by Sherri Sylvester | Jun 4, 2015
We are on vacation! Hooray! As you read, my family is headed to Florida. A much needed break from “the usual” and some sun, beach and lazy days for the next week and a half. (Deep breath, Ahhhhhhh…..) While we are away I’ve scheduled a few posts, so it won’t look like I’m gone. If you want to follow us around I’m sure I’ll be posting pics on Instagram. So if you are curious, you can see what we’re up to!
On to normal business?! I decided to play along with Me Made May (#mmmay15) this year. The goal is to wear and post a handmade item every day. While I don’t have nearly enough handmade clothing items to post a photo every day, I at least have enough to give it a fair shot.
I have to say, that it’s a weird and undesirable thing to post selfies everyday when you rarely post selfies normally. Such a strange concept! I noticed lots of other people were saying the same thing, and even making up hashtags like #awkwardselfiemonth and saying “only 5 more days to go!” I wonder if this will affect how many people participate next year?
That said, here are all the days I posted, along with their respective blog post links (where applicable) if you’d like more details.
by Sherri Sylvester | Jun 2, 2015
June is a good month! We are leaving to go on vacation tomorrow, school will be out at the end of the month – and it’s my month to pick the bundle for my sponsor Fabric Spark’s fabric subscription program!
This subscription features a bundle of 12 fat quarters from Maureen Cracknell, Very Shannon, Fresh Lemons, Blue Elephant Stitches, Modern Sewciety + The Tattooed Quilter, and me! It was finally my month pick a bundle, and so mid-May I visited Daryl from Fabric Spark and spend a couple of hours choosing my bundle. Not an easy task with such an amazing collection! In the end this fun bundle (loaded with my favorites and lots of Cotton + Steel!) was born and I decided to make a quilt with the bundle she gave me.
If you follow the blog you know I’m not a quilter – but I was determined to make something with all of these fat quarters in it. Because I put them together, so they must remain together! I sorted them by colour (there are 3 of each) and started with a “Trip around the World” in mind. Here’s where I went wrong….
- The groups of colours were not all the same value – ie. 2 dark navy and 1 lighter – they didn’t produce the nice even diamond shape I was aiming for.
- The bicycle fabric ended up all on one side because I made another newbie mistake – I wanted all of the fabrics “right side up”. This meant I needed to make each block with the diagonal lines going in the correct direction, and I couldn’t change them later based on how everything looked.
- The backing is going to be a (most gorgeous ever) border print, but the quilt is a bit larger – so I need to add to it. And since the quilting was going to be in straight lines, I have no idea how to pull off making the quilt top and backing line up so the lines are not crooked on the back.
- I have a navy backing and multi colourful front fabrics – which colour do I quilt in without ruining one or the other by having the thread show up “too much”?
Thankfully my friend Lisa (from Lisa in Port Hope) was over for our Sewcial and gave me a few tips that I think will help.
- Unless a quilt is hanging for a show, you don’t have to have everything to be right side up. You can lie under it whichever way you’d like, so aim for the fabrics to be right-side-up from the centre out.
- If I had not made everything right-side-up I could have moved the blocks around so the fabrics were spread out more evenly.
- Quilt on the diagonal to avoid having straight lines that are not parallel to any lines on the back.
I am not certain that I have solved the quilting thread colour issue. It was suggested that I use gray, but I don’t know that I want it to show up that much? Any suggestions?
Don’t get me wrong – I am not in any way sad or disillusioned about the quilt. I really LOVE the fabrics. It’s the picky details that are bugging me and I could have made it so much simpler by following the second list of “rules” above! (“Wasting” time gets on my nerves!)
I’m taking my machine and quilt(s) with me on vacation, hoping for a bit of down time during our 10 days off. If all goes well I’ll sort everything out and come back with a finished quilt! That would be fun!
Disclaimer: Fabric Spark is a sponsor of this blog. I was given this fat quarter bundle in return for this blog post. As always, my opinion is my own – thanks for reading!
by Sherri Sylvester | May 28, 2015
So, you’re window shopping on a summer Saturday – or you’re headed to a sparkly roof-top party downtown? No problem, the Indiesew Summer Collection has you covered. (Crazy hair colour not included!)
This year I have been lots more successful in making more of my own clothes. I’m starting to sort out what fits and how to make it fit if it doesn’t. It’s a great feeling to actually be able to participate in #memademay15 – and not just watch everyone else doing it! Today I get to show you how I expanded my handmade wardrobe as part of the Indiesew Summer Collection Blog Tour. (and I am not just a little giddy that I am in a tour with all these talented bloggers!)
