Stop staring and start sewing!

Make an adorable mini spiral bound notebook cover (the vertical kind) - Video!

This is one of my favorite little projects to make in my sewing classes. It's fun, quick, adorable, and very useful! It's got it all!

I get these cute mini memo books at Walmart for around .27 each (or .88 for a four pack). I grab a few stacks at a time since I never know if they'll decide to discontinue them (that happened to me once).

Just download the pattern pieces here, print them out at 100% (just 2 pages), and tape them together (do not overlap). It's all in the video below.

Watch here!

This is a great little place to use your fabric scraps!

Let me know what you think and be sure to follow and subscribe to my youtube channel!

DIY Outdoor Nativity Set for your yard - Angel and Star - Free Pattern Included

Okay! In the past I've always had a special Christmas Gift for my blog readers sometime in December. But this year I want to post your gift sooner so you can get an early start on it (because if you do the whole Nativity set it's quite a project). I already had a request for this newest segment of the set (previous segments are in the links at the bottom of this post) so I figured I'd better just put it out there. This time I'm including a disclaimer....

DISCLAIMER: This is a sewing blog (at least 95% of it) so you'll need to forgive our lack of lumber acumen. Sewing questions? I'm your gal! Woodwork questions? Not so much. So please don't expect the same details you would get from a woodworking website. Thank you!

Our latest addition to my beloved nativity set is an angel and star set. I designed it to fit on a 4 x 4 piece of plywood so it's not crazy expensive and it's wonderfully uncomplicated. We mounted ours on a long strip of firring and tied it to our palm tree. Unfortunately our palm tree has since kicked the bucket (if you look at the other patterns you'll see we started with two palm trees and they've both died, not sure why) so we'll have to find another solution this year. But, I can't express how much I love this set and how happy it makes me to get it lit up every year!

Here's a closer picture of the angel and star. I'm going to paint the firring black this time (we painted it to match the tree last year and it was too bright for me). I also need to darken the little "connector" that goes from the sash to the gown (black sharpie does the trick quickly).

So the pages simply get printed (link for pdf file at bottom of this post) and taped together. You only need tape for the page edges inside the lines really. There may be printing gaps at the edges depending on how your printer works (if you can set it to "no borders" that would be great). Don't worry about the gaps, just pencil in the missing lines or cut right across them. Cut both images out.

Position your pattern shapes on your 4 x 4 and tape it down on some of the edges (or use pattern weights if you have them). Trace around the shapes. We just used a sharpie so it would be easily visible and it won't show once it's painted anyway.

Use your skill saw to cut the shapes out. We sanded the edges where there were any obvious rough spots.

Paint with white paint. Or black paint if you want a dark silhouette with a bright back light. We just used random white paint from our paint collection. You may want to paint both sides so you can turn it either direction when you're setting it up. Screw the pieces onto your firring strip and you're done (you can dab paint on the screws if you want them to blend in).

Please let me know if you use this! I'd love to see your pictures! If you blog about it or make a video with it please give me credit (Jona Giammalva, @jonagiammalva on instagram) and link to my blog. We have worked very hard on these over the years and we realize we could be selling the patterns instead of giving them away so any credit would be appreciated. Thank you! And Merry Christmas (early)!

 

Link to Angel and Star set

Link to Holy Family set (blog post Here)

Link to Wise Men set (blog post Here, at bottom of page)

Link to Shepherds and Sheep set (blog post Here, at bottom of page)

Link to Camel and Donkey set (blog post Here)

Build your own Nativity Set for outdoors - Shepherds, Donkey, and Camel

We've been adding to our nativity set each year and I know folks have been coming to my site from Pinterest to get the new patterns. Here they are finally!

We started with the Holy Family and then added the Wise Men (links to pdf files are included in this blog post). A couple of years ago we made shepherds with a lamb and last year we made a beautiful, big camel and a cute little donkey (links to both patterns below near the pictures). Our next goal is the angel and maybe a new star. But I looooove the whole set and it makes me happy to see it in my yard every Christmas season.

