Tag: nähen

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How to Make a Useful Fabric Box in ANY Size You Need!

Spring is finally in the air! Thank goodness! There is something about a sunny day that makes my heart sing after a grey, damp and loooooong German winter.  The sun and warmth sure do improve my mood and energy levels. BIG time! You too?

So, with that extra energy, you know what it is that we all tend to do each year? Spring cleaning! Get organised. Recycle what can be recycled. Throw away the accumulated crap. Tidy up.

What if you could do these things with one little sewing project?

One simple sewing project that can help you keep things organised, tidy (and cute!) is to create fabric baskets!

I published a sewing tutorial a while back, which walks you through how to make a square fabric basket step-by-step.

But what if that size fabric basket doesn’t suit you? What if you want to make a larger (or smaller) one?

I’ve seen other tutorials sharing how to make these fabric baskets in 2 different sizes. Or maybe even three.

What if I told you, that with the help of pen and paper (or maybe a calculator 😅) and this sewing tutorial here, I can show you exactly how you can make ANY size fabric storage cube you want! Then you will never be stuck for organising and tidying solutions to fit YOUR home.

Ready to get creative?

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Easy Sewing Tutorial: How to Make Your Own Reusable Produce Bags

With horror, I realised that it has been a couple of years since I promised to share the easy-peasy sewing pattern for making your own reusable produce bag.

I have shared plenty of other sewing projects since then though, right?!?

I mean, it’s not like environmental issues aren’t in the media every single day. And my own children regularly point out and pick apart our family’s purchasing and consuming habits. And I have written about simple ways to reduce plastic in your own household. And we do already own several of these net fruit and vegetable bags.

It’s just that I forgot to show you how YOU can make your own too! *hangs head in shame*

These lightweight, fabric bags are perfect for your next outing to the grocery store or farmers’ market to carry home all matter of vitamin-packed fruit and veggies.

They are a perfect sewing project for anyone- yes, even sewing newbies- and can be completed in such a short time. There are a few patterns out there in internet-land, but this one is seriously MEGA easy!

In this post I’ll not only walk you through how to sew these practical bags (in 2 variations and sizes, no less!) but also give you tips on which fabrics to use.

Let’s get started!

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Simple Valentine’s Day Sewing Projects Using Your Fabric Scraps Stash

A little reminder: Valentine’s Day is coming on February 14th. This many send some of your scurrying to the store to buy some cute home decor and lovely gifts for that special someone.

But have you ever thought about making your own gifts or decorations for Valentine’s Day?

If you have a sewing machine and a pile of fabrics stashed away, there are SO many gorgeous (and easy!) craft ideas out there to do this February.

Giving a personalised, handmade gift is precious and really shows the LOVE and thought behind your Valentine’s present.

Because these crafts are made from fabric, it means they will get lots of use and not just end up on the rubbish pile anytime soon.

I have put together a list of 5 simple and cute Valentine’s Day fabric projects to sew right now.

And they’re perfect for sewing fans of all skill levels, from absolute beginners to those with years of experience and want to have some fun this Valentine’s.

Time to go dig through that fabric stash…

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Sewing Tutorial: How to Make a Fabulous Dragon Costume

Today I’m sharing with you some really cool ideas and hacks to sew a dragon costume for your kids!

If you have looked around my Everything’s Famtastic blog you have surely seen that I do love a good sewing project. Especially the type where I have sewn something really cool by modifying an existing pattern which didn’t fit exactly what I needed.

I tell you, THAT is the beauty of being able to sew! Have an idea of what you want to create and being able to find a way to make it happen!

What you might also have noticed around this site is the variety of kids’ costumes I have sewn over the years for my own 3. In Germany here we celebrate Karneval early in the year and then there’s Halloween in October. Add in any dress-up wishes and that all ends up being a lot of costumes that I’ve had to deliver! Hulk, animals, spooky, funny costumes … I’ve covered quite a range!

So, do you want to see that super dragon costume and take a peek at some other kids’ costume ideas too? Read on…

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Make, Bake & Sew: 15 Fun & Easy Christmas Projects for Kids

Christmas is coming reeeeeeal soon and the Christmas spirit is in the air!

Well, at least it is in our house. And when I say “Christmas spirit” I mean, studying toy catalogues for ideas and excitedly writing out Christmas wish lists with dozens and dozens of ideas.

The kids are just SO EXCITED about Christmas being so near. Aside from hoping for a stack of Lego sets and a mountain of new books, there is also building excitement about buying the Christmas tree and how to decorate the house and what foods we can start making now and which ones we will be enjoying at Christmas time.

And all of this means it’s time to start digging out the colourful craft supplies and shopping for the groceries to bake delicious-looking Christmas recipes.

But Christmas can also be a stressful time, keeping up with the kids and ALL.THE.THINGS. that need to be organised.

Are YOU ready for getting creative with your kids? Or maybe not… Perhaps you’re not quite there yet and actually looking for some new inspiration. Or perhaps you don’t see yourself as creative and are actually dreading feeling obligated to “do Christmas stuff” with your kids.

Well, I can definitely help you with that right now!

This post contains loads of kid-friendly (and budget-friendly) Christmas activities to sew, bake and make this festive season, with an emphasis on less stress and more fun and happy faces. Sound good?

