Heat & Bond One Direction Concert T-Shirts

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In celebration of One Direction’s  release of their new song, Steal My Girl, I thought I would share how to make your own 1D concert T-shirt.  I love going to concerts and we always make some kind of fun T-Shirt to celebrate the occasion.  (click HERE and HERE for Taylor Swift Concert T-shirt ideas) A few weeks ago One Direction was playing at the Rose Bowl so my husband and I took our 6 year old daughter.  To quote her, “This is my dream come true!”

Then the following night I took some cute girls (so their moms wouldn’t have to go) and we rocked out!  Yes – I am officially a One Direction Groupie!

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Here is how you can make your own shirt!!

Supplies:

Small piece of red fabric

Small piece of white fabric

Heat n Bond Lite EZ print sheets

Black T-Shirt

Begin by printing a heart and 1D logo in reverse onto the EZ Print Lite sheets.  These sheets are great because you can run them through your printer and not have to draw the pattern.  I created the heart in MS Word and googled the 1D logo – easy peasy!  Once you print the images, roughly cut out the heart about 1/4″ away from the heart.  Press the heart to the wrong side of the red fabric.  Do the same with the 1D.  Cut out the heart and 1D on the pattern lines.

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Next peel off the backing on the 1D and press onto the heart.  Leave the backing on the heart for now.
one direction concert t-shirt

I thought it would be easier to sew the 1D and then iron the heart onto the T-shirt – it’s hard to maneuver a T-shirt in a sewing machine – especially a small, child’s t-shirt.  Sew around the 1D in black thread.

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This is how the back should look:
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Now, peel off the backing paper on the heart.  It may take a little time to peel off all the paper in-between the letters.  Now, press the 1D heart onto the black T-shirt.  Sew around the heart twice in black thread.one direction concert t-shirt._3

 

I love to personalize my concert T-shirts with the date of the concert.  I cut out the words on my cricut in vinyl.  Then I removed the letters to leave a “stencil”.  I put the vinyl stencil on the T-shirt and using a stencil brush and craft paint I stenciled the letters.  Let the paint dry completely then remove the vinyl.  It looks pretty good!!
one direction concert t-shirt diy

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DIY one direction concert t-shirt
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We had too much fun!  Here is a little video clip!!

1D Concert Clip
 

“Spooky” Quilt for Riley Blake Designs

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I am so excited to share this quilt!  Did you know I love Halloween and I love black cats?  The fabric in this quilt is Riley Blake Design’s “Witch Hazel.”  I love the vintage feel of the prints and the colors.  I enlarged the cat from the theme print to create this cat silhouette.  The pattern is being featured over at the Riley Blake Design Blog  “Cutting Corners” if you want to make one 🙂Halloween_quilt_tutorial_1

 

It’s 100 degrees here but all this Halloween sewing is helping me get in the mood for Fall. This quilt is hanging in my family room and it makes me smile every time I look at it….and it makes me want to adopt another black cat!!
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There are many different parts to the quilt: a patchy center, appliqué, lace and pom pom trim and an appliqué scallop top and bottom border!Halloween_quilt_tutorial_4

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Modern 31 Halloween Pillow

 

modern_halloween_pillow_tutorialIt’s September which means my house is decorated for Halloween and I’m gearing up for a super crazy fall family schedule!!  Don’t you feel like time just flies between now and Christmas?  We better get the Halloween sewing done!!

 

halloween house

I decorate my dining and living room for Halloween in Black and White and silver.  I like how this pillow is slightly understated for Halloween.  Here’s how you can make one…

 

Supplies:

16″ pillow form

1/2 yard black and white ticking

scraps of black fabric for numbers

Heat n Bond EZ print sheets or Heat n Bond Lite

Black metal zipper

31 pattern HERE

 

Begin by cutting (2) 17″ squares from the black and white ticking, set one aside for the pillow back.31_halloween_pillow_3

 

Cut a 3″ strip off the top:31_halloween_pillow_4

 

Lay out the pieces like this with the chunky zipper between:31_halloween_pillow_5

 

Place the small strip right sides together with the zipper and using a zipper foot sew along the length:31_halloween_pillow_6

 

Repeat with the other side:31_halloween_pillow_9

 

Once the zipper is sewn in, press the seams.  Prepare the appliqué by printing 31 on Heat n Bond EZ sheets or tracing on to Heat n Bond Lite.  Iron the numbers to the wrong side of the black fabric.  Cut out and press onto the pillow front.  Top stitch around the numbers in black thread.