Here is the right side of our yard.

And these two are on the left side.

The camel is really big so it took one complete 4x4 plywood and then we able to flip the donkey and fit it into place with the leftovers. In the pattern I advise having a 36"x24" piece of plywood for the donkey (because I can't remember if we had a board bigger than 4x4 for both and I don't want anyone to end up short on wood). Click here for the pdf file.

It all came together beautifully and Joey is turning into quite the jigsaw artist.

Here's the shepherd set up close. If you look at the bottom you can see we started setting the middle piece back behind the 2x4 (we started doing that the second year we had the Holy Family set). It gives us more room to move the figures and it creates some nice depth and shadows. Click here for the pdf file.

Here's the pattern layout on the 4x4. If you look in the red circle you can see where Joey added a little "support beam" on the shepherds staff. I filled this area in with a sharpie so it's not obvious (I'm going to go over it again this year since it really needs a couple of coats to darken it). I added that to the printable pattern as well.

I hope you are able to use these and they are a blessing to you and your home. One reader made a set to place outside of their church during Christmas and it thrills me to know many people were able to enjoy them. They are my gift to you. They took us many hours to create and compile in this format so please be kind in your comments. Have a beautiful Holiday Season this year! Merry Christmas from our home to yours.

Link to Angel and Star set

Link to Holy Family set (blog post Here)

Link to Wise Men set (blog post Here, at bottom of page)

Link to Shepherds and Sheep set (blog post Here, at bottom of page)

Link to Camel and Donkey set (blog post Here)

Sew the World's Fastest Zipper Pouch

Here is a quick video I recently posted on my YouTube channel. I timed myself (but made it without the cute ribbon tab) and it took me 3 minutes and 21 seconds from start to finish to sew one of these (I had my supplies cut and ready). I've already had a newbie from Instagram try it and she was so proud of herself. That is why I share this stuff! To unravel the mystery of zippers. Not really. There is no mystery. You just need to start.

The supplies are so basic. Just make sure you have a long (nylon, not metal) zipper and it will be quick and easy.

Let me know if you try it. And feel free to make a bunch. They are great gifts and might be good to sell if you're looking for a craft booth idea.

Let me know if you try it! If you post it on instagram be sure to tag me #jonagiammalva because I want to see it! Have a wonderful day!

A new direction and my first youtube video tutorial!

Hello! Sorry for the terribly long absence! I've been very very busy with something new and amazing and here is one small portion I can share right now. But first, an updated picture of me (remember when I started growing out my grey hair?). I'm still here!

 

I've missed you all and will be back with lots of fun stories about my new adventure. But be sure to watch this, leave a comment if you want, and download the full pdf pattern (link under video) if you want to try this project.

 

Here's the Patchwork Coffee Cup Cozy pdf pattern just for my blog readers! 

 

Oh! And join me on facebook at Make Sewing Studio!

Make a quick heart pillow for your valentine (and other stuff too!)

It's nearly February and I've been sewing my heart out on everything! My neighbor has a darling pillow on her porch chair with a wacky heart appliquéd to it so I totally stole that idea and made one for myself. I love it! It was fast, simple, cute, and I'm sharing it with you. I got the ticking fabric at Jo-Ann but you can also find it at Walmart (at a much better price!).

I chose 18 x 18 inch pillows and used my invisible zipper method and everything turned out great. I cut each pillow square 18.5 x 18.5 before sewing it together. Here's the other one I made. If you make one of these don't feel obligated to chose traditional Valentine's Day colors. Just pick what makes you happy! This orange heart (DS Quilts fabric from Jo-Ann) makes me happy. If you want to make a pillow with an envelope closure (envelope pillow tutorial here) just make sure your pillow is nearly ready to sew together before you center the heart design, then applique it in place and finish your pillow.

 I used the smaller template for a cute dish towel to add a little Valentine festivity to my kitchen.  

