Fun, free patterns for holiday sewing

I like to make a few gifts here and there every year. This year I haven't done much, but I always like to collect a few potential ideas! So I thought I'd share a few of the interesting patterns out there that I've found that are pretty quick and easy gift ideas. 

There are quite a lot of accessories available for free on the Burda website at the moment. There are a couple of very cute bags which were all in varied Burda issues, but can also be downloaded for free! These range from an adorable crossbody bag to a croissant bag to some denim minipurses (and more).

There are some cool little stocking stuffer ideas too, like a coffee cup holder, a hair wrap, cosmetic bag or even super sweet miniature egg cozies ;) There are tons more placemats, hair bows, pincushions, shawls, slippers and much more! 

One of the more fun and unusual things I saw in Burda is a balaclava -- basically a hooded scarf. It's so cute and doesn't require any fitting. Also it's a little different from the usual scarf. You could add in some quick mittens to make a winter set for a gift recipient, too. 

If you want to give some home dec, Burda also has some decor patterns from the latest December issue  available for free right now. You could make your own stuffed Christmas tree or a lovely scrappy star cushion.

Of course there are tons of places other than Burda to find free gift ideas! 

Heather Handmade has a list of 50 gift ideas, from home goods to bookmarks, bags and more -- plus extra links to other gift lists. 

Of course there are tons of ideas on Pinterest - for a bit more guidance, try this board full of small free sewing projects collected by SewCanShe. 

Vanessa from Diyncrafts put together a list of some free, quick ideas that includes some more unusual ideas. 

Fabricville Canada has some fun projects available for free, both sewing and more crafty. And Fabricland Canada has some fab free projects on their blog, too. 

Hello Sewing has a collection of interesting small gifts to try out. 

Diary of a Quilter has a list of quick last minute gifts, many of which are free tutorials. 

Or, if you prefer to listen to suggested holiday gifts (not all free), you can check out a couple of recent podcasts: 

Seamwork Radio's 50 Ideas for Handmade Holiday Gifts

Sewcial Hour's DIY Christmas Magic

or even the classic Love to Sew "Sewing Gifts" episode from 2019

Whatever you choose, don't stress out and have fun this holiday season! 

(and if you have any fave gift projects to share, please leave them in the comments)

Weekend Review: Make It Simple

 

Make It Simple / Tilly Walnes
London: Quadrille, c2020
207 p.

Another pattern book this weekend, this is one I've been wanting to get a look at for a while. Tilly Walnes, of the well-known company Tilly and the Buttons, has written a few books - this is the third. I like a quick sewing project with simple construction, so was quite interested to see what this book suggested. 

There are 6 patterns included, each with a couple of variations. There are also a couple of small projects like an eye mask included. Pattern sheets are in the back of the book for tracing; I traced off the Suki dress, but it was a little tricky since by necessity a lot of the patterns overlap. Not quite as tricky as a Burda magazine, but the pattern lines could be improved by using different colours for each pattern's lines. The patterns are: 

• Safiya Trousers
• Tabitha T-shirt
• Suki Dress 
• Bertha Cardigan 
• Juno Pyjamas
• Olive Pinafore

The sizing runs from 1-10, which translates into a 30"B/33"H to a 48"B/51"H. And the models in the book are of varied sizes as well, which shows the patterns on different bodies. 

The book also includes sections on sewing basics, plus tips for "shortcuts" to speed up your sewing. The patterns are pretty straightforward and aimed at being quick makes. This does mean that they are all a bit bland, without any extra details, but you can always use a simple pattern to highlight a great fabric, or add some details on your own. 

There are sections between the project chapters that suggest quick projects you can make between bigger projects, ways to maximize your sewing time, how to recognize what makes a quick project and so on. And each project has a quick list of 'shortcut steps' to speed up construction as well.

Overall it's a solid book, but not for rank beginners -- they might do better to start out with Tilly's first book, Love At First Stitch, just because the projects are thoroughly explained step by step, assuming no knowledge at all in that one. This book is fairly simple but does assume some familiarity with sewing. 

I was personally most interested in the Suki dress and the Olive Pinafore; I traced the dress but haven't tried it quite yet. We'll see how it goes! 

You Get a Bowl Cozy, and You Get a Bowl Cozy!

A year or so back I made a whole stack of bowl cozies for holiday gifts. I searched out fabrics that reflected the recipient's interests (my best find was a yoga print!) And then I had to look for the correct materials -- the only trick to this project (if you plan to use them in the microwave) is making sure you're using only 100% cotton fabric, thread and batting. Nobody wants a microwave fire for Christmas.

I kept my eye on sales and finally got a package of Pellon's Wrap N Zap for 40% off, which made 7 bowl cozies. I could probably squeeze one more out of the batting scraps if I piece them together.

