Sew Fun

Ask Sewfie... advice for the sewing obsessed, because you know you need help. E-mail "Ask Sewfie" today!

Dear Sewfie,

For this most recent Christmas season, I made beautiful handmade bags as gifts for all of my sister-in-laws. I started back in July, I spent quite a bit of money not to mention time and I made a concerted effort to choose fabric and patterns which I thought would suit each woman’s individual style. You can imagine how surprised and disappointed I was when I received a check from one of them with a note saying “here is some cash so you can buy real gifts next time”. I’m still steaming over it. How should I respond?

Don't be a handmade Grinch

The first thing you should do is fill in the memo field of the check (in really big letters) with the words “for fabric”, cash it and then go fabric shopping with your dear SIL’s money. Next, I would permanently scratch her off the handmade gifts list. Save your creative efforts for those who appreciate why handmade is better. Finally, for all future holidays, I would stuff her stocking with a re-gifted fruitcake.

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Ask Sewfie... advice for the sewing obsessed, because you know you need help. E-mail "Ask Sewfie" today!

Dear Sewfie,

I can’t bring myself to throw any any scrap of fabric, no matter how small. I’ve even gone through the trash after my kids clean up from a sewing project (shocking but true… they sometimes do clean up), re-claiming even the tiniest swatch that may be “still good for something”. As a result, every work surface in my sewing room is drowning in a sea of scraps… my sewing machine table, my cutting table, the book cases, even my knick-knack shelves… all covered in piles of scraps. What can I do with all of this without throwing them away?

- Scrappy

Dear Scrappy,

This easy, fun project will justify your obsessive frugality AND will make a whole stack of fun little gifts and craft fair fodder!

Table Scraps Coasters

Supplies (to make 4 coasters):

• random fabric scraps from your cutting table, totaling about 12″ square
• 12″ square fabric for backing (or 4 different 6″ squares)
• 9″ square of heavy weight interfacing such as Timtex or Pelon Peltex
• masking tape

Tools:

• 6″ wide acrylic quilting ruler
• rotary cutter
• cutting mat
• sewing machine
• iron

Instructions

Collect your scraps

Pick different colors and prints. Don’t be afraid of combinations you may think “don’t go together”.

Trim scraps

Using rotary cutter, trim the edges of your scraps. You don’t have to make perfect squares: try uneven strips for that “scrappy” look.

Sew Together

Stitch scraps together until you have an assembly at least 4.25″ x 4.25″ or larger. Press.

Line up template

Make a 4.25″ x 4.25″ template by marking your quilting ruler with masking tape.

Cut to size

Using your taped “window” as a guide, position your template over your fabric. Experiment with different angles. Cut your fabric to a 4.25″ x 4.25″ block by cutting one side, then rotating template 90 degrees. Repeat to cut all four sides. This is your coaster top.

Stitch to interfacing

Cut the heavy weight interfacing into four 4.25″ x 4.25″ blocks. Using a long basting stitch, machine sew coaster top to one square of interfacing using a scant 1/4″ seam.

Self-binding

Cut backing fabric into 5.75″ x 5.75″ squares. Place backing fabric right side down. Position coaster top right side up in the center of one backing square. Pin. Finish by self-binding with mitered corners. Click here for complete illustrated instructions on Self-Binding and How to Make Mitered Corners.

Enjoy!

This Table Scrap Coaster is working hard at a U.S. Army Nanotechnology lab, keeping its owner’s desk dry and looking stylish to boot!

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Every year, I made my Christmas Baby ‘Bella a birthday dress. Then, she grew too big and preferred the birthday Mall Crawl. When a little neighbor friend announced she was having an “Up!” themed birthday party, I could not resist this Alexander Henry “Brownie the Clown” fabric find (vintage 2006). Add this simple Sister Smocks pattern by Indygo Junction and you could not ask for a cuter 4th birthday dress! (continued below…)

The pattern works up very quickly: In keeping with time-honored tradition passed down from dress-making sprints for my own daughter, I made the entire dress the day before the party. There are only two pattern pieces to cut out: the front and back yolks. The rest of the dress is easy rectangle panels that you just seam together. Because the panels are just rectangles, it was easy for me to add a couple of extra inches in length. My Birthday Girl’s mom informed me she was tall for her age.

Another sizing-friendly feature of this pattern is the straps. There are no buttons to worry about placing. The straps are infinitely adjustable by simply sliding through horizontal button holes on the front yolks. My only complaint about the pattern is that the button hole sizing and placment is not marked on the pattern so I had to break out a ruler and chalk to just “wing it”. Aside from that minor issue, the strap length easily adjusts with just a quick tie of a half knot. And the knots on the front are just so fun!

The finished dress can be worn alone as a sundress, over a colorful jersey top or with pants. With some leggings and a little t-shirt, I’m imagining the “Up!” party dress could become the cutest Back-to-School outfit on the block!

Sister Smocks by Indygo Junction

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A long time friend just announced her new home and I want to make something handmade to help warm it. I’m thinking of some place mats (or a single table center piece?) using one of the Pieced Tree “Tiny One’s” that I love so much.

For fabrics (from left to right):

• Philip Jacobs “Coral” in purple and olive. I can’t get enough of this fabric, which first made its appearance in a holiday gift this past winter.
• Gold silk dupioni
• Anna Maria Horner’s “Fortune” in sea, from the Good Folks collection
• … and for the backing, “PURE” by Sweetwater for Moda… welcoming thoughts for a new home.

What’s in your sewing basket right now?

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Ask Sewfie... advice for the sewing obsessed, because you know you need help. E-mail "Ask Sewfie" today!

Dear Sewfie,
I’m an avid quilter and I’d love to make something for my boyfriend but my friend warned me about the “Boyfriend Curse”…. if you sew something for a guy he’ll break up with you. Is that true?

Ah, yes, “The Boyfriend Curse”. Actually, this storied curse applies to knitting. The curse purports that if you knit a sweater for a guy, he’ll break up with you. As it turns out, there is even a book about it called “Never Knit Your Man a Sweater (Unless You’ve Got the Ring)” by Judith Durant, see here:

It suggests a variety of knitting projects for men where the level of complexity is proportional to the level of commitment, i.e. a set of coasters of the guy you just started seeing, a scarf once you’ve been dating a bit… you get the idea. The sweater doesn’t come until you’ve got some bling in your top drawer.

But, back to your question, can you sew for a guy without him breaking up with you? This has not been studied as extensively as the Sweater Curse, which has some real science behind it… a poll conducted by the online magazine Knitter’s Review indicated that 15% of active knitters say they have experienced the Sweater Curse firsthand and a whopping 41% consider it a serious enough threat that they’re not going to mess with it.

Sewfie’s suggestion is to not take any chances. If you really must sew for your man, start out with something simple, like a shoe bag. And see how it goes. Work your way up to a pillow and maybe eventually some fun boxer shorts or pajama pants if you are feeling really playful. Don’t even go near something like a quilt until you’ve been married for at least 10 years.

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