Sew-Along With Olga and Sansa!

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Who doesn’t love a good sew-along? I know I do! And there’s one coming up soon! Wanna know more? Read on…

Sew-Along With Olga and Sansa!

One of our favorite non-custom fabric groups is hosting a sew-along for the Sansa Flares! Olga’s Fabric Destashing is planning a great deal of fun with fabric discounts and prizes! But we’ll get to hear more about that here in a minute. First…

Let’s talk about Sansa!

Sansa is one of our favorite pant patterns for so many reasons. You get the look of a flared pant or bell-bottom with the comfort of a pair of leggings, so get those stretch knits ready! The flare is so stylish right now and you have the option of either doing a yoga-style waistband or using elastic and a casing. And the adult version comes with two rise options, mid-rise, or high-rise, to fit your style or fit needs.

Like many of Bella Sunshine’s patterns, Sansa has a WIDE range of sizes, from a 6-month child’s size all the way up to a size 30 in adults (which measures 53.5″ and 59.75″ respectively in the waist and hips). Or, go all out and grab the bundle to have the FULL range. Think of all the gorgeous and adorable matching parent/child sets you could make!

Let me just share some gorgeous Sansa inspiration!

Now, what about this sew-along?

Ready for a retro flashback? Look no further than the Sansa Flares! They are fitted from the waist through the knee and then flare out for a fun retro look of the ’70s. The length touches the floor. The design comes with two options; elastic waist or a yoga waist which gives you the ultimate choice in comfort! The ladies’ version also includes two rise options: mid-rise and high-rise. These pants are sure to be a staple in your wardrobe!

Sewing Level: Confident Beginner
Sizes: Ladies 0-30, Girls 6 Mos-12

The Prizes

Prizes are available to anyone at any skill level just for participating! Everyone who participates/submits their final design in this Sew Along will be entered into a giveaway for:
Grand prize: $50 Olga’s Closet Gift Card + $25 Bella Sunshine Designs Gift Card
2nd place: $20 Olga’s Closet Gift Card
3rd place: $10 Olga’s Closet Gift Card

You are welcome to use any fabric of your choice for the Sew-Along, but we are offering the following fabric options at a discounted rate. Just post a screenshot in our Facebook Event showing you purchased the pattern from Bella Sunshine Designs and are participating in the Sew Along and we will send you a special discount code to purchase the fabric from our website:

Navy/Red/White Floral/Thin Striped Double Brushed Poly

Yellow/Red/Blue Floral/Thin Striped Double Brushed Poly

Army Green/Black/Grey Camo Double Brushed Poly

Slate Solid Stretch Velvet

Now that you have ALL the information, just join the event here, grab your fabric and pattern, and get ready for some awesome fun! Oh, and don’t forget to share your makes in our group too! We love some Sansa Flares! *wink wink*

Totally Rad Tutorial: Making Scrunchies!

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Old things are becoming new again. We have all seen old fashion come back into style, and hair accessories are no exception! And what better way to accessorize all of the amazing dresses, shirts, and pants you’re going to make than with something that’s making a BIG comeback right now? Scrunchies!

Totally Rad Tutorial: Making Scrunchies!

Are you ready to get started? Here’s what you need!

Supplies:

Fabric – 3.5″ tall x 21″ wide per scrunchie (ANY type of fabric can work for these!)

1/4″ Elastic – 9″ long (I feel the need to note that my 1/4″ ran away. Pictured is 1/2″ elastic, which worked, but 1/4″ would have been better)

Matching Thread

Pins or Clips

optional: lace, ribbon, or ricrac for decorative purposes

Step 1:

Take your piece of fabric and fold it long ways (hot dog bun style”. Mark or pin 1″ from each end. Sew with a 1/4″ seam allowance leaving the 1″ at each end open.

*if using optional lace, etc, cut to 21″ and line up the edge with the edges of the fabric, with the decorative piece enclosed between the fabric edges. Then stitch as instructed.

Step 2:

Turn right side out by your preferred means. I like to use a safety pin. Then turn inside out again, but only turn until the raw short edges from each end meet (right sides together). Stitch the short ends together with the same 1/4″ seam allowance.

Step 3:

Pull the tube right side out through the hole in the side seam.

Step 4:

Use a safety pin to thread the elastic through the tube, being careful to not lose the ends. Then stitch or tie the ends of the elastic together to secure it.

Step 5:

Slip the elastic full inside the tube then close the seam. You have the option of using a ladder stitch by hand, or machine stitch as close to the edge as you can get. I went with the machine because it’s faster.

