Hand Sewn Ornaments

This year I did an ornament exchange with some friends and friends of friends. It has been really fun going to the mailbox each day to find a beautiful handmade ornament waiting for me. For mine I made these little scotty dogs and I thought I would share them with you.

When I was young I loved scotty dogs (although I am no longer much of a pet person) and one of my most memorable Christmas gifts ever was receiving a stuffed animal scotty dog from my parents. So the sentiment in me decided to stick with the theme.

I used this free pattern online from www.allsorts.typepad.com and just shrunk it down in size quite a bit. While a bit time consuming, they were very easy to make and I am so happy with the way that they turned out.

Here they are ready to post. To package them I just cut up some old paper shopping bags and stitched around the edges to seal them.

WITH SCRAPS: Little House Doll Quilts

This great idea came to us via a comment from reader Megan Anne, who in turn got the idea from the blog See Katie Sew. If you are looking for something to do with the leftover scraps from your pillows this is a great one. Plus, it would make a great Christmas gift for a daughter or niece. Go here for Megan Anne's take on the project (seen above) and here for Katie's tutorial on making the little house - doll quilts (seen below).Have a fun idea for using up your scrap fabric? Email us at dearpresserfoot@gmail.com

November = Small Handmade Gifts

For our pattern project next month I decided to do things a little bit differently. I am a big fan of homemade gifts, so I thought that November would be the perfect time to get an early start on making some of those. (As opposed to staying up all night on Christmas Eve finishing unfinished projects.)

So, instead of buying a pattern for a large project in November we are going to make three small projects, all of which could be used as gifts for the holidays, and all of which are free patterns found online.

Here are the three projects we will be doing. So be looking through your scrap bags for the perfect fabrics for these projects and for the perfect person to make them for (or just keep them for yourself).



week 1 - The Perfect Box Pouch by Indie House
week 2 - Heather Bailey's Headband
week 3 - Mix it up Cocktail Toasters by Sew Mama Sew

Also, we will be doing something a little different with our guest blogging / monthly giveaway. We will have three small giveaways, and three short one week guest bloggers. Look for the giveaways starting early next week.

WITH SCRAPS: Vintage Sheet File Folders

I first came across this great idea on Design Sponge who in turn soaked up this great idea from Katherine Jalaty of Making Chicken Salad. I love the idea of using vintage fabric (my local thrift store sells fabric by the bag), but any fabric scraps would work (well, as long as they are big enough, but then again you could do a little patchwork). For Katherine's full tutorial click here.
Have a great idea for scrap fabric? Email us pictures with your write up or a link to you blog post showing what you've done at dearpresserfoot@gmail.com. Share the love.

Cute Lunch Bag Pattern for only $5

Hello fellow seamstresses!

I have been absent from the Presser Foot sewing projects for the past month or two because our family moved from Delaware to Pennsylvania. Whew!

But I did want to stop in and share a great link I found today for this incredibly cute, inexpensive and easy sewing project...

You can purchase a kit with all materials needed to create one lunch bag from Spool (my local sewing shop in Philadelphia) for $22. But I went with the pdf pattern + instructions for only $5! Because hey, we all have extra fabric to use up!!!

To purchase the kit click here.
To purchase the downloadable pattern + instructions click here.

Just thought I would share!

WITH SCRAPS: Patchwork Cards

What I love most about this idea, besides the unlimited creativity and usefulness, is that you can use up your little and bitty scraps of fabric. Linda is the mastermind behind the Craft Apple. She also designs patterns and has an etsy shop. For a complete picture tutorial on making patchwork cards go here.

Have a great idea for using scrap fabric? Email us at dearpresserfoot.com. We'd love to feature our readers and their blog. Share the love.

WITH SCRAPS: a back to school pencil holder

Each month you can look forward to a few post mainstays. Earlier this month we introduced OLD THINGS MADE NEW, a monthly post that will focus on reusing items you probably already have. You know, going green kind of stuff. But reinventing old items isn't the only thing we can do to help save the earth and our wallets. What about all the little scraps of fabric after every project? The bits that go right from my serger tray into the trash or the odd shaped pieces left from in between two pattern pieces. Every month we will also carry a post called WITH SCRAPS. In this post we will do exactly that, find clever ways to use up the leftovers.

This month's great idea comes from the Creative Chicks just in time for school. Selvage edges of fabric + a little backing fabric + an exposed zipper = a pencil holder for school. So much cuter and more durable than the plastic ones, plus it's free!
If you've made an old thing new or have a great idea for using scrap fabric we'd love to feature you and your blog. Just email us pictures and information or a link to your blog showing what you've done to dearpresserfoot@gmail.com. Share the love.

Speaking of love, have you signed up for this month's giveaway yet? Click here.