I have been playing around with a new-to-me material this week: bamboo fleece. I first heard about bamboo fleece from Gail at BrightLifeToys. Gail is an awesome customer of mine. She makes and sells toys from many of my patterns in her shop and she sews them all from bamboo fleece that she dyes herself….
Adding Seam Allowances to Pattern Pieces
When I'm in the process of designing a sewing pattern I design without adding seam allowances to the pattern pieces because I need to see exactly how the pattern pieces come together. But when I cut the pattern pieces from fabric I add a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Here is how to add a 1/4…
Sewing With Fleece: Tips and Tricks for Making Great Softies
Shelley the Snail pattern available right here. Fleece is an amazing fabric for sewing softies. Here's why: it's machine washable it's easy to find in almost any fabric store it comes in a huge variety of colors and patterns it's super soft and huggable it's durable it's forgiving of stitching mistakes Despite fleece's many fantastic…
Hemostats Explained
Hemostats are my very favorite softie making tool. Also known as surgical forceps, hemostats are a wonderful tool for easily turning softies right side out and for stuffing them firmly. I use my hemostats so much that I've developed a callus on the forefinger of my right hand! In this short video I demonstrate how…