Bridal Shower Gifts

I had a bridal shower to go to last weekend. Being the masochist that I am, I decided to make the gift. Aprons are popular right now and I had seen a tutorial for making oven mitts that I wanted to try.

I stopped at my local quilt shop and bought some Amy Butler "Love" fabric (totally appropriate) and some Insul-Bright, which is the stuff you line hot pads and oven mitts with. My guess is they have it somewhere at Joann's as well.

After more work than I had originally planned, here is the outcome:

Super crappy photos taken just before wrapping the gift. I made these late at night and spent the next day driving all over creation for the Valley of the Sun Quilt Shop Hop and then came home for 5 seconds to wrap the gift and then head to the shower. I was beat. And in no mood to take decent photos with artistic angles.

Here are the oven mitts:

I love them! I wanted to keep them and the apron. You can't tell from the photo but the apron pockets are lined in the red dot from the oven mitts. And I used what was left of the green dot to bind the mitts. I found the tutorial on Skip to My Lou through Cluck, Cluck, Sew's blog. It's pretty darn simple. The most time-consuming part is machine quilting the layers together. I just did diagonal lines, nothing fancy.

I used Simplicity pattern 2555, view A, but lined the pockets and made them smaller. I used 1 yard of roses for the apron, facing, and oven mitts; 1/2 yard green dot for the pockets, ties, and binding on the mitts; and 1 fat quarter of red dots for the pocket lining and oven mitts.

Together all the fabrics just make me feel happy and I hope she loves them as much as I do.

Making Patches Look Deliberate

I bought Caralie an outfit on clearance at Carters while I was in Georgia. It was a solid pink knit top with polka-dot brown shorts. Only when I got home to Arizona did I realize there was a hole in the shirt:


It's small and in the bottom-right of the front. I was seriously annoyed, but knew there was a solution. I would just sew a patch over it. Since so many children's clothes have embellishments these days, I knew I could make it look like the patch was meant to be there by adding more than one and artfully arranging them.

You can buy pre-made patches and embellishments but I chose to go the cheap route and make my own. Since the coordinating shorts were brown and had colored polka dots, I figured I'd make brown and white hearts with some scrap fabric I had. To help keep the patches in place as I sewed, I used Heat n Bond:

You can buy it in a roll ...

... or you can buy it by the yard at any fabric store. Joann usually has the rolls in the notions section and the yardage behind the cutting counter. Use a coupon!

MATERIALS NEEDED FOR MAKING PATCHES:

• matching or coordinating cotton fabric (scraps are fine)
• Heat n Bond
• matching or coordinating thread
• pencil and paper
  

STEP 1: Make your patches shapes. Draw them, trace them, or print them on paper. I cut out two sizes of paper hearts:


STEP 2: Trace shapes onto the smooth side of Heat n Bond. Keep in mind that the patch will be the reverse image of what you trace, so if you are doing something directional like a letter, make sure you trace it backwards. Iron Heat n Bond to wrong side of patch fabric:


STEP 3: Cut out shapes and peel off backing paper. Place shapes on clothing, adhesive side down, and arrange how you want them. Iron in place:


STEP 4: Zig-zag stitch around outer edges of patch:


When doing curves, it's best to go slow and pivot, with the needle down, every few stitches. Also, if you are stitching on knit like me, be gentle and try not to stretch the fabric as you sew. For these hearts I used my machine's 3rd zig-zag stitch size and a #2 stitch length:


However, I started and ended each heart on a #0 stitch length and made a few stitches to help the thread stay in place.

Once all the hearts were stitched in place, I was done:

It only took 20 minutes and that was because I let Caralie do the tracing for me and I was also taking photos of my steps. And I actually like the outfit better this way! I'm considering sewing on some colored buttons with the hearts, but it might be too much. What do you think?

Make an iPod Armband

My sister gave me an iPod Nano for my birthday this year. She also gave me her old armband so I could wear the Nano while exercising (yeah right) or sewing or cooking or whatever. Eventually the Velcro closures peeled off (they had been glued on) and I figured it was time to buy myself a new armband. Until I had the idea in the middle of the night (don't you love when that happens) that I should just make one. Duh.

So that's what I did, as you can see in the above photo. My sister also included one of those little clearish-plasticky-holder-thingies to protect the Nano as you can see in the above photo.

