It’s that time of year to do ALL the gift sewing. I sat down with my oldest daughter and we had a little sewing afternoon and whipped up some cute, quick presents using FREE patterns from some of our favorite designers. This fabric from Riley Blake Designs was perfect for accessories that will match everything!
We used a Swiss Dot on Black Gold Sparkle from Riley Blake. This fabric would make a darling dress, skirt, pillows, or quilt… there are loads of possibilities! I love the classic dots and the sparkle of the gold. There’s just something about a good black and gold combination!
Our first project was one that has been all over the sewing community since it debuted last year- a hidden pocket infinity scarf. We followed this tutorial from Patterns for Pirates. It was easy to follow and so fun! That hidden pocket is perfect for holding your cell phone, keys, mints, etc. and is such a genius idea.
She plans on gifting this one to her favorite teacher with a gift card snuck inside the pocket. I think we’ll have to make a few more for teachers, neighbors, and friends.
We turned to Made for Mermaids for our other two projects. Both M4M and P4P do a fun 12 Days of Christmas each year and offer free patterns and projects. I don’t know how they continue to come up with them year after year but I always look forward to them.
My girls still love a good simple bow so we just had to make the new Hadley Hand-Tied Bow. We did the largest size and I think it works great for tweens and teens. I’m glad they even included a little tutorial on how to tie it up just right.
We also sewed up the Bow Scrunchie pattern. My daughter has made dozens of scrunchies and I love the bow addition on this one. She was easily able to sew up both of these hair accessories (I manned the iron while she sewed!). I love seeing her sewing confidence grow with each project!
We had to throw in a Flower Market version with the little scraps we had leftover from this jacket. These hair things are perfect for all those precious scraps! She’s planning to gift these to her little sis which is fantastic because that means they’ll stay in the family and I can steal them!
Are you sewing handmade gifts this year? Do you wait until the last minute or are you already done with your crafting? I usually think I’m done and then like to cram in some last-minute gift sewing in the final days before Christmas. Doesn’t that make me a true sewist?!
Gingham is one of those classic prints I just can’t get enough of. I love it in classic colors like navy, red, and black but it also signals spring to me in bright bold hues too. I was excited to get to play with 
With so many cute colors and sizes to choose from, I had a tough choice when it came to picking fabrics. I imagined button-ups, sundresses, casual skirts, and fun summer totes. I picked fabric with plans for my first Hey June Cheyenne Top but once it arrived my head went spinning again into all the possibilities! Did I want to share it with my kids? Did I want tops or bottoms pieces? What about home decor pieces? Pillows, table runners, a cute valance for my sewing room? I tell you, gingham is just WAY too versatile!
For my first project I settled on a simple woven tee. I think this will be amazing to have in my wardrobe as we move into spring. It looks incredible layered under a cardigan and pairs so great with jeans or dressed up with a skirt.
I used the Hey June 
I busted out the white jeans for these pics for the first time in forever and can’t wait until it’s warm enough to wear this outfit in real life. It just screams warm weather chic!
For my next project I just had to make my second 
Second best part? Giant pockets!!! Hello! Those babies hold my cell phone, chapstick, and keys with room to spare. So so good!
I paired it with my standard v-neck tee and sandals for a casual take. I wore it to church after these pics with a sleek fitted tee, cardigan, and statement jewelry for a more polished look. I’m seriously giddy with all the outfit possibilities with this piece. I love navy with so many coordinating colors- mint, coral, red, fuchsia, mustard, kelly green, you name it! I’ll apologize in advance to all my real life friends for how much you’ll be seeing this skirt come summer.
These fabrics were so nice to work with. Using a woven gingham means no fading, no printing off grain, and lining up the print was easy peasy! It’s a great weight too, not too sheer or light but still has a bit of drape to it. It come in 1/4″ and 1/2″ wide prints to fit all your needs. I’ve already got a huge list going of all the gingham projects for spring and summer! How much gingham is too much gingham, you know, asking for a friend ;)?
SewSophieLynn 