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Gifts to sew for Boys

Posted November 25, 2015

When my step-son was 12 I took him shopping for a cap for his Christmas present. All the caps at the surfshops were too big so we ended up at Pumpkin Patch … and then ended up NOT getting a hat. Who knew that pre-teen boys would be so touchy about shopping in a children’s wear shop! Granted this was pre-kt and I was pretty much clueless! These days I’d solve the “hats too big problem” by just making him one. In fact making hats are pretty much my “go to” solution for sewing for the men/boys in my life! I think I’d pretty much forgotten all the other boys suitable patterns we’ve included in One Thimble until I sat down to write this blog post!

This blog post is a reminder/go-to guide of One Thimble patterns for sewing for the boys in your life this Christmas.

Clothing Patterns:

Fat Red Bird Fedora by Fat Red Bird from One Thimble Issue 8 or available by itself HERE

Gatsby Flat Cap by Apple + Fig Patterns from One Thimble Issue 6 or available by itself HERE

Traveller Tee by Gracious Threads from One Thimble Issue 4

Jackalope Tee by Momma Quail Patterns from One Thimble Issue 8 or available by itself HERE

Bonfire Jacket by Ainslee Fox Boutique Patterns from One Thimble Issue 5 or available by itself HERE

Prince Hoodie by Tigerlily Patterns from One Thimble Issue 7 or available by itself HERE

Scrappies by Threading Rainbows from One Thimble Issue 5 or available by itself HERE

Ranger Shorts by Ainslee Fox Boutique Patterns from One Thimble Issue 2 or available by itself HERE

Archie Shirt by Ainslee Fox Boutique Patterns from One Thimble Issue 6 or available by itself HERE

Half Pipe Pants by Ainslee Fox Boutique Patterns from One Thimble Issue 3 or available HERE

Everest Pants by Gracious Threads from One Thimble Issue 7 or available by itself HERE

Urbanite Pants by Rabbit Rabbit Creations from One Thimble Issue 4 or available by itself HERE

Non-Clothing Patterns

Cheeky Monkey Softie by Jody’s Crafty Creations from One Thimble Issue 9 or available HERE

Desert Fox Softie by Felt with Love Designs from One Thimble Issue 8 or available by itself HERE

Kids Creations:Easy Softies by Jody’s Crafty Creations from One Thimble Issue 4 or available HERE

Bedtime Buddies by Threading Rainbows from One Thimble Issue 7

Fat Red Bird Fedora by Fat Red Bird from One Thimble Issue 8 or available by itself HERE

Gatsby Flat Cap by Fat Red Bird from One Thimble Issue 6 or available by itself HERE

Little Collector Backpack by Swoodson Says from One Thimble Issue 8 or available by itself HERE

Make a Splash Backpack by Hunting for Ladybugs from One Thimble Issue 5

Ralphie Reindeer by Stitched by Crystal from One Thimble Issue 5

Sneak Peek Sweet Treat Stocking by Flosstyle from One Thimble Issue 5 or available by itself HERE

Woodland Creatures Finger Puppets by Felt with Love Designs from One Thimble Issue 6 or HERE

Pencil Pencil Case by Horris 7 Deedle from One Thimble Issue 5

Art Caddy by Damaya Designs from One Thimble Issue 5 or available by itself HERE

Applique Patterns:

Roman Helmet Applique by Mr Fox from One Thimble Issue 1

Steam Train Applique by Mr Fox from One Thimble Issue 2

Snowboarder Applique by Mr Fox from One Thimble Issue 3

Percy Pineapple by Molly and Mama from One Thimble Issue 5 or available by itself HERE

Vincent the Victor by Ric-Rac and Retro from One Thimble Issue 9 or available by itself HERE

I look forward to seeing what you sew for the special boys in your life this Christmas.

Happy Sewing

xJen

Sew Your Own – An Easy Shower cap Tutorial

Posted July 30, 2015

Today on the blog we have Sarah from Hunting for Ladybugs. Sarah has been a contributor to One Thimble several times and put together our recent Subscriber Gift Sewing Kits! I’m so glad to have her onboard today sharing this tutorial for an Easy Shower Cap.

Sew Your Own – An Easy Shower Cap Tutorial

There are already quite a few tutorials out there for sewing a shower cap but I wanted something that fit quite snugly without that giant bulky verandah of a frill that many patterns have. This is a simple cap with an elastic casing that is also suitable for boys with the right fabric choice. You will need a Teflon or walking foot to sew the laminate fabric.

Supplies:

0.75-1m of laminate fabric
0.5m of firm 12mm wide elastic
Basic sewing kit including some string and a marker and two safety pins
This post if you are unfamiliar with sewing laminate fabrics

Please Note: Modes4u supplied one yard of Riley Blake laminate fabric, from The Cottage Garden collection, for me to use for this project. All opinions are my own.

To fit (based on a head circumference of 56cm/22”)	Cut Radius of (incl casing allowance)
Junior / Child	25cm / 10”
Adult – Short to Mid Hair	30cm / 12”
Adult – Mid to Long	36cm / 14”

These are just rough averages. I cut this one in the tutorial to fit a 6 year old and used a 9” radius but wished it was a bit bigger so I adjusted my sizings up.

