Pinterest Challenge: DIY Hooded Towel

Hello!

So, we're continuing with the Pinterest challenges this week. :)

I'm determined to make my way through at least one of my boards!

This week I did a really fun, easy and inexpensive project to celebrate my newest niece-to-be. :)

This "pin" is for a tutorial by DesignsBySessa.

These hooded towels are great baby shower or birthday/Christmas gifts.  

I LOVE her idea to take the project one step further and personalize the hooded towel with a coordinating fabric. 

So fun!

So, here we go!

What you'll need:

-1 regular bath towel

-1 hand towel (you'll only be using half of it)

-Sewing machine and coordinating thread

-Coordinating fabric (at least 1/4 yard)

-For optional applique, Iron-on Adhesive (I use Heat N Bond Lite)

First thing first, check out this tutorial by DesignsBySessa:

HOODED TOWEL TUTORIAL

This tutorial was great, but there were a few things that gave me trouble with this little towel project.

So, here are a few tips after working through it, and I hope they'll help you too!
......................

1.) Pre-wash your towel, especially if you're going to add any applique. (My least favorite step, but it's worth the annoyance.) :)

2.) It's probably obvious to you, but I struggled for a while trying to figure out how to fold and cut the hand towel.  :) The answer is: hamburger fold, not hot dog fold.  :)
I just cut it evenly in half so that I could make another hooded towel of the same size out of it.

3.) Be prepared for little pieces of towel to fray and fuzz, so be sure to sew a zigzag stitch along the edges of the hood you sewed together.  This will help the towel last from wash to wash. (I hope.)

4.) Make sure you pin the binding/bias tape securely in place to the edge of the hood. I cut my fabric to the dimensions she suggested, and it worked really well.

Note: Unlike this tutorial, I left the hood "pointy." It's more elf-like that way... which is always good. ;)

 Use a straight stitch for sewing the fabric to the hood.  Also, when you're sewing along the edge of the fabric, check your placement to be sure you're catching the bottom/inside edge (the side touching the sewing machine) in the stitch.  It had a tendency to slip, for me.

Outside (right side) of hood

Inside (wrong side) of hooded towel

5.) When sewing the hood to the bath towel, I used a straight stitch, then a zigzag stitch closer to the edge of the hood piece.  Be sure to backstitch as well. 

Use a pin to make the center of the bath towel.

6.) The personalization with applique is optional, of course; but it's a wonderful and easy way to make the towel just a little more special. :)

For the applique, trace or draw your design onto the paper side of your iron-on adhesive.  

Remember, the image will be backwards on the fabric, so if you're making a letter for a monogram, invert the image of the letter if you're drawing it onto the iron-on adhesive paper.

Cut around your design and iron it onto the wrong side of your fabric, according to manufacturer's instructions.

Cut out the design carefully and peel off the paper backing.

*Note: You may have noticed that I also ironed on some fusible interfacing to the fabric before applying the adhesive. I thought it would make the fabric stiffer and more likely to keep its shape over time.  I really don't know it was necessary, but it was an experiment.  Feel free to skip that!

Iron the cut-out fabric onto the towel. (I use a small scrap of fabric between the applique and the iron, just to make sure I don't scorch it by accident.)

Now you're ready to sew on the applique!  I used a zigzag stitch, but in hindsight, I should have shortened the stitch to make it a big more secure.  Sew closely to the edge of the fabric, and backstitch when you're done.  Take your time! :)

*Note: Play with the stitches available on your machine for the applique... you're not limited to zigzag stitch!

Back (wrong side) of towel after sewing

Finished (but un-embellished) elephant :)

I stitched the outline of its ear with the machine and used embroidery floss for the elephant's tail, eye and water drops.  Feel free to embellish as you like!

Here is the finished product:

Just have fun. :)  If you have 8 (almost 9!) nieces and nephews like me, these make great Christmas gifts!

Pinterest Challenge: Paper Bag Skirt

It's no surprise that I am a big Pinterest fan.  So many great ideas are resting a mere "click" away!

I don't know if you're like me, but every now and then I realize I've done a lot of "pinning" and not a lot of "doing."

Sometimes that has to do with a lack of time, but frequently for me, it has more to do with fear of failure.  Let's work on ditching that fear, ok? 

So, this week I'll show you a pin I decided to tackle, and maybe you'll want to do the same!

This is a great beginner sewing project, that can (honestly) be completed within a couple of hours.  

Be brave!  Let's make a skirt:

Materials you'll need:

-Fabric; I bought 1.5 yds of fabric, and had a good bit leftover (heavy or light fabric will work, but I was looking for a heavier fabric to have more structure)

-Measuring tape

-Fabric scissors

-1" elastic

-Large safety pin

-Sewing machine with coordinating thread

-Iron

Here is the link to the paper bag skirt tutorial I found on Pinterest, 

by Simple Simon and Company:

Simple Simon and Company Paper Bag Skirt Tutorial

Here is a direct link to watch the video:

PAPER BAG SKIRT TUTORIAL VIDEO

I love the simplicity of this skirt, and the fact that I don't have to use a pattern to make something fun to wear. ;)

Now, if you want to make the skirt just like the one in the tutorial, get your materials and just go for it!!