And the smaller template was perfect for a new table square to brighten up my dining room. 

Here's how you can make them too. Download and cut the template(s) (pdfs below for you) in the heart shape you want to use...

Download large and small heart template pdf pictured below (58.2K)

Just cut the shape out and place on your fabric fold.

Download wacky heart template pdf pictured below (50.9K)

Just cut the pieces out and tape together so the arrows meet each other.

Chose your fabric and fold it if you're using the regular heart shape. Place your template on the fold and cute out the heart shape. Open your heart shape and press it to get the crease out. With the wacky heart shape just cut it, tape it together, and trace around it before cutting.

Smudge your glue stick all around the edges and a little in the middle. Work fast because it dries quickly.

Heat set in place but running your hot iron over the heart.

 Use a zig zag stitch and a fun thread color to zig zag all around the edges making sure your stitch is centered so you enclose the edges with each stitch.

 There you go! You can make these for yourself and they also make great gift and boutique ideas.

I'm really in love with all these hearts and will probably whip up a few more before I get tired of them. Then I guess I'll be on to shamrocks, right?

Let me know if you try it and what you think!!  Have a great week and keep on sewing!

Related articles

Make a pillow cover with an invisible zipper (no pins needed!)

In a Snap pillow covers (another tutorial!)

A tea towel tutorial

Make a self binding table square...or napkin...or anything

 This is a really fun and easy project and if you love perfectly mitered corners then you will adore this tutorial for a self binding table square. I love mine!

 You can use this concept for a table square, table runner, napkins, anything that's square or rectangular. I'm making a medium sized table square to go under my cake stands and once I'm done it will be 21" x 21". A good way to figure out your finished size is to add the dimension of the smaller one to the dimension to the bigger one then divide by two and subtract the seam allowance.  18 + 26 = 44 (both heights added) then 44 ÷ 2 = 22 (divide by 2) then 22 - 1 = 21 (subtract total of all seam allowances). I hope that makes sense.

 To get started you'll need to mark sewing lines on all of your pieces. I'm using disappearing ink which will wash off with just a dab of water when I'm done.  I use these disappearing ink pens all the time so if you haven't tried them grabbed your 50% off coupon and treat yourself to a wonderful new sewing tool. If you're using a pencil make sure you don't get your mark beyond the 1/4" seams allowance where it will end up showing when you've finished.

The center piece (with the bird on it)  is 8" smaller than the big piece (the bottom and binding) so divide 8 in half and mark the big piece 4" from each corner edge.

 Then on the wrong side of the center piece make a mark 1/4" from each corner.

 Now, work with two opposite sides and pin your center fabric so it's between the marks on the larger binding fabric (just scrunch up the larger piece of fabric underneath until your sides reach each other). Starting on the small corner dot, stitch across each side starting and stopping at the dots (don't stitch all the way to the ends). Use a 1/4" seam allowance. Be sure to backstitch as you start and stop.

 Here's a closeup of what it will look like. You can see the fabric is right up next to the blue line underneath and I've stopped stitching at the blue corner dot.

 

Now you're going to sew the other two sides. You'll need to "scrunch" the larger fabric piece underneath and pin the un-sewn sides of the center fabric to the un-sewn sides of the larger binding fabric (make sure the fabric is between your markings like you did on the previous step. You can see a closeup of a corner below. Be sure to move the underneath fabric out of the way so it doesn't get caught in your stitches.

 

Stitch from dot to dot (be sure to backstitch again) but leave a 3" opening along one side for turning your fabric right side out.

 

Here is a closeup showing how the stitches meet at the dot but don't go past it.

 

Your larger fabric will be big and loose like this.

 

Now fold a corner so the raw edges meet up together and place a ruler along the fold. Draw a straight line from the fold to the dot where your previous seams met (a drew a dot on the outer fabric to make it obvious). Do this on all four corners. Don't draw all the way to the raw edge because you won't be sewing to the raw edge, you'll sew between the dot and the folded edge.

