by Sherri Sylvester | Sep 25, 2014
When Deborah from Sprouting Jube Jube (pattern made by Allison, EM Patterns) offered a chance to be on this Pattern Tour I couldn’t say no. Even when a sleeveless dress in our September weather is a little risky! The back of this dress is just amazing and I’m so happy I got the chance to sew it. There’s a giveaway and a discount code for you too.
Of course, I could not make just one dress, there had to be one for each of my girls. I was all ready to make two gorgeous bow-backed dresses, when my oldest informed me that she liked the simplified version better. You know how it is when you are almost seven – it is very important to make your own fashion choices! I’m so glad she did, because I got to make both versions. And, as it turns out – I really like the simplified one as well. It’s very pretty and has the same twirl factor as the more showy version – win, win for everyone!
I am especially excited because I ordered my first yardage of Cotton + Steel especially for these dresses from Fabric Spark! You can see all of the fabrics I ordered in this photo (love, love the arrows!) The pink and blue are from the Basics collection – XOXO in Pink Cheeks and XOXO in Toy Boat Gold. That’s right – the dress has metallic gold X’s all over it – Gorgeous! Definitely my favorite out of the three prints. The underskirt of my youngest’s dress is Hide and Seek – Lions in Gold and Teal – oh my! My kids each picked the fabric for their dress, and it was so much fun looking through the options with them. I’ve really got to try that again!
I would label this pattern as an intermediate level pattern – mostly for the zipper installation, and partially because I found myself using my prior dress-making knowledge quite a bit throughout. Though, saying that, the simplified version would be great for a confident beginner. The fit is good and follows the sizing chart exactly, it even has a little extra wiggle “they will grow over the winter”-room around the bodice so the dresses should fit next year as well! I also cheated a tad to make the back flounce stay where I wanted by tacking each fold in place underneath where it doesn’t show. Perfect!
Enough from me already. The discount and giveaway are below, and you can visit all of the other lovely bloggers on the tour for more inspiration. There are some amazing dresses out there. (and a top too!)
September 22 ~ Sofilantjes – From a Box – Golden Rippy
September 23 ~ Friends Stitched Together – Project Destash– Simple and Trendy
September 24 ~ Call Ajaire – Crooked Whimsy – Giggles & Beans – Sews ‘n Bows
September 25 ~ The Adventures of Captain X and the Gingerbear Princess – Once Upon a Sewing Machine – and Me!
September 26 ~ Pienkel – Made by Sara – Rebel & Malice – Shaffer Sisters
September 27 ~ Sewing Sober – Lulu & Celeste – Climbing the Willow
Deborah and Allison are providing a discount for the Secret Garden Dress during the tour this week (Ends September 27th, 2014). Use the code “SGTOUR25” to save 25%! Visit EM Patterns, Etsy or Craftsy to buy the pattern.
Here’s your chance to win the Secret Garden Dress pattern and a whole lot more! Sponsored by:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
* The Secret Garden Dress pattern was given to me as part of the tour. As always, all opinions are my own. *
by Sherri Sylvester | Sep 24, 2014
This has turned into a very information-based post week. But don’t fear, I get to share a couple of amazing dresses and a new giveaway with you tomorrow! (P.S. Word is they might be made with some of my newly acquired Cotton + Steel!)
Post No. 2 for this week is all about who won the LE CLUB September Bundle from Fridays Off Fabric Shop. First, though, I’d like to remind you that you can sign up to get a bundle every month from Fridays Off with their new subscription program. Sweet deal!
And, on to the winner… Congratulations to Donna from Calgary, Alberta. (As chosen randomly by the Rafflecopter widget.) She’s going to be the proud new owner of the first Le Club bundle, just as soon as it arrives in the mail. Have fun adding it to your stash Donna!
If you didn’t win, you can help to console yourself by purchasing the bundle from the Fridays Off shop. (And trust me, it helps!) Back tomorrow morning.
by Sherri Sylvester | Sep 15, 2014
You know how the most exciting thing (pretty much ever) is getting that package in the mail. You know the one – it has your name on it and it’s from the fabric shop you recently placed an order with? To top things off, you know there’s a carefully curated surprise bundle inside! Now – how would you like to get one of those every month from Fridays Off Fabric Shop? (Oh yeah!)
I know this feeling well because Fridays Off owner, Alanna, sent me the September Le Club Bundle to play with. (Woot, woot!) I could not wait to see what she included in the bundle, and of course, I was not disappointed. It’s a great mix of summery orange and yellow with splashes of lime, navy and blue. (Of course, it also has the requisite amount of gray mixed in!) I’m so excited because Alanna is giving away a bundle as well, so one of you will be able to play too! Check out the end of this post for your chance to enter to win. If you can’t wait and need it now, you can also purchase the bundle from her shop.
