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Today I Made: A Fabric Flower

Photos of the process to make these flowers can be found here.  The leaves are from my Big Bloom flower tutorial.

How to Make a Perfect Pull Tab

 

iPad Sleeve with pull tab (made with the Just Pattern Pieces - Tablet Computer Sleeves)

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Back on this post, I wrote a little about this pull tab.  I like them a lot--especially for things with VELCRO closures.  It gives you something to grab to pull back the flap. 

It also satisfies my need for some small detail on the front.  I end up using buttons as embellishments quite a bit, because things sometimes look like they just need *something* to be complete.

These can be sewn a variety of ways, but I thought I'd share my method.  I tried a few other ways before coming to the conclusion this is my favorite way to sew them.  The finished tab is solid and neatly square.  It is easy, fast, you don't have to turn anything right side out, and there aren't any corners to clip. Yay!!!

Before going into a bunch of detail for those who don't need it...this is basically single fold binding (both edges folded to center) with interfacing in the center, folded in half, topstitched and sewn in place.

This is also the same general idea used for this strap (1.75" eyelet can be found here):

 

1. Determine Width & Cut

The tab can be any width and you can improvise most of this, so feel free to skip exact measurements.  The only things you want to make sure to do is to cut the entire piece the same exact width--whatever number you use--so the tab ends up even and square. 

However wide you want the finished tab, multiply that by 2.  The red striped tab is 1.5" when finished.  So the piece is 3" wide. 

Then however tall you want it, multiply that by 3.  This can be a guestimate.  The red one is going to end up being 1.25" tall before sewing it on, so it is just easier to work with a slightly taller piece and cutting it down to size right before attaching. 

I'm also making multiple tabs at a time here, so this piece is much longer than needed for just one. 

2. Cut it Out

3. Crease Center

Fold it in half, WRONG sides together, along the length. 

Press gently to crease the center.  This crease is a guideline, so just press it once to make a visible crease.  You want it to come out later, so don't go nuts making is super sharp.

4. Press Edges to Center

Open it up and press each raw edge to meet the center crease. 

At this point, the center crease often disappears because it gets flattened when pressing each side to the center.  If not, press the whole thing again to get rid of the center crease. 

5. Apply Interfacing

Cut a piece of fusible interfacing wide enough to fit inside the center. Make sure the edges are within the center and don't extend into the side creases.

Place the interfacing inside and fold the edges of the fabric over it so it is encased in the center. 

Press on each side of the fabric to adhere the interfacing.

6. Fold in Half

Fold the piece in half along the width.  If your fabric is puckering at the fold, get out your metal ruler and wrap the fabric around it to make a sharp fold.

7. Topstitch

Topstitch the sides and bottom.

8. Trim

When using a 3/8" allowance, I like this tab to be 1.25" high before sewing it on.  So trim it down to whatever height you want to be + allowance.

   

9. Attach

Baste it to the center top of the flap, or wherever you are attaching it. 

For those new to sewing, you might wonder why the print is upside down?  For things where the flap/back is one piece (a lot of my patterns have this), the print will be reversed once the flap closes.   

Some of my patterns you could use pull tab on are:

Idea Pouch

Padded Camera Pouch

Pleated Pouches

Laptop Sleeve

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dumplings - Make one today!

I have a very silly sense of humor. A few weeks ago, I really wanted to sign off on a blog post by saying "May the stitches be ever in your favor." Today I wanted to title this post "Dumplings, It's What's for Dinner."

I apologize in advance if something like this ever sneaks through. I will try to control myself.

As my experiments in sewing continue, I've decided I'm ready to sew something with a zipper. Michelle's Dumpling Zip Pouch tutorial is my weekend project. I'm a little nervous, but I've really taken to heart some advice Michelle recently gave me regarding sewing.

You just have to go for it.

In preparation for my dumpling making, I've been scouring the Flickr feed for inspiration. I'm the type of person who likes to read about things, look at examples, read some more (is there a library book I can check out?) and then finally, just go for it.

What is the best piece of sewing advice you've received? Or something you learned on your own that you wished you knew when you first started sewing?

 

1. Gwenny Penny, 2. taschenmaedchen, 3. Gwenny Penny, 4. sayonion, 5. craftyozgirl, 6. judihurst

 

I challenge you to make your own dumpling this weekend.

--Bryanne--

Sewing for Pets

A week ago, I shared my bow tie sewing project on Flickr and after some questions, we decided to post more details here.

My dog Mondo was quite adorable when he was a little dude. He had a patch of white fur on his chest and it looked like he was wearing a rusty tuxedo. My family joked that he needed a bow tie. Plus, Mondo is named after a bow tie wearing designer from Project Runway. It only seemed natural that dog Mondo get his own bow tie.

