by Sherri Sylvester | Feb 4, 2017
This post makes my week. Wednesday’s Fat Quarter Skirt pattern release post has everything you need to know (+ some cute pictures), but today I get to truly share my excitement with you!
Getting pattern tester photos in my email is like Christmas! It’s so fun to see what they have created. It reminds me how great our sewing community is. I am so grateful for all of their hard work, double-checking my measurements and finding new and better ways to do things.
Working together has made this pattern better that I could have alone, 2 whole pages longer, and more beginner friendly. The very hardest part of my job was to go through and pick one or two photos from each of them to share. So, especially to the pattern testers… Thank you for helping to make this release a success! And thank you for all your kind words!
Purchase the Fat Quarter Skirt PDF Pattern – $8.50 CDN
Enjoy the cuteness!
Sewn by Barbara. (Find her on Instagram)
Love, Love the twirl! The kittens and sea-foam green are perfect together. Plus, I think I need some of her shoes in my size!
Sewn by Lauren.
Lauren has made 4 skirts already! Including one with a matching bib. It was so hard to pick which ones to show you!
Sewn by Maire.
Mermaids and bright colours, my girls would love this skirt. Also, I’m wishing it was this warm in my part of the world!
Size 2
Sewn by Bev.
Happy Birthday Canada! I’m so glad Bev chose to use this fabric for her skirt. Check out the perfect folding and sewing on the contrast band. Wow!
Sewn by Christina. (Find her at Glengarry Rose Boutique (FB), Instagram)
Tiny skirts on little people! Gah! She’s so cute. Makes me wish my little ones were still little! The little bit of extra width on the smaller sizes makes a nice full twirly skirt.
Sewn by Francesca. (Find her on Instagram.)
The combination of fabrics here looks so Bright and Happy! Great choices Francesca!
Sewn by Mirjam. (Find her on: Dekawear and Facebook)
There’s something about little ones in black and white that is just perfect! I love the upward stripe Mirjam chose to use here. This skirt would go with almost any outfit!
Sewn by Monique.
Monique’s model wasn’t available, but that didn’t stop her – this skirt fits on the life-size doll her daughter’s grandmother gave her. And yes, I am drooling over the amazing machine and sewing box too!
Sewn by Nikki.
I’ve got to get me some of this bird fabric! The contrast band is just perfect with it.
Sewn by Simone.
This little one looks like she’s enjoying her skirt! Seriously – could it get any happier than this?! No questions here!
Size 3
Sewn by Andrea. (Find her on Instagram.)
Is that Tula Pink fabric I spy?! Gorgeous! And I love Andrea’s idea to add a ribbon tag and size marking to the back of the skirt!
Sewn by Jessica.
The Minnie Mouse fabric is fabulous and you can’t go wrong with Swiss Dots! Plus, look at her tiny feet!
Sewn by Julie.
These look like super warm cozy flannel. Great idea Julie! They’re so cute!
Sewn by Liz.
This little super hero is decked out for action! Love that Liz added a row of baby rickrack, it’s so cute!
Sewn by Robin.
This sunny skirt is sure to be loved by its new owner. I hope she likes twirling!
Sewn by Tori. (Find her on: British Farm Wife in Training, Instagram)
Cutest! In her blog post Tori says, “It is also TWIRL-TASTIC!! (Niece S approves!!)” She has written a great review of the pattern, check it out to find out more!
Size 4
Sewn by Alison.
This fabric is great for a little dinosaur-lover! I’m sure they’re going to love it. Thank you Alison!
Sewn by Danielle. (Find her on: Instagram)
Gah! Sloths! This fabric is so fun! And each sister got a skirt, way to go Danielle! In my house new patterns usually “need” to be sewn for both sisters too!
Sewn by Kelly. (Find her at: Kelly Panacci Inc, Instagram, Kelly Pannaci Inc. (FB))
Kelly sewed this skirt from her latest fabric collection – “Road Trip” for Riley Blake Designs. The vertical strip is so fun! I happen to have gotten some of her fabric to play with too, and I can’t wait! I also made some Cargo Duffles with her “Tree Party” collection.
Sewn by Melody.
I love this puzzle piece fabric, makes me want to see if I can put it together! Either way, these prints are great together. And I love Melody’s careful top-stitching.
Sewn by Pam.
This skirt is the perfect shades of lavender to go with everything. I bet she’s loving it!
Sewn by Susan.
Such a cute outfit, way to go Susan! This little one even got a matching bow to go with her new skirt!
Size 5
Sewn by Aurelie.
The embellishments Aurelie added are so good. Can’t go wrong with pompom trim and pockets! The yellow pops right off the print, it’s perfect!
