First thing is first, a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my best girlfriend, Jewells!
*throws confetti*
Now, on to business!
Each Friday in October, I’ll be featuring some of my Halloween-inspired patterns that are available for sale in my Craftsy shop. Free Halloween goodness returns tomorrow!
Today, we’re revisiting one of my first-ever patterns made for sale, A Little Haunted.
This wonky little haunted house was inspired by a piece of artwork drawn by my son when he was still a little kid.
My little kiddo turns 18 in a couple of months, so that was some time ago!
A Little Haunted includes all the directions and pattern pieces you need to make the haunted house with boarded up windows or this simplified version, perfect for fussy cutting!
Spotted in the wild! A Little Haunted in the BabyLock Booth at QuiltCon 2013!
I still have a couple of copies of Quiltmaker’s Quilts From 100 Blocks in my Etsy shop. Included in this magazine is my quilt pattern, Jewels of the Wind. This quilt was inspired by the birthday girl herself. Thanks, Jewells, for always being an inspiration!
Are you making projects from 31 Days of Halloween? Share your photos with my flickr group! There will be a fun surprise after Halloween for one lucky winner!
Today we have a fast, easy costuming option for the Harry Potter fans out there.
Originally created in 2006 for a Craftster Swap, I’m breaking this tutorial out today for anyone that might not have a costume in mind, or, like me, might need something a wee bit cooler to wear come Halloween!
The best part about this project is that you can sew it by hand if you don’t have a machine or use a serger to finish it even faster!
You’ll need:
1 red t-shirt
1 black t-shirt in the same size and style as the red t-shirt
fabric paint in red, green, blue, yellow, white and gold
foam paintbrushes
Instructions
Find the center of each shirt by folding in half towards the front and matching the sleeves.
Mark the top and the bottom with a pin.
If using a rotary cutter, this is your cutting line.
If using a straight edge, draw a pencil line from top to bottom.
Cut as straight as possible.
Sleeve Reconstruction
Select the red shirt right (right side when the shirt is worn) and black shirt left and carefully remove the sleeves from each side of the shirt using a seam ripper. Be very careful to not stretch the fabric.
Swap the sleeves so that red sleeve is with black shirt piece and the black sleeve is with red.
Turn the shirt half you are working on inside out and place the sleeve, right side out inside the
sleeve hole (right sides will be together), matching the top and bottom creases. Pin the sleeve in place, being careful not to stretch the fabric.
Using a serger or a stretch stitch on your sewing machine, stitch in a 1/4″ to 1/2″ seam all the way around.
If stitching by hand, take small stitches.
Repeat for second sleeve.
Shirt Body Reconstruction
Place one shirt half inside the other, right sides together so that the wrong sides of the seam lines will be on the outside. You will have two seams, a front seam and a back seam.
Carefully pin every few inches starting at the t-shirt ribbing and work your way down, trying not to stretch the fabric.
If the bottoms hems do not meet, pin the bottom edges together and ease along the middle of the shirt (t-shirts can be really wonky, but you can make it work!).
Carefully stitch along this line as for the sleeves.
Snip the corners of the inside seams on the diagonal.
Optional: Create a stencil with your own name using a Sans Serif font OR use purchased iron on letters.
Place cardboard or newspaper inside the t-shirt to protect from bleed through.
Using a warm iron, carefully place the stencil in the middle of the back of the shirt, matching center lines.
Stencil the name and star with red paint.
Gently peel away and allow to dry.
*I recommend testing your paint on dark fabric before you start. Some paints will need multiple layers. If the paint doesn’t cover, you can start with a white base coat.
LAST DAY: As a special bonus for my readers, get 50% off Machine Quilting: Free Motion & More until October 15, 12015! Original price is $39.99, get it now for $19.99! Offer good until 10/15/15 @11:59pm MT.
Are you making projects from 31 Days of Halloween? Share your photos with my flickr group! There will be a fun surprise after Halloween for one lucky winner!
2 – 2″ x 22″ strips of green fabric (fat quarters work great or you can sub-cut a WOF)
fun thread color (optional)
pinking shears (optional)
sewing machine
iron
Press both 22″ strips in half, pressing one end of each strip under 1/4″. Press in half again.
Stitch across the turned under end and down the length of each green strip.
Now you’ll have this!
Depending on the size of your towel, you may need to cut it in half. My towel was 23″ long. If you don’t cut your towel in half, then cut the seam allowance off the top end.
Run a long basting stitch along the raw edge, being sure to leave long tails on each end.
