Hey there everyone!
Today I am excited to introduce another free bag making sewing pattern to you!
The Flip Flap Purse is a cute little handbag that I designed for Seams and Scissors, the new blog of AllFreeSewing. We are celebrating National Sewing Month 2014 and they currently have daily giveaways going on with awesome prizes, so please do check out their website.

This fun bag sewing pattern is perfect for an advanced beginner. The asymmetric shape of the fold over flap makes this bag a real eye catcher! There is an additional zipper pocket on the back of the purse. This project will also teach you how to install a top zipper closure.

If you are interested in giving this pattern a try please hop over to my guest blog post over at Seams and Scissors.

I remember that a few years ago there was this cool tutorial in one of my Burda magazines which showed you how to paint a city skyline onto a scarf. There was a stencil included in the magazine which portrayed some random fake city skyline. I thought the idea was pretty cool but if I am going to have a skyline on my clothing I want it to be a real one! So why not put Rochester, NY onto a dress?? If you are interested in making something like this for your city, here's what I did:

You need:
- a picture of your city. Print it onto a letter size sheet of paper
- tracing paper
- cardboard
- scissors and ideally a carpet cutter
- doublesided tape
- black fabric spray paint (I used Tulip Fabric Spray Paint "Asphalt")
- a fabric pen matching your fabric - I used a red one with glitter effect (make sure it is a "pen" and not "slick" fabric paint which is dimensional!)

1. Trace the outlines of the city onto tracing paper. Then cut out the interior parts and discard them. Place the cut out picture onto your cardboard
(You may also cut the original picture if you don't have tracing paper or don't want to do the extra step but I thought using tracing paper was a little easier)
Trace the outlines onto the cardboard and then cut out the interior parts of the cardboard. This is going to be your stencil.

Before proceeding: I highly recommend trying your stencil on an old piece of fabric or muslin. You want to make sure you like the silhouette before you spraypaint the fabric of your garment! I am glad I used some simple yellow lining fabric to try out my stencil and my pens. I accidently bought a slick fabric paint pen which is dimensional and the result didn't really look nice. And I had cut out the bridge in the foreground of the cardboard at first which I also did not like. I removed the bridge part from the stencil so that I would have exclusively the outlines of the skyline. Everything structuring the skyline would have to be painted in later with a fabric pen. 

2. Tape the stencil to the fabric with doublesided tape. Make sure to cover all edges of the stencil with tape. It is important that the stencil will be attached securely to the fabric to prevent the spray paint from running over the edges. You also want to make sure to cover up the rest of the fabric with newspaper or some old fabric from your stash. For my garment I found this cotton/rayon knit fabric and love the pinkish/purplish color. I only bought a yard and thus knew that I only had one try to make this happen. No pressure at all :-)

Spray paint your fabric. Make sure to evenly distribute the paint and to get every corner. Let your fabric dry for at least a few hours before proceeding.

3. Take off the stencil and admire your work! So far so good - I actually procrastinated for about two days before proceeding to the next step. I was too scared I would screw up my nice skyline silhouette.

4. Now it's time to turn the silhouette into an actual skyline. I used the picture of Rochester for help and looked for significant details on the skyscrapers. E. g. the one in the center has a roof with slanted edges that reflects the sun. This part would be painted red to stand out more. The building on the left-hand side again has a very structured look with all those vertical lines, so I tried to draw in as many red lines as possible. The building on the right-hand side however is very dark, so I just draw the outlines and nothing else. As you can see I used the original stencil part to draw the bridge. I didn't want to eyeball this one since I am pretty sure I would have messed up on the proportions.

All done! After letting the paint dry for another few hours it was time to sew up the dress.

As for the dress I made with the fabric: it is a very simple pattern taken from Burda style magazine (April 2013, but they have the same pattern in the Spring 2014 edition which is available in stores right now). The pattern just uses one panel (cut on the fold) for the front and back and two facing pieces for the neckline. There are four pleats folded into the upper front part but I went with six since the neckline was a little too wide. I neglected the pockets. I like this pattern a lot and think the dress looks really good with a belt. Otherwise I would have probably made a more fitted version. 

And I really do like the skyline on the dress! Not everybody carries their city on their back :) Thanks for reading and if you like this tutorial please leave me a comment below!
Have a great week everyone!

This is the second part of my series of tutorials on different kinds of pockets to add to your handmade handbag. For the first part ("How to make an inner elasticized pocket") click here.

Customize your handmade handbag by adding a very practical and spacious pouch on either the front or the back! Not only is this pouch 3D-shaped so that you can fit more items into it – it also closes with a flap, to look more stylish and to make sure all your things stay in place.
I used this pocket in my All Day Out Bag sewing pattern. I like it because it gives you a little extra space for all the things you need to carry around.

