Quick and Easy Quilts for Japan.

So recently I came across this call to send quilts to Japan.  They need as many quilts as possible as quickly as possible.  I decided to piece together some bare bones, no frills quilts.  Keep in mind, they are still cute, but, with the time constraints they are as simple as possible.

Cut two pieces of fabric the same size.  Lay them right sides together.

Cut batting the same size ans lay on top of the other pieces of fabric.  The batting should be laying on the wrong side of the fabric.

Pin edges together and sew around edges.  I sewed a 3/4" seam allowance.  

Be sure to leave a gap so that the quilt can be turned right side out.

Trim edges of seam allowance.

Turn right side out.  Sew gap closed.  You can do this by hand.  I sewed it closed with my machine due to time constraints.  

Quilts waiting and ready to be tied!!

If you are interested in making quilts for Japan visit the link above.  Be sure they are no larger than 50"x70".  

Hopefully this will make a small difference to someone in need!

Ottobre!!!

I got this as an early Christmas present, a subscription to Ottobre magazine!  Ottobre is a Finnish pattern magazine.  In many other countries sewing patterns are sold with a collection either in a book or a magazine format rather than sold individually.  This is why I love this magazine:

1. Design - I love the clothes!  I love them.  The magazine issues 4 children's magazines and two women's magazines each year.  The patterns are drafted well,  the details are fantastic, and they have a ton of boys patterns.  The big four American pattern companies just don't offer patterns like these.  

2. Cost - so a subscription to the magazine, all six issues for one year is 75$.  A big chunk of that is shipping.  But even with the shipping taken into account you are getting a great deal because each children's issue includes around 40 patterns and each women's issue includes around 20 patterns! And yes they do plus size, and babies!  It ends up being way cheaper than buy the patterns individually.

3. The models (or lack of) - They use real kids and real women!  When they are looking for models they look for cute personalities.  As a result the photos are quite charming!  Not only that but you get all different shapes and sizes.  Sometimes I can't really picture how something might look on me if it's being worn by someone whose body type is so drastically different then myself or anybody I know.  I also think it's a testament to the design if it's flattering on all shapes and sizes!

Keep in mind,

1. All the patterns are color coded and are printed on large pattern sheets right on top of each other.  Trying to figure out which ones you should trace can be a little confusing.  

2. The instructions aren't quite as in depth as they are with American patterns.  I would suggest, if you are a beginner, starting with a simpler pattern.

3. Seam allowances not included.  You have to add your own.

If you want to look at more issues go to http://www.ottobredesign.com/

To buy you own subscription go here.  Shipping is included in the price and you can order back issues!

I saw their Pea Jacket for boys  and knew I had to make it for my son for Christmas (most of the patterns in the magazine are not this complicated.)

Double Breasted!

Welt Pockets!

Lined!

Even a vent in the back!!

I love this coat!

Stockings!!

So in anticipation of the upcoming Christmas season I made us all some new Christmas stockings. Let me just say that I made my husband and I Christmas stockings before I really knew how to sew.  I didn't get seam allowances or the fact that you needed to add them to a pattern you've created yourself.  While the stockings didn't look bad they were very narrow and made it hard to fit anything larger than a pair of sunglasses inside.  Then out of laziness I used the same pattern with each of my kids.  I think a part of me thought that if the stockings were small then Santa wouldn't have to fill them with as much stuff.  So for the past 12 years or so Santa has been leaving the gifts for the stockings in neat piles on the floor next to the appropriate stocking.   Yes I know, silly, as is most of what goes on in our house!

You can either start by drawing your own stocking shape or trace a stocking you like the shape of onto poster board.  Then add a seam allowance to all the the edges.  I made mine about 1/4 an inch.

Next cut the stocking shape out of the poster board. 

To make the cuff,  measure the top of your stocking pattern.

Take a piece of poster board and fold it in half.  The fold will be the bottom edge of the cuff.  On the fold measure and mark the same width as the top edge of the stocking.  Decide how wide you want your cuff.  Mine is about four inches.  Draw a line the width you desire at a right angle to the fold at each of  the markings you made made on the fold.  Next draw a line with your ruler connecting the two lines that you drew making a rectangle.  On the fold add 1/4 inch to each corner of the rectangle for ease.  Draw a new line from that point to the top corner of the rectangle so that you have rectangular shape with a slightly larger base.  Cut out.

Hopefully you were able to figure out my instructions and you ended up with something similar to this.  This is how it looks unfolded.

You will need lining fabric and shell fabric.  I just dug through my pile of scraps.  Feel free to give old things new life.  An old table cloth, an old dress, and an old sweater were used in the making of these Christmas stockings!!

Cut two of the stocking pattern out of the shell fabric and cut two out of the lining fabric. Cut two of your cuff pattern piece.  A contrasting fabric looks lovely. 

For the Embroidery:

Decide which way you want your stocking to hang when it is completed. The piece that would be laying on top will be the front of your stocking.  Take that piece and set it aside.  On a piece of paper I wrote the letter I wanted to monogram and then traced it onto the fabric with tracing paper and a tracing wheel.  I wrote the letter I wanted to embroider over and over again until I liked the way it looked.  You can also find a font you like on your computer and print it out and trace that.  Or, if you're fortunate enough to have one you can use an embroidery machine to embroider the letters on!  Unfortunately I no longer have access to one

 (I miss you Amy!) 

This is what it should look like once you've got it traced.  Hopefully you can see it ok despite my point and shoot camera and my lack of photography expertise!

After I traced the letter I secured it with an embroidery hoop.  I used a gold colored embroidery floss.  I just liked the way it looked, and well, I already had some on hand.  I'm big on using what I already have.

I just used a backstitch.  You can find a great tutorial here.

Here is an idea of what you might end up with.

