Handmade Xmas Presents: Part 1

I am getting an early start on Christmas presents and this is the first of many.

10.5 in. x 5.5 in. Zippered Pencil Pouch
I used:
Tim Holtz cotton in Measurements
Kona cotton in Stone
9 in. Ziplon Coil Zipper by YKK in Sable

Bar Stool Cover

I have this amazing bar stool in my craft room that my late Grandma Mimi painted but it isn't comfortable so I have been playing with the idea of making a cover or cushion for it. After a quick search on Pinterest to see if there was a tutorial for what I wanted I realized that I was just going to have to wing it using this tutorial from Camp Clem as a rough guide.

To start I measured top of the stool, at the widest part measured 13 inches. I then set out to make the "cushion", the cushion is actually 9 layers of Poly-Fil Traditional® Quilt Batting. I would suggest using a foam cushion but I am working on using what I have on hand. I cut 9, 13" squares of the batting and layered them using spray adhesive to keep them together.

I let them set-up for a bit then I took the top of my stool of and traced around it. Then using a pair of crummy scissors I cut out a rough circle.

Now that the "cushion" is finished it is time to focus on the cover. I made a 13" circle template and from that I made a 15" circle template, using this template I traced out the 15" circle on to my fabric of choice and cut it out. The fabric I am using is Michael Miller's Hoopla Dots, it is also the same fabric I used on my craft chair that you might have seen in my Sprocket Pillow post.

The next step is to cut the sides of the cover. The way that I am making this cover means that I have to create a hem for an elastic band. For the width I guessed at how wide I needed it, so I made it 6" wide. I am using leftover fabric from recovering my craft chair, normally I would suggest cutting the fabric selvage to selvage but since I have limited fabric I just used what I could.

I cut 3. 6"x 21" strips just to make sure I had enough fabric, if you are cutting selvage to selvage you would only need 2 strips because most fabric is 36" or wider.

Now to on to the sewing!

Pin your strips right side together and sew them so you get a nice long strip. Next start pinning your sides to the top of the cover. To start fold over 1/2" on one end of your strip, this is so the raw edge will be hidden when you close up the side. Then pin it all the way around the circle making sure right sides are together. When you reach the end make sure you have 1" overlap and trim excess fabric, then finish pinning the extra 1" overlap.

Sew with a 5/8" seam. When you finish sewing the side to the circle you are basically going to top stitch the side seam closed.

Once that is finished it is time to cut the elastic, I used 3/8" elastic but you can use 1/2" if you want. To measured my elastic by wrapping it around the upper portion of the stool legs right underneath the seat and cut it so I had about a 2" overlap. Using a zigzag stitch I stitched the ends of the elastic together.

After trying the unfinished cover on the stool I realized that I may have over estimated how wide to make the sides so I needed to use up the excess. I started by folding over about 1" of fabric and placing the elastic in between to create the hem. I used the edge of my presser foot as a guide and kept my fabric lined up with it and the 1" mark on my machine, I had to stop several times to adjust the fabric because it will bunch up.

Here it is in all it's glory...or not. I realized that after making this one that I need to change my sizes, I probably should have only done a 14" circle and maybe a 4" wide sides. Since it was my first try at making a cover for my stool I think I did good, next time I'll try making it smaller.

Now here it is in action!

Before and After

Sprocket Pillow

Sprocket Pillow

At the latest sewing class I attended we made sprocket pillows based on the pattern and tutorial from Cluck Cluck Sew, we did do one thing differently, we added piping to the pillow. Now this pillow was made from scraps that the instructor provided, as well as a solid polyester/cotton blend. It isn't the best quality pillow but for my first time attempting piping, circles and wedges I think I did pretty good.

The button was from my personal stash, a silly button but it works.

I choose colors that would work well with the color scheme I have going in my craft room and I think I could have added in some teal to balance it out but maybe on the next one. I didn't care for was the size of the piping but it was the only size the store had so we just had to go with it. I did find that after stuffing the pillow little bits of the poly-fil were sneaking through the fabric of the pillow, I don't know if it was the quality of the fabric or something else.

Here it is on my craft chair that I recovered

Enjoy!

Quick Tip- Freezer Paper and Patterns

One tip I picked up from my sewing instructor is this, if you have a pattern that you would like to use over and over again, use freezer paper.

Take your pattern piece and iron it onto freezer paper, it makes the patterns more stable and they won't rip easily.

You want to first iron your pattern piece flat and make sure it is wrinkle free. 

Then iron the two together until they won't separate and it is completely flat.

 

I trimmed my pattern piece after backing it with freezer paper just to make sure my edges are nice and clean. 

