. I used plastic clips for mine that didn't have sewing holes. If you prefer to sew on the clips, use a different type. I used E-6000 glue to glue my bows to the clips.

If you use a knit fabric- regular scissors will work. Pinking shears are recommended for woven fabrics or you can seal the edges with a very light coat of either watered down PVA glue or Fray Check.

Cut 2 strips, 8.5 x 2.5 inches

Fold and finger press one end a half inch to the back.

Now you're going to do the trickiest part. Fold the fabric right sides together with the folded edge centered on the back on the inside and the other edge overlapping that. Pin it.

Now stitch the two long edges.

When you turn it right side out, making sure the corners are completely turned using something like a chopstick or a pen it will look sort of like a pillow sham with the folded edge on the outside of the back.

I marked the stitches to gather the center with pins since I was using black thread. If the fabric is fairly thin, 6 evenly spaced stitches works. For a thicker fabric like the knit I used- 4 stitches worked, sectioning the gathers into 3 different gathers. Top, 1/3 down, 2/3s down, bottom, starting from the front. 

Pull stitches tight to gather. 

To put on the button, I threaded 2 tapestry needles with one length of 3 strands of embroidery floss, then pushed both needles through, and tied in knot on the back. 

Because the fabric was thick, it needed extra gathering. Since the gathers were set by the stitches, I wrapped them tighter with the tails of the embroidery floss, bringing each end in opposite directions around the bow, under the button, then tying tightly. 

Then glued the bows on the clips! If you're using a directional fabric, make sure you face the clips in opposite directions. 

I love these, they are simple to make with scraps of fabric- or making them a little smaller, they can be made with Spoonflower swatches, which is what I used for my prototypes. 

This fabric is available for sale in my Spoonflower shop

Book Review- Sewing School 2

Sewing School 2- Lessons in Machine Sewing by Amie Petronis Plumley and Andria Lisle is a book full of instructions and simple, fun and mostly useful projects for young people learning to sew.

I like teaching people to sew using a book. A well-written book will have things in it I might forget teaching, and it will also have projects geared specifically for teaching beginners. In the case of this book, the projects are designed with the tween set in mind. Also with a good book, I can step back and be available to help if necessary but they have the freedom to learn at their own pace.

It's spiral bound to lay flat with full color photos and diagrams. There is an envelope in the back of the book that has the patterns for the projects, but most of the projects can be done by measuring and cutting. A lot of them are based on rectangle and square shapes with straight seams which makes them very simple to sew.

The introduction starts by explaining the project pages- the difficulty rating system, materials needed, skills needed, a note for parents and skill check which explains what skills a new sewer is learning. Then it explains the anatomy of a sewing machine with photos. This section explains each part and how it's used. A further glossary explains other terms and tools you'll need.

After that it covers the basic supplies you'll need in a sewing kit. Then it gets into explaining exactly how to plan a project and sew it from picking fabric, cutting out a pattern, sewing, safety tips and personalization. All with great photos and easy to understand text.

After that- the projects. As mentioned, they are designed with beginners in mind, and for tweens. Some of the projects are better for younger children learning to sew, or could be done for a younger friend or sibling.

My favorite project is the backsack. These basic backpacks have been fairly popular for a couple years now, basically a drawstring bag with straps to wear it backpack style. For people who love to decorate, there is a miniature bunting and a full size bunting. There are pincushions, portable cushions to sit on, and cute stuffies. The projects are mostly practical with lots of room to really add a personal flair, beyond just picking the fabric.

The back of the book includes further skills like sewing on a button, how much thread to use for hand sewing, and how to use a seam ripper.

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Book Review- Improv Sewing

Improv Sewing by Nicole Blum and Debra Immergut is a collection of projects and patterns that you can make on the fly and sew using a standard sewing machine.

It's my favorite kind of sewing book. It doesn't depend on couture techniques or fussy cut detailed patterns. The patterns are made of simple lines and easy to create in the size you need. They leave some things unhemmed because knits don't come unraveled. Lots of embellishment techniques to create a look for yourself, your child or your home that's unique and artistic.

