Hi Barbie! Have you noticed the pink phenomenon that is spreading all over the world? It's a whole Barbie craze! And, I'm here for it. Gimme aaallll the pink. Have you seen the movie? I saw it twice. I made a dress and had to share it with you. Yay for Barbie sewing!

I grabbed the Barbara Bodice pattern from Gertie's Patreon. If you aren't a member, run, don't walk, and join now! She gives so much over there, even at the base level. The Barbara bodice is the updated version of her original Butterick 6453.

This, isn't a sew-along, but it's more of a show and tell. I want to show you the Barbie movie-inspired dress. If you've made a Barbie dress, shorts, PJs, or other inspirational item, tag me. I want to see what you made. I've seen a few goth Barbie outfits that are super fun too.

Let's dive in!

My thoughts on the Barbara bodice might not be the popular opinion. But, I much prefer the Butterick 6453. I like how the back fits me. It has a simple dart. The Barbara has a 2-piece back pattern. It's fine enough, but seems to be extra. 

Barbara has different cup sizes, which is awesome!! No more figuring out your FBA. For the busty gals, this is a huge plus! However, my bodice didn't fit, as flawlessly as the Butterick 6453. I had some extra armpit room, which is weird. I like the FBA I created for the Butterick pattern better. I plan on making another Barbara (I didn't make a mock-up for my Barbie dress) and I'll play with the pattern, fit, and sizing.

Gertie included 2 strap options with the Barbara Bodice. Self-tie straps that are thin, and wide gathered straps, for bra strap coverage. I opted to use the thin self-tie straps, and they covered my wide bra straps well enough. 

The Barbara doesn't have any facings, it's fully lined, which I'm a huge fan of! I definitely love the pattern and am a huge fan. Both the Butterick 6453 and Barbara come together so easily and are fun to sew. It's the perfect last-minute dress pattern. But, I'm still on the fence if I'm over the moon happy with the Barbara. 

Have you sewn it? If so, have you compared the two patterns side by side? The general consensus I've seen across the interwebs is that the Barbara is wonderful. But, as I've gone down the pattern-making black hole, I've become more of a pattern snob kabob. 

Gertie also created the Barbie movie skirt pattern to go with the bodice. It's a full box pleat skirt that uses aalll the fabric. When I ordered my fabric, I ordered 4 yards. However, the skirt alone uses over 4 yards. So, I went with plan B.

I opted to draft my own circle skirt, and of course, I added roomy pockets. I actually prefer circle skirts over gathered ones anyway. I have a fuller tummy and appreciate less fabric in that area. Plus, circle skirts are just fun! 

I've been learning pattern making as I mentioned above, and I'm taking it one step at a time. If you're interested, check out Tricia, she's the best teacher! And, her motto is "You don't need to be good at math for pattern making". Which I'm all about because mathing is hard. Haha :D

Welp, that's it. Do you love the dress? I sure do. I feel so girly in it and it'll be a February staple as well. I plan on wearing tights and a sweater, or a long sleeve underneath it.  

Not a Barbie fan? You can sew this 1950s-style swimsuit instead. It's the Bombshell and it's flattering on everybody.

Have you ever been interested in quilt making, but it looks intimidating? Read my blog post and you can sew one up in about a week. 



Thanks for hanging out today. Happy sewing of all things pink! 


XOXO,
​Annette

Sewing is a journey. Whether you've been sewing for a few months or decades. As sewists, we are constantly learning. We have ups and downs. Recently I took a jump and disregarded a golden sewing rule. Yep, I had a sewing fail. I've been sewing for over 20 years and you would think with that many years under my belt, I'd be a super pro. Nope, not the case. 

I started with a pattern I've made before. The fit is good but, I went rogue! I used knit fabric for a woven pattern. And the outcome was, well, all kinds of wrong. Here's why you stick with the fabric that the pattern recommends. 