I used this perfectly sized pattern, a well-known one by this time, from this tutorial by Lindsay at Happy Hour Stitches. It's a great tutorial, and a free pattern.

But this year I decided that I should also make myself a bowl cozy! They are so convenient for hot soup or oatmeal bowls, and I have so many scraps of cotton prints hanging around in my stash. I had a hard time making a choice for my own fabrics since I bought them all in the first place because I loved them. And I made my husband look through my cotton scraps and pick his own pieces as well.

This is what we ended up with.

I ended up going with a fat quarter that my sister bought me in New Zealand (fabric is such a great gift) covered in their national bird. My husband liked a red marbled print I've had for ages, and then I found a green cotton that coordinated perfectly with both. I had a bit more Wrap & Zap in my stash so I whipped these two together. Not sure why I waited so long to make us our own bowl cozies! 

Perfection :) 

Pirate Pencil Skirt, in Black but No Skull or Crossbones

As part of my "Summer Capsule" plans, I included a black knit pencil skirt as a basic bottom. I chose the Pirate Pencil Skirt by Patterns for Pirates, both because it's a closely fitted knit skirt, and because it's a free pattern! 

This one really is a quick and easy as everyone says it is. There is a front piece and back piece, both cut on the fold, and a waistband that is just a folded piece of knit, no elastic involved. I made the high waist option, my fave style. There's also a walking slit for the below the knee options but I left it out. My knit is stretchy enough not to worry about it. Also my legs are short ;)

I cut this out and sewed it up in one night. The hardest part was my fabric choice. I have a bunch of this textured knit that I thrifted a while ago, and my needle just didn't like it. I switched it out a couple of times, but it was never perfect. So there is a tiny bit of puckering on the side seams, but not enough to notice so I finally just left it. 

The only thing I don't like about it is that there are no pockets, of course, in such a fitted skirt. And that waistband is a little high on me, so that the top of it rolls out a bit. I think I will reduce the height by about 1/2" if I make it again so it fits my body a little better. One other small fix is the little bulge of fabric at centre back just below the waistband -- I will need to pinch out a wedge there next time, like a swayback adjustment, so it will lie flat against my spine. 

But it could also be that my knit is too lightweight -- it's not a ponte or a scuba -- so I could have used some knit interfacing on the whole waistband piece before stitching it down. Oh well, it's good enough, which is all I am going for here. It's proof of concept, really -- this pattern fits me, cut at an XL at the hip, and L at waist and hem. I think I may make it again in a better quality fabric. 

Worn with shirt untucked, a bit more
Comfortable to breathe in 😉

Antero Shell Top x 2

I liked the look of the Antero Shell top as soon as I first saw it on Instagram, posted by the designer, Amanda Carestio of Sew News magazine. It was being sold as part of the first Sew News capsule wardrobe, the Well Traveled Capsule, on Interweave. Luckily for me, I noticed that this capsule was on sale during Black Friday 2019 sales and it was one of my only BF purchases. Mainly for this top!

After all that time, I've finally traced it out -- super, super easy, two pieces. I used some green seersucker scraps from my stash and tried it out and even with this crisper, low drape cotton blend I liked it!

So then it was on to trying it in a lighter weight and drapier fabric. I found some plain navy linen in my stash; I am not entirely sure how it got there since I rarely buy or use solids but it was a nice lightweight linen so I gave it a try for my 2nd version.

The main alteration I made to the pattern was to raise that V neck by an inch. I knew it was too low for me as drafted, especially since I am short between shoulder and bust. So when I traced it off, I changed the V and the corresponding facing before even trying the pattern.

The other adaptation I made was to grade it out from medium at the shoulder to large at the hip, and added an extra 2 inches to the length on my first try. On the blue version I also added a little sleeve cuff.

This is a really basic top but it's effective on the body. The shoulder drape and the fit are relaxed and on trend. It's a great beginner pattern, but also a great base to do some alterations and additions to. I might embroider a white floral spray on to my navy version to perk it up a little, for example.

There is a tutorial on the Sew Daily blog  by the designer on how to make this into a dress (simple also) and she suggests ideas like pockets or a waist sash. She's also posted a handful of amazing patchwork versions, with other variations on that blog as well.

I have been taking some pattern drafting courses on BluPrint (before they disappear) and that's given me ideas about design that I'm planning on trying using this simple top as my base. We'll see how that goes!

Weekend Review: Last Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts

Last Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts / Joelle Hoverson
NY: STC Craft, c2007.
160 p.

This is a book that really lives up to its title. Even if you started something today, you could finish it in time for gift giving, by using the time commitment ratios that this book is organized by.