It starts with an introduction to fabric types and tips for sewing using a sewing machine with those fabrics, how to clip seams , use foldover elastic and ideas for thrift store shopping.

The instructions are very complete. If you're a novice sewer, you'll want to read through the chapters in order to understand how to put together the basic patterns before you get into the embellishments.

The clothes I wear the most are comfortable jersey knit skirts and dresses, and I like things that are easy to make and can be made with thrifted finds. Chapter 2 is Finding Your Fit- starting with how to take measurements, then using a well-fitting teeshirt your willing to cut up to use to make basic patterns. You will learn how to make a pattern for an a-line skirt that will fit perfectly with an elasticized waistband and how to make dress patterns with different necklines  using the teeshirt pieces. The patterns use jersey knits for easy sewing.

Chapter 3 is Five Basic Designs. While there are several projects for children in this book, these patterns are for adults. They explain different sleeve types, and the patterns are easy wear casual pieces with lots of style. Tunics that can be dresses and skirts that could easily become wardrobe staples. Two of the skirts use woven fabrics. My favorite is the three panel wrap skirt.

In Chapter 4, Ruffles, Pleats and Trims, you'll use your basic pattern pieces with techniques like ruffles, ruching, shirring, binding and pleats to make dresses and shirts. My favorite project in this chapter is a toss up between the very feminine ruffled dressy dress and the ruffled wrap.

Chapter 5, Lines, uses lines of thread machine sewn for embellishing. This chapter has some clothing, but it also has a bunch of great home accessories that also make good gifts. My favorite projects are the nesting boxes made of canvas with great contrasting thread details and the meandering cardigan made from an old long sleeve teeshirt.

Chapter 6, Doodling, Sketching and Writing, doodle stitching with your sewing machine. Creating images and designs, this chapter has an introduction which explains the basic method. There are great home decor projects in this chapter, as well as a tubular constructed sun dress with a nice detail of leaf embroidery. My favorite projects are the fiddlehead dress with it's delicately spiraled fiddlehead fern shapes, and the potluck dish cover.

Chapter 7, Applique, has both regular applique and reverse applique projects. The scarf from the cover is in this chapter. My favorite projects are the colorful All-Weather Applique Mobile, and the easy to sew Hoodie Scarf which also makes a wonderful gift.

Chapter 8 , Stenciling, one of my favorite techniques, these are freezer paper stencils for nice sharp lines. A monogrammed shaving pouch that makes a nice gift for men and a soft knit wrap skirt stenciled with an umbrella are my favorites from this chapter.

Chapter 9 , Beyond Fabric, is non-fabrics. Sewn paper, plastic, cork, Tyvek and vinyl. I love the pencil pouch that could be made using a favorite sketch and the wind spinner made from card stock.

Chapter 10 is Upcyling! One of my favorite things in the world. Felted sweaters make long mitts, cotton fabric from old shirts and dresses to make very pretty potholders and other wonderful projects. My favorite is the wrap skirt made from 3 men's dress shirts.

Chapter 11 is Instant Gifts, Instant Gratification, super quick to sew items that make great gifts for friends on short notice. These use techniques from the previous chapters to make small, fun gifts. The loose leaf paper machine stitched to look like notebook paper can be hand embroidered with your personal note. I like the idea of stitching that with something like "Michael + Shala= True Love 4-ever" for a newly married couple. The jersey shawl is really easy to make and customize and that's my other favorite project from this chapter.

It finishes nicely with the templates for the decorations, a resources list and a complete index.

Published by Storey Publishing.

I received a complimentary copy of this book to review, my reviews are always my personal and honest opinion. You can read more about my review policy here.

Rain Cloud Felt Pin

This isn't a step by step how to, more an overview.

I made this pin last night. The bead/pendant hanging from the bottom is from Cousin Corporations Jewelry Basics Acrylic series. It's a bit over an inch long.

