What a Deal! Singer Sewing Machine Amazon Deal of the Day!

Have you been on Amazon lately? I was shocked to open my browser this morning and find this fabulous deals on a Singer sewing machine!

Now, it may be one day only, but if you can get in on this deal and you have been in the market for a new sewing machine, you should!

SINGER 9960 Quantum Stylist 600-Stitch Computerized Sewing Machine
(Prime Eligible - Yeah! Free Shipping!)

$249.99 sale
($699.99 reg)

Tiffany

KNIT It :: STITCHES South Marketplace Review

So although I'm just starting to knit, I had an opportunity to tag along with my knitting class to the STITCHES South Expo held here in Atlanta a few weekends ago. It was definitely eye opening (and tiring at 34 weeks pregnant!) However, I learned a TON about quality yarns and am grateful for the opportunity to touch and feel as much as I did!

Photo Property of Knitting Universe & STITCHES South

Here are the highlights from things I learned at Stitches South (from my own newbie perspective):
 - Don't be afraid of SUPER huge needles or yarns. If you are half way impatient like me, you will find that being able to knit a good 2 feet with 18 stitches on needles that you have to sit down to even huge is very liberating!
- Touch every yarn you can and don't be afraid to ask questions. I walked into one of my LYS a few months ago when I started taking classes and asked for yarn for a project. I was handed my options. Supposedly! If I only knew! I ended up with 50% acrylic yarn - ewwwww! I wish that I had known I could get natural fibers that were the same weight for the SAME amount of money.
- Expensive doesn't mean it will work out for your project. I have a tendency to steer myself toward VERY expensive yarns - not so much because I know anything about them, but because their colors are rich, they have some sparkle or I'm just fall in love with the texture. Know your project and know your pattern - it's important to pick the right yarn for each project or you will end up hating the end result that you spent countless hours on.
- The perfect pattern may not be for you. If you knit or crochet, chances are, you are on Ravelry (I am too! Come find me!). And chances are you have a ton of projects favorite and queued up. I printed off a few images and took them with me to look for yarn. I have to admit - my perfect little pattern world was torn upside down! Pay close attention to how you want the item to feel and what yarn they have designed the pattern for. After all, if you want a summer lace weight top, picking a pattern that uses a DK weight probably isn't in your best interest!

Have you been to Stitches?

Tiffany

KNIT It :: Garter Rib Baby Blanket

I've been learning to knit! It's definitely a labor of love, but I have honestly had a blast! I am now through my 5th knitting class and since leaving the second class, I have been making our little addition (whom I am trying to wait patiently for) a baby blanket! It's tedious work and I'm also working on another project (more up my alley), so I've been switching off to combat the boredom of the easy stitches.

I used the Garter Rib Baby Blanket Pattern by Orange Flower, but I changed it up a little after knitting a small sample piece. I felt like the ribbing needed to be a little larger, so I increased the cast on to 126 stitches and am knitting 6 and purling 6. Simple fix for even this newbie! I love it when I use the math I learned in middle school!

Here is the blanket - I hope to finish it up this week and get it blocked next week so I can show off the final product! Who knows... a cute little hat may have to accompany this blanket to the hospital.

Not too shabby for my first piece, huh? Have you tried this pattern?

Tiffany

Made :: Prudent Baby DIY Nursing Cover Up

This was one of the easiest and best written tutorials I have ever used! I am still floored by how simple and fast the entire thing was to make! The boning went in like a breeze and for those of you that are beginning sewists, don't fear - this is something that takes little to no brain power! (It's perfect for pregnancy brain!)

Review:
Essentially, the tutorial consists of cutting out three rectangles of fabric, lots of ironing and some stitching! If you can sew straight lines, you can sew yourself a Nursing Cover! Why spend $30-$40 on a cover? Find a yard of fabric that you like and make yourself one for under $5 or $10 depending on the fabric you choose.

Variations you could try:
If your baby is born in the winter months, you may consider a cute cotton shell that will be seen from the outside world (instead of you!) and lining it with cotton minky fabric. Be sure to wash both to account for shrinkage in the fabric prior to sewing it up.
Have leftover scraps of fabric that are big enough length wise but maybe not width wise? Piece them together? You could go for a patchwork look or have three panels for a sophisticated but quirky look.
Want to make your cover up fancy? Try some metallic thread in a decorative stitch on the hem line or a few rows right above it on a solid color fabric.

Find the entire tutorial at Prudent Baby.

Tiffany

Tips :: Choosing Fabric for Your Nursery

I don't know about you, but I am almost always indecisive! I think that's a prerequisite characteristic to true womanhood and proof that we are, in fact, females! However, with that being said, when my mind is made up, it's made up and often very hard to change.

