Faux Button Placket (No Buttonholes Involved!)

With an ever-growing to-do list, I'm always looking for short cuts. Which leads me to a confession....

I hate buttonholes.

Phew, glad I got that off my chest! For the longest time, I refused to sew buttonholes. I think my fear stems mostly from the fact that I've been sewing for the last 5 1/2 years on a basic sewing machine, and my sewing machine hates buttonholes. What I mean is, my machine knows how to make buttonholes, it just flat out refuses to make them. And when it does, it usually takes me 2-3 times of unpicking stitches before I have semi-presentable results.

And who wants to spend an hour on buttonholes? Ain't nobody got time for that. That's how I came up with an idea to make a faux button placket!

Now, I'm not going to promise you that this method cuts your buttonhole making time in half or anything like that (and actually it may take a little bit longer), but if you're like me and have a machine that just doesn't like to make buttonholes, or if you're not ready to make the plunge into making buttonholes, this tutorial will give you a finished button placket that people will never guess is a fake. Plus, since we're using velcro, a faux placket makes it much easier for little ones to dress themselves.

Ready to add a faux placket to everything??

SUPPLIES: finished top, velcro, disappearing ink marker, buttons at least 1 inch in diameter or more, sewing machine, needle and thread.

First, you'll need a finished top that needs a button placket. This particular top above is a peplum top I made as part of The Sewing Rabbit's fall 2013 collection, minus the piping. (Come visit me on The Sewing Rabbit to learn how to make a peplum top next week!)

ONE: first, measure your shirt from neckline to the bottom and subtract an inch.
TWO: next, separate your velcro so that the "hook" part, or the scratchy part, is separate from the soft "loop" part of the velcro. Cut a length of the loop portion of the velcro only,  as long as the measurement you wrote down above.
THREE: pin your loop tape to your shirt, leaving a 1/2 inch margin on both the top and bottom.
FOUR: sew around all sides of your tape to attach it to your shirt.

FIVE: now you'll need to cut squares of the "hook" portion of the velcro to attach to the other side of your button placket. You'll want each square of hook tape to be slightly smaller that your button (so people won't be able to see your stitch lines), so trim if needed.
SIX: cut out as many squares of hook tape as you have buttons. See how my hook tape is slightly smaller than my button?
SEVEN: now use your disappearing ink marker to make marks where you want your buttons to go on the underside of your button placket.
EIGHT: pin each square of hook tape on the marks you just made and sew to secure.

Here is what the other side of your button placket will look like as soon as you've sewn your hook squares down! Now all that's left is to sew your buttons on right on top of your squares to hide your stitches.

And now you have a beautiful faux button placket with no buttonholes involved! I'll be no one will even notice it's a fake :)

Leather Accent Zipper Pouch

This post originally appeared on The Sewing Rabbit. If you need a good makeup pouch, or even a trendy pouch for pencils and other school supplies, this is the tutorial for you!

I found a bag filled with leather scraps for under $5 at an estate sale a couple years ago and snapped it up as quickly as I could. It was like finding hidden treasure! Inside, there were several large strips of leather, leather lacing, and leather dye. Most of the leather strips were covered in chalk markings, and I've always wondered what those leather strips were meant for. Maybe a pair of men's shoes? Some belts maybe? Whatever the case, I'm sure the former owner never thought his leather collection would eventually find its way into my hands to be turned into necklaces, riding pants, purses, and now a zipper pouch!

I love sewing with leather. There's just something about adding leather to a project that gives it a little edge and chicness. With the simple addition of a few leather triangles, this simple zipper pouch becomes a stylish bag perfect for makeup or odds and ends.

SUPPLIES: two 8"wide x 6" tall pieces sewable interfacing, two 8" wide x 6" tall main fabric pieces, two 8" wide x 6" tall lining pieces, one 7" zipper, one 2" wide x 3" tall piece of fabric for zipper tag, four thin leather triangles approximately 4" long and 2" tall, iron and ironing board, zipper foot, sewing machine and basic sewing supplies.

