Category Archives: Being Creative

Fostering creativity through sewing and other hobbies

The Cabin Tunic

I recently stitched up another fun pattern.  Meet the Cabin Tunic.

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I purchased this pattern after seeing it featured in Indiesew’s Fall 2015 Collection.  I almost didn’t, but then I stumbled on a darling black and white polka dot cotton lawn on a discount table at Hancock’s Fabrics.

This cute tunic is loose and flowy.  The pattern was well written and easy to follow.  I decided to cut a smaller size to fit my shoulders and then just do an FBA.  The pattern has great instructions for FBAs.

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Pockets!  It has pockets!  Hooray!  They were simple to make, again thanks to great instructions.  I didn’t make any other pattern adjustments, but if I make it again, I may shorten it.  Or I might lengthen it to wear as a dress…

I would recommend this pattern for an advanced beginner.  It makes a cool and comfy top.  I do think fabric choice can make this top fabulous or icky.  Make sure you choose a lightweight fabric that drapes well, unless you are going for a boxier look.

A Little Handmade Christmas Inspiration

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We have 3 months until Christmas!  3 months!  It’s time to get cracking on our Handmade Christmas gifts.  Did you finish your list? 

Now’s the time to decide what to make!  I’ve compiled an inspiration board on Pinterest to get you started:

Follow Salinda’s board Handmade Christmas Inspiration on Pinterest.

 

See any ideas that work for the folks on your list?  Why not start your own idea board?  You can share it with me in the comments, or you can make it a secret board so no one can snoop!

The Handmade Christmas Gift List

 

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Christmas Lists

The first step in any Christmas planning is always seems to be a list.  A list of who, a list of what, a list of when, a list of food, a list of wishes, lists, lists, lists.  Since a Handmade Christmas starts requires a bit of planning, let’s start with a very basic list:  who?

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Who’s on Your List?

For whom do you need gifts this Christmas?  (Wow, that’s an awkward sounding question.  Silly grammar.) We can start naming all sorts of folks, but the answer to this question really goes back to a larger question:  Why do you give gifts?

My family has chosen to give gifts as a way to show love for the people in our lives.  Our gift list looks like this:

  • each other (Adam, the kids, and me)
  • our parents and grandparents
  • our siblings
  • our nephews
  • our dearest friends and their kids
  • our teachers at school and church
  • Adam’s judge and coworkers
  • two nursing home residents
  • two Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes
  • an angel tree recipient or the CPSO toy drive

So, who will receive handmade goodness this Christmas?  Honestly, I still haven’t decided.  But, I can tell you that I do love to gift handmade to our parents, siblings, and friends because they know the love that goes into it. I also love receiving handmade gifts from them.  Some of my favorites from the past:  a pear table runner quilted by Momma, my Saints wreaths from Susan, and my chef’s knives from my FIL. 

Who’s on Your Christmas List?

My take on the Lane Raglan

So…I’ve been meaning to post this since last fall.  Better late then never, I suppose, especially if you are planning your Fall sewing!

I have a new favorite pattern–the Lane Raglan from Hey June.  I purchased it as part of Indiesew.com’s Fall Pattern Collection last fall (2014).
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Here’s what you need to know:

1.  The instructions are great!  The pattern could be easily stitched up by a beginner.  The instructions address techniques for stitching up knits.  They also contain the very best instructions I’ve ever come across for attaching a neck binding.  So…no excuses.  You CAN sew knits.

2.  This maybe the first time I’ve ever printed out and taped up a PDF pattern without at least one piece being crooked or caddywampus or just plain off.  Again, no excuses.  You CAN use a pdf pattern.

3.  I wasn’t sure about the sizing or fit of this pattern so I decided to make a muslin.  Normally patterns that fit my chest and belly are too big for my shoulders. No problem this time. At all. You CAN make this pattern to fit you.

