Sew Inspired, LLC - Sleepless Crafter

With our new kitchen, I wanted something to match and look really nice.  I made some over the oven towel hangers (towel toppers) and matching oven mitts.  The mitts I had before were from Pampered Chef and I loved them.  They were double thick terry cloth.  So I found some patterns online.

Pattern Description: “The Koda Cross Body Bag (by Huff 'N Cuffs ) is the perfect size for any event. Approx. 9 1/2" H by 10" W with a front zipper pocket for your phone. A top zipper closure keeps the rest of your possessions safe and easy to access.”

I’ve seen this bird quilt on joann.com before, and really liked it.  I recently acquired the bird block fabric (Nestled in the Branches Square Blocks) from a friend, so I decided to give it a whirl. The directions are vague, and some of the dimensions are missing.  The reviews are not good—mostly because the directions are so vague.  You have to guess what size to cut the sashing.

Pattern Description: Misses Easy Waist Cincher Corsets Pattern Sizing: 6-14. I used size 12 and 10. Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?  Pretty Much. There were some slight differences since I did it a little differently. Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes. The hardest part was making sure I matched the right pieces together.  It is definitely recommended to mark each piece of fabric with not only the marks on the pattern but also the numbers and which direction (up or down) they go.

Pattern Review Outerwear Contest Pattern Description: Girls’ Top, Skirt, Cropped Pants, Jacket and Purse.  I made View B: the Vest. Pattern Sizing: 8-16.  My daughter wears size 10-12 in RTW and I used size 12 for the pattern.  It fit her perfectly. Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?   Pretty much, although I used a different fabric than what they used for the photo on the envelope. Were the instructions easy to follow?   Yes, very easy to follow.

For round 3, we were all given the same pattern to use—a dress with a weird bodice—the Colette Rue pattern.  Modifications to the pattern are allowed but it still has to be recognizable as the pattern.  We were given digital files to download.  I took one of the files to Staples to have it printed using their engineering prints.  It was sized way too small.  The sleeve fit on an 8.5x11” paper—a doll-size sleeve.  After being at Staples for over an hour trying to download the other files to see if they would print properly, it cost a small fortune.  I have never spent more than $10 on a pattern.  To print 3 pages, it cost over $21.  Since the pattern had two different versions, it was spread out over 5 pages.  Also, the pages had patterns for the lining, which I am not going to do.  So basically it cost over $21 to get one page worth of patterns. Ok, done with my ranting . . . for now. First off, I chose version 2, with the straighte...

Pattern or style, and how it fits the criteria: I used Simplicity 3956 View A , an empire-waist cross-over top with sleeves and skirt cut on the bias. Fabric used - material and yardage: Polyester Georgette - 2 yards. Lining (not sure what it's made of) - 1 yard

2016 Sewing Bee Round 1 - Shorts or Capris

My daughter found some overalls at a thrift store that she just absolutely loves.  They are slightly too small for her and the cheapest I’ve found them is at Walmart for $17.  I thought, “I can make you some for way less than that!”  So I found this pattern (the only overalls pattern I could find) and happened to enter Sewing For Children Contest . Pattern Description: Children’s overalls. 3 Styles—short, medium, long legs, and 3 different bib pocket styles. Pattern Sizing: My daughter is 9 years old and is a little big for her size.  She wears between size 10 and 12.  The pattern has sizes 6-11.  I used size 11.

I am a member of Pattern Review and pop in once in a while to see what contests they have going.  They happen to be having a Vintage Pattern contest, so I ran to my stash of patterns and found one that had been my mom’s years ago.  It is from 1975—Simplicity 6908—Size 5 for children’s halter top, knit shirt, shorts and skorts (or pantskirt as the pattern calls it).  Unfortunately my kids are too big for size 5, but I have a niece who is 3 years old.  I figured it would be too large for her, but I went ahead and tried it anyway.  I was thrilled when she tried the outfits on and they fit.  I made three outfits for her— view 1, 2, and 3 (with a bow as in view 5 ). View 1 and 2 were so easy!  View 3 of the shirt, using stretch knit fabric was such a pain!  I hate working with knits and this pattern reminded me why.  The rickrack around the neckline and sleeves was being difficult, so I gave up after ripping it out several times, and just pu...

You can read my full review here . This was a nice change of quick and easy. I have been sewing things that have been taking all day long to finish, so when this dress only took two hours, I was so happy.

I made another backpack using Simplicity 1388. This one was for my youngest daughter. You may have read my last review of it. It was easier the second time around. The main thing that I did differently was that I made the bottom gusset piece 2” longer, which allowed the pieces to fit together better. Last time I had to trim off 1/2” from the bottom of the front and back.

Pattern Description: Backpack, I chose view A Pattern Sizing: One-size--pattern envelopes says 14x11x4 (mine is 13.5”x11”x4 since I had to take off 1/2” from the bottom front/back to properly line it up.) Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? It looked even better! Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, they were VERY easy to follow. The last backpack I did was from Butterick 6072. This pattern was easier to follow than the Butterick.

Pattern Description: Misses' knit wrap top with sleeve variations. (For contest entry) 1. Why do you think this was voted one of the Best Patterns? It is a very cute shirt. I'm sure many people like the style and it's fairly easy to make.  

My 14-year-old daughter’s store-bought backpack was falling apart, so I had her pick out some fabric and a pattern. She chose Butterick 6072, view D. Pattern Description: Backpack D: Inside pockets, front and side pockets and contrast straps and loops. All views are lined. Pattern Sizing: One Size - 13”x10”x4” Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, for the most part. I altered it, so there are a few changes.

My 12-year-old daughter is very thin and very tall. She goes to a charter school so she has to wear uniform pants. I’ve bought uniform pants from several places (French Toast, Walmart, K-Mart, Children’s Place), only to find them all too short for her long legs. She has gone to school in the winter a few times with shorts on because she’d rather wear shorts than “high-water” pants. These pants are a good 4 inches too short. So I decided to make her some pants. She went through the pattern catalogs and chose McCall’s 6610 .

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and download and print the pattern. Cut matching ribbon 3 1/2" long.