I have a new FREE tutorial up at the Sewing Republic today - a Makeup Bag! This is a half-moon shaped, zippered bag that's large enough to stash all your 'essentials', but still small enough to be put into your favorite gym (or school, travel, etc.) bag. I hope you have as much fun sewing this one up as much as I had creating it!

Also, if you live in or around the Wichita area, I still have one spot open for my pajama pant class this weekend - just contact Midwest Sewing to reserve your spot!

Heading back to school for a new semester and needing something new to tote your supplies? Then whip yourself up one of these fun juice pouch cases - my latest project at the Sewing Republic! I was inspired to make this after school supply shopping and a purchase of a "warehouse size" package of juice boxes (that's 48 empty bags left to be creative with). Don't drink juice? You could easily substitute these Mylar bags for snack size pouches of chips, cookies, and 100 calorie packs.

I'm gearing up to teach my box bag class this week. Consequently, my instructions are set and ready to go.... which means I have a new tutorial for everyone! I know that there are a ton of box bag instructions out there, but here is my version. I hope you enjoy and make several of these fun pouches for yourself, friends, and family!

Box Bag PDF Download

Since the Candy Cauldron is a down loadable pattern on Sew New's site, I've had several questions regarding supplies and the circle templates. Consequently, I thought I would post some handy "Tips & Tricks" when making this project:

I purchased my 5 quart paint bucket from Walmart. Home improvement stores have similar buckets, but I've found that they carry a much smaller supply and tend to run out faster.

While the instructions call for fleece on the exterior, I thought I should mention, just about any material will work. Fleece and felt tend to be bulkier, but they are durable, don't fray, and retain their shape well. I've also used flannel (which is what the bucket on the magazine cover is made from) and burlap (which is what the buckets above are made with) with good results. Quilting cottons can be used, but they tend to produce 'floppier' buckets and don't hold up as well - keep this in mind if you're making one for a trick-or-treater.

The outer circle template is quite large and consequently, it's not really something you'll be able to print off from a home computer. Instead, you'll want to make your own template with 1" graph paper. Just to give you my dimensions - the radius of the exterior circle is 15 3/4" (with the arc of the 1/4 circle being 23 3/4") The smaller circle is the same size as the interior of the bucket plus 1/2" seam allowances.

Probably the most difficult part of this project is sewing the panels to the inner circle. Sometimes either your cutting or sewing is off slightly or the stars just aren't aligned properly and you'll find that things just don't quite 'match up'. Instead of ripping out the stitches and saying a few curse words, I sometimes 'tuck' the excess material along the seam line so it blends in. Since this area lays in the bottom section of the bucket, it's hardly noticeable unless you're really looking for it.

The lining is 'free' from the bucket itself. If you don't like this look or just don't want it to pull up, you may want to glue the material to the bottom of the bucket.

If you haven't already noticed, Bret doesn't care for me sew for him. He can never find a pattern he likes and let's not even talk about him selecting fabrics. So for this Father's Day, I decided that Easton should wear a shirt that Bret could appreciate - an "I catch bigger fish than Dad" tee.

This shirt started out as Taylor's several years ago, but since it is way too big for Easton at the moment, I re-sized it:

Not only does it fit, I managed to cut off some of the unsightly stains that had buried themselves into the fabric. Want to make one for a little one in your life? Read on to find out how!

For this project, you'll need an oversized shirt (this is when I really wished I had kept all my old concert tees, Easton would have a rockin' wardrobe if that was the case!) and your favorite t-shirt pattern (I chose one from Ottobre 3/2009)

Next you'll want to split the shirt in half, remove both sleeves, and the neckband. If it helps, do as my 'assistant' chose to do and sit on your shirt for awhile. While he was there he removed threads and even 'sampled' a few - that part isn't necessary, but it sure was entertaining.

Fold your shirt in half, centering the design in the middle of the shirt (if you so choose). If your logo is larger than your finished shirt size, it's a good idea to trace your pattern onto tissue paper or Pattern Ease so that you are able to strategically place the print where you want it. Pin the front (or back) pattern piece over the design and cut. Do the same with the back of the shirt. By the way, if your original tee has a 'pocket logo' don't forget to put it to good use and incorporate it into your resized design - it would look just a great as a pocket logo on a tiny tee or on the upper back of your new shirt.

When it comes to the sleeves, I like to leave the hem - it saves a ton of time (and who doesn't love quick to whip up projects?) and keeps it looking 'ready to wear'. To do this, open out your sleeve by cutting the seam and place the pattern on top, making sure to leave the hem allowance hanging off the edge of the sleeve hem. Since you'll be omitting this step of construction you don't need this part of your pattern unless your looking to extend the finished length of your sleeve.

Now construct your t-shirt according to the pattern directions. Be sure to recycle the original, ribbed neckband (or if it's in horrible condition make a new one) and skip hemming the sleeves. Once your done, you've got a cool new shirt to show off!

One thing that Taylor liked about her pattern\costume is that the model was wearing a wig and horns. Upon searching for horns that might match her costume, I came up empty handed - it appears that almost all of them come in red (which didn't go with the colors we had chosen), so, I set out to make a pair of my own. I thought I would share the process of how I made mine (this would also work if you need to make cat ears as well).

Materials Needed:
Fabric scraps
Headband (smooth, without teeth preferably one that is the same size throughout)
Polyester fiberfill
Thread to match
Hand sewing needle

Optional:
Hot glue gun

Step 1: To determine what size to cut your material for your headband you'll need to take a few measurements. First, measure the headband width (if the headband is wider at one point, use this measurement). Add 3/4" to width size. Additionally, measure the headband length, adding 1" to measurement. Use these measurements to make a headband covering piece and cut from your material. Additionally, cut 4 horn or ear sections from material.

Step 2: On longest edges of Headband Covering Piece fold under 1/4" to wrong side. Press in place.

Step 3: Make the horn or ear pieces by sewing 2 sections, right sides together. Clip curves and turn right side out. Stuff firmlywith fiberfill leaving 1/4" of the bottom edge free. Baste raw edges together. Repeat for second ear or horn.

Step 4: Fold long edges of Headband Covering piece so that finished edges are even. Press in place. Next, determine the center of the headband - crease this measurement by pressing with iron. Open up Headband Covering piece so that wrong side is up. From the center crease measure down 1 1/2". Place edge of horn section next to this measurement so that basting is even with the creased edge and pin in place. Repeat this step for the second side. (Note: These measurements can be adjusted so that the ears or horns are closer together or further apart depending on your liking). Again, fold up finished edges of Headband Covering so that finished edges are even - however this time, pin them in place.

Step 5: Sew close to finished edges and across ears\horns. It may be helpful to switch your machine foot to a zipper foot when sewing across the ear or horns. Slide your finished Headband Covering across purchased headband until horns\ears are centered. (Note: Stitching and horns should be centered across the top of the headband)

Step 6:: Fold under raw edges of headband ends (short ends) to wrong side of headband. Hand sew or hot glue in place:

Since I was gone this last week, I didn't get any sewing in. Consequently, I've been feeling the need to do something - even a small project. So I went to work on creating something for my next swap (no peeking Tuesday!).

This time I made a donut pincushion (I scented it with a sugar cookie fragrance that smells a lot like a donut, too) and some sugary treat pins:

This project was actually much more difficult than what I thought it would be. I'm sure that there is a simpler way to make a stuffed donut, but I'm not sure that I would make more to find out. Here's the steps that I took:

1) Place two felt squares together, draw a large circle and a smaller circle (inside of the larger one) on one (wrong) side of felt
2) Sew the large circle, right sides together. Cut small circle out, leaving a 1/4 seam allowance
3) Turn right side out
4) Stuff the donut (I inserted fragrance here)
5) Sew small circle shut (you'll have to hand stitch this once closed, tucking the raw edges inside).
6) Cut pink (or other 'frosting' color) felt the same size as donut circles
7) Decorate with beads, etc. for sprinkles and sew onto stuffed donut

With Taylor having so many teachers to give gifts to each year, our Christmas budget can be blown very quickly. Quite some time ago, I started making swirled glass ornaments and packaging them in gift tins for coaches, teachers, and office exchanges. Depending on the number of ornaments you give and the size or price of the tin that you place them in, the cost per present can be under $5. So, if you're interested in giving a cost effective gift this year, read on!

For this project you will need:

Acrylic paint in various colors
Vinegar
Clear glass ornaments
Dixie bathroom size cups
Gift tins or boxes

Step 1:

Before working with your ornament, you should remove the hanger and clean the inside of the bulb with vinegar. Swirling around a small amount of vinegar inside the bulb will help remove any dust, dirt, and glass particles that my have gotten trapped inside and will help the paint stick. Make sure that the ornament is completely dry before preceding to the next step. You can skip this step, however, if the bulb is too dirty, the paint will not adhere to the glass properly.

Step 2:

Next take the dry ornament and squirt a stream of acrylic paint inside the bulb. Do this several times, alternating desired colors and creating 'stripes' inside the ornament. Do not cover the entire bulb with paint - make sure that there is some glass peaking through!

Step 3:

Now rotate the ornament so that the paint begins covering all of the glass surface. You'll notice that you're already getting a marble effect!

Step 4:

After the inside of the bulb is coated in paint, drain the ornament upside down in a bathroom size Dixie cup. If you're in a hurry, you can stop here. However, for more dramatic swirled effects, allow the paint to drain approximately 30 minutes (it may talk longer if you used a lot of paint or a shorter amount of time if you used less. I tend to use a lot of paint and 30 minutes allows for most of the paint to drip out, but is not completely gone) and begin rotating the bulb again. You can do this by resting the bulb on it's side or right side up for several hours. Each time you rotate the bulb, you'll get more swirling in that area.

For a soft marbleized look like the image on the left (where colors gently blend together into each other), rotate the bulb gradually until the ornament is dry.

However, for dramatic marbleization such as the photo on the right, make sharp rotations. I do this by making 180 degree turns after it has sat for several hours.

Step 5:

After the bulb has dried, replace the ornament top and package in a pretty gift box. Don't forget to make a few extras for yourself to hang on your tree.

The "Perfect Pear Pattern' is up. The instructions and pattern can be found here (tutorial removed for now - check back this Winter to see why). There are two sizes included, a large (5" x 4 1/2") and small (3 1/2" x 3") and either can be used as decoration, pincushion, or holiday decorating.

Have fun and happy sewing!