Yesterday I whipped up this simple top after seeing people wearing similar ones around town.  I thought they looked comfortable and the design is so simple I thought it would be a great project for summer sewing.  I know I’m not the only one who gets busy and begins to neglect their sewing space when the weather gets nice!

click image for full size

It ended up being just a twenty minute project, and it’s as easy to wear as it was to make.  There is no need for a pattern as it was as simple as three pieces, and since I used a knit that’s pretty stable and not prone to unraveling I just left the neckline and sleeve holes unfinished.

click image for full size

To add a little something special to this simple top I put a couple of grommets onto the back and strung some chain I had between them.  (note that I said grommets, not eyelets.  Grommets have two pieces that fit together while eyelets are the just one piece.  It makes a big difference in how well they will stay in place and not get ripped out.  Also, when setting grommets into stretchy knits you want to remember to use a smaller hole than you would with a solid woven fabric)

How to after the break:

I used just one yard of fabric.  I cut it into two 18 inch lengths.  The breezey, drapey top is made from one of these pieces.

click image for full size

The front and back pieces will be exactly the same, each one 18in tall and I had no problem just using the width of the fabric to determine the width of the shirt. Leave the fabric folded in half along the original fold line (or straighten it if you have to), then fold again so that your selvage and the center fold line are together.  Trim off the selvage and fold line. cut in a curve for your “sleeve”.  Mine starts about half way down from the top of the shirt and cuts in about 4 inches from the sides at the bottom of the piece.  You can free hand it or use a design curve and adjust to your tastes.

click image for full size

Your front and back pieces should look something like this.  Sew the front to the back along the curves, and along the shoulder lines for about 5-6 inches from the edge towards the center. Hem or finish the sleeve edges and neckline if you want.

click image for full size

To make the fitted bottom part of the shirt, make a tube with the rest of your fabric. my tube was 18 inches tall and as wide as I needed to wrap snugly around my waist.  Sew along the side, fold in half (enclosing the seam and making it a tube 9 inches tall instead of 18) and stretch to ease the difference from your waist piece to your top piece as you sew them together.

click image for full size

And that’s all there is to it!

click image for full size

oh yeah, made these simple chains at craft night this last weekend.  Chain, some beads, and pliers are easier to tote around so I’ve been playing around with it a little bit.

I don’t know if I’m the only one who tends to lose things in the midst of a project, but I’d guess I’m not the only one with backups.   I’ve got a selection of scissors, multiple packages of needles, a spare pair of reading glasses, and a collection of pin cushions scattered about. (If however, you’re the kind of person with perfect organization who always know exactly where every supply is just play along for my benefit.)  Besides that, A quick and easy pin cushion project is just the thing for a blah rainy afternoon.

This is the cushion I created.  It’s a basic rectangle shape with a big flower on top.  I made it to fit inside this low, wide planter making it nearly impossible to lose!

After the jump I’ll share my technique for making the cushion and give a tutorial to make the petals for the flower.

It measures about 4″x6″

I then collected my basic sewing supplies (and backups), three fabrics (linens in brown, green, and tan) and a pencil holder to use as a circle template. (it happens to make a circle 3 1/2″ across)

From the tan linen I cut two rectangles about the same size as the planter and two circles using my template (not shown).  From the green and brown linen I cut 5 circles each, also using the template.

I then cut the circles in half and paired up the green and brown half circles, sewing along the curved edge.  I pinked the curved edge (to clip the curve for turning) then turned and pressed the 10 half circles.

In retrospect I realized that I could have waited until after I had sewn the circles together to cut them in half.  It may not have saved that much time but it sounds simpler to sew five circles than 1o half circles.

With my 10 turned half circles I began making my petal units.  I set five of the half circles green side up and five brown side up.  Then I folded the left corner over 1/3 of the way and pressed securely on each of the petal units.

I alternated the petal units into a circle on one of the rectangles of tan linen, adjusting them and moving them around until they fit together and looked just how I liked it.  Then i pinned each petal in place.

And secured the petals in place by using a zigzag stitch on my machine around the center of the “wreath” I created.

For the center of the flower I used the two circles of tan linen.  I simply sewed the full circles together, turned and stuffed the circle and then handstitched into place in the center of the flower.

The last step was to create the base of the pin cushion.  I used a 3″ wide strip of the brown linen and sewed it around the flower to the 4×6″ rectangular dimensions of the planter. I then added the second tan rectangle to be the bottom.  I turned and stuffed the box I just made and then hand stitched it closed.

Drop the pincushion into the planter, add some pins and there it is!

]]> http://www.laupre.com/blog/06big-flower-pin-cushion/feed 0 http://www.laupre.com/blog/02zip-up-earbuds http://www.laupre.com/blog/02zip-up-earbuds#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:29:31 +0000 laupre http://www.laupre.com/blog/?p=295 I love to have my music with me everywhere I go, but I hate the tangled mess my wires become when I toss them in my bag or pocket. Last night I whipped up a fun and functional solution by adding a zipper to my earbuds.

This project took me around an hour to do (perfect for catching up on some t.v. from hulu.com). The supplies are few; basic sewing supplies, a pair of headphones, and a nice long zipper. I happened to have this crazy purple and gold nike zipper I found thrifting a while ago, it seemed perfect for this project.

The first step is to pull the earbuds apart, to separate the wires all the way down to the plug.

Next, take one side of your headphones and one side of the zipper tape and start stitching the wire into the tape. Simply fold the outside edge of the tape under to the wrong side (enclosing the wire) and use a running stitch to hold it in place. A little bit of glue could be used at the top to attach the end of the zipper to the earbud, but I found that it wasn’t necessary for me.

It’s as easy as that! Zipped up, I can toss them into my bag or pocket without worrying about tangles or having them get caught on something and breaking.

Then unzip them to the length I want and put them on so much faster than having to untangle the mess!

Look at those cuffs!

The materials you’ll need are few and easy to get.

You’ll  need the shirt you want to mend, fabric for the cuffs, and sewing tools.  The material you use to replace the cuffs should be stretchy, like a knit or ribbing.  Ribbing is the best and is what you will usually find for cuffs and waistbands.  You can tell if a material is ribbed if it has vertical lines,or bumps.  A flat knit material will work, too, and that’s what I’ll be using for this demonstration.  You can get both ribbing and knit material at most fabric stores, but you’ve probably got an old t shirt laying around that would work just as well, too!

A serger can make sewing knits easier and quicker, but for this tutorial you should be able to use a standard sewing machine with a zigzag or stretch stitch with no problem.

The stretch in this fabric follows the stripes

You’re going to cut two rectangles out of your fabric, one for each cuff.  You fabric will most likely have more stretch in one direction than the other.  The stretchy direction will be our “width” or the way that will wrap around your wrist.  The less stretchy direction will be our “length” or how long you want the cuff to extend from the end of the sleeve.

Marking my fabric rectangles 9"x12"

Here I’m using just regular chalkboard chalk to mark my fabric.  Your rectangles’ width should be about 9″ and the length should be two times the final length that you want the cuff to be.  I decided I wanted my cuffs about 6″ long, so my rectangles will be 9″ wide (stretchy wise) and 12″ long (non-stretch wise).

Right sides together

Your first seams will be along the length of the cuff.  Fold it in half with right sides together and sew the fabric into a tube.

Your tube

Now start as if to turn the tube rightside out, but you’re going to stop halfway.  You’ll want the raw edges to line up giving you a tube half as long, with both cut ends on one end, the folded end on the other, and the seam you just sewed should be hidden.

line up the cut edges

Now we’ll add the cuff to the sleeve.  First cut off the old cuff in a straight line across the sleeve.

Snip

With your sleeve right side out, you’re going to slip the new cuff onto the outside of the sleeve.  You’ll want the cuff to go on folded end first, so that the cut end of the sleeve matches up with the two cut edges of your new cuff.  You’ll be sewing through all three layers to attach the cuff.

An Important note: The cuff should be smaller than the sleeve it will go on.  You will stretch the cuff as you sew it in place.

Now sew around the edge where the sleeve and new cuff meet, stretching the cuff as you go.  Now pull the cuff down and topstitch the new seam if you wish.

Repeat the process with your other rectangle of fabric on the other sleeve, and that’s it!

Enjoy your new cuffs and the knowledge that you have given new life to an old garment or just have fun with it and try some fun colors or designs to liven up a boring sweatshirt.

All new stripey cuffs