Choose your fabric wisely. When you pick a sewing pattern, the envelope gives your lots of important information. Do not ignore it. Read the fabric recommendations and stick with them, for the most part. I made my first New Look 6446 pattern back in 2020 with a stretch cotton sateen. It turned out beautifully. I wear it all the time and love the fit. I wanted to make another one and figured since the last one turned out, I could use knit fabric for a second one. It would be the ultimate cozy secret pajamas. I was wrong! 

I followed the directions to the T. I even followed the layout instructions after I had made a mental note of my directional fabric. The back legs ended up getting cut upside down. Womp womp. Nevertheless, I carried on. 

Sewed the darts on the front and back bodice pieces. 

Added the interfacing to the top piece. At this point, I started to realize I chose the wrong fabric. the knit didn't like being sewn in this direction. But, I kept going. 

The pocket bags sewed up nicely. This pattern has such nice roomy pockets. I love it!

The pant legs went together seamlessly as well. So far, the only real issue has been the bodice area. 

Sewed up the crotch seam. I was getting excited because it was coming together nicely.

Pinned the bodice piece to the legs at the waist and sewed. I did notice a little stretching at this seam but thought it was no biggy. Secret pajamas remember!? This is going to be so cozy!

Next up was the invisible zipper. I love sewing these. It feels so wrong the way they go in, but it looks so right after they're in. I buy mine in bulk, so it was either black or white. I chose black, but wish I used a white one. Ah well. 

I didn't take photos of the lining, but it's the same as the bodice. It was all stretched out. I attached the shoulder straps and hemmed the legs. 

I tried it on and it fit. It fits with tonnns of extra room! Not good. It's not a baggy-style jumpsuit. It's supposed to be more form fitting. Ack!! 

• I chose knit fabric for a woven pattern. Not smart. The amount of ease and sewing pieces were created for a non stretch fabric. When I made my first one, the fabric had a slight stretch but, wasn't knit. Lesson learned. 
• I laid my fabric out with the direction in mind, but then left my brain in the kitchen and placed the pattern upside down. So, my back pant legs are upside down. Face-palm, lesson learned.
• Rippled top piece was interfaced with stretch interfacing. Not sure if this was a good or bad move. I think it was a bad move perhaps? I also think I should have made the lining with a woven fabric. It would have acted as a stabilizer to keep the knit fabric from stretching out. 

• Armhole sagging, gapping, bagging. I will unpick the waist seam and take a "dart" out of the each side seam. This will hopefully eliminate the bagged out armholes.
• I'll take in the waist seam a bit too, it's on the too big side.

I learned my lesson on fabric choice. I thought I'd be able to get away with using a different fabric, but learned that I in fact, cannot. I'm glad it was a silly mistake that I can fix. I still love the jumpsuit and plan on wearing it for three seasons. It's super comfortable and looks cute. The upside down fabric on the backside doesn't bother me as much. The print is small enough that nobody will even notice. 

What's your most recent sewing fail? Or sewing win!? Let's celebrate both today!! Comment below. 

Happy sewing!
Annette

​Summer is here, and do you know what that means? It's time to tackle your warm-weather vintage sewing patterns. The weather has been cooler lately, but shorts are still a necessity. The Simplicity vintage-style pattern 8654 is a perfect summer sewing pattern. It has swooshy shorts, a cute top, and a fun skirt. I chose to sew the shorts. I have a pair of RTW shorts that are similar, but no longer fit. So, I decided to make my own. The shorts have minimal pattern pieces (4) and take about 2 yards of fabric, more or less depending on your size. Let's get started!

​
Find your size on the pattern. The style is very forgiving in the hips, so I went with my waist measurement only.

Cut the pattern or trace it onto paper. Transfer all your markings. This, is especially important for the pleats. 

​Cut out the fabric pieces and interface your waistband. 

Match the front pieces together. Pin and sew along the curve. 

Fold the pleats, matching the marked lines, and sew. Do this with both of the front pieces. Then, repeat the same steps for the back pieces. The pattern instructions were fairly easy for these shorts. No issues to write home (or you) about.

​
Your pleats should look like the ones above. Topstitch after you sew them to keep them secure. 