That’s it! Repeat as you wish with as many different fabrics as you wish until you have a mountain of them if that’s what you want! Fast, easy, and stylish… Not to mention easily personalized to the chosen recipient’s color and style choices! It couldn’t be easier!

If you do make up a batch, please share them with us in Bella Sunshine’s online Facebook community! We love to see all the fun things you make with our patterns and free tutorials!

4 Sweet Baby Hat Tutorials

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Winter is coming. Sooner than I want to think about if I’m being honest. And since I’m expecting in February, it’s going to be cold. And I’m going to want ALL the baby hats for my new little man! To meet that end, I scoured the internet for some warm (and cute!) baby hat tutorials and thought I’d share my favorites here with you! So without further ado…

4 Sweet Baby Hat Tutorials

1. A Trio of Baby Hats by Zaaberry Handmade

This sweet trio of hats is everything you’ve ever wanted! Three styles perfect for any aesthetic. A regular beanie, a knotted cap, and a sweet hat with teddy bear ears! With the right fabrics they will be perfect for any baby’s style! Just whip them up and see how great they are for yourself!

2. Teddy Ears Hat by How Joyful

How adorable is this little hat! It’s so perfect for winter, being made of 2 layers of fleece. And those little ears just melt me. This is definitely a pattern I’ll be making a few of myself! Make sure you read this tutorial completely through for sizing tips before you do your cutting though! You’ll thank me (and How Joyful) later!

3. Winter Baby Bonnet by Purl Soho

photo courtesy of Purl Soho

This little bonnet is special in that you can tie it beneath the baby’s chin to keep it from falling off. Which is perfect if you live in a colder climate like I do. The sherpa lining is also a huge plus for warmth and comfort for a little head and ears. Purl Soho also has some other great tutorials if you browse their site to see!

4. Reversible Baby Beanie by ShelleyMade

photo courtesy of ShelleyMade

Two hats in one? What’s not to love about that? You can make one hat with 2 looks! And the reversible nature means 2 layers which add up to warmth again. The shape of this one is really great too and a little wider (I think) to fit slightly larger little heads. Another pattern perfect for boys or girls! *minor caveat: while this pattern was originally a tutorial for use with ShelleyMade pre-printed panels, but the maker has since created a pdf version of the pattern and released it as a paid $4 pattern. The link is in the tutorial and I think well worth it!*

I made 2 hats of my own using one of these tutorials! They were SO fast and SO easy and I can’t wait until I have someone who can wear them! 

What do you think? Are there any other free tutorials you’d like me to find or tackle? Leave your suggestions and requests in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!

The BSD Files: Video Help For You!

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Did you know that Bella Sunshine has a YouTube channel??? There are SO many amazing helpful videos there! Along with a few fun promotional videos if you want to see some sewn up patterns in action! Right now, I’m going to share a few specific things from our channel with you that might just be the video help you need!

The BSD Files: Video Help For You!

Pants: Two Ways to Blend the Waist

Making a new pair of pants and need help blending the waist for a perfect fit? We have a video for that! Watch Melissa go step by step through 2 different blending methods so you can get a great fit every time!

Sewing Tutorial: How to Ruffle Fabric Using Clear Elastic

Do you hate gathering? Well, there are a TON of options out there for making it easier. One of those options? Use clear elastic! This video tutorial will show you how it works and how easy it can REALLY be! Just watch and see for yourself!

Sewing DIY: How to Turn Tiny Spaghetti Straps the Easy Way

Have you ever fought FOREVER trying to turn teeny tiny spaghetti straps? I’m not gonna lie, I have. More times than I care to admit. But this video could change everything for you! Watch this for some great tips on getting them turned with little to no fuss!

The Key to the Perfect Fit: How to Blend Sizes

Like most people, I don’t usually fit any one size perfectly. But that’s the beauty of patterns, right? You can blend sizes to get the perfect fit for YOU! And that’s where this video comes in! So, watch this to learn all the secrets of blending to get a great fit for you!

The Key to the Perfect Fit: How to Measure Your Child

Finally, we bring you this. Children are hard. Hard to raise, hard to control, hard to measure. Well, we can help with one of those! Simply watch this video for some great tips on getting successful measurements on your kiddos. Then you can treat them to a perfect fit too!

We hope these videos helped! And if you want to see more videos, we have them! Learn blending tips for specific patterns, or just watch some super cute promo videos to lift your spirits or give you some inspiration! And as always, please share your makes in our Facebook group to inspire others!

