Owl Oven Mitt Tutorial

Do you love owls? Then you are going to need to sew the Owl Oven Mitt Tutorial I designed. This is a fun and useful project, and the design perfectly matches the owls used in Ann Kelle's fabrics!

Let's get started!

Panda Face Zipper Pouch Purse Tutorial

Recently, I was commissioned to create some fun zipper pouches using Ann Kelle's Urban Zoologie in Spring panel fabric. I had never attempted a project quite like this before, so at first, there was a little trial and error in figuring out the best way to make these tiny animal face bags. I think the end result works wonderfully.

The following Panda Face Zipper Pouch Purse Tutorial gives specific instructions for using the Panda fabric panel to create this purse; however, the same steps and methods apply for using any of the animal face panels to create a simple zipper pouch, wristlet, or purse the perfect size for a child. The fabric panels that will work for this tutorial include a fox, panda, lamb, two dogs, and a cat. My daughter loves the fox coin pouch I let her keep!

Keep reading for a list of supplies and step-by-step instructions to create this precious Panda Face Zipper Pouch Purse!

Super Simple Tie Headband Pattern & Tutorial

Add a splash of color and a dash of fun to your outfit with these Super Simple Tie Headbands! Since they tie in a bow on top of the head, this style headband is easily adjusted and fits most children and adults. 

The Super Simple Tie Headband makes a perfect party favor gift for girls, great stocking stuffers, and an ideal item to sell at craft fairs. A half yard of Ann Kelle's Remix knit fabric can make up to 9 headbands! Now that's a great deal. 

Keep reading to get the Super Simple Tie Headband Pattern and Tutorial and start sewing your own headbands today! 

Sweetie Pie Baby Bib Pattern & Tutorial

Are you in need of a quick baby shower gift? Or do you have a baby or toddler who needs a stylish bib to protect their adorable handmade clothes? Either way, I've got you (and your baby) covered with my Sweetie Pie Baby Bib pattern and tutorial!

The round shape of the Sweetie Pie Baby Bib is just precious. The small bib size provides lots of coverage for a teething baby who needs help keeping moisture off his chest from drool while the large bib size is ideal for a self-feeding toddler. 

Sew the bibs with Ann Kelle's laminated cotton (slicker) fabric on the front and thick terry cloth fabric from Shannon Fabrics on the back to create the ideal barrier to protect your child's clothing. 

You can also use quilting cotton for the front, but please note that moisture will eventually wick through the cotton and terry cloth. Another alternative would be to use PUL fabric in a fun print or color for the front of the bib.

Let's get started!

Fun Flags Bunting Tutorial

Some weeks, I have the urge to sew but not a lot of time to do it. In order to satisfy my creative itch until I can devote more time to a challenging project, I like to make these cute, little strings of bunting flags using scraps of fun fabric prints. These are extremely easy to make, and you can, too, using my sewVery Fun Flags Bunting Tutorial below that includes the free pdf pattern piece!

The string of Fun Flags included in this tutorial happen to use a variety of Ann Kelle's Halloween themed prints as well as her Remix prints in black and white. Pretty much any print designed by Ann Kelle is ideal to make this tiny set of bunting. I have sets in different Remix prints that are ideal for a birthday party, Spring, or to celebrate the birth of a boy or girl! These always make me smile!

Pumpkin Drawstring Pouch Tutorial

Is your house the one that all the children in your neighborhood love to trick-or-treat at because you give out amazing goodie bags? If not, then consider using my Pumpkin Drawstring Pouch Tutorial to sew up some fun halloween themed treat bags to fill with candy to give all the ghosts, monsters, princesses, and super heroes that stop by your house this year! They will love you for sure!

Not only are these little 6" x 6" drawstring pouches absolutely adorable sewn in halloween print fabrics designed by Ann Kelle, but they are quick and easy to sew. Plus, they are reusable and ideal for all sorts of other things besides candy. They make great jewelry pouches, organizers for sewing supplies, gift card bags, or even a little first aid kit to keep in the car.

Ice Cream Cone Pillow Tutorial

Ice Cream, Ice Cream, we all scream for Ice Cream! Download my FREE Ice Cream Pillow pattern (link below) and sew up to four varieties of ice cream scoops for a pillow. Make it a drippy single or double scoop cone, or sew a smooth double or single scoop cone. Like the real thing, you'll find it difficult to stop at just one!

Each single or double scoop Ice Cream Cone Pillow can be made using one of the two methods shown in the tutorial below: Finished Seams Method or Raw Seams Method.

Fabrics used to make my pillows include Ann Kelle's Remix prints and Kona Cotton Solids all by Robert Kaufman.

Let's get started!