Sewn by Elena. (Find her on Rascando Horas)
This skirt is perfect with tights for winter. Love the cute dog in the photo too! Elena was one of the first testers to blog about this skirt, she provides summer and winter styling for it + a twirly photo!
Sewn by Laura. (Find her on Instagram)
These bold large scale prints look great here! So summery, and still great with leggings for colder weather.
Sewn by Stacey. (Find her on Instagram)
Love yellow and pink together! And this fabric looks extra comfy with its textured pattern.
Size 6
Sewn by Gillian. (Find her at Tall Tales of the Kantor Family)
This grin. How can you resist?! Her mom said her daughter “… would like to add that, as you mentioned in the pattern, the skirt is definitely great for twirling.” They took advantage of the separate casing and used a fun contrasting fabric there too. *Update: Gillian has blogged about the skirt! Find more about her experience sewing with her daughter.*
Sewn by Jen.
Rainboots, Love it! These fabrics are so cute together. I happen to know this little girl in real life and her mom said she was excited to wear her new skirt the very next day.
Sewn by Starly. (Find her at: Sew Starly, Instagram)
I totally need this girl’s style! Love the boots! The mixy-matchy print-on-print skirt is perfect.
Sewn by Tiffany. (Find her on Instagram)
This little girl is ready for Valentine’s Day with the most adorable cozy outfit. Love the tiny envelopes in the fabric!
Purchase the Fat Quarter Skirt PDF Pattern – $8.50 CDN
I’m so glad that so many of you love the Fat Quarter Skirt and I’m excited to keep seeing them popping up around the interwebs. I would love to see your photos! Link over to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (links below) using the hashtags #fatquarterskirt, #alongforthreadride and/or #threadridinghood. Thank you!
by Sherri Sylvester | Feb 2, 2017
The Fat Quarter Skirt pattern is now available!
This skirt pattern has been a favorite at our house for years. Combine just two fat quarters of fabric (commonly stashed in many sewing rooms!) to fit a child wearing sizes 2-6. My girls love wearing them with sweaters and leggings in the winter and t-shirts in the summer time. I love that it is cost-effective and quick sew.
“The only thing that would have made this pattern better was less choice in my stash so I could decide faster!” ~ Stacey, pattern tester
This “twirl-friendly” skirt has a fun contrast band at the bottom and an easy-to-fit elastic waistband. It is a simple, beginner-friendly pattern with a few tricks to keep it easy and fun. Great for quilters who haven’t had garment sewing experience and would like a simple starter project – it even has a 1/4″ seam allowance! Or, are you teaching your kids to sew? It’s simple enough for them to understand as well.
Make your little girl happy and de-stash some fabric. (Win, Win!)
Purchase the Fat Quarter Skirt PDF Pattern – $8.50 CDN
“… love that my four-year-old could help out a little… she assisted in fabric selection, cutting and a couple of side seams. Great for learning!” ~ Gillian, pattern tester
This skirt features 5 sizes, child’s 2-6, to create a skirt that is 9-11 1/2″ (23-30cm) long. The easily adjusted elastic waistband fits your child perfectly, and it makes dressing easier too! A hidden casing is simple to sew and the hem band eliminates the need to press multiple folds, plus it adds a cute pop of colour!
Expect lots of tips and tricks throughout, a glossary of terms, recommended best practices and instructions geared towards an absolute beginner. This pattern is truly a quick sew – allow yourself just 1-3 hours to finish, including your fabric cutting time. It’s also a great stash-buster, requiring only 2 fat quarters and a length of elastic… things you probably already have in your stash.
“I like your little extras like the “seam allowance icon” and the “check boxes”. Great ideas!” ~ Kelly, pattern tester
Here is what you can expect when you purchase the instant PDF Pattern download:
- An 8 page PDF pattern e-book with clear instructions.
- No pattern pieces to print out! Use the easy-to-follow cutting chart.
- Simple, detailed instructions to help you complete each step.
- Clearly marked colour photos to illustrate the step-by-step process.
- Both metric and imperial measurements throughout.
- This e-book is viewable on your mobile device, or print to letter size or A4 paper.
- Granny’s Sewing Basket – highlights Notes and Tips to make your project faster and easier! (introduction to Granny)
- Large seam allowance icons throughout, no more searching when you forget.
- Check boxes in all lists and for each step, for those of you who love to keep track of your progress.
- This pattern includes a limited production seller’s license.
