Results tagged “Fall” from Fabric.com Blog

One of my favorite things to do when Fall comes around is figure out how to still wear my favorite warm weather pieces through the end of the year. The same goes for my daughter. I love seeing her summer dresses peeking out from under sweaters or jackets. But what about my favorite summer patterns, should I be forced to stop sewing the patterns I love because the temperature drops a little. Umm...Nope, I just figure out a way to transition my best patterns to fit the season. One of my all time patterns is the Oliver+S Class Picnic. I love the style but it is clearly a spring/summer pattern. I didn't have time to make it in the summer so I am modifying it for fall/winter. I am approaching this from 2 directions: pattern modification and fabric choice.

Fabric choice: obviously for a cooler weather garment I am not going to use plain cotton but instead am going with a flannel (Urban Flannel Dots). This will really amp up the warmth of the shirt plus give it some extra softness that is needed when it is cold outside. You can also use some wool flannel, double knit, corduroy or velvet (something stable).

Pattern Modification: Now with ¾ sleeves, flannel alone is not going to be enough for fall and winter so we need to bring the sleeve down. I did this not by lengthening the sleeves but by adding a contrasting sleeve cap. To do this, I placed the sleeve pattern piece on some freezer paper and drew the sleeve longer by 4 in. on the freezer paper following the shape of the sleeve pattern piece. Then I removed the sleeve pattern piece and added the seam allowance to the top of my sleeve cap piece. Cut out your sleeve cap piece and then cut 2 from contrasting fabric (I used Urban Flannel Floral Diamond). When it is time to join your sleeves to your shirt, stitch your sleeve cap piece to the sleeves and then press the seams towards the sleeves and topstitch. Be sure and measure your child or an existing shirt to make sure you make your sleeve cap long enough and add in a hem allowance.

I love the way this shirt is easy to put on my wiggly toddler and gives her plenty of wiggle room. She loves wearing it and the style is cute and modern. The pattern was really easy to assemble without too many pieces. I definitely recommend using the whole 5 in. elastic pieces Liesl recommends. If you try to cut your elastic to size first to save elastic, you will have a tough time. By using the longer 5 in. piece it is easy to thread the casing and then to pull the elastic to size and stitch in place. You might waste some elastic but you will save time and frustration. This pattern is great for modifying. You can make it longer for a dress, make the yoke with contrasting fabric, and make the sleeves super short for really hot days. This is a wardrobe builder that is fun and fast. I recommend it to parents and grandparents alike!

This inspiration for this article came from a neighbor who asked me to repair a cushion made of chartreuse burlap. They were gorgeous and unexpected. It made me look at burlap in a different way. I sat down that night and googled some burlap projects, home dec and anything I could think of. The internet is full of unbelievable and awesome burlap projects and I could not wait to try my hand with it.

One of my favorite items I found out in the blog world were burlap pillows. You would think they would be scratchy but once washed burlap is comfortable and durable (really good for us moms). Many of the cutest pillows out there that I covet were made to resemble vintage posters or famous quotations and then printed on to t-shirt transfer and ironed on. I made mine from one of my favorite quotations by the famous Pompey Magnus who served with and fought against Julius Caesar. I worked it up with Photoshop in a deep purple, but you can use Window Word as well. It was a fast and immensely satisfying project. Even my husband likes the pillow.

My second project I wanted to be a little more original. I love burlap for Fall, Halloween or Thanksgiving decorating. The woven texture, frayed edges and natural colors are perfect for tablescapes, chairs, and wall décor. My banner is cut with pinking shears to prevent too much fraying but I didn't hem so that I could have some fraying, just enough. I used my Cricut to cut the letters, the crow and haunted branch from some quilting cotton. It is important when you use the Cricut to cut a piece of fabric to fit your mat and then apply Heat n Bond to the back of the fabric. Make sure you have applied it well to the whole of your fabric- especially the edges. Then peel off the paper backing and apply your fabric to the cutting mat. Press it evenly to make sure there is contact all over. Your cuts will be as smooth as paper. Then you can just peel and iron onto your banner. I free handed the bat, evil eyes and ghost. Next, sew some bands to the ends of the banner to hang around your house. I have another "Happy Halloween" planned to hang from the porch columns and a "Turn back NOW" for the other window. You can experiment with other Cricut cartridges, but I used the Plantin SchoolBook font cartridge and Serene graphic cartridge. If your banner will hang in bright sunlight I recommend using outdoor fabric instead of quilting cotton. You can also use your Cricut to decorate table runners, table cloths, pillows, placemats, curtains, lamp shades, wall decors, etc. Just check out this Google search for more ideas! I am so in love!

P.s. For even more burlap ideas check out Tatertots and Jello's blog

I have been a long time fan of Heather Bailey's pear pincushion (who hasn't) and the rest of the fresh picked gang but this is my first time trying my hand at her pattern. I wanted to make myself some more pincushions (like shoes, a girl can never have enough) but everyone has made the pincushions; I wanted to change it up a bit. The resulting deliciously oversized apple pillow (11 in. high, 11 in. wide) is soft in all the right places and surprisingly perfect for knitting. I prop my arm on it when my shoulder starts to get fatigued and it is just the right height. To make your own is just as simple as creating the bitty version in Heather's pattern.

Materials:

About ½ yd of (quilting cotton + interfacing) or home dec weight fabric

9 x 12 in piece of felt for leaf

9 x 12 in piece of felt for stem

Embroidery floss for whip stitching parts together and decorating the leaf

A piece of wooden dowel, skewer, bodkin or weaver's needle

Once you choose which piece of fruit you want to make big and juicy, enlarge each pattern piece by 300%. Cut out your pattern pieces and follow the original pattern, using ½ in. seam allowance. When sewing the last 2 pieces of the apple together start ½ in. away from the top and leave the same gap at the bottom. This gap will help when you get to the tufting instructions. I used a long piece of embroidery thread and after knotting it, secured it with a stitch or two to the top of the apple where the stem would hide it, then either tape your needle and thread to a skewer or dowel or using your bodkin or weaver's needle run your thread to the bottom of the apple through the center using the gaps we made earlier. Pull the thread tight and secure with another stitch at the bottom. Repeat until your apple looks good to you and secure your thread a final time with a good knot. Continue to follow the pattern directions to finish your fine piece of fruit.

I made one leaf out of felt and using the couching method I learned in Sublime Stitching I added some veins to my leaf with wool yarn. To make my large stem, I rolled an entire sheet of 9 x 12 in craft felt starting with the short end and rolling it up tight. I pinned it together and cut it to the length I liked (about 3 in.) and then whipped stitched it together. I did a running stitch across the top to secure the roll and to make it look more like a fresh picked apple.

The result is a big hit in my family. The baby loves to roll on it, the dogs like to snuggle against it, my husband props his feet on it and I use it for knitting. Deliciously oversized, these fresh picked fruit will make great holiday decorations, gifts and everyday additions to freshen up your house for fall!