by Sherri Sylvester | Nov 13, 2015
Making softies for babies is fun. Making softies for my friends’ coming-soon baby that mimic their dad’s real-life photography job is even better!
I am really happy to be part of the Swoodson Says PDF Pattern Blog Tour today. This tour is promoting her Quiet Play Softies and the cutest Little Collector’s Backpack. All really great Christmas gifts for the littles in your life. (And on sale right now – see below! Just sayin’…)
I haven’t made many softies, I think I was scared of all the pieces, kinda like quilting! Truth is though, sewing up this Little Photographer Camera was really fun! I love puzzles, and appliqueing the dials, buttons and lens allowed me to let my inside-perfectionist out for a little while. You don’t need to be a perfectionist to make one, though, you just need a little monkey that enjoys imaginative play! Or a friend that is a photographer maybe?
The fabric for this project is a mixture of textures and thicknesses. The outer body of the camera is made from scraps of my Ella top, a nice heavier weight cotton. Of course, I had to use the best camera fabric ever (from Double Decker Fabric) for the front accent and camera strap. The lens is a mixture of faux black leather and 2 layers of white rip-stop nylon (to make it more opaque). It is fun that each one has a different feel to it. Hopefully the baby will think so too!
Speaking of perfectionism, for some reason I decided to go a little crazy and 2-step-miter the corners of the bias tape edging for the back window, instead of following Stephanie’s instructions. Don’t do it! It took f-o-r-e-v-e-r…. #thatllshowme I did do two things that helped speed up the project, though. I interfaced the outer camera pieces with a medium-weight fusible to make the fabric stiffer and easier to stitch everything to. I also used my favorite fusible web before stitching. If this project was for an older child I think you could use it alone and skip the applique stitches!
Oh, and I can’t forget to mention something new I found on my Janome Skyline S5. It has an amazing applique stitch and satin stitch foot. I even slid the speed down to super-slow while sewing around the lens circles. So much simpler and professional looking than I would have made with my old machine! It has even inspired me to plan some appliqued Christmas projects.
Win the Patterns, or Buy them at 40% off!
Stephanie has provided a coupon code: ‘SewAllTheSofties’ – for 40% off all patterns, expiring Sunday 11/16 – valid both on Etsy and Swoodsonsays.com. #buyallthethings And if you are feeling lucky you can enter below to win 4 Swoodson Says patterns!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Other Blog Tour Stops:
Monday, November 9th: Friends Stitched Together / Sew Happily Ever After / The Crazy Tailor
Tuesday, November 10th: Felt With Love Designs / Sew Not Perfect / House of Estrela
Wednesday, November 11th: Lulu & Celeste / Handmade Boy / Rebel & Malice
Thursday, November 12th: Rebel & Malice / create3.5 / Free Notion
Friday, November 13th: Paisley Roots / The Wholesome Mama / Amazing Adventures With Bubba and Bug / Thread Riding Hood / Hugs are Fun
Disclaimer: I received the Little Photographer Camera pattern for free in exchange for this review post. I only feature projects I love. Thanks for reading and supporting Thread Riding Hood!
by Sherri Sylvester | Nov 9, 2015
I’m not a big fan of darts. The clothing kind – not the throwing kind! Their construction can seem finicky. And lining up the dart legs drives the perfectionist in me crazy!
Enter stage left, the Citronille Jackie coat and the Pleated Pencil skirt. They have 6 to 8 darts each. #aaaaarrrrgggggh I figured there must be a better way than “fold in half to match dart legs” and came up with a needle & thread hand-basting option that makes my detail-oriented heart super-happy!
If you’ve been here long, you know that hand sewing of any kind is low on my priority list. So, if I propose doing it, the technique must be either: 1) Amazing or 2) Really, really quick. This technique fills both categories! (If I can say so myself?)
Speed up your sewing! Find out how to get perfectly matched dart legs the easy way in this Crafty blog post.
Thanks for checking it out! What do you think of this technique? Will you use it on your next project?
by Sherri Sylvester | Oct 15, 2015
I’m happy to share another tutorial with you today! And another baby tutorial with the most perfect baby fabric – Cuddle by Shannon Fabrics! Sew Sisters Quilt Shop has sponsored this tutorial and you can find the Play ‘n Snuggle Mini Blanket Tutorial on their blog.