 Sew between the dot and the edge (remember to backstitch).

 Cut away the extra fabric.

 Now press the center fabric's seam allowance toward the larger fabric. This will make the next step so much easier and cleaner.

 Here's a close up of the un-sewn opening after it's pressed.

Now reach in and, starting with the corners, pull the fabric through the opening.

 Here's the opening after you've turned it inside out. The previous pressing step made the binding fabric nicely folded on that edge and ready to stitch shut.

 Press your table square and make sure that opening fold is just the way you want it so it blends in with the rest of the binding seam. Top stitch around the binding, pivoting at the corner seams where it's nicely mitered. Now nobody will ever be able to tell where that opening was.

 Here's a picture of the stitches underneath.

 Now press your table square smartly and place it somewhere you can enjoy every time you walk by it.

 

Pretty!

These make great gifts, especially for newlyweds or house warming gift giving.  You can use this method to make a cute set of napkins (make the big square 19 x19 and the small square 15 x 15 for a nice sized napkin), or a table runner for a baby's dresser. The ideas are endless!

Make your own pillow insert for cheap

I had a customer request a pillow insert that is 24" x 16" and it's a bit of an oddball size so I don't have one in stock. I looked into it and they're at least 17.00 on average and I thought wait a minute....

I went to Walmart and picked up a regular old pillow in "medium support" style for 4.88.  This is the standard size and it's 17 x 26 inches. 

I cut the end open.

Removed the polyfil stuffing.

And then cut it to the size I needed plus the seam allowance (16 1/2 x 24 1/4 since it already had a seam at one end).

I stitched up each side and a little bit on each side of the end.  I left a decent sized hole to stuff all the polyfil back in.

I grabbed my cheapo scissors and trimmed off some of the polyfil at the end (I'll keep the excess for a pin cushion or softie project).

Then I stuffed it all back in making sure I got it into the corners.

I pinned the end shut but put the pins about 2 inches from the edge so the fluff wouldn't get in the way while I was sewing. All of my seams are obvious but since it's going inside a pillow cover it doesn't matter. 

Bam!  It's exactly the size I needed and cost less than buying it even at a wholesale price.  You can do this with any size of insert you need.

Give it a shot and let me know how it works for you!

 

Make a pillow cover with an invisible zipper (no pins needed!)

I'm going to show you how to make a smart and fabulous pillow cover with a truly invisible zipper!

Few things bring me more satisfaction than a well done invisible zipper.  I see lots of tutorials for pillows with zippers and some call them "hidden zippers" but it drives me crazy because the zippers are behind the obvious fabric folds and there are seams showing the whole length on each side of the zipper (just a pet peeve of mine).  It doesn't have to be that way!  Installing an invisible zipper is no more difficult than sewing regular zippers (I think it's easier actually).

Here are the two pillows I've made recently.  The top one is awesome.  The bottom one has a poorly installed invisible zipper.  The two big differences were 1. ironing the zipper coils first and 2. getting my sewing machine needle as close to the coil as possible while sewing.  I'm going to take you through those steps as well as others to get a great finish!

First, let's talk about invisible zippers.  Invisible zippers are actually labeled "Invisible Zipper" (it's not just the outcome of the process, it's the actual name).  On the left is a regular zipper which has exposed teeth and a square-ish zipper pull.  On the right is an invisible zipper and you can't see the teeth at all plus the pull is long and tapered. Invisible zippers cost a little bit more but the great outcome makes up for the small price difference.

Now let's talk about zipper feet.  Your sewing machine probably came with a zipper foot like the one on the left.  This one will do the trick if your machine has the ability to shift the needle over to the side. The notched areas underneath each side enable you to get your zipper closer to the needle (but not all the way which is why you need to shift your needle over).

The foot on the right is a foot specifically for sewing invisible zippers (this one is from my Juki so it's got a higher shank but the grooves will be the same on a lower shank foot).  If your needle can't be adjusted to the side you need something like this because it allows you to set the zipper right under and next to the needle without having to move the needle.

