Noodlehead: August 2011

ringo pie: design classics

This one's a little late, eek, sorry Lynne! Hopefully it's better late than never. It was Lynne of Lily's Quilts month for Ringo Pie. I was pretty stumped at what to make. There were so many ideas, but I kept coming back to the idea of danish furniture: timeless, classic, clean. Of course I just happen to be pretty obsessed with it myself, you can see the dresser I found last fall in this post.

So here's the block. A danish dresser, a mid-century enamel bowl, and a stack of pretty books.

You can see my previous ringo pie blocks: here, here,here, here, and here, and here.

hope you like it Lynne!

sewing with knits mondays: where to shop, patterns, and wrap up

We're at the final wrap up for Sewing with Knits Mondays, Shannon and I have had such a blast putting fun projects together and feeling a little more confident sewing with knits. I hope you give knits a try, it's really a pretty forgiving fabric if you give it a chance.

In case you missed out on any past Mondays here are the posts:

racerback tank tutorial
flora and fauna shirt tutorial (with Craftiness is Not Optional)
soho maxi dress tutorial (with Sew Much Ado)
quick tee tutorial
t-shirt quilt

And now for some knit fabric fun! You might have found it difficult to find shops online that carry knits, so here's a little list of places I've found (feel free to add your favs in the comments). And there's probably a descent selection at your local hancock fabrics, hobby lobby, or joanns, just check it out, you might be surprised by what you find! And I should mention that at Spoonflower you can design your own knit fabric or shop from independent designers.

And if you're in the mood to try out some fun knit sewing patterns, here are a few awesome shops with plenty of knit fabric sewing patterns to try!

patterns by figgy's
make it perfect (be sure to check out her newest basic tee pattern)
lil blue boo
v and co
mod kid boutique (patty young)
ottobre design magazine
oliver + s
heidi & finn
scientific seamstress
dans la lune
fishsticks designs
owly baby
dear my kids

Thank you for hanging out with us for Sewing with Knits Mondays! I really hope you give them a try and try something new. And a huge thank you to Shannon for joining me, it was so fun to have a partner in crime. ♥

Go Anywhere Bag Pattern!

It's the Go Anywhere Bag because, well, it's that simple, I think you can go anywhere with it and look unique, stylish, and pretty darn cool. This is the largest bag pattern I've made so far, not huge, but definitely roomy enough for whatever comes your way.

[generous size back pocket]

[divided front pocket with optional piping detail]

The best part? All the pockets.

Three roomy pockets on the front: great for sunglasses, keys, and your phone
one large pocket on the back
a slip pocket on the inside.

There is definitely a place for everything. I've been loving the front because I keep my phone in one pocket, my sunglasses in the middle pocket and my keys in the other, no more fumbling around for the important stuff because it's right there.

In this pattern you'll find:

Step by step instructions with full color photos for making one Go Anywhere Bag
full size print-at-home pattern pieces
variations for magnetic snap, sew in snap, and velcro closures
instructions for optional interior slip pocket

By purchasing this pattern, I also give you (the purchaser of this pattern) the rights to sell Go Anywhere Bags made using this pattern (on a home based scale). Additional information regarding the license to sell is included in the pattern.

Materials needed:

1/2 yard main bag body exterior (home dec or canvas)*
1/2 yard pockets exterior
1 yard main body lining and exterior pocket linings, interior slip pocket, and straps
magnetic snap (optional) - 14mm snap for back pocket, or velcro could be substituted
hidden sew in magnetic snap (optional)
scraps of medium weight fusible interfacing
thread
water soluble pen

*if all quilting weight cottons are used I suggest using interfacing (details included in pattern)

Finished Dimensions:
15.5" Wide
13.5" Tall
12.5" handle drop
total height 26"

This is a 20 page PDF pattern with full size print-at-home pattern pieces and includes detailed step-by-step instructions with color photographs.

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This pattern is a PDF file instant download.. Please be sure to check your email address listed in your Paypal profile, the instant download link will be sent to that email address (a screen with the download link will also pop up after you complete the transaction). If you choose paypal's e-check option, the instant download will take 5-7 days for the e-check to clear and for the instant download link to be sent. Please download the pattern to your computer for future use.

$8

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Thank you to Windham Fabrics for sending me the Echo prints by Lotta Jansdotter - available October/November of this year. And a special thanks to my beautiful cousins for helping me with their mad modeling skills!

Go Anywhere Bag Pattern Coming Soon!