Flip over the shorts, and there will be two rows of stitching, like the photo below. So far, pretty easy, right?

Grab your two pocket pieces. Sew along the edges on a front piece and again on a back piece. This pattern only has one pocket because of the side zipper. If you're feeling brave, you could easily add a second side pocket and insert the zipper in the back seam instead.

Sewing is all about customization. :D

I didn't love how they have you sew the pocket. But, note to self, next time sew it up how I would regularly sew an inseam pocket. 

​
Zipper time! This pattern calls for a lapped zipper, which is a true vintage style zipper. I am somewhat new to the lapped zipper, as I've only been sewing them for 2 or so years. I'm a huge fan! They take minimal effort and go in pretty easily, with a few tips and tricks. 

I use a strip of 1" interfacing for all of my zippers. It helps stiffen up the fabric, and the zipper looks nicer after it is sewn in. 

Press the right side under 1/2". Pin the fabric right next to the zipper teeth. Sew, using a zipper foot. 

Then, press the left side under 5/8". I close the zipper and pin the fabric to the zipper tape. Be sure to barely cover the right side stitches. Unzip, then sew. 

​Time for some waistband action. I sewed a straight size 18 for the shorts and used the size 18 waistband pattern piece, but the waistband was too short. So, I added an extra piece of fabric to insure the waist band was long enough. I've noticed with a lot of patterns that the waistband always falls short of the skirt, shorts, or pants. ?? Maybe I'm broken, but does this happen to you?

It was an easy fix, luckily. Just make a note of it when you make these shorts. 

Pin and sew the waistband to the shorts, making sure to match notches and seams.

​After sewing the waistband to the shorts, flip the raw edge over to enclose the raw edges of the shorts. The band will enclose them. 

Pin from the outside, right along the seam line, catching the inner fold with the pins. This, is my most favorite way of sewing a waistband. It goes quickly and has a clean finish. 

​Time to hem your new shorts. You can turn the raw edge under 1/4" and then under again, like the pattern instructions say. Or, serge the raw edge and turn under once and sew. I prefer to do it this way most times. It is quick and easy, and is great for pants or shorts. 

Add a label in the back of the shorts. The front looks very similar to the back, so this little addition helps when it's time to get dressed. If you don't have labels, add a fun piece of grosgrain ribbon. 

Don't forget to add your buttonhole and button. I opted for a fun contrasting pink one. I love my colorful coral zipper too. It mostly matches. Ha! 

The shorts fit great! I went down a size in my waist because I know the big 4 patterns usually add a lot of ease. My waist is 33-34", and I sewed the size that had a 32" waist. They fit perfectly and have a little wiggle room. The fabric I used is a rayon challis. In my experience, rayon shrinks over time with the first few washings. If it shrinks, I'm good. If not, I'm good. Either way, I'm happy with the size I chose.
The fabric is a Gertie designed fabric she used to have at Joann stores. It's almost a decade old. I made a Rita with it. The leftover fabric was from the yardage I bought all that time ago. 
Funny enough, I did not have a top that matched my new shorts. Yes, I have black tops, but I wanted some color. I made a solid bright pink Rita to wear with them. I know, so bizarre for me to sew solid fabrics. Because the shorts were so busy, I wanted some simplicity on top. 


Next time I make these shorts, I'm going to play with the pleats. I think I'll fold the fabric differently to give them a different look. Maybe a large box pleat? 

Thanks for following along. Now, go grab the pattern and get started on your summer sewing. 

Are you excited to make these shorts? Have you made them before? Would you make them again?

​Happy stitching,
Annette

Recently, I went to Craftcation. What is that, you ask? It's a conference for crafty people and/or small biz whizzes. You can learn a new craft, hone in on your skills for your favorite crafts, or take some steps to help your business. It's a craft-vacation. Craftcation. You meet others who share your same crafty love, too.

Grab a cup of tea and a snack, this is going to be a long one. I had the most wonderful vacation. I bought my ticket back in 2020, and we all remember that year, right? So, I finally went and I know this sounds cliché, but it was life-changing. Life. Changing. People!

