Sewing Tips for Beginners

I am pretty much a beginning sewer. Anjeanette is the one who is much more proficient. Thankfully I have had some time to learn some of her sewing skills. I have come up with a list of decent tips for any beginner.

1. Use measurements and not clothing sizes to purchase patterns. I LOVE browsing the patterns at any sewing store and I am surprised at how many people buy clothing patterns based on their clothing size. THIS WILL NOT WORK! Unfortunately most clothing pattern sizes run SMALLER than our typical retail store sizes. So measure yourself before buying patterns and you will be much happier.

2. Buy patterns on sale.  Awhile back I went craft shopping and somehow managed to convince my husband to come along too.  He was pretty bored the whole time while I was sitting looking at all the patterns that were on sale for $.99.  I picked up 10 to buy and Stephen was shocked that I was going to buy so many when I hardly ever sew (it's true!) but I knew what a great deal I was getting and we went to check out.  When the cashier handed me my receipt she joyfully pointed out that I had saved over $100 and had only spent $10, my husband was again shocked.

The point of this story is that patterns can be expensive.  Some of the fancy dress patterns I purchased would be $16.99 regularly.  Now, unless you are talking about a vintage/specialty pattern, I would suggest NEVER paying full price.

3.  A seam ripper is supposed to be your best friend.  Even professional seamstresses uses seam rippers...often.  Don't be afraid to rip out what you have sewn and to resew it.  Plus, this just gives you more times to practice your sewing ;).

4.   Buy good quality pins and a pincushion.  Pins are so important for holding your fabric together.  Even if you are just sewing a straight seam and think the fabric will not slip...think again.  Then as your seams become more complex, the pins will become even more valuable.

Pincushions are not just for decoration.  As you are sewing, you will need someplace to put the pins you are pulling out from your fabric.  Putting them in a box makes it hard to get out one at a time...but a pincushion makes things tons easier. 

5.  Test your sewing on scrap fabric.  Different types of fabrics will require different thread tensions and stitch lengths.  Testing out your fabric will prove to be beneficial, and playing around with thread tensions and stitch lengths will help you feel comfortable in your sewing skills.

I hope these tips help you in your sewing endeavors!  And let me know of any tips you feel are valuable to pass along to others.

~Erika

Scary Halloween Garland-So cute!

Garlands are such a great holiday decoration.  This Halloween one is so cute, and easy to sew up.
Anjeanette came up with this garland, using Paper Crave’s Halloween template.

Anjeanette whipped these up from felt, using the technique she used with her Pumpkin Pencil Toppers, shown below. 

Click here for that technique.
Happy Haunted Sewing!
Rebecca

We are partying with the following: Sew Much Ado,

Nana’s Stitched Canvas Infant Blocks

Welcome everyone from Craftzine!  I'm so excited to find these blocks on there this morning!!!

Be forewarned…this post may lead to sugar-induced coma!  Too much sweetness overload!  Or make your ovaries ache!

Isn’t my Nephew Model just the sweetest thing?!

Oh I could seriously eat him up!  sigh.

OK back to the real point of this post.  Nana (my Mother) saw these infant blocks at a church event she went to.  They were making them as part of a humanitarian aide thing.
 
Though, leave it to my Mother to improve on something already too cute!  This heart was her idea.

The blocks are made with that counted plastic canvas.  You make up each side with a different shape, then stitch the edges together to form cubes.  There is also a bell hidden inside for extra fun for the kids.
 
My Mom came home and right away made these blocks for my Nephew’s first Birthday!  They were a huge hit!  My Mom also came up with the idea of doing a numbers, or dice, block.  See, where our crafty genius comes from?  It’s in our genes!  I don’t think I’ll ever be able to say enough about the women in my life and how they teach and inspire me!!
 
My Mom’s next endeavor with these awesome blocks is a color block.  She is stitching up each side with a different color and then is adding the name of the color to it. 
 
I had to point this out.  The above block, yeah that’s the back side.  When I work on plastic canvas I don’t concern myself with the backs.  But my Mother’s are as beautiful as her front side!
 
This is the front side, just for your comparison.
 
She just wings all of this, no patterns!  Insane, right?  That’s what the pink side above is.  It is her trying out the color names…they are just a test, as my Mom does know the difference between red and pink!
 
I’m guessing that anyone that is going to do this craft knows how to use plastic canvas.  But for those that don’t here is a close up of how to stitch the side.  You do a diagonal stitch, going up one row  and down the next.

