Gifts

Hooded Baby Towel

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

I was recently invited to a baby shower for a sweet little girl. I decided I’d make my TNT baby gift: a hooded towel I first saw on a Sewing With Nancy program.

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It’s been a while since I’ve made one, but our weather just turned cold and I thought it would keep that sweet little baby warm.

I didn’t add ribbon this time, but have in the past.

Nancy’s book is no longer available, but it’s not a difficult project to sew. Just add equal folds towards the center and sew them in place. Then narrow the top of the facecloth for the hood by sewing from the side where the folded facecloth meets up towards the top at a bit of an angle. Lastly, sew the hood to the body of the towel.

I’ve heard from parent who were still using this for the four and five year old children because it was so warm.

Happy creating!

December BMS Challenge – Snowy & Snuggly

~ Michelle

December – Snowy and Snuggly – Stay warm and cozy this winter in your new favourite snugly underwear. Not only do we encourage you to make warm and comfortable underwear, but why not think outside the box and try lining your bra with something that will take the chill off? It could be cotton lining, foam, fleece, fur, or something you come up with on your own!

For the challenge this month, I didn’t do a bra or underwear. This month it’s a set of matching sleep tees for a couple of dear sisters. A friend called and asked me if I’d make them for a Christmas gift. And I thought they’d be perfect for my entry because they are definitely something snugly and to keep warm.

Both sisters are musicians, and their mom found a great knit with a musical motif.How adorable is this? Being a musician myself, I love it.

I shared earlier the pattern I planned to use. It’s a really great pattern. Quick and comes together well.I made view B with short sleeves for both of the sleep tees.

Here they are from the front. I think they turned out quite well. I love the treble clefs.

I also finished both of these with my Cover Pro machine to give them a nice finished look.

Here’s the side view. I really like the curved hem on these too. I think it’s very flattering.

On the first one, I followed the instructions, which have you hem the front, back, and sleeves before sewing up the side seam. I didn’t love that, so didn’t do that on the second one. On the second one, I sewed that side seam up and then hemmed the tee with my Cover Pro. I did like that way better.

And the back view.Yes, I think these will be warm and snugly.

Happy New Year, and as always, Happy Creating!

Christmas Gifts

~ Michelle

Often, when we sew, we’re asked to sew for others. And this year I was asked to sew for my own dear Em, and her sister. How could I refuse that?

Would I sew up a couple of sleep shirts? Well, of course I will. Hmm, now what pattern will I use for these sleep shirts.

I just happened to be buying some fabric, and went to see the Kwik Sew patterns the store had. I found a perfect sleep shirt pattern.I think this will be perfect.

Em requested a curved hem like Style B. Her sister will get the straight hem.

Sewing on the sleep shirts hasn’t started yet though. I will start them this month so they’re ready for Christmas.

What I have been doing is making little felt poinsettias brooches to give away for Christmas. These were the first two I made. Then I went on to make a whole bunch more. 15 more to be exact.

If you’re wondering where I found these great little felt poinsettia shapes, I’ll share that, and how I put mine together too.

I ordered the little felt cut-outs on Etsy.   Here’s a screen shot from their shop. Look at all these lovely colors. I bought the red, and the white ones. And I’ve been really happy with them.

What I’ve done with mine to make brooches is, first I put a little Elmer’s glue in the center of each one, just to hold them all in place. Then I add a stitch. Next I have fun with my Hot Fix tool and add crystals.And you can tell, I like my crystals. They fun, they add pop, and when the light hits them they’re even more fun.

I have some red and white felt that I’ve been using to make backs for the brooches. The backs have a secure pin too. I think I bought a pack of those at Michaels.Then I hand-sew the backs onto each brooch.I think these will make lovely little Christmas gifts for family and friends. I know I’m keeping a couple of them for me too.

Happy creating!

A Few Gifts

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

Before I can get back to sewing just for me, I had to finish a few sewing projects I promised to make for others.

Sewing Gift One

  Em, my son’s girlfriend, was over not too long ago, and she saw a small stash of material. She asked what I was doing with it, and I said I was donating it. I don’t like to keep things I’m no longer using, or don’t have plans to use.

She loved the one material and thought her mom would like it too. Would I make an Infinity scarf?

I searched around for a pattern, and found there was very little difference between all the patterns out there. Most call for 2 yards of material.

I had just over a meter of material, so I was beginning to think this wouldn’t work. Then I found a pattern that was one yard. I whipped up this scarf. 

This turned out so nicely, I wondered why I hadn’t thought of this myself. But the material was already claimed by Em, so maybe next time I’ll think of making a scarf. Here’s the side view. 