Popsicle Pillow Tutorial

Summer is almost over, but it's not too late to make some fun pillow accessories to remind us of cool treats and cooler days ahead. These fun Popsicle Pillows are quick to sew and will definitely brighten up any child's room when made with fun fabrics from Ann Kelle.

Download the FREE Popsicle Pillow pattern pieces (link below) and make up a freezer full of pillows in two variations. The tutorial shown below depicts a tri-colored popsicle pillow using three different fabrics pieced together to make the popsicle. A solid colored popsicle may be sewn by using the Solid Popsicle pattern piece in lieu of the Tri-Color Popsicle pattern pieces (Top, Middle, and Bottom).

Fabrics used to make my pillows include Ann Kelle's Remix prints and Kona Cotton Solids all by Robert Kaufman.

Let's get started!

sewVery Simple All-Purpose Headband Tutorial

Now that I have grown my hair back out long, I'm finding that I wear it up in a ponytail fairly often or need to keep the front out of my face, especially when I go for a walk, sew, or do a lot of chores around the house. I have such thick, frizzy hair, that I desperately needed something to keep those kinky curls contained and under some control. Of course, the simplest solution was to sew up a few wide, knit headbands for me to keep it all under control!

These headbands were such a cinch to sew and are great for everyday casual wear or a workout, so naturally, I took a few pictures and created the sewVery Simple All-Purpose Headband Tutorial so you can sew some, too. 

You are going to love these so much that you'll make one to match all your new knit shirts and dresses since the all-purpose headbands don't take much fabric to create. I've even given you the cutting dimensions to make them for your little girl, too. My daughter loves wearing hers to gymnastics class or when she is running around outside playing. 

How to Add Ruching to a T-Shirt Hem

Recently, I sewed Ella a new casual, summer outfit using the Vintage V-Neck pattern by Blank Slate Patterns (affiliate links) and the free Sycamore Shorts pattern by Sew Like My Mom. Both patterns were quick to sew and the end results made Ella (and me) very happy!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I am a Contributor to the blog, Melly Sews, and was provided the shirt pattern and compensated for writing a post about the pattern. I was also provided some fabrics for use in a project of my choosing. All opinions stated in this post are honest and my own.

Since summer is upon us, Ella really needed some new t-shirts. Personally, I'm not always a fan of a basic, boxy tee on girls, so I was excited to discover the Vintage V-Neck pattern.

Posey Tunic and Peony Leggings--Great New Patterns!

Last week, I participated in a pattern test for two new designs from Sew Like My Mom. If you follow my blog, then you already know I am a huge fan of Melissa's patterns. I was so excited to try out the Posey Tunic and Peony Leggings patterns, that I sewed despite some serious neck and shoulder pain that I had been experiencing for several days, and the results were well worth it!

Check out this adorable knit outfit!

Disclosure: I was provided the two patterns for free in exchange for my participation in the testing of the patterns. All opinions are 100% my own.

Gymnastics Outfit with Thread Faction Patterns

If you are looking for some new, fun, modern, simple knit patterns to sew for spring and summer, then you definitely need to check out the latest pattern collection from Thread Faction Studios. In celebration of their latest designs, I'm participating in the Thread Faction SS2016 Blog Tour and sharing how I put together three patterns to make this terrific gymnastics outfit for my daughter.

Disclosure: The patterns and some fabric used in this post were provided to me free of charge in exchange for participation in the blog tour. All statements made in the post are my honest opinions.

Keep reading for more information on these patterns as well as how you can win some fabulous prizes!

A sewVery Simple Apron Tutorial

Love to cook, bake, paint, or work with clay? Then this sewVery Simple Apron Tutorial is for you! Protect your clothing from spills and splatters when you wear this one-size-fits-all apron design that is super fashionable when sewn in your favorite fabrics (like Ann Kelle's Remix Wide fabric).

Photo from Ann Kelle

Gather these supplies, and in no time, you'll be on your way to sewing up a brand new sewVery Simple Apron! Get the full tutorial below.

Remix Pouch Tutorial with Bonus Wristlet Strap

Recently, I was commissioned by the fabric designer, Ann Kelle, to sew up a few little pocket shaped zipper pouches using her new Rainbow Remix fabric collection. What's even better is that she asked me to write a tutorial for these adorable little pouches so that anyone could create their own! While part of this tutorial originally was posted on Kelle's blog, Ann Kelle, I've added a little twist to give you the Remix Pouch Tutorial with Bonus Wristlet Strap!

Cuddle Floor Pillow & Blanket Set

One of my most popular posts is my tutorial for a Cuddle Floor Pillow that I made for my children. The pillow is large, 20" x 30", has a zipper closure to allow for removal of the interior pillow form so that the cover may be washed, and includes a handle for ease of carrying. My children use these pillows all the time!