Side by side comparison of patterns pieces before and after.

Enjoy!

Reversible Wrap Skirt

Reversible Wrap Skirt

A little less than 2 weeks ago I attended a sewing class taught by a new instructor on post and the project we made was a skirt. In this class we learned how to make a pattern based on our own measurements, how to make non-bias tape, and button holes.

I figured I might as well share the process, it will also be a great way to refer to the pattern if my pattern pieces disappear.

Basic measurements all measurements are in inches. (I am going to use made up numbers since my real measurements scare me sometimes)
Waist: A =24
Hips: B =36
Waist to Hip Length: C =6
Desired Length: D =20

Now the tricky stuff:
V: (A+2)/4  =6.5
W: (B+2)/4 =9.5
X: C+1.5 =7.5
Y: D+2.5 =22.5
Z: W+3 =12.5

Okay so now the if I didn't confuse you, I made a diagram on how the measurements are laid out for the Back piece of the 3 panel skirt. The unlabeled section is just a connecting line from the end of W to the end of Z.

Now using the Back pattern as a guide add 6 inches to the straight side to create the Front pattern pieces.

Basic construction of the skirt is this pin the angled sides of the skirt together using a 5/8" seam, sew together for both Fabric A and Fabric B. Once all three panels are sewn together press open the seams. Now you will need to pin both sets of panels together pin along the sides and bottom leaving the waist area open for turning. Turn the skirt inside out and press it flat, once pressed top stitch all the way around (sides and bottom.)

Close up of the top stitching on the front panel

The next step is to make the waistband and ties, using extra fabric cut 4 inch strips of fabric, going from selvage to selvage, roughly 45" long or whatever the width of your fabric is. This is cut with the grain instead of on the bias which means that the fabric won't stretch. I did 3 strips just to make sure I had enough but 2 should be enough for average sized women.

Sew the strips together, seams can be any size desired,  then press the seams to the side. Now that you have a really long strip of fabric you are going to iron it in half, open it up and fold the sides to center, iron, then fold in half and iron again. You iron it like you would for double fold bias tape but if you don't know the basics of bias tape this link has some good illustrations on how to do it with out the bias tape making tool.

The last step is to attach the non-bias tape to the skirt. To start fold one end of the non-bias tape in 1/2" and pin. Measure 20" from the end that you just pinned either place a pin or mark there because that is where you will start attaching it to the skirt. Pin the non-bias tape all the way around the waist portion of the skirt making sure that the fabric is sandwiched all the way into the non-bias tape. Now while the skirt is pinned together you are going to carefully try it on to see if you need to trim the other end to the tie.

To wear the skirt properly line the side seams up on you sides and the front panel with the longer tie is going to wrap around the back of the skirt to the front. This is where you will carefully tie it together to check the tie length. If it is to long just cut off the excess, if not proceed to fold the end in like you did before. Carefully remove the skirt and sew the ties and waistband with a minimum 1/4" seam (1/4" from the bottom of the non-bias tape.)

Reverse side of the skirt to show the contrast waistband

The skirt is almost finished! But if you noticed how awkward it was wrapping the skirt around,for example the longer tie having to come up from under the front panel. This is where learning how to make a buttonhole comes in. Now you get to try on your skirt again and this time you are going to mark where you would like the tie to come through the waistband. I suggest at least a 1/2" buttonhole opening to make sure you can pass the tie through easily. My instructor recommend making more than one buttonhole, one to make the skirt tighter and one to make the skirt looser. This makes the skirt easily adjustable for weight loss/weight gain or if you are making it as a gift for someone and had to guess on the measurements.

I would tell you how to do a buttonhole but this was my first time making them so I suggest searching online for a tutorial that will help you.

Here is the finished project! 

If you have any questions leave a comment and I'll try to answer the best I can.

Enjoy!

Travel Jewelry Roll

I was looking into making one of these since I found out that we will more than likely be PCSing to Germany. The only problem was that I couldn't find one that I really liked so I designed my own.
 

The top portion has 5 ribbon loops to hook necklaces and bracelets through.

The middle section is a ring holder that snaps off at one end.

The bottom section is a large pouch that closes with Velcro, I didn't feel like buying anything to make this so I used some green Velcro that I use to fix my husband's uniforms. I use the the pocket to put bangles and small bags. I also use the front of the pocket to stick some of my stud earrings in if I don't have bags for them.

The ribbon that is used to tie it up can also be used to hang it from a hook if you want to use it as a everyday jewelry holder.

Here it is all rolled up. The really nice thing about this is it has a layer of batting in it. The padding will help protect the your jewelry when it is in your luggage.