I wish I had taken the time to make this great bag for my kids when they were little... now grandchildren will have the advantage at the Easter Egg Hunts. When my kids were little, the first Easter egg hunt they went to, we took empty Easter egg baskets... which resulted in whatever eggs they had picked up, falling on the ground when they bent over to pick up their newest find. After that frustrating egg hunt we started re-purposing grocery store bags and they worked out OK but the bags ended up closing and when the kids were in a hurry, they tended to miss getting the egg in their bag. This new free bag pattern is the perfect solution... and it's washable to be used year after year. Get Ready for the Easter Egg Hunts originally appeared on About.com Sewing on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 08:01:12. Permalink | Comment | Email this
I heard from so many people about how they enjoyed the sewing videos, that I want to let everyone know that two new videos have been posted. Watching the entire process while it is explained is an easy way to learn many sewing tasks. How to Sew a Flat Felled Seam Videoand How to Make a Tutu for Kids Video were sent live this week. New Free Sewing Videos originally appeared on About.com Sewing on Friday, March 12th, 2010 at 01:56:14. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Pattern making is not something that is explained in a couple of pages. MANY books and full classes are offered to learn how to make your own patterns. The trick is getting your hands on a book that is easy to understand and takes things one step at a time... one that is even worthy of using your paper and ink cartridges to print it out as a valuable resource. Vintage Sewing Information is a wonderful resource worthy of using ink cartridges! Pattern Making originally appeared on About.com Sewing on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 15:00:07. Permalink | Comment | Email this
They are heading north and my yard is still covered with snow, which makes it tricky for the birds to find nesting materials. I have oodles of feeders and I know the birds are true scavengers to build their nests because of the number of nest I have found with tarp strings and other "trash" the birds made use of to build their nests. I am making an addition this spring.... from my serger and cutting table... see more and make even your tiny scraps useful. - Fiber Scraps for the birds
- Think Green Sewing Projects
For the Birds! originally appeared on About.com Sewing on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 11:36:20. Permalink | Comment | Email this
 When I wrote about Easter bonnets last week, I received emails asking about making real hats that men wear. It's not something I've ever tried so I started looking in to how difficult it would be. What I found was a whole new fascinating project idea. Maybe I can gather all the materials to create a Fedora hat for father's day... If I didn't have so many things on my plate right now I would attempt it for Easter. Many of the hat ideas are just an extension of felting skills but it's a different handling process to mold the fabric into a hat shape verses shaping the fibers with barbed needles.
Thanks to the email questions, I also got into the history of hats and hat making... very fascinating information.
- Sewing Your Own Hat - Patterns and Tips
Easter Bonnets to Hats originally appeared on About.com Sewing on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 06:31:55. Permalink | Comment | Email this
How often do you change your sewing machine needle? If you're like me I bet it's not often enough. I never keep track and just keep sewing... and then when I have machine problems, remembering to change the needle is the last thing I get around to doing.... not the way it should be done... Machine Malfunction originally appeared on About.com Sewing on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 01:24:46. Permalink | Comment | Email this
I've been using a lot of patterns lately making costumes for an upcoming school play. I bought the pattern with multiple sizes in one envelope which saves a small fortune when you are sewing the same thing in different sizes. I loved multiple sized patterns when the kids were small too.... one pattern could last for years by tracing off a new size as long as you leave the original pattern intact. My son was a skinny little thing... for him I just kept adding length to the bottom of the pattern. Even if I tried to buy him clothes, the slim sizes were too big in order to get him pants that were long enough for him. If I didn't sew, the child would have been wearing a belt to keep the pants up and the fabric would have been gathered under the belt... either that or the boy would have been wearing "capris" long before the girls were. Multi-sized Patterns and Preserving Patterns originally appeared on About.com Sewing on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 10:15:36. Permalink | Comment | Email this
I remember having a beautiful Easter dress that was perfect for a nice spring day... to have it SNOW on Easter. As a kid, I was not about to give up wearing my Easter finery just because of snow... and Mom was kind enough to usually give up the battle and let us wear a blazer over our Easter dress. Today, a shrug allows us to keep much more of a spring dress showing. I want to have one in every color for my daughter...just in case... then I can give up the battle just like my mom did. Ready for Anything originally appeared on About.com Sewing on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 05:10:35. Permalink | Comment | Email this
If your sewing your own (or the kids) Easter outfit, be sure to buy enough fabric to sew a matching Easter bonnet! It really is not hard and you won't have anyone else wearing the exact same hat!
Even if you aren't making an Easter outfit, you can dress up an Easter outfit with an Easter bonnet that has all the details you want. Find ribbons and fabric flowers to match the outfit and decorate. You're the designer by sewing your own hat! Easter Bonnet originally appeared on About.com Sewing on Sunday, February 28th, 2010 at 05:01:47. Permalink | Comment | Email this
I received an email this week that offered an idea I had not thought of...
Zita wrote to let me know how she fights the winter blues. Many of her friends quilt but she has a different approach. When her niece got married a few years ago, she made a wedding dress for a Barbie doll to look like her niece's gown. It was a big hit and since then she has made hundreds of them as gifts AND to donate to less fortunate children in other countries. She has been given many wedding gowns that supply fabric for her projects and she finds dolls at yard sales, thrift stores and clearance sales. You can also find wedding gowns at thrift stores which will make MANY fashion doll gowns!
Charity sewing isn't just for Christmas... kids need to smile and there is nothing like a new toy to inspire a smile! |