You will need:

• White craft felt
• Embroidery floss
• colored sequins 
• 2 small seed beads for the center of the eyes
• tear drop shaped bead or pendant
• large seed beads- those are from an E bead mix
• a scrap of plastic (milk jugs are great for that!)
• pin back
• small amount of stuffing
• scissors
• thread

Take a piece of white craft felt about 6x2 inches, fold it in half so the 2 inch sides meet and cut out a rain cloud shape. I just freehanded a rounded shape. 

I'm not a fan of big bulky knots for small projects like this to keep the thread from pulling through the felt, so what I do is tie the end of my thread in a knot big enough to keep it from pulling through a light colored sequn, and use light sequins on the back where the knots will be. 

Embroider the face and finish off the embroidery with another sequin on the back. I also used two blue sequins that matched my thread for the eyes, held in place by seed beads.

On the back, stitch the little drop with the beads and tear drop, then make a running stitch to where you want the pin back to be. Cut a small rectangle of felt that will fit over the center bar of the pin back, and stitch it in place over the pin back.

Cut a small piece of plastic to sandwich between the two layers of felt. Stitch the felt pieces together with a blanket stitch around the plastic stopping about 3/4s of the way around to very lightly stuff it on the front side. Finish stitching.

Super easy! And you have a cute little rain cloud pin.

Super easy hand sewn fleece fingerless mitts tutorial

These are a great "sitting watching tv" project, they are inexpensive, easily personalized, and make nice gifts. The pair above was made from a scrap of fleece that I got in a bag of scraps from the thrift store.

You will need:

• Fleece
• Chenille or embroidery needle- size 20-22
• Sharp scissors
• Ruler
• 1 skein Embroidery floss 

About fleece- It's a knit so it won't fray, which is why it's used for knotted blankets. It will have more stretch in one direction than the other, so check the stretch, you want the greatest amount of stretch to wrap around your hands, not in length of the mitts. The greatest amount of stretch is usually selvage to selvage (finished edges).  The mitts, as shown above, take 2 pieces of fleece 7x9 inches with the stretch along the 9 inch side. A 1/4 yard of fleece is 9 inches wide and about 60 inches long so you could make 3 pairs off a quarter yard of fabric. Since fleece goes on sale frequently, this makes it a very inexpensive project.

The reason I like the chenille or embroidery needles in that size for working with fleeces is that they are sharp enough to go through easily, and the eyes are the right size for 5-6 strands of embroidery floss. Because of how thick fleece is, using all the strands on a skein works well. 

Start by cutting 2 pieces of fleece that are 9 x 7 (8x7 for smaller hands) inches, making sure the greatest amount of stretch is on the 9 inch edges. Fold each piece in half, wrong sides together, and make 3/4 inch cut in the fold 1 inch from the top of the fabric. Make sure the cut is mirrored on the other piece so when they are laid together with the folds facing each other the slits and edges match up.

Unfold the pieces.

Test the thumb hole to see if you need to make the slit a little bigger. Cut only a little bit at a time.

The rest is very simple hand sewing in blanket or buttonhole stitch stitch. For the stitching, I make small knots and pull it through one layer then then stitch the two layers together to sandwich the knot and tail between the layers. For the single layer parts, I make small knots on the side, then stitch over the tail to keep it neat.

First, stitch up edges of the slit, because you want it to be a bit stretchy, leave some slack in your stitch. Take a couple stitches on each side of the slit to secure that edge and keep it from stretching too much.

Fold in half, and blanket stitch the 7 inch sides together. 

Now stitch around the top and the bottom, single layer, to make a finished edge tube. Make sure to leave some slack for stretching when you put them on.

The first pair I tried to make, I put the stitched edge on the inside with a thumb hole. My daughter liked the way they looked, but I didn't like the feel of the seam there. This pair is also a bit shorter. They can be shorter or longer, or have a strip of another fleece inset for decoration.

Today we went to our local renaissance fair. My daughter brought along the TARDIS she made out of duct tape so we could get lots of photos. Did you know that when you bring a TARDIS to something like a ren fair, lots of people will stop to talk to you about it? The basic shape was made from cereal box cardboard, then covered in duct tape. The windows are cut out of clear packaging plastic.