Sewing Archives - Growing Up Gabel

How To Make Placemats {Reversible}

April 25, 2013 by Camille 10 Comments

I have been wanting to figure out how to make placemats for a few years. When my husband and I got married nearly a decade ago I registered for and received a set of eight black placemats. I love them, but they aren't very colorful! So when Jo-Anns sent me a few yards of their very colorful HGTV inspired fabrics, I knew it was time to figure out how to make placemats. For even more fun and versatility, I decided to make the placemats reversible! I have a pattern for tableware that my mom gave me, but I decided to see if I could just wing it to make placemats. Sometimes this works for me and sometimes, well, it doesn't. This time around, though, was a great success! Jo-Ann's sent me a yard of HGTV Urban Blossom and Cherry and a yard of HGTV Checkered Past Berry. I love the colors and the patterns! It is suggested to dry clean the fabric, but I'll just wash them in cold water on a gentle cycle and line dry. I had to have placemats made with these ... [read more]

Filed Under: Crafts, Sewing Tagged With: easy sewing, how to sew placemats, place mats, placemats, Sewing, simple placemats, slider

Handmade Christmas Gifts: Easy Reversible Handbag

November 29, 2012 by Camille 9 Comments

I'm trying to give as many handmade Christmas gifts as I can this year. This purse or handbag is perfect for the tween or teen or in your life. Use any cute fabric to turn just four simple pieces into a reversible handbag. After I finished making child aprons for the little kids for Christmas, I needed something for our newly minted teenager. I already have a Daisy BB gun for her tom boy side and I wanted a handmade Christmas gift for her feminine side. I had pinned this purse tutorial from Very Purple Person a while ago and decided it was what I was looking for. I'm a very beginner sewer and I knew from perusing the tutorial that it is written for someone with a little more skill than I had. I need to know to sew the pieces wrong sides together to start and what seam allowances to use. But it looked pretty simple so I decided to go for it anyway. The first purse I made (the pink butterfly one) took me about an hour because I made a lot of ... [read more]

Filed Under: Christmas, Crafts, Sewing, Uncategorized Tagged With: Christmas, handbag, Holiday, purse, Sewing

Handmade Christmas Gifts:Child Apron

November 27, 2012 by Camille 6 Comments

This year I am making as many handmade Christmas gifts as I can manage. These child aprons are simple beginning sewing projects that can be used in the kitchen, at the craft table or even in the garden. The aprons are no tie so they are easy for kids to put on themselves. Last year after Christmas a college friend of mine posted a picture on Facebook of all the fabulous handmade Christmas gifts she had made for her family. I decided then that this year I would make as many handmade Christmas gifts as I could manage. Last year I did make a few handmade gifts like family memory jars and knit headbands and knit fingerless gloves. But this year I really wanted to sew more handmade Christmas gifts since they are quicker to make. I spent this past year honing my very beginner sewing skills using on-line sewing classes and tutorials. My first project in my goal to make handmade gifts were these kids aprons from Sew Liberated. The tutorial is really well written and very ... [read more]

Filed Under: Christmas, Crafts, Sewing, Uncategorized Tagged With: apron, Christmas, Cooking, Gifts, kids

Easy To Sew Trick Or Treat Bags for Halloween

October 10, 2012 by Camille 11 Comments

I had so much fun making these easy to sew trick or treat bags! When I was a kid the local businesses handed out plastic trick or treat bags every year, but they never lasted long with the weight of the candy. I wanted to make my kids nice trick or treat bags that they could use year after year and hopefully pass down to their own kids. So, (ha ha) I got a new sewing machine for my birthday last month thanks to my mom and dad. After fighting with my Singer for way too long, I finally got a Brother as recommended by April at Wildflowers & Whimsy. I love this machine! Sewing is actually fun now that I'm not fighting with my machine every five minutes. The trick or treat bags were my first project on my new machine and I didn't have to fight with it once! These trick or treat bags are based on a tutorial over at Purl Bee. I'm not going to reinvent the wheel here because you really don't want me to tell you how to sew. You can just click over there for the ... [read more]

Filed Under: Crafts, Halloween, Sewing Tagged With: Bag, book bag, Halloween, Halloween craft, Sew a bag, Trick or Treat

My Lazy Daisy: Direct Sales for Quilters and Sewers

July 19, 2012 by Camille 6 Comments

I am a huge supporter of direct sales companies. I just love the idea that I can shop for items I use anyway and support a friend or a friend of a friend in the process. Plus, in my experience, the quality of most direct sales products are top notch. I am rarely disappointed in a product I buy from a direct sales company. Because I love direct sales so much, I am always on the look out for new companies. I was really excited to discover a brand-new direct sales company for quilters and sewers, My Lazy Daisy. I've seen direct sales for food, home goods, candles and all sorts of other products, but a direct sales company for crafting -- yes, please! I immediately contacted Amelia at My Lazy Daisy and asked if I could do a review for her and she agreed! My Lazy Daisy was founded in 2011 and is based out of a quilt shop in St. George, Utah (which just happens to be only a few hours from my house!). My Lazy Daisy is a direct sales company focused on exclusive, complete quilt kits ... [read more]

Filed Under: Crafts, Sewing Tagged With: Direct Sales, quilting, quilts