I Can Sew: The Most Basic Pillowcase EVER.

This is the first project in the I Can Sew series here on the blog, and it is an easy one!  If you are confident sewing those straight lines and you know how to use your iron, The Basic of all Basic Pillowcases is your best beginner project.  Everything is done on a larger scale so you have time to really nail the steps.

For me, the hardest part about sewing is cutting into pretty fabric.  I just like looking at it!  With this project, enough fabric is used that I feel like I haven’t really cut into it at all, and I get to enjoy it in its near-wholeness.  I’m a nerd like that.

For this project, you will need 1 1/8 yard of 45” wide cotton fabric.  Pre-wash your fabric before beginning.  I will refer to “wrong side” and “right side” of the fabric: the right side is the pretty, bright, printed side and the wrong side isn’t!  Some cottons, like solid colors, don’t have a right or wrong side so pick one to be your right and stick to it.

You will be using a 1/2” seam allowance for this pillowcase project; look at the grooves on your plate and if they are not already marked, use a ruler or measuring tape to find out which one is 1/2”.  Use masking tape if you like to help mark your seam allowance on your machine while you sew to help keep the seam straight.

Does your fabric have a print?  Does that print have a direction, meaning an up and a down?  That can change how you want to cut and orient your fabric, so pay attention to that if it is something you want to be particular about. You will cut your fabric 37” x 20.5”, and the 37” side will be where the pillow is eventually inserted.  Keep that in mind!

Let’s begin! How about we start with some graphics:

This part is a good time to use your adjustable measuring guide!  Or any ruler will do. Just try to be as precise as you can.

Here is a tip on how I sew along folded edges with a regular presser foot: The little “skis” feet help guide me as I sew along, and the fabric fold rests in the inside of the left ski.  It is acting like a seam allowance guide instead of the needle plate.

Moving on!

When you are folding the pillowcase in half, if your folds and stitches were even and constant, your stitches will line up.  Mine were off just a hair, but not enough to really bother me!  If yours don’t match, don’t panic. Just make sure the folded edge is lined up, and start pinning around the case from there, and then trim any excess if you need to and continue sewing. If it is too far off, consider unpicking and starting again! It is just a part of the process.

Another sewing tip: for beautiful square corners, follow these steps-

1. Mark with a needle or pen your seam allowance distance away from the edge of your fabric where you want to make your nice corner.  Slowly approach the needle.
2. When you get to your needle or marking, remove the pin and make sure your needle is down in your fabric.  Use the wheel on your machine if you need to adjust your needle position.  Lift up your presser foot with the needle still down in the fabric.
3. Turn your fabric under your presser foot so the edge of the fabric is aligned with your seam allowance guide again.
4. Put your presser foot down, and continue sewing as normal.  There should be a nice sewn corner left behind!

 

By clipping that little corner where you sewed your beautiful corner turn, you eliminate bulkiness in the pillowcase right there.  It will turn better too!  Also, I like to finish my edges with my serger, but it isn’t necessary!

That’s all!  You are done!  Your pillowcase should fit your nice fluffy pillow wonderfully… and it fits my daughter’s sad, smooshy pillow with a little room to spare.

This also makes a great gift!  Fold it up, roll it up, wrap it up pretty and give it to someone you love before they head off to summer camp, their first year of college, or as a holiday gift.

You survived your very first project, and had something great to show for it!  Yay!  Now, onward and upward.  More to come!  Until next time…

Book Plate Printables

One of the teacher gift ideas I was toying with was a gift certificate to a book store and some bookplates.  I ended up doing cookies and some flowers instead, but I had already made these bookplates, and thought I’d share them with you! Instead of stickers or something, I decided to make a notepad of bookplates so the teacher could just pull one off when she needed another one and they would stay nice and organized when not in use.

Want to make a bookplate… pad?  You need several copies of the printable, some notepad glue, binder clips (or other clips), and a paintbrush.