Recently, I shared the link to my tutorial on my sewVery Facebook page where a relative of mine saw it. She contacted me about sewing up a cuddle floor pillow and blanket set for her granddaughter, which I was more than happy to oblige. This is what I made for her!

Keep reading to find out what fabrics I used and how to make your own Cuddle Floor Pillow with my FREE tutorial!

The Betty Skirt

If you are looking for a great, versatile girl's skirt pattern, then look no further! The Betty Skirt Pattern by the Shaffer Sisters is it!

I absolutely love patterns that offer you options or more than one piece to sew. With the Betty Skirt Pattern, you get 4 skirts--gathered, large pleats, small pleats, and gathered with placket--all in one pattern! What a great value.

And the best part of all, these skirts are easy to sew and the fit is fantastic! I'm pretty sure the Betty Skirt Pattern is now my go-to pattern for school skirts for Ella.

Cuddle Floor Pillow Tutorial and Matching Blankets

If your children are like mine, they live on the floor.  Whether they are playing with cars, trains, Legos, paints, crayons, dolls, or watching television, they are sitting or sliding around in the floor. We have hardwood floors in most of the rooms of our house, and sometimes it can be a bit uncomfortable and cold in the cooler months to sit on it for a long time.

So when Shannon Fabrics asked me if I wanted to try out some of their newest Cuddle fabrics, I jumped at the chance to make my daughter and son their own Cuddle Floor Pillow and Blanket.

First, let's talk fabrics.  I chose Embossed Chevron in Fuchsia for the Cuddle on my daughter, Ella's, pillow and blanket.  I then picked out some bright, cheery, cotton Ann Kelle prints from Robert Kaufman (Garden and Summer Ovals from the Remix Collection and Jewel from the Girl Friends Collection) to use as the inner pillow form, piping, part of the main pillow, and the blanket binding.

For my son, Connor's pillow and blanket, I went with Cuddle in Superheros Bright and the Comic Strip Panel in Bright.  For the inner pillow form, piping, and part of the main pillow, I chose the coordinating cotton fabrics (Steel and Red) from Robert Kaufman's Superhero line.  All of these fabrics are top-notch quality, held their color after washing, and were easy to sew.

Next, let's discuss the blankets.  I won't go into a lot of detail here since there are so many Cuddle blanket versions and tutorials available already on the internet, but I will give a brief overview of how I put together these two.

For Ella's pink blanket, I cut out two pieces of Cuddle 5 feet long and 4 feet wide (which translates to 1 2/3 yards fabric required).  For the binding, I cut 6 - 5" wide strips (approximately 1 yard) of the cotton fabric to sew around the perimeter of the blanket. There are a number of ways you could attach the binding, so I will leave that up to you!

For Connor's Superhero blanket, I took the Comic Strip Panel and cut out the center newspaper print and words above and below it.  I also cut off the skyline images, removed the superhero characters (and used my wash cloth tutorial to make them into Superhero Cuddle/Terry Wash Cloths), and then resewed the skyline panels back along the sides of the newspaper print.  I then sewed the Superhero Cuddle to the top and bottom of these pieced prints to make the overall blanket be 5 feet long.  The width was determined by the pieced prints but ended up being less than four feet.  I used a single piece of the Superhero Cuddle for the back and completed the blanket without any binding.

Now on to the tutorial for the fun Cuddle Floor Pillows!

These are really quite simple to make, but do require a few steps for the construction.  Both pillows have a zippered opening so that an interior pillow form may be removed so that the exterior pillow sham may be laundered.  I felt like this option was very important considering these pillows will primarily be used on the floor.

Here are the supplies required to make a single 20" wide x 30" long x 5" thick Cuddle floor pillow.

Inner Pillow Form (all Cotton fabric):

2 Pieces cut 20" wide x 30" long

2 Pieces cut 5" wide x 50 1/2" long

Thread

Either 1 - 2 cubic foot (2 1/2 pounds) bag of Fairfield Bean Bag Filler or 50 oz. bag of Fairfield Polyester Fiberfill or Polyfil

Pillow Sham:

2 Pieces of Cuddle cut 20" wide x 30" long

2 Pieces of Cotton cut 1 1/2" wide x 3" long

2 Pieces of Cotton cut 5" wide x 24 1/2" long 

2 Pieces of  Cotton cut 5" wide x 26 1/2" long

1 22" long polyester zipper

1 Piece of Cotton cut 4" wide x 8" long

2 Pieces of interfacing or stabilizer cut 1 1/2" wide x 4" long

6 yards piping (store bought or homemade)

Thread

First, construct the pillow form by sewing the short ends of the 5" wide x 50 1/2" long pieces together using a 1/4" seam allowance.  When you are done, press the seams open.  You should now have a loop of fabric.

