It’s Day Twenty-Seven of National Sewing Month! Too see the daily blog posts, projects of the day, and more National Sewing Month details, click here.

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Do you still use a pencil case – even if you aren’t in school?
1000s of free craft projects, home decor ideas and DIY tips
It’s Day Twenty-Seven of National Sewing Month! Too see the daily blog posts, projects of the day, and more National Sewing Month details, click here.
It’s Day Twenty-One of National Sewing Month! Too see the daily blog posts, projects of the day, and more National Sewing Month details, click here.
I like the combination of the light weight iron-on interfacing and the medium to heavy weight, woven, sew-in interfacing. This produces a basket that will stand up by itself, without being bulky to sew. You could substitute this with different weight interfacing, fleece or batting. It all depends on the look you are after and what you are used to sewing with.
All seams are 3/8″ (1 cm), unless otherwise indicated.
Use a NON steam setting for pressing.
Back-stitch at the beginning and ending of seams. Arrange fabric strips:
Sew fabric strips together:
Sew the fabric strips together, at random angles, making sure the seams are straight as you sew. The long edges of the fabric will not be level.
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Step 1: place top fabric at an angle |
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Step 2: trim excess fabric from seam |
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Step 3: place next fabric at a different angle |
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Step 2: trim into a square |
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Step 3: secure seams by sewing along the sides |
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Step 1: iron-on interfacing |
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Step 2: sew-in interfacing |
Exterior of basket – sew front to back:
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Steps 1 & 2: measure 2″ from corner |
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Step 5: check that the marks are lined up |
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Steps 8 & 9: rule a line to sew along |
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Steps 10 & 11: remove pin and sew |
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Step 12: cut fabric and neaten |
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Step 1: place exterior inside lining and line up top edges |
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Steps 5 & 6: sew seam and neaten |
Now all you have to do is decide what to put into your basket.
Enjoy the rest of National Sewing Month. See you over at Threading My Way.
… Pam
It’s Day Twenty of National Sewing Month! Too see the daily blog posts, projects of the day, and more National Sewing Month details, click here.
An updated wardrobe is always on the mind, but it might not always be in the budget. New clothes and accessories can be quite pricey, and no matter how stylish they are, the cost might not be worth it. As a sewist, though, you don’t have to find yourself subject to retail sticker prices when you can simply make your own clothes. Rather than spending inordinate amounts of money on designer clothes, you can use any number of free sewing patterns to find ideas for refashioning clothes.
Check out the free tutorials below for several fashionable sewing projects. Whether you’re looking for instructions on how to refashion tops, bottoms, dresses, or clothes for kids, there’s a free sewing pattern for you. Explore all of these ideas to find the clothing refashion project that’s just right for your needs.
You don’t have to set foot in the department store to find your next fabulous top. Learn how to refashion tops with these free sewing tutorials. You’ll love how much you can create, and you’ll love how low-budget all of these projects are to sew. With so many free patterns, there’s no need for you to ever sacrifice style to save money.
DIY Basketweave Hoodie Tutorial
You can sew eye-catching bottoms on a budget using any of these free sewing tutorials. Low-budget, easy sewing projects are just what you need to give your wardrobe a boost on a dime. When money is no longer a factor, the only big question you really have to answer is “What will I sew first?!”
Ready for Summer Denim Refashion
Walking away from fabulous dresses because they cost too much can be a heart-wrenching experience. Say goodbye to those traumatic moments by getting out your sewing machine and your favorite clothes that need a new life. Check out these sewing tutorials to learn how to refashion clothes you already have into fashionable dresses.
With the rate at which kids grow, keeping them clothed can get quite costly. Save some dough on your kids’ clothes by learning how to refashion garments you already have. Check out any of these free sewing tutorials for ideas on how to make refashioned clothes for your kids. With these easy projects, keeping your little ones high fashion will be a breeze.
Hoodie Into Child’s Cowl Neck Pullover
Man’s Shirt to Child’s Dress Refashion
It’s Day Ten of National Sewing Month! Too see the daily blog posts, projects of the day, and more National Sewing Month details, click here.
