Tag: The Sewing Summit

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The Weekend T-Shirt Blanket

You might have noticed I’ve slowed down a bit on the blogging. While I’m setting up Sly Fox Fabrics, I’ve been a bit busy and not sewing as much. But I have fit a few things in! If you’d like to follow that journey, check out my summary blog over on the Sly Fox Blog. Plus, I made a dress out of one of the new fabrics that I’m completely obsessed with! I used the Summer Haze in Navy on the 5 Out of 4 Patterns Lucy and just love the combo!! On top of that, I also filmed a new class for this month’s Sewing Summit, which is all about upcycling!!! So if you like salvaging, upcycling, and generally limiting some of environmental impact, be sure to check out the entire week of classes!

When Virginia and I were chatting about this Summit and what I might want to contribute, the one thing that jumped into focus was the BOXES of t-shirts we have stored. T-shirts from trips, from school, from activities. Just memories like crazy. I’ve been meaning to make some t-shirt quilts for a while, but the process is just so time consuming and I am severely lacking in time. Instead, I decided to tackle a much quicker project while using not only Virginia’s stored t-shirts, but also some scraps of her favorite fabrics! (Also entertainingly, she totally matched the blanket while we were working on it! I think she is in a color rut.)

This project was so, so fast. Even with filming, it only took a couple hours. Most time was spent on cutting out those squares. This makes it PERFECT for beginners. All straight seams. Simple techniques. And, thought slightly longer than a couple hours, it is definitely doable in a weekend. So there is low risk of starting, getting distracted, and walking away to let it gather dust in a corner. (Anyone else do this sometimes? No? Just me?)

Check out my class on the Sewing Summit for how to make this fun, cozy blanket. Plus, I couldn’t resist a few bonus options! Pillow covers are one of my favorite things because they’re quick, fun, and hella easy. Also, the envelope style cover makes it so easy to wash and change out the covers regularly! Making these out of knit fabrics made them even faster! Which was great! And, to add a little flair, I also show how to make these adorable knit tassels. This are great for pillows, keychains, cat toys, or even a festive string of garland!

Be sure to sign up for the FREE WEEK of classes starting 24 August 2020. And if you like the classes, or just want to be able to watch them after the week is up, you can grab an All Access Pass and watch them at your leisure. Plus keep an eye out here as I have more free time to keep rambling on while sharing my projects!

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Reluctantly Crafting with My Sisters

Hi everyone!  It has been awhile since I have done a takeover of Stephanie’s blog but life got a little crazy in there. I graduated from my bachelors degree and I have the summer off (not counting two jobs) and thought with the sewing summit coming up, what a perfect time to do a takeover. 

So somehow I got roped into not one, but two videos for the sewing summit. One with each of my sisters. Don’t get me wrong, I love my sisters, but crafting is more their thing than mine. I don’t really have a hobby even. So, I got to hop into a hobby of each of theirs. One sewing and one using epoxy. Both were interesting projects and I got to create some pretty cool things (keeping it clean for the summit here).

With Stephanie I did a tutorial with how to sew the Roxy Wristlet and show it from a beginner’s point of view. Mostly you get to see how dummy proof it is. I even managed to actually make a purse. Wristlet…whatever. Thankfully she walked me through it and I wasn’t required to learn how to read a pattern. I only needed to learn one thing at a time. After all, I just finished school I have earned a break here.

I’m sure Stephanie got irritated with my lack of desire to even choose fabric for the project. Thankfully she picked out some great liners and saved the day. Now she just had to get me to commit to the filming. I, of course,  was available whenever she needed me (how does one type with sarcasm?).  Anywhos… 

I admit the end project coming together was really cool. You do a fliparoo and there is a Wristlet. Pretty snazzy. 

Now, I also got to do a video with out other sister, Vicki!  She, like Stephanie, does a bunch of different crafts. (Pretty sure they got all the crafty genes between the two of them).  Vicki and I did a really cool epoxy video. Definitely check out her blog and see what we did. It was really cool. I got to make my own tumbler!!!  And guess what?!  I used the same fabric as my Roxy. If you didn’t already figure it out, I do love bacon. 

It was a lot of fun to do a video with each of my sisters. Especially since Vicki lives like 1000 miles away. Thank goodness for graduation celebrations (or what consists of one during this thing called a pandemic) that bring family for a visit. 

Hope you guys enjoy BOTH of my Sewing Summit videos. They were a lot of fun to make. And since I am a super duper novice for both videos you know you can make both yourselves, easy peasy.

Virginia

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The Ultimate Table Accessories Tutorial

Stepping out of my usual sharing, I’m back to expand on my Personalized Towels post from a few months back! We have towels, napkins, napkin rings, and a table runner (plus a how-to on a table cloth!). As my closet is getting more and more full, I am thrilled to add sewing for my home instead of my closet!

This set was so damn fun to sew up! And I got to film the whole thing for the Sewing Summit!!! It is a week of free classes from tons of different speakers sharing how to make up different fabric crafts! All the projects are from free patterns, so you can participate completely free! If you want to access the classes after they expire, you can grab an all access pass.

