Onesie Revamp #1 – Faux Button Ruffle Placket

So I am wanting to sew you along through a few different things you can do to onesies to spice them up!   I have a few more ideas in mind that will come later- but here is number 1!  

A fake button ruffle placket. 

So gather the following and jump in with me:

• onesie
• small scrap of a fusible (soft preferrably) interfacing to iron to the back of the area to stabilize the knit to sew the placket one
• 18″ x 3″ strip of ruffle material
• 6.5″ piece of extra wide bias trim *I used a patterned Michael Miller Cotton Bias Trim*
• 3 buttons (and needle/thread)
• iron

Step #1

After collecting all your supplies, mark the middle of your onesie.  I used a watersoluble blue pen.  I marked the middle down 3″ from neckline then 1/2″ on both sides.  Then iron on the fusible featherweight interfacing on the back side of that area.

Also iron open your bias tape. so it is 1″ wide.

Step #2

Open up the folds on your bias tape and sew the 2 raw edges together then fold it all back up to make a loop out of your bias tape

Step #3

Take your 18″ x 3″ piece and fold it in half to make it 18 x 1.5″ with wrong sides together so the print shows on the outside.  Then IRON.  

Then fold the ends right sides together and sew it closed and flip back with the right sides out:

Step #4

We are going to ruffle your strip.  I do this easily with setting my machine to its LONGEST STITCH LENGTH and HIGHEST TENSION SETTING *which is length 5.0 and tension9 on my machine*

Start right along the raw edges of the strip.  I put my finger behind the foot to help it gather like so:

Step #5

Then match the ends and raw edges together as pictured below and set your machine to a WIDE zig zag stitch.  *DONT FORGET TO TURN your tension setting back*

When I get to the end, I gather a little more and square the end slightly so it will lay flat when sewn onto the shirt

Step #6

Iron your bias trim and hide your seam on the back side of the “loop”.  Line the top up with the top of your ruffle you created and sew down the middle.  Gather the ruffle slightly more if you notice the ruffle is longer then your bias tape.

Step #7

Line up your ruffle placket with the markings on your onesie.  Sew along all edges of your bias trim. Then mark button placement and sew them on!! 

You are done!

Few coffee cozies on a Saturday afternoon

I whipped these up this afternoon using the scrappy “Sew n’ Flip” method I posted about last Fall.  Love how they turned out!!!

If you are looking to make your own here are a few free online tutorials:

• House on Hill Road Coffee Cozy Tutorial
• Sew Simply Creative Coffee Cozy Tutorial
• Lime & Aqua Studio Coffee Cozy Tutorial upcycling a mens necktie
• Terris Notebook Coffee Cozy Tutorial with a scrappy quilted look like mine!

Enjoy!

5 minute book cover with a little “how to”

So my daughter tells me this distraught story about how her book for Math is all bent and really needs a cover.  Well, try finding a cover right now in the middle of the school year, lol.

So we just made one real quick.  This was so simple to do.   We took yardage of a cotton knit material I had on hand, but you could easily use a t- shirt that your child grew out of or that has a stain/rip in a place that wont show once you cut this out.

Just take your book and lay the front, back and the ream of the book completely flat.  We rotary cut right next to the top/bottom edges with no seam allowances.   Then add 4″ onto both ends and trim the ends.   Fold the end over the front flap and mark the crease and do the same for the back but pull just slightly to stretch the material every so much to make the cover fit snug.  Match the right sides together and serge or zigzag stitch along the top and bottom edges with the ends folded in at the creases.  Reverse the ends to be right side out and install the book. 

Here is ours:

BEFORE being covered

After Being Covered

Cover open

 

My Daughter really wanted a T embroidered on it- so While it was here and the embroidery machine was available I did as was requested 😉

With T Embroidered on it!

 

So there ya have it- A book cover that took about 50 cents and 5 minutes to make.. She was one happy camper!!

“Not your Grandmas Knee Patches” Tutorial

Is it just me or are the jeans these days made with thin, easily wore out denims?  Do the denim manufacturers secretly wear down the knees of jeans or are my kids just especially hard on them??  We dont have a pair of jeans that have outlasted a season without holes somewhere.  While I wouldnt mind an alternative, my husbands suggestion of buying them “TOUGHSKINS” that could stand in the corner by themselves they are so stiff- just didnt sound all that comfortable!

So I finally dove in and decided to do some “Designer Patching” of the knees.  My creative juices were flowing on this while I was piecing together the “Sew n’ Flip” quilt blocks I blogged about last week!

I always like to do a few new tutorials a year and man I havent done one in ages, so here ya go!! 

