Patterns, Techniques, Articles, Blogs, and other resources to learn how to sew
Drafty windows and doors are a major source of heat loss in your house. Sew4Home shows how you can sew a Draft Buster to stop the cool air from seeping in under your door. It’s a quick project you can make in just one sitting. The long pillow is pieced from several coordinating fabrics. They used cozy flannels in earthy tones for their example. Fill it with beans or rice to give it weight so it stays in place. Go to Sew4Home to get the tutorial.
[photo from Sew4Home]
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.
Dog lovers might like this version (for windows or doors): http://www.pandurohobby.co.uk/Inspirations/OldInspirations/2009_1/hund_08h-Keep-the-warmth-in-with-a-decorative-draught-dog
It’s called a “draghund” in swedish, which is a pun. A draghund is actually a dog that pulls a sled or similar, but the word drag also means draft and this is a dog stopping drafts.
If language isn’t a problem, a pattern and instructions (in swedish, danish and norwegian) is available in this pdf: http://www.pandurohobby.se/~/media/Item%20Media/PDF/VL/600726.ashx