Click here to jump straight to my part. To read more about my experience, click here.

Rhonda is hosting me on her blog today! One of my tote bag patterns will be posted on her website and you’re able to view the entire pattern for FREE! Yay!

Beginner Sewing – 101 Series

Have you ever wanted to learn how to sew? Do you need a refresher course in machine stitching?  Basic sewing supplies will be provided for the first class, but you will need to buy your own fabric and thread for lesson 2 and 3.

• Class 1: April 20
  You’ll learn the basic techniques that everyone must master, including how to properly load and operate a sewing machine. As part of this lesson, you will make a pillowcase using the French Seam method.
• Class 2: April 27
  You’ll learn how to properly measure and cut fabric. As part of this lesson, you will make an unlined tote bag.
• Class 3: May 4
  You’ll learn how to properly lay out a pattern and how to sew curves and complex seams. As part of this lesson, you will make a reversible apron.

The price for this three-part educational series is $125. Registration is handled by the Greenville Department of Parks & Recreation.

REGISTER >>

My husband recently decided that he’s going to pick up a new hobby….guitar. I was more than a little hesitant in accepting this “phase.” I mean, it takes a while for someone to make the noise finally sound bearable. But then he pointed out that he needs something to do when I kick him out of the house during my lessons. Touché.

I’m now starting to embrace his hobby, and I have to admit that he’s actually starting to sound pretty good!

It’s a bit past due, but here’s what I made him for Valentine’s Day. They are two small pockets that attach to his amp. He puts cords, picks, and other small “guitar” things in them when he goes to the garage to practice.

Today I’m so excited to host Stephanie Chan from The Silly Pearl. I had the pleasure of meeting her in Puyallup, WA at the Sewing and Stitchery Expo. Please give her a warm welcome as she presents her super cute Reversible & Reusable Clean/Dirty Bag tutorial. I can’t wait to make this project; it will make a great addition to my lunch bag!

Hello all! My name is Steph and I blog over at The Silly Pearl, where I write about sewing, crafting, and thrifting in between cuddles with my twin girls. It was such an honor to be one of the Sew It All Casting Call finalists with Beth, and even more of an honor to be on her blog today! Today I’ll be showing you how to make a Reversible and Reusable Bag, with Clean/Dirty labels on them.

I made these because I had been using plastic zip-top bags to carry my girls’ eating utensils for when we’d go out to eat. I was tired of using so many bags, AND it was hard to tell if the utensils I did have in the bag were clean or dirty. There were times when I was wrong…YUCK!

These Clean/Dirty bags are useful for babies, toddlers, and even adults to tote around the things we use that get dirty, in place of using plastic bags. You first put your clean items with the “clean” label showing. Then after you’ve used them, simply reverse the bag and the “dirty” label will be showing. Then when you get home, throw your dirty utensils in the sink, and your clean/dirty bag in the wash.

You can make these bags in all different sizes, but I’ll be showing you how to make Clean/Dirty bags in about the size of a sandwich bag. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:

For the bag:

• Two pieces of prewashed dark fabric and two pieces of light fabric, cut to 7×7 inches each. *It’s not necessary to use dark and light, but I’ll explain my reasoning later.
• Two buttons
• A 3 or 4-inch piece of thin elastic, or in my case I reused an old hair elastic.

For the labels:

• Light colored fabric, prewashed
• Fabric paint
• Letter stamps
• Scrap of felt and an old plastic lid to hold the paint

Plus: Rotary cutter, straight edge and self-healing mat, and (not shown) sewing machine, needle and thread.

Directions

First we’ll start with the stamped labels. Cut your light-colored fabric into 1×3-inch rectangles (slightly larger (about 1/4 inch all around) if you want to fold under the edges. You could also serge them. I’m leaving my edges raw). Squirt some fabric paint onto the felt scrap and squish it around to spread it out. Press the stamp lightly and blot.

Then stamp out the words “Clean” and “Dirty” onto your little fabric label.

When the paint has dried, we can attach the labels to the bag pieces. Take one piece of the dark and light fabric and put a label on each. You’ll place it upside down, about 3/4 inches down from the top edge (you’ll be folding over the edge to close it). *I put “Clean” on the dark fabric and “Dirty” on the light fabric. This is because when the utensils are dirty, they will be touching the dark fabric on the inside (in case there are any stains that won’t come out in the wash).

Now we’ll sew the bag itself. Sew the two dark pieces together and the light pieces together, right sides together.

Turn one set of fabrics inside out. In the case of the picture below, I have kept the dark “Clean” side inside out, and turned the light “Dirty” side inside out. Slip the right-side out one into the inside out one, so that their right sides are together. Make sure the side with the labels are facing each other, so when closed, the label will show on the front on both sides.

Now we’ll sew the two pieces together, leaving an opening to turn (marked with the pink pins). Make sure you match the side seams as well. I left the turning opening above the labels, because this is where we will also slip in the elastic loop (which we will do later).

