Category: Tutorials

We thought it would be a great idea to start January off with a fresh, clean topic… Sewing Room Organization! We have asked several of our past designers to share their sewing spaces with us and also hope that you will join in with #prpsewingroom!

Rachel of Southern Magnolia Design has an AMAZING setup in her sewing room! She was generous enough to share some pointers for those of us looking to create a more functional, well organized sewing space!

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I recently just updated my sewing room this summer. And after taking all that time to make the room look nicer, you’d better believe that I keep it organized and clean.

Tips For An Organized Sewing Room:

1. DON’T BUY MORE FABRIC THAN YOU CAN STORE!

    This is a difficult one to keep to, but it is very important. I used to have piles of fabric in boxes and folded fabric stacks sitting on the floor. It was a mess and constant annoyance when I had to dig through those boxes, or accidentally knocked over the stacks.

2. Square/cube storage shelves are perfect for holding folded fabric stacks!

I used to try storing my fabric vertically, wrapped around a small cardboard rectangle like the fabric stores have. However, the added width of the cardboard meant that I could not fit as much fabric on each shelf. But folded stacks of fabric make it easy to see all my options and still have easy access. I like to organize them by fabric type (woven, knit, specialty, etc.) and by color. That way I know exactly where to find what I am looking for when starting a new project. 

3. Take care of your fabric.

     Sometimes fabric can get dusty or wrinkled when stored for a long time. And if in direct sunlight, the colors could fade and ruin the design. Depending on where you live, bugs might also become a problem. 

I use cedar chips to help keep away carpet bugs and moths; adding a couple of discs on each shelf.

I have a small hand vacuum that came with attachments. While it is mostly used to clean out all the fluff and threads in my serger, I will occasionally vacuum the dust off of the fabric edges as well. 

4. Keep your workspace clean.

     When in the middle of a sewing creation, I have fabric scraps, thread, beads, and cutting accessories scattered ALL over the place. But I always make sure to put everything away and clean up at the end of every project. It is especially important to sweep up and vacuum the floor as well. I’ve found many stray needles and pins on the ground that I hadn’t realized had dropped. Vacuuming also helps to keep the threads from ending up in the rolling wheels of my chair.

      Another part of keeping the area clean is putting away the ironing board between projects. I used to keep it out all the time because I always seemed to be working on something. But when it was out, I also ended up using it as a table to store things. Or it would get in the way when I was trying to get around the room. Now that it gets put up, it forces me to put away the things I would normally set on it when I was feeling lazy.

     Everything has a place where it belongs. And as long as I remember to put things back in their place, I will always know where to find them.

One of my favorite new updates to my room has been adding a mount for my iPad on the wall. Now I can read the sewing patterns and tutorials (or watch my favorite shows) without my device taking up space on my table.

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These are great tips! Thank you, Rachel! Don’t forget to show us your sewing space this week with #prpsewingroom! We would love to feature your space in our social media posts and stories!

Kate from See Kate Sew made an adorable 60’s Mod inspired coat for her daughter, and made a tutorial for the bow headband that went with it! This is a fun addition to a costume!

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Big Bow Headband Tutorial

First cut out your pattern pieces based on the diagram below. All measurements are in inches.

The hexagon shapes will be the floppy ends of the bow. We’ll start with those. Fold in half and sew the sides up.

 Clip corner and trim edges if you want.

Then turn right side out.

Repeat this for the other side.

To make the bow part, fold over and hot glue both edges of the long stripes. You’ll repeat for both long strips and the short strip as well. Now, stack your bow pieces up as shown below. The long strips will be folded in half.

Dab some glue in between each layer and then wrap it with the short strip.

You can insert a headband, elastic, or a bow clip.

And you’re done!

I’ll be sharing more in-depth tutorials on parts of the dress and the coat on my blog See Kate Sew in the next few weeks. You are also welcome to check out my inspiration and original sketch of the coat.

Save this picture to make it later!

We have so much great content on our old website and we are slowly migrating some of our best tutorials over here as well! Maybe some of these will help inspire you to participate in our Costume Contest!

First up, we have Delia’s tutorial for creating three different Halloween hats! They tie with a ribbon, but could be used on a headband or clip. They have a very trendy vintage fascinator vibe and are also great for big kids!

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Hi Project Run and Play readers!

I’m Delia from deliacreates and I am excited to be here for Halloween week!

Today I’m sharing a fun Halloween accessory that you can make for your kids or for you. 

It’s not quite a hat, but it’s too big to just be a clip/bow/hair flower, so I’ve dubbed it the Hat-ette.

t’s a little reminiscent of those mini hats from the early 1900’s {and that have been gaining some more attention lately}, and lots of fun to get creative with. Plus, they’re costume hats, so I used almost no sewing. It’s nice to have a break from sewing I think. 🙂

If you’re wondering where the kids are in these pictures?

You’ll have to deal with me as your model today.

I didn’t have time to scout out a little girl model for this post.

So…onto the project.

I made three looks.

And here is a quick run-down on how I put them together.

First, the Pumpkin…and my favorite actually.

 For all three hat-ettes you’ll need circles of strong corrugated cardboard. I used a bowl as my stencil and just cut these out of a box.

Stack a circle of felt {doesn’t have to be perfect}, a few layers of quilt batting and the cardboard circle together.

Hot glue like so. 

Then poke a hole in the middle.

And thread some yarn through to create the grooves of your pumpkin.

Cut about 1 1/2 yards of ribbon and lay it across the middle.

Seal up the bottom of the hat with another, slightly smaller felt circle.

Now adorn with a rolled brown felt stem and a cut green leaf.

Done! Go ahead, try it on.

When worn with an orange shirt, it can be a quick low key costume. Or you can add it as the topper to a pumpkin costume you’ve made for your child. 

Next up, the Witch hat-ette.

I think the lace makes this one more appropriate for you, but without the lace it would be a great dainty hat for a little girl. Or… put the lace in the back of the hat to make a different kind of veil. Hmm?

Alright…so wrap some felt around the cardboard circle with hot glue.

Take stiff felt and roll it into a cone.

The stiff felt costs a little more, but you only need one sheet. Glue it into that cone shape and cut off the excess. I tried it on top of my head several times to get the height I wanted, and  just cut off a little bit as I went.

Glue to the hat and adorn as desired.

 I used some black feathers and then cut the ring off a spider ring for this look.

I added a strip of lace across about 3/4 of the hat and then finished off the bottom like I did with the pumpkin.

Easy enough?

I only wish I was more careful where the lace laid across my eyes. I have a nice big opaque flower covering my left eye and it bugs me! So be careful of that or use a more sheer lace.

When I tilt the hat, it’s not so bad though.

And lastly, the sunflower. 

Do the same as you did with the other hats. Cover with felt. Then cut and glue pinched petals on like so…

I added some brown tulle and an autumn flower – see Cheri’s tutorial here – to the middle.

So cute for a girl who wants to be a flower but not be too dressed up, or a great addition to any flowery fun costume.

If the bonnet ties are bothersome, you can also attach these hat-ettes to a headband. You will have less control on where the hat-ette will sit on your head, but it can be a more comfortable alternative.

You can also glue a clip to the bottom for more stability if you like.

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Thanks again to Delia! She has a beautiful website with lots of tutorials and inspiration, especially her thoughtful and detailed crochet! Visit her website HERE.

Save the image below so you can find it anytime you want!