Finishing Up

We are ready to sew everything together. Make sure each coaster "sandwich" is stacked like this:

Now, with an 1/8 seam allowance, sew around the edges leaving 1.5 in opening for turning. Turn right side out and press each coaster and you are ready to whip stitch the openings closed.

All you need to do now is "stitch in the ditch" or stitch around the edges. Here's what I did...

So cute and so very easy...thanks for sewing along with me this week. If you completed any coasters I've love to see them. Post a link to your blog in the comments so I can check them out. I'd love to see what you've made!

Thanks again Kelli and Rian.

cheers,

crissy

Piecing it together

This is the fun part, sewing these little strips together. It didn't specify in the pattern what the seam allowances for this part were, so I just used 1/8 in since we are working with such small pieces. When you place your pieces together make sure that the seam lines are what line up, not the edges of the fabric. If that doesn't make sense take a look at the picture below.

Just make sure everything is lined up correctly and keep sewing...

Yay! You're done with the tricky part!

Press the seams and then trim those squares down to 4.5 in x 4.5 in. Go ahead and cut out your cotton batting to the same size now too.

We'll sew everything together in my next post.

cheers!

crissy

Giving Thanks

I hope you are all enjoying your Thanksgiving! My family has much to be thankful for. What are you thankful for this year? I hope you all have a wonderful day with family and friends and enjoy those tasty leftovers tomorrow!

cheers,

crissy

Guestblogger Crissy : Cutting them out

Hey everyone! I am Crissy the guest blogger for this week. Thanks to Rian and Kelli for this opportunity. Can you believe Thanksgiving is just days away? It's hard to believe that Christmas has snuck up on us once again. That means it's time to start Christmas shopping or sewing, if you haven't already! The ladies here at Presser Foot have done a great job of picking out a few very easy handmade gift ideas. There's nothing better than unwrapping a gift that you know was made especially for you. This week I will be making these - a cute set of coasters designed by Denyse Schmidt.

Let's get started...

I don't know about you but if you are anything like me, time can be precious. Sewing time can be even more precious. These coasters are super easy, super quick and super cute. You can customize them a million different ways and they can be made to match any decor. So first step, pick your fabric. You'll need 6 different prints/solids. Here is what Rian and Kelli sent me:

The colors look great together! You'll need to decide what you want to use for the back of your coaster. I could have used a different back for each coaster but I chose the use only the green print for this set.

Now you've got to cut out 6 squares for the back of the coasters. The squares are 4.5 in x 4.5 in.

Next we will be cutting out the pattern pieces for the front of the coasters. This can be semi tricky, the pattern pieces are small and you have to cut out 6 total of each piece. Like the patterns says, stack three layers of fabric together and cut out the pieces. Repeat this for your other three pieces of fabric and you are done!

Now, the fun part...arranging those pieces. Here's what I came up with.

Easy so far? I thought so too. Stay tuned for sewing...

This week's guestblogger : Crissy

My name is Crissy, I am married to my best friend and we have two beautiful children, a 5 year old boy and a girl who is 11 months. When I am not running around after kids I love to immerse myself in all things creative, crafty and handmade: painting, photography, scrapbooking, crochet/knitting, cooking and especially sewing. My mother and grandmother introduced me to sewing as a young child and I've been hooked ever since. I recently started a "crafty" blog and hope to soon open a shop on etsy. In the meantime you can find me at http://crissybell.blogspot.com. Thanks to the ladies at Presser Foot for the chance to be a mini guest blogger!

Thanks,

Crissy

Jessica's fourth headband and a little bird

My last headband for the week is my favorite...I have been wanting to try this combination of fabrics for a while, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

I used the same technique as for the reversible headband {link--http://presserfoot.blogspot.com/2009/11/reversible-headbands-tutorial.html}. The band is made up of a cotton print on one side and a bias-cut scrap of a sweater, which I interfaced for stability, on the other. I made the ties out of the print fabric, and then added my favorite part, the little pink birdie!
I scanned a scrap of the print into the computer and then enlarged it so that the bird was about 2" x 1.5". Then, I cut him out of a felted sweater scrap that I'd fused (with Steam-a-Seam) to some more of the printed cotton. A bead eye and a little bit of stitching later...


and this sweet little headband is complete.