Back To School Crafts: Shabby Flower Hair Clips

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It’s that time of year again. The chaos and scramble of back to school is here! But you always have to accessorize, right? If your child is anything like my daughter, then the answer to that question is yes! So today, in honor of all of those bow and flower-loving kids out there, I’m going to show you how to make super quick and simple shabby flower hair clips!

Back To School Crafts: Shabby Flower Hair Clips

Supplies Needed:

Shabby Flower (s)

Felt

Alligator hair clips

Hot glue gun with glue

There are a number of places you can source these items, but if you want to make it easy, you can probably find most of these things in your local craft store. Or you can get it all on Amazon. I went all over… I got the flowers from a Facebook destash, the clips from Amazon, and the glue gun and felt from Michaels. Also important to note is to make sure the size of your flowers and clips are proportional. I used 2″ flowers and 1 1/2″ clips.

Prep Work

You can get your shabby flowers already individually cut, but my flowers were on mesh strips. If your flowers are still connected, carefully cut them apart. Then, equally carefully cut the excess mesh from around the base of the flower. Seeing a little mash peeking is fine, but you want it to be mostly invisible when the flower is right side up, like so:

You’ll also need to cut the felt into circles as well. I took a vitamin bottle lid that was about 1 1/2″ across and traced it onto cardboard so I could make uniform circles. You could also just eyeball it if you’d prefer. I then took that circle and held it still against the felt as I cut around it (tracing onto the felt is also an option).

When I was done, I had a uniform little felt circle. And then you’re ready for assembly!

Assembling Your Clips

First, plug in the glue gun. I always do that at this point for a few reasons. Obviously, hot glue isn’t going to work if it isn’t hot (haha). But, I wait until this point to conserve glue. If you plug it in too soon, it’ll just drip glue all over until you pick it up. Pro tip: When working with a glue gun, ALWAYS keep it on/over a paper towel or a plate of some sort. It will make your life SO much easier when it’s time to clean up!

When it’s all heated up and ready to go, take your felt circle and draw a glue circle just inside the perimeter. I also draw a line through that circle for a little more durability. Like so:

Then place that circle in the middle of the back of that flower and press it down gently. You’ll need to work somewhat quickly before the glue cools too much, but you should have time for fairly careful placement.

Now, take the glue gun and apply glue to the top of your alligator clip in a nice thick line.

And place it glue down into the middle of the felt circle.

That’s it! You’re done! Just let them cool completely (shouldn’t take long), and you have a beautiful new hair clip! These are great because you can dress them up or down. You can also find the flowers in a WIDE array of different colors and prints, so you can match almost ANY outfit! Also, try layering 2 flowers on a felt oblong with one clip for a slightly different look!

Will you be making ant fun school accessories this year? Let us know in the comments, as well as any other fun crafty ideas you’d like to see us try! And join us in our online community to share your fun makes, we love seeing them!

 

Pattern Hack: Adding Fringe to the Hazel Dolman

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Pattern Hack: Adding Fringe to the Hazel Dolman

Hi Sunshines! I’m An from Diskordia’s Curvy Sewing. I’m so excited to be your guest blogger today. I’ll be showing you how to do this very easy fun hack for adding fringe to your Hazel. The drawstrings on the shoulders of this pattern reminded me of a Mickey Mouse dress my mother bought me when I was a kid. It had the same sleeves as Hazel, but it also had this fun fringe at the bottom. It just had to be recreated! 

It’s awesome, cause you don’t have to hem the bottom, nobody likes hemming right!? and you get to play with your fabric, which is almost as fun as playing with your food as a kid ;). I guess our fabric is kind of like our food as a sewist if you come to think of it. Anyways, I’m wandering off. (This happens a lot to me) Another great thing is that you don’t need anything more than a pair of scissors or a rotary cutter if you are braver then me. Also make sure your fabric curls, if it won’t curl, you won’t be able to make the fringes. 

How to do it!

I cut this one at dress length and marked the sideseams where the tunic line hits. This mark will be the end of your fringe, so you can move that up or down as you like. Construct the dress as you would otherwise but stop sewing your side seam where the mark is. That’ll be the end of your side seam. 

