Patterns, Techniques, Articles, Blogs, and other resources to learn how to sew
Rachel from Family Ever After created a duffle bag for her daughter to carry to dance class. She added a ruffle to the top of the outside pocket, and it became the Dance Duffle Ruffle Bag. But it doesn’t have to be just for dance gear. It could carry soccer gear, gymnastics gear, or it could just be a cute duffle for overnights at grandma’s house. She shares a tutorial showing how to make one. Get the how-to.
[photo from Family Ever After]
I’m always tempted by the pretty velvets at the fabric store. So much texture! And the way the fibers catch the light! But sewing on velvet is trickier than you’d think. That nap that lends beautiful texture also likes to slip and crawl. That nap can also spell disaster if you cut a piece the wrong direction. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t use buy that velvet and sew it into something gorgeous, you just need to go into your velvet sewing project prepared. And Melissa at Melly Sews has a post that takes you step by step through sewing on velvet.
Velvet is such a luscious fabric, especially for winter sewing projects. Of course there are velvet Christmas sewing projects – stockings, tree skirts, santa hats – but velvet is beautiful for all winter. Think of all the gorgeous velvet dresses, evening bags, hair accessories, even pillows and other home décor that you see all winter long.
Melly Sews’ post gives you the tips and tricks you need to know in order for your velvet sewing project to end up a success. There are types of projects better suited for velvets, and kinds of projects to avoid. She describes the different types of velvet available. And she also tells the best way to lay out and cut your pattern pieces from velvet fabric. Her tutorial also covers marking, pressing, and of course sewing that beautiful fabric. There’s also a video included in case that’s your preferred method for learning.
Head over to Melly Sews to learn how to sew on velvet fabric.
And if you want to learn more about that lovely blue velvet dress shown, she has a post that tells more about it including 2 ways to style it depending on if you want to be more dressy or more casual.
[photo credit: Melly Sews]
Thanks so much for the feature! This is the only type of gossip I like, actually LOVE!
Hi. Your bag is so pretty, and I am try to do it as my first sewing project to my daughter. Could you please let me knwo what is the finish dimention of the bag.
Thanks.
Anne
I’m not the project designer so I don’t have a bag in front of me to measure, but from looking at the cutting diagram in her tutorial I’d guess that the bag is 14″ long. The circles on the end make it hard to figure height, but my guess is that they’d be less than 8″ in diameter. How much less, I don’t know unless I do some more involved math. Hope that helps! –Anne
Correction: The ends are squared, so I’d say that 7.5″ is a fairly good guesstimate for the height.