One project I’ve been pondering for years is making my own Advent calendar. So I hopped online for ideas, found the gorgeous Flickr pool of handmade Advent treasures, got good and inspired.
Tutorial: How to Sew a Lined Patch Pocket with Contrast Band
Patch pockets can be made by cutting a single square (or other shape), turning the raw edges under by ¼ inch and topstitching to the garment.
Planning Advent Calender Activities For Your Children
This Christmas I decided to make my own Advent calendar. I was planning on filling the pockets with the customary chocolates, when I came across a great idea online – putting slips of paper into the pockets, each listing a Christmas-related fun activity to do that day.
Review of The White House Garden Cookbook: Healthy Ideas From the First Family For Your Family
I received A White House Garden Cookbook, expecting to find it stuffed with recipes from the men and women of the White House itself – perhaps a hearty roasted vegetable dish by Martha Washington, or some elegant canapes Jackie Kennedy used to make.
Free Online Sewing Tutorials for Slings, Wraps and Baby Carriers
Babywearing is back in a huge way, and if you have basic sewing skills you can whip up a huge variety of mei tais, ring slings and other carriers. It’s worth trying a few different kinds of carrier to see what suits you and your baby.
Free Sewing Patterns – Maternity Tops for Early Pregnancy
In the first trimester, it can be tricky finding clothes that make you look pregnant rather than chubby. This in-between stage usually only lasts for a few months at most, so it seems a shame to spend a lot of money on shirts and tops.
How to Get Out of a Cooking Rut
I love cooking- always have. In fact, I very nearly became a chef, veering off-course at the last moment to do a far less practical English degree. I read cooking blogs; I head for the cooking section at the library every month; and I’m locally famous for my chocolate mousse. Cooking is my thing. Even […]
Why Bother Lining Garments?
It’s often tempting to skip linings. They can almost double the time it takes to sew a garment; they may not show from the outside, and lining fabric costs money. On the other hand, linings can do more than just give a professional finish. You’ll notice that couture clothes and the more expensive types of […]
Pros and Cons of Making and Icing Your Own Wedding Cake
Wedding cakes purchased commercially are very expensive, and seem like an easy DIY “cheat” for many brides (or their thrifty mothers). Having been there and done that, I’d caution that making – let alone decorating – your own wedding cake is not for the faint of heart. Baking is a passion of mine, and icing […]
How To Make a Paneled Skirt Without a Pattern
A paneled skirt is a very versatile type of skirt. By choosing more or fewer panels and widening or narrowing those panels toward the bottom, you can make a skirt that is almost straight or an incredibly twirly full skirt. Because the fullness comes from tapered panels, this skirt has no gathers or bulk around […]
How to Make a Dirndl Skirt Without a Pattern
A dirndl skirt can be made using either one piece of fabric or two. Essentially the skirt is a tube, gathered at the top; if the tube is made from one piece of fabric it will have a single seam, placed at the side or the back. Many people prefer to sew two pieces of […]
Do You Really Need a Sewing or Craft Room?
As renters, we’ve moved house three times already in just over three years of marriage. Our last home had lots of spare rooms, and I planned to turn one into a sewing room. Then pregnancy and a baby came along, and by the time we left I’d gotten no further than painting the walls. Sewing, […]
