the perfect pants pattern!

In addition to the perfect t-shirt, I’m also trying to find the perfect lounge pants. I know it’s hard with elastic waistbands — the fabric always seems to bunch up in the front when you sit down — but I would like to minimize the amount of bunching!
Remember these pajamas? They are from Simplicity 3935. [...]

wardrobe refashion: another t-shirt

I have not abandoned my dream of many refashioned t-shirts. On a recent 99 cent thrifting spree I found my favorite style t-shirt in my size. Luckily the color didn’t look that great on me, so I took it apart to make a master pattern.

I’ll admit I was feeling a little over-confident when I tried [...]

tiny striped egg pattern

So here it is! After many eggs, I finally found the right hook/yarn combination that feels right. My first egg used a larger hook and Red Heart yarn. It was too big and looked a little lumpy. I finally settled on Plymouth Galway wool with a smaller hook. Both are labeled worsted weight, but the [...]

tiny four-leaf clover pattern

I had this idea. The top of my tiny crochet hearts kind of look like half of a four-leaf clover. What if I added two more leaves and a stem?

After a few tries, I finally got it. Hope they bring you some good luck!
Tiny Four-Leaf Clover Pattern
worsted weight yarn
size G/5 (4.25mm) crochet hook
tapestry needle for [...]

my first skirt from measurements

A few months ago I checked out Sew What! Skirts from the library. The book just clicked with me. The instructions made sense and seemed really easy. I decided to buy the book and spent months reading and looking at the pictures even though I didn’t have time to make anything.
This weekend I’ve got a [...]

easy backpack with bias tape straps

My daughter starts preschool next week and she needed a backpack. I asked her if she’d like me to make one for her and she said YES!
I let her choose fabric from my stash and helped her with coordinating the colors. I really like how it turned out and she loves it. My only [...]

how to refashion a dress into a skirt
in five easy steps

Even though I wrote this tutorial for a kid’s size dress, you can do this with adult sizes, too. This is the same way I turned a shirt into a skirt.
My daughter and I both love this dress. She only wore it a few times last season because it was too big. This year it [...]

handmade baby shower gift

My knitting group had a baby shower for my friend Tana last night. I couldn’t figure out what to make because she has already created so many beautiful sweaters, blankets and quilts herself. I decided to sew something instead. I figured her daughter is going to be the best dressed baby when the weather is [...]

remote control pillow pattern

from the julie-bird.com archives
UPDATE: Thanks to WhipUp for their link to my pattern!
When it comes to gift giving, it’s really hard to buy for my brother. Same with his girlfriend. They don’t have a lot of time for hobbies because they both work really hard at their jobs and at school. The only thing that [...]

easy kids shorts pattern

from the julie-bird.com archives
UPDATE: Thanks to the Craft Magazine blog for their link to my pattern!
I’ll say right up front, this isn’t an original idea. There are lots of tutorials on the web on how to make kids pants, like here and here. There’s also a cool how-to in The Creative Family.
I also need to [...]

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