On the back there are two slits so you can wear it on your belt:

I figured I just needed to make an adjustable armband that had a small ... attachment ... that would slide through the slits and could be fastened down for security. And while I was at it, I thought I'd share my steps so you can make one too, if you are so inclined. This fits an iPod Nano, but I don't see why it wouldn't fit another size model.

Please don't make these to sell, this tutorial is shared as an opportunity to make one for yourself or as a gift. This is a project for an intermediate level sewer.

Here are the necessary supplies:

• fabric (I used a fat quarter but you don't need that much - dimensions are listed below)
• fusible fleece (I use Pellon 987F - buy it with a coupon at Joann's, it's often behind the cutting counter)
• matching thread
• 6 inches of 3/4-inch-wide Velcro
• iron and ironing board
• needle for hand-sewing
  

The easiest way to cut out the fabric and fleece is with a rotary cutter, quilting ruler, and self-healing mat but you can certainly just do it with scissors.

STEP 1: You will cut the fabric and fleece into two pieces, each:

Fabric piece A: 5" x 15" *
Fabric piece B: 4" x 3.5"

Fusible fleece piece A: 4.5" x 14.5" *
Fusible fleece piece B: 3.5" x 1.5"

*Now, I have skinny/wimpy arms, so you may want to add more inches to the length of Fabric piece A if you have bigger biceps. If you do, add the same amount to the length of Fusible fleece piece A as well.

STEP 2: Iron fusible side of Fusible fleece piece A to the wrong side of Fabric piece A**, leaving 1/4" all the way around. This is leaving room for your seam allowance:

**To do this properly, place the fleece on the fabric and adjust for seam allowance as stated above, then carefully flip it over so the fleece is on the bottom and the fabric is right-side up. Then you can fuse it in place with your iron on the "Wool" setting (following the instructions that come with the fleece).

STEP 3: Fold Fabric piece B in half lengthwise, right sides together:

Now iron Fusible Fleece piece B to Fabric piece B as stated above, with one side of fleece lined up with fold in Fabric piece B and 1/4" around the remaining three sides:

(The above photo was blurry, so I added red lines to show the placement of the fleece. The side without a red line is the fold.)

STEP 4: Fold Fabric piece A in half lengthwise, right sides together, and pin, marking a three-inch opening for turning:

The opening will be in the center where the two double-slid pins are, above. Using a 1/4-inch seam allowance, stitch around the unfolded edges except at 3-inch opening. Repeat for Fabric piece B, leaving a 2-inch opening for turning. Clip the corners:


STEP 5: Turn both strips right side out. You can use the tip of a pencil or your scissors to coax the corners to a point. Just do so carefully so you don't poke a hole in the fabric. Press flat:

Using needle and thread, hand-sew both openings shut. On your machine, top-stitch around each strip with a 1/4-inch seam allowance:


STEP 6: Cut Velcro into 1 set of 5 inch strips and 1 set of 1-inch. Pin rough side of 5-inch Velcro to one side of larger strip A as shown below:

Stitch in place by stitching around edges of Velcro. Pin and stitch soft side of 5-inch Velcro to the opposite side, opposite corner as shown below:


Pin and stitch soft-side of 1-inch Velcro to one end of small strip B as shown:


STEP 7: With rough-side of Velcro face up on the large fabric strip, pin small strip B Velcro-face down in center of large strip A:


Stitch down only smaller end of small strip B that does not have Velcro underneath:


With small strip A as a guide, pin and stitch rough-side of 1-inch Velcro to larger strip, so the two match, as seen above.

STEP 8: Add the iPod!

Secure the iPod with the Velcro tabs, fasten the band around your arm, and off you go!

And when your armband gets all sweaty and nasty from exercise (or if you get food on it while cooking) all you have to do is remove the iPod and throw it in the wash! Just make sure to close all the Vecro tabs so it doesn't get caught on your clothes.

The Dress That Wasn't Meant to Be

Please forgive me if I sound like I'm tooting my own horn here, but isn't this the cutest little tunic top?

Who would've guessed that a little top could cause so much drama? I worked my butt off trying to make that thing work last night. Read on for the story (prepare yourself - get a snack - it's kind of long):

It all started earlier this summer. I found this cute London Lawn by Moda fabric for 40% off at a local quilt store and decided it would make something for Caralie:

Not sure what I would use it for, I bought 1 yard of the pink and a fat quarter of the blue. That was mistake #1. Always buy more than you think you need.