Sew

1. Mark a circle on your fabric. I used a pin, string and permanent marker to make a large compass. Start on an edge and stretch out your string to the required radius to find your centre. Keep the pin upside down so you don’t end up with a hole in your cap.

2. Cut it out along your marked line.

3. Using a Teflon or walking foot, sew a long basting stitch 3-4mm from the cut edge.

4. Pull the bottom threads to gather the outer edge slightly. This will help make the pleats and folds needed to fit the casing.

5. Make a 1”/25mm casing by folding the cut edge of the fabric towards the centre before pinning it down. This is the channel for your elastic to run through. It won’t be super flat and you will need to fold and pleat the fabric as you go. Pin along your sewing line (the needle will be making holes there anyway so a few more won’t matter) making sure your pins face the right way for sewing clockwise (I may or may not have needed to flip mine first go). Laminate fabric doesn’t fray so there is no need to finish this raw edge; I also didn’t want the extra bulk it would create.

6. Sew around the edge leaving a 2-3” gap. I used a narrow zigzag stitch to allow the stitching to stretch with the elastic.

Optional but it gives a nice finish: Topstitch the folded edge of the casing using a straight stitch.

7. Cut your elastic +5” longer than the radius of your cap. Bonus points if you have a head to measure for a comfortable fit. For my cap, I used 15”/38cm of 12mm non-roll elastic.

8. Attach a safety pin to either end of your elastic. Thread one pin and the elastic through the gap in your casing. When you get about halfway around, attach the other safety pin to the fabric to prevent it pulling all the way through. Carry on until both ends are at the gap.

Tack the ends of the elastic together using a zigzag stitch and then sew the gap closed.

You’re all done!

This tutorial has been submitted by Sarah Caporn of Hunting for Ladybugs. She wrote about sewing with laminate fabrics and the pattern for the Make A Splash backpack in Issue 5. It’s her goal to teach you how to sew no matter where you live via her series of Sew Your Own kit projects that are mailed to your house. You can find her online at http://huntingforladybugs.com.au.

Interview with Jess from Flosstyle

Posted June 9, 2015

I first “met” Jess when she entered her Sneak Peek Sweet Treat Stocking into our Fat Quarter Competition last year. I was so pleased when she agreed to contribute her Jukebox Duet Pattern to Issue 7. This is one of the most versatile patterns we’ve ever included in One Thimble!

Designing patterns is a natural fit for this sew-aholic
with a background in web design and 4 little
munchkins to create for.
Jess’ mantra is to design unique, practical and
comfortable handmade for everyday.

Can you tell me a little about how you got into sewing / designing patterns?

It all started with compulsory high school textiles class…. They gave us a term to make a pair of board shorts. One week later I wore my new (Self designed) shorts to class and asked what I could do for the remaining 9 weeks? I was pointed toward the remnants bin and let loose my creativity! Like a lot of new mums I got back into sewing when I had my first baby. It all spiralled! from there!

What is your best sewing tip or do you have a favourite haby item that you couldn’t live without?

My favourite tip is ‘lift your foot’ it applies to the presser foot and the pedal! The best way to get tidy stitching around curves is to sew a few stitches, lift the presser foot, realign the fabric a smidge, then put the foot down and sew a few more – rinse and repeat! As for the pedal – too many people sew at speed – many new machines have a throttle restrictor slide that can help lead feet from costing you unnecessary time with the dreaded unpicker!

What inspires you?

Inspiration is always coming from where you least expect. A glance at a passer-by’s pretty bag, a torn t-short that gets you wondering what you could make with the fabric, a random request from a friends child or just necessity.

What’s your favourite (of your) patterns and why?

My favourite pattern is the Super Suit Set. I only wish I’d made it before I had 4 babies! It was only recently published and my youngest will outgrown the pattern by the end of the year. I always loved snap singlet suits for all of my babies but couldn’t justify the extra cost so they only had a few in each size. Now I can make them in every size for a fraction of the cost in much more fun prints, but alas I don’t need them! The Super Suit PDF Pattern is available HERE.

What’s something people might not know about you (that you’d like to share)?

I do keep to myself a bit but get a lot of queries about my kids as they model in a lot of my photos. So, for those who have been wondering My kiddo’s are Zac (the tallest skinny man with curly hair), Wyatt (the stocky lad with straight hair, ‘Flossy’ Miss Ivy Jean my only girl with golden ringlets and my baby budda Master Cody. I do love hearing the names that often accompany photos from sewers of their little people in their Flosstyle handmade so I guess it’s only fair I share too!

What is your biggest challenge and do you have any advice for someone else in a similar situation?

The most challenging part of many sewing Mum’s day is their own conscience! You often feel guilty sewing or tracing off patterns with a little grub tugging your ankle for attention. How I time manage is to let Grub help you pack clothes in the washing machine and pickup toys to get your housework done when they are awake and they can learn valuable life skills along the way, save nap time for cutting out as its not noisy and once the kids are tucked into bed at night, switch the TV off and get sewing! Trying to sew with awake kids is stressful and not conducive to a productive afternoon. Just wait till morning to get a good photo of your hard work in natural sunlight!