--- If you would rather prefer to download this complete tutorial as a PDF file you may
purchase it here for only $2 ---

Finished measurements:
20 x 25 cm (8“ x 10“)
Please note: The bag you are making should measure at least 25 cm (10") in height and
28 cm (11") in width to make sure this pouch fits onto it.  
The pouch will be attached to one of your main body panels. Make it and stitch it to your bag lining BEFORE assembling the handbag!

Please read all instructions before you begin.

All cutting measurements given are height x width.

All seam allowances are 1 cm (3/8”) unless stated otherwise.

Download the pattern pieces from the PDF file below and cut them out.

You need:
- Exterior fabric: 1 fat quarter
- Lining fabric: 1 fat quarter
- Fusible fleece e. g. Pellon 987F: a 20 x 55 cm (8” x 22”) piece is sufficient
- Fusible interfacing e. g. Pellon 931TD: 0.25 m (1/4 yd)
- 1 magnetic snap
- pattern pieces #1, #2 and #3 (download them from the PDF file below)

Cut:
From exterior fabric:
(1 x) pattern piece #1 on the fold – pouch
(1 x) pattern piece #2 on the fold – pouch flap (outer part, with pleats)

From lining fabric:
(1 x) pattern piece #1 on the fold – pouch 
(1 x) pattern piece #3 on the fold – pouch flap (inner part, without pleats)

From fusible fleece:
(1 x) pattern piece #1 on the fold – pouch
(1 x) pattern piece #3 on the fold – pouch flap 

From fusible interfacing:
(1 x) pattern piece #1 on the fold – pouch
(1 x) pattern piece #2 on the fold – pouch flap

Instructions

1) Make the pouch flap:
On the inner pouch flap piece (cut with pattern piece #3, the one you interfaced with fusible fleece) measure and mark 3 cm (1.25”) up from the bottom (rounded) center edge.

This spot marks the center of the magnetic snap, so make sure to position the snap with its center right on top of your marking.

Install the male part of the magnetic snap in that spot, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Set aside.

Fold the pleats at the bottom (rounded) edge of the outer pouch flap piece (cut with pattern piece #2):

On the left-hand side of the pouch flap, bring the marking for the pleat up and over to the center and pin the fold in place.

 

Repeat for the right-hand side pleat. Baste across the pleats at the bottom edge of the pouch flap (approx. 0.5 cm (3/16”) from the edges) to make sure they stay in place.

Put the two pouch flap pieces right sides together, all edges matching.

 Pin in place and stitch around all edges of the flap but leave an opening of approx. 12 cm (4.75”) at the top edge. Trim the seam allowance and notch the curves (i. e. cut small “v”s into the fabric). Be careful not to cut into the stitching. Turn the flap right side out.

Fold the seam allowance of the opening down to the inside, pin in place and press the flap. Topstitch along the rounded edge of the flap using a 0.5 cm (3/16”) seam allowance. Set the pouch flap aside.

2) Make the pouch:
On one of the pouch pieces (cut with pattern piece #1), fold the top corner down so that the two edges of the bottom darts match. Pin in place and stitch along the straight edge of the dart. Repeat with the other edge of the fabric piece and then with the two edges of the second pouch piece.

On the outer pouch piece (interfaced with fusible fleece) insert the female part of the magnetic snap by following the manufacturer’s instructions, at the spot you marked.

Put the two pouch pieces right sides together, all edges matching. Make sure the seams of the darts of both inner and outer piece match. Pin in place and stitch around the edges but leave an opening at the bottom edge of approx. 10 cm (4”). Clip the seam allowance on the curves.

Turn the pouch right side out through the opening. Fold the seam allowance of the opening down towards the inside and pin in place. Press and topstitch along the top edge of the pouch using a 0.5 cm (3/16”) seam allowance. Set aside.

3) Attach the pouch to the bag main body panel

Decide where you want your pouch to be positioned on your bag and put the pouch flap with the pleated side up onto one of the exterior main body panels of your bag (the pouch flap should be at least 3.5 cm  (1.25”) down from the top edge of the main body panel). Pin in place and attach the pouch flap to the main body panel by stitching along the straight top edge of the pouch flap, at the same time closing the opening of the pouch flap.

Put the pouch with the magnetic snap up onto the exterior main panel of your bag and match both parts of the magnetic snap (of pouch and pouch flap) as if closing the pouch. This is how you find the correct placement for the pouch. With the magnetic snap closed, make sure the pouch sits centered on the exterior main panel and that its top edge is straight. Pin the pouch in place.
Attach the pouch to the exterior main panel by stitching along the side edges, curves, and bottom edge, at the same time closing the opening at the bottom. Be careful when sewing over the corners to prevent pleats. Leave the top (straight) edge open.

Your pouch is all set! Proceed with assembling your handbag.