Indiesew has been creating seasonal collections for about a year now. I’m a huge supporter of bloggers, indie sewing patterns and online fabric shops (especially in Canada!). I love that the sewing community has grown up so much in the past few years.
Indiesew’s mission is to bring everyone together. They have amassed a large collection of the best indie patterns and you can purchase them, upload your photos and view others’ creations – loads of inspiration. Plus, sewing tips and tutorials on their blog. Their branding makes my designer’s heart super happy! (Yikes, didn’t mean to go on a long speech there – I really love the back story to their site!)
Speaking of supporting Canadian online fabric shops, I found the small-scale check shot cotton for my Ella Top at Flare Fabrics during Creativ Festival. I had been hoping to use a gray check or plaid and was happy to find it so easily!
It’s my attempt at a summery nod to the lumberjack shirt trend, and it’s super soft. Though it doesn’t have much drape, I was hoping for a bit of a boxy, long “crop tee” look anyhow. They also have an amazing oversized check and so many colours. Shot cotton, rayon challis and chambray are my new favorites for clothing!
PATTERN REVIEW: Ella Top, by Liola Patterns
Fabric: Gravel Peppered Check Shot Cotton (Flare Fabrics)
This top is the perfect summer project. It’s beginner friendly and uses just over a yard of fabric. (Less if you shorten it!) I want to make more and live in them all summer.
Here are a few things I love about it:
- The back yoke detail is fun to play with. You could use lace, bias or fussy-cut fabric!
- The pattern only has 15 pages to assemble! Hooray!
- It is fully constructed with french seams so there are no raw edges and no edge finishing to do.
- Well written, illustrated instructions.
Thoughts on the fit & my alterations:
- The fit is true to the given measurements.
- I adjusted the sides of the top to fit size small at the top down to medium at the bottom.
- I also did a small bust adjustment and sway back adjustment like I usually do on #memade tops. (Don’t be scared, they are not hard and let you customize the fit to your body.)
- Raised the neckline by 1″.
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Things I changed from the original pattern:
- I love the length of the original pattern – but it looked a bit long with the not-so-drapey fabric so I shortened it by almost 5″.
- I used my favorite imagine gnats trick – using a knit instead of a woven to bind the edges, soooo much easier. Bias tape and I don’t play well together!
Things I might change next time:
- Use a flowy fabric. I’d love to see one in rayon challis – the shot cotton is amazing, but does not drape really well.
- Make on in the original length or longer, or make it into a tank dress.
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Fabric: Black Rayon Challis (Canadian Fabricland, no link)
Since I am not so much a trendy fashion follower on my own – I love having the Indiesew collections to help me out. I don’t think I ever would have made myself proper harem pants without a little push – and now I want them in every colour. (And floral… and ikat print!)
Here are a few things I love about it:
- The MOST options ever. You can make these pants 9 different ways. If you mix and match the options are almost endless!
- Well written and organized pdf instructions with clear photos.
- Comfy, comfy, comfy!
Thoughts on the fit & my alterations:
- The first pair I made were really baggy. I sized down 1 size for these even though the hip measurement is smaller than my measurement. I’m much happier with a more fitted pant.
- The only alteration I made was to lower the front rise by 1″. They already sit low on your waist (love that!) and now they fit me perfectly.
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Things I changed from the original pattern:
- Nothing! Aside from my alterations to the fit.
Things I might change next time:
- I’d love to try a pair in a knit fabric with contrasting hem and waist bands.
- Also, maybe shorten them to 3/4 length.
- I would love to re-visit these in the fall with a bit heavier fabric (maybe take in some excess from the elastic waist) and hem them using the lounge pant option.
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Visit the links below for more Summer Collection inspiration:
Tuesday, May 19th: Rachel | House of Pinheiro
Thursday, May 21st: Katie | What Katie Sews
Monday, May 25th: Anna | Noodlehead
Tuesday, May 26th: Andrea | Knitty Bittes
Wednesday, May 27th: Erin | Sewbon
Thursday, May 28th: Sherri | Thread Riding Hood (Hi, That’s me!)
Reader Feedback: What is your go-to clothing pattern to make for this summer?
Thanks for reading. Follow along and join me for “thread ride”!
Disclaimer: Indiesew provided the patterns used in this post free of charge as part of this blog tour. Flare Fabrics also provided a discount on their fabric in return for a mention in this post. As usual, thanks so much for reading! All opinions are always my own.
by Sherri Sylvester | May 22, 2015
Every year my kids are about to finish school and I am rushing around like a crazy person finishing up gifts for the teachers, kindergarten helpers, lunch ladies and bus drivers. Well not this year. This year it will NOT get the better of me because I am finished early – a whole month early! (insert silly ecstatic grin here) And, if your children finish earlier than the end of June, hopefully this post will the benefit you too.
