Sewing Archives - Page 6 of 13

arts and craft, Crafts, gifts, Sewing, tote bag, Très Frugal, Tutorial

Cute Reversible Reusable Tote Bag Tutorial by Sawdust Girl

Are you enjoying Tote Week?!

If you’re just joining in here’s the line up:

Monday: How to Sew a Canvas Tote Bag
Tuesday: Dress Up a Store Bought Tote with Piping
Wednesday: Reusable Tote Bag Sewing Tutorial
Thursday: Customizing a Tote Bag with an Old Shirt
Friday: 21 Ways to Make and Decorate a Tote Bag

Today I have one of my closest friends and blogging buddies here. If you don’t know who I’m talking about, she’s the amazing, the incredible and the always vivacious Sandra from SawdustGirl.com. And she’s going to give you a tutorial for sewing those cute reversible and reusable tote bags!

Howdy Handy friends! I’m Sandra of Sawdust Girl – formerly Sawdust and Paper Scraps. I try to reduce, reuse and recycle anyway so this tutorial for reusable, reversible, ruffled totes is fitting. Don’t ya’ think? I like to use my totes as grocery bags and have given a pair of these as gifts along with a few reusable produce bags found at the dollar store.

I used an old sheet and a set of pillowcases to make mine but for a gift item, maybe use new fabric. If you look for sheets on clearance you can get a LOT of fabric for just a few dollars.

This is a really easy pattern that I made from looking at a canvas tote. (It fits perfectly on a standard pillowcase.)

*Seam allowance? I run the fabric along the right side of the foot. I think it’s a waste to take a wide allowance and then trim!

Instructions:

1. Use the same pattern for the bag and the liner. You could use the same fabric for both or mix it up for fun. I like to use 2 different fabrics so I can flip it inside out and have a totally different bag!

2. Sew all 4 pieces (excluding the bottom) together like this: front/side/back/side making one long piece of fabric.

3. If you are going to add any kind of embellishment, now is the time. I’m adding three rows of ruffles! Read more

August 5, 2015/6 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

accessories, DIY, drop cloths, fabric, Sewing, Uncategorized

How to Sew a Custom Canvas Tote

Hey guys! Do you know what today is? It’s the beginning of Tote Week! What, you had no idea? Tote Week here on Pretty Handy Girl is five days devoted to Tote Bags! Learn how to sew adorable tote bags and how to customize store bought tote bags.

If you’re just joining in here’s the line up:

Monday: How to Sew a Canvas Tote Bag
Tuesday: Dress Up a Store Bought Tote with Piping
Wednesday: Reusable Tote Bag Sewing Tutorial
Thursday: Customizing a Tote Bag with an Old Shirt
Friday: 21 Ways to Make and Decorate a Tote Bag

To start us off, Jaime is here to give you the basic sewing tutorial to make your own lined (and monogrammed) tote bag. Jaime is from That’s My Letter, a blog filled with DIY Tutorials. Today, she’s showing you How to Sew a Custom Canvas Tote complete with painted monogram:

This tote makes a great everyday bag or purse, just big enough for all the important stuff but not too bulky. The finished size is 16″w x 9″h x 8″ square at the base, and the handles extend about 6″ in height.

The tote is fully lined and includes an interior zippered pocket. The zipper is easy as pie I promise! I’ll show you how down below.

You can add any monogram or name to personalize the tote. Then you’ll be making canvas totes as gifts for all your friends.

The square base makes for a nice wide tote and the canvas is super durable:

Materials:

drop cloth canvas (1 yard)
blue canvas (1/2 yard outdoor patio fabric Sunbrella or the like)
lining (1 yard)
medium weight fusible interfacing (1 yard)
firm interfacing – 9″ x 9″
1 1/2″w cotton webbing (1 yard)
9″ zipper
lightbox
small paintbrush
acrylic paint
sewing machine, thread to match, iron, seam ripper

Materials Cut List:

Base:

1 – blue canvas 9″ x 9″
1 – lining 9″ x 9″
1 – drop cloth canvas 9″ x 9″
1 – firm interfacing 9″ x 9″

Body:

2 – drop cloth canvas 10″h x 17″l
2 – med. fusible interfacing 10″ x 17″
2 – lining 10″ x 17″
2 – blue canvas 4″h x 17″w

Handles: 2 – 1 1/2″w cotton webbing @ 17″l

Instructions:

Step 1: Cut materials (see cut list above).

Step 2: Prepare base. Sandwich drop cloth, firm interfacing then blue canvas. Read more

August 3, 2015/15 Comments/by Jaime Costiglio

DIY, Home Decor, Sewing

DIY Pouf Ottoman ~ Tutorial and Lessons Learned

Hey everyone! It’s Katie again from Addicted 2 DIY. Today, I have (1) a tutorial on how to make a fun DIY pouf ottoman and (2) a few lessons I learned while I was making mine that will help you out when making your own. I’m pretty certain it’s hard to miss the fact that pouf ottomans are everywhere right now. The problem is the price. These babies are expensive! I refuse to pay a high price for something that I can make myself. I bought some fabric and figured out how to make my own!