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Using scissors you are not fond of, cut off the excess zipper on both ends.

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Add a hand stitched detail by sewing a running stitch along both sides of the zipper with black embroidery floss.31_halloween_pillow_13

 

Place the pillow back and pillow front right sides together and pin around the entire pillow.  Make sure the zipper is open.  31_halloween_pillow_14

 

I cut 2 small strips of fabric and added them to both sides of the zipper where the seam would be to give it strength.  Otherwise the only thing holding the zipper is a seam of thread.  I also like to back stitch a few times over the zipper.  With the metal zipper it is best to slow down the sewing speed and even manually move the needle so it can find its way around the zipper teeth.  Sew around the entire pillow using 1/4″ seams31_halloween_pillow_15

Turn right side out and add the pillow, it’s done!


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Click the button for or more Halloween Projects

 

Apple Appliqué Pillow Tutorial

apple applique

We are getting ready to start school next week.  I thought this pillow would be a fun back to school decoration or even a thoughtful gift for a teacher.  My tutorial is over on the Therm O Web Blog!  I used Heat n Bond Lite which made the appliqué a snap!  apple_pillow_tutorial

 

I think I could add pom poms to ever project I make 🙂apple_pillow_tutorial_1

Summer Nautical Pillows

summer throw pillow tutorialI know most of the stores have their fall and even Christmas decorations out on the shelves,  but we still have one more week of summer vacation left and I am embracing every minute of it!  Summer is my favorite!  I love being with my children all day and just being FREE!!!!!  I had to get in one more summer sewing project.  I decorated my family room with a few nautical pops here and there and my couch was begging for some nautical pillows!  These sew up in a snap!

 

Sea Critters Pillow (20″):

Don’t you just love this fabric from Dear Stella?  We love sea critters at our house!

Cut the sea critters fabric 13.5″ x 20″

Seersucker Twist Red from Blend fabric 7″ x 20″

cotton batting 21″ or larger

20″ navy blue lace trim

2 yards navy fringe trim

20″ square Denim for the back

20″ or longer Zipper

accent fabric 4.5″ x 20″

20″ pillow form

Spray n Bond for basting
nautical pillow tutorial

 

Sew them together using 1/4″ seams.  Using Spray n Bond basting spray, baste the pillow top to the batting.nautical_pillow_tutorial_1

With the two pieces basted you can quilt as desired.  Straight lines would be cute, I was impatient and free motion is faster for me 🙂nautical_pillow_tutorial_2

 

Trim off the excess batting
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Add the navy blue lace trimnautical_pillow_tutorial_4

Sew the navy blue fringe to the right side of the pillow.  I found it easier to use my walking foot.  Curve the corners.
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Prepare the back of the pillow.  I have found this is the fastest way to finish a pillow.  For the tutorial on how to do this, click HERE.  I cut the back 20″ and then cut 3″ from the top for the zipper placement.  The chevron piece is cut 4.5″ and then folded in half.

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Now that the back is ready, place the right sided together, with the zipper open, and sew all the way round the pillow using 1/4″ seams.  Turn and insert the pillow form.
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I Heart Whales Pillow (20″)

This is very similar to my pink I Heart Whales pillow found HERE.  Follow those directions for the Heat n Bond Applique.

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Cut the solid white 10.5″ x 20″

Cut (2) Seersucker Twist Blue from Blend fabric 5.25″ x 20″

“I Heart” pattern click HERE

Whales from Blend’s True Blue fabric line

Prepare the appliqué pieces (directions HERE).  Iron the pieces to the solid white fabric.  Sew the blue fabrics to the white fabric using 1/4″ seams.
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Using Spray n Bond, baste the pillow top to the cotton batting and quilt.  Instead of appliquéing the images on before quilting, I sewed around each image in navy thread during the quilting process to give the pieces a little pop.

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I finished this pillow the same way as the Sea Critters pillow with the same navy trim.

