by Sherri Sylvester | May 30, 2013
Father’s Day is coming up soon, so I though I would share a little project that my kids made for Daddy. (Oh, and I helped!)
I have been making pajama pants and shorts for my husband since we got married. I have a great Simplicity pattern that I have edited over the years to create the perfect shorts. So, I figured he would appreciate a pair that the kids helped make. I love finding things my kids can make and give as gifts. I think the process of being involved in creating something that they can give away is so valuable. Taking the time out of your day to create is an amazing thing.
I’m always interested in the fabric choices of my children and love to let them go in the fabric store to see what they like for their own projects. (Even when they end up with character fabrics! Ack!) My oldest picked this blue (though she calls it purple – Daddy’s favorite colour) cotton fabric. Then we aimed for the thread – matching purple of course!
Once at home, I admit, I did most of the work. I find that the kids tend to lose interest when things get tedious – or past 10 or so minutes of actual machine time. The youngest lasts a bit longer because she sits on my lap and pulls pins and presses the back-stitch button when I need her to. The oldest does like to run the camera though, and spent a lot of time setting up this shot of her toys with a “mountain” in the background.
Now, when their Daddy wears these pj’s my kids are proud that they helped to make them, it’s so fun to see! If you have time over the next 2 1/2 weeks, get your kids together and make something for their Daddy. Don’t make it fancy – just make it! Have fun!
by Sherri Sylvester | Apr 4, 2013
When I bought my pattern bundle a few months ago I was lucky enough to score a copy of the Goodship Dress by One Girl Circus.
Karen has created the cutest dress with a huge amazing bow on the front and somehow I convinced my “twirl-loving” oldest daughter to go for it! (I apologize ahead of time for the barrage of photos! I couldn’t decide which ones to post. This photo shoot was so much fun. The girls were high on sugar (Easter and cookies) and therefore a bit wiggly – amazingly everything worked out great!)
The pattern is amazing to work with. Everything is very clearly written and illustrated and VERY well though out. The inside of the dress looks as amazing as the outside. The side seams and hidden pockets are even put together with french seams!
The only thing I think I would change on when I make this again is that the neckline is a bit low for my girls – could be I made them a size too big. I think I am going to add in some hidden buttons under the collar to hold it up a bit higher. It is fine as long as it is tied – but the kids like to pull on the bows so they come undone pretty easily.
The fabrics I ended up with for this project were a dream to work with. The gray is a linen/polyester blend and it is so soft… I have about 1/2 meter left and I’m hoping to make something for myself from it! The pink is from the Fiesta line by Jennifer Sampou for Robert Kaufman. The green is my first stash of Amy Butler fabric. (Amazingly – I’ve never bought her fabric before!) It is the Gypsy Caravan line in Deco Dots from Amy Butler’s Stash. Apparently this is a reprint from her first fabric line.
Your Sewing Tip for Today: Ever have trouble turning a sash that has an angled sewn end? Here is a super easy way to do it (via one of my most favorite blogs: Made By Rae).
I’ll leave you with the one and only workable photo with both kids in it!
by Sherri Sylvester | Mar 16, 2013
Today I have been busy making the fourth shirt – 2nd boy option – and it has NOT been my day. I have made so many mistakes sewing, and what was to be the easiest shirt has turned out to be a bit more complex than I had imagined. I think it would have been easier if I had planned to make it the way you see it (below) from the beginning! My original idea just looked boring when I was finished so I added in some more details – explaining the 2 photos in the “You will need” section!
Having said that I am SO HAPPY with the final results. It’s perfect for my 3 year old nephew, who happens to LOVE basketball. Grab your sewing supplies and fabric scraps and lets applique!
BBall Bunny Easter Tee
I’ve added a “read more” button here. Click below to access the rest of the tutorial.
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by Sherri Sylvester | Mar 15, 2013
Okay – third post is a charm? “Make Your Kids DIY Shirts for Easter” week has moved on to the boys. Today we have an appliqued bunny shirt inspired by Pinterest. Though isn’t everything nowadays?! You can download the free applique pattern pieces in the “You will need” list.
Mister Bunny Easter Tee
I’ve added a “read more” button here. Click below to access the rest of the tutorial.
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by Sherri Sylvester | Mar 13, 2013
Alright – ready for the 2nd installment of “Make Your Kids DIY Shirts for Easter” week? Here we go! Today’s shirt is made with ruffle fabric, a few embellishments, some ribbon and flowers and of course bows on the sleeve cuffs. Who could resist?!
Ruffled Easter Egg Tee with Bow Cuffs
I have had quite a few shirts given to me from one of the better children’s stores. They have all of the little details on them that good quality shirts should, including cute little bow cuffs. I’ve been wanting to figure out how to make these cuffs for a few years now and this seemed like the best time. Everyone needs a little dress-up for Easter! This shirt has three-quarter length sleeves, so I used a shirt that was a size too big for my youngest daughter – so I would have extra long sleeves to cut off and could use the extra fabric to make the cuffs.