This year everyone is getting a Sunny Glasses Case, and to make it more fun, I made a little printable card in the shape of sunglasses – because they’re just so cute! The Sunny Glasses Case is one of my most popular free tutorials, and it’s also really quick! Once they are cut out you can sew one in about 1/2 an hour. And if you are making 5 (or 9) of them assembly-line style they are even faster. – You’ll have to trust me, the tutorial is deceptively long. You’ll have it sewn before you know it!
The Sunglasses Case tutorial has 5 options – velcro, magnetic snap or button & elastic closure, add a swivel clip or make a car visor version. It works equally well for men and women, especially great for any male teacher gifts you need! Plus they use very little fabric – great for getting rid of your scraps.
The fabric for these cases are all Cotton + Steel prints from Fabric Spark (sponsored). A few of them are sold out, since I’ve been hoarding them since last year – but don’t be disappointed – check out the rest of their amazing Cotton + Steel stock. And they still have my favorite Black and White Study Hall (pencil print).
I designed the printable in 4 color-ways, because I like choice! And the sunglasses should match your fabric, right?! There are three pre-coloured cards and one you can colour in yourself (or your kids… whatever works!). Print it out, write inside, put it in your Sunny Glasses Case and wrap it up – Done!
FREE PRINTABLE:
CLICK HERE to download the “Have a Sunny Summer Card” FREE Printable!
Please use my patterns/tutorials for your personal projects, gifts and charitable fundraising events. Please do not sell anything made with this printable. Contact me for more information: sherri@threadridinghood.com
PRINT YOUR CARD:
Download the free printable by clicking on the link above. Select whichever colour you’d like by selecting only that page for printing. Set your printer to print on cardstock at 100% actual size (no scaling). The outer rectangle will print out at about 3 3/4″ high.
FOLD YOUR CARD:
1) Cut along the solid line, large outer rectangle. 2) Fold the card in half length-wise, crease well. 3) Cut along the dotted lines (while folded) to shape the top of the card. 4) Write inside and you are done!
I am extra excited about some fun things planned for next week. (ahem…*giveaway!*…cough) See you again soon! I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Thanks for reading! Follow along to get more great tutorials and posts:
Don’t feel like sewing a Sunglasses Case yourself? Check out these Licensed Sunny Glasses Case Sellers. Are you a seller that would like to buy a Licence to Sew and Sell the Sunny Glasses Case Pattern? If you are interested in selling sunglasses cases made with this pattern you can buy a license here and receive an instant pdf download!
Disclaimer: Fabric Spark provided the fabric I used to make these sunglasses cases for a discount. They are also a sponsor of this blog. Thanks for reading!
by Sherri Sylvester | May 4, 2015
I’m so excited to be part of another Bundle Up Tour. Pattern Revolution has put together a Women’s Bundle Up grouping this time and these brand new patterns cover everything from jeans to bathing suits, with dresses and tops in-between! When I was trying to decide which pattern to make as part of this tour, I went a bit out of my comfort zone and chose to make another Violette Field Threads pattern – Ginger, in the Misses Version.
Originally I was going to make the peplum top version, but, honestly – if you are going to do something out of the ordinary you may as well go all out, right? So I chose a crazy multi-coloured floral, cut into my hoarded teal chambray scraps and sewed myself a proper party dress! Now all I need is a party to wear it too… or a fancy summer date with my husband!
I’m generally intimidated by fitted patterns, but I am trying to learn how to tailor patterns to fit properly, so I forged ahead. I would really recommend this pattern as a good place to start making some simple alterations. Since the proper fit is created using two darts on bottom of the front bodice, it is simpler to move them around without causing extra trouble!
When I made my bodice muslin, I found that there was quite a bit of extra space all around, due to my needing a size 2 at the top and size 8 at the waist! The darts were a bit off as well – so I put the muslin on inside out and pinned in the extra fabric so it fit properly. I found taking in an inch on the centre front also moved the darts in so they pointed in the correct direction – perfect!
Thoughts on the pattern:
- PDF pattern, easy to print, put together, and reprint when necessary.
- If you choose to make the peplum top you can save quite a bit of paper by choosing to print only the peplum skirt pieces. Super helpful!
- Violette Field Threads cannot be faulted in their instructions in any way. The steps are well photographed and explained.
- There are good size and alteration tips to help you along.
Here are a few things I love about it:
- They rigged the circle skirt to take the fullness out of the hip area. Thank you VFT!