I love the backs of the pillows!nautical_pillow_tutorial_12

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Whaley Zipper Pouch

whale zipper pouch true blue blend fabrics

 

 

If you know me at all, you aren’t surprised that a whale zipper pouch would be apart of “Whale Week”!  I have gotten so much use out of my 1/2 yard of True Blue Whales fabric by Blend!!!  I love the little anchor charm I found to use as the zipper pull.  The lining of the bag is super cute with lifesavers and anchors on it!!

This tutorial is more of an overview, if you want extra details and you are new to making zipper pouches, check out My favorite zipper pouch tutorial.

 

Supplies:

Fat quarters or large scraps for the outer bag and lining

scraps for zipper tabs

Medium or light weight fusible stabilizer

Heat n Bond LIte

zipper

scrap of ric arc

Cut the denim outer bag, bag lining and stabilizer 8″ x 11″ (2) of each.  Fuse the stabilizer to the wrong side of the lining fabric.

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Iron the heat n bond lite to the wrong side of the desired whale.  Fuse and cut the whale out.  Position the whale as pictured below.  Sew an accent piece of ric rac.

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Cut 2 zipper tabs 1.5″ x 4″.  Pres the ends under 1/4″ and then press in half.IMG_9650

Here you can see the 2 zipper tabs.  (Sorry about the lighting, it was 11:00 pm).

whale ziper pouch tutorial

Measure the zipper and the tabs so you have 1″ on each side of tabs (there will be extra).  Sew the tabs to the ends of the zipper. Again, click HERE for more details on this process.  Cut the folded piece of the tab and cut out the excess zipper.  The goal with this is to reduce bulk in the seams.

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Flip the zipper over and match with the top edge of the whale piece.  Place one of the lining pieces right side down and align all the edges.  Don’t worry about the zipper tabs, we will even them up in a minute.
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Sew using a zipper foot.  Press and do the same thing to the other side of the zipper so it looks like this:whale ziper pouch tutorial_4

Top stitch 1/8″ along the zipper.  Trim the excess tab fabric.  Match right sides with right sides and pin all the way around.  MAKE SURE ZIPPER IS OPEN  Sew using 1/4″ seam leaving a 2.5″ opening on the side of the lining fabric.whale ziper pouch tutorial_5

After you’ve sewn all the way around cut a 1.5″ notch out of each corner of the bag.whale ziper pouch tutorial_6

Match bottom seams and sew a 1/4″ seam:

 

 

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Turn right side out and top stitch side opening.  Yea!  It’s done!

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It’s the perfect little pouch to tuck inside a beach bag with all the little stuff that might get lost.whale ziper pouch tutorial_11

True Blue Whale Skirt & Top

 

true blue blend fabric whale skirt
I can’t get enough of these whales from Blend Fabrics!! We are all sporting whale shirts!  I think we will be wearing these to Sea World when we go 🙂
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The fabric is cute enough that all you need to do is add some Heat n Bond to the back side of the whale, cut it out and then iron it to what ever you want!
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After I ironed the whale to the T-shirt, I top-stitched around the whale twice.  Sally needed a complete whale outfit (I am pretty sure if I had enough fabric I would have sewn myself a whale skirt!!)

true_blue_blend_fabric_skirt I used skirt “A” from the pattern book Little Sassy Skirts.

sassy skirts I have made these skirts over and over.  The patterns are easy to follow and everything is done with rotary cutter measurements (a quilters dream!).  This skirt is fun because you don’t have to have a lot of yardage, I only had half yards of the True Blue prints and I love the 4 prints all pieced together!
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We had such a fun day at the beach!  It was beautiful!  I love summer and I love whales 🙂 whale skirt whale shirt true blue

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I Heart Whales Throw Pillow

i love whales pillow tutorial

 

Isn’t this the cutest fabric?  It’s from the True Blue fabric line by Blend.  Everyeday this week I will be featuring a project using fabrics from this fabric line – all with a whale theme!!i love whales pillow tutorial_2

I totally LOVE whales and I have loved them since I was like 4 years old 🙂  I thought this pillow was super fun and I love the colors!  My tutorial is over at the Therm O Web blog – so hop over there if you want the instructions to make your own!!