Note about working with leather: when selecting your leather to use for this pouch you want 7-9 oz. leather that is soft and easily pliable (not the stiff kind typically used for belts.) You can find bags of thin scrap leather at many hobby stores. Also, if you're using thin leather as suggested, a universal sewing needle will work fine.

Attaching The Leather Triangles

ONE: first (not pictured), iron your interfacing to the back of your two main fabric pieces. Then, measure the 6" sides of your main pieces to determine where to place your leather pieces.
TWO: I didn't pin my leather down because I didn't want to poke holes in it. Instead, I held the leather in place with my fingers and slowly (and very carefully!) sewed in a continuous triangle until I got to the middle. You could always try a small amount of spray adhesive to help keep your leather in place, but I didn't have a problem with my leather moving around.

Attaching the Zipper

ONE: take your 3x2 scrap of fabric and iron the long sides over to meet in the middle.
TWO: next, fold each end to meet the middle and press, then fold once more in half and press so that the raw edges are encased inside of your fabric tab.
THREE: sandwich the end of your zipper in the fabric tab you just made, and sew straight across to secure. On the opposite end of your zipper where the zipper pull is, trim off approximately 1/2 inch.
FOUR: Place one piece of your main fabric face up on the table, then place your zipper face down as shown above with your zipper pull face down on the left side. Make sure the top edge of your zipper is lined up with the raw edge of the fabric.
FIVE: place a piece of your lining fabric face down, sandwiching the zipper inside. Your fabrics will now be facing right sides together (RST.) Pin along the top edge to secure.

Assembly


ONE: using your zipper foot, sew along the edge of your fabric close to your zipper teeth.
TWO: when you unfold your fabric pieces, it should look like this with your main and lining fabric wrong sides together (WST). Repeat the steps above to attach your main fabric and lining pieces to the other side of your zipper.
THREE: Your pouch should now look like this, with one main piece and one lining piece on either side of the zipper facing WST.
FOUR: to give the pouch a more finished look, you can go back with your zipper foot and top stitch along each side of the zipper.

FIVE: unzip your zipper halfway (don't skip this step!) and fold your pouch so that the two main pieces are facing each other and the lining pieces are facing each other RST. With your regular sewing foot, sew around the perimeter of your pouch, but leave a 2-3 inch opening in your lining pieces for turning as shown in the picture above.
SIX: pull your pouch right side out through the opening you left, and then tuck the raw edge of your lining fabric inside and hand stitch the opening closed. Push your lining inside your pouch, zip and you're done!

Now you have a beautiful finished pouch!

I love the polka dot lining fabric inside of my pouch. It's like a little surprise each time I open the bag :)

I hope you enjoy your new zipper pouch, and if you're looking for a few more ideas to incorporate leather into your projects, here are some past projects to try:

1.The Artsy Mini Tote 2.Plaited Leather Wrap Bracelet  3.The Little Things Purse  4.Riding Pants 
5.Leather Leaves Necklace
 

Simple Serged Handwarmers

This post first appeared on The Sewing Rabbit, and now I'm bringing it home! Hope this DIY helps warm your chilly hands this winter :)

My husband got me a serger for Christmas, and I couldn't have been happier (it's the Brother 1034D in case you're wondering, and I absolutely LOVE it.) I had been wanting one for awhile, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on it and try it out. The only problem was, what to make? After thinking about it for awhile, I came up with the idea to make a few hand warmers for Christmas gifts.

Hand warmers are perfect for the chilly winter weather we've been getting, and they're also the perfect project for practicing with a serger in case you have one (or you convince your husband to get you one for Christmas too :) If you don't have a serger, no problem! Just use a zig-zag stitch around the edges instead.

SUPPLIES: 1/4 yard cotton fabric, serger and thread, long grain rice, funnel, essential oil.

