Sewing Archives - Page 2 of 11

Hex Pencil Case Tutorial

August 13, 2013 By Michelle Barneck Leave a Comment

Hi again, A Little Tipsy readers! I’m stopping by from mama says sew again to share the tutorial for this zippered pencil case with you. Don’t let the zipper scare you! It’s actually really easy to sew up.

See the full tutorial.

It’s the perfect time of year to make one! My kids are getting ready to go back to school, and what better way to show their personality than to make them their own pencil case? Okay, really, I’m sure there are lots better ways to show their personality, but it’s still fun to have something that no one else will have.

I appliqued hexagons in a honeycomb pattern, but you could do whatever you want. Here’s what to do.

You will need:

Fabric (scraps work great)
7 inch zipper
Sewing supplies, such as scissors and thread

First, cut out your fabric. My rectangles are 6 inches by 10.5 inches. Also cut out your applique pieces {here is a hexagon template if you want}, and some scraps for the zipper ends {to make the zipper long enough for the pouch}.

First, stitch one of your scraps to the bottom of the zipper with right sides together, like this:

Trim off the end of the zipper.

Repeat with the other end and the other scrap piece. Your zipper should now be 10 inches long, including the fabric {or the total length of the top of the pencil case, if you made it different dimensions}.

Next, applique your case. I arranged the applique pieces how I wanted them.

Then just stitched them in place.

Line up the zipper with the top of the pouch. The zipper should be face down on the top of the pouch. Stitch the zipper to the pouch along the top edge of the zipper and pouch.

Then stitch the back of the pouch to the zipper the same way. When you’re done, it should look like the picture below. Press flat and topstitch along the edges of the zipper if desired.

Fold the pouch so that right sizes are together and stitch it down one side, across the bottom, and up the other side. Make sure the zipper is open when you do this so that you can turn the pouch right side out! You can zig zag the raw edges to help keep them from fraying.

Ta da! All set for school!

———————————————————————

Thanks Terra! I love the pattern and colors you used and it’s so perfect to use up those scraps we all having hanging about!

We have decided to truncate our feed to help protect against stolen content. I apologize for any inconvenience. Please love us anyway. 🙂

DIY Envelope Pillow Cover

July 2, 2013 By Michelle Barneck Leave a Comment

Hey guys, I’m super excited to be back over here at A Little Tipsy today to share a fun sewing tutorial. I am a self taught sewer, so I’m not technical or detailed. I usually figure out all of my projects on my own (with a little trial and error!) and I share them in non-sewing terms because I really don’t know much!

I am currently re-doing my master bedroom color scheme and decor, and in the process I am making new pillows for my bed, because you can never have too many pillows on your bed! Today’s pillow tutorial is super simple. I got it done in less than 30 minutes, and it makes such a great impact for being so simple.

{Read More of this Awesome Tutorial}

I found this cute fabric at my local Bennion Crafts store. I love that it’s not just a typical chevron, but has the accents with the dots. This is for an 18 inch pillow, but if you are doing a different size, just adjust the measurements accordingly. Cut your fabric to 19×19 and 19×24 inches. This will allow for seams and also give your pillow a snug fit. Then cut your 24 inch piece in half, making two 19×12 inch pieces. From there you are going to hem one side of the 12 inch pieces (pictured below)

After your 2 sides are hemmed, lay your 19×19 piece on the ground facing up. Lay each 12 inch section on top, right sides facing down, with the seam in the middle. They will overlap creating the “envelope” fold of your pillow.

Then sew around all 4 edges with with a straight stitch and a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Once it is all sewn, trim off the excess fabric from all sides. Now all you need to do is turn the pillow case right side out and stuff
with your pillow!

Envelope Pillow Tutorial from OurThriftyIdeas.com

Thanks for letting me stop by and share a sneak peak into my new master bedroom. Make sure to check out the full reveal on my site later this month (after my big move to Sunny St. George!)

———————————————————————–

Thanks Vanessa! I love a sewing tutorial that looks easy enough for me to follow and chevron + polka dots = cuteness!

We have decided to truncate our feed to help protect against stolen content. I apologize for any inconvenience. Please love us anyway. 🙂

Tooth Fairy Pillow for Little Girls

June 25, 2013 By Michelle Barneck 1 Comment

Hi everyone! This is Terra from mama says sew. Today I’m going to share the tutorial for this Tooth Fairy Pillow with you.

