Infinity Scarf Tutorial Review

If you want a quick and easy accent piece to add to your wardrobe, you should try your hand at an infinity scarf. Seriously, this was so easy!

I found this tutorial over at the Simplicity site (they have a bunch of free things, but not many garments or sewing related ones). 

The tutorial was easy to follow and everything came together really quickly (thanks to a serger). The knit was from JoAnn's, but Sophia has already requested some more (and I want some more too), so we have plans to use some old T-shirts as well.
What you need: The pattern says 3/4 of a yard of fabric, but I used 12 inch for Sophia's and 1/2 a yard for mine and am pleased with how they turned out.
Skill Level: Very beginner--just 2 seams and a little hand sewing to finish it.
I give this one 5 lightening bolts because of how easy it is and how much I like scarves.

January Linky Party

It's that time again!! Show us what you have been sewing. We really love to see what you have been sewing for you tweens. It's a source of inspiration for all of us.
So go ahead and link up anything that falls into these categories:
1. Something you have created (sewn, knit, crocheted, crafted, etc)
2. It's something for the age group 9-13 years old.
Then if you link up, please grab a button to pass the word around...we love to be inspired!

Another Winter Look

Here's my Winter Look for Project Run and Play.  Each part of the outfit was sewn with a different purpose in mind (see here for the skirt and here for the vest and shirt for full details), but when paired together and thrown together with a pair of boots it makes a great winter church outfit for these mild winters we have in Tennessee.

Here are the details if you want to quick rundown: 

 Skirt--remix of Shwinn and Shwinn No. 9 Trousers, made from old pair of corduroys

I love the contrasting fabric and how it adds just a pop of color (a quilting cotton from JoAnn's)

Shirt--Self drafted by me, ruffles are made using the circle method and the fabric is bleached muslin

Vest--I used the Simplicity 1787 pattern and made it out of faux fur and unbleached muslin

And there you have my winter wonderland look, fit for an unwhite Tennessee winter.

Alaskan winter remix

Do you ever have an idea in your head for an outfit and but cannot/will not buy a pattern for it?  And then, did you take what you did have and cannibalize pieces from here and there and modify the rest?

Well, that is what I (Major Moma) did for this particular outfit for Abi.  I wanted to make her Christmas outfit to have an Alaskan winter feel for both aesthetics and in function.

I chose velvets in black and navy representing the dark winters when the sun barely is visible over the horizon.

And I wanted something very pretty and feminine but warm.  So instead of a dress, I made her a fancy cardigan and a pair of leggings.

family shot on Christmas Eve ... cropped down to the kids

And funny enough, Project Run and Play has started back up and the theme is winter wonderland inspired.

I used the Anywhere Dress by Go-To Patterns as the base pattern for the cardigan.  I made this dress before as a short sleeve dress and liked the way it looked.  To convert it into a cardigan, I cut the front as two pieces (instead of one on the fold) and added an inch to the center front for the facings.  I then shortened it to waist length.

I then made ruffles out of a sheer black organza with flocked velvet flowers.  There are three ruffles in total --- small medium and large.  I sewed the two larger ruffles to the bottom of the sweater and then took the small ruffle and sewed it to the top of the seam.

I then made a strip the length of the front of the cardigan to make a facing for the buttons.  Since we have beautiful views of the stars up in Alaska, I used sparkly crystal buttons down the front.

The leggings are from an old pattern my mother gave me.  It is Butterick 6362.  It totally reminded me of the 1990s.  The great part about the leggings in this pattern is that they are one piece.  So the only seams on the leg are on the inside.  They also are not super tight so they could be adapted to just be knit pants with a slim fit.  There is a vest as part of this pattern that I will review on another day.

I wish I had better pictures ... but none of them seemed to be turning out.  It was simply too cold to take them outside, so I had to settle for action shots at a glass museum we visited during our holiday break.  But hopefully you get the feel of how you can take a basic pattern and dress it up into something totally different.

Accessory round up

Hello there!!!  Well, the holidays are over and I (Major Moma) thought I would throw out some smaller project ideas since many of us are a bit tired from all the celebrating during the holiday season.  Clothes are not the only item in a tween's wardrobe and certainly not the only thing you can sew for your tween.

Accessories are an excellent project to make a hand-made outfit look custom.  They are also a great idea for beginner sewers because you don't have to worry about fitting issues.

Simplicity notebook cover and carrier

My daughter reads many books on her kindle and here is a cute pattern to make a cover or case.

Violet Fields Threads' Felicity hair flower

Violet Fields Threads' Delilah necklace

Aeroplane bag

Cadet Cap

Burda Shoulder bag

Burda cap

Burda Soft Satchel

 And I just love this rose necklace from Violet fields.
















And several pattern makers have a wide variety of bags and backpacks that you can customize to fit the needs and fashion sense of your tween.




















And what about accessory tutorials?  There are a million free tutorials out there with some great ideas for accessories.  Simplicity has several HERE, and I thought THIS recent post on Sew Country Chic could easily be translated for a tween.

Do you sew accessories?  What do you think of these as beginner projects?