Let’s dive into these fun projects!! Check out the towels I talked about over here, and just how personalizable they are! Then we can start off with the napkins! I learned so may things about napkins. There are different sizes for different occasions. Tea (12 x 12), lunch (14 x 14), dinner (18-20″ square), and formal (22-26″ square). So really, if you have fabric you love, whatever the size, you can probably make a napkin or four. Just add 2 inches to the size you want, press each edge in a scant half inch, twice, and topstitch. Check out the sewing summit for my tips and preferences on beautiful corners!

Now, we need napkin rings to go with them. Not because napkin rings are really a necessity, but more because there are always scraps leftover and they are really fun! The next paragraph is the quick instructions on sewing them up. Skip this if you aren’t sewing, already watched the video, or just don’t care about how to sew these cuties up.

Sarcastic Sewist Napkin Ring PatternDownload

Grab the pattern above and cut out two each of the backer, the loop, and one center, then one 4.5 inch strip of FOE for each napkin ring. Everything has a half inch seam allowance already included. Interface the backer and loop pieces. Sew the backer pieces together, right sides facing. Leave that gap for turning. Repeat for the loop pieces. Fold the center in half, right sides together, and stitch. turn everything right sides out and press the hell out of it. Topstitch around the backer and loop, closing the gaps. Line up both short edges of the loop with the center of the backer. Use a zig-zag stitch to stitch the loop to the backer. You might need to stitch halfway through, then turn and start again from the other side. This is now ready to be the bow! Align the short, raw edges of the center and stitch with 1/4 inch seam allowance. You can serge or overlock stitch the raw edges if you’d like. Slide the FOE inside to loop of the center piece, overlap the ends by 1/2 inch and zig-zag that elastic into a loop! Slide the center over the bow. Tweak to your heart’s content and you are done!!

Now let’s get into this table runner (or cloth, even though I didn’t sew one up!) First, you want to measure the top of your table. If you’re going to a full table cloth, you want to add 24 inches to each of those measurements. If you’re going for a runner, you want the 24 inches on the length and about 1/3 of the width. There is definite wiggle room there because, surprise, when you sew, you get to make shit exactly what you want!!! I decided I wanted to color block my table runner. If you want exactly mine, here are the cutting dimensions for the pieces: one blue and one green of each of the following, 19×2, 31×3, 43×6, and two stripes each of, 7×3, 7×7, 32×17. My table is 72×41. I used french seams to sew this beauty together and could not be happier with the end result!! My sister has already asked for one for each holiday, with coordinating napkins! And we have a running list of snarky phrases to personalize some towels!

I really hope these table accessories spark some creativity for you! These are fantastic beginner projects, and wonderful kickstarters for anyone lacking some sew-jo. Or if you just have a full closet and want to keep sewing your ass off. Be sure to check out the Sewing Summit! And since I’m completely crazy, also check out the other class(es) I participated in!!

Stephanie xx

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Angled Zip Clutch and The Sewing Summit

I am ridiculously excited to be sharing another free pattern with you today!! Nothing makes me happier than sharing something fun! This little clutch is just adorable. A little fun, a little sassy, super useful, and so very versatile!

It is such a quick sew, I can’t even believe it. Plus, the scrap busting options are endless. This could be really cute patchwork quilted to use even the tiniest of scraps! And most of us keep the supplies needed on hand. A zipper, some interfacing, and a bit of woven fabric. Boom and done!!

Now, the zipper is a bit longer than the ones I typically keep on hand (I buy 8″ zippers in bulk), but not so long that it will be hard to get your hands on. I really wanted to be able to get my phone in and out easily and still have room for whatever I want to carry. I made these versions out of quilting cottons, but this would be so fun and easy out of all kinds of woven fabrics. Accents in faux leather would be lovely, some great outdoor fabrics, suede. Endless options!!

I did my best to make these pattern pieces easy to make, while still having some unique features, so you should be able to trace and cut everything out of regular US computer paper, no glue needed, if you prefer to make pattern pieces, rather than cut fabric directly. This is definitely my preference if I’m planning to make more than one of anything. Measurements are quick and easy (and I hate gluing paper together), but for repeats, it’s just easier to have the pattern cut and ready to go.

Now I have even better news! I’m doing a sew along to show just how easy this pattern is to make up!! And to show a quick hack, if you’re scared of zippers or just don’t feel like adding one (the navy one with the periodic table lining). Check out The Sewing Summit! It is a week long event with some of the most amazing sewists, designers, and fabric experts sharing their knowledge with you. Free to attend live, or grab the videos forever at a reduced price ahead of the event. However you choose to participate, I’m sure you’ll be able to learn something new and exciting, and meet some new peeps in the sewing community!

Sarcastic Sewist – Angled Zip Clutch TutorialDownload

Grab this free pattern right here, and be ready to sew it up with me! Don’t forget to tag me if you share anywhere, as I’d love to see your finished product!

Stephanie xx