A month or two later, I decided I would make a dress out of it and bought this pattern from Simplicity for 99 cents from Joann:

See, I thought I would make the pink dress in the top left corner (dress A) and use the blue for accent. However, the pattern calls for 1 and 3/4 yards of fabric. How much did I have? That's right. That was mistake #2. But in my happy and blissfully ignorant creative mind I figured I could just manipulate the pattern placement and still get what I wanted. Ha ha.

Fast forward to 4 pm yesterday. I remember that picture day at the school is the next day and have the brilliant idea that I'll make the dress for Caralie to wear! It's a simple enough pattern, it shouldn't take long at all. La la la la la.

I lay out my pink fabric and manage to squeeze out what (I think) I need. Hooray! I'm so clever. Those pattern makers don't know what they're talking about.

Then I get down to sewing. It's not long before I realize that I actually cut out two bodice backs instead of a bodice back and a bodice front. Mistake #3. Oh no! What am I going to do? Don't panic, let's just lay the bodice front pattern piece on one of the backs and see if it will still work. Miraculously, with a couple of cuts, it works. Whew, I think, that was a close one.
Ha ha.

(Insert making and eating dinner here).

I complete the bodice top with sleeves. and sew on the first blue accent. Then I grab the piece for the skirt.

Oh crap. I was supposed to cut two skirt pieces, not one. And all I have left of the pink fabric is a 6-inch strip. Mistake #4. I consider admitting defeat and pray that the quilt shop still has some of the fabric left (doubtful). I have to notify Caralie that she won't be wearing her new dress tomorrow after all. She is sad, but sees the look in my face and tries to console me as I put her to bed. As she says her prayers I am filled with a frantic new idea. What if I run to Joann and find a coordinating fabric? Then I could make the tiered version of the dress (dress C)!

I look at the clock: it's 8:35 pm. Joann closes at 9 pm. I grab my purse, pattern, and fabric and motor over to the store as fast as legally possible. I get there with 15 minutes to spare and head back to the cotton calico section. Serendipitously, there is a bolt of pink polka-dot fabric just sitting on top of a row of quilting fabrics, waiting for me. It's the same pink!

Miracle fabric!!!

This time there is no questioning authority. I buy 5/8 of a yard just like the pattern says and walk out quite content with this turn of events. After a quick stop at the grocery store to get my husband some tortilla chips, I return home and lay out the fabric.

I pin the relatively small pattern piece for the tier and think, why on earth do they ask for so much fabric? Whatever. I'm not complaining. I cut the piece out.

Then I need to cut the second tier out of the original skirt piece. It just barely fits. Another miracle. I gather this piece and sew it to the second tier.

Hmm, it doesn't look as full as I thought it would be... I hold it up to the bodice and what do you know? Mistake #5! I was supposed to cut two pieces for each tier, not one! Have I seriously made this mistake a second time? And, Oh no! I still don't have enough of the pink floral!

(Insert weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.)

At this point I am completely beside myself. And then I succumb to the despair.

But not completely. Somewhere in the back of my mind a tiny thought is forming that warns me not to give up. Okay, so my attempts at making a dress have been a failure to say the least. But who's to say this has to be a dress? Why not a tunic top?

(Cue heavenly music and angelic singing.)

It's 11:30 pm but I don't care. I pick out the stitches and pin the second tier to the bodice and sew with my heart on my sleeve and ... it worked. It actually worked. And it's cute.

But not cute enough.

Go ahead and laugh at me. I blame it on battle fatigue, but I seriously thought the top needed something more. And I think pockets would do it. Cute little gathered pockets. Only I don't know how to make cute little gathered pockets. So I Google and find instructions.

I loosely follow the pattern and instructions (I never learn) and about 45 minute later, it's finally complete:

My sweat and tears have finally paid off. I am so happy I could cry. But I'm not done torturing myself, because I decide I need to make a matching hair clip. It's close to, if not already, 1 am and I'm going to make a fabric flower, darn it!

I've seen them all over the web, though I first saw them in this pattern. But I made my petals rounded:

You can find a similar pattern/tutorial here. It actually came together very easily and quickly but I was too tired to take photos of my steps, so I'll do a tutorial the next time I make one. Which will probably be soon because, heaven help me, it's so CUTE!

Caralie was ecstatic when she woke up. She gave me a big hug and thanked me and that was enough for me.







Now she's all set for picture day and I'm praying she doesn't get all hot and sweaty before the deed is done.

As for me, my eyes are bloodshot and I feel like I've been hit by a bus. I'm going to take a nap.