More about Le Club? It is a brand new fabric subscription program shipping to Canada, started this September by Fridays Off Fabric Shop. Sign up and you will receive a new bundle every month! Then you can stalk your mailbox and wait in suspense until you can open the package and see what has arrived. Oh so much fun! You can even choose “The Full Stash” of 12 fat quarters or “The Half Stash” of 6 fat quarters – perfect for building your fabric collection. Now all you need is the perfect fat quarter mini quilt pattern for it – any ideas?!
To enter to win the bundle, use the Rafflecopter widget below. There are options for entry even if you don’t use social media, so give it a shot! The giveaway will be open for Canadian residents only, from September 15 – Monday, September 22, 2014 at midnight EST.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Reader Feedback: What colours and fabrics would you use if you were to curate a fabric subscription bundle?
* Please note, I received the September Le Club Bundle as compensation for writing this post. As always, all opinions are my own, and I would not recommend something I did not love! *
by Sherri Sylvester | Aug 27, 2014
A few months ago Lindsay from Stay Home Fabrics asked me if I could create a tutorial using fabric from her online shop. Of course, more fabric? How could I resist! And it’s even more fun because she’s selling a kit for my mini quilt in her shop. It’s times like these that I LOVE being a blogger, Yippee! Lindsay also has provided a discount code for you to use in her shop (Thanks Lindsay!), use the code “sewhappy” to get 15% off your entire purchase! (Valid until Sept 3, 2014)
When I received the Lovelorn 5″ charm pack from her I sat on my living room floor and set those 49 squares into about a dozen combinations before I sorted out the arched design. But it still needed something fun, so I added a scalloped edge to the bottom of the quilt. Just in case the fabrics weren’t feminine enough on their own! I can see it being used for a baby’s quilt or playmat or a toddler cuddle quilt. For older kids (like mine), keep it in the car for cold winter days when their legs need a bit of extra warmth – think dresses in Canadian winters!
Don’t be fooled by the scalloped border, this mini quilt is very simple to make. It finishes at around 31″ square, and is sewn “pillowcase style” so it doesn’t require a binding. I didn’t even use a walking foot to quilt it! This project is easily finished within a day, so it would be a perfect quick shower or new baby gift. I think an advanced beginner would have no problems finishing this quilt, provided that you have some experience sewing curves.
Before we get to the tutorial, and just in case you need something to spend your 15% discount on, (like we all need a discount to force us to buy new fabric?!), Lindsay just posted some new fabric in her store for you! Here are just a few from the new Indelible collection by Katarina Roccella for Art Gallery. (Click the photos below to visit the listing in the Stay Home Fabrics shop.)
Ready to make a quilt?
You will need:
Before you begin:
- Since you are using a charm pack, there is no need to pre-wash your fabrics. I washed my quilt before I took these photos and it came out just fine.
- Print and cut out the Scalloped Edge Pattern Piece, check the 1″ square to make sure it is the correct size. Make sure to use the “actual size” setting when printing it out.
- Double-check to make sure you know how to sew an accurate and consistent 1/4″ seam on your machine. Here’s a good tutorial on accurate 1/4″ seams.
Here’s how to make it:
- Begin by finding a flat area (floor or table-top) to lay out your pre-cut charm squares. Follow the diagrams below to lay the pieces out in the correct order. When you finish, you will have a square 7 pieces high by 7 pieces wide. Make sure all of your one-direction fabrics are facing in the same direction!
- Next, stack your fabrics in order into piles (one for each row) with the left-most charm square on the top of the pile. I keep track of this left-most square by placing a pin on the left side of it. This also helps to keep track of which way “up” the quilt rows go together, since it can be simple to accidentally reverse a row by placing it upside-down. The pinned square is always on the left of the quilt.
- Stitch your rows together by placing each fabric square right-sides-together with its adjacent square and sewing a 1/4″ seam. Then add the next adjacent square to the first two and so on. When you finish you will have 7 rows pieced together. Since the rows are in piles, begin by placing the top square right-sides-together (RST) with the square underneath it, stitch, then add the next square etc…
- Press all of your seams open or to the side.
- Now we can sew our rows together to create the quilt top. Match the adjacent raw edges of each row in order, just like you did with the charm squares and stitch them together with a 1/4″ seam. I like to pin at each seam, to make sure they match up. Here is a good tutorial on matching quilt seams. Press all of your seams open or to the side.
- Now you should have an aproximately 33″ square quilt top. (Congratulations!) Go ahead and square up the quilt top. Here is a good tutorial on squaring up a quilt. (They square it after it is quilted, but we need to do this step now because we are not binding this quilt.)