First, cut out 5x5 inch squares from your pieces of cotton. I went with some gingham and chambray scraps I had in my stash.

Next, remove the right needle on your serger by using the little screwdriver your machine came with. Make sure to tighten well after you remove the right needle so that your remaining needle is lined up properly on the left side.

Pin two squares wrong sides (or the sides without the pattern) together.

Beginning at one of the corners, start to serge along each edge with a 1/4-1/2 inch seam allowance. To serge corners, I serged along the edge until I reached the corner then, with the needle still down, I raised the foot and turned my square and began to serge along the next edge.

Stop serging when you're about 1 1/2 inches from where you began and clip your loose threads.

Use a spoon or funnel to fill your hand warmer with rice. Make sure not to overfill, because you still need to serge the opening and you don't want to get rice in your serger :) I used about 3/4 cup I think.

Add 2-3 drops of essential oil to the rice (this will help the hand warmers smell nice each time they're heated!)

Finally, serge your opening closed by starting at the corner and overlapping your stitches. Tie the ends of your strings in knots to make sure nothing comes unraveled and clip the excess.

These little hand warmers make great stocking stuffers or gifts for neighbors. Stack a few together and tie with some baker's twine! Easy.

To heat, simply stick them in the microwave for 30-40 seconds. They're perfect little companions when you need help staying warm outdoors (or keeping your feet warm in bed on chilly winter nights!)

Let It Snow Embroidery

Has anyone made a New Year's resolution to try a new craft? I love tinkering in different creative mediums here and there. It challenges me to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new, and many times I find a new craft that I absolutely love! Dabbling in different crafts is also great for breaking up the monotony that can happen if you're used to doing one thing most of the time (like sewing, for me.)

This year, fueled by my desire to try something new (and also inspired by my friend Bev at Flamingo Toes who is basically the queen of embroidery), I decided to try embroidery; and now I think I have a new favorite TV watching activity! Embroidery is one of those crafts that's perfect for multi-tasking. You can kick your feet up and put a good movie on in the background while you stitch away. And also, it's amazingly therapeutic. I bet we could all save a few stress-induced headaches by taking up embroidery :)

For my project, I came up with this "Let It Snow" embroidery hoop. Isn't it adorable with all of those French knots?? Love love. If you're a newbie at embroidery, this one's for you. It only involves two kinds of embroidery stitches: the backstitch and French knots. It couldn't be easier! Let's do this.



SUPPLIES: tailor's chalk pen, thing black cotton fabric, embroidery hoop (approximately 8 1/2 inches in diameter or larger), white embroidery thread, embroidery needle, free "Let It Snow" template found here, one square of felt, hot glue.

ONE: first, print out the "Let It Snow" template found here.
TWO: cut a piece of black fabric at least 2 inches bigger than your hoop on all sides.
THREE: Next (and I'm sure there are better ways of doing this, this is just how I did it), tape your template and fabric to a window and trace the wording onto your fabric with a white fabric chalk pen (I used this one.)
FOUR: insert your fabric with wording now on it into your hoop and tighten to secure.

Backstitching:

Now we're going to do a little backstitching! This is such an easy, basic stitch that will give your wording a clean look if done right.

ONE: thread your needle and tie a knot at the end. Insert your needle under your hoop and through your fabric about 1/4 inch before the end of your first letter
TWO: bring your needle down at the edge of your letter
THREE: next, bring your needle back up from the bottom of your hoop 1/4 inch from the end of your last stitch
FOUR: bring your needle and thread down into the hole of your last stitch. There you go!

Keep backstitching until you've reached the end of your first letter. Tie a knot on the backside of your hoop, then trim your thread.

The second picture shows you what the underside of your hoop will look like.

Keep backstitching each letter until all of your lettering is done.

French Knots:

French knots are a little tricky, but once you get it, you'll be adding French knots to everything! If you get confused, here is a good visual example on how to make French knots.