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Nautical Baby Quilt

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I am happy to share with you my Nautical Quilt tutorial.  One of my good friends is expecting a baby and her nursery has a nautical theme.  I came up with this quilt to give her at her baby shower.  I love how it turned out!

The quilt starts with a simple square in a square block.  (1/4″ seams throughout)

 

Cut the center piece is 3.5″ square.

Cut the side pieces (2) 3.5″ x 2.5″

Cut the top and bottom pieces 7.5″ x 2.5″

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Sew the side pieces on and press toward the dark.  Sew the top and bottom pieces on and press toward the dark.

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Now that you have the basic block down, make 9 like this with red or navy borders and a white center.  Then make 9 the reverse, white sides and a red or navy center.

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Assemble the blocks in rows like this:

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For the large white pieces, cut”

15″ x WOF

4.5″ x WOF

Sew these to the sides of the block portion.  Square up the edges.

For the appliqué, I just googled “anchor clip art” and found this anchor – there are hundreds to choose from.  Trace the anchor onto Therm O Web Heat n Bond Lite.  Iron the heat n bond to the wrong side of the navy fabric.  Cut out the anchor, peel off the back and press into place.  Top stitch in matching thread.  I toyed with the idea of adding rope, ribbon, or ric arc along the length connecting to the anchor, but ultimately I decided to leave it as is.

Nautical Quilt Tutorial

 

I quilted it with straight lines.  I measured the lines so they would cross the squares in equal portions.  I love the navy & white polkadot binding.  Now it’s time to throw a Nautical themed baby shower!Nautical Quilt Tutorial_17

 

This is me and the mommy-to-be.  The shower was super fun!!Nautical Quilt Tutorial_6

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“Manly” Zipper Pouch, aka I LOVE Bacon

 

zipper pouch father's day

 

Do the men in your life LOVE bacon?  The ones in my life do 🙂  Bacon themed items are super popular and what I love most about the bacon trend is Jim Gaffigan’s comedy bit about bacon – if you haven’t heard it -click HERE … you will laugh so hard!!  This week at Jedi Craft Girl has been all about the fabric line Ribs & Bibs and Father’s Day
.  I love this zipper pouch because it is “manly”.  I used a light weight black denim on the outside, a chunky metal zipper, and the taupe utensil fabric on the inside.  I used white house paint to stencil the word “Bacon” on the bag.  Therm o Web fusible stabilizer gives the bag more stability.  This zipper pouch is my new FAVORITE!!!

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Here’s how you can make one:

Supplies

fat quarters of outer lightweight denim fabric

fat quarters of lining – I used taupe “grill master

fat quarter “open pit” for pig motif

Therm O Web Fusible interfacing, medium weight

Heat n Bond Lite fusible applique

White paint

Zipper

Letter stencils or cutting machine

 

Cut (2) lining pieces (2) denim pieces and (4) interfacing pieces 8″ x 11″

Begin by preparing the stencil  I used some extra vinyl I had laying around (that’s why it’s pink) and ran it through my Cricut.  I used the font “Playbill”, weed the letters to leave the outline.
bacon zipper pouch father's day tutorial

 

Using a masking strip to adhere the stencil, place the Bacon word on the center of the denim piece.bacon zipper pouch father's day tutorial_4

Using a stencil brush, stencil with white paint.  I literally used the trim paint from my house.
bacon zipper pouch father's day tutorial_2Let it dry then peel off the stencil.  I love how it turned out!

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Here are the pieces you should have cut 8″ x 11″

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Iron the interfacing to the wrong side of both the lining pieces and both the outer bag pieces – 4 total.  Iron a piece of Heat n Bond to the wrong side of the pig fabric.  I liked the red pig the best.  Cut out around the pig leaving a little white boarder.  Stitch around the pig in white thread.  Press the front of the bag, heat setting the painted letters.bacon zipper pouch father's day tutorial_7

Now you are ready to construct the bag.  Follow this tutorial here.   A word of advice if you are using a chunky metal zipper…..It was my goal to not break my needle.  I was super careful to hand move the needle when near the zipper – that way the needle can find it’s way around the zipper teeth.  I thought I was in the clear and then resumed with the pedal and snap – the needle broke – darn!  I bet you can do it without breaking the needle 🙂

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I just love this project to pieces!  I might need one for myself – my kids all want one too!!