The only disadvantage to only having one meter of material is this scarf won’t double wrap. It’s thick as it is, so should still be nice and warm.

Sewing Gift Two

This next gift was some material brought back from Africa by a friend. She brought it back for another friend, but that friend doesn’t sew. Would I help?

I thought an apron would get some nice use, so that’s what we decided to do. I looked for a simple pattern that would show the material’s design, and found one. 

The material is waxed cotton, and it was a first for me to sew with it. It’s a bit more challenging than regular quilters’ cotton, but not too hard.

This is a reversible apron, so there’s no right or wrong way to wear it. 

It came together really well, and has good coverage. I heard our friend loves it.

 I have two more gifts to sew up. I’m making the Noodlehead Range backpack, and the Blue Calla Clematis wristlet.

Both bag photos are from their websites.

This will be my first time making a backpack. It’s also my first time sewing a Blue Calla pattern. I’ll share more on both of these once I sew them up.

I’ve had a few firsts this gift-sewing season. Once this is done, I’m back to bra drafting.

Happy creating!

Getting Some Sewing Done

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

I’ve had a few things on the go lately. The Canada Cups tour, which just finished, and a tour starting tomorrow! More on that a little later. Both of these have been taking up a fair amount of my time, but as I’d mentioned in my last post, my pup really needed new boots.

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  I finished a pair of booties for my pup. Rather than following the pattern and making a circle of faux suede, I used some faux leather and covered the whole bottom.I’m hoping they’ll endure a little better. Also seeing where the wear and tear is (no pun intended), I hope a more-padded bottom will prevent that.I cut the ‘strings off the old booties to re-use on the new ones. So the straps are looking a bit fuzzier, but they work.I also cut off the old Velcro and elastic bits from the worn out boots to use again, because wearing these every day from November until March, I’m sure I’ll be making a new set again next year. I am hoping this set will endure better though.

Next Project

   Have you heard of Beautiful Pie Shop’s slippers?

I bought the pattern last year thinking they’d make a great gift. I bought the fleece and the non-slip material for the bottom. I did everything except sew them up. I decided this was a project I was completing!

You know when something is just that perfect timing when the Facebook group announces they’re doing a sew-along the day you’re going to start to sew. I think I’ll wait a few more hours and sew-along with the pros.

 A Few Bumps

 You know how things always look so much easier when someone else is doing the sewing? That’s how it was for me with these slippers. However, now that I’ve made a pair, the next ones would be much easier.

My first little bump was not using my Teflon foot to sew over the non-slip bottoms! I pulled that first slipper through the machine.

Then I switched machine feet for the second slipper and I still pulled the slipper through the machine!  Yup, definitely non-slip!

I used tissue paper when I had to sew another part on that sole again.

The tissue paper tore off easily and for the first time sewing these slippers, I didn’t have to fight with the sole.

I did struggle a little with the instructions over which side was the inside and which was the outside as that’s never set plainly in the pattern – because it’s left up to you. You can use cotton on the outside and fleece on the inside or vice versa. However, it did challenge me.

Finished Booties

     I managed to make an adorable pair of slippers.  Aren’t they cute? And I know they’ll fit as Em and I wear the same size shoe, or in this case slipper.

Here’s a photo of the bottom of one slipper. I know one thing, she won’t be slipping around in these! And here’s the inside of the slipper.Do you see the little fleece bow? That’s covering up a mistake I made. I didn’t realize from reading the instructions to only cut through one layer of material for the elastic. Whoops! But a little bow over top and it’s all hidden.

The cute heart material was something Em gave me. I thought it would be fun to use some of it for her. The photos don’t show it very well, but the fleece is a dark fuchsia.

Starting tomorrow (or later today)!

Tomorrow, we have a blog tour starting! It’s the Chris W Designs Global Blog Tour. Come back here for a listing of all the blog stops – all over the world! If you’re not in Australia, but maybe in North America, the tour will be starting later today.

Happy creating!

Butterick 5537

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

I’ve been working on Butterick 5537 for my son.

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My son’s girlfriend wanted him to have a robe for his birthday. Do you remember the lap quilt I made for her last Christmas?

It’s warm and fuzzy (flannel) and covered in musical notes. I guess someone else is always wanting to use it. Yup, that someone else is my son. So she wanted him to have something warm and fuzzy covered in musical notes that’s all his own.

 Memories

I have to say, almost all of my sewing projects have been much smaller than a men’s size Large robe. I’m noticing it when I pin and sew. But I think my son is going to love it.

Here’s my precious boy many years ago – and this was the last time I sewed a robe too.