Today’s post is courtesy of Anna from charmed Liebling. Check out Anna’s AllFreeSewing designer profile here.
Go shopping at the farmers market in style! This bag holds all the groceries you can carry. There is a divider inside the bag to keep everything organized. The hidden slip pocket on the front side of the bag is perfect to fit your wallet, phone and keys. This bag works well with laminated cotton or oilcloth, but you could also use home decor fabric or just simply lightweight quilting fabric. If you do, I recommend interfacing the exterior fabric pieces as stated below in the instructions.
All seam allowances are ½” unless otherwise stated. All measurements given are height x width. Please read all instructions before you begin.
You need:
– Exterior fabric: 1 1/8 yd (44″ width)
– Lining fabric: 1 yd (44″ width)
– 1 piece of hook and loop tape (self-adhesive or sew-on): 1”
– I made this tote completely out of laminated cotton. If you decide to do so too, please be careful when ironing parts of your fabric while sewing. I usually place a kitchen towel on top of the fabric, which is folded twice. I like to sprinkle the towel a little bit with water and used less steam than usual. I also don’t use the highest setting of the iron and I don’t press too long at the same spot.
– I also recommend using sewing clips instead of pins as they won’t leave holes in your laminated cotton or oilcloth.
Cut from:
– (2x) 16″ x 12.75” – main body
– (2x) 16″ x 9” – side panel
– (1x) 9″ x 12.75” – bottom panel
– (1x) 10″ x 21” – interior divider
– (2x) 29″ x 5.5” – strap
– (2x) 16″ x 12.75” – main body
– (2x) 16″ x 9” – side panel
– (1x) 9″ x 12.75” – bottom panel
– (1x) 10″ x 21” – interior divider
– (2x) 8″ x 9” – slip pocket
I didn’t use any interfacing on this tote since I used laminated cotton throughout and intended a slouchy look. If you use lightweight cotton fabric you might want to interface parts of your tote. In this case, cut the following pieces from fusible interfacing:
– (2x) 16″ x 12.75” – main body
– (2x) 16″ x 9” – side panel
– (1x) 9″ x 12.75” – bottom panel
If you don’t need to fold your tote when not using it, you may also think about interfacing the interior divider with heavy stabilizer. In this case cut the following piece from heavy stabilizer:
– (1x) 10″ x 21” – interior divider
Interface the wrong sides of the exterior parts of your tote.
a) Make the straps
– Fold one of your strap fabric pieces in half lengthwise, with the wrong sides together and press. Open up again and fold both long edges towards the middle crease and press again.
– Now fold lengthwise again, matching the long folded edges and press again. Topstitch along both long edges, approx. 3 mm (1/8”) from the edges.
Repeat the folding and stitching with the second strap fabric piece.
– Place one of the straps onto one of the exterior main body panels. The outer edges of the strap should be placed 2.5” in from the side edges of the bag. The loop of the strap should face to the bottom and the raw edges of both main body panel and straps should be aligned. Pin in place and baste the strap end to the main body using a ¼” seam allowance.
– Repeat for the other strap and the other main body panel.
b) Prepare the slip pocket
– Place the hook part of your piece of hook and loop tape onto the right side of one of the slip pocket pieces. It should be positioned in the center and 1” down from the top edge. Tape it down or sew it onto the fabric (depending on what kind of hook and loop tape you are using).
– Repeat with the loop part of the hook and loop tape and the other slip pocket piece.
– Take one of the slip pocket pieces and put it onto one of the exterior main body panels, right sides together. It should be positioned centered on the main body panel and the top edges of both fabric pieces should be aligned. (Since you already attached the straps to the exterior main body fabric panels, your slip pocket will partially cover the straps).
– Pin in place and stitch along the top edge using a 1/4” seam allowance, starting and stopping 1/2” from the outer edges of the slip pocket fabric piece.
– Repeat the previous step with the second slip pocket fabric piece and one of the lining main body panels.
– Set both main body panels aside.
c) Make the interior divider
– Take both of your interior divider pieces and put them right sides together. Pin in place and stitch along both long edges.
