Supplies:

Start with your 2 smaller pieces of fabric laying with the bottom (long) edges facing together. This will be the inside of your bag. Separate your velcro and pin them about 3 inches from the edge of the fabric, making sure they are aligned.

Sew the velcro onto the fabric by sewing the edges and then making an X in the middle. Repeat on the other piece of fabric.

Take both pieces to the ironing board. Fold each piece in half the long way so you now have 4.5″x10.5″ and press. Open the fabric, press a 1/4″ seam, fold and press another 1/4″ seam. Repeat on all the 10.5″ sides (4 times all together).

Open up your 4.5″x10.5″ fabric and lay your mesh or net down with about a 1/2-1 inch overlap, close fabric, and pin into place.

At your sewing machine, sew using a zig zag stitch to sandwich the mesh in the fabric. The 1/2 – 1 inch overlap should insure that all pieces catch.

Repeat on other side. You now have 1 long piece of fabric and mesh.

Fold your fabric in half, velcro sides facing out.

Measure out your bias tape by cutting 2 pieces the exact length of the sides of your fabric mesh combo. Now comes the only slightly tricky part, sewing the bias tape onto the fabric and mesh. Every time I have to sew bias tape I have to refer to this amazing tutorial from Pretty Prudent. Once you’ve sewn on your bias tape, flip the bag right side out (so the bias tape is inside the body of the bag).

Again, because you are dealing with mesh or net it is important to use a zig-zag type stitch to capture everything within the bias tape.

Give yourself a big ole high five because you are almost done! The only thing left to do is attach the webbing (belt material) to the fabric. You can choose to sew the webbing to the inside or the outside of the bag. Here I’ve chose to sew it to the inside. Place the end of the webbing about 2 inches inside the bag and attach it the same way you did the velcro – stitching around the edge and then making an X.

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You will need minimal supplies and skill for this skirt, however, you will need a sewing machine. I am sure a nice package of fudge covered Oreos would persuade your friend with a sewing machine to help you on this one!

Supplies:

Your tulle will come folded in half length-wise (making it 22″ wide or so) DO NOT UNFOLD IT!

Simply place one end of your length of tulle in the sewing machine about 1″ from the folded seam and start sewing. * If you want to use thicker ribbon, make the distance between your fold and where you sew thicker to accommodate your ribbon.

And keep sewing…

And keep sewing.

When are finished sewing prepare your ribbon by tucking 1 end into the loop turner.

Then simply run your turner and ribbon through the “tunnel” you’ve just created. Just keep on feeding it in there and gathering your tulle onto the ribbon.

Once you’ve gathered all your tulle onto the ribbon you’re done! You can now tie it around your tree.

Tulle is magical! It comes in any color you want, and like this gold tutu skirt it even comes in shiny finishes.

And when your tree is done with it, your daughter will enjoy nothing more than tying it around her waist and running through the yard on a beautiful, sunny day.

The post Christmas Tree Tutu Skirt Tutorial appeared first on Shes {kinda} Crafty.

Supplies needed:

• 1/2 yard of shag “fur” fabric* (this is enough for 2 girl costumes or 1 teen/adult)
• 1 pair of knee high socks
• scissors
• sewing machine, matching thread (seam ripper if you’re like me)
• 1 yard of elastic
• Optional – blank t-shirt and Varsity Iron-On letters

*Shag fur fabric comes in many colors but it’s kinda pricey. It was $24 a yard at my fabric store but because it comes in 60″ length a half yard was more than enough

Instructions:

1. Cut the foot off your knee socks.
2. Cut your “fur” to size – use the length of your remaining sock and circumference of your wearer’s calf for the width.
3. Use a zig-zag stitch to attach the “fur” to the top of the sock. Leave about a half inch of the sock un-sewn to the “fur” (this will allow for some stretch to get the sock off and on.
4. Measure your wearer’s waist and cut a length of elastic 1 inch longer. Overlap your extra one inch and sew your elastic into a circle (as pictured). Cut a piece of “fur” the same width as the elastic, you can decide on the length (I picked 9″). Sew the “fur” onto the elastic, slightly stretching the elastic as you go.
5. Optional – Iron the letters PNK to a t-shirt. 

