Sewing & Creative Corner Archives - Page 9 of 10

March 5, 2020June 26, 2021

Why Sewing is Good for You (Yes, Even for Beginners!)

Welcome back to Everything’s Famtastic! I don’t know whether you saw my post last week? You know, the one where I interviewed a great bunch of sewing bloggers, about how they got started sewing? Well, that turned out to be Part One of my interview with them all. You can read that post here and learn about what made these women, first learn to sew.

People new to the sewing world (sewing newbies, as I affectionately say) often ask themselves questions like “What should I sew as a beginner?” or “How do I get started sewing?” and “Why is sewing a good hobby?” or “Why is sewing good for me?”.

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This post- my Part Two of interviewing these ladies- is full of plentiful ideas to answer exactly those questions! (Be prepared to have your creative curiosity awakened!! 😉)

February 27, 2020September 25, 2021

What Makes People Start Sewing?

sewing, sewing project, sewing tips, pin, pinterest

Wowsers! These past couple of weeks have been busy around here. In between being sick myself (hello ear infection and sinusitis!) I have been frantically sewing costumes for the kids to wear to Karneval celebrations. In fact, for the most part, the children dreamed up the costume ideas for themselves. Heck, Miss 8 even designed her own dress, pointed at the sketches and said “This!”. Yes ma’am!

Now that the rush of Karneval is over and the more sober time of Lent is upon us, I can get back to working my way through the ~~endless mountains~~ organised piles of fabrics 😉 to complete some cool, everyday clothes for the kids. Maybe even something for myself! *gasp*

In this now less-time-pressured week, I find that I am REALLY enjoying sitting down at the machine again. Not that churning out original kids’ costumes isn’t fun. But since there were no patterns as such, and a lot of planning, guesswork and occasional cross-fingers-and-hope-for-the-best involved, it’s nice to have a clear pattern and no deadline to work with.

Which got me thinking back to some of my first ever sewing projects and why I took up sewing in the first place. I mean, why is it that sewing is so beloved by so many people? (Witness the gazillions of pins in Pinterest or sewing memes on Instagram).

What makes people start sewing at all???

February 13, 2020October 10, 2021

How to Sew a Terrific Tiger Costume

(Even if You Don’t Have a Pattern!)

In today’s post I am going to show you how you can create a totally cool tiger costume, without actually having a pattern for a tiger costume. “Huh? How does that work?”, you ask. Ahh, that’s the magic of sewing! 😉

Perhaps you’re even asking why it is that I am sewing a tiger costume or why I am sharing this with you today.

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Well, answering the second part of that is easy. Why share? Because I am not one to keep a good sewing tip to myself! I love to support you in getting creative with your sewing machine and sewing things that will make you smile! And I love a good work-around; when the pattern doesn’t match exactly what I’m trying to achieve, then it’s the pattern that has to change, not my goal. That’s why I’m eager to share so many sewing ideas, tips and cheats with you (you can find more under the “Sewing” category on the menu bar above ☝).

And why am I sewing a costume at all? Well, Karneval is coming in a couple of weeks! In case you’re not familiar with what Karneval in Germany means (especially from a non-German’s perspective), be sure to check out my post here. Karneval is a BIG deal in many parts of Germany and for the cities’ colourful parades, getting dressed up in costumes is practically a must (at least for children it is!!).

Because I am able to sew, and for the time being my kids actually like and enjoy what I can create, I am the one responsible for coming up with the goods. Hence the DIY, sew a tiger costume as my current sewing project.

I promised to show you how to make one without a pattern, right? Well then, read on…

January 30, 2020June 26, 2021

Super Sewing Tips for Beginners: The Basics

Hey, welcome back to Everything’s Famtastic! I hope you’re having a great week! We have been busy enjoying our delicious, homemade lamingtons that I baked with the kids last Sunday for Australia Day. They are sooo good! And the kids had a blast helping out in the kitchen too 😉. We had quite the production line set up…

But, this week I want to have a break from talking kids stuff (cooking with kids, books for kids, sick kids, school holidays…) and talk about something else that you can get excited about: SEWING!

Have you ever wanted to learn how to sew? Perhaps your first test-drive of a sewing machine was back in high school. Perhaps you’ve nervously left your sewing machine in its box, untouched since you discovered it under the Christmas tree. Or maybe you have been experimenting with your machine for a little while but have yet to get into the swing of things because you’re unsure what to do.

Well, you’ve come to the right place! Here I’d love to share a brilliant list full of advice for sewing beginners just like you. Like I wish I’d heard a couple of years back when I was starting out. These tips will help you to get confident to use your machine and successfully complete projects without the stress and hair-pulling!

Once you’ve read through this list, there’ll be no excuses to not sit yourself down at your sewing machine, turn it on with confidence and get started!

Ready?

December 19, 2019November 7, 2021

45 Excellent Experience Gift Ideas

I’m not going to pretend it’s not happening: Christmas is coming!! In less than a week folks! How organised are you? Have you already bought all of the presents you had planned to? Or are you still desperately trying to come up with some original Christmas gift ideas?

Ok, let’s just cut to the chase, shall we?

Buying gifts for Christmas, en masse (but birthdays too) can be stressful. You’re daydreaming of having a few days off work. Maybe planning what you are going to feed everybody. The shops are full. It seems that every other person in your town is out there RIGHT NOW doing the same harried shopping trip. If you’re lucky you can go shopping alone, without the kids who GUARANTEED will see more things to add to their Christmas wish list. And if it’s a successful shop, you have to lug it all home, wrap the gifts and hide them somewhere (don’t forget to remember WHERE!!!) until Christmas.

