March 2014 Archives

It's time for a new free pattern! It always feels like Christmas or my birthday when we get a new Hot Pattern download to test out. This time around, it's a cardigan with a ruffled peplum, designed for knits.

(Knits, I will never stop loving you.) 

The big draw here for me: There's no hemming or closure notions needed. The edges all around finish with a band of fabric, and it's designed to hang open (though I'll share some ways I played with closing it up wrap-style). Easy-peasy, perfect for a grab-and-go layer in your wardrobe. 

I made two versions of this, both in very fluid and drapey knits. For the first one, I went the ultra deluxe route and used designer knit -- a LIberty of London Dufour Jersey Knit in Darby Blue. It's like butter. 

The second version uses a slub jersey knit in a ballet pink. It's a much more economical option, but it also has a lovely drape. 

The cutting and construction is all straightforward. To cut a size 14, I used a little less fabric than called for on the pattern -- just a little more than two yards.

During construction, the only place I had to really take my time and exercise patience was getting the band that goes around the lower edge, center front and neck edge in place and lying smoothly. The curved bottom front edges were the trickiest bit. Once I had things figured out on the first go, the second one was a much smoother affair. 

The completed cardigan has a soft swing, and the peplum is not as full as I had expected based on the pattern sketch. This is a good thing -- it gives you more of a figure skim and less of a puffy effect. 

But then while I was snapping photos, it occured to me that this garment is far more versatile than I had been thinking initially. I cut a strip off of a bit of knit yardage I had on hand and made a quick sash, overlapping the fronts of the cardigan like a wrap. And it is SO CUTE.

The soft pink, which is so girly and perfect for spring, also got a little belting treatment. 

This time, I used a chiffon scarf wrapped from the back, criss-crossed in the front, and then tied in the back. This is a perfect treatment to create an hourglass figure -- use a dark color for your sash and give yourself an instantly nipped-in waist.

Wearing these soft, drapey fabrics in this fluid cut also made me think that it would be fun to make this up as a cover up for pajamas or even for poolside. Another versatile freebie from Hot Patterns! Huzzah!

Get your copy of this pattern here. Happy stitching!

Materials (for one basket):

½ yd. Fabric A Quilting Cotton

½ yd. Fabric B Quilting Cotton

½ yd. Medium weight interfacing

~ ½ yd. of Extra fabric for trim strips and handle

~ 24'' of ½'' diameter plastic tubing (from home improvement store)

All Seams are 1/2 '' unless otherwise noted

Print and cut out the Easter Basket Patterns Easter Basket Pattern 1 and Easter Basket Pattern 2. Cut out your pattern pieces. Fuse interfacing onto the exterior pieces.

With right sides together, pin 2 sides together along the short sides and stitch. Repeat with the other side. Clip the all around the bottom and pin to the bottom piece. Stitch around the bottom and press seams toward the sides. Topstitch to keep the seam allowance in place and trim seam allowance to ¼''. Turn right side out. Repeat for lining.

Place lining inside the exterior with wrong sides facing, pin in place. Cut a trim strip 3'' wide by ~24'' long. Press in ½'' of each long edge towards the center. Pin trim to inside of the basket and stitch in place. Fold the trim over the top of the basket and pin in place just covering the previous stitching line. Stitch in place, leave a 2-3'' gap to insert the tubing. Insert the tubing and cut to size. Stitch the gap closed.

Cut from fabric a handle piece 3'' wide by 20'' long and cut from interfacing 1''wide by 20'' long. Press fabric handle in half longwise and open and press edges toward center seam. Open handle and fuse interfacing to the center of the handle and fold the handle back up and topstitch down both long edges. Fold under raw short ends by ¾'' and pin to the center of the basket side right below the trim on both sides. Stitch in place with two lines of stitching to secure your handle. 

When Michael Miller Glitz came in, I was all awiggle. I am a total magpie and love any kind of sparkle or shimmer, so I instantly wanted to make all kinds is things with the pretty golden accented fabrics.

