Lovely Little Llama

January 31, 2021January 31, 2021Leave a comment

With Valentine’s Day coming up I was inspired by a cute new idea! A Lovely Little Llama Valentine!

This little llama has a blanket with two pockets that can deliver valentines for the big day 🙂

Not only would this llama be adorable for Valentine’s Day, but any holiday! Change the colors to green and red and you have Christmas. Dress it up for birthdays, Easter, or even Halloween. Changing the colors, accessories, and fabrics will completely change the feel of the project.

The pocket pouch is definitely my favorite part of the project, aside from the overall cuteness, of course! You can place notes, treats, and gifts in the little pockets.

The pattern is available in two sizes. The small size measures approximately 9 inches tall without the ears, and the large measures approximately 11.5 inches tall.

It is constructed with swirl fur which is great to work with and is super fluffy! It just calls out for cuddles 🙂

This project is fairly simple, but the fur does add a bit of difficulty. I would say it is about a 4/10 in terms of difficulty. You need to be comfortable using small seam allowances and sewing curves. Experience with fur or plush fabrics is also helpful.

Supplies – (See Cut Layouts for Fabric Sizes)

Fleece or Swirl Fur Fabric (Body)
Fleece or Felt (Face)
Cotton Fabric (Blanket, Ears, & Tail)
1/4 inch wide elastic (3.5 inches – small, 4.25 inches – large)
Two Safety Eyes (8mm – small, 10mm – large)
Black Thread or Embroidery Floss
Blush or Pastels (Optional)
Yarn, scrap felt, and beads (Necklace – Optional)
Coordinating Thread
Poly-fil

Tools

Sewing Machine & Basic Sewing Tools (Pins, Scissors, etc.)
Hemostats or Tweezers (Recommended)
Hand Sewing Needles
Ultra Fine Point Sharpie (Optional)
Air Erase Marker (Recommended)
Purple Thang (Optional)

Free Patterns & Cut Layouts

lovely-little-llama-SMALL-by-learncreatesew-updated Download

lovely-little-llama-LARGE-by-learncreatesew-updated Download

QUICK OVERVIEW:

DETAILED VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS:

Happy Sewing!

One Hour Easy Zippered Purse

January 18, 2021January 18, 2021Leave a comment

I absolutely love the project I am sharing with you today! I few years ago I was rushing to get ready for a vacation and my purse would NOT fit in my bag. I had one hour before I had to leave for the airport. What was I going to do? Well, being me, I decided to sew a new purse!

This is what I came up with! And since then I have used this purse absolutely all the time.

This purse is very lightweight and super handy to have around. I love to use this when I travel so I can fold it up in my luggage. I also really like to use it when I go for walks. It is the perfect size for a cell phone and smaller items.

This is a great first zipper project, so if you are just beginning with zippers this is a great place to start because you don’t have to worry about linings. Since the purse doesn’t have a lining it can be made quickly and simplifies the project. This is definitely a casual bag and I have enjoyed making this using both cotton and flannel fabrics.

Free Cut Layouts are available for two different styles, narrow and wide.

The black confetti purse is the wide version, and the cotton print is narrow.

Once you are comfortable with the process of how it is constructed it is super easy to adapt. By changing the length and width of your rectangles you can change the size of the bag. You can also use the same process to increase the number of zippers! I love the look with 3 zippers!

The wide bag measures approximately 7.375 x 9.5 inches and the narrow bag is approximately 6.375 x 9 inches.

SUPPLIES:

2/3 yard cotton or flannel fabric (Makes 2 if the fabric is at least 40 inches wide)
Two – Three 9 inch zippers (for each purse)
Coordinating thread
Fray Check (Optional)

Tools

Sewing Machine
Basic Sewing Tools (Pins, scissors, etc.)
Ruler and marking tool (to draw the rectangles from the cut layout)
Iron

Free Cut Layouts:

2-zipper-cut-layouts-by-learncreatesew Download

3-zipper-cut-layouts-by-learncreatesew-1 Download

DETAILED VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS:

QUICK OVERVIEW:

Happy Sewing!

Pocket Rice Bags

December 26, 2020December 23, 20203 Comments

I love these little rice bags! They are super quick, great for beginners, and are an awesome way to use that pile of scrap fabric that’s lying around.

