August Giveaway!{CLOSED}

At the end of each month I have a giveaway!

January = Tic Tac Toe Pincushion, Birdie appliques and the Buttercup Bag

February = Sew Spoiled Cabrio Tote ePattern
March = Edith Apron

April = 5 ePatterns

May = 5 ePatterns

June = Ladybug Convertible Apron ePattern

July = Amy Butler handmade iPad sleeve

The August giveaway is for one Sew Spoiled Ladybug half apron!

The giveaway will run through midnight on August 31,2010 with the winner being announced on September 1 ,2010. The winner will be chosen using Random.org.

We will send it September 2 ,2010! All friends are welcome! 

What do you have to do to enter to win??

Leave a comment, leave your email address in the comment and only 1 entry person.

These are all available in my shop!

Happy Sewing!

Teaching and Designing

Wow! This school year starting took me totally by surprise! Some of you might not know I am a school teacher by day and seamstress by night. That is probably why when I started making my own sewing designs I decided to write them out and share them with you. I love to teach and create. But to teach others how to create something new, that is where I find the most enjoyment!

I have recently receive many emails about my plans for new upcoming designs. For instance, “When will you release another bag?”, “Are you going to publish a pattern for the pleated wristlet in a larger size?”, “Will there be another Ladybug design? I am a collector.” or “Are you going to write a sewing book?” All are great questions and I love receiving emails from you, it inspires me to write more! My answer is yes...hopefully all of these will happen in the near future. Bags are my favorite things to sew. If you looked into my closet you would see more bags than shoes, so a new bag design is always in the works. I did make a few large wristlets this summer and I love the larger size and shape. I am planning to make this new large pleated wristlet available soon. As for the ladybug pleat style, I have drawn a Ladybug Garment Bag. It is only in the first stages, so it won’t be available until 2011. Finally, I would love to write a sewing book. I have a collection of projects I have put together for a book. Whenever a project idea comes my way and it does not fit a blog entry or PDF pattern then it goes to the book idea pile.

Let me share with you a little bit of the process or stages I go through to make a Sew Spoiled pattern that you might see in my shop. Maybe it will inspire you to write.

The first part is my favorite, drafting the idea! I keep a journal by my bedside table and most often wake up with images of designs I want to try to create.

Second, I make the bag many times. (many, many, many times) Usually it takes many attempts to make it perfect.

Third, I write the detailed instructions from beginning to end.

Fourth, I make it with beautiful fabrics and take a zillion pictures.

Fifth, I put the instructions and pictures together using many different computer programs.

Last but not least, we proofread, evaluate, dissect each step and put it all back together to make a Sew Spoiled Pattern.

If you have any questions, please feel free to write me at leah.sewspoiled@gmail.com. I enjoy receiving emails and pictures of your Sew Spoiled creations. Also I have created a Flickr photo sharing group called your Sew Spoiled Projects! We currently have 60 members and 29 pictures. My hope is that this will be a place for you to showcase your Sew Spoiled projects. It could be a free Sew Spoiled tutorial or an ePattern from the shop.

Happy Sewing!

Perry Crafts and Party Ideas!

We love Perry the Platypus on the hit cartoon Phineas and Ferb!!! We found this paper Perry the Platypus at Limeth-Deviantar. I thought it was pretty cool to make a Perry paper cubee! It is more for looks than a toy to be played with but it made for an interesting Daddy-Daughter craft.
I want to do a Perry Themed birthday party for someone special. At the moment I am gathering ideas! I could use some help.

Wow! Look at this homemade Perry cake! The tutorial is here at Dabble. This looks like a ton of work but how cool!!!
I found Secret Agent games here at the Best Birthday Parties!
Just brainstorming! If you see anything online, please feel free to contribute to the brainstorming and add a link in the comments! I appreciate any help! If you have had a Themed party like this please share!
Thanks!

Fabric and Sales!

Patty Young has many gorgeous knit fabrics out for Michael Miller. Her Andalucia line is vibrate and wonderful for little girls to wear!

I fell in love with the Mod Blooms and Dot Dots in Turquoise. I have big plans for this fabric! I can’t wait to share with you another new Sew Spoiled pattern!