I went alone (Cue "All By Myself" by Celine Dion). I didn't know a single soul aside from a few people I've lightly interacted with, on Instagram. It was my first solo trip in my whole adult life. (I would hope as a kid too. I don't know too many kids going on their own for a week.) LOL. I found out that I can, in fact, travel alone. And, even better, I LOVED it. 

Here's my walkthrough of Craftcation. I had to share it with all of you now, so you can grab a ticket if you're interested. And, you should be interested! It was so good!! So, freaking, good. 

I arrived on Wednesday around noon, and grabbed my swag bag and name-tag lanyard, without knowing a single person. I went to my first class, which was a website critique, and met my people! I didn't know at the time that they were my people, until the following morning. After the class and some great advice, I headed to my hotel to check in and unload my car. Whew! I brought a ton of stuff! It looked like I packed for a family of four, but it was just me. Hahaha!!!

​I unpacked and settled in quickly, then walked across the street back to the Marriott, the Craftcation headquarters. The Meet and Greet was for the newbies. My table had mostly new people and it was the usual, go around the table, say your name and what you do... yadda yadda. Everyone was nice and we shared our business cards. Another Craftcation alumni sat next to me, and we hit it off. She was a hoot and introduced me to a few of her friends, they were sitting at a nearby table. After the meet-n-greet, we moved over to a new table. I chatted with some very sweet ladies while watching the opening ceremony. 

After the ceremony, you break out and mingle, make simple crafts, grab a drink from the bar, eat at the restaurant, or go back to your room. I grabbed a drink, attempted to mingle (without knowing anyone), and also attempted a craft, but everything was full. So, I went back to my room. I felt a little defeated but, was still positive. No harm, no foul. I walked across to grab In n Out and ate in my room while watching King of the Hill. I know how to party, what can I say!?

The next morning, Thursday, was when the magic happened! I had previously signed up for the thrift and shop, Sewing class. You go thrifting, find a lemon to make lemonade out of, and then show it off at the fashion show! That was the only sewing class I signed up for because I was more interested in trying new things. Mistake #1! I should have signed up for all the sewing classes! *Note taken*

Anywho, I had a car, so three wonderful ladies piled in with me, and we drove to the thrifty shopping downtown area. One gal was from the class I took on the first night. She would later (5 whole minutes later) become "my people." At the store, I found more treasures than I could count! I opted for a purple (we all know how I feel about purple, not a fan) muumuu to cut up and re-fashion into a romper. I also grabbed some other fun things I had plans for later on down the road. 


​

Long story short, the romper didn't work out. It ended up becoming a shorter muumuu. I'll probably wear it around the house during summer. I met a few other ladies while thrifting and they all became "my people" as well! Sewing people are the best people, in my opinion. ;) But, I'm biased.

After thrifting, I was invited to eat lunch with my new friends. We ate our boxed lunches in the restaurant area. You can pre-order these "sack lunches" and pick whichever menu item you want in advance. I highly recommend this. You only get a short window of time between your classes. Plus, it gives you time to socialize. My next class was making a lazy Susan. BTW, they are much harder to make than you'd think! Haha! Mad respect for Lazy Susaners. The people I liked in that class, also sewed. Figures, right? 

After that, I headed upstairs to the thrift store sewing. On my way to the class, I saw a couple of friends signing up for some coaching sessions. You can schedule different ones for times to meet with an expert and pick their brain for whatever they are an expert in. We were chatting, and there was a coaching session that one person had signed up for. I thought, oh, I should do that too. I've been thinking about whether or not I should start a youtube channel or something and this person can help me figure out what I need to do. Right? Sure. So, I signed up without giving it any thought and headed to the sewing class.

