Fabric Love

As you've probably noticed, once I get a fabric or group of fabrics I love, I made as much as I can out of them!! It is no different with the most recent fabrics I ordered {from this post}!!

I had enough of the trim & exterior fabrics to make a "Natalie Jumper" for lil miss! I made some changes from the {original design}, but they are pretty subtle. First is the use of suspender clips attaching the straps to the bodice...a fun little touch!Then I added a fabric rosette to the seam where the bodice and skirt panel meet. I seem to add one of those to just about anything!!!

Super cute!!

Mother's Day Gift To Me!!

Tuesday, I received a lovely little package from {sewmamasew}!! It is the fabric I ordered for my bag!!

All three of these were folded up nicely and tied with a cute fabric bow! Here are the fabrics I chose - Four Petals Jelly, Trees Tonal Raspberry & French Lace Sprout! LOVE!!
The pattern I used is from {ithinksew}. I chose the #91 Cross Over bag. It was really easy to follow and had a lot of pictures!! I didn't have a lot of consecutive time to work on it, but it took an hour or two, three nights in a row.

Here's the finished bag....

I added a few things that weren't in the pattern.

#1 - two outside pockets with elastic on the tops. My Vera bags all have outside pockets and I use them A LOT!

#2 - two inside pockets without zippers...the pattern called for one with a zipper and since I never zip my interior pockets, I scratched the zippers and added another pocket!

#3 - FABRIC ROSETTES! Love them, enough said!!

#4 - a piece of cardboard to the bottom, in between the exterior and lining for support. {I will have to seam rip the lining to remove this should I want to wash my bag.}


So I am in love with my new bag and I've decided it is my Mother's Day gift to myself!

Fabric Flower Headband

I am in LOVE with the fabric flowers that are on everything! I've tried a few different ways of making them, and I like this way the best!

Here's what you do...

• Find your fabric and cut it 8"-10" long & 3" wide. These measurements don't have to be exact. I've used scraps that were not 3" wide throughout and it still works fine!!
• Make sure your glue gun is plugged in and ready to go before you proceed!!
• Fold your fabric in half (hotdog style) and start twisting it at one end.
• Twist and wrap the fabric around until you've got a 2-3" circle/flower, or until you've reached the size you wanted.
• Glue the remaining length of fabric underneath the flower.
• Now you can attach it to an alligator clip, barrette, brooch, headband, whatever!
• I bought a package of black elastic headbands from the dollar store that have worked really well.
• If you want more than one flower on your headband, glue them down, side by side, on a piece of coordinating fabric.
• Cut around the flowers. Glue the whole thing to your headband. Glue another piece of fabric, sandwiching the headband. Cut around the flowers again.
• Glue on rhinestones, pearls, lace, buttons, whatever you can find to embellish your flower.
• And there you have it! I love that I can make these to match literally anything N is wearing!! She wore the headband pictured to her 3 year photo shoot this morning!

Gift Card Holders

I recently stumbled across a tutorial for fabric gift card holders and I gave it a try. I wasn't impressed with the way the tutorial made them, so I changed the measurements, added some interfacing, and changed the layout a but and got this....

Multiple gift cards fit in well also, so it could even be used after the holidays for a safe spot to hold all the gift cards you've received!!

I was so thrilled with how they turned out that I made over 30 of them to sell at my work this week!

Here's how to do it...

Materials:

• 
  
  two backing pieces of fabric that each measure 3.5" x 4.5" (these can be the same fabric or coordinating). I made some that were holiday themed, Chicago Bears themed, and also some from coordinating scraps I had lying around...the possibilities are endless!!


• 
  
  one pocket piece of fabric (coordinating the backing pieces) that measures 3.5" x 3.5"


• 
  
  one piece of fusible interfacing that measures 3.5" x 4.5"


• 
  
  one piece of fusible interfacing that measures 3.5" x 3.5"


• 
  
  coordinating thread


• 
  
  embellishments such as buttons, lace, rosettes, ric-rac etc.

What to do:

• 
  
  Iron the interfacing to one back piece and the pocket piece of fabric. I place the fabric pieces on the interfacing, iron and then cut them out.


• 
  
  Take the pocket piece and fold down 1/4" and sew a hem across.


• 
  
  Place the pocket piece on top of the back piece with the interfacing on the back. Lay the other back piece on top, right sides together. Pin and sew with a 1/8" seam allowance all the way up the two sides and across the top, leaving the bottom open. Clip the top corners.


• 
  
  Turn right side in and tuck the open end up 1/4". Sew around the entire rectangle with a 1/8" seam allowance.


• 
  
  Using hot glue, add your embellishment to the front of the pocket.


• 
  
  Stick a gift card inside and you've got yourself a cute lil gift!!

To make the rosette, I just cut a 10" x 3" length of fabric and fold it in half. I start at one end and twist the fabric and forming a circle. Once I'm done, I put a dot of hot glue on the back and attach it to where I want it and then add glue where needed to attach it securely. Pretty easy and pretty cute!!