This tutorial incorporates Dimpled and Solid Cuddle fabric – the softest fabric ever! I’ve got a fun idea I’m hoping to pull together for some simple kid Christmas gifts using it, and I think my husband would like one too. Perfect for Cuddle-ing. (See what I did there!) Sew up this beginner friendly afternoon project for your baby or someone else’s.
You can find the tutorial on the Sew Sisters blog – Play ‘n Snuggle Mini Blanket Tutorial!
+ Make sure you head over for your chance to win the Cuddle you need to make the blanket!
by Sherri Sylvester | Sep 22, 2015
I recently finished a basket of smiles, 8 in total! I’m hoping you will be inspired today to help make some smiles too.
I’m so happy to be able to help raise awareness for ConKerr Cancer under their brand new name – Ryan’s Case for Smiles! I started making pillowcases for this great cause when my Sewcial group decided to use one of our monthly meetings to make some. This time around, I found enough fabric to make 8 pillowcases in my stash, it was simple to make some more. I got to choose some cute fabrics that will make a few kids smile, and I moved yardage off of my shelves. Maybe we should call it “De-Stashing for a Good Cause”?!
Kelsey, their western coordinator, contacted me about writing this post and has kindly written this introduction to “Case for Smiles”, background for how they got started.
Ryan’s Case for Smiles (formerly ConKerr Cancer) started when Cindy Kerr’s son was diagnosed with cancer in 2002 and she began making pillowcases to brighten up his hospital room and to put a smile on his face. He loved it and so she began making pillowcases for other children on the Oncology Unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Photo provided by Ryan’s Case for Smiles
“I just wanted to send along a quick note of thanks. As a nurse I have the pleasure of handing out your beautiful pillowcases to my patients. I wish all of your volunteers could see the smiles of our patients and their parents and families. The color and softness of each pillowcase is as comforting for our kids as it is for us. Thank you!! Your work makes a difference to the caregivers also!” ~ via Ryan’s Case for Smiles
School groups, sewing circles, church groups, and fabric stores have all pitched in and are making pillow cases to comfort children in hospitals around the world. Thousands of Ryan’s Case for Smiles volunteers in over 120 cities dedicate themselves to brightening children’s lives through the simple act of sewing a bright, cheery pillowcase. As a result of their love and generosity, Ryan’s Case for Smiles has delivered more than 1,000,000 pillowcases in just seven years to 330 hospitals across the globe.
Photo provided by Ryan’s Case for Smiles
“I’m not sure how a little thing like a pillowcase can make such a huge difference, but the pillowcase we received from you guys is one of the very few things that is able to bring our daughter comfort while she is in the hospital for treatment. It has been a soft place to lay her head for over 200 nights at the hospital over the past 3 years. Thank you for all you guys do!” ~ via Ryan’s Case for Smiles
Ryan’s Case for Smiles has made amazing progress towards our goal of making hospital stays as pleasant as possible for chronically ill children and their parents. A simple pillowcase means so much to a child while they’re in the hospital and away from home. It helps cheer them up, gives them something soft to snuggle, reminds them of the comforts of home, helps calm their fears and brightens up their hospital room. The pillowcase project has also fostered a spirit of community and volunteer service in communities across the world.
Unfortunately there are always new little patients who need our love and support, and we must continue our efforts to help brighten patients’ lives and raise awareness about childhood cancer and other childhood illnesses.
Photo provided by Ryan’s Case for Smiles
“I don’t know what it is about the pillowcases that you make, but they add a little bit of magic to our hospital rooms. Bright, fun, cheerful, uplifting magic.” ~ via Ryan’s Case for Smiles
It’s so amazing that they have made 1,000,000 pillowcases! Want to help make the next million?!
Ryan’s Case for Smiles is always looking for donations of handmade pillowcases and new cotton fabrics to help make more pillowcases with. Information on how you can help Ryan’s Case for Smiles can be found at www.caseforsmiles.org
How easy is it really?!