Did I mention that it's my favorite of all?

However, it's wee-person-sized, and my wee person is a boy...so I'm giving it away! Head over to my blog {link--http://justgiveitago.blogspot.com/2009/11/my-first-giveaway.html} to enter to win it (plus a couple of other little goodies).

What fun it's been to blog in this space this week...many thanks to Kelli & Rian for having me. Happy headbanding!

Jessica's third headband - adding ribbon

For the second fabric Rian and Kelli sent, I decided to add a ribbon for two reasons--first, the print is great, but I needed something to cool off the colors...and second, who doesn't love a ribbon?

Easy, easy--just cut ribbon to the same length as the band:

and sew them together, centering the ribbon on the fabric.

Finish as in the pattern.

Done!

On to something even more fun...headbands for the holidays! Of course you can give one (or a few!) on their own, but why not...

make a few different hair accessories and give them all together:

hair elastic w/ button from Lenny DaVinci
pinwheel bobby pin from Little Jenny Wren
fabric covered barrette from Angry Chicken

or give them complete with a spot for organizing:

hanging frame for bows, etc. from Little Birdie Secrets--switch out the glass for cork and add some hooks for headbands, etc.

or make one, buy one:

feather headbands by KAANG on etsy--gorgeous.

or how about a headband along with a salon gift card...

all dressed up!

Remember my scraps from the first headband? I certainly didn't want them to go to waste...check out my tutorial at Give It a Go.

Tomorrow, last but not least...a sweet headband for kiddos, and a giveaway!

reversible headbands tutorial

Making the headband reversible turned out to be really easy...just a couple of adjustments and an extra scrap of fabric were all it took.

When you choose your fabrics, it's important that they coordinate, since you'll be able to see both of them on the ties no matter which end is showing on the band.

For the band, cut one 2 1/4" by 18" rectangle of each fabric. Sew them together along both long sides, leaving the short ends open as in the original pattern. Unless your seams are perfectly straight (mine never are!), you'll be able to see some of the bottom fabric wrapping around to the top. So, as you press, take care (I used a knitting needle) to coax the edges straight as you move the iron over the band. Since the seams show on this version, you may prefer to topstitch along each long edge for a more polished finish.

For the ties, cut two pieces from each fabric, and sew one of each together as in the original pattern.

Sewing the elastic in is the only (sort of!) tricky part. In the original pattern, the elastic goes between the bottom and the tie, like this,

so it doesn't show while you're wearing it.

To accommodate the reversibility, you'll need to place the elastic a little differently and it will therefore be slightly exposed, so it needs a casing. This part is so simple--it took me ten minutes, tops. Start by cutting a piece of fabric double the width of your elastic plus 3/8 of an inch, and an inch and half longer than your elastic (mine was 1 3/8" by 5 1/2" for 1/2" elastic).

Fold and press lengthwise, and sew with a very scant 1/4" (closer to 1/8") seam.

Use a safety pin to turn the casing right side out (it's pretty tight, but it'll work, I promise). Press it, then use the safety pin to insert the elastic into the casing. The fit should be fairly snug. Once you reach the other end, sew the elastic flush with the casing edge:

Then, repeat on the other side.

Now you're ready to sew the elastic and ties into the headband. Sew the first side as in the original pattern. Then, flip one side of the headband over so that each print is showing on one end, and insert and pin the elastic and tie:

You'll want to take a second to check and make sure that the elastic won't be twisted when you wear the headband (ask me how I know!):

You can see that one tie is above the elastic and the other is below--this is what you're going for.