Cut the bookplates to the same size, or as close as you can get!  Then, stack them so the tops are all even with each other.  Clip them together to keep them aligned.

Now, take your paintbrush and coat the tops with the notepad glue.  Give it a good, medium-thick coat to make sure all the pages stick together well. If you are worried about warping, add another clip to the top once you have applied the glue.

Let it dry and remove the clips.  That’s all!  Super easy, and it turns out really cute!

I made two different printables, but only ended up printing out one (I was going to give it with some Swedish fish and some clever “School of fish” note…).  Both were meant for a Kindergarten teacher so they are juvenile, perfect for your little readers at home too!

You can either right-click and save from the blog, or I have PDF’s with 6 plates per sheet already arranged for you if you want. 

School of Fish

Bookworm

Enjoy, and have a super day!

Love design? Enter to win the #CB2NovogratzBrasilSweepstakes !

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of CB2 for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

If I could describe my dream home design aesthetic, it would be a mix of mid-century, vintage, and modern.  Sometimes I look around my second-handedly decorated apartment and mentally fill it with great items from those eras.  My college emphasis was in Interior Design, so I have been filling notebooks (and pinterest boards!) with that style ever since studying it in my classes. It makes sense, then, that I do a lot of drooling over the products available at CB2. Even better now that The design duo Robert and Cortney Novogratz have come out with a deliciously loveable line at CB2 inspired by their vacation home in Brazil- the warm wood tones and bright color mixes are the perfect blend of modern and vintage.  The signature fearlessness of the Novogratz style is really fun and exciting, and fits so well with the other CB2 offerings! It was a match made in heaven.

The new CB2 and Novogratz Collection has some truly awesome pieces, like this Breaker chair (the blue! It was made for me!!):

Although I think my favorite combo would be the Dupla Credenza and Soneca Pendant Lamp:

That credenza has a beautiful mix of wood tones, color, the industrial feel of the corners... everything about it calls to my someday-home design sense. Love it! The contrast of the angular credenza and the smooth global lamp are a match made in heaven.

In order to help light the flame of the beautiful Brazilian features of the CB2 and Novogratz Collection, there is an amazing CB2 and Novogratz Brasil Sweepstakes where you and 3 friends can win an entire week's stay at the vacation home of Robert and Cortney Novogratz in Trancosco, BRAZIL!  You can see exactly where the inspiration came from, live the experience, and revel in design goodness. I have always wanted to spend time in the home of a real designer!  This would be the chance of a lifetime! 10 other winners will get a $100 gift card to CB2, plus get an autographed copy of the book, "Home by Novogratz."  Simply enter at cb2.com/sweeps between May 2nd and June 3rd.  Better hurry- the sweepstakes is halfway over!

I Can Sew: Sewing a Straight Line

It is time to sew with some control!  I don’t mean in terms of self-control, like when I sew until the wee hours of the morning, or get frustrated and throw something across the room.  I mean sewing with control over the fabric you are working with in order to get a nice, straight line :)

This is how my mom taught me how to sew a straight line: With your left hand, gently hold the top left corner of the fabric.

With the right hand, hold the fabric gently again between the thumb and the fingers, holding it up slightly with the thumb.

Then, as you begin to sew and the machine feeds the fabric through, move your body and arms with the fabric letting it guide you while still having that hold on the fabric.  Stop before you get to your hand (or pin) and reposition your hand holds.  My mom had us first practice on paper with her junky needles, and it helped a lot!  Try it, see if your lines get any straighter.

That’s all for today!  Amazingly short, huh? :) 

Did you use a nursing pillow?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Comfort and Harmony for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I was a first time mom, one of the things I really struggled with was nursing. MAN that was painful!  But I plugged along and eventually we got a handle on things.  Something that made it easier for me was having a nursing pillow- I had some knock-off brand from who knows where that I made my own cover for, and while it functioned, it wasn't amazing.  I usually used it with a pillow, but mostly used it to prop up the baby!  Especially when she was learning how to sit, I made sure she was nestled safely in the nursing pillow. 

