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

Love is in the air. I can feel it, and I can smell the chocolate. Now, I know Valentine's Day isn't for everyone. But it's for me! Is it for you, too? Pulling out the pink and red decorations is the highlight of my February. Or, sometimes late January. I love DIYing the next few holidays that are coming up too. I'm excited for Easter, St. Paddy's Day, and even 4th of July. 

Valentine's Day is all about hearts, hearts, hearts. But, you don't necessarily need heart themed fabric to sew Valentine's projects. You'll see some heart fabrics were used in these projects, but anything red or pink will do just fine. Sift through your stash and scrap bin to give those red and pink fabrics some new life.

If you have little ones, they can help with decorating the house and making their Valentine's gifts too. I wanted to share some quick and easy things that you can sew for Valentine's Day, that shouldn't take a whole day. A few of these were made in previous years, and some were made this year.
Let's get our love on! 

Sew up some cute gift card holders for teachers, neighbors, or friends. We know everyone could use a little extra love these days. Grab a $10 coffee, fast food, or bookstore gift card and slip one inside.

​If you have kids, stick a fro-yo, makeup store, online gaming, or other gift card inside. 

The gift card holder isn't my pattern. It's by Anne at OrangeBettie.com, and I found it here. Print the free sewing pattern and follow her directions on how to make your own. I skipped the snaps because I was lazy. But, add the snaps or a button or not. Make it your own. 

​Make a simple fabric basket as part of the gift. Fill it with candy, bath salts and a candle, toy cars, a small lego set, some tiny dolls, a plant, or something else. These really make your gift extra special when paired with something.

This fabric basket is super simple. It doesn't require interfacing, only two layers of fabric. If you'd like something a little more stable, grab my tutorial here. But, if you just want a quick basket, keep reading.

The basket takes about 30 min from start to finish. Less if you're a speedy sewer. Gather your pink and red fabrics. 

• 2 Fat Quarters of non-directional fabric
• Ruler and air/water soluble marker 
• Thread and other sewing notions
• Sewing machine

Cut your fabric into one long rectangle, the length, and width you want. I folded a piece of fabric I had in half and trued up the sides. Don't overthink this, it's supposed to be quick and easy. Read: last minute gift ;)

For example, I cut mine about 16" long by 9" wide.

The leaves are starting to fall, the mornings are crisp, and evenings are getting chilly. It's almost sweater weather! If you love fall, I bet you're dreaming of warm mugs filled with cocoa, hot tea, fancy coffees, or hot toddies. I know I am. Cue the cat mat, rug mug, or coffee coaster; you decide the name of it. I want to share a cute kitty mug rug pattern with you all. Here is an easy, beginner friendly sewing project that you can whip up in an hour. Its a great for scrap buster project too.

A mug rug will help protect your kitchen table from the heat of a hot beverage. With the holidays approaching, these would even make perfect gifts. Neighbors, moms, uncles, friends, and teachers will love them. They can also be great for kids. Add a hot cocoa packet inside a cute mug for an easy holiday gift.

I kept this post simple and short. Less time reading, more time for sewing. Let's go!

• Large scraps of cotton fabric, or 2 fat quarters
• Batting. You can use quilting batting, Insul-Bright, Wrap N Zap, or fusible fleece
• Clips or pins
• Cat Mug Rug pattern 
• Sewing machine
• Air soluble pen
• Scissors
• Thread, ruler, etc.
• Cup of something hot to place onto the mug after it's sewn :)

The finished size is approximately 6.5" wide by 6.25" tall. 

1. Print and cut out the PDF pattern with non-fabric scissors. 
2. Place the pattern onto the fabric and trace with an air soluble pen or other marking tool. Transfer the markings onto your fabric. Trace and cut 2 pieces of fabric. 
3. Cut out a piece of batting. (I prefer to cut it larger than the fabric because it will shift during sewing). 

Place the batting onto the table. Then, place the wrong side of fabric onto the batting. Take the second fabric and place it right side facing down. You'll have a fabric sandwich now. The 2 pieces of cotton will be facing right sides together. Pin or clip the 3 layers together.

​Batting, fabric, fabric.

A note on batting: if you use Insul-bright or fleece, do not put your mug rug in the microwave. Fleece is polyester and will melt. Insul-bright has metal and will spark. If you plan on putting your coaster in the microwave, use cotton quilting batting or Wrap n Zap only.

You'll sew the mug rug using a 1/4" seam allowance. Start sewing at one of the marked spots on the bottom, don't forget to backstitch. Sew all the way around. Go slow around the cat ears, it can get tight. Backstitch when you get to the other marking. You should have a small opening for turning out.
Clip your threads.

1. Trim away the excess batting.
2. Clip the curves and trim the corners. Clip the sides and top of the cat head. Cut tiny triangles into the inner curved areas near the ears. This makes them turn out nicely without any bunching.
3. Grab a chopstick or blunt pencil to poke out corners and seams. Press nice and flat.