 (you don’t have to use 2″ elastic as I have pictured here, it is just the only elastic I had on hand)

Monsters University comes out on Blu-Ray Combo pack on October 29th and you can pre-order your copy now. When it arrives my (oh my gosh when did she get so big) little girl will have her own dress up costume to watch the movie over and over and over again, just like her little sister does when we watch her princess movies! 

You can find Monsters University on 

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

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Another great thing about this pillow is that you can make it in any size you want for whatever size pillow form you have to have around and if you pillow is 18″x18″ or smaller you only need 3 fat quarter!

I used these great fabrics from Ann Kelle’s Woodland Pals from Robert Kaufman to make my pillow!

Supplies:

• 1 – 16″x16″ piece of fabric for the front of the pillow
• 1 – 12″x16″ piece of fabric for the pocket
• 2 – 11″x16″ pieces of fabric for the envelope style back
• scissors, iron, thread, sewing machine, and if you’re like me, a seam ripper
• 1 package of coordinating piping, optional

Cut your fabrics to size (isn’t the cutest selvedge ever?!?) and iron them all nice and flat. While you are at your ironing board you’ll want to iron down the seams of the inside 16″ sides two back panels and the top 16″ seam of the pocket fabric. Fold a 1/4″ seam, press, and then fold over another 1/4″ and press again.  Then take those pieces back your sewing machine and run a tight top stitch to hold your seams in place. If you are using piping, use this time to attach your piping to the top of the pocket panel, too.

Lay your pocket panel on top of your front pillow panel, matching up the raw sides. If you are using piping, pin down your piping to the front and pocket pieces, notching the corners as you go.

You can run a basting stitch around the piping to hold it in place or you can just go on to the next step.

Lay your two back panels, face down, on top of the front and pillow panels and pin into place, taking extra care to pin the corners of the back panels down completely. Once you have it all pinned into place simply sew around the entire pillow using a 1/2″ seam. Flip the pillow case right side out and stuff it with your 16″x16″ pillow form.

BINGO, you’re done!

Add some books, maybe a map or flashlight, to the pocket and you’re ready to roll!

These pillows are so easy that they are a little addictive to make. I’ve already made a 2nd one and bought fabric (Ann Kelle’s Girl Friends) to make a third. These might be under all of my nephews Christmas trees this winter because I love making them (plus you could fill the pillow with books, treats, etc, if it’s part of a gift)!

The post Camping Pillow Tutorial | Ann Kelle Fabrics appeared first on Shes {kinda} Crafty.

The dimensions I used work great for my 3 and 5 year old but you can adjust the measurements to fit any size kid, even those of the adult size!

Step four – decide your pocket placements. I went with 4 pockets, making small marks at 3″, 6″, and 9″ along the bottom.

Step five – making sure you back sew at the start and finish, create your pockets by running a straight stitch from the bottom to the top of your pocket fabric. It’s faster if you don’t cut the thread until you are finished creating all your pockets.

Step six – trim all your threads and then prepare to sew on your bias tape by pinning it around the sides and bottom of the apron. Sew your bias tape on. If you need a good tutorial on how to correctly sew on bias tape check out this one from Smashed Peas and Carrots.

Step seven – flip your apron over and lay your ribbon down about 1 inch from the top. Fold your unsewn edge over to cover the ribbon and use a couple pins to secure into place, encasing the ribbon. Sew the ribbon into place by sewing, and back sewing several times, the edge of the apron where the ribbon comes out on both side. I also ran a stich across the entire length of the apron to secure the flap down, fulling covering the ribbon.

Step eight – fill with chalk! Of course we couldn’t find where the bare chalk was hidden so we just filled it with the chalk holders.

My daughter is totally smitten with these raccoons, so this fabric is perfect for both boys and girls.

The post DIY Chalk Apron | Ann Kelle Fabrics appeared first on Shes {kinda} Crafty.