- Layer your 33″ square batting with the quilt backing right-side-up on top of it. Now place the quilt top right-side-down on the quilt backing. This is your quilt sandwich. You will need the back and batting to be the same size as the quilt top, so smooth everything down (really well!) and cut away the excess. It is best to use a ruler and rotary cutter for this step, so the quilt stays square.
- Pin well around all four edges of your quilt. It is a good idea to do this right after you square up the quilt and before you move it, since moving the quilt between the cutting and pinning will shift the layers around.
- Mark a 6″ space on one side of the quilt (not on the bottom scalloped edge). Stitch around all four edges of the quilt with a generous 1/4″ seam, leaving the space open for turning. Stitch with the quilt top under your presser foot and the batting next to your feed dogs. Make sure the layers feed evenly through the machine.
- Use the pattern piece to trace the scallops onto the bottom edge of the quilt. Line up the pattern piece so the scallop is even with the seam you just stitched. The edges of the traced scallops will meet at each seam.
- Pin the scalloped edge of the quilt. I pinned once on each side of each curve and at every seam.
- Stitch along your traced scallops, pivoting at each seam to begin the next curve.
- Trim the scalloped edge to 1/4″ and clip all curves. Clip into each pivot point, being careful not to cut your seam! Remove any previous stitches that might be inside of your curved stitching. Clip the two top 90 degree corners of the quilt to reduce bulk.
- Press the seam allowance within your 6″ gap to 1/4″ on both sides – press the batting back as well. This sewing trick is better explained here.
- Turn your quilt right side out, push out all corners and edges. Press well – especially around the edges of the quilt, ensuring they are all even. Pin the opening closed. Take care to ensure the edges match once they are pinned.
- Carefully stitch the opening closed with a ladder stitch. Here is a tutorial on how to hand sew a ladder stitch.
- Smooth out the quilt again on a flat surface and use safety pins to baste the quilt so it is ready for hand quilting. I used safety pins and placed one in the centre of each square. Use more or less depending on what you are comfortable with.
- Top-stitch around the entire edge of the quilt roughly 1/8″-1/4″ from the edge.
- To begin quilting, stitch all the way around the centre dark pink block in the quilt. I used my presser foot as a guide to stitch approximately 1/4″ away from the block on all sides. Move one block away and quilt a larger square around the next, and then 1 more large square around the next set of blocks to finish quilting. Make sure all layers of your quilt are feeding evenly through your machine. If they are not, remove stitching, add more pins and try again.
- Remove your safety pins and you are finished! Give it a wash to make it wonderfully soft and crinkly. Perfect!
I’d love to see your creations! You can share your projects on Twitter and Instagram @sherrisylvester with the hashtag #alongforthreadride or #threadridinghood, or post them on the
Thread Riding Hood Facebook page.
* This is a sponsored post, I was given the fabric from Stay Home Fabrics to complete this project. A always, all opinions are my own. *
by Sherri Sylvester | Jun 30, 2014
I’m so excited – today is the day we reveal the projects from the Frolic with Fabric Spot Challenge! These four ladies have made some amazing projects using Fabric Spot’s Frolic collection. The entire collection is 20% off until midnight tonight (June 30, 2014) if you want some!
Each challenger received 1 of 4 bundles of organic Frolic fabric. Two challengers got pink bundles, and two received the blue colour-way in the mail. The challenge was to make something using the fat quarters received, within the 3 week timeline. You can find out more about the challenge in this post, and here as well.
I have only been able to choose 2 photos of each project to feature here, so please click on the links and photos to see and find out more about their projects. It was so hard to choose, these four sewists have put so much work into this challenge! Without further ado, here they are…. (in alphabetical order!)
Carla – Carla’s Creations &
I decided to make my girls book/stuffies totes for the summer as they are forever wanting to bring this and that with them when we’re out and about. Well, usually their things end up in my bag! lol! Now they have their own quilted tote to fill with all their treasures when we’re out! I did some simple quilting and went with a single strap for their bags as I find most kids have trouble keeping both straps on their shoulders. Plus… this way their animals can see where we’re going too. 😉 I used all of the prints in this great collection on both bags, then they both chose their favourite prints for the inside of the bag & the strap! (link to her project here)
Cyndi – The Nosy Pepper & on Facebook
“For this challenge, I knew I wanted to make a diaper bag, but also that I would have to think on a smaller scale to make it work, so I used the Brook Field Pattern by Sew Sweetness. To go with the bag, I made a ‘wet bag’ that I appliqued an elephant on and used iron on vinyl to make the bag waterproof. I also made a whale softie in the elephant print, I had never made a stuffed animal before and luckily it was a lot easier than I thought! Since I knew I wanted to use as much of the fabric as possible, I made a couple of fabric trays to use up the scraps … in a blooming onion style crazy quilting block for the inside of the large fabric.” (link to her project here)
Laura – Seams Sew Laura
“I was so excited to win this bundle of beautiful organic cotton. The print with the elephants and whales and the very name of the fabric “Frolic” inspired me to make a swimming bag and wet bag for this project.
