Bread Bag Details

Since I guest posted on MoneySavingMom, I've had numerous questions (and a few orders!) about my bread bags.  So, I'll attempt to answer most of those questions here.  As always, leave any more questions in the comments and I'll get back to you!

Bread bags are really easy to make and are great for storing homemade (or store bought) bread.  I typically line bread bags with osnaburg, which is a soft material that is very breathable- somewhere between burlap and linen.  It can be found near the utility fabric section of any major fabric store.

I use the basic tutorial found here, which is the same pattern I use for reusable snack bags.  I adjust the width, height and depth to fit the loaf of bread, and leave plenty of excess on the length for tying the bag. 

Gussets in the bottom add dimension and depth, and make the loaf fit nicely into the bag.  There's a quick and easy gusset tutorial here.

I like to add an adjustable tie to the bag.  I used to sew this tie into the bag, but then a friend informed me that the bread would stay fresher if she could adjust the tie to seal out more air.  So I adapted.

Well, that's about all the tips I have for bread bags.  Let me know your questions in the comments and I'll do a follow up post if needed.  Happy bread baking!

Camera Strap Coozie - With Ruffles!

This weekend I made something new!  A dear friend celebrated her birthday, and since she loves using her camera, I made this Ruffle Camera Strap Coozie.

Since we have the same camera, I was able to use my own camera strap to measure the length and width.  So convienent.  :)

I chose this fabric from Michael Miller - it's so bright and cheery I knew I couldn't go wrong.

What's a "Coozie" you ask?  It's just a tube that slips on to the camera strap.  It can easily be removed if your husband wants to take pictures you need to wash it.

It's such a fun way to dress up something that is used very often.



I'll be sharing a tutorial in the coming weeks. 

Shirred Bandana Dress

My darling two-year-old is in love with Dora, or "Dee-Do" as she calls her.  So, when I saw these bandanas at Hobby Lobby, I couldn't resist transforming them into a dress for her.  It was incredibly easy, and I'm happy to share the details with you.

You will need:

• Two Bandanas (mine measured 20" x 20", and were $1.99 each at Hobby Lobby)
• One roll Elastic thread (available at WalMarts that still sell fabric, or at fabric stores - $0.97 at WalMart)
• Regular thread to coordinate with the background of your bandana
• Ribbon for around the neck

Measuring the child:

• My daughter is 27 months old and weighs about 25 lbs.  She is 34 inches tall.  This dress would likely be too long and would require a hem on anyone shorter than 34". 
• Measure from under your child's armpits down their chest.  Note where you would like the shirring (the elastic thread) to stop.  My child measured 4".
• Plan to have enough ribbon to tie behind their neck, or you could make two traditional shoulder straps or a cross in the back- be creative!

Start with two bandanas.

Because bandanas are finished on all edges, you won't need to hem anything.  See?  Already easy. 

These bandanas were $1.99 each.

Next, remove any tags or price stickers from your bandanas.

Place bandanas RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER on your worktable.

Using regular thread to match the background of your bandans, sew down ONE side of the bandanas.  If you bandanas have a direction, make sure you are sewing a side seam and not the neck or hem of the dress.  Remember to only sew down ONE side.

Using elastic thread, hand wind your bobbin until full.  Depending on the size of your child, it may take several bobbins.  Wind a few in the beginning to save yourself time during the sewing process.

Wind loosely.  Do not pull the elastic tight.  Allow it to easily wrap around the bobbin.

Using the edge of your presserfoot as a guide, begin sewing.  You will be sewing down the long edge of the bandana (essentially sewing down one bandana, over the seam you made previously, and on to the second bandana).

The top of your machine is threaded with regular thread - whatever closely matches your bandana background.  Only the bobbin is threaded with elastic thread.

I sewed 13 rows total, which was four inches. 

Make sure to leave plenty of string at the end of each row.  Many tutorials say you need to tie your top and bobbin thread together at the end of the row - I have personally never done this and not had a problem.  However, if you cut your strings too short you would have it retract back into the stitch and that would be no good! 

It has also been my experience that different brands of elastic thread tend to shirr differently.  So, if you have a small amount on an old roll, I would NOT try to use that piece and then pair it with another brand.  Your dress may not look uniform. 