If you would rather prefer to download this complete tutorial as a pdf file you may purchase it here for only $2.
--- I have received many emails with questions, tips and tricks on my tutorials. Thank you all! If you would like to weigh in with a short comment please feel free to let me know what you think of my tutorial below. I am interested to hear your feedback! ---

This tutorial is for all of you bag making lovers who like pockets in all varieties like me :)
It is the first part of my series of tutorials on different kinds of pockets to add to your handmade handbag. For the first part ("How to add a pouch with flap to the outside of your bag") click here.

Customize your handmade handbag by adding a very practical and spacious elasticized pocket! Not only is this pocket 3D-shaped so that you can fit more items into it – it is also divided in the center for more convenience, to keep your things organized.
I used this pocket in my All Day Out Bag sewing pattern. What I like about this pocket is that it reaches across the whole width of the bag interior - plenty of room to arrange your stuff!

For this project you will need (measurements see below):
-    2 pieces of fabric
-    1 piece of elastic

Make the pocket and stitch it to your bag lining BEFORE assembling the bag!

1) In preparation you will have to cut two rectangular fabric pieces for your elasticized pocket:

For the measurements for the pocket fabric pieces use the main body panel of your bag for help:
-    For the height of the elasticized pocket decide on where you would like the top edge of the elasticized pocket to be. Measure this height from the bottom edge of the main body panel and add 1.5 cm (1/2").
(For a medium-sized bag I recommend using approx. half the height of your main body panel).

-    For the width of the elasticized pocket use the width of your bag main body panel and add about 14 – 18 cm (5 ½ – 7”).

→ Cut 2 rectangles of that size so that you have two pieces for the elasticized pocket.
→ Cut 1 piece of elastic (length: about 3/4 of the width of the main body panel).

2) Assemble the elasticized pocket (all seam allowances are 1 cm (3/8”) unless stated otherwise):
Put the two fabric pieces for the elasticized pocket right sides together, all edges matching. Pin in place and stitch along the top edge. Fold the pocket right side out and press.
Measure and mark a horizontal line 1.5 cm (0.5“) down from the top edge. Topstitch along this line to create a channel for the elastic.

3) Attach a safety pin to each end of your piece of elastic. Pull the elastic through the channel you created on the top edge of your fabric piece.
Remove the safety pin from one end and carefully let the elastic slide into the channel so that it ends approx. 2 cm (3/4”) in from the side edge of the fabric. At 2.5 cm (1“) in from the side edge, topstitch down until you reach the bottom stitching of the channel, at the same time fastening the elastic.

4) The other end of the elastic will be in the channel. Pull it out at the safety pin. Tighten the elastic until the width of the top part of the pocket has the same width as the main body panel (see also last picture of this tutorial for reference).
Again, keep the elastic in place with your finger and topstitch down 2.5 cm (1”) in from the side edge, until you reach the bottom stitching of the channel to fasten the elastic.

5) Remove the second safety pin. Pull the fabric of the channel back to the stitching and trim the excess elastic.

6) To get the bottom edge of the elasticized pocket to be the same width as your main body panel, fold pleats at the bottom edge:
Place the pocket onto your main body panel and align the bottom edge and the side edges of both pieces. This way you will have excess fabric at the bottom, which you will use to create the pleat: On the right-hand side of the pocket, bring this excess fabric up and over to the center of the pocket and pin the fold in place.
In the picture to the right you can see the right-hand side pleat already folded and the left-hand side pleat still unfolded.

7) Repeat for the left-hand side pleat. Baste across the pleats at the bottom edge of the pocket (approx. 0.5 cm (3/16”) from the edges) to make sure they stay in place

8) Before proceeding make sure to distribute the elastic evenly over the whole width of the pocket.
Place the main body panel right side up. Place the elasticized pocket onto it, with the pleats facing up. The side edges, and bottom edge of both pieces should be aligned. Pin the pocket in place and attach it to the lining main body panel by stitching along the side edges and the bottom edge using a 0.5 cm (3/16”) seam allowance. 
If your main body panel does not have a rectangular shape but curved edges like mine, you can trim off the excess fabric of the pocket after pinning it down onto the main body panel like shown in the picture below.
To get two compartments, topstitch down from the center of the pocket.

Your elasticized pocket is all set! Proceed with assembling the lining part of your handbag.

If you would rather prefer to download this complete tutorial as a pdf file you may purchase it here for only $2.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Thanks for reading and happy sewing!

