by Sherri Sylvester | Jan 19, 2016
We’re talking about hashtags today. Either you #loveem, #hateem or wonder #whatisahashtag anyway?!
A hashtag is added to many types of social media platforms as a categorizing tool. It can be written as anything you’d like, so long as it has no spaces and is prefaced with a “#”. When you click on a hashtag, your social platform will show a list of posts categorized with that tag.
I’ve been using them (mostly on Instagram) for inspiration, to find new project ideas, and to see what everyone has been trending toward in sewing-land. It also helps to tag your projects properly so others can find them. (This blog even has a hashtag! Search or tag #alongforthreadride to see Thread Riding Hood specific giveaways, tutorials and projects.)
Comment to tell us about your favorite hashtags, so we can check them out!
#isew: This general hashtag categorizes anything to do with sewing. It’s easy to get lost on this one – so many gorgeous pictures and great inspiration of all kinds.
#quilt, #patchwork, #patchworkquilt: Again, a general tag. And again, gorgeous work. This hashtag includes fully finished quilts, WIP’s (Work In Progress) and quilt blocks.
#quiltblock: These are so much fun to look through – piecing, paper piecing, english paper piecing! It’s not hard to find a new project to work on after searching this one.
#sewingforkids, #sewingforchildren, #sewingforbaby, #sewingforgirls, #sewingforboys: These are self explanatory I think! Use this hashtag to find children’s clothing inspiration, tutorials and free patterns.
#sewingformen: Many sewing-related hashtags refer only to women’s patterns, this is great inspiration for men’s projects all in one place.
#thegreatfabricdestash, #fabricdestash, #thegreatcanadianfabricdestash: Watch out, this hashtag is truly dangerous. Anyone selling their fabric stash uses this tag, and you can buy it from them! Check back often to make sure your favorites don’t disappear. You can often find OOP (Out of Print) fabrics here.
#sewingpattern, #sewingtutorial, #freesewingpattern: Lots of great information here. Find patterns for almost anything, and information from others who have sewn them.
Last but not least – check any indie sewing patterns you have for their own specific hashtag. If the pattern maker has chosen a tag, it’s written somewhere in the pattern instructions, usually at the very beginning or end. This is an amazing resource, and allows you to see different fabric placement choices and get tips about the pattern itself from people who have made the pattern or are currently sewing it.
Hope you have fun searching, and be sure to leave yourself lots of time to check these out – they’re addictive!
Please note: These hashtag photos are live, directly connected to the hashtags they are related to in real time. I am not responsible for the content shown in any of these photos. Please click each photo to find information about the authors.
by Sherri Sylvester | Jan 15, 2016
I have given in and gone after the trend, copied the masses and followed the crowd. Yes…. I too made rope bowls this past Christmas! It seemed everywhere I turned on Instagram last month there was photo after photo of rope bowls being made. Gifts for teachers, parents and friends – and, in my case – my sister.
I am pretty sure I saw this idea a few years ago somewhere. But the tutorial I used to start me off was only written in September of last year. Flossie Teacakes has a great tutorial post with some good tips on how to make them work. Since my sister crochets, I found a pretty blue skein at my local quilting/yarn shop to add to the mix. Hopefully it’s a nice one. That’s what the employee told me anyhow!
I decided to wrap fabric around some of the coils, added handles to one basket – and in general tried to make three different “nesting” bowls without making them all the same. The fabric was a great scrap buster and I would have used up a lot more scraps had I not gotten tired of wrapping fabric. It’s a bit fiddly to make it lie straight along the rope – or maybe I’m just not patient enough!
A good tip for wrapping the rope? I used a 1″ strip, unfinished, and glued it to the rope with my glue stick. It worked wonderfully and I didn’t have to hold it in place, which was nice. I also have some photos of how I finished the ends with a fabric tab and wrapped the rope with fabric successfully, so if you want a mini tutorial on that just ask and I’ll post them.
As you can see from the myriad of photos, I really like how these turned out. These baskets sew up quick. They are pretty cost effective and really addictive to make.And they are uber-fun to photograph, looking lovely on my favorite white background!
Have you made any rope baskets yet? What was your favorite part?
by Sherri Sylvester | Jan 11, 2016
Wow! It’s been a quiet few weeks around here! I’ve been grateful for the pause, when the girls are home from school it’s always busier. We are also in the middle of organizing and de-cluttering our home and doing a mini-renovation in the basement.
We are moving from the tiny upstairs 10×10 office/sewing area my husband and I share into a space almost twice as big by re-purposing the basement space we rarely use. But first, we need to move a closet, build a wall, add a door, move another door and paint – all while running our own businesses and being a family. So we should be finished sometime mid-summer?! Ha!
