Holiday Gift Ideas: Sewing Patterns

Are you thinking about making some gifts for the holidays? I've selected my favorite patterns and put them into categories to help you pick something based on your needs:

Fast and Inexpensive:

Hip Klip Pocket Accessory Large:
I love this little little bag. I've made so many of them that I can crank one out in under 45 minutes. 

All you need is a fat quarter, two zippers, and two eyelets. I love Hip Klips, but you can use carabiners.

Why is it so fast to make? There is no lining fabric. The zippers are sewn on the fold! 

Available on Craftsy
Available on Etsy


The Bandolier Crossbody Bag:
This is similar to the Hip Klip. It's bigger, isn't flat, and has an adjustable strap.


Available on Craftsy Available on Etsy

Wine Bottle Gift Bag:

This fast project it a gift within a gift. And it doesn't take much fabric. And just check out those corks! 

This is a great project for a beginner. 

Available on Craftsy
Available on Etsy 















For the Organized:

The Sewing Caddy/Purse Organizer:

This is my top selling pattern on Craftsy. It's not only a sewing caddy, but it makes a great purse organizer. 

To speed up sewing, use store-bought bias tape.


Available on Craftsy
Available on Etsy

The Transit Tote:

These are also called Train Cases. I've seen some similar patterns but none are as simple to make as this one. I use my Inside-Out Zipper technique to simplify the whole process. 

I've included two bonus patterns: a mesh pouch and jewelry valet. Perfect for traveling.

I love this pattern so much that I made seven of them for gifts. 



Available on Craftsy
Available on Etsy

The Cosmetic Bag with Brush Roll:

I designed this pattern almost five years ago. It's one of my top selling patterns on Craftsy.  

My friend described it as genius. I'm still using the first one I made. This camo one went to my niece who's in the Army.



Available on Craftsy
Available on Etsy





For the Techie:

Smartphone Wallet eXtra:

These wallets are what my friends want as gifts. We all travel light. I used my Inside-Out Zipper technique to make zipper installation a lot easier.

Available on Craftsy
Available on Etsy

The Tech Tote Crossbody Bag:

A great gift for those who carry their tech with them. It's got lots of room for other gear. And it's all zipped up. 

I used my Inside-Out Zipper technique for this bag, too. A pattern tester described it as easy to follow with a great zipper technique. I couldn't agree more!

Available on Craftsy
Available on Etsy











For the Eco-Warrior:

The Upcycled Sweatshirt Purse:

This is another really popular pattern on Craftsy (with a 4.5 out of 5 rating).

It's a fun gift that allows you to preserve those old sweatshirts!


Available on Craftsy
Available on Etsy

The Upcycled Sweatshirt Backpack:

Perfect for the backpack wearer. Just head to the local Salvation Army and head home and start sewing. It's nothing complicated. I include the grommet math (to make sure you equally space the grommets/eyelets).




Available on Craftsy
Available on Etsy







 


Thanks for supporting my little pattern business! You can also check out my free patterns for more goodies! have fun and happy sewing.

Java Jacket - We Are! Penn State

Holiday sewing has begun. Today I'm making it a Penn State Christmas! My first project is this simple Java Jacket for my friend who loves the Nittany Lions as much as she loves coffee. I used my own pattern - the back of the jacket comes up over the top which adds a nice faux piping element. 

The pattern is not currently available - because I'm in sewing mode rather than pattern-writing mode!

Watch for more holiday gift ideas!

Christmas Sewing Frenzy Part One: Apron

UPDATE: The holidays are approaching, so I thought I'd repost one of my favorite patterns! I originally shared this in December 2012.

I turned my grades in and have been crazy trying to get caught up making Christmas gifts. So here the first gift: my friend’s ruffled apron with bib.

I used Alysa’s Awesome Apron pattern to make it – and then added the bib using an idea I saw on Sew4Home. I made only one change – I cut this bib 10” x 11” because the band on the apron comes up fairly high.



Here’s the monogram – from Digistitches.

Free Patriotic Sewing Patterns!

I was perusing the internet and found these incredible patriotic patterns...and they are all free! Yippee!


 




Love this cute Mama Says Sew Ruffle Skirt!













And who could pass up this fabulous All-American Tote from Positively Splendid!




















And while you are there, check out these super patriotic pillows!








For something simpler, make these patriotic pennants from Happy Dance Quilting.

















I can't resist All-American Annie at Fairfield World!













And here's the Sweet Liberty Table Runner from The Intrepid Thread.











Get the sparklers out, it's time to celebrate!

Star Spangled Stitching! Patten SALE!

It's almost Independence Day, so to honor the true American spirit, my Star Spangled Stitching flag pattern is ON SALE for only $1!

You can purchase it with auto-download in my Craftsy Store at the sale price until July 4th (2013). Then it will return to the regular price of $3.50!

Here are some pictures of the project when I offered it as a class.

There were eight in the class. Each participant brought a red and a cream fat quarter to trade. They cut their stripes and traded them. Each flag looked a little different - it also saved fabric!