I think things have come a long way since I had my first baby 6 1/2 years ago!  I realized this after getting the chance to "sample" a different nursing pillow made by the folks at Comfort and Harmony, the mombo™! Since I am not actually nursing right now, I called up my friend who had her very first baby only 14 weeks ago and had her try it out!

The first thing that I was a super fan of was the super SUPER soft cover that came with the sample pillow.  My babies have always loved fuzzy fabric, so that was a win!  Also, one of the unique characteristics of this mombo nursing pillow is the fact that it is 2-sided; one side is more firm for nursing, and the other is soft for supporting.  The fact that the nursing side is firm eliminates the need for extra propping pillows underneath to keep baby right where you need them to be.  According to my friend here, it was much more convenient than the other pillows she has tried! 

The other side of the pillow was very cute with modern elephants and trees, but we wondered if the piping around the edge would bother a propped-up baby.  It is cute, for sure!  But still, it might be a concern.  Something else that is unique about this pillow is the fact that it has a little space for an option to insert a vibrating piece to help soothe the baby.  It hides inside undetected, and is a great idea, I think!  This would have been nice when I had my Allie baby, who spit up all the time and needed to be propped up but also liked the vibrating seat things.  It is like a 2-fer! 3-fer?

This fun mombo pillow is available at Toys R Us, and possibly Babies R Us (which makes sense, right?) and in lots of different styles. This would be a great gift for a new mom!  Because the covers are removeable and washable, it can last a long time.  Go check out all the different products they have!

To see more products and get the latest information, you can visit Comfort & Harmony on Facebook and Comfort & Harmony on Twitter.  There is always something happening there!

So... do you use a nursing pillow?  Would you like this one??? Or, even someone you know who is expecting might like one! I have a second baby nursing pillow with the same elephant cover for one of you, dear readers!  This is a great giveaway!  All you need to do is leave a comment telling me why you want a mombo? Is it for you?  A friend? Family member?  Let me know, and please... make sure I have a way to easily e-mail the winner back- otherwise, you can't win!

I Can Sew: Know Your Fabric

My favorite topic EVERRRRR! I mean really, fabric is so delightful.  I LOVE fabric :)  One of my favorite classes in college was a textile class where we had to study different properties of different types of fabric and then, based on those qualities, determine where that fabric was best used.  It was a great class!  The very first thing we learned that I am going to pass on to you is that fabric is not simply “fabric” (is nothing simply what it seems to be? sorry!). There are 3 basic categories of fabric: Knits, Wovens, and Non-Wovens. 

Basically, knits are the stretchy fabrics!  They are made by threads being looped around a needle, to put it very simply. The most common knit fabrics you will come across in your sewing days are interlock and jersey, but ribbing and even fleece come into play a lot too.  Interlock is light-medium weight, like regular t-shirt fabric, and has two “right” sides.  Jersey is lighter and more airy, and has a distinct right side.  The yellow stripe knit in the photo is jersey knit.  Ribbing is heavier and has definite “ribs” in it; it typically costs a little more.  For these summer pajamas, I used interlock and rib knits.  Knits are used all the time in clothes because it is soft and comfy and stretchy! 

Woven fabrics are, in fact, woven!  There are vertical (warp) and horizontal (weft) threads that weave into each other to make a fabric.  The family of woven fabrics is the most diverse, and the plain weave is what you see typically in quilt shops and usually has the largest section in fabric stores. Seriously, woven fabrics are everywhere, in so many different forms. Nearly every fabric used in your home is probably a woven.  And your jeans, and a lot of your other clothes.

