Patterns, Techniques, Articles, Blogs, and other resources to learn how to sew
Christie from Joyfoolery shares a tutorial on her blog showing how to resize a man’s button down shirt into one that will fit a child. This is such a great idea!! Men’s button down shirts are easily found at thrift stores, rummage sales, and yard sales. And because you keep the original collar and hem, it’s also a quick and easy project. Get the tutorial.
[photo from Joyfoolery]
The bag is simple, uses very little fabric (about 2/3rds of a fat quarter), has no fussy inside pockets (although you can add your own if you like), and takes me well less than 30 minutes to print the pattern, cut out and sew. But quick and simple doesn’t mean it’s not awesome!
It’s the sort of bag that is versatile enough to be used for lots of applications, not just cosmetics and toiletries. Keep all your pens and pencils in order, use it for a small first aid kit for the car, keep it in your desk at work for a few headache pills and other personal supplies.
Make some for yourself, for gifts or to sell.
It kind of cracks me up how many of these articles I see on sewing blogs now! When I was a teenager I used to do this for my brothers and sisters, my mom was divorced with very little money and six of us kids! (In the 60’s) I was a good seamstress and kept us mended and the girls and I in clothes, mostly. When I was married in the late 70’s and early 80’s I used my mother-in-law’s old slacks to make pants and overalls for my two oldest kids who were still at the toddler stage then.