Doing the top-stitching!

A final flag. It looks a little different than my original. I made mine a bit more wonky. 

Yours will look more like this one.












This pattern is ONLY $1 until July 4th (2013)! Download it in my Craftsy Pattern Store!

Christmas Sewing Frenzy Part Two: Mini Messenger

Back in September, my niece married a great guy who has a teenaged daughter. I’ve never met her, but I hear that she’s pretty wonderful. Lucky for me that we’ll be spending some time together soon!

I wanted to make her a little gift, but what started out as a zippered cosmetic bag turned into the mini-messenger! The good news is that it turned out. The bad news is that I made it up as I went, so I don’t have a pattern…or anything for that matter….written down. I think I can duplicate, though.




I made the whole thing out of scraps from a quilt I made a few years ago. The body of the bag is really cute owl fabric!

























I put in a chunky zipper and added a puffy pocket (with twist lock closure) on the outside front.









 
So I started to make this and kept changing my mind along the way. The bag evolved as I sewed. After I got the actual bag together, I decided to make one long strap; I didn’t want to rip it apart, though, so it took some work to get those sewn on. I added some cut-away stabilizer between the lining and the bag to strengthen the seam. I sewed the straps right through to the lining. It had to, but I think it will add some durability to the strap.


Once I finished, I stared at it. I tried it on. Looked in the mirror. Something wasn’t right. It examined it. And low-and-behold I figured it out. It looked a little too…don’t take this the wrong way…old lady. Definitely was NOT looking like a teenager. It needed a flap. So it turned into a messenger bag.

As much as I hated to do it, I had to rip the ENTIRE thing apart. It took about 1 1/2 hours, but I got ‘er done!

And here we have gift #2!

Sassy Girl Christmas Stocking

Back in the late 1990s (when I really got into sewing), I made a bunch of these Sassy Girl stockings. This one is about 11” tall, but I made some that were about 30” tall. They were a hit with my girlfriends. I made them out of black satin, leopard fun fur, animal prints, etc. Really sassy. Then I moved and forgot about them…for about 13 years. 

Last week I rediscovered this little gem while digging through old Christmas decorations! I also found my pattern – not in the best condition. I sketched out the stocking on scrap paper. It’s a little sentimental – it’s my flight itinerary from Little Rock to Detroit for Christmas!

So my goal today (other than to get some grading done), is to make another one using the same quilting technique that I did on my Star Wars Cosmetic Bag...oh, and to get the pattern pressed and uploaded to Craftsy! ALL DONE! Uploaded! Head to my Craftsy Pattern Shop to purchase...only 99 cents!

Ruffles Made Easy!

Yesterday I wrote about the process I go through to develop a pattern. I used a ruffled apron as an example - and here it is! I just finished my final run through!

Part of the process involves making and attaching ruffles. My mother taught me a LOOOOONG time ago how to make ruffles using a zig-zag stitch and embroidery floss. It's a technique that I continue to use today. In fact, I use it so much, that next to my machine sits a mason jar full of used embroidery floss!

So here's how to do it:

1. Set your machine to a big, wide, long Zig - Zag stitch. So for those of you who can, please increase your stitch length to about a 4 and find a wide zig-zag stitch.

2. Place your embroidery floss on your project (this is one of my apron ruffles). Leave a 3" or so tail.

3. Line up the (a) edge of your fabric and (b) your embroidery floss. Much of the placement will depend on your foot. I lined the edge of my fabric with the edge of my feed dog. The embroidery floss is lined up with the middle of my foot.

4. Sew! Make sure you go slowly. Don't sew over the embroidery floss!

When you get to the end, leave a 3" tail and remove from your machine.

5. Done!

6. Tie a knot at your starting point. I put a pin through the knot and pin it to the fabric. 

You need to do this because in a moment, you'll be pulling the embroidery floss from the other end. If it's not secured, you'll pull your embroidery floss out.

7. Start pulling the embroidery floss from the other end. I usually have markings on the ruffle and in this case, the apron, that help me divide things up so the ruffle is evenly distributed. I pin the ruffle to the apron at those points.

8. Once the ruffle is in position, start sewing. I use a walking foot - believe me, it's a lot easier. I line the edge of the ruffle/apron up with the 1/4" point on my walking foot. I also moved my needle over.

Don't sew over the embroidery floss or you won't be able to remove it. OK, if you do, it's not a big deal, you can clip it with scissors!

I also use a pair of curved scissors to help me evenly feed the fabric through the foot.

I recommend that you sew in segments. For my apron, I divided the ruffle and the apron into two sections. I pulled and flattened the ruffle from the end to the middle and sewed it on. At the middle point, I put the needle down, pulled the embroidery floss, flattened, and pinned the other end of the fabric to the apron...then flattened the ruffle out and continued sewing until I reached the end of the row.

9. DONE! Clip the knot out, grab your long tail, and pull the embroidery floss out.

I save these pieces in...my mason jar!

RUFFLES! SASSY!

UPDATE: See more aprons here.