But I know all too well that life can abuse fabrics with pearlescent and metallic accents. So something like a dress, which would require frequent washing, was not going to work for me. 

I really liked the idea of a bag with golden chevrons, but bags in my world also take a beating. And then it hit me: Protect it with vinyl!

For this project I used a chevron stripe in gold and pink, a set of Cindy's Leather Purse Straps (adorable -- why have I never used these before?), 6 guage clear vinyl, and Perfection Fused Leather for the piping. This project, which is from Sara Lawson's "Big City Bags" also requires several different interfacings. 

For every piece I cut from my Glitz fabric, I cut a matching piece in the clear vinyl. AFTER I fused my interfacings, I layered the vinyl on top of the Glitz, basted around the edges, and treated it like one piece of fabric from there on out. I opted to go this route instead of using a fusible vinyl because I wasn't confident about how the metallic would behave. In my swatch tests, it seemed like the gold dulled a bit with the fusible, and I want to keep as much shiny sparkle as possible. I was worried that over time, the sparkle would suffer even more.

Assembly difficulty was upped a little bit by the extra layer, but as is usually the case, it's nothing that a little patience can't get you through. (Turning it right-so-out was a pretty hilarious dance for me.) Attaching the purse straps is super simple -- it just involves a wee bit of hand stitching, and they look fantastic. 

So now I'm ready to head out into the world with a super fun (and sparkly!) bag on my arm. It's got a good amount of interior space -- I carried mine around while running errands today with my phone, wallet, small cosmetic bag and media wallet and still had loads of space left. And because I used leather for the piping and handles, I can just wipe down periodically to clean my new bag. 

And now I'm dreaming up a dozen more projects that involve layering vinyl over a fabric that would otherwise need a lot of TLC. 

I'm a big fan of embroidery but I haven't always been. I've always enjoyed the relaxing technique, the color choices and the small, quiet, repetitive sounds from needle puncturing fabric but the pattern choices always turned me off. There are only so many mice scampering across 20 yr. old computer screen housing cute witticisms that I can work on before my brain just says "NO, no more!" Even with patterns that I love you can only use them so many times. What if I want to embroidery that flamenco dancer more than nine times? What's a girl to do?

So today I want to share my secrets for creating my own embroidery patterns that you can use easily to break out of the standard pattern rut. These secrets can be adapted for existing embroidery patterns or to make your own. All you need is some muslin/light colored fabric (dark colored or patterned fabric secrets are coming in May), a light box/ sunny window, and a water soluble marker.

I love to use coloring pages as embroidery patterns because the designs are not overly detailed and look great once worked in embroidery floss. Coloring pages are abundant and easily accessible. You can find any design you want for any project, just type it into the search box of your search engine. Here's an example: if you are looking for a giraffe silhouette just type in giraffe silhouette coloring page into your search engine and select from hundreds or thousands of images.

Print out your coloring page and edit the size on a copy machine, copy center or using photo editing software. Tape your image to your light source. You can use a sunny window or a light box. Lay your fabric over your image (I used muslin). Then using your water soluble marker trace your design. The design should be visible through your fabric. However, if it is a cloudy/rainy day and you simply cannot wait, then use this tutorial to whip up an overhead projector (you already have plenty of Fabric.com boxes around). Once your design is traced you can stitch over your marker and then spray it away when you are done. Simple.

You needn't be limited to just coloring pages or your old patterns either. I downloaded a picture of a free Sashiko pattern and blew it up 200% to create my 16'' x 20'' design that I plan to hang over my bed. You can use this technique for your children's drawings, handwritten letters or family photos. Just be sure you have plenty of muslin because this is addicting. Don't forget you can easily dye you muslin if you want another color.   

You can find my Family Tree Coloring page here

Explore my other coloring sheet projects. 