There is an excellent tutorial on shirring with elastic thread here.

So, now that your shirring is done, you will need to remove your elastic thread bobbin and replace it with the bobbin thread that matches your top thread. 

Pin the remaining side seam of your dress with right sides together and sew the second side seam.

After this seam is done, you may clip all the excess elastic thread and regular thread strings.

Now you have a beautiful strapless dress!

I chose to add a ribbon to tie in the back - halter style, but you can do whatever you want.  Traditional straps, criss cross in the back, anything really - do whatever works with the stash you have and the girl for which you are sewing.

Other variations:

• Use the tutorial here to make a matching pair of bloomers with a third bandana
• Add a ruffle to the bottom if you need more length
• Fit the straps loosely and pair with a long sleeved onesie or shirt for cooler weather

Bandana Dress, Bibs and Snack Bags

To coordinate with the Ruffle Blankie, I added a few hot pink and lime goodies for sweet Lawson.

A bandana dress- the two polka dot bandanas ($0.99 each) and the ribbon was from Hobby Lobby.  If you've never made a bandana dress, it's a super easy beginner sewing project.  I'll try to post a tutorial soon, but you really don't need one. 

Bibs and a Snack Bag- I backed the bibs with a lime green hand towel.  I love the pop of color it gives to this already vibrant fabric.  I had just enough fabric left over from the blankie for these two projects.

Placemat purse with a felt flower.  I love how the Dollar Tree has bright placemats that I'd probably never use on my table, yet they make great purses.  It's so easy to sew two sides together and add gussets to the bottom.  Stitch ribbon on the top for handles and you're done! 

I'll share the tutorial for the felt flower early next week.  Trust me, it's super simple but makes a big impact!

A pink and green coordinated gift- what more could a one year old want?

Ruffle Blanket

Remember this amazing cake my friend Stephanie made?

Well, in return, I promised her a Ruffle Blankie for her daughter's first birthday.

Stephanie chose this amazing flannel by Riley Blake.  Summer Song is the exact name of the print.  She paired it with lime green minky and hot pink satin. 

I thought I'd share a few tips about making ruffle blanket-- both for my own records and as a semi-tutorial. 

This requires intermediate sewing skills- not a beginner project.

The first thing I did was to make the ruffle.  My satin was 60" wide, so I cut 6 7" strips.  I sewed them together, right sides together, which made a strip that was 360" long. 

I chose to make soft pleats on this ruffle.  I could have ruffled it in the machine with a ruffle foot and then pulled the bobbin threads, but chose to pleat it since I don't have much experience with ruffling. 

It doesn't really matter how big your pleats are, as long as they are uniform around the entire blanket.

Once your ruffle is complete and stitched down, pin it to the flannel.  Make sure the raw edges line up and sew around all four sides of the flannel.

The corners:  One of the more challenging parts of this project!  I'm so thankful that I leared to mitre corners last fall when I made a table runner.  There is an excellent tutorial for mitreing on the Diary of a Quilter blog.

Once your ruffle is stitched onto the flannel, it's time to attach the minky!  Keep the ruffle folded down towards the flannel, and put the minky on top.  All raw edges should be to the outside.

Sew all the way around, but make sure to leave an opening for turning.  Turn and press.  Topstitch all the way around the blanket.

All done!

I had a little fabric left so I made a doll blanket and pillow, too!

And a pillow for the sweet birthday girl!

It's fun to take on projects that I know will be challenging, and this sure was.  I wouldn't do this kind of gift for just anyone, but it was truly my priveledge to shower Stephanie's sweet baby girl with such a special blanket and pillow.  She is such a dear friend, and knowing her has truly been a blessing!  Happy birthday, sweet Lawson!

Pink and Turquoise Ruffle Streamers

My BFF Stephanie is in full party swing for her one year old's birthday next month.  I offered to ruffle some streamers for her, because she just loved the ones I did for my daughter's party in May.

