How To Cut Patterns With a Rotary Cutter

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We’re always looking for a quicker and easier way to get things done, aren’t we? From laundry, do dishes, to cleaning the bathroom… But how about a way to streamline something more fun? I absolutely LOVE to sew (obviously), but I think my least favorite part of sewing is cutting the pattern pieces out. I used to do it the old school way of pinning the pattern to the fabric and using scissors… or tracing my pattern onto the fabric and using scissors. But then I learned how to use a rotary cutter and my life has never been the same. So let me share my wisdom so that you can get to the fun stuff faster too!

How To Cut Patterns With a Rotary Cutter

Tools

This may seem self-explanatory, but for the sake of full disclosure…

You will need:

pattern

fabric

cutting mat

rotary cutter

pattern weights (recommended, but not necessary)

Cutting straight pieces

First thing’s first. ALWAYS use a cutting mat! Rotary cutters are sharp and will mess up anything else you try to cut on! Also, make sure you change out your blades fairly regularly. A dull blade makes for sloppy and ragged cuts, which is something you don’t want.

Thankfully, cutting straight pieces is super easy and a good way to practice. I will most often use measurements and a straight edge (like my acrylic ruler) to get precise and straight pieces. Just make sure your ruler is straight (either parallel or perpendicular to the grain of the fabric). Hold it down tight so that it doesn’t move. And run your cutter straight down the edge, pressing down so that it goes through all of the layers you are cutting through. If you don’t have a straight edge but have a straight piece such as a neckband, then you will just have to be a little more careful to stay right along the edge of your paper pattern piece without cutting through it.

Cutting curved pieces

Cutting curves takes a little more care, but once you get the hang of it, you will never go back to cutting with scissors again! With a rotary cutter, I will only lay and cut one piece at a time. It makes it easier to see what exactly you’re doing and you are less likely to cut into something you don’t want to. 

Lay out your fabric. Make sure there’s a fold if you need one there. Lay your piece out flat on top. This is where pattern weights come in handy. Lining your piece with weights will help keep it from shifting and messing up your cut.

Once you have everything where you want it, carefully place your rotary cutter along the edge and cut SLOWLY. I cannot stress that enough. The faster you go (at least when you’re first starting to cut this way) the more likely you are to get off track and cut something you don’t mean to. The more you do it, the faster you will be able to go without incident.

When you first start out, you might want to practice on a few scraps to get the hang of it, but with practice, you’ll be cutting everything with a rotary cutter like a pro before you know it!

Have a rotary cutting success story to share? Please do! In the comments and/or in the Bella Sunshine Facebook group! We’d LOVE to hear about it!

How To Create and Attach a Knit Binding

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Knits are some of my favorite fabrics to sew with for so many reasons. Mainly, how comfortable the clothing is once it’s done! But when you live in a hotter climate and don’t want the double layer of a lining, or just want a slightly more sophisticated finish than a band at the neck of your garment, you might need a secondary option. That option is a knit binding and I’m going to show you how to create and attach one now!

 

How To Create and Attach a Knit Binding

Supplies:

Garment (unfinished)

Matching or coordinating fabric

Sewing Machine

Thread Scissors

(basically, the usual suspects)

Step One: Creating the binding

Thankfully, this is easier for knits than it is for woven fabrics. To create a woven binding, you have to cut on the bias in order for it to have the stretch it needs to be successful. For a knit, you just cut along the stretch. I will typically cut my binding 2″ tall which leaves my binding approx 1/2 inch when finished, but you can play with it to create your own personal aesthetic.

The length can be a little tricky. As a general rule, you want to cut a neck or sleeve binding at approximately 80% of the opening you are binding plus a seam allowance. So, or you have a neck opening of 20″ your binding would be 16″ long plus 1/2″ on each side for a seam allowance for a total of 17″ in length. This percentage can vary with your knit type but works well for cotton lycra in my experience. (Of course, if you’re replacing a band with a binding, you can always use the band length to make it easy!) Once you’ve done your math and cut your rectangle(s), it’s time to move on!

Step Two: Attaching a knit binding

Again, this (for me) is easier than dealing with a woven binding. First, you’ll want to sew the two short ends together to form a loop.

Then, it’s much like a neckband, only you will not fold the loop in half. Instead, you’ll take this flat loop and place pins at the quarters, starting at the seam. Do the same for the opening you are binding.

Now, with the RIGHT side of the binding against the WRONG side of the opening, match up the pins (with the seam at center back) and add a few pins between to make sure everything is all nice and even.