And, wouldn't you know it, I sat next to one of the gals that rode with me to the thrift shops. We had fun sewing, well, mostly ripping out stitching, and trying to fit our up-cycled outfits and making them look less fugly. That was something I'd never done before and found that I'm okay with not ever doing again. Ha! I need a pattern to sew garments with. Next time, I just might bring a pattern with me. Sshhh, nobody has to know. ;) Another friend from the thrift store was in the class too, so we had fun ​laughing and trying to figure out our horrendous makes. BTW, hers turned out phenomenal! She took an avocado green 60s tablecloth and made a caftan out of it. 

I was officially in with my new group now. We all exchanged phone numbers, I found my people! My tribe, as you will. I bonded with this group of ladies so quickly and felt like I had known them for years. Years!!! After sewing our makes and wishing I had more time, and pondering why I decided to do this class, we went back to our rooms. 

Iron Craft was that night. It's Craftcation's version of Iron Chef. They give you a bag of stuff to create with and one secret ingredient you have to use. I went to watch and let me tell you, there are some creative people out there! Holy moly, toasted cannoli! I would have just glued some yard to construction paper and called it a day. Not these folks. They made hats, belts, floral arrangements, jewelry, and more! I'm not gonna lie, it was hard to see what they made, but they go up on stage to show off each maker's item. Then, weed out the best until the winner is decided. Fun stuff. 

After that, was karaoke. It had an alien/space theme. I had an outfit picked out ahead of time back at the room, and of course, I went! I wore neon green tights, a silver sequin dress, space buns, and silver shoes. No, I didn't sing, but I laughed my booty off with a friend and cheered on everyone who could sing and those who couldn't. ;) We shut it down and I got back to my room a little later than I had hoped for, that night. Haha! 

The next morning, we're on Friday I believe, I had a photo walking tour. Well, I misread the description and thought it was a DSLR photo walk. Nope, it was a phone camera class about how to pose for your own photos. A selfie class, sort of. I learned a few things, and the teacher was great. Another friend I had met while thrifting happened to walk past me and I told her to come hang in the class too. We shared some laughs, and it was nice having a familiar face in the class. After that, we broke out for lunch. I met with my new group of friends, ate, laughed some more, and then went our separate ways to the next class. 


I went to a walk-in class called Painting Weirdos. I also was lucky enough to sit next to a long-time IG friend who also sews, and that was fun! It's always exciting meeting a social media friend, in person. Painting these so-called weirdos gave me the mental break I needed from such a jam-packed few days. I loved it! After this painting session, I went to my coaching session.

Well, the 50-minute coaching session was an OMG moment! I cried, people! I NEVER cry! I even ugly cried. She helped me to realize "out loud" that I don't love sewing and selling things in my shop. It doesn't feed my soul anymore. I want to focus on creating sewing content, making patterns for you, etc. We hugged 50 times afterward, and I felt the biggest weight release from my chest. It was a life-changing coaching sesh. Anyway, let's keep going...


I skipped my next class which was a thinking tank for content planning. I needed a little mental break. A few friends were outside so, I joined them instead. The warm sun felt cleansing and I was recharged. 

Never in a million years, would I have expected what I got, from that coaching session. It was something I thought, yeah, I'd chit-chat about my website and shop and see where I'm going to go with it all. 
I am a huge believer in "everything happens for a reason". And, had I not walked up the stairs to say hi to my friends, while THEY were signing up for sessions, I would have never signed myself up. And, I would still feel lost in my business and dare I say, life. 

Okay, so after that life-changing afternoon, I had to get ready for the fashion show. You know the one where we thrifted something, sewed something horrendous out of it, and now we were to show it all off! Ack! We dressed up and got in line to walk the runway. It was fun, hilarious, and I made a few more new friends waiting in line. Again, sewing people. Do you see a pattern here? I started to see it. 

We all had dinner at the hotel restaurant that night, it was nice to sit and talk and laugh about life. This whole vacation was filled with good people. MY people. After dinner, we went to Wanderings. This was a lot of fun! People who had rooms in the hotel decorated their rooms in different themes and you go from room to room. It's like trick or treating but for adults. One room had a keychain-making station, one had embroidery, a middle school dance room, a tiki room with rum punch, a toast room where you made your own toast, and so much more! Very cool! After that, we went "home" to our rooms to get ready for another day. 