Hi everyone!
We are already past mid January, I truly apologize for having been absent for so long but I honestly don't know where time went... The only good thing about it is it brought us 2 weeks closer to spring :)
Anyways, I have come up with a easy and relatively short tutorial on how to make an iPad case! My birthday was on December 20 and as many of you know I spent it in Germany with my family. This iPad mini was a gift from my husband, and thoughtful as he is he gave it to me before I left the US, so that I could already use it on my long flight and while I was home!
Of course I needed to make a stylish case for it and I thought I'd share with you. I hope you like this tutorial. This pattern will fit all iPad models, regardless the size.
This tutorial is free but if you would rather prefer to download this complete tutorial as a pdf file you may purchase it here for only $2.
Happy sewing!

Please read all instructions before you begin.
All cutting measurements given are height x width.
All seam allowances are 1/2” unless stated otherwise.

You need:

- Exterior fabric for outer main body: 1 fat quarter (18” x 22”)
- Lining fabric for inner main body: 1 fat quarter (18” x 22”)
- Heavy fusible stabilizer e. g. Pellon Peltex #71F: no more than a 12” x 22” piece (depends on iPad size)
- Fusible interfacing e. g. Pellon 906F Fusible Sheerweight: 1/3 yd
- 1 piece of hook and loop tape (sew-on): 2”
- Elastic: approx. 1/2 yd (I used ruffle elastic for a more decorative look)

  Below I give the exact measurements for an iPad mini case and the formula to calculate the measurements should you want to make a case for different iPad models.

Cut the following fabric pieces:

A) Outer main body (use exterior fabric) – cut this 1x:

For iPad MINI:
9 1/2" x 12 1/4”

For other iPad models use the following formula to determine the size of the fabric piece:
- Take the height of your iPad and add 1 1/2”: this is the height of your fabric piece.
- Take the width of your iPad and double it. Add the depth of your iPad. Add 1 1/2": this is the width of your fabric piece.

(e. g. if your iPad is 9 1/2” high, your fabric piece will have a height of 11”
          if your iPad is 6 1/2” wide and 1/4" deep your fabric piece will have a width of 14 3/4” )

B) Inner main body (use lining fabric) – cut this 2x:

For iPad MINI:
9 1/2" x 6 5/8”

For other iPad models use the following formula to determine the size of the fabric pieces:
- The height of your fabric pieces will be the same as for the main body outer part.
- Take the width of your main body outer part as measured above. Divide by 2. Add 1/2”: this is the width of your fabric piece.

(e. g. your fabric pieces will be the have the same height as the main body exterior fabric, in this case 11”
If your main body inner fabric was 14 3/4” as measured above your inner main body fabric pieces will have a width of 7 7/8”

C) Heavy fusible stabilizer – cut this 1x

For iPad MINI:
Measurements as given in A). Subtract 1/2" from each of the four edges.

For other iPad models:
Measurements as given in formula under A). Subtract 1/2" from each of the four edges.

D) Fusible interfacing – cut this 2x

For iPad MINI:
Measurements as given in B).

For other iPad models:
Measurements as given in formula under B).

The following parts have the same size regardless of iPad type:

E) Closure tab:

From exterior fabric – cut this 1x:
4 1/2” x 5 1/2”

From heavy fusible stabilizer – cut this 1x:
3 1/2 ” x 4 1/2”


Instructions:

- Fuse interfacing onto the wrong side of the inner main body fabric pieces.
- Fuse heavy stabilizer to the wrong side of the tab closure fabric piece. Make sure to place it centered onto the fabric piece so that there will be no stabilizer on the seam allowance.

1.) Make the inner main body
- Place one of your inner main body fabric pieces right side up and put your iPad centered onto it.
- Place your elastic onto one corner so that it covers the corner of your iPad. It should be positioned loosely, don’t tighten it just yet. Make sure to position the elastic in an angle so that it would cover enough of your iPad to hold it in place but at the same time won’t cover too much of your screen. If you are satisfied with your positioning pin the elastic down on both fabric edges.
- Cut off your elastic and repeat the previous step on the three other corners.

- After pinning down the elastic remove your iPad. Smooth the elastic out to make sure it lies flat on the fabric. You may have to remove some of the pins again and pin it down again.
- Stitch the elastic onto the fabric using a 3/16” seam allowance.

- Place the second inner main body part onto the inner main body part with the elastic attached, right sides together. Make sure that all edges are aligned. Pin in place and sew along the left-hand long edge. Iron the seam open and set aside.

2.) Make the outer main body
- Make the tab closure:
Fold the tab closure fabric piece in half vertically, right sides together. This means that your fabric piece will be 4 1/2” x 2 3/4” after folding. Iron or handpress to make sure you will see the center crease. Unfold again and place the closure tab fabric piece right side up.

- Place the soft part of your hook and loop tape onto your closure tab fabric piece: it should be positioned approx. 1/2" left from the center crease and centered between the top and the bottom edge of the fabric piece. Pin in place and sew the hook and loop tape to the fabric piece using a 1/8” seam allowance.