And the quick gifts are NICE ones. Ones I'd be happy to give someone, or to have someone give to me! The book is organized into 3 sections: Intro, Basics (techniques, sources etc.) and the Projects. The project section is further organized into "Less than 2 Hour", "2-4 Hour", "4-8 Hour", "8-12 Hour", and "More than 12 Hour" gifts. (the last is mostly because they are hand quilted items; machine quilting would cut that down a lot). The estimates seem very realistic, not like the infamous "2 Hour Dress" sewing patterns we've all tried.

elegant pillows

Each section has pretty and useful ideas that would fit into the time slot suggested, from start to finish of a project. From very simple but lovely gifts like quilted coasters or the bird ornament on the front of the book, all the way to a fully hand quilted crib quilt, they cover a range of ideas. Pincushions, pillows, pencil rolls, napkins and/or table runners make way for a variety of quilt projects big and small. There is nothing totally unexpected or utterly unique about the projects, but they are all really nicely done, with special touches to make each one really nice -- for example, the pencil roll is colour matched with scraps to reflect the coloured pencils. A lovely touch.

The photos (by Anna Williams) are clear and engaging, giving lots of project detail as well as attractive staging. And the writing in the book is also readable for its stories as well as instructions. Overall a charming book that I'd recommend finding in your own library to experience the peaceful tone and pretty projects. If you like sewing little gifts and have lots of scraps, some of the shorter projects might be just what you are looking for.

Simplicity Sparkle Top

It was "Sparkle Day" at work today -- we are being a little more festive for the season. So I decided last night, even though I already had something to wear, that I'd whip up a new top anyhow.

I bought some stretchy pleated sparkle knit last year at my local fabric store; it's a very light, tissue weight and is medium stretchy. I bought it with a particular Burda pattern in mind, and even laid it out:

But I recently tried a McCalls pattern with a similar silhouette and it was a total fail. This capey drapy design does not work for my figure. So I changed my mind.

I went with the very simple Simplicity 8656 instead. While this is supposed to be a woven top, I knew I could easily adjust for this drapy knit. I shortened the body by cutting the neck & shoulder at a size small, then cut the sleeve length and under arm at Large, grading out to an XL by the hem. I did add 4 inches to the length as well. I had just enough fabric!

It's a super simple sew; the front and back are the same pattern piece. So I knew only a feature fabric would keep this from looking really dull. This is certainly flashy! There are certain problems with an identical front and back, even with an oversize boxy shape. I will need to cut the front piece with an inch pinched out of the neckline if I make this again - the back is fine, though I'd probably add a curved longer hem on the back next time as well. Still, for a quick and easy pattern, I really liked this one.

The fabric is very thin, as I noted, so I did have to experiment a little. I ended up using the smallest size of universal needle I had, and stitched slowly at a 2.4 stitch length. Shorter puckered and longer skipped. And I just turned under and stitched the neckline and sleeve hems, and left the bottom unhemmed, as the fabric does not fray or separate at all.

When I finished and put it on I thought it was okay, a little blah though. So I used remnant bits to sew together a narrow scarf to accessorize. I had two different bits, one lengthwise and one crosswise, so stitched them together even thought the crinkle goes two different ways. The seam is neatly hidden by the knot so it isn't even noticeable. The best thing about this is that I could use the black fringey selvage as the ends of the scarf! Once I added the scarf the top looked so much more intentional. I might still put some ruching in the sleeve seam to pull them up a little and give this top a little more design oomph. Another benefit of making the scarf is that I have very little scrap left over.

I am pleased with it and am wearing it quite happily for Sparkle Day. I even found my sparkly tights to wear with it. It is both lightweight and see-through so I am also wearing a tank top under it both for warmth and modesty ;) It's a fun project that might see another outing at New Years.

Quick Sustainable Gifts from your stash!

If you're thinking about making a few little gifts this year, and need something quick because once again you've left everything to the last minute (just me?) there are quite a few fun, free patterns out there that are quick, multipurpose, and don't require any fitting at all.

Perfect for that last minute addition to a gift!

First, you might want to make a beanie from this free pattern made by Workhorse Patterns for the Sewcialists. It's a great use for knit scraps & can be just as cute as you want it to be. It can also be plain and solid coloured for more sedate headgear.

Of course you can easily put together a scarf to match, using my very own tutorial for an infinity scarf, or this one for a longer scarf. You can make it all out of one fabric, or jazz things up by first stitching together your scraps into a patchwork and then making your scarf from the resulting scrappy piece. Fabricland Ontario has a great tutorial for making a patchwork & fringe scarf from luxurious velvet!

Perhaps you want to make some sustainable packaging to gift it all in -- a quick fabric drawstring bag is a perfect option and the size can be cut to accommodate any package you have. You might want to fancy it up a little by adding a contrasting lining and eyelets or even just buttonholes for your drawstring. I usually make mine as simply as BrownThumbMama does in her clear tutorial above.