“It was a lovely, quick project that was nice to do in between other projects. And who doesn’t love a quick, cute, easy to complete project?” ~ Monique, pattern tester
Supplies needed to complete any size of Fat Quarter Skirt:
- 1 fat quarter for the main skirt
- 1 fat quarter for the contrast band and casing
- thread (for sewing and edge-stitching)
- 1 yard (metre) of 3/4″ (20 mm) elastic (non-roll recommended)
- safety pin, bodkin for threading elastic
- scissors, sewing machine, pins, ruler, iron, pressing surface etc.
More inspiration and tester photos will be posted this week. It will be a fun photo-bomb of twirly happy children!
“I love it! What a great stash buster.” ~ Liz, pattern tester
Sew a skirt (or seven) for your favorite twirl-loving child!
Purchase the Fat Quarter Skirt PDF Pattern – $8.50 CDN
If you need any more information or help throughout the pattern I am always available – please email sherri@threadridinghood.com
by Sherri Sylvester | Jan 30, 2017
Since January is almost over (say what?!) I’m going to post my almost-to-last beginner-friendly post today. So far we’ve covered off some fun beginner stuff…
So… how about using those skills to make a fun project? I write for the Craftsy Sewing Blog – which is a great resource, and I’m not just saying that because I write for it! In addition to selling classes, Craftsy also publishes a sewing blog with informational articles, quizzes, freebies and more. Lots to do and learn there! (+ they have a Quilting Blog, and one for knitting, baking, art…)
Anyhow, (tangent over) I wrote a round-up article recently with 12 free beginner-friendly projects and I thought I’d share it here. Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t gently remind you all of some of the beginner sewing projects I’ve written too, though I am not great at self-promotion. (It just feels weird!) Here are a few things you might like, with the link to the 12 free Craftsy patterns at the bottom.
These patterns aren’t just for beginners! They make a great quick project for an experienced sewer.
Oh… and a quick plug for the very Beginner Friendly Fat Quarter Skirt pattern – since I’m right in the middle of finishing it up. It’s going to be released this Wednesday, February 1st and I can’t wait to show you the cute, cute tester photos I’m staring at right now. Be sure to follow me on Instagram or Facebook so you won’t miss the pattern release!
What is your favorite beginner project or pattern?
by Sherri Sylvester | Jan 10, 2017
Good Tuesday Morning to you!
Many of the friends and readers I talk to are beginner sewers. They love the DIY community and want to start sewing themselves. So, this month I am excited to post quite a few beginner sewing skill posts (+ regular stuff thrown in) and thought it would be a great time for a beginner-friendly pattern release. (Tester call below!)
Why am I doing this?!
These patterns help me to support this blog and my family! We’ve been a one-solid-income family since my kids were born. Both girls have been in full-day school for a few years now and so one of my blog-goals this year is to use my time to provide more for-sale content to help add to my husband’s hard work!
I’ve created PDF patterns for a few of my most popular free tutorials. These are PDF e-patterns with all of the instructions, updates, and pattern pieces in a tidy document. So far I have two available for a purchase of any donation.
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SUPER HERO CAPE PDF PATTERN: available for any donation!
This listing is for the 9 page instant PDF download of the Super Hero Cape Pattern + pattern pieces, a tidy version of the free tutorial posted here. It is available for any donation. Thank you for your support!
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CAT-EYE POUCH PDF PATTERN: available for any donation!
This listing is for the 10 page instant PDF download of the Cat-Eye Zippered Pouch Pattern + pattern pieces. A tidy version of the free tutorial posted here. It is available for any donation. Thank you for your support!
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P.S. You can find the Forest Glen Satchel Pattern and more in my Pattern Shop as well!
And… I’m also releasing a new PDF Pattern in a few weeks!
The free Fat Quarter Skirt tutorial has always been a favorite, and is well-used at our house. When I taught this skirt as a workshop at Creativ Festival, I sized it and provided a proper pattern to the students. Now I can release it to you!
The Fat Quarter Skirt PDF Pattern is Now Available!
Purchasing this fully tested skirt pattern gives you access to 5 sizes, child’s 2-6, to create a skirt that is 9-11 1/2″ (23-30cm) long. Expect lots of tips and tricks throughout, a glossary of terms, recommended best practices and instructions geared towards an absolute beginner. This pattern is truly a quick sew – allow yourself just 1-3 hours to finish, including your fabric cutting time. It’s also a great stash-buster, requiring only 2 fat quarters and a length of elastic… things you probably already have in your stash! To find out more about the pattern, click here.
Purchase the Fat Quarter Skirt PDF Pattern – $8.50 CDN
Thank you for your support!
*edited: Thank you, everyone! Testing is now closed.”
Pattern Testers, Please!