Once you’re all pinned, it’s time to sew! Sew at 1/4 the width of the binding (or just a smidge less). In my case, I sewed at about 3/8″.

Now comes the slightly tricky part. You’re going to pull the binding up out of the neckline.

 

Fold the loose raw edge in to meet the raw edges you just sewed together.

Then fold again so that the raw edges are all enclosed within the binding. Also, take care that the first round of stitches is hidden beneath this fold. Pin it well.

Then, being careful not to stretch as you sew, edge stitch around the fold to finish it off. That’s it! Beautiful bound edges!

One Other Idea

There is one other way to incorporate a binding into your project, and that is to bind your hem! If you want to do this, the instructions are pretty much the same. You’ll just want to adjust the length of your binding up to 90% of the opening.

I really hope you enjoyed this tutorial and found it helpful! As always, feel free to join us in our Facebook group for fun and support! And check out our sew along group to sew patterns as a group! We’ll be sewing up something at least quarterly, so come join us!

Primrose Panties~ The Sew-Along! Is Coming!

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It’s been a while, but we’re gearing up for our next sew-along over in the Bella Sunshine Sew Along group on Facebook! And our featured pattern this go round? The brand new and fabulous Primrose Panties, of course!

Primrose Panties~ The Sew-Along! Is Coming!

What is a sew along? Well, it’s basically a group of people all sewing the same pattern at the same time. Why? Camaraderie, bragging rights, help… and prizes! Yes, prizes! It’s always great fun too, so there’s that! We typically give some random small prizes during the sew-along, and then we have three BIG winners at the end who each receive $20 in credit on the Bella Sunshine site!

With this sew-along, it’s important to note that you are eligible to win no matter what size or style you sew up! So doll, girl, and ladies Primrose Panties are all eligible for prizes… and you do NOT have to post modeled pics to win either, so please don’t stress about that! Flat lays are perfect (and encouraged!). Sew one, sew a bunch, sew one from each of the size ranges if you purchase the bundle! Our only requirements are to be creative and HAVE FUN!

You want specifics? Ok, here they are! The sew-along will start next Monday (2/25). You can get the Ladies pattern here, Girls here, Ladies and Girls bundle here, Doll here, Girl and Doll bundle here… Or just grab all three with the full bundle here. Then head over to the sew along group (link above) and stay tuned for details! I really hope to see you all there! It’s going to be a blast!

How To Machine Sew A Buttonhole And Button

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We love doing these little sewing tutorials so much, we decided to do another! Do you know those adorable woven dress patterns (like Juliet!) that have button down backs? Well, today I’m going to teach you how to use your machine to sew a buttonhole AND button! Now, not all machines have the button capability, but even those that do don’t often get used because of fear, or just not realizing it’s an option! So let’s get started!

How To Machine Sew A Buttonhole And Button

Tools

To start, you’ll need:

your machine

fabric

a buttonhole foot

button

thread

That’s it!

Sewing a Machine Buttonhole

You’ll want to start by making sure your buttonholes are clearly marked on your fabric. This is essential to making sure the spacing is even and a row of them will line up correctly. For the purpose of this tutorial, I’m sewing a single hole on a scrap, so I don’t have marks, but on an actual project I would.

Once you have your markings in place, grab your buttonhole foot. It should look something like the picture above. Long and plastic, with a movable piece at the back end. This is where you place your button. And this button is how your machine knows what size to sew the hole. I always find it easier to add the button before attaching it to my machine.

Once the foot is attached and the button in place, you’re ready to go. Place your fabric under the foot, making sure the needle is directly over the end of the buttonhole nearest to you and is straight. Also, make sure you lower the lever to the left of your needle (silver in my picture). That lever and the button are your machine’s way of getting the hole the perfect size.

For this tutorial, I used the standard buttonhole setting (“0” here), but there are other buttonholes you can do too, shown below:

30-33 are all different types of buttonholes too. For the purpose of lightweight woven fabrics, the standard setting is best. Once you have your setting chosen, just hit the pedal and the machine does the rest! Super easy!

The last step is to cut down the center, taking care not to clip any of the stitches. A small, sharp pair of scissors or nippers is best for this job.

 

Sewing a Button

This is one thing I have always been terrified to try, so I’m sure there are a lot of you out there who feel the same. I can confidently say though, that it isn’t as bad as you think! So, grab your button and the standard sewing foot and let’s do this!

Youll start by placing your button under the foot with the holes centered on the foot.

Set your machine to the button setting. Mine looks like a simple drawing of a button.