Ruffling two colors together is so very easy- Set your stitch length to the lowest possible setting and your tension to the highest.  The streamers will automatically ruffle as they go through you machine.  No pulling of bobbin threads needed!  :)

Although one of the rolls looks red in the photo, it is really a fuchsia color.  I can't wait to see how bright and beautiful this party will be!

Girl's Dress Upcycled from a Man's Dress Shirt

Many of you know that my sister and brother-in-law are moving to NYC very soon.  You can learn more about why they are moving by clicking here and watching a brief video.

In an attempt to downsize, I was given many old dress shirts from my brother-in-law, Josh.  Knowing there must be something I could make from all these dress shirts, I gladly accepted them and began brainstorming ideas about how to make this shirt into a dress for my two year old daughter.

I had seen other tutorials about how to upcycle a man's dress shirt, but they all contained sleeves, which I didn't want to bother with and would likely be too hot for our 100+ degrees in Florida.

So, I made my own pattern.  And better yet, I'll share it with you.

Please keep in mind that my daughter is a skinny two year old, about 23 lbs.  Adjust your measurements accordingly.

You will need:
a man's dress shirt
elastic
sewing machine
coordinating thread
contrasting fabric for sash and flower pin, if desired

First, cut off the arms and the collar of the shirt. 

Then, remove the pocket with your seam ripper.

Next, determine how wide you want your dress to be.  Length does not matter right now.  I would advise using a current dress as a sample.  You should add at least one inch one each side for seam allowances, and then additional inches if you want the dress more full.  

Finish the side seams.  Since I do not have a working serger, I chose to do a double hem on the side seams.  This means that I iron the fabric with a small (about ¼ inch) hem, and then fold it over again so that no raw edges are showing.  Do this on all four side seams.

Next is the neck casing.  The width of your elastic will determine the width of your casing.  Make your casing the same way as the side seams, with the double hem method.  Make sure that you only stitch at the bottom of the casing, not on the sides which would close your casing up!  Repeat this for the back side of the dress.

 Now, you should have two pieces (front and back) with three finished edges.

For my daughter, I made the arm holes 5 inches long.  You may or may not need to adjust the length for your child.  Put your two pieces right sides together and pin.  Make a mark or place a special pin at 5 inches (or where your desired armhole should be).  Sew from the marker pin down towards the bottom of the dress.  Repeat for the other side.  

Now, the hem.  Determine the length of your dress and cut it about 1 inch longer than the desired length.  Again, use the double hem method to sew a hem around the bottom of your dress.  If you like really wide hems, you will need to add more than 1 inch to the desired length before cutting your fabric.

Now, take your elastic.  Mine measured 18" but yours may be different.  You can measure your child by loosely stretching the elastic from one shoulder, around the neck, to the other shoulder, around the back and back to the first shoulder.

Put a safety pin through through one end of the elastic and thread it through the casing  you made earlier.  When you finish the first piece, just continue threading through the second piece until you reach your original starting point.

Sew your elastic together, using your backstitch many times to reinforce.  Thread it into the casing where it will be hidden from the outside.

The basic dress is done!  Now for the fun part....

Let's embellish it!

I chose this red and white polka dot in honor of Independence Day and a pop of color.

I made a sash for the dress by cutting a strip about 5" wide and folding it in half, right sides together.  I ran a long stitch down the unfinished side and then turned it right side out.

Finish the ends with the double hem method.

Anchor it to the dress somewhere.  I chose to anchor it on the side seam, but you could stitch it down anywhere, or in more than one place.

I also chose to add a fabric flower to the top left of the dress.

Pin it on and you are done.  Now, go chase your little girl around the house and make her put her dress on.... please tell me I'm not the only one who has to chase a toddler to put clothes on!

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial.  Please let me know if you have any questions and I will either answer them in the comments or edit the post if needed.

 

This post is linked to the following parties:

Dittle Dattle 

It's So Very Cheri

Sew Can Do

Sew Chatty

Crafts Keep Me Sane

Craft O Maniac

The Girl Creative

DIY Home Sweet Home Project 

I Heart Naptime

The DIY Showoff

By Stephanie Lynn

Creative Jewish Mom

No Time for Flash Cards

Sew Many Ways

Itsy Bitsy Paper 

Making the World Cuter Monday