– Turn right side out and press. Top-stitch along both long edges using a 1/4” seam allowance.
– On both the top and the bottom edge, measure and mark 6” in from the side edges. Fold the divider towards what will be the wrong (= inner) side of the divider.
– Top-stitch along the folded edge using a 1/4” seam allowance.
– Repeat the 6” markings, folding and topstitching on the other side of the divider.
This is what you should have after folding and top-stitching along both folds:
– Take one of the lining main body side panels and place it right side up. Put your divider right (= outer) side up onto the side panel. Match the side edges of both fabric pieces and position the divider approx. 1” up from the bottom edge of the lining side panel. Pin the divider in place and stitch along the side edges using a 1/4” seam allowance.
This is what you should have after stitching both side seams of the divider to the lining side panel:
– On the lining main body panel with the slip pocket piece attached, fold the slip pocket over so that the wrong sides of both slip pocket and main body panel are now touching. Topstitch along the upper edge of the slip pocket, starting and stopping 1/2″ from the outer edges.
– Repeat the previous step with the other slip pocket piece on the exterior main body panel.
d) Assemble the bag lining:
Take one of the lining main body panels and place it right side up. Take one of your lining side panels and put it on one of the side edges of the main body panel, right sides together, the edges of both pieces should be aligned. Pin in place and stitch along the edge, but stop 1/2″ up from the bottom end (this 1/2″ is important later, when you are going to sew the bottom panel onto the bag).
– Repeat with the second side panel and the other edge of the main panel (when stitching the side panel with the divider attached, make sure to fold the divider together so it won’t get caught in the stitching).
– Take your second main panel and repeat the previous steps.
On the picture above you can see one of the lining main body panels with the two lining side panels (one of them includes the interior divider) already attached. You can also see how the side seam stops about 1/2″ from the bottom edge.
– Place the bottom panel with its four edges onto the bottom edges of the bag, right sides together. Pin in place and stitch along the first edge, starting and stopping 1/2” from the edge. Since you left the seam open by 1/2″ when sewing the side panels to the main body panels, you should be able to have your bottom panel seams start and stop exactly at the end of these seams (see on the next picture – note that I chose exterior fabric for the bottom panel of my bag lining).
This is what your bag lining should look like on the inside after stitching all the pieces together:
e) Make the bag exterior:
– Repeat step d) to assemble the bag exterior.
f) Finish the slip pocket:
– Place your two slip pocket fabric pieces right sides together (since they are already attached to the exterior and lining main body you will have to bend those parts out of the way for this step). Pin in place and stitch around the three edges of the slip pocket. Make sure to start and stop the stitching right beneath the topstitching of the top edge of the slip pocket pieces.
g) Assemble the bag:
– Due to the finished slip pocket, the bag exterior and the bag lining are already attached to each other. The bag exterior should be right side out, the bag lining wrong side out. Put the bag lining into the exterior. The slip pocket will be hidden between the layers. Make sure to fit the lining correctly into the exterior. Match the side seams and flatten the bottom panels, so that the lining sits snug inside the bag.
– Fold down the seam allowance of the top edges of both exterior and lining towards the inside. Pin in place and stitch along the top edge using a 1/4” seam allowance. Start and stop right before you reach the slip pocket.
Congratulations, your fabulous farmers’ market tote is finished!
Check out Anna’s Pattern Shop to see more lovely bags!
It’s Day Three of National Sewing Month! Too see the daily blog posts, projects of the day, and more National Sewing Month details, click here.
Hello, I’m Deby from So Sew Easy. I’m fairly new to sewing and learning new techniques all the time, so I was delighted to be asked to share with you as part of the National Sewing Month series.
On my blog, I mostly sew clothes for myself and one of the sewing techniques that took me a while to master was sewing an invisible zipper. However hard I tried to work it out, more often than not I would end up putting either one or even both sides in the wrong way. But now that I have this mastered, the invisible zipper has become one of my favorite techniques because it is so easy to do, yet provides such a high level of finish.
Follow through as I show you how I sew an invisible zipper in this video tutorial.