Now, slowly lower your needle by hand until it goes through the first little hole. Re-adjust as needed. Keep turning until the needle comes up and moves over the next hole. Make sure you’re doing all of this by raising the lowering the needle by hand. If it’s outside the second hole, pause, and readjust the width of your stitch until you have it right. Once you’ve been through both holes by hand in a row, hit that pedal! It’ll finish it up and stop on its own when it’s done! See, I told you it was way scarier in your head!

Now you have a perfectly sewn pair… button and buttonhole together!

Do you have any other tutorials you’d like to see on our blog? Please share in the comments below! We’re always looking for fun new ideas! And don’t forget about our AWESOME community on Facebook where we share our triumphs, ideas, and ask all the questions… not to mention the bragging you can do about all of your awesome BSD makes!

5 Fun Valentine Crafts To Make

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It’s only January, but Valentine’s Day will be here before you know it. Want some fun Valentine crafts to make with or for your kids this year? You’ve come to the right place! We’ve found some great tutorials to share with you so you can get a head start! Just click on each title to take you directly to the tutorial for each project!

5 Fun Valentine Crafts To Make

1. Fingerprint Love Canvas by The Farmwife Crafts

This fun and adorable craft is the perfect thing to make WITH your kids for your significant other! Get everyone in on the fun and love to create a work of art that you can display and look fondly on the whole year though!

2. Duck Tape Candy Pouch by Rachel Teodoro

The preteens and teens in your life will LOVE this one! Get some super colorful and fun duck tape to make these great little candy pouches for some Valentine crafts! Perfect for the older kids to craft and hand out to friends! Besides, who doesn’t love candy? And if you know someone who doesn’t you can stick some other small gift inside. Win-win!

3. Heart Heating Pads by My Golden Thimble

These are great for the women in your life. They were designed to use for cramps, but you could really use them for anything that a heating pad could help. Aching muscles and migraines to name a couple. While designed for adults, kids could potentially help in choosing the fabric and helping to fill the “heating” part of these pads, making this a great collaborative project!

4. Clay-Dough Heart Ornaments by Happy Hooligans

Now, if you need something fun for little littles to make for Valentine’s Day, this is the craft for you! 2 ingredient clay dough glitter heart ornaments are perfect for little hands to mold and give to the people they love! Use them as ornaments, or put them on a longer string for sweet handmade necklaces. I really love this one and will likely be using this tutorial myself with my sweet little kindergartener.

5. Pencil Huggers by Bella Sunshine Designs

 

We posted this fun little project for Valentine crafts last year and had to share it with you again! This craft project is just the thing if you have a child in a candy-free classroom who wants to give a little more than just a simple card to their classmates! It’s a simple and fun little sewing project that you just need felt, a sewing machine and a template for.

Know of any other fun crafts we should share or make a tutorial for? Please share in the comments below! And happy crafting!

5 Ways To Finish Seams For A Professional Look

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Sewing handmade clothing is so much fun! You get the style, fabrics, and fit you always want but can never find in stores. And you can kick that clothing up a notch with these professional looking ways to finish seams WITHOUT a serger!

5 Ways To Finish Seams For A Professional Look

 

Pinking Shears

This is probably the easiest way to finish off your projects to prevent fraying, although I would caution that the other options on this list are more professional looking, this will definitely help your garments stand up to washing and wearing on a regular basis. If you don’t know what they are, pinking shears are scissors that cut in a zigzag pattern. This zigzag, when cut along the edge of your finished seam, will prevent the fabric from unraveling with time.

Zigzag Stitch

A zigzag stitch is the most common way to finish a seam. You can do this one of two ways. You can either run the zigzag down both layers of fabric together or separate the seam out and stitch each layer individually. These stitches, either way you do them, will prevent the fabric from fraying at the edges.

Overlock Stitch

An overlock is my preferred method of finishing seams. If you have a machine with overlock stitches, you simply stitch back down the edge of your seam, making sure the stitches go just off the edge. You will be sewing both layers at once using this method. I love the pretty and professional look it gives along with protecting the edges of your fabric.

Turn Under and Tack Down

This one is less commonly used but can give a fun detail to your work. You accomplish this by first pressing your seams open. Then, turn each edge under so you have a nice folded edge and edge stitch it down. This will leave some nice detail stitching along either side of your seams on the outside of your garment which can be fun if you use a contrasting thread! It’s really when you’re making things like pants, where detail stitching will really stand out.