Now, it's Saturday. Whew, if you're still with me, thank you! If not, I totally understand. It's a lot to take in (read).

I started Saturday morning off with a Copy Writing Rouoette class. It is a pretty cool concept, you write down what your business is about and fill out an easy form. Then, everyone goes and writes what they think your business is about. Words, phrases, themes, etc. It's to help give you ideas for your own copywriting. It was a small class, so it was more intimate, which was very nice.  

Next up was a wood-burning class. I have had a wood-burning tool for years that I use solely for Halloween decorations. I carve into foam boards with it. I am a huge Halloween fan, but figured I'd learn how to use it on actual wood. You know, because that's what it's made for. Well, I am not a fan. It's soooo slooow. You have to go at a snail's pace and it killed me inside. Haha. Okay, I'm not a wood burner, lesson learned. Kudos to those that have that kind of patience though. I salute you!

Up next was an Astrology class. This wasn't really something I'd ever do, but, I thought it might be fun and brainless. It wasn't brainless! Haaa!! It was brain-full. However, it was neat to get a printout of your birth chart from where the planets were at the exact moment you were born. And, wow! I'm 100% Leo through and through. Which really wasn't news to me. ;) 

After that, I went back to my room to hang out for a bit and grab a snack, and a sweater. Then I met up with everyone to walk to the pier for tacos. We ate tacos, froze a little, and afterward one friend and I drove to Ventiki for drinks with her friends. Yay for meeting new people. Let's just give a little nod to her Shelby Mustang rental car. It was a convertible and gorgeous! I'm not a Mustang fan. At all. But, I have to give some love to her car. LOL, It had lights that shined on the ground where the doors were! I don't get out much, I was impressed. :D

​Ventiki was a whole experience in itself. First off, we ordered the worst drinks ever. Sent them down the table and traded with another friend. Ordered a second round and they were less terrible, but still not good. We ordered coconut shrimp that was fine at first but then got gross. Oh, and we also ordered Spam sliders. I'll let that sink in for a minute. SPAM sliders. Spam is something you either love or hate. There is no in-between. So, the first two bites were okay. The third one though. It hit differently. It tasted legit like dog food. I know what you're thinking, "Um, Annette, it's spam aka dog food". Well, the first two bites were good! So, we had a good laugh over everything we ordered and decided we need adults to order for us next time. I don't think the rest of the table appreciated our humor over it all. But, to each their own. It was a memorable time and meal, at best.

Sunday had finally arrived. I woke up early (not on purpose, I'm just a morning person) and packed my things up. Bagged up all the snacks, my new goodies from the pop-up shop, and my big ole bag of stuff from the thrift stores. I loaded my car and checked out of my hotel. I parked at the Marriott- Craftcation Headquarters. And, I headed out to take a nice long walk along the beach, alone with my camera. (I still needed photos to turn in to my photography class on Monday.) I was gone for much longer than I anticipated. But, it was enjoyable to snap photos of all the things I had missed on the walk when we grabbed tacos at the pier. I also got some exercise and my steps in. 

After my own photo walk, I grabbed breakfast inside the hotel. I needed coffee for the first time in almost a week. I skipped the closing ceremony, for subpar coffee and a sad/dry Belgian waffle. LOL, worth it. A couple of friends came to chat while I ate and then I headed outside to make some Japanese coasters. 

Suminagashi is the Japanese art of marbling. It was pretty cool to learn and extremely easy to do. After that, I headed back home. I don't like crying and feared I would cry saying goodbye. It wasn't a "goodbye everyone", it was the "see ya next year" feeling that I wanted to hold on to. 

I left with my mind full. My heart full. And, with a whole group of new besties. My drive home was nice and easy. I only live a couple of hours away, which is a huge bonus. Fun fact, most of us have already bought tickets for next year. And, I cannot wait to see my friends again! 