I prefer to use flannel for my rice bags. I love the soft texture. You want to make sure to select a fabric that can be ironed.

These bags are stitched twice, which adds a cute little border around the edges.

I like to make my rice bags in pairs, creating a set of two. Great for each pocket!

SUPPLIES:

Flannel or cotton fabric ( 1/8 yard or Scraps – two 4.25 inch squares needed for each rice bag)
Rice
Coordinating Thread

FREE PATTERN:

pocket-rice-bag-pattern-by-learncreatesew Download

DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS VIDEO:

Happy Sewing!

Magic Circle

December 21, 2020December 21, 2020Leave a comment

HOW I CONQUERED THE MAGIC CIRCLE!

I mentioned in a previous post that I recently started crocheting again, and it has been a blast! I am loving it. One of the things I really wanted to start crocheting was amigurumi (crocheted stuffed animals).

If you’ve ever seen any amigurumi patterns you know that the foundation for most of them is the Magic Circle.

I was determined. I thought to myself…I’ve crocheted before. I’ve got some skills. It won’t be that hard. HA! I had more confidence than I should have. I tried, tried, and tried again with no luck. Either my magic circle wasn’t right, or I didn’t end up with the right amount of stitches, after dozens of tries it was driving me CRAZY! I watched video after video until finally I figured it out. But it took what felt like FOREVER to figure out why my magic circle didn’t look like all of the perfect ones I saw in the videos and what to do about it.

As a result, I decided to take a short break from my usual sewing videos (which I will get back to shortly, don’t worry!) to help all of those poor struggling souls who are having just as hard of a time with the magic circle as I did.

I hope as I share what I have learned it will make conquering the magic circle just a little easier for you.

To help I am going to break it down. We are going to start with the single crochet, reviewing the steps. Then, we’ll single crochet around the ring, and finally around our magic ring.

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From beginning to end I was baffled by the magic circle. Some videos started with the single crochet, some used half double, some double….I just wanted to know how to make the magic circle! All the different types of examples really through me off until I was able to connect the stitch they were showing me with the basic stitches and from there identify what was the magic circle and what was the stitch. So we will look at how a single crochet is made.

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Then we will look at single crochet around a ring or a loop. This feels and looks a lot different then simply crocheting in rows, so it is helpful to be familiar with this before you attempt the magic circle. So, if you are just starting, grab a hair tie, milk carton ring, or key chain and practice crocheting around the circle.

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After that we will actually make the magic circle. I’ll show you how I hold the yarn, what I had a hard time with, and what helped me finally make it work.

I hope this helps you!

RIGHT HANDED:

LEFT HANDED:

Here is the video flipped, which I hope will be useful to all of those left-handed crafters out there!

Fur Pom Poms

December 13, 2020December 14, 2020Leave a comment

With all of the stress of this year weighing heavy, I decided to take up a new hobby to help myself relax. I decided to learn how to crochet! I had crocheted before, but it had been several years. My mom came to visit with her assortment of crochet projects and I just couldn’t stop myself from exploring the craft again.

One of the first projects I made were these Half Double Crochet Beanies. These were simple and quick and a lot of fun. But they were definitely missing something…the fur pom pom! Hence this tutorial.

I thought I would share with you how I made the pom poms for the top of the beanies.

All it takes is faux fur fabric, poly-fil, needle and thread.

I think it adds a lot of character to the beanies! These pom poms have long ties that can be used to attach the pom poms to any project you like.

SUPPLIES:

Button thread
Faux Fur fabric (8 inch square or less)
Poly-fil stuffing

FREE PATTERN:

fur-pom-pom-pattern-learncreatesew Download

QUICK OVERVIEW:

DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS:

How I made the Beanie…

CROCHET PATTERN:

YARN: Serenity Premier Chunky – Weight 5

Hook: 7.0 – 9.0

A larger hook will require fewer stitches, but they will be more spaced out.

I used hook 7.0 for the burgundy beanie and 9.0 for the black beanie.

Size: Teen/Adult

Terms: Ch – Chain

BLO – Back Loop Only

Hdc – Half Double Crochet

Chain 34 – 42

The number of chain stitches you need will vary depending on the size of the hook you selected.

You want your chain to be 11 – 14 inches long, not including the chain 2 at the end.