What's that fabric: Interlock Knit

Interlock knit fabric is a lightweight to medium weight (depending on the fiber content) knit stretch fabric that is a great option for spring and fall, transition seasons. Interlock knit is a type of double knit fabric which means that two pieces of fabric are knit together with the right sides of both pieces of fabric facing out. This means that there is not wrong side, both sides look the same and in most cases interlock is reversible. Printed or screen printed interlock is only printed on one side so the opposite side is the wrong side. Because Interlock doesn't have a purl side it doesn't curl like jersey knit fabric which makes it easier to work with. Interlock is thicker than jersey and has more body and less drape than jersey. It can easily work in sweatshirt, pants and jacket patterns that call for thicker fleece knits for more temperate, transitional weather.

Look! Both sides look great and no curl!

Interlock knit fabric is a slightly denser more stable knit that tends to shrink widthwise when washed. The fabric does become more plush like a fleece but it can further decrease the drape so be sure to wash your fabric at least twice before you cut it and maybe even before you select it for a project. It is a good choice for jeggings, knit dresses, knit blazers, jackets and robes. Natural fiber interlock make excellent baby and kids' clothes. It is breathable and wicks moisture plus it is thicker and more durable than jerseys. 

Notice the hem doesn't curl and the skirt has nice body. 

I can't even explain why I love ruffle knits so much. I just do. They definitely appeal to the girlie girl in me, but I think having all the ruffles already in place speaks to the part of me that wants to make projects as efficient as possible. I feel like ruffles sometimes get relegated to the land of kid clothing and costumes, and aren't always considered a viable option for grown-up apparel. But I wholly embrace them. (And not just because I'm a giant child, though that miiiiiiiiight be a factor.)

So, as I was plotting my wardrobe for spring and summer, I decided to make an easy-sew, easy-wear dress in a solid color ruffle knit. 

I started with a teal mini ruffle and a pattern from my stash. I made the dress on the left. I knew that I wanted to make something simple where I could get away without having to hem or finish the sleeves or lower edge, to keep things simple and avoid bulky foldovers with the ruffle knit. There's no need for closure notions, just the ruffle knit fabric, a small amount of a matching knit for the neckline, and a couple yards of 1/4-inch elastic.

There are a few tricks to working with this fabric. If you put your pieces together and stitch as normal, even if you pin and are very, very careful, you can encounter the situation pictured below. One of the ruffles will refuse to play nice, and you either have to live with the upturned horror (NO!) or pick your seam out for a do-over. Neither of which are very delightful.

BUT, the problem can be avoided entirely if you just machine baste all your edges, making sure you get all the ruffles into to the appropriate position.

As I mentioned above, I didn't want to fold my fabric under and stitch a hem. I opted to leave the edges unfinished. But, sometimes when you cut a ruffle knit, you get funky stringy bits that you don't want want dangling from your garment.

I just carefully trim them off, tapering as needed to follow the silhouette of the base fabric. 

This dress originally called for a center front seam, but again wanting to avoid bulk, I instead cut it on the fold for a seamless front. Instead of folding the neck edge under to create an elastic casing, I used a matching plain knit to make a casing. That made the finishing a snap.

The ruffles keep the dress from being ho-hum, but the solid color means I can accessorize with simple print accessories  and play my way through the warm months! 

It's getting warm and my daughter is asking for shorts and skirts. She had a super cute layered ruffle knit skirt last year that I wanted to recreate this year but add some shorts underneath. I am so pleased with the results.

Size 12-18 mo, (24 mo, 3T, 4T and 5T) [Shown in Size 5T]

All seams are ½ unless otherwise noted. Please note: measure your child for the elastic size and cut a piece of 1'' wide elastic to that size minus 1''. I used 1.5 yds of Heather Ross Briar Rose Jersey Knit.

To complete the shorts I used the same modification of the Barbara Bloomers (a Create Kids Couture Free Pattern Download) but subtracted 2'' off the length.