I used a scrap for the tutorial pics, cause I’m a bit daft and I forgot to take them while actually making the dress. Round of applause!!!! :p

I then marked my scissors (using magnets) with the length of the fringe, so I didn’t have to mark the entire dress. Then cut strips the width you want it to be, I cut the strips about 1 inch wide. Do this around the entire dress. The hem is a bit curved, so keep that in mind while cutting, don’t be too worried about your cutting, once it turns into fringe you will not notice any too long or too short or too wide, etc. cuts.

Once that’s done, the fun starts, you now want to turn those strips into
a fringe, just grab hold of the bottom and the top, pull it a bit and it should curl up. It takes a bit of practice. You’ll get the hang off it after a few.  I did a short video on how I do one. You can find that here: Awesome Fringe Video.
Put on your favorite tv show, grab a cup of tea (or heck a glass of wine, I won’t judge) and get them all done, this will take a while! But hey, easier than hemming still…maybe. 😀 Once you’ve done this, you are done! Make sure to show off your hacked dress in our facebook group! 🙂 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Use a Seam Ripper

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I know, I know, we all know how to do it, right? Well, there is a more efficient way to use it if you know how. And I did it less efficiently for a long long time. So, let’s see if maybe I can help some more people out.

How to Use a Seam Ripper

What is a seam ripper?

There are lots of reasons we might need a seam ripper. Ever sewed the wrong pieces together? Sewed a seam too soon? Added a sleeve on backward? I’ve been guilty of all of that (and more!) during my sewing career.

I’ve used a LOT of seam rippers in my day. And there are SO many different kinds of seam rippers out there! But they all have a few things in common. They all have a pointy end that curves into a (hopefully) sharp blade for cutting threads. Your ideal seam ripper should always be comfortable to hold in your hand, so keep that in mind.

Using your seam ripper.

Always cut stitches from the top side of your work. I promise, it matters. Ideally, you will cut through your back stitches at the beginning and end of the seam and then cut a stitch every inch or so. This is particularly useful information if you are cutting long sections of straight stitches.

With that done, you can typically flip your fabric over and pull on the bobbin thread, releasing the whole row. It isn’t always going to be that easy though. With stretch and zigzag stitches, you’ll have to cut almost all of the stitches individually, unfortunately. The upside is, you’ll get to know your seam ripper really well!

What NOT to do.

There are a couple of things you will want to avoid doing in order to preserve your project. First, do not try to just pull on a thread without cutting stitches. You’ll only gather the fabric up and make the stitches harder to get out. Second, under no circumstances should you try to just yank the fabric pieces apart by sheer force. This will likely only cause you to rip your fabric, rendering it useless.\

The super secret method.

Check out this video. But before you try it, keep in mind your seam ripper needs to be REALLY sharp. And it will ONLY work on woven fabrics, so don’t try it with knits.

If you follow these tips, you should be able to correct any sewing mistakes relatively quickly and painlessly. I hope this helps someone out there! And we hope to see you over in our Facebook group for fun and friendships!

Clear Elastic and the Sahara

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We’ve heard some questions lately about adding the clear elastic to Sahara. And while we have a great clear elastic tutorial here, we do realize that seeing it with a specific garment can be helpful, so we’re gonna do it again, only with Sahara!

Clear Elastic and the Sahara

The most important places to add clear elastic to Sahara are to the shoulder seams and to the waist seam. Also, for the adult version (especially for those with larger breasts) you will want clear elastic in the armhole on sleeveless options. I will say, that this isn’t strictly necessary in the smaller child’s sizes, but the larger it gets, the more the elastic will help. Since we start with the shoulders in the pattern, that’s where I’ll start here!

Prep

Clear Elastic and the Sahara

Grab your bodice pieces and elastic. We’re going to cut a piece of elastic to the with of the shoulder seam. Figure out whether you will be pressing the seam to the front or back and plan to sew the elastic to the opposite side. I.e. If you’re pressing the seam to the back, you want to sew your elastic to the side with the front bodice piece.

Now, you have an option. You can either mark the seam or eyeball it. You want the clear elastic to lay so that it is centered over the stitch line. Then you sew.

Pressing

Clear Elastic and the Sahara by Bella Sunshine Designs OMG! I've been struggling with this! I;m SO glad I found this tutorial! Pinning for later!!!

Once you have your elastic on both shoulder pieces press the seams from the right side of the garment. (This prevents heat from damaging the elastic.) If you placed your elastic on the opposite side as stated above, it should lay nice and flat without being folded.

Skirt Elastic

When attaching the skirt, you will use the same method described above. I place my elastic on the skirt side because I like my seam to press up towards the bodice.