I have a tendency to love something in the store (as in fabric or a garment), get it home and then a few days later decide that I am bored with it - it just wasn't that special and exciting to begin with! Add in pregnancy hormone shifts and this gets 10x worse!  I have compiled a list of things to help you consider while choosing fabrics for your nursery that you will NOT want to change after your little one arrives!

Colors
Start asking yourself the questions below. Once you have a good concept for the types of colors you would like, visit your paint store! It may overwhelm you to see how many shades a pink or a blue comes in, but you will be able to take the paint chips home and play with color combinations that you may not have considered!

Questions to Consider to Determine Your Color Pallet

Do I know what I am having? If so, what are typical colors I associate for a Girl? Boy? Gender neutral?

Does Dad have a color preference (chances are he may be in the nursery as much as you)? 

Soft color pallets or bright, bold primary colors?

How many colors would I like to incorporate?

Would I like to use a theme? All Animals? Certain Animals? Textile Patterns? etc.

How do I want the space to look? Traditional? Transitional? Modern? Whimsical? Formal? 

What furniture will I be using? If you have this already, this may dictate some of the colors you use. For example, if you have black furniture, you will likely not be bringing in brown color tones.

When I think of my little one, I think of her/him dressed in certain colors and looks. What are those? Do I want to translate them to the room?

Find Inspiration
Have you thought about using boards like Pinterest to organize and collect your pictures? I pinned different fabrics and inspirational images of something I wanted to copy, recreate or an idea to spring off of on a private board through Pinterest and used it to narrow down to the fabrics and decor I really wanted. I simply deleted those as I got bored with them. Much cheaper than buying (and returning if you are lucky) and you can track how much they cost and where to get it from.

Trends
The trend of the moment seems to be chevron patterns. While I absolutely adore the chevron print, I started to wonder if in 9-12 months if this trend would be out only to be replaced by another. Incorporate these trends into your nursery fabrics in ACCENTS! Trendy textiles work great for items that are easily changed, like crib sheets, accent pillows for rockers/gliders, changing pad covers and liners for your hamper. If you are the least bit hesitant when it comes to whether or not to use a trendy fabric, avoid using it for your bumpers, cribskirt/bedskirt, quilt, drapes or upholstery.

Go For It

Crib Sheets

Crib Blankets (NOT the keepsake crib quilt)

Accent Pillows

Changing Pad Covers

Boppy Covers

Fabric Clothes Hamper Liners

Avoid It

Crib Bumpers

Crib Skirt

Crib Quilt

Drapery

Upholstery

Choosing Fabric Types
Think about what you will want to incorporate into fabric into the space. What will need to be washable and what will not? I wanted a fun, sophisticated nursery for our little boy, so I threw in some poly minky fabric that can easily be washed as well as some higher end silks for the drapes. You can't go wrong with cottons as long as you find the pattern you like and you wash them before sewing because of shrinkage.

Items Best Done in Washable Fabrics

Crib Sheets

Bumper Pads

Crib Blankets

Changing Pad Covers

Boppy Covers

Fabric Clothes Hamper Liners

Items OK to Splurge on Fabrics

Crib Quilts (You will likely never put this in the crib, except for times company comes over and the baby is not in the crib)

Crib/Bed Skirts

Draperies

Items That are Questionable

Upholstery - You will likely want something somewhat easy to wipe up a quick spill or mess from

I hope that helps you create a nursery you will be happy with over the span of your child's baby and toddler years. Do you have any advice that I missed?

~ Tiffany

Made :: Nursery Essential - The Bedskirt - McCall's M4855

Pattern Used: McCall's Home Decorating Baby Room Essentials - M4855

Size Made: This is a one size fits most crib pattern for standard rectangular cribs. (Obviously, if you have a round crib, you will need a different pattern.)

Fabric:
  2 yards home decor weight printed fabric - brown, tan and blue (purchased from Snellville Fabric Mart)
  1 yard home decor fabric - brown (purchased from Snellville Fabric Mart)
  1 yard home decor fabric (scrapped from another project since you will not see it) - navy blue
  1 yard home decor fabric - light blue (purchased from Hancock Fabrics)
  5 yards 5/32" Cotton Cording (cover your own)

Notions: Thread!

Difficulty of Pattern: This pattern is definitely well suited for a beginner (to intermediate if you add in the cording like I did) sewist that may have lost a little of her brain throughout her pregnancy!  Essentially the pattern is just a bunch of large rectangles!