Tip: Use the chopstick in one hand to push the seam out, while using the iron in the other hand to press. This is the same pressing method I use to make my wide Rockabilly headbands. 

Give the whole mat a good press. Top stitch the opening closed, be sure to backstitch at the beginning and end. Or, you can top stitch around the whole coaster. Stitch using 1/8"- 1/4" from the edge.

You're all done! Now go brew a cup of something warm and tasty, and sip in style. Make one for each holiday or day of the week. 

• Make a few different sets of these to give as a gifts. Wrap them with themed ribbon or twine. Add a fun, informative tag to let the recipient know what they are. Using themed fabric can make it extra personal. If your sister in law is a nurse, use medical fabric. If someone is a book lover, use licensed movie or comic book fabrics. 
• Add some rick rack to the front or seam for added color. 
• Piece together and quilt to use up tiny fabric scraps. 
• Add piping to the outside. Go slow around the cat ears because it can get really tight on the inside corners. 
• Use 2 different fabrics to make it reversible.

A word of caution, these mats are made for beverages that are usually dark in color and can stain. I wouldn't recommend using white or really light colored fabrics. Fabrics that are dark or heavily patterned work the best. Think of fabrics that will hide stains easily. 

Wash your cat coasters with cool water, gentle cycle, tumble dry low or air dry. Give them a good press if needed. I keep one near the coffee pot as a spoon rest, too.

Enjoy the pattern! And, enjoy sipping a cup of something delicious while you use this cute cat mug rug on your desk or table.

As always, thanks for stopping by and happy sewing! 

Annette

Is your sewing machine looking a tad boring? If it's a newer sewing machine, the answer is probably yes. The newer ones lack style and color. If it's a vintage machine, the answer is probably no. It's already gorgeous and full of vintage flair! Either way, let's add some new life to your machine with a dust cover. They're easy to sew and you can make one for all of your machines.

Back in the early pandemic days, mask-making was a big thing in this house and my husband bought himself a Singer machine. I'm a Brother fan through and through but, he liked the Singer's grey color. Of course, it's been sitting for over a year, untouched, and needs a little makeover. It's going to get a new fabric cover! 

Let's make an easy sewing machine cover. You'll learn how to get the measurements and sew one up in an hour. Covers add fun to your sewing space and they keep your machine protected as well. Dust be gone! Speaking of dust begone, we just changed our AC filters. YIKES! They were long overdue. This is a friendly reminder to change your filters if you have an AC. ;) Go now, I'll wait. 

• 1/2 yard of fabric. Cotton, vinyl, canvas, denim, use whatever you want here.
• Matching thread
• Sewing notions: scissors, a marking tool, pins, etc.
• Ruler
• Serger for raw edges, or use a zigzag stitch if your machine has it
• Sewing machine

Grab some paper, a pen, and a ruler. You can use a tape measure but, the hard ruler makes it a little easier to get an exact measurement. 
​
​Measure all the sides of your machine. 

If you need a break from difficult sewing projects, I encourage you to grab the Butterick 6453 dress pattern. It was a easy and fun to sew! The only timely adjustment I needed to make was an FBA. After that was sorted out, it was all downhill.

This dress is fluffy and full, no need for a crinoline underneath. The princess seams are flattering. The straps are perfectly positioned. And, the back zip is a cinch. What are you waiting for? Grab the pattern and let's get started! 

1. A whole lotta fabric, this dress is a fabric hog. 4-5 yards is needed
2. Interfacing
3. Matching or contrasting thread
4. Sewing machine and notions
5. Serger, pinking shears, or a zigzag machine to finish the raw edges
6. 16" or longer zipper
7. Seam ripper because... sewing
8. Rings and sliders for adjustable straps

• This dress is super easy and only has 10 pattern pieces! This was wonderful news because I made the Hooded Princess Coat before this dress and that was a beast. Read the post if you've always wanted to make your own raincoat. Gertie did a wonderful job with the pattern.
• I chose double-faced linen. It was a little heavy for this exact dress but, I love it nonetheless. It'll be warm enough to wear in the fall paired with tights and a sweater. I suggest using regular linen, cotton, gingham, etc. Check the pattern envelope for fabric options.
• Shorten or lengthen to fit your torso. I shortened the bodice pieces by 1.5" because I have a short torso. I could have gone a little shorter.
• Size down 1-2 sizes at least. I sized down but, in the end, the dress was still too big. Four inches on each side, too big! I have to take in everything. Ugh. Honestly, I threw on a little belt and it was fine to wear. But, I plan on taking in the side seams, princess seams, waist, etc. Cue the tears.
• Widen the straps if you wear larger bras. Us gals with bigger cup sizes know the wide bra strap game all too well. I made my dress straps 1" wide and they cover my bra straps perfectly.