Supplies you’ll need:

• an embroidery hoop
• fabric
• a square of felt
• straight pin
• pinking shears
• pen/marker (disappearing ink would be best)
• crochet thread & needle

The entire inspiration for this project was the hot pink embroidery hoop that I picked up from JoAnn’s last week!

Start by laying your hoop down on the right side of a piece of fabric and trace a circle around the hoop leaving an inch or so that will be your “skirt”. Cut the circle you’ve just drawn out with a pair of pinking shears. Pinking shears cut the fabric in such a way that you won’t have to deal with running threads plus it makes it look pretty and decorative. Insert your cut out fabric circle into your hoop, pulling taught, and tighten the frame.

Next, fold your felt square in half and free-hand cut a heart shape – we’re bringing back the kindergarten craft skills today!

Pin your felt heart to the center of your fabric embroidery hoop.

Thread your needle with a long length of crochet thread. Tie 3 good knots in the end of the thread and starting from the back of the fabric start hand stitching your felt heart into place.

When you are done stitching the heart on tie several knots in the thread on the back of the fabric and trim the thread.

You will most likely need to pull your fabric through the hoop tightly again, as it will loosen while you are stitching.

You can be completely done at this point or you can add on as many embellishments as you’d like!
I added some hand stitched initials (for me and the hubs) as well as a little triple ribbon bow to the top.

The post Hand Stitched Love Hoop | DIY Tutorial appeared first on Shes {kinda} Crafty.

I just wanted to share with everyone a couple homemade holiday gifts that I made this year.

First up I made my nephew a Build-your-own Fort kit! I had seen a really cute tutorial on Pinterest a while back and decided that he would have so much fun building his own forts at home that I just HAD to make it for him. I used this Tutorial from Just Stitch that I found on Pinterest to make the bag that held the fort kit and this was the tutorial from Saltwater Kids that I used to build and buy the part for inside the bag.

For another one of my nephews, who has a deep love of learning and sports, I made this cute pencil roll using baseball fabric I found at Joann Fabrics and filled it with custom pencils, erasers and even a baseball pencil sharpener that I bought from Explicitly Yours Pencils (which I also found via Pinterest)
There are many pencil roll and crayon roll tutorials available out there in blog land but I just kind of winged it on this one and made it myself without a tutorial.

If you start planning early enough (like now for birthdays coming up) making handmade gifts are fun and so rewarding for everyone. I know that my sewing improves each time I attempt a new project and that is really the only way to progress my skills. Don’t be afraid to try something new, just start early enough so that if you have to redo it a couple times you aren’t too stressed out about it!

You can follow me on pinterest at www.pinterest.com/shaycock

 

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You read that title right! I have a Christmas stocking that you can make in about 15 minutes (give or take depending on how fast you like to sew).
*please note that I am not a great seamstress, so if you are really into sewing you might get a chuckle out of my way of doing things!

The quickness in this stocking has more to do with the fact that you don’t have to pre-cut much, saving you a lot of boring tedious work especially if you are going to make multiple stockings. Also there is a lot of time saving in the fact that you don’t have to use any pins to hold together cut out pattern pieces, just hold your fabric sandwich tightly as you sew! Last year when I bought all this material to make my stockings I must have read easily 25 tutorials on making stockings. Just go ahead and google it, there are TONS out there. However, they all had patterns and pieces associated with them, and I am just really bad at cutting out pattern pieces. So I came up with this cheater method (at least I think I came up with it, I might have seen it in one of the 25 tutorials I read last November, so if you invented this method, I mean no hard feeling).  I didn’t really care about maximizing my fabric usage for this project but you could probably get 2 more stockings out of your 4 yards of fabric if you lay it out a little differently…you’ll see.