Armhole Elastic

I hate to say there isn’t a “flat” way to sew the armhole elastic. So my best advice there is this: Try to get thinner elastic that will fold easily. The thicker stuff is a little more difficult to get to lay right once everything is all closed up (but not impossible!). You’ll still want to sew it through the center like in the other instances, so it will be folding on that seam.

I really hope this helps to clear up some Sahara confusion for you all! If you have further questions please feel free to leave a comment below, ask in our Facebook group, or message our Facebook page directly!

Essential Cutting Tools

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Sewing means cutting. Cutting patterns, cutting fabric, cutting interfacing, cutting thread… There’s a LOT of cutting in sewing. So, what cutting tools do you want/need? We’ll do a quick rundown of the best and the brightest and why you want to have them in your sewing arsenal!

Essential Cutting Tools

Scissors

This one seems like a no-brainer, I know, but it needs to be on this list. I would just like to stress here that you will want 2 pairs of scissors. An inexpensive pair for paper, and a quality pair for fabric. And NEVER use your fabric scissors on paper! It will dull them and cause ragged edges and very difficult cutting for you. It also is worth it to get your fabric scissors professionally sharpened when you feel like they’re losing their edge.

Rotary Cutter/Mat

These two things go hand in hand. A rotary cutter will make short work of cutting your fabric (see this post for tips!), but if you don’t want to damage your table or floors, you’ll need a cutting mat to go with it. The mat serves as a safe surface under the sharp blade, kind of like a cutting board in the kitchen. While not absolutely necessary for sewing clothing, I personally find I save a LOT of time by using these particular cutting tools.

Embroidery Scissors

 

These are a much smaller version of your fabric scissors. They are typically 4-6 inches in length total and are perfect for things like reverse applique, clipping curves and points, and cutting open buttonholes. Their smaller size makes them much easier to control and get into tighter spaces.

Thread Clippers/Nippers

These little tools are one of my favorites. They might be small, but they are mighty. And they see a LOT of use in my house. These little spring-loaded beauties are the perfect tool for clipping threads as you sew. And, if I’m being honest, I use mine to fix my mistakes more often than I use an actual seam ripper. Mine can always be found sitting directly to my right in front of my machine for easy access. Another great thing about them? They’re really inexpensive, so replacing them is a drop in the bucket (unlike a good pair of fabric scissors), which means this is something you really shouldn’t be living (sewing) without!

Can you think of any essential cutting tools I’ve missed? Please let us know in the comments below! And join us in our Facebook group for more tips, giveaways, and to find new sewing friends!

The Hem to Skirt Correlation

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Do you make skirts? Or plan to/dream of it? Then I have some information that might just come in handy! Did you know different kinds of skirts need different hem allowances? If you did (or didn’t but do now), do you wonder why? Because there is a reason! Let me share and add another little pocket of information to your sewing knowledge!

The Hem to Skirt Correlation

A hem is the bit of fabric folded back to the inside of a garment and stitched down. It not only adds to a professional look, but it also plays a role in the ultimate durability of that garment. Many people don’t know this, but the silhouette of a skirt plays a large role in determining its correct hem allowance. For example:

Straight skirt:

Skirts that are straight up and down (like a pencil skirt) made with a medium to heavy weight fabric will typically have a wider hem. This 1 1/2 to 2-inch hem actually helps keep the skirt straight with the weight of the hem.

A-line skirt:

With its wider silhouette, an A-line skirt needs a slightly narrower hem to cut back on the bulk and keep it from looking too clunky. But leaving it at 1 1/2 inches will help add a little bit of structure to keep its shape looking good. Our Sophia in dress length offers this great shape!

Flared skirt:

A flared skirt, such as a half circle skirt, will need a narrower hem yet, for the same reasons. Basically, the wider the bottom of the skirt, the narrower you will want the hem to be. So for this silhouette, you’ll want about a 1-inch hem. Many Bella Sunshine patterns use a flared skirt. Pictured is our lovely Felicity without the ruffle option.

Circle skirt:

This is about as full of a skirt as you can get. As such, it will have the narrowest hem allowance. This will allow it to drape and flow (and twirl!) the most freely. The recommended hem would be 1/2″, but you can go even narrower or omit completely if you’re sewing it in a knit fabric (like if you’re sewing up a Sahara!).

There you go! Another skirt mystery solved! Are there any other mysteries you’d like us to shed some light on? Share your ideas in the comments below! And join us in our Facebook group for fun and support!

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