Hitting Shops Soon! Free To Grow by Nancy Mims

Organic fabric is all the rage these days and here is one that caught my eye. This one is called Free to Grow, designed by Nancy Mims for Robert Kaufman. I love these big, bold patterns. Take a look...

Free to Grow via Robert Kaufman

I just love those yellow and pink flowers! How about you?

Hitting Shops Soon! Boys Will Be Boys by David Walker

What a fun little celebration of boys! This collection, Boys Will Be Boys, was designed by David Walker for Free Spirit. It should be hitting stores and day now.

Check these out:

Boys Will Be Boys via Free Spirit

Watch for these. And if any of you shops out there are carrying this, leave a comment to let us know. So fun!

Fabric Trends: ABC's, Grrrrr, and Eeeeeeeek!

I am always on the hunt for new fabrics and ideas to keep you in the know. Here are a few trends I've noticed in the fabric arena lately:

1. ABC's: School themed fabric is all over the place.

Punctuation via Moda / United Notions

via Baum Textile (American Vintage line)

2. Grrrrrr... There is a big push toward the whole wild animal/circus thing. Fun stuff.

Wild Friends via Robert Kaufman

3. Eeeeeeeek: Still seeing those monsters.

EEK Monsters via Studio E

Sew Funny! Thought I'd Share

Laura over at Along for the Ride found the funniest old bit of advice from a 1949 sewing manual. Thought I'd pass it along since it's totally funny:

via Along for the ride

Did you get at least a giggle out of that? It sure got a grin on my face. Hope you have a great day!

Free Pattern: Hooray for Headbands by Heather Bailey

AS you may have guessed from THIS I'm a big Heather Bailey fan. My girls' entire room is pretty much Freshcut by Heather Bailey.

So... I found this free pattern on her blog a year or so ago. I made several and my girls have really enjoyed them. They are soft and comfortable headbands, rather than itchy, stiff ones (although we have plenty of those as well.)

So, head on over and try this pattern out. It's easy. It's free. And it's beautiful! Thanks Heather!

via Heather Bailey

Hitting Shops Soon! Party Dress by Mo Bedell

I spent my day yesterday reading to my kids, playing outside, watching my son play a basketball game, reading myself, and making a tutorial with my daughter. It was a perfect day. Those little moments are really life's treasures.

And what does that have to do with Party Dress by Mo Bedell? Well, it feels like that perfect day. It has that summer relaxation written all over it. Here is a preview:

Party Dress via Blue Hill Fabrics

See what I mean? Picnics, hammocks, little 5' plastic pools. It's all there!

Yards and Yards Original: Fabric Notebook Cover

This one was a super fast and cute project to do. I'd say it took about 30 minutes start to finish, and that includes my kids "helping" out.

One neat thing about this is that you can easily adapt it for a boy or a girl, depending on the fabric choice.

It's also an awesome gift because it costs a grand total of $3 dollars (or less since you have leftover fabric). I'm going to give you maesurements for the one I made, but it is super easy to adapt this tutorial. Here we go...

1. Gather your materials.

You will need:

Fabric A: 22"x 12"
Fabric B: 22" x 1.5"
1 Notebook (I picked mine up at WalMart for $1) I wanted one with a stiffer cover.


2. Center your notebook on Fabric A on the wrong side. Trace it lightly.




3. Iron in 1/2" on both ends. Then sew along the 2 shorter sides.

4. Make your ruffle. Cut your fabric 1.5" wide if you haven't yet.

Now for the fun part. Sew down the center of your fabric. about every inch or so, fold a bit of the fabric under itself to form ruffles. Do this to the whole piece.




5. Attach ruffle to your notebook cover.
This is the trickiest part and it's easy! Fold your fabric around your notebook right side out. Place it where it will be when it's all done. Then place your ruffle when you want it. Go ahead and wrap it around the back and it can go on the inside flap as well. Pin it in place.


6. Sew that ruffle.

I sewed my ruffle on about 1/8" away from my first seam. It just added that extra detail having the two parallel seams. No tucking or edge finishing necessary.


7. Sew the pockets.

Fold in your side flaps, right sides together. Fold them along your tracing line.

Now sew along all 4 openings. (2 on top, 2 on bottom). I put some lovely black dashes to show you where. Remember that those stitches should also be right along your original tracing lines.

8. Clip your 4 little corners.


9. Turn right side out and iron.


Notice how I just iron the loose fabric along the top and bottom too. You can tack these down by sewing right along them, but I don't think it needs it.

10. Insert your notebook. You can make a cute little pen to go with it or add a flower and a name. Whatever you want.


Enjoy! These would make a fun Idea Journal for you, a birthday gift for a friend, or a back to school gift for a child. I love these things!

PS. Thanks to these great party hostesses!