4.  Since I was making a trial garment, I decided to go ahead and play a little more. I wanted to recreate a dress I loved and wore the snot out of from Old Navy a few years ago. So I added 10 inches to the link of the pattern and cut a medium. The result–a slouchy, comfy dress that looks cute with leggings or flats.

BTW, as I was adding the length to the dress, I followed the very very very slight flair. But, since I didn’t change the length of the hem band, my dress gathers a little bit along the hem band. I don’t think the shirt will.  ++++EDITED:  I’ve made it up as a shirt too.  The hem band is perfect and there were no gathers along it.

 

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++++EDITED: For this version, I used a blue knit for the sleeves and bands. The body is a quilted woven. The shirt has a bit of ease, but I cut it on the bias for a little more give.

This pattern would be great for a beginner. I will sew it again (and maybe again and again and again).

**** I’m not affiliated with any company mentioned in the post. No one compensated me for the opinions. I just really like it and want to share with you.

The TRUE COST OF A HANDMADE CHRISTMAS

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A Handmade Christmas.  It sounds like the perfect romantic “Winter Wonderland, I’ll Be Home For Christmas” dream holiday.  It also sounds blissfully frugal if your Christmas budget is tight.  If that’s why you’re thinking of a Handmade Christmas, then it’s time we have a talk.  The TALK.

The cost of handmade.

First off, it’s handmade, not homemade.  Glad we’ve gotten that cleared up.

Second, a handmade gift is not the cheap way out, it’s not a cop out, and it certainly not without a great deal of thought and love.  Hand-crafted pieces show the recipient that you truly know them, especially when each piece is customized.  But just how much is a hand-crafted piece worth?  Well, that’s a tough question.

Please know that a gift’s true value (no matter how much money is spent) is determined by the recipient.  If the receiver doesn’t want it, use it, treasure it, or at least share with someone who does, then the gift is pointless and basically worthless.  That’s the hard part about gifting.  Do we give because we are supposed to or because we want to?  Some people are so easy to buy for because you know that they will enjoy any gift the receive.  Some will never be thrilled.  So, as you prepare you handcrafted Christmas list, think about the recipients.  You can spend all the time and money and heart in the world, but if a person is just a grump, cut your losses and hit the sale rack at JCPenney.

Now, the nitty gritty.

Let’s take an apron.

This is one of my favorite apron patterns .  This apron requires 2 1/4 yards of fabric.  At $8/yard, that’s $18.  (The apron above is actually Amy Butler Fabric and was closer to $10/yard.)  Toss in the cost of the pattern ($10) and a spool of thread ($3).  This apron costs at least $31.  Then we add in cost of labor (1 hr at minimum wage), wear and tear on a sewing machine, use of electricity, and the fact that this apron is custom-designed for the recipient.  You’ve got a gift that would cost upwards of $50!  That my friends is a GIFT.  So why, do we feel that we must partner it with something store-bought to make it a gift worth giving?

So what about 3 jars of homemade jellies?  Well, 3 Half Pint Jelly Jars are about $3.  Pectin or Sure-Jell is another $3.  Then there’s the cost of the fruits.  That could range anywhere from $10-30.  (If you grew it yourself, consider the cost of the plant/seeds, the cost of water, fertilizers, labor to work the ground, time to pick, etc.)  At the minimum, we are looking at a $16 gift.  And that’s before you consider that the jelly maker stood over a hot stove for an hour and then canned the jelly!

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Let’s talk about machine embroidery and applique.  The monogram on this sham is 12 x 12 inches.  That’s huge.  It’s a fill stitch because of it’s size.  It took 3 hours on my big 10-needle machine.  It took 1 spool of aqua thread and 3 bobbins.  It also took a huge piece of stabilizer.  The supplies alone come to about $15.  (That’s not including the cost of the sham itself.)  Plus 3 hours time ($24 minimum wage).  Plus wear and tear on my machine, the fact that I had to stand at the machine and hold fabric out of the way for 3 hours and was unable to work on anything else during that time, electricity, and going rates for a 90,000 stitch monogram with 3 hoopings.  A monogram this size starts at $75 in most shops.