I loved this skirt, but I wanted it to be a little less full.  I found a really cute skirt idea in this book:

Skirt-A-Day Sewing, by Nicole Smith

I love this more fitted take on a paper bag skirt :)

This skirt construction is quite complicated for me; I want to avoid zippers and hook closures if at all possible. :)   

So, I decided to try to incorporate some the features/details of this "sack" skirt to the paper bag skirt in the tutorial.

Here are the changes I made from the tutorial:

1.) I changed the dimensions of the skirt.  I multiplied my waist size x 1.5 rather than 2 to determine the length of fabric I needed to cut. This made the skirt less full.  I also measured from my waist to a few inches above the knee, rather than to the knee, and added 2.5 inches for the hem, as per the video.

2.) I made a sash.  A thin, cute belt would have been perfect with this style of skirt, but since I didn't have one, I made a sash.

To make the sash:

Cut out two rectangles 3" wide by the desired length.  In the Skirt-A-Day Sewing instructions, the sash is 68" long, but I was limited by my leftover fabric.  My sash was ~45" long.

With the right sides together, stitch the two sashes together, leaving an opening for turning.  Turn the sash inside out, and press it, folding the open edge to the inside. Edgestitch around all the edges, closing the opening as you stitch.

Here is my finished product!

My next experiment is to add pockets to it, but I have to add a dose of bravery first.  We'll see!

Thanks for reading; go tackle one of your "pins"--- or just make a paper bag skirt!

Have a great weekend!!

DIY iPhone Sleeve

Hello friends!

So, this was a quick project born of necessity this week.

I've been whining for a while about needing a sleeve to hold my phone while I exercise, but haven't wanted to buy one.  So, I usually just hold my phone and make it work, but I've discovered that becomes a little dangerous when I try to ride my bike. :)

So, as always, when the need arises, grab the sewing machine and some scrap fabric and do it yourself!

I started playing with some scrap jersey knit material  and came up with this first version:

Not bad, but I wanted the phone to have a "pocket" so that it wouldn't slip down.  So, I'll show you how I made the t-shirt phone sleeve, version 2.0. :)

What you'll need:

-Scrap jersey (I used an old black t-shirt and some striped jersey from the square-circle skirt project)

-Sewing machine

-Measuring tape

-Sharp scissors

-Optional: Scrap fabric and embroidery floss/needle for embellishment

Ok, let's get started... 

First, measure your phone or other music device, so you have an idea of how wide or tall your sleeve needs to be.  My phone, in it's case, measures 5.25"x3".  Next, measure your arm circumference for the length of the sleeve.  You'll be trying it on to get the exact length in a few steps, but this will give you a starting point.   

Since I used an old t-shirt to make the sleeve, I cut the fabric from the bottom hem of the shirt, 6"x10.5".  This way one hem will already be sewn for you.  I like short-cuts.

 

Once the rectangle is cut, sew a hem on the other long side of the rectangle.

Now you're ready to try it on for size.  Stretch the jersey around your arm  to find where you should make your seam.  You want it to be snug, but remember your phone (if it's wide like mine), will take up space, so don't make it too tight.

Pin your desired seam.

Sew the seam with a straight stitch and cut the excess fabric.  Turn your sleeve inside out to hide your seam, and you're ready to make the pocket.

Decide on your dimensions and cut out more jersey fabric with at least 1/4" extra on each side for your seam allowance.  

Go ahead and fold over 1/4" on each side and sew your hem; this way you won't have any unfinished edges showing on the outside of the pocket.

Now you're ready to sew it onto the sleeve! 
Sew three sides of the pocket onto the sleeve; obviously you're leaving the top open to slide your phone/music player in and out.  I also left about a 1" gap open in the bottom of the pocket, for the headphone cord to come out.  If your headphone jack is in the top of your device, you don't have to do this.

Ok, try it out!  If everything is snug and happy, you're done!

Of course, I have a hard time leaving things without embellishment.  Since we've been embroidering things this month, I had to find something to embroider on this sleeve :)

You can embroider on a knit/stretchy fabric if you use a stabilizer.  However, since I thought of it later, there was no way to embroider directly onto the pocket once I sewed it onto the sleeve.

So, I used some scrap cotton fabric from an old IKEA curtain.  (Yes, this is why I hold onto so many things. You just never know when it might come in handy!) ;)

I found a really cute design in an embroidery book I borrowed from a friend.  Since the fabric I chose was thin, I was able to trace the design with pencil directly from the book.

Embroidery pour la Maison: 100 French Designs for the Home,  Sylvie Blondeau

All she needs are some headphones!

To keep the lines small for little details, I embroidered the design using 1 thread of embroidery floss in each color.  
I used a split stitch for the entire outline of the design, french knots for the pig tails and for the "ear buds", satin stitch for the rest of the hair, and single/detached chain stitches for the hair and shoelace bows.

To attach the design to the pocket, I used permanent fabric glue then sewed it on with a simple running stitch.

Now, I'm officially inspired and equipped for my work-out!  
Too bad it's raining.... I guess I'll just have to make some tea and wait until next week.

Have some fun and recycle your old t-shirts to make something fun!