Noel

I seem to be whipping up Christmas decorations left right and center  Never mind that I still have a gazillion other things on my to do list to finish before the big day. I whipped up this banner to fill a blank spot in our lounge.

I printed Noel on fabric using this method. Then  I ironed the sides over so I could run a hem around it. I didn't fold the hem twice or overlock the edge to prevent fraying. I figured since it wouldn't be washed it wasn't that big of a deal. I used triple stitch to hem each letter because it's more decorative then straight stitch and pops a bit better.


I even saved my work so you can make one too! Does it count as a free printable?.. Just click this link

Use a 10mm hem at the top and top stitch as close to the edge as you can on the sides. Cut off the excess fabric from the point, thread your finished letters onto string using a small safety pin and you're done! I think this idea has so many possibilities. Could whip up personal banners for birthdays or it would be a really cute addition to a wedding or photo booth.

P.S Did you know Noel is another word for Christmas? I didn't till I googled it.

You've still got a bit of time to enter the giveaway here

A little lacy Santa dress

I recently completed Layla's dress for Santa photo's. I know not everyone goes quite as crazy as I do with outfits for Christmas photo's, but this time of year makes me put even the little common sense I have firmly aside. It was this time last year that I discovered my love for making special clothes for Layla and I've been hooked (and on a steep learning curve) ever since.

I made this dress for Layla from a thrifted sheet and curtain lace that I have no memory of ever purchasing... I mean, I don't even like having lace up?! And it's not even all florally and pretty... All I can think was that it must of been a steal, proving once again that I can never turn down a good bargain. It's a sickness really! 

I used a peek-a-boo pattern for the bodice - the Gracie Romper. I simply cut out the size 2t and then folded at the 3 month age line before cutting out my bodice. I sewed the bodice and added the ruffle so I could try it on my daughter and work out how much more length I would need to loose. I removed approx. 2-3" more.  The waist is still elasticated for easy on and off. I cut the ruffle twice the width, folded it in half and encased the raw and edge  and created the casing using bias tape.

I wanted a really full skirt so used the sheet from edge to edge and then cut the same amount of lace. You know what no one really mentions when they talk about a really full skirt - the hem. I hate hemming - well the folding over of half an inch and ironing and then folding another inch and more ironing! Bah hum bug! So I cheated a little. I ran the hem through the overlocker so I'd only have to do one fold and I used a 2" bias strip I had cut out to measure my 2" hem. The bias strip made it *so* much easier. You just fold the fabric over it and iron over the top. I didn't bother hemming the lace - I figure if it starts looking tatty I'll just do a rolled hem with the overlocker. 

To finish it off I made a belt from some scrap velvet I had laying around. I've mentioned I'm a sewing novice, right? Well my biggest downfall is usually measuring/cutting out. I always forget to allow for stretch, or the fact I've got the fabric pushed over an inch so I can read the markings. This time I decided that the elastic measurement was 19", so I'd make the belt 21", leaving myself seam allowance + a bit extra. Can you spot my mistake :( Elastic is stretchy wahhhhhh

So I whipped up a second belt as a just in case (did I fail to mention that I hemmed the dress and whipped up the belts the night before photo's eek). The velvet belt has snap closures and the purple belt is elasticised (is that even a word?) for easy on and off. I didn't use any tutorials, just winged it.

Over all I'm pretty impressed with how it turned out. I love that it didn't cost more then a few dollars to make, given it probably wont get a lot of wear. And I love the belts. I can *just* squeeze her into the velvet belt - *just* I also love Peek-A-Boo Patterns, I took advantage of their Black Friday deals and nabbed five patterns for 50% off. Such a great deal!

And on a side note the belt makes a pretty cute headband lol.

Do you go crazy with your kids Christmas clothes? (Tell me I'm not the only one!)

Whats your favourite PDF pattern or pattern makers?
Also don't forget to enter the giveaway - your odds of winning are looking pretty good :D

Christmas Crafting

I've been doing a little experimenting this morning. I am beyond. happy. with how this turned out. Did a little muppet dance I was so excited! That's right... I threw my arms up in the air like I just don't care muppet style.

Santa Clause is coming...

O.K. so don't shoot the messenger but ... Christmas is approaching rapidly! You may have felt safe and secure in the knowledge that Christmas is ages away, but the countdowns on. Any moment now decorations and fruit mince pies will be appearing in supermarkets. Christmas carols will start to feature on their P.A systems. Toy catalogues are already reminding us that the giving season is approaching! Arghhh where has the year gone? Sorry for the cliche but it seems like just yesterday we were getting ready for Layla's first Christmas, and here we are barrelling towards the second. I hadn't given much thought to Christmas until I spotted this hiding underneath a Spotlight table.

Cute right! It's vinyl and not overtly Christmasy, a lot of Christmas fabric is garish, and it was on sale! I grabbed 3m's and when they zapped the little sale sticker it came up even cheaper again! Don't you love it when that happens! It ended up costing a measly $2.45 a metre.

So I have a lot of ideas running round my head for this fabric. First off the rank is a Christmas Binder, perfect for organising all of my Christmas plans.

Its so straight forward -

First lay your binder on the material, then figure out what size "pockets" you want. The pockets are what the front and back cover of the binder slide into. My pockets were 10" for the front and 6" for the back. I made the front pocket large so I could slip things behind it, or add a pocket to the front. I cut a 1" seam allowance top and bottom.

Second hem the short ends. Just fold the vinyl over once, run your finger nail along the crease so that you don't need to pin the hem in place - any pins will leave a permanent mark. Sew down the edge. I found that the bottom stitches were a bit wonky because the vinyl is slippery, but the top looked fine. Just make sure you sew with the right side of the fabric (the side that people will see) facing you. That way the neater stitches will be visible and the ugly stitches will be hidden.

Third lay your binder back on the fabric and mark the corners, the binder spine and where your pockets end when folded over the binder. Fold one pocket right sides together and sew along the top and bottom edges. Then trim the seam allowance and corners before turning the pocket right side out. Vinyl's a bit stiff and can mark easily so do this carefully. If it does mark up, a little bit of heat can help it relax and look perfect again. Before repeating this process on the other pocket, cover the binder and make sure the second pocket mark you made still lines up - mine didn't any more. Make a new mark if needed, and then make the second pocket.

Cover binder to ensure a good fit. My seam allowance ended up being smaller then 1" on the top and bottom due to wonky cutting. So my plan to top stitch the bottom and top edge got thrown out the window! In true make do fashion I've stuck the seam down with double sided tap. For a make do fix it's lasting pretty well!

I then created some Xmas bunting out of felt and vinyl off cuts for the front. I sewed the bunting triangles on using French knots. Do not be intimidated by French knots- I know they have a bad rap because I used to be scared too! They really aren't tricky, they just require two hands.

Because it makes me want to pull my hair out that page dividers for binders are never wide enough - you know how they become invisible if you use plastic sleeves rather then putting pages directly in?! I bulked mine up with vinyl off cuts. I cut two pieces and then used double sided tape to attach them. I love how they turned out!! A vinyl cover like this would be PERFECT for a recipe binder, you can just wipe it down. Will be keeping my eyes peeled for more cheap vinyl!

So now I'm ready to get Christmas organised. And I'm starting to hunt through Pinterest looking for printabales, and recipes, and crafty ideas, and decorations and.....