If you don't want to invest in an invisible zipper foot quite yet you can get this plastic one, pictured below, made by Coats. They're a lot flimsier than the metal ones of course, but for 2.50-ish it's a great way to see if you like the grooved foot before buying a metal one.

  

Besides a suitable zipper foot, you'll need the supplies below:

1. Two fabric squares cut the same dimensions as your pillow form.  My pillow form is 18 x 18 and I cut the fabric squares 18 x 18 so I get a finished cover of approximately 17 x 17 inches.

2. One invisible zipper at least 4 inches longer than your fabric pieces (my zipper is around 22-24 inches long).

3. One Elmers-type glue stick.  I use the stuff that is purple before it dries.

Your first step is to unzip your zipper and iron the coils so they lay as flat as possible (this will enable you to really get your needle up next to it).

Here's a picture of one side of a zipper before and after ironing.  I really applied a lot of heat and took my time to really get it to "uncurl" and lay flat.  

Lay your zipper on one side of the fabric and mark both sides of the zipper about 1.5" from the end of your fabric. The zipper pull is face down when you mark it (more detailed picture next).

Here's an example of how your zipper will lie when you start gluing it in place (yes glue!).  I've zipped this one up partly so you can see that the zipper pull is face down.  You'll need to unzip it completely for the next few stages.

Glue along the whole edge where your zipper will be sewn.  Place a piece of paper under it so you don't get glue on your ironing surface. The glue dries pretty quickly so have everything ready when you get started.

Once you have the zipper pressed in place along the edge you want to heat set the glue with your iron.  Just set it on top of the zipper and press and it will dry the glue enough to hold it while you work with it.  I've used glue for a long time but it was my friend Cristy Fincher who showed me you need to heat set it with your iron (it changed everything for the better!). If the glue is drying before you can get to this part then do this process in two parts (glue half way up, set your zipper, heat press and then glue the rest of the way to the end and repeat the process).

This glue seriously holds!  So much more accurate and reliable than straight pins.

Now flip your glued part over on top of the other fabric piece (like the picture below) and repeat the glueing process on the edge of this piece.

Make sure your edges and the marked lines match up.

Here's what it all looks like when the zipper is glued and heat set in place.  You're ready to sew!

Place your zipper under the zipper foot and adjust your needle so it's right next to the coil.  Don't start stitching at the very end of the pillow piece but start about 1/4" before the mark you made.  Backstitch and start sewing the length of the zipper.

Stop stitching just 1/4" past the other side of the mark you made at the other end.  Backstitch.

Now repeat that process on the other piece of fabric.

Place your fabric pieces right sides together and pull your zipper in so it's no longer hanging off the end of the pillow pieces.  Don't pull it all the way shut.  Now you're going to finish stitching the length of the zipper side.  Pull your zipper "tail" up and out of the way.

Now dab some glue on the un-sewn corners.

Heat set.

Here are both ends (folded so you can see both). They are glued shut at the corners and the zipper "tails" are out of the way.

Now use your marker to make the sewing line on each end.  Draw a straight line from the end and go past the end of the zipper stitch by 1/2".

Move your zipper foot over to the other side, adjust your needle over so it's on your line, and stitch along your line past your zipper stitch.  Backstitch.

Now cut the zipper tails off (use cruddy scissors for this).

Cut both ends of the zipper off.

Open your pillow and press your seam.  Isn't this lovely??  Once you've pressed this seam you'll need to unzip your zipper about halfway down the length of the pillow (or you won't be about to get your hand inside your pillow to turn it right side out once you've finished stitching all the way around it).

Did you remember to unzip your zipper?  Good. Now fold your pillow back together (right sides together). Glue and heat set the edges of the pillow pieces all the way around the perimeter.  Keep your edges even and lined up neatly.

Now use a 1/2" seam allowance and stitch all the way around starting at the zipper edge.