When I was a kid, I had one of these swimming bags with a round bottom and adjustable strap and a drawstring closure. For this project I wanted to make something similar but with a zipper closure. A while ago, someone sent me a picture of a similar bag sold by an Australian company and I used their product dimensions to make my pattern. I added a front zippered pocket and a waterproof lining, which is actually a waterproof tablecloth I found at my local grocery store. The bag is big enough to hold one of my signature hooded towels 🙂 and the wet bag and there is still room for more. My 5 year old daughter declared it a winner because it’s easy to open and she likes the pocket that can hold her “stuff”.” (link to her project here)
Sarah – The Crazy Tailor
“I’ve always loved the look of a hexagon-block quilt, but they’ve always seemed so complicated and time-consuming. I decided that a doll quilt was the way to get my feet wet with non-square blocks! I did a little reading on the various ways of piecing hexagons, and went with machine sewing versus the more common English Paper Piecing. They aren’t as hard as they look after all 🙂 I did some hand quilting (I’m breaking out of my machine-quilting rut…still rusty though!) and highlighted a few of the animals on the fabric. J and E love to find the turquoise whale or the yellow elephant! The quilt is already getting lots of use keeping zebras warm, and as a blanket for many tea parties. Thanks for including me in this challenge!” (link to her project here)
WOW! Just wow…. what an amazing collection of projects. And each is unique – hooray. Just think what you could do with it! A big thank-you goes out to Karen from Fabric Spot for providing this amazing challenge. It’s been so much fun to see what everyone has made!
If you have made any projects using the Frolic collection we’d love to see them! Please leave a comment with a link below so we can check them out. (And don’t forget to get some Frolic if you haven’t yet!)
** This is a sponsored post and the fabric and challenge idea was provided by Fabric Spot. As always, all opinions are my own and I will not promote a business that I do not love myself!
by Sherri Sylvester | Jun 24, 2014
In the last year or so I’ve felt the need to do something “good” with my sewing – and especially my never-ending stash of fabric. I remember seeing some kind of pamphlet at my local fabric store last year mentioning something about pillowcases, but I “got busy” (as usual) and didn’t pursue anything. Enter Alanna, from Friday’s Off Fabric Shop in Toronto, to give me a swift kick in the right direction! Thank goodness… because I needed it.
Alanna has recently volunteered to become a ConKerr Cancer drop-off location. If you have not heard of ConKerr Cancer, they make pillowcases – called “Smiles” and donate them to local children’s hospitals. They are given to children with cancer and other life-changing illnesses or injuries. These pillowcases brighten up hospital rooms and help to fulfill ConKerr’s goal of “of making hospital stays as pleasant as possible for chronically ill children and their parents.” (via)
I am especially excited that Alanna will be dropping off her pillowcases at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario. I have had personal family experience with this children’s hospital and would so love to give some smiles to the kids there. I’m really excited to say that my sewing group has decided to take one of our monthly Sewcials to sew pillowcases for ConKerr. Hooray! I am also hoping to sew pillowcases with my kids and I would love to make it a regular project that we can work on together.
Want to help out?! There are a few very important things to remember if you choose donate some pillowcases. Sew with this specific pattern. Get kid friendly fabric. Wash, pack and ship your pillowcase as per ConKerr’s instructions. Alanna has explained exactly how to do this in 5 simple steps on her website, which includes the shipping address of the drop off location.
I’m excited to say that Alanna also has kits available in her shop – to give you a simple way to get exactly what you need to make and donate a pillowcase or three! Below are a few examples of kits she has available, click on the photos or the links to get to her shop. (The yardage is also available in her shop if you would rather mix and match your own fabrics.) To make it even easier for you to order, Alanna is also offering free shipping from today until June 30, 2014 on all orders shipped within Canada – use the code “TRHFREESHIPPING”! This discount applies to pillowcase sales AND regular yardage for other projects – go and get ’em folks!
I hope you will join us in making the lives of these hospitalized kids and their families a little brighter. There is a lot more information about ConKerr Cancer available on their website and so many inspiring photos. They have chapters located throughout the US, Canada, South Africa and the UK. I know we likely all have fabric stashed away that could use a home, please consider ConKerr Cancer as a great place to give it to!
I’d love to hear from you if you plan to donate pillowcases. I’d also love to know if you donate your sewing stash and time to any other “good” causes. Hearing what other people are volunteering their time for is so inspiring. Thank you.