Crash course for these blocks:
My Mom’s squares (sides) are 18 holes X18 holes.  So, you first cut your 6 squares (sides).  Next you start stitching your first row.  Notice the block with the white yarn?  That is how you start the square (side), by sewing your end right into the block.  So as you stitch you are wrapping the yarn around the end, which holds the end in as well as leaves a nice finished end that you don’t even see.  Next, is the orange yarn where you just keep stitching up one row and down the next.  And above the orange are all the other colors that are finished and waiting to be stitched together at their edges/corners.
   
One last cuteness picture!  Can you stand all those baby parts?!  Goodness, I can’t. 

Don't forget to join our linky party with your fantastic craftiness or DIY-ness!
Rebecca

PS Thank you, Nana, for making these adorable blocks and inspiring me as always!!



We are joining in the fun at the following Linky Parties;  Remodelaholic, Blue Cricket Design, Thrifty Thursday,   , somewhat simple, Trendy Treehouse, Feature Yourself Friday, Life As Lori, Treasures For Tots,  KojoDesigns, Flaunt It Friday, Finding Fabulous, It's Fun To Craft, Tatertots and Jello, Funky Junk Interiors, Making the World Cuter,  Keeping It Simple, Between Naps On The Porch, The DIY Showoff,

Check Me Out On Sew Mama Sew!!

I dream in fabric.  When Sew Mama Sew asked me to come up with something for their wedding theme I first was worried about coming up with something girlie, as I only have boys!  Then, I remembered…IT’s Sew Mama Sew!  You have no idea how exciting this is for me because I LOVE Sew Mama Sew!  My tutorial for the flower girl basket that I came up with, is now on Sew Mama Sew!  Seriously, somebody pinch me!  OK Stop pinching me now!  But go over and check it out, and then come back and tell me how much you love it.  Make sure to mention how much I need a little girl!  Then, say a prayer for my paperwork for a little girl, to go through the courts faster! ;)
Anjeanette



Rebecca butting in here:
I am so excited for Anjeanette!  There are many things that I go to her for help on...you can see why sewing is one of them!  Congratulations, Anjeanette, on everything this post is about!!

One Seam Flying Geese Christmas Card Holder

I have been thinking about this one for years. I get lovely Christmas cards every year. I never have a nice way to display them.

Are you familiar with the one seam flying geese technique? I saw it a year or so ago on Quilt in a day and have been thinking about this project ever since. There are so many great tutorials out there about it. The Quilt show has a video that is super easy to understand. You basically start with two squares and a rectangle. The rectangle is folded and sandwiched between the right sides of the squares and you sew a seam down the side.

You open it up and Voila! You have a single seam goose. Ha! I made up some with green and red to be like a Christmas tree.

I did a block with red squares and a narrow brown rectangle and sewed just the side of the square to make the trunk in a similar way to the geese.

Although it isn’t a goose, it is a trunk.

I pulled out some cards and decided how big I wanted my geese and went with that. I made three trees out of them, threw on some polka dot sashing and a binding and called it a day. Really I was a slacker and this took me three days playing with it. I could have finished it in a jiffy if I was serious about it.

Each triangle is a pocket where you can put your cards. I just love it! I always say that, don’t I? I can’t help it, I really do. I am on a huge red and white kick and I just love Michael Miller. I have been keeping this fabric for a long time dreaming up the stuff I wanted to make with it. I think a huge part of a project is the materials you choose. I am slowly learning that if you use inexpensive (cheap) materials to make your projects, they just don’t last. I really want my time spent on each project to be worth my time and money. I am always happy when I choose quality over price when I purchase anything going into my projects. I don’t mean just fabric, but any kind of item I use to make something…I like it to be a good quality item. Just my two cents.

I threw a few cards in it to show you just how cute it is all done up! Did I say I love it yet? I do. It is almost too cute to put cards in it.

I am so excited to finally have a way to show off all the Christmas cards I get. Now I just need to work on taking a family picture and sending my own Christmas cards out. Yikes! If this inspires you to make a single seam flying geese Christmas card holder, please share a picture with us on our flickr group. We have a lot of readers and not a lot of comments. Sometimes I’m not sure if you are reading this because I have a booger hanging out of my nose and you think it is funny to watch, or if you really like what you see. It is nice to know you are getting something useful out of what we are sharing…. Particularly when what we share is as cute as this;)