Use the basting to gather the towel. Now, set aside for the fun part!
Cut your orange fabric into two pieces approximately 7″ square (mine was a little wider, so I just left it). Cut out and trace the Pumpkin Template onto the right side of one piece of orange fabric with an erasable fabric pencil. I used my white Sewline pencil.
I marked a four inch space to help with the opening later on. This is optional.
Baste the orange fabric you just traced on to the batting with a few dots of washable school glue.
Using your fun thread and a wide stitch (I used a 3 on my Juki), trace the pumpkin line.
Starting at the top of the pumpkin, echo the shape an inch or so inside the line. You don’t have to be perfect here, every pumpkin is unique!
Mine looks like this.
Using your black fabric scraps and a pair of scissors, cut out the face you’d like for your Jack-O-Lantern. I decided to go super simple, trimming as needed until it was just the way I wanted.
Baste these pieces on with the washable school glue. Hit it for a few seconds with your iron to dry the glue.
Using the same stitch as before, stitch around each facial feature, being sure to back stitch as needed.
Trim the entire thing with pinking shears. The face is done, yay!
Place the completed face right side up on the remaining piece of orange fabric.
Slide the unstitched ends of the green ties into the top center and secure with a pin.
Measure a 4 inch opening at the bottom (this is what those marks were for back when I was tracing), Mark each side with a pen or erasable fabric pencil, marker, etc.
Sew around, on top of the original stitch, leaving the 4″ opening at the bottom. Back stitch at the beginning and end.
Insert the previously prepared towel in the opening (the back fabric is still untrimmed).
Adjust as needed until it is as even as possible.
Sew the opening closed. Depending on your machine, you may need to raise your presser foot or use a walking foot. You know your machine best, so do what works best for you.
Now, it’s time to trim off the back! Use scissors or your pinking shears to trim close to the stitching, being sure not to cut the front fabric.
The end is near! There are just a couple of days left to take advantage of the awesome class deal from Craftsy JUST for Sewhooked readers!
Machine Quilting: Free Motion & Morehas everything you need. For just $19.99 (regularly $39.99), you’ll get unlimited access to the following lessons:
Lesson 1. Introduction
Lesson 2. Preparing Your Quilts
Lesson 3. Stabilizing the Quilt
Lesson 4. Walking Foot Stitch Designs
Lesson 5. Marking for Free-Motion Quilting
Lesson 6. Simple Free-Motion Quilting
Lesson 7. Complex Free-Motion Quilting
Lesson 8. Thread Talk
Lesson 9. Whole Cloth Quilting & Troubleshooting
Lesson 10. Bindings & Finishing Touches
Sewhooked readers get 50% off Machine Quilting: Free Motion & More until October 15, 12015! Original price is $39.99, get it now for $19.99! Offer good until 10/15/15 @11:59pm MT.
Are you making projects from 31 Days of Halloween? Share your photos with my flickr group! There will be a fun surprise after Halloween for one lucky winner!
*Don’t want to microwave? Try this under the broiler, but keep any eye on it, the candy will melt fast!
Slice and core the apple any way you like, I like to cut my apples in 8ths for a nice apple bite! Place apple slices on parchment lined microwave-safe plate.
Using toothpicks, attach one caramel to the center of each apple
Microwave until the caramel just starts to melt. It takes my microwave about 1 minute and 20 seconds. Time may very with yours, so keep an eye on it.
Some of your caramel slip off? That’s okay, just scoop it up and dump it back on top!
As a finishing touch, sprinkle chopped pecans or walnuts (shown) on top while the candy is still warm. I recommend eating these warm, but you can refrigerate them, too. The candy may settle a bit, but it’ll peel right off the parchment paper!
REMINDER: As a special bonus for my readers, get 50% off Machine Quilting: Free Motion & More until October 15, 12015! Original price is $39.99, get it now for $19.99! Offer good until 10/15/15 @11:59pm MT.
Are you making projects from 31 Days of Halloween? Share your photos with my flickr group! There will be a fun surprise after Halloween for one lucky winner!
Happy Sunday! Today, we’re revisiting a tried and true favorite for our 31 Days of Halloween!
While not new to Sewhooked, Cauldron Pin Cushions are one of my all time favorite super-easy crafty gift to make for Harry Potter & Halloween-loving friends who sew!
marbles, pony beads or whatever you like to weigh down the bottom (absolutely necessary or the cauldron will be top heavy and roll)
a small amount of polyfil
scrap of fabric
hand sewing needle needle
thread
scissors
hot melt glue gun
Gather your supplies (weights are in the bowl).