​After I got home and unloaded my truckload of things, I couldn't stop talking. I was energized, my "mom battery" was fully charged, and I was ready to tackle life again. Do you know how sometimes when you get back from vacation, you need a 3-day nap? This was not the case for me, this time. I pulled weeds, mowed the lawn, and unpacked everything. Of course, I passed out on the couch at 8 pm. But, that's besides the point. Hahaha!! 

I hope you enjoyed my day-by-day recap. I highly recommend going to Craftcation. It's for craft folks and/ or small business owners. There's something for everyone. 

Stay crafty, my friends!
Annette

• If you've ever wanted to do something like this, do it! You won't regret it. Put yourself out there. Sit next to a single person in a class. Meet new people, don't be afraid. Take a friend if you need to. But, know it'll be different than if you go alone.
  
• To find your tribe, you MUST take classes that interest you. I really should have signed up for more sewing classes. Ah well, lesson learned. My people are sewing people. They are not woodworkers, astrologers, content planners, etc.
  
• Sign up for a class on your first day! Start off with a bang! You never know who you'll meet. 
  
• Arrive to your classes early. You can't socialize while the presenter is talking, so grab a chance to talk with those sitting near you before it starts. 
  
• Stay at the hotel or nearby (within walking distance). This was huge for me. I actually liked walking back and forth. I had a 2 min walk from the Craftcation hotel to mine, and I wasn't upset about it.
  
• Pack cozy clothes, bring a sweater, and wear comfortable shoes. Bring a notebook and pen/pencil to business workshops. 
  
• Be authentic, and you will make friends and find your people. 

Cooking is fun, messy, and can be very delicious. Gardening is quite rewarding because its fun to watch things grow. Sewing, however, is my main jam! I love making bags, gifts for others, clothes, and so much more. Sewing is definitely my most beloved hobby. However, I was never a fan of quilting. To me, quilting and sewing are two different hobbies. Are you team sewing or quilting? 

I never loved making those strip pieced table runners, or small quilts. Too many rules to follow. Too many tiny pieces of fabric to cut. Cutting all of those small pieces to then sew them together again, is my absolute nightmare. But, something wild and crazy happened during this past Fall. A  Halloween quilt came to life! I don't remember what planet I was visiting, but I decided to make a quilt. Spoiler alert, I made a Christmas one too. And, I loved every minute of it. It was so fun! Why did I change my mind? Well, I didn't follow a pattern. I did my own thing entirely and loved the process and final result.

If you're not a quilty fan, I beg you to try making a quilt following your own rules. Read along for some easy tips to create your first (or next) quilt. Am I a quilter now? I don't think so. But, I did enjoy making both of the holiday lap throws. As you read, you'll notice more of the Halloween quilt. I took more process photos of that one but, there are some Christmas ones too. 

Disclaimer: I am not a professional quilter. I probably do some cringe-worthy things here but, this is how I made my two quilts. The best part? I didn't want to set them on fire in the process. Sewing is supposed to be fun and not stressful. And, after all, it's just fabric and we all own a seam ripper or two. Let's get quilting!

1. Fabric. Lots and lots of fabric. 1-3 yards for the backing. 2-3 yards of various coordinating colors, patterns, and styles of fabric. It might be easier to start with 4-5 different fabrics first.
2. A package of batting
3. Rotary cutter and mat
4. Quilting rulers
5. 2-3 Spools of thread
6. 3+ bobbins
7. Quilting Gloves (I use Grease Monkey auto ones)
8. KK-100 Spray adhesive
9. Free motion quilting foot
10. Sewing machine 
11. Patience and lots of snacks

A quilt is a fabric sandwich, more or less. You have a top, which is all the pretty pieces. The middle is the batting layer. The bottom or backing is the fabric on the back. It is usually a solid or printed piece. If you make a larger quilt, you'll need to have a seam or two running along the back. 