I’m no pro at sewing, so know that this is a tutorial for even a novice sewer! Sewing is not one of my chosen hobbies, but I do love the fact that I am able to save a ton of money when I make things myself.

Materials:

1 1/2 – 2 yards of fabric (I bought outdoor fabric on sale at JoAnn’s)
Upholstery thread in a coordinating color
5 – 6 yards of Piping trim (optional). Tutorial to Make Your Own Piping
16″ zipper in coordinating color
1 lb fiberfill
3-4 cubic feet of polystyrene beads (I purchased four cubic feet total)

Instructions:

Cut your fabric pieces. For the top and bottom of the pouf, cut two squares of fabric at 19×19″. For the sides, cut four pieces at 19×15″.

Sewing on the Zipper:

Sew two side pieces together (on the short sides) with a basting stitch. Press open the seam and place the zipper face down on the seam. Pin the zipper in place. (Note: You don’t have to use a zipper, and I didn’t on my first pouf, but it will make it difficult to sew together when it is stuffed because the polystyrene beads will try to fall out everywhere.) Read more

July 22, 2015/28 Comments/by Addicted 2 DIY

curtains, Decorating, laundry room, Sewing, storage

Hidden Storage Under a Laundry Room Sink

Laundry Room Sink Skirt | Pretty Handy Girl

Having a utility sink in the laundry room rocks! Having everything that we store underneath it on full display isn’t so rockin’. It was time to create some Hidden Storage Under our Laundry Room Sink.

In the previous incarnation of our laundry room I had hot glued a skirt onto the sink. But, it was awkward to access the trash can underneath.

When the new sink was installed in the laundry room I wanted to find a better way to hide the storage under the sink.

Materials:
(contains some affiliate links)

Stainless Steel Small Shower Curtain Tension Rod 25″-43″
Grommet Top Curtain Panel
Scissors
Pins
Iron
Sewing Machine (or hem tape)

Instructions:

If you have something solid on each side of the sink (in our case the dryer and a wall), you can use a small shower curtain tension rod. Follow the directions on the shower curtain rod package, but basically you’ll twist the rod until it is tight against the surfaces you are mounting to.

Slip the rod off the wall for a minute and slide the grommet topped curtain onto the rod.

Fold under the excess and pin where the curtain meets the floor.

Measure 5″ up from the pinned edge. Cut the excess off. Fold over 1/2″ at the raw edge and fold again to create a 4 1/2″ hem.

Iron the folded hem.

Stitch along the 1/2″ fold.

Slip the curtain back onto the tension rod and adjust the rod an inch away from the sink (to allow room for the curtain to accordian.)

When we need to access the trash can or mop bucket, the grommets slide smoothly along the rod.

Easy hidden storage under a laundry room sink!

It’s so nice not seeing the bucket and trash can. Speaking of mop bucket, that’s a fancy Mopnado you’re seeing under the sink. If you haven’t heard of the Mopnado, they make moping a lot more fun! The mop head fits in the top and spins to release excess water. You can see how fancy it is in this video:

(Yes, they sent me a complimentary Mopnado to try. No I was not paid or sponsored to mention it.)

What do you think of this quick and easy tutorial to create hidden storage under a laundry room sink? Do you have a utility sink that can use this trick?

Have a great weekend y’all! I’m headed to Dallas for a little fun project with Thompson’s WaterSeal. Follow me on Instagram to see what I’m up to on my trip.

Pin for later!

February 13, 2015/10 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

corduroy and felt pillows, Crafts, decor, Decor Adventures, Decorating, Home Decor, Pillows, Sewing

Birch Tree Pillows

One thing that gets me ready for the fall season is to bring natural elements into my home. Although, they don’t actually have to be real, you can create them with some fabric and a little sewing. I’ve wanted to change up the pillows in our living room for a while, and these birch tree pillows are the perfect touch for fall. They are super easy to make, without any special tools!

I made these with fabric I had on hand and 20″ pillow forms, however you can adjust the size based on pillow forms you have. I also made them with a 1″ “trim” around the edges as an envelope cover (meaning the pillow form slips inside the cover without the use of a zipper.)

Materials

Fabric in your choice of color for the pillow base
White felt for the trees
Measuring tape
Scissors
Pencil
Fabric glue, optional
Sewing machine
20″ pillow form

Instructions

1. Prepare the fabric to sew it into a pillow cover by cutting a piece that is 21 1/2″ x 45″ long. This shape will make up the front of the pillow and overlap in the back to form the envelope. Iron the cut piece to remove any wrinkles.

2. Sew a hem on both of the shortest 21 1/2″ ends so you have a nice finished seam on each. You will see one of these from the back of the pillow. Set this piece aside for the moment.