I'm so excited to share my newest pattern with you guys soon! I'm seriously in love with this bag and have been carrying mine around for over a week and just love looking at it. That's gotta be a good sign, right?!

It's called the Go Anywhere Bag because, well, it's that simple, I think you can go anywhere with it and look unique, stylish, and pretty darn cool. This is the largest bag pattern I've made so far, not huge, but definitely roomy enough for whatever comes your way.

The best part? All the pockets. Three big pockets on the front, one large pocket on the back, and a nice slip pocket on the inside. There is definitely a place for everything. I've been loving the front because I keep my phone in one pocket, my sunglasses in the middle pocket and my keys in the other, no more fumbling around for the important stuff because it's right there.

I'll hopefully have it up for sale starting Friday (and if not then, it'll be up for sure by Tuesday the 30th)! I cannot wait to show you the other samples I made!

♥

sewing with knits mondays: t-shirt quilt

Welcome back to another Monday! It's Sewing with Knits Mondays already.

Maybe this isn't an obvious knit fabric project, but it's one that's been waiting for me to finish for at least 3 years (probably longer). You can read more about it in my post here. My mom had cleaned out some of my things from their house a long time ago and I had grabbed my old swim shirts thinking I would someday make them into a t-shirt quilt.

It was so fun revisiting all my fun swim team memories back from when I was 10 years old right up through my senior year of college. Just looking at each shirt makes me think of the countless swim meets, thousands of hours riding in the Y van, and great friends.

And I'm not going to disguise anything here, this was definitely not my favorite project when I started. I was intimidated working with both cottons and knits together and I had cut up my shirts long before I knew what exactly my plan might be. With that said, I wish I would have tried to find a more uniform shape to each shirt, but some were so old and worn, I just couldn't make that happen. Besides, I ended up really liking the top, but not until I saw it all pieced together.

Now I'll be getting it ready for quilting and soon I'll be snuggling under it watching Project Runway.

Any tips on how to quit it? I'd love to hear your input. I was thinking of doing some free motion quilting but with random shaped intersecting boxes. Hmm, could be complicated. :)

I think this would make an awesome Christmas present or a great guy gift, too!

Random note: I fused lightweight interfacing to each piece of t-shirt before squaring them up.

Be sure to jump on over and say hi to Shannon today over at Luvinthemommyhood for some more knit goodness. :)

birthday hats

It wouldn't be a party without some paper hats!

some paper hat fabric inspiration here, and here

[natalie's dress]

Just thought you'd like another animated gif, photoshop how-to here, I hosted the file with photobucket because blogger doesn't seem to like to take the file directly. :)

Have a great weekend! Emily had a great party!

a little blue

We had fun yesterday getting ready for a certain soon-to-be 3 year old's party, blue is the theme since it's her favorite color.

We had cut the few remaining hydrangeas and put out an Irish linen that my aunt had given me.

Some tissue paper flowers were a blast to make, and a little Swarovski crystal heart necklace I made will hopefully make her smile.

...and you bet there will be blue moon ice cream cake for dessert!

sewing with knits mondays: quick tee tutorial

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Shannon and I are back today with another Sewing with Knits Mondays, we're just having too much fun.

Today I'd like to show you a simple quick tee! I've seen them in every store, it's a simple knit tee that uses a single pattern piece. You can draft it super easily from a t-shirt you already own and in about 45 minutes you'll have a cute and simple tee that you can wear alone or layer.

You'll need:
approx 1 yard knit fabric, depending on your size
a twin needle
polyester thread

Make your pattern:
Lay down a well fitting t-shirt on the fold. Trace a simple shape that includes just a curve at the armpit area. It'll look like your shirt has sleeves, but with less work!

Make note of the scoop of the neckline in the front and back. Cut out your pattern piece. You'll cut 2 pieces on the fold, a front and back, then take the front piece and cut the neckline a little lower.

Sew (or serge) one shoulder seam together, RIGHT sides facing.

Press over the neckline about 3/8" and hem using your twin needle.

You can use Make It and Love It's suggestion like I did and wind two bobbins and load one in your bobbin case and one with your thread spool, who has two spools of the same thread anyway? right?

front using twin needle

back using twin needle

Sew (or serge) remaining shoulder seam.

Hem both sleeves the same as how you did the neckline.

Place shirt RIGHT sides facing. Sew (or serge) down each side seam.

Hem bottom if desired.

That's it! There are tons of variations on this same style. It would be super cute to add some rows of shirring at the bottom too! If you've sewn anything using knits go ahead and add it to our flickr pool!