When you wear it, an inch or so of the elastic will show on one end, but since it's covered, it won't be noticeable.

Your finished headband will look like this--two for the price of one!

Tomorrow, embellishing your headband, plus some fun gift ideas (with an extra tutorial!).

Jessica's first headband- step by step

First thing--I'm crazy about this headband.

Not to get into a huge personal saga when we've only just met, but I don't love my hair. I usually think hair accessories are great on other people, but can't figure out how to make them look normal on myself. This one, though, I finished, photographed, and wore to the grocery store without a speck of self-consciousness.

It came together pretty quickly, with just a couple of hiccups. I didn't time myself, but even with some "frustrations" with my printer and then with the bobbin, I'd guess it only took me about a half an hour to make. The pattern is well written and the diagrams are very clear.

A couple of tips if (when!) you decide to make your own:

The pattern calls for an eighth of a yard of fabric. Rian and Kelli sent me a full eighth, but it was a very tight fit:

I ended up having to shift that tie over even a little bit more, and the second one still scooted off the edge a bit (I compensated by sewing a scant 1/4" seam along that side). It all worked out OK, but if you're buying fabric for this project and would rather have a little more wiggle room than I did...
you might want to splurge on a quarter yard.

When I trimmed the seam allowances at the points of the ties...

I went a little too far--be careful to leave a bit of fabric so you don't end up with this:

At least it was fixable; I just re-sewed a new point a little farther from the edge.

I was most nervous about putting in the elastic. Again, the directions are clear, but I was afraid of everything shifting around before I could get it all sewn together.

It actually worked fine with only one pin, and I have to say that this elastic-under-the-ties concept is ingenious. I'd suggest shortening the elastic just a little more than you think you should...I ended up redoing it, and it could probably stand to be a little tighter still.

The highlight of this project should probably be that I think it's adorable, or that it didn't slip off my head (isn't that so annoying!?), or that both my husband and son noticed it ("Did you finish your headband, Mommy? It's pretty!"), but honestly, it's that I finally had a reason to photograph myself in the mirror.

Next up: Can I make a reversible version?

Welcome this week's guestblogger : Jessica

Freshman year of high school, everyone else was singing showtunes or making something out of clay, but I was learning to sew in a sweltering room in a hidden corner of the fourth floor. My Christmas gift? A sewing machine. Almost twenty years later, I’m still plugging away on that same old Singer…except now I also knit, bake bread, take pictures, read too much Curious George to a three-year-old…and keep track of it all at Give It a Go.

I’m thrilled to be here this week because I love sewing, Presser Foot, and everything Heather Bailey…but also because it’s the nudge I needed to figure out how to really rock a headband. Join me, won’t you?

December's Project & the Chinese New Year

This is indeed my first appearance of the month. I have been hiding behind massive piles of boxes, furniture, and junk. Those of you who have done it before will know what I am talking about...the dreaded move. Our house went on the market last night. What makes this move a little more challenging (advise please!) is that we are moving to China and basically need to sell, give away, or finally give up and trash everything we own. There have been some bitter sweet moments for sure. Getting rid of stuff is very liberating...and that's what I keep telling myself over and over, "It's just stuff." But on the flip side I really like some of our stuff and have great memories attached to it. I will, of course, be keeping my sewing machines. They will be my carry-ons on the big day (that means my kids will just have to walk), but for now they are sitting on the top shelf of a closet with no sewing table in sight (it is in the "to sell" pile). Now that all the major work on getting the house ready to sell is done I am hoping to be able to bring the sewing machine down and do a little Christmas sewing. Which brings us to December's project!

This will be a no pattern, use up all of your scrap fabric kind of a project. That means that every one's projects will be totally and completely unique. I can't wait to see the results. There will be no give away this month, as the goal is to use up what you already have, consider it a Christmas gift to Mother Earth. See below for a little inspiration.