Anjeanette

Technorati Tags: christmas,card holder,one seam flying goose,michael miller,fabric,sewing,wall hanging

~~~~~~~~~

Katrina here,

Oh Anjeanette!!!!!! It turned out great! I LOVE IT! I have been waiting a month to see how this turned out. She taunted me with the fabrics and the design idea about a month ago and I have been dying to see it. Some days I have to wait till she posts to see the final project (because we live 2.5 hours away).

To join in some fun we are linking this to other parties here. and here and here:

Advent/ Countdown Calendar Revisit

This year for Christmas in July, we did a whole week of advent /countdown calendars. We posted 4 fabulous tutorials and a bonus 5th advent calendar highlight just to get your creative juices flowing. There is still time before Christmas to get yours made in time for December 1st.

My Favorite Advent Calendar So Far, Anjeanette show off an Advent Calendar she made for her family a few years ago. She shows off the beautiful felt ornaments that she made. It's the little details that take an ornament from nice to WOW!

Fabric Paper-type Advent Calendar Chain, This is a great NO-SEW project! Check out Anjeanette's tutorial to find out how she made it. The fabric chain can be used as an Advent Calendar or just for decoration. Best of all it is reusable year after year!

Fabric Candy or Activity Advent Calendar, Rebecca shows us how she did a remake of an Advent Calendar her Mother made when they were kids. She has added a fun new twist to this old favorite. Instead of tying candy to the calendar she has tied little scrolls of paper with activities planned for each day. She has even included her list just to give you ideas of what kinds of things she has planned for her children.

Framed Advent/Countdown Calendar -2 ways, Katrina has put together a tutorial to show you how she turned her Advent Calendar into a work of art. Recycle or rather upcycle an old frame for a new life! Included are templates for making the Advent Calendar itself.

Christmas in July Advent Calendar #1 Pizza anyone? Anjeanette turns an inexpensive pizza pan into this lovely Advent Calendar. Plus earn how to make your own transfer paper.

So many choices so little time!!! We hope we have inspired you to make your own Advent Calendar for this year. If you already have one, maybe you have seen something here that will make you want to make a new one. Let it be known that the Roots and Wings Girls all have more than one Advent Calendar each. After all we have more than one child each. ;) Maybe more calendars makes each day that much more special. Can we make Christmas last twice as long if we have two calendars?

Thanks for stopping by!! Happy Holidays!

The Roots and Wings Co Girls

Technorati Tags: Christmas,crafts

The Roots and Wings Girls are thankful and we plan to share what we are thankful for at the bottom of all our posts this month.

I am thankful for my son's Autism. I am thankful because it has given me a gift. Life has slowed down a bit and I get to witness amazing miracles every day. I don't take for granted the miracle of speech and communication. I don't take for granted that my boys are able to connect with others. I don't take for granted that my boys can show their love and affection. I don't take for granted that my 7 year old still wants to snuggle with me that he needs that connection. He is still a very independent boy but isn't afraid to need me still. Autism is a challenge for my son and our whole family but it isn't something that is going to stop us. We work a little harder to do everyday things but all in all life is good. It has also made me grateful for how truly fantastic our family and friends are. So many families with autistic children aren't understood by even their own families. Our families get it and are supportive in every way they know how. I am thankful for all their love and support. I guess I listed two things I am thankful for today. What are you thankful for?

Katrina

Halloween Party

Welcome to our Halloween Party. First, set the tone by decorating your entrance. Can you tell that we enjoy Halloween? ;) Anjeanette has this banner and sign that she puts our for her entrances.

Next, decorate inside of your house. I love these dollar store buckets! Just nest a glass bowl inside the plastic bucket (as the dry ice will melt the plastic bucket). Add dry ice and water and you have the most fun decorations. Seriously, we can’t get enough dry ice throughout the house. For decorations don't forget to fill your crocheted pumpkins with candy corn! And if you made this table runner and banner, or this hand towel, make sure they are out!

These are crafts that the kids made, and the top bucket was one of the cute buckets that Anjeanette gave us when she “Boo’d” us. I just filled that bucket with treats for the kids to go home with (spider rings and other Halloween trinkets, you could also include pencil toppers).

A MUST have for us is the meal in the pumpkin! Oh it’s sooooo yummy. Not only do you cook the meal in the pumpkin, you then take chunks of the pumpkin with your serving. Delish! I think this is my favorite tradition of Halloween. Other Halloween foods are dry ice root beer, skeleton cookies, candy corn rice krispies, pumpkin cookies, white chocolate ghost suckers, apple pie spice drink, oreo cookie spiders, popcorn fingers, edible gross body parts, etc!

On to the games. This is my favorite. Dangling Donuts. Because who doesn’t need more food (especially highly sugared food) after our Halloween meal!?