French Seams

French seams are probably one of the cleanest ways to finish a seam, but it can get tricky at times and is definitely time-consuming. It also does not work well for bulkier fabrics, so keep that in mind when choosing how to finish your seams. Now, a french seam is where you enclose the raw edges completely within your sewing. In order to accomplish this, you will sew every seam twice. For example, Bella Sunshine patterns use a 3/8″ seam allowance. So, you would sew your seam first with WRONG sides together at 1/8″, then fold it back to the regular right sides together and sew it again at 1/4″, enclosing the raw edges. It makes for a very pretty and clean look, but sewing it all twice takes time and patience. Although, I do believe this method dates way back to (and beyond) medieval times when they would often hand stitch all of their garments this way. Interesting, right?

 

That’s all 5! Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to say “Hi!” in the comments below! And come visit us in Facebook land too! We love new friends!

PDF Pattern Series: Printing and Assembling Trimless Patterns

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Bella Sunshine has some exciting news! We are going to start offering our patterns in a trimless option! As of right now, the only pattern that has this option is the Sahara, but rest assured, the rest are coming! Now, don’t worry, if you prefer to trim your pages, that will still be an option too. But the point of today’s post is to show you how much easier the trimless version can be!

PDF Pattern Series: Printing and Assembling Trimless Patterns

Setting up to print

This is just a tad different than the setup we had previously discussed in printing patterns at home. Like always, you want to use your Adobe reader to open your pattern. (You can get it here if you don’t have it already.)

Once you have that open, click on the icon that looks like two pieces of paper hovering over one another. Its the lowest icon on the left sidebar. This will open your layers feature. By default, all sizes will be selected as well as “Trim – Letter/A4”.

You will want to turn off the sizes you don’t need so that only the size(s) you do need are visible. In addition, you’ll want to deselect the trim option and turn on one of the trimless layers. As I print on a standard US printer, I chose Trimless – Letter, but you may need to A4, just choose the file that’s right for you. When you’ve done that, your pattern piece pages should look like this on your screen:

Easy peasy, right? Now select print at the top of the screen. Use the handy little chart (that you can find at the beginning of all of our patterns) to print only the pages you need for your chosen options and size(s). Make sure the printer is set to one-sided printing (if you have this option) and select actual size to make sure your scale will be correct and hit the print button! Now you’re ready to assemble!

 

Assembling trimless pages

Now that you have your printed pages, you’re ready to assemble them! First, check your scale box to make sure everything printed correctly. It will be on the first page of your pattern with a little white box that reads 4cm x 4cm inside a larger grey box labeled 2.5″ x 2.5″.

Once you know your scale is right, it’s really easy! Just line the edge of each page up with the line on the next. Here are two pages, you can see the one on the left will line up with the line down the side on the page to the right.

Just line it up, tape it, and keep going until you have no pieces left! No muss, no fuss! And most importantly, no trimming page edges!

 

If there are any other PDF related tutorials you’d love to see us explain, please leave your suggestion in the comments below! Also, please join us in our Facebook group for fun, support, and sharing!

5 Great Gift Ideas For Seamstresses

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The holidays are coming! (And in some cases, are already here.) Which means it’s time to get your thinking cap on to find some thoughtful perfect gifts for the people you love. And chances are, if you’re here, you sew. And if you sew, you likely have friends who do as well. Am I right? Well, I’m here today to help you find some great gift ideas for the seamstress(es) in your life!

5 Great Gift Ideas For Seamstresses

Scissors

Good fabric scissors are hard to come by. So a good pair of shears will always be loved and appreciated! Want to go that extra mile? Make a permanent tag for the handle that labels them “For Fabric ONLY”!

Cutting Mat and Acrylic Ruler

This is an especially great gift idea if you are buying for a quilter. Cutting mats and rotary cutters are pretty crucial tools in quilting and also come in quite handy in other types of sewing as well. I know I would LOVE to get a new mat and ruler!

Rotary Cutter

This kind of goes hand in hand with the mat and ruler. Very handy for cutting straight lines and also works great for curves once you have the hang of it. I don’t cut any patterns without mine anymore!

Fabric Store Gift Cards

What seamstress doesn’t love new fabric! But with so many different types, and prints, and colors… it’s hard to know what would actually be useful and loved. A gift card is a perfect solution for that! I can just about guarantee that they will think of you when sewing and/or using the item made from the fabric that is purchased with this card.

And lastly… *drumroll*

Bella Sunshine Designs Gift Cards!

