Easiest Skirt Pattern Free PDF Sewing Pattern and Tutorial

I adore this pattern and use it all the time.  It's great for everyday sewing if you have a girl who likes skirts.  It's also perfect for quick holiday outfits.  This is a great pattern for craft shows too.  These little skirts sew up so quickly.

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Supplies:
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Elastic puller
Waistband elastic
Cotton or other fabric
Sewing Scissors




You can thread the elastic through the waistband channel with a big safety pin.  I did that for years.  Then I finally bought a set of the flexible threaders above.  Holy cow are they amazing.  These things are cheap and they save you so much time.  It's a must have in my sewing studio.  In fact, I have 4 or 5 because my daughter kept using them as riding crops for her American Girl Doll ponies so I just kept buying more and more.  Now I have a stockpile of the things.  Totally worth it.  Another pro tip is that I buy my elastic in bulk.  It really ticks me off when I have to spend $5 for enough elastic to make 1 skirt  I just order it online ahead of time and always have a stockpile.

I've been using this pattern for years.  Above you can see that I made skirts from satin in the Stewart Clan Tartan for Christmas  It's great because it fits so many sizes.  The same pattern is used for the little toddler all the way up to my lovely teenage niece.  These skirts sew up in under 20 minutes if you are an experienced sewist - probably a little longer if you are a beginner.

I actually started making this pattern because it's so great when you need something for a holiday party at school or a special skirt for a birthday party.

You can really change up the look by using different fabrics and trims.  Once you have made a couple of skirts with this pattern you will see how easy it is to alter.

 Here is another variation of the skirt I made for a cowgirl birthday.  I replaced the bottom band with lace to make an adorable cotton cowgirl skirt for this birthday party.

Here I used it to make the skirt for my daughter's Poison Ivy Costume for Comic con...FYI she won best costume in the kid's contest.  Lady joker's skirt is a different pattern that I will have up in a couple of weeks that I also love.

These skirts can be made out of basically any material.  I've used cotton, organza, satin, special occasion fabric, and even knits.

Another thing I love out this is that there is an option with the bottom band.  That is great for a beginner because there is no hemming.  It makes it sew up really quickly.

Click here to download the free printable sewing pattern for the skirt.

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Boat Clutch Free PDF Sewing Pattern

I love this pattern because it's so versatile and easy to make.  It's a nice sized clutch that is great for day-to-day use.  You can also use more designer fabrics for a fancier purse.  I was actually thinking of trying it out with cork or wool just to see what other results I can get.

This style is made with home dec fabrics.  I like home dec fabrics for purses because they are much sturdier than run of the mill cotton.



I think there are so many possibilities with this little clutch.  I want to make a few with tassel pulls.

One trick I use to keep prices down when I am making purses it to buy my zippers in bulk.  You save so much money if you have a bulk stash of zippers in a variety of colors.  If you have never put a zipper in before, a clutch is great first project for that.   I put a couple of links in the post to where I get my bulk zippers and leather tassel pulls. 




Click here for the free sewing pattern download.

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Tag me on your completed projects on Instagram. @indipatterns #indipatternsmade

I love seeing all the great ideas people come up with these patterns. 

Bunny Poncho Free Printable Sewing Pattern and Tutoral

This is an older project because this little girl is now a teen, but I was thinking of making a few new ponchos for my little niece in preschool.  I designed this project specifically for younger kids.  In truth, I was totally sick of helping my kids take dress up clothes on and off so I made these poncho dress up costumes.  These are perfect for toddlers and preschool age kids because they can take them on and off over the heads.

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Supplies:
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Minky or ultra cuddle fleece
Stuffing/batting
Pink fleece or felt
fabric scissors or rotary cutter

I really love how easy this pattern is to put together.  I didn't even hem the fleece edge around the bottom of the poncho.  You can if you want to, but it isn't really needed.   When you download the pattern and tutorial, I have the pieces for the ears and the measurements for the hood and an standard size poncho, but I also show you how to make it in other sizes.

I put some links below to the different types of fleece that work well for this poncho.  I've been trying to buy more fabric online because I can't trust myself at the darn fabric store.  I go in for 1 yard of something and come out with $100 in fabric I can't fit into my stash.  It's so bad I'm keeping some in my bedroom closet now because I've filled my studio.  #fabriccrazy




Click here for the free downloadable pattern.

This poncho made for hours of fun and it was such a hit I actually ended up making several different versions for her preschool classroom as a donation.  I took this patterns and also made a lamb, bear, and dinosaur.  The fleece makes it easy to wash and very sturdy.

Fat Quarter Carrot Treat Bag PDF Sewing Pattern Free

I made this pattern quite a while ago, but I still love it.  It's incredibly easy to put together and you can make 2 bags from 2 fat quarters.  It's one of my favorite patterns to throw together this time of the year.  I typically like to start my Easter Sewing early - though my daughter uses these treat bags in her lunch year round.  

Supply List:

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Orange Fat Quarter

Green Fat Quarter

Green Satin Ribbon

Fabric Scissors

Drawstring Puller

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I placed the links to some great fats quarters and other supplies below.  I've recently started buying more on amazon because I cannot trust myself at the fabric store.  I always come home with a bunch of fabric I didn't intend to buy and I'm running out of storage space.  

I swear by the drawstring puller for threading elastic and ribbon.  I spent years pulling ribbon and elastic through with a big safety pin.  Never again.  The drawstring puller makes threading elastic ridiculously easy.  I also use to to constantly rethread my tweens hooded sweatshirts, but that's another story.

I would say these bags take about 20 minutes to sew 2.  I typically make a dozen or more when I sew them.  I'm thinking about making some this year with food safe nylon so they are easier to wipe out.  I filled them with sweet treats for Easter baskets and now my tween still uses them for snack bags in her lunch box.  Made with cotton they are great for goldfish crackers, cereal, and other dry snacks.  I think if you use nylon you can probably also fill with real carrots, apple slices, and more.

Click here to download the step-by-step photo tutorial and free printable pattern.

Check me out on instagram @indipatterns and be sure to tag me in your projects at #indisewingpatterns. 

St. Patrick's Day Cricut Made Cup for Teacher with free Printable

I decided to whip up a little early teacher appreciation gift this year.  My daughter has been sick constantly and her teacher has just been wonderful helping get her caught up.  I found these little drink cups at the Dollar Tree and added some rainbow sixlets and rolos.  It's much cuter in person.  Getting a good photo of a shiny cup just isn't my bag.

Add caption

 Step 1: Prepare the mug's surface by cleaning off all the oils from everyone who's touched it with rubbing alcohol.  Also bought this stuff at the dollar store.

Step 2: Cut out the design.  I used a design I created and put the teacher's initial in the center.  I use easyweed vinyl and follow the setting instructions that come with it.  It's pressure medium, blade depth 3, speed max for my machine.  

Step 3: Weed your design.  I always use a pin.  It's so easy to get into the little spaces.  Also, I have loads of them and they are cheap.  

Now you can see that the design is totally weeded.  It looks great.  

Step 4: You need to transfer the design.  Yes there is a very expensive product you can use to transfer the design.  Or, you can get clear shelf paper at the dollar store.  I've also heard press and seal wrap works.  Haven't tried it though.

Step 5:

 Peel the clear paper from the backing and place it on the front of the design.  Use an old gift card to rub the transfer paper down onto the design.

Step 6: Peel the design off of the backing.  Now it's stuck to the clear transfer sheet.  

Step 7: Place the design on the cup.  Once you have it where you want it, rub it down with the brandishing tool...i.e. old gift card.

Step 8: Carefully peel off the transfer sheet.  I put it back onto the paper backing and use it again a couple of times.  Waste not want not.  

Finally, I filled it with candy and put this cute little card on it.  I forgot curling ribbon so I used an old gold chenille stem.  

  You can download the free St. Patrick's Day printable here.

Hitting the Wall: How to Unblock Your Creative Self

I originally planned this post to be about inspiration, but when it came down to writing it I just didn't feel it.  I wasn't feeling creative or inspired.  

I'd hit the wall so to speak.

People hit walls for lots of reasons.  Sometimes I'm tired.  Sometimes I've just pushed myself too hard.  Sometimes I'm just coming to the end of a highly creative cycle.  As a naturally creative person, I usually only work on things when I 'feel it'.  However, when your business also involves creativity, that doesn't always cut it.  Sometimes you've got deadlines or goals you are trying to reach and you just have to find a way to push through.

Here are some of the techniques I use to unblock my creative flow.  

Pinterest

My go to inspiration place is Pinterest.  If I'm having a hard time coming up with ideas, the first thing I do it jump over to my happy place and start looking.  

Sometimes I start a new board and get busy filling it with new ideas.  Other times I pull up boards I've already made and take a walk back through past inspiration.  If you want a look into my pinning, you can follow me.  https://www.pinterest.com/smckamille/  I'm on pinterest almost every day looking for some inspiration.  

Unplug

If pinning doesn't get my creative juices flowing, I know it's time to get away.  I'm not talking about a vacation.  I'm just talking about getting out of the studio and decompressing.  One hour outside can really get your mind cleared out and ready to start fresh.  Even in the depths of Michigan winter I get out walking several times a week.  

Go Off Subject

Sometimes, it's not even about not feeling creative.  It's about being burned out on doing the same old thing.  I'm always looking for new craft ideas.  I recently spent a whole weekend and I'm not even going to get into how much money starting a bullet journal.  I'm in love with this new mashup of planning, journaling, and art.  Just taking a couple of days to unleash another creative side to myself go my chi unblocked.  I actually made 2 new outfits this weekend because getting organized with my bullet journal freed up the part of my brain that's endlessly trying to remember what I need to do.  I just bit the bullet, wrote out my whole calendar, and now my mind is free to focus on creative things and not obsess about missing appointments.  

Another great thing about going off subject is that sometimes you need to have a breather.  I've never been one to focus solely on one creative pursuit.  Look back through my random posts and you will see.  One of my favorite projects was this Daddy Daughter Dance Corsage.  I'm not a florist, but I had a blast looking up tutorials, getting the supplies, and making this adorable corsage.    

So there you have it.  Those are my three go to techniques for getting creative.  

Organize Your Sewing Stash Round-up

I don't know about you, but I can always use a little more organization in my crafting.  Things tend to get pretty messy pretty quickly when I'm working on a project.  My favorite organization hacks are here

Scraps:

Check out this fun and easy way to organize scraps.  

http://www.cloverandviolet.com/2012/09/scrap-organization.html

I actually use something very similar in my studio.  I bought 12 $ store plastic shoe boxes and I have all my scraps organized by color.  Actually, it works so well that I have been using up most of my scraps, especially when I applique or make doll clothes.  There is no excuse when you have it organized.  

Bobbins

http://www.thatssewamy.com/organization/bobbin-storage-ice-cube-trays/

Okay this one I haven't done, but I will be.  I just love this.  Right now I have all my bobbins dumped in a kitchen drawer organizer and there is thread everywhere.  I am so doing this.  I'm always digging around trying to find a bobbin in the color I want.  I probably have 10 bobbins wound in black because I don't always want to look.

Feet

 http://sew-whats-new.com/profiles/blogs/sewing-machine-feet-storage

I also love this.  Right now I have my feet in the same place as my bobbins.  PS I saw these at Dollar Tree.  I know where I'm going tonight!

Buttons

https://www.creatingreallyawesomefunthings.com/making-monday-marvelous-42/

I love the idea of organizing your buttons in a spice rack.  I'm going to be on the look out for one of these.  

Thread

http://www.running-w-scissors.com/2014/06/thread-board.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/mcTyy+(Running+With+Scissors)#.U5m6CbGH-So

I also love this idea.  If I only had somewhere to put it.  I'm currently using baskets for my thread.  

Floss

Floss Keepers 

This is a nifty tutorial I put together about floss keepers made from $ store clothes pins.  I actually made a few sets of these and gave some as gifts.  They really keep your floss perfectly organized and untangled. 

Fabric

http://indulgy.com/post/4fTcsvdI71/organizing-your-fabric-stash-on-mini-bolts-ak

Last but not least, how can you organize your fabric?  I used to keep it in bins.  What a pain.  I still keep fleece in bins because it is obnoxiously bulky.  For everything else, I fold it onto tiny white boards called comic book backer boards.  These things are sturdy little boards that are archival quality...so they won't fade fabric.  It's about $5.00 for a hundred.  I have them in 2 sizes.  I have the size they come in and then I cut about 50 in half to make tiny boards for pieces of fabric that are too big for the scrap bin and too small for the regular mini bolts.  I took me about 4 days to get my massive stash rolled onto these things but it was worth it.  I can see all my fabric.  It makes completing projects so easy.  Most people seem to organize by color.  That works well if you sew mostly with cotton.  Since I work with all types of fabric, I've got my stash organized by fabric type, not color.  So, if I need a knit I know were to look.  Same with denim, special occasion, etc.