Turn the bag right side out, pulling everything through the turning hole. Stuff the lining inside (in this case, I stuffed the light “Dirty” side inside the dark “Clean” side. Press the top seam flat.

Now insert the elastic (or pony tail holder) into the opening you had left as the turning hole. Fold it in half and insert it, loop side out so that about 1/2 an inch is sticking out. Pin it down.

Top stitch along the top edge of the bag, sewing down the elastic too. You can back stitch over the elastic a few times to make sure it’s secure.

Now all that’s left is to sew on the button. To figure out where to put it, I folded over the bag so that the label is showing.

Then I hand-sewed on a button on one side, then on the opposite side right behind it, I sewed another button.

All done!

I have been using these bags for 2 years now (though a lot less these days because they are able to use regular-sized restaurant utensils now. So grown up! Sniff Sniff) and they have held up really well.

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial! Some additional tips:

• This is basically how you would make any kind of lined bag. For a tote, for example, you’d sew in some straps when you sew the lining and the front together, then you’d top-stitch the turning hole closed.
• This is an easy sewing project because it’s just sewing with squares. They are easy to cut, and there is some wiggle room if you don’t cut your pieces precisely compared to a pattern with lots of curves. That being said, sewing will be much easier if you take the time to measure well and cut accurately, even with square pieces. In this project, you’ll be able to match the side seams better if you had cut the squares out well.
• Whenever you embellish the outside of a bag with other fabric pieces (the clean/dirty labels in this case, or even pockets on the inside or out), attach them first before you start sewing. Just keep in mind seam allowance. That way, you won’t have to sew through the outside and the lining, and your bag will have a much cleaner finish. If you are using paint, like if you’re stenciling or screen-printing a bag, it might also be a good idea to stencil the design on the panels first, so that your paint doesn’t soak through the lining after you’ve sewn them together. It’s also easier to paint when your fabric is flat.

Come on over to The Silly Pearl for more Sewing tutorials…

…as well as lots of craft tutorials using all kinds of materials. I have a slight obsession with wreaths.

And hope you’ll follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and behind the scenes on Instagram. Thank you to Beth for having me on your blog today!

Thank you Stephanie for blogging with me today!  I absolutely love this tutorial and know my students will too.  You are super talented and I really appreciate you taking the time to prepare this lesson for me and my students.  Thanks for sharing all your sewing and crafting projects at The Silly Pearl.

Congratulations to Stephanie W.! She’s the winner of the Elizabeth Chandler Designs Giveaway!

Hello Students!

I hope you are all having a wonderful start to Spring. Crazy that it’s Spring already…..didn’t we just have Christmas?

Recently, I competed in the Sew It All Casting Call to audition for a spot on the Sew It All TV show on PBS. Unfortunately, I din’t win the competition but I did pick up a few goodies at the sewing expo that I want to pass along to my students. In honor of the event, I thought I would make a competition out of the giveaway. Don’t worry, you don’t have to present something you’ve sewn in front of a live audience! The only thing you have to do to be entered into the giveaway is send me an email. Easy…right? There is a small catch though. You need to give me some advice.

Here’s the deal: I want to expand my website to make it more of a reference for the beginner just starting out on their sewing journey. Basically, I want my students, you guys, to come to my website to find all the answers to your sewing questions. For example, if you want to make a pattern that calls for a bodkin, I want you to come to my website to figure out what a bodkin is. Here’s another example, if you want to make children’s clothes or a round throw pillow, I want you to come to my website to find a list of easy patterns and tutorials that other beginners recommend. My idea is to keep these pages filled with fresh, new, up-to-date advice that’s useful for my students. To get these pages started, I thought I would ask you for some advice. After all, these pages are going to be geared to you…your interests…your questions…your patterns!

Back to the competition, you need to answer a few easy questions to be entered into the giveaway. You don’t need to answer all of the questions, just one will do. However, the more questions you answer, the more times your name will be entered into the drawing. Everyone who answers one or more of the questions will be entered into a drawing to win two fat quarters, two zippers, three spools of thread, a screwdriver for machine maintenance and several other useful tools. See the picture below to see everything you’ll win.

Answer one or more of these questions by Thursday, March 28th to enter:

1. What sewing terms (or techniques) have you come across that you’re unsure of the definition?
2. What sewing patterns have you made that you recommend for other beginners?
3. Do you know of a good online tutorial that you recommend for other beginners?
4. What are your go-to websites or online stores you recommend for other beginners?

Don’t worry if you miss the March 28th deadline, I still want to hear from you. I’ll always be adding more information to my website, so feel free to email me with any questions you have as you gain more and more sewing experience.