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If you are trying to be even the least bit conscious of reducing the plastic packaging and waste in your household (like we have been trying to do. Here you can read about some small steps to try to get started!), it all feels like a big, dirty contradiction.

So is there anything you can do, to still enjoy gift-giving this holiday season without the shopping mall stress and mounds of paper, packaging and plastic? Sure there is!!!

Give the gift of an experience!

Don’t know what I am talking about? Well…

December 12, 2019November 8, 2021

How to Make the Prettiest Paper Christmas Star Decoration

Oh my! Christmas is coming! And fast! Do you remember back when you were a kid and asking “How many more days til Christmas?” and your parents answered with something like “Still 6 weeks, kiddo!” and you thought it would just Never. Ever. Arrive.?

These days, as a big ol’ grown-up, 6 weeks goes by SO quickly, and Christmas is over before you know it and suddenly your kids are asking you “How many more days til Easter?!?”.

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This year I am feeling a bit slack with the Christmas preparations, especially on the creative and decorative side of things. But I am determined not to have Christmas arrive without me having made some effort.

As fate would have it, just the other day my son came home from kindergarten and presented his latest masterpiece- a beautiful, intricately folded paper Christmas star. If I was only going to manage one new craft project with the kids this Christmas, I knew that this would be it.

Christmas Star, DIY, Crafts, Paper Crafts

And once I had decoded the pattern, I just knew that I would have to share the secret of the Christmas star with you! (Spoiler Alert! It’s not as difficult to make as it looks!) Read on to learn how you can make your own gorgeous paper star this Christmas.

November 21, 2019May 24, 2024

How to Sew a Patchwork Infinity Loop Scarf

diy, diy sewing, sewing project, loop scarf, infinity scarf, patchwork infinity scarf, tutorial, how-to

Last week I was feeling fired up and feisty, what with all those totally powerful inspirational quotes! “Go get ‘em!” was the message I was pumping myself up with and bringing you along for the ride too 😉. What?!? You didn’t see it? If you feel like you need a bit of motivating to pursue your goals, then be sure to check it out here because it will really give you the kick up the butt you’re after!

And what now? Well, It’s official. The cold weather here in Germany has continued it’s march towards winter. So while I may be energised and motivated, I am also damn cold!!! The days are getting shorter and shorter, so much so that the kids are walking to school by the light of the moon. And a flashlight. 😉 For the sunshine-y Australian girl in me lousy, grey, cold weather = ~~time to hibernate~~ time to find fun projects I can accomplish indoors.

If you’re into sewing like me, but also trying hard to not waste too many materials while you’re at it (Hello! #reducereuserecycle), you’ve probably got a stack of odd-shaped, leftover pieces of fabric hoarded away “for later”.

Do I have the PERFECT sewing project for you!!! (And I’m gonna show you how to do it!)

*** drumroll please… ***

October 29, 2019October 6, 2021

More DIY Easy Halloween Costumes Anyone Can Sew

sewing, sewing project, diy sewing, diy, diy costume, halloween, halloween costumes, pirate, bat, ninja, ninjago

Hi there! Have you been psyching up for Halloween? Or rather, are your kids getting crazy for Halloween? Let’s be honest, in the end, rambling through the neighbourhood trick-or-treating is more for their benefit than ours. Right? Nevertheless, I will admit that I am also getting a little excited.

When I prowl the neighbourhood with my kids on the 31^st October, it’s not as though I’m going to have a fistful of lollies thrust my way. (*Psst!!* There are however, a couple of neighbours who like to share a quick slurp of some fiery type of liquid that is definitely NOT for the little ones! Nudge nudge, wink wink)

What I do enjoy is watching the kids each year get bolder and more adventurous and confident, relishing the thrill of dressing up and dashing so free-spirited around the neighbourhood after dark. And we bump into so many of their friends also doing the rounds, so it’s practically like a street party. 😊

I know that last week I posted here a few home-sewn DIY Halloween costumes. But guess what I also enjoy?

October 22, 2019October 6, 2021

DIY Wicked Halloween Costumes You Can Easily Sew

I could have sworn we just enjoyed summer holidays and now all of a sudden Halloween is upon us. For most kids, Halloween means 2 things: costumes and lollies!

And when my kids think of costumes, what they really mean is “Mama’s GOTTA sew me one!!!”. 😉

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Are your kids hankering for a really cool costume? That you are apparently going to make?!? If you are a #sewingnewbie perhaps you are feeling the pressure to come up with something great, while not necessarily knowing where to start. Even if Mama doesn’t think that Halloween is a really big deal, it’s a sure bet that the kids do!

Fear not! I would recommend you go grab yourself a hot beverage (coffee is my poison!), find a comfy chair because I’ve got a bunch of creative Halloween costume ideas just for you! They won’t break your budget, won’t take too long, but they will give you that satisfying feeling of a job well done.

September 8, 2019June 26, 2021

Password: Stoffmarkt Overload

Wow! What an experience that was! My shoulders are still aching from that heavy backpack! Seriously.

Oh! And I haven’t even said “Hi” yet. So… Hi! How are you doing? I hope you have been having a great week. Our week has been extremely busy, settling into school routines and extra-curricular activities all over again. Life with 3 certainly keeps me on my toes. If you have any kids, be it 1, 5 or 12, you can surely picture exactly what I mean!

And while this week’s *secret password* is “Stoffmarkt Overload” I am not referring to the fully loaded family schedule I have been presiding over. No, I am speaking about the (felt like) tons of goodies I brought home with me after a shopping spree this weekend.

So, what were those goodies you ask?!?