All you do is get donuts (we get a variety). Tie a long piece of string onto each donut. Grab a dowel or long sturdy stick. Decide who is going to go against each other (don’t go against Anjeanette…she is the QUEEN of this game…that’s all I’m saying). Each person picks their own donut. Tie donuts on the dowel and go at it (without using your hands!). For our little kids we’ve let 3 go at a time, but otherwise we stick to 2 at a time. This is also best played outside as it leaves a mess below.

Another really fun game is this Pin The Hat On The Witch Game I made one year. I love variations of Pin The Tail On The Donkey. Don’t forget the other games like bobbing for apples (no pictures because I don’t want to show our kids)!

You could do this as place settings for the party (though this was what I had for my kids on the first day of October). I just printed out a pumpkin on orange paper and wrote out Happy Halloween _______ using my awesome Halloween fonts. That was for their placemat. Then they got Halloween cups to use all month, that were filled with Halloween pencils and toys. I also give them their Halloween shirt for the year, on the first day so that they can wear it the whole month long. These were shirts that I added beaded Halloween designs to.

The Gals here at Roots And Wings Co just love holidays and Halloween is right there at the top of the list. We have Halloween parties every year. We just had ours last weekend (thank you Anjeanette for hosting an awesome night). I am holding another one for the kids on Friday. So many things to do. I love doing the same things year after year, and I also love adding new things every year. Some things for the kiddos party will be tossing bean bags into my large cauldron and crafts. We always make Haunted Houses at this party (like gingerbread houses for Christmas except we use chocolate frosting to make it spookier, and you construct your house funny so it's a crooked haunted house). For crafts we will be making fingerprints in orange, green, and black. Then, we draw parts on them that turn them into witches, pumpkins, and monsters. I turn these into stickers and then the kids make Halloween cards for family using their fingerprint stickers.
Hope you enjoyed the party. For those of you that are still hosting a Halloween party this week (or for your fun Halloween night dinner) I hope this gives you some fun ideas to try.

Rebecca

Using appliqué to fake the look of Orange Peel or Cathedral Windows

I have been totally obsessed with the look of Folded quilts like Cathedral Window, fabric origami and Orange Peel quilts lately. I have seen lots of wonderful tutorials for the different techniques. But I am always trying to figure out things my way. When I see something, I get crazy obsessed with figuring it out in my head. It is a challenge to me to think of ways I could do it my way. I think I even made mention to my obsession with it in one of my posts not too long ago.

I started with this basic Cathedral Window pattern. You can make it any size you want, but mine were 3” squares for this project.

I took some awesome Michael Miller Funky Christmas fabric and ironed on some fusible webbing to the back of it. Then I cut that fabric into 3 inch squares. On each square, I traced the template and cut out the shape. I was careful not to mess up either the center shape or the curved outside shapes because they are both used.

I ironed down one of the center shapes first. Actually *press* would be a better way to say it. You really want to be careful not moving the iron around when you are pressing appliqué on.

After the first center shape was pressed into place, I carefully arranged the outside curved shapes. I used the backing from the center shape to line up the outside shapes. I also used a ruler to make sure the whole thing remains lined up nicely. Press the outside shapes into place. I also made sure that the outside shapes were in the correct place as far as the printed pattern goes. You want it to look as though it is a real Cathedral Window, or Orange Peel with fabric folded.

Then you just work your way out. Line up a row of the inside shapes and another line of the outside shapes.

And some more…

Until you have enough to make something out of it.

Yes, it is still time consuming. But I just thought it would be a fun way to do it.

I would love to see if you make something using this. I have so many ideas floating around in my head about what I'm going to make with this.

Anjeanette

~~~

Katrina here,

Anjeanette,

I have to say that I love this for many reasons. First of all you took that great designer fabric and paired it with the perfect solid fabric. Seriously people, she has great taste in fabrics. Second because you used the solid fabric as the background you were able to take your fat quarter of the designer fabric and create a pattern that covers 1/2 a yard of the solid and still have some designer fabric left over! What a great way to stretch your almighty dollar! I bow down to you! You have taken something that I would have looked at and loved but never would have attempted to make it myself. You have made this complex pattern (that isn't for beginners) and made it easy for beginners. I mean really, if you want a big quilt made with this pattern then all you have to do is start with the right size background fabric and iron on your pattern. Sandwich the whole thing like you do with a regular patch work quilt and then sew over your pattern to quilt it. Hmmmmm.

I can't wait till you post your finished items!! Hint Hint!! The suspense is killing me!!

XOXOXO