- Fold your fabric piece in half along the center crease again, right sides together. Pin in place and stitch along both short edges. Turn it right side out.

- Place your closure tab (with the hook and loop tape facing up) onto the outer main body fabric piece. It should be positioned centered on the left-hand side edge of the outer main body fabric piece. The raw edges of both the tab closure piece and the main body piece should be aligned. Pin in place and stitch along the raw edge using a 1/4" seam allowance.

3.) Assemble the iPad case:
- Place the outer main body piece (with the closure tab attached) onto the inner main body piece right sides together. Make sure that the side with the closure tab touches the side with the elastic. Make sure that all edges are aligned and pin in place.

- Sew around all edges but leave an opening of approx. 7” at the side that does not have the closure tab or elastic attached. Trim down the seam allowance and clip the corners. Turn right side out. Fold the seam allowance at the opening down to the inside and iron.

- Find the right spot for the second part of your hook and loop tape:
Take your iPad and put it inside your case. Fold the case in half as if closing it. Take a fabric marker and mark the spot where the hook and loop tape of the closure tab touches the exterior main body.

- Sew the hook and loop tape onto the exterior main body at the spot you marked using a 1/8” seam allowance. You may have to remove the arm of your sewing machine for this step.

- Insert the heavy stabilizer into the casing: Slide it through the opening, match all corners and flatten it out. Make sure it sits nicely inside the case (you will be fusing the stabilizer to the fabric in the very last step when ironing your iPad case).

- Make sure that the seam allowance of the opening is still folded to the inside. Pin in place and topstitch the opening close.

- Finish up your case by ironing it thoroughly. At the same time your stabilizer will be fused to the fabric.

I posted this free tutorial the other day about how to turn an xxl-shirt into a dress and I finally made a second one! I had to wait for my new t-shirt to arrive, which I got from my choir. I joined the Rochester Oratorio Society last year and I really enjoy singing with them. A couple weeks ago they offered the opportunity to order shirts and hoodies with their logo on the front, I already have a hoodie (in light pink :-)) and since that other shirt for my friend turned out so nicely I decided to order a big shirt for myself and turn it into a dress as well.

For the basic steps to make this dress, please refer to my free tutorial. Below I will show you how I lengthened my shirt, embellished the sleeves and made the belt.

--- This tutorial is free but for your convenience I decided to offer the complete tutorial as a PDF for download for only $2, if you prefer to have everything in one structured document ---

1. Embellish the sleeves
I didn't want to go with regular sleeves and since I was planning on lengthening my shirt with some nice coordinating cotton fabric I thought I'd be a nice idea to add a small strip of that fabric to the sleeves as well. Another thing I did was attaching a piece of elastic to the wrong side of the sleeve, to get a nice effect. To do this you will have to measure the height of your sleeve and take a piece of elastic of about half that height. Place the elastic centered onto the wrong side of your sleeve, starting approx. 0.75" down from the top edge. Stitch it down to the fabric while pulling it tight, so that the other end of the elastic ends about 0.75" from the bottom edge of the sleeve. This will make the elastic to create crinkles (nice ones!) on your sleeve as shown on the picture to the bottom right.

Next I cut two strips of my cotton fabric (each with a height of 2"), which had the same width as the bottom edge of the sleeves. I put the sleeve and the fabric right sides together and stitched. Next I folded the cotton fabric over to the wrong side of the sleeve, folded down the seam allowance and pinned the cotton fabric down on the sleeve, with the its clean edge being pinned down just about 1/8" above the seam you made in the step before.

Topstitch from the right side of the sleeve to make sure your stitching is even. Stitch approx. 1/8" down from the top edge of the cotton fabric.

I also pulled a strip of elastic through the cotton fabric and tightened it just a little bit, for the sleeve the get a nicer and rounder shape. Stitching the ends of the elastic to the cotton fabric made sure it stayed in place for the next step.

Next I folded my sleeve in half so that the two short edges were aligned and stitched them right sides together. Then I was ready to attach the sleeve to the shirt (see my previous tutorial for this step).

2. Lengthen the shirt
With a height of 5' 9" I am fairly tall and so I had to lengthen the shirt or I would have risked showing to much... and we certainly don't want that :) So I added two 4" long strips of my cotton fabric to the front and the back of the shirt.

3. Adding a belt
I decided to add a little belt to my dress since I didn't quite like the look of it. I wanted it to be fairly long so I actually had to stitch two pieces right sides together along the short ends to get a piece that was about 64" long. I made two of these, so both of my fabric pieces ended up being approx. 64" x 1.75". I put them right sides together, all edges aligned and stitched along both long edges using a 1/4" seam allowance. I used a turning tool to turn the belt right sides out and folded down the seam allowance of both short edges and topstitched them closed.
I acutally put on my dress to find the right height for the belt and pinned it down on the two side seams of the dress. I made sure that the center of the belt was aligned with the center of the back of the shirt. Then I simply topstitched the belt down on the two side seams of the dress.