It is only in the first stages. Draw, sew, write...Repeat! It sounds easy, right!

These prints are coordinating fabrics from the Andrea Victoria! I bet you know what I am making from these stylish fabrics!

That is right, New iPad Folding Cases!!! I hope to finish them over the weekend. (fingers-crossed)

Many stores including, Fabric Stores are trying to get ready for the new season. In order to buy new fabrics, they have to get rid of the old. Here are a few of my Favorite Fab Fabric stores and links to the sales in their Shops! Don’t forget to look for Sew Spoiled ePatterns too!

Sales!

Above All Fabrics

Pink Chalk

Sew Mama Sew

Super Easy Butter Cookies!

Ingredients:
1 stick of margarine at room temperature
1 cup of flour
4 tablespoons of sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 1: Mix the ingredients all together with your hands or a fork.

Step 2: Make 1” dough balls and place them on a cookie sheet. Press the cookies down with a fork making a crisscross pattern.

Step 3: Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool and enjoy! Makes 15 Butter Cookies!
This is a small recipe but if you want to make more simply double the ingredients.
Recipe by Joyce Andrews from My Things To Do Book.  
These extra cute printable tags by Pen and Paper Studio Design would make a cute teachers gift for back to school
Or for the kids!

Clubhouse Craft Time: Art Clips

We decided to play in the clubhouse today and make some Art Clips for the refrigerator. Here is our fun tutorial!
Materials:
Mod Podge
Fabric Scraps
Clothes line clips
Magnets
Glue gun

Step 1: Cover the clips with Mod Podge and place your scrap fabric on top, let dry. Cut off the excess fabric.

Step 2: Cover with more Mod Podge on top, let dry. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the opposite side.

Step 3: Use your glue gun to adhere magnets to the back of the clips.

Step 4: Hang beautiful Art Work!
Super easy and fun to make!
Tips:
Make your craft time special by going to an unusual place.
When you sharing craft time with your little ones make sure you have all your materials close at hand, including cleaning supplies! :)
Remember you learn more if you make a mistake.

Back to School Tutorials!

Well, it is that time of year again. The stores are hopping with parents trying to find best deals and students buy the supplies they need for school. I enjoy making something special for my kids return to school. Maybe a lunch box, backpack or pencil case. I found some simple tutorials and good information for making or buying that school backpack.

This Free Backpack Pattern was featured on Sew Mama Sew by Rachel Measham-Pywell from Four Wise Monkeys! It is super cute and with one trip to the fabric store your child can have a unique backpack that no one else has. Make sure to size your child’s backpack with this guide in mind!

I found a great guide for sizing your child’s Backpack at About.com. This is a great resource! Make sure you buy or sew a backpack that is the correct size for your child!

The Draw String Lunch bag tutorialis from Pink Penguin! It is super cute and easy to follow with great pictures for each step!

Last but not least, the Nap Mat/ Bed Roll by Prudent Babylooks super comfy and warm. If you have a little one that hates nap time this would be a terrific way to make nap time fun!

Happy Sewing!

~Leah

Sew Blogging News!

I just found this incredible link of 52 Dresses and they are all free!!!

Thank you Craft Stew for putting all of these dress tutorials together! I will definitely make half of these hopefully by December!

Next check out Sew What’s New! There you can learn many sewing techniques by watching any of their 387 videos. Whatever your level of sewing, you will find something fun to watch!

Last but not least, stop by Burda Style! It is a very interactive site were you can receive free patterns, see what others are sewing and add your own pictures of your latest projects by sign up as a member free!

Hope you enjoy these fun Sewing Sites!

Sew Spoiled iPad Folding Case!!

I finished a few more happy iPad folding cases for my shop! This pattern is one of my favorites! It takes less than 2 hours to make, cost effective and there is no hardware! 

If you need a great gift for your geeky guy, these make terrific presents!

Happy Sewing!