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Beginners Sewing Dictionary Part 3: Sewing Machine Terms Easily Explained!

In case you missed it, the last few blog posts here have been all about getting back to the basics of sewing and learning (or maybe just jogging the memory) some of the most useful and important sewing terms.

Because, let’s be honest, the more sewing vocabulary you know, the more confident you will be when it comes time to sit down with your fabrics (see HERE for fabric terms) and sewing patterns (check out THIS post for sewing pattern definitions) and your sewing machine.

And don’t you just LOVE the feeling of knowing what you’re doing?!?

Oh wait! We haven’t talked about all those fancy sewing machine terms yet, have we?

There’s no better time that the present to start! Let’s jump in!

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Sewing Dictionary for Beginners Part 2: Basic Sewing Pattern Terms You Need to Know Now

Sewing is such a fun hobby that allows you to create a huge variety of projects yourself. Whether you are new to sewing or just need to refresh your skills, it’s always useful to understand all the sewing jargon you read in patterns, tutorials and online.

Although some of the sewing vocab that gets thrown around sounds complicated and at times like a foreign language, it’s actually not as intimidating as it seems! Just give yourself the chance to read and understand them! Then your relationship with your sewing machine and sewing patterns will become much happier and your sewing projects are much more likely to turn out exactly how you’d envisioned.

This post is part 2 of my “Sewing Dictionary for Beginners” series. The last blog post contained a stack of sewing terminology specifically related to fabrics (like how to tell the difference between the front and the back of fabrics). In case you missed it, you can read the 15 fabric terms you need to know HERE .

Today’s sewing vocabulary post contains loads of technical sewing words and phrases to help you in understanding and working with sewing patterns. Once you understand what a pattern is talking about, you will be able to prepare, cut, and sew your fabric pieces together to successfully create your wonderful project!

Ready to dive into some knowledge?

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Beginners Sewing Dictionary Part 1: Essential Sewing Terms about Fabric You Need to Know

As a beginner, the world of sewing may appear to hold many dark and mysterious secrets. I am here to show you that by learning a few basic sewing keywords, going fabric shopping and sitting down at a sewing machine will become much less intimidating and way more fun!

Words like “tension” and “bias” and “allowance” almost sound like they come out of a how to get along with people in business text book! But these sewing terms are really used in sewing speak and actually extremely important for preparing to sew and actually putting your foot to the pedal

Recently I shared a post about how you can avoid 5 common mistakes that sewing beginners make. Have a read of that article in conjunction with this post to help you start your sewing journey.

In today’s post I will be focusing on the most common words you’ll come across in fabric terminology. These can help you understand different fabrics and what fabric your sewing pattern recommends for your project. Be sure to stay tuned for more upcoming parts in this sewing dictionary series 😉.

Let’s dive in to learn these important fabric terms!

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13 DIY Halloween Costumes to Make Right Now and WOW Your Kids

As Halloween ticks ever closer, many of us are on the hunt for the perfect Halloween costume for our little ones. Ok, and for ourselves too, perhaps. And aren’t there just a million gazillion to choose from?!?

If you are anything like me, time gets away and you are left scrambling for ideas, fabric, needles and the glue gun. And never mind that the children change their minds every 37 seconds. Or they come up with a vague idea of wanting to dress up as “lots of colours”. Umm…

To take some of the stress off, I have done a stack of research for you and found 13 fun-to-make, colourful and creative costumes that you can put together for your trick or treaters!

There is something here for everyone. Whether you have left it until 30th October to start, this is your 200th Halloween costume, or you can’t manage a sewing machine to save your life, there’s bound to be something in this list of 13 DIY Halloween costumes that takes your fancy! See for yourself…

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5 Common Mistakes that Sewing Beginners Make & the Easy Ways You Can Avoid Them

Sewing is such a fun and creative hobby to learn. The variety of projects you can make are practically endless and can be as small or as grandiose as you are willing to put your time, effort and imagination into.

Like any new skill, learning to sew will be full of small wins, proud smiles and a more than a few moans of frustration. Remember this though: Nobody nails anything the first time they try it. Learning to sew is no exception.

BUT how do you get better at anything if not through practice, experimentation and learning from mistakes?!? The best way to get better at sewing is to keep trying. Like that old saying “If you fall off the horse, get back on”. Don’t let the mistakes dishearten you and stop you from improving. If you’re still unsure whether it’s worth learning to sew, take a look HERE at why sewing is so good for you.

There are plenty of websites out there listing gazillions of mistakes that sewing newbies make. You may even have come across some of those sites already. You might recognise that you have made some of those mistakes too.

I have seen so many mistakes made be sewing beginners that don’t even make it onto these other lists. And I want to help you avoid the frustration of making those mistakes too.

How do I even know that these things are “mistakes”? Well, just between you and I, *wink wink* perhaps, just maybe, I might have made some of them too.

Most sewing mistakes- we won’t call them a “sewing fail”- can be all too easy to make. BUT they are also avoidable with a bit of know-how and paying careful attention (i.e., not being too tired when try to nail that outfit at the last minute!).

Are you ready to learn how to avoid making 5 big sewing mistakes, stop feeling so exasperated, and improve your sewing experience? I’m here to help you! Read on…

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