This is acutally more of a summer dress but I don't think I can wait that long before wearing it. I really like the way it turned out and it took me only about 2 hours to make it :)

Thanks for reading and I hope you like this project :)

One of my October weekends was devoted to a project I like to call "Now-that-it's-getting-winter-get-rid-of-the-freaking-drafts-in-your-house". Seriously, weather-wise I just live in the wrong state. I hate freezing, but I freeze all the time as soon as temperatures drop below 60 degrees (mind you USA, that is 15 degrees on the Celsius scale. Sounds pretty bad, huh?!). Our house here is old, built in the 1930s and while they installed new windows before we moved in, the wooden window frames have cracks and holes, if I hold my hand close to them I can feel the wind. No joke. This is not what you want when you live upstate NY where it usually stays cold from November to April. So this year I decided to finally do something about it and so I gathered as much information about how to weatherize windows when you don't have a clue about home improvement whatsoever.

Before you fall asleep over this blog post that was orininally designed to show you how to easily sew a draft stopper for your door, let me just tell you this: rope caulk is awesome! It is a putty-like substance that comes as a rope (duh...) with different strands and you can simply "unwind" as much as you need, in the thickness that you need to fill cracks or gaps and then simply seal them with it. It is amazing! I spent an entire Sunday filling all the drafty cracks in our house and I used up two of these packages. So if you are looking for a simple way to make your home more cozy, go get rope caulk!

So back to the title of this post. We have a backdoor in our kitchen, that leads into a very cold staircase and the basement. There is a really big gap under the door which I decided had to go as well. I mean, what's the use in fixing your windows if the cold still has this very convenient way to get into your house, right? I thought about making a simple draft stopper, you know, the ones that are made of fabric, stuffed with batting which you simply push in front of the door. I didn't like the idea very much since they always have to be put back in place after using the door. And the gap would be open if I leave the house through that door, so that was no option.

I found a very cool idea over at this website. They used foam tubes (originally designed for pipe insulation, you will find them at your hardware store as well) as a filler, what an awesome idea! I bought a 6' long foam tube that has a 1.75" inch diameter and started designing my own draft stopper. If you have read so far, congratulations and thank you, I really appreciate it :)
If you are interested in my "stylish" draft stopper, here is what I made:
(This tutorial is free but if you would rather prefer to download this complete tutorial as a pdf file you may purchase it here for only $2.)

First you will have to measure the width of your door, so you will know to what length to cut your foam tubes. When measuring, watch out for protruding parts (see first picture below) and take these into account so you will be able to close your door later with the draft stopper attached.
Also measure the depth of your door. You don't have to be too exact. I noted down 1 1/2" for mine.

Get some fabric. I actually had a Polyester fabric lying around in my stash (God knows why I bought this one…) which was perfect for this project. You most certainly don't want to use your best lightweight quilting cotton and you also might want to use darker colors, since the thing is going to be dragged over the ground fairly often.

Measurements: (seam allowance 1/2" included)

The width of your fabric piece should be: the width of your tube (i. e. the width of your door) plus about 3 extra inches.
The height of your fabric piece should be approx. 26 inches (if you use tubes with a diameter of 1.75 inches. Allow more fabric if you use tubes bigger in diameter). My piece of fabric was much too long as you will see in the pictures, don't let that confuse you :)

Fold the fabric in half horizontally (that means, after folding your fabric will still have the same width but will only be half as high as before), right sides together. Sew along the two short edges. Leave the long edge open.

Turn right side out. Put one of your foam tubes into the fabric and push it right into the upper corner, making sure it is centered. Pin it in place by closing the fabric, so that the tube is entirely covered by fabric. Pin as close to the tube as possible, as indicated by the white dashes in the picture below.

With the zipper foot of your sewing machine, sew along the tube, closing the fabric and trapping the tube inside.

Now measure from the seam you just made: the depth of your door, in my case 1 1/2". You can also put the unfinished draft stopper under your door to get the perfect measurements (see pictures below). Use a fabric marker to mark a line parallel to the seam you just stitched. I also recommend pinning the two fabric layers together, so nothing will slip while sewing. Stitch along the line you marked.

Take the second foam tube and put it into the fabric. Slide it inside, all the way to the seam you just made. Using pins, close down the fabric on the other side of the tube, again trapping the tube inside.