- Pockets. Pockets! LOVE the pockets. It’s so comfortable to be able to have a pocket to hold a few things. Or a place to put your hand in photographs!
- Despite it using quite a bit of fabric, it comes together quickly once you start sewing.
- It’s cute and out of the ordinary! (and, did I mention it has pockets?!)
- Two versions – you can also make a peplum top.
- If you are small-busted it works quite well as a strapless top. You don’t even need to add the halter portion!
- The circle skirt adds fullness without gathers! (Gathers are not my favorite.)
Thoughts on the fit:
- A woven fabric garment does not generally fit without any alterations. However, everything was properly placed and true to the measurements. My body just doesn’t agree with “average” sizing!
- It includes sizes 0-16 – quite a good range.
- There are 3 length options – super helpful.
Things I changed from the original pattern:
- There is supposed to be an exposed zipper on the back. Since I couldn’t find one, I opted for another super matchy invisible zipper. I installed it using my favorite invisible-zip instructions from the Oliver and S Fairy Tale Dress pattern.
Things I might change next time:
- I might take a bit of the fullness of the skirt out of the pattern, since it requires a lot of yardage and if there is any kind of wind at all you are left grasping for many, many yards of fabric in order to stay modest!
Don’t miss out on the Bundle – it’s only here for a limited time! Check out the other stops on the blog tour for more real-life inspiration.
Disclosure: I have used my own fabric and supplies to make this dress. However, I was given the Violette Field Threads, Ginger pattern for free as part of the Bundle Up blog tour. My opinions are always my own. Thanks for reading!
by Sherri Sylvester | Apr 15, 2015
I’m happy to be able to give you another tutorial today! This is one of my many Creativ Festival projects. I’ve been working with my sponsor Sylvia from Country Clothesline to create this tutorial and she will be selling kits for it at her booth next week. She has provided the fabric for this tote – isn’t it amazing? It just screams warm spring and summer days! The perfect bag for adding a little floral accent to add to your daily life. It’s right on trend too!
The inspiration for this bag came from thoughts of trips to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings. Trips to the cottage, or the beach! For that you need some way to divide your towels from your sunscreen, or cucumbers from your fresh strawberry jam!
With that in mind, I decided to make this a divided tote – and then I had to figure out how to do it! Thankfully a few mini-mockups sorted it out quickly enough and I’m so happy with the result. Anything you put into your tote will look 100 times better next to that lovely yellow lining. And your life is a little bit more organized too!
This tote is generously sized at 14″ wide, 5″ deep and is 13″ tall. It only uses 1 yard each of outer and lining fabric! And, despite my convincing speech about the divider, you can make this tote without it. I’ve included a section in the directions below to tell you how to do that.
The lovely pink bouquet fabric is Olivia in Pink. And the yellow (and fast becoming my favorite!) is Olivia Floral in Yellow. I’m loving the pop of the blue on yellow!
As usual, please feel free to use my patterns/tutorials for your personal projects and gifts and for charitable fundraising events. Please do not sell anything made with this pattern. If you are interested in making this item for sale, please contact me and I will set up a license for it in the shop. Thank you!
Seam allowance 3/8″ OR 1/4″ as noted throughout the tutorial.
Materials:
Printing the Pattern:
- Download the Pattern Pieces using the link in the Materials listing. Print out all 4 pages of the pdf on letter size (8.5″ x 11″) or A4 paper. Important: Do not select “fit to page” when printing, make sure you print at the original size. Once you have printed the pages, measure the 1″ test square to ensure the pattern is the correct size.
- Cut the pages on the outer gray lines and tape/glue the pages together, matching the letters in the gray half-circles.
- Cut out both pattern pieces – now you are ready to cut!
Make the Tote without the Divider:
- Do not cut the divider as noted in the cutting layouts & measurements.
- Follow Steps 4 and 5 for sewing the outer tote to stitch the lining.
- You will need very marginally less interfacing, all other yardage stays the same.
Cutting:
- Pre-wash your fabric if desired and press well.
- See below & pattern pieces for fabric cutting layouts and measurements for cutting fabric that does not have a pattern piece.
- Lining – Divider: CUT 2 – 15″ wide x 10 3/4″ high, Strap: CUT 1 – 2.5″ x 42″, Pocket: CUT 1 on fold, Body: CUT 2 on fold
- Outer – Strap: CUT 1 – 2.5″ x 42″, Pocket: CUT 1 on fold, Body: CUT 2 on fold
- Interfacing – Divider: Cut 1 – 15″ wide x 10 3/4″ high, Outer Pocket: CUT 1 on fold, Lining Body: CUT 2 on fold
- Fusible Fleece – Strap: CUT 2 – 1″ x 21″, Divider: CUT 1 – 15″ wide x 10 3/4″ high, Outer Body: CUT 2 on fold
Prepare your Fabric:
- Fuse Interfacing to: 1 Divider, 1 Outer Pocket, 2 Lining Body
- Fuse Fusible Fleece to: 1 Divider, 2 Outer Body – NOTE: DO NOT fuse fleece to strap yet. We will do this later.