Rather than pivoting at the corner, just stitch all the way off the edge (but backstitch at the spot where you would've pivoted).  Then start sewing again on the next side (again backstitch at the spot where the two stitches intersect).

Once you're done sewing snip your corners off.

On the corners near the zipper you'll want to trim off a little of the seam allowance on the side too (this will give you sharper corners here).

Start turning it right side out and poke your corners out (you can use a chopstick point or something similar to get a good corner).

Lay your pillow cover flat and press your seams open as much as you can.

Here it is, nice and finished and ready to be stuffed.  Nice clean lines, a discreet zipper, and you didn't use one pin the whole time.

 Squish your pillow form up and stuff it into your new, beautiful cover.  Take care to stuff it into the corners too.  Now zip it up.  Isn't it pretty?  Pat yourself on the back now.  Do it.

Now you can enjoy them forever.

Let me know how it works for you!

 

New parsons chair slipcovers for my dining room

 I've been focusing most of my sewing/decorating focus in my dining room lately.  I'm getting desperate to have things finished instead of "in the process".  A few more things and I'll call this room done.  But covering the chairs was the biggest part of it so it's quite an accomplishment and I'm ready to show it off.

A couple of years ago I was watching Season 3 of Sarah Richardson's show on HGTV and fell in love with the dotted fabric on the kitchen chairs (pictures here).  Unfortunately for me, the fabric is over 30.00 a yard.  Ouch.  When I saw this Birch (like a barkcloth texture) Ikat Dot Nova Grey home dec print from Premier Prints I had a feeling this was just what I was looking for.  I bought a yard just to check it out and it's absolutely perfect.  It's grey with creamy dots so the overall effect is a perfect "greige". I have more here in my Fabritopia store and it's only 12.99 a yard!  Each chair has taken about 1.5 yards so it's been a very reasonable and beautiful solution.

 Here's what I started with.  I bought 6 of these parsons chairs from a Craigslist add for 65.00 (plus they threw in a table for free which I used as a desk for awhile then got rid of).  They are comfortable and the fabric was in good shape so they looked fine with everything but I wanted them to look super fine.

I looked all over for a pattern and ended up purchasing one but I didn't like all the extra pieces (I knew with some pleats and corners it could be simplified and still look smart). I took the process nice and slow with the first one since I knew I needed a good pattern in order for the other 5 to be easy.  I used muslin for the pattern pieces and started sewing, seam ripping, and sewing again until the fit was nice.  I started with the seat.

 I then added the seat back and worked hard to get the pleats at the top corners nice and tight and made sure the seam where the two pieces met was low enough to not pull apart from the pressure of someone sitting but high enough to not look baggy the rest of the time.

 When I added the back piece I knew it would need to open up a little in order to slide onto the chair (it's wider at the top than the bottom). The pleat opens about 7 inches from the top so it's not baggy.  I wasn't careful to match my dot pattern with this back piece but if fixed that on the other 5 so you can't really see the seam (and this one goes against the wall where nobody can see the back!).

 I wanted the skirt to look finished but still be soft looking and these gently flared pleats did the trick.  Plus the piping gives it a smart finish.  This first one was a little droopy at the front of the seat so I raised the pattern up in that spot for the rest of them.  I'm okay with the first chair being less-than-perfect (it took me awhile to get to the place in life!).

 

I just made a simple, but crisp, bow to pull the pleat together in the back.  I considered a button and loop, a frog closure, hidden hook and eye...but finally settled on the bow.  I really like it.

 So here's my room at this point and I couldn't be happier.  It looks like somebody cared enough to take care of the details.  I'm shopping for a new light fixture next.

 And Joey found these HENRIKSDAL chairs for the end of the table in the AS IS section of IKEA.  They were half price and are a close enough match that I don't know if anyone will even notice the difference one they're covered.  I'm working on a pattern right now and will be able to make it available to others since these chairs are easier for folks to get.

 That's all! 

 

Have a great week and keep on sewing!!!