Using the zipper foot of your sewing machine, stitch along the tube again, closing the channel. Trim the rest of the fabric to the appropiate size: since this end of my draft stopper is going to be in the staircase and hence out of my view most of the time, I simply trimmed the fabric down to approx. 3/4" (measured from the stitching next to the tube) and did a zig zag stitch to prevent the edges from fraying. I agree this may not be the cleanest solution but I am not going to try winning Project Runway with this thing after all :-)

If you want your edge to be neat, trim down the fabric to a length of 1 1/4" (again measured from the stitching next to the tube) and then bend the fabric of both edges down towards the inside by approx. 1/2". Pin in place and stitch along the edge using a 1/4" seam allowance.

And that is it! Your draft stopper is finished. Slide it underneath your door and enjoy! No more drafts and it looks kinda stylish too. That fabric isn't even as hideous as I thought.

If you live in a cold area, you will have lots of fun with this. We had our first snow last night and I am not too happy about it... On the other hand I realized I really enjoy the sound of snow falling. Seems like I can't really make up my mind about it :) Do you like winter? Or are you one of those happy folks living in a warmer climate?
Happy sewing and stay warm :)

A few weeks ago my mom got herself a smartphone! With her being far away in Germany I was very happy about it because now we can finally text each other again. The last time I was home, I had my mini travel sleeve with me, and she liked it a lot. Since I got a lot of free stuff when I was home - when you only visit your parents three weeks every year they tend to spoil you, isn't that great?!? - I promised to make her a few purses. The mini travel sleeve was the first thing on her list and it turns out it was actually a good thing I took my time because now I could make it to fit her new phone perfectly! She gave me the measurements of her Samsung and so her travel sleeve is a bit bigger than the one that I made for my free sewing tutorial.

My mom asked for fabrics in pink, purple or gray colors and I found this eggplant colored quilting cotton by Jennifer Sampou, from her line "Studio Stash" (for Robert Kaufmann Fabrics).

I added a zipper pocket to the back since she wanted to be able to store change somewhere. In Germany we pay a lot more in cash and therefore it is good to have a pocket for coins. My travel sleeve would have been to small to add a zipper pocket anyway but hers had just the right dimensions.

Instead of a button and string I used a small magnetic snap for the closure.

I hope my mom will like her new little purse. Since I will be going home again for Christmas this year (yay!!) she will have to wait a few more weeks until she gets it. I prefer to give it to her in person instead of shipping it. She can look at these pictures in the meantime :)

If you like this sleeve feel free to check out my free tutorial that I made back in February. Happy sewing :)

--- UPDATE 12/3/13: I made another dress with embellished sleeves and a belt, and lengthened it with cotton fabric. You can find this blog post here.
For your convenience I decided to offer the complete tutorial as a PDF for download for only $2, if you prefer to have everything in one structured document ---

Another one of my sewing projects is done! A friend of mine had this really big t-shirt and she asked me if I could turn it into a dress for her. This was a really nice opportunity to use my serger again and was easier than I thought.

I had my friend give me one of her knit dresses that fit her well so that I would have some reference for measuremens. I put the xxl-shirt flat onto my sewing table and her dress above, so I could see where her shoulder seams and side seam would have to be. Then I marked everything with a fabric marker. You can see how I folded the sleeve to the side so that I could trace it exactly. The nice thing about knit fabrics is you don't even need to put in darts or pleats to make it fit. Simply let it slightly taper down to the waist.
I only did the tracing on one side of the shirt.

(Before proceeding I already cut the sleeves of. These will have to be adjusted in size later. )
Then it was time to cut off the additional fabric on that side. This is always the part the makes me a little most. After all, this is not my own shirt. Don't want to mess up now.
I simply folded the shirt in half and traced the other side with a fabric marker as well. This way I made sure both sides are even.

Using your serger (if you have a regular sewing machine you can use a stretch stitch) sew both side edges together again, right sides together.

For the new sleeves I actually looked through my paper patterns and took a sleeve pattern piece from a knit dress that seemed to be perfect to be used for the new sleeves. If you want to make sure the sleeve fits exactly into the armhole, measure the width of the armhole and adjust the width of the sleeve before cutting.
You can also go with a wider sleeve and gather it a little at the rounded top edge like you normally do, especially when sewing with cotton fabrics (e. g. a blouse). The only thing you want to avoid is having the width of the sleeve be smaller then the width of the armhole.
I took one of the shirt sleeves that I had cut off, folded my paper pattern piece in half and put it on top, the opening of both pieces matching. Then I traced around the paper sleeve and cut along this line.

With your serger or using a stretch stitch on your regular sewing machine, sew the sleeve together again at its short bottom edges. Repeat for the second sleeve.

Put the first sleeve into one of the armholes, right sides together. Both seams of sleeve and shirt should match. Use a lot of pins to keep the sleeve in place. I measured mine to fit exactly into the opening without having to gather the sleeve fabric.
Then stitch around the sleeve.