Mondo

Last week I took Michelle's free Recycled Dog Collar Tutorial and added a bow made from her Bows Pattern. It was super easy to make, something I needed as I'm a beginner at sewing. The Bows Pattern has three sizes (small, medium and large). Because Mondo has a tiny neck, the strap is only 1/2" wide. I used the medium bow from the pattern. I first made the small bow, and though it was too small for his neck, it was the perfect size to attach to a bobby-pin and wear in my own hair!

Fabric - Michael Miller Ta Dot in Moss

I made the dog collar using Michelle's tutorial with no modifications. Then I made the bow from her pattern but instead of wrapping the center piece around the bow, I first pinned the bow to the collar and then wrapped the center piece around the bow and the collar. I pinned the center piece onto the bow to secure it while I hand stitched the center piece, making sure to stitch into the collar, and then pulled both pins out after the bow and collar were securely joined. Make sure to center the bow on the collar, opposite of the buckle.

The Bows Pattern is now available as part of the Semi-Retired Patterns and is only $3.00 USD.

 

Mondo is only sitting calmly because I have a treat in my hand. Immediately after this photo was taken, he ran over to the fence and barked at the neighbor's chickens. Still a scrapper, no matter how fancy he looks. 

Does your dog have a wedding to attend this summer? Perhaps you like to celebrate your pet's birthday. I highly recommend making a flashy bow-tie!

Bow Pattern  |  Recycled Dog Collar Tutorial

 

--Bryanne--

Magnetic Bookmark

This magnetic bookmark tutorial showed up on Pinterest the other day, and it caught my eye because it uses the sew-in magnetic snaps discussed here and here.  It is also super fast to make and I can always use another bookmark! 

I followed the tutorial with two minor changes--I used interfaced fabric and sewed the snaps on before sewing the fabric pieces together.  The 14mm snaps and weren't wide enough to catch in the seam during the topstitching.  18mm snaps would probably be perfect. 

The finished bookmark is great.  The magnet works through multiple pages. 

This magnetic bookmark is a nice 15 minute project. 

Let's Make Dumplings! Free Zip Pouch Tutorial.

Ok, are you ready to make dumplings???

These cute little pouches don't take long to make, and the construction is pretty basic. But keep in mind the zipper is attached to a steep curve, so these are a sewing project for those with intermediate sewing skills.  The tutorial assumes you know how to sew zippers, attach binding, etc. 

There are pattern pieces for two sizes are right here:

  Download Dumplings

You might want to try "The Easier One" first.  This one measures 5.25" x 2" at the base, and about 3.5" high (13 x 5 x 9cm). 

The one labeled "The Harder One" is even smaller and cuter, and a challenge to sew.  Just pay extra attention to getting the zipper lined up neatly before sewing the final steps.  This one can be made with a 12" zip, but then it is even harder!  The Harder One measures 4" x 2.5" at the base, and about 3" high (10 x 6 x 8cm).

Supplies

• fabric for exterior & lining
• fusible interfacing
• 7" of binding (seam binding, bias tape, fabric tape)
• 14"+ zipper
• ribbon for zip pull

1. Cut and interface pieces.

 

2. Mark zipper & clip.

 

On one end of the zipper tape, draw a guide line across the zipper at 2" (5cm) for The Easier One, or 2.5" (7cm) for The Harder One.

Clip the zipper tape on both sides.  Clip about 0.25" (7mm) in from the edge, with about 0.75" - 1" (2 - 2.5cm) in between clips. 

3. Unzip zipper and then hand baste it to exterior fabric.  Zipper and exterior fabric piece are RIGHT sides together.  Match the guide line to the fabric edges. 

4. Hand Baste lining in place on top of exterior fabric piece with attached zipper. 

5. Machine sew pieces together & then notch curves.

6. Turn right side out, and finger press seams around zipper.  Topstitch around edges of zipper.

 

7. Sew both ends & trim zipper.

 
Zip dumpling up so the lining side is facing out. If the fabric has shifted during sewing, the ends might be uneven.  Use a straight edge and pen to draw a straight line across the end as a sewing guide. 

Make sure the zipper teeth are lined up evenly on each side before sewing the ends in place.  At the top end of the zipper (where pull rests when zipper is closed) you might find it beneficial to hand baste the two sides of the zipper together to keep them even.

Open and close the zipper as necessary when sewing.  Make sure zip is open somewhat before sewing the end with the top of the zipper (i.e. pull needs to be somewhere along the dumpling curve before sewing the end). 

8. Cover the raw edges of both ends with binding.

 P.S. You can sell your dumplings. If you can give me credit by linking to the tutorial or my pattern shop that would be great.