Costa Tote from Helen's Closet

Or you could add an extra gift by sewing up a simple tote bag to wrap your gift in that can then be reused all year long. Choose a fabric that matches the recipient's favourite colours or a novelty print that reflects their interests. Make it elegant with fancy fabric or cheap and cheerful with offcuts from your sewing. Just make it strong enough to hold things and make sure you secure the handles firmly. There are many options for tote bag patterns -- you can google a bunch! You might want to look at the Costa Tote from Helen's Closet (a free pattern with newsletter signup), or if you really get into bags and love sustainable, community sewing ideas, you can join Boomerang Bags, an international group based in Australia that focuses on making bags from post-consumer fabrics to help reduce single use plastics in your local community.

If you haven't already made these for everyone you know, a cozy gift is a microwaveable neck warmer. I have two at home, and one in my office drawer. They are wonderful when you've got a chill or a stiff neck from too much computer work! Here's one way to make them from SewCanShe that's not only simple, but uses smaller scraps to make a cheerful, colourful scrap-busting gift.

Hope that this will help with any of those last minute ideas you might be looking for!

Instant Sewing!

I picked up this funny little book at the thrift store this week, published in 1968.

It's very concerned with time-saving, with convenience and speed.

As I looked through it, I realized it's just focusing on the way most of us sew today; not too complicated, use one pattern to get used to it and have fewer alterations, along with giving various tips on the easiest ways to add to or reduce a pattern, or accomplish basic techniques. It's really a booklet, only 116 p. at paperback size, and an encouragement on the final page to order more as prizes for your clubs!

But it made me think -- do I want to instant gratification with my sewing? Or do I want longer projects that take some time and are made with extra details?

The Love to Sew podcast just recently had a show on the topic of Speedy Sewing.

I agree with them that sometimes it's just fun to choose an easier pattern and sew it up without many issues,  and have something new to wear right away. But if that's ALL we do, we are setting up our own little sweatshop and producing clothes at a rapid rate that we don't need or wear.

It's very difficult to figure out where you land on this continuum.

I'm a slow sewer. Not in the sense of a careful, always environmentally aware one, but literally a slow sewer. It takes me a long time to make things. I watch the Great British Sewing Bee and think, cripes, there is no way I'd even finish a single item on that show! I just move slowly. So I like to find tips and tricks to streamline and speed up the sewing process, so that I can hit regular speed on mine!

If I seem to have a lot of finished projects, it's just because I have spent a lot of time sewing. I see some sewing bloggers who can cut out a dress one night and be wearing it by the next night. Not generally the case for me. And yet, if I have a project that takes TOO long, that has too many details that will take me longer than even my usual, I get a bit sick of that project.

So I have to find a balance. Not to want instant gratification with my own fast fashion factory in my basement, but to find things I can manage to make in the time that I have. Whew. I've just accepted that I move slowly in most things, and can't change my default speed very easily.

What about you? Do you find that you move quickly or slowly in general? Does this show up in your sewing habits as well? And do you have an opinion on "Instant Sewing" in general?

Black Floral Rayon, Take Two

I promised that I'd share the fate of the leftover piece of the gorgeous black floral rayon that I used for my recent Butterick 4948 and today's the day!

When I cut that dress out, I had to cut it on the cross-grain since the flowers bloomed horizontally along the length of the fabric. This meant that I had a 12" strip the full width of the fabric when I finished. It seemed obvious to fold it over and make a scarf, even if it was a little short -- very French, anyhow!

But I'd cut the skirt maxi length, and when I tried the dress on, the length and the print and my short height did not work together at all, so I cut 6" off the bottom of the skirt to bring it to knee length. So now I also had two 6" wide chunks of fabric left over as well. I cut both of them in half and stitched them together to make two shorter 12" blocks, and sewed those on  to the ends of my original long piece. The varying directions of the print didn't matter because the fabric was going to be all rolled up together anyhow in the end. And it made the scarf just long enough to wear with nice hanging tails.

The scarf went together smoothly, I turned it and hand stitched the opening and there you have it, a very soft, light and colourful spring/fall weight scarf. Or a decorative one to wear with an outfit. It feels heavenly against the neck, it is so unbelievably soft and smooth!

So what did I have left? A few oddly shaped large bits from cutting the dress. I got out my rotary cutter and mat and trimmed some one inch wide bias strips from each bit that was big enough and stitched those all together to make a long bias strip. This will be lovely to cover some seams in a future project.


So I used up almost all of this beautiful fabric in one way or another. You can stretch your sewing budget by first, trying to buy only the amount you are actually going to need for a project, or in those cases where you have excess, by using those bits for another project. There are many scrappy projects to be found online (scrunchies are apparently hot again), but I also like using mine for things like these ones -- or pocket bags -- or covered buttons -- or trims. It is earth-friendly and also budget-friendly!