Almost done, the only thing I wanted to alter as well was the neckline. It was very small and wouldn't really look good on this dress.
I cut off the neck trim to make the neckline bigger, then simply folded it down to the wrong side by approx. 1 cm (3/8") and used lots of pins to hold everything in place.  Using my regular sewing machine and a twin needle I stitch all along the neckline.

And that is it already! I hope my friend will enjoy her new dress. I have to say I liked her idea so much that I am thinking about making a dress like this for myself as well. I even have an idea of what shirt to use...

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If you have any questions feel free to leave me a comment. Have you made a similar project? I would love to know :)

--- I have received many emails with questions, tips and tricks on my tutorials. Thank you all! If you would like to weigh in with a short comment please feel free to let me know what you think of my tutorial below. I am interested to hear your feedback! ---

Today I want to share my version of how to insert a recessed zipper into the top of your bag. (Click here if you want to read more about this particular bag)
This tutorial is free but if you would rather prefer to download this complete tutorial as a pdf file you may purchase it here for only $2.

The zipper will be sewn onto the lining part of the bag, so in order to determine the length of the zipper and the fabric for the zipper cases, please take your lining main body pieces of your bag and measure the following:
Take the lining main body piece of your bag and measure the width. Then subtract 2 cm (0.75"). This is the width that EACH of your zipper case fabric pieces will have.(This is to have enough room at the edges, so that the zipper won't be squeezed into the sides of the bag AND considering the edges of the zip case which will be bend down to get a clean edge.)

example:
width of the lining: 15"
subtract 0.75" = 14.25"
→ The width for your two zip cases has to be 14.25".

The length is determined by the depth of your bag. Measure the depth (usually you do this by measuring the width of the side panel of your bag) and then multiply this number by 2. This is the length that EACH of your zipper case fabric pieces will have. (This will be plenty of fabric since each case will be folded four times to get a stable, sturdy zip case)

example:
depth of bag: 5”
Multiply by 2 = 10”
→ The length of your two zip cases has to be 10".

All seam allowances are 1 cm (3/8") unless otherwise stated.

1) Cut your two fabric pieces according to your own measurements (in my case, my two fabric pieces for the zipper cases have to be 14.25 x 10” each).
Also: cut a small fabric piece, approx. 8 x 4 cm (3 x 1.5") to make a zipper tab for the end of the zipper.

2) Attach a zip tab to the bottom end of the zipper
For more convenience when using the zipper later, put a zipper tab onto the end of the zipper. Take your zip tab fabric piece and fold it in half along the short side, right sides together. Stitch along both side edges, trim the seam allowance and turn right side out.

Fold the raw edge down towards the inside and press. Take your zipper and put the tab over the end of the zipper, just so that the end of the zipper tape touches the middle crease of your zip tab. Pin in place and topstitch along the open edge of the zipper tape, this way closing the zipper tape and at the same time attaching it to the zipper.

3) Make the zipper cases
Take one of the zip case fabric pieces and fold down both short sides (wrong sides together) by 1 cm (3/8").
Now fold the fabric in half along the long sides, wrong sides together. Press. Open the fabric again and fold the two long sides towards the middle crease. Press and then fold in half again:

4) Attach the zipper to the zipper cases
Place your zipper right side up. Take your folded zipper case and put the zipper tape inside the open edge of the zipper case. The open edges of the case should end approx. 0,3 cm  (1/8“) before the zipper teeth.
At the end of the zipper (where you attached the zip tab), make sure that you leave some space of approx. 1,5 to 2 cm (0.5 to 0.75”) between the zip case and the zip tab:

At the top of the zipper (where the zipper opens), bend down the zipper teeth and hide them in between the layers of the zipper case.

Using the zipper foot of your sewing machine, stitch all along the open edge of the zipper case with a 0,5 cm (3/16”) seam allowance, at the same time attaching the zipper to the case:

Also, topstitch along both short edges of the zipper case. You can either do this with your zipper foot or switch back to your regular sewing machine foot.
Take your second zip case fabric case and repeat steps 3 and 4 for the other side of the zipper.

5) Attach the zipper to the lining fabric of your bag
Place one of your lining fabric pieces right side up. Take your assembled zipper and put it right side up onto the lining fabric. Place it approx. 4 cm (1.5”) beneath the top edge of the lining and place it centered, so that there is the same amount of space from the outer edges of the lining fabric piece to the edges of the zipper case (which should be about 2 cm (0.75") in from each side edge):

Pin in place along the long edge of the zipper case (that's the one opposite from the one with the zipper teeth) and topstitch the zipper case onto the lining fabric with a  0,5 cm (3/16”) seam allowance.

Repeat step 5 with the other side and the second lining fabric piece.

Your recessed zipper is all set! Proceed with assembling the lining part of your handbag.
If you would rather prefer to download this complete tutorial as a pdf file you may purchase it here for only $2.

Happy sewing!