Mine (the burgundy beanie) was 12 inches long. I chained 36 stitches and measured stitches 1 – 34.

Leave the thread tail long.

Row 1 – Beginning in the 3rd chain from the hook Hdc in each stitch. Hdc in back loop only. [Total Stitches: 32-40]

The total number of stitches should be 2 less than your chain.

Check the length again after completing row 1. You want your row 1 to be 11 – 14 inches long.

Mine was 12 inches long and I had 34 total stitches.

You should have the SAME number of stitches in every row from now on.

Row 2: Ch 2, turn, Hdc BLO in each stitch [32 – 40]

Don’t forget to skip the turning chain when you begin your stitches.

Row 3+: Repeat Row 2 until your work is 17 – 20 inches wide.

You can test the width by wrapping the beanie around your head. It should be about two inches or so shorter than the circumference of your head.

Mine ended up being 12 x 19 inches. (The circumference of my head is 21 inches). Since this is a large yarn and a big hook it will stretch.

A smaller width will give a more snug fit.

STOP ON AN EVEN NUMBER OF ROWS.

Your working yarn should be on the opposite end from your starting tail. Cut the working yarn to be about 1 yard long.

Fold the beanie in half with wrong sides together. Sew the edge together. You should end with the working yarn next to your original thread tail. This will be the top of the beanie. Tie the thread tails in a knot.

Stitch through all the raised stitches around the top edge and pull closed. Tie in a secure knot. Weave in the thread tails.

And then add your fur pom pom!

Happy Sewing…and Crochet!

Fun Christmas Character Gnomes

December 6, 2020December 6, 2020Leave a comment

Whenever I think of Christmas, all of those iconic characters from Christmas classics come to mind!

I was crafting with my mom and we started brainstorming all of the possibilities available when making gnomes. There are just SO many cute cute gnomes out there.

I took up the challenge and decided to make some themed gnomes of my own. I hope you enjoy!

I just simply couldn’t resist making these guys!

This big green guy can be made using the basic Christmas Gnome Pattern and tutorial. He is a size X-Large and stands about 10.5 inches tall without his hat. I added a sherpa binding to the edge of the hat and a bit of fur around the entire body, rather than just the beard.

This little lady was super fun! I made the small size.

I really enjoyed decorating this one as well as making the hair. It took four tries to figure it out, but I was really happy with the results!

I really enjoyed styling the hair. All the little braids were time consuming, but I love the end result!

I also really liked adding decorations, such as buttons and pearls.

Of course, these two would not be complete without their furry friend!

This little pup was actually super quick to make and I absolutely adore how he turned out. I used minky to give him that furry look 🙂 And a pipe cleaner is the antler. A special thanks to my sister for that idea!

SUPPLIES:

All
- Poly-fil
- Poly Pellets
- Wooden Bead or Pom pom for Nose
- Coordinating Thread
Green Santa
- Green Fur
- Red Velvet
- Green Body Fabric
- Sherpa for trim
- Pom pom for Hat
Little Girl
- Yarn (Hair)
- Felt or Fabric (Body)
- Decorative Overlay (Optional)
- Felt (Collar)
- Felt (Upper body under hair)
- Tiny Buttons (Optional)
- Pearl Trim (Optional)
Little Dog
- Light Brown Fabric (Body – I used minky)
- Dark Brown Fabric (Ears – I used minky)
- Red Embroidery floss
- Pipe Cleaner (Antler – I used yellow)

FREE PATTERNS:

xlarge-christmas-gnome-pattern-10.25-inches Download

little-girl-christmas-gnome-pattern-small Download

little-girl-christmas-gnome-pattern Download

tiny-christmas-dog-gnome-pattern-learncreatesew Download

Visit my Christmas Gnome Page for more pattern options

DETAILED VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS – LITTLE GIRL

DETAILED VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS – DOG

DETAILED VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS – CLASSIC GNOME

Happy Sewing!

Christmas Gnomes

November 28, 2020November 28, 2020Leave a comment

Happy Holidays! These little Christmas Gnomes are a great addition to your holiday decorations.

They are quick and easy to make and super cute!

I used flannel fabric for the hat and felt for the body. My favorite part is the sparkly pom poms I found for the tops!