Cut the pieces according to your desired size using my worksheet ruffle knit skirt.pdf. With right sides together sew all ruffle pieces to their mates along the short sides until you have several tube. Repeat for each tier piece. Run a gathering stitch ¼'' and 3/8'' from the top edge of each ruffle and pull to gather. Match the width of the top ruffle to the width of the middle tier, the width of the middle ruffle and bottom ruffle to the width of the bottom tier. With the right side of the tier facing the wrong side of the ruffle, Pin the top ruffle to the top edge of the middle tier and stitch in place. Pin the middle ruffle to the top edge of the bottom tier and stitch in place. Pin the bottom ruffle to the bottom edge of the bottom tier and stitch in place.

Pin the top edge of the bottom tier to the bottom edge of the middle tier, right sides together and stitch in place. Pin the top of the middle tier to the bottom of the top tier and stitch in place.

Complete your shorts according to the pattern instruction except do not finish the top. Place your shorts (right side out) inside the skirt and pin the top edges together. DO NOT match seams. You want to side seams of the skirt to match the sides of the shorts so you will need to measure and mark the sides on the shorts for matching. Stitch around the top. Attach your elastic to the top of your waist (I used the Fehr Trader's method from this post) and then flip your your elastic waist down and topstitch in place.

Complete your skirt by finishing your ruffle hems with either no finish, a double turned hem, a rolled hem or simply serge the edge. I hemmed the shorts using my twin needle. 

This is a truly fun skirt, perfect for play, parties and warm weather fun!

Spring is upon and whether or not you have felt warmer temperatures it is time to prepare for the change of season where your yarn is concerned. Put away your wool and cashmere and grab your cotton. I want to show you three great lines of cotton yarn we have at Fabric.com and explore some spring patterns.

(Coral Colored Yarn) First up is just prefect for dishcloths which is my all-time favorite spring knitting project. They are small, quick, and don't take up a lot of lap space. Coincidentally, my dishcloth usage increases during spring and summer in direct correlation with watermelon consumption. Peaches n' Cream cotton yarn makes an excellent dishcloth because it is tightly wound and features 4 ply of quality cotton yarn. You can scrub and wash all day long and it will still last years. I do recommend that you increase your needle size because it will shrink and thicken after the first few washes. Increasing the needle size will make sure your dishcloth retains a good size and will keep its flexibly that a good dishcloth needs.

(Yellow Colored Yarn) Secondly, we have a similar cotton yarn from Lion Brand, Kitchen Cotton. While this will also work for dishcloths I prefer it more for wearable projects because it is less tightly wound so it has a bit more loft, drape and a better hand when next to the skin. You can use it for light sweaters, shawls, wraps and blankets. It also has a bit of a sheen which makes it an excellent choice for baby and kids wear since it will be smooth and nice to the touch.

(Blue Colored Yarn) Lastly, I want to share our Lion Brand Organic Cotton which is not wound with several plies but it is combed and lightly wound with a thin ply of cotton to give the overall yarn a slub look that adds texture and softness to your projects. You might remember it from my Worsted Swirl Hat. It is unbelievably soft and still has good stitch definition despite the slub texture. Being that it is organic makes it a great choice for kitchen items and kids wear as well as wonderful for bedding (pillows, blankets, etc.). 

It's time for another entry in our bag series!

Quilted bags are suuuuuuuper trendy right now -- take a stroll through the airport and you'll see dozens of Vera Bradley bags hanging from the shoulders and hands of travelers. I like the design of these bags, but they mostly come in paisley prints. While I often think the colorful fabric patterns are beautiful, they're not my style at all. 

We recently got in a bunch of darling Riley Blake double-sided pre-quilted fabrics, and the chevrons and dots made me think that at last, I could get in on the quilted bag trend! (And those skulls ... THOSE SKULLS!)

So, I put together a project for a carry-on bag with enough volume that I can get all my travel essentials in it and eliminate the need for a checked bag. Because I don't want to waste time waiting at the baggage carousel when I travel!

Supplies for this project:

-2 yards of pre-quilted fabric

-1 yard of accent fabric 

- 2 16-inch zippers

- 2 D-rings

- 5 yards of cotton piping

Here's how I made mine:

First, I cut 2 rectangles 22 x 15.5 inches for the sides of the bag. 