Wovens do not stretch unless on they are pulled on the bias, or on the diagonal, but then they only stretch a little bit in that it is just distorting the weaves to be more like diamonds instead of square. Typically you cut pattern pieces to line up with the warp (remember that line/arrow we talked about?) to make sure that clothing or projects do not stretch while you sew or hang funny on the body once the garment is sewn.  If the look of draped clothing or projects is desired, the pattern pieces will be placed parallel to the bias of the fabric.  Unless a pattern calls for fabric to be on the bias, do not do it because it won’t lay or hang the way you want it to.  In home or quilting projects, bias “tape” is great for using on curves because it stretches just enough around them.

Non-wovens are your interfacings (although there are knit interfacings too), battings, and other specialty fabrics like insul-brite. They are neither woven or knit; they are simply manufactured. There are lots of them, and these are usually not what your garment or project has for its main feature :). There are often different weights to them, so make sure the weight of your interfacing matches the project you are working on.  Patterns will tell you what specifically you will need.

When shopping for fabric, it is important to not only look at how pretty it is, but also the information on the cardboard bolt.  I asked Hobby Lobby if I could use one of their finished bolts to show you examples of what you need to pay attention to:

Fabric type: Usually this is labeled above the fabric, but it is good to check and make sure!  This is also a good way to learn what different fabrics feel and look like so you don’t have to check every time. 

Fiber Content: What the fabric is made from; something like chiffon (I LOVE chiffon!!) is usually 100% polyester in your typical fabric store, and quilting fabric is almost always 100% cotton.  This goes hand in hand with…

Care Directions: SUPER important if you are sewing for kids!  You don’t want to pick up a fabric that is dry-clean only or hand wash only if you are going to have to wash it often!  The fiber content usually is the factor behind how to care for fabric; sometimes, however, an easy-care fabric has a delicate finish on it or some decorative feature that will change how you need to care for it.

Width of Fabric: You will want to know this for your patterns.  Example: For my twirly t-shirt dress, I used 54” fabric and was able to get a full circle out of it for my 6-year-old.  If I had picked a fabric only 45” wide, I would have had to make panels cut on the bias to get the same effect. Home décor fabric is usually much wider than quilting-weight plain cotton fabric.

First and foremost when picking a fabric, make sure it is the right type: do you need a woven, or a knit? THEN you can go look in that section of the store for what tickles your fancy.  If you want to know more about different types of fabric, I highly suggest Dana Willard’s Fabrics A to Z.  My friend Jill sent me a copy and I have loved it as a reference; it has care instructions, sewing needle suggestions, and other ways to work with each fabric.

Do you have a favorite fabric type to sew with?  How about your favorite place to shop online/brick and mortar for your fabric?  Please share so we can all be enlightened!

Teacher Gift: One Smart Cookie (Printable)

I know that last week was Teacher Appreciation week (only, I didn’t know it was until halfway through…) but since we are leaving before school gets out, I wanted to give my daughter’s Kindergarten teacher something now rather than at the end of the year as a good-bye since we won’t be around!  While we got her some pretty Violets, I do love edible gifts too. I am the biggest fan of edible gifts when I am the recipient, but I suppose I can give them too.

I was working on some homework of my own and decided to make a cookie printable to help go along with the teacher gift.  You can right-click and save the image above to use it too.  I simply backed it in blue cardstock and then taped it to my little treat bag with chocolate chip cookies inside.

And if you think I am going to make my mother-in-law’s yummy chocolate chip cookies and not share the recipe, you are crazy!  These are our favorite cookies, and this recipe makes a lot!  When I halve the recipe, I add 2 eggs, just FYI.

Collette Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 4 cubes butter (1 lb), room temperature
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 5-6 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 12-oz bag Semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.
3. In separate bowl, cream butter and sugars.
4. Add eggs to creamed mixture, mixing on high speed for 30 seconds after each egg, and then an additional minute on high speed.
5. Incorporate dry ingredients slowly to creamed mixture, mix until combined.
6. Add chocolate ships and mix on slow-med speed until chips are fully mixed in.
7. Form cookie dough into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Makes about 5 dozen.