 Ooh, he’s so cute! He’s turning 22 now, so this was 20 years ago.

The Robe

Here’s the polar fleece I’m using for the robe.

We (son’s girlfriend and I) had plans to sew this together, but things have been so busy we only were able to get it cut out together. With only a week before his birthday, and her working two jobs. I started sewing it up myself.

Thankfully, the weather was cooperating while I sewed up this very warm material. We’d had a cool rainy day which I’ve appreciated. In fact, it’s taken me a couple of days of sewing, and both of those sewing days were cool and rainy. Perfect polar-fleece-sewing-weather for June.

The Finished Robe

Here’s my son’s robe all done. It dwarfs my dress form, Catherine. I think the belt is hitting about hip level, but it gives you an indication of how it looks. 

Here’s the back. 

You might notice the sleeves aren’t done here. My dear son is always saying sleeves aren’t long enough, so I’m letting him decide how long he wants these. It will mean he’ll have to wait another day before he gets his robe though.

Final Thoughts

He loves it! He hated having to take it off for me to hem those sleeves, but was also so thankful the sleeves would be long enough. He tells me his cat loves it too.

Happy creating!

Gifts Sewn with Love

~ Michelle

It’s Boxing Day in Canada. It’s our equivalent to Black Friday in the U.S. The biggest sales day of the year. I’m going shopping! But just before I do, I wanted to share a couple of things I’ve been working on for Christmas.

I love gifts. I love getting them, and I love giving them. For me, it’s a delightful challenge to try to think of something original that someone will love and want.

Gifts for her.

This year I had one extra person on my gift list: my son’s girlfriend. I had to think what I could give her.

Earlier this year she had given me some material she’d bought and hadn’t used. It’s flannel, so super soft and warm. We both love music and play piano, so she knew I’d love the material.

As soon as she gave it to me, I knew I’d give it back to her. I knew I was going to make her a lap quilt.

Here it is, folded in half, on my office/sewing room chair to give you an idea of the size.

She loves it!

It’s simply a large rectangle and I use wool yarn to tie it throughout. The yarn will felt and also with some washing and use become little bobbles on the quilt. Here’s an older lap quilt I did with the wool ties.

Gifts for him.

My son was another person I was sewing for this year. All he wanted was SAXX underwear. Really? That stuff is on the expensive side. But, if that’s what he wants, then that’s what he’ll get. However…

Earlier this year I’d bought the Pin-Up Girls Men’s Underwear pattern thinking I could make some underwear for my husband and sons. I put that idea on hold as no one was jumping up and down saying, ‘Yeah, that sounds great!’

With the holidays here, and the request for underwear, my hubby and I decided we’d buy him two pair of underwear, and I’d make him one. I made him the Michael style, which has the same sling-styling as the SAXX underwear he loves.

You can see my pattern matching wasn’t quite perfect. However, this was also a trial pair to see how they went together and would fit.

Here’s the inside of the underwear, and you can see the sling feature.

I didn’t get his measurements before I started this project. He was busy and couldn’t call me back right away. I got impatient and started without knowing his waist measurements. I cut out a size 34, and found out after I was all done cutting out that his waist is 35″. I’m happy to report they fit perfectly! He wants some more.

Gifts for my hubby.

When I was finished sewing the underwear, I showed the Michael shorts to my hubby. I asked him if he wanted me to make him some too. He said he wasn’t that fond of SAXX, so not to bother.

Okay. So I asked him if he wanted me to make him regular boxers. His reply? ‘No! If you’re going to make me underwear, I want the Micheal ones.’ Ha, ha. He wants the best. I’ll have to make him a pair… in the new year.

Have you made the Pin-Up Girls Men’s Underwear? Which style did you make? I’d love to hear your thoughts on them.

Happy creating!

A Baby Shower Gift

~ Michelle

 A very dear friend of mine just became a Grandma. It was time to make a baby shower gift.

My TNT baby gift for the better part of 20 years is an idea from Sewing With Nancy.

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A beautiful hooded towel. I don’t have this great-looking book, but saw Nancy make one of these towels on her show, and I’ve been making them since.

They’re a great gift. I’ve heard back from Moms that they love them and use them for years. I’ve even had Moms ask for one for their next baby after receiving one.

You can see a step-by-step tutorial of a similar hooded towel by Nancy here.

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Isn’t this cute? I’ve never made the bear style.

For the towel I made, I was told the colors were black, white, and pink. I found a pink towel, black ribbon, and used some white thread to embroider on the ribbon.

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After embroidering the ribbon, I attached it to the towel and facecloth.