• First, decide on the size. Are you making a table runner, a lap quilt, or going for the gusto and making a Queen bed-sized one? You don't need to stick to this exact size but, a general idea is good. Keep in mind the size of your backing as well. Quilting cotton comes in 44" widths so unless you want a seam or two running down the backside, you might want to keep it smaller. 
• Next, you want to decide on shapes. Do you want rectangles, thin strips, squares, or more intricate shapes? 
• You'll need to also include border strips. These will frame your inner quilt pieces. Traditionally, you add these to the sides first, then top, and then the bottom. However, it's your quilt. You have my permission to make it however you want. Go ham!
• Be sure to choose similar colors or patterns. For a first quilt, it may be easiest to purchase fabric in the same design family. That's what I did for the Christmas one. The fabric was all made by Singer and I bought it from Michaels.
• Decide on a rough layout, it doesn't need to be set in stone, it's just to get you started. Then cut the pieces using a rotary cutter, mat, and ruler. Example: You can start out with cutting 10 pieces of red, 10 of yellow, 10 of blue, 10 of checks, 10 of polka dots, etc. You can always add more or take away. This just gets you started. You can also buy a set of pre-cut squares to make it even easier. Set each pile aside. You'll work from the piles.

*For reference, I'm going to use my lap sized quilts I made, which were roughly 4'x6'.

This, in my opinion, is the most important part. Yes, crooked seams want to be avoided along with wonky stitching but, the fabrics need to look pretty. So, this step is very important. 

• Clean off a huge area on the floor and start laying out your pieces. You usually want it longer than wider but, again, your quilt. 
• Lay the squares down in a rough pattern. For my Halloween one, I did 6 across, and 7 down. I didn't want the same colors or patterns touching. This can be impossible sometimes. Switch them around until you get something you like. If you're losing your mind over this part, walk away and come back later. It can also help to have a second opinion. Ask a family member, text a photo to a friend, or DM an Instagram bestie to ask for their opinion. I even found that just taking a photo and looking at my quilt in the photo helped me fix a few snafus. Call me crazy, but the layout can make or break your quilt. I've seen some less desirable ones that could have been saved by a different layout. 
• I decided to make my quilt larger than my original planned size. To do this, I cut 3" wide strips the length of my top piece, and sandwiched them vertically, between the squares. This is easy to do and it can make it longer or wider. After you stitch all the small pieces together, your quilt shrinks quite a bit. Who knew a 1/4" seam allowance was so big? Haha
• Place your long border strips on the top and bottom. They frame your quilt and "seal the deal", so to speak.

Most machines come with a quarter-inch sewing foot, have marks on the machine plate, and some might even have a quilting guide bar. Make use of one or all of these.

• Use a 1/4" seam allowance at all times, for all the pieces. It might seem small but, it creates less bulk. You don't trim the seam allowances like you would in garment sewing.
• Use cotton or polyester thread. I used polyester. I've honestly never sewn with cotton thread. You'll have to do your own Google search on that if you're interested. (I think purists use cotton thread but, I could be wrong. Again, not a professional).
• Start by sewing the first vertical row from left to right. You'll sew the squares to form a really long strip. 
• Press each seam to one side. Don't press open like you do with garment sewing. For example, press each seam to the left side in this row. 
• For the second row, sew all the squares (or strips) to each other the same way you did with the first row. 
• Press each seam to the right side. Give a quick press to the front side of the seams too. 
• Sew the second row to the first row making sure to line up the seams perfectly. Press seams to one side.
• Repeat this until you're at the end of the length. 
• If your quilt is easier to sew the strips/squares across, do that and work your way down.
• You could use a walking foot to sew your pieces if you'd like. It helps to "walk" both layers evenly at the same time. I used the quilting foot my machine came with for the Halloween one. For the Christmas one, I didn't. Both turned out beautifully without issues.

After the middle portion is completed and you're standing in shock and awe at the small sized quilt, you might want to make it bigger. I know I did! Ha! I still can't believe how much it shrinks after sewing all the pieces together. 

If you'd like to make it bigger, you can sew a few extra strips to add to the sides, top, and bottom. In that order. My Halloween quilt shrank after I sewed the middle area together. I didn't realize how much a tiny 1/4" seam allowance would eat the fabric.