I’ve added a “read more” button here. Click below to access the rest of the tutorial.
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by Sherri Sylvester | Mar 11, 2013
This week is “Make Your Kids DIY Shirts for Easter” week on Thread Riding Hood! By the end of the week you will have 3 Easter themed knit-shirt applique options – 2 for girls and 1 (maybe 2) for boys. Then you can take the following week or so to make one for your munchkin – just in time for Easter. And can I say how amazed I am that I am early – Hooray!) Got to do this more often!
Today’s installment also has an added bonus – it uses a freezer paper stencil. Never heard of it? Glad you stopped by! Freezer paper stenciling has been called “the poor man’s screen printer” and can be very addicting (I can vouch for that!), if you have a bit of time and an xacto blade. I’ve used it on a lot of things, mostly to embellish knit shirts so far, and also on the Superbowl shirts I made for the girls back in February. I did use it on a pair of home-made slippers once also, to make a “non-skid” sole with the logo of my brother-in-law’s favorite board game – that was fun too!
For this shirt I got to use an idea I bookmarked a while ago. (Remember when we didn’t have Pinterest? What would we do without it!) This particular shirt is a great idea from Vanessa at Punkin Patterns. Check out her tutorials while you are at it! She has a lot of really great stuff – especially her “Connor’s Messenger Bag” – so cute! I have two little girls who would love one of these (each, of course! Sharing is usually tolerated, but not enjoyed!)
To make one of these yourself you can visit Vanessa’s tutorial here: Punkin Patterns – Chocolate Bunny Tee.
Here is a quick run-down on how to use freezer paper. I will have to photograph one in more detail and post it soon. For now, if you’d like you can visit Vanessa’s “Freezer Paper 101” which she also links to in the bunny tee tutorial.
You will need:
- fabric to paint onto (tee, pillow cover, etc.)
- freezer paper (see below)
- xacto knife, cutting surface
- iron, ironing board
- pencil (to trace your pattern)
- hairdryer (optional)
- fabric paint
- small piece of sponge/brush
- wax paper or small disposable lid for holding paint
1) First step is to get yourself some freezer paper. I get mine at my local grocery store in the aisle with the food wrap. Make sure it is labeled freezer paper, this is not waxed paper. Freezer paper has a thin plastic coating on one side that helps it to adhere to fabric when it is ironed.
2) Trace your shape onto your freezer paper – this will be your stencil. Draw on the matte finish side of the paper, not the shiny side. The shiny side has the plastic coating and you don’t want to iron on it later, that would make a mess! Find a shape you like and size it on your computer screen. Then you can put the freezer paper on the screen and trace it. The backlit screen really makes this easy!
3) When you use the fabric paint there is always a chance it will seep through your fabric, so cut a piece of freezer paper a bit larger than your stencil and iron it onto the back of your fabric – behind wherever you want your stencil to be painted on.
4) Put your freezer paper on the cutting surface and cut out your stencil.
5) Iron your stencil onto the front of your fabric. IMPORTANT! Make sure you iron with the shiny side down (touching the fabric). If you iron on the shiny side you will really mess up your iron because the plastic will stick to it. Iron without steam on the proper setting for your fabric. I would recommend using a high setting like cotton – so make sure whatever you are stenciling can take the heat. It is possible to iron the freezer paper too much (I know from experience!). It leaves plastic embedded in your fabric – ack! Iron until the edges of the stencil are all very secure and, if in doubt, try pulling it off of the sandwich on one of the edges. It should be fairly hard to remove the stencil from the knit material. If you do not iron enough the paint will bleed under the edges of the stencil. It’s a bit of a guessing game – and gets easier the more you do it.
6) Now we get to paint! Follow the directions on your fabric paint. Sponge/dab the paint onto the stencil. Don’t brush at the edges or you will likely force paint under them and your edges won’t be sharp. Some people recommend doing more than one coat of paint, but I like instant results and so 1 coat has been fine on most of my projects. I used a cut piece of a scrubbie sponge from the kitchen to spread the paint.
7) If you are patient, you can now refer to your fabric paint and wait the recommended time before you peel off the stencil. If you are not you can use the optional hairdryer (on a low heat setting) from the “You will need” list. Guess what I did! (Hairdryer all the way!)
8) Once the paint is dry you can start to peel the stencil. If you want to reuse it don’t tear the edges – freezer paper can be reused a few times until the plastic coating won’t adhere anymore. Carefully peel off the stencil and voila! you have a perfect image.
9) If you have used paint that needs to be set, follow the directions on your fabric paint. You’re Done!
Looking for egg-sactly(!) what you want in an girl’s Easter shirt applique? Coming up mid-week. See you again soon!