I wanted my bag to be just slightly narrower at the top, so I measured 1 inch in from the corner of each top edge and marked it. (I used a permanent marker for these photos so you can see it easily, but you'll probably want to use a proper marking tool.)

Then I drew a line from the bottom corners to the marks I made at the top, and cut off the excess.

Next, I used a curved object (in this case, a roll of tape because I'm super fancy) to round out each corner of the bag. Note that the curve of your corner will be affected by the size of the curved object you use. Just go with your personal preference.

Since this is the year of Radiant Orchid, I decided to use crocus Kona Cotton for an accent color. I cut bias strips and stitched them together to create about 7 yards for this project.

I cut 3 pockets for my bag using the side panels I already cut as a guide. I cut mine to be 9.5 inches deep, but you can alter it to your taste. I used some of my bias trim to bind the top edges of my pocket pieces.

I basted two pockets to the interior sides of the bag's body pieces, and then one pocket on the outside for the front. So I had one piece with pockets on both exterior and interior, and one piece with a pocket only on the interior.

I ran a straight stitch down the center of each piece through all thicknesses to separate the pocket pieces into two sections. 

I made enough piping using my bias trim and cotton cording to go around the outside of each of my main body pieces, and basted it into place.

To create a front flap to cover the exterior pocket, I cut a piece of pre-quilted fabric wide enough to span the space between the piped edges, and followed the contours of the bag to create the shape.

I bound the edges of the pocket, placed it upside down and right side down about 1/4 inch above the pocket edge (see second image in the series below for clarification), and stitched it into place 1/4 inch from the cut edge.

Then I turned the flap down and stitched 3/8 inch from the folded edge to enclose the raw edge. 

To make the handles, I first cut 2 pieces 21 x 5.5 inches out of my accent fabric. Then I cut two scraps of fleece 15 x 5.5 inches. (The fleece will never be seen, so this is  good time to get rid of leftovers or odd prints.)

I centered the fleece on the accent fabric, then folded both fabrics as one in thirds. 

I folded the handle pieces one last time to bring the two folded edges together, then I stitched the whole thing together along the joined folds.

There are no hard-and-fast rules for rolled handles, so if another approach works for you, go for it. 

For handle placement, I measured 6 inches from the piping on each side of my bag and 2 inches down from the top. Then I stitched the handle in place, wrong side up, 1/4 inch from the edge. Last, I flipped the handle up and stitched a box with an X in it to make sure it's good and secure. 

To create the sides of my bag, I first cut 2 pieces 30.25 x 5.5 inches to use for my zipper section. Instead of trying to find a zipper in the color purple I want long enough for this piece (a frustrating experience, to say the least), I opted to use two 16-inch zippers and have them meet in the middle. This is a trick I have used many, many times. I just mark the center of the fabric, then fold the ends of the zippers out of the way where they meet. I machine baste the zippers in place.

The zipper assembly is the one place I used a lining on this bag -- because of the double-sided quilting fabric, it's just not needed for the most part. BUT, I wanted to avoid any loose edges near the zippers that could get caught in the teeth, so I sandwiched the zippers between my quilted fabric and a matching cut of my accent fabric and stitched everything together. I repeated this for the opposite side of the zipper. Then I pressed out the fabrics away from the zipper and stitched through all layers.

I wanted to add D-rings to my bag so I can clip a shoulder strap to it if I want. To make tabs for my D-rings, I cut 2 pieces of fabric 4 inches wide and about 7 inches long (much of that length is excess), and pressed the fabric in folds to cover a piece of grosgrain ribbon. I stitched down both edges of my folded fabric, and then looped each strap through a D-ring; I stitched close to the metal rings to prevent sliding.

Time to finish putting together the assembly that would go all around the outside edge of my bag!

I cut a piece of my pre-quilted fabric 10.5 x 38.5 inches. I stitched this piece to the zippered section at both ends of the zipper, centering the zipper and layering my D-ring tabs between the two fabric pieces. So when it's all turned right side out, you should have a full circle of fabric, and the sides look like this:

True confession, I never manage to get my zipper sections of the loop to match the width of the rest of the loop. I just trim them to match after I've joined everything together.