Next, find the center of either the long or short side of the 20" x 30" pieces of fabric and mark with a pin. Take one of the seams of the loop of fabric and match it with the center mark you just found (right sides together).  Pin.  Continue pinning all around the rectangle of fabric, then sew the two together using a 1/4" seam.

Repeat on the other side of the loop but make sure to leave an opening roughly 6" wide for inserting the filling.

Turn the pillow form right side out and then stuff with either the Fairfield Bean Bag Filling or Polyfil.  When done, turn the raw edges in, pin, and hand stitch closed.  

* I'm going to add a little quick note here about the filling.  Fairfield provided me with a bag of each--the Bean Bag Filling and the Polyfil--and asked me to give my opinion about which worked better for this project. 

For Ella's pillow form, I used the Polyfil.  To make it nice and full, it took at least 2/3 of the 50 oz. bag (so roughly 33-34 oz. of material).  It's very soft and feels like a traditional bed pillow and is definitely comfortable to lay or sit on.  The fiberfill keeps the pillow's rectangular shape.

For Connor's pillow form, I used the Bean Bag Filling.  I used the entire bag (minus about a cup that I spilled all over the floor), and definitely found this a little trickier than the Polyfil to insert into the pillow form.  The Bean Bag Filling makes the floor pillow great for lounging on the floor since the pellets provide a firmer foundation and the shape of the pillow is not so rigid.  However, the Bean Bag Filling makes the pillow a little noisy when you move around on it!

Overall, my preference for fill material is the Fairfield Bean Bag Filling.  Both of my children seem to like it better, too, which has caused a little upset at times by Ella because she likes the feel of her brother's pillow over hers.  I eventually may have to replace the Polyfil in her floor pillow with Bean Bag Filling!

Now we are ready to construct the pillow sham.  Start by cutting one of the 5" wide x 24 1/2" long pieces of cotton fabric in half along the length (you should now have 2 pieces that are 2.5" wide x 24 1/2" long). These pieces will form the gusset for the zippered opening.  Lay out these two pieces along with your zipper and 2 - 1 1/2" wide x 3" long pieces of fabric.

Fold the 1 1/2" wide x 3" long pieces of fabric in half so they are now 1 1/2" square.  Place the folded edge over each end of the zipper as shown below and stitch in place as shown.  Then trim the fabric so it is the same width as the zipper (do not trim the length).

Match the edge of the zipper to the edge of the 2 1/2" wide x 24 1/2" long strip of fabric.  Don't worry if the little squares of fabric overhang the ends.  Pin the zipper in place and then sew using a zipper foot.

Fold the seam open and finger press.  Repeat for the other side.  Now your zipper gusset should look like this.

Topstitch on either side of the zipper using your zipper foot.

Now take the 5" wide x 26 1/2" long pieces of fabric and sew to each short end of the zipper gusset using a 1/4" seam allowance.  Finish the raw edge with a zig zag stitch or serger and then topstitch the seam away from the zipper.  This will help reinforce the pillow sham seams.

Sew the last 5" wide x 24 1/2" long strip to complete the loop which will be the thickness of the pillow sham.  Again, be sure to finish the raw edges and topstitch the seam.

Now, match the raw edges of the piping to the raw edges of the fabric loop and pin in place.  Sew together using a zipper foot and a 1/4" seam allowance.

We're now ready to make the handle which will make it easy to pick up and carry the pillow.

Ideally, the handle should be made and attached before you sew the Cuddle onto the gusset; however, I made Ella's pillow first without a handle, so that is why you see the sham already assembled in the picture below.

Find the center of the handle and the center of one of the long sides of the gusset.  Pin the handle in place making sure that you have a piece of the interfacing or stabilizer pinned on the wrong side of the gusset under the ends of the handle.

Stitch the handle ends in place using the topstitching lines and the mark you made as a guide.  For added reinforcement, sew an "x" inside the box.  Turn to the wrong side and then trim the stabilizer.

Here's what your handle should look like from the front.

We're almost done!

Now it's time to sew the Cuddle sides onto the gusset.  For this part, I found the center of my zipper and the center of one of the edges of the Cuddle and begin pinning with right sides together. Continue pinning all the way around.  At the corners, you can round them out slightly to make sewing together easier. Stitch the pieces together using a 1/4" seam allowance and your zipper foot. Repeat for the other side making sure that your Cuddle pattern or nap follows the same direction as the opposite side of the pillow. Make sure you leave the zipper open a few inches so you can turn it right side out when you are done sewing!

Insert the pillow form inside the pillow sham, and you are done!

Watch your children smile and enjoy!

To see my quick tutorial on how to add Cuddle knee patches to pajama pants, click HERE!

If you like this tutorial and project, please leave me a comment letting me know!  I'd love to hear from you! Also, if you want to see more Shannon Fabrics' Cuddle inspired ideas, visit their blog at My Cuddle Corner!

Have fun sewing!