(By the way, click here to read about my Sew It All Casting Call experience, watch the videos of the top two winners and cast your vote to choose the first place contestant)

Coming this Friday…a guest post from Stephanie Chan with The Silly Pearl! She’s going to present an AWESOME tutorial on how to sew Reversible & Reusable Clean/Dirty Bags.

Thanks in advance for your help! Click here to email me your answers. If you’re reading this on my website, just leave your answers in the comments below. If you’re reading this on facebook, feel free to leave your answers there.

Each of the five finalists presented a 5-minute demonstration of a project/technique of their choice. The demonstrations were held in front of a live audience, but were also filmed. The live audience voted on their favorite finalists and the top 2 finalists’ videos will be posted on the Sew It All website for online voting.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t one of the top 2, but I had so much fun at the event that I felt like a winner all the same! The best part of the the experience was being able to meet so many wonderful women. The other contestants were super nice and I really enjoyed getting to know them during our short time together. The crew from Sew It All was incredibly professional and I felt at ease the moment I met them. I even met Lynn Browne from Coats & Clark, a thread company right here in our own backyard!

Here’s a picture of me and Ellen March, the editor and host of Sew It All.

At the wrap party of the Sew It All Casting Call

Even though the live auditions are over, Sew It All has posted the videos of the two finalists on their website. Click here to cast your online ballot to determine who wins the grand prize—a trip to be on the Sew It All TV show. The top 2 finalists are Rhonda Buss of Rhonda’s Creative Life and Elizabeth & Liz Evans of Simple Simon & Co.

Here’s a picture of Rhonda demonstrating her perfect travel dress:

Here’s a picture of Elizabeth & Liz demonstrating their bubble skirt:

The other contestants were Stephanie Chan of The Silly Pearl and Caroline Hulse of Sew Caroline.

Here’s a picture of Stephanie demonstrating her clock pillow:

Here’s a picture of Caroline demonstrating her chevron tote:

I know you’re all wondering what I presented. I made a cute, “windproof” picnic tablecloth. A tutorial on how to make this easy and fun project will be coming soon, so stay tuned!

Here’s a picture of me setting up for my demonstration and presenting my tablecloth:

And here’s a picture of all the contestants showing off some of the pillowcases that were sewn by expo attendees and were donated to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital:

As my first public speaking event (besides teaching sewing classes) since college, I was shaking in my boots. Literally. Did I mention that the Sewing & Stitchery Expo usually has 30,000 people in attendance? Of course, not all of them came to the Casting Call, but we still had a great audience.

All in all, it was a fantastic experience! I learned a lot and met many great people. I look forward to my next sewing challenge!

Wish me luck on my project presentation! To see what everyone at the expo is talking about, drop by the Expo Facebook page or search using the Twitter hashtag, #SewExpo:

Tweets about “Sewing Expo”

Are you registered for one of my classes in conjunction with the Greenville Department of Parks and Recreation? If so, your class will be held at the Sears Recreation Center at McPherson Park.

McPherson Park is at the intersection of Academy and North Main Streets in downtown Greenville. The Sears Center is located on Park Avenue, which is one block north of Academy. There’s a free parking lot across the street. Classes are held in the back room of the main floor of the building.

If you need driving directions, type this address into your GPS or use the map below.

Sears Center at McPherson Park
120 East Park Avenue
Greenville, SC 29601

My website has reflected my own evolution with sewing and crafts since 2008. When I started blogging, I used to post anything that struck my fancy—recipes, hobbies, travel, etc. As I focused more on sewing, I began to post DIY tutorials. Lately, I’ve been preoccupied mostly with group sewing classes and private sewing lessons.

I still post tutorials, but I’m working less on step-by-step instructions and more on developing simple, instructional patterns that can be used by my students. I’ve posted some of those patterns, and I’ll post more as my students and my classes advance throughout the year.

I’m competing for a spot on Sew it All TV at the Sewing & Stitchery Expo in a few weeks, and the contestants are all sewing bloggers. Since other bloggers and sewing enthusiasts will be dropping by my website over the next month or so, I thought it would be useful to roll out the welcome mat with a post that aggregates many of my tutorials in one place.

If some of these posts look a little odd, it’s because they weren’t formatted for this particular website. I tell myself I’ll go back and reformat them, but that day is always another day away.

• Homemade Christmas Stocking Pattern
• A Simple Quilt Pattern
• Homemade Velveteen Rabbit
• Baby Shower Diaper Wreath
• Large Quilted Tote
• Teacup Candles
• Toddler Backpack
• Fall Fashion
• Fitted Fancy
• Retro Comes Back Around
• Ella’s Dress
• Pink Linen
• Harper’s Overnight Bag
• Quilted Fashion Bags
• Sweater Series: Cosby Sweater
• Sweater Series: Blueberry Hill
• Sweater Series: Snowbunny!
• Orange Peel Candy
• How to Cook Ebleskivers
• Earning My Bread & Butter

This is just a sampling of my projects. Browse through my Project Blog Archives for more.