Patterns, Techniques, Articles, Blogs, and other resources to learn how to sew
I have a handful of sheer shirts in my closet that I never wear. I love the cut and design of the shirts, but I can’t stand wearing tops that show my bra lines. I feel so… exposed. And frankly, my bras are just not that cute. Nicole from Cola Cola Island shows how you can add a quick lining to an existing shirt so you can wear it without showing off your under layers. Brilliant!! Get the tute at Cola Cola Island.
[photo from Cola Cola Island]
I am just smitten with this felt gingerbread house bag. This would make such a sweet special Christmas accessory for a kid. It’s a free pattern at Benzie Design, designed by Gracie from Hello Gracie Makes. It’s packed with adorable gingerbread house details, like swirls and stripes and scallops adoring the doors and windows.
And while all those details might seem like this would be a complicated pattern, it’s actually not. The bag itself is made from felt, which makes finishes edges unnecessary. (All of those scalloped edges are just cut from felt, no edge finishing required.) The strap is super simple, made from rope with knotted ends. And all those details are made with some basic hand embroidery stitches. Sparkle felt makes it extra cute.
The striped scallop roof is actually the top flap of the bag. A magnetic snap makes it a secure closure. The rope straps are attached through felt loops at the side of the bag.
They rate this project as an intermediate level, and it should take about 6 hours to make start to finish. That’s doable for a Saturday project or a couple of evenings. Full color photos step you through the entire process.
The project includes a shopping list for all of your supplies. They’ve got a shop so you can order all of them from Benzie if you like and get exactly the supplies used in the project. I noticed it includes a pair of scallop shears, which makes cutting all the scalloped edges for the roof and around the door a breeze.
Finished dimensions of the little felt gingerbread bag are approximately 6 ½” wide x 7 ½” tall. That’s the perfect size to hold a small book, a small toy, or a notepad and some cute pens.
Go to Benzie Design to get the tutorial and free pattern for the felt gingerbread house bag.
I love the idea of making them most of what one has. Ingenuity is the best form of creativity. Empowering the curious with skills to recycle and reuse is perhaps the best thing we can do for our planet. Even something as seemingly small as adding a lining to a plain old shirt. But we know, women want something cute to wear, and if they can’t make it, they’d throw those old shirts in the trash and buy another one, without learning a thing!