Sew Spoiled Embroidery Tips

I sat down with a friend this week and learned more about digitalizing embroidery designs. She took me through some of the process as she was making my logo transform from pixels to stitches. I loved her set up with a large computer screen beside her 6 needle embroidery machine humming away as we talked.
While I was there I picked up a few simple tips for embroidering and I am going to share them with you.
Tip #1: Set your self up for success! Make sure you have all the thread colors you need, scissors are close and interfacing.
Tip #2: The denser your embroidery design is, the firmer your stabilizer should be.
Tip #3: Change your needle often! A blunt needle can ruin your embroidery design and you will have to start all over again.
Tip# 4: Test your design on a scrap piece of fabric before placing it on the final project. This is especial true if you have not used the design ever before. Sometimes it looks great on the computer screen but is totally different in the hoop.
Tip #5: You do not have to hoop everything! Place your firm interfacing into the hoop, spray with adhesive spray and place your fabric over the hoop. (Now no hoop-burn!)
Tip #6: The most important tip, share your love of sewing with friends. We had hours of fun together catching up and playing with fabrics and fibers.
Happy Stitching!

Update Your Blog!

This week I have been learning fun ways to update my Blog.

*I have been using a program call MacJournal and it is wonderful! I can write multiple “journals” or books and keep track of all of my projects in one place. It also allows me to schedule posts and publish them at a set time using the calendar. I can write, hit share and the journal entry will post at the time I have set it in MacJournal.  It is also available for your iPad and iPhone. 

If you are not a Mac person, I wasn’t until June, a PC version of this program is available, it is called WinJournal.

*If you Blog, Facebook and Twitter you might be exhausted trying to update all of it all the time. With Blog Frog you can update everything in one place. Plus you can find blogging communities and new friends like yourself. 

*Last but not least, Maybe you want to make each post more personal. You can achieve this by making a blog signature with http://www.mylivesignature.com/ . You can choose the size, font and slant of your signature for your own blog!

Happy Blogging!

Sew Spoiled iPad Folding Case epattern!!

The best iPad case just got better. Now you can make your own!! Just go to Sew Spoiled's Shop and buy your own iPad epattern to sew your case! The iPad folding case is a new Sew Spoiled design. It is designed to protect the iPad and give the user a stand all in one! The cover has 3 different stabilizers inserted in between the soft exterior and lining. This ensures protection against dirt, bumps and grit. When in use flip the cover over and slip the strap into the loop, pull the strap until the front cover meets the loop. Now the iPad folding case is ready for action! Play your favorite games, surf the net or write on your blog. The iPad is held in 4 frames. Two are elastic at the top, this gives the user easy access to the headphone jack, screen rotation lock and power button. The iPad folding case has 2 different angles, one for typing and a second to rest on your table or desk (for picture slide shows or looking through a recipe on the kitchen counter).

These will make great gifts for any occasion! 

Finished Size: 8”w x 10”

Focus Fabric: Fat Quarter 18” x 22”

Lining Fabric: Fat Quarter 18” x 22”

Light weight interfacing: ½ Yard

Fusible Fleece: 6 ½”w x 5”h

Extra Firm interfacing: ½ Yard

Elastic: 8”

Masonite 1- 8” x 10” piece

42 Pictures

10 Easy Steps

Full Size Templates!

3.8 MB in size

Tested and approved!

Happy Sewing!

Quick Hemming Pants Tutorial

It is school season again and many students are preparing for their first week of school with new clothes. Maybe you took them out shopping during tax free weekend and knowing how fast kids grow bought a pair of nice jeans. Only to come home and realize that the pants were on sale for a good reason, they are way to long! This is all hypothetical of course. (Smiles) If you need to hem pants (Like I do.) This is an easy and fast tutorial to hem any pair of pants. It is not the traditional way, but if you are like me you would rather make a bag before hemming a new pair of pants.
So here we go....

Step 1: Roll your pants, in this case jeans, to the correct height, pin in place or use close pins.

Step 2: Iron the two pant legs at the correct height. This will give you a crease line.

Step 3: Measure 1.5” down from the crease line. Cut the excess pant fabric off.

Step 4: Flip the pants wrong-side-out and fold .75” up, press with your iron.

Step 5: Fold again .75”, this should be where the first crease line is located, pin in place.

Step 6: Sew around the pant leg.

You are Done! Wow that was fast! Perfect hem every time! Very quick and easy!