Once my side sections were done, I marked the centers at top and bottom of the bag body pieces and made matching marks on the loop that would form the sides. Then I stitched it all together, using my marks as guides. To cover all fabric edges, you can cut more bias to bind the interior seams.

Here's the finished bag, very voluminous and ready for loading up with adventure needs. I can easily fit a pair of running shoes side-by-side in the bottom of this bag, which I need because most of my travel is related to a races. If you don't need that much volume, you could play with the width of the pieces you cut to create the sides of the bag and create a narrower profile.

Plenty of room for notebooks and other small items in the pockets. 

I have another colorway of this one in the works already. I'm going to have to start traveling more to use all these bags!

I love stumbling across new blogs every month. I go about it in a haphazard way with the usual being typing random projects that I want to make into Google blog search and clinking on the most interesting (i.e. kids book bag, leggings, sheath dress, etc.). I can't even remember which search words connected me with this month's Blog of the Month (BotM) because it was a longer than normal search. Nothing was really catching my eye and I was not really into it until I found Behind the Hedgerow. This blog really made me sit up and take notice. It was a diamond in the rough. I loved the look of it right off: bright, soft photos, lots of kids and mom projects, interesting subjects and mostly pretty pictures. I love a good fabric shot! I remember thinking to myself: I would really like to sit down over coffee and talk shop with this chic. That's when I knew it would be this month's BotM.

So let's see what we have here. There are tutorials, fun projects that I can see myself making. Lots of good gift ideas; I love making gifts. The Bias Trimmed Circle Scarf is so beautiful and super easy and Mother's day is coming up. This kids' utility belt is just awesome! I know my daughter would love it and I bet all her friends would too. Such a great idea.

She also has her projects categorized for easy searching: Girls Clothing, Boys Clothing, Grown-ups, Toys, etc. It makes is simple if you have a general idea but need specific inspiration or if you know exactly what you want. This kids' PJs are what hooked me. I could see myself making this for both my girls but in short sleeves for the spring/summer season. I love how much she uses Liberty Fabric. 

Finally, if you are looking for inspiration, keep up on new, hip patterns or just love Top 10 lists, then check out the Top 10 for Tuesday link at the top of the page for all the Top 10 lists that cover summer patterns to sewing for boys. It is a great resource.

Thanks, Laura for such a wonderful blog and look me up for coffee if you ever come to Georgia!

See! Pretty pictures...sigh. 

All pictures are from Behindthehedgerow.com

Pellon Knit Tape is an interesting product which I love. I first heard about knit tape in one of my many sewing periodicals and again more recently in one my Craftsy classes: Meg McElwee's Sewing with Knits I decided to try it for myself. It is a thin, fusible webbing that is used to stabilize and strengthen knit fabric. It can be used around necklines, armholes, shoulders, waists and hems. Fabric.com sells 1 ½'' wide by 30 yds longs in both black and white. It is fusible which is great for knits since they can be so shifty when sewing so a sew-in interface is a no-go in my book. The set width is nice since you can also use it as a guide. I decided I would use it to stabilize and enforce the elastic waist band of a layered knit skirt I have coming soon to the blog.

I started by get out my sewing ham because I found with the small waist size of the skirt (it is a size 5 child) that it would not fit over the end of my sewing board without stretching. I then pressed any curl out of the jersey knit which was facing wrong side up. Next, I placed the knit tape fusible side down (that is the rougher side. The smooth side is to be face up) right on the top edge of the fabric and lightly pressed down with my iron. I did this all the way around, being careful to press my seams allowance to the desired direction before fusing my knit tape in place. This will help keep the seam allowance to stay in place. I cut my piece to end right at the edge of the beginning so there would not be any extra thickness or stiffness. I sergered around the top of the waist band further securing the knit tape in place and trimming off ¼''. Then, using my finger I felt for the other edge of the tape and folded the waist band down along this edge and pinned it in place all the way around. Using a triple stretch stitch I sewed all the way around the folded waist band stopping 2-3'' before the beginning. I feed my bodkin and the elastic through and was careful not to twist the 1'' elastic. Finally I stitched the ends of my elastic together (and of, course I was rewarded with the ever constant bobbin bird's nest from sewing on elastic). Then I stitch the opening closed and gave my waist band a few test stretches. I will let you see the final result in a few weeks when I debut the skirt.

