Fleece Fun Guest Post

Today I'm over at Fleece Fun with a super fun tutorial for an 18 inch doll. It would make a great Christmas gift, and it's quick and easy to sew too! So head on over there and check it out!

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FREE Tulle and Ribbon Treat Bag Tutorial

This is a fantastic project for someone who is new to sewing. This would also be a perfect project for teaching kids how to sew. So let's get started!

Supplies needed:

• cotton woven fabric
• tulle
• ribbon
• webbing

Cut your cotton woven fabric into 2 rectangles 13 inches by 15 inches.

Cut 2 strips of tulle 4 inches tall by 44 inches wide.

Cut 2 pieces of webbing, each 15 inches long. If you want longer handles, cut your pieces longer.

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Candy Corn--A Sewing Tutorial for Fall

Looking for a fun and easy project to sew for a little one? Check out the full tutorial that I wrote for (affiliate link) UpCraft Club to make this cute candy corn tag toy. While you are there, check out the host of new patterns--quilting, bags, women's clothes, kids clothes, even a pattern for men!

Looking for more inspiration and a different tag toy? Check out the free heart tag toy pattern that I wrote. You can download the pattern for free on Craftsy or read it directly from my blog.

What other tag projects would you like to see? I think it's time that I make another one!

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Whip It Up--Kitchen Linens Style

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Ink and Arrow Fabrics in conjunction with Sew Mama Sew graciously provided these absolutely delicious fabrics from the Whip It Up fabric collection. I can only imagine the projects that will be dreamed up with this fabric. My favorite print is the butter yellow with witty sayings on it: perk up; roll with it; be grateful; don't flip out. Also adorable is the cutlery on black or white. 

For this challenge I decided to make a set of four quilt-as-you-go place mats (and I included a tutorial just in case you want to make your own). I love the quilt as you go method. It's so satisfyingly fast and easy, too! I was so excited to receive my fabric in the mail. When it arrived, my kids were just as happy to help me open it. After we all ooohhed and aaaahhed over the yumminess that now belonged to me, I promptly started planning.

I secretly wished that I could just keep this special treat in my stash for a while, you know, to get good and ripe. But I had this challenge, and this idea, that needed to be completed. And anyway, see how much cuter the fabrics are when they are used with dishes? MUCH better than simply aging in my stash.

I made each place mat have a different backing. A genius little idea I thought of before I even made them. No arguments over whose place mat is whose!

I adore the colors in these fabrics too. Plenty of cheerfulness to go around and several good staples. For the binding I chose the square dot blender in black from the Pixies line. I love all of those Pixies blenders and think they would make great coordinating prints with lots of different fabrics when you just want a little something more than a solid, but don't quite want to go full polka dot. Cute stuff! For the rest of the prints I chose from the Whip It Up collection: yellow kitchen items and phrases, white eating utensils, aqua salt and pepper shakers, and orange salt and pepper shakers. All of the prints are adorable, and I love how kitchen themed they are with just the right amount of whimsical touch added. So cute!

Materials Needed to make one place mat: (I was able to make 4 placemats with 1/2 yard cuts from each of 5 fabrics.)

Make a Valentine Heart--FREE Pattern

What you need to make 1 Valentine Heart:

• Pattern piece (This complete tutorial plus pattern piece is available on Craftsy for free.)
• Fabric scraps large enough to accommodate the pattern piece (at least 10" by 9")
• Fusible fleece (craft weight interfacing will work too)
• Ribbon 

Download and print the pattern piece. Print the pattern piece at actual size--do not check fit to page. You will want to use the square on the pattern piece to check that your pattern printed at the correct size. Simply measure one of the squares. If it measures 1 inch or 5 cm then it printed correctly. Cut out the pattern piece and use it to cut out the following parts:

Caroline Party Dress + Tutorial

 

I recently sewed not one, but two, Caroline Party Dresses by Mouse House Creations. I've been wanting to sew this darling dress for awhile now, and finally was able to get to work on it. The finish on this dress is gorgeous. It's a fully lined dress with options for lining the bodice only, adding tulle peeking out of the bottom, and pockets. I opted for the fully lined dress, leaving off the tulle and the pockets (babies don't need pockets, right?). Step-by-step photo instructions are included with excellent instructions for inserting an invisible zipper, which just so happens to be my favorite kind of zipper to install. (I purchased this pattern some time ago and have had it in my pattern stash waiting for the perfect fabric to use with it. Throughout this post I have used some affiliate links and appreciate when my readers purchase patterns through my affiliate links, I receive a small portion of the sale, which helps support my sewing and my blog efforts. Thanks!)

FREE Crayon Roll Tutorial

I love an easy sewing project. Don't you? This project is perfect for a person who is brand new to sewing. Even kids can make this crayon roll! I have always thought these were perfect for toting on an outing where I needed my kids to be entertained quietly. Just throw the crayon roll and some notebooks or coloring books into a bag, and you're on your way! This would be the perfect accessory to fit inside one of Nana's Insulated Totes, turning it into an activity tote to keep little hands occupied.

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Supplies needed:

• 3 felt squares--you will have leftovers
• ribbon, bias tape, or elastic for your closure
• crayons (markers can be used too, but you will need to adjust the cutting dimensions for them to fit)

Cutting instructions:

• cut 2 felt squares 5" by 12"
• cut the third felt square 3" by 12"
• cut 2 strips of ribbon (or bias tape or elastic) into 8-10 inch pieces

Before starting, apply fray check to the edges of your ribbon (or other closure) to prevent them from fraying.