Before posting the final version, I would love to have some of you sew a skirt to make sure the pattern is perfect! If you would like to test the pattern between January 13-23, let me know by filling out the form linked below.
Anything Else?
Yes! Is there a tutorial here that you’d love to have a PDF for? Let me know in the comments and I’ll add it to the list.
Thank you so much for your continued support. I’m so excited to begin this new year with you!
by Sherri Sylvester | Dec 9, 2016
My youngest really likes to sew, but I’ve had a hard time teaching her the basics. I’ve hand-sewn and machine sewn projects with her and let her do her own thing, but neither option seemed to work well. We even bought her a small machine for her birthday last summer (which she loves) but it didn’t help us with the basics.
Turns out it’s not exciting to have Mommy tell you to finish your seams, or tell you how to put your project together. But it is exciting to learn them from a video series designed especially for kids!
A few months ago I was fortunate to run across a Facebook ad for a beta run through Kids Sewing. We had access to 35 sewing project videos for 6 weeks and at the end of the run were to provide photos of 5 completed projects and a testimonial about our experience. It seemed like (hopefully) the thing to get us going, so I made sure my daughter would commit to the projects and signed up.
My daughter chose to finish the Pixie Sandy series, because she wanted to make sewing related projects. We worked our way through a Sewing Bag, Pin Cushion, Fabric Tote, Scissors Pouch and Sewing Apron.
I was so impressed with how great her projects looked when they were finished.
We have created a few things together, but now she was sewing almost on her own – just by following the videos! We’d choose the next project together, use the cute shopping list printout to shop from our stash, then find the video and let her sew. She’d sit and watch them, rewinding or fast forwarding, and then pin and sew through the projects – asking me for help when she needed it. The videos really kept her engaged and interested in the process – we finished most of the items in a couple of hours or less!
The pattern pieces for each project we chose were generally rectangular – and there is a video with each lesson so you (or your child) can draw the pattern pieces. I pre-made a lot of these since my 6-year-old wasn’t as used to measuring with a ruler. I did find one of the project pattern pieces was a bit different than the video – it just included an extra step – but in the end, it didn’t matter to the process.
The instructional videos are so cute and kid-friendly, my daughter was really excited to be taught by a Pixie! Each one has a different colour theme and Pixie name. There are 7 series’ to choose from, each with a different theme. Pixie Zandy will show you 5 “Artsy” projects, Pixie Andy will show you 5 “Cool” projects and so on!
If I did have to choose one thing I had a hard time with it would be that two of the projects we did don’t have finished seams inside. Though I know why Katrina Marie has done it this way – Kids don’t like finishing seams! I’m so used to it, ‘tho I found it difficult to skip, so my daughter got an impromptu mini-lesson on serger use!
This probably corresponds back to why I didn’t get very far with teaching my daughter on my own – I was too adamant about her doing all the “boring” things – and she didn’t get to just play and enjoy sewing.
I’m really thankful I got to try these videos. I didn’t know my daughter could sew this well, or even understand the process of a project until we used them.
I was blown away by how well she did, and how much she could accomplish on her own and I’m so proud of her! It wasn’t just her either, there was a Facebook group for beta testers and all of the kids were doing this well! Plus, the videos are really reasonably priced at $10 or less for most of the projects – and that includes the pattern! Might I suggest a unique Christmas gift?
There are lots of different options for lessons. You can choose the “Yearlong Sewing Adventure” with access to 35 projects. Or one of 7 Pixie Series’ with 5 themed beginner projects in each. This is the one we tried.
You can access the FREE “Ready, Set, Sew” lesson anytime to get your kids used to a sewing machine.
The smile on my daughter’s face was enough to get me excited about these lessons. I hope you consider using them as well. Please let me know your experience, I’d love to see what your kids (or grandkids) are making!
This is a sponsored post, and all ideas, words, and opinions are my own.
by Sherri Sylvester | Dec 2, 2016
It feels good to finish a long-term project, right?! That’s how I feel about these Cargo Duffles. I’ve been wanting to make my daughter’s their own overnight bags since I made the first one for myself. That was three years ago now, photographed the day after our ice storm in 2013. Now all that’s left is to sew up a matching 1-hour Dopp kit, of course!
I always feel projects like this are hard to photograph enough to show you all the details, so I’ve included a huge photo-bomb for you today. I’m so pleased with how these turned out, hope you like them too!