Front

Back (thread nest!)

I have to say I am liking how it feels so far. The waist feels stronger, more able to withhold the rigors of a 5 yr. old's dressing whimsies, constant washing and general running around. I don't see this waist sagging, looking depleted or wearing thin. I can't wait to show you the whole completed skirt and share all the places I decided needed a little stabilizing with Pellon Knit Tape. 

P.s. Please share your tips on avoiding the dreaded thread nest when sewing elastic. I thought I had tried everything but nothing I can think of has worked. 

You know that yummy hotel luxury robe that you always think about stealing but if course totally don't? (I mean, there's no room for it in the suitcase, anyway.)

Good news! Bathrobes are easy to make, and spa terry velour is ridiculously plushy and luxe.

OK, first, let's talk about this fabric. One side is looped terry, and the other is a velvety velour. 

When you pre-wash and run it through the dryer, you're going to get the fluffiest dryer lint maybe of all time. I'm not even joking. 

Sewing it is pretty straightforward, but there are a couple of things to be prepared for. First, cutting it in two layers at a time can be a little tricky. I have some nice, sharp sheers that I only use for cutting fabric, and cutting two layers on the cross-grain was a challenge.

That leads me to the second thing: Be ready with a heavy duty needle for your machine! I never had any real problems stitching, but I suspect if I had gone with a needle intended for medium or lightweight fabrics, I would have bent or broken it because of the fabric's dense weave.

But with those two considerations in mind, making a new bathrobe was a simple affair. I used a pattern that's been in my stash forever, but there are always plenty of bathrobe patterns available. 

Robes like this are a great way to turn a staycation into a spa-grade event, and they make luxe gifts. You could even personalize them if you have an embroidery machine, or add a machine-washable applique as a design feature. Mine will be replacing the robe I've had for way longer than I care to admit, which will now be turned into mop pads. And I will be wrapped in pink fluffy bliss.

Happy relaxing! 

Here is my second installment of my Nursery Bedding series. Last time, I showed you my mood board for my girls' room but I didn't want to leave it at that. We can't leave the boys out of this so I modified my mood board leaving the foundation- gray walls, bird lamp and turquoise vinyl-covered chair- but switched out the fabric choices for bedding and curtains, added a different rug and this room is instantly ready for a little boy. It can grow with him into adolescence without changing a thing or with just a few fabric variations.

1)      Here is our grey foundation and yellow classic dresser that you saw in my girls' room. This color is a modern neutral that allows bold colors to really pop. Remember infants and toddlers really love bold colors.

2)      This versatile zig zag is ideal for window treatments. First, the zig zags run vertically which can make any room look taller and inviting. The movement of the design will be stimulating to any child but won't overdo it with too many colors. Third, the medium tone blue complements without competing with the other colors in the room.

3)      Who doesn't love an elephant?! These cuties are huge in nurseries for the past few years for good reason: they are big hits with the pre-k ages. Michael Miller's version here blends well with our zig zag and welcomes other fun colors into the room. This fabric will make excellent sheets, pillow cases and accents pillows.

4)      This embossed minky is so lush I want in on my bed. I picked this especially for a bed cover and shams for the "I'm so over the crib" crowd and it would make an excellent changing pad cover as well as a crib blanket for those over 12 mo.

5)      The worn turned wood lamp is from Target. The bird lamp shade is really whimsical which the chunky wooden lamp grounds it and brings in a little adult. Face it, you'll be spending as much time in this room as your little one for many years; you should like it too.

