Tag: learn create sew

Lovely Little Llama

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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-updatedDownload
lovely-little-llama-LARGE-by-learncreatesew-updatedDownload

QUICK OVERVIEW:

DETAILED VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS:

Happy Sewing!

Learn to Sew: Lesson 6: Drawstring Bag

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In this lesson we will learn several topics that are applicable in a wide variety of sewing projects. The drawstring bag introduces how to make a casing or channel that can be used to hold, a drawstring, elastic, ribbon, and more. This skill is used everywhere from bag making to garment construction and makes the drawstring bag a great project for beginning sewers.

Lesson Category:

  • Machine Sewing – Straight Seams

Lesson Topics:

  • Making a Drawstring
  • Making a Casing
  • Sewing Straight seams
  • Finishing Seams
  • Pressing

This bag measured approximately 13.5 x 15 inches when finished, but could easily be adapted for other sizes.

The bag features a 1/2 inch wide drawstring made by piecing and folding 2 inch strips of fabric.

This project was designed to only use 1/2 yard of fabric, and as a result the drawstring is pieced, but you could use more fabric if you prefer to make the drawstring out of a continuous piece of fabric rather than multiple pieces.

It has a wide casing for easy threading of the drawstring. I’ll show you a quick way to make sure the sizing of your channel is consistent.

It also introduces finishing seams, which is a great skill in general. If you are interested in learning more about finishing seams check out my Skill Building Video on the topic!

In the video also introduces tips for how to turn a corner exactly, how to finish the edges of the drawstring channel and more.

Supplies

  • 1/2 yard cotton fabric
  • Coordinating thread

Helpful Tools

Instructional Video:

Pocket (Gift Card) Pouch

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With the fabric I had left over from the Toilet Paper Drawstring bag, I wanted to make another little project. A gift card pouch seemed perfect!

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I had enough fabric to make the pouch in two sizes.

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The smaller pouch is perfect for gift cards, and the larger pouch can hold items that are a little longer.

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They are super easy to make, 1/10 on the difficulty scale. They don’t take much fabric, they’re very fast, and make great gifts!

Pocket Pouch Pattern by learncreatesew

I made two videos for this project. The first include detailed instructions and explanations for each step.

Detailed Instructions:

The second is a quick overview if you already know the basics 🙂

Quick Overview:

Toilet Paper Drawstring Bag

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As I was contemplating what my next sewing project would be, I couldn’t help thinking about what is on everyone’s minds at present. Toilet paper.

Yes, it is a rare and precious commodity nowadays. So! What to do…

Well, if you feel the need to travel with your toilet paper so you are prepared for those “just in case” moments, here is a little drawstring bag that is perfect to carry it!

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Of course, you don’t need to use your drawstring bag to tote around your toilet paper, it can carry a whole lot of different things, but the toilet paper sure fits nice!

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This is a great little project to practice sewing curved pieces to straight pieces. It doesn’t take a lot of fabric and it is quick.

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Take a look at my video to see how to make it!

DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS:

Here is the pattern for the circular base:

Round Drawstring Bag Pattern

This project is fairly simple. You should be comfortable pressing, sewing curves, and working with small seam allowances. Difficulty 2/10.

OVERVIEW:

 

Kindergarten Headphones Pillow

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We had a surprising need come up at our school. Teachers noticed that the poor little kindergarten students were struggling to use the computer lab headphones because they were much too large, the speakers hanging below their ears.

As a result, we received a request to find a solution that our sewing students could help with so we didn’t have to buy new headphones. This was it! A kindergarten headphone pillow. It wraps around the bar of the headphones so it rests comfortably at the top of the head and raises them up just a bit so they sit better on smaller heads.

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They are small, cheap, and you can make them with scrap fabric!

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They worked great for us!

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These were a great addition to our computer labs!

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Kindergarten Headphones Pillow Instructions

Kindergarten Headphones Pillow Pattern

Zip-On Tool Caddy

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For my latest project I wanted a tool bag that you could hang on the back of the chair. I find that in the Sewing classroom tools can end up all over the place, and tripping over them is not a fun experience.

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I decided to make a simple tote that you could zip on and off of the chair. It was super simple and after making it I found the tote had a lot more uses than expected!

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I works perfectly on the back of a chair, just like I wanted! It even fits nicely on the back of student desk chairs.

1img_9088It’s handy in the kitchen!

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It’s also great for toiletries. Especially, when traveling.

I absolutely love it! Sewing instructions and pattern coming soon!

Pig Plush Pattern & Instructions

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The Pig Plush pattern and instructions are finally ready!

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They are cute and cuddly! With awesome little tails.

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The pattern comes with two different sizes so you can choose the size that best suits you.

The smaller plush stands 5 – 6 inches tall and the larger 7- 8 inches. The size varies a bit depending on the stretch of your fabric and how much you fill your plush.

Pig Plush Pattern and Instructions