The Bottom line:

Hand-crafted gifts are not cheap.  If you are the gifter, you need to be certain that you are ready for the cost (both money and your time).  You need to be ready to be particular and precise.  You want to make your gifts as look as beautiful as they deserve given your investment.  They are luxury items, customized pieces, and in a sense, priceless.  Supplies cost money.  But, they also cost time.  And as a busy mom with a small business, time is more valuable than anything I could purchase for a loved one.   If you are the receiver, please remember that handmade gifts are not a cop out.  Treasure the gift, and most importantly, the thought behind them.

So what’s your plan?

I hope I haven’t talked you out of a handmade Christmas.  I really just needed to be frank about the cost of hand-crafted items.  Now that we’ve talked, here’s my recommended game plan:

  1. Sign up for the coupon/saving newsletter for your favorite stores:  Hobby Lobby, Hancock’s, JoAnns, Michael’s, Office Depot, etc.
  2. Make a master list of all the supplies you need.  Mark off the things you already have in your stash.
  3. Shop the sales and use your 40% off coupons.  Between the stores, something you need will ALWAYS be on sale.
  4. Raid your stash.  You hand-crafted Christmas will be much more affordable if you already have some of the supplies.
  5. Get ready to get busy!

THIS IS PART OF AN ONGOING SERIES:  HANDMADE CHRISTMAS. Look for future posts about making time to craft,  wrapping and presentation inspiration, and ideas for dads, teens, the family chef, the diva, the boy, the doggie Momma and more.

There are links in this post.  Some link back to this blog.  Some link to things I love and just want to share.  Some link to referrals for which I am compensated.  For more info, please check out my Shipping Links and Disclosure Statement.

The Ella Top

The short and sweet:  Love this top.  Fit me beautifully.  Pattern is very well written.  No craziness when taping the pdf together.  If you are scared of sewing with silky fabrics, this would be a great pattern to practice with.  Just press and pin lots!  Now for all the details, read on…

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When I find a pattern I love, I tweak it and modify it and use it over and over and over and over again.  The Ella Top by Liola Patterns has been that pattern for me this August.  I LOVE this top.  I picked up the pattern as part of Indiesew’s Summer 2015 pattern collection.

I stitched it up straight off the pdf in a small with one exception.  I debated a medium or at least a full bust adjustment, but decided to run with it.  After seeing others’ versions, I did decide to raise the neck line about one inch.  Here’s the tutorial I followed.  It’s stitched up in a 100% cotton woven.  I’m not sure where I found the cute elephant fabric but I love it. It’s a quilting/crafting weight fabric.  The fit is almost spot on for me.

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I decided to make a corded piping in a contrast fabric for the back trim.  Love it.  (Please excuse the wrinkles.  I’ve worn the snot out of this top since I made it!)

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Since I liked it so much, I decided to do it again.  This time in a polyester silky leopard print that I picked up at Hobby Lobby some time ago.  I’m not a leopard print kinda gal, but I’m planning on this being a layering tank.

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To modify it this time, I stitched the neck and arm bindings out instead of down.  I love it.  Also, after wearing the elephant tank a few times, I decided that the back yoke was just tight enough to be uncomfortable sometimes.  So, I just cut my back yoke on the bias.  Boom.  Extra give.  Woo hoo.  The final change I made on this piece was an easy one.  Instead of the back pleat, I just gathered those few inches.

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And then I went off and did it again. 

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This is my favorite!  This is a piece from Hancock’s Fabrics’ special occasion line.  I’m sure it’s a poly blend but I bought it so long ago, I couldn’t tell you more than that. 

The modifications:  1.  back yoke is cut on the bias and 2.  added 11 inches to the length.  That’s it.  I love a good pattern hack!