Today I get to start talking about the Christmas gifts I couldn’t share before the holidays. This year I had less time than usual and thankfully Pinterest came through with some quick and easy gifts – less involved than last year’s Cargo Duffles for sure! And I pinned some great gift ideas that I can use another time – Bonus!
Did you make any Christmas gifts this past year?
First up, my mom’s Liberty Clock. This idea came from Vicky Myers Creations and her super-cute DIY Embroidery Hoop Clock tutorial. Our clocks ended up looking very different, but the basic idea is the same. Here are a few things I did differently from Vicky’s tutorial.
- 1 1/2″ squares of Liberty fabric to mark the clock quarters instead of buttons. The edges are finished using an applique stitch on my Skyline S5. Clearly I need to try to end the stitches in the same place next time instead of overlapping them!
- Fusible Fleece instead of thick interfacing. I wanted a more “quilted look”, which would have worked out better had I actually quilted the main fabric!
- Liberal use of Fray Check! I used it on the centre hole for the clock mechanics and the thread ends of the applique
- Extra interfacing around the centre hole. Just to make sure it didn’t fray and the clock mechanics would have plenty of support so the fabric doesn’t droop. (I hope?!)
- Sticky non-sew Velcro to hold the clock mechanics upright.
- All excess fabric behind the hoop. To do this I ran a basting stitch with button thread around the outside of the circle and knotted it to pull in the fabric. (And added more Fray Check!)
I was so excited to get to use my Liberty fabric for this project.
Dorienne gifted me two Liberty fabrics that she bought in the Liberty of London store – in actual London! Eeeek! (
I am so grateful, and still hoarding them!) I also love how the Liberty looks with the Essex Linen in Natural that I bought from my sponsor
Mad about Patchwork.
This project is a great way to show off your precious fabrics without cutting a large chunk out of them! I think I might need one in my soon-to-be-finished sewing space. I’m sure there is another old clock somewhere in the things we need to de-clutter!
by Sherri Sylvester | Jan 5, 2016
Happy New Year! Thank you so much for following along with me through 2015. I love analytics and it is especially fun to see which post you loved most last year. So… here are the 15 most popular blog, instagram and pinterest posts from 2015. Plus, a few numbers to start… because #chartsandgraphsaremyfavorite!
Top 15 Blog Posts in 2015
And the thing that makes these posts similar? Turns out everyone loves a free tutorial! I love that these popular posts range from my first year blogging in 2012 (Handy Fridge Towel) to the most recent one!
- Sunny Glasses Case Pattern & Tutorial
- Cat-Eye Zipper Pouch Pattern & Tutorial
- Canadian Online Fabric Stores (Pinterest Board)
- the World’s Fastest Pencil Case Tutorial
- Stuffed Animal Chair Pattern & Tutorial
- Quiet Book – Construction Sew Along
- Super Hero Cape Pattern & Tutorial
- Pretty Floral Divided Tote Pattern & Tutorial
- Diaper Bag Tutorial
- Simple Kid’s Dress Tutorial
- Insulated Lunch Bag Pattern & Tutorial
- Handy Fridge Towel Pattern & Tutorial
- Fat Quarter Skirt Tutorial
- I Spy Bag Tutorial
- DIY Canvas Art Tutorial
Top 15 Instagram Posts in 2015
Top 15 Pinterest Posts in 2015
- Skate Guard Tutorial
- Cat-Eye Zipper Pouch Pattern & Tutorial
- Simple Kid’s Dress Tutorial
- Glow Stick Printable Valentine Cards
- Canadian Online Fabric Stores Board: Pins from this board make up the rest of the top 15
I hope you’ve had a wonderful start to 2016! What are you planning for this year?
by Sherri Sylvester | Dec 26, 2015
Merry Boxing Day for all you Canadians, and “the day after Christmas” to the Americans! Boxing Week is great for after Christmas sales and amazing deals. My sponsor Fabric Spark is having a great Boxing Week sale starting today. Plus she has a 12 fat quarter giveaway happening right here as well!
20% off already marked down Sale Fabric. Over 150 fabrics on sale. December 26-31, 2015, Promo Code: big deal.
My youngest helped me pick a few of our favorites to get you started….
One lucky reader will win this gray-blend bundle made up of 12 fat quarters pulled from the Big Deal Clearance fabrics! I have been eyeing this spoon fabric since it was listed at Fabric Spark and I’m loving how it mixes in with this print bundle.
This giveaway is open to US and Canadian readers, from December 26-31 at midnight EST. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter – and if you don’t have Facebook to sign in with, just use your name and email address. There’s a “click to enter”, no social media login entry too!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Make sure you head over to the Big Deal Clearance to get 20% off that already reduced fabric you’ve been needing!