6)      I found this rug online and it went so well with all the other colors in our room. Plus it was highly patterned which meant it would easily hide stains which as you will find out is unavoidable in a nursery.  

7)      Lastly, this unassuming armchair from Ikea is a true chameleon in any room. I would recover it in our Marine Vinyl in turquoise to make it wipe able, durable and to bring yet another bold yet soothing color into our little boys room. 

If you are anything like me you love short cuts. However, this time the short cut is to save my sanity. I needed curtains that were 130'' long and the thought of measuring, cutting and hemming all that made me want to burst into tears or turn to chocolate. I opted for a short cut. I had purchased several extra-long curtains from IKEA but I had "hemmed" them to use in our nursery in a different house with different ceilings. I need them to be 22'' longer. Instead of going out to buy a new pair I decided to add a fabulous border to the bottom instead to make up the difference. The plan worked out wonderfully. Now not only do I not have a whole wall of plain solid fabric but nor do I have a wall of bright, busy fabric. I have the best of both worlds. I decided on a French seam to bring the two panels together because the curtains would be unlined but I wanted the backside to look great too. Follow these easy instructions if you want to modify you own curtains or short cut your way to extra-long curtains.

I used one yard of Ikat Home Décor fabric for each drape border. Add from bold or color to your curtains, check out our home décor fabric section.

1. First measure how much of a border you need then add 1'' for the French seam and 5'' for a double turned hem.
2. Press everything. You want it to be straight and relaxed. Rip up the side hems of the ready-made panel about 5-6''.
3. Pin the border to the panel wrong sides together matching up side edges. Stitch with a ½'' seam allowance. Press seam open then flip the curtain over and press again. With pinking shear cut down the seam allowance to ¼''
4. Flip the fabric so that right sides match at the seam and pin in place. Press again and stitch with another 1/2'' seam allowance. Press the French seam towards the darker panel and remake the side seams, pin in place and stitch.
5. Finish with the double fold hem by folding over 1'', press and then fold over 4''. Pin, press and stitch.

This would be great for adding just a splash of color, for wedding drapes to add the wedding colors, and for dorm rooms if you have windows that are above 84''. 

We're kicking off a new bag series today, because I can never, EVER get enough of bags. Handbags, cosmetic bags, duffles and beyond -- I just love the idea of making cute things to tote around all my stuff. So I am super excited to make a bunch of bags and share them. 

For my first project in this series, I'm making an adorable suitcase from Sara Lawson's "Big City Bags."  (I love this book, so odds are good you're going to see another project or two from it!) It's called a Honeymooner Suitcase, and it's petite (18 x 12.5 x 5 inches) -- perfect for a weekend getaway or for a kid's travel wardrobe.

I opted to use a sparkle vinyl for mine. This proved to be a little bit of a challenge because of the heavy, stiff nature of the fabric, so if you're going a similar route, be prepared to exercise your patience. 

For the lining and piping trim, I used a cotton print with one of my favorite famous characters -- Tinker Bell. 

 I've talked about using tissue paper on your vinyl to ease it through your machine before, but I don't know that I've ever shared the alternative that I prefer: party napkins. These are the printed ones made for kids' parties. They're usually a little stiffer than tissue paper, but they tear away really nicely, so whenever I see any on clearance, I snap them up. 

Because the vinyl was so stiff, double folding it under as I was stitching the handle was fairly impossible. So I left the raw edges out, then made little loops out of my trim and linin fabric to cover everything up. The loops are kep in place with a dab of hot glue on the back side of the handle.

The rest of the bag went together according to the book's instructions, with a little extra wiggling and fussing to accomodate for my fabric choices. A bit of double fold bias tape encloses the interior seams and hids a bit of ugly stitching on my part. 

And here's the finished bag, ready for an adventure. 

I would love to make this one again using a cute home dec or cotton print. Because of multiple pieces with the piping trim and handle assembly, there are some options for playing with different fabric combinations that are exciting to think about!