Grab:

• pair of holey jeans
• fusible fleece *or other usable material suitable for sewing the scraps on that isnt stretchy and is soft on the back*
• bias trim
• seam ripper
• Some scraps

Here are my daughters jeans BEFORE:

FIrst you will need to rough cut your pieces of fusible fleece and scraps to cover your hole.  I cant give you measurements as it will vary for each hole, but I cut my pieces to have a 1.5″ seam allowance at top/bottom and 2″ or so on each side.   Then gather enough scraps to cover each piece of fleece.  I choose to make the patches on both knees pretty much identical but it isnt necessary.  In fact you could just use one single print as well 🙂

 

Then start with the fusible side UP put on piece of scrap in the middle of your fusible fleece at any angle you want them lay another scrap down with right sides together.  sew along the edges of the 2 pieces then FLIP the piece that is right side down over and topstitch the seam.

Repeat until fleece piece is covered making sure your pieces are flat.  Then iron and remove the excess edges.

Attach bias trim to the long top and bottom edges.

Then, let the seam ripping begin.   You want to open the leg of the jean along the seam that is NOT topstitched on the outside.  For this pair it was the outer leg seam and I believe that is industry standard but not sure.  I only seamripped enough (about a foot) to get the knee area to lay flat.  This is so you can get it under the machine easier 😉  This pic is just the outside showing which seam to rip..  I found if you tugged at the seam on both sides the seam ripper went right down the middle pretty fast!  There will be a regular stitched seam and a “serged” edge as well.

Ok, once the seam is open you want to fold under one raw edge of your patch and place just over the other seam of your pants that you didnt rip.  Make sure the patch is centered.  You might want to pin it in place even.  You will sew on the other side of this seam first.

Then  Sew down the top edges of each of the bias trim strips.

Leave the raw edges of the other side of the patch to be stitched into the side seam.   Finish both sides and turn your pants wrong side out.  Match the seams up as they were before so the dark seam allowance doesnt show on the outside seam.   Then sew down this seam to close it up.   I sewed it TWICE making sure to secure the raw edges of the patch in the seam.    Then serge or zig zag the raw edges.

Back side will look like this when done:

Turn the pants right side out and VIOLA!!

I patched these jeans with the intentions of them being her play jeans but alas I was informed they are her new favorite pair and she hopes that some others get holey so I can patch them too, lol.  Enjoy!

Tutorial: Gift Card Holder

Need something a little personal to put your gift card in for someone?  This is super simple.  Took me all of 10 minutes to cut and make it.  And makes a great use of your scraps!   It would also hang on your tree at christmas or be used as a “gift TAG”

Materials:

• 2- 3.5″ x 8″ pieces of cotton woven material
• 1- 3.5″ x 6″ piece of cotton woven material for POCKET
• Ribbon:3/8″ grosgrain, 1-6″ and 1-2.5″ piece

Steps

1~Cut all pieces out 

2 ~ Fold pocket piece in half with Right Side OUT and Topstitch along the folded edge.

3~ Baste Pocket on RIGHT side of one end of ONE 3.5″ x 8″ piece.  I baste 1/8″ from edge

4~Baste 2.5″ ribbon folded as pictured onto pocket end and baste 6″ ribbon folded as pictured on the other end

5~ Align the other outer 3.5″ x 8″ piece on top of the pocket/ribbon piece with RIGHT sides TOGETHER!
I start about 1″ from corner on long side where there is NO pocket. Use a 1/4″ Seam allowance and stop after leaving about a 2″ opening.

6~Trim corners slightly and TURN

7~Tuck in seam allowances at the opening and topstitch all the way around using a 1/8″ Seam Allowance.

VIOLA!  You are done! 😀

Quickie “How To” Hooded Towels.

I dont have pictures of the pieces/process… but this is pretty simple.  If you want a full tutorial with pictures, let me know! 😀 

Here is what I made:

 

Materials needed:

• 1 yard Double sided 100% cotton Terry Cloth like this  *PREWASH THIS*
• 5 yards of Double Folded bias tape.  I made my own 1″.  I suggest WIDE like “quilt binding” bias tape if you are going to purchase it!
• Ruler
• Cutting Mat *handy but not necessary*

First thing is first:

1. Cut a 30x 30″ square from the terry cloth
2. Then cut a 12″ x 12″ square and cut it diagonally to make a TRIANGLE for the hood.  I make 2 towels at a time so I use the other triangle for the other towel 😀
3. Apply Bias  Tape to the long straight edge of the triangle first.   Trim the ends to be even with the short edges of the triangle. 
4. Sit this on one corner of your towel and pin each bias tape end to the edge and the corner.
5. Then start applying the bias tape to the single layer square of terry cloth at the corner BEFORE your “hood”
6. Continue around the towel, removing the pins on the hood as you include the edges of the triangle.
7. I miter my bias tape corners by straight stitching all the way to the edge, then trimming the threads and folding my bias tape down the opposite edge and mitering the corner. THen I sew starting at the new corner of the bias tape making sure to catch the top and bottom of the new fold.  Then stop and continue sewing down the next side..
8. I finish by trimming my bias tape about 1″ overlapping the start of the bias tape and then folding over twice.. Then I stitch across the edge and then turn and stitch out toward the edge to sew the fold of the bias tape down.

VIOLA! 😀