From experience, making a pillowcase is very simple. A few cuts and three straight lines of sewing – two if you count the corner as 1 line! I serged my raw edges, making it even faster. They have great instructions, or you can give or donate towards buying fabric if that is simpler.
There are so many ways to help out. I hope you can join us!
by Sherri Sylvester | Sep 17, 2015
Today we are using my new favorite fabric to sew for babies! Recently Sew Sisters Quilt Shop asked if I’d like to write a tutorial using their double gauze. Double Gauze you say? Oh, yes please! First on the list, a baby swaddle blanket – great for the cuteness factor. (P.S. Enter to win the double gauze you need to make this project!)
You can find the tutorial on the Sew Sisters blog – Easy Double Gauze Swaddle Blanket Tutorial, with a Hood!
Sew Sisters Quilt Shop stocks Embrace Double Gauze (by Shannon Fabrics). It is perfectly light, breathable and it comes in lots of great colours and patterns! (I used Fun Dot Blue). Since double gauze swaddle blankets are really popular – for good reason! – it’s a great idea for a baby shower gift. Or swaddle your own babies for less than the store bought version.
This blanket uses only one metre of fabric and a few weekend hours. You’ll even have a large-ish scrap left over. What to do with the scraps, you say? Well, thanks for asking! How about making a matching doll size hooded swaddle blanket? It is the perfect gift for the older sibling. They can swaddle their “baby” and be just like a Mommy and Daddy!
Doll-Size Hooded Swaddle Blanket Tutorial
To make the doll-sized blanket, cut your fabric as indicated below. Follow all straight grain and sewing instructions in the baby sized tutorial here: Easy Double Gauze Swaddle Blanket Tutorial, with a Hood. This doll-size blanket will fit pretty well any doll about 9-14″ tall. (The doll pictured is 11″ tall.)
Cutting your fabric:
Be sure to cut both necessary pieces for this project along the straight grain, or at right angles to it (see link in the tutorial above). Both squares below fit within the scrap left over from the original baby blanket. Be sure to plan how best to fit them in before cutting!
- Pre-wash and press your fabric.
- Cut one 10″ square, this will be the hood.
- Cut one square for the blanket that is between 15-20″. This dimension depends on how large of a scrap you have left over.
Sewing the Doll-Size Blanket:
What are your favorite double-gauze tutorials?
Thanks for reading. Follow along and join me for “thread ride”!
by Sherri Sylvester | Jun 30, 2015
Hello again! I just realized I’ve taken an unintentional week off. My parents are visiting with us for a few weeks and we are so excited to have them. As a result, though, I haven’t been as eager to get on the computer! I do have a super summery project tutorial coming up later this week, and today I’m posting a bit about our vacation.
Before all that I realized that I have not as yet posted the winners of the last two giveaways. Shame on me… here they are:
Seam Allowance Fabrics gave away a $30 Shop Credit to Kathy D. I hope you are enjoying it Kathy! {interview here}
Fabric Please! gave away a Thread Riding Hood Blogger Bundle to Pam P. Amazingly, we sent Pam her congratulatory email on her actual birthday! What are the odds?! {interview here} You can purchase your own Blogger Bundle from Fabric Please! and you can still get 15% off your purchases with the code THREAD15 until July 1, 2015!
We recently got back from Florida after a much needed 10 days away from our home. I find that since we are all in our home all the time – save business meetings and school – that we go a bit home-crazy every once in a while. We were so fortunate to get away, even if we did work a bit while we were there.
I love that owning our own businesses allows my husband and I work from anywhere in the world – as long as we have wifi! A chance of scenery is so good for us and we come home ready to work again.
On the last leg of the 19 hour drive home, I realized that I was surrounded by handmade. Literally! I packed in it, my kids and I were dressed in it and we stored the stuff in our bags in it too! When we got home I tried to photograph every handmade item as we unpacked. I was curious and wanted to know how much we really had with us and what we used everything for.
Since also love roundups of “things on white backgrounds” – here are the photographs. (Linked to their respective blog posts if applicable of course!) These are some of our most-used handmade items, since only the most useful things are deemed good enough to come on vacation with us! It is also fun to go through some of these older posts, the kids are so little, especially the pink and yellow Tennis Skort post below!