Earlier this year, Kelly Panacci sent me a fat quarter bundle of the Tree Party fabric she designed for Riley Black Fabrics. It’s just right for my girls’ bags and split out fairly evenly into a “blue” and a “pink” project since those are the current favorites around here. I have to confess, my oldest’s pink and red duffle is my favorite – though I LOVE the brown faux leather on the blue one too. Kelly was kind to include a few of her Happy Flappers prints as well – they match perfectly! I love all of the tiny details she puts into each design.
My dilemma of what-to-do-with-a-fat-quarter-bundle-when-I’m-“not-a-quilter” was quickly remedied when I realized 90% of the pieces in cargo duffle fit into the 21″ width of the pieces! Next dilemma, how do I arrange the fabrics so they don’t look too crazy together? They all match in colour of course, but print-upon-print can be a bit jumbled if you’re not careful! This was a bit of an epic process involving charts, layouts and lots of photographs.
Now that they are finished? I love the scrappy, coziness that resulted from mixing all the prints together. Plus, the “bunting” fabric I used for the binding on the blue bag is my absolute favorite! (I’d love to use it for a quilt sometime.) To add to the artisan-handmade effect, I used some stitches on my loaned Janome S9. These X’s on the pocket sides and the blanket stitch along the accent piece add so much. Taking time to carefully add a few extras always makes a big difference!
Anyhow, I’m getting off track… Back to the bag construction!
Since I’ve made 5 Cargo Duffle bags before (these were the 6th and 7th!), I didn’t plan to find anything new to do for them. I love following tried-and-true patterns. Once I’ve made them before, it’s easy to make more, so satisfying and less stressful – because I don’t have anything new to learn! All that to say – Yay, I’ve found a new zipper hack!
You can find links to all of my Cargo Duffle bag (and backpack!) posts and tutorials at the bottom of this post. If you look, you’ll find out how to change a double-zipper into a two-way zipper that closes in the middle, perfect for bag making. I’ve always been a bit disappointed in the colour selection for the double-zips at my local fabric store – so I was thrilled to find out I could use a regular one-pull zipper for this. (And honestly, not sure why I didn’t think of it before?)
D-I-Y Double-Zipper Hack!
- Buy a regular (one-direction) zipper in the size you need.
- Buy a matching second one-direction zipper in the shortest size possible – to save $$! (Or a different colour to mix-it-up!)
- Remove the zipper pull from the small second zipper and toss out the zipper tape sides.
- Feed the zipper pull onto the first zipper following the “Change a Double-Zip to meet in the Center” tutorial
- Done, so easy!
These bags were made with the
free pattern Anna from Noodlehead wrote for Robert Kaufman. It’s my go-to pattern for overnight bags so far, as with most things Anna designs! I did get a bit creative with my own Cargo Duffle, and then the ones I made my family for Christmas, so I added a lot of the same things to these as well.
- Corrugated plastic base: It feeds into the bottom of the bag and helps it to hold its shape. I cut up an old Ikea plastic bin I’ve been saving for 3 years – just for these! It fits into a piece of fabric I added to the base gusset before sewing the sides together.
- Zippered inside pocket: The construction of these bags makes it really easy to add pockets to the inside. Sized to the bag sides, they are basted in and then the edges are covered with bias tape after the bag construction. I pleated the pocket at the bottom so it holds more – perfect for keeping socks and underwear tidy.
- Coloured (non-inset) lining: I made these bags a bit more colourful inside by adding a layer of Kona Cotton (from my Sew Sister’s club subscription) before I quilted the different pieces.
- Business Card Slot: Of course my kids don’t have business cards! But they can for sure write their last name and a phone number to slip into the clear slot. It’s attached to the zipper pocket on the inside and if these bags ever get lost I hope they come back to us because of it!
- Non-Cargo Zippered Outside Pocket: Of course, this defeats the purpose of calling these “Cargo” Duffles – but I find the zippered pocket more practical – and less fiddly – to sew on. The original cargo pockets are amazing, but snaps and I haven’t gotten along well in the past! Plus, things don’t fall out of zippered pockets as easily. (Here’s the tutorial for these zippered pockets.)
- Zipper Tabs: I forgot to add fabric ends to the zipper before I installed it, so I added some tabs to cover the extra zipper tape.
I love working with Canadian Fabric Designers and want to let you know about Kelly’s latest designs for Riley Blake Fabrics – Road Trip! It’s gorgeous and inspired by their vintage trailer and trips to Ontario provincial parks over the past few years. Would you believe Kelly and her husband Mario sold their 28-year house in 2015, packed up and moved into a vacation condo! You can read more about her inspiration on the Kelly Panacci Inc. blog.
A little birdie told me she thinks you’ll find some Road Trip around here soon! What would you make with Kelly’s new fabric?
Other Cargo Duffle posts you might like:
