Head over to Alpha Mom and check out my tutorial for this pixel painting project that I did with my 6-year-old. Here I made a tote bag (front and back views above), but you could paint pixels on pretty much any surface.
Tutorial & Book Giveaway
And the blog tour rolls on! Today 1, 2, 3 Sew is being featured on two excellent blogs: Indie Fixx and Patterns by Figgy’s! A tutorial, pattern reviews and a book giveaway.
For Jen’s post over at Indie Fixx, I came up with a quick tutorial for the simple stamped tea towels shown above. This project is not featured in the book, but it is a variation of the Fruit Tea Towels. Head over to Indie Fixx for the full how-to with additional photos.
And be sure to stop by Patterns by Figgy’s where Shelly has whipped up THREE projects from the book! They are also hosting a giveaway of 1, 2, 3 Sew, so enter to win a copy. And Shelly and Karen have a new book coming out soon! If you have any little boys in your life to sew for, then you should definitely add Sewing for Boys to your wish list.
Lunch Sack on Sew, Mama, Sew!
Today the kind folks at Sew, Mama, Sew! are hosting the second day of the 1, 2, 3 Sew blog tour. The Sew, Mama, Sew! blog is a must for anyone interested in sewing or fabric. Full of tips, tutorials, and the latest sewing trends, it’s a great source of endless inspiration to add to your sewing to-do list.
The jars fabric here is designed and handprinted by Roisin Fagan from Bespoke Uprising. Photo above by Laura Malek.
So head over and get the instructions to make this Lunch Sack from my book. It’s an insulated tote with an attached drawstring lining, perfect for lunches at school or work. This is the third project in the totes chapter, so it presents a few more challenges including French seams and an insulated lining, but I think it’s still easily manageable for someone with a bit of sewing experience.
The other day I sewed a kid’s version using Rashida Coleman-Hale’s Cute Bots fabric from her new I Heart collection. This one is in a fabulous linen/cotton blend! I know that linen isn’t an obvious choice for a lunch tote, but it’s natural and fully washable. And I added my daughter’s name with an embroidered patch.
Here are some other good options to make your own stylish lunch sack:
Be sure to head over to Sew, Mama, Sew! for the full pattern instructions and more photos, and enter to win a copy of the book! And be sure to check out their round-up of summer sewing tutorials. You can find 1, 2, 3 Sew and a great selection of sewing books in the new Sew, Mama, Sew! Book Shop.
Quick Crafty Round-Up
Boxy Dopp Kit from The Cottage Home for Kojo Designs.
DIY Magic Shell from Emma of Food Coma for I Go by Katie.
Gauzy Cotton Caftan from Craft Stylish.
Kids’ DIY Postage Stamps from Bloesem Kids.
Cocktail Umbrella Lantern from Allison Patrick of Zipper8 Lighting for Etsy’s How-Tuesday.
Floral Straws from Martha Stewart.
How-to Ombre Shirt from Cotton and Curls (via papernstitch).
101 Sewing Tutorials for Summer from Everything Etsy.
Market Tote Instructions
Chronicle Books wrote this fun post about tote bags and included the instructions for my Market Tote from 1, 2, 3 Sew, like this one that I made last week. Made with burlap and fully lined, this tote is the first of three in the tote bag chapter and is the most simple to make, perfect for a beginner or anyone who wants a grown-up tote bag.
It’s a great bag for the summer, and even though my latest version is in linen and cotton, it’s proven to be a perfect pool carry-all, holding 2-3 towels and our gear. You could also use a vinyl-coated cotton liner and outer bottom for wet swimsuits. I need to go ahead and invest in a teflon presser foot for working with slippery fabrics, but now I simply use a strip of painter’s tape on the edge of the fabric and then remove it after I’m done stitching.
I’m still waiting for the days when I can just take a magazine to the pool and relax in the shade while the kids swim on their own, but we’re not quite there yet. Although when my daughter practiced her “dead man float” at the pool last week, the lifeguard did jump in after her, which gave me some reassurance. But oops. She’s not allowed to do that anymore.
Note: Included with the book for some of the projects are full-scale paper patterns to make your life easier. But since this tote pattern is larger than the printable page, they were having some problems with the template file on the Chronicle blog, so I sent over a diagram of the pattern (which is posted there now), but then I figured out an easier way! Here’s a tiled version, so you just print out these six pages and put them together like a puzzle. Everyone loves a puzzle, right? Here’s your hint: it will look like the image above when done.
Please let me know if you have any questions! Happy Sewing!