Time to Complete:
Cut Pattern: Approximately 10 minutes
Cut Fabric from Pattern: Approximately 20 minutes - although you are just cutting rectangles, it was a little more time consuming as I had a pattern to match and the pieces are just large. I have a cutting table but found that the floor was a little easier to lay my fabric on and move accordingly.
Sew and Assemble Crib/Bed Skirt with Cording: Approximately 2.5 hours. I was VERY careful and totally cautious! This also includes the time it took me to assemble my own cording/piping as well. (Need a tutorial for that? I used this one!)
Approximate time to Sew/Assemble Crib/Bed Skirt without Cording: Approximately 1 hour - just a guestimate!

Machines Used: As most of my projects go, I used the serger and the sewing machine. My main fabric was particularly ravely, so I had to seam up the edges as I went. Obviously, most of the seaming and the piping was done on the sewing machine.

Alterations/Changes Made to Pattern: The pattern doesn't call for cording or piping of any sort, but given my pension for all things matching in the nursery, I decided to add it in. I think it was a good choice, although, I would be happier with it if you could actually see it! I didn't bother too look at the railing on the crib and it hits it right where it's hidden - GRRRRRR... At least I know that it's there!

Yeah/Nay: I would definitely make this again! Just for ease in sewing, I would likely forgo the piping. As a first time mom, I didn't really think about it, but it's probably a good idea that I make this in a VERY washable fabric, like a cotton. That may be a project for when the Little One is a few months old and I settle into a routine.

~Tiffany

Make It :: Maternity High-Low Circle Skirt Tutorial

This skirt seriously took me about an hour to make once I determined how to make my pattern. Hopefully with this tutorial, it should take you about an hour to make the entire thing! Pair it with your favorite tops and belt to create a faux maternity dress!

Maternity High-Low Circle Skirt Tutorial

 (Want to download the printable PDF Tutorial? Get it here!
NOTE: It should be free to download - if it's not, email me and I will send you a copy!)

 Supplies Needed:

·         Flexible Fabric Tape Measure

·         Poster board, construction paper or pattern paper that you can make large enough by taping together to meet your measurement needs

·         Tape  

·         Scissors

·         Pencil

·         Marker

·         Scratch Paper

·         1.5 to 2 yds Fabric – 58-60” wide

o   1.5 yds suitable for knits – you will have a seam down the back of your skirt as well as on the sides

o   2 yds suitable for knits and all other fabrics – you will likely NOT have a seam down the back of your skirt – only on the sides

·         Matching Thread

·         1 Inch Elastic – 1 Yard (See Note Below)

o   Measure your underbust measurement first – this will determine your elastic needs.

·         2 Safety Pins

Instructions:

1.      Determine the following measurements before beginning:

a.      Underbust/Upperbelly measurement: Taken directly under your bust line, where the skirt will ultimately sit.

b.      Front Length measurement (fl): From the center of your “underbust/upperbelly” measurement, measure downward, over your belly, where you would like the highest point of your skirt.

c.       Back Length measurement (bl): You may ask a friend to take this measurement for you or you could look in a mirror to determine how many inches you would like the back to swoop down from the front.

2.      To determine your pattern “waist” size (w), you will want to add approximately 6 inches to your underbust/upperbelly measurement. Once you have this measurement, use the chart below to determine your radius (r) of your “waist” circle on your pattern:

Underbust/Upperbelly Measurement	“Waist” Size (w)	Radius (r)
24	30	9.5
26	32	10
28	34	10.75
30	36	11.5
32	38	12
34	40	12.75
36	42	13.25
38	44	14
40	46	14.5

3.      Add a seam allowance for the elastic waist casing to your (fl) meausurement of 1.5”, as well as a seam allowance for a hem of .5” = 2” total. This will be your final (fl) measurement.

4.      Add a seam allowance for the elastic waist casing to your (bl) meausurement of 1.5”, as well as a seam allowance for a hem of .5” = 2” total. This will be your final (bl) measurement.

5.      On a small piece of scratch paper, draw out a mini-version of your pattern using the (r), (w), (fl) and (bl) measurements so that you can determine how much pattern paper you will need to craft your real pattern.  It should look somewhat like this:

6.      Create and Transfer your measurements from your scrap paper pattern to your actual pattern paper.

7.      You will notice that the yellow line, your swoop of the hemline is subjective – this is up to you! It will automatically have the high low hem. Here are variations to consider:

Even swoop front to back

 Dramatic swoop front to back

8.      I highly recommend tracing your pieces with a large marker so that you can determine where they begin and end. Cut the pattern pieces out!

9.      To determine where you place your side seam, after cutting out the large piece, simply fold the waist (w) in half down to the hemline of the skirt. Reopen the skirt, draw and additional line for the side seam and cut out.