To make it a little different than simply sewing on the ribbon, I gave the ribbon a little twist every few inches. You can also see here I didn’t embroider all the ribbon.

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Here’s a close-up of the twists in the ribbon before it was sewn down. I used pins hold those twists in place.

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Here’s how the front of the towel will look. There’s a single embroidered ribbon on the other side of the towel.

And of course there’s the matching ribbon and twist pattern on the washcloth/hood.

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Here’s the hood. I draped this over my dress form, Catherine.

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I think it looks adorable. Here’s the whole hooded towel:

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That’s nice and long to wrap that little baby up for a few years.

Do you have a TNT gift you make? What is it? I wonder how many of our TNTs come from shows like Sewing with Nancy? Do you love her show?

Happy Thanksgiving & happy creating!

An Interview: Central Sewing Machines

~ Michelle ~ 12 Comments

Welcome to another stop at Michelle’s Creations. Today, as part of our Canada Cups Cross Your Heart Relay blog tour, 2016, I’m featuring Central Sewing Machines in Edmonton, Alberta.

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Before we start our interview, did you see my post saying why I’d become a Craftsy affiliate? I think Craftsy is great!

Now, on to our feature post. You might be wondering how a sewing machine store features in bra-making/lingerie tour. Let’s find out!

Who is Muriel? Tell us a little about your new ownership venture.

We are very proud to be a brother and sister duo owning Central Sewing Machines. Our official start date was July 19, 2016. We are thrilled to be part of this new world and look forward to bringing our brand to a whole bunch of new venues. 

In fact, if you’re in the Edmonton area, tomorrow (September 17th) it’s Central Sewing Machine’s Fall Open House.

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Where is Central Sewing Machines located?

Central has two locations and classes are held in both our South and West stores. Our South store is at 8649 – 63 Avenue, and our West store is located at 10642 – 170 Street. Both in Edmonton.

 Central Sewing Machines (CSM) offers bra-making classes. Will that continue now under your new management?

Absolutely! We love the idea of offering a lot of variety and as long as our clients want to take these classes, we will continue to offer them.

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The Basic Bra-making class offered this fall.

Oh, that’s wonderful news! Any plans to expand the classes? Offer more? Or have the classes held more often? Or other lingerie classes?

Expansion of classes? Absolutely! We have set up an Education Team. This Team is looking for other types of classes we can bring to our store, along with new teachers who are interested in bringing something unique.  I cannot speak directly about other lingerie classes, but if there is a desire for this, and a teacher willing to offer this, we would love to bring these to fruition.

Mrs. Weaver? (Nudge. Nudge.)

How long do you see this trend of making our own bras/panties/lingerie continuing?

I think this trend will continue to be very strong. It is something that speaks to all ladies, ways they can personalize their own look.

bra-displayThis lovely bra is on display at the South store. Ooh, I love the bow on that bra!

How do you get the word out?

We send out email blasts on our courses. We also have a new website that we will be unveiling shortly which has all of our courses listed. You will be able to search and purchase classes online.

CSM has been offering bra-making classes for close to 20 years. In fact, the first bra-making class at Central was with our very own Fairy Bra Mother!

Yes, that’s right. Beverly Johnson was the first woman to teach bra-making classes at Central.

Beverly, when did you teach at Central Sewing Machines? For how long?

It had to have been 1999 or earlier. I talked to Bev S. (Bev still works at Central) and she wanted to book one class. I told her she should book at least two, as they would sell out. She announced it to her customers and we sold out 3 classes. The next time I was there I taught 8 classes in a row!

At that time the classes were only offered once a year. Is that right?

Yes. I was in Edmonton once a year, but it was always for multiple days at a time.

What were those early classes like?

They always put 24-25 women in a class.  Imagine 75 women on that first trip! No helper either!

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Here’s the classroom where the bra magic happens. Twenty-five students would be really crowded.

That must have been a challenge to try and work with that many women at one time. The classes now have a limit and a waiting list. No more 25 women in one class.

Classes that are too big are not good for the learning process.

How long were you teaching at Central?

I taught there for four years, maybe five.

Who is there now?

Margaret started teaching there about five years ago. She is a great teacher!

Margaret Ferguson is teaching two bra-making classes this fall.  Bra Making – The Basic Bra, and Bra Making – Cup Design Styles.

It’s so great we have some local access to bra-making, and for those who aren’t local, there are bra-making classes on Craftsy!

 I would like to thank Muriel from Central Sewing Machines, and Beverly Johnson, from Bra-Makers Supply, for taking the time to allow me to interview them.

Have you (my readers) taken bra-making classes? The Craftsy classes count.

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Friday, September 16

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