A little while ago, our daughter lost her first tooth. She was so excited to leave it under her pillow and get a surprise from the tooth fairy. The next morning, however, she came into our room, very disappointed, saying that the tooth fairy hadn’t left her anything. Well, I was pretty sure that the tooth fairy had left something, because I know her {or in this case, him} personally, so I told her to go look again. But with this pillow, she can hang her tooth on her bedpost, and the tooth fairy can slip the surprise into the tooth pocket, with no worries about it getting lost {or waking her up}.

Click for the full photo tutorial.

Here’s how I made mine. I did an etsy search to get some ideas {and there are pages and pages of tooth fairy pillows} so head over there if you want some other ideas {or want to buy one instead of make one}.

You’ll need:

Fabric scraps

Piping {optional}

Embroidery floss

Felt

Batting

Basic sewing supplies

I started by cutting out two circles for the pillow and two strips of fabric for the door hanger. Then cut out some felt shapes. You can download the template for the bird here.

Pin your piping around the edge of one of the circles, overlapping at the ends.

Open up one end of the piping and snip off the thread inside.

Pin the piping casing over the other end of the piping, so that all raw edges are enclosed.

Baste the piping to the pillow. It is helpful to use a zipper foot. You can leave the piping off, or you could add a ruffle in place of the piping.

Sew on the tooth pocket, making sure to leave the top of the tooth open, so it is actually a pocket and not an applique.

Sew your fabric strips together, then turn right side out and topstitch the sides, to make the hanger.

Sew on the beak and embroider some feet.

Sew the wing to the bird, and then make a french knot for the eye.

Sew the bird to the pillow.

Pin the hanger to the tooth side of the pillow.

Layer the bird on top, right sides together with the other pillow circle. Stitch all the way around, leaving a small opening to turn.

Turn the pillow right side out and stuff it with some batting. Slip stitch the pillow closed.

Now you’re ready for the tooth fairy! This would be easy to switch up for a boy-you could do dinosaurs, trucks, or whatever your little guy likes.

————————————————————————

Absolutely adorable Terra! I love the idea of hanging it on the bedpost so there is never any confusion/waking scares. Thanks for sharing!

We have decided to truncate our feed to help protect against stolen content. I apologize for any inconvenience. Please love us anyway. 🙂

Bow Tote

May 7, 2013 By Michelle Barneck 2 Comments

Hi there! It’s me, Terra from mama says sew. I’m here today to show you how to make this Bow Tote.

I gave it to my daughter to use as a dance tote {and she was so excited she immediately dumped everything out of her old bag so she could put it in this one}, but you could use it for just about anything. It would make a great last minute Mother’s Day gift as well.
Read More…

It’s a pretty basic project, but I love how the bow makes an ordinary tote into something special. Perfect for that special little girl or Mom in your life!

First start by cutting out your pieces. I’ve included the measurements I used, but you can adjust them to make the tote any size you prefer.

From main fabric:

Cut 2 bag pieces, 16.5 inches by 15 inches

Cut 2 handles, 4 inches by 20 inches

From lining fabric:

Cut 2 bag pieces, 16.5 inches by 15 inches

From contrast fabric

Cut 2 bow background pieces, 15 inches by 6 inches

Cut 1 bow piece, 6 inches by 11 inches

Cut 2 bow tail pieces, 5 inches by 16 inches

Scrap piece to wrap around the center of the bow

Cut a 2 inch square out of the bottom ends of the bag pieces.

Do the same for the lining pieces. All four pieces should look like this:

Fold the tail pieces in half and cut a triangle off each end, like this:

Now we’re going to make the tucks. Take one bow background piece, and iron a crease in it the long way, about an inch from the top. Stitch close to the crease, as shown.

Keep going, ironing creases and stitching close to the creases, until one of your background pieces is full of tucks. I didn’t mark them, because I wanted it to have a messy look.

Fold the long raw edges to the wrong side of the fabric on both background pieces so they are the same height.

Stitch the background pieces to the main bag fabric, making sure they are both the same distance from the top of the bag. Make sure to account for seam allowances when deciding where to position the background.