10.  Now you are ready to cut! If using knit fabric, you will not have to worry about the bias. However, if you are not using a knit, ensure that you cut your fabric on the bias (diagonal against the grain of the fabric) or it will not lay correctly.  You will have 2 pieces.
NOTE: If you chose to only purchase 1.5 yards of fabric, you may need to cut the back into two pieces instead of creating one piece by cutting on the fold. Simply cut a left and a right piece.

Let’s Sew!!

11.  ONLY IF YOU HAVE 3 PIECES INSTEAD OF 2. IF YOU HAVE A FRONT AND A BACK, SKIP TO #12. Sew the back seam together by joining the two back centers, right sides together and seaming.

12.  Place your back skirt piece on a flat surface so that the right side of the fabric is visible to you. Take the front skirt piece, right side down and place on top of the back skirt piece matching the side seams.

13.  Pin seams together and sew each side. You may use a serger or a straight stitch on your sewing machine.
If using a knit and not sewing on a serger, use a zig zag seam, double needle or your preferred knit sewing method.

14.  If using a non-knit fabric: Fold “waist band” (wrong sides meet) down ¼”, press and fold an additional 1 ¼” to create casing for elastic. Begin sewing on the outside, side seam of your fabric at approximately 1 1/8” to ensure you catch the casing and create a nice pocket for the elastic. Stop approximately 2” before where you began to allow enough room to insert elastic properly.

If using a knit fabric: You may choose to serge the edge of the knit, taking off approximately ¼” as you sew. This will bind the edge. However, as most knit does not ravel, you can choose to skip this. Simply fold over the “waist band”(wrong sides meet) down 1 ½”, press and begin sewing on the outside, side seam of your fabric at approximately 1 1/8” to ensure you catch the casing and create a nice pocket for the elastic. Stop approximately 2” before where you began to allow enough room to insert elastic properly.

15.  Take your “underbust/upperbelly” measurement and your elastic. This will be the guide for cutting your elastic to size. I like to subtract approximately 3” inches from the measurement when cutting my elastic to ensure that the skirt fits snugly on my body – you make the call. Cut your elastic to your altered measurement.

16.  Insert your elastic using the “safety pin method.”
Secure one end of the elastic to the band of the skirt from the outside. On the other end, secure the safety pin so that you can use it for threading of the elastic through the casing. Gently feed this end into your casing and using the safety pin to guide it through to meet the other end that you have pinned.

17.  With both elastic ends together, secure elastic by sewing with a straight stitch approximately ½” from both ends, forward and backward several times. Secure further by separating the elastic ends and zig zag stitching each end to the elastic. Elastic should neatly tuck inside entire casing and lay flat.

18.  From the outside of the skirt (right side of fabric), close up the 2” gap that you left in the casing for the elastic, securing the waistband into the skirt. (DO NOT SEW THE ELASTIC AT THIS POINT.)

Now all that is left is to hem the skirt and you are done! I suggest trying it on at this point in front of a mirror to ensure that you are happy with the length of the skirt. Make alterations if needed.

Hemming Variations/Options:

1.       ¼” Roll Hem – This is easiest with a non-knit fabric – it is incredibly small to allow for full movement in the skirt. Begin by carefully folding ¼” from the bottom of the skirt, wrong sides together. Press. Fold again ¼” to secure the fabric inside the seam. Press. From the outside, sew slightly less than ¼” from the bottom of the skirt all the way around to finish your hem.

2.       Frayed Hem – If you are sewing a linen and would like a “frayed” look, simply even the hem line (if for some reason it may not be straight) and with a straight stitch, stitch on the outside of the skirt at approximately ½” from the edge. This will ensure your fabric does not fray farther than the ½”. Simply wash and the fraying should take care of itself!

3.       Serged Rolled Edge Hem – Regardless of the type of fabric you are using, you can do a rolled edge hem on the garment (that’s what I did). Simply adjust your serger to the correct setting, choose a thread you are comfortable viewing from the right side of your garment and sew your rolled edge hem ½” from the bottom of the skirt all the way around.  (NOTE: This is the type of hem that I did on my skirt – See Pictures)

4.       Knit “No Hem” – Lots patience? Sometimes that happens when you are pregnant! If so and you have used a knit, simply even up the hem line and leave it!

Disclaimer:  Please do not copy this pattern without permission of the creator and author.  Please do not sell as your own item without prior consent and crediting Pintuck Pixie as your source for the pattern.  Email all questions regarding the pattern and policies to tiffany@pintuckpixie.com.

Enjoy your skirt!
Tiffany