Contemporary Sewing Patterns for the Modern Maker
Hi there! It’s Nastasia here to share with you a simple hack to the Flint pants pattern that will give you a whole new look!
Just in case you aren’t familiar with Flint yet, it’s a wide leg pattern with two really cool waistband closure options: side-tie or buttons. I love the wide-leg look, but I’m all about getting the most out of patterns and changing them up for different looks and styles. So today I’ll show you how to taper the legs.
Bunny was given this super cute tote bag by her auntie a while back and she loves it so much that she wanted to use it as her sports bag for school. The problem was that without a closure there wasn’t really anything to stop her stuff falling out all over the place. As often happens I remembered I could sew – so I decided to add a zip to her tote bag! I used a separating zip so that she can unzip it all the way if desired and use it as a tote bag whenever she wants to. It was a really easy addition and I love how it turned out! This method works equally well for an existing tote bag (store bought or handmade is fine!) or you can pair this method with our DIY Tote bag tutorial and make yourself a zip up tote bag from scratch. Alright, let me show you how to add a zip to a tote bag after the jump!
Hey everyone, it’s Holly! Is everyone enjoying Floreat as pattern of the month? It is such a versatile pattern! And I recently came up with a version that I am SO in love with. Like, completely obsessed. And I’m going to share the how-to with you today!
Has anyone noticed the shirring trend in the sewing world lately? Have you tried the technique yourself? Do you know what shirring is? If you don’t know, shirring is when you use elastic thread in your bobbin to create gathers that stretch. It’s so fun and SO much easier than you might think! Seriously, you just add some elastic thread, and your machine and thread basically does the rest. So I thought – why not try it out on a Floreat dress? It’s a nice loose fit, perfect for adding some shirring. And if you like adding the included sash pattern piece to cinch in the loose silhouette, this is a fun alternative to create that definition!
Do you have sewing day-dreams? Those moments when you zone out of life and into that little world in your head where all your great ideas float around, hoping to one day be made. The idea of a Rowan ringer tee has been floating around my imagination for a while now, and with the release of our updated sizes this month I decided it was finally time to make those dreams reality!
What’s a ringer tee you ask? It’s a retro style tee that’s found it’s way back into our wardrobes again – think 70’s youth, gym classes and rock & roll. Ringer tees are simply t-shirts which have neckbands and sleeve bands made in a contrasting colour to the rest of the tee. They’re such a cool style and are super fun and easy to make, so I thought I’d take you guys through 3 different methods to turn your new Rowan tee into a ringer!
So you’ve heard that we’ve just released Mini Darling Ranges, you’ve got 10 daughters and you’re thinking to yourself, can I be bothered making enough bias binding for ALL those gorgeous matching dresses? Well, firstly, woah. That’s a lot of daughters, and that’s a lot of binding. I can’t relate on the 10 daughters part, but I have had to make ridiculous amounts of bias binding before, and I’m here to tell you –
I KNOW AN EASIER WAY!
This method involves a bit more sewing than the continuous strip method which i know is really popular, but it results in less seams in your binding, and also gives you the opportunity to line up stripes or checks if you’re a big fan of pattern matching like me. It involves some fancy folding and accurate cutting, but taking it step by step, its a super easy way to make a huge amount of binding relatively quickly. And when i say huge, I mean HUGE! Today I’m making around 40m (almost 44 yards) of binding! But of course the same technique can be used on a smaller scale too.
This method isn’t just for people with lots of daughters, it’s also great for making binding for the edges of quilts, super easy bunting or spaghetti straps, for binding seams on the inside of garments or for a decorative bound edge on the outside of garments – the list goes on. Having your own giant stash of binding, ready to go at a moments notice, is ridiculously handy – so let’s get started!