Now pin your stocking shell fabric right sides together.  Do no pin across the top.  Do the same for the lining.

Sew together.

Clip curves.

Turn shell right side out and Iron edges.  Place lining inside of shell, wrong sides together. 

Making the loop:  Determine how wide you want the loop.  Since you'll be folding it in half you'll want to double that amount and then add a seam allowance.  Say I wanted the loop half an inch wide.  

.5" + .5" + .25" (seam allowance) =1.25 inches wide or 11/4 inches.   I think for the length I just made it 5 inches long and before I sewed it on to the stocking I trimmed it a little.  Sew measure and mark a rectangle onto your fabric.  In this case it would be 1 1/4 inches by five inches.  Cut it out of fabric.  Fold it in half right sides together and sew.  

Turn it right side out using a bobkin or safety pin and Iron.

Fold fabric in half with the two raw adges together, forming a loop.  Trim if loop is too big.  Be sure to take into account the seam allowance.  Baste raw edges together.  Pin to inside of stocking, against the front lining  with the raw basted together edge lined up with the top edge of the stocking.  Be sure to pin the loop near or on the seam that runs along the heal.  Sew in place.

Now for the cuff:

Pin pieces right sides together along the edge that has a slight angle to it.  This will be the sides of your cuff.

Sew together.

Fold in half, wrong sides together with raw edges meeting and iron.

Pin to inside of socking against the lining, raw edges together.

Sew all together.

Trim seam allowances.  Turn cuff to the outside of the stocking.  Iron.  Your done!

Christmas Jammies!!!

What can be better than cozy Christmas Pajamas?  Only drinking hot chocolate and opening presents in said pajamas, or wearing said pajamas all day long while watching Christmas movies!  In our home we have a Christmas tradition in which the kiddos are allowed to open one present on Christmas Eve and that present is always pajamas (or jammies, or PJ's or jamas in our house.)  My kids LOVE this tradition, but not as much as I do!  I don't know what it is about making Pj's, but it is so much fun.   Maybe it's because they go fast, or because you can go a little crazy with the print.  Or maybe it's because wearing pajamas is pretty fantastic!  These are some pajamas I've made in Christmases past.

Well I just recently finished the pajamas for this year.  Yes I know its early, but when you are planning on making a ridiculous amount of presents for family and friends (I have issues) you start early.

Here are this years Pajamas

These are my son's

I use This pattern by Jalie for the top for all of the pajamas.  These are great patterns! This pattern is 13$, I usually don't like to pay over 5$ (I'm cheap!)  but this pattern includes 27 sizes!  Yes that's right 27.  I can dress my four year old and my 6'5" husband with the same pattern!  The only downside is that Jalie is a Canadian company so shipping is high.  They have a lot of great patterns so I suggest buying in bulk.    

I am in love with this vintage inspired cowboy print!   

These pajamas will go to my youngest.

 I wanted to do something a little different so I added this pleated detail to the hem of the pants and the sleeves on the girls pajamas.    

These pajamas will belong to my oldest.  She is starting to enter the tween zone so I wanted a print that was girlie and fun, but a little less childish.

Now that the 'jamas are done it's time to move on to the other things on my mile long to-do list.

I dream of Shirt Dresses

I've been dreaming for sometime about shirt dresses.  Especially shirt dresses for my girls.  Often times I get an idea for a project and can't stop thinking about it until I figure it out.  I know that in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter whether or not my girls have shirt dresses, but I was obsessed.  There was no point in fighting it! I found an adorable pattern by http://www.oliverands.com (which is a pattern company I love!!) but didn't have the cash flow needed for the 16$ per pattern.  Plus there were slight changes I would like to make to the pattern like pleats instead of a gathered skirt and pockets on the bodice rather than on the skirt. So I went through my stash and found this pattern I had used for Christmas dresses the year before.

I took the original pattern for the sleeve and I made three slits in it from the bottom to just below the top, one in the middle and one on each side.  Then I pushed the pieces together to make the sleeve  narrower.  I taped the butcher paper to the pattern and lengthened it several inches so that I could make the cuff.  (I like to use butcher paper rather than pattern paper.  It's sturdy, farely inexpensive, available, and you can iron it on to paper patterns you use over and over again to make them last longer.)

 I decided how wide I wanted the cuff to be and actually folded the paper in place.   Then I drew the lines.  As you can see the bottom of the sleeve looks a little like an accordion.  I did this to take into account the angle of the sleeve when it was folded so that no puckering would happen when the sleeve was constructed.  I basically just winged it with the tab.  You just want to make sure it's wide enough for your button and longer than your cuff.

Next I made the pockets.I love the look of the pleated pocket and thought it would go nicely with the pleated skirt.

 I took a square of butcher paper and folded it until I liked how it looked. Then I made the piece small enough so it would fit on a bodice.  Be sur to take into account seam allowances and use a ruler so that everything is straight and angles are uniform.

To change the rounded collar into a pointed collar all I did was draw a straight line from center front top of the collar to a point on the bottom I thought looked good.  Then I just folded it under and used that as my pattern piece.

I lengthened the skirt and the facing several inches until I got the length I wanted.

Then I made the belt and the loops.

  I basically just made the belt without a pattern and made it long enough so that it could be tied around the waist and a wide as I liked.  Whenever you make any pattern alterations be sure to take into account seam allowances.  When I was making the belt I drew a long rectangle on the fabric and then added the 5/8's inch standard seam allowance on all the sides that would be sewn.  I would have made the belt longer so that I could tie a bow rather than I know but I was running out of fabric so a know would have to do!  I made the loops about 1/2 wide and long enough to go around the belt with a little bit of ease.So there you have it!  My shirt dress dreams finally became a reality!  I wish I had one in my size!