Here we sew!
Handles:
- Pin & stitch the two strap pieces together lengthwise with a 1/4″ seam. Press seam allowance open.
- Fold each side lengthwise to the centre seam. Fold again at the centre seam to make a 1″ wide strap.
- Cut the strap into 2 pieces 21″ long. Now you have two straps.
- Open the folds on each strap, place fusible fleece on outer strap fabric within the folds next to the centre seam.
- Re-fold each strap, press well fuse the fleece.
- Top stitch about 1/8″ away from the edge of each strap and once in the centre.
Pocket:
- Place pocket outer and lining Right Sides Together (RST). Stitch pocket with a 1/4″ seam allowance, leaving a 3″ opening at the bottom.
- Trim the corners. Press the seam allowance up along the opening.
- Turn the pocket right side out through the opening. Press well. Top stitch the top curved edge of the pocket.
- Centre the pocket on the Outer Front, 3 1/2″ up from the bottom. Pin & stitch the sides and bottom close to the edge. This will also close the bottom opening.
Divider:
- Place divider pieces RST. Mark the left and right bottom corners 1″ from each corner. Draw a diagonal line to connect the marks.
- Pin and stitch along the marked lines and along the top edge with a 1/4″ seam.
- Trim corner seam allowances to 1/4″.
- Turn the divider right side out. Press all 3 seams well. Top stitch the top edge of the divider.
Lining:
- Layer Lining/Divider/Lining, with the divider centred on the bottom edge of the lining pieces. Lining will be RST.
- Pin and stitch the bottom edge with a 3/8″ seam.
- Fold the lining back, away from the divider on both sides. Pin, this allows the sides to be sewn without accidentally sewing over the bottom edge.
- Match the bottom lining side with the side of the divider. The lining will extend 1″ below the divider on the bottom edge.
- Match the other lining side. Pin, stitch with a 3/8″ seam. Un-pin the bottom pulled back fabric from step 3.
- Press seam allowances away from the divider on the sides and bottom edges.
- Open and align the corner raw edges of each side so the side seams align with the bottom seam. This creates a boxed corner. Pin with seam allowances open.
- Stitch the two pinned edges with a 3/8″ seam.
Check out your awesome divided lining. Almost done now!
Outer:
- Align the outer edge of each strap with the outer edge of each front pocket. Place the outer side of the strap RST with the outer tote. Pin.
- The inside edge of the end of the strap will be at the top edge of the bag and the outer edge will be parallel to the outer edge of the bag.
- Use the outer front of the tote to find the placement for the outer back strap. Pin. Baste the ends of the front and back straps to the bag with a 1/4″ seam allowance.
- Place outer front and back RST. Stitch the sides and bottom with a 3/8″ seam. Press seam allowances open as much as possible. Note: It helps to turn the bag right side out to press, then turn inside out again to continue.
- Open and align the bottom raw un-sewn corners so the side seams align with the bottom seam. This creates a boxed corner. Pin with seam allowances open. Stitch with a 3/8″ seam.
Finish the Tote:
- Turn outer right side out. Place outer inside lining with RST. Align top edges and pin.
- Find the relatively straight area at the top edge of the tote – next to the side seam. Mark a 4″ opening.
- Stitch around the top of the bag with a 3/8″ seam, leave the opening un-sewn.
- Clip and notch the top curve. Press the seam allowance open along the opening.
- Turn your tote through the opening. Press and pin the top edge with the outer turned slightly toward the lining. This helps the lining not to show on the outside of the bag.
- Top stitch about 1/8″ away from the top edge of the bag. This will also close the opening.
- Note: If desired, use matching thread to hand stitch the lining to the outer bottom edge at each end of the side seam/divider. This will keep the lining in place. Feel through the fabric and stitch the lining to the outer side seam allowance – do not stitch through the bag to the outside.
Give it a good press and you’re done!
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I’d love to see your project! You can share your tote on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (links below) using the hashtags #alongforthreadride and/or #threadridinghood. Thank you!
Disclaimer: The fabric used in this post was given to me by my sponsor, Country Clothesline, for use in this post. I always share my honest opinion about sponsored products. Thanks for reading!