Supplies (for 4, possibly 6 stockings)
~ 2 – 1 yard pieces of outer fabric (if you are making just 1 you’ll need 1/2 yard cut in half to make 2 fat quarters)
~ 2  – 1 yard pieces of fleece for the lining (again 1/2 yard to make just 1)
~ 12″x40″ piece of fabric for the cuff (each cuff is 12″x10″ so add more if you are making more stockings) – might also need more than 12″ wide if your pattern stocking is really wide
~ A 12″ length of ribbon for each stocking
~ thread, scissors, sewing machine

Step 1 – Make a fabric sandwich by layering your fabric in this order: Fleece face up, Outer fabric face up, Outer fabric face down, Fleece face down

Step 2 – using a stocking you already have as a pattern (I used one from Pottery Barn, thus the really strange shape of my stocking, so says my husband) and with a fabric marker or sharpie, as I did, loosely trace around the body of the stock giving yourself a 1/4-1/2 inch margin. It doesn’t have to be exact, that is the beauty and quickness of it all! Repeat around your large 1 yard fabric sandwich as many times as you want or can.

 Step 3 – Cut each stocking you’ve traced out of the larger 1 yard fabric sandwich and take to your sewing machine. Simply sew right on the line you’ve drawn, holding all your fabric tightly so it stays smooth, remembering to back sew at the start and end. Using scissors (I used pinking shears) trim off the excess fabric leaving a 1/4″ seam or so and then turn your stocking right side out. Repeat this process for each stocking.

Step 4 – Take your 12″x10″ piece of cuff fabric and fold it in half, right sides facing, so you have a  6″x10″ rectangle. Sew the 10″ open end together using whatever seam allowance you need so that the cuff is just slightly larger than your finished stocking body from the step above.

  Step 5 – turn your long cuff right side out

Step 6 – Fold your long cuff into itself to that the wrong sides are facing each other and you now have 1 open end and 1 folded end – should be 5″ tall if you used a 10″ tall piece of fabric

 Step 7 – Open up your stocking and insert your folded cuff into the stocking so that the open edges and in line with the open edges of the stocking (you should now have 4 layers of open edges going around the entire stocking – outer fabric, fleece, cuff, cuff)

 Step 8 – fold your 12″ piece of ribbon in half

 Step 9 – insert the folded end of your ribbon in between the fleece layer and the first cuff layer of fabric, this will be your hanger so make it as long or short as you want remember that the actually hanger part is INSIDE the stocking at this point.

 Step 10 – Sew all the way around the top opening your stocking using about a 1/2″ seam, make sure you catch  all layers so you don’t have to take your seam ripper out and start again,  not that I had to do that with stocking #3 or anything! Remember to back sew at the end of your circle. Then just flip the cuff up and over the body of the stocking and you’re done!

 Of course you could iron the seams down and junk like that, but I hate ironing!

 My husband says they are a strange shape so I blame Pottery Barn since theirs is the stocking I used to trace around

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial, I took all the pictures with my iPhone using Instragram! If you have an iPhone I HIGHLY suggest you download and use Instagram when taking photos, it’s fun and it’s FREE!!

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Did you know you can actually make things people can wear, from SCRATCH? I know, it crazy! As you may know if you follow along on my craft journey at all, I really only use my sewing machine for craft sewing; sprucing up a onsie, appliques, ribbon loops, burp clothes, so on and so on. But the tutorial that Prudent Baby has about making pants made it seem doable, even for just this “craft sewer” (see, I can’t even use the word seamstress). I bought some Christmas-y flannel to make the girls matching PJ pants to wear for opening presents but I seem to have misplaced it, it’s probably in the holiday decor buckets up in the garage. So until I find that flannel I figured I needed to practice. So I searched my fabric stash and come up with my fav Christmas fabric from Michael Miller. I didn’t follow the Prudent Baby tutorial to a T because I was too intimidated by the whole draw string/grommet thing and just made an elastic waistband. Oh, and I made these while the Roo was at school so I didn’t get her exact measurements and as you can see in the photos, I had to roll them up a bit because both of my babies are a little short in the leg department!
After doing this trial run I am very excited to find the flannel and make the PJ pants for realsies! I also feel much more confident in my abilities thanks to this tutorial, I am glad I tried something that I’ve been wanting to do for a while. You should try something new, too! What’s it going to be? Is there something you’ve been wanting to try out? Let me know, I’d love to hear how it goes!!

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