Patterns, Techniques, Articles, Blogs, and other resources to learn how to sew
So you’ve finally decided to take the plunge and buy yourself a fancy schmancy, whizz bang, make-your-sewing-friends-jealous sewing machine. There are many models to choose from and they’re all loaded with features, features, features. Which features are a must? Which just sound nice on the packaging? Sew4Home shares some advice in their article, Top Ten Advanced Machine Features.
[photo from Sew4Home]
[tags]sewing, machine, advanced, features[/tags]
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’ve often wondered if it is the features or build quality that make a good sewing machine. The build quality, these days, is pretty much a given. They aren’t as heavy and rugged as the older ones, but then we want them to be more portable. The features, combined with the performance and speed are obviously the winning combination that makes a high-end sewing machine. Though, not all people want the same features. What are required features for some, are just extra bells and whistles for another sewer. Good comments. Thanks,
Rob