Cut a circle about twice the size of the cauldron out of the fabric. With the thread doubled on your needle, stitch a straight running stitch around the outside edge.
Pull the running stitch up about half way to gather the fabric circle. Add polyfil to the fabric circle & pull thread tight. Knot off securely.
Add weights to the bottom of the cauldron and top with polyfil.
Squeeze hot melt glue under the lip of the cauldron. Push fabric into the cauldron, pretty side up, making sure it catches under the lip.
Let dry and, we’re done! How fun and easy is that?
As a special bonus for my readers, get 50% off Machine Quilting: Free Motion & More until October 15, 12015! Original price is $39.99, get it now for $19.99! Offer good until 10/15/15 @11:59pm MT.
Are you making projects from 31 Days of Halloween? Share your photos with my flickr group! There will be a fun surprise after Halloween for one lucky winner!
How about a fun quilt layout idea? I couldn’t resist!
Yeah, my kids are pretty much grown and I still love Sesame Street. 😉
As a special bonus for my readers, get 50% off Machine Quilting: Free Motion & More until October 15, 12015! Original price is $39.99, get it now for $19.99! Offer good until 10/15/15 @11:59pm MT.
Are you making projects from 31 Days of Halloween? Share your photos with my flickr group! There will be a fun surprise after Halloween for one lucky winner!
Hi all, I have a quick bonus post for you today! For the next week, Craftsy is having a special deal JUST for Sewhooked readers.
You heard that right, that means you!
Because of my work with Fandom in Stitches, many of my readers are brand new to quilting and one of the things I hear most often is “I finished a quilt top, now what?!”
With that in mind, I couldn’t think of anything better than a thorough class on finishing your quilts at home on your own sewing machine!
Machine Quilting: Free Motion & Morehas everything you need. For just $19.99 (regularly $39.99), you’ll get unlimited access to the following lessons:
Lesson plan
Lesson 1. Introduction
Meet award-winning quilter, teacher and author Wendy Butler Berns.
Lesson 2. Preparing Your Quilts
Lesson 3. Stabilizing the Quilt
Lesson 4. Walking Foot Stitch Designs
Lesson 5. Marking for Free-Motion Quilting
Lesson 6. Simple Free-Motion Quilting
Lesson 7. Complex Free-Motion Quilting
Lesson 8. Thread Talk
Lesson 9. Whole Cloth Quilting & Troubleshooting
Lesson 10. Bindings & Finishing Touches
Sewhooked readers get 50% off Machine Quilting: Free Motion & More until October 15, 12015! Original price is $39.99, get it now for $19.99! Offer good until 10/15/15 @11:59pm MT.
As a special bonus for my readers, get 50% off Machine Quilting: Free Motion & More until October 15, 12015! Original price is $39.99, get it now for $19.99! Offer good until 10/15/15 @11:59pm MT.
Are you making projects from 31 Days of Halloween? Share your photos with my flickr group! There will be a fun surprise after Halloween for one lucky winner!
For this project you’ll need: (affiliate links are marked *)
The stencil, printed on the matte side of freezer paper (for easy printing, I cut a sheet to letter size then tape the top side to a piece of regular printer paper)
cardboard or paper for inside the shirt/back of fabric
You’ll need fabric or a t-shirt. Most instructions say to pre-wash, but I won’t lie, I rarely do and I’ve never had any issues with the paint sticking or not lasting.
I used Tulip Soft Fabric Paint for this project.
Here’s the stencil all cut out and ironed on to my fabric. I like to use a pressing cloth after I iron the pointy bits are in place to ensure everything is nice and stuck.
Freezer paper creates a temporary bond, and it will peel off, so check your edges before painting.
I wanted a candy corn effect on the letters, so I blended my colors, starting with white and working my way down. When all the colors were in place, I went back and blended a little between the edges.
The stencil is designed so that the candy corn pieces can be entirely separate if you wish. If you’d prefer to blend yours, simply cut away the dividing bits before ironing the stencil on to your fabric (I didn’t do that, and had to go back with a tiny paint brush, no fun!).
It looks complicated, but it’s so, so simple! Just take your time and don’t be too fussed if the edges aren’t perfect.
And, done!
I stenciled this on a piece of Moda Marbles and now I’m thinking my Jack cushion might need a companion…
If you’re feeling ambitious, try it with embroidery or even applique!
What do you think? Any ideas for how you might use this fun (and free!) stencil?
Sewhooked 