Yes, you read that right! Starting now, Bella Sunshine is offering gift cards that can be used to purchase any and all of our adorable patterns! It’s so exciting and we are ecstatic to be able to offer this as an option in our shop now! So, if you are buying gifts for someone who sews clothing and loves a great fit with an occasional vintage flair, Bella Sunshine has your back!

5 Reasons Why Handmade Holidays Are The Best!

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Nobody is safe from the holiday season, but there are so many ways to make it great! Like really MAKE it great! Get it? Well, you will! Because I’m here to tell you why handmade holidays are the BEST holidays!

5 Reasons Why Handmade Holidays Are The Best!

Handmade gifts are more personal.

Sure you can buy gifts that will be personal to someone you love. But there are other ways to show your love too! Have a family member with a ton of graphic tees that they never wear? Turn it into a t-shirt quilt!

Handmade gifts can be personalized to the recipient.

If you have geeky friends and family, this is a HUGE bonus! Make something to symbolize something that they love that you can’t find in stores. Paint a picture of their favorite anime character and frame it. Of course, this can be said for non-geeky interests too!

The act of creating handmade gifts can be good for your mental health.

One of my main escapes from depression is sewing, I wrote a whole post on it here. The holidays are generally particularly hard on mental health for most people, so if creating is one of your escapes, just do it! You get a pick me up, and they get an amazing one-of-a-kind gift! It’s a win-win!

Handmade gifts show that you care enough to take the time.

The people in your life that know about handmade things will appreciate the time you took out of your life to create something special just for them. It shows how much you care that you took that time rather than just carting something online (which I HAVE BEEN guilty of! lol).

Handmade gifts could potentially save you a lot of money.

If you have a ton of fabric and/or crafting supplies sitting around and the time to do something with them, handmade holidays can take a lot of financial strain and stress off of your holiday plate! Making handmade gifts is very economical if you already have the supplies, aside from being rewarding and all of the other awesome reasons I’ve already mentioned above!

So, if you have the ability, the time, and the supplies, make this season the season of handmade!

Do you have any handmade gifts to make this year? We’de love to hear about them in the comments! And join our Facebook group for more fun and sharing, we’d love to see you there!

Easy Gifting Crafts: Hanging Kitchen Towels

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I always have the best intentions of making handmade gifts… and almost every year I fall short on time. I can’t be the only one. So this year, leading up to the holidays, I’ll occasionally be posting a quick and easy crafting tutorial for some great things to gift! Today’s tutorial? Hanging kitchen towels!

Easy Gifting Crafts: Hanging Kitchen Towels

To Prepare:

To start, you will need a  square potholder with a loop, a kitchen towel, and a large button. (Button not pictured here, but you will need one lol)

The first thing you need to do is find the center of your potholder. As most potholders are about 6 inches square, I found it easiest to just lay my acrylic ruler on top of it and mark the center. Keep in mind, some potholders have the loop on a corner. If this is the case, you will mark the corners and your top will be triangular when finished.

I just make little marks at the edges. Ink pen was used here for better visibility in pictures, but you could also use chalk or a fabric marking pen. (Tags were also cut so it didn’t get in the way later.)

Now that that’s done, we need to mark the towel. Measure the length, find the center, and draw a line straight across. You will use this line to gather your towel.

Sewing Your Hanging Towel

To begin the sewing process, you need to gather your towel. So, using the line you drew as a guide, sew your gathering stitches. (You can find various methods of gathering here if you are unsure how to do this.)

Once you have your stitches in, gather your towel to the same width as the potholder.

And then you are going to pin the towel to the potholder right sides together. I start by pinning the center of the towel to the center of the potholder on either side before pinning the center down. This picture shows that my towel is pinned with the graphic sides of both against each other.

When you’re satisfied with the placement, you’ll take it back to your machine and run a straight stitch across the center of everything along the same line you used to make your gathers. Then you’re almost done!

Finishing Touch

Here’s where the button comes in. Find the center top of the potholder on the side without the loop and mark it. Then sew your button on right there. Pull the loop over the button and you’re done! A beautiful hanging towel that should take less than 10 minutes to complete!

Don’t just think of these as Christmas gifts, either! They’re also great for weddings, anniversaries, housewarmings, etc! Personalize it with embroidery or themed towels to make it perfect for your recipient! It’s so easy to make this a perfectly thoughtful gift!

Do you have any tutorial requests for fast and easy gifts? Leave your request in the comments and we’ll do our best to bring you what you’re looking for! Don’t forget to join our Facebook group for news and sharing! We’d love to see you there!

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