Can you help by making a dozen Fabric Gift Bags for foster children? The plea came at a Kiwanis meeting. And I volunteered. They were so easy to make that I finished all of them in one sitting -- less than half a day. The recipient would have a bagful of gifts, thanks to Kiwanis, and a bag that could be used to keep the gifts or any other possessions together. Quick and easy to make, reusable so no piles of wrapping paper to throw away, functional for other uses or easy to store , washable if necessary and, best of all, colorful and fun. I thought it was such a good idea that I have made them for gifts given to other children, who were thrilled to get them -- with gifts inside, of course :-) -- and to use afterwards. The ones I made for foster children were already cut with ... [Read More]
sewing tutorial
How to make a bandana dress — tutorial
Bandana dresses are another version of the pillowcase dress -- but faster and easier! They're really cute, too! Bandanas are available in so many great colors and fun designs. I picked this classic design for the tutorial, but setting on my sewing table are polka dot, plain, chevron and party print bandanas. Can't wait to make them into cute dresses! A bandana makes the perfect sized dress for a toddler. The dresses are about the equivalent of a 24 month or size 2. They are full and loose around the body which any mom knows makes the size matter less. The ribbon ties make the arm holes adjustable so the bandana dress fit is even more forgiving. Growing girl just means add tights under the shorter dress and, eventually, the dress becomes a top with jeans or shorts. Big bang ... [Read More]
How to Make a Pillowcase Dress
Pillowcase dresses are so quick and easy to make! They are cool and comfortable, perfect for warm weather! You can make them from an actual pillowcase just by following the instructions for armholes and casing below. Or create a dress to match a personality with cute and colorful fabric. Pillowcase dresses are so easy a beginner can make one. Buy one yard of 42" - 45" sturdy fabric, and 2.5 yards of 1" wide grosgrain ribbon for each dress you plan to make. All dresses are made from the full width of the fabric. I used a full yard for the dresses I made. However, if you want to customize the length: Measure from the base of the child's neck down to the point on the leg where you want the dress to end. Add 5 inches to that number to allow for casing and hem ... [Read More]
Party Dress for 18 inch Doll
This gorgeous party dress was intended for Samantha who was retired from the American Girl lineup several years ago. Samantha is a dead ringer for a little one I know and I was thrilled to find a Samantha doll in excellent condition for the little sweetie pie a couple of years ago. The dress is true to the turn of the century historical period Samantha depicted -- but it is classic style that any modern doll mama would love her 18 inch doll to have! The original source of this pattern is the delightful AGPlaythings. In addition to this and other clothes for Samantha there are a number of free pdf patterns for other retired dolls on this site. If you or someone you know loves AG -- check it out! I followed the pattern, but made some changes in the directions. Some sewing ... [Read More]
Gathered Sleeveless Dress for 18″ Doll with pattern
When I saw these colorful napkins on the clearance shelf of the grocery store, I also heard them calling out to become dresses for 18" dolls, like the American Girl dolls! Fifty cents each. Twenty minutes each. Small investment for cute dresses for Molly, Samantha and Robin! Creating the pattern took a bit more time -- but you can save that time and get yours from this link: Sleeveless Gathered Dress. You can also use bandannas or any other fabric that is already hemmed. Here's how to make them: That's it! All done! How to Make a Parka for 18 inch doll Jacket, Hat and Scarf from Dollar Store purchase with jacket pattern Pillowcase Dress for 18″ Doll with pattern Party Dress for 18″ Doll Sleeping Bag for 18″ Doll Fiesta Skirt for 18" doll ... [Read More]
New cushions in five easy steps
Boring beige. Tired and sad looking. The cushions came with the chairs when they were brand new six years ago and had served well – but time for buh-bye! We eat almost every meal outdoors on the deck when the weather is nice. We needed something a livelier than beige and a bit of pattern to contrast with the dark furniture. A trip to the fabric store turned up the perfect pattern with soothing colors in an outdoor fabric. Here’s how to make new cushions for your outdoor chairs in five easy steps! 1. Measure your chairs. Choose a pillow form that most closely matches the size of your chair. Mine was 20 inches by 20 inches and each chair required 2 forms – one for the seat and one for the back. I determined how much fabric to buy by measuring the circumference to get 40 ... [Read More]