ONE: first, separate your strand of embroidery thread (you can see that mine has 6 threads) so that you're only using 3 threads.
TWO: thread your needle and tie a knot at the end, then poke your needle up through your fabric from the bottom.
THREE: (this was hard to show using one hand, but hopefully you get the idea) with your left hand holding your needle, pinch your thread close to the base. This is very important!
FOUR: with your right hand, wrap the thread around your needle 3-4 times while continuing to hold the thread taut with your left hand
FIVE: pull the floss gently with your left hand so that the coil will tighten up and slide down your needle to make a little bundle against the surface of your fabric, then poke your needle back down through your fabric, slightly next to the hole (not through the same one) that you made when bringing the needle up.

Now put on a movie (or two) and do this LOTS of times.

Look at all the pretty French knots!

Continue on until your hoop is filled with lots of pretty French knots that look like snowflakes.

When you are finished, trim your fabric on the back, leaving one inch. Using your needle and thread, sew a running stitch around the edge of your fabric and pull to gather. Knot and trim your thread. Cut a circle of felt big enough to cover the back of your embroidery hoop, and hot glue on to cover your stitching.

Now hang on your wall and enjoy the snow outside while you're warm and toasty indoors working on your next embroidery project :)

Slouchy Diamond Raglan

After making the "Hug It Out" Raglan shirt for Connor, Haley needed a new sweater as well. She is like her Daddy, warm blooded and rarely cold. Many days, I will be sitting downstairs in the living room and Haley will go to her room and swap out her pants for a skirt in the middle of winter while I'm cuddled under a giant blanket with the fire on. If I had let her, she would probably be wearing a skirt in this picture as well :)

For my warm-blooded munchkin, I decided to make a short-sleeved raglan sweater, but with a looser, more relaxed fit than the "Hug It Out" raglan I made for Connor. While I was at it,  I also added a gold geometric heart on the front using Silhouette's glittery gold heat transfer material. I'm totally on a gold kick lately, and I'm sure this won't be the last thing I add gold to :)

I absolutely love this design - it's the "heart diamond filigree" from the Silhouette Design Store, and it really makes the sweater I think. I can't wait to use it on other things, maybe something for me?

If you want to make a slouchy raglan sweater, you can refer to my tutorial on how to draft your own raglan then tweak from there, or you could always modify one of your favorite raglan patterns - one of my all-time favorites, if not my very favorite pattern ever, is See Kate Sew's Recess Raglan. I love me a good unisex pattern :) Just remember - you'll want your pattern that you plan to modify to be more of a fitted one because we're going to be adding width to the neckline and sides. If your beginning pattern is too loose, you may end up with a neckline that is too wide resulting in an off-the-shoulder top. And that's cool too, just not quite what I was going for.

SUPPLIES: 3/4 yard sweatshirt knit (for a size 6, more or less depending on the size you're making), 1/4 yard ribbing for neckline, iron on heat transfer material for the design on the front (optional)

To Modify Your Bodice:


ONE: first, fold your fabric in half. Take your bodice pattern and place it 1/2-3/4 from the fold. Cut and repeat to make a front and a back.

To Modify Your Sleeves:

ONE: take your original sleeve pattern and cut it down the middle as shown.
TWO: insert a rectangle of fabric 1/2-3/4 inches wide in the middle and tape.
THREE: this is what your new sleeve should look like! Cut two.

Now refer to my raglan tutorial to assemble your shirt!

For the cuffs and hem of the shirt, I simply folded the hems to the outside, rather than the inside, to add some visual interest. You can see how much looser and more comfy this shirt is than a traditional raglan.

The perfect sweater for my girl who wants to stay warm in the winter, but not too warm :)




Here's to more warm winter days like we had 2 weeks ago! Sadly, I think that's just wishful thinking, but a girl can dream can't she?