Did you wonder what the sound was in the background? Well, I’m lucky enough to live in the glorious Cayman Islands, and that was the sound of the Caribbean Sea lapping at the beach outside my sewing room window!
If you prefer a photo tutorial, you can find a written step by step with photos over on the site as part of the beginners Sew A Skirt series at so-sew-easy.com. Now you have the zipper sorted, you might want to follow along the tutorial series and sew a custom-fit lined skirt.
Thanks for watching, I hope you found this useful and picked up some tips, and won’t keep sewing in your zippers the wrong way round like I did!
And thank you to the FaveCrafts Blog for having me over today to say hello.
Authored by: Deby at So Sew Easy
We were all introduced to Roy G. Biv as kids, and he has been our best friend for many a craft through life. The rainbow is always a go-to when you need to produce something artsy and are at a loss for ideas. I know when I was expected to turn in an art project and didn’t have ideas, I colored plenty of rainbow starbursts.
Well, sewists, rejoice! Roy G. Biv is there for all of you too. You can use the color spectrum to find inspiration for easy sewing projects.
Instead of coming up with a project and then choosing a color scheme, try starting with a color and working from there. Whether you have sewer’s block (if that doesn’t currently exist, say it enough and we’ll make it catch on), or need an idea to sew someone a gift, start with the rainbow. The easy sewing projects below are organized by color and will help you choose the perfect project for whomever you’ll be crafting.
Large Tote with Rounded Opening
Walking on Sunshine Upcycled Dress
15 Minute Mouse Pad Wrist Rest
Reversible Craft Apron for Kids
If you’re like me, you check the weather multiple times everyday. I check it when I wake up, and I check it less than an hour later before I get dressed and leave for class or work. And I most certainly do not go to sleep without checking tomorrow’s weather at least once. This probably seems obsessive (okay, it is obsessive), but I do my best to be dressed weather-appropriate before I head out for several hours. If there’s one thing I can tell you from the numerous weather reports I’ve recently read, it’s that it’s time to break out your summer dresses because the warm weather is on its way.
What’s in style is ever-changing, and perhaps you’re ready to add some new summer dresses to your wardrobe. Let’s be honest, who has ever said they couldn’t use another great dress for the summer? If you’re ready to update your closet, check out these five sweet summer dresses that you can sew to get ready for some fun in the sun.
Nothing says “summer is here” like a great floral print dress. You can sew this little number for your little girl in just a few easy steps. Check out the summer dress tutorial to see how you can make this adorable outfit full of ruffly fun.
This sweet summer dress is full of bright, eye-catching colors and features the ever-popular overalls design. Your daughter will love playing and twirling in this soft and comfy outfit you sewed just for her.
A great summer dress is just a few stitches away with simple patterns like this one. This strapless dress is so easy to make, you might even want to try it in a few different colors. Grab your favorite fabric (or two, or ten) and give this pattern a whirl.
Your next summer dress can be a low-budget, upcycling project. Grab an old plaid shirt and sew away using this dress pattern. There’s no need to spend big bucks when you can sew a sweet dress with recycled materials.
This sweet summer dress is perfect for any beach getaway. All eyes will be on you when you wear this ensemble, and you’ll love knowing that your great dress was made from your very own handiwork.
by FaveCrafts
This guest post was written by Lavender Marsh for Threadsquare.
This is far from a groundbreaking, world changing technique. But I thought I’d share anyway, simply because lapped zips always seemed fidgety to me when I first started sewing. The trouble always occurred in the left seam allowance. It just never permitted enough room for topstitching the lap, or not enough to my liking. This was especially problematic with heavier fabrics, where I like to use as much width of the zip tape as possible so that the lap will lay flat. When I would stitch my preferred distance to the left of the seam, I’d barely catch the underlying seam allowance. Here’s my simple fix:
When cutting out pattern pieces, switch from 5/8” SA to 1” at beginning of zip placket. Trim off excess at garment’s right side – laps are generally on the left, so that is where you’ll need the extra 3/8”. Finish edges of seam allowances (my demo pieces are simply pinked).
Stitch seam RS together, B to T to bottom of placket, back tack, then machine baste the placket. Clip basting stitches to assist in removal later, about 1” intervals.
Turn garment right side up, top toward you. Fold SA of right side under 1/2”, leaving 1/8” exposed. Press or finger press.
Shown RS up, top away from you – note the extra SA width on the left
Pin to right zip tape, with top of tape hanging off edge (good thing you bought a longer than called-for zip! So much easier than working around the bulky stop.) and bottom stop at bottom of placket.
Baste, if necessary, or simply stitch from B to T, with zip foot to left, needle close to folded edge. Pull thread to back & tie off.
Just ignore that wavy stitch line 🙂
Lay left side of garment back over zip tape. There is now plenty of SA on left side to stitch garment to zip.
Align center seam to the stitch lines you just made (notice these stitches are a continuation of the seamline). Pin and hand baste across bottom, then 1/2” from seamline.
With zip foot to right, start with needle at seamline. Hand crank over zip, pivot and stitch to top, just outside of basting.
Bring threads to back, tie off, remove basting. Et voila! You could also hand-pick for a couture touch. The extra bit of zip will be cut off when the waistband or facing is sewn.
Read more about Lavender’s sewing adventures on her blog, Threadsquare.
Dear Readers,
It’s National Sewing Month! To celebrate, AllFreeSewing.com is hosting a special blog series throughout the entire month. Check back daily for posts featuring our favorite projects, new sewing videos and tutorials, guest blogs from talented designers and more. We’re also giving away a HUGE sewing prize at the end of the month. You won’t believe how EASY it is to WIN!
Leave a comment on any of the blog posts with the headline “National Sewing Month”. Your comment will count as an entry into the giveaway. You are free to comment as often as once per blog post (for a total of 30 chances to win!). At the end of the month, we’ll pool all of the comments together and pick one lucky winner to win the mystery grand prize. And trust us; you want to win this one!
Whether you’re already a sewing enthusiast or new to the craft, our hope is that this September will encourage you to create wonderful sewn projects.
Happy National Sewing Month!
Here’s today’s post:
Hello Sewing Enthusiasts! I’m Angel with Fleece Fun and today I’m going to show you have to make a Bow Infinity Wrap.
Bows are back and in vogue. You can make this cute wrap that will keep your shoulders warm and when made out of minky feels oh-so-good against the skin. This project can be completed from start to finish in under a half hour.
For this project you will need:
Step 1: Take a quick rough measurement.
Taking the large piece of fabric (the one that goes around your shoulders) – fold it in over on itself right sides together (so it’s the same length, just half the width) and sew, using a .5 seam allowance all the way down the fabric length. This will make a large tube turn right side out ( so all the soft goodness in on the outside).
Step 3: Gather part of each end.
Step 5: Wrapping it up
Taking the 5×8 piece of fabric turn under the edges .5 inches and using a zig zag stich sew the ends down. Then take the piece and with right sides together wrap it around the wrap – pin the ends together and sew using a .5 seam allowance, taking care to keep all the other fabric out of the way. Turn right side out, slide so that if covers the seam where the wrap ws join and hand stich a few stiches in the back to make the loop stay in place. Finished! You now have a cute wrap, that feels as good as it looks!
Dear Readers,
It’s National Sewing Month! To celebrate, AllFreeSewing.com is hosting a special blog series throughout the entire month. Check back daily for posts featuring our favorite projects, new sewing videos and tutorials, guest blogs from talented designers and more. We’re also giving away a HUGE sewing prize at the end of the month. You won’t believe how EASY it is to WIN!
Leave a comment on any of the blog posts with the headline “National Sewing Month”. Your comment will count as an entry into the giveaway. You are free to comment as often as once per blog post (for a total of 30 chances to win!). At the end of the month, we’ll pool all of the comments together and pick one lucky winner to win the mystery grand prize. And trust us; you want to win this one!
Whether you’re already a sewing enthusiast or new to the craft, our hope is that this September will encourage you to create wonderful sewn projects.
Happy National Sewing Month!
Here’s today’s post: