We made these purrrfect little heart-shaped catnip mice out of leftover charm pack squares to keep kitties happy and entertained. For the best results, we recommend organic catnip and scraps of 100% cotton fabric.
If you’re learning to sew or teaching someone else, this pillow is a great first project. We spend extra time going over tools and techniques, and include links to other articles to help move you further along the learning curve.
Little stuff? Zip it up! A zippered pouch is always handy to hold whatever small necessities you need to carry. This one is part of our matched trio of monogrammed travel essentials. The bottom darts add a bit of extra fullness.
Cleaning out your closets? Perhaps they could also use a little freshening up with a sweet smelling sachet or two. Ours are filled with epsom salts scented with essential oil. Fast, easy, and very economical.
Snaps are one of our favorite closures. They're small yet sturdy, like a cute little Corgi dog. But there's not always a lot of variety from which to choose. You can usually find nickel or brass, and the Western favorite: pretty pearl head snaps, every once in awhile, maybe a rhinestone alternative. But that's where
This one tutorial gives you all the basics you need to create the first of what will surely be many zipper pouches. Learn how to cut a zipper to size, add end tabs, box the bottom corners, and insert a fully finished lining.
There are many times you’d rather have two hands free (Look Ma… No hands!) This clever little zippered pouch is a fun solution. It can slip onto a belt or clip onto a belt loop – perfect for urban walkers and more.
A true Sewing Survival Skill! The word fussy sounds negative. But in the world of sewing, a fussy cut is a beautiful thing. It means cutting in a way that precisely captures a specific section of fabric for a specific purpose.
It’s a cute banner AND a secret learn-to-spell game. Each pennant has a front and back so you can put a different letter on either side. Easy to string and re-string; make lots and spell out a new word every day.
Yes, that is an interesting spelling. We used Anna Maria Horner’s gorgeous LOOMinous collection woven with yarn-dyed cotton threads. Check our out roll-and-stitch technique that makes the scarf’s two sides mirror images.
Buttons are among the most basic methods of fastening one thing to another. They also make a pretty embellishment all on their own. We love them lots… until they come off. And, they almost always come off, especially from store-bought items, which often seem to be sewn with some kind of “quick release thread.” If
We’ve pulled together our top ten articles that show a variety of ways you can keep things closed. Locks, snaps, zips, buttons, and more. If you need closure, we have some great ideas. Let us know which are your favorites.
Fast, meet fabulous. With a little bit of felt and a few rows of decorative stitching, you can whip out a cute-as-a-button gift card sleeve in about five minutes flat. We show you several options for marking and stitching.
Like your favorite pair of sweats, sometimes you gotta have a loose fit. This throw pillow follows suit with a relaxed and roomy cover. We added 15 lines of decorative stitching and custom corner tassels.
Cute accessories that finish in a flash. Stretchy elastic and rhinestone sliders add instant sparkle and color to wrists and hairstyles. Or, combine gorgeous ribbon and webbing with a slide buckle to blast out a colorful belt.
Small pieced strips of colorful cotton plus wavy, free motion stitching give these cute coasters the look of a tiny quilt. There’s an edgestitched frame around each coaster that acts as the pivot point for the vertical wavy lines.
Organizing experts suggest collecting everything needed for the next day in one handy place. Our 2-sided, multi-pocket caddy has a loop to hang it right over a door knob. You could even grab the whole caddy to toss in your car.
Decorative stitching against a neutral canvas gives this slouchy bucket bag great style. We also incorporated long, soft tassels at the sides and front. They’re made from the belted cording! We include all the steps.
Your project instructions call for two yards of 60" wide fabric, but the fabric you want to use is 45" wide. Hmmm... attempting to dredge up that old math lesson in proportions is probably not going to happen on the fly. Instead, print out our handy conversion chart for those times you don't have a
Gather up your favorite bits of fabric and trim, leftover buttons or beads, and sheets of craft felt. Then get ready to fire up your imagination for some ornament fun. A fantastic project to introduce kids to hand sewing.
Learn this simple yet elegant napkin fold. Fill the cornucopia with fresh flowers or greens; a small gift; candy, nuts, and fruits; or whatever strikes your fancy. It’s a lovely way to finish your holiday table setting.
We used bold, bright fabrics from Kaffe Fassett to create this bohemian throw. It has a patchwork front bound and backed in super soft sherpa-style fleece – then hand-tied to finish.
These happy half aprons are made in pretty quilting weight cottons with trendy metallic accents. A secret to their perfect-partyness are the layers of colorful tulle. We have one size for big girls and one for their little helpers.
Neutral tones of canvas and a simple mini-tote style combine into the perfect backdrop for our stunning Lion’s Head machine embroidery design. We offer a free download in six popular file formats.
Color Block style has a cool 60s vibe but with a bold, modern look. No prints need apply. This is all about solid, saturated color. Classic half square triangles make up our stunning runner. The easy patchwork creates a fabulous finish.
In soft linen accented with gorgeous ribbons, our pretty favor bags are clean and simple, but with a personal touch and subtle elegance. Easy to make and designed for “assembly line” cutting and construction.
Handmade wines, oils, and vinegars are super popular gifts. Don’t they deserve their own beautiful carrying cases?! Our tall gift bags are lightly padded with fleece and foam to protect the bottle on its way from your kitchen to theirs.
We were inspired to create this classic Halloween project not just because it's a fast and fun decorating idea for spooky season, but also because of our personal "bat encounter." A pair of Little Brown Bats (that is actually what they're called - cute, but also scientific, I guess) flew in through an open balcony
These cute round storage baskets have three types of interfacing to help them hold their slightly soft shape. Mix basic burlap with pretty cotton for a unique decorator style. The lining is fussy cut so they’re pretty inside and out.
A handsome binding in alternating fabrics is set against a field of soft, double-sided fleece. We personalized it with a name embroidered in one corner. Even if you’re brand new, you can create this blanket in just a couple hours.
Accurate pressing is one of the most important parts of the construction process. Having a tool that holds precise, narrow folds and clean angles is critical. And, if that tool allows you to do that without your fingers getting dangerously close to the iron, it’s a must-have in our book! One of our favorite pressing
Our thermal baby bottle carrier has a water-resistant PUL lining with a layer of insulating batting and a trendy fabric exterior. The handy Velcro® strap can hook onto a stroller or diaper bag. Fast and easy for yourself or as a gift.
There are lots of special details packed into this little half apron. One of our faves: the jaunty diagonal-fold pocket. Even with all the custom touches, it’s still a beginner-level project that’s easy to complete in just a few hours.
Super trendy: check! Super easy: double check! With a little bit of faux fur and about an hour, you can create beautiful matching scarves and cuffed gloves for yourself and anyone else who needs to bundle up.
Two sizes – tons of uses. Designed to drop into a larger bag or tote, these little pouches are really too pretty to hide! They’re long and slim with a full 12” zippered opening. Use bold mix-and-match scraps + a fun zipper.
If you’re brand new to sewing, you’re probably also brand new to figuring out all the parts of a sewing machine. We review the basics, from unpacking, to setting up, to the names of the most common parts, to threading and testing.
Store, organize, and carry. These jumbo fabric baskets are big on size and style – a fashionable way to store and stash your stuff. The inner lining of fusible foam stabilizes them so they keep their tall, round shape.
This Janome accessory allows you to stitch directly on ribbon up to 1″ wide, so you can personalize the color and design of ribbon accents to create a super unique look. Decorative stitching on grosgrain ribbon is especially cute.
You’ll need to read more to see why this bag is named after Winnie The Pooh’s pal, Christopher Robin. In the meantime, you can see the bag’s exterior is done in quilted corduroy and the front flap has very cool closures.
We love the look and functionality of zippers. But many of us are not crazy about installing them. To get good, you gotta jump in. Let’s start with a conventional zipper, where the fabric meets along the center of the zipper teeth.
Pull out the spiciest colors and most striking patterns from your scrap stash for this set of trendy towels. Then, dive into your machine’s decorative stitch options to add some dramatic stitch style. A wonderful host/hostess gift.
In our quest to continue bringing you the information you’re searching for, we’ve been partnering with some of our pals in the sewing community to provide guest features on garment sewing. This is an area we don’t currently focus on at Sew4Home but for which we get a lot of inquiries. It’s not that we