The beard is faux fur and gives the little gnomes a lot of character. I also picked up a mixed set of wooden beads at Walmart that work great as noses!

Each gnome is filled with polyfil and poly pellets to weigh them down.

Supplies:

Felt Fabric (Body)
Flannel Fabric (Hat)
Faux Fur with a long pile (Beard)
Pom Pom
Wooden Bead (Nose)
Polyfil Stuffing
Poly Pellets (or another filler to weigh down the gnome)
Coordinating Thread

FREE PATTERNS:

The Medium sized gnome body is approximately 8.25 inches tall when finished. The Large sized is 9.25 inches. These measurements are WITOUT the hat.

gnome-pattern-medium-8.25-by-learncreatesew Download

gnome-pattern-large-9.25-by-learncreatesew Download

DETAILED VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS:

QUICK OVERVIEW:

I hope you enjoy this project!
Happy Holidays!

Christmas Stocking Embellishments

November 21, 2020November 20, 2020Leave a comment

At this holiday season, I want to express my gratitude to all of my followers. Thank you! Thank you for supporting learncreatesew.com and subscribing to my YouTube Channel. Having the opportunity to share my love of sewing with so many is a great privilege and an opportunity I never thought I would have.

Thank you for making all of this possible and encouraging me to keep creating.

And for you, here are my next videos!

I had a lot of fun adapting the Christmas Stocking pattern for you! I don’t know about you, but I love options. But what if I did this…or this…? That is what I am always asking myself. As a result, I wasn’t satisfied with just the basic stocking. I wanted to expand upon it to provide more great options for creativity.

The first video explains how to add a contrasting cuff, if you wanted the fabric of the lining to vary from the fabric of the cuff. The stocking shown here has a sherpa cuff but a flannel lining.

The next video adds a burlap overlay to the main fabric as well as decorative embellishments.

I hope these videos inspire creativity, and I hope you have a lot of fun making your own stockings!

See the Christmas Stocking page for the free pattern.

Christmas Stocking

November 15, 2020November 15, 2020Leave a comment

I’m so excited to share this project with you today! It has been quite a while since my last post and I am happy to finally share with you a fun holiday project.

Life and work caught up with me the last few weeks and it took the excitement of Christmas projects to motivate me to get back to sewing!

This is a quick easy Christmas Stocking.

It is fully lined and has a fold over cuff!

The free pattern is available in several sizes.

The pattern works great with flannel, fleece, and cotton fabrics.

If you enjoy this tutorial keep an eye out for future posts in which I’ll show you a few quick alterations to the same pattern.

SUPPLIES:

Coordinating Thread
Ribbon (4 – 8 inches)
7/8 yard (or less) Fabric for the Outside of the Stocking (Cotton, Flannel, or Fleece)
7/8 yard (or less) Fabric for the Lining and Cuff (Cotton, Flannel, or Fleece)
- The project works best when the lining and outside fabrics are the same type of fabric.
- The amount of fabric needed varies a lot depending on the size of the stocking you make and the direction you need to cut your fabric.
- I recommend reviewing the pattern sizes in the table below if you would like more specific measurements.
- Remember you will need two lining pieces and two outside pieces.

A bit more on yardage:

For instance, if I want to make a size small I know I need two pieces of outside fabric that will fit the pattern (which is 8 by 16.25 inches). If the direction of my fabric doesn’t matter 1/4 yard would work…but if I have to follow the selvage, for example on fabrics with words or a specific direction, I may need 1/2 yard.

Enjoy!

FREE PATTERNS:

Christmas Stocking 2XLarge by learncreatesew Download

Christmas Stocking XLarge by learncreatesew Download

Christmas Stocking Large by learncreatesew Download

Christmas Stocking Medium by learncreatesew Download

Christmas Stocking Small by learncreatesew Download

Christmas Stocking X Small by learncreatesew Download

QUICK OVERVIEW:

DETAILED VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS:

Sewing Skill Builder: French Seam

October 17, 2020October 16, 2020Leave a comment

A French seam provides a great finish to many projects. In a French seam no raw edges are visible, as they all become trapped inside a small casing.

This can be a really great feature as you won’t have any frayed edges. I have found this seam to be very helpful on projects